SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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Differences in monocyte subsets between severe COVID-19 and long COVID

Researchers in the United States and Costa Rica have identified differences in the proportions of monocyte subsets that occur in severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), often referred to as “Long COVID”.

28 Jun 2021

Study suggests vitamin B12 as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral

Researchers in the UK and Spain have used a novel drug screening approach to identify compounds that could serve as effective antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

28 Jun 2021

UIC researchers offer free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are offering free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities and performing genomic sequencing on the samples to identify variants.

28 Jun 2021

Study shows rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 Delta lineage in Ontario, Canada

A recent short report from Canada, currently available on medRxiv* preprint server, shows a rapid increase in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) cases characterized by the N501Y-/E484K- mutation in the Ontario province, which implies that Delta variant will rapidly overtake the Alpha variant.

28 Jun 2021

Specific lung cell exhibits immune properties and improves respiratory viral disease outcomes

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have discovered that a specific type of lung cell exhibits unconventional immune properties and may contribute to the outcome of respiratory viral infections.

28 Jun 2021

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

In a new scientific investigation headed by the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, water from African and Mongolian waterholes as well as bloodmeals from Southeast Asian leeches were assessed for the ability to retrieve mammalian viruses without the need to find and catch the mammals.

28 Jun 2021

RAMBO can cut indexing times for huge DNA databases

Rice University computer scientists are sending RAMBO to rescue genomic researchers who sometimes wait days or weeks for search results from enormous DNA databases.

28 Jun 2021

Could the activation of FcγRIII/CD16 by anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 antibodies independently determine COVID-19 severity?

A team of scientists from Germany recently investigated whether hyperactivation of immune receptors that recognize the Fc part of an IgG molecule (FcγR) can lead to immunopathologic changes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. They have observed that hyperactivation of FcγRIII (CD16) by proinflammatory IgG antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can significantly contribute to COVID-19 related immunopathology.

28 Jun 2021

Novel face mask can diagnose Covid-19 in 90 minutes

Engineers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a novel face mask that can diagnose the wearer with Covid-19 within about 90 minutes. The masks are embedded with tiny, disposable sensors that can be fitted into other face masks and could also be adapted to detect other viruses.

28 Jun 2021

UK study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic cats and dogs

Researchers analyzed sera from pet cats and dogs and found them to have developed antibodies against the virus later on during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that viral prevalence among the human populations could have led to the pets becoming infected.

28 Jun 2021

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

Researchers compared peripheral blood mononuclear cells in people with high and low antibody titers after two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine. They found a positive correlation between naïve B cells present before vaccination and high antibody titers.

28 Jun 2021

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

New research suggests that if a lockdown had been imposed earlier on in superspreader cities like São Paulo, mandatory road traffic restrictions had been enforced, and ICU beds had been allocated more equitably across geographical regions, Brazil’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might have been mitigated.

28 Jun 2021

Study finds minimal SARS-CoV-2 viral load in vaginal secretions

The virus has also been observed to be present in blood, urine, feces, and tears, though not in semen. Vaginal secretions have not been consistently shown to be positive for the virus in most studies. The authors of a new study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine affirm that the presence of the virus in the vagina is rare, irrespective of pregnancy.

28 Jun 2021

Resting heart rate variability predicts emotional resilience during COVID-19 restrictions

An interesting new study available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server suggests that vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) is a physiological marker of resilience to stress by indicating how well an individual handles the emotions when faced with changes in the surroundings.

28 Jun 2021

Could microalgae-derived antiviral compounds combat SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses?

A new review article published in the journal Antibiotics reports the presence of a large number of bioactive compounds in microalgae that target chemical structures present only in their structure.

28 Jun 2021

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

Tocilizumab and sarilumab shown to be effective in critical COVID-19

A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes how a team of researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands explored the efficacy of four monoclonal antibodies that antagonize powerful pro-inflammatory pathways. The team sought to determine which were useful in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients on organ support.

28 Jun 2021

An affordable, scalable and highly sensitive virus-genome-based testing approach

Aiming to reduce human suffering, economic costs, and restrictions on personal freedom caused by COVID-19 to a minimum, researchers from Germany and Austria proposed an alternative method - efficient population-based genome-based testing.

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

Why SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is more infectious

German experts recently explained why the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant is more infectious and pathogenic than its ancestor. By conducting a series of in vitro experiments, they have revealed that increased ability to induce cell-to-cell fusion (syncytia) and reduced susceptibility to vaccine and infection-induced antibodies make the delta variant more infectious than previously circulating variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

28 Jun 2021

SARS CoV 2 News and Research

Differences in monocyte subsets between severe COVID-19 and long COVID

Study suggests vitamin B12 as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral

UIC researchers offer free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities

Study shows rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 Delta lineage in Ontario, Canada

Specific lung cell exhibits immune properties and improves respiratory viral disease outcomes

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

RAMBO can cut indexing times for huge DNA databases

Could the activation of FcγRIII/CD16 by anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 antibodies independently determine COVID-19 severity?

Novel face mask can diagnose Covid-19 in 90 minutes

UK study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic cats and dogs

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

Study finds minimal SARS-CoV-2 viral load in vaginal secretions

Resting heart rate variability predicts emotional resilience during COVID-19 restrictions

Could microalgae-derived antiviral compounds combat SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses?

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

Tocilizumab and sarilumab shown to be effective in critical COVID-19

An affordable, scalable and highly sensitive virus-genome-based testing approach

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

Why SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is more infectious

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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