Respiratory News and Research

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Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibodies in blood and breastmilk simultaneously, finds study

A new study adds to the sum of knowledge around this issue, showing a highly synchronized and rapid development of an antibody response in breast milk and serum, which reached stable levels around two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine was administered.

10 Mar 2021

Tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas can be effective against COVID-19

As the fight against COVID-19 continues, scientists have turned to an unlikely source for a potentially effective treatment: tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas.

10 Mar 2021

New study may lead to therapeutic strategies for chronic lung disease

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have implicated a type of immune cell in the development of chronic lung disease that sometimes is triggered following a respiratory viral infection.

10 Mar 2021

Smoke from local wildfires can affect the health of Colorado residents, shows study

Smoke from local wildfires can affect the health of Colorado residents, in addition to smoke from fires in forests as far away as California and the Pacific Northwest.

10 Mar 2021

Research demonstrates multivalent nanobodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, researchers isolated anti-RBD nanobodies from llamas and “nanomice” (they engineered to produce VHHs cloned from alpacas, dromedaries and camels).

10 Mar 2021

Analysis shows moderate evidence for SARS-CoV-2 recombination

Recently, a team of researchers from the US performed a comprehensive recombination analysis across all medically relevant human coronaviruses, including 158,118 public seasonal hCoV, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV genome sequences with the help of the RDP4 software. They aimed at identifying the current and future risks of the emergence of recombinants of SARS-CoV-2

10 Mar 2021

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

In a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers analyzed viral loads from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in an extensive university surveillance program.

9 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

The study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv*, highlights the need to study viral evolution and pathogenesis in human and animal hosts. This could help prevent future outbreaks that may mimic the magnitude of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Mar 2021

Scientists study seven human coronavirus envelope proteins using topology prediction and molecular modeling

A new study by researchers at the University of the Western Cape aimed to determine why some coronaviruses are more virulent than others. The team speculates that the increased flexibility of the PDZ-binding motif (PBM) of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS22 CoV-2 to be more flexible than the PBM of hCoVs 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.

9 Mar 2021

Study finds reduction in pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations during the pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children's hospitals across the United States have seen signification reductions in the number of children being treated for common pediatric illnesses like asthma and pneumonia, according to a new multicenter study led by Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

9 Mar 2021

Vaccine mRNA not found in breast milk after COVID mRNA vaccination

A study conducted by researchers in the United States has found no evidence to suggest that the messenger RNA (mRNA) present in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be transferred to human breast milk.

9 Mar 2021

UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be more deadly than previous strains

Researchers have conducted a study showing that the B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the UK is associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared with the viral strain previously circulating in the country.

9 Mar 2021

CBD ameliorates cognitive function in experimental model of familial Alzheimer's

A two-week course of high doses of CBD helps restore the function of two proteins key to reducing the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and improves cognition in an experimental model of early onset familial Alzheimer's, investigators report.

9 Mar 2021

A genetic variant of TMPRSS2 may confer protection against severe COVID-19

Among a large sample of COVID-19 patients, researchers found that a genetic variant – caused by an amino acid substitution from valine to methionine – is associated with a reduced chance of severe disease.

9 Mar 2021

Researchers examine susceptibility of raccoons and striped skunks to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers from the University of Georgia, USA, have found some members of the superfamily Musteloidea – the group that includes badgers and weasels – appear to not only have no effects of the virus, but do little in spreading it.

9 Mar 2021

Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans

In a recent report made available on bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from Poland and Finland reveal a spillover event of mink-adapted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from farmed mink to humans after an extensive adaptation process.

9 Mar 2021

Higher levels of airborne pollen increase SARS-CoV-2 infection rates

When airborne pollen levels are higher, increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates can be observed. These results were determined by a large-scale study conducted by an international team headed by researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum München.

9 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2's amyloid-driving nucleoprotein could inform future therapeutic research

New research led by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the US suggests that functional amyloid fibrils could play an integral role in developing COVID-19 treatments.

9 Mar 2021

Greater cross-neutralization against UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in vaccinated individuals with prior infection

A team of researchers in Spain has observed that, of those who have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, higher titers of neutralizing antibodies for the B.1.1.7 variant (originating in the UK) were present in those who had previously been infected with the virus.

9 Mar 2021

Study reveals increased hospitalization rates in older adults following tropical cyclones

An increase in overall hospitalizations was reported for older adults in the week following exposure to a tropical cyclone, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University's Earth Institute and colleagues at Colorado State University and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

9 Mar 2021

Respiratory News and Research

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibodies in blood and breastmilk simultaneously, finds study

Tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas can be effective against COVID-19

New study may lead to therapeutic strategies for chronic lung disease

Smoke from local wildfires can affect the health of Colorado residents, shows study

Research demonstrates multivalent nanobodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations

Analysis shows moderate evidence for SARS-CoV-2 recombination

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

Scientists study seven human coronavirus envelope proteins using topology prediction and molecular modeling

Study finds reduction in pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations during the pandemic

Vaccine mRNA not found in breast milk after COVID mRNA vaccination

UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be more deadly than previous strains

CBD ameliorates cognitive function in experimental model of familial Alzheimer's

A genetic variant of TMPRSS2 may confer protection against severe COVID-19

Researchers examine susceptibility of raccoons and striped skunks to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans

Higher levels of airborne pollen increase SARS-CoV-2 infection rates

SARS-CoV-2's amyloid-driving nucleoprotein could inform future therapeutic research

Greater cross-neutralization against UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in vaccinated individuals with prior infection

Study reveals increased hospitalization rates in older adults following tropical cyclones

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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