Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

First general selection criteria for lung transplantation in Covid-19 patients

In May 2020, a team led by thoracic surgeon Konrad Hoetzenecker of the Department of Surgery of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital performed a lung transplant on a 44-year-old patient who had been seriously ill with Covid-19, making her the first patient in Europe to receive a lung transplant for this indication.

2 Apr 2021

Long-COVID-19 is a significant risk in recovered patients post-hospitalization

A new study, which appeared in the British Medical Journal, reports on a retrospective study to examine the incidence and risk factors for ‘long COVID-19’, the term used to describe the long-term effects of COVID-19 on affected individuals.

2 Apr 2021

Proper choice of control group nullifies most observed genetic markers for severe COVID-19, study suggests

A new study deals with the genetic contribution to severe disease following infection with this virus, showing that the association of severity with specific human genes described in an earlier study is not obvious.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers offer large-scale screening of potential broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

A new study describes the identification of new compounds from a library, with inhibitory activity against several coronaviruses. This study shows the utility of this method, besides identifying compounds that not only inhibit viral shedding in SARS-CoV-2 cultures, but have an immunomodulatory effect that may be useful in mitigating the damaging cytokine storm typical of severe or critical COVID-19.

2 Apr 2021

Beating the pavement to vaccinate the underrepresented — and protect everyone

Leonor Garcia held her clipboard close to her chest and rapped on the car window with her knuckles. The driver was in one of dozens of cars lined up on a quiet stretch of road in Adelanto, California, a small city near the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert.

2 Apr 2021

Comparative study of SARS, MERS, BAT‐SARS, and SARS-CoV-2

Even though a comparative study on the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 is available, there is a gap in the research in regards to the comparison between four types of coronaviruses, namely, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, BAT-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. A new study, which deals with the genomic comparison between the sequence of the above-stated four types of coronaviruses, has been published in the Journal of Medical Virology.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers use new approach to detect high-risk Human Papilloma Virus

A study led by Queen Mary University of London researchers has compared the performance and acceptability of a urine test and four different vaginal self-sampling collection devices to detect high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

2 Apr 2021

Study investigates the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines over longer term

COVID-19 vaccines were designed to reduce the likelihood that infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus would lead to severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. In that sense, all of the currently approved vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven comparably effective.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers use new way to detect high-risk Human Papilloma Virus

2 Apr 2021

Highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was spreading for months before its discovery

A highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was unknowingly spreading for months in the United States by October 2020, according to a new study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium.

2 Apr 2021

COVID-19: Several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic

When Australia, India, Japan and the US — countries strategically allied under the so-called Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) — switched focus to fighting COVID-19, it was seen as one more of the several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic.

1 Apr 2021

Backed by millions in public and private cash, rapid Covid tests are coming to stores near you

Scientists and lawmakers agree that over-the-counter Covid tests could allow desk workers to settle back into their cubicles and make it easier to reopen schools and travel.

1 Apr 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Planning for round two

Congress is out of session, but that hasn't stopped Democrats from planning their next round of health legislation.

1 Apr 2021

Study discovers new target on SARS-CoV-2 spike for protective antibodies

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute, USA, have described a potential target for COVID-19 vaccines. Dubbed as CC40.8 bnAb, it exhibited broad reactivity with human beta coronaviruses.

1 Apr 2021

Research finds possible explanation for why many cancer drugs don't work in human trials

A possible explanation for why many cancer drugs that kill tumor cells in mouse models won't work in human trials has been found by researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics and McGovern Medical School.

1 Apr 2021

Can asymptomatic COVID-19 confer long-term immunity?

Researchers examined the antibody responses in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals recovered from COVID-19 to see if there was a discernable difference in their humoral immune responses and long-term protection from reinfection with SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2021

Glycans influence SARS-CoV-2 spike–ACE2 binding affinity, finds study

A study conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Concordia University, Canada, has explored the impact of different types of glycans on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and human ACE2 receptor.

1 Apr 2021

Could a flavonoid found in common fruit and vegetables combat COVID-19?

Researchers in India have gathered and presented a large body of evidence highlight quercetin – a flavonoid molecule found in many common fruits and vegetables – may be developed into drug therapies used to combat COVID-19.

1 Apr 2021

Fight for Sight funds research to explore gene editing as treatment for inherited retinal diseases

Fight for Sight is funding cutting-edge research at UCL, which will explore whether gene editing could be used to repair faults in genes for some inherited retinal diseases.

1 Apr 2021

COVID-19 surges are driven by appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, genome sequencing shows

Genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that surges of COVID-19 cases are driven by the appearance of new coronavirus variants, according to new research from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis published April 1 in Scientific Reports.

1 Apr 2021