It’s only been about seven months since the world learned a new and dangerous coronavirus was in our midst. In the time since Chinese scientists confirmed the rapidly spreading disease in Wuhan was caused by a new coronavirus and posted its genetic sequence on line, an extraordinary amount has been learned about the virus, SARS-CoV-2,
A saliva-based laboratory diagnostic test developed by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health to determine whether someone is infected with the novel coronavirus has been granted an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The method, called SalivaDirect, is being further validated as a test for asymptomatic individuals through
The imminent threat of a Covid-19 surge overwhelming available resources for critically ill patients prompted many state-level public health officials to rapidly develop triage protocols for scarce resources, known as Crisis Standards of Care (CSC). It is important, however, for health care organizations to develop their own local CSC plans to address unique staff and
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is largely the result of a dysregulated host response, followed by damage to alveolar cells and lung fibrosis. Exacerbated proinflammatory cytokines release (cytokine storm) and loss of T lymphocytes (lymphopenia) characterize the most aggressive presentation. A multifaceted anti-inflammatory strategy, based on pharmacological activation of nuclear factor erythroid
Infectious diseases prevalent in humans and animals are caused by pathogens that once emerged from other animal hosts. In addition to these established infections, new infectious diseases periodically emerge. In extreme cases they may cause pandemics such as COVID-19; in other cases, dead end infections or smaller epidemics result. Established diseases may also re-emerge, for
Two papers recently published on EBioMedicine confirm that the excessive NET formation drives immunopathology in severe COVID-19 associated disseminated pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy. Coronavirus induced disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be complicated by severe organ damage leading to dysfunction of the lungs and other organs. The processes that trigger organ damage in COVID-19 are incompletely understood. Samples
Important study on T cells in SARSCoV2 published in Cell from Marcus Buggert et al. CIM Sweden Karolinska Institute. SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19. In this paper are systematically mapped the functional and phenotypic landscape of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in unexposed individuals, exposed family members,
In order to initiate successful infection, viruses have to transmit and deliver their genome from one host cell or organism to another. To achieve this, enveloped viruses must first fuse their membrane with those of the target host cell. Here, it’s described the sequence of events leading to the entry of representative enveloped viruses, highlighting
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continuing to spread to hundreds of thousands the world over, scientists are still seeking an effective treatment or vaccine. Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports that an older treatment modality, namely, the use of convalescent antibody-rich plasma, brings down the mortality rate in
Policies that facilitate hospital coordination are urgently needed to mitigate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic A new Penn Medicine study sheds light on yet another reason why the coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately killing the poor: Residents in low-income neighborhoods lack access to intensive care unit (ICU) beds. While the shortage of ICU beds in the
