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SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies can persist up to 200 days after symptom onset

Researchers report SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to the spike protein (S protein) can persist 200 days after symptom onset, but that antibodies to the nucleoprotein (N protein) can reduce much more rapidly.

25 Nov 2020

Is COVID-19 severity mediated by higher antibody response?

A new study indicates that patients with more severe COVID-19 have a stronger antibody response.

25 Nov 2020

Mefloquine shows potential as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug

A team of scientists from Japan has identified the approved anti-material drug, mefloquine, as a potential candidate to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Specifically, mefloquine has been shown to prevent the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells and reduce the viral load in vitro.

24 Nov 2020

Inexpensive molecule shows potential to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing gonorrhea, meningitis

A team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has demonstrated the effectiveness of an inexpensive molecule to fight antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea and meningococcal meningitis.

24 Nov 2020

Anti-diabetic drug could be repurposed for treating Parkinson's disease

A hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the degeneration of a group of dopaminergic neurons in the brain, which play key roles in movement initiation and co-ordination.

24 Nov 2020

The role of micro-RNA in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Iran have explored the role of micro-RNA in COVID-19. Their study titled, “The emerging role of microRNAs in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection,” was published in the latest issue of the journal International Immunopharmacology.

24 Nov 2020

Scientists show SARS-CoV-2's viral replication with 3D integrative imaging

A team of researchers at Heidelberg University in Germany have performed a detailed imaging analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to determine how the virus reprograms infected cells.

24 Nov 2020

COVID-19: HLA class I genotypes and mortality

The study, published on the preprint server medRxiv, explores the ability of HLA class I molecules to mediate the outcome in COVID-19 patients.

24 Nov 2020

Scientists address a bottleneck in the protein trafficking system

Proteins are the essential substrate of learning and memory. However, while memories can last a life-time, proteins are relatively short-lived molecules that need to be replenished every couple of days.

23 Nov 2020

Mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients may be contagious for longer than previously thought

Researchers in Brazil have reported two cases of people with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) shedding infectious virus for a significantly longer period than has previously been reported.

23 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2's spike protein mutations have slowed, study finds

A team of researchers at the School of Information Sciences in Illinois, USA, has revealed the rate of mutation in the 29 proteins that make up the SARS-CoV-2 microbe.

23 Nov 2020

Targeting excessive calcium may provide a new way to improve outcomes in stroke patients

Excessive calcium contributes to harmful inflammation in ischemic stroke, and targeting it may provide doctors with a new way to improve patient outcomes, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

23 Nov 2020

Compounds in traditional Chinese medicine herbs may inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection

Using computational methods, a team of researchers identified three compounds in traditional Chinese medicine that could be used against SARS-CoV-2.

23 Nov 2020

Researchers prepare synthetic protocells that pump up blood vessels

An international team comprising researchers from the University of Bristol, and Hunan and Central South Universities in China, have prepared biocompatible protocells that generate nitric oxide gas – a known reagent for blood vessel dilation - that when placed inside blood vessels expand the biological tissue.

23 Nov 2020

SARS-Cov-2 antibodies are detected up to 3 months after infection, shows study

A new study in health care workers led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation and the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, shows that IgA and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 decay quickly, while IgG antibody levels are maintained for at least three months after infection.

23 Nov 2020

Pomegranate peel extract shows potential as inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers led by first author Relja Suručić from the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, have studied the use of pomegranate peel extracts in preventing infections with SARS-CoV-2.

22 Nov 2020

COVID-19 potentially has negative impacts on male fertility

A review recently published in the Journal of Medical Virology has discussed some of the effects that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – may have on male fertility.

22 Nov 2020

Scientists investigate how cell membrane and COVID-19 virus impact each other

The cell membrane is the cell's outermost line of defense against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 disease.

20 Nov 2020

Chemists discover effective inhibitors to block SARS-CoV-2

Some viruses can get inside cells via a mechanism that involves sulfur organic molecules. Chemists at UNIGE have discovered effective inhibitors and blocked the uptake of SARS-CoV-2.

20 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses ACE2 activity in COVID-19 patients

A recent study conducted by a team of international scientists has revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suppresses the expression and function of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and induces the expression of interferon-stimulated genes at the initial phase of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Nov 2020