Covid19-Sources

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Eric Topol on Twitter
Eric Topol on Twitter
Two new studies highlight the importance of the gut microbiome for response of cancer immunotherapyProbiotic for renal cell carcinomahttps://t.co/63wYxPtkuZLargest metagenomic study, in advanced melanomahttps://t.co/8Atq2aWJtJ@NatureMedicine pic.twitter.com/1ly97vLjqZ— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 28, 2022
·twitter.com·
Eric Topol on Twitter
Risk of severe COVID-19 from the Delta and Omicron variants in relation to vaccination status, sex, age and comorbidities – surveillance results from southern Sweden, July 2021 to January 2022
Risk of severe COVID-19 from the Delta and Omicron variants in relation to vaccination status, sex, age and comorbidities – surveillance results from southern Sweden, July 2021 to January 2022
We compared the risk of severe COVID-19 during two periods 2021 and 2022 when Delta and Omicron, respectively, were the dominating virus variants in Scania county, Sweden. We adjusted for differences in sex, age, comorbidities, prior infection and vaccination. Risk of severe disease from Omicron was markedly lower among vaccinated cases. It was also lower among the unvaccinated but remained high ( 5%) for older people and middle-aged men with two or more comorbidities. Efforts to increase vaccination uptake should continue.
·eurosurveillance.org·
Risk of severe COVID-19 from the Delta and Omicron variants in relation to vaccination status, sex, age and comorbidities – surveillance results from southern Sweden, July 2021 to January 2022
Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine among children 5-11 and 12-17 years in New York after the Emergence of the Omicron Variant
Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine among children 5-11 and 12-17 years in New York after the Emergence of the Omicron Variant
Importance: There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine for children, particularly those 5-11 years and after the Omicron variant's emergence. Objective: To estimate BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness against COVID cases and hospitalizations among children 5-11 years and 12-17 years during December, 2021 and January, 2022. Design: Analyses of cohorts constructed from linked statewide immunization, laboratory testing, and hospitalization databases. Setting/Participants: New York State children 5-17 years. Main outcomes/measures: New laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Comparisons were made using the incidence rate ratio (IRR), comparing outcomes by vaccination status, and estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE: 1-[1/IRR]). Results: From December 13, 2021 to January 30, 2022, among 852,384 fully-vaccinated children 12-17 years and 365,502 children 5-11 years, VE against cases declined from 66% (95% CI: 64%, 67%) to 51% (95% CI: 48%, 54%) for those 12-17 years and from 68% (95% CI: 63%, 72%) to 12% (95% CI: 6%, 16%) for those 5-11 years. During the January 24-30 week, VE for children 11 years was 11% (95%CI -3%, 23%) and for those age 12 was 67% (95% CI: 62%, 71%). VE against hospitalization declined changed from 85% (95% CI: 63%, 95%) to 73% (95% CI: 53%, 87%) for children 12-17 years, and from 100% (95% CI: -189%, 100%) to 48% (95% CI: -12%, 75%) for those 5-11 years. Among children newly fully-vaccinated December 13, 2021 to January 2, 2022, VE against cases within two weeks of full vaccination for children 12-17 years was 76% (95% CI: 71%, 81%) and by 28-34 days it was 56% (95% CI: 43%, 63%). For children 5-11, VE against cases declined from 65% (95% CI: 62%, 68%) to 12% (95% CI: 8%, 16%) by 28-34 days. Conclusions and Relevance: In the Omicron era, the effectiveness against cases of BNT162b2 declined rapidly for children, particularly those 5-11 years. However, vaccination of children 5-11 years was protective against severe disease and is recommended. These results highlight the potential need to study alternative vaccine dosing for children and the continued importance layered protections, including mask wearing, to prevent infection and transmission. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any external funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the New York State Department of Health determined this surveillance activity to be necessary for public health work, and therefore, waived the need for ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors
·medrxiv.org·
Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine among children 5-11 and 12-17 years in New York after the Emergence of the Omicron Variant
Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues
Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues
Prolonged detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA and recurrence of PCR-positive tests have been widely reported in patients after recovery from COVID-19, but some of these patients do not appear to shed infectious virus. We investigated the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 RNAs can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the DNA of human cells in culture and that transcription of the integrated sequences might account for some of the positive PCR tests seen in patients. In support of this hypothesis, we found that DNA copies of SARS-CoV-2 sequences can be integrated into the genome of infected human cells. We found target site duplications flanking the viral sequences and consensus LINE1 endonuclease recognition sequences at the integration sites, consistent with a LINE1 retrotransposon-mediated, target-primed reverse transcription and retroposition mechanism. We also found, in some patient-derived tissues, evidence suggesting that a large fraction of the viral sequences is transcribed from integrated DNA copies of viral sequences, generating viral–host chimeric transcripts. The integration and transcription of viral sequences may thus contribute to the detection of viral RNA by PCR in patients after infection and clinical recovery. Because we have detected only subgenomic sequences derived mainly from the 3′ end of the viral genome integrated into the DNA of the host cell, infectious virus cannot be produced from the integrated subgenomic SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Continuous or recurrent positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR tests have been reported in samples taken from patients weeks or months after recovery from an initial infection (1–17). Although bona fide reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 after recovery has recently been reported (18), cohort-based studies with subjects held in strict quarantine after they recovered from COVID-19 suggested that at least some “re-positive” cases were not caused by reinfection (19, 20). Furthermore, no replication-competent virus was isolated or spread from these PCR-positive patients (1–3, 5, 6, 12, 16), and the cause for the prolonged and recurrent production of viral RNA remains unknown. SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-stranded RNA virus. Like other beta-coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus), SARS-CoV-2 employs an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to replicate its genomic RNA and transcribe subgenomic RNAs (21–24). One possible explanation for the continued detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in the absence of virus reproduction is that, in some cases, DNA copies of viral subgenomic RNAs may integrate into the DNA of the host cell by a reverse transcription mechanism. Transcription of the integrated DNA copies could be responsible for positive PCR tests long after the initial infection was cleared. Indeed, nonretroviral RNA virus sequences have been detected in the genomes of many vertebrate species (25, 26), with several integrations exhibiting signals consistent with the integration of DNA copies of viral mRNAs into the germline via ancient long interspersed nuclear element (LINE) retrotransposons (reviewed in ref. 27). Furthermore, nonretroviral RNA viruses such as vesicular stomatitis virus or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) can be reverse transcribed into DNA copies by an endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT), and DNA copies of the viral sequences have been shown to integrate into the DNA of host cells (28–30). In addition, cellular RNAs, for example the human APP transcripts, have been shown to be reverse-transcribed by endogenous RT in neurons with the resultant APP fragments integrated into the genome and expressed (31). Human LINE1 elements (∼17% of the human genome), a type of autonomous retrotransposons, which are able to retro-transpose themselves and other nonautonomous elements such as Alu, are a source of cellular endogenous RT (32–34). Endogenous LINE1 elements have been shown to be expressed in aged human tissues (35) and LINE1-mediated somatic retrotransposition is common in cancer patients (36, 37). Moreover, expression of endogenous LINE1 and other retrotransposons in host cells is commonly up-regulated upon viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2 infection (38–40). In this study, we show that SARS-CoV-2 sequences can integrate into the host cell genome by a LINE1-mediated retroposition mechanism. We provide evidence that the integrated viral sequences can be transcribed and that, in some patient samples, the majority of viral transcripts appear to be derived from integrated viral sequences.
·pnas.org·
Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues
Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line
Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line
Preclinical studies of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, showed reversible hepatic effects in animals that received the BNT162b2 injection. Furthermore, a recent study showed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the genome of human cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of BNT162b2 on the human liver cell line Huh7 in vitro. Huh7 cells were exposed to BNT162b2, and quantitative PCR was performed on RNA extracted from the cells. We detected high levels of BNT162b2 in Huh7 cells and changes in gene expression of long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1), which is an endogenous reverse transcriptase. Immunohistochemistry using antibody binding to LINE-1 open reading frame-1 RNA-binding protein (ORFp1) on Huh7 cells treated with BNT162b2 indicated increased nucleus distribution of LINE-1. PCR on genomic DNA of Huh7 cells exposed to BNT162b2 amplified the DNA sequence unique to BNT162b2. Our results indicate a fast up-take of BNT162b2 into human liver cell line Huh7, leading to changes in LINE-1 expression and distribution. We also show that BNT162b2 mRNA is reverse transcribed intracellularly into DNA in as fast as 6 h upon BNT162b2 exposure.
·mdpi.com·
Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line
Occurrence and significance of Omicron BA.1 infection followed by BA.2 reinfection
Occurrence and significance of Omicron BA.1 infection followed by BA.2 reinfection
The newly found Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern has rapidly spread worldwide. Omicron carries numerous mutations in key regions and is associated with increased transmissibility and immune escape. The variant has recently been divided into four subvariants with substantial genomic differences, in particular between Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. With the surge of Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2, a large number of reinfections from earlier cases has been observed, raising the question of whether BA.2 specifically can escape the natural immunity acquired shortly after a BA.1 infection. To investigate this, we selected a subset of samples from more than 1,8 million cases of infections in the period from November 22, 2021, until February 11, 2022. Here, individuals with two positive samples, more than 20 and less than 60 days apart, were selected. From a total of 187 reinfection cases, we identified 47 instances of BA.2 reinfections shortly after a BA.1 infection, mostly in young unvaccinated individuals with mild disease not resulting in hospitalization or death. In conclusion, we provide evidence that Omicron BA.2 reinfections do occur shortly after BA.1 infections but are rare. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement Not applicable ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This study was conducted using data from the Danish COVID-19 surveillance. According to Danish law, ethics approval is not needed for this type of research but approved by the Legal Advisory Board at Statens Serum Institut, a Danish sector research institute under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Health. The publication only contains aggregated results without personal data. Therefore, the publication is in compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulations. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes The data are available for research upon reasonable request to the Danish Health Data Authority and Statens Serum Institut and within the framework of the Danish data protection legislation and any required permission from authorities. Consensus genome data from the Danish cases are routinely shared publicly at GISAID (www.gisaid.org), including information on reinfections.
·medrxiv.org·
Occurrence and significance of Omicron BA.1 infection followed by BA.2 reinfection
The Huanan market was the epicenter of SARS-CoV-2 emergence
The Huanan market was the epicenter of SARS-CoV-2 emergence
Geographical clustering of the earliest known COVID-19 cases and the proximity of positive environmental samples to live-animal vendors suggest that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the site of origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
·zenodo.org·
The Huanan market was the epicenter of SARS-CoV-2 emergence
Dr. Angela Rasmussen on Twitter
Dr. Angela Rasmussen on Twitter
But since I know some folks prefer their evidence in the format of an animated GIF, I'm happy to oblige. Sorry, it lacks the cutesy punch of an out-of-context scene from a Will Ferrell movie, but I'll just have to hope actual scientific evidence is equally entertaining. pic.twitter.com/lZB70oni0O— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) February 26, 2022
·twitter.com·
Dr. Angela Rasmussen on Twitter
Cohort study to evaluate the effect of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in combination on progression to severe outcomes in older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19)
Cohort study to evaluate the effect of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in combination on progression to severe outcomes in older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19)
The aim of this study was to determine clinical outcomes of older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) who received a combination of vitamin D, magnes…
·sciencedirect.com·
Cohort study to evaluate the effect of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in combination on progression to severe outcomes in older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19)
“Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study”
“Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study”
The vitamin D endocrine system may have a variety of actions on cells and tissues involved in COVID-19 progression especially by decreasing the Acute …
·sciencedirect.com·
“Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study”
Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data
Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data
Objectives  To assess the overall effect of vitamin D supplementation on risk of acute respiratory tract infection, and to identify factors modifying this effect. Design  Systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) from randomised controlled trials. Data sources  Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number registry from inception to December 2015. Eligibility criteria for study selection  Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trials of supplementation with vitamin D3 or vitamin D2 of any duration were eligible for inclusion if they had been approved by a research ethics committee and if data on incidence of acute respiratory tract infection were collected prospectively and prespecified as an efficacy outcome. Results  25 eligible randomised controlled trials (total 11 321 participants, aged 0 to 95 years) were identified. IPD were obtained for 10 933 (96.6%) participants. Vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of acute respiratory tract infection among all participants (adjusted odds ratio 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.81 to 0.96; P for heterogeneity
·bmj.com·
Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant Evades Neutralization by Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant Evades Neutralization by Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been highly successful in decreasing disease severity; however, the recent emergence of the heavily mutated Omicron variant has posed a challenge to this treatment strategy. The Omicron variant BA.1 has been found to evade neutralization by the Regeneron and Eli Lilly therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, while Sotrovimab and the Evusheld monoclonal antibody cocktail retain significant neutralizing activity. A newly emerged variant, Omicron BA.2, containing the BA.1 mutations plus an additional 6 mutations and 3 deletions, 3 of which lie in the receptor binding domain, has been found to be spreading with increased transmissibility. We report here, using a spike protein-pseudotyped lentivirus assay, that Omicron BA.2 is not neutralized with detectable titer by any of the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, including Sotrovimab and the Evusheld monoclonal antibodies. The results demonstrate the difficulty of identifying broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and the importance of the T cell response from which immunoevasion is more difficult. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
·biorxiv.org·
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant Evades Neutralization by Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies
Reliance on immunity from prior infection is not secure for hospital infection control
Reliance on immunity from prior infection is not secure for hospital infection control
There has been much discussion on the general principle of "naturally-acquired” immunity arising from recovery from SARS CoV 2infection, and this recovery state contributing to the prevalence of immunity to reinfection, often referred to as Herd Immunity. This has led to the belief that hospit...
·researchsquare.com·
Reliance on immunity from prior infection is not secure for hospital infection control
Dying with SARS-CoV-2 infection—an autopsy study of the first consecutive 80 cases in Hamburg, Germany - 414_2020_Article_2317.pdf
Dying with SARS-CoV-2 infection—an autopsy study of the first consecutive 80 cases in Hamburg, Germany - 414_2020_Article_2317.pdf
Autopsies of deceased with a confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can provide important insights into the novel disease and its course. Furthermore, autopsies are essential for the correct statistical recording of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths. In the northern German Federal State of Hamburg, all deaths of Hamburg citizens with ante- or postmortem PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection have been autopsied since the outbreak of the pandemic in Germany. Our evaluation provides a systematic overview of the first 80 consecutive full autopsies. A proposal for the categorisation of deaths with SARS-CoV-2 infection is presented (category 1: definite COVID-19 death; category 2: probable COVID-19 death; category 3: possible COVID-19 death with an equal alternative cause of death; category 4: SARS- CoV-2 detection with cause of death not associated to COVID-19). In six cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed post- mortem by a positive PCR test in a nasopharyngeal or lung tissue swab. In the other 74 cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection had already been known antemortem. The deceased were aged between 52 and 96 years (average 79.2 years, median 82.4 years). In the study cohort, 34 deceased were female (38%) and 46 male (62%). Overall, 38% of the deceased were overweight or obese. All deceased, except for two women, in whom no significant pre-existing conditions were found autoptically, had relevant comor- bidities (in descending order of frequency): (1) diseases of the cardiovascular system, (2) lung diseases, (3) central nervous system diseases, (4) kidney diseases, and (5) diabetes mellitus. A total of 76 cases (95%) were classified as COVID-19 deaths, corresponding to categories 1–3. Four deaths (5%) were defined as non-COVID-19 deaths with virus-independent causes of death. In eight cases, pneumonia was combined with a fulminant pulmonary artery embolism. Peripheral pulmonary artery embolisms were found in nine other cases. Overall, deep vein thrombosis has been found in 40% of the cases. This study provides the largest overview of autopsies of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients presented so far.
·ncbi.nlm.nih.gov·
Dying with SARS-CoV-2 infection—an autopsy study of the first consecutive 80 cases in Hamburg, Germany - 414_2020_Article_2317.pdf
SARS-CoV-2 infects, replicates, elevates angiotensin II and activates immune cells in human testes
SARS-CoV-2 infects, replicates, elevates angiotensin II and activates immune cells in human testes
Although much has been published since the first cases of COVID-19, there remain unanswered questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 impact on testes and the potential consequences for reproductive health. We investigated testicular alterations in deceased COVID-19-patients, the precise location of the virus, its replicative activity, and the molecules involved in the pathogenesis. We found that SARS-CoV-2 testicular tropism is higher than previously thought and that reliable viral detection in the testis requires sensitive nanosensoring or RT-qPCR using a specific methodology. Macrophages and spermatogonial cells are the main SARS-CoV-2 lodging sites and where new virions form inside the Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Complex. Moreover, we showed infiltrative infected monocytes migrating into the testicular parenchyma. SARS-CoV-2 maintains its replicative and infective abilities long after the patient infection, suggesting that the testes may serve as a viral sanctuary. Further, infected testes show thickening of the tunica propria, germ cell apoptosis, Sertoli cell barrier loss, evident hemorrhage, angiogenesis, Leydig cell inhibition, inflammation, and fibrosis. Finally, our findings indicate that high angiotensin II levels and activation of mast cells and macrophages may be critical for testicular pathogenesis. Importantly, our data suggest that patients who become critically ill exhibit severe damages and may harbor the active virus in testes. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This work was primarily financed by Ferring COVID19 Investigational Grant (grant FIN0042393, to G.M.J.C). G.M.J.C. also received resources from FAPEMIG (APQ0107821). Other specific grants from coauthors punctually helped in some experiments and logistics of the present study. A.F.V. was supported by a FAPESP (grant #18/176470) when the study was conducted. G.R.F.C. is supported by a FAPESP (grant #20/074190). M.H.F. was supported by the Laboratorio Sao Paulo/BH/MG. M.L.N. is supported by FAPESP (grant # 2019/072509 and #2020/048360) and CNPq. F.G.F. received grants from FAPEMIG (CBBAPQ0308117, and CBBAPQ0429517), and from Rede Mineira de Pesquisa e Inovacao para Bioengenharia de Nanossistemas (RM PIBEM FAPEMIG TEC RED0028216). R.S.A was supported by CNPq (R.S.A.: 312688/20172 and 439119/20189). ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The Research Ethics Committee of the Mater Dei Hospital and the National Research Ethics Committee (CONEP) approved this investigation under the number CAAE: 30999320.1.0000.5128. Testicular fragments were obtained after the study was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais COEP/UFMG (COEP ETIC 104 n117/07) I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors
·medrxiv.org·
SARS-CoV-2 infects, replicates, elevates angiotensin II and activates immune cells in human testes
Estimation of COVID-19 cases prevented by vaccination in California
Estimation of COVID-19 cases prevented by vaccination in California
Importance: Despite widespread vaccination against COVID-19 in the United States, there are limited empirical data quantifying the public health impact in the population. Objective: To estimate the number of cases of COVID-19 averted due to COVID-19 vaccination Design, Setting, and Participants: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) provided person-level data on COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 vaccine administration. To estimate the number of COVID-19 cases that would have occurred in the vaccine era in absence of vaccination, we applied a statistical model that estimated the relationship of COVID-19 cases in the pre-vaccine era between the unvaccinated age group (
·medrxiv.org·
Estimation of COVID-19 cases prevented by vaccination in California
mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits comparable B cell expansion, neutralizing antibodies and protection against Omicron
mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits comparable B cell expansion, neutralizing antibodies and protection against Omicron
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron is highly transmissible and has substantial resistance to antibody neutralization following immunization with ancestral spike-matched vaccines. It is unclear whether boosting with Omicron-specific vaccines would enhance immunity and protection. Here, nonhuman primates that received mRNA-1273 at weeks 0 and 4 were boosted at week 41 with mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron. Neutralizing antibody titers against D614G were 4760 and 270 reciprocal ID50 at week 6 (peak) and week 41 (pre-boost), respectively, and 320 and 110 for Omicron. Two weeks after boost, titers against D614G and Omicron increased to 5360 and 2980, respectively, for mRNA-1273 and 2670 and 1930 for mRNA-Omicron. Following either boost, 70-80% of spike-specific B cells were cross-reactive against both WA1 and Omicron. Significant and equivalent control of virus replication in lower airways was observed following either boost. Therefore, an Omicron boost may not provide greater immunity or protection compared to a boost with the current mRNA-1273 vaccine. ### Competing Interest Statement K.S.C. is an inventor on U.S. Patent No. 10,960,070 B2 and International Patent Application No. WO/2018/081318 entitled: Prefusion Coronavirus Spike Proteins and Their Use. K.S.C. is an inventor on U.S. Patent Application No. 62/972,886 entitled: 2019-nCoV Vaccine. L.W., W.S., J.R.M., M.R., N.J.S. and D.C.D are inventors on U.S. Patent Application No. 63/147,419 entitled: Antibodies Targeting the Spike Protein of Coronaviruses. L.P., A.V.R., B.N., D.V., A.C., A.D., K.S., H.A. and M.G.L. are employees of Bioqual. K.S.C, L.W. and W.S. are inventors on multiple U.S. Patent Applications entitled Anti-Coronavirus Antibodies and Methods of Use. A.C. and D.K.E. are employees of Moderna. M.S.S. serves on the scientific board of advisors for Moderna and Ocugen. The other authors declare no competing interests.
·biorxiv.org·
mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits comparable B cell expansion, neutralizing antibodies and protection against Omicron
Eric Topol on Twitter
Eric Topol on Twitter
New: Assessment of an Omicron-specific booster vs Moderna original (vs ancestral) booster in macaques: no difference"An Omicron boost may not provide greater immunity or protection compared to a boost with the current mRNA-1273 vaccine"https://t.co/9lonQjawcj pic.twitter.com/wGq6WCLdIx— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 4, 2022
·twitter.com·
Eric Topol on Twitter