Search results for "Spike"
showing 10 items of 106 documents
A potential solution to avoid overdose of mixed drugs in the event of Covid-19: Nanomedicine at the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic.
2021
Since 2020, the world is facing the first global pandemic of 21st century. Among all the solutions proposed to treat this new strain of coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, the vaccine seems a promising way but the delays are too long to be implemented quickly. In the emergency, a dual therapy has shown its effectiveness but has also provoked a set of debates around the dangerousness of a particular molecule, hydroxychloroquine. In particular, the doses to be delivered, according to the studies, were well beyond the acceptable doses to support the treatment without side effects. We propose here to use all the advantages of nanovectorization to address this question of concentration. Using quantum…
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 RBD Interface: a Supervised Computational Data-Driven Approach to Identify Potential Modulators
2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread out as a pandemic threat affecting over 2 million people. The infectious process initiates via binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein to host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The interaction is mediated by the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S glycoprotein, promoting host receptor recognition and binding to ACE2 peptidase domain (PD), thus representing a promising target for therapeutic intervention. Herein, we present a computational study aimed at identifying small molecules potentially able to target RBD. Although targeting PPI remains a challenge in drug discovery, our investigation highlights that interaction between SARS-CoV…
Insights in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia
2021
Abstract SARS-CoV-2 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) causes a thromboembolic complication termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Using biophysical techniques, mouse models, and analysis of VITT patient samples, we identified determinants of this vaccine-induced adverse reaction. Super-resolution microscopy visualized vaccine components forming antigenic complexes with platelet factor 4 (PF4) on platelet surfaces to which anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from VITT patients bound. PF4/vaccine complex formation was charge-driven and increased by addition of DNA. Proteomics identified substantial amounts of virus production-derived T-REx HEK293 proteins in the ethyle…
An Application of Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity to Readout Circuit for Liquid State Machine
2007
Liquid state machine (LSM) is a neural system based on spiking neurons that implements a mapping between functions of time. A typical application of LSM is classification of time functions obtained observing the state of the liquid by using a memoryless readout circuit, usually implemented by a linear perceptron. Due to the high number of neurons in the liquid the training of the readout is difficult. In this paper we show that using the Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) a single neuron with short training session can be used to recognize the state of the liquid due to an input signal. Using STDP it is possible to identify the spikes timing of the neurons in the liquid and this allow…
Large-scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike-glycoprotein mutants demonstrates the need for continuous screening of virus isolates
2021
Due to the widespread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 genome is evolving in diverse human populations. Several studies already reported different strains and an increase in the mutation rate. Particularly, mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike-glycoprotein are of great interest as it mediates infection in human and recently approved mRNA vaccines are designed to induce immune responses against it. We analyzed 1,036,030 SARS-CoV-2 genome assemblies and 30,806 NGS datasets from GISAID and European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) focusing on non-synonymous mutations in the spike protein. Only around 2.5% of the samples contained the wild-type spike protein with no variation from the reference. Among…
Chemical separation and MC-ICPMS analysis of U, Th, Pa and Ra isotope ratios of carbonates
2018
Diagenetic alteration of fossil reef corals may have severe effects on the reliability of 230Th/U-ages. The widely applied criteria introduced to test for the reliability of coral 230Th/U-ages are often not sufficient to identify all altered ages. The combination of 230Th/U- with 231Pa/U-dating has been suggested as a promising method to identify altered ages. Furthermore, 226Ra/230Th ratios can provide information about the diagenetic history during the last 10 000 years. Here we present a method to chemically separate U, Th, Pa and Ra from the same aliquot of a carbonate sample. The isotope ratios of our mixed U–Th–Pa–Ra spike are calibrated using a secular equilibrium material treated in…
Lectotypification of the spikemosses Selaginella denticulata and S. ornithopodioides (Selaginellaceae, Lycopsida)
2015
The typification of the names Selaginella denticulata (L.) Spring (≡ Lycopodium denticulatum L.) and S . ornithopodioides (L.) Spring (≡ L . ornithopodioides L.) (Selaginellaceae) is discussed. A specimen at LINN is designated as the lectotype of S . denticulata , and a specimen at BM is designated as the second-step lectotype of the name S . ornithopodioides .
Differing kinetics of anti-spike protein IgGs and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after Comirnaty (BNT162b2) immunization
2022
Abstract Aims Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has had a serious worldwide impact on human health. On December 2020, an immunization campaign with a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty-BNT162b2 Pfizer-BioNTech) was started in Italy, first targeting healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aims to investigate the antibodies that are response against SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Methods and Results The kinetics and the persistence of both anti-S1/S2 IgGs and neutralizing antibodies (Nt-Abs) were investigated in 76 HCWs through a 4-month follow-up with multiple testing points starting at the first dose. Temporal analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Abs titre kinetics showed three diff…
Suitability of two rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic assays for predicting SARS‐CoV‐2 neutralizing activity of sera
2020
Purpose: Assessment of commercial SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays for their capacity to provide reliable information on sera neutralizing activity is an emerging need. We evaluated the performance of two commercially-available lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (LFIC) (Wondfo SARS-CoV-2 Antibody test and the INNOVITA 2019-nCoV Ab test) in comparison with a SARS-CoV-2 neutralization pseudotyped assay for COVID-19 diagnosis in hospitalized patients, and investigate whether the intensity of the test band in LFIC associates with neutralizing antibody (NtAb) titers. Patients and Methods: Ninety sera were included from 51 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)…
Effects of low frequency electric fields on synaptic integration in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons: implications for power line emissions
2014
The possible cognitive effects of low frequency external electric fields, such as those generated by power lines, are poorly understood. Their functional consequences for mechanisms at the single neuron level are very difficult to study and identify experimentally, especially in vivo. The major open problem is that experimental investigations on humans have given inconsistent or contradictory results, making it difficult to estimate the possible effects of external low frequency electric fields on cognitive functions. Here we investigate this issue with a realistic model of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. The model suggests how and why external electric fields, with environmentally obser…