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Children with MIS-C have highly activated immune systems, study finds

Taking the first deep dive into how the immune system is behaving in patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found that children with this condition have highly activated immune systems that, in many ways, are more similar to those of adults with severe COVID-19.

2 Mar 2021

Readers and tweeters dispense timely advice for difficult times

Your body’s immune system has produced antibodies that will kill a few thousand kinds of germs and virus. Since you are alive, the chances are quite high you will survive its producing another. Here is how the system works.

2 Mar 2021

Could small synthetic antigen proteins be diagnostic tools for SARS-CoV-2?

Researchers have developed small proteins from sequences in SARS-CoV-2's RBD that bind to ACE2. These were as effective in binding to neutralizing antibodies as larger RBD proteins.

2 Mar 2021

Evonik partners with BioNTech to manufacture lipids for COVID-19 vaccine

Caused by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread across the globe.

From Evonik 2 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant shows low virulence and high shedding in hamster model

A new study compares the pathogenicity and infectiousness of one such variant, the VOC 202012/01 (B.1.1.7 lineage) from the United Kingdom, with the globally dominant D614G mutation-carrying strains.

2 Mar 2021

Successful SARS-CoV-2 vaccination hinges on non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine deployment strategies

A thought-provoking new study server discusses the factors that determine the successful use of available vaccines to mitigate incidence and mortality rates for COVID-19.

2 Mar 2021

Optimal storage protocols of wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection

A new preprint released on the medRxiv* server by researchers at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, takes this further in order to establish the limits of storage procedures while working on viral surveillance in this area.

2 Mar 2021

Moderna vaccine reduces viral spread by at least 60 percent, finds study

An interesting new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the U.S. suggests that the currently used Moderna vaccine reduces viral shedding by about 60%.

2 Mar 2021

Graphene oxide-silver nanoparticles shown to rapidly neutralize RNA viruses

While the vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are administered, and extensive research is conducted for targeted therapeutics to control the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), it is equally crucial to develop more novel, broad-spectrum antiviral compounds.

2 Mar 2021

Study shows how SARS-CoV-2 affects cytokines compared to other respiratory viruses

Respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (causing COVID-19) can often catalyze an overactive immune response that leads to a life-threatening cycle, known as a cytokine storm.

2 Mar 2021

Study shows asthma mediator IL-13 prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a paper published on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers reported the results on whether IL-13 expression in asthma patients reduces their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Mar 2021

Scientists establish infection models for SARS-CoV-2 UK & South African variants

New research suggests Syrian golden hamsters could be a potentially useful preclinical model for testing vaccine immunity against the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.17 and B.1.351 variant.

1 Mar 2021

Enduring antibody response observed after natural immunity and first Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shot

Immunity gained after natural infection from the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is boosted when people take the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a new study led by Iain C. Chapple from the University of Birmingham.

1 Mar 2021

Tier 3 interventions needed to contain SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially with emergence of variants

Studies have shown that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and partial lockdowns effectively contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, because of these measures' huge economic and social cost, the UK introduced a less socially disruptive tier system. This system was aimed at providing a consistent set of control measures with geographic flexibility.

1 Mar 2021

Study: Repurposed arthritis drug did not improve outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia

In a study published online February 25, 2021 in The New England Journal of Medicine, a repurposed drug used to treat arthritis did not significantly improve the outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

1 Mar 2021

Cellular maps capture COVID-19 pathogenesis in detail

Researchers in the United States and Finland have used tissues from people who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to generate detailed cellular maps of the pathogenetic processes that occur within affected organs during severe disease.

1 Mar 2021

Study assesses causes of higher COVID-mortality among men

Researchers in the United States, Germany and Uganda have conducted a study showing that the factors responsible for a higher rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality among males are specific to COVID-19 rather than related to men’s shorter life expectancy.

1 Mar 2021

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A recent study by scientist Robert Penner at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France utilizes free energy calculations to predict effective antiviral targets that are highly conserved, surface-accessible for interaction, and resistant to mutation.

1 Mar 2021

Is transposable element expression affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A study by researchers in Israel aims to establish whether TE expression is altered in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, and explores the implications for host immune response.

1 Mar 2021

Comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals leads to new potential treatment for COVID-19

Scientists compared the in vitro efficacy and cytotoxicity profiles of PF-00835231 and remdesivir in two human model systems for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Mar 2021