Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Autonomous robot uses UV light to kill COVID-19

Ultraviolet light is a form of radiation that can be used for sterilization and disinfection. With schools and offices beginning to meet in-person again despite little change in the rate of COVID-19 infections, easy, low-cost sterilization strategies are necessary to curb the spread of the pandemic.

28 Oct 2020

Genomic analysis of early SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the UK

By analyzing 50,887 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, the team has provided insights into the micro-epidemiological patterns underlying the features of one of the world's largest national COVID-19 epidemics.

28 Oct 2020

A systematic review and meta-analysis of stroke in COVID-19 patients

Fourteen out of every 1,000 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital experience a stroke, a rate that is even higher in older patients and those with severe infection and pre-existing vascular conditions, according to a report published this week.

28 Oct 2020

Deep learning models help hunt for COVID-19 drugs

Michigan State University Foundation Professor Guowei Wei wasn't preparing machine learning techniques for a global health crisis. Still, when one broke out, he and his team were ready to help.

28 Oct 2020

Cognitive disorders associated with risk for developing severe COVID-19

Dementia and other cognitive disorders now appear to be risk factors for developing severe COVID-19, according to research from the University of Georgia. The findings highlight the need for special care for populations with these preexisting conditions during the pandemic.

28 Oct 2020

Cost of Covid-19 tests plays key role in people’s willingness to undergo testing

Where and how long can schools remain open in times of the Corona pandemic? How safe are public transport means? Which rules must be observed when organizing events? To answer these questions, systematic tests for Corona infections and antibodies are of decisive importance.

28 Oct 2020

Manchester hospitals deploy new wireless platform to monitor Covid-19 patients in hospital and at home

The surge in Covid-19 patients in Greater Manchester has provided the opportunity for two hospitals to deploy a new wireless monitoring platform which they hope will allow clinicians to identify and predict deteriorating patients faster and with less nurse to patient contact.

28 Oct 2020

Study of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in meat processing plant suggests aerosol transmission in confined places

The importance of maintaining high-quality air flow to restrict transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in confined workspaces has been strongly indicated by the investigation of an outbreak of the virus at a German meat processing plant during May and June 2020.

28 Oct 2020

For each critically ill COVID patient, a family is suffering, too

The weeks of fear and uncertainty that Pam and Paul Alexander suffered as their adult daughter struggled against COVID-19 etched itself into the very roots of their hair, leaving behind bald patches by the time she left the hospital in early May.

28 Oct 2020

Scientists warn Americans are expecting too much from a vaccine

The White House and many Americans have pinned their hopes for defeating the COVID-19 pandemic on a vaccine being developed at "warp speed." But some scientific experts warn they're all expecting too much, too soon.

28 Oct 2020

Research finds a problem with concept of herd immunity in COVID-19

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 suggests that arguments in favor of herd immunity are weakened by the fact that the steep increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths as a result of being exposed to the virus many times instead of once or a few times is not taken.

28 Oct 2020

Scientists compare ACE2 interaction with SARS-CoV-2 across species

Like other pathogenic coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 crossed the species barrier to cause human disease. This fact motivated the current study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020, which explores the way coronaviruses engage their host cell receptors in a range of animals.

28 Oct 2020

Beat AML trial achieves primary endpoint

Patients participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) groundbreaking precision medicine Beat AML Master Clinical Trial had superior outcomes compared to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who opted for standard chemotherapy treatment, according to findings published today in the prestigious Nature Medicine journal.

28 Oct 2020

Researchers describe factors that reduce placenta's capacity to protect fetus from zika virus

Genetic factors that reduce the placenta's capacity to protect the fetus from the zika virus are described by Brazilian researchers in an article published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

28 Oct 2020

Scientists use experimental approach to identify genes and interactions

A phage is a virus that invades a bacterial cell. While harmless to human cells, phages are potentially deadly to bacteria since many phages enter a cell in order to hijack its machinery in order to reproduce itself, thus destroying the cell.

28 Oct 2020

Structure and mechanisms of ribosomal frameshifting during SARS-CoV-2 translation

The structure of a 3’ stimulatory pseudoknot in the viral genome or by itself has been proposed recently. Researchers report the structure and mechanisms of mammalian ribosomes during translation of the -1 frameshifting of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome in a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

28 Oct 2020

Researchers demonstrate potent antibody that fights against coronavirus

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have shown that a potent antibody from a COVID-19 survivor interferes with a key feature on the surface of the coronavirus's distinctive spikes and induces critical pieces of those spikes to break off in the process.

28 Oct 2020