Impact of COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies on outcomes of COVID-19 infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant and chimeric antigen receptor therapy recipients.

BACKGROUND: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) recipients are at higher risk of serious complications of COVID-19 infection than the general population. Though there is evidence that monoclonal antibodies (MCA) against COVID-19 reduce the risk of death and hospitalization in the general population, data regarding their efficacy in HSCT and CAR-T recipients remains scarce. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of HSCT and CAR-T recipients to compare 30-day outcomes between patients who did and did not receive MCA after their first episode of COVID-19 between May 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022. Outcomes were defined as the most severe complication experienced out of the following: 30-day emergency department visit, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death after COVID-19 infection. RESULTS: We identified 166 patients comprised of 53.6% allogeneic HSCT, 35.5% autologous HSCT, and 10.8% CAR-T recipients; 107 had received a COVID-19 vaccine >2 weeks prior to testing positive, and 40 were treated with MCA. After adjusting for age, presence of symptoms at the initial positive test, and COVID-19 vaccination status, patients who did not receive MCA were five times more likely to develop complications after COVID-19 infection (adjusted odds ratio 5.0 [95% CI, 1.9-12.8], p = .001). CONCLUSION: HSCT and CAR-T recipients who received MCA following COVID-19 infection were far less likely to develop COVID-related complications than those who did not receive MCA, regardless of vaccination status. This underscores the potential benefit of developing novel MCA with efficacy against circulating COVID-19 strains.

Connecting efficiency and responsiveness in China: public sentiments and stakeholder perspectives towards COVID-19 crisis governance.

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic initiated debates on how crisis management affects democracy. In them, the balance between deploying control strategies that limit citizens' freedom and their democratic legitimation features prominently. Informed by theoretical debates about responsive crisis governance, this paper explores how Chinese citizens reacted by quantitatively and qualitatively analysing social media expressions and Chinese stakeholders' narratives. The quantitative analysis indicated that public sentiments towards pandemic control were complex and mostly related to the severe pandemic in Wuhan. Negative sentiments were mainly directed at local states; national states largely received respect. The qualitative analysis exhibited more nuances. Although Chinese crisis governance raised efficiency and trust, aggressive accountability efforts and improper information exchange caused justice deficits and public anxiety. Draconian social control misaligned public interests and a lack of specific partnership mechanisms frustrated social participation. Reconciling institutional efficiency with civic liberties on diverse governance levels is thus expected to increase the responsiveness of pandemic control to public demands.

Crisis interpreting and Deaf community understanding during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a South Korea-based survey.

This study explores the South Korean Deaf community's response to sign language interpreting during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) health crisis, focusing on individual factors affecting the signers' comprehension. The data were collected from a mobile-based questionnaire survey conducted among 401 Deaf adults; binary probit modelling was adopted to analyse the data. The major findings are: (i) 59.9 per cent of the respondents understood less than 70 per cent of the interpreting; (ii) males and urban residents tend to understand better; (iii) younger people (less than 50 years) and signers with a Bachelor's degree or higher are likely to have lower comprehension; and (iv) Deaf adults who visited a doctor after the COVID-19 outbreak tended to have lower comprehension. The findings demonstrate that individual characteristics, including age, impact significantly on the extent to which Deaf individuals understand the sign language interpreting of COVID-19 information, indicating that steps are needed to achieve a Deaf-inclusive society during a health disaster.

Conflict, COVID-19, and crisis response: shifting from 'pivoting' to preparedness.

This paper assesses the extent to which the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic directed the attention and resources of the international community away from peacebuilding, and the potential impact of this on conflict-affected environments. It draws from a global survey, interviews, and conversations with peacebuilding practitioners, publicly available information on peacebuilding funding, and real-time data on conflict events from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. The paper argues that resources and attention have 'pivoted' away from peacebuilding to tackle the threat presented by COVID-19, and that this can-but does not always-adversely affect conflict dynamics. It contends that this pivoting belies the interconnectedness of crises, leads to 'forgotten crises' and escalating threats, and exposes deficiencies in peacebuilding funding and, more broadly, preparedness and crisis response. Crises do, however, provide opportunities for reflection and change, including how to address these deficiencies and, in so doing, advance more efficient, effective, and ethical practice.

Palliative care for people who use drugs during communicable disease epidemics and pandemics: A scoping review on access, policies, and programs and guidelines.

BACKGROUND: People who use drugs with life-limiting illnesses experience substantial barriers to accessing palliative care. Demand for palliative care is expected to increase during communicable disease epidemics and pandemics. Understanding how epidemics and pandemics affect palliative care for people who use drugs is important from a service delivery perspective and for reducing population health inequities. AIM: To explore what is known about communicable disease epidemics and pandemics, palliative care, and people who use drugs. DESIGN: Scoping review. DATA SOURCES: We searched six bibliographic databases from inception to April 2021 as well as the grey literature. We included English and French records about palliative care access, programs, and policies and guidelines for people ⩾18 years old who use drugs during communicable disease epidemics and pandemics. RESULTS: Forty-four articles were included in our analysis. We identified limited knowledge about palliative care for people who use drugs during epidemics and pandemics other than HIV/AIDS. Through our thematic synthesis of the records, we generated the following themes: enablers and barriers to access, organizational barriers, structural inequity, access to opioids and other psychoactive substances, and stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the need for further research about how best to provide palliative care for people who use drugs during epidemics and pandemics. We suggest four ways that health systems can be better prepared to help alleviate the structural barriers that limit access as well as support the provision of high-quality palliative care during future epidemics and pandemics.

Glycyrrhizin as a promising kryptonite against SARS-CoV-2: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical evidences.

COVID-19 is the most devastating disease in recent times affecting most people globally. The higher rate of transmissibility and mutations of SARS-CoV-2 along with the lack of potential therapeutics has made it a global crisis. Potential molecules from natural sources could be a fruitful remedy to combat COVID-19. This systematic review highlights the detailed therapeutic implication of naturally occurring glycyrrhizin and its related derivatives against COVID-19. Glycyrrhizin has already been established for blocking different biomolecular targets related to the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle. In this article, several experimental and theoretical evidences of glycyrrhizin and related derivatives have been discussed in detail to evaluate their potential as a promising therapeutic strategy against COVID-19. Moreover, the implication of glycyrrhizin in traditional Chinese medicines for alleviating the symptoms of COVID-19 has been reviewed. The potential role of glycyrrhizin and related compounds in affecting various stages of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle has also been discussed in detail. Derivatization of glycyrrhizin for designing potential lead compounds along with combination therapy with other anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents followed by extensive evaluation may assist in the formulation of novel anti-coronaviral therapy for better treatment to combat COVID-19.

Development of a high-speed bioaerosol elimination system for treatment of indoor air.

We developed a high-speed filterless airflow multistage photocatalytic elbow aerosol removal system for the treatment of bioaerosols such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Human-generated bioaerosols that diffuse into indoor spaces are 1-10 µm in size, and their selective and rapid treatment can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A high-speed airflow is necessary to treat large volumes of indoor air over a short period. The proposed system can be used to eliminate viruses in aerosols by forcibly depositing aerosols in a high-speed airflow onto a photocatalyst placed inside the system through inertial force and turbulent diffusion. Because the main component of the deposited bioaerosol is water, it evaporates after colliding with the photocatalyst, and the nonvolatile virus remains on the photocatalytic channel wall. The residual virus on the photocatalytic channel wall is mineralized via photocatalytic oxidation with UVA-LED irradiation in the channel. When this system was operated in a 4.5 m3 aerosol chamber, over 99.8% aerosols in the size range of 1-10 µm were removed within 15 min. The system continued delivering such performance with the continuous introduction of aerosols. Because this system exhibits excellent aerosol removal ability at a flow velocity of 5 m/s or higher, it is more suitable than other reactive air purification systems for treating large-volume spaces.

Multi-ligand molecular docking, simulation, free energy calculations and wavelet analysis of the synergistic effects between natural compounds baicalein and cubebin for the inhibition of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2.

Combination drugs have been used for several diseases for many years since they produce better therapeutic effects. However, it is still a challenge to discover candidates to form a combination drug. This study aimed to investigate whether using a comprehensive in silico approach to identify novel combination drugs from a Chinese herbal formula is an appropriate and creative strategy. We, therefore, used Toujie Quwen Granules for the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 as an example. We first used molecular docking to identify molecular components of the formula which may inhibit Mpro. Baicalein (HQA004) is the most favorable inhibitory ligand. We also identified a ligand from the other component, cubebin (CHA008), which may act to support the proposed HQA004 inhibitor. Molecular dynamics simulations were then performed to further elucidate the possible mechanism of inhibition by HQA004 and synergistic bioactivity conferred by CHA008. HQA004 bound strongly at the active site and that CHA008 enhanced the contacts between HQA004 and Mpro. However, CHA008 also dynamically interacted at multiple sites, and continued to enhance the stability of HQA004 despite diffusion to a distant site. We proposed that HQA004 acted as a possible inhibitor, and CHA008 served to enhance its effects via allosteric effects at two sites. Additionally, our novel wavelet analysis showed that as a result of CHA008 binding, the dynamics and structure of Mpro were observed to have more subtle changes, demonstrating that the inter-residue contacts within Mpro were disrupted by the synergistic ligand. This work highlighted the molecular mechanism of synergistic effects between different herbs as a result of allosteric crosstalk between two ligands at a protein target, as well as revealed that using the multi-ligand molecular docking, simulation, free energy calculations and wavelet analysis to discover novel combination drugs from a Chinese herbal remedy is an innovative pathway.

Evaluation of streaming video usage in a university library before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

As the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and remote course delivery recede in the rear-view mirror, academic librarians look to what the future holds for streaming video. During 2020 and 2021, library-funded streaming video requests soared while library budgets declined. Librarians are concerned that this trend will continue beyond budgetary limits. This paper describes an analysis of streaming video usage from 2019 through 2022 at California State University, Fresno. The results provide evidence that the elevated growth rate is tapering off at this institution, but the medium remains popular. The impact of streaming media on library budgets and collection development policies is also discussed. Our evaluation is distinguished by the inclusion of data from before, during, and after the pandemic lockdown.

Airways management in SARS-COV-2 acute respiratory failure: A prospective observational multi-center study.

Objective: Few studies have reported the implications and adverse events of performing endotracheal intubation for critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units. The aim of the present study was to determine the adverse events related to tracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients, defined as the onset of hemodynamic instability, severe hypoxemia, and cardiac arrest. Setting: Tertiary care medical hospitals, dual-centre study performed in Northern Italy from November 2020 to May 2021. Patients: Adult patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test, admitted for respiratory failure and need of advanced invasive airways management. Interventions: Endotracheal Intubation Adverse Events. Main variables of interests: The primary endpoint was to determine the occurrence of at least 1 of the following events within 30 minutes from the start of the intubation procedure and to describe the types of major adverse peri-intubation events: severe hypoxemia defined as an oxygen saturation as measured by pulse-oximetry <80%; hemodynamic instability defined as a SBP 65 mmHg recoded at least once or SBP < 90 mmHg for 30 minutes, a new requirement or increase of vasopressors, fluid bolus >15 mL/kg to maintain the target blood pressure; cardiac arrest. Results: Among 142 patients, 73.94% experienced at least one major adverse peri-intubation event. The predominant event was cardiovascular instability, observed in 65.49% of all patients undergoing emergency intubation, followed by severe hypoxemia (43.54%). 2.82% of the patients had a cardiac arrest. Conclusion: In this study of intubation practices in critically ill patients with COVID-19, major adverse peri-intubation events were frequent. Clinical Trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04909476.

Objetivo: Pocos estudios han informado las implicaciones y los eventos adversos de realizar una intubación endotraqueal para pacientes críticos con COVID-19 ingresados ​​en unidades de cuidados intensivos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar los eventos adversos relacionados con la intubación traqueal en pacientes con COVID-19, definidos como la aparición de inestabilidad hemodinámica, hipoxemia severa y paro cardíaco. Ámbito: Hospitales médicos de atención terciaria, estudio de doble centro realizado en el norte de Italia desde noviembre de 2020 hasta mayo de 2021. Pacientes: Pacientes adultos con prueba PCR SARS-CoV-2 positiva, ingresados por insuficiencia respiratoria y necesidad de manejo avanzado de vías aéreas invasivas. Intervenciones: Eventos adversos de la intubación endotraqueal. Principales variables de interés: El punto final primario fue determinar la ocurrencia de al menos 1 de los siguientes eventos dentro de los 30 minutos posteriores al inicio del procedimiento de intubación y describir los tipos de eventos adversos periintubación mayores. : hipoxemia severa definida como una saturación de oxígeno medida por pulsioximetría <80%; inestabilidad hemodinámica definida como PAS 65 mmHg registrada al menos una vez o PAS < 90 mmHg durante 30 minutos, nuevo requerimiento o aumento de vasopresores, bolo de líquidos > 15 mL/kg para mantener la presión arterial objetivo; paro cardiaco. Resultados: Entre 142 pacientes, el 73,94% experimentó al menos un evento periintubación adverso importante. El evento predominante fue la inestabilidad cardiovascular, observada en el 65,49% de todos los pacientes sometidos a intubación de urgencia, seguido de la hipoxemia severa (43,54%). El 2,82% de los pacientes tuvo un paro cardíaco. Conclusión: En este estudio de prácticas de intubación en pacientes críticos con COVID-19, los eventos adversos periintubación mayores fueron frecuentes. Registro de ensayos clínicos: www.clinicaltrials.gov identificador: NCT04909476.

The clinical features and impact of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection in children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF): A Qatari experience.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been reported to cause mild illness without pre-existing severe lung disease. This review described the clinical presentation and course of COVID-19 infection in children with CF in Qatar. METHODS: The pediatric CF registry of 51 patients in Qatar was reviewed for COVID-19 cases from February 2020 to February 2022. Demographics, vaccination status, symptoms, and course were reviewed. Data were expressed as median, range, frequencies, and percentages. RESULTS: The study included eight patients with CF below 18 years of age infected with COVID-19. The incidence of COVID-19 in children with CF was 15.7%. The median age was 11 (2-18) years. Half of the cohort were males. Seven patients were pancreatic sufficient (I1234V mutation), and one was pancreatic insufficient (3129del4 mutation). The median baseline FEV1 was 91 (78-107%) predicted. None had received CFTR modulators or undergone a lung transplant. Three patients were vaccinated before their infections. Two of them were asymptomatic. Six patients (75%) had a cough and flu-like symptoms. Three patients had a fever. Two patients were hospitalized due to pulmonary exacerbation; both had mild CF-lung disease. None required respiratory support. CONCLUSION: We report a favorable outcome of COVID-19 infection in children with CF, similar to published international studies. Our findings are attributable to the community-dominant milder CFTR mutation, precautionary measures, and causative COVID-19 strain. More longitudinal data are needed to study these factors as potential protective mechanisms.

CRISPR-Cas13a cascade-based viral RNA assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations in clinical samples.

SARS-CoV-2 is one of the greatest threats to global human health. Point-of-care diagnostic tools for SARS-CoV-2 could facilitate rapid therapeutic intervention and mitigate transmission. In this work, we report CRISPR-Cas13a cascade-based viral RNA (Cas13C) assay for label-free and isothermal determination of SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations in clinical samples. Cas13a/crRNA was utilized to directly recognize the target of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and the recognition events sequentially initiate the transcription amplification to produce light-up RNA aptamers for output fluorescence signal. The recognition of viral RNA via Cas13a-guide RNA ensures a high specificity to distinguish SARS-CoV-2 from MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, as well as viral mutations. A post transcription amplification strategy was triggered after CRISPR-Cas13a recognition contributes to an amplification cascade that achieves high sensitivity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA, with a limit of detection of 0.216 fM. In addition, the Cas13C assay could be able to discriminate single-nucleotide mutation, which was proven with N501Y in SARS-Cov-2 variant. This method was validated by a 100% agreement with RT-qPCR results from 12 clinical throat swab specimens. The Cas13C assay has the potential to be used as a routine nucleic acid test of SARS-CoV-2 virus in resource-limited regions.

Investigation of pituitary functions after acute coronavirus disease 2019.

Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly involves the lungs, it also affects many systems. The hypothalamic/pituitary axis is vulnerable to hypoxia, hypercoagulation, endothelial dysfunction and autoimmune changes induced by COVID-19 infection. Given that there is no extensive investigation on this issue, we investigated the pituitary functions three to seven months after acute COVID-19 infection. Forty-three patients after diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and 11 healthy volunteers were included in the study. In addition to the basal pituitary hormone levels, growth hormone (GH) and hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axes were evaluated by glucagon stimulation test (GST) and low-dose adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test, respectively. The peak cortisol responses to low-dose ACTH test were insufficient in seven (16.2%) patients. Twenty (46.5%) and four (9.3%) patients had inadequate GH and cortisol responses to GST, respectively. Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) values were also lower than age and sex-matched references in four (9.3%) patients. The peak GH responses to GST were lower in the patient group when compared to the control group. Other abnormalities were mild thyroid-stimulating hormone elevation in four (9.3%) patients, mild prolactin elevation in two (4.6%) patients and central hypogonadism in four (9.3%) patients. Mean total testosterone values were lower in male patients when compared to male controls; however, the difference was not significant. These findings suggest that COVID-19 infection may affect pituitary functions, particularly the HPA and GH axes. These insufficiencies should be kept in mind in post-COVID follow-up. Long-term data are needed to determine whether these deficiencies are permanent or not.

Optimization of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for robust visualization in SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants diagnosis.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is widely used in detection of pathogenic microorganisms including SARS-CoV-2. However, the performance of LAMP assay needs further exploration in the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants test. Here, we design serials of primers and select an optimal set for LAMP-based on SARS-CoV-2 N gene for a robust and visual assay in SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. The limit of detectable template reaches 10 copies of N gene per 25 µL reaction at isothermal 58℃ within 40 min. Importantly, the primers for LAMP assay locate at 12 to 213 nt of N gene, a highly conservative region, which serves as a compatible test in emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Comparison to a commercial qPCR assay, this LAMP assay exerts the high viability in diagnosis of 41 clinical samples. Our study optimizes an advantageous LAMP assay for colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants, which is hopeful to be a promising test in COVID-19 surveillance.

The COVOSMIA-19 trial: Preliminary application of the Singapore smell and taste test to objectively measure smell and taste function with COVID-19.

Sudden loss of smell and/or taste has been identified as an early symptom of SARS-CoV-2 2019 (COVID-19) infection, and presents an effective target for prompt self-isolation and reducing community spread. The current study sought to develop and test a novel, rapid, self-administered test to objectively measure smell and taste losses associated with COVID-19, and administered self-report questionnaires to characterise symptoms associated with COVID-19 in Singapore. Participants (N = 99) completed questionnaires to record recent changes in smell and taste ability. This was followed by the 'Singapore Smell and Taste Test' (SSTT), a personal, objective testing kit for daily self-assessment of smell and taste function at their place of residence. Seventy-two recruited participants were confirmed as COVID-19 positive at baseline, of which 58 completed the SSTT at home. Of these, 36.2% had objectively measured smell and/or taste loss. The SSTT measures of smell and taste function were positively associated with participants' self-reported smell and taste acuity, and rated smell intensity of 6 common household items. This study presents the first application of the SSTT as a rapid, cost-effective, objective tool to self-monitor smell and taste function in a residential setting, and ensures comparability across individuals through the use of standardised stimuli. The SSTT has potential for future application in populations with limited access to formal COVID-19 testing as a self-administered objective method to monitor sudden changes in smell and taste, and to prompt early self-isolation, in order to reduce community transmission of COVID-19.

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the energy consumption of university buildings.

Exceptional pandemic lockdown measures enabled singular experiments such as analysing the energy consumption of vacant buildings. This paper assesses the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the energy use of academic buildings. For this purpose, weather-adjusted energy use was compared before and during the lockdown, including different levels of lockdown restrictions. Results obtained for the 83 academic buildings of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - Barcelona Tech (UPC) reveal that the avoided energy consumption amounted to over 4.3 GWh during the post-pandemic year. However, the results indicate that academic buildings were still using approximately 46.9% of their typical energy consumption during strict lockdown. This revelation emphasizes the high environmental burden of buildings, regardless of whether they are occupied.

Efficacy and Acceptability of Remote Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients With Major Depressive Disorder in Japanese Clinical Settings: A Case Series.

Remote cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) via videoconference has been garnering attention as a means of improving access to CBT for depression, in particular during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, there is a lack of evidence supporting its implementation in Japanese clinical settings. This case series aimed to establish preliminary evidence of whether remote CBT can be an effective therapy for major depression in Japanese clinical settings. Five patients who met the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder were enrolled and underwent remote CBT via videoconference and face-to-face assessment interviews. The results showed that remote CBT via videoconference improved depressive symptoms, enabling a relatively high level of patient satisfaction and working alliance. Moreover, detailed feedback from our patients showed that continuous monitoring was preferable for increasing treatment engagement. Further research is warranted to test the efficacy and acceptability of remote CBT via videoconference for treating major depression.

Caregivers' perceived changes in engaged time with preschool-aged children during COVID-19: Familial correlates and relations to children's learning behavior and emotional distress.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting containment measures have forced many children and their caregivers around the world to spend unprecedented amounts of time at home. Based on a sample of 764 households with preschool-aged children in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, this study examined how primary caregivers perceived changes in the amount of time spent engaging with their children (i.e., engaged time) from the start of the pandemic and whether these changes were associated with children's learning behavior and emotional distress. The results showed that primary caregivers generally perceived increases in the amount of engaged time spent on indoor activities with their children but decreases in the amount of engaged time spent playing with their children outdoors. A bigger family size and greater loss of family income during the pandemic were associated with bigger perceived increases in caregivers' engaged time spent on indoor activities, whilst a higher level of parental education was associated with bigger perceived decreases in engaged time spent playing with children outdoors. The family's poorer physical health and higher levels of chaos during the pandemic were related to smaller perceived increases in caregivers' engaged time spent on educational activities. Finally, although bigger perceived increases in caregivers' indoor engaged time (e.g., time spent on educational activities) were associated with higher levels of positive learning behavior and fewer symptoms of anxiety and withdrawal in the children, bigger perceived decreases in outdoor play time were associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety and withdrawal. These findings offer valuable insights into caregivers' allocation of engaged time with their preschool-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study on residential environment and workers' personality traits on productivity while working from home.

Working from home has drawn more attention with the development of information and communications technology and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Although studies on working from home have been conducted in various academic fields, few have focused on residential environment and personality traits. In the present study, air temperature and humidity of the home workplace were measured and a questionnaire survey was conducted to understand the relationship between residential environment and personality traits and at-home work productivity. The results suggest that comprehensive productivity while working from home improved. However, when examining individual aspects of productivity, the productivity of information processing improved while that of knowledge processing and knowledge creation deteriorated. The results also suggest the importance of improving the residential environment when working from home because productivity while working from home rather than from the office improved with high evaluation of the residential environment. Moreover, productivity decreased for workers with high neuroticism and increased for those with high openness or perseverance and passion, suggesting that some personality traits are more or less suitable for working from home. To improve the productivity of all workers, these findings have practical implications for promoting appropriate maintenance of the residential environment and introducing flexible work styles that account for personality traits.

Antiviral activity of aframomum melegueta against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses type 1 and 2.

Plant-based compounds with antiviral properties against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified in Aframomum melegueta through computational models. The seed extract have been traditionally used to treat different illnesses. In this study, ethanolic extracts were prepared for six commercial samples of A. melegueta seeds. Antiviral activity was tested using the XTT cytotoxicity assay and cell-based SARS-CoV-1 and 2 pseudoviral models. The presence of gingerols and other non-volatile components in the seed extracts was determined using an Agilent 1290 UPLC/DAD in tandem with an Agilent 6546 QTOF-MS. Our results showed selective antiviral activity with TI values as high as 13.1. Fifteen gingerols were identified by chromatographic analysis, with 6-gingerol being the dominant component in each seed extract. A combination of 6-gingerol with techtochrysin, previously identified in computational models as a potential active ingredient against SARS-CoV-2, demonstrated additive antiviral activity with CI values between 0.8715 and 0.9426. We confirmed the antiviral activity of A. melegueta predicted through computational models and identified a different compound, 6-gingerol, as a potential active ingredient.