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Northwestern researchers continue investigation on all aspects of COVID-19 pandemic

Northwestern Medicine scientists continue to investigate all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic: from molecular mechanisms of infection, to child hospitalization and single-dose vaccine response.

28 Aug 2021

Pregnant women with COVID-19 are more susceptible to pre-eclampsia

A review of the scientific literature published by Brazilian researchers shows that pregnant women infected by the novel coronavirus run a higher risk of developing pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterized by persistent high blood pressure, usually in the second half of pregnancy or shortly after delivery.

26 Aug 2021

Oral mucosa identified as potential target for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study suggested that ACE2 receptors are expressed in oral tissues, making the oral cavity an important potential entry point of SARS-CoV-2.

26 Aug 2021

The influence of COVID-19 on platelet activation and aggregation

In a paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server, humanized ACE2 mice are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and platelets are subsequently isolated from the blood for quantitative proteomic analysis.

26 Aug 2021

Scientists assess SARS-CoV-2 mutants in ferret hosts

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by the cause of SARS-CoV-2 mutations observed in mink and ferrets is investigated, and the danger posed by such mutations to humans assessed.

26 Aug 2021

Could soluble CD24 offer some hope against severe COVID-19?

A recent randomized phase III trial conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, US, evaluated the impact of CD24Fc in severe COVID-19 patients and showed promising clinical efficacy. This study is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

26 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant increased COVID-19 severity in Scotland's 3rd wave

A team of UK-based scientists has recently revealed that the alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the third pandemic wave in Scotland and that the variant is associated with more severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta likely to acquire resistance to wild-type spike vaccines

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* explores the mechanism of the Delta variant's high infectivity and suggests a plausible pathway by which the Delta variant could escape from vaccine-induced immunity.

24 Aug 2021

Compounds from medicinal mushrooms may be our future weapon against SARS-CoV-2

Certain steroid-like compounds from Taiwan's endemic medicinal mushrooms (known as antcins) may inhibit a host cell receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and, thus, prevent viral infection and subsequent development of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), reports a new study published in the MDPI's journal Plants.

24 Aug 2021

Glycyrrhizic acid as a drug candidate for COVID-19

A new study presents the benefits of licorice, an age-old herbal remedy, to treat COVID-19 at all stages.

24 Aug 2021

COVID-19 with pre-eclampsia and acute fatty liver of pregnancy

A new study reports a case of pre-eclampsia complicated by the acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP).

24 Aug 2021

Broad-spectrum coronavirus neutralization amongst vaccinated SARS-CoV-1 survivors

The potency of neutralizing antibodies in individuals who have recovered from SARS-CoV and received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is evaluated.

23 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 affect male fertility?

A recently published review describes the state of current knowledge regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the male reproductive system.

23 Aug 2021

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

A new study details the genomic characteristics and descent of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest.

23 Aug 2021

Study uses computational modeling of coronavirus spike proteins to examine dynamics responsible for immunogenicity and immune escape

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server focused on the development of dynamic computational models for a large subset of S proteins of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

23 Aug 2021

A systematic review of in vitro studies evaluating the efficacy of mouth rinses on SARS-CoV-2

A new study aims to evaluate the current body of published in vitro research related to the efficacy of mouthwashes in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations alter dynamics of neutralizing antibodies

A new study describes how monoclonal antibodies raised against SARS-CoV-2 are affected by mutations in the antibody binding site.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant escapes immune response via spike mutations

A new study explores the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant has acquired immune evasion capabilities above that of the wildtype.

20 Aug 2021

Study points to a novel strategy for developing broad-spectrum vaccines against coronaviruses

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) found that 2003 SARS survivors who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine produced highly potent functional antibodies that are capable of neutralizing not only all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns (VOCs) but also other animal coronaviruses that have the potential to cause human infection.

20 Aug 2021

Researchers discover glycan 'gates' that open to allow SARS-CoV-2 entry

Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells.

19 Aug 2021