The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has had a tremendous impact on health services; hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers (HCWs) have died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The introduction of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in Italy provided recipients with significant protection against COVID-19 within one to two weeks after the administration of the second of the two recommended doses. While the vaccine induces a robust T cell response, the protective role of factors and pathways other than those related to memory B cell responses to specific SARS-CoV-2 antigens remains unclear. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the determinants of serological protection in a group of vaccinated HCWs (n = 793) by evaluating circulating levels of antiviral spike receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) antibodies during the nine-month period following vaccination. We found that 99.5% of the HCWs who received the two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine developed protective antibodies that were maintained at detectable levels for as long as 250 days after the second dose of the vaccine. Multivariate analysis was performed on anti-S-RBD titers in a subgroup of participants (n = 173) that were evaluated twice during this period. The results of this analysis reveal that the antibody titer observed at the second time point was significantly related to the magnitude of the primary response, the time that had elapsed between the first and the second evaluation, and a previous history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of importance is the finding that despite waning antibody titers following vaccination, none of the study participants contracted severe COVID-19 during the observational period.

/pdf/reduced-titers-of-circulating-anti-sars-cov-2-antibodies-and-1pxe5kyv.pdf

Reduced Titers of Circulating Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Risk of COVID-19 Infection in Healthcare Workers during the Nine Months after Immunization with the BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine

Tragically, the United States (US) surpassed one million documented deaths due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A convincing association between unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and poorer outcomes associated with COVID-19 infection has already been demonstrated and communicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in public health messaging. The US is experiencing not a pandemic, but a syndemic, specifically an unhealthy lifestyle behaviors-chronic diseases-COVID-19 syndemic. This syndemic has almost certainly significantly contributed to the more than one million deaths the United States has experienced during the pandemic. Decades of a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors laid the foundation for our current unfortunate situation by increasing vulnerability to a novel virus, especially among subgroups who have been historically marginalized. As such, a major pathway to defeating this syndemic is through the promotion of healthy living behaviors for all. Now is the time for action appropriate to meet the demands of a syndemic and a new path forward to a healthier and more equitable future. 

http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002934322004958/pdf

Mapping One Million COVID-19 Deaths and Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors in the United States: Recognizing the Syndemic Pattern and Taking Action

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a new public health crisis threatening the world. Dysregulated immune responses are the most striking pathophysiological features of patients with severe COVID-19, which can result in multiple-organ failure and death. The cytochrome P450 (CYP) system is the most important drug metabolizing enzyme family, which plays a significant role in the metabolism of endogenous or exogenous substances. Endogenous CYPs participate in the biosynthesis or catabolism of endogenous substances, including steroids, vitamins, eicosanoids, and fatty acids, whilst xenobiotic CYPs are associated with the metabolism of environmental toxins, drugs, and carcinogens. CYP expression and activity are greatly affected by immune response. However, changes in CYP expression and/or function in COVID-19 and their impact on COVID-19 pathophysiology and the metabolism of therapeutic agents in COVID-19, remain unclear. In this analysis, we review current evidence predominantly in the following areas: firstly, the possible changes in CYP expression and/or function in COVID-19; secondly, the effects of CYPs on the metabolism of arachidonic acid, vitamins, and steroid hormones in COVID-19; and thirdly, the effects of CYPs on the metabolism of therapeutic COVID-19 drugs.

/pdf/the-role-of-cytochrome-p450-enzymes-in-covid-19-pathogenesis-14oxq1u0.pdf

The Role of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in COVID-19 Pathogenesis and Therapy

Sleep is crucial for human health from metabolic, mental, emotional, and social points of view; obtaining good sleep in terms of quality and duration is fundamental for maintaining a good life quality. Over the years, several systems have been proposed in the scientific literature and on the market to derive metrics used to quantify sleep quality as well as detect sleep disturbances and disorders. In this field, wearable systems have an important role in the discreet, accurate, and long-term detection of biophysical markers useful to determine sleep quality. This paper presents the current state-of-the-art wearable systems and software tools for sleep staging and detecting sleep disorders and dysfunctions. At first, the paper discusses sleep’s functions and the importance of monitoring sleep to detect eventual sleep disturbance and disorders. Afterward, an overview of prototype and commercial headband-like wearable devices to monitor sleep is presented, both reported in the scientific literature and on the market, allowing unobtrusive and accurate detection of sleep quality markers. Furthermore, a survey of scientific works related the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep functions, attributable to both infection and lifestyle changes. In addition, a survey of algorithms for sleep staging and detecting sleep disorders is introduced based on an analysis of single or multiple biosignals (EEG—electroencephalography, ECG—electrocardiography, EMG—electromyography, EOG—electrooculography, etc.). Lastly, comparative analyses and insights are provided to determine the future trends related to sleep monitoring systems.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/13/8/1335/pdf?version=1660894616

Methodologies and Wearable Devices to Monitor Biophysical Parameters Related to Sleep Dysfunctions: An Overview

This study aimed to analyze and predict interest in mental health-related queries created in Google Trends (GT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Google Trends tool collected data on the Google search engine interest and provided real-time surveillance. Five key phrases: “depression”, “insomnia”, ”loneliness”, “psychologist”, and “psychiatrist”, were studied for the period from 25 September 2016 to 19 September 2021. The predictions for the upcoming trend were carried out for the period from September 2021 to September 2023 and were estimated by a hybrid five-component model. The results show a decrease of interest in the search queries “depression” and “loneliness” by 15.3% and 7.2%, respectively. Compared to the period under review, an increase of 5.2% in “insomnia” expression and 8.4% in the “psychiatrist” phrase were predicted. The expression “psychologist” is expected to show an almost unchanged interest. The upcoming changes in the expressions connected with mental health might be explained by vaccination and the gradual removal of social distancing rules. Finally, the analysis of GT can provide a timely insight into the mental health interest of a population and give a forecast for a short period trend.

Sushanth Bhat

Papers

Sleep disorders and COVID-19.

Respiratory-related leg movements vs periodic limb movements in sleep: a scoring conundrum. an editorial.