Comparative assessment of three storage methods for preserving maize grain to enhance food security post COVID-19. (Special Issue: Technology and innovation for a post COVID recovery and growth: the contribution of industry and academia.)

Cold storage is expensive for smallholder farmers and seed processors in developing countries. Smallholder farmers continue to resort to traditional storage methods such as polypropylene (PP) bags for maize grain storage. They often dose the grains with chemicals to preserve them. However, hermetic bags have proven to provide superior protection to grains during storage without chemical treatment. With the advent of the COVID-19 virus which distorted many food systems across continents, stakeholders in the grain industry need to adopt better systems to reduce post-harvest food loss and improve food security. In this study, maize grain quality, nutritional content and viability were compared under three storage methods (PP bags with Phostoxin treatment, cold storage, and hermetic bag) over a storage period of four months. The results showed that the hermetic bag maintained the moisture content (MC) of the stored grains with 0.40% variations from the initial MC of 13% at the end of the storage period compared to 0.70% and 1.10% for grains stored under cold storage and in PP bags, respectively. Grain damage after the 4th month of storage in the hermetic bag had only increased by 0.40% from an initial 13.3% before storage compared to an increase of 6% for cold storage, which was attributed to unstable power during the storage period, and 4.30% for grains stored in the PP bag. Carbon dioxide concentration in the hermetic bag was maintained at about 11% throughout the storage period indicating low microbial activity. The hermetic bag technology was identified as the best option for quality preservation during storage of maize grain over the other methods, and its adoption by smallholder farmers in Ghana should be considered.

Altruism and the Link to Pro-social Pandemic Behavior

In the Corona pandemic, especially in the phase before vaccines were available, people's risk of infection with COVID-19 was dependent on the adherence to pandemic behaviors (e. g., wearing masks) of others around them. To explore whether altruistic individuals are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors to protect others during the pandemic, we use data from the European COVID Survey (ECOS). The data was collected in September 2020 and consisted of a representative sample from seven European countries (N = 7,025). Altruism was measured as a deviation from purely self-interested behavior by asking respondents how much they would be willing to donate from an unexpected gain to the equivalent of 1000€. Respondents who were willing to donate more than 0 Euros (68.7%) were treated as altruistic;on average, respondents were willing to donate 11.7% (SD 17.9) of the gain. Controlling for country, sociodemographics, general risk aversion and COVID-specific risk aversion, we find that individuals classified as altruistic were more likely to behave pro-socially. More specifically, we find that altruistic respondents were more likely to wait at home for test results and wear a mask where it is recommended. They would also stay about 1 day longer under quarantine without symptoms after visiting a high-risk country and were less likely to go to a supermarket with COVID symptoms. We find no significant effect for wearing a mask in places where it is mandatory and for inviting more than six people into the house. Furthermore, we find that the subjective risk assessment of COVID-19 also plays a role in these behaviors. Our results support evidence from the literature that suggests that adherence to pro-social pandemic behaviors may be increased if public health officials emphasize the altruistic nature of these behaviors.

Altruism and the Link to Pro-social Pandemic Behavior.

In the Corona pandemic, especially in the phase before vaccines were available, people's risk of infection with COVID-19 was dependent on the adherence to pandemic behaviors (e. g., wearing masks) of others around them. To explore whether altruistic individuals are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors to protect others during the pandemic, we use data from the European COVID Survey (ECOS). The data was collected in September 2020 and consisted of a representative sample from seven European countries (N = 7,025). Altruism was measured as a deviation from purely self-interested behavior by asking respondents how much they would be willing to donate from an unexpected gain to the equivalent of 1000€. Respondents who were willing to donate more than 0 Euros (68.7%) were treated as altruistic; on average, respondents were willing to donate 11.7% (SD 17.9) of the gain. Controlling for country, sociodemographics, general risk aversion and COVID-specific risk aversion, we find that individuals classified as altruistic were more likely to behave pro-socially. More specifically, we find that altruistic respondents were more likely to wait at home for test results and wear a mask where it is recommended. They would also stay about 1 day longer under quarantine without symptoms after visiting a high-risk country and were less likely to go to a supermarket with COVID symptoms. We find no significant effect for wearing a mask in places where it is mandatory and for inviting more than six people into the house. Furthermore, we find that the subjective risk assessment of COVID-19 also plays a role in these behaviors. Our results support evidence from the literature that suggests that adherence to pro-social pandemic behaviors may be increased if public health officials emphasize the altruistic nature of these behaviors.

A systems immunology study comparing innate and adaptive immune responses in adults to COVID-19 mRNA and adenovirus vectored vaccines.

Identifying the molecular mechanisms that promote optimal immune responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is critical for future rational vaccine design. Here, we longitudinally profile innate and adaptive immune responses in 102 adults after the first, second, and third doses of mRNA or adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccines. Using a multi-omics approach, we identify key differences in the immune responses induced by ChAdOx1-S and BNT162b2 that correlate with antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses or vaccine reactogenicity. Unexpectedly, we observe that vaccination with ChAdOx1-S, but not BNT162b2, induces an adenoviral vector-specific memory response after the first dose, which correlates with the expression of proteins with roles in thrombosis with potential implications for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a rare but serious adverse event linked to adenovirus-vectored vaccines. The COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Responses Study thus represents a major resource that can be used to understand the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of these COVID-19 vaccines.

The Effects of an mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Booster on Immune Responses in Cancer-Bearing Veterans.

Immunocompromised cancer patients are at significant risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A method to identify those patients at highest risk is needed so that prophylactic measures may be employed. Serum antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are important markers of protection against COVID-19 disease. We evaluated total and neutralizing antibody levels pre and post third booster vaccine and compared responses among different cancer-bearing and healthy veterans. This as a prospective, single site, comparative cohort observational trial. The setting was the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center cancer center. All veterans received a third SARS-CoV-2 mRNA booster. The main outcomes were anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG and neutralizing antibodies to wild-type, and B.1.617, BA1, BA2, and BA4/5 variants were measured. Disease type and therapy, COVID-19 infection, and anti-CD20 antibody treatments were documented. The third mRNA vaccine booster increased the mean blood anti-spike IgG five-fold. The second anti-spike level was equal or greater than the first in 129/140 veterans. All the groups except the myeloma group, had post-booster antibody levels significantly higher than pre-booster with 4-fold, 12-fold, 4-fold, 6-fold and 3.5-fold increases for the control, solid tumor, CLL, B cell lymphoma and all B cell malignancy cohorts. The myeloma set showed only a non-significant 1.7-fold increase. Recently anti-CD20 antibody-treated patients were shown to have approximately 200-fold less anti-S IgG production after vaccine booster than other patients. There was a 2.5-fold enhancement of wild-type virus mean neutralizing antibodies after a third mRNA booster and mean neutralization of Delta and Omicron variants increased 2.2, 6.5, 7.7, and 6.2-fold versus pre-boost levels. B cell malignancies failed to show increased post-booster neutralization. The third SARS CoV-2 booster increased total anti-spike IgG and neutralizing antibodies for most subjects. Veterans with B cell malignancies particularly myeloma and those receiving anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies had the weakest humoral responses. Neutralizing antibody responses to Omicron variants were less than for wild-type virus. A subset of patients without humoral immunity post-booster should be considered for prophylactic antibody or close monitoring.

Circulating sTREM-1 as a predictive biomarker of pediatric multisystemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).

The exacerbation of the inflammatory response caused by SARS-CoV-2 in adults promotes the production of soluble mediators that could act as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for COVID-19. Among the potential biomarkers, the soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (sTREM-1) has been described as a predictor of inflammation severity. The aim was to evaluate sTREM-1 and cytokine serum concentrations in pediatric patients during the acute and convalescent phases of COVID-19. This was a prospective study that included 53 children/adolescents with acute COVID-19 (Acute-CoV group); 54 who recovered from COVID-19 (Post-CoV group) and 54 controls (Control group). Preexisting chronic conditions were present in the three groups, which were defined as follows: immunological diseases, neurological disorders, and renal and hepatic failures. The three groups were matched by age, sex, and similar preexisting chronic conditions. No differences in sTREM-1 levels were detected among the groups or when the groups were separately analyzed by preexisting chronic conditions. However, sTREM-1 analysis in the seven multisystemic inflammatory syndrome children (MIS-C) within the Acute-Cov group showed that sTREM-1 concentrations were higher in MIS-C vs non-MIS-C acute patients. Then, the receiver operating curve analysis (ROC) performed with MIS-C acute patients revealed a significant AUC of 0.870, and the sTREM-1 cutoff value of > 5781 pg/mL yielded a sensitivity of 71.4 % and a specificity of 91.3 % for disease severity, and patients with sTREM-1 levels above this cutoff presented an elevated risk for MIS-C development in 22.85-fold (OR = 22.85 [95 % CI 1.64-317.5], p = 0.02). The cytokine analyses in the acute phase revealed that IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 concentrations were elevated regardless of whether the patient developed MIS-C, and those levels decreased in the convalescent phase, even when compared with controls. Spearman correlation analysis generated positive indexes between sTREM-1 and IL-12 and TNF-α concentrations, only within the Acute-CoV group. Our findings revealed that sTREM-1 in pediatric patients has good predictive accuracy as an early screening tool for surveillance of MIS-C cases, even in patients with chronic underlying conditions.

USE AND PERCEPTIONS OF TELEHEALTH-BASED SUPPORTIVE CANCER CARE AMONG OLDER SURVIVORS

Introduction Telehealth-based supportive care has proliferated, particularly during COVID-19. However, research on the use of these resources among older adults, who are the majority of cancer survivors, is limited. This study utilized online semi-structured interviews to gather older cancer survivors' use and perceptions of telehealth-based supportive care. Methods Participants were recruited through ResearchMatch. Content analyses were conducted by two independent coders for identification of common themes. SPSS IBM 27.0 was used for descriptive analyses. Results The majority of participants (n=21;mean age=73.5±4.9) were female (57%), White (90%), and had a variety of cancer diagnoses. Ten (47.6%) survivors had prior experience with telehealth use. More than half (52.3%) of survivors reported interest in using telehealth for symptom management. One-third of survivors were interested in telehealthbased supportive care for nutrition, exercise, screening, and stress management. Older cancer survivors noted the convenience of telehealth, yet expressed feelings of disconnect with supportive care providers and preference for in-person appointments. Conclusions These findings suggest that older cancer survivors are divided in their use and perceptions of telehealth for supportive care. Additional efforts to establish the most appropriate uses and distribution of telehealth-based supportive cancer care for older cancer survivors post-COVID-19 are warranted.

COVID-19 pneumonia chest radiographic severity score: variability assessment among experienced and in-training radiologists and creation of a multireader composite score database for artificial intelligence algorithm development.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to evaluate reader variability between experienced and in-training radiologists of COVID-19 pneumonia severity on chest radiograph (CXR), and to create a multireader database suitable for AI development. METHODS: In this study, CXRs from polymerase chain reaction positive COVID-19 patients were reviewed. Six experienced cardiothoracic radiologists and two residents classified each CXR according to severity. One radiologist performed the classification twice to assess intraobserver variability. Severity classification was assessed using a 4-class system: normal (0), mild (1), moderate (2), and severe (3). A median severity score (Rad Med) for each CXR was determined for the six radiologists for development of a multireader database (XCOMS). Kendal Tau correlation and percentage of disagreement were calculated to assess variability. RESULTS: A total of 397 patients (1208 CXRs) were included (mean age, 60 years SD ± 1), 189 men). Interobserver variability between the radiologists ranges between 0.67 and 0.78. Compared to the Rad Med score, the radiologists show good correlation between 0.79-0.88. Residents show slightly lower interobserver agreement of 0.66 with each other and between 0.69 and 0.71 with experienced radiologists. Intraobserver agreement was high with a correlation coefficient of 0.77. In 220 (18%), 707 (59%), 259 (21%) and 22 (2%) CXRs there was a 0, 1, 2 or 3 class-difference. In 594 (50%) CXRs the median scores of the residents and the radiologists were similar, in 578 (48%) and 36 (3%) CXRs there was a 1 and 2 class-difference. CONCLUSION: Experienced and in-training radiologists demonstrate good inter- and intraobserver agreement in COVID-19 pneumonia severity classification. A higher percentage of disagreement was observed in moderate cases, which may affect training of AI algorithms. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Most AI algorithms are trained on data labeled by a single expert. This study shows that for COVID-19 X-ray severity classification there is significant variability and disagreement between radiologist and between residents.

Bioinformatic Analysis Underpinning the Frequent Occurrence of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rare but serious complication of the pandemic. Diagnostic criteria include clinical and laboratory findings. Early treatment is often effective, but rare severe bleeding and death can occur. An autoimmune mechanism is likely. OBJECTIVES: To determine a role for molecular mimicry in producing disease. METHODS: Hexapeptide and heptapeptide matches between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and platelet N-glycosylated proteins and other human proteins were assessed. RESULTS: Shared viral and platelet glycoprotein peptides were found. Copy frequency of these peptides in the human proteome was low for many of the candidate molecular mimics. CONCLUSIONS: The data support a contribution of molecular mimicry in COVID-19 ITP autoimmunity and offer avenues for in vitro diagnostic assay development. The continuation of the pandemic necessitates additional understanding of COVID-19 ITP as well as studies on diagnosis and mitigation.

Design, Synthesis, and In Vivo Evaluation of C1-Linked 4,5-Epoxymorphinan Haptens for Heroin Vaccines.

In our continuing effort to develop effective anti-heroin vaccines as potential medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder, herein we present the design and synthesis of the haptens: 1-AmidoMorHap (1), 1-AmidoMorHap epimer (2), 1 Amido-DihydroMorHap (3), and 1 Amido-DihydroMorHap epimer (4). This is the first report of hydrolytically stable haptenic surrogates of heroin with the attachment site at the C1 position in the 4,5-epoxymorophinan nucleus. We prepared respective tetanus toxoid (TT)-hapten conjugates as heroin vaccine immunogens and evaluated their efficacy in vivo. We showed that all TT-hapten conjugates induced high antibody endpoint titers against the targets but only haptens 2 and 3 can induce protective effects against heroin in vivo. The epimeric analogues of these haptens, 1 and 4, failed to protect mice from the effects of heroin. We also showed that the in vivo efficacy is consistent with the results of the in vitro drug sequestration assay. Attachment of the linker at the C1 position induced antibodies with weak binding to the target drugs. Only TT-2 and TT-3 yielded antibodies that bound heroin and 6-acetyl morphine. None of the TT-hapten conjugates induced antibodies that cross-reacted with morphine, methadone, naloxone, or naltrexone, and only TT-3 interacted weakly with buprenorphine, and that subtle structural difference, especially at the C6 position, can vastly alter the specificity of the induced antibodies. This study is an important contribution in the field of vaccine development against small-molecule targets, providing proof that the chirality at C6 in these epoxymorphinans is a vital key to their effectiveness.

Adapting Chinese Qigong Mind-Body Exercise for Healthy Aging in Older Community-Dwelling Low-income Latino Adults: Pilot Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Research translating the evidence for the benefit of mind-body exercise in older Latinos with limited access to community-based healthy aging programs is sparse. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of Function Improvement Exercises for Older Sedentary Community-Dwelling Latino Residents (FITxOlder), a Community Health Worker (CHW)-led, mobile technology-facilitated Chinese Qigong mind-body exercise program for healthy aging and to explore its impact on physical and cognitive function and quality of life (QoL) in older community-dwelling low-income Latino adults. METHODS: This study was designed as a Stage 1 feasibility study to develop and pilot-test FITxOlder. In Phase 1 (Stage 1A), a working group of seniors, CHWs, and senior center staff guided the adaptation of Chinese Qigong into a healthy aging program. In Phase 2 (Stage 1B), 49 older Latino adults participated in a 3-arm controlled study to test the feasibility and preliminary effect of CHW-led FITxOlder on physical and cognitive function and QoL measures over 16 weeks. RESULTS: Although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the implementation of the study protocol, we found favorable results regarding participant recruitment, retention, and fidelity of implementation. Notable findings included an 89.3% participant retention, 79.4% of the participants completed at least 70% of the weekly exercise goal, and no report of adverse events. The effects on intervention outcome measures were modest. CONCLUSIONS: FITxOlder is feasible for promoting healthy aging in older Latino adults; future research needs to compare its feasibility with other low-impact exercise programs for healthy aging using a randomized controlled trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04284137; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04284137.

Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID-19 positive male with metastatic jejunal neuroendocrine tumor treated with everolimus.

A 61-year-old male on everolimus had chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Addition of pegylated interferon cleared viral RNA and supports combination therapy with everolimus plus interferon for COVID-19.

Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID-19-positive elderly woman with primary myelofibrosis treated with ruxolitinib.

An 83-year-old female had asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection while taking ruxolitinib. She remained RT-PCR positive for viral RNA for >120 days, and Pegylated interferon for 4 weeks led to viral RNA clearance. The observations support combination therapy of ruxolitinib + interferon for COVID-19.

Beliefs and Risk Perceptions About COVID-19: Evidence From Two Successive French Representative Surveys During Lockdown.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a major interrupting event, challenging how societies and individuals deal with risk. An essential determinant of the virus' spread is a series of individual decisions, such as wearing face masks in public space. Those decisions depend on trade-offs between costs (or benefits) and risks, and beliefs are key to explain these. METHODS: We elicit beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic during lockdown in France by means of surveys asking French citizens about their belief of the infection fatality ratio (IFR) for COVID-19, own risk to catch the disease, risk as perceived by others, and expected prevalence rate. Those self-assessments were measured twice during lockdown: about 2 weeks after lockdown started and about 2 weeks before lockdown ended. We also measured the quality of these beliefs with respect to available evidence at the time of the surveys, allowing us to assess the calibration of beliefs based on risk-related socio-demographics. Finally, comparing own risk to expected prevalence rates in the two successive surveys provides a dynamic view of comparative optimism with respect to the disease. RESULTS: The risk perceptions are rather high in absolute terms and they increased between the two surveys. We found no evidence for an impact of personal experience with COVID-19 on beliefs and lower risk perceptions of the IFR when someone in the respondent's family has been diagnosed with a disease. Answers to survey 1 confirmed this pattern with a clear indication that respondents were optimistic about their chances to catch COVID-19. However, in survey 2, respondents revealed comparative pessimism. CONCLUSION: The results show that respondents overestimated the probabilities to catch or die from COVID-19, which is not unusual and does not necessarily reflect a strong deviation from rational behavior. While a rational model explains why the own risk to catch COVID-19 rose between the two surveys, it does not explain why the subjective assessment of the IFR remained stable. The comparative pessimism in survey 2 was likely due to a concomitant increase in the respondents' perceived chances to catch the disease and a decreased expected prevalence rate.

Afucosylated IgG characterizes enveloped viral responses and correlates with COVID-19 severity.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are crucial for protection against invading pathogens. A highly conserved N-linked glycan within the IgG-Fc tail, which is essential for IgG function, shows variable composition in humans. Afucosylated IgG variants are already used in anticancer therapeutic antibodies for their increased activity through Fc receptors (FcγRIIIa). Here, we report that afucosylated IgG (approximately 6% of total IgG in humans) are specifically formed against enveloped viruses but generally not against other antigens. This mediates stronger FcγRIIIa responses but also amplifies brewing cytokine storms and immune-mediated pathologies. Critically ill COVID-19 patients, but not those with mild symptoms, had high concentrations of afucosylated IgG antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), amplifying proinflammatory cytokine release and acute phase responses. Thus, antibody glycosylation plays a critical role in immune responses to enveloped viruses, including COVID-19.

THE INVENTION OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OF HERBAL MEDICINE CONTAINING PIRIDINE FOR CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19. MFRS). HIV/AIDS. AND HEPATITIS

Drugs that many currently developed progressing well from natural materials and structures, quite a long period of 25 years, especially drugs for the inhibition of virus Corona, HIV/AIDS, a retrovirus (ARV) drugs such as Lamivudine and Generative her yet retrovirus capable of completely killing, is still limited to inhibiting (inhibition) for this paper to compare the strength of inhibition between drugs derived from chemical structures and Herbs. Research in the Tobelo year period 2014-2019 in STIKMAH Tobelo involving several laboratories such as the Laboratory of DKI, LIPI Laboratory, Laboratory of IPB Bogor and Others. Provide a reference for researchers, especially in the field of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Nanomedicine and foremost also for WHO that supplements should not be underestimated and there is no benefit. Derived supplement China today is recognized as the world a malaria drug. Results found among other things that the power of the drugs inhibit retrovirus Lamivudine reached 46% while Golobe (Zingiberaceae) 43% and leaves Pangi reached 94.80%. This needs to be the seriousness of the world because there does not already over 45 million HIV / AIDS patients awaiting life-style drugs to raise expectations, as well as comparisons between Golobe and Lamivudine 46.75% inhibition and as anti-toxins, which also has the benefit of preventing golobe poison. Inhibition of RNA viruses, Corona Handling Family (COVID-19 mers) HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. Compounds - compounds in Golobe2,3-Dihydro-3,5-Dihydro-6-methyl (5:31%), 2-formyl-5-isopropyl-8-Methylspiro (2.22%), 2,6-Diethylpyridine (5.88%), Cholest-5 -en-3-one, 4,4-dimethyl (6.08%), hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester (43%). The compound contained in the leaves of Pangi 3R-acetamido-IC, 6C-bis (acetoxy) 5T-dimethyl-Cyclohexene lamino (1:03%), (+)-2-endo, 3-endo -dimethylbornane (1.24%), 3 , 5-dimethyl-ldimethyl dodecyl silyl oxy benzene (1.62%), 2- (1methyl -1,5 ,6,7-tetrahydro benzo pyrazole -3 -yl) -6- (2-methyl-4,5,6, 7- tetrahydro benzo pyrazole-3-yl pyridine (2.59%), Phytol (10.33%), Squalene Dimethylamino (21.22%) (94.80%), red sea star-containing compoundButanoic acid, 3-methyl (13.64%), 2-piperidone (27.24%), 2-hydroxy-3 ,5 ,5 -trimethyl- cyclohex-2-Enone 28 682 (6.79%), 3 - ISOBUTHYLHEXAHDROPYPROLO [1,2-a] pyrazine (1.87%), hexadecanoic acid (8.51%), 9.17-Octadecanienal, (Z) - (16.47%), Octadecanoic Acid (6.23% ), 9,12-Octadecadicnoic acid (z, z) - (5.73%), (6Z, 9z) -6.9-Pentadecadien-1-OL (1.95%), 6-Octadeccenoic acid. (4, 85%). A comparison between herbal ingredients more strongly inhibits the virus such as Corona Virus (COVID-19). Pangi leaves of chemical drug Lamivudine, while golobe has the same strength as well as inhibits virus lamivudine COVID-19 mers, HIV and Hepatitis.

Potent neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients define multiple targets of vulnerability.

The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had a large impact on global health, travel, and economy. Therefore, preventative and therapeutic measures are urgently needed. Here, we isolated monoclonal antibodies from three convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using a SARS-CoV-2 stabilized prefusion spike protein. These antibodies had low levels of somatic hypermutation and showed a strong enrichment in VH1-69, VH3-30-3, and VH1-24 gene usage. A subset of the antibodies was able to potently inhibit authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection at a concentration as low as 0.007 micrograms per milliliter. Competition and electron microscopy studies illustrate that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contains multiple distinct antigenic sites, including several receptor-binding domain (RBD) epitopes as well as non-RBD epitopes. In addition to providing guidance for vaccine design, the antibodies described here are promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment and prevention.

Afucosylated immunoglobulin G responses are a hallmark of enveloped virus infections and show an exacerbated phenotype in COVID-19 (preprint)

IgG antibodies are crucial for protection against invading pathogens. A highly conserved N-linked glycan within the IgG-Fc-tail, essential for IgG function, shows variable composition in humans. Afucosylated IgG variants are already used in anti-cancer therapeutic antibodies for their elevated binding and killing activity through Fc receptors (Fc{gamma}RIIIa). Here, we report that afucosylated IgG which are of minor abundance in humans ([~]6% of total IgG) are specifically formed against surface epitopes of enveloped viruses after natural infections or immunization with attenuated viruses, while protein subunit immunization does not elicit this low fucose response. This can give beneficial strong responses, but can also go awry, resulting in a cytokine-storm and immune-mediated pathologies. In the case of COVID-19, the critically ill show aggravated afucosylated-IgG responses against the viral spike protein. In contrast, those clearing the infection unaided show higher fucosylation levels of the anti-spike protein IgG. Our findings indicate antibody glycosylation as a potential factor in inflammation and protection in enveloped virus infections including COVID-19.

The race to find a SARS-CoV-2 drug can only be won by a few chosen drugs: a systematic review of registers of clinical trials of drugs aimed at preventing or treating COVID-19 (preprint)

Considering the massive amount of clinical trial registers aimed to find effective drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, it is challenging to have a comprehensive view of which drugs are being studied more extensively and when is expected that we will have consistent results regarding their effectiveness. This systematic review included all clinical trials on pharmacological therapy related to COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 registered at the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO-ICTRP) up to April 22, 2020. Clinical trials characteristics (country, design, sample size, main outcomes, expected completion data, type of participants, length of the interventions, main outcomes). How many trials and he accumulated sample size by drug or combination of drugs, and by month in 2020 was depicted. We identified 412 clinical trials registers addressing the effect of pharmacological treatments on COVID-19, predominantly from Asia and Europe (42.2% and 31.1% of clinical trials registers, respectively). The most main outcomes studied were clinical recovery (54.4% of the clinical trials registers, respiratory recovery (28.2%) mortality (27.4%), viral load/negativity (20.4%). During 2020, a huge amount of clinical trials are expected to be completed: 41 trials (60,366 participants) using hydroxychloroquine, 20 trials (1,588 participants) using plasma, 18 trials (6,830 participants) using chloroquine, 12 trials (9,938 participants using lopinavir/ritonavir, 11 trials (1,250 participants) using favipiravir, 10 trials ( 2,175 participants) using tocilizumab and 6 trials (13,540 participants) using Remdesivir. The distribution of the number of registered clinical trials among the different therapeutic options leads to an excess of sample size for some and a lack for others. Our data allow us to conclude that by the end of June we will have results of almost 20 trials involving 40000 patients for hydroxychloroquine and 5 trials with 4500 patients for remdesivir; however, low statistical power is expected from the 9 clinical trials testing the efficacy of favipiravir or the 5 testing tocilizumab, since they will recruit less than 1000 patients each one.