Respiratory News and Research

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A first-in-human trial with promising MERS coronavirus vaccine

Over the past 20 years, coronaviruses have been responsible for large outbreaks, resulting in severe respiratory illness and a number of deaths.

22 Apr 2020

Antibody testing in L.A. county reveals the magnitude of coronavirus spread

After weeks of physical and social distancing measures in place, many in the U.S. are worrying about how soon they can return to normal life. However, to lift restrictions, it is critical to ascertain accurate numbers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) carriers. Doing so will decrease the chance or even avoid the second wave of infections.

22 Apr 2020

Novel polysomnography parameters provide new insight into daytime alertness in OSA patients

New polysomnography parameters are better than conventional ones at describing how the severity of oxygen desaturation during sleep affects daytime alertness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, according to a new study published in European Respiratory Journal.

22 Apr 2020

Experts share contingency plans to address increased COVID-19 cases in urban areas

In "Mobilization and Preparation of a Large Urban Academic Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic,"- published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society - experts from Philadelphia's Temple University Hospital share their contingency plans for meeting an increased demand for hospitalization, as well as their protocols and training plans to minimize health care staff exposure to COVID-19 and ensure proper active and reserve staffing.

22 Apr 2020

Research offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 gets into respiratory tissue and exploits our defenses

What makes SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, such a threat? A new study, led by Jose Ordovas-Montanes, Ph.D. at Boston Children's Hospital and Alex K. Shalek, Ph.D. at MIT, pinpoints the likely cell types the virus infects.

22 Apr 2020

Is hydroxychloroquine effective against COVID-19?

Following the emergence of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in the last month of 2019, it has spread globally to produce the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has already affected over 2.5 million and killed more than 177,000 people as of April 22, 2020.

22 Apr 2020

P-BEST: Fast efficient COVID-19 virus testing before symptoms appear

A highly promising new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 reports an efficient new method to conduct high-throughput testing of blood samples for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is causing the rapidly spreading pandemic of COVID-19 disease throughout the world. The method could revolutionize the diagnosis of new cases before they become symptomatic.

22 Apr 2020

Using community memory to figure out the incubation period for COVID-19

The COVID-19 epidemic that began at the end of 2019 in China’s Wuhan city has now spread to over 185 countries and territories, taking over 177,000 lives out of approximately 2.5 million reported cases. Without either a vaccine or a reliable cure at hand, public health authorities are stretched to contain the virus spread.

22 Apr 2020

A novel non-invasive ventilator for $75

Scientists have developed an easy-to-build, cost-effective, and non-invasive ventilator that works akin to commercial devices.

21 Apr 2020

Pets have a low risk of transmitting multi-drug resistant bugs to owners, study finds

Zoonoses are diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. About 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, just like the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that’s caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Domesticated animals such as pets can carry parasites and other pathogens to people. However, a new study suggests that pets are not a significant source of transmission to humans.

21 Apr 2020

PiCoVacc vaccine candidate for COVID-19 effective in animal trials

In a new study available on the bioRxiv preprint server, a group of researchers from China report on the pilot-scale production of a purified inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus vaccine candidate (PiCoVacc), shown to induce virus-specific neutralizing antibodies in rats, mice, and non-human primates.

21 Apr 2020

The influence of crowding on COVID-19 transmission dynamics

Researchers in the United States have analyzed the effects that geographic factors have on the spread of COVID-19 disease. They found that the epidemic intensity is significantly influenced by crowding, with epidemics in densely-populated cities lasting longer and having a more significant overall incidence.

21 Apr 2020

Immunity to coronavirus infection may help stem the pandemic

The raging coronavirus pandemic is causing immense fear and uncertainty across the world. One of the most distressing aspects of COVID-19 disease is the seemingly large number of unknowns. These include the burning question of immunity. Does a person who was sick with the COVID-19 and then recovered or was infected without symptoms, have immunity against re-infection?

21 Apr 2020

Difference between flu and novel coronavirus disease

Both influenza and COVID-19 disease are caused by infectious respiratory agents and cause symptoms that can look quite similar. Coronaviruses cause both. So, what’s the difference?

21 Apr 2020

Report finds nearly half of the U.S. population breathing polluted air

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which is responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality.

21 Apr 2020

Non-invasive, low-cost ventilator developed for regions with limited means

Researchers from the Biophysics and Bioengineering Unit of the UB have created a non-invasive low-cost ventilator, to support patients with respiratory diseases in areas with limited means.

21 Apr 2020

Sino Biological Partners with Nanommune Inc. to Develop and Market a Novel Coronavirus Multiplex Serological Assay

Sino Biological, Inc. today announced a co-development agreement with Nanommune Inc., an Irvine, California based biotechnology company specializing in the development and application of multiplex array technology.

From Sino Biological Inc. 21 Apr 2020

A new biosensor to quickly and reliably detect novel coronavirus

Jing Wang and his team at Empa and ETH Zurich usually work on measuring, analyzing and reducing airborne pollutants such as aerosols and artificially produced nanoparticles.

21 Apr 2020

How Hong Kong reduced COVID-19 transmission

Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries across the globe have imposed lockdowns in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. Still, some countries have not opted for lockdowns, and community quarantines, and still are doing well. Hong Kong, for one, appears to have averted a major COVID-19 outbreak despite not imposing lockdown.

21 Apr 2020

Australia may beat the novel coronavirus, modeling shows

Many countries are now in lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, now called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has sickened 2.47 million people worldwide, triggering many preventive measures. Now, it appears that preventive measures taken in Australia are containing the virus, according to a new modeling.

21 Apr 2020