Respiratory News and Research

RSS

Researchers develop new tool for predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 missense variants

A new study by a team of researchers in the UK and US describes the use of a computational tool that generates all possible single amino acid substitutions in SARS-CoV-2 and predicts their effects.

26 Feb 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein-epithelial cell junction protein complex explains virulence

A new study by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University in the U.S. describes the key interaction between the viral envelope (E) protein and the human cell junction protein, PALS1. The latter is necessary to establish and maintain cell polarity and tight junctions between cells.

26 Feb 2021

Inhalable nanobody shows potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vivo

Researchers have developed a stable and ultrapotent homotrimeric Pittsburgh inhalable Nanobody 21 (PiN-21) against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian hamsters. They demonstrated the high therapeutic efficacy of this homotrimeric Nb, leveraging both intranasal and aerosol delivery.

26 Feb 2021

What is the impact of demographics and air quality on COVID-19 mortality?

A new piece of research was conducted using a wide range of variables related to demographic and environmental factors in New York State (NYS), USA. NYS consists of urban and ethnically diverse counties, some of which are population-dense while others are population-sparse.

26 Feb 2021

Is one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 convalescents sufficient?

Researchers evaluated the immune response in a cohort of 1,089 healthcare workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Southern California.

26 Feb 2021

Mandatory public health measures to combat COVID-19 are more effective, says study

In a new study, researchers at Lundberg Health Advocates and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S. compared mandatory and voluntary implementations of shelter-in-place policies. They assessed their respective bearings on COVID-19 mortality, equity, and economic outcomes.

26 Feb 2021

Study: Stay-at-home ordinance had positive effects on health and well-being of residents

A study by physiology researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso found that El Paso's stay-at-home ordinance due to the COVID-19 pandemic had positive effects on the health and well-being of the region's residents.

26 Feb 2021

Antibody and T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 persist up to 8 months: Study of Ski Resort Ischgl

The first instance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in Austria was observed in the Ski resort Ischgl in early March 2020. Later, the virus spread across Austria and other countries in Northern Europe.

25 Feb 2021

Pre-existing cross-reactive HCoV antibodies could protect against SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers from Spain and Canada recently characterized the antibody kinetics and neutralization capacity at 4 cross-sectional surveys between March and October 2020 and determined the seroprevalence in the same cohort of healthcare workers.

25 Feb 2021

Microbes could predict fatal outcomes in ventilated COVID-19 patients

The study "Microbial signatures in the lower airways of mechanically ventilated COVID19 patients associated with poor clinical outcome" is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

25 Feb 2021

Study finds link between Googling symptoms and COVID-19 cases

Yasser El-Manzalawy and colleagues from Geisinger sought to find patterns with Google searches that could predict coronavirus spread. Based on Google search trends for nine symptoms, the team suggests their model can estimate the number of COVID-19 cases across the United States up to three weeks ahead.

25 Feb 2021

KAUST researchers develop a safe, fast and cheap testing method to detect viruses

A safe, fast and cheap testing method that uses magnetic nanoparticles to detect viruses in both clinical and wastewater samples has been developed by KAUST researchers.

25 Feb 2021

CRISPR screen identifies clinically approved immunosuppressants that could treat coronavirus infections

Researchers in Switzerland and Germany have identified host cell factors required for coronavirus replication that could serve as targets for treatment with clinically-approved drugs.

25 Feb 2021

Study pinpoints potential transmission advantage of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7

Researchers in the UK have shown that the increased transmissibility of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage B.1.1.7 that emerged in the UK during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic does not appear to be the result of increased viral replication or immune escape.

25 Feb 2021

FDA approval provides targeted treatment option for patients with rare DMD mutation

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval for Amondys 45 (casimersen) injection for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 45 skipping (Exons are pieces of DNA that provide information for making proteins in a person's genome).

25 Feb 2021

Abnormal sodium levels predict respiratory failure and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and abnormal sodium levels in the blood have an increased risk of experiencing respiratory failure or dying, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

25 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation limits host immune suppression, finds study

Researchers have identified a high variability in the C-terminal end of ORF7a in SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected from around the globe. They noted that mutations result in a defective suppression of interferon and lowered replication rate.

25 Feb 2021

SNX-5422 could make an effective COVID-19 prophylactic, says study

SNX-5422 is a heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor currently undergoing clinical trials as a cancer therapeutic. A recent study examines the applicability of repurposing the drug towards severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication inhibition.

25 Feb 2021

Study reports lasting immune response in convalescent COVID-19 patients

Researchers report the cellular immune response of convalescent patients in Germany, who recovered from mild or moderate infection compared to that of healthy people with no history of COVID-19.

25 Feb 2021

Study addresses COVID-19 pandemic concerns and guidelines for increasing food safety

A team of researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed food practices and safety protocols for workers in food-processing plants.

25 Feb 2021

Respiratory News and Research

Researchers develop new tool for predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 missense variants

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein-epithelial cell junction protein complex explains virulence

Inhalable nanobody shows potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vivo

What is the impact of demographics and air quality on COVID-19 mortality?

Is one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 convalescents sufficient?

Mandatory public health measures to combat COVID-19 are more effective, says study

Study: Stay-at-home ordinance had positive effects on health and well-being of residents

Antibody and T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 persist up to 8 months: Study of Ski Resort Ischgl

Pre-existing cross-reactive HCoV antibodies could protect against SARS-CoV-2

Microbes could predict fatal outcomes in ventilated COVID-19 patients

Study finds link between Googling symptoms and COVID-19 cases

KAUST researchers develop a safe, fast and cheap testing method to detect viruses

CRISPR screen identifies clinically approved immunosuppressants that could treat coronavirus infections

Study pinpoints potential transmission advantage of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7

FDA approval provides targeted treatment option for patients with rare DMD mutation

Abnormal sodium levels predict respiratory failure and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation limits host immune suppression, finds study

SNX-5422 could make an effective COVID-19 prophylactic, says study

Study reports lasting immune response in convalescent COVID-19 patients

Study addresses COVID-19 pandemic concerns and guidelines for increasing food safety

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News