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Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in China have conducted a study showing that a carbohydrate found in the seaweed Ecklonia kurome blocks the activity of an enzyme that is essential for the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Two common blood pressure drugs are not tied to increased risk of COVID-19

Research published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Digital Health and co-led by a UCLA Fielding School of Public Health faculty member has found that two widely used types of blood pressure drugs are not tied to an increased risk of COVID-19 infection or complications.

18 Jan 2021

Near-universal adoption of masks along with public health measures could eliminate disease spread

Research published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that near-universal adoption of nonmedical masks in public, combined with complementary public health measures, could reduce spread to essentially zero.

18 Jan 2021

Smart vaccine scheme could protect more people from life-threatening rabies

More people could be protected from life-threatening rabies thanks to an agile approach to dog vaccination using smart phone technology to spot areas of low vaccination coverage in real time.

18 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood serum could predict COVID-19 mortality

Researchers find that the presence of SARS-CoV-2's genetic material in the serum of positive patients could be a sturdy biomarker for predicting COVID-19-related mortality.

18 Jan 2021

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study suggests that modified natural killer cells, which express a chimeric antigen receptor using S309 antibody, can bind to and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro.

18 Jan 2021

Angiopoietin-2 is a crucial determinant of COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

A team of scientists from the United States and Sweden has recently demonstrated that increased levels of a proinflammatory cytokine, angiopoietin-2, is responsible for hypercoagulation observed in severe COVID-19 patients.

18 Jan 2021

Could procalcitonin indicate bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study conducted by Austin Health, Australia, has revealed that the serum level of procalcitonin can be a strong indicator of bacterial co-infection with COVID-19.

18 Jan 2021

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

The potentially deadly COVID-19 has not affected animals with corresponding severity. To understand the mechanism of severe disease, animal models have been used. This includes a mouse model that expresses human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) under the cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18-hACE2). A new study indicates that this may not be a faithful model of human lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2.

18 Jan 2021

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

News-Medical catches up with Professor Carl Philpott about the latest findings regarding COVID-19 and smell loss.

18 Jan 2021

NK and T cell subsets show distinctive lung-homing receptor profiles in COVID-19 patients

A new study reveals in detail the changes that occur in peripheral blood natural killer (NK) and T cells in COVID-19.

18 Jan 2021

Surface temperature scanner is an unreliable way to detect fever associated with Covid-19

Making people stand in front of a scanner to have their body temperature read can result in a large number of false negatives, allowing people with Covid-19 to pass through airports and hospitals undetected.

18 Jan 2021

Engineers come together to help tackle healthcare challenges posed by Covid-19

A not-for-profit group of engineers led by Keele University’s Professor Peter Ogrodnik have appealed for support to help them tackle challenges facing the NHS posed by Covid-19.

18 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Even as the rollout of vaccines all over the world brings a glimmer of hope that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may end in the near future, new variants continue to emerge, some with the potential to escape vaccine-induced or therapeutic antibodies. Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes a new American variant that may have become the dominant strain in the USA.

18 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 anti-N rigid monoclonal antibodies provide accurate early diagnosis

An interesting new preprint research paper that was posted on the bioRxiv* server recently describes the use of rigid monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in contrast to flexible mAbs, and how this affects the binding of multiple mAbs to the same antigen.

17 Jan 2021

COVID-19 model predicts that home-bound infected students may have caused secondary infections

A student infected with COVID-19 returning home from university for Christmas would, on average, have infected just less than one other household member with the virus, according to a new model devised by mathematicians at Cardiff University and published in Health Systems.

17 Jan 2021

A high-temperature tolerant SARS-CoV-2 derived immunogen as a potential vaccine candidate

There have been significant efforts worldwide to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One prominent strategy has been to develop vaccines against the virus. Numerous vaccine candidates are under development, and a handful have now been approved for use by several countries.

17 Jan 2021

Research suggests St. John's Wort and Echinacea could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have conducted a study demonstrating the antiviral effects of two medicinal herbs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Jan 2021

Analysis supports phase 3 trials of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers in the Netherlands, the United States, and Belgium have presented early-stage clinical trial results demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine candidate for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Jan 2021

Study reveals possible SARS-CoV-2 escape mutant that may re-infect immune individuals

A recent study by US researchers shows how the 501Y.V2 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), characterized by several mutations, is able to escape neutralization by present first-wave anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and potentially re-infect COVID-19 convalescent individuals.

17 Jan 2021

Disease/Infection News

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Two common blood pressure drugs are not tied to increased risk of COVID-19

Near-universal adoption of masks along with public health measures could eliminate disease spread

Smart vaccine scheme could protect more people from life-threatening rabies

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood serum could predict COVID-19 mortality

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Angiopoietin-2 is a crucial determinant of COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

Could procalcitonin indicate bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients?

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

NK and T cell subsets show distinctive lung-homing receptor profiles in COVID-19 patients

Surface temperature scanner is an unreliable way to detect fever associated with Covid-19

Engineers come together to help tackle healthcare challenges posed by Covid-19

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

SARS-CoV-2 anti-N rigid monoclonal antibodies provide accurate early diagnosis

COVID-19 model predicts that home-bound infected students may have caused secondary infections

A high-temperature tolerant SARS-CoV-2 derived immunogen as a potential vaccine candidate

Research suggests St. John's Wort and Echinacea could protect against COVID-19

Analysis supports phase 3 trials of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

Study reveals possible SARS-CoV-2 escape mutant that may re-infect immune individuals

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