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Multivalent antibodies show high potency against SARS-CoV-2 in new study

A new study in the journal Nature Communications describes the process of converting a SARS-CoV-2 antibody into a multivalent form, thus enabling it to bind at various different points with its epitope.

21 Jun 2021

Study reviews natural drug candidates for potential treatment of COVID-19

A recent paper in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences seeks to open up new approaches by reviewing a list of compounds derived from plants and other natural sources, which have potential inhibitory activity against the coronavirus.

21 Jun 2021

Viral phosphoesterases (including in CoVs) can restrict antiviral innate immunity

An interesting new study describes the activities of a family of viral enzymes called two-histidine-phosphoesterases (2H-PEs), found in coronaviruses (CoVs) and rotaviruses, as well as a mammalian A-kinase anchoring protein enzyme, AKAP7, that shares the same function. Together called 2’,5’-PEs, these enzymes all break down 2’,5’-oligoadenylate compounds that activate the antiviral enzyme ribonuclease L (RNase L).

21 Jun 2021

The importance of social distancing for COVID-19 recovery in the US

News-Medical spoke to researchers from Reykjavík University about their research that looked at the importance of social distancing in COVID-19 recovery.

21 Jun 2021

Blood test may help identify risk of bladder cancer recurrence after surgery

A blood test that can detect tiny amounts of circulating cancer DNA may be able to identify risk of cancer recurrence and guide precision treatment in bladder cancer following surgery, according to a clinical study led byProfessor Tom Powles from Queen Mary University of London andBarts Health NHS Trust.

21 Jun 2021

Western diet increases COVID-19 severity in a hamster model

Researchers have shown that a Western diet may affect viral replication, disease severity, and immune protection following infection with SARS-CoV-2.

21 Jun 2021

COVID-19 studies should provide sex-disaggregated data, researchers warn

Researchers have warned that studies examining sex-specific responses to infection with SARS-CoV-2 must provide sex-disaggregated data.

21 Jun 2021

Research identifies SARS-CoV-2 cavities as potential drug targets

New research found the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein has druggable cavities with the best target being compatible with more than 1 billion compounds.

21 Jun 2021

Can a prior rhinovirus infection protect against COVID-19?

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that rhinovirus accelerates interferon-stimulated genes.

21 Jun 2021

Zinc inhibits SARS-CoV-2’s main protease in vitro

Zinc has antiviral properties. However, the detailed kinetics and the mechanism of zinc in the inhibition of viruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 – the causative virus of COVID-19 – is unclear. To probe the role of zinc as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent at the structural and molecular level, researchers in India studied the binding kinetics and the inhibition mechanism of zinc with SARS-CoV-2’s viral proteins.

21 Jun 2021

COVID-19 vaccine uptake low among pregnant women in U.S., study finds

Despite the availability of vaccines, the U.S. CDC reports that there has been a lack of pregnant women who are getting vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows that COVID-19 was present in five U.S. states in December 2019, even before the first reported case in China

In a recent study, a group of researchers aimed to identify exactly how early SARS-CoV-2 was circulating throughout the United States.

21 Jun 2021

Can convalescent plasma therapy improve COVID-19 outcomes in patients with hematologic cancers?

A recent study discusses the findings of a study on patients with hematologic cancers who received convalescent plasma therapy following their diagnosis of COVID-19.

21 Jun 2021

New research identifies a link between the gut microbiome and strokes

A recent study demonstrates the impact of diets that are high in choline and trimethylamine on increasing stroke severity and functional deficits.

21 Jun 2021

New hydrogel-based electrodes snugly conform to the body’s myriad shapes

Arrays of metal electrodes are often used in medical procedures that require monitoring or delivering electrical impulses in the body, such as brain surgery and epilepsy mapping.

21 Jun 2021

Study reveals how immune cells coordinate their swarming behavior to eliminate pathogens

The body is well protected against invading pathogens by barriers such as the skin. But if you injure yourself and break your skin, pathogens can easily enter your body through the wound and cause severe infections.

21 Jun 2021

Gasdermin D plays a key role in the maturation and release of IL-1α

Interluekin-1α (IL-1α) is an important part of the immune response, but until now it has been unclear how this molecule is processed from its precursor, pro-IL-1α, and exits the cell during inflammasome activation.

21 Jun 2021

Effect of national tender system on the costs of biologic and targeted drugs in Norway

At the 2021 EULAR congress, Brkic and colleagues presented data from people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)treated at Norwegian rheumatology outpatient clinics between 2010 and 2019.

21 Jun 2021

Study reveals the interplay between proteins that control the body's stress response

The biological mechanisms behind stress-related psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are poorly understood.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows that neurons establish functional connections only with one retina

The visual thalamus is classically known to relay visual stimuli coming from the retina to the cerebral cortex. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show that although neurons in the mouse visual thalamus connect to both eyes, they establish strong functional connections only with one retina.

21 Jun 2021