Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Engineering immunogens to focus immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have designed constructs by adding more glycans and adding the receptor-binding motif from related sarbecoviruses to focus the immune response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding motif. Such immunogens could potentially also neutralize other variants and coronaviruses.

18 Mar 2021

UK SARS-CoV-2 variant 40% more transmissible than previous strains

Researchers in Japan have estimated that the B.1.1.7 strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that recently emerged in England is 40% more transmissible than strains previously circulating in the country.

18 Mar 2021

New study provides comparative analysis of twelve COVID-19 vaccines

A new study by Novateur Ventures provides a comparative analysis of twelve COVID-19 Vaccines that had initiated or announced the Phase III clinical trial stage by early November 2020.

18 Mar 2021

Study reveals unknown immune defense system that protects the lungs from viral infections

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown arm of the immune defence system that protects the lung from lethal viral infections.

18 Mar 2021

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

A new study describes the potential for two common plant products to make a difference in the management of severe COVID-19.

18 Mar 2021

New treatment for life-threatening lung condition receives NSF award

A Purdue University-affiliated startup developing a novel treatment for a life-threatening lung condition has won a $256,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I award from the National Science Foundation.

18 Mar 2021

Social distancing can be highly effective at preventing outbreaks, says public health expert

Eric Shattuck, assistant professor of research in the UTSA Institute for Health Disparities Research (IHDR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is studying the phenomenon of social distancing in response to infectious disease and its effects on pathogen transmission and the health of individuals and communities.

18 Mar 2021

The role of S-acylation in the enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

A new study published on the bioRxiv server focuses on the role of S-acylation in the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle. It has also characterized Spike acylation and has also identified other acylated viral proteins and host enzymes involved in the process of infection. Further, it has also revealed the importance of acylation in viral biogenesis and infection.

18 Mar 2021

Microbiota modulation and re-establishment of eubiosis could help curb COVID-19 complications

In the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, the researchers noted that since both the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal mucosa are affected in COVID-19, it is possible that adjunctive therapies that modulate the gut-lung axis.

18 Mar 2021

Coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, study suggests

The coronavirus' structure is an all-too-familiar image, with its densely packed surface receptors resembling a thorny crown.

17 Mar 2021

Could visible light be a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 disinfectant?

A new study reports that blue light with a wavelength of 400–420 nm can inactivate enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. This could allow continuous disinfection of spaces even when people are present.

17 Mar 2021

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

It's been a long, dark winter of Covid concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost.

17 Mar 2021

COVID-19 is more difficult to diagnose in children and adolescents, finds study

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread to over 192 countries and territories, causing an enormous loss of lives and economic devastation.

17 Mar 2021

Socioeconomic disparities could explain the association of race/ethnicity with worse COVID-19 outcomes

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reveals how socioeconomic factors partially explain the increased odds that Black and Hispanic Americans have of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers develop innovative profiling methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from various institutions in the USA used RNA-sequencing data and other methods to profile unique genes and other characteristics associated with SARS-CoV-2 in New York City (NYC).

17 Mar 2021

Living with a COVID-19 case brings worse symptoms and stronger antibody response

This study suggests that high virus exposure levels contribute to greater disease severity and stronger antibody responses. The observations from this study are published on the medRxiv preprint server.

17 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 can spread through cold-chain transport

In light of growing evidence, researchers say that SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission via contaminated surfaces, and in particular, frozen foods and products that are transported while keeping them at low temperatures, should be taken into account when devising prevention strategies.

16 Mar 2021

Using iodine as catalyst to advance the sustainability of pharmaceutical syntheses

Synthesizing pharmaceuticals for cancer, viral diseases, and other medical conditions is slow work. A particularly challenging chemical transformation is to start with what's known as an unactivated alkene--a common molecular building block--and end up with a vicinal diamine; i.e., installation of two nitrogen units into carbon--carbon double bonds.

16 Mar 2021

Combination therapy may reduce influenza-associated morbidity and mortality

A significant proportion of hospitalized patients with influenza develop complications of acute respiratory distress syndrome, driven by virus-induced cytopathic effects as well as exaggerated host immune response.

16 Mar 2021

Ferret study shows SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission dynamics

A team of researchers led by Sander Herfst from Erasmus University Medical Center in The Netherlands suggests severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could spread through the air at a one-meter distance and cause infection in a new ferret model study.

16 Mar 2021