Articles: coronavirus.
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Review Meta Analysis
Genetic variants of the human host influencing the coronavirus-associated phenotypes (SARS, MERS and COVID-19): rapid systematic review and field synopsis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the interest in the biological mechanisms underlying the complex interplay between infectious agents and the human host. The spectrum of phenotypes associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection, ranging from the absence of symptoms to severe systemic complications, raised the question as to what extent the variable response to coronaviruses (CoVs) is influenced by the variability of the hosts' genetic background. To explore the current knowledge about this question, we designed a systematic review encompassing the scientific literature published from Jan. 2003 to June 2020, to include studies on the contemporary outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (namely SARS, MERS and COVID-19 diseases). ⋯ The number of studies for each predictor was insufficient to conduct meta-analyses. Studies collecting large cohorts from different ancestries are needed to further elucidate the role of host genetic variants in determining the response to CoVs infection. Rigorous design and robust statistical methods are warranted.
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ACS infectious diseases · Sep 2020
ReviewClinical and Laboratory Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, the Virus Causing COVID-19.
In December 2019, a novel beta (β) coronavirus eventually named SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, causing an outbreak of severe and even fatal pneumonia in humans. The virus has spread very rapidly to many countries across the world, resulting in the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic on March 11, 2020. ⋯ Therefore, laboratory diagnosis is crucial for the clinical management of patients and the implementation of disease control strategies to contain SARS-CoV-2 at clinical and population level. Here, we summarize the main clinical and imaging findings of COVID-19 patients and discuss the advances, features, advantages, and limitations of different laboratory methods used for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.
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Editorial Review Comparative Study
Why COVID-19 Transmission Is More Efficient and Aggressive Than Viral Transmission in Previous Coronavirus Epidemics?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The worldwide transmission of COVID-19 from human to human is spreading like wildfire, affecting almost every country in the world. ⋯ There are also four other CoVs capable of infecting humans (HCoVs), which circulate continuously in the human population, but their phenotypes are generally mild, and these HCoVs received relatively little attention. These dramatic differences between infection with HCoVs, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 raise many questions, such as: Why is COVID-19 transmitted so quickly? Is it due to some specific features of the viral structure? Are there some specific human (host) factors? Are there some environmental factors? The aim of this review is to collect and concisely summarize the possible and logical answers to these questions.
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COVID-19 vaccines are the most important tool to stem the pandemic. They are being developed with unprecedented global collaboration and accelerated timelines to achieve WHO Emergency Use Listing, while using regulatory pathways through national regulatory authorities. Alongside preparations to ensure equitable access to the vaccines among people globally, preparations must be made within countries for COVID-19 vaccines safety surveillance on an urgent basis. ⋯ Utilizing standardized case definitions and global standards for AESI will help in harmonization. Vaccine safety communication plans should be developed. Expanding the global vaccine safety system to meet the needs of COVID-19 and other emergency and routine use vaccines is a priority currently.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a recently emerged respiratory coronavirus that has infected >23 million people worldwide with >800,000 deaths. Few COVID-19 therapeutics are available, and the basis for severe infections is poorly understood. Here, we investigated properties of type I (β), II (γ), and III (λ1) interferons (IFNs), potent immune cytokines that are normally produced during infection and that upregulate IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) effectors to limit virus replication. ⋯ Here, we studied the antiviral- and ACE2-inducing properties of different IFN types in both a human lung cell line model and primary human bronchial epithelial cells. We observed differences between IFNs with respect to their induction of antiviral genes and abilities to enhance the cell surface expression of ACE2. Nevertheless, all the IFNs limited SARS-CoV-2 replication, suggesting that their antiviral actions can counterbalance increased ACE2.