Respiratory Virus News and Research

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Inclusive and culturally competent care crucial to address health care inequities during a crisis

In a perspective published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, experts from the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Office of Equity and Inclusion and Center for Diversity and Inclusion call for a more inclusive and culturally competent approach to clinical care based on best practices developed during the COVID-19 surge in Massachusetts.

23 Dec 2020

Study: COVID-19 patients have greater risk of health problems, mortality than those with flu

Almost a year ago, COVID-19 began its global rampage, going on to infect about 69.5 million people and kill about 1.6 million as of early this month.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers address variability of disease severity in respiratory tract infections

Is it possible to predict the course of a viral respiratory tract infection - for instance one caused by a coronavirus - based on individual patient characteristics? This question will be addressed by Dr. Victor Corman and his junior research group at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

8 Dec 2020

Does smoking increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization?

A study conducted by UK researchers has found that patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were less likely to be current smokers than patients who had been admitted with other types of respiratory viral infections last year (2019).

1 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity can sustain for at least eight months, study finds

A new study by researchers at Monash University, Australia, has revealed that people who have been infected with COVID-19 showed sustained protection against reinfection for at least eight months.

26 Nov 2020

Genomic analysis provides clues about SARS-CoV-2 ancestry and transmission

Researchers in the UK conducting a genomic analysis of severe acute respiratory virus syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and SARS-like coronaviruses in the bat and pangolin have identified strong host-associated divergences that could provide clues about the ancestry and interspecies transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

25 Nov 2020

The American Lung Association say to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19; Here’s why

Dr. Albert Rizzo speaks to News-Medical about the importance of wearing masks to help control the spread of COVID-19.

25 Nov 2020

Study: e-cigarette users have increased susceptibility to flu, COVID-19

In a controlled study of smokers, nonsmokers, and e-cigarette users, University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers found that e-cigarette users exhibited significantly altered immune responses to a model of influenza virus infection, suggesting increased susceptibility to disease.

18 Nov 2020

Children's DTP vaccine may provide cross-immunity for COVID-19

He found that the viruses subject to pediatric vaccinations do not have cross-reactive epitopes for SARS-CoV-2, showing they cannot provide protection against COVID-19.

17 Nov 2020

Researchers use aerosolized molecules to shut down proteins generated by coronavirus

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have successfully used molecules comprised of small strands of RNA to shut down the production of destructive proteins generated by the COVID-19 virus.

16 Nov 2020

New strategy for designing COVID-19 antiviral drugs to inhibit key viral protein

SARS-CoV-2, the respiratory virus that causes COVID-19, attacks the body in multiple steps. Gaining entry into cells deep within the lungs and hijacking the human host cell's machinery to churn out copies of itself are two of the earliest steps -- both essential for viral infection.

9 Nov 2020

Llama antibodies could be a potent nanoweapon against COVID-19

Today in Science, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine describe a new method to extract tiny but extremely powerful SARS-CoV-2 antibody fragments from llamas, which could be fashioned into inhalable therapeutics with the potential to prevent and treat COVID-19.

5 Nov 2020

Research shows why certain people infected with COVID-19 show no symptoms

Researchers worldwide have been surprised to see that individuals can be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus - the virus that produces COVID-19 - without showing symptoms. Since these individuals expose others to infection without knowing it, it is important to find an explanation and hopefully a solution to this.

29 Oct 2020

Mouth may be primary route of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 shows that the virus also multiplies robustly in the oral cavity, indicating that saliva plays a role in viral transmission.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers develop lab-grown lung model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of Duke University researchers has developed a lab-grown living lung model that mimics the tiny air sacs of the lungs where coronavirus infection and serious lung damage take place.

23 Oct 2020

COVID-19 containment measures affecting other seasonal respiratory viruses

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 indicates that so far, the containment measures put in place to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have effectively prevented the transmission of many other respiratory viruses.

21 Oct 2020

New article explores the endemic potential of COVID-19 virus

A new article by Columbia Mailman School researchers Jeffrey Shaman and Marta Galanti explores the potential for the COVID-19 virus to become endemic, a regular feature producing recurring outbreaks in humans.

16 Oct 2020

Will COVID-19 become a seasonal virus?

In this interview, Dr. Hadi Yassine and Dr. Hassan Zaraket speak about their research into whether COVID-19 will become a seasonal virus.

5 Oct 2020

A TLR2 agonist reduces SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory tract of ferret model

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, Professor Miles W. Carroll et al. study an agonist for reducing the SARS-CoV-2's viral load. They show that prophylactic intra-nasal administration of TLR2/6 (toll-like receptor) agonist, INNA-051, reduces viral RNA in the nose and throat, in a ferret model.

30 Sep 2020

Novel nasal treatment could protect people from COVID-19

A novel nasal treatment developed to boost the natural human immune system to fight common colds and flu, has proved remarkably successful in reducing COVID-19 viral replication test results, released today, reveal.

30 Sep 2020