Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

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Endothelial tissue injury significantly contributes to ARDS in COVID-19 patients, finds study

A recent study conducted by scientists from the Yokohama City University, Japan, has revealed that elevated alveolar endothelial injury markers in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are the main causative factors for alveolar barrier disruption. In COVID-19 patients with ARDS, endothelial injury persists for a longer time than epithelial injury.

12 Jan 2021

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas, USA, have presented evidence showing that people in a previously reported trial of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 – commonly known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – had equivalent neutralizing titers to the N501 and Y501 viruses.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers develop saliva testing method for SARS-CoV-2 using robotic RNA extraction

Researchers have developed an automated method of RNA extraction from saliva samples to allow faster processing times and high test sensitivity. Saliva testing could be used as an alternative to swab testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance.

12 Jan 2021

Could Vitamin D be an effective adjuvant to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, there is a dire need for effective and safe therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, the pandemic has infected more than 90.87 million people and taken more 1.94 million lives.

12 Jan 2021

Headache as COVID-19 symptom could indicate milder disease, study finds

Researchers at the Hospital Universitario de La Princes in Madrid, Spain, found that patients with COVID-19 who developed headaches as an early symptom of infection had a milder illness and less risk of death.

12 Jan 2021

Wearable heart monitors and deep learning can provide early warning of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study, appearing as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reveals the possibility of early prediction of SARS-CoV-2 infection using data on the resting heart rate in the presymptomatic period.

12 Jan 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server shows how closely the antibodies formed in exposed humans resemble the germline antibody molecules. This could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to counter the pandemic.

12 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in England could be double reported seroprevalence

A new study that recently appeared on the preprint server medRxiv* makes use of a combined method to estimate population exposure to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), taking into account the fact that patients who recover from the infection often do not have circulating antibodies against the virus.

11 Jan 2021

The mystery of Giglio island’s resistance to COVID-19

An intriguing new study explores the mechanisms by which an Italian island called Giglio remained resistant to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even after much exposure.

11 Jan 2021

Study supports continuing phase 3 trials of Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

An international team of researchers has provided further evidence to confirm the immunogenicity and efficacy of a recombinant adenovirus vaccine currently being tested in phase 3 trials for its ability to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Jan 2021

Extract of medicinal plant Artemisia annua interferes with replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers in the United States have shown that extracts of an aromatic herb called Artemisia annua inhibit the replication of severe acute respiratory coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

11 Jan 2021

Antibody recognition of linear SARS-CoV-2 epitopes preserved in mutated B.1.1.7 strain

In a recent medRxiv research paper, the US scientists examined the effects of non-synonymous mutations in the circulating B.1.1.7 strain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on linear antibody epitope signal for viral spike glycoprotein and nucleoprotein – and demonstrated that mutations should not result in immune evasion.

11 Jan 2021

Over half of COVID-19 cases are spread by asymptomatic carriers, CDC study finds

In a new study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over half of SARS-CoV-2 infections are believed to be transmitted asymptomatically.

11 Jan 2021

Sustained immune response memory detected in recovered COVID-19 patients

A team of researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine has found that people who had mild COVID-19 developed a multi-layered immune response against SARS-Cov-2. The researchers detected neutralizing antibodies against the virus for at least three months after recovering from the infection.

11 Jan 2021

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study has found that extracellular vimentin can bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro, and antibodies against vimentin can decrease virus infectivity by up to 80%. This suggests vimentin could aid the virus’s binding to host cells and help in infection.

11 Jan 2021

Could Ivermectin be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial has recently demonstrated that Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, can reduce in-hospital mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.

11 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2-induced innate immune responses may vary with disease severity, finds study

Scientists from Germany and China recently conducted a large meta-analysis using transcriptome data of SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate the routes of viral entry and the characteristics of innate immune responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11 Jan 2021

How effective are masks in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission?

Can face masks protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection? Faruque Ahmad, MD, recently explored the role of face masks in mitigating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2.

11 Jan 2021

Seroprevalence and asymptomatic carrier status of SARS-CoV-2 in China

As asymptomatic transmission chains play a role in SARS-CoV-2’s viral spread, a new study by researchers in Wuhan, China, investigated the seroprevalence and asymptomatic carrier status of SARS-CoV-2 in the region.

11 Jan 2021

Schlieren techniques demonstrate patterns of exhaled air spread from wind instruments and singers

In an interesting new research paper published recently on the bioRxiv preprint server, scientists describe the dispersal of exhaled air, potentially infected, from singers and those playing wind instruments, using Schlieren techniques, a visual process that is used to photograph the flow of fluids of varying density. This could help assess measures to assess the actual spread of infectious droplets or aerosols in such situations.

10 Jan 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

Endothelial tissue injury significantly contributes to ARDS in COVID-19 patients, finds study

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers develop saliva testing method for SARS-CoV-2 using robotic RNA extraction

Could Vitamin D be an effective adjuvant to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic?

Headache as COVID-19 symptom could indicate milder disease, study finds

Wearable heart monitors and deep learning can provide early warning of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in England could be double reported seroprevalence

The mystery of Giglio island’s resistance to COVID-19

Study supports continuing phase 3 trials of Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Extract of medicinal plant Artemisia annua interferes with replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Antibody recognition of linear SARS-CoV-2 epitopes preserved in mutated B.1.1.7 strain

Over half of COVID-19 cases are spread by asymptomatic carriers, CDC study finds

Sustained immune response memory detected in recovered COVID-19 patients

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

Could Ivermectin be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

SARS-CoV-2-induced innate immune responses may vary with disease severity, finds study

How effective are masks in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission?

Seroprevalence and asymptomatic carrier status of SARS-CoV-2 in China

Schlieren techniques demonstrate patterns of exhaled air spread from wind instruments and singers

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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