scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Targets and COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-621
Author(s):  
Arthur W. Currier ◽  
Madeline C. Jeshurin ◽  
Valerie B. Sampson
Keyword(s):  
Protective Immunity ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
Phase Iii Clinical Trials ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Protection Against Infection

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are being used across the globe to reduce the risk of developing COVID-19, stop the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and end the pandemic. To address this, a massive global effort is underway for development of COVID-19 vaccines. As of September 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 331 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, and 107 are in clinical evaluation, with 8 in Phase IV and 30 in Phase III clinical trials (WHO; COVID-19 vaccine tracker). At least 13 different vaccines are being issued for emergency use authorization. Specifically, the goal is to produce protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection by stimulating an immune response to either the whole virus, viral protein, or nucleic acid products. The spike (S) proteins of SARS-CoV-2 that give the characteristic “corona” appearance of this family of viruses has emerged as an effective target for vaccines. Other viral candidates that are being developed also aim to produce immunity for COVID-19. In this review, we describe the different vaccine platforms, target candidates for vaccines, and their progress in COVID-19 vaccine development. This is critical since newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest require understanding of how vaccines may provide the most effective long-term protection against infection.

Outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its manifestation

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bikash Debnath ◽  
Waikhom Somraj Singh ◽  
Kuntal Manna
Keyword(s):  
Antiviral Drug ◽  
World Health ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
Pregnant Mother ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
The World ◽  
Mode Of Transmission ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Effective Drugs ◽  
Respiratory Droplets

: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first outbreak in Wuhan, China, and the infection is intense worldwide. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed total deaths had noted 4.20% globally (March 21, 2020). Between the intervals of four months (July 21, 2020), confirmed total deaths had recorded 4.17%, globally. In India, 909 confirmed cases and 19 deaths were reported by Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, March 28, 2020. Between the intervals of 123 days In India, 1638870 confirmed cases and 35684 deaths. COVID-19 can potentially spread from person to person through direct contact or respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough, difficulty in breathing, and fatigue. A pregnant mother with COVID-19 has fewer chances to transfer this infection of her newborn babies. Children have less affected than an adult. A specific antiviral drug or vaccine has not been developed to cure the disease. Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, nafamostat, nitazoxanide, and remdesivir have effective drugs to treat COVID-19. Many vaccine candidates are under pre-clinical and clinical studies. In this review, we highlight the epidemiology, sign-symptoms, pathogenesis, mode of transmission, and effects of a pregnant mother with newborns, children, prevention, and drugs affective to COVID-19.

scholarly journals Psychometric validation of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales among elderly residents in long-term care facilities with joint contractures

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-chang Chen ◽  
Keh-chung Lin ◽  
Chen-Jung Chen ◽  
Shu-Hui Yeh ◽  
Ay-Woan Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Chinese Version ◽  
World Health ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Joint Contractures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background Joint contractures, which affect activity, participation, and quality of life, are common complications of neurological conditions among elderly residents in long-term care facilities. This study examined the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales in a population with joint contractures. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used. The sample included elderly residents older than 64 years with joint contractures in an important joint who had lived at one of 12 long-term care facilities in Taiwan for more than 6 months (N = 243). The Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales for joint contractures was generated from the English version through five stages: translation, review, back-translation, review by a panel of specialists, and a pretest. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were evaluated, and the results were compared with those for the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule. Results The Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales had excellent reliability, with a Cronbach α coefficient of 0.975 (mean score, 28.98; standard deviation, 17.34). An exploratory factor analysis showed three factors and one factor with an eigenvalue > 1 that explained 75.176 and 62.83 % of the total variance in the Activity subscale and Participation subscale, respectively. The subscale-to-total scale correlation analysis showed Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.881 for the Activity subscale and 0.843 for the Participation subscale. Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed that the correlation coefficient (r) between the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule was 0.770, whereas that for the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale was − 0.553; these values were interpreted as large coefficients. Conclusions The underlying theoretical model of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales functions well in Taiwan and has acceptable levels of reliability and validity. However, the Chinese version must be further tested for applicability and generalizability in future studies, preferably with a larger sample and in different clinical domains.

scholarly journals The 2016 Vaccine Development Pipeline: A special issue from the World Health Organization Product Development for Vaccine Advisory Committee (PDVAC)

Vaccine ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (26) ◽  
pp. 2863-2864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitte K. Giersing ◽  
Kayvon Modjarrad ◽  
David C. Kaslow ◽  
Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele ◽  
Vasee S. Moorthy
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Advisory Committee ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
World Health ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Pipeline ◽  
Health Organization

scholarly journals Coronavirus Pandemic: Coping with the Psychological Outcomes, Mental Changes, and the “New Normal” During and After COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 07-19
Author(s):  
Hiba Takieddine ◽  
Samaa AL Tabbah
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
New Normal ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease that has rapidly swept across the world, inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, healthcare providers and people with underlying health conditions. Authorities around the world tried to prevent the virus spread by imposing social distancing measures, quarantining citizens and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives. It changed daily routines, caused worldwide economic crisis, increased unemployment, and placed people under emotional and financial pressures. It affected people psychologically and mentally especially in terms of emotions and cognition. During the acute crisis, everyone to varying degrees experienced fear of infection, somatic concerns, worries about the pandemic’s consequences, loneliness, depression, stress, as well as increased alcohol and drug use. As part of its public health response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with partners to develop a set of new guidelines and messages that can be used to prevent, manage, and support mental and psychological well-being in different vulnerable target groups during the outbreak. Whether people like it or not, the psychological sequela of this pandemic will emerge and persist for months and years to come leading to long-term consequences. New lifestyles and “New Normals” will surely emerge. The main purpose of this review is to summarize the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the psychological and mental health of people around the world especially vulnerable groups. It also presents the relevant intervention actions and recommendations to cope efficiently and effectively with the psychological short-term and long-term outcomes, mental changes, and the “New Normal” during and after COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus, Psychological; Mental; New Normal

scholarly journals A review of post infectious pulmonary fibrosis in the era of COVID-19 and potential treatment options

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (40) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Medha Ghose ◽  
Maehali Patel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
World Health ◽  
Potential Treatment ◽  
Pulmonary Injury ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Post Infectious

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement characterizing COVID-19 as a pandemic that has, as of October 2020, caused almost 36 million confirmed global cases and over 1 million deaths. One of the long-term complications suggested by researchers is fibrosis. It has been hypothesized that the combination of ongoing pulmonary injury caused by COVID-19 and the inability to promptly repair damage results in interstitial matrix widening and eventual compression and destruction of alveoli and capillaries. Here we focus on pathogenesis, risk factors, different infectious causes of fibrosis along with COVID-19, and potential treatment options that might reduce its effects. Key words: COVID-19, pulmonary fibrosis, mechanism, treatment

scholarly journals Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Mutations on the Efficacy of Antibody Therapy and Response to Vaccines

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 914
Author(s):  
Ahmed Yaqinuddin ◽  
Areez Shafqat ◽  
Junaid Kashir ◽  
Khaled Alkattan
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Protective Immunity ◽  
Antibody Therapy ◽  
Antiviral Drugs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Significant Morbidity ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
The World ◽  
Feasible Option ◽  
Health Organization

SARS-CoV-2 causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, which has led to significant morbidity and mortality around the world. Since its emergence, extensive prophylactic and therapeutic countermeasures have been employed to successfully prevent the spread of COVID-19. Extensive work has been undertaken on using monoclonal antibody therapies, mass vaccination programs, and antiviral drugs to prevent and treat COVID-19. However, since antiviral drugs could take years to become widely available, immunotherapy and vaccines currently appear to be the most feasible option. In December 2020, the first vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and, subsequently, many other vaccines were approved for use by different international regulators in different countries. Most monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines target the SARS-CoV-2 surface spike (S) protein. Recently, mutant (or variant) SARS-CoV-2 strains with increased infectivity and virulence that evade protective host antibodies present either due to infection, antibody therapy, or vaccine administration have emerged. In this manuscript, we discuss the different monoclonal antibody and vaccine therapies available against COVID-19 and how the efficacy of these therapies is affected by the emergence of variants of SARS-CoV-2. We also discuss strategies that might help society cope with variants that could neutralize the effects of immunotherapy and escape the protective immunity conferred by vaccines.

scholarly journals Perspectives on RNA Vaccine Candidates for COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pobitra Borah ◽  
Pran Kishore Deb ◽  
Nizar A. Al-Shar’i ◽  
Lina A. Dahabiyeh ◽  
Katharigatta N. Venugopala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
Genetic Sequencing ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
Current Outbreak ◽  
Health Organization

With the current outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2, vaccination is acclaimed as a public health care priority. Rapid genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has triggered the scientific community to search for effective vaccines. Collaborative approaches from research institutes and biotech companies have acknowledged the use of viral proteins as potential vaccine candidates against COVID-19. Nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) vaccines are considered the next generation vaccines as they can be rapidly designed to encode any desirable viral sequence including the highly conserved antigen sequences. RNA vaccines being less prone to host genome integration (cons of DNA vaccines) and anti-vector immunity (a compromising factor of viral vectors) offer great potential as front-runners for universal COVID-19 vaccine. The proof of concept for RNA-based vaccines has already been proven in humans, and the prospects for commercialization are very encouraging as well. With the emergence of COVID-19, mRNA-1273, an mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna, Inc. was the first to enter human trials, with the first volunteer receiving the dose within 10 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequencing. The recent interest in mRNA vaccines has been fueled by the state of the art technologies that enhance mRNA stability and improve vaccine delivery. Interestingly, as per the “Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines” published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 29, 2020, seven potential RNA based COVID-19 vaccines are in different stages of clinical trials; of them, two candidates already received emergency use authorization, and another 22 potential candidates are undergoing pre-clinical investigations. This review will shed light on the rationality of RNA as a platform for vaccine development against COVID-19, highlighting the possible pros and cons, lessons learned from the past, and the future prospects.

scholarly journals Beyond the List: Bioagent-Agnostic Signatures Could Enable a More Flexible and Resilient Biodefense Posture Than an Approach Based on Priority Agent Lists Alone

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1497
Author(s):  
Owen P. Leiser ◽  
Errett C. Hobbs ◽  
Amy C. Sims ◽  
George W. Korch ◽  
Karen L. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Research Community ◽  
Interdisciplinary Teams ◽  
World Health ◽  
Biological Warfare ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Data Analytic ◽  
Current List ◽  
Great Harm

As of 2021, the biothreat policy and research communities organize their efforts around lists of priority agents, which elides consideration of novel pathogens and biotoxins. For example, the Select Agents and Toxins list is composed of agents that historic biological warfare programs had weaponized or that have previously caused great harm during natural outbreaks. Similarly, lists of priority agents promulgated by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases are composed of previously known pathogens and biotoxins. To fill this gap, we argue that the research/scientific and biodefense/biosecurity communities should categorize agents based on how they impact their hosts to augment current list-based paradigms. Specifically, we propose integrating the results of multi-omics studies to identify bioagent-agnostic signatures (BASs) of disease—namely, patterns of biomarkers that accurately and reproducibly predict the impacts of infection or intoxication without prior knowledge of the causative agent. Here, we highlight three pathways that investigators might exploit as sources of signals to construct BASs and their applicability to this framework. The research community will need to forge robust interdisciplinary teams to surmount substantial experimental, technical, and data analytic challenges that stand in the way of our long-term vision. However, if successful, our functionality-based BAS model could present a means to more effectively surveil for and treat known and novel agents alike.

scholarly journals Nano COVID-19 Vaccines: the firsts RNA lipid nanoparticle vaccines being approved from history - Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e20191211123
Author(s):  
Thyago José Arruda Pacheco ◽  
Victor Carlos Mello da Silva ◽  
Danielle Galdino de Souza
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
World Population ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Proven Efficacy ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

A new coronavirus, identified in Wuhan, China, has spread globally, infecting millions of people and causing significant morbidity and mortality. The pandemic state, declared by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, transformed the world and made people adapt to social distance to control the spread of the virus. The race against time in search of therapeutic solutions has become essential, and nanotechnology may be able to make vaccines available in record time to stimulate the immunization of individuals. Since the beginning of 2020, scientists and companies are rapidly advancing to make vaccine candidates available at a different rate compared to other pandemics that have existed. This review briefly presents the pros and cons of the third generation vaccines, Moderna / NIAID and Pfizer - BioNTech, which are in phase 3 tests, based on lipid RNA nanoparticles. Great collaborative efforts are being invested so that soon the world population will receive doses of vaccines with proven efficacy and enable increased survival, since the pandemic has already caused many irreversible losses.

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