Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems.

12 Jan 2021

Nanobodies have potential to be developed into a treatment for COVID-19

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells.

12 Jan 2021

Atmospheric particulate matter may influence the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2

A recent study conducted at the University of Malta Medical School, Malta, has revealed that a drop in the level of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), which are airborne pollutant particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometer, in the atmosphere due to lockdown is associated with the arrival of a newer variant of SARS-CoV-2, which has eventually displaced the original virus after lockdown.

12 Jan 2021

California budget reflects ‘pandemic-induced reality,’ governor says

The coronavirus pandemic doomed Gov. Gavin Newsom's ambitious plans last year to combat homelessness, expand behavioral health services and create a state agency to control soaring health care costs.

12 Jan 2021

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas, USA, have presented evidence showing that people in a previously reported trial of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 – commonly known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – had equivalent neutralizing titers to the N501 and Y501 viruses.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers develop saliva testing method for SARS-CoV-2 using robotic RNA extraction

Researchers have developed an automated method of RNA extraction from saliva samples to allow faster processing times and high test sensitivity. Saliva testing could be used as an alternative to swab testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance.

12 Jan 2021

Could Vitamin D be an effective adjuvant to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, there is a dire need for effective and safe therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, the pandemic has infected more than 90.87 million people and taken more 1.94 million lives.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers determine the atomic structure of protein that helps coronavirus to evade immune cells

A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells.

12 Jan 2021

Wearable heart monitors and deep learning can provide early warning of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study, appearing as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reveals the possibility of early prediction of SARS-CoV-2 infection using data on the resting heart rate in the presymptomatic period.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

A shadow over the promising inhaled interferon beta COVID-19 therapy has been cleared with the discovery that although it appears to increase levels of ACE2 protein - coronavirus' key entry point into nose and lung cells - it predominantly increases levels of a short version of that protein, which the virus cannot bind to.

12 Jan 2021

Study shows COVID-19 pneumonia is different from typical pneumonia

Bacteria or viruses like influenza that cause pneumonia can spread across large regions of the lung over the course of hours. In the modern intensive care unit, these bacteria or viruses are usually controlled either by antibiotics or by the body's immune system within the first few days of the illness.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new technique to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells

Scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have developed a technique that will enable researchers to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells that are capable of targeting viruses, cancer and other diseases.

12 Jan 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server shows how closely the antibodies formed in exposed humans resemble the germline antibody molecules. This could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to counter the pandemic.

12 Jan 2021

Patient with hypertension or cardiovascular diseases experienced critical disease progression with COVID-19

COVID-19 patients who also suffer from high blood pressure are more likely to fall severely ill with the disease, which also leaves them at greater risk of death.

11 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in England could be double reported seroprevalence

A new study that recently appeared on the preprint server medRxiv* makes use of a combined method to estimate population exposure to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), taking into account the fact that patients who recover from the infection often do not have circulating antibodies against the virus.

11 Jan 2021

The mystery of Giglio island’s resistance to COVID-19

An intriguing new study explores the mechanisms by which an Italian island called Giglio remained resistant to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even after much exposure.

11 Jan 2021

Study supports continuing phase 3 trials of Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

An international team of researchers has provided further evidence to confirm the immunogenicity and efficacy of a recombinant adenovirus vaccine currently being tested in phase 3 trials for its ability to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Jan 2021

Extract of medicinal plant Artemisia annua interferes with replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers in the United States have shown that extracts of an aromatic herb called Artemisia annua inhibit the replication of severe acute respiratory coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

11 Jan 2021

Researchers demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung bronchioalveolar tissue model

Development of an in vitro human-derived tissue model for studying virus infection and disease progression in the alveolar cells of the lungs responsible for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange with the blood might enable the study of possible therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) triggered by SARS-CoV-2.

11 Jan 2021

Indirect effects of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease patients and care

Deaths from ischemic heart disease and hypertensive diseases in the United States increased during the COVID-19 pandemic over the prior year, while globally, COVID-19 was associated with significant disruptions in cardiovascular disease testing.

11 Jan 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

Nanobodies have potential to be developed into a treatment for COVID-19

Atmospheric particulate matter may influence the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2

California budget reflects ‘pandemic-induced reality,’ governor says

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers develop saliva testing method for SARS-CoV-2 using robotic RNA extraction

Could Vitamin D be an effective adjuvant to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic?

Researchers determine the atomic structure of protein that helps coronavirus to evade immune cells

Wearable heart monitors and deep learning can provide early warning of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

Study shows COVID-19 pneumonia is different from typical pneumonia

Researchers develop new technique to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

Patient with hypertension or cardiovascular diseases experienced critical disease progression with COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in England could be double reported seroprevalence

The mystery of Giglio island’s resistance to COVID-19

Study supports continuing phase 3 trials of Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Extract of medicinal plant Artemisia annua interferes with replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung bronchioalveolar tissue model

Indirect effects of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease patients and care

A paper-based sensor for detecting COVID-19

Cadmium linked to more severe flu and pneumonia infections

Could neurological complications be common even in mild COVID-19?

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

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