Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neonatal immunology

Although extensive studies have been carried out on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and evidence exists that pregnant women are at elevated risk of severe COVID-19, the impact of maternal infection on the fetus is not clear. The majority of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms.

7 Jun 2021

Comparison of immunological profiles of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Mutations to the spike protein and receptor-binding domain are responsible for these changes in immunogenic profile, and in a paper recently uploaded to the open access journal Antibiotics by Ambrose et al. (May 6th, 2021) these mutations are correlated with various disease parameters by in silico methods, finding that particular features are responsible for the increased infectiousness and lesser disease severity observed in these lineages.

6 Jun 2021

COVID-19 symptoms in the feet

In a review paper recently uploaded to the Journal of Clinical Medicine by Jimenez-Cebrian et al. (May 19th, 2021), the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in feet, in particular, are reviewed, finding that vascular, dermatological, and neurological symptoms have been widely reported.

6 Jun 2021

High baseline levels of inflammatory cytokines linked to thrombotic events in patients with COVID-19

In a recent open-access paper published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, researchers from Iran and Germany show that high baseline levels of inflammatory cytokines measured during admission put patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at increased risk of developing coagulopathy, thrombotic events – and even death.

6 Jun 2021

Standardizable assay detects T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in the UK have developed a high-throughput standardizable assay that accurately detects T cell responses to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Jun 2021

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jun 2021

Metformin potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release in monocytes

An interesting new bioRxiv* preprint reports the suppression of monocyte glycolysis and cytokine production when exposed to the virus, following pretreatment with the commonly used drug, metformin.

6 Jun 2021

Mason researchers examine the potential anti-coronavirus activities of an over-the-counter drink

Could an over-the-counter health "shot" help fight COVID-19? George Mason University researchers think it just might.

5 Jun 2021

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection imprints immune response in the newborn

A new bioRxiv* preprint reports the immunological footprint in the newborn left by maternal infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy.

4 Jun 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread to bats

A recent bioRxiv* preprint offers a powerful risk assessment approach to estimate the risk of bat exposure to SARS-CoV-2 from humans during their interactions in the wild.

4 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralizing antibodies and rapidly spreads by cell fusion, finds study

In a new study by researchers in the UK, Germany and South Africa, this process is visualized using time-lapse microscopy of a human cell lung line, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 can induce cell-to-cell fusion within 6 hours post-infection. Further, the application of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma was unable to prevent the spread of the virus by this mechanism, suggesting that removing SARS-CoV-2 from cells permissive of cell membrane fusion could be more difficult than other types of cell.

4 Jun 2021

Post-COVID-19 assessment shows long-lasting consequences for many non-hospitalized individuals

Complications following COVID-19 infection require quick identification and management to help plan policy and health system responses. Researchers in the UK recently described the 12-month experience of the first dedicated post-COVID clinical service in the UK to include both hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This study has been released on the medRxiv* the preprint server.

4 Jun 2021

Another symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic: unhealthy eating

In a study of 2,000 people, researchers found that the recent abrupt change in our daily routines caused us to change our eating behaviors.

4 Jun 2021

Clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules begins at NIH

Vaccination efforts against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus behind the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, are well underway in many countries. Over 2 billion vaccines have been administered to date, and campaigns continue to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

4 Jun 2021

World Health Organization simplifies names of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assigned simple and easy-to-say labels for key variants of SARS-CoV-2 using letters of the Greek alphabet. The health agency selected these labels after a thorough review of many potential naming systems.

4 Jun 2021

Effect of India's 2021 Assembly Election on COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from Midnapore City College, and Indian Center for Space Physics, looked at how the assembly elections conducted during the second wave of COVID-19 impacted the transmission of the infection - on the effective contact rate and the effective reproduction number of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

4 Jun 2021

Study says COVID-19 vaccines passports will likely reduce inclination to accept vaccines

Now, a new study published on medRxiv* preprint server focuses on the quantitative evaluation of the impact of the implementation of vaccine passports for domestic and international travel.

4 Jun 2021

Plant-based oil blend shows virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses in vitro

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server offers a potential candidate for disinfecting the respiratory tract and mouth during and after exposure to the virus, in the form of proprietary herbal oil named Viruxal.

3 Jun 2021

Two repurposed drugs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry factors in a synergistic manner

A preprint paper uploaded to the bioRxiv* server shows how combining drugs targeting different entry factors of the host cell may prevent infection by the virus.

3 Jun 2021

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server points to mast cells as major culprits in the etiology of severe and critical COVID-19. This could suggest suitable therapeutic and preventive interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this viral illness.

3 Jun 2021