COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

The etiological agent of the current pandemic is a (+)ssRNA virus. SARS-CoV-2 is infecting thousands of people in the world with a fatality rate that varies from 0.1 to 5% in affected countries, thereby causing enormous economic losses. Few antibiotics have shown any efficacy in their combat, but have not yet proven adequate to stop the spread of the disease, nor are there any approved vaccines at the moment. From experiments in plants ongoing infections by RNA viruses, using thermotherapy, which is the application of heat at a temperature between 35-43 °C, the investigators know that raising the temperature affects the transcription of viral proteins due to the formation of small RNA molecules that interrupt the replication process by grouping in specific regions of the RNA molecule, preventing and inhibiting transcription. These small molecules are called small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). This feature has been used through thermotherapy in humans to combat the rapid replication of cells (i.e. cancer cells), attack cells infected by RNA viruses, and in the treatment of some parasitic infections.There are various commercially available devices for thermotherapy use in humans; they are mainly being used to ease muscle pain. They work by increasing the temperature in the range recommended for thermotherapy in humans 39-43 ° C. Therefore, the investigators consider this treatment modality can be used to aid in the elimination of SARS-CoV-2 from the human body, decreasing viral load, which could allow the immune system time for its control and elimination.

Covid-19 pandemic now affects more than two million people worldwide. The neurotropism of the virus is assumed by its frequent association with neurological symptoms (anosmia, ageusia, headaches) but the extent of the central or peripheral nervous system involvement and the associated symptomatology remain poorly known for now. The main objective of this study is to describe the neurological and psychiatric manifestations occurring in the context of Covid-19 infection in patients hospitalized or followed-up in the APHP.SU hospital group. A better understanding of the neuropsychiatric impairment related to Covid-19 would improve the management of these patients in the acute phase, and knowledge of subsequent complications would allow adapting their rehabilitation and follow-up. The precise phenomenological description of these manifestations and the imaging, biology and neuropathology data will be compiled from the data collected by the physicians in charge of these patients as part of their inpatient or outpatient care. This study will also allow collecting unusual clinical manifestations from patients followed for neurological or psychiatric pathology in hospital departments and presenting a Covid-19 infection, in order to optimize the reorganization of their management, follow-up and rehabilitation in the epidemic context.

The main objective of the ANACONDA-COVID-19 trial is to assess the efficacy of Anakinra + optimized Standard of Care (oSOC) as compared to oSOC alone on the condition of patients with COVID-19 infection and worsening respiratory symptoms. Success defined as patient alive and free of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and free of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) at Day 14.

Although the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVD-19) is classified as an acute respiratory infection, emerging data show that morbidity and mortality are driven by disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Untreated CAC leads to microangiopathic thromboses, causing multiple systems organ failure and consuming enormous healthcare resources. Identifying strategies to prevent CAC are therefore crucial to reducing COVID-19 hospitalization rates. The pathogenesis of CAC is unknown, but there are major overlaps between severe COVID-19 and vitamin D insufficiency (VDI). We hypothesize that VDI is a major underlying contributor to CAC. Preliminary data from severe COVID-19 patients in New Orleans support this hypothesis. The purpose of the proposed multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial is to test the hypothesis that low-risk, early treatment with aspirin and vitamin D in COVID-19 can mitigate the prothrombotic state and reduce hospitalization rates.

The SARS-Cov2 viral pandemic is responsible for a new infectious disease called COVID-19 (CoronaVIrus Disease), is a major health problem. Respiratory complications occur in 15 to 40%, the most serious is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The management of COVID-19 is essentially symptomatic with respiratory oxygen supplementation in mild forms to invasive mechanical ventilation in the most severe forms. Prone position (PP) reduced mortality in patients with ARDS in intensive care. Ding et al showed that PP and high flow oxygenation reduced the intubation in patients with moderate to severe ARDS. The investigators hypothesize that the use of PP in spontaneously ventilation patients under oxygen standard could decrease incidence of intubation or non-invasive ventilation or death compared to conventional positioning management in medical departments.

study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of corona virus among doctor in Assiut University Hospitals, mainly stress and burn out will be assessed

Chronic fatigue is the most common and debilitating symptom in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Indeed, it has been widely reported that patients who stayed in ICU for prolonged periods report a feeling of tiredness for months to years after ICU discharge. This symptom seems particularly pronounced in Covid-19 patients and may affect their quality of life by decreasing their capacity to perform simple tasks of daily life. The aim of the present project is to determine whether deteriorated neuromuscular function (i.e. increased fatigability) is involved in the feeling of fatigue of Covid-19 patients. Because the causes of this feeling are multi-dimensional, a large battery of tests will allow us to better understand the origin of chronic fatigue. A better knowledge of chronic fatigue etiology and its recovery will allow to optimize rehabilitation treatments to shorten the persistence of chronic fatigue and in fine improve life quality.

Mental health disorders are common during pregnancy and the postnatal period, and can have serious adverse effects on the well-being of woman and child. Every tenth woman has depressive symptoms and 5% suffer major depression during pregnancy. The consequences for global mental health due to the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, are likely to be significant and may have long-term impact on the global burden of disease. Pregnant women may be particularly vulnerable due to partial immune suppression. Besides physical vulnerability, the women could be at increased risk of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), due to social distancing leading to less support from the family and friends, and in some cases, partners not being allowed to be present during prenatal visits, labor and delivery. Furthermore, many pregnant women may feel insecure and worried about the effect of COVID-19 on their unborn child, if the women get infected during pregnancy. Today, young urban women are used to utilizing internet services frequently and efficiently. Therefore, providing mental health support to pregnant women via web-based support may be effective in ameliorating their anxiety/depression and reduce the risk of serious mental health disorders leading to improved maternal and perinatal outcomes.

This is a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, pilot study to assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of patients with lower respiratory tract SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic-like disease caused by a new coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) isolated in China in 2019. Clinical manifestations vary widely from one individual to another, from asymptomatic carrier to a febrile cough that can rapidly lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, screening by chest X-ray (RT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) SARS-CoV-2 conducted by the Cornwall Hospital Union laboratory has shown that among symptomatic patients and hospital staff suspected of being COVID-19, only 7.8% were attributable to COVID-19. Two nosocomial clusters were also identified, in the emergency department (10 carers) and in the cardiology department (6 carers and one patient). However, direct diagnosis by RT-PCR has sensitivity limits and can lead to false negative results when the subject is indeed suffering from COVID-19. This lack of sensitivity is inherent to the technique on the one hand, but also to the quality of the sample and the kinetics of the infection. Indeed, the virological window during which the virus is present in the respiratory mucous membranes sampled seems relatively narrow, hence a progressive negativation of the respiratory samples as the disease progresses. Moreover, clinical symptoms vary from one individual to another, and it is now recognized that some infected persons are asymptomatic but carry the virus. Thus, the use of a second diagnostic technique is a necessity, and serology could be a relevant diagnostic support. In the literature, several publications report the performance of COVID-19 serology in clusters of cases or cohorts of subjects. The serological techniques employed are variable (target epitopes in particular) and frequently homemade. Serology is mainly studied in comparison or association with RT-PCR in order to highlight the increased performance of COVID-19 diagnosis when the two techniques are combined. Correlation with chest CT imaging data is also encountered. Numerous serological tests are therefore being tested to determine retrospectively whether the individual has been exposed to the virus by looking for specific antibodies to the virus. The supreme health authority has drawn up specifications dated 16 April 2020, defining the methods for evaluating the performance of serological tests detecting antibodies directed against SARSCoV-2 in order to provide a framework for these practices. Several clinical studies are also underway, in particular to assess the kinetics of the appearance of the antibodies, whether these specific antibodies would be protective and whether their appearance would coincide with a cessation of contagiousness. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the COVID-19 immunoglobulin (IgG) Dia-Pro serological test, in view of its deployment at the Cornish Hospital Union Laboratory. Subsequently, given the low prevalence of COVID-19 in Brittany and the risk of a second epidemic wave when the confinement is lifted, the evaluation of the seroprevalence of the staff of the Cornish Hospital Union is necessary in order to assess the attack rate of COVID-19 within the establishment and particularly within departments where nosocomial clusters have been reported; and to prevent the impact of deconfinement. Indeed, knowledge of the proportion of immunized personnel and its distribution according to services will make it possible to establish internal recommendations and to effectively manage personal protective equipment inventories, in conjunction with the deconfinement strategy that will be implemented by the government. The goal is to protect hospital staff from overexposure to the virus;