Page 209 - Eceptor News Today

A Ludwig Cancer Research study adds to growing evidence that immune cells known as macrophages inhabiting the body cavities that house our vital organs can aid tumor growth by distracting the immune system's cancer-killing CD8+ T cells.

Researchers in the UK and Austria have identified a novel class of antibodies that is highly effective at neutralizing the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) and maintaining blocking activity against certain viral variants that have emerged.

Researchers from the US recently conducted a study to examine the clinical course and echocardiographic and lab testing across clinically defined fulminant and non-fulminant COVID-19 myocarditis. This study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.*

A new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, supports the efficacy of the wildtype ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against B.1.351, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, while showing that a booster dose of vaccine based on the B.1.351 spike induces further increase in antibody titers.

Could the COVID-19 vaccination rollout protect against future coronavirus outbreaks? A new study suggests that the rollout of vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be significant not only in preventing infections by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but other endemic and pandemic-potential coronaviruses (CoVs) as well. bioRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines elicit cross-reactive CoV antibodies ...

In a new study by researchers in the UK, the activity of neutralizing antibodies collected from the sera of individuals that contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic is tested against variants of concern the B.1.1.7 (or UK) variant and the B.1.351 (or South African) variant, demonstrating somewhat reduced potency of neutralization towards these strains.

Smoking and vaping increase ACE2 levels and virus spike binding in airway epithelium The continuing spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) globally has not only taken a great toll on human health but threatens the economic stability of the human race. SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is unpredictable in its effects, as it has the potential to cause devastating disease in some while leaving most individual...

DNA on-off switches for SARS-CoV-2 host receptor as potential therapeutic targets Researchers in the United States and Canada have identified DNA on/off “switches” within the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) gene that may control the expression of this host cell receptor before, during and after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has...

An interesting new bioRxiv* preprint reports the suppression of monocyte glycolysis and cytokine production when exposed to the virus, following pretreatment with the commonly used drug, metformin.

Mutations to the spike protein and receptor-binding domain are responsible for these changes in immunogenic profile, and in a paper recently uploaded to the open access journal Antibiotics by Ambrose et al. (May 6th, 2021) these mutations are correlated with various disease parameters by in silico methods, finding that particular features are responsible for the increased infectiousness and lesser disease severity observed in these lineages.