Prediction of antibody levels after COVD-19 vaccination: evidence for immune interoception

How protected is one against COVID-19 after vaccination? IgG antibodies are an important part of the artillery for the immune system's defense against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and its levels are predictive of protection against infection. The amount of antibodies produced by some individuals is exponentially higher than by others. This difference represents important variance in the future susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. The current study was conducted to determine whether individuals were able to estimate how many antibodies they produced after their COVID-19 vaccinations. 166 participants (18-60 years old, 103 female) were recruited to the laboratory 14-60 days post-vaccination, and a blood sample was taken for analysis. Participants were asked to estimate on a scale from 0-10 how many antibodies they had produced, and were also asked how protected they felt from COVID-19 due to vaccination. Both self-predicted antibody levels (r(162) = 0.17, p = 0.028), and feelings of protection against COVID-19 (r(162) = 0.20, p = 0.009) were significantly related to their actual IgG spike antibody titers. Results from this study suggest that individuals are able to predict their IgG titers after COVID-19 vaccination. These results hold relevance in two domains. Firstly, they suggest individuals who sense they have low protection, probably do. Such information can help individuals make informed choices about self-protective behaviors. Secondly, results provide empirical evidence for the transmission of immune information through humoral pathways of interoception. These findings open the door for future work in the intriguing domain of immune interoception.

Effects of the use-it-or-lose-it rule on airline strategy and climate

Grandfather rights require airlines to operate at least 80 % of their slots, if they are to keep them in the next scheduling period. To prevent losing slots, the airlines may operate slot-rescue flights, an airline strategy called slot hoarding. We model strategies of a monopolistic airline which chooses between long-haul and short-haul flights at a slot-coordinated airport. In cases of a binding use-it-or-lose-it rule, we observe a bias in the airline route network in favor of slot-rescue flights on short-haul distances. Slot-rescue flights reduce airline profits, but raise consumer surplus and airport profits. The overall effect of slot-rescue flights on welfare, however, remains ambiguous. Recently, slot hoarding and its climate impact have received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that the environmental effects of slot-rescue flights are asymmetric. The climate damage of slot hoarding in the EU is reduced by the EU ETS, whereas CORSIA is rather ineffective. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Final overall survival (OS) results from the phase III PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial evaluating maintenance olaparib (ola) plus bevacizumab (bev) in patients (pts) with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (AOC)

Background: In the PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 (NCT02477644) primary analysis, adding ola to maintenance bev after first-line (1L) platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) + bev led to a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in AOC (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.49-0.72;P<0.001), particularly in pts with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD+;BRCA1/2 mutation [BRCAm] and/or genomic instability;Ray-Coquard et al NEJM 2019). Here, we report the prespecified final OS analysis. Method(s): Pts with high-grade AOC, in response after PBC + bev, were randomized 2:1 to ola tablets (300 mg bid;up to 24 months [mo]) + bev (15 mg/kg q3w;15 mo total) or placebo [pbo] + bev. OS (intent-to-treat [ITT] population) was a key secondary endpoint, with analysis planned for 3 years after the primary analysis as part of hierarchical testing. Result(s): 537 pts were randomized to ola + bev and 269 to pbo + bev (median follow-up 61.7 and 61.9 mo, respectively;OS data maturity: 55.3%). Median OS in the ITT population was 56.5 mo with ola + bev vs 51.6 mo with pbo + bev (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.76-1.12;P=0.4118;OS at 5 y, 47.3 vs 41.5%). In HRD+ pts, OS was prolonged with ola + bev (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45-0.85;OS at 5 y, 65.5 vs 48.4%), with benefit in HRD+ pts with or without a tumour BRCAm (tBRCAm;Table). No benefit was seen in HRD- pts (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.88-1.63). Subsequent PARP inhibitor therapy was received by 105 (19.6%) ola + bev pts vs 123 (45.7%) pbo + bev pts. Myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukaemia and aplastic anaemia incidence, and new primary malignancy incidence, was respectively: ola + bev, 9 pts [1.6%] and 22 pts [4.1%];pbo + bev, 6 pts [2.2%]) and 8 pts [2.9%]). [Formula presented] Conclusion(s): Despite a high proportion of pts in the control arm receiving a PARP inhibitor post-progression, ola + bev provided a clinically meaningful improvement in OS for 1L HRD+ pts with and without a tBRCAm, confirming ola + bev as standard of care in this setting. Clinical trial identification: NCT02477644. Editorial acknowledgement: Medical writing assistance was provided by Rachel Dodd, PhD, at Cence, funded by AstraZeneca and Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Legal entity responsible for the study: AstraZeneca. Funding(s): ARCAGY Research, AstraZeneca, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Disclosure: I.L. Ray-Coquard: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche, GSK, AstraZeneca, Mersana, Deciphera, Amgen, Oxnea, Merck Sereno, Agenus, Novartis, Macrogenics, Clovis, EQRX, adaptimmun, Esai, SUTRO;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, COLIBRI translational research: BMS;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, translational research NEOPREMBROV trial: MSD;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Principal Investigator: PAOLA1;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Other, President: GINECO. K. Fujiwara: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Consulting fees and grant support: Pfizer, Eisai, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Taiho, Zeria, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Genmab, Takeda Pharmaceutical;Financial Interests, Personal, Research Grant: Immunogen, Oncotherapy, Regeneron;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Consulting fees: Novartis, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Daiichi Sankyo, Mochida Pharmaceutical, NanoCarrier. A. Leary: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Zentalis;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Educational: GSK, Medscape, Onko+;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Steering committee: MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board: GSK, AZ, Clovis, Ability Pharma, MSD, Tesaro, Merck Serono, Apmonia, Blueprint;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Educational: Kephren publishing;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Consultancy: Orion;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Tesaro, AZ, Clovis;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Consultancy: GLG;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, PI translational research: ARCAGY-GINECO, Sanofi, A ;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, CI clinical trial: AZ;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Int CI clinical trial: OSE immuno;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, PI clinical trial: Agenus, BMS, Iovance, GSK;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, PI 5 clinical trials: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, PI 2 clinical trials: AZ;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, PI 3 clinical trials and steering committee: MSD;Non-Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Academic research project: Owkin, LXRepair;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Proprietary Information, IDMC member: Clovis;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Proprietary Information, IDMC chair: Pfizer. S. Pignata: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche, AZ, MSD, Clovis, GSK, PharmaMar;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Roche, MSD, Pfizer, AZ. A.J. Gonzalez Martin: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Clovis, GSK, Genmab, Alkermes, Sutro, Roche, Sotio, PharmaMar, Oncoinvent, Novartis, Mersana, MSD, Macrogenics;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: GSK, AstraZeneca, Clovis, Roche, Novocure, MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, PI of ANITA trial: GSK, Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Member of ENGOT ov43-SC: MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, ENGOT PI of EPIK-O trial: Novartis;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, ENGOT PI of AVB-500 phase III trial: ARAVIVE. G. Bogner: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca, Roche and GSK;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Medical conferences: AstraZeneca, Roche and GSK. I.B. Vergote: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Consulting: Agenus (2021), Aksebio China (2021), AstraZeneca (2021-2022), Bristol Myers Squibb (2021), Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (2021), Eisai (2021), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (2021), Genmab (2021), GSK (2021), Immunogen Inc. (2021-2022), Jazzpharma (2021-2022), Karyopharm (2021), MSD (2021-2022), Novocure (2020-2022), Novartis (2021), Oncoinvent AS (2021-2022), Seagen (2021), Sotio a.s. (2021-2022);Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, Consulting: AstraZeneca (2019-2020), eciphera Pharmaceuticals (2020), Elevar Therapeutics (2020), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (2019-2020), Genmab (2019-2020), GSK (2019-2020), Mersana (2020), MSD (2019-2020), Oncoinvent AS (2019-2020), Sotio a.s. (2019-2020), Verastem Oncology (2020), Zentalis (2020), Amgen (Europe) 2019, Clovis Oncology Inc (2019), Carrick Therapeutics (2019), Millennium Pharmaceuticals (2019);Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Contracted Research ( via KU Leuven): Oncoinvent AS (2019-2020);Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Contracted Research (via KU Leuven): Genmab (2019);Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Corporate sponsored research: Amgen (2019-2020), Roche (2019-2020). N. Colombo: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Various: Roche, PharmaMar, AstraZeneca, MSD/Merck, Clovis Oncology, Tesaro, GSK, Pfizer, Takeda, BIOCAD, Immunogen, Mersana;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Congress, Symposia, Lectures: AstraZeneca, Tesaro;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Lectures: Novartis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Lectures: Eisai;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory role: Nuvation Bio, Pieris;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory Role: Onxerna;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca, PharmaMar, Roche;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Sterring committee member Clinical Guidelines: ESMO;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Leadership Role, Chair, Scientific Committee: ACTO( Alleanza contro il tumore ovarico). J. Maenpaa: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria: AstraZeneca and GSK. F. Selle: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria: AstraZeneca, GSK Tesaro, MSD, Sandoz (Novartis), and Clovis Oncology;Financial Int rests, Institutional, Funding: Roche, GSK Tesaro, AstraZeneca, Immunogen, MSD, Incyte, and Agenus. B. Schmalfeldt: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria: Roche, AstraZeneca, Tesaro, Clovis, GSK, MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Roche, AstraZeneca, Tesaro, Clovis, GSK, MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: Roche, AstraZeneca, Tesaro, Clovis, GSK, MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Funding: Roche, AstraZeneca, Tesaro, Clovis, GSK, MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel or accommodation expenses: Roche, AstraZeneca, Tesaro. G. Scambia: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker: Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca&MSD, Olympus Europa, Baxter Healthcare, Intuitive Surgical Inc., GlaxoSmithKline;Financial Interests, Personal, Expert Testimony, Trainer: Covidien AG (Medtronic company);Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, 'IsoMSLN' in Ovarian Cancer and Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Kiromic;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Roll-over study for patients who have completed a previous cancer study with olaparib and who the investigator believes can benefit from continued treatment - ROSY-O: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, CATCH-R: Roll-over study to provide continuous access to clinical therapy with rucaparib.: Clovis Oncology;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Phase 3, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical study comparing chemo-immunotherapy (paclitaxel-carboplatin-oregovomab) versus chemotherapy (paclitaxel-carboplatin-placebo) in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, tubal cancer of fallopian or peritoneal (FLORA-5): Oncoquest Pharmaceuticals Inc.;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Phase 2b randomized, open-label,active comparator, parallel-group, multicenter study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three different doses of the P2X3 receptor antagonist (BAY 1817080) versus placebo and Elagolix 150 mg in women with symptomatic endometriosis: Bayer AG;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Usability of ITE transducers for sending electric fields for tumor treatment (TTFields): Novocure Ltd.;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker Phase III, multicentre, open-label extension trial to evaluate long-term safety and efficacy in patients with advanced cancers currently undergoing treatment or in follow-up in a pembrolizumab trial.: Merck. E.M. Guerra Alia: Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: PharmaMar, Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Pfizer. C. Lefeuvre-Plesse: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche, and Daiichi-Sanko;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel/accommodation/medical congress expenses: Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, and Pierre Fabre. A. Belau: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria: Roche, AstraZeneca, Clovis, MSD, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Lilly, Seagen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Pfizer, Roche, AstraZeneca, MSD, Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Seagen;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel or accommodation expenses: Roche, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo Company. A. lortholary: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca, MSD and Tesaro;Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: Clovis Oncology, and Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Participation in a medical congress: Novartis, Pfizer, MSD, Lilly and Roche. E. Pujade-Lauraine: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Lecture fees: AstraZeneca, Tesaro, Roche, Clovis Oncology, Incyte, Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: AstraZeneca, Tesaro, and Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel/accommodation: AstraZeneca, Tesaro, and Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: ARCAGY Research. P. Harter: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Value includes honoraria for lectures: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, includes honoraria for lectu es: GSK, Roche, MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Amgen, Stryker, Zailab;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Clovis, Immunogen;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, IDMC member: Sotio;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca, Roche, GSK, Genmab, Immunogen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Seagen, Clovis. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2022

Olfactory testing to improve COVID-19 screening in school children

Introduction: We analyze olfactory changes in the pediatric SARS-CoV-2 population and compare with results in adults to determine if chemosensory screening may uniquely identify early infection;establish a screening tool for objective evaluation of olfaction in pediatric COVID-19 patients;and recognize the discrepancy between objective and patient-reported olfactory function in pediatric patients. This project includes significant new data since the initial submission date that strengthened our research amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Our study analyzes smell disturbances in children during the COVID-19 pandemic in a largely asymptomatic cohort, which makes it unique compared with some recent studies. This project positively contributes to the olfactory research for pediatric COVID infections and demonstrates both COVID-19-related olfactory changes (ie, good smells are noxious) and children's discrepancies in self-reported vs objective sense of smell. Methods: Children aged 5 to 21 years undergoing SARSCoV2 polymerase chain reaction testing for preoperative screening for nonrespiratory illnesses at a tertiary pediatric hospital were enrolled from June 2020 to April 2021 and were administered subjective questionnaires and a 40-question Smell Identification Test (SIT) within 2 weeks of COVID testing. Patients with prior history of olfactory dysfunction were excluded. Data were summarized with descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 47 patients completed SIT testing (19 positive [40%] and 28 negative [60%] for COVID;mean age = 12.0 years;63% female). There was no significant difference in overall SIT score or individual question responses between positive and negative patients, but 44% reported that certain foods smelled noxious. Overall, 26 patients (55%) were normosmic yet 44 (94%) denied subjective change in their sense of smell or taste. Conclusion: There was no statistical difference in olfactory function between otherwise asymptomatic COVID-positive and negative children. Our findings suggest a discrepancy between objective and patient-reported olfactory function in pediatric patients.

Perceived stress, depression, and anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic

Background: Experiencing severe or prolonged stressors in early life is associated with increased risk for mental and physical disorders in adulthood. Individuals with a history of early life adversity (ELA) may use dysfunctional coping strategies like stress-related eating, in contrast to more beneficial stress coping mechanisms like mindfulness. Whether these associations contribute to increased levels of perceived stress and symptoms of mental disorders in individuals with ELA in times of crisis is yet unclear. The current Covid-19 pandemic allows researchers to investigate stress-coping as mediators in the association between ELA and subjective stress experience in response to crisis. Methods As part of a larger project, we assessed changes in perceived stress, psychopathological symptoms, and eating behavior in a sample of N = 102 participants (81% female;meanage = 23.45, range 18–62) from October/December 2019 (prior to the pandemic) to April/June 2020 (after the German government introduced Covid-19 related restrictions). Further, we assessed ELA and dispositional mindfulness. The study protocol and preregistration of our hypotheses can be obtained online (https://osf.io/h5tjx/). Results Preliminary results show significant increases in perceived stress levels and depression, significant decrease in anxiety symptoms, and no significant change in somatization symptoms. Additional results from multiple regression and bootstrapping mediation models will be presented and discussed. Conclusion The increase in perceived stress during the Covid-19 pandemic in a majority of participants emphasizes the severity of the current pandemic and implicates important considerations stress researchers should take into account when collecting data during the ongoing pandemic, e.g. by statistically controlling for stress levels.