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Vaccines and drugs must be adapted to combat emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, says study

A new review of the emerging variants of concern (VOCs) of the SARS-CoV-2, which has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, shows that there is a major need to constantly re-evaluate the utility of existing therapeutics and vaccines against the virus and to develop new ones.

28 Jun 2021

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine induces robust T cell-based immunity

A recent study conducted by an international team of scientists has revealed that the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, AZD1222, is capable of inducing strong spike-specific CD4+ T cell helper type 1 (Th1) and CD8+ T-cell responses in vaccinated individuals. A detailed description of AZD1222-induced cellular immunity is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

28 Jun 2021

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children significantly affects more Black and Latino children

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) significantly affected more Black and Latino children than white children, with Black children at the highest risk, according to a new observational study of 124 pediatric patients treated at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

25 Jun 2021

Anti-inflammatory nanoparticles could be applied to the weakening muscles of DMD patients

Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic diseases that lead to the progressive loss of muscle mass and function in patients, with the incurable Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), which affects all the body's muscles primarily in boys, being particularly severe.

25 Jun 2021

Is COVID-19 more severe in pregnancy?

A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, indicates that pregnant women are more likely to develop severe disease following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

24 Jun 2021

CD39+ monocyte count higher in pregnant than non-pregnant COVID-19 patients

A new study published on the bioRxiv* server describes the changes in the representation of a subset of activated monocytes in this group of patients.

23 Jun 2021

Researchers study COVID-19 immune dysfunction in relation to phosphatidylserine

Often patients suffering from COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) show striking immune dysregulation - causing increased morbidity and mortality. Mechanisms for adaptive immune disturbance, lymphopenia, and thromboinflammation in COVID-19 are still poorly understood.

23 Jun 2021

Increased severity of COVID-19 in pregnancy

A new preprint on the medRxiv* server provides more evidence that COVID-19 likely causes a more serious phenotype to arise in pregnant women.

23 Jun 2021

Researchers analyze how breast implant surfaces influence immune response

Rice University bioengineers collaborated on a six-year study that systematically analyzed how the surface architecture of breast implants influences the development of adverse effects, including an unusual type of lymphoma.

21 Jun 2021

Western diet increases COVID-19 severity in a hamster model

Researchers have shown that a Western diet may affect viral replication, disease severity, and immune protection following infection with SARS-CoV-2.

21 Jun 2021

Could a fungus-derived compound reduce hyperinflammation in severe COVID-19?

New research from scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, demonstrates that cyclosporine A (CSA), a calcineurin inhibitor that modulates cytokine production, may have potential antiviral properties against coronaviruses.

18 Jun 2021

Which vitamins and minerals help with COVID?

A study published in the journal Inflammopharmacology reviewed recent data related to the role of vitamins and minerals in treating COVID-19 patients. The primary goal of the review is to highlight the possible therapeutic role of vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, and micronutrients as immunity boosters in COVID-19 patients.

18 Jun 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 virus and its vaccines pose unique challenges

Iranian researchers recently provided a review of the attempts made to develop safe SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The researchers outlined potential challenges and concerns, including disease enhancement, virus mutation, and public acceptability. Their work is published in the journal Immunological Investigations.

18 Jun 2021

Cinnamon compound could be useful supplement to dexamethasone in COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in Germany and the United States have conducted a study showing that supplementing dexamethasone treatment with Ceylon cinnamon in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may allow dexamethasone to be administered at lower doses, thereby avoiding the side effects that occur with high doses of the steroid.

17 Jun 2021

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

A study recently published in the journal Science explores the concept of senescent cells (SnC) having a hyperinflammatory response and the use of a class of small molecules called senolytics to combat this.

16 Jun 2021

COVID-e-Vax DNA vaccine candidate elicits robust immune responses in preclinical trials

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, describes the late-stage clinical trial efficacy of a new vaccine candidate based on a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) plasmid platform expressing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Among different constructs of the vaccine plasmid, the RBD was found to produce the most potent and broad immune response.

16 Jun 2021

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

Researchers in Canada have shown that the long-lasting immunity that develops following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by different T cell responses than those observed for influenza A virus-specific immune memory.

14 Jun 2021

Plasma zinc status not an effective prognostic factor for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Due to previous evidence suggesting that zinc deficiencies can lead to complications along with an impaired antiviral response, a group of international researchers has undertaken a prospective observational study to investigate this association further.

14 Jun 2021

Forkhead box O's potential therapeutic use in the treatment of COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi, reviewed a possible vital coalition of FoxOs - the Forkhead Box O subfamily of protein transcription factors, with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the etiological agent of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

13 Jun 2021

Humoral innate pattern recognition molecules against SARS-CoV-2

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Garlanda et al. (June 8th, 2021), humoral pattern recognition molecules are explored for affinity towards SARS-CoV-2, contributing to unraveling the role of these molecules in COVID-19 disease progression.

13 Jun 2021