Category: Science and Tech
Pre-Existing SARS-CoV-2 T Cells Predicted to Recognize New Pirola Variant
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to evolve (even if they are no longer making headlines.) In August, researchers detected a new SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern” in patients, first in Israel and Denmark. Over the past few months, this variant, BA.2.86 or “Pirola,” has made its way around the globe. The Pirola variant […]
Dec 12, 2023
Replication-Competent Virus Detected in Blood of a Fatal COVID-19 Case
Annals of Internal Medicine Background: SARS-CoV-2 infects respiratory tissues, and in some cases, replication-competent virus has been detected in extrapulmonary tissues, including brain (1). Viremic spread is suspected, and detection of viral RNA in blood is frequently reported (2). However, recovery of replication-competent virus from blood has not been previously demonstrated (3, 4). Objective: To confirm viremia in […]
Dec 12, 2023
Human medicine used to treat birds with avian flu
NHK News As avian influenza continues to spread around the world, researchers in Japan are turning to human medicine to protect rare and endangered bird species. Anti-virals are turning out good results in experiments so far, with the aim being to protect animals in zoos and keep natural habitats free of dangerous disease. Under avian […]
Dec 5, 2023
This Blood Type Could Help You Dodge Covid
Bloomberg Several studies have now shown that people with blood type O are less susceptible to contracting Covid, and those with blood type A are more likely to get it. In the early days of the pandemic, those findings were hotly debated. But one study this summer described the mechanism by which Covid interacts with blood cells. It […]
Nov 29, 2023
How do viruses get into cells? Their infection tactics determine whether they can jump species or set off a pandemic
The Conversation COVID-19, flu, mpox, noroviral diarrhea: How do the viruses that cause these diseases actually infect you? Viruses cannot replicate on their own, so they must infect cells in your body to make more copies of themselves. The life cycle of a virus can thus be roughly described as: get inside a cell, make more […]
Nov 21, 2023
Why does Paxlovid make things taste bitter?
Science The COVID-19 remedy’s unpleasant side effect—known as “Paxlovid mouth”—comes from its effects on the tongue’s taste receptors. Paxlovid can prevent severe illness from COVID-19, but it comes with a price: In many users, the antiviral drug leaves a weird, metallic aftertaste that can last for days—a condition nicknamed “Paxlovid mouth.” Now, researchers say they’ve figured […]
Nov 21, 2023
The Genetic Edge: Unmasking the Secret of COVID-19 “Super Dodgers”
Sci Tech Daily Scientists have discovered a gene variant, HLA-B*15:01, linked to asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, opening potential avenues for new treatments and vaccines. People who contract COVID-19 but never develop symptoms – the so-called super dodgers – may have a genetic ace up their sleeve. They’re more than twice as likely as those who become symptomatic to […]
Nov 14, 2023
How tiny hinges bend the infection-spreading spikes of a coronavirus
Science Daily Disabling those hinges could be a good strategy for designing vaccines and treatments against a broad range of coronavirus infections, including COVID-19. Far from being stiff and pointy, a coronavirus’s infectious spikes are shaped like chicken drumsticks with the meaty part facing out, and the meaty part can tilt every which way on […]
Nov 14, 2023
In a first, scientists see viruses cling to each other
Times of India In a groundbreaking discovery, reported by LiveScience, scientists have observed an unprecedented phenomenon in which one virus attached itself to another. This unique event involves two bacteriophage viruses that are believed to have cooperated in the replication process. “No one has ever seen a bacteriophage — or any other virus — attach […]
Nov 7, 2023
Paxlovid Probably Won’t Cut Your Odds for Long COVID: Study
HealthDay The antiviral drug Paxlovid is great at treating COVID-19 infections, but a new study casts doubt on its effectiveness at preventing symptoms associated with long COVID. Nearly 9,600 veterans given Paxlovid had about the same risk of most post-COVID side effects as vets not treated with the antiviral med, according to findings published Oct. […]
Nov 1, 2023
