High-throughput screening of SARS-CoV-2 main and papain-like protease inhibitors.

The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has infected over 109 million people, leading to over 2 million deaths up to date and still lacking of effective drugs for patient treatment. Here, we screened about 1.8 million small molecules against the main protease (Mpro) and papain like protease (PLpro), two major proteases in severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 genome, and identified 1851Mpro inhibitors and 205 PLpro inhibitors with low nmol/l activity of the best hits. Among these inhibitors, eight small molecules showed dual inhibition effects on both Mpro and PLpro, exhibiting potential as better candidates for COVID-19 treatment. The best inhibitors of each protease were tested in antiviral assay, with over 40% of Mpro inhibitors and over 20% of PLpro inhibitors showing high potency in viral inhibition with low cytotoxicity. The X-ray crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in complex with its potent inhibitor 4a was determined at 1.8 Å resolution. Together with docking assays, our results provide a comprehensive resource for future research on anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development.

Knowledge management and modern digital transformation of the property management industry in China

Purpose>In the current urban and increasingly digital/information era, the service of property management towards residents is of key importance to the well-being of society, which is especially well reflected in its role during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. However, professional knowledge management (KM) has yet to be applied to the daily operation of the property management companies in this sector. The authors posit that introduction of KM concepts to property management at this time would significantly help facilitate the transition of traditional property management towards a higher and more effective value-added service model. From the perspective of KM, this study aims to offer both a theoretical and practical analysis of such a novel business model for companies in the property management industry.Design/methodology/approach>Given the current status quo of property management, the authors integrate theories from both KM and information-digital management to qualitatively analyse the challenges and difficulties companies are facing and importantly offer practical suggestions for the centralization, digital-information platform establishment and service innovation.Findings>Following the analysis of KM and digital-information modeling, the authors identify three main challenges facing property management services offered in the current digital society including market fragmentation, lack of digital platforms and the absence of a unitary service model. Therefore, the authors propose strategic solutions to resolve these aforementioned problems. Specifically, the authors suggest centralizing property management service, the establishment of a KM-based digital platform and the upgrading of the service model, towards offering a new impetus for the development of companies in property management.Research limitations/implications>The authors offer essential guidelines derived from knowledge and information management and explore their implications both from a theoretical, as well as pragmatic/practical perspective that overall would support property management companies’ crucial transition from the traditional service model to a more digital-based foundation, and hence, provide a higher value-added service for the residents.Originality/value>The current study is one of the first attempts to analyse property management services from the perspective of KM with digital transformation enabling its transition to an information-based internet of things infrastructure. The study not only offers practical guidance to the business of property management but importantly, also contributes to the theoretical underpinnings of KM especially as related to secure serviceability, well-being, security and efficiency of the residential environment by integrating people, place, process and technology.

Persistent SARS-CoV-2-positive over 4 months in a COVID-19 patient with CHB.

In recent months, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major public health crisis with takeover more than 1 million lives worldwide. The long-lasting existence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not yet been reported. Herein, we report a case of SARS-CoV-2 infection with intermittent viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for >4 months after clinical rehabilitation. A 35-year-old male was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia with fever but without other specific symptoms. The treatment with lopinavir-ritonavir, oxygen inhalation, and other symptomatic supportive treatment facilitated recovery, and the patient was discharged. However, his viral PCR test was continually positive in oropharyngeal swabs for >4 months after that. At the end of June 2020, he was still under quarantine and observation. The contribution of current antivirus therapy might be limited. The prognosis of COVID-19 patients might be irrelevant to the virus status. Thus, further investigation to evaluate the contagiousness of convalescent patients and the mechanism underlying the persistent existence of SARS-CoV-2 after recovery is essential. A new strategy of disease control, especially extending the follow-up period for recovered COVID-19 patients, is necessary to adapt to the current situation of pandemic.