Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
Immunoinformatic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein and Identification of COVID-19 Vaccine Targets.
COVID-19 is a worldwide emergency; therefore, there is a critical need for foundational knowledge about B and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 essential for vaccine development. However, little information is available defining which determinants of SARS-CoV-2 other than the spike glycoprotein are recognized by the host immune system. In this study, we focus on the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein as a suitable candidate target for vaccine formulations. ⋯ Most notably there is a region of potential T cell cross-reactivity within the SARS-CoV-2 N protein position 102-110 amino acids that traverses multiple human alpha and betacoronaviruses. Vaccination strategies designed to target these conserved epitope regions could generate immune responses that are cross-reactive across human coronaviruses, with potential to protect or modulate disease. Finally, these predictions can facilitate effective vaccine design against this high priority virus.
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In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was reported to be responsible for a cluster of acute atypical respiratory pneumonia cases in Wuhan, in Hubei province, China. The disease caused by this virus is called COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). ⋯ However, the data on this topic are still limited. Here we report the case of a man presenting with pneumonia complicated by bilateral pulmonary embolism.
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Front Cell Infect Microbiol · Jan 2020
Clinical Characteristics and Immune Responses of 137 Deceased Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Study.
This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 by clarifying the clinical characteristics and immune responses. ⋯ This study identified that an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 90 ml/min/1.73, elevated cardiac troponin I, C-reactive protein ≥ 25 mg/L and procalcitonin ≥ 0.05 ng/ml were predictors of mortality in COVID-19 patients. Elevated cytokine levels and a continued increasing trend, including in IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNFα, and a decrease in lymphocyte subsets, especially helper T cells, suppressor T cells and NK cells, were associated with a poor prognosis.
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The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in December 2019 and then spread rapidly worldwide, particularly to China, Japan, and South Korea. Scientists are endeavoring to find antivirals specific to the virus. Several drugs such as chloroquine, arbidol, remdesivir, and favipiravir are currently undergoing clinical studies to test their efficacy and safety in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China; some promising results have been achieved thus far. This article summarizes agents with potential efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
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The paper describes 4 autopsy cases of myocarditis in elderly patients with confirmed coronavirus infection. It gives the data of a morphological study of heart specimens and a detailed characterization of a myocardial infiltrate. ⋯ The fact that lymphocytic viral myocarditis can develop in COVID-19 was morphologically and immunohistochemically confirmed. The features of myocarditis in COVID-19 are the development of the former in the presence of coronaritis and the possibility of its concurrence with lymphocytic endo- and pericarditis.