Coronavirus News and Research

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New N501 SARS-CoV-2 mutation may have been circulating in Italy since August 2020

A recent study shows that mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains with a substitution at position 501 might have circulated unnoticed even before the end of September 2020, when the rapid emergence of B.1.1.7 lineage (carrying the N501Y mutation) was initially reported.

13 Jan 2021

Hospitals’ rocky rollout of covid vaccine sparks questions of fairness

Last week, after finishing inoculations of some front-line hospital staff, Jupiter Medical Center was left with 40 doses of precious covid vaccine. So, officials offered shots to the South Florida hospital’s board of directors and their spouses over age 65.

13 Jan 2021

New UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 variant does not affect neutralizing antibodies efficiency, study says

A team of scientists conducted structural analysis of a newly emerged UK variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They present evidence that suggests that while the new variant has increased infectivity it is not resistant to neutralizing antibodies.

13 Jan 2021

Study shows distancing and mandatory masks can prevent 87% of campus COVID-19 infections

The combined effectiveness of three COVID-prevention strategies on college campuses--mask-wearing, social distancing, and routine testing--are as effective in preventing coronavirus infections as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a new study co-authored by a Case Western Reserve University researcher.

13 Jan 2021

College campuses at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders, study shows

College campuses are at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders for their entire county, according to a new vast study which shows the striking danger of the first two weeks of school in particular.

13 Jan 2021

Could fenofibrate be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

The resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has led to renewed efforts to find effective antivirals, both newly developed or repurposed drugs. A study reports the efficacy of the cholesterol-reducing drug fenofibrate in reducing infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells.

13 Jan 2021

New technology could protect against different coronavirus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many different viruses in the coronavirus family.

13 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses

What is the endgame for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing worldwide devastation? If it becomes endemic -- circulating in the general population -- and most people are exposed in childhood, SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses that currently circulate in humans, according to a model developed by Emory and Penn State scientists.

13 Jan 2021

Medical institutions should support health care workers with COVID-19 infection, say experts

By mid-November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported that 218,439 health care workers in the U.S. had been infected with COVID-19 -- a likely underestimate due to incomplete data from states.

13 Jan 2021

Study: 82% respondents ventilate more frequently to protect themselves from corona

Despite cold temperatures, the population counts on fresh air to avoid contracting the coronavirus. This is shown by the results of the 26th edition of the BfR-Corona-Monitor, a regular survey by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). In all age groups, about four out of five respondents say they ventilate more frequently.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers develop novel antibody fragments against SARS coronavirus-2

An international research team led by the University of Bonn (Germany) has identified and further developed novel antibody fragments against the SARS coronavirus-2. These "nanobodies" are much smaller than the classic antibodies used to treat US President Donald Trump, for example.

13 Jan 2021

Biologists reveal unusual structure of coronavirus protein linked to immune evasion

A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells.

13 Jan 2021

Antibody-Fc-mediated innate immunity shapes COVID-19 severity

A short paper that appeared recently on the preprint bioRxiv server pointed to a link between specific characteristics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies associated with the severity of COVID-19.

12 Jan 2021

Intranasal vaccination effectively reduces viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in monkeys

A new preprint that appeared on the bioRxiv server reports that intranasal vaccination with the D614G variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in rhesus monkeys reduces viral shedding. This is an experiment in non-human primates (NHP), and its extrapolation to humans is unclear as yet.

12 Jan 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

The virus's cytosolic tail also interacts with the host cell to promote its entry into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A new study appearing on the bioRxiv preprint server elucidates the conformation of this region of the virus, which will help understand how its form is related to its function in viral entry.

12 Jan 2021

Effect of mutations in the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant on transmission and neutralization

One such strain is the South African 501.V2 and UK B1.1.7 strains, which have been isolated from many countries and seem to spread faster than the ancestral strain. A preprint that recently appeared on the bioRxiv server reports the computational structure of this strain and the possible effect of the mutations on infectivity and neutralization.

12 Jan 2021

Bleeding disorder linked to poor clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the pathogen responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Approximately 20-55% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are reported to have deranged hemostatic laboratory parameters, which suggests coagulopathy.

12 Jan 2021

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have defined an antigenic “supersite” within the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have important implications for the design of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Hypoxia signaling pathway could lead to COVID-19 treatments

Researchers in Spain have demonstrated that studying the hypoxia signaling pathway could provide opportunities for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems.

12 Jan 2021

Coronavirus News and Research

New N501 SARS-CoV-2 mutation may have been circulating in Italy since August 2020

Hospitals’ rocky rollout of covid vaccine sparks questions of fairness

New UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 variant does not affect neutralizing antibodies efficiency, study says

Study shows distancing and mandatory masks can prevent 87% of campus COVID-19 infections

College campuses at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders, study shows

Could fenofibrate be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

New technology could protect against different coronavirus variants

SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses

Medical institutions should support health care workers with COVID-19 infection, say experts

Study: 82% respondents ventilate more frequently to protect themselves from corona

Researchers develop novel antibody fragments against SARS coronavirus-2

Biologists reveal unusual structure of coronavirus protein linked to immune evasion

Antibody-Fc-mediated innate immunity shapes COVID-19 severity

Intranasal vaccination effectively reduces viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in monkeys

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

Effect of mutations in the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant on transmission and neutralization

Bleeding disorder linked to poor clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Hypoxia signaling pathway could lead to COVID-19 treatments

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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