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First detailed map of transcriptome and epitranscriptome for novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

A team of researchers has come out with the first detailed map of the transcriptome and epitranscriptome of the virulent SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 disease, the illness that has become a pandemic ravaging both developed and less developed countries of the world. The study, published in the journal Cell in April 2020, may assist in the development of new vaccines and therapeutics.

12 Apr 2020

Recovered South Korean COVID-19 patients test positive again

Following the reports from different countries of patients recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but testing positive again during the control diagnostic appraisal, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a similar occurrence in 51 patients.

12 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers uncover shape of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction. The report, published today in Neuron, may lead to improved understanding of muscle-weakening genetic conditions called congenital myasthenic syndromes.

12 Apr 2020

Weekly COVID-19 fatality predictions from leading epidemiologists

While many developed and developing countries are reeling under the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, preventive and therapeutic measures alike need more accurate forecasts of fatal and non-fatal events to achieve preparedness and ensure an optimal outcome. Now scientists at Imperial College, London, have come up with a new weekly forecast of the number of deaths due to coronavirus and the likely number of cases reported in countries where the virus is actively spreading.

9 Apr 2020

Chinese newborns experienced mild form of COVID-19

A new paper published by Dr. Zhi-Jiang Zhang and colleagues from Wuhan University in the European Respiratory Journal in April 2020 reports that COVID-19 apparently left little impact on newborns born to infected mothers at the height of the epidemic.

9 Apr 2020

Ai used to detect COVID-19 pneumonia

Coronaviruses have 'spilled over' to human populations throughout history, causing respiratory illnesses, often associated with pneumonia. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2002 in China, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which was first seen in Saudi Arabia in 2012, are similar to the current global pandemic spreading worldwide, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

9 Apr 2020

PIV5-based MERS vaccine shows promise for COVID-19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread to 184 countries and territories. Currently, there is no vaccine available for COVID-19 disease, or SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, scientists around the world are racing to find ways to block the virus.

8 Apr 2020

Visualizing 3D microanatomy of human nipple to understand and fight breast cancer

Nipple-sparing mastectomy is gaining ground as a treatment or preventive measure for breast cancer, given the understandable desire among patients to preserve natural appearance as much as possible. But the precise risk of preserving the nipple is not known as the cancer can spread along mammary ducts and to the nipple.

8 Apr 2020

Researchers succeed in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have succeeded in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats by reprogramming human skin cells to become nerve cells, which were then transplanted into the rats' brains.

8 Apr 2020

Trial assesses tissue plasminogen activator as a treatment for COVID-19-related respiratory failure

A new study published online in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery in March 2020 reports that the anticoagulation drug tPA could be a potential aid in managing respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19.

8 Apr 2020

New anti-COVID-19 system could potentially fight other viruses

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked many research projects to meet the challenge of the virus and come up with measures to fight its activity. A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe in April 2020 describes a novel system to help scientists understand the virus, including mutations, diagnose infections, and also to develop and evaluate vaccines more quickly.

8 Apr 2020

Scientists in the UK look to measure COVID-19 in the wider community

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is actively spreading throughout the globe, affecting 184 countries and territories. In the United Kingdom, the country has seen the highest daily numbers of recorded coronavirus deaths – 854 on Monday and 786 on Tuesday, prompting scientists to race toward determining how vast the virus is spreading in the UK.

8 Apr 2020

Smokers need to quit during coronavirus pandemic

Smoking tobacco may aggravate the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Health experts are urging smokers to quit and cigarette companies to stop producing tobacco products to help alleviate the risks of COVID-19. A new study from China highlights the risk of smoking during the coronavirus pandemic.

7 Apr 2020

Preclinical trials for two coronavirus vaccine candidates commence

Scientists at CSIRO, Australia’s national science body, and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Victoria, have commenced preclinical trials for two novel coronavirus vaccine candidates.

7 Apr 2020

Personalized biohybrid microswimmers for therapeutic cargo delivery

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

7 Apr 2020

What we know about COVID-19 in children

A new viewpoint article published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in April 2020 discusses the manifestation and management of the novel coronavirus disease devastating several countries.

7 Apr 2020

Researchers develop a unique radiochemical synthesis approach for treating cancer

Radiolabeled molecules, so-called radiotracers, help nuclear physicians to detect and precisely target tumors, which are often developing due to pathological changes in metabolic processes.

7 Apr 2020

How do viruses mutate and jump to humans?

Zoonotic spillover events like the current novel coronavirus pandemic present threats to human health. But what is zoonotic spillover and how do they occur?

7 Apr 2020

Pollen-based paper shows promise for a new range of natural components

Scientists at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have created a paper-like material derived from pollen that bends and curls in response to changing levels of environmental humidity.

7 Apr 2020

Antiparasitic drug Ivermectin kills coronavirus in 48 hours

Around the world, scientists race to develop a vaccine or treatment against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, a team of researchers has found that a drug already available around the world can kill the coronavirus in a lab setting in just 48 hours.

6 Apr 2020