Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Survey reveals impact of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in the UK

Researchers at Imperial College London in the UK have reported on round five of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program – a cross-sectional community survey measuring the prevalence of antibodies against the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among adults in England.

2 Mar 2021

Could small synthetic antigen proteins be diagnostic tools for SARS-CoV-2?

Researchers have developed small proteins from sequences in SARS-CoV-2's RBD that bind to ACE2. These were as effective in binding to neutralizing antibodies as larger RBD proteins.

2 Mar 2021

Evonik partners with BioNTech to manufacture lipids for COVID-19 vaccine

Caused by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread across the globe.

From Evonik 2 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant shows low virulence and high shedding in hamster model

A new study compares the pathogenicity and infectiousness of one such variant, the VOC 202012/01 (B.1.1.7 lineage) from the United Kingdom, with the globally dominant D614G mutation-carrying strains.

2 Mar 2021

Successful SARS-CoV-2 vaccination hinges on non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine deployment strategies

A thought-provoking new study server discusses the factors that determine the successful use of available vaccines to mitigate incidence and mortality rates for COVID-19.

2 Mar 2021

Optimal storage protocols of wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection

A new preprint released on the medRxiv* server by researchers at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, takes this further in order to establish the limits of storage procedures while working on viral surveillance in this area.

2 Mar 2021

Moderna vaccine reduces viral spread by at least 60 percent, finds study

An interesting new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the U.S. suggests that the currently used Moderna vaccine reduces viral shedding by about 60%.

2 Mar 2021

Graphene oxide-silver nanoparticles shown to rapidly neutralize RNA viruses

While the vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are administered, and extensive research is conducted for targeted therapeutics to control the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), it is equally crucial to develop more novel, broad-spectrum antiviral compounds.

2 Mar 2021

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