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Novel single-particle digital assay using plasmonic nanobubbles

An interdisciplinary team from the University of Texas applied DIAMOND to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnostics and demonstrated that DIAMOND is 150 times more sensitive than commercial lateral flow assays. They found that the measurements are completed within 2 minutes. The results of this study are published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Feb 2021

Travel bans are effective only in the first phases of pandemic

Travel bans have been key to efforts by many countries to control the spread of COVID-19. But new research aimed at providing a decision support system to Italian policy makers, recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that reducing individual activity (i.e., social distancing, closure of non-essential business, etc.) is far superior in controlling the dissemination of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

25 Feb 2021

High expression of ACE2 receptors in developing ovaries increases SARS-CoV-2 risk

A team of scientists from China collaborated to find if SARS-CoV-2 could also infect the ovary at different developmental stages.

25 Feb 2021

Strategy based on alternating lockdowns can help defeat COVID-19

Social distancing - from mobility restrictions to complete lockdowns -- can take many weeks, possibly even months, a potentially devastating outcome for social and economic stability.

24 Feb 2021

Is the CDC 10-day COVID-19 quarantine guideline enough?

Researchers at the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Health evaluated test positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 infection among student contacts. The team found that nine days are not enough to ascertain that the student did not contract the virus.

24 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 transmission bottleneck is of the order of one to three virions

Now, a new study, posted to the bioRxiv preprint server by the same researchers, focussing on the Austrian region, found that SARS-CoV-2 transmission bottlenecks to be much tighter than previously thought.

24 Feb 2021

Lab study of South African SARS-CoV-2 variant and Moderna vaccine: reduced neutralization, but still protective

Researchers from the US recently compared antibody binding and viral neutralization against 2 SARS-CoV-2 variants that emerged in different parts of the world. The researchers used sera from spike mRNA vaccinated and naturally infected individuals against a circulating B.1 variant and the emerging B.1.351 variant. The study is published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

24 Feb 2021

Full characterization of mammalian-produced SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domains

A research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Dominguez-Vega et al. (23rd Feb, 2021) describes an in-depth structural analysis of the RBD of the spike protein expressed in mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells, providing a new understanding of protein structure and function.

24 Feb 2021

Mapping the dominance of the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant in Europe

A research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv* by Vespignani et al. (February 22nd, 2021) uses mathematical models to map the spread of this lineage across Europe, establishing that a 50% increase to the transmissibility of the variant would allow it to become dominant in major metropolitan areas by the end of March 2021.

24 Feb 2021

Complement system appears to be specifically implicated in severe COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that activation of the complement system is specifically implicated in the pathogenesis of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), rather than being a broader indicator of critical illness.

24 Feb 2021

Travelers to the tropics are more prone to acquiring superbacteria than previously thought

Exploring exposure to superbacteria, researchers at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital got unexpected results from an international collaborative study conducted in real time among 20 travelers to Southeast Asia.

24 Feb 2021

Study shows antibody responses persisting 10 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in Italy have conducted a study showing that patients who had tested positive for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) still had neutralizing antibodies against the virus 10 months later.

24 Feb 2021

Study takes a closer look at the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental hygienists

Despite having been designated as high risk for COVID-19 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a new study finds 3.1 percent of dental hygienists have had COVID-19 based on data collected in October 2020.

24 Feb 2021

Survey finds highest ever vaccination rates during the 2020-2021 flu season

More U.S. adults reported receiving or planning to receive an influenza vaccination during the 2020-2021 flu season than ever before, according to findings from a December 2020 national survey.

24 Feb 2021

A machine-learning approach to track how yellow fever mosquito moves through the environment

The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is a main vector of deadly diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus, which result in hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year.

24 Feb 2021

Electronic doctors’ notes could help hospitals plan for surges in COVID-19 cases

A new study, published today in Nature Digital Medicine, found that 'natural language processing' (NLP) of information routinely recorded by doctors - as part of patients' electronic health records - reveal vital trends that could help clinical teams forecast and plan for surges in patients.

24 Feb 2021

Household odorant smell tests could help detect COVID-19, say study

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science and other institutions developed a new tool to help detect COVID-19 infection. The team developed and tested a real-time tool to measure olfactory perception impairment by asking the participants to smell household odorants.

24 Feb 2021

Risk models for West Nile Fever may predict areas of future outbreaks a year in advance

Knowing the environmental and human-related variables that characterize the favorable areas for the incidence of the West Nile virus, a flavivirus that is transmitted from birds to humans by mosquitoes, is essential to identify those places in Europe at high risk of experiencing outbreaks, even before these are registered, thus enabling preventive measures to be taken.

24 Feb 2021

GW team to play a role in Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial

The George Washington University announced today its participation in a Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. GW was selected as one of approximately 25 sites in the United States to launch a phase 2 study for its adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

24 Feb 2021

COVID-19 hospitalizations still high in England despite recent decline in cases, says study

Results from the latest round of the real-time assessment of community transmission study (REACT-1) study in England indicate that although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases have decreased, the number of hospitalizations remains high.

24 Feb 2021

Disease/Infection News

Novel single-particle digital assay using plasmonic nanobubbles

Travel bans are effective only in the first phases of pandemic

High expression of ACE2 receptors in developing ovaries increases SARS-CoV-2 risk

Strategy based on alternating lockdowns can help defeat COVID-19

Is the CDC 10-day COVID-19 quarantine guideline enough?

SARS-CoV-2 transmission bottleneck is of the order of one to three virions

Lab study of South African SARS-CoV-2 variant and Moderna vaccine: reduced neutralization, but still protective

Full characterization of mammalian-produced SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domains

Mapping the dominance of the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant in Europe

Complement system appears to be specifically implicated in severe COVID-19

Travelers to the tropics are more prone to acquiring superbacteria than previously thought

Study shows antibody responses persisting 10 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Study takes a closer look at the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental hygienists

Survey finds highest ever vaccination rates during the 2020-2021 flu season

A machine-learning approach to track how yellow fever mosquito moves through the environment

Electronic doctors’ notes could help hospitals plan for surges in COVID-19 cases

Household odorant smell tests could help detect COVID-19, say study

Risk models for West Nile Fever may predict areas of future outbreaks a year in advance

GW team to play a role in Sanofi COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial

COVID-19 hospitalizations still high in England despite recent decline in cases, says study

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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