Vitamin D: A Potential Prophylactic and Therapeutic Agent against COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 is having a drastic and an unprecedented impact on public health and human life. In the spectrum of clinical symptoms, long-lasting residual effects and sheer number of fatalities, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-1 (SARS-CoV-1) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemics that preceded it pale in comparison. The coronavirus of 2019, SARS-CoV-2, has infected approximately 3% of the world's population and killed about 2% of the infected. Studies indicate that 80% of COVID-19 patients in the West exhibit vitamin D deficiency and suffer from higher levels of inflammatory responses supporting a role for vitamin D status in COVID-19 risk. Vitamin D is active in many cells and tissues controlling an enormous number of genes, including those associated with infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. This vital micronutrient can enhance antioxidant production, raise cellular immunity, and dampen an overreactive immune response. It also exhibits immunomodulatory effects on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors potentially rendering protective functions against acute lung injuries, including COVID-19 infection. Therefore, vitamin D's prophylactic and therapeutic roles against COVID-19 may be potent and medically advisable. However, there are also some articles that undermine its positive effect against COVID-19. In this chapter, I will examine the evidence supporting vitamin D's role in prophylaxis and therapeutic administration against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Evusheld Prophylaxis Improves Social Interactions, Anxiety, Depression, Agoraphobia, and Quality of Life in Blood Cancer Patients

Evusheld is a combination injection of tixagevimab and cilgavimab and is indicated for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older. Its use has been advocated for immunosuppressed individuals, such as blood cancer patients, although uptake varies significantly between countries. Despite extensive use internationally, there has been limited analysis of potential psychological benefits that vulnerable patients might gain from receiving this prophylactic medication. In this study we have quantified four key psychological health parameters in blood cancer patients who received Evusheld (EQ5D-3L quality of life score, DSM5 Agoraphobia score, Duke's Social Support Index and the hospital anxiety and depression score) and compared their responses with a control group of patients who did not receive Evusheld. We show that patients who opted for treatment had higher baseline markers of psychological stress and ill-health compared with non-treated individuals but that treatment with Evusheld significantly improved the psychological health of recipients and increased the level of physical social/work interactions over that of control patients. Although there are limitations with this small study, the findings strongly suggest that Evusheld prophylaxis can provide significant psychological benefits for vulnerable blood cancer patients who have significant anxiety about COVID-19 infection. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of COVID is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Effect of Weekly 50,000 IU Vitamin D3 Supplements on the Serum Levels of Selected Cytokines Involved in Cytokine Storm: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Adults with Vitamin D Deficiency.

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of high-dose cholecalciferol (VD3) supplements (50,000 IU/week) on selected circulating cytokines associated with cytokine storms in adults with vitamin D deficiency. This clinical trial, based in Jordan, included 50 participants receiving vitamin D3 supplements (50,000 IU/week) for 8 weeks; the exact number was assigned to the control group. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α), and leptin were measured in serum at baseline and 10 weeks (wash out: 2 weeks). Our results revealed that vitamin D3 supplementation significantly increased the serum levels of 25OHD, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ß, and leptin compared with baseline. In contrast, the serum level of TNF-α insignificantly increased in the group receiving vitamin D3 supplementation. Although the observations of this trial may refer to a potential negative effect of VD3 supplementation during cytokine storms, further trials are required to clarify the potential benefits of VD3 supplement during cytokine storms.

Multi-Source Pandemic Data Visualization and Synchronization for Information Extraction

Visualization is integral to investigating information hidden in data and providing users with intuitive feedback for decision-making. No matter the field a data set describes, inspecting the data visually will yield fruitful insights into the trends and statistics. Over the past calendar year, COVID-19 vaccines have become increasingly available for much of the population. However, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) fails to consider multiple sets of pandemic data in a side-by-side view and synchronize multiple key factors in one web page, limiting medical professionals and individuals to seeing, comparing, and interacting with complete data visualization. To analyze the coronavirus and vaccination data collected from multiple sources, effectively displaying them is critically important for interpreting the pandemic transmission pattern and vaccine efficiency. This paper presents new algorithms for innovative data visualizations that provide users with intuitive feedback and enable them to see a complete story of where the data is concerned. The information derived from our developed web-based data visualization will aid healthcare professionals and everyday citizens in moving forward as the pandemic progresses. © 2023 IEEE.

Correlation of serum YKL-40, 25(OH)D3 and HMGB1 expression levels with infection types and disease assessment in neonatal pneumonia

Objective: To investigate the serum levels of human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (YKL-40), 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 [25-hydroxy vitamin D3, 25 (OH)D3] and high mobility group protein B1 (high mobility group protein B1, HMGB1) level changes in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia infection type and the application of disease assessment. Methods: A total of 105 children with NP who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Longhua District People's Hospital of Shenzhen from January to December 2020 were selected as the research objects. According to different infectious pathogens, they were divided into a bacterial pneumonia group of 40 cases and a non-bacterial pneumonia group of 65 cases. According to the severity of the disease, they could be divided into 69 cases of mild pneumonia group and 36 cases of severe pneumonia group, and 85 healthy newborns were selected as the control group during the same period. Serum levels of YKL-40, 25 (OH)D3 and HMGB1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ROC curve was used to analyze the differential diagnosis value of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 for NP alone or in combination. Spearman rank correlation was used the relationship between serum YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 levels and the severity of the disease in children with NP was analyzed. Results: The serum levels of YKL-40 (46.39 +or- 8.36 ng/ml, 40.28 +or- 8.47 ng/ml)and HMGB1 (23.38 +or- 5.66 ng/ml, 17.32 +or- 4.18 ng/ml) in the bacterial pneumonia groups and non-bacterial pneumonia groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (30.49 +or- 6.35 ng/ml, 12.56 +or- 3.22 ng/ml), and the differences were statistically significant (F=939.480, 99.507, all P < 0.05), while bacterial and non-bacterial pneumonia groups serum 25 (OH) D3 (12.76 +or- 3.57 g/L, 18.33 +or- 4.21 g/L) levels were significantly lower than those in the control group (19.76 +or- 4.87 g/L), and the difference was statistically significant (F=225.752, P < 0.05). The serum levels of YKL-40 (52.56 +or- 9.68 ng/ml) and HMGB1 (26.74 +or- 4.57 ng/ml) in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild group (16.63 +or- 5.32 ng/ml, 9.63 +or- 2.38 ng/ml) and the control group (11.63 +or- 3.32 ng/ml, 6.34 +or- 2.06 ng/ml), the differences were all statistical significance (F=265.331, 55.426, all P < 0.05), and serum 25 (OH) D3 (9.76 +or- 3.54 g/L, 31.16 +or- 5.01 g/L)levels in the severe and mild were significantly lower than control groups (35.16 +or- 5.88 g/L) (F=55.426, P < 0.05) . The results of Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the disease severity was positively correlated with serum YKL-40 and HMGB1 levels (r=0.727, 0.210, all P < 0.05), but negatively correlated with 25 (OH) D3 levels (r= -0.566, P < 0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the combined detection of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 had the highest efficacy in diagnosing NP, the AUC was 0.912 (95%CI: 0.864-0.932), the sensitivity and specificity were 96.34%, 85.72%, respectively. In the single detection of each index, the differences in AUC were statistically significant (Z=0.746, 2.843, 3.662, all P < 0.05). The combined detection of the three had the highest diagnostic efficiency in distinguishing neonatal bacterial pneumonia from non-bacterial pneumonia, and its AUC was 0.894 (95%CI: 0.832-0.941), the sensitivity and specificity were 97.26%, 80.66%, respectively. Which was higher than the single test of each index, and the difference in AUC was statistically significant (Z=1.573, 3.228, 2.689, all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum levels of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 had important clinical value in diagnosis of NP infection types and in reflecting the severity of children's disease, the combined detection of the three has better clinical diagnostic performance.

IFI44 is an immune evasion biomarker for SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus infection in patients with RA.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global pandemic of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria in humans, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the most prevalent autoimmune conditions. RA is a significant risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 and S. aureus infections, although the mechanism of RA and SARS-CoV-2 infection in conjunction with S. aureus infection has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biomarkers and disease targets between RA and SARS-CoV-2 and S. aureus infections using bioinformatics analysis, to search for the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 and S. aureus immune escape and potential drug targets in the RA population, and to provide new directions for further analysis and targeted development of clinical treatments. Methods: The RA dataset (GSE93272) and the S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) dataset (GSE33341) were used to obtain differentially expressed gene sets, respectively, and the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined through the intersection. Functional enrichment analysis utilizing GO, KEGG, and ClueGO methods. The PPI network was created utilizing the STRING database, and the top 10 hub genes were identified and further examined for functional enrichment using Metascape and GeneMANIA. The top 10 hub genes were intersected with the SARS-CoV-2 gene pool to identify five hub genes shared by RA, COVID-19, and SAB, and functional enrichment analysis was conducted using Metascape and GeneMANIA. Using the NetworkAnalyst platform, TF-hub gene and miRNA-hub gene networks were built for these five hub genes. The hub gene was verified utilizing GSE17755, GSE55235, and GSE13670, and its effectiveness was assessed utilizing ROC curves. CIBERSORT was applied to examine immune cell infiltration and the link between the hub gene and immune cells. Results: A total of 199 DEGs were extracted from the GSE93272 and GSE33341 datasets. KEGG analysis of enrichment pathways were NLR signaling pathway, cell membrane DNA sensing pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, and viral infection. Positive/negative regulation of the immune system, regulation of the interferon-I (IFN-I; IFN-α/ß) pathway, and associated pathways of the immunological response to viruses were enriched in GO and ClueGO analyses. PPI network and Cytoscape platform identified the top 10 hub genes: RSAD2, IFIT3, GBP1, RTP4, IFI44, OAS1, IFI44L, ISG15, HERC5, and IFIT5. The pathways are mainly enriched in response to viral and bacterial infection, IFN signaling, and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3. IFI44, OAS1, IFI44L, ISG15, and HERC5 are the five hub genes shared by RA, COVID-19, and SAB. The pathways are primarily enriched for response to viral and bacterial infections. The TF-hub gene network and miRNA-hub gene network identified YY1 as a key TF and hsa-mir-1-3p and hsa-mir-146a-5p as two important miRNAs related to IFI44. IFI44 was identified as a hub gene by validating GSE17755, GSE55235, and GSE13670. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed a strong positive correlation between activated dendritic cells and IFI44 expression. Conclusions: IFI144 was discovered as a shared biomarker and disease target for RA, COVID-19, and SAB by this study. IFI44 negatively regulates the IFN signaling pathway to promote viral replication and bacterial proliferation and is an important molecular target for SARS-CoV-2 and S. aureus immune escape in RA. Dendritic cells play an important role in this process. 1,25-Dihydroxy vitamin D3 may be an important therapeutic agent in treating RA with SARS-CoV-2 and S. aureus infections.

Current Perspectives on Selective Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonists/Partial Agonists as Pharmacotherapeutics for Opioid and Psychostimulant Use Disorders.

Over three decades of evidence indicate that dopamine (DA) D3 receptors (D3R) are involved in the control of drug-seeking behavior and may play an important role in the pathophysiology of substance use disorders (SUD). The expectation that a selective D3R antagonist/partial agonist would be efficacious for the treatment of SUD is based on the following key observations. First, D3R are distributed in strategic areas belonging to the mesolimbic DA system such as the ventral striatum, midbrain, and ventral pallidum, which have been associated with behaviors controlled by the presentation of drug-associated cues. Second, repeated exposure to drugs of abuse produces neuroadaptations in the D3R system. Third, the synthesis and characterization of highly potent and selective D3R antagonists/partial agonists have further strengthened the role of the D3R in SUD. Based on extensive preclinical and preliminary clinical evidence, the D3R shows promise as a target for the development of pharmacotherapies for SUD as reflected by their potential to (1) regulate the motivation to self-administer drugs and (2) disrupt the responsiveness to drug-associated stimuli that play a key role in reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior triggered by re-exposure to the drug itself, drug-associated environmental cues, or stress. The availability of PET ligands to assess clinically relevant receptor occupancy by selective D3R antagonists/partial agonists, the definition of reliable dosing, and the prospect of using human laboratory models may further guide the design of clinical proof of concept studies. Pivotal clinical trials for more rapid progression of this target toward regulatory approval are urgently required. Finally, the discovery that highly selective D3R antagonists, such as R-VK4-116 and R-VK4-40, do not adversely affect peripheral biometrics or cardiovascular effects alone or in the presence of oxycodone or cocaine suggests that this class of drugs has great potential in safely treating psychostimulant and/or opioid use disorders.

Association between vitamin D3 and glutathione levels in COVID-19 individuals

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious disease associated with high rates of infection and death, espe-cially in older males with low glutathione (GSH) and vitamin D (vit D) levels. The GSH status is positively associated with bioavailability of vit D. GSH deficiency correlated with increased oxidative stress (OxS) and inflammatory markers, which implicate an increase in the severity of the disease. Objective: To verify the interaction of vit D and GSH levels among healthy individuals and COVID-19 patients. Method: The study population involved 166 healthy individuals, who formed the control group, and 171 COVID-19 patients. OxS and antioxidant parameters, and levels of vit D and inflammatory markers were estimated in both groups. Results: The COVID-19 patients showed significantly higher levels for malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl group (PC), interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and C-reactive protein and significantly low levels for GSH and vit D compared to the healthy control group. The aged and male COVID-19 groups displayed significantly higher levels of MDA and PC and significantly low levels of GSH compared with the younger and women groups. Conclusion: The COVID-19 patients displayed higher levels of OxS and inflammatory markers and low levels of antioxidant GSH and vit D, which developed by advancement of age especially within males.

Association between vitamin D3 and glutathione levels in COVID-19 individual

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious disease associated with a high rate of infection and death, especially for the older males when they have low levels of glutathione (GSH) and vitamin D. The GSH status is positively associated with the bioavailability of vitamin D. The GSH deficiency is correlated by increased oxidative stress and inflammatory markers which implicate the increase in the severity of the disease. Objective: To verify the vitamin D-GSH levels interaction among healthy and COVID- 19 patients. Method: Control healthy group (166) individuals and (171) COVID-19 patients were involved in this study. Oxidative stress and antioxidant parameters, vitamin D, and inflammatory markers were estimated in both Results: The COVID-19 patients showed significantly higher levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein and significantly low levels of GSH and vitamin D compared to the healthy control group, the aged and male COVID-19 group display significantly higher levels of MDA, PC, and significantly low levels for GSH Conclusion: The COVID-19 patient correlated with higher oxidative stress, inflammatory marker, and low level of antioxidant GSH and vitamin D which occur with advancing age, especially within the male.

A Scoping Review of Vitamin D for Nonskeletal Health: A Framework for Evidence-based Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: Low serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are prevalent worldwide. Although the benefits of vitamin D supplementation have focused on skeletal disorders (eg, rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis), emerging evidence for nonskeletal health merits further discussion. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to critically examine the vitamin D supplementation literature pertaining to nonskeletal health to help guide clinicians. METHODS: A scoping review that included observational studies and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was performed. Evidence from meta-analyses and individual RCTs are discussed, and controversies and future directions are considered. FINDINGS: 25(OH)D deficiency is a ubiquitous condition associated with multiple nonskeletal diseases, including cardiometabolic (heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease), immune (HIV/AIDS and cancer), lung (from traditional chronic disorders to coronavirus disease 2019), and gut diseases. Vitamin D deficiency also affects health across the life span (children, pregnant, and elderly), mental illness, and reproduction in both men and women. In contrast, vitamin D supplementation does not necessarily improve major medical outcomes, even when low 25(OH)D levels are treated. Screening for 25(OH)D status remains an important practice, primarily for high-risk patients (eg, elderly, women with osteoporosis, people with low exposure to sunlight). It is reasonable to supplement with vitamin D to treat 25(OH)D deficiency, such that if beneficial nonskeletal health occurs, this may be considered as a coadjutant instead of the central tenet of the disease. Furthermore, optimizing dosing regimens is an important clinical consideration. IMPLICATIONS: Although 25(OH)D deficiency is prevalent in nonskeletal diseases, there is no uniform evidence that vitamin D supplementation improves major medical outcomes, even when low 25(OH)D levels are corrected. Findings from RCTs warrant caution due to possible selection bias. Overall, vitamin D supplementation must be guided by circulating levels as a reasonable medical practice to correct 25(OH)D deficiency.

Correlation of Plasma 25(OH)D3 and Vitamin D Binding Protein Levels with COVID-19 Severity and Outcome in Hospitalized Patients.

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been declared a worldwide pandemic. The severity of COVID-19 varies greatly across infected individuals. Possible factors may include plasma levels of 25(OH)D and vitamin D binding protein (DBP), as both are involved in the host immune response. Other possible nutrition-related factors include malnutrition and/or obesity which disrupt the optimal host immune response to infections. Current literature shows inconsistent evidence about the association of plasma 25(OH)D3 and DBP on infection severity and clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to measure plasma 25(OH)D3 and DBP in hospitalized COVID-19 cases and assess their correlation with infection severity, inflammatory markers, and clinical outcome. METHODS: 167 patients were included in this analytical cross-sectional study, of which 81 were critical and 86 were non-critical hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Plasma levels of 25(OH)D3, DBP, and the inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α were assessed using the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Information regarding biochemical and anthropometrical indices, hospital length of stay (LoS), and illness outcome was obtained from the medical records. RESULTS: Plasma 25(OH)D3 level was found to be significantly lower in critical compared to non-critical patients (Median = 8.38 (IQR = 2.33) vs. 9.83 (IQR = 3.03) nmol/L, respectively; p < 0.001), and it positively correlated with hospital LoS. However, plasma 25(OH)D3 did not correlate with mortality or any of the inflammatory markers. DBP on the other hand correlated positively with mortality (rs = 0.188, p = 0.015) and hospital LoS (rs = 0.233, p = 0.002). DBP was significantly higher in critical than non-critical patients (Median = 1262.18 (IQR = 463.66) vs. 1153.35 (IQR = 418.46) ng/mL, respectively; p < 0.001). Furthermore, IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in critical than non-critical patients. However, no differences were found in IL-10, TNF-α, IL-10/TNF-α, TNF-α/IL-10, IL-6/IL-10, or CRP between groups. CONCLUSION: The current study found that critical COVID-19 patients had lower 25(OH)D3 than non-critical patients, yet, levels were found to be suboptimal in both groups. Further, critical patients had higher DBP levels as compared to non-critical patients. This finding may encourage future research to unravel the effects of this understudied protein that appears to have significant associations with inflammation, even though the precise mechanism is unknown.

Vitamin D and estrogen steroid hormones and their immunogenetic roles in Infectious respiratory (TB and COVID-19) diseases

The role of steroid hormones against infectious diseases has been extensively studied. From immunomodulatory action to direct inhibition of microorganism growth, hormones D3 (VD3) and 17beta-estradiol (E2), and the genetic pathways modulated by them, are key targets for a better understanding pathogenesis of infectious respiratory diseases (IRD) such as tuberculosis (TB) and the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Currently, the world faces two major public health problems, the outbreak of COVID-19, accounting for more than 6 million so far, and TB, more than 1 million deaths per year. Both, although resulting from different pathogens, the Mtb and the SARS-CoV-2, respectively, are considered serious and epidemic. TB and COVID-19 present similar infection rates between men and women, however the number of complications and deaths resulting from the two infections is higher in men when compared to women in childbearing age, which may indicate a role of the sex hormone E2 in the context of these diseases. E2 and VD3 act upon key gene pathways as important immunomodulatory players and supporting molecules in IRDs. This review summarizes the main roles of these hormones (VD3 and E2) in modulating immune and inflammatory responses and their relationship with TB and COVID-19.Copyright © Sociedade Brasileira de Genetica.

Vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives as promising drugs against COVID-19: a computational study.

The epidemiologic correlation between the poor prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D deficiency has been observed worldwide, however, their molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we used combined molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analyses to investigate the potentials of vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives as TMPRSS2 inhibitor and to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as well as to unveil molecular and structural basis of 1,25(OH)2D3 capability to inhibit ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 RBD interactions. The results show that vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives are favorable to bind active site of TMPRSS2 and the binding site(s) between ACE2 and SARS-CoV2-RBD, which indicate that vitamin D3 and its biologically active hydroxyderivatives can serve as TMPRSS2 inhibitor and can inhibit ACE2 binding of SARS-CoV-2 RBD to prevent SARS-CoV-2 entry. Interaction of 1,25(OH)2D3 with SARS-CoV-2 RBD and ACE2 resulted in the conformation and dynamical motion changes of the binding surfaces between SARS-CoV-2 RBD and ACE2 to interrupt the binding of SARS-CoV-2 RBD with ACE2. The interaction of 1,25(OH)2D3 with TMPRSS2 also caused the conformational and dynamical motion changes of TMPRSS2, which could affect TMPRSS2 to prime SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. Our results propose that vitamin D3 and its biologically active hydroxyderivatives are promising drugs or adjuvants in the treatment of COVID-19. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Polysaturated fatty acids and their derivatives regulate respiratory infections.

The regulation of inflammation is a complex pathophysiological process that depends on the production of oxygenated lipid derivatives essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, like omega-3 and omega-6, among which are the lipoxins resolvins and protectins, called specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPM). Their activity is associated with the control of respiratory infection processes to modulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines, avoiding damage due to inflammation-associated necrosis, reducing microbial loads, and promoting tissue remodeling. Therefore, we review some of the biochemical, physiological and immunological aspects of SPM in the regulation of inflammation in respiratory infections.Copyright © 2022, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias. All rights reserved.

Plague God Image in the Clinic.

This paper selects four dreams before and during COVID-19 which constellated the Plague God image in Chinese culture. The author argues that this shows evidence that the origins of the modern psyche, although hidden, are preserved and living within the ancient anima mundi.

Cet article sélectionne quatre rêves produits avant et pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 et qui montrent la constellation de l'image divine de la peste dans la culture Chinoise. L'auteur soutient que ceci montre la preuve que les origines de la psyché moderne, bien que cachées, sont préservées et vivantes au sein de l'ancien anima mundi.

El presente artículo selecciona cuatro sueños antes y durante la pandemia del COVID-19 que constelan la imagen del dios de la peste en la cultura China. El autor argumenta que esto demuestra que los orígenes de la psique moderna, aunque ocultos, se conservan y viven dentro de la antigua anima mundi.

The Transformation of Chinese Cultural Images of the Plague through Chinese Characters, Legends and Folkways.

The human experience of survival from a plague is about distinguishing the sick from the healthy as quickly as possible, establishing a barrier to stop the infection, and protecting healthy people. Nevertheless, the various quarantine rules and the acceptance and compliance of the population are a kind of battle between policy implementers and the public. This paper tries to understand how Chinese cultural attitudes (Henderson, 1984) unconsciously influence the Chinese people to be most cooperative with the strict containment and quarantine measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. This article begins with the Chinese characters, exemplified by the four characters of disease and plague, to discuss how the pictograph nature and spatial structural way profoundly shaped the cultural mind. Then, through plague-related Chinese legends, stories and folklore, the paper sets out the Chinese cultural attitudes which are also manifested in the analogical associations between disease, plague and seasons, the balance of the five elements of the universe and ghosts, gods and the government bureaucrats in the Kingdom of the Heaven. All of these approaches are well in line with Jung's method of associative amplification as a way to locate the archetypal wisdom that assures survival.

L'expérience humaine de survivre à la peste est de distinguer les malades des personnes saines aussi vite que possible, d'établir une barrière pour stopper l'infection, de protéger les personnes saines. Cependant les diverses règles sur la quarantaine et l'acceptation et la soumission de la population sont une sorte de bataille entre les personnes qui mettent en œuvre les mesures et le public. Cet article tente de comprendre comment les attitudes culturelles Chinoises (Henderson 1984) ont influencé inconsciemment le peuple Chinois, le rendant plus coopératif en ce qui concerne le confinement strict et les mesures de quarantaine pour faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19. Cet article commence avec les caractères Chinois, illustrés par les quatre caractères de la maladie et la peste, pour discuter comment le pictogramme de la nature et la façon de structurer l'espace ont profondément modelé la pensée culturelle. Ensuite, à travers des légendes, des histoires et le folklore Chinois traitant de la peste, l'article cerne les attitudes culturelles Chinoises. Ces attitudes sont également repérables dans les analogies entre la maladie, la peste et les saisons, l'équilibre des cinq éléments de l'univers, les esprits, les dieux et les bureaucrates gouvernementaux dans le Royaume des Cieux. Toutes ces approches sont bien en accord avec la méthode d'amplification associative de Jung en tant que manière de situer la sagesse archétypale qui permet la survie.

La experiencia humana de sobrevivir a una plaga consiste en distinguir lo antes posible a los enfermos de los sanos, establecer una barrera para detener la infección y proteger a las personas sanas. Sin embargo, las diversas normas de cuarentena y la aceptación y el cumplimiento por parte de la población son una especie de batalla entre los responsables políticos y el público. Este artículo trata de entender cómo las actitudes culturales chinas (Henderson 1984) influyen inconscientemente en el pueblo chino para que sea más cooperativo con las estrictas medidas de contención y cuarentena para hacer frente a la pandemia de COVID-19. El presente artículo comienza con los caracteres chinos, ejemplificados por los cuatro caracteres de la enfermedad y la peste, para analizar cómo la naturaleza pictográfica y la forma estructural espacial moldearon profundamente la mente cultural. A continuación, a través de leyendas, cuentos y folclore chinos relacionados con la peste, el artículo expone las actitudes culturales chinas que también se manifiestan en las asociaciones analógicas entre la enfermedad, la peste y las estaciones, el equilibrio de los cinco elementos del universo, y los fantasmas, los dioses y los burócratas del gobierno en el Reino de los Cielos. Todos estos planteamientos se ajustan bien al método de Jung de amplificación asociativa como vía de acceso a la sabiduría arquetípica que asegura la supervivencia.

Development of Innovative Vitamin D Enrichment Designs for Two Typical Italian Fresh Cheeses: Burrata and Giuncata.

The aim of this research was to develop innovative cheeses fortified with vitamin D3 (VD3). Formulation studies and analyses of textural properties and chemicals were carried out for these developments. Two traditional Italian varieties of cheese (giuncata and burrata) were studied. For giuncata, the fortification of milk for cheese production provided a VD3 retention level of 43.9 ± 0.6% in the food matrix. For burrata, the VD3 ingredient was incorporated into the creamy inner part after mixing, maintaining the textural quality of the product (adhesiveness 4.3 ± 0.4 J × 10-3; firmness 0.7 ± 0.0 N; and cohesiveness 0.8 ± 0.2). The optimized enrichment designs allowed to obtain homogenous contents of VD3 during the production of giuncata (0.48 ± 0.01 µg/g) and burrata cheeses (0.32 ± 0.02 µg/g). Moreover, analyses revealed the high stability of VD3 during the storage of the two fortified cheese types (2 weeks, 4 °C). These fortification designs could be implemented at an industrial scale to obtain new cheese types enriched in VD3 and thus contribute to the reduction in VD deficiency prevalence.

Vitamin D3 and COVID-19 Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

BACKGROUND: The immune system (innate and adaptive) is influenced by vitamin D3, which affects gene expression and inflammatory pathways. An umbrella review was conducted to evaluate the power and accuracy of data connecting vitamin D3 to the outcomes of COVID-19 infection and to appraise the proof provided by published meta-analyses. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception to 31 May 2022. Meta-analyses of prospective or retrospective observational studies and randomized trials were included. Evidence of association was graded according to the established criteria: strong, highly suggestive, suggestive, weak, or not significant. RESULTS: From 74 publications, 27 meta-analyses described five associations between vitamin D3 levels and supplementation and COVID-19 outcomes. Low levels of vitamin D3 were significantly associated with severity (highly suggestive evidence; OR = 1.97 [95% CI, 1.55-2.51], p < 0.01; I2 = 77%, p < 0.01) and mortality risk due to COVID-19 disease (OR = 1.83 [95% CI, 1.55-2.16], p < 0.01; I2 = 50%, p < 0.01). Vitamin D3 supplementation, after a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, was associated with significantly reduced infection severity (e.g., ICU admission) and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This umbrella review of the available evidence suggests that insufficient vitamin D3 may increase COVID-19 infection risk, severity, and mortality, in addition to showing a highly suggestive association between vitamin D3 supplementation and reduced severity and mortality among infected patients.

Multi-camera BEV video-surveillance system for efficient monitoring of social distancing.

The current sanitary emergency situation caused by COVID-19 has increased the interest in controlling the flow of people in indoor infrastructures, to ensure compliance with the established security measures. Top view camera-based solutions have proven to be an effective and non-invasive approach to accomplish this task. Nevertheless, current solutions suffer from scalability problems: they cover limited range areas to avoid dealing with occlusions and only work with single camera scenarios. To overcome these problems, we present an efficient and scalable people flow monitoring system that relies on three main pillars: an optimized top view human detection neural network based on YOLO-V4, capable of working with data from cameras at different heights; a multi-camera 3D detection projection and fusion procedure, which uses the camera calibration parameters for an accurate real-world positioning; and a tracking algorithm which jointly processes the 3D detections coming from all the cameras, allowing the traceability of individuals across the entire infrastructure. The conducted experiments show that the proposed system generates robust performance indicators and that it is suitable for real-time applications to control sanitary measures in large infrastructures. Furthermore, the proposed projection approach achieves an average positioning error below 0.2 meters, with an improvement of more than 4 times compared to other methods.

COVID-19, Virtual Engagement and the Psychoid Imagination.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on analytic training and the delivery of educational content is explored here. The proliferation of Zoom therapy and teaching is creating a post-human platform to which nearly everyone in contemporary society has had to adapt. Looking at the possible meanings of the pandemic, a psychoid factor (the virus) engaging the imagination has come to the fore as a response to climate change. The striking similarity to the H1N1 viral pandemic ("Spanish flu") is noted, especially in the context of C. G. Jung having had a case in 1919 during which he experienced a number of visions and dreams. The imagery produced can be seen as an implicit attempt at "re-enchanting the world" found in The red book. Finally, a reconsideration of pedagogy in response to the pandemic is discussed with an eye to the archetypal aspects of internet communications.

Cet article étudie l'impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la formation des analystes et sur la manière dont le contenu éducatif est dispensé. La prolifération de thérapie et de formation par Zoom crée une plateforme post-humaine à laquelle quasiment toute personne dans la société contemporaine a eu à s'adapter. En regardant les sens possibles que l'on peut donner à la pandémie, un facteur psychoïde (le virus) qui mobilise l'imagination a pris le devant de la scène en tant que réponse au changement climatique. L'article souligne la similarité frappante avec la pandémie virale H1N1 (la grippe espagnole), particulièrement dans le contexte où C.G. Jung l'a attrapée en 1919 et a fait l'expérience d'un certain nombre de visions et de rêves. L'imagerie produite peut être vue comme une tentative implicite de « ré-enchanter le monde ¼ telle qu'on la trouve dans le Livre Rouge. En conclusion, une reconsidération de la pédagogie issue de la pandémie est discutée en tenant compte des aspects archétypaux des communications par internet.

Se exploran aquí las repercusiones de la pandemia de COVID-19 en la formación analítica y en la transmisión de contenidos educativos. La proliferación de la terapia y la enseñanza vía Zoom está creando una plataforma posthumana a la que casi todo el mundo en la sociedad contemporánea ha tenido que adaptarse. En cuanto a los posibles significados de la pandemia, un factor psicoide (el virus) que atrae la imaginación ha pasado a primer plano como respuesta al cambio climático. Se observa la sorprendente similitud con la pandemia viral H1N1 ("gripe española"), especialmente en el contexto de un caso que C.G. Jung tuvo en 1919 durante el cual experimentó una serie de visiones y sueños. La imaginería producida puede verse como un intento implícito de "reencantar el mundo" que se encuentra en El Libro Rojo. Por último, se plantea una reconsideración de la pedagogía en respuesta a la pandemia, teniendo en cuenta los aspectos arquetípicos de las comunicaciones por Internet.