Respiratory News and Research

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Enhanced neutralizing antibody and T-cell responses by DNA-based vaccine encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Researchers from VaxiGen have been investigating the potential for a DNA vaccine boost to VP vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019.

9 Nov 2021

COVID-19 drug candidate with wide-ranging antiviral activity

A new study investigated the antiviral activity and mechanism of action of Brilacidin against multiple human coronaviruses.

9 Nov 2021

Invalidation of potential SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors

Researchers identified several structurally disparate compounds that can inhibit the viral protease PLpro and determined whether the identified PLpro inhibitors are truly effective and should be further investigated.

9 Nov 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is associated with lower viral load in breakthrough infections

Several vaccines have been rapidly developed to help control the COVID-19 pandemic, including the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech). This severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine has been shown in both clinical trials and in the real world to be highly efficacious in preventing infection, symptoms, hospitalizations, severe disease, and death related to coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

9 Nov 2021

CDC study shows COVID-19 in newborns is rare

To date, there have been relatively few cases of neonates with COVID-19, and there is limited knowledge of neonatal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, recent studies have suggested an increased risk of severe COVID-19 in infants compared to older children, which is based on data that shows an increased rate of hospitalization among infants.

9 Nov 2021

Drinking alcohol and not exercising are modifiable risk factors for SARS-CoV-2

New research from the United Kingdom suggests several factors that increased the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection involved higher alcohol use, Asian/Asian British ethnicity, and obesity. In addition, moderate but not vigorous exercise of more than 10 hours a week was associated with lower susceptibility to infection.

8 Nov 2021

Increase in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Irish HCWs during third wave of pandemic

Healthcare workers and people they live with are at an increased risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Hospital healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide have been found to have a higher number of SARS-CoV-2 infections and higher antibody seroprevalence compared to the general population.

8 Nov 2021

Scientists develop a high-throughput, cell-free screening platform for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody discovery

Scientists from Northwestern University, USA, have recently developed a high-throughput, automated screening platform to rapidly identify anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

8 Nov 2021

Microbiome discovery could help fight chronic middle ear infections in children

Bacteria found in children's upper respiratory systems could help fight chronic middle ear infections, the leading cause of preventable hearing loss and deafness in Indigenous communities.

8 Nov 2021

Study compares the survival rates of cardiac arrest in catheterization lab, versus the OR and ICU

People who went into cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab were more likely to survive to hospital discharge than those who had a cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit (ICU), yet less likely to survive than those who had an arrest in the operating room (OR), according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) 2021.

8 Nov 2021

COVID-19 lockdowns and young people's mental health

In the current study, the researchers looked at earlier papers for evidence of the impact of lockdowns on the mental health of the population.

8 Nov 2021

Discovery of potent neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

In a recent study, the researchers identify and characterize mAbs that are effective against the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain and B.1.351 variant.

8 Nov 2021

Hemin as a potential therapy for COVID-19

The current study explores the antiviral activity of HO-1 induced by hemin against SARS-CoV-2 and attempts to describe the mechanism of its anti-viral action.

8 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 deletions affect protein stability and translation inhibition

A new study discusses the purification of various Nsp1 proteins isolated from several mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2.

8 Nov 2021

Study compares efficacy of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac as the booster dose for COVID-19 vaccination

A recent study reports the immunogenicity and safety of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac as the third dose in CoronaVac-immunized adults.

8 Nov 2021

WHO survey highlights how many countries lack funding to deal with health impacts of climate change

Countries have begun to prioritize health in their efforts to protect people from the impact of climate change, but only about a quarter of those recently surveyed by the World Health Organization have been able to fully implement their national health and climate change plans or strategies.

8 Nov 2021