Result for
Topic: Testing and Treatment
February 17, 2021
501Y.V2 and 501Y.V3 Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Lose Binding to Bamlanivimab in Vitro
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Three mutations found in the B.1.1.351 variant (first identified in South Africa) and the P1 variant (first identified in Brazil) completely abolished the interaction of monoclonal antibody treatment bamlanivimab with the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the virus. Additionally, the K417N, E484K, and N501Y mutations found in the variants had higher binding…
Misinterpretation of Viral Load in COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes
Raw RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values may lead to misinterpretation of the total viral burden, according to a study comparing tracheal aspirate (TA) with nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples in critically ill COVID-19 patients (n=138). The authors found that in general, TA samples had more total viral RNA than NPS samples, even though there was no…
Effect of a Single High Dose of Vitamin D3 on Hospital Length of Stay in Patients With Moderate to Severe COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial
A randomized clinical trial involving 240 patients hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19 found that compared with placebo, a single dose (200,000 IU) of vitamin D3 did not significantly reduce length of hospital stay (HR = 1.07). The difference between the vitamin D3 group and the placebo group was not significant for in-hospital mortality (8%…
February 16, 2021
Age- and Sex-Associated Variations in the Sensitivity of Serological Tests Among Individuals Infected With SARS-CoV-2
Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 75% (365 of 486) of patients in a University of California health system with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 who subsequently underwent antibody testing a median of 34 days later (IQR: 3-64 days). Seropositivity was associated with a longer delay between PCR and antibody testing, with sensitivity reaching 75% at 112 days…
February 13, 2021
Comparison of Sixteen Serological SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassays in Sixteen Clinical Laboratories
The diagnostic accuracy of 16 antibody assays was assessed with 150 samples from people with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate COVID-19. Although confidence intervals overlapped for several assays, sensitivities in descending order were: Wantai/ELISA total-Ab (97%), CUH-NOVO/in-house ELISA total-Ab (96%), Ortho/Vitros total-Ab (95%), YHLO/iFlash-IgG (94%), Ortho/Vitros-IgG (93%), Siemens/Atellica total-Ab (93%), Roche/Elecsys total-Ab (93%), Abbott/Architect-IgG (90%), Abbott/Alinity-IgG…
Effect of High-Dose Zinc and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation vs Usual Care on Symptom Length and Reduction Among Ambulatory Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The COVID A to Z Randomized Clinical Trial
Results of a randomized trial among 214 patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 suggest that high-dose zinc, high-dose ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and a combination of the two do not significantly change the duration of symptoms. Patients who received usual care without supplementation achieved a 50% reduction in symptoms at a mean of 6.7 days compared with…
Early Initiation of Prophylactic Anticoagulation for Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Mortality in Patients Admitted to Hospital in the United States: Cohort Study
Among 4,297 patients admitted to hospitals with lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and no history of using anticoagulation medications, initiation of prophylactic anticoagulation in the first 24 hours after hospitalization was associated with a 27% lower risk of 30-day mortality and no increased risk of serious bleeding events. The cumulative incidence of mortality at 30 days was…
Comparison of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Screening Using Reverse Transcriptase-Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction or CRISPR-Based Assays in Asymptomatic College Students
Rauch et al. concluded that CRISPR-based methods appear to offer reliable SARS-CoV-2 screening based on testing 1,808 asymptomatic college students with both RT-qPCR and CRISPR-based assays. Of the nine samples that tested positive by RT-PCR, eight were also positive by CRISPR-based assays, which are cheaper to run and use lab-generated or off-the-shelf reagents, potentially alleviating…
Tocilizumab in Patients Admitted to Hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): Preliminary Results of a Randomised, Controlled, Open-Label, Platform Trial
[pre-print; not peer-reviewed] Preliminary results from the RECOVERY trial, a randomized trial conducted among people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Britain, suggest that patients assigned to the interleukin (IL)-6 antibody tocilizumab group were more likely to be discharged from the hospital alive within 28 days than those receiving usual care (54% vs. 47%). Patients in the…
February 11, 2021
SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Prevalence in England Following the First Peak of the Pandemic
A large serosurvey in England (REACT-2 Study) estimated the nationwide seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 to be 6%, corresponding to an estimated 3.4 million people with prior infection. Seroprevalence was determined from a representative cohort of over 100,000 adults (>18 years old). Prevalence was 2- to 3-fold higher among healthcare workers compared with non-essential workers, and higher…
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