Coronaviruses have been known to cause respiratory infections in humans and intestinal infections in other mammals. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is the seventh virus of the Coronaviridae family that is known to infect humans.     Morsa Images Read more…  Downlead Citation: Adam Molyvdas, Sadis Matalon European Respiratory Journal Nov 2020, 56 (5) 2002484; DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02484-2020 The post Cyclosporine: [...]

The Bigger Picture Humans spend ∼90% of their time indoors. However, understanding the chemistry that occurs on indoor surfaces and its impact on air quality is still in its nascent stages due to the complexity of indoor surfaces. High surface-to-volume ratios indoors increase gas-surface collisions, but molecular mechanisms for surface reactions are often poorly understood, [...]

Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection with a new antiviral drug, MK-4482/EIDD-2801 or Molnupiravir, completely suppresses virus transmission within 24 hours, researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have discovered. The group led by Dr. Richard Plemper, Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State, originally discovered that the drug is potent against influenza viruses. “This is the [...]

Where can we find data on whether or not water vapor is necessary for humans residing in buildings? One great place for such research is the hospital. There is a tremendous amount of data that is collected from one type of hospital building occupant—the patient. Despite a clear requirement of water vapor during the human [...]

A recent editorial in Nature Nanotechnology discusses the enormous feat of scientific innovation, with messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines developed to deliver the gene sequence of specific SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins into host cells using nanotechnology platforms. This new class of genetic-based vaccine is unlike traditional vaccine models, which typically administer entire viruses – either as attenuated live viruses, [...]

Background Globally, a surge in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has been observed in recent years, with youth being the most susceptible group. Given their recent emergence, studies assessing the health consequences of using e-cigarettes and exposure to their secondhand aerosols (SHA) are limited. Hence, this study sought to assess associations between e-cigarette use and household exposure [...]

Abstract SARS-CoV-2, a new strain of a Coronaviridae virus which presents 79% genetic similarity to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been recently recognized as the cause of a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) implying a major threat to the world public health. Read more… The post Pulmonary Endothelial Dysfunction [...]

Abstract Sleep is essential because it promotes good health and increases productivity. People spend most of their time indoors, and much of that time is spent sleeping. Thus, indoor environments may affect sleep quality. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between sleep quality and bedroom characteristics among residents living in apartment buildings in [...]

None of the four once-promising drugs evaluated for the treatment of COVID-19 in the ongoing World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial—remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, or interferon-beta-1a—prevented in-hospital death, reduced the need for ventilation, or shortened the duration of hospitalization.  The interim results of the open-label study, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved randomly assigning hospitalized [...]

Though the full impact of a predicted post-Thanksgiving surge hasn’t hit yet, the number of Americans currently hospitalized for COVID-19 rose past 100,000 yesterday for the first time, as the daily number of deaths topped 3,100, the most yet in the pandemic. Today, the nation’s overall COVID-19 total topped 14 million cases.   Morsa Images Read [...]