Seroprevalence of IgG and Subclasses against the Nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2 in Health Workers.

BACKGROUND: The nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 participates in viral replication, transcription, and assembly. Antibodies against this protein have been proposed for the epidemiological analysis of the seroprevalence of COVID-19 associated with natural infection by SARS-CoV-2. Health workers were one of the most exposed populations, and some had an asymptomatic form of the disease, so detecting IgG antibodies and subclasses against the N protein can help to reclassify their epidemiological status and obtain information about the effector mechanisms associated with viral elimination. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed 253 serum samples collected in 2021 and derived from health workers, and evaluated the presence of total IgG and subclasses against the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 by indirect ELISA. RESULTS: From the analyzed samples, 42.69% were positive to anti-N IgG antibodies. A correlation between COVID-19 asymptomatic infection and IgG antibodies was observed (p = 0.006). The detected subclasses were: IgG1 (82.4%), IgG2 (75.9%), IgG3 (42.6%), and IgG4 (72.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This work provides evidence about the high seroprevalence of total IgG and subclasses of anti-N and their relations with the asymptomatic infection of SARS-CoV-2 and related symptoms.

Detection of IgA and IgG Antibodies against the Structural Proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in Breast Milk and Serum Samples Derived from Breastfeeding Mothers.

Background: COVID-19 vaccination or natural infection is associated with the development of immunity. The search of IgA and IgG antibodies against all the structural proteins (spike, nucleocapsid, membrane, and envelope) of SARS-CoV-2 in breastfeeding mothers is associated with immunity that can help the newborn avoid development of the infection. Methods: In this study, we analyzed 30 breastfeeding women that provided samples of breast milk and serum and evaluated the presence of IgA, total IgG, and subclasses against the structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Results: We reported a high seroprevalence to IgA (76.67-100%) and negativity to IgG against all analyzed proteins in breast milk. Seroprevalence in serum samples was around 10-36.67% to IgA and 23.3-60% to IgG. Finally, we detected the presence of the subclasses IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 against all the structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: This work provides evidence of the presence of IgA and IgG antibodies against the four structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk and serum samples derived from breastfeeding women, which can confer immunity to the newborn.

Case report of Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine☆ Reporte de caso de Síndrome de Guillain-Barré posterior a vacuna COVID BNT162b2 mRNA

Introduction Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune disorder that affects peripheral nerves and the cause is not known completely, but it is associated with infections by viruses or bacteria. Case report We report the case of a 23-year-old male patient, a health student, who start 24 hours after received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with proximal weakness of the right upper limb, later in the left side with descending and distal progression. Discussion GBS cases related to COVID-19 vaccines have been published, the most common being BNT162b2, which is mRNA, there are also cases published after the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) vaccine, which is a non-replicating viral vector. The incidence of GBS is estimated at 0.43 per 100.00 doses applied, under registered national incidence of 1.1-1.8 per 100,000 persons per year. Conclusions It is important to mention that although GBS can occur after vaccination against COVID-19, this incidence is much lower than which occurs in the community in Mexico associated with other diseases, considering more common the presence of cases related to infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

Utility of in silico-identified-peptides in spike-S1 domain and nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2 for antibody detection in COVID-19 patients and antibody production.

SARS-CoV-2 contains four structural proteins, two of which, the spike and nucleocapsid, are commonly used for the standardization of novel methods for antibody detection; however, some limitations in their use have been observed due to the homology of this virus with other phylogenetically-related viruses. We performed in silico analysis to search for novel immunogenic and antigenic peptides. A total of twenty-five peptides were preliminarily selected, located in the 3D structure of both proteins. Finally, eight peptides were selected: one located in the N protein and seven in the S1 domain of the spike protein. Additionally, the localization of selected peptides in 2D structures and possible changes in the sequences of these peptides in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were analyzed. All peptides were synthetized in MAP8 format, and recombinant S (trimer and RBD) and N proteins were used as antigens to search for antibodies in serum samples derived from COVID-19 patients, and for antibody response in New Zealand rabbits. Results showed high recognition of the serum derived from COVID-19 patients to all selected peptides; however, only the RBD3 peptide induced antibody production. In conclusion, this work provides evidence for a new strategy in peptide selection and its use for antibody detection or antibody production in animals.

Case report of Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine

Resumen Introducción El síndrome de Guillain-Barré (SGB) es un padecimiento inmunológico poco común que afecta a los nervios periféricos, la causa no es del todo conocida, pero está asociada a infecciones por virus o bacterias. Presentación del caso Reportamos el caso de un paciente masculino de 23 años de edad, estudiante del área de la salud, que 24 horas posteriores a recibir la segunda dosis de la vacuna COVID BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-Biontech) presentó debilidad proximal de extremidad superior derecha, posteriormente en la izquierda con progresión descendente y distal. Discusión En general se han publicado casos de SGB relacionados a las vacunas contra COVID-19 siendo la más común la BNT162b2 que es de mRNA, también hay casos publicados posteriores a la vacuna AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) que es de vector viral no replicante. Se calcula que la incidencia de SGB en 0.43 por cada 100,00 dosis aplicadas, por debajo de la incidencia nacional registrada de 1.1-1.8 por cada 100,000 habitantes al año. Conclusiones Es importante mencionar que si bien se puede presentar SGB posterior a la vacunación contra COVID-19, esta incidencia es mucho menor a lo presentado en la comunidad en México asociado a otros padecimientos, considerándose más común la presencia de casos relacionados a padecimientos infecciosos gastrointestinales. Introduction Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune disorder that affects peripheral nerves and the cause is not known completely, but it is associated with infections by viruses or bacteria. Case report We report the case of a 23-year-old male patient, a health student, who start 24 hours after received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with proximal weakness of the right upper limb, later in the left side with descending and distal progression. Discussion GBS cases related to COVID-19 vaccines have been published, the most common being BNT162b2, which is mRNA, there are also cases published after the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) vaccine, which is a non-replicating viral vector. The incidence of GBS is estimated at 0.43 per 100.00 doses applied, under registered national incidence of 1.1-1.8 per 100,000 persons per year. Conclusions It is important to mention that although GBS can occur after vaccination against COVID-19, this incidence is much lower than which occurs in the community in Mexico associated with other diseases, considering more common the presence of cases related to infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

[Case report of Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine]. / Reporte de caso de síndrome de Guillain-Barré posterior a la vacuna COVID BNT162b2 mRNA.

INTRODUCTION: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune disorder that affects peripheral nerves and the cause is not known completely, but it is associated with infections by viruses or bacteria. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 23-year-old male patient, a health student, who start 24 hours after received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with proximal weakness of the right upper limb, later on the left side with descending and distal progression. DISCUSSION: GBS cases related to COVID-19 vaccines have been published, the most common being BNT162b2, which is mRNA, there are also cases published after the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) vaccine, which is a non-replicating viral vector. The incidence of GBS is estimated at 0.43 per 100.00 doses applied, under registered national incidence of 1.1-1.8 per 100,000 persons per year. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to mention that although GBS can occur after vaccination against COVID-19, this incidence is much lower than which occurs in the community in Mexico associated with other diseases, considering more common the presence of cases related to infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

Variation in the Humoral Immune Response Induced by the Administration of the BNT162b2 Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine: A Systematic Review.

The BNT162b2 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first emergency approved vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the variations in the humoral immune response induced by the administration of the BNT162b2 vaccine in patients with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, the elderly, and those with comorbidities and immunosuppression states. Additionally, we analyzed the effect of generated neutralizing antibodies against the new variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2. Pubmed, Science Direct, Mendeley, and WorldWide Science were searched between 1 January 2020 and October 2021 using the keywords "BNT162b2", "serology", "comorbidity", "immunosuppression", and "variants of concern"dA total of 20 peer-reviewed publications were selected. The analysis showed that those individuals with previous infections have a considerably higher antibody response after the administration of BNT162b2 vaccine in contrast with seronegative individuals. With regard to variation in immune responses, elderly individuals, patients with cancer, or patients who had undergone a kidney transplant, dialysis, or who were pregnant had a lower antibody response in comparison to healthy individuals. Finally, antibodies developed against the S protein produced by the BNT162b2 vaccine, possessed lower neutralizing activity against the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variants of SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, patients with immunodeficiencies and comorbidities have a lesser antibody response, about which further studies need to be performed in order to analyze the effectiveness and duration of the humoral immunity associated with vaccination in these specific populations.

Reporte de caso de síndrome de Guillain-Barré posterior a la vacuna COVID BNT162b2 mRNA Case report of Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine

Introducción: el síndrome de Guillain-Barré (SGB) es un padecimiento inmunológico poco común que afecta a los nervios periféricos;la causa no es del todo conocida pero está asociada a las infecciones por virus o bacterias. Presentación del caso: reportamos el caso de un paciente masculino de 23 años de edad, estudiante del área de la salud, que 24 horas posteriores a recibir la segunda dosis de la vacuna COVID BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech) presentó debilidad proximal de la extremidad superior derecha, posteriormente en la izquierda, con progresión descendente y distal. Discusión: en general, se han publicado casos de SGB relacionados a las vacunas contra la COVID-19 siendo la más común la BNT162b2 que es de mRNA, también hay casos publicados posteriores a la vacuna AZD1222 (ChAdOx1) que es de vector víricono replicante. Se calcula que la incidencia de SGB en 0,43 por cada 100,000 dosis aplicadas, por debajo de la incidencia nacional registrada de 1,1-1,8 por cada 100,000 habitantes al año. Conclusiones: si bien se puede presentar el SGB posterior a la vacunación contra la COVID-19, esta incidencia es mucho menor a la presentada en México para otros padecimientos, considerándose más común la presencia de casos asociados a padecimientos infecciosos gastrointestinales.

GPU-Accelerated Drug Discovery with Docking on the Summit Supercomputer: Porting, Optimization, and Application to COVID-19 Research

Protein-ligand docking is an in silico tool used to screen potential drug compounds for their ability to bind to a given protein receptor within a drug-discovery campaign. Experimental drug screening is expensive and time consuming, and it is desirable to carry out large scale docking calculations in a high-throughput manner to narrow the experimental search space. Few of the existing computational docking tools were designed with high performance computing in mind. Therefore, optimizations to maximize use of high-performance computational resources available at leadership-class computing facilities enables these facilities to be leveraged for drug discovery. Here we present the porting, optimization, and validation of the AutoDock-GPU program for the Summit supercomputer, and its application to initial compound screening efforts to target proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Challenges in the management of Covid-19 patients in a neurological center in Mexico City.

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Human Pose Detection for Robotic-Assisted and Rehabilitation Environments

Featured ApplicationThe proposed technology is useful for the estimation of human biomarkers in rehabilitation processes or for any application that needs human pose estimation.AbstractAssistance and rehabilitation robotic platforms must have precise sensory systems for human–robot interaction. Therefore, human pose estimation is a current topic of research, especially for the safety of human–robot collaboration and the evaluation of human biomarkers. Within this field of research, the evaluation of the low-cost marker-less human pose estimators of OpenPose and Detectron 2 has received much attention for their diversity of applications, such as surveillance, sports, videogames, and assessment in human motor rehabilitation. This work aimed to evaluate and compare the angles in the elbow and shoulder joints estimated by OpenPose and Detectron 2 during four typical upper-limb rehabilitation exercises: elbow side flexion, elbow flexion, shoulder extension, and shoulder abduction. A setup of two Kinect 2 RGBD cameras was used to obtain the ground truth of the joint and skeleton estimations during the different exercises. Finally, we provided a numerical comparison (RMSE and MAE) among the angle measurements obtained with OpenPose, Detectron 2, and the ground truth. The results showed how OpenPose outperforms Detectron 2 in these types of applications.

Supercomputing Pipelines Search for Therapeutics Against COVID-19.

The urgent search for drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2 has included the use of supercomputers. The use of general-purpose graphical processing units (GPUs), massive parallelism, and new software for high-performance computing (HPC) has allowed researchers to search the vast chemical space of potential drugs faster than ever before. We developed a new drug discovery pipeline using the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to help pioneer this effort, with new platforms that incorporate GPU-accelerated simulation and allow for the virtual screening of billions of potential drug compounds in days compared to weeks or months for their ability to inhibit SARS-COV-2 proteins. This effort will accelerate the process of developing drugs to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases.

High-throughput virtual laboratory for drug discovery using massive datasets

Time-to-solution for structure-based screening of massive chemical databases for COVID-19 drug discovery has been decreased by an order of magnitude, and a virtual laboratory has been deployed at scale on up to 27,612 GPUs on the Summit supercomputer, allowing an average molecular docking of 19,028 compounds per second. Over one billion compounds were docked to two SARS-CoV-2 protein structures with full optimization of ligand position and 20 poses per docking, each in under 24 hours. GPU acceleration and high-throughput optimizations of the docking program produced 350? mean speedup over the CPU version (50? speedup per node). GPU acceleration of both feature calculation for machine-learning based scoring and distributed database queries reduced processing of the 2.4 TB output by orders of magnitude. The resulting 50? speedup for the full pipeline reduces an initial 43 day runtime to 21 hours per protein for providing high-scoring compounds to experimental collaborators for validation assays.

Clonal dispersion of Acinetobacter baumannii in an intensive care unit designed to patients COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV2 pandemic marks the need to pay attention to bacterial pathogens that can complicate the hospital stay of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). ESKAPE bacteria which includes Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloacae are considered the most important, because of their close relationship with the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The aim of this work was to identify and characterize ESKAPE bacteria and to detect their possible clonal spread in medical devices, patients, and medical personnel of the ICU for COVID-19 patients of the Hospital Juarez de Mexico. METHODOLOGY: Genetic identification of ESKAPE bacteria was performed by analyzing the 16S rRNA gene. Resistance assays were performed according to the CLSI guidelines. Assembly of AdeABCRS operon and inhibition assays of pumps efflux in Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were performed. Associated gene involved in biofilm formation (icaA) was performed in isolates belonging to the Staphylococcus genus. Finally, typing by ERIC-PCR and characterization of mobile genetic element SCCmec were done. RESULTS: Heterogeneous distribution of ESKAPE and non-ESKAPE bacteria was detected in various medical devices, patients, and medical personnel. Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant ESKAPE members. The analysis of intergenic regions revealed an important clonal distribution of A. baumannii (AdeABCRS+). Genotyping of SCCmec mobile genetic elements and the icaA gene showed that there is no clonal distribution of S. aureus. CONCLUSIONS: Clonal spread of A. baumannii (AdeABCRS+) highlights the importance of adopting good practices for equipment disinfection, surfaces and management of COVID-19 patients.

EFFICACY AND SATISFACTION OF THE RESILIENCE AND WELLBEING PROGRAM: "STAY AT HOME" PSYCHOLOGY IN TIMES OF QUARANTINE AND PANDEMIC

The state of alarm generated by the COVID-19 crisis led to the application of quarantine for the Spanish population among other countries. The Resilience and Well-being Program: "Stay at home" is a psychoeducational intervention that was applied in confinement and de-escalation in order to promote well-being and prevent emotional problems. The efficacy and satisfaction of the program were evaluated in a sample of 80 participants, 68.8% women and 31.1% men, with a mean age of 36.04 years (SD = 15.1). Participants reported high satisfaction with the program. Following prudent and healthy behaviors in confinement (staying home, wearing masks ...) is related to satisfaction with the program and the development of program skills. The analyzes indicate a statistically significant improvement, from pretest to posttest, in resilience, psychological well-being, symptoms of post-traumatic stress, ease of handling the pandemic, and mood. The improvements also occurred in participants who had not undergone another psychological intervention in the last month (to rule out that the improvement was not due to another psychological intervention they had received). The development of program skills predicts improvement, from pretest to posttest, in ease of handling the pandemic and psychological well-being. Further analyzes and trials in experimental designs are recommended to study its efficacy.

GPU-Accelerated Drug Discovery with Docking on the Summit Supercomputer: Porting, Optimization, and Application to COVID-19 Research

Protein-ligand docking is an in silico tool used to screen potential drug compounds for their ability to bind to a given protein receptor within a drug-discovery campaign. Experimental drug screening is expensive and time consuming, and it is desirable to carry out large scale docking calculations in a high-throughput manner to narrow the experimental search space. Few of the existing computational docking tools were designed with high performance computing in mind. Therefore, optimizations to maximize use of high-performance computational resources available at leadership-class computing facilities enables these facilities to be leveraged for drug discovery. Here we present the porting, optimization, and validation of the AutoDock-GPU program for the Summit supercomputer, and its application to initial compound screening efforts to target proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic.