Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Study shows asthma mediator IL-13 prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a paper published on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers reported the results on whether IL-13 expression in asthma patients reduces their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Mar 2021

Tier 3 interventions needed to contain SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially with emergence of variants

Studies have shown that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and partial lockdowns effectively contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, because of these measures' huge economic and social cost, the UK introduced a less socially disruptive tier system. This system was aimed at providing a consistent set of control measures with geographic flexibility.

1 Mar 2021

Cellular maps capture COVID-19 pathogenesis in detail

Researchers in the United States and Finland have used tissues from people who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to generate detailed cellular maps of the pathogenetic processes that occur within affected organs during severe disease.

1 Mar 2021

Study assesses causes of higher COVID-mortality among men

Researchers in the United States, Germany and Uganda have conducted a study showing that the factors responsible for a higher rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality among males are specific to COVID-19 rather than related to men’s shorter life expectancy.

1 Mar 2021

A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A recent study by scientist Robert Penner at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France utilizes free energy calculations to predict effective antiviral targets that are highly conserved, surface-accessible for interaction, and resistant to mutation.

1 Mar 2021

Comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals leads to new potential treatment for COVID-19

Scientists compared the in vitro efficacy and cytotoxicity profiles of PF-00835231 and remdesivir in two human model systems for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Mar 2021

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, UK, discusses the effect of a vaccine dose, specifically the BNT162b2 candidate (also known as the ‘Pfizer-BioNTech’ vaccine), on neutralizing antibody titers in individuals who have already been infected with the virus.

1 Mar 2021

Early tracheostomy could reduce recovery time in critical COVID-19, say researchers

A new study by researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, reports the findings of a study on the safety of tracheostomy of critically ill patients and the feasibility of decannulation in most survivors. The researchers view this as a means to improve care in these patients

1 Mar 2021

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program completed its fifth round of community surveys in the days between January 26 and February 8, 2021. The findings appear in a new article in the BMJ on February 25, 2021, showing that natural infection and vaccination together account for around 14% seropositivity rates in England at present.

1 Mar 2021

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

A new study by scientists in the UK raises the very useful hypothesis that natural infection may help spread the vaccine thinner without loss of efficacy.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers to conduct large meta-analysis of fetomaternal complications in COVID-19

A new preprint on the medRxiv* server describes the protocol written for a study that aims to perform a systematic analysis of all the data available on the effect of this syndrome on pregnancy.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers assess SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination risks in hospital setting

Researchers analyzed the surface swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the infectivity in a hospital setting by both qRT-PCR and a viral culture assay. They also determined the suitability for sequence analysis and phylogenetically identifying the source of the virus.

1 Mar 2021

FDA issues EUA for third COVID-19 vaccine

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the third vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

1 Mar 2021

New evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spreading on planes

New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal Emerging Infectious Diseases analyzed a case showing in-flight transmission of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) despite passengers getting tested before departing to New Zealand.

28 Feb 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 variant emerges in New York

New York has the first case of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant called B.1.526, picked up by genomic surveillance research from Columbia University. The findings come after reports of other variants have been reported worldwide — B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 in South Africa, and P.1/P.2 in Brazil.

28 Feb 2021

Free-ranging minks exhibit high titers of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Utah

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report outbreaks of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on mink farms in Utah, United States. They surveyed around farms for evidence of exposure and found high SARS-CoV-2 titers, suggesting a possible viral transmission pathway to native wildlife.

28 Feb 2021

Time to implement measures preventing future viral zoonoses

Now, researchers at the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland recommend measures to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks. They emphasized the importance of viral surveillance and research on new viral strains as primary strategies to combat these infections.

28 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 modulates host cell central carbon metabolism for reproduction

A team of scientists from Sweden and India has recently characterized the host cell metabolic alterations associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Their findings reveal that SARS-CoV-2 modulates the host cell's central carbon metabolism to facilitate replication and infection propagation.

28 Feb 2021

New method to enhance images of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers report a method of removing noise from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images using probabilistic generative models.

28 Feb 2021

New study assesses COVID-19 risk among UK healthcare workers

Researchers in the UK have reported the protocol for a longitudinal study investigating the risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers from different ethnic groups.

28 Feb 2021