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By the end of2021,the Omicron mutant of SARS-CoV-2rapidly replaced the Delta mutant andbecame widely prevalent worldwide.Its S protein was mutated at36sites,resulting in significant changes invirulence and transmissibility,and was capable of immune escape.Both human and animal studies showed thatthe Omicron mutant was less virulent than the previous circulating strains.Vaccination is currently the mostcommon means of epidemic prevention and control.Studies have found that the protection of vaccines againstOmicron mutant strains has significantly decreased.Therefore,animal models are needed to evaluate theeffectiveness of new immunization strategies or specific/polyvalent vaccines against Omicron.Animalexperiments showed that booster immunization can prevent Omicron infection to a certain extent,which is one ofthe important directions to explore the immunization strategy against Omicron mutant.Besides,protective effectsof specific and polyvalent vaccines have also been preliminarily confirmed,and subsequent preclinical trials areprogressing.The development of polyvalent vaccines against existing and potential mutant strains is of greatsignificance for epidemic prevention and control.In laboratory conditions,using animal model to carry out livevirus attack experiment is a key technical means to verify the effectiveness of protective neutralizing antibody andvaccinein vivo.This article will review the research progress of vaccine against Omicron variant strain from thedirection of animal model
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Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province in 2021 and to provide scientific basis for developing improved strategies to prevent and control the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: Descriptive analysis of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province was performed with SPSS 21.0 and Excel software. The statistical analysis of the incubation period was performed using the rstan package in R4.0.4. Results: As of February 14th 2021, a total of 942 local confirmed cases were reported in Hebei Province, 869 cases in Shijiazhuang, of which 847 cases were available for case information. This outbreak was mainly in rural areas, with the largest number of confirmed cases in Xiaoguozhuang village, 249 (29.4%); followed by Nanqiaozhai village, 128 (15.1%); and Liujiazuo village, 85 (10.0%). The outbreak lasted from January 2nd, 2021 to February 14th, 2021, and was mainly transmitted among the farmers as well as the students through dining parties, public gatherings and family contacts, showing an obvious time and occupation concentration trend. An analysis of 116 local confirmed cases in this outbreak with specific exposure time and onset time indicated that the median incubation period was 6 [interquartile range(IQR): 3.3, 10.0] days; whereas another report including 264 local confirmed cases with specific exposure time window showed that a median incubation period was 8.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8-18.8] days. Conclusions: This outbreak was mainly related to rural areas, and was associated with parties, public gatherings and family gatherings. Self-protection and isolation of key areas and populations at risk should be effectively implemented to avoid close contact and other measures to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 aggregation. Based on the results of the incubation period of this outbreak, the isolation period could be recommended to be extended to three weeks.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , China/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , HumansABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the mechanism of Kangguan decoction in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and then perform preliminary verification. Methods: The effective compounds and target genes of Kangguan decoction were obtained from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. COVID-19 related target genes were searched in the GeneCards database. The active target genes of Kangguan decoction acting on COVID-19 were identified to perform GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The compound-target network and protein-protein interaction were constructed;Molecular docking simulations of macromolecular protein target receptors and their corresponding compounds were performed. The clinical data of COVID-19 patients were retrieved from their electronic medical records of Nantong Third People's Hospital. Results: We screened out 137 effective compounds and 274 effective target genes of Kangguan decoction from TCMSP. The active target genes of Kangguan decoction were compared with the COVID-19 related target genes, and 63 active target genes for Kangguan decoction acting on COVID-19 were identified. GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed. The compound-target network and PPI network were constructed and the key compounds and key targets were selected to construct a key compound-target network. Finally, the binding of the target and its corresponding components was verified by molecular docking and two clinical cases with obvious clinical efficacy after Kangguan decoction application were demonstrated. Conclusion: The pharmacological mechanism of Kangguan decoction acting on COVID-19 has been explored, and the active compounds and targets of Kangguan decoction acting on COVID-19 and clinical efficacy for Kangguan decoction treating COVID-19 patients have been preliminarily verified.
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OBJECTIVE: To summarize the evidence from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and provide timely clinical practice guidance. METHODS: The guidelines were developed in accordance with the World Health Organization rapid guideline process. The evidence on TCM for COVID-19 from published guidelines, direct and indirect published clinical evidence, first hand clinical data, and expert experience and consensus were collected. The grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) method was used to grade the evidence and make the recommendations. RESULTS: Based on the available evidence, the guidelines recommended 17 Chinese medicines for COVID-19: 2 Chinese herbal granules, 7 Chinese patent medicines, and 8 Chinese herbal injections. CONCLUSION: As the literature search was conducted on March, any subsequent versions of these guidelines require an up-to-date literature review. We hope that the evidence summary in these guidelines will be helpful in global efforts to address COVID-19. (C) 2020 JTCM. All rights reserved.