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Cloth masks should be machine washed daily during COVID-19, study says

A team of researchers reports that cloth masks effectively protect against infection if they are washed every day. The researchers recommend daily washing of cloth masks at high temperatures to reduce the likelihood of contamination and transmission of viruses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

11 Oct 2020

Elevated plasma ACE2 activity persists months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Recently, researchers from the University of Melbourne and Immune Therapies Group, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, reported that downregulation of cardiac ACE2 is linked to increased plasma ACE2 activity. This study is summarized in a preprint paper published in medRxiv.

11 Oct 2020

Temporal predictors of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Researchers in a recent paper published as a preprint on the preprint medRxiv, study the clinical factors, the laboratory assays to streamline plasma donor selection, and the durability of nAb responses in adults.

11 Oct 2020

New study reports on extremely potent human monoclonal antibodies for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have recovered and identified the various types of neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 from convalescent COVID-19 patients. Of these, they identified three that are extremely potent and could be used to develop treatment therapies.

11 Oct 2020

Vaccines likely to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation

The emergence of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutation D614G has raised many questions, including whether it will cause the virus to become resistant to the vaccines produced against earlier versions of the virus. A new study published in the journal npj Vaccines in October 2020 shows that this may be an unfounded fear.

11 Oct 2020

Rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 with functionalized magnetic nanoparticles

A recent study published on the preprint server arXiv in October 2020 shows the potential for using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles to detect the presence of the virus in a sample.

11 Oct 2020

Analysis of existing comorbidities and COVID-19 mortality

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, and research related to potential risk factors for COVID-19 mortality continues, it is becoming clear that individuals with underlying comorbidities have a greater risk of death from COVID-19. The exact contribution of different comorbidities is unclear, however. Now, a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE dissects this topic and may help to quantify the risk posed by specific conditions and offer help with the prognosis.

11 Oct 2020

Pathways contributing to hypercoagulability in severe SARS‐CoV‐2 patients

In a study by researchers explored the possible mechanisms of the clotting disorder, focusing on the role of hypoxia-related activation of coagulation factors; cytokine storm, activation of neutrophils, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps.

11 Oct 2020

Fetal brain models could predict neurodevelopmental outcomes of COVID-19 exposure

Researchers in the United States and Sweden have created personalized models of fetal brain microglia to investigate the effects of maternal infection on the developing brain, including infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Oct 2020

Exciting findings on CD8 T cell response in recovered COVID patients

An international team of scientists has identified novel T cell-recognized epitopes spanning different proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in COVID-19 recovered patients. The scientists have also revealed phenotypical characteristics of the T cell population.

11 Oct 2020

Penn receives $4.5 million NIH grant to create a comprehensive resource for women’s health

Junhyong Kim, PhD, Chair and Patricia M. Williams Professor of Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences, and Kate O'Neill, MD MTR, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Perelman School of Medicine, have been awarded a Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) grant supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development and the Common Fund of the National Institutes of Health.

9 Oct 2020

Study examines ways to improve prone positioning for severe ARDS during COVID-19 pandemic

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines ways to increase the use of prone positioning for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and develops specific implementation strategies that can assist in clinicians' response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Oct 2020

86 percent of the UK's COVID-19 patients have no symptoms

Many people who contract the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), develop only mild and moderate symptoms. A small fraction of those infected develop severe symptoms, which usually occur in people who are at higher risk due to comorbidities.

9 Oct 2020

Scientists recreate initial steps of HIV infection in a test tube

Accomplishing a feat that had been a pipe dream for decades, scientists have recreated in a test tube the first steps of infection by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

9 Oct 2020

Clear and unequivocal evidence we should washing our hands during COVID-19

The study shows that Americans are washing their hands much more they did before the coronavirus pandemic. However, the groups who are less likely to remember to wash their hands on multiple occasions were white people, men, and those between the ages of 18 and 24.

9 Oct 2020

Mass production of SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 protein using a chemical-inducible system in tobacco BY-2 cells

Researchers from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) and Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan, recently attempted to synthesize the ORF8 protein with the help of a chemical-inducible protein production system using tobacco BY-2 cells. This study has been published demonstrated in the preprint server, bioRxiv.

9 Oct 2020

Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early formation of sperm and egg cells normally is limited to assure fertility.

8 Oct 2020

Breakthrough genetic discovery into the cause of severe neurological conditions

Researchers have made a breakthrough genetic discovery into the cause of a spectrum of severe neurological conditions.

8 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 survives on human skin for 9 hours

Japanese researchers have now studied the survival possibilities of the flu virus and the SARS-CoV-2 on human skin. Their study titled, "Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19," was published in the latest issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

8 Oct 2020

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence in built environments

In a recent paper in an open-access journal, mSystems, published by The American Society for Microbiology, Ceth W. Parker et al. show challenges in recovering the virus, change in infectivity, and the case of viral persistence in built environments.

8 Oct 2020