Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Blood type plays role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new meta-analysis from Iran, available on the medRxiv preprint server, showed that the blood group A could be considered a partial risk factor for infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas the blood group O may act as a protective factor; conversely, no significant associations were observed between specific blood groups and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality.

10 Jun 2020

Tocilizumab in Critical COVID-19 Patients

A new study by scientists at Metro Infectious Disease Consultants and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 reports that the cytokine blocker tocilizumab is a useful adjunct to supportive medical care in severe COVID-19, with increased survival and a lower requirement for mechanical ventilation.

10 Jun 2020

Seroprevalence of IgM and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 in China

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine in June 2020 reports the seroprevalence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) across China. This may help to understand the actual prevalence of the virus in the current pandemic.

10 Jun 2020

Specific immune signature identified in COVID-19 patients

Researchers at King’s College London and collaborators have identified an “immune signature” that could help researchers better understand coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and serve as a valuable resource for predicting patient prognosis and informing clinical risk-based stratification.

10 Jun 2020

Mitigating "second wave" COVID-19 risk to health frontliners and patients

Researchers at University College London have made important discoveries about the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among frontline healthcare workers that could help to inform new policies for protecting staff and patients in the future.

10 Jun 2020

Research reveals 7 different SARS-CoV-2 strains arrived in California

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan City in China in December 2019. From there, it has actively spread across the globe. The United States has been the hardest-hit country in the pandemic, with more than 1.97 million people infected.

10 Jun 2020

COVID-19 lockdowns estimated to have prevented 3 million deaths across 11 European countries

Now, a new study by researchers at Imperial College London estimates that lockdowns prevented around 3.1 million deaths in 11 European countries. The modeling study, published in the journal Nature, highlights that social distancing measures worked in reducing the spread of the virus.

10 Jun 2020

Deep UV LED inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 - fast and effective

The ongoing pandemic has aroused considerable effort to find methods to prevent and control the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19 disease. Rapid inactivation devices would be of great help in this area, to prevent viral transmission through aerosols and contact with infected surfaces.

9 Jun 2020

Unique mutations could weaken Indian SARS-CoV-2 strain

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 suggests that the presence of unique mutations in the viral strains circulating in India has led to their attenuation.

9 Jun 2020

Examining the effect of smoking, nicotine and vaping on COVID-19 severity

Researchers at the University of Oxford say they will be conducting the most extensive study to date linking primary and clinical data for the assessment of associations between smoking status and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

9 Jun 2020

Convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 is safe and effective

A new systematic review available on medRxiv preprint server shows that using convalescent plasma in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is well-tolerated and may prompt the clearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as decrease disease severity; however, these effects are more pronounced in younger patients.

9 Jun 2020

COVID-19 survivors could suffer long-term health effects

Patients recovering from COVID-19 could suffer significant long-term effects, according to research into the experiences of people hospitalized by previous coronavirus outbreaks.

9 Jun 2020

Protease inhibition could help defeat SARS-CoV-2

As the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread around the world, many researchers are studying epidemiological models to predict its propagation. As of yet, there are no effective vaccines that could counter the SARS- CoV-2 infection or drugs to treat COVID-19 disease

9 Jun 2020

Anti-RBD antibodies shown to neutralize active SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 reports the discovery of multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in samples from healthy donors, collected before the pandemic. These antibodies are capable of inhibiting the binding of the spike protein of the virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) molecule and can neutralize active infection of cells in culture.

9 Jun 2020

COVID-19 produces lung inflammation in non-human primate experiments

A new study published on the online preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the successful use of three primate species to model the infection, pathogenesis, and clinical features associated with COVID-19. The research provides useful and immediately available models to test new vaccines and treatments.

9 Jun 2020

Metabolic diseases alter ACE2 expression and increase COVID-19 severity

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 reports that one mechanism for this variable severity is the differential expression of the ACE2 receptor in various metabolic conditions, thereby facilitating viral entry into the host cells.

9 Jun 2020

New study shows possible alternative pathway of SARS-CoV-2 infection in overactive bladder

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv*, in June 2020, reports that the condition of overactive bladder (OAB) could be associated with a different route of infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for COVID-19 disease.

8 Jun 2020

56 percent of pregnant women in UK hospitals with COVID-19 are BAME

According to a new national surveillance study released this week, over half of the pregnant women admitted to a hospital in the United Kingdom with COVID-19 are either black or belong to other ethnic minority groups.

8 Jun 2020

Synthetic monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

In a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv*, a multinational research group demonstrated how monoclonal antibodies strongly inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro at even sub-nanomolar concentrations. This makes them a prime candidate for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

8 Jun 2020

Improving detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection among severely ill children

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing that children with a severe inflammatory syndrome had high levels of antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), despite having tested negative for the virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

8 Jun 2020