Respiratory News and Research

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More evidence that mixing COVID-19 vaccines may help elicit a robust immune response

Eight volunteers who received a complete dose or a single dose of an mRNA vaccine or the ChAdOx1 vaccine after a dose of a trial gorilla adenovirus vaccine showed a significantly high level of antibodies and T cell response against SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jun 2021

Study offers more evidence that face masks can prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission

A new study released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server suggests that the use of face masks, of various designs, successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This supports the continued implementation of mask policies in public places until herd immunity is achieved in the region involved.

29 Jun 2021

How is Taiwan tackling its third wave of COVID-19?

The international community has been struggling to predict and contain successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. The degree of success has varied between countries. In Taiwan, the use of contact tracing, with testing and isolation of confirmed cases, promises to end the ongoing third wave of the illness within two months. The strategy employed is described in a new preprint available on the medRxiv* server.

29 Jun 2021

The technology behind face masks that can diagnose COVID-19

Researchers have recently incorporated technology into standard face masks to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jun 2021

How does dexamethasone therapy work in severe COVID-19?

The possible mechanisms that result in dexamethasone being an effective drug against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection are investigated in a new study. The paper’s authors advance the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces cell-specific insensitivity to glucocorticoids, possibly as an unintentional result of the viral replication cycle.

29 Jun 2021

Cationic peptides inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell entry

In a paper recently published in Pathogens, in silico affinity studies by researchers at the University of Illinois, USA, reveal several potential peptide binding sites required for HS-spike protein and ACE2-spike protein bond formation, and synthesis of suitable peptide inhibitors reveals impaired SARS-CoV-2 cell entry.

29 Jun 2021

Nanotechnology and the fight against COVID-19

In a review paper published in the open-access MDPI journal Viruses, a team of researchers explored the potential of nanotechnology to alleviate the current and future coronavirus burden. The team focused on its potential role in the detection, diagnosis, protection, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

29 Jun 2021

Study explores structure, activity, and inhibition of TMPRSS2 implicated in SARS-CoV-2 activation

Researchers from Canada recently presented an efficient strategy for recombinant production of enzymatically active TMPRSS2 ectodomain, enabling enzymatic characterization and the 1.95 Å X-ray crystal structure. Their work is published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer-review.

29 Jun 2021

New spider web mechanism kills pathogens and virus responsible for COVID-19

Immunologists at McMaster University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism which acts like a spider web, trapping and killing pathogens such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

29 Jun 2021

Tackling emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

An international team of authors has published a special report in The New England Journal of Medicine titled 'SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Vaccines’, which presents global strategies for the possible escape from vaccine-elicited immunity.

29 Jun 2021

Many survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers hesitate to get COVID-19 vaccinations

A new paper in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that many survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers hesitate to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations.

29 Jun 2021

Wayne State awarded NSF grant to investigate how viruses navigate through the mucus barrier

A research team at Wayne State University led by Ashis Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., associate professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, received a three-year, $326,226 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate fundamental issues related to the passage of viruses through the mucus barrier.

29 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces accumulation of lipids and N-proteins

Scientists from the Netherlands and the US recently studied the localization of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins in postmortem lung tissues of COVID-19 patients and in SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero cells that were processed identically. The research is posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, prior to peer review.

29 Jun 2021

Rapid test kit for malaria delivers results in 30 minutes

A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a test kit for malaria that delivers results in 30 minutes. The kit could facilitate the diagnosis of malaria in the field, as the equipment needed is anticipated to be lightweight, easy-to-use, and able to detect the disease in its early stages.

29 Jun 2021

Aerosol generated by playing wind instruments is less than that produced when vocalizing

Aerosol generated by playing woodwind and brass instruments is less than that produced when vocalizing (speaking and singing) and is no different than a person breathing, new research has found.

29 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 test in 20 minutes with FISH

A collaboration from the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick has led to research into a novel method of viral detection through rapid fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in order to effectively detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 20 minutes.

29 Jun 2021

What's behind COVID-19 vaccine side effects?

A growing concern among coronavirus vaccines is the vaccine side effects. Fear or misinformation about side effects may fuel vaccine hesitancy, contributing to low vaccination rates. Australian researchers recently published an article in Science Immunology to discuss why people develop side effects and their benefits.

28 Jun 2021

Differences in monocyte subsets between severe COVID-19 and long COVID

Researchers in the United States and Costa Rica have identified differences in the proportions of monocyte subsets that occur in severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), often referred to as “Long COVID”.

28 Jun 2021

Study suggests vitamin B12 as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral

Researchers in the UK and Spain have used a novel drug screening approach to identify compounds that could serve as effective antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

28 Jun 2021

Study shows rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 Delta lineage in Ontario, Canada

A recent short report from Canada, currently available on medRxiv* preprint server, shows a rapid increase in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) cases characterized by the N501Y-/E484K- mutation in the Ontario province, which implies that Delta variant will rapidly overtake the Alpha variant.

28 Jun 2021