Corona Virus Able To Absorb Sewer Filth

New York: The dozens of mutations found in the spike protein of the Omicron variant help it to evade all four of the classes of antibodies that can target the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, suggests a study. This includes antibodies generated by vaccinated or previously infected people, as well as most of the monoclonal antibody treatments that have been developed, said Ram Sasisekharan, Professor of Biological Engineering and Health Sciences and Technology (HST) at MIT. According to Sasisekharan, the traditional approach of only examining changes in the virus' genetic sequence reduces the complexity of the spike protein's three-dimensional surface and doesn't describe the multidimensional complexity of the protein surfaces that antibodies are attempting to bind to. "It is important to get a more comprehensive picture of the many mutations seen in Omicron, especially in the context of the spike protein, given that the spike protein is vital for the virus's function, and all the major vaccines are based on that protein, he said. "There is a need for tools or approaches that can rapidly determine the impact of mutations in new virus variants of concern, especially for SARS-CoV-2," said Sasisekharan in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. Even though Omicron is able to evade most antibodies to some degree, vaccines still offer protection, Sasisekharan said. "What's good about vaccines is they don't just generate B cells, which produce the monoclonal [antibody] response, but also T cells, which provide additional forms of protection," he said. The team focused their analysis on the receptor binding domain (RBD), which is the part of the spike protein targeted by antibodies. Using their network modeling approach, the researchers studied how each of the mutations on the RBD changes the protein's shape and affects its interactions with four classes of human antibodies that target SARS-CoV-2. Class 1 and 2 antibodies target the RBD site that binds to the ACE2 receptor, while class 3 and 4 antibodies bind to other parts of the RBD. The researchers compared the Omicron variant to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as the Beta and Delta variants. The Beta and Delta variants have mutations that help them evade class 1 and 2 antibodies, but not class 3 and 4. Omicron, on the other hand, has mutations that affect the binding of all four classes of antibodies. The findings from the new study could help to identify regions of the RBD that could be targeted with future vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Read More► Omicron Bounced Back 'Sooner Than Expected': Study

मॉस्को- एक विशेषज्ञ के मुताबिक, ओमिक्रॉन वेरिएंट द्वारा संक्रमित व्यक्ति से कुछ ही घंटों में वायरस फैल सकता है। दूसरी ओर, तीन से चार दिनों में कोविड महामारी ने तेजी पकड़ी है। यह जानकारी टास समाचार एजेंसी ने वेक्टर स्टेट रिसर्च सेंटर ऑफ वायरोलॉजी एंड बायोटेक्नोलॉजी की येकातेरिनबर्ग शाखा के प्रमुख अलेक्जेंडर सेम्योनोव के हवाले से दी। उन्होंने रोसिया-1 टेलीविजन चैनल के साथ एक साक्षात्कार में कहा, सबसे दुखद बात यह है कि, संक्रमण तीव्रता के कारण तीन से चार दिनों में नहीं बल्कि लोग कुछ ही घंटों में कोविड से संक्रमित हो सकते हैं। साथ ही उन्होंने कहा, ओमिक्रॉन लगभग एक सप्ताह में ठीक हो जाता है। हांगकांग विश्वविद्यालय के शोधकर्ताओं के नेतृत्व में किए गए एक अध्ययन के अनुसार, ओमिक्रॉन डेल्टा वेरिएंट की तुलना में 70 गुना तेजी से फैलता है। 26 नवंबर को, विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) ने दक्षिण अफ्रीका में पाए जाने वाले बी.1.1.1.529 वेरिएंट को ओमिक्रॉन नाम दिया है। अब तक यह 120 से अधिक देशों में फैल चुका है, डेल्टा वेरिएंट से ज्यादा ओमिक्रॉन घातक बताया गया है। (एजेंसी) यह भी पढ़े► कोविड वैक्सीन लगने के बाद माहवारी में थोड़ा बदलाव: ब्रिटिश शोध

London- Covid infections jumped by a tenth across the UK last week, according to another study that shows children are fueling the resurgence of Omicron. According to the Daily Mail, King's College London scientists estimate 160,000 people were falling ill with Covid every day in the week ending January 26, compared to 145,000 in its previous report. Cases are now rising in every region, the report said. The findings mirror other coronavirus surveillance studies and the Government's data, which all illustrate how the Omicron wave stopped collapsing. The data from the King's team, who work alongside health firm ZOE, shows cases in children are fuelling the rise, with infections hitting the highest rate recorded since the pandemic began. And cases now appear to be spilling over into 35 to 55-year-olds. Separate data from the UK Health Security Agency released mirrors the findings, with positive test results rising in youngsters and their parents' age groups while remaining stable in other cohorts. Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist and lead scientist for the study, said the bounce-back came 'sooner than many expected'. But he insisted it was 'not surprising' because the start of the school term has been the instigator of resurgences throughout the pandemic, with the highly-infectious virus then crossing over into their parents, school staff and the rest of the wider community. Professor Spector said cases will 'continue to stay high until spring' due to Omicron's high reinfection rate and the emergence of subvariant BA.2, which experts argue could become dominant within a month because it appears to be even more infectious than its ancestral strain. (Agency) Read More► Long Covid: Mild Infections Can Lead to Hidden Lung Damage

New York- Nearly one in 10 of all deceased infants under six months were infected with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), according to a study. RSV is a common virus that produces cold-like symptoms and is merely a nuisance for the vast majority of people who contract it. But for babies especially infants in low- and middle-income countries who lack adequate access to medical care the virus can be fatal. Prior research has estimated that about 120,000 infants die from RSV each year, but this figure is based on modelling conducted in hospital-based settings and does not account for RSV deaths that occur in the community, which are not captured in hospital-based surveillance. In the new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers has found that the true burden of RSV infant mortality is substantially higher than what was previously believed. The team used systematic surveillance to measure the presence of RSV among infants who died in medical facilities or in the community. The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Global Health, showed that the virus was present in 7 to 9 per cent of infants under 6 months old and was primarily concentrated in infants under 3 months old. Notably, two-thirds of these deaths occurred in the community that is, among infants who never received medical care in a hospital and were overlooked in previous facility-based surveillance. "The concentration of deaths in young infants less than 3 months old is important for two main reasons," said the study's principal investigator Christopher Gill, associate professor of global health at BUSPH. "First, it is a reminder that these very young infants with very small airways are at particular risk of RSV infections anatomically. Second, both of the proposed new tools to prevent RSV infections -- maternal vaccinations and infant monoclonal antibodies -- will be most effective immediately after birth and could wane after," Gill added. The researchers enrolled 2,286 deceased infants, representing almost 80 percent of infant deaths in Lusaka from August 2017 to August 2020. The study showed that RSV directly caused at least 2.8 per cent of all infant deaths, and 4.7 per cent of all infant deaths outside of hospitals. The majority of these deaths were seasonal, occurring in the first half of the year, and were concentrated in the most impoverished areas. Preventative measures such as RSV vaccination of mothers who could pass on antibodies to her baby would also effectively be the most effective strategy to reduce infant mortality from the virus, the researchers said. There is currently no approved vaccine for RSV, but trials are underway. (Agency) Read More► T-cells From Common Colds May Help Fight Covid: Study