Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

How often does SARS-CoV-2 infect alongside another viruses?

Researchers have been exploring data from COVID-19 patients tested at hospitals or clinics that also look for evidence of other diseases.

28 Nov 2021

The introduction and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma in Venezuela

Researchers from the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científica investigate the introduction of one of the VOCs into Venezuela.

28 Nov 2021

Prediction of severe infection based on SARS-CoV-2 genomic analysis

A group of researchers have used these SARS-CoV-2 sequence data and developed an algorithm to predict severity based upon viral mutations.

26 Nov 2021

A review of natural immunity, vaccines, and variants in SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

In a literature review article published in the Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, authors from the US performed a thorough investigation of previous studies and case reports of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. This review discusses the role of natural immunity, vaccines, and SARS-CoV-2 variants in reinfection.

25 Nov 2021

Study explores adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2-induced antibody responses

The authors of a research paper published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology used Sandwich ELISA tests to determine the distribution of IgG sub-classes and complement activation levels in plasma from convalescent individuals.

25 Nov 2021

Study demonstrates effectiveness of two doses of BBV152 vaccine against COVID-19

In a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers investigated the effectiveness of the BBV152 vaccine among employees of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

25 Nov 2021

Breakthrough infections from SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant among vaccinated healthcare workers

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server employed in-silico techniques, combining genomic and epidemiological data, to determine possible Delta-variant transmission events between vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) in Indian hospitals.

25 Nov 2021

Serum SARS-CoV-2 antigen: A better predictor of COVID-19 severity

In this perspective, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server analyzed the clinical efficacy of two serum antigen tests to identify SARS CoV-2 infection and evaluate the kinetics of serum nucleocapsid (N) antigen in severe and non-severe patients for disease severity prediction.

24 Nov 2021

Can dexamethasone reduce prolonged COVID-19 symptoms?

A new study assesses hospitalized patients after recovering from COVID-19 by comparing the individuals before and after being treated with dexamethasone.

24 Nov 2021

Healthcare workers at increased SARS-CoV-2 infection risk during second wave

A new study evaluates the SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among healthcare workers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Nov 2021

Markers of SARS-CoV-2 shedding in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals

The study uses serial mid-turbinate nasal specimens collected from a subset of incarcerated persons infected during this outbreak.

24 Nov 2021

Limited immune responses three months after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination among elderly

In this study, published on the medRxiv* preprint server, the humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 was assessed before and after three months of administration of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech). In addition, elders' humoral responses were compared to those of a younger group, and a functional neutralization experiment against the Wuhan-Hu-1 (WH1) virus and the Delta variant was carried out.

23 Nov 2021

Oral Hsp90 inhibitor SNX-5422 interferes with replication machinery of SARS-CoV-2

A new study evaluates the efficacy of SNX-5422 as a post-exposure prophylactic treatment.

23 Nov 2021

Study shows risk of MIS-C post mRNA vaccination against COVID-19 in children with autoimmune complications

Researchers discuss two cases of MIS-V after the patients had received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2).

23 Nov 2021

Paper-based innovations for COVID-19 diagnosis

A review discusses paper-based devices and platforms targeting SARS-CoV-2 for low-cost PoC diagnosis and serological antibody testing.

22 Nov 2021

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody using electrochemical biosensing based on hydrogen bonding

Turkish researchers discuss their rapid electrochemical biosensing platform to detect the SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody.

22 Nov 2021

Success of covid antiviral pills hinges on access to speedy and accurate tests

Within a few weeks, perhaps before many Americans finish decorating for the holidays, the U.S. could have access to a new antiviral pill from Merck expected to alter the deadly trajectory of the covid-19 pandemic — with a second option from Pfizer to follow shortly after.

22 Nov 2021

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during Delta variant predominance

A new study investigated the continued effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during the delta variant predominance in a diverse and urban healthcare setting.

19 Nov 2021

Air filter and floor sampling to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in schools

A study recently published on the medRxiv* preprint server observed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in five schools (96 classrooms) in Davis, California (USA), by collecting weekly surface-swab samples from classroom floors and/or portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) units.

18 Nov 2021