Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a pneumonia-like disease caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), reached pandemic proportions in early 2020. Severe COVID-19 is believed to result from hyperinflammation, overactive immune response triggering cytokine storms, and a prothrombotic state collectively determined as immunothrombosis, all elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Acute respiratory distress syndrome […]
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge throughout the United States and the world, demand for monoclonal antibody treatments is spiking, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. According to the FDA, this experimental treatment uses laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses like SARS-CoV-2. It’s specially […]
Children of all ages can become ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). But most kids who are infected typically don’t become as sick as adults and some might not show any symptoms at all. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, in the U.S. children represent about 13% of all […]
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for a pandemic, which has cost over 1.9 million lives worldwide so far. The emergence of new virus variants with higher transmissibility rates is seeing rapid increases in infection rates and deaths across the world. Several vaccines have undergone accelerated approval and are being rolled out worldwide. […]
Concerns over waning immunity and SARS-CoV-2 variants have convinced some countries to deploy extra vaccine doses, but it’s not clear to scientists whether most people need them. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 12, 2021, evaluated the effectiveness of 2 Covid-19 vaccines (Pfizer and AstraZeneca) against symptomatic disease by […]
Scientists and clinicians have been trying to understand why some people develop severe COVID-19 whereas others barely show any symptoms since the pandemic started. Some risk factors such as age and underlying medical conditions have been identified; however, variations in the human genome are less investigated sources of variability. Scientists knew that human genetic variants […]
Generating immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is of the utmost importance for bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control, protecting vulnerable individuals from severe disease and limiting viral spread. Another big question for researchers is for how long are we protected after being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and also with vaccination. Our immune system protects us either […]
The coronavirus sports a luxurious sugar coat. “It’s striking,” thought Rommie Amaro, staring at her computer simulation of one of the trademark spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, which stick out from the virus’s surface. It was swathed in sugar molecules known as glycans. Many viruses have glycans covering their outer proteins, camouflaging them from the human […]
As we all are well aware, a recent worldwide outbreak (pandemic) of pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ranges from asymptomatic or mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe pneumonia, ARDS or even death. The nasal epithelium was found to be the first site of infection and transmission among individuals with […]
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)is one of the most severe and mystifying threats associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections. This potentially life threatening condition primarily affects people under 21 years. It is characterized by the inflammation of the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, eyes, skin, or gastrointestinal organs. Although MIS-C can be successfully treated if detected early enough, it is a […]