Respiratory News and Research

RSS

Research says benefits of continuing immunization of front-line workers in BC with AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh risks

A recent study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (B.C.) shows that the benefits of continuing the COVID-19 vaccine of front-line workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the increased risk of prothrombotic thrombocytopenia.

19 Apr 2021

U.S. vaccinates 131 million Americans against SARS-CoV-2

The country has jabbed over 131 million Americans (39.5% of the Total Population), including over 84 million who have been fully vaccinated (25.4%% of the Total Population).

19 Apr 2021

Humans versus viruses - Can we avoid extinction in near future?

Expert argues that human-caused changes to the environment can lead to the emergence of pathogens, not only from outside but also from our own microbiome, which can pave the way for large-scale destruction of humans and even our extinction.

19 Apr 2021

Obesity, hypertension and smoking linked to lower vaccine-induced antibody production against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv preprint server, a research group from Italy has demonstrated that the antibody response can be blunted in subjects with certain risk factors shortly after the second dose of mRNA vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Apr 2021

Research looks at SARS-CoV-2 transmission from people to pets

A large team of researchers from the US demonstrated that pets with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) likely acquired the putative virus from humans. This suggests that human-animal infection may actually occur much more frequently than previously thought – implying that infected individuals should limit their contact with animals.

18 Apr 2021

Novel mRNA delivery vehicle provides alternative to LNPs for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have developed an alternative messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery platform to the lipid nanoparticles that are currently used in vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Apr 2021

Overwhelming evidence SARS-CoV-2 is airborne

Researchers in the United States, UK, and Canada have published a commentary challenging the suggestion that the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may not be airborne.

18 Apr 2021

Past COVID-19 infection does not completely protect against reinfection in young people

Although antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection are largely protective, they do not completely protect against reinfection in young people, as evidenced through a longitudinal, prospective study of more than 3,000 young, healthy members of the US Marines Corps conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research Center, published April 15 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

17 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does not directly infect the brain but can inflict neurological damage

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, according to a new study from neuropathologists, neurologists, and neuroradiologists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

17 Apr 2021

Ask KHN-Politifact: I’ve recovered from Covid. Why do i still have to mask up?

More than 120 million Americans have joined arguably the most sought-after club on Earth: those immunized against the coronavirus.

16 Apr 2021

Researchers identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

A team of scientists from the Capital Medical University and Peking University, China, has recently explored the factors responsible for the reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals who have recently recovered from COVID-19. The findings reveal that individuals with lower lymphocyte count or with two or fewer symptoms during the first COVID-19 episode are at higher risk of recurrent infection.

16 Apr 2021

Numerous agents with anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential discovered with crystallographic screening

An international team of researchers focused on the macrodomain part of the non-structural protein 3 (Nsp3) gene product that SARS-CoV-2 uses to overturn the host cell’s natural antiviral response. The team provided a template that can help develop novel antivirals that are direct-acting and can combat the current pandemic.

16 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 can alter bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, study finds

Now, a team of researchers in China and Australia has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, which may impact the skeletal system.

16 Apr 2021

New and more effective treatment for Pompe disease

Rare diseases are sometimes the most difficult to treat because of a lack of research and fewer participants to study.

16 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccination of lactating mothers elicits specific IgA antibodies in breast milk

A new study, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, examines the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA in human milk and its association with the protection of breastfed infants against the disease.

16 Apr 2021

Curcumin nanosystems could be powerful COVID-19 therapeutics

With new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerging, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. While the global vaccine rollout has moved at an impressive speed, the search for new safe, effective, and targeted therapies is still on. Now, a new study reviews the potential for curcumin, a natural alkaloid derived from turmeric, and nanosystems to treat COVID-19.

16 Apr 2021

Researchers probe intriguing interaction between sugars and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

A new study posted to the bioRxiv preprint server focuses on a novel formulation of magnetization or saturation transfer. This method is developed by amalgamating theoretical and computational approaches based on a Bayesian deconvolution algorithm, which helps obtain data more accurately and determine the ligand-protein interaction.

16 Apr 2021

Modeling study suggests how different SARS-CoV-2 mutations prevent antibody binding

This suggests a cocktail of antibodies will work better at neutralizing the virus than a single antibody alone. In a study published in the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers report the structure of binding complexes of the different classes of antibodies to the spike RBD using computational modeling, which may also help explain how the virus generates escape mutations.

16 Apr 2021

Single dose of Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID vaccine shown to be more immunogenic than natural infection

By investigating antibody and T cell responses to a single dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, researchers from Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom have found that more than 90% of vaccinated individuals produced an adequate amount of antibodies after receiving only one dose of the vaccine – irrespective of their age and gender.

16 Apr 2021

Study: Previous COVID-19 infection does not completely protect against reinfection in young people

A past COVID-19 infection does not completely protect against reinfection in young people, according to an observational study of more than 3,000 healthy members of the US Marines Corps most of whom were aged 18-20 years, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

16 Apr 2021

Respiratory News and Research

Research says benefits of continuing immunization of front-line workers in BC with AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh risks

U.S. vaccinates 131 million Americans against SARS-CoV-2

Humans versus viruses - Can we avoid extinction in near future?

Obesity, hypertension and smoking linked to lower vaccine-induced antibody production against SARS-CoV-2

Research looks at SARS-CoV-2 transmission from people to pets

Novel mRNA delivery vehicle provides alternative to LNPs for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Overwhelming evidence SARS-CoV-2 is airborne

Past COVID-19 infection does not completely protect against reinfection in young people

SARS-CoV-2 does not directly infect the brain but can inflict neurological damage

Ask KHN-Politifact: I’ve recovered from Covid. Why do i still have to mask up?

Researchers identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

Numerous agents with anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential discovered with crystallographic screening

SARS-CoV-2 can alter bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, study finds

New and more effective treatment for Pompe disease

COVID-19 vaccination of lactating mothers elicits specific IgA antibodies in breast milk

Curcumin nanosystems could be powerful COVID-19 therapeutics

Researchers probe intriguing interaction between sugars and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Modeling study suggests how different SARS-CoV-2 mutations prevent antibody binding

Single dose of Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID vaccine shown to be more immunogenic than natural infection

Study: Previous COVID-19 infection does not completely protect against reinfection in young people

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News