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A subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may offer broader protection against virus

A new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 reports on the structure of this protein, as revealed by cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM).

23 Sep 2020

Molecular dynamic simulations reveal detailed spike-ACE2 interactions

The current COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world. Caused by a single-stranded RNA betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is closely related to but much more infectious than the earlier highly pathogenic betacoronaviruses SARS and MERS-CoV, has impacted social, economic, and physical health to an unimaginable extent.

23 Sep 2020

Common genetic variants may influence susceptibility to COVID-19

Researchers in the United States and Japan have conducted a study suggesting that a commonly occurring genetic variant influences susceptibility to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Sep 2020

Study suggests herd immunity to COVID-19 in Brazilian city of Manaus

According to the study estimates, the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes COVID-19 – rapidly increased in Manaus between March and April, before slowly declining between May and September.

22 Sep 2020

Baseline T cell signatures predict clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV infection

In a recent bioRxiv preprint paper, researchers from the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, and Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, discuss their study in mice that undergo detailed immunophenotyping before getting infected with SARS-CoV.

22 Sep 2020

Research explains why flu is dangerous for pregnant women

A team of researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University explains why flu can lead to potentially fatal complications during pregnancy, suggesting that the virus does not only stay in the respiratory tract but spreads throughout the body.

22 Sep 2020

CDC withdraws guideline on SARS-CoV-2 airborne spread

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a new guideline, recognizing that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can spread via aerosols. Now, the health agency takes back its statement by deleting the updates published on Sept. 18.

22 Sep 2020

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients may face increased risk for kidney injury

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 may face an increased risk for kidney injury, a dreaded complication for those suffering from infection with the novel 2019 coronavirus, an observational study led by University of Michigan researchers has found.

22 Sep 2020

Acquisition of a natural mutation primes SARS-CoV-2 for neutralization by a cross-reactive antibody

A team of scientists from the United States reveals that the acquisition of a natural mutation makes severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) susceptible to neutralization by a cross-reactive SARS-CoV antibody. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

22 Sep 2020

Confirmed early re-infection with SARS-CoV-2

As scientists strive to develop commercially viable and effective antivirals and vaccines to counter the growing COVID-19 pandemic, there is considerable uncertainty about how long and how durable the immunity induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is. A new paper recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease in September 2020 reports a confirmed case of re-infection with this virus following recovery.

22 Sep 2020

Study explores women's interest in long-acting injectable PrEP to prevent HIV

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective method of reducing risk for HIV, yet use of PrEP is uniformly low, especially among women.

22 Sep 2020

Targeted treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus

A team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, a Leibniz Institute, have successfully treated two patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus.

22 Sep 2020

Parkinson's disease diagnosed after SARS-CoV-2

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, new and unusual chronic sequelae of the disease are cropping up in many medical practices. Now, a new case paper published in The Lancet in September 2020 describes a case of new-onset Parkinson's disease following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

22 Sep 2020

Study provides evidence of stark social inequities in COVID-19 outcomes

A geocoding approach - linking routinely collected public health data to neighborhood socioeconomic factors - shows consistently higher rates of COVID-19 illness and death among people living in more-disadvantaged communities, reports a study in the November/December Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

22 Sep 2020

Study examines opinions, experiences of clinical oncologists on Federal Right to Try law

A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is the first to examine the opinions and experiences of clinical oncologists working at a major medical center on the Federal Right to Try (RTT) law.

22 Sep 2020

Study shows key genetic differences in ADHD between African American and Caucasian children

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have shown there may be key genetic differences in the causes of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder between African Americans and people of European ancestry, which may play an important part in how patients of different ethnic backgrounds respond to treatments for this condition.

22 Sep 2020

How COVID-19 flew to Greece

A recent study published in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease in September 2020 reports a series of cases following travel on a commercial airliner that heralded the earliest imported COVID-19 infections in Greece.

22 Sep 2020

Study shows effectiveness of UV-C light for killing COVID-19 on N95 respirators

Dermatology researchers at Henry Ford Health System, in collaboration with a team at the University of Michigan, have demonstrated that certain N95 respirators tainted with COVID-19 can be effectively and safely decontaminated for reuse using ultraviolet-C light (UV-C), a method commonly utilized for treating rare skin diseases.

22 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Swiss schoolchildren shows most infections undiagnosed

A new study reports the seroprevalence among schoolchildren in Zurich, Switzerland. Published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020, this study contributes to the current discussion on how and when to reopen schools.

22 Sep 2020

Diabetic ketoacidosis linked to lower IQ scores, worse memory in children with type 1 diabetes

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious but common complication of type 1 diabetes, is linked to lower IQ scores and worse memory in children with type 1 diabetes, according to a study led by UC Davis Health researchers.

22 Sep 2020