Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

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Multiple COVID-19 variants of concern have reached Houston, Texas

New research by a team at Houston Methodist Hospital in the United States has modeled the aggressive genomic sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) observed in the United Kingdom to document viral community spread in Houston, Texas.

4 Mar 2021

Cell surface marker CD47 may allow early diagnosis of severe COVID-19

A new study reports the potential of the cell surface marker, CD47, as a biomarker for hyperinflammation, a characteristic feature of severe COVID-19.

4 Mar 2021

Novel host-viral-microbiome interactions during COVID-19 may determine outcome

A new preprint on the medRxiv* server discusses how the underlying disease mechanisms are regulated such that the local or mucosal immune response is distinct from the systemic response.

4 Mar 2021

Researchers detect vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breast milk

A new paper released on the medRxiv* preprint server describes, for the first time, the detection of antibodies to the virus in human breast milk following the vaccination of lactating mothers. This could guide patients, their healthcare providers, and public health policymakers alike as to the deployment of the vaccines in pregnant and lactating mothers.

4 Mar 2021

Research looks at COVID vaccine hesitancy and refusal among the U.S. public

Vaccination against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rolled out in many countries, including the United States. As the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continues to rise, vaccinating many people in the population is crucial. Despite campaigns to inform residents of the benefits of vaccines, many are still reluctant to get vaccinated.

4 Mar 2021

Study suggests no protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection from recent exposure to HCoVs

In the study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv*, the researchers found a slight but significantly elevated risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in households with young children between 10 months and five years old. However, recent exposure to human coronaviruses does not reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in households with young children.

4 Mar 2021

Study reports persistent SARS-CoV-2 with increasing viral variants in pediatric patients

New research, published on medRxiv preprint server, has reported the effect of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunocompromised children and young adults.

4 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants do not substantially affect CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, study shows

Researchers from California in the United States have conducted a study showing that important adaptive immune responses to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are not affected by four recently emerged variants of the virus.

3 Mar 2021

Study shows lower antibody cross-reactivity after infection with the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant

In a recent research paper currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a diverse group of researchers has examined the immunogenicity of antibodies against the variant B.1.1.7 of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) initially found in the United Kingdom – and revealed diminished recognition and neutralization of either parental strains or the South African variant.

3 Mar 2021

COVID risk to households and teachers from in person schooling

When researchers analyzed the responses of the COVID-19 Symptom Survey in the United States, they found an increased risk of COVID-19 for household members when children had in-person schooling.

3 Mar 2021

Results from phase 2 trial of Novavax recombinant nanoparticle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Novavax, Inc., the American vaccine development company, has been developing a recombinant protein nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine currently termed NVX-CoV2373. The full-length spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is created in a baculovirus vector, which is then inserted into a lipid nanoparticle around 50 nm in diameter.

3 Mar 2021

Genetic variation associated with COVID-19 outcome

Host genetics play a role in disease progression and prognosis. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Dubé et al. (1st March 2021) identifies several alleles associated with the gene natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) that may impact disease severity.

3 Mar 2021

Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective from day 11 post 1st vaccination

New research from a team of scientists in Australia finds that the second ‘booster’ dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine did not increase vaccine efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The results suggest one dose of the vaccine was sufficient in providing a robust immune response 11 days after inoculation.

3 Mar 2021

UK public health authorities review early data on the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

A team of UK scientists has recently evaluated the effectiveness of the Pfizer (BNT162b2) and AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1) vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The findings reveal that both vaccines are effective in significantly reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults and providing long-term protection.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers develop ultrapotent miniproteins that target SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain

Researchers have investigated the effectiveness of a bioengineered miniprotein in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo. The researchers evaluated the miniprotein, LCB1, against SARS-CoV-2-mediated lung disease in human ACE2-expressing transgenic mice.

3 Mar 2021

Obesity may reduce COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, say researchers

A startling indicates that obesity may reduce the immune response to the current COVID-19 vaccines, along with other factors like age and sex. This could have significant implications for vaccination strategies in obese people.

3 Mar 2021

Delayed second dose strategy with mRNA vaccines may reduce COVID-19 mortality, say researchers

An interesting new preprint shows that even if countries are forced to delay the second dose of the current vaccines administered against SARS-CoV-2, to arrest the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the cumulative mortality would still fall significantly.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers conduct large meta-analysis of COVID-19’s neurological manifestations

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to intense interest in the various manifestations of the infection, including its neurological features. A compact summation by researchers across the UK of what is known at present about this facet of the disease is presented in a new paper.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers examine long-term immune responses following COVID-19 across clinically diverse cohort

A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the different aspects of long-term immune responses in a wide sample of patients, as well as how they vary in clinical severity and sequelae.

3 Mar 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine candidate produces strong neutralizing response in vivo

A new study by researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, reports a COVID-19 vaccine candidate called HexaPro in producing neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in an animal model.

3 Mar 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

Multiple COVID-19 variants of concern have reached Houston, Texas

Cell surface marker CD47 may allow early diagnosis of severe COVID-19

Novel host-viral-microbiome interactions during COVID-19 may determine outcome

Researchers detect vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breast milk

Research looks at COVID vaccine hesitancy and refusal among the U.S. public

Study suggests no protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection from recent exposure to HCoVs

Study reports persistent SARS-CoV-2 with increasing viral variants in pediatric patients

SARS-CoV-2 variants do not substantially affect CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, study shows

Study shows lower antibody cross-reactivity after infection with the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant

COVID risk to households and teachers from in person schooling

Results from phase 2 trial of Novavax recombinant nanoparticle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Genetic variation associated with COVID-19 outcome

Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective from day 11 post 1st vaccination

UK public health authorities review early data on the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers develop ultrapotent miniproteins that target SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain

Obesity may reduce COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, say researchers

Delayed second dose strategy with mRNA vaccines may reduce COVID-19 mortality, say researchers

Researchers conduct large meta-analysis of COVID-19’s neurological manifestations

Researchers examine long-term immune responses following COVID-19 across clinically diverse cohort

Novel SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine candidate produces strong neutralizing response in vivo

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