Peptide-based inhibitors hold great promise as the broad-spectrum agents against coronavirus.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the recent SARS-CoV-2 are lethal coronaviruses (CoVs) that have caused dreadful epidemic or pandemic in a large region or globally. Infections of human respiratory systems and other important organs by these pathogenic viruses often results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Efficient anti-viral drugs are needed. Herein, we firstly take SARS-CoV-2 as an example to present the molecular mechanism of CoV infection cycle, including the receptor binding, viral entry, intracellular replication, virion assembly, and release. Then according to their mode of action, we provide a summary of anti-viral peptides that have been reported in peer-reviewed publications. Even though CoVs can rapidly evolve to gain resistance to the conventional small molecule drugs, peptide-based inhibitors targeting various steps of CoV lifecycle remain a promising approach. Peptides can be continuously modified to improve their antiviral efficacy and spectrum along with the emergence of new viral variants.

Peptide-based inhibitors hold great promise as the broad-spectrum agents against coronavirus

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the recent SARS-CoV-2 are lethal coronaviruses (CoVs) that have caused dreadful epidemic or pandemic in a large region or globally. Infections of human respiratory systems and other important organs by these pathogenic viruses often results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Efficient anti-viral drugs are needed. Herein, we firstly take SARS-CoV-2 as an example to present the molecular mechanism of CoV infection cycle, including the receptor binding, viral entry, intracellular replication, virion assembly, and release. Then according to their mode of action, we provide a summary of anti-viral peptides that have been reported in peer-reviewed publications. Even though CoVs can rapidly evolve to gain resistance to the conventional small molecule drugs, peptide-based inhibitors targeting various steps of CoV lifecycle remain a promising approach. Peptides can be continuously modified to improve their antiviral efficacy and spectrum along with the emergence of new viral variants.

Association between 24-Hour Movement Behaviors and Smartphone Addiction among Adolescents in Foshan City, Southern China: Compositional Data Analysis.

Smartphone addiction has become a public health issue. To help reduce smartphone addiction, we assessed the combined effect of 24-Hour Movement Behaviors on smartphone addiction during Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) home confinement in Foshan, China. Data were collected in a sample of 1323 senior middle school students ((mean age ± standard deviation): 16.4 ± 0.9 years; 43.46% males) during the COVID-19 lockdown. Their 24-Hour movement behaviors were assessed by a self-reported questionnaire, The Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). The compositional multiple linear regression model and compositional isotemporal substitution model were used to examine the association between the time budget composition of the day and smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction occurred in 671 (50.72%) of the 1323 students. Compared with smartphone-addicted adolescents, non-smartphone-addicted adolescents had more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep duration (SLP), and less sedentary behavior (SB). The distribution of time spent in 24-Hour movement behaviors was significantly associated with smartphone addiction. The negative effect was found for the proportion of time spent in MVPA or SLP (ilr1-MVPA = -0.453, p < 0.001. ilr1-SLP = -3.641, p < 0.001, respectively) relative to the other three behaviors. Conversely, SB was positively associated with the score of smartphone addiction (ilr1-SB = 2.641, p < 0.001). Reallocating one behavior to remaining behaviors was associated with smartphone addiction. Noticeably, the effects of one behavior replacing another behavior and of one behavior being displaced by another behavior were asymmetric. The 24-Hour movement behaviors of adolescents are closely related to smartphone addiction, and future intervention studies should focus on the compositional attribute of 24-Hour movement behaviors.

A Retinol Derivative Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Interrupting Spike-Mediated Cellular Entry.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of the global pandemic and life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although vaccines and therapeutic antibodies are available, their efficacy is continuously undermined by rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we found that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a vitamin A (retinol) derivative, showed potent antiviral activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants in both human cell lines and human organoids of the lower respiratory tract. Mechanistically, ATRA directly binds in a deep hydrophobic pocket of the receptor binding domain (RBD) located on the top of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) trimer. The bound ATRA mediates strong interactions between the "down" RBDs and locks most of the S trimers in an RBD "all-down" and ACE2-inaccessible inhibitory conformation. In summary, our results reveal the pharmacological biotargets and structural mechanism of ATRA and other retinoids in SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest that ATRA and its derivatives could be potential hit compounds against a broad spectrum of coronaviruses. IMPORTANCE Retinoids, a group of compounds including vitamin A and its active metabolite all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), regulate serial physiological activity in multiple organ systems, such as cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. The ATRA analogues reported to date include more than 4,000 natural and synthetic molecules that are structurally and/or functionally related to ATRA. Here, we found that ATRA showed potent antiviral activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants by directly binding in a deep hydrophobic pocket of the receptor binding domain (RBD) located on top of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) trimer. The bound ATRA mediates strong interactions between the "down" RBDs and locks most of the S trimers in an RBD "all-down" and ACE2-inaccessible inhibitory conformation, suggesting the pharmacological feasibility of using ATRA or its derivatives as a remedy for and prevention of COVID-19 disease.

The Interactive Effects of Cognition on Coping Styles among Chinese during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected people's life. The main aim of our investigation was to determine the interactive effects of disease awareness on coping style among Chinese residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 616 Chinese residents from 28 provinces were recruited to participate in this investigation. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic characteristics, cognition of COVID-19, and disease-related stress sources. Coping styles were assessed via the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). RESULTS: The survey showed that the main source of information on COVID-19 was different in relation to gender, age, educational level, and occupation (p < 0.001). People's knowledge of the disease, preventive measures, and stress factors were different in relation to demographic characteristics (p < 0.001). Compared with the baseline values, the scores of positive coping and negative coping based on SCSQ in relation to gender, age, educational level, and occupation were statistically significant (p < 0.001, except for participants older than 60 years). Different educational levels corresponded to statistical significant differences in positive coping (p = 0.004) but not in negative coping. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, people with different characteristics had different levels of preventive measures' awareness, which influenced their coping styles. Therefore, during public health emergencies, knowledge of prevention and control measures should be efficiently provided to allow more effective coping styles.

Emotional and Cognitive Responses and Behavioral Coping of Chinese Medical Workers and General Population during the Pandemic of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) might affect the psychological health of population, especially medical workers. We aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emotional and cognitive responses and behavioral coping among Chinese residents. METHODS: An online investigation was run from 5 February to 25 February 2020, which recruited a total of 616 Chinese residents. Self-designed questionnaires were used to collect demographic information, epidemic knowledge and prevention of COVID-19 and characteristics of medical workers. The emotional and cognitive responses were assessed via the Symptom Check List-30 (SCL-30) and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Behavioral coping was assessed via Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). RESULTS: In total, 131 (21.3%) medical workers and 485 (78.7%) members of the general public completed the structured online survey. The structural equation models showed that emotional response interacted with cognitive response, and both emotional response and cognitive response affected the behavioral coping. Multivariate regression showed that positive coping enhanced emotional and cognitive responses, while negative coping reduced emotional and cognitive responses. The emotional response (depression, anxiety and photic anxiety) scores of the participants were higher than the norm (all p < 0.001); in particular, the panic scores of members of the general public were higher than those of medical workers (p < 0.05), as well as the cognitive response (paranoia and compulsion). Both positive and negative coping scores of the participants were lower than the norm (p < 0.001), and the general public had higher negative coping than medical workers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: During the preliminary stage of COVID-19, our study confirmed the significance of emotional and cognitive responses, which were associated with behavioral coping and significantly influenced the medical workers and the general public's cognition and level of public health emergency preparedness. These results emphasize the importance of psychological health at times of widespread crisis.