With an alarm code, we can enter a building without bells going off. It turns out that the SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has the same advantage entering cells. It possesses the code to waltz right in. On July 24 in Nature Communications, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health
First lesson : China’s experience shows the importance of investing in national health and research systems to enhance laboratory capacity as well as workforce. They are fundamental to a quick and effective national response to health emergencies and to global health security. A second lesson is that a robust foundation of research cannot guarantee effective
Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have been used to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). However, evidence on the safety and efficacy ofthese therapies is limited. A multicenter, randomized, open-label, three-group, controlled trial was conducted involving hospitalized patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 who were receiving either no supplemental oxygen or a maximum of 4 liters
Rare genetic alterations in the TLR7 gene may have predisposed two sets of brothers to falling severely ill with COVID-19, a new research has found. People infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit a range of symptoms, and while age, sex, and comorbidities such as diabetes and obesity may predispose patients to more severe disease, there is emerging
The Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the journal of the European League Against Rheumatism, EULAR, has published findings of an observational study on the treatment of patients with COVID-19-associated Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS). The study demonstrates that a treatment strategy combining intensive immunosuppression (using glucocorticoids and an IL-6 inhibitor) as well as close monitoring dramatically improves
An analysis of data obtained from a symptom tracker app has shown that there are six distinct “types” of covid-19, each distinguished by a cluster of symptoms. The researchers said that these types could be used to predict the need for respiratory support in severe covid-19. The study is available online as a preprint and
In some parts of the U.S., COVID-19 cases may be six to 24 times higher than reported figures, according to new antibody data from the CDC. The data covers more than 16,000 blood samples collected from patients as part of routine care in 10 cities and states between March 23 and May 12. The CDC shared preliminary antibody data
A recent article suggested the rapid decay of anti–SARS-CoV-2 IgG in early infection, but the rate was not described in detail. In this correspondence just published on The New England Journal a total of 31 of the 34 participants had two serial measurements of IgG levels and the remaining 3 participants had three serial measurements.
As the world continues to learn more about COVID-19, emerging data reveals that hospitalized patients with COVID-19 have an increased risk for blood clots. In a new Illustrated Review published in Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis (RPTH) , leading thrombosis experts Prof. Beverley Hunt, OBE, and Prof. Marcel Levi, explain a clotting phenomenon found in most hospitalized
A SARS-CoV-2 protein, N-terminal nonstructural protein 1 (Nsp1) , may play a critical role in weakening antiviral innate immune defenses, according to a study published in Science on July 17. Researchers identified how the viral protein specifically shuts down host protein production and subsequently blocks host immune functions. Following host infection, precursor proteins are proteolytically cleaved into
