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Proteomics shows SARS-CoV-2 NSP7 and NSP8 forms stable dimeric unit

A new preprint, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the structure of part of the dynamic protein-RNA complex known as the replication-transcription complex (RTC), which is crucial in the replication of the large ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome of this virus.

9 Mar 2021

Rapid increase of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant found in sewage in England between October 2020 to January 2021

A new study confirms the utility of wastewater surveillance as an important new tool in this regard by showing the presence of the UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in wastewater samples from London early in November, with increasing frequency thereafter.

9 Mar 2021

Ultraviolet light therapy reduces viral load in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Scientists from the United States has recently evaluated the safety and efficacy profiles of ultraviolet-A (UVA) light applied via an endotracheal tube to critically ill COVID-19 patients.

9 Mar 2021

Speaking whilst infected with COVID-19 may cause it to spread

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Keiko Ishii about her research efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and how speaking whilst infected can cause the virus to spread, and why wearing masks is so important.

9 Mar 2021

Over half million Americans are exposed to oil and gas “flaring” events

Researchers from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the University of Southern California have found that more than a half million Americans are exposed to oil and gas "flaring" events -; the burning off of excess natural gas at production sites -; resulting in potentially serious health risks.

9 Mar 2021

Study suggests sewer rats immune to SARS-CoV-2

Although the researchers found that the rats tested negative for the virus, they say it is important to continue monitoring animals for the virus as it mutates, making previously resistant species susceptible to infection.

8 Mar 2021

Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induce humoral protection against U.K. and S.A. variants

Researchers at the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Virology, Paris, France determined that in BNT162b2-vaccinated participants who received two doses, their sera harbored at least a neutralizing titer against the three SARS-CoV-2 variants.

8 Mar 2021

Worse problems with SARS-CoV-2 variants may be on the way

Researchers at the Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa, found evidence of a significant change in the selective forces acting on immunologically important SARS-CoV-2 genes, such as N and S. These likely coincided with the emergence of the 501Y lineages.

8 Mar 2021

How do viruses evolve in bats?

Bats have played a crucial epidemiological role in the evolution of many viruses and house many coronaviruses. Until 2002, coronaviruses had been known to cause mild respiratory ailments in human beings. However, this notion changed in the same year when a bat-borne virus caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic.

8 Mar 2021

Self-assembling nanoparticles an effective vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2

The currently developed vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 include the RBD in their immunogen. With a similar objective, a new study developed an RBD protein-based vaccine candidate against the SARS-CoV-2, using self-assembling Helicobacter pylori-bullfrog ferritin nanoparticles as an antigen delivery system. The study is published recently in the journal mBio (by the American Society of Microbiology).

8 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines modeled on South African variant may offer broad protection against other variants

Researchers in South Africa have submitted evidence that suggests that vaccines modeled on the South African variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) would not only be effective on that strain but would also function well against other variants.

8 Mar 2021

Continued vigilance needed as COVID lockdown is relaxed in England, warn researchers

Researchers have reported findings from round nine of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission Study (REACT-1) that estimates community prevalence of infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England.

8 Mar 2021

Sniffer dogs could be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections, say researchers

Researchers in Germany suggest that sniffer dogs should be considered as an additional screening tool for detecting infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

8 Mar 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis drug improves outcomes in severely ill COVID-19 patients, finds new trial

Tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, improves outcomes in severely ill COVID-19 patients, finds the results of a new trial conducted in hospitals across India -- one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries.

8 Mar 2021

Narrowing down on small molecular inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 key protease

A recent methodological study by researchers from the University of Luxembourg shows that the combination of virtual screening approaches, molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning can substantially facilitate small molecule screening investigations targeted at key SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins.

8 Mar 2021

Data from Israel’s vaccination program suggests Pizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces strong host antibody response

A team of scientists from Israel has recently evaluated the efficacy of an mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, BNT162b2, in inducing host humoral immune response. The findings reveal that the vaccine is capable of inducing strong anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody response and that the response varies significantly with age. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

8 Mar 2021

Respiratory News and Research

Proteomics shows SARS-CoV-2 NSP7 and NSP8 forms stable dimeric unit

Rapid increase of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant found in sewage in England between October 2020 to January 2021

Ultraviolet light therapy reduces viral load in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Speaking whilst infected with COVID-19 may cause it to spread

Over half million Americans are exposed to oil and gas “flaring” events

Study suggests sewer rats immune to SARS-CoV-2

Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induce humoral protection against U.K. and S.A. variants

Worse problems with SARS-CoV-2 variants may be on the way

How do viruses evolve in bats?

Self-assembling nanoparticles an effective vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines modeled on South African variant may offer broad protection against other variants

Continued vigilance needed as COVID lockdown is relaxed in England, warn researchers

Sniffer dogs could be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections, say researchers

Rheumatoid arthritis drug improves outcomes in severely ill COVID-19 patients, finds new trial

Narrowing down on small molecular inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 key protease

Data from Israel’s vaccination program suggests Pizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces strong host antibody response

Study rethinks the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry

Researchers present fragment-based computational design of antibodies that target structured epitopes

Impairments in immune response contribute to severe COVID-19

Apoptosis is an important mediator of pathogenesis in animal coronavirus infection

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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