Respiratory News and Research

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SARS-CoV-2 spike D614G variant exhibits enhanced replication and transmissibility

A team of scientists from Switzerland, Germany, and the USA has demonstrated that the S-614G variant can easily bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the cellular gateway of SARS-CoV-2. The variant also showed enhanced replication and transmissibility in animal models.

2 Nov 2020

Study identifies new cause of COVID-19 blood clots

Blood clots continue to wreak havoc for patients with severe COVID-19 infection, and a new study explains what may spark them in up to half of patients.

2 Nov 2020

Research finds detectable but low-level SARS-CoV-2 contamination on public surfaces

A team of researchers at Tufts University found that 8.3 percent of surface samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including crosswalk buttons, trash can handles, and door handles of essential business entrances such as grocery stores, banks, gas stations, and liquor stores.

2 Nov 2020

WHO welcomes SHINE trial results on shorter treatment for drug-susceptible TB in children

The World Health Organization's Global TB Programme welcomes the results from an important study on shortened treatment for drug-susceptible tuberculosis in children, presented at the 51st virtual Union World Conference on Lung Health.

2 Nov 2020

The Sun plays a role in the evolution of viral respiratory epidemics

Why do most viral epidemics spread cyclically in autumn and winter in the globe's temperate regions? According to an interdisciplinary team of researchers of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, the University of Milan, the Lombardy regional agency for the environment and the Don Gnocchi Foundation, the answer is intimately related to our Sun: their theoretical model shows that both the prevalence and evolution of epidemics are strongly correlated with the amount of daily solar irradiation that hits a given location on the Earth at a given time of the year.

2 Nov 2020

Is it safe to resume cruise operations? CDC issues safety guidelines

Nearly a year into the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries are easing restrictions to rebuild their economies. At the same time, many industries are trying to return to a new normal, one of which being the cruise sector. Prior to the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19, the cruise industry represented 2% of the worldwide travel and tourism industry.

2 Nov 2020

Genomic sequence of the White House "superspreader" event

Now, a new study revealed the genetic signature of the SARS-CoV-2 that spread in the White House and most likely infected President Trump. The team applied genomic epidemiology to shed light on the origins of the outbreak

2 Nov 2020

Exposure to environmental immunotoxicants may worsen outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers recently carried out a study in Denmark in which they determined the plasma PFAS concentrations in individuals with a confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

2 Nov 2020

Research shows how remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication

In a recent bioRxiv preprint, a research team from Germany, Goran Kokic et al. study the molecular mechanism of remdesivir-induced stalling of RdRp - using synthetic RNA chemistry, biochemistry, and cryo-electron microscopy.

2 Nov 2020

Ethacridine blocks SARS-CoV-2 with a distinct mode of action

Now, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and Stanford University, California, USA, reported a safe and potent antiseptic for use in humans named ethacridine, which effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 even at very low concentrations of EC50 ~ 0.08 µM. Their work has is published on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

1 Nov 2020

5-amino levulinic acid inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Researchers tested 5-amino levulinic acid in vitro in human-derived cells and found it prevents severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Because it is safe and ubiquitous in plants and animals, it could be a potential drug against SARS-CoV-2.

1 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 virus may target red marrow and prevent the formation of new erythrocytes

Specialists from the Department of Fundamental Medicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with Russian and Japanese colleagues have probed into mechanisms of COVID-19 inside-the-body distribution linked to erythrocytes damaging.

30 Oct 2020

Washing hands and Halloween candy can reduce COVID-19 exposure risk

New research shows that COVID-19 exposure risk from contaminated candy could be successfully mitigated both by washing hands and washing candy using a simple at-home method. A team of researchers published this work today in mSystems, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

30 Oct 2020

Study analyzes the viral load on Halloween candy handled by COVID-19 patients

Like a specter, the question looms: How risky is trick-or-treating with SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the air -- and possibly on the candy?

30 Oct 2020

E-health app supported care improves COPD outcomes compared to usual treatment

COPD is a common respiratory condition and one of the top causes of hospital admissions each year, particularly during winter months. In the UK it accounts for over 140,000 hospital admissions and one million bed days at a major cost to the NHS.

30 Oct 2020

Study examines link between SARS-CoV-2 genomic load and COVID-19 patient outcomes

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines whether the amount of RNA, or genomic load, of SARS-CoV-2 detected in swab tests of patients being admitted to the hospital with viral pneumonia is associated with more severe COVID-19.

30 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins can directly impact the blood-brain barrier

Like a key, SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - attaches to specific molecules on the host cell surface, opening gateways into the cell interior.

30 Oct 2020

Seroprevalence and immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in Paris

François Anna et al. published this study in a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, where they present the results of assessing the serological response in the selected population. They tested for specific IgG response against the SARS CoV-2 Nucleoprotein and Spike protein and performed a pseudo-neutralization assay in sera of urban dwellers in Paris.

30 Oct 2020

Booster dose enhances immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in aged mice

Now, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* shows that a single dose of the vaccine has induced cellular and humoral immunity in aged or older mice. A second dosage was needed to enhance the vaccine's immune response, showing that a prime-boost strategy may be an essential step to boost immunogenicity in the elderly.

30 Oct 2020

COVID-19 study: Researchers recruit frontline workers to identify asymptomatic individuals

Fifteen hundred frontline workers are being recruited for a yearlong study to find what percentage are positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, what percentage become positive and whether the antibodies they produce protect them from reinfection.

30 Oct 2020