Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Green tea and some fruit juices inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Green tea, chokeberry juice, and pomegranate juice killed flu and SARS-CoV-2 viruses when incubated with the viruses in vitro. Thus, oral rinsing using these might be effective in preventing COVID-19.

5 Nov 2020

Election rallies linked to an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University, Israel, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Tel Aviv University, Israel, have studied the correlation between large gatherings and hospitalization risk due to COVID-19. Their study titled, “Association of Mass Gatherings and COVID-19 Hospitalization,” was published as a preprint on the medRxiv server.

4 Nov 2020

Novel approach for modeling spread of infectious disease

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the world despite the early shutdown of borders and the cessation of international travel has sparked interest and given rise to changes in knowledge regarding the spread of infections.

4 Nov 2020

Zinc-embedded polyamide fabrics are effective in absorbing and inactivating SARS-CoV-2

An international team of scientists has recently demonstrated that zinc-embedded polyamine fibers can effectively absorb and inactivate human respiratory viruses, including influenza A virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Thus, a face mask or other personal protective equipment (PPE) made from this fiber is expected to provide better protection against viral transmission.

4 Nov 2020

Computational study reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structural stability

Using dynamic contact maps and energy differences between different conformations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (or S-protein), an international team of researchers have recently published an article on the bioRxiv preprint server showing the different stable conformations of the spike protein.

4 Nov 2020

An analysis of genetic diversity of D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2

A new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 reports that the effect of the mutation is minimal, in terms of pathogenicity or altered response to neutralizing antibodies elicited against the native virus strain.

4 Nov 2020

Ozone water found to rapidly inactivate SARS-Cov-2

As the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic appears here to stay, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in November 2020 reports an effective and rapid inactivation tactic for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); namely, through the use of ozone water.

4 Nov 2020

RNA-binding proteins may suppress antiviral defenses against SARS-CoV-2

Conducted by researchers in South Korea at the Institute for Basic Science and the International Vaccine Institute, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 describes the many host proteins that bind with the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and regulate the replication of the virus.

4 Nov 2020

Study shows brilacidin strongly inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory cell lines

A recent study by US researchers reveals that brilacidin, a small synthetic molecule with peptide-like properties, exerts potent in vitro antiviral activity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – both as a standalone treatment and in combination with FDA-approved remdesivir. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

4 Nov 2020

Correlations found between 'long-COVID' patients and preexisting health conditions

Researchers from the nference (a biotech information firm) in Cambridge, MA, USA, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA, and nference Labs based in Bengaluru, India, recently performed a retrospective analysis of 266 COVID-19 patients.

4 Nov 2020

Living with children does not increase adults’ risk of severe COVID-19, say researchers

Researchers working on behalf of NHS England have found no evidence that adults who live with school-age children are at any increased risk of severe outcomes following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Nov 2020

Delirium accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of COVID-19

Delirium accompanied by fever could bean early symptom of COVID-19. This is the main conclusion drawn by a scientific research review carried out by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

4 Nov 2020

Discoverey of four SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors, boceprevir, calpain inhibitors II and XII and GC-376

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed that small molecule inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease exhibit potent antiviral activity. These inhibitors show better efficacy when used in combination with antiviral medicine Remdesivir. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

3 Nov 2020

Most SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals develop durable B cell-mediated immunity

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, investigated the durability of B cell immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery in their recent work published on the preprint server medRxiv.

3 Nov 2020

Evidence of robust and persistent antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, have worked in collaboration to try and answer one of the most baffling questions surrounding the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic: do antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) last after a primary infection?

3 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 mutations becoming more contagious

A team of researchers working with Scott Wesley Long from Houston Methodist Hospital and colleagues from Texas, New York, and Illinois studied the patterns of genetic mutations of SARS CoV-2 and its impact on the second wave of infections worldwide.

3 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 T-cell immunity is retained for at least six months

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv shows that functional SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses are retained for six months following infection. However, the strength of this response depends on the clinical features of the primary infection.

3 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 attack rates among household contacts higher than among non-household contacts

Now, a team of researchers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore aimed to determine the transmission risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 among household and non-household contacts.

3 Nov 2020

AI speech processing framework detects inaudible COVID-19 cough

Now, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that asymptomatic people may differ from those who are healthy in the way they cough. The differences are inaudible to the human ear but can be detected by artificial intelligence (AI).

3 Nov 2020

16 new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 emerge in South Africa despite lockdown

Published in a recent medRxiv* paper, researchers from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Brazil found that these mutations in SARS-CoV-2 lineages are localized to South Africa. These unique strains, not found elsewhere in the world, are thought to have contributed around 42% to the country's total infection rate.

3 Nov 2020