Disease/Infection News

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A glycan controls how SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein opens, study finds

Using simulations, a team of researchers in the U.S. found that the glycan at position N343 of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein’s receptor-binding domain (RBD) helps in its opening. A mechanism that aids its binding to the host cell receptor.

18 Feb 2021

Endothelial SARS-CoV-2 infection induces proinflammatory responses without supporting viral amplification, finds study

A team of scientists from Australia and Brazil recently investigated the involvement of endothelial cells in the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

18 Feb 2021

Researchers evaluate frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in hematology/oncology settings

Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, evaluated the frequency of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on various environmental surfaces in outpatient and inpatient hematology/oncology settings located within Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility.

18 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation associated with lower antibody binding

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an international effort to uncover the biology of its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, and to develop effective and safe antivirals to contain and treat the infection. A new study by a team of researchers in France and Sweden discusses one such study, exploring the relative immunogenicity of the three main structural proteins of the virus.

18 Feb 2021

How have COVID-19 pandemic school closures impacted the health of children globally?

A new study by researchers in the US and the UK explores the damage caused by school closures to educational progress, health, and well-being in children and young people globally.

18 Feb 2021

Are antibody cocktails the key to COVID-19 treatment?

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Natalia Freund about her latest research into COVID-19, and how most people are capable of producing neutralizing antibodies against the virus.

18 Feb 2021

New diagnostic platform can rapidly measure COVID-19-related biomarkers

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and GBS Inc., a subsidiary of The iQ Group Global, announce that they will collaborate to validate and de-risk a specific and sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic that would integrate the Institute's eRapid technology with the company's proprietary transistor sensor technology to enable simultaneous electrochemical sensing of multiple biomarkers related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic applications.

18 Feb 2021

Tuberculosis vaccine could protect newborns against common infections

The tuberculosis (TB) vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) could protect newborns against a variety of common infections, such as upper respiratory tract infections, chest infections and diarrhoea, according to a new study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

18 Feb 2021

Simulated model for drive-through clinics can be used for mass COVID-19 vaccinations

Policymakers at all levels of government are racing to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people to save lives and blunt the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Feb 2021

Radiological images reveal how COVID virus can trigger the body to attack itself

Muscle soreness and achy joints are common symptoms among COVID-19 patients. But for some people, symptoms are more severe, long-lasting, and even bizarre, including rheumatoid arthritis flares, autoimmune myositis, or "COVID toes."

18 Feb 2021

Engineered peptide can reduce severe COVID-19 infection in humans

An engineered peptide given to ferrets two days before they were co-housed with SARS-CoV-2-infected animals prevented virus transmission to the treated ferrets, a new study shows.

18 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern drive up infections by 15-40 percent in Germany

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to distress worldwide, new variants are emerging that threaten the possibility of containment by current vaccines or therapeutic antibodies.

18 Feb 2021

CDC study says face mask mandates reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S.

A new study by researchers at the CDC examined whether the implementation of the mask mandate is tied to COVID-19-related hospitalization growth rates among different age groups.

17 Feb 2021

Advancements in DNA vaccines against COVID-19

The rapid spread of the pathogen and the increasing number of cases highlight the need for an effective and safe vaccine. As vaccination efforts roll out in many countries, new types of vaccines, like deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines, are under research..

17 Feb 2021

New 3D imaging technique helps detect breast cancer, COVID-19, other diseases

A research team led by UMass Lowell is pioneering a new 3D imaging technique to better detect breast cancer and other diseases, including COVID-19.

17 Feb 2021

GDP significantly associated with greater COVID-19 vaccine distribution

ccording to a report published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the world's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 4.6% in 2020. As per WHO estimates, at least 65% of the world population should be vaccinated to contain the virus's spread and achieve herd immunity.

17 Feb 2021

Convalescent plasma shows CD8+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that individuals who have recovered from or been vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) should maintain effective CD8+ T-cell responses against the major variants that have recently emerged.

17 Feb 2021

Where might future novel coronaviruses come from?

The researchers predicted many more associations between coronaviruses and host species than have been observed to date. They also predicted 30 times more potential recombination hosts of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Feb 2021

Nasal antiviral blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets

A nasal antiviral created by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons blocked transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets, suggesting the nasal spray also may prevent infection in people exposed to the new coronavirus, including recent variants.

17 Feb 2021

Purely mathematical perspective on delaying the second dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

High demand for the vaccines has raised questions as to whether it would be better in the long term to ensure that as much of the population as possible has received the first dose, i.e., vaccinate twice as many people with a lower rate of efficacy.

17 Feb 2021