Disease/Infection News

RSS

What is a protective neutralizing antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A new study describes a predictive model of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection that could help evolve optimal vaccination strategies to maintain protection and reduce the death rate.

15 Mar 2021

Why does convalescent plasma therapy for severe COVID-19 show mixed success?

A surprising new preprint, released on the medRxiv* server, suggests that the beneficial effects of convalescent plasma (CP) in this disease stem not only from the presence of neutralizing antibodies, but also the immunomodulatory effects of this plasma that shapes the host immune response.

15 Mar 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Neutralizing nanobodies effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nanobodies have different mechanisms to neutralize viruses, and some target epitopes not accessible to monoclonal antibodies, making them an alternative for developing therapies for COVID-19.

15 Mar 2021

Covid cases plummet 83% among nursing home staffers despite vaccine hesitancy

Joan Phillips, a certified nursing assistant in a Florida nursing home, loved her job but dreaded the danger of going to work in the pandemic. When vaccines became available in December, she jumped at the chance to get one.

15 Mar 2021

Study suggests COVID-19 vaccine acceptance on the rise in UK

A team of researchers in the UK recently conducted a two-wave survey on the hesitancy of individuals to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

15 Mar 2021

WHA’s president outlines plans to improve treatments for patients with hepatitis

Danjuma Adda, a Nigerian public health expert, became the president-elect of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) in November last year. He is the first African to hold the position.

15 Mar 2021

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, Botond Z. Igyártó and colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University demonstrated the inflammatory nature of the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

15 Mar 2021

COVID-19 survivors experience symptoms up to 10 months after infection, study finds

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individuals following acute infection, but features associated with this persistence are not well-understood.

15 Mar 2021

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Aarhus University, Denmark, found that high baseline levels of ACE2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients are tied to a worse outcome in hospitalized patients. The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that measuring ACE2 levels in serum can help determine patients at a higher risk of developing severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

14 Mar 2021

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

The main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enzyme implicated in the transcription and replication of the coronavirus. New research led by S. Samar Hasnain from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom used the selenium-containing drug Ebselen to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

14 Mar 2021

Study says air pollution played a role in early U.S. COVID-19 outbreak

Exposure to particulate matter — a mixture of liquid and solid particles suspended in the air that ranges from dust to airborne transmission of viral droplets — has been harmful to human health. Research led by Maria de Fatima Andrade from the University of São Paulo in Brazil found particulate matter plays a significant role in increasing coronavirus cases in cities.

14 Mar 2021

Genome-wide CRISPR screening used to identify factors essential for SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans

In a methodologically trailblazing paper published in the journal Nature Genetics, a team of Belgian scientists uncovered an assembly of coronavirus host factors that may be exploited to develop drugs against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also potentially forthcoming zoonotic coronaviruses.

14 Mar 2021

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

A recent study, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that a pair of dual-action monoclonal antibodies derived from an original 2003 SARS survivors could play an important role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their broadly neutralizing activity and the engagement of the immune system via effector function capabilities.

14 Mar 2021

Study maps crucial component of long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have found that protective antibodies generated against the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)– the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – also protect against viral variants.

14 Mar 2021

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that a cannabis plant compound inhibited infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human lung cells.

14 Mar 2021

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Informing how COVID-19 response plans may incorporate digital contact tracing, a model of COVID-19 spread within a simulated French population found that if about 20% of the population adopted a contact tracing app on their smartphones, an outbreak could be reduced by about 35%. If more than 30% of the population adopted the app, the epidemic could be suppressed to manageable levels.

13 Mar 2021

Disease/Infection News

What is a protective neutralizing antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Why does convalescent plasma therapy for severe COVID-19 show mixed success?

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

Neutralizing nanobodies effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Covid cases plummet 83% among nursing home staffers despite vaccine hesitancy

Study suggests COVID-19 vaccine acceptance on the rise in UK

WHA’s president outlines plans to improve treatments for patients with hepatitis

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

COVID-19 survivors experience symptoms up to 10 months after infection, study finds

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

Study says air pollution played a role in early U.S. COVID-19 outbreak

Genome-wide CRISPR screening used to identify factors essential for SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

Study maps crucial component of long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Pragmatic recommendations for management of COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries

Study finds visual correlation between severity of COVID-19 in the lungs and brain

New vaccination method aims at comprehensive protection against all known influenza mutations

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

Latest News