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Scientists establish infection models for SARS-CoV-2 UK & South African variants

New research suggests Syrian golden hamsters could be a potentially useful preclinical model for testing vaccine immunity against the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.17 and B.1.351 variant.

1 Mar 2021

Enduring antibody response observed after natural immunity and first Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shot

Immunity gained after natural infection from the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is boosted when people take the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a new study led by Iain C. Chapple from the University of Birmingham.

1 Mar 2021

Tier 3 interventions needed to contain SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially with emergence of variants

Studies have shown that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and partial lockdowns effectively contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, because of these measures' huge economic and social cost, the UK introduced a less socially disruptive tier system. This system was aimed at providing a consistent set of control measures with geographic flexibility.

1 Mar 2021

Study: Repurposed arthritis drug did not improve outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia

In a study published online February 25, 2021 in The New England Journal of Medicine, a repurposed drug used to treat arthritis did not significantly improve the outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

1 Mar 2021

Study: Highly efficient and balanced immune response key to avoiding COVID-19 symptoms

By analyzing blood samples from individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, researchers in Singapore have begun to unpack the different responses by the body's T cells that determine whether or not an individual develops COVID-19.

1 Mar 2021

Cellular maps capture COVID-19 pathogenesis in detail

Researchers in the United States and Finland have used tissues from people who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to generate detailed cellular maps of the pathogenetic processes that occur within affected organs during severe disease.

1 Mar 2021

Study assesses causes of higher COVID-mortality among men

Researchers in the United States, Germany and Uganda have conducted a study showing that the factors responsible for a higher rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality among males are specific to COVID-19 rather than related to men’s shorter life expectancy.

1 Mar 2021

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A recent study by scientist Robert Penner at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France utilizes free energy calculations to predict effective antiviral targets that are highly conserved, surface-accessible for interaction, and resistant to mutation.

1 Mar 2021

Is transposable element expression affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A study by researchers in Israel aims to establish whether TE expression is altered in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, and explores the implications for host immune response.

1 Mar 2021

Protein kinase inhibitors could help treat immunodeficiency in HIV patients

HIV infections are treated with antiviral drugs which effectively prevent the disease from developing. While pharmacological HIV therapy has advanced considerably, the virus cannot be entirely eliminated from the body with currently available drugs.

1 Mar 2021

Comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals leads to new potential treatment for COVID-19

Scientists compared the in vitro efficacy and cytotoxicity profiles of PF-00835231 and remdesivir in two human model systems for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test

A team of international scientists has recently evaluated a surrogate virus neutralization test for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and observed that it is highly efficacious for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in serum samples. According to the scientists, the test can be effectively used for population-level serosurveillance and evaluation of vaccine efficacy. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

1 Mar 2021

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, UK, discusses the effect of a vaccine dose, specifically the BNT162b2 candidate (also known as the ‘Pfizer-BioNTech’ vaccine), on neutralizing antibody titers in individuals who have already been infected with the virus.

1 Mar 2021

Early tracheostomy could reduce recovery time in critical COVID-19, say researchers

A new study by researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, reports the findings of a study on the safety of tracheostomy of critically ill patients and the feasibility of decannulation in most survivors. The researchers view this as a means to improve care in these patients

1 Mar 2021

FDA grants emergency use authorization for QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Quidel QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Test, another antigen test where certain individuals can rapidly collect and test their sample at home, without needing to send a sample to a laboratory for analysis.

1 Mar 2021

New paper discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19 and the types of research that are needed to better understand the link between smoking and COVID-19 risk.

1 Mar 2021

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program completed its fifth round of community surveys in the days between January 26 and February 8, 2021. The findings appear in a new article in the BMJ on February 25, 2021, showing that natural infection and vaccination together account for around 14% seropositivity rates in England at present.

1 Mar 2021

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

A new study by scientists in the UK raises the very useful hypothesis that natural infection may help spread the vaccine thinner without loss of efficacy.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers to conduct large meta-analysis of fetomaternal complications in COVID-19

A new preprint on the medRxiv* server describes the protocol written for a study that aims to perform a systematic analysis of all the data available on the effect of this syndrome on pregnancy.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers assess SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination risks in hospital setting

Researchers analyzed the surface swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the infectivity in a hospital setting by both qRT-PCR and a viral culture assay. They also determined the suitability for sequence analysis and phylogenetically identifying the source of the virus.

1 Mar 2021

Disease/Infection News

Scientists establish infection models for SARS-CoV-2 UK & South African variants

Enduring antibody response observed after natural immunity and first Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shot

Tier 3 interventions needed to contain SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially with emergence of variants

Study: Repurposed arthritis drug did not improve outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia

Study: Highly efficient and balanced immune response key to avoiding COVID-19 symptoms

Cellular maps capture COVID-19 pathogenesis in detail

Study assesses causes of higher COVID-mortality among men

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Is transposable element expression affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Protein kinase inhibitors could help treat immunodeficiency in HIV patients

Comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals leads to new potential treatment for COVID-19

Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

Early tracheostomy could reduce recovery time in critical COVID-19, say researchers

FDA grants emergency use authorization for QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Test

New paper discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

Researchers to conduct large meta-analysis of fetomaternal complications in COVID-19

Researchers assess SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination risks in hospital setting

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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