Respiratory News and Research

RSS

SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome structure reveals potential targets for development of drugs

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus RNA genome structure was studied in detail by researchers from the University of Groningen, the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, and Leiden University.

10 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein optimized for conditions present in human airways

Researchers from Belgium and Germany demonstrated how the spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is fine-tuned towards the temperature and protease conditions of the human airways, which in turn enhances viral transmission and subsequent pathology. Their study is available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

10 Nov 2020

Endothelial cells resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from Imperial College London has conducted a series of in vitro studies to investigate the susceptibility of endothelial cells to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

10 Nov 2020

Critically ill COVID-19 patients experience novel platelet-activating immune complexes, study finds

Canadian researchers from McMaster University, Ontario, have pinpointed platelet activating immune complexes in coagulation disorders associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the condition caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

10 Nov 2020

Study examines the effects of simple measures on the health of active older adults

The DO-HEALTH study led by Zurich-based geriatrician Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari has examined the effects of simple measures on the health of healthy adults aged 70 or older.

10 Nov 2020

Severe COVID-19 linked to age, body mass index and ABO blood group

With the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting over 50 million people worldwide with hundreds of thousands experiencing severe respiratory illness, researchers have been trying to find the factors associated with severe disease. From the start of the pandemic in March this year, several studies have indicated heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. could be linked to severe disease. Now German researchers have published a study on the association between severe respiratory infection caused by SARS CoV-2 and factors such as age, body mass index (BMI) and ABO blood group.

10 Nov 2020

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations resistant to antibodies

Using a set of different monoclonal antibodies, researchers determined different mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that leads to resistance. Understanding these resistant mutations is important in developing effective therapeutic strategies.

10 Nov 2020

Mask wearing, social distancing considerably reduce incidence of many diseases

Measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as mask wearing and social distancing are a key tool in combatting the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

10 Nov 2020

Scientist develop compact, portable sanitizing device for masks and other items

COVID-19 has significantly increased public use of face masks to protect others from the wearer's respiratory droplets as well as the wearer from airborne contaminants.

10 Nov 2020

Exosome-mediated mRNA delivery generates broad immune response to multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Recently, researchers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA, and Capricor Therapeutics, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA, USA, described a new approach to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development using exosomes to deliver mRNAs that encode the antigens from multiple structural proteins of the virus.

9 Nov 2020

Using wastewater epidemiology to monitor SARS-CoV-2 in Houston

Now, a team of researchers at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Houston Health Department show SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater levels to be a strong predictive of trends in the nasal positivity rate two weeks in advance. This could help track the positivity rate for populations, speeding up the isolation and treatment of infected people.

9 Nov 2020

After SARS-CoV-2 antibodies fade B and T-cells persist

Now, an international team of thirty researchers from Sweden, Italy, Germany, the USA, and China aimed to determine the longevity of the immune response against SARS-CoV-2, particularly the specific memory B-cell and T-cell responses over time in convalescent COVID-19 patients.

9 Nov 2020

Aspirin to be tested as a potential COVID-19 treatment as part of RECOVERY trial

Now, in new research, the everyday painkiller aspirin will be evaluated as a potential treatment for COVID-19 in one of the United Kingdom’s most significant trials, aiming to evaluate whether it can reduce the risk of blood clots in infected people.

9 Nov 2020

Research explores links between Alzheimer's and Parkinson′s to COVID-19

In a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, Dr. L. Miguel Martins and colleagues from the University of Cambridge investigate the links between neurodegeneration and COVID-19.

9 Nov 2020

Heart rate data from wearable devices helps predict SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States has developed a digital platform to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and related symptoms in healthcare personnel.

9 Nov 2020

Study sheds light on the high burden of late effects among young survivors of acute myeloid leukemia

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a high risk of developing several long-term health complications, a study led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers has found.

9 Nov 2020

Melatonin may be a viable treatment option for COVID-19, study suggests

Results from a new Cleveland Clinic-led study suggest that melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is commonly used as an over-the-counter sleep aid, may be a viable treatment option for COVID-19.

9 Nov 2020

Clinicians' antibiotic-prescribing patterns can impact patients' future antibiotic use

Receiving an initial antibiotic prescription for a viral acute respiratory infection--the type of infection that doesn't respond to antibiotics--increases the likelihood that a patient or their spouse will seek care for future such infections and will receive subsequent antibiotic prescriptions, according to the findings of a study from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

9 Nov 2020

Study suggests herd immunity to COVID-19 in New York City is low

Researchers in the United States have estimated that the proportion of people in New York City who developed antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is around one in eight.

9 Nov 2020

Promising yeast-expressed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate effective in mice

Researchers at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, USA, have published a report on the preprint server bioRxiv that describes a yeast-expressed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein, a key target of current vaccine development efforts.

9 Nov 2020