Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Novel coronavirus attacks and destroys T cells, just like HIV

The immune system has many components that work together in protecting the body from foreign invaders. One of the most important types of immune cells is T lymphocytes or T cells, a type of white blood cell that acts as the core of adaptive immunity, the system that modifies the immune response to specific pathogens.

13 Apr 2020

Extend lockdowns to stave off second wave of COVID-19

Social distancing, keeping people at home, and lockdowns are being implemented in many nations to prevent the spread of the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Some countries that have seen declines in the number of new infections due to lockdowns are now looking to allow people to return to more normal daily routines.

13 Apr 2020

Cost of ‘repurposing’ existing drugs to treat COVID-19

The paper looks at repurposed drugs that might demonstrate efficacy against COVID-19, and if they could be manufactured profitably at very low costs to ensure affordable access to vital treatments for COVID-19 at low prices globally.

13 Apr 2020

Monitoring loss of smell could be key to COVID-19 detection

Researchers have found that persons who test positive for COVID-19 disease have common symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and a temporary loss of the sense of smell.

13 Apr 2020

Missing COVID-19 antibodies suggest mystery immune response

Researchers at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center have made important discoveries about the immune response among patients who have recovered from mild COVID-19 disease that could help to inform prevention and treatment methods, as well as improve the efficacy of community testing.

13 Apr 2020

Remdesivir shows promise in post-infection treatment for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has no approved treatment or vaccine as the world grapple with its wrath. The viral infection has so far infected 1.8 million and killed more than 114,000 people. Now, a team of scientists has shown that an experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, has shown promise in treating patients with severe COVID-19.

13 Apr 2020

Physical-distancing slows spread of COVID-19 and reduces ICU admissions

The world is now at a standstill, as many countries have imposed restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Nations are in lockdowns indefinitely, until the situation improves. The vast spread of the novel coronavirus is now inevitable, as the number of confirmed cases topped 1.85 million, many scientists are determining health measures that could help mitigate the global pandemic.

12 Apr 2020

Cats, ferrets more vulnerable to COVID-19 than dogs

A recent Chinese study published on the preprint server BioRxiv finds that cats and ferrets appear to be extremely vulnerable to the virus, but dogs, pigs, and poultry do not seem to contract it. As preprints, papers are not yet peer-reviewed, undergoing only basic scientific screening.

12 Apr 2020

Recovered South Korean COVID-19 patients test positive again

Following the reports from different countries of patients recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but testing positive again during the control diagnostic appraisal, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a similar occurrence in 51 patients.

12 Apr 2020

Public transport system could jeopardize Africa’s efforts to curb COVID-19

Africa's crowded public transport system could jeopardize efforts to curb local transmission of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, a scientist says.

11 Apr 2020

Novel ventilator bed hoods keep coronavirus contained within ICU

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have come up with devices called ventilation hoods that could help decrease the spread of COVID-19 from ICU patients to health workers who treat them, and to other patients.

9 Apr 2020

Testing One, Two, Three - Over 75% of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic

A new study published in the British Medical Journal in April 2020 suggests that the number of people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is astonishingly higher than the number of cases reported so far. This could help shape future social distancing measures.

9 Apr 2020

Hypertensive patients on ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may have improved COVID-19 prognosis

Emerging concerns that common antihypertensive treatment approaches with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) – jointly known as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors – may exert a negative effect in COVID-19 patients are not grounded in scientific evidence, as reported by researchers in a recent review article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal.

9 Apr 2020

Novel coronavirus targets specific secretory cells in the lungs

Viruses attack specific host cells, which can cause chaos in the body. The novel coronavirus, now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 for short, infects respiratory epithelial cells in the lining of the lung, causing difficulty of breathing. The usual cause of death of those who contract the virus is pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Now, a new study has found that SARS-CoV-2 specifically attack certain progenitor cells called bronchial transient secretory cells in the lungs.

9 Apr 2020

Ai used to detect COVID-19 pneumonia

Coronaviruses have 'spilled over' to human populations throughout history, causing respiratory illnesses, often associated with pneumonia. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2002 in China, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which was first seen in Saudi Arabia in 2012, are similar to the current global pandemic spreading worldwide, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

9 Apr 2020

More than half of COVID-19 patients in Brazil came from Italy

Italy has grappled with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with more than 139,000 people infected and more than 17,000 people dead. In the first week of March, the number of cases in Italy skyrocketed before the lockdown was set in place. Prior to the country shutting down its border, many people had already left, flocking to other countries in an attempt to escape the virus.

8 Apr 2020

Ebola drug now being tested against COVID-19

As the coronavirus pandemic claims lives and overwhelms health care systems throughout the world, scientists are closely watching several late-stage trials of the antiviral drug remdesivir.

8 Apr 2020

Infectious diseases from animals likely to cause further pandemics

As humans move to cities to settle, there is a sharp decline in biodiversity leading to several disturbances in the balance and relationship between humans and wild animals. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis' One Health Institute, shows that this has led to the spread of zoonotic viruses from animals to humans, such as COVID-19, which has caused a global pandemic involving over 184 countries and territories. The study was published in the latest issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

8 Apr 2020

New anti-COVID-19 system could potentially fight other viruses

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked many research projects to meet the challenge of the virus and come up with measures to fight its activity. A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe in April 2020 describes a novel system to help scientists understand the virus, including mutations, diagnose infections, and also to develop and evaluate vaccines more quickly.

8 Apr 2020

Scientists in the UK look to measure COVID-19 in the wider community

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is actively spreading throughout the globe, affecting 184 countries and territories. In the United Kingdom, the country has seen the highest daily numbers of recorded coronavirus deaths – 854 on Monday and 786 on Tuesday, prompting scientists to race toward determining how vast the virus is spreading in the UK.

8 Apr 2020