UT Southwestern researchers identify mechanism crucial for COVID-19 virus replication

Findings could lead to new strategies to treat COVID-19 infections A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, builds a structure called the RNA cap that’s critical for successful viral replication. The finding, published in Nature, could lead to new strategies to attack COVID-19, which has sickened nearly 600

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Clinical Practice Guidelines from the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB): COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma

The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) has released clinical practice guidelines for the appropriate use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) in hospital and outpatient settings. Based on two living systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the guidelines provide five specific recommendations for treating patients with COVID-19 and suggest that CCP

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The US and UK Government Release Reports on Long COVID to Support Patients and Further Research

The US Government is committed to helping people across America affected by Long COVID. In April, President Joe Biden issued a Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19, which called for the creation of two reports. Within 120 days, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leading a whole-of-government response, developed two reports that

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Two patients treated with Novartis Zolgensma gene therapy died due to acute liver injury.

Two children who received a Novartis gene therapy for their neuromuscular disease died following treatment, spotlighting its risks and renewing questions about the safety of genetic medicines like it. The patients developed acute liver failure between five and six weeks after infusion with the gene therapy, called Zolgensma and approved to treat spinal muscular atrophy,

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66,000 people in Southeast Asia may be infected with bats SARS-related coronaviruses every year: results of a study published in Nature Communications

New research offers risk assessment that estimates the risk of human infections from SARS-related coronaviruses originating in 23 bat host species across Southeast Asia In a new study led by EcoHealth Alliance and published in Nature Communications, researchers estimate that more than 66,000 people in Southeast Asia are directly infected each year with SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoV) originating in

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COVID-19 pandemic dynamics in South Africa and epidemiological characteristics of three variants of concern (Beta, Delta, and Omicron)

A model of COVID-19 dynamics in South Africa reveals epidemiological characteristics of the main SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and highlights their potential to cause further outbreaks. Published in eLife, the researchers’ findings highlight the need for more proactive planning and preparedness for future variants of concern (VOCs), including the development of a universal vaccine that can

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Inhaled aprotinin reduces viral load in mild-to-moderate inpatients with Covid-19: paper published in European Journal of Clinical Investigation

New variants of the causative pathogen, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continue to emerge, and the ‘new normal’ appears to be a scenario where human beings coexist with the virus. However, many individuals are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 due to comorbidities like obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, advancing age,

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Acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children: an update by the European Reference Network ERN RARE-LIVER

Unexplained cases of acute liver inflammation in children, especially in the United Kingdom (UK) were reported earlier this year. In response, the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER) conducted a thorough investigation that did not confirm the alarming observation from the UK in other European countries. However, an infectious cause remains the main suspected

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