Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Carbon-based antimicrobial nanoweapons to fight COVID-19

In a recent review article published in the journal ACS Nano, interdisciplinary researchers from across the world evaluated the role of carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as fullerene, carbon dots, graphene, and their derivatives as promising alternatives to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and other microbial infections.

15 Jun 2021

Alkaloids show potential as treatments for COVID-19

To further study these organic compounds, researchers from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile, reviewed the role of alkaloids as a potential antiviral, specifically against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They presented the chemistry, plant sources, and antiviral effects of alkaloids and their anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect.

15 Jun 2021

Analysis of COVID-19 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests

New research published on the medRxiv preprint server provides a detailed analysis of COVID-19 patients who had repeated positive PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large US COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) database.

15 Jun 2021

REGEN-COV antibody cocktail shown to significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 viral load

In human trials, the interim analysis of 275 participants showed REGEN-COV quickly reduced viral loads. Moreover, this reduction was much faster in people who did not have a high viral load when they started treatment.

15 Jun 2021

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

Researchers in Canada have shown that the long-lasting immunity that develops following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by different T cell responses than those observed for influenza A virus-specific immune memory.

14 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern could cause further epidemics in UK

The team – from the University of Warwick, the University of Manchester, and the University of Oxford – say that a variant of concern that has either a substantial transmission advantage over resident lineages, or the ability to evade vaccine- or infection-induced immunity, can be expected to drive a wave of infections and hospitalizations similar to that seen in the country during the winter of 2020-21.

14 Jun 2021

Plasma zinc status not an effective prognostic factor for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Due to previous evidence suggesting that zinc deficiencies can lead to complications along with an impaired antiviral response, a group of international researchers has undertaken a prospective observational study to investigate this association further.

14 Jun 2021

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants overtake UK variant in French regions

Researchers have found that the variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that were initially identified in South Africa (B.1.351) and Brazil (P.1) appear to be spreading more quickly in some areas of France than the previously dominant UK variant B.1.1.7.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers develop new imaging technique for studying nanoscale coronavirus-host interactions

Lei S. Qi of Stanford University, California, and colleagues published research showing a potential framework to better characterize coronaviruses' biology. While most high-resolution imaging techniques show the life cycle of coronaviruses, identifying viral or host proteins and genomes remains poorly understood. Their results use multi-color super-resolution imaging allows them to study nanoscopic parts of the coronavirus, including RNA.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers examine the importance of time after COVID-19 vaccination

A new study has been published on the medRxiv* preprint server, which deals with the importance of time post-vaccination based on the quantification of VOC immune evasion. The current study developed a toy model to estimate the effectiveness of the vaccines against VOC over time. Researchers have shown that the estimated value is highly dependent on time post-vaccination. Additionally, this model can describe the implications of changes in vaccine efficacy against VOC.

14 Jun 2021

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

A reassuring study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, from a multi-institutional team of researchers in Italy suggests that with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, post-vaccination immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is both robust and durable.

14 Jun 2021

Intranasal monoclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy shows promise in preclinical trials

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, presents a new monoclonal antibody (MAb) called DZIF-10c that powerfully neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, including the current variants of concern (VOCs). With high bioavailability in the lungs and wide distribution in the body, the antibody was able to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice after intranasal administration.

14 Jun 2021

Fatty acid binding site on SARS-CoV-2 spike triggers spike monomer crosstalk that is key to infectivity

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, examines the role played by a fatty acid called linoleic acid (LA) that attaches at a binding site near the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. The spike exists as a homotrimer in open or closed conformations. In the former, at least one RBD points upwards.

14 Jun 2021

Can rapid antigen tests help screen for COVID-19?

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 is driven by the high proportion of asymptomatic and very mild infections, allowing people to move around and engage in public activity normally. There are many modeling studies that suggest that large-scale screening for the presence of this virus can help curb transmission at this point, from people with few or no symptoms. A new study points out the accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests for this purpose when used at the point-of-care.

14 Jun 2021

COVID-19 in pregnancy could be less severe than previously thought: A Danish case study

A reassuring study by researchers in Denmark indicates that while 5% of pregnant women with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, severe maternal and neonatal outcomes are rare.

14 Jun 2021

Delays and shortages hit SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program

A new study from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bengaluru, India, provides an overview of how well this important monitoring mechanism is functioning around the world. The team has released their findings as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server.

14 Jun 2021

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants contain mutations that interfere with genomic sequencing

A recent study by researchers in Canada shows how mutations in newly emerging lineages of SARS-CoV-2 may disrupt the sequencing process and thus interfere with this important area of research.

14 Jun 2021

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Surfaces with anionic block copolymers can inactivate different viruses within minutes by making the polymer-microbe interface very acidic. Such surfaces can continuously disinfect surfaces without the need for reapplication of disinfectant.

14 Jun 2021

Study suggests COVID-19 in children is milder than the flu

Researchers retrospectively analyzed the medical records of children in Turkey hospitalized because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or influenza and found COVID-19 to be milder than influenza in this group.

14 Jun 2021

Forkhead box O's potential therapeutic use in the treatment of COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi, reviewed a possible vital coalition of FoxOs - the Forkhead Box O subfamily of protein transcription factors, with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the etiological agent of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

13 Jun 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Carbon-based antimicrobial nanoweapons to fight COVID-19

Alkaloids show potential as treatments for COVID-19

Analysis of COVID-19 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests

REGEN-COV antibody cocktail shown to significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 viral load

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern could cause further epidemics in UK

Plasma zinc status not an effective prognostic factor for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants overtake UK variant in French regions

Researchers develop new imaging technique for studying nanoscale coronavirus-host interactions

Researchers examine the importance of time after COVID-19 vaccination

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

Intranasal monoclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy shows promise in preclinical trials

Fatty acid binding site on SARS-CoV-2 spike triggers spike monomer crosstalk that is key to infectivity

Can rapid antigen tests help screen for COVID-19?

COVID-19 in pregnancy could be less severe than previously thought: A Danish case study

Delays and shortages hit SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants contain mutations that interfere with genomic sequencing

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Study suggests COVID-19 in children is milder than the flu

Forkhead box O's potential therapeutic use in the treatment of COVID-19

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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