Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

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SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US found that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation and that this can be prevented by using cell lines with an active serine protease-mediated entry pathway.

26 Jan 2021

Study shows several peridomestic mammal species are potential spreaders of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from the US and Australia show that several common peridomestic species (including deer mice, striped skunks and bushy-tailed woodrats) are amenable to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

26 Jan 2021

New UK SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in US since November, says study

A new study by researchers at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, showed that the new variant has circulated in the US since November.

26 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant must be curbed to protect UK health services, warn experts

A new research project called REACT-1 – launched by researchers at the Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Ipsos MORI – has aimed to better understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2’s viral spread across the UK.

26 Jan 2021

Accelerating vaccine rollout may provide greatest reduction in COVID-19 mortality

A thought-provoking preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server suggests that among several factors that could potentially contribute to the design of an optimal vaccine strategy aimed at the most significant possible reduction in COVID-19 mortality, timing is likely to be the most important factor.

26 Jan 2021

B.1.1.7 variant and healthcare workers’ travel worry

Recently a team of researchers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States assessed travel-related anxiety in healthcare workers (HCWs) considering the emergence of new variants caused by SARS-CoV-2 mutations.

25 Jan 2021

Hyperinflammatory conditions drive gender differences in COVID-19 severity and mortality

Recently researchers from India analyzed gender differences in COVID-19-related hyperinflammatory conditions resulting in mortality in Indian patients. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

25 Jan 2021

Circulating antiphospholipid antibodies drive endothelial cell activation in COVID-19

With the emergence of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), researchers have been closely investigating the complex interplay between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the human immune system, and COVID-19 disease severity.

25 Jan 2021

Probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients

In a recent review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, Luigi Santacroce and Francesco Inchingolo et al. address the many factors such as dysbiosis (imbalance in the microbiota) that could influence the SARS-CoV-2 infection course.

25 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variants resistant to convalescent sera and and monoclonal antibodies

Researchers studying the effect of convalescent sera and monoclonal antibodies from recovered patients found the UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants are more resistant to neutralization compared to the wild-type virus.

25 Jan 2021

New drug screening platform identifies inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the UK and the United States have developed a stem-cell-based screening platform for identifying compounds that inhibit infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 Jan 2021

UK COVID-19 death to case ratio increased in December 2020, say researchers

Researchers in Scotland have conducted a study showing that the proportion of deaths due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulting from infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) increased in the UK after November 2020.

25 Jan 2021

Scientists develop a model to track viral load in COVID-19 patients

Scientists from the University of Alberta, Canada, have developed a model to determine patient-specific viral load curves for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The data obtained from this model can be used in other higher-level models to evaluate the physiological and pathological impacts of virus infection and determine patient risks.

25 Jan 2021

Bispecific antibody shows efficacy against new SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of international scientists has recently developed a bispecific antibody that can bind two non-overlapping regions of the spike receptor-binding domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and completely prevent the viral-host interaction.

25 Jan 2021

European soccer players may have up to 3.5 times higher risk for COVID-19

As efforts are underway to keep the season going under existing restrictions, a preprint research paper appearing on the medRxiv server describes the estimated incidence and the risk of infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among European soccer players.

25 Jan 2021

Study looks at anxiety of HCW during the COVID-19 pandemic

The study reveals that healthcare workers from Saudi Arabia suffer from a high level of anxiety due to a higher risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

Transcriptional regulator BRD2 as a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19

A team of international scientists has demonstrated that therapeutic inhibition of a transcriptional regulator BRD2, required for the endogenous expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can potentially suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

Researchers show how to estimate long-term efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers at the University of North Carolina and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington have developed a way to evaluate vaccines' long-term efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

24 Jan 2021

Novel neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain discovered

A new study by US-based researchers shows the presence of protective antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike instead of the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD).

22 Jan 2021

How have new SARS-CoV-2 strains become more transmissible?

A new study discusses the effect of specific mutations on the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein to elastase, and on the intramolecular conformational changes.

22 Jan 2021