Drug Repositioning as a Therapeutic Strategy against Streptococcus pneumoniae: Cell Membrane as Potential Target.

A collection of repurposing drugs (Prestwick Chemical Library) containing 1200 compounds was screened to investigate the drugs' antimicrobial effects against planktonic cultures of the respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. After four discrimination rounds, a set of seven compounds was finally selected, namely (i) clofilium tosylate; (ii) vanoxerine; (iii) mitoxantrone dihydrochloride; (iv) amiodarone hydrochloride; (v) tamoxifen citrate; (vi) terfenadine; and (vii) clomiphene citrate (Z, E). These molecules arrested pneumococcal growth in a liquid medium and induced a decrease in bacterial viability between 90.0% and 99.9% at 25 µM concentration, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) also in the micromolar range. Moreover, all compounds but mitoxantrone caused a remarkable increase in the permeability of the bacterial membrane and share a common, minimal chemical structure consisting of an aliphatic amine linked to a phenyl moiety via a short carbon/oxygen linker. These results open new possibilities to tackle pneumococcal disease through drug repositioning and provide clues for the design of novel membrane-targeted antimicrobials with a related chemical structure.

Daily tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine and hydroxychloroquine for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial in healthcare workers.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) as pre-exposure prophylaxis on COVID-19 risk. METHODS: EPICOS is a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted in Spain, Bolivia, and Venezuela. Healthcare workers with negative SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG test were randomly assigned to the following: daily TDF/FTC plus HCQ for 12 weeks, TDF/FTC plus HCQ placebo, HCQ plus TDF/FTC placebo, and TDF/FTC placebo plus HCQ placebo. Randomization was performed in groups of four. Primary outcome was laboratory-confirmed, symptomatic COVID-19. We also studied any (symptomatic or asymptomatic) COVID-19. We compared group-specific 14-week risks via differences and ratios with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Of 1002 individuals screened, 926 (92.4%) were eligible and there were 14 cases of symptomatic COVID-19: 220 were assigned to the TDF/FTC plus HCQ group (3 cases), 231 to the TDF/FTC placebo plus HCQ group (3 cases), 233 to the TDF/FTC plus HCQ placebo group (3 cases), and 223 to the double placebo group (5 cases). Compared with the double placebo group, 14-week risk ratios (95% CI) of symptomatic COVID-19 were 0.39 (0.00-1.98) for TDF + HCQ, 0.34 (0.00-2.06) for TDF, and 0.49 (0.00-2.29) for HCQ. Corresponding risk ratios of any COVID-19 were 0.51 (0.21-1.00) for TDF + HCQ, 0.81 (0.44-1.49) for TDF, and 0.73 (0.41-1.38) for HCQ. Adverse events were generally mild. DISCUSSION: The target sample size was not met. Our findings are compatible with both benefit and harm of pre-exposure prophylaxis with TDF/FTC and HCQ, alone or in combination, compared with placebo.

48-Week effectiveness and tolerability of dolutegravir (DTG) + lamivudine (3TC) in antiretroviral-naïve adults living with HIV: A multicenter real-life cohort.

BACKGROUND: The main international guidelines indicate DTG/3TC therapy as one of the preferred regimens for people living with HIV (PLWH), due to its observed efficacy in randomized clinical trials. However, information in real-life cohorts is relatively scarce for first-line use. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study of adult PLWH starting DTG+3TC as a first-line regimen before January 31st, 2020. Virological failure (VF) was defined as 2 consecutive HIV RNA viral load (VL) >50 copies/mL. RESULTS: 135 participants were included. Treatment was started without knowing baseline drug resistance testing (bDRT) results in 71.9% of cases, with baseline resistance mutations being later confirmed in 17 patients (12.6%), two of them with presence of M184V mutation. Effectiveness at week 48 was 85.2% (CI95%: 78.1-90.7%) (ITT missing = failure [M = F]) and 96.6% (CI 95%: 91.6-99.1%) (per-protocol analysis). Six patients (4.4%) discontinued treatment. One developed not confirmed VF after discontinuing treatment due to poor adherence; no resistance-associated mutations emerged. Three discontinued treatments due to central nervous system side effects (2.2%), and two due to a medical decision after determining the M184V mutation in bDRT. Finally, 14 (10.4%) were lost to follow-up, most of them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: In a real-life multicenter cohort of ART-naïve PLWH, treatment initiation with DTG + 3TC showed high effectiveness and favorable safety results, comparable to those of randomized clinical trials, without treatment-emergent resistance being observed through week 48. Starting treatment before receiving the results of baseline drug resistance testing did not have an impact on the regimen's effectiveness.

Subcutaneous IL-6 Inhibitor Sarilumab vs. Standard Care in Hospitalized Patients With Moderate-To-Severe COVID-19: An Open Label Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The use of IL-6 blockers in COVID-19 hospitalized patients has been associated with a reduction in mortality compared to standard care. However, many uncertainties remain pertaining to optimal intervention time, administration schedule, and predictors of response. To date, data on the use of subcutaneous sarilumab is limited and no randomized trial results are available. Methods: Open label randomized controlled trial at a single center in Spain. We included adult patients admitted with microbiology documented COVID-19 infection, imaging confirmed pneumonia, fever and/or laboratory evidence of inflammatory phenotype, and no need for invasive ventilation. Participants were randomly assigned to receive sarilumab, a single 400 mg dose in two 200 mg subcutaneous injections, added to standard care or standard care, in a 2:1 proportion. Primary endpoints included 30-day mortality, mean change in clinical status at day 7 scored in a 7-category ordinal scale ranging from death (category 1) to discharge (category 7), and duration of hospitalization. The primary efficacy analysis was conducted on the intention-to-treat population. Results: A total of 30 patients underwent randomization: 20 to sarilumab and 10 to standard care. Most patients were male (20/30, 67%) with a median (interquartile range) age of 61.5 years (56-72). At day 30, 2/20 (10%) patients died in the sarilumab arm vs. none (0/10) in standard care (Log HR 15.11, SE 22.64; p = 0.54). At day 7, no significant differences were observed in the median change in clinical status (2 [0-3]) vs. 3 [0-3], p = 0.32). Median time to discharge (days) was similar (7 [6-11] vs. 6 [4-12]; HR 0.65, SE 0.26; p = 0.27). No significant differences were detected in the rate of progression to invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Conclusions and Relevance: Our pragmatic pilot study has failed to demonstrate the benefit of adding subcutaneous sarilumab to standard care for mortality by 30 days, functional status at day 7, or hospital stay. Findings herein do not exclude a potential effect of sarilumab in severe COVID-19 but adequately powered blinded randomized phase III trials are warranted to assess the impact of the subcutaneous route and a more selected target population. Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT04357808.

Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) rs75603675, comorbidity, and sex are the primary predictors of COVID-19 severity.

By the end of December 2021, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) produced more than 271 million cases and 5.3 million deaths. Although vaccination is an effective strategy for pandemic control, it is not yet equally available in all countries. Therefore, identification of prognostic biomarkers remains crucial to manage COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictors of COVID-19 severity previously proposed. Clinical and demographic characteristics and 120 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed from 817 patients with COVID-19, who attended the emergency department of the Hospital Universitario de La Princesa during March and April 2020. The main outcome was a modified version of the 7-point World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 severity scale (WHOCS); both in the moment of the first hospital examination (WHOCS-1) and of the severest WHOCS score (WHOCS-2). The TMPRSS2 rs75603675 genotype (OR = 0.586), dyslipidemia (OR = 2.289), sex (OR = 0.586), and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR = 1.126) were identified as the main predictors of disease severity. Consequently, these variables might influence COVID-19 severity and could be used as predictors of disease development.

Mental Health, Quality of Life and Coping Strategies in Vulnerable Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus pandemic has led to a situation without precedent in modern history. The aim of this study is to analyse the consequences after one year of the pandemic on a group of children and adolescents assessed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and to determine the most effective ways of psychologically coping with this pandemic. METHOD: Two different, but equivalent, groups with a total of 604 (study I, 2020) and 743 (study II, 2021) children and adolescents in residential care, foster families, kinship families or family strengthening programs in Spain were evaluated using the SDQ (mental health measure), KIDSCREEN-10 index (quality of life measure) and Kidcope (coping behaviour measure). An independent sample t-test and a decision tree analysis were used. RESULTS: The mental health of children and adolescents decreased by 9.7%, and Self-Perceived quality of life did not change after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonactive coping strategies predicted worse mental health and worse quality of life. Problem solving served as a protective factor. CONCLUSION: One year after, the COVID-19 pandemic has an effect on the psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents, and the consequences can be reduced if proper coping strategies are used.

Subcutaneous IL-6 Inhibitor Sarilumab vs. Standard Care in Hospitalized Patients With Moderate-To-Severe COVID-19: An Open Label Randomized Clinical Trial

Background The use of IL-6 blockers in COVID-19 hospitalized patients has been associated with a reduction in mortality compared to standard care. However, many uncertainties remain pertaining to optimal intervention time, administration schedule, and predictors of response. To date, data on the use of subcutaneous sarilumab is limited and no randomized trial results are available. Methods Open label randomized controlled trial at a single center in Spain. We included adult patients admitted with microbiology documented COVID-19 infection, imaging confirmed pneumonia, fever and/or laboratory evidence of inflammatory phenotype, and no need for invasive ventilation. Participants were randomly assigned to receive sarilumab, a single 400 mg dose in two 200 mg subcutaneous injections, added to standard care or standard care, in a 2:1 proportion. Primary endpoints included 30-day mortality, mean change in clinical status at day 7 scored in a 7-category ordinal scale ranging from death (category 1) to discharge (category 7), and duration of hospitalization. The primary efficacy analysis was conducted on the intention-to-treat population. Results A total of 30 patients underwent randomization: 20 to sarilumab and 10 to standard care. Most patients were male (20/30, 67%) with a median (interquartile range) age of 61.5 years (56–72). At day 30, 2/20 (10%) patients died in the sarilumab arm vs. none (0/10) in standard care (Log HR 15.11, SE 22.64;p = 0.54). At day 7, no significant differences were observed in the median change in clinical status (2 [0–3]) vs. 3 [0–3], p = 0.32). Median time to discharge (days) was similar (7 [6–11] vs. 6 [4–12];HR 0.65, SE 0.26;p = 0.27). No significant differences were detected in the rate of progression to invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Conclusions and Relevance Our pragmatic pilot study has failed to demonstrate the benefit of adding subcutaneous sarilumab to standard care for mortality by 30 days, functional status at day 7, or hospital stay. Findings herein do not exclude a potential effect of sarilumab in severe COVID-19 but adequately powered blinded randomized phase III trials are warranted to assess the impact of the subcutaneous route and a more selected target population. Trial Registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT04357808.

DEAE-chitosan nanoparticles as a pneumococcus-biomimetic material for the development of antipneumococcal therapeutics.

Advanced biomaterials provide an interesting and versatile platform to implement new and more effective strategies to fight bacterial infections. Chitosan is one of these biopolymers and possesses relevant features for biomedical applications. Here we synthesized nanoparticles of chitosan derivatized with diethylaminoethyl groups (ChiDENPs) to emulate the choline residues in the pneumococcal cell wall and act as ligands for choline-binding proteins (CBPs). Firstly, we assessed the ability of diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) to sequester the CBPs present in the bacterial surface, thus promoting chain formation. Secondly, the CBP-binding ability of ChiDENPs was purposed to encapsulate a bio-active molecule, the antimicrobial enzyme Cpl-711 (ChiDENPs-711), with improved stability over non-derivatized chitosan. The enzyme-loaded system released more than 90% of the active enzybiotic in ≈ 2 h, above the usual in vivo half-life of this kind of enzymes. Therefore, ChiDENPs provide a promising platform for the controlled release of CBP-enzybiotics in biological contexts.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum is associated with increased mortality risk in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 has overloaded national health services worldwide. Thus, early identification of patients at risk of poor outcomes is critical. Our objective was to analyse SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in serum as a severity biomarker in COVID-19. Retrospective observational study including 193 patients admitted for COVID-19. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum (viremia) was performed with samples collected at 48-72 h of admission by two techniques from Roche and Thermo Fischer Scientific (TFS). Main outcome variables were mortality and need for ICU admission during hospitalization for COVID-19. Viremia was detected in 50-60% of patients depending on technique. The correlation of Ct in serum between both techniques was good (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.612; p < 0.001). Patients with viremia were older (p = 0.006), had poorer baseline oxygenation (PaO2/FiO2; p < 0.001), more severe lymphopenia (p < 0.001) and higher LDH (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p = 0.021), C-reactive protein (CRP; p = 0.022) and procalcitonin (p = 0.002) serum levels. We defined "relevant viremia" when detection Ct was < 34 with Roche and < 31 for TFS. These thresholds had 95% sensitivity and 35% specificity. Relevant viremia predicted death during hospitalization (OR 9.2 [3.8-22.6] for Roche, OR 10.3 [3.6-29.3] for TFS; p < 0.001). Cox regression models, adjusted by age, sex and Charlson index, identified increased LDH serum levels and relevant viremia (HR = 9.87 [4.13-23.57] for TFS viremia and HR = 7.09 [3.3-14.82] for Roche viremia) as the best markers to predict mortality. Viremia assessment at admission is the most useful biomarker for predicting mortality in COVID-19 patients. Viremia is highly reproducible with two different techniques (TFS and Roche), has a good consistency with other severity biomarkers for COVID-19 and better predictive accuracy.

Subcutaneous Sarilumab in hospitalised patients with moderate-severe COVID-19 infection compared to the standard of care (SARCOVID): a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of a single dose of sarilumab, in subcutaneous administration, in hospitalised patients with moderate to early severe COVID-19 infection compared to the current standard of care, to prevent progression to systemic hyperinflammatory status. Our hypothesis is that use of subcutaneous sarilumab in early stages (window of opportunity) of COVID-19 moderate-severe pneumonia can prevent higher oxygenation requirements through non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation and decrease in-hospital stays, as well as death rate. The secondary objectives of the study are to evaluate the safety of sarilumab through hospitalisation and up to day 14 after discharge, compared to the control arm as assessed by incidence of serious and non serious adverse events (SAEs). In addition, as an exploratory objective, to compare the baseline clinical and biological parameters, including serum IL-6 levels, of the intervention population against controls of the same pandemic outbreak (using a propensity score) to search for markers that identify the best candidates for the treatment with subcutaneous IL-6R inhibitors and to attempt an approximation in the temporal frame of the "window of opportunity" TRIAL DESIGN: SARCOVID is an investigator-initiated single center randomised proof of concept study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients treated at the Hospital Universitario La Princesa, Madrid, Spain requiring hospitalisation will be consecutively recruited, meeting all inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria Inclusion criteria a. Age >18, <80 years old b. COVID-19 infection documented by a positive RT-PCR test or, in absence of a RT-PCR positive test, case definition of COVID 19 infection/pneumonia as per local protocol and the presence of a positive serologic test (IgM/IgA by ELISA) c. Documented interstitial pneumonia requiring admission and at least two of the following parameters: 1) Fever ≥ 37.8°C (tympanic) 2) IL-6 in serum ≥ 25 pg/mL (in the absence of a previous dose of prednisone or equivalent> 1 mg / kg) or PCR> 5mg/dL 3) Lymphocytes <600 cells/mm3 4) Ferritin> 300 µg/L that doubles in 24 hours 5) Ferritin> 600 µg/L in the first determination and LDH> 250 U/L 6) D-dimer (> 1 mg/L) d. Informed verbal consent or requested under urgent conditions, documented in the electronic medical record. Exclusion criteria a. Patients who require mechanical ventilation at the time of inclusion. b. AST / ALT values > 5 folds the ULN. c. Absolute neutrophil count below 500 cells/mm3 d. Absolute platelet count below 50,000 cells/mm3 e. Documented sepsis or high suspicion of superimposed infection by pathogens other than COVID-19. f. Presence of comorbidities that can likely lead to an unfavourable result according to clinical judgment. g. Complicated diverticulitis or intestinal perforation. h. Current skin infection (eg, uncontrolled dermopiodermitis). i. Immunosuppressive anti-rejection therapy. j. Pregnancy or lactation. k. Previous treatment with tocilizumab or sarilumab. l. Patients participating in another clinical trial for SARS-CoV-2 infection. m. Patients with known hypersensitivity or contraindication to sarilumab or excipients. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: The intervention group, sarilumab plus standard of care, will receive 400 mg single dose treatment with Sarilumab (Kevzara), 2 subcutaneous injections 200mg each in a pre-filled syringe. Treatment with drugs or procedures in routine clinical practice that the clinician responsible for the patient deems necessary is allowed. The control group will receive drugs or procedures in routine clinical practice according to the best standard of care as per local protocol. MAIN OUTCOMES: Primary Outcome Measures 1. Mean change in clinical status assessment using the 7-point ordinal scale at day 7 after randomisation compared to baseline (Score ranges 1-7) 1. Death; 2. Hospitalised, requiring invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); 3. Hospitalised, requiring non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen devices; 4. Hospitalised, requiring supplemental oxygen; 5. Hospitalised, not requiring supplemental oxygen - but in need of ongoing medical care (COVID-19 related or otherwise) 6. Hospitalised, not requiring supplemental oxygen - no longer requires ongoing medical care (independent) 7. Not hospitalised 2. Duration of hospitalisation: Days from the date of enrolment to the date of discharge 3. Number of deaths at the end of study RANDOMISATION: Randomisation to treatment arms sarilumab plus standard of care or standard of care in a 2:1 ratio will be performed by the Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU) at the Hospital using a table of random numbers, an internet-based randomisation tool. After checking that all inclusion criteria are met and none of the exclusion criteria, CRCTU will communicate the recruiting investigator the assigned treatment. BLINDING (MASKING): This study is unblinded. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE): 30 patients treated by COVID-19 infection who require hospitalisation: 20 will receive sarilumab plus Standard of Care and 10 will receive Standard of Care. TRIAL STATUS: The Protocol version number is 2, as of 6th April 2020, with amendment 1, as of 7th May 2020. The recruitment is ongoing. Recruitment started on April 13th 2020 and is anticipated to be completed by November 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was first registered in the European Union Clinical Trials Register on 4 April 2020, EudraCT Number 2020-001634-36 . Then, posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 22 April 2020, Identifier: NCT04357808 . FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the International Council Harmonization guidelines: https://www.ich.org/page/efficacy-guidelines .