COVID-19 Studies (December 2024 Edition)

We have compiled a regularly updated list of COVID-19 studies categorized as follows:

1. Children & COVID-19
2. Cognitive & Neurological Impairment (Brain)
3. Eyes & Ears
4. Heart, Lungs, and Cardiovascular Health
5. Immune System & Cancer
6. Livers, Kidney, and the Gut
7. Long COVID & Disability
8. Overall Mortality
9. Pregnancy
10. Reinfections of COVID-19
11. Reproductive Health
12. Viral Persistence
13. COVID-19 Prevention & Transmission

1. Children & COVID-19

• Long COVID syndrome in children: neutrophilic granulocyte dysfunction and its correlation with disease severity (Nature Pediatric Research) (Nov 2024)
• Long COVID Is Harming Too Many Kids (Scientific American)
• SARS-CoV-2 Infection and New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Among Pediatric Patients, 2020 to 2022 (JAMA Network Open)
• “a notable subset of children and adolescents experience prolonged and diverse symptoms following COVID-19 infection” (American Journal of Medicine Open)
• Characterizing Long COVID in Children and Adolescents (JAMA Network)

2. Cognitive & Neurological Impairment (Brain)

• “Posthospitalization COVID-19 cognitive deficits at 1 year are global and associated with elevated brain injury markers and gray matter volume reduction” (Nature Medicine)
• Case Report of a 47-Year-Old Long COVID Patient Diagnosed With Alzheimer's Disease (Research Square)
• Persistence of spike protein at the skull-meninges-brain axis may contribute to the neurological sequelae of COVID-19 (Cell Host & Microbe)
• Brain abnormalities in survivors of COVID-19 after 2-year recovery (The Lancet Regional Health)
• Structural MRI correlates of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Long COVID: a pilot study (Frontiers Psychiatry)
• “Long COVID symptoms, including cognitive impairments, could potentially impact activities requiring high cognitive function, such as driving.” (Neurology Journals)
• “The risk of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular…disorders was increased among COVID-19 positive outpatients” (Frontiers Neuroepidemiology)
• COVID survivors may develop dementia (Nature India)
• Changes in memory and cognition during the SARS-CoV-2 human challenge study (The Lancet eClinicalMedicine)
• “…in COVID-19 survivors, multiple regions of the medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain show magnetic resonance susceptibility abnormalities” (Oxford BRAIN)
• “One out of four mild COVID-19 subjects reported persistent deficits in higher cognitive functions like concentration, memory, visuospatial and visuoconstructive abilities” (Nature Translational Psychiatry)
• A Gene Cluster of Mitochondrial Complexes Contributes to the Cognitive Decline of COVID-19 Infection (Molecular Neurobiology)
• Chronic post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms (PCNPS) persisting beyond one year from being infected during the ‘Omicron wave’ (medRxiv)
• Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the murine central nervous system drives viral diversification (Nature Microbiology)

3. Eyes & Ears

• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 binding receptors and miscellaneous targets as well as mucosal surface area of the human lacrimal drainage system (The Ocular Surface)
• Incidence of hearing loss following COVID-19 among young adults in South Korea (eClinicalMedicine)

4. Heart, Lungs, and Cardiovascular Health

• Resolution of Refractory COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Myopericarditis with Adjunctive Rapamycin
• Remodeling of intracellular architecture during SARS-CoV-2 infection of human endothelium (Nature Scientific Reports)
• Mitochondrial dysfunction in acute and post-acute phases of COVID-19 and risk of non-communicable diseases (NPJ Metabolic Health & Disease)
• COVID-19 Is a Coronary Artery Disease Risk Equivalent (Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology)
• “…COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of arterial thrombotic, venous thrombotic and other cardiovascular events.” (Nature Communications)
• “[Possible COVID-19 related myocardial injury] was a frequent finding in young, asymptomatic, physically-fit patients sans comorbidities relatively late after recovery” (Annals of Agricultural & Environmental Medicine)
• Vascular Pathogenesis in Acute and LongCOVID: Current Insights and Therapeutic Outlook (Thieme Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis)

5. Immune System & Cancer

• SARS-CoV-2 infection of salivary glands Compromises the production of a secreted antifungal peptide with potential implications for Development of oral candidiasis (PLOS Pathogens)
• The risk of pancreatic adenocarcinoma following SARS-CoV family infection (Nature Scientific Reports)
• Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 cardiovascular symptoms are associated with trace-level cytokines that affect cardiomyocyte function (Nature Microbiology)
• Long-Term Risk of Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Connective Tissue Disorders Following COVID-19 (JAMA Dermatology)
• Chronic Viral Reactivation and Associated Host Immune Response and Clinical Outcomes in Acute COVID-19 and Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (bioRxiv)
• Prevalent and persistent new-onset autoantibodies in mild to severe COVID-19 (Nature Communications)
• SARS-CoV-2 infections have a long-term impact on the immune system (Medical University of Vienna)
• Missing immune cells may explain why COVID-19 vaccine protection quickly wanes (Science)
• Immune response in vaccinated healthcare workers with frequent COVID-19 infections is characterised by blunted IFNγ and IL-2 responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants (Clinical Immunology)
• Rapid progression of CD8 and CD4 T cells to cellular exhaustion and senescence during SARS-CoV2 infection (Oxford Journal of Leukocyte Biology)

6. Livers, Kidney, and the Gut

• How Covid Can Change Your Gut (New York Times)
• Lasting liver injury following COVID-19 infection characterized by ultrasound shear wave elastography (WFUMB Ultrasound Open)
• Assessing acute kidney injury risk after COVID vaccination and infection in a large cohort study (Nature NPJ Vaccines)

7. Long COVID & Disability

• Long COVID-19 is costing Americans money (University of Georgia)
• Vaccination prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection does not affect the neurologic manifestations of long COVID (Oxford Brain Communications)
• Clinical and functional assessment of SARS-CoV-2 sequelae among young marines (The Lancet Regional Health)
• “Reinfection was associated with milder symptoms but led to a higher incidence and severity of long COVID” (The Lancet Regional Health)
• Refinement of post-COVID condition core symptoms, subtypes, determinants, and health impacts (eBioMedicine)
• Key Points For Recovery From Fatigue And Supports From Those Around You (Japanese CDC)
• Rapid Response To: Interventions for the management of long covid (post-covid condition): living systematic review (BMJ)
• Long-term Health Implications of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Prospective Study on Post-coronavirus Disease 2019 Symptoms (Annals of African Medicine)
• Examining the long-term impact of acute COVID-19 disease (HSE)
• Understanding Cumulative Risk (Peer to Public)
• A 24-month National Cohort Study examining long-term effects of COVID-19 in children and young people (Nature Communications Medicine)
• Environmental Exposures and Long COVID in a Prospective Population-Based Study in Catalonia (Environmental Health Perspectives)
• Neurologic Manifestations of Long COVID Disproportionately Affect Young and Middle-Age Adults (Annals of Neurology)
• “The prevalence of ME/CFS in the long COVID patients was 8.4% (62 of 739 cases; female: 51.6%) and factors related to ME/CFS were severe illness, smoking and alcohol drinking habits, and fewer vaccinations.” (PLOS ONE)
• “A blood-based mRNA signature distinguishes people with Long COVID from recovered individuals” (Frontiers Immunology)
• Association of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination & Reductions in Post-COVID Conditions Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Cohort of Essential Workers (Infectious Diseases Society of America)
• Beyond acute infection: mechanisms underlying post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (Medical Journal of Australia)
• Long COVID and recovery from Long COVID: quality of life impairments and subjective cognitive decline at a median of 2 years after initial infection (BMC Infectious Diseases)
• Psychosocial Aspects of the Lived Experience of Long COVID (Health Expectations)
• A systematic analysis of neurologic manifestations of Long COVID in Nigeria (Journal of NeuroVirology)
• “Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) has been linked to microvascular endothelial dysfunction as a potential underlying pathomechanism and can manifest even following a mild course of the initial infection.” (American Journal of Medicine)
• Elevated Liver Damage Biomarkers in Long COVID: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (medRxiv)
• “…most frequent long COVID symptoms include fatigue (30.53%), memory decline (27.93%), decreased exercise ability (18.29%), and brain fog (16.87%)” (The Lancet Regional Health)
• Dealing with the fallout: Post-COVID Condition and its continued impact on individuals and society (Government of Canada)
• “…a third of HCWs reported prolonged COVID-19 symptoms consistent with [Post-COVID Syndrome]” (BMJ Occupational & Environmental Medicine)
• Mechanisms of long COVID and the path toward therapeutics (Cell)
• Long COVID and hypermobility spectrum disorders have shared pathophysiology (Frontiers Neurology)
• “Abnormal intrinsic electrophysiological brain activity, such as slowing of EEG, reduced alpha wave, and epileptiform are characteristic findings in COVID-19 patients” (Alzheimer’s & Dementia)

Read More: Long COVID series

8. Overall Mortality

• “Lethal COVID-19 associates with RAAS-induced inflammation for multiple organ damage” (PNAS)
• “SARS-CoV-2-human protein interactions may lead to the development of delirium, psychosis, seizures, encephalitis, stroke, sensory impairments, peripheral nerve diseases, and autoimmune disorders.” (Frontiers Neuroscience)
• Covid-19 may lead to longest period of peacetime excess mortality (Swiss Re)
• A spike in COVID deaths has driven a decline in Australian life expectancy for the second year running (ABC News)
• “…a significantly higher risk of adverse outcomes following COVID-19 infection among people living with [Multiple Long-Term Conditions]” (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine)
• “…more than 8 out of 10 individuals experienced problems with body function 18 months after being on sick leave due to Covid-19” (Scandinavian Journal of Public Health)

9. Pregnancy

• Maternal COVID-19 infection associated with offspring neurodevelopmental disorders (Nature Molecular Psychiatry)
• The association of increased incidence of congenital heart disease in newborns with maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy (Nature Scientific Reports)
• “…SARS-CoV-2 in utero exposure in offspring born to symptomatic mothers may be associated with generally lower ASQ-3 scores, with significant differences in fine motor and personal-social domains” (Springer European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)

10. Reinfections of COVID-19

• “…COVID reinfections are associated with greater chances of reporting Long COVID, severe fatigue, symptoms in multiple body systems and limitation in physical function” (ResearchSquare)

11. Reproductive Health

• “We found that the prevalence of ED was higher in the past history of COVID-19 cohort (55.9% vs. 44.1%)” Journal of Clinical Medicine
• The impact of COVID-19 on the male reproductive system (JBRA Assisted Reproduction)
• Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review (Frontiers Rehabilitation)
• COVID-19 and persistent symptoms: implications for polycystic ovary syndrome and its management (Frontiers Endocrinology)

12. Viral Persistence

• Multi-Organ Spread and Intra-Host Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Support Viral Persistence, Adaptation, and a Mechanism That Increases Evolvability (Journal of Medical Virology)
• Towards a cure for long COVID: the strengthening case for persistently replicating SARS-CoV-2 as a driver of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (Medical Journal of Australia)
• The consequences of SARS-CoV-2 within-host persistence (Nature Reviews Microbiology)
• Viral Persistence & Long COVID: Lessons Learned from the First Clinical Trials (Academic Medical Education)
• Duration of viral persistence in human semen after acute viral infection: a systematic review (The Lancet Microbe)
• Blood transcriptomic analyses reveal persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA and candidate biomarkers in post-COVID-19 condition (The Lancet Microbe)

13. COVID-19 Prevention & Transmission

• “When all students are wearing N95 respirators, the infection risk could be reduced by 96%” (Science of The Total Environment)
• Independent SAGE as an example of effective public dialogue on scientific research (Nature Protocols)
• “…usage of FFP2 masks, reduced the incidence of viral respiratory infections during allo-HSCT significantly from 22.1 to 2.0%” (Nature Scientific Reports)
• CDC infection control body rejects the science on airborne transmission (The Gauntlet)
• Antiviral humoral immunity induced by JN.1 monovalent mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants including JN.1, KP.3.1.1, and XEC (The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
• Air filter significantly reduces presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 wards (University of Cambridge)
• Testing and Masking Policies and Hospital-Onset Respiratory Viral Infections (JAMA Network Open)
• SARS-CoV-2 Transmission From People Without COVID-19 Symptoms (JAMA Network)
• Response: Ethics of college vaccine mandates, using reasonable comparison (BMJ Medical Ethics)
• Air Purifiers and Acute Respiratory Infections in Residential Aged Care - RCT (JAMA Network Open)
• “COVID-19 vaccination can reduce the incidence and risk of post-COVID-19 conditions if administered within 5 months before infection” (Elsevier Vaccine)
• “…low cost of goods…stability at room temperature; and very low toxicity make NZ-804 an ideal drug candidate to treat emerging CoV infections” (Cell Reports)
• “…prompt, rigorous lockdown policies, supported by strategies to maintain public adherence, are most efficient in controlling epidemics.” (medRxiv)
• High protection and transmission-blocking immunity elicited by single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in hamsters (Nature NPJ Vaccines)
• Repeated COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccination contributes to SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody responses in the mucosa (Science Translational Medicine)
• “…COVID-19 vaccination programmes across 34 CAT of the WHO European Region reduced COVID-19 mortality by an estimated 59%, saving approximately 1·6 million lives.” (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine)

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