For the month of August, the preprints selected for review covered a wide range of subjects with peer reviewers finding recommendations for new prognostic scores to guide clinical decision making and hospital admissions and a study of estrogen levels and COVID-19 symptoms in women particularly noteworthy and useful.
Peer reviewers also flag as potentially misleading new research on whether beta-coronavirus MHV, a pathogen of mice, uses deacidification of lysosomes to exit cells while avoiding degradation. They caution decision-makers to not act on this research.
New August peer reviews from RR:C19, in order of the evidence scale rating (strong, reliable, potentially informative, not informative, or misleading) as provided by each of the two reviewers:
- The utility of established prognostic scores in COVID-19 hospital admissions: a multicentre prospective evaluation of CURB-65, NEWS2, and qSOFA by Freddy Frost, et al. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Strong/Strong
Summary: This robust analysis is novel and of high interest for the medical community. This study informs how new prognostic scores should be created to more accurately guide clinical decision-making in patients with COVID-19. Reviewers: Michael Meisner and Kapil Gururangan
- Progenitor identification and SARS-CoV-2 infection in long-term human distal lung organoid cultures by Ameen A. Salahudeen, et al. Preprint | ReviewsEvidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Strong
Summary: This study offers a chemically-defined human lung organoid culture system and employs this model to identify club cells as a novel target in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings reported are reliable for informing future COVID-19 research. Reviewers: Jaymin Kathiriya and Jeffrey A. Whitsett
- Estrogen and COVID-19 symptoms: associations in women from the COVID Symptom Study by Ricardo Costeira, et al. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Reliable
Summary: This is a reliable study that shows the protective role of estrogens against COVID-19 severe complications among 1.6 million UK women. Novel findings show potential increased risk amongst postmenopausal women and a potentially protective role of COCP in premenopausal women. Reviewers: Giovanni Grandi and Azure Grant
- Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG from severely ill COVID-19 patients promotes macrophage hyper-inflammatory responses. Preprint | ReviewEvidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Reliable
Summary: This study introduces a novel therapeutic approach to treating COVID-19. Study motivates further investigation of whether selectively inhibiting FcR receptor-driven inflammation could result in more targeted and effective COVID-19 interventions. Reviewers: Sarah Stanley, Scott Biering, and Saumendra N. Sarkar
- Intestinal receptor of SARS-CoV-2 in inflamed IBD tissue is downregulated by HNF4A in ileum and upregulated by interferon regulating factors in colon by Bram Verstockt, et al. Preprint | Review
Evidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Potentially Informative
Summary: Study claims increased susceptibility of IBD patients to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Study lacks sufficient evidence to support the authors’ claims concerning the importance of IBD medication in COVID-19 risk management. Claims are not actionable except to prompt further research. Reviewers: Girija Goyal, Cicely Fadel, Donald Ingber, and Magdalena Kasendra
- Medical Costs of Keeping the US Economy Open During COVID-19 by Jiangzhuo Chen, et al. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Potentially Informative
Summary: A major benefit of this analysis is that it presents a credible,flexible model for estimating the costs of COVID-19, although models will require updating with valid evidence. Sufficient compliance with lockdown guidelines could substantially reduce the medical costs of COVID-19. Reviewers: Christine Eibner, Raffaele Vardavas, and Mehdi Shiva
- The infection fatality rate of COVID-19 inferred from seroprevalence data by John Ioannidis. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Potentially informative/Potentially informative
Summary: This study finds substantial heterogeneity in the infection fatality rate (IFR)across different locations. Data are useful and add to the emerging picture on IFR, however, substantial conclusions cannot be drawn. Reviewers: Timothy Hallett, Kenji Mizumoto, and Gerardo Chowell
- Predicted success of prophylactic antiviral therapy to block or delay SARS-CoV-2 infection depends on the drug’s mechanism of action by Peter Czuppon, et al. Preprint | Review
Evidence Scale Rating: Reliable/Not informative
Summary: Authors claim that stochastic modeling can be used to predict the efficacy of repurposed drugs to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. Readers and decision makers should assess results with some caution. Reviewers: Anna Bershteyn and Praveen P Nekkar Rao
- Clinical validation of innovative, low cost, kit-free, RNA processing protocol for RT-PCR based COVID-19 testing by Nikhil Shri Sahajpal, et al. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Potentially informative/Not Informative
Summary: While informative, there are many flaws in the protocol testing if SARS-CoV2 RNA can be amplified from nasopharyngeal swab samples. The protocol does not appear to support claims that authors have made that this approach will decrease assay time, reduce cost, and instrumentation. Reviewers: Aditi Bhargava Bhargava and Mohamed Sharafeldin
- β-Coronaviruses use lysosomal organelles for cellular egress by S Ghost, et al. Preprint | Reviews
Evidence Scale Rating: Misleading/Potentially informative
Summary: This study claims β-coronaviruses utilize a lysosome-mediated egress mechanism. In its current form, this pre-print includes numerous unsubstantiated, misleading, or poorly supported claims and is unreliable for informing future COVID-19 research. Reviewers: David Avram Sanders and Cristina Risco Ortiz
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RR:C19 is published by the MIT Press and the editorial offices are located at UC Berkeley, headed by editor-in-chief Stefano M. Bertozzi, Professor of Health Policy and Management and Dean Emeritus of the School of Public Health at University of California Berkeley. The journal is funded by a grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and hosted on PubPub, an open-source publishing platform from the Knowledge Futures Group.
To learn more about this project and its editorial board, or to sign up for future news and alerts, visit rapidreviewscovid19.mitpress.mit.edu.
About the MIT Press
Established in 1962, the MIT Press is one of the largest and most distinguished university presses in the world and a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, art, social science, and design. MIT Press books and journals are known for their intellectual daring, scholarly standards, interdisciplinary focus, and distinctive design.
About the UC Berkeley School of Public Health
For 75 years and counting, the UC Berkeley SPH has been dedicated to making a transformative impact on the health of populations through its values of health as a right, strength through diversity, think forward, and impact first. To eliminate inequity and injustice that affects the health and dignity of all people, SPH is committed to radical public health collaborations that challenge conventional thinking, leverage technology, and build bridges between research, public policy, education, and action.
About the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is dedicated to improving lives globally with technology, data and AI. The Foundation is the legacy of IDG founder Patrick J. McGovern, who believed in the potential for technology to democratize information, improve the human condition and advance social good.
About the Knowledge Futures Group
The Knowledge Futures Group, a nonprofit originally founded as a partnership between the MIT Press and MIT Media Lab, builds and sustains technology for the production, curation, and preservation of knowledge in service of the public good.
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