COVID-19 antibody / Flemish Institute for Biotechnology - LARVOL DELTA

A multi-analytical approach to investigate UV-induced degradation and micro/nanoparticle release from disposable plastic face masks. (PubMed, Ecotoxicol Environ Saf) - "Disposable plastic face masks (DPFMs), widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, have raised environmental concerns due to their improper disposal accompanied by unknown environmental degradation...By combining material-level degradation analysis alongside leachate characterization, this work provides a comprehensive view of the environmental behavior of aged DPFMs. The overall findings highlight the potential of DPFMs to act as long-term sources of polymeric particles and chemical contaminants, underscoring the need for ameliorated waste management and further ecotoxicological assessment."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

From COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to pollutants: A multi-analytical approach towards environmental weathering of gloves and face masks in beach sand and sea. (PubMed, Mar Pollut Bull) - "Regarding face masks, similar trends were discovered, again showing more pronounced chemical aging behavior in sand-aged samples. In conclusion, this study highlights that a multidisciplinary analytical approach is required to understand the impact of plastics towards the marine ecosystem."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Progressive microvascular abnormalities detectable overtime by nailfold videocapillaroscopy in long-COVID patients: a multicenter Italian investigation (EULAR 2025) - "Microvascular damage, detectable by NVC, is observed in LC patients more than a year after COVID-19, even in cases with a mild course from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. In LC patients the endothelial damage observed at NVC seems similar to that seen during the acute phase of COVID-19 and suggests a persistence of the endothelial injury. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 was shown to cause significant progressive microvascular damage, as evidenced by detailed pre- and post-COVID-19 NVC comparisons, which is likely involved in the pathogenesis of LC and is matter of our further research."

Clinical • Cardiovascular • Hematological Disorders • Immunology • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases • Rheumatology • Scleroderma • Systemic Sclerosis

Multicentre retrospective detection of nailfold videocapillaroscopy abnormalities in long covid patients. (PubMed, RMD Open) - "LC pts show more microvascular alterations at NVC as compared with RC patients and CNT, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of persistent organ/systems dysfunction."

Journal • Retrospective data • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases • Rheumatology • Scleroderma • Systemic Sclerosis

Application of the market-ready NAVETTA electrodeposition chamber for controlled in vitro exposure with nano-scaled aerosols. (PubMed, Comput Struct Biotechnol J) - "Chronic exposure to polluted air is a significant factor in the development of pulmonary diseases, which are among the top global causes of death, including COVID-19, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and tuberculosis...Physiological conditions of 37°C and 98 % relative humidity within the NAVETTA resulted in 95 % viability over 24 h enabling longer-term exposure experiments. In summary, the market-ready NAVETTA presents a versatile exposure system for future in vitro pulmonary safety and efficacy studies by facilitating reliable and reproducible electrodeposition of various aerosols."

Journal • Preclinical • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Lung Cancer • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Oncology • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases • Solid Tumor • Tuberculosis

Identification and characterization of quaternary ammonium compounds in Flemish indoor dust by ion-mobility high-resolution mass spectrometry. (PubMed, Environ Int) - "Their use has substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to increasing human exposure...The alignment between the two datasets served as an additional confirmation of the assigned suspect QACs. The use of the 4bit multiplexing acquisition mode with consecutive high-resolution demultiplexing confirmed the presence of isomers for two of the suspect QACs."

Journal • Asthma • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Coordination of chemical analyses under the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU): Concepts, procedures and lessons learnt. (PubMed, Int J Hyg Environ Health) - "The coordination of the chemical analyses included establishing contacts between sample owners and qualified laboratories and monitoring the progress of the chemical analyses during the analytical phase, also addressing status and consequences of Covid-19 measures...Many individual contacts were necessary in the initial phase of HBM4EU. However, there is a potential to develop more streamlined and standardized communication and coordination in the analytical phase of a consolidated European HBM programme."

Journal • Review • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Mobile measurements of black carbon: Comparison of normal traffic with reduced traffic conditions during COVID-19 lock-down. (PubMed, Atmos Environ (1994)) - "The approach presented in this study, using mobile measurements, is useful to understand the personal exposure to BC along the roads in different seasons and the influence of traffic reduction on BC pollution during prolonged restrictions. All these will support policymakers to reduce pollution and achieve EU directives targets and WHO recommendations."

Journal • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Open modification searching of SARS-CoV-2-human protein interaction data reveals novel viral modification sites. (PubMed, Mol Cell Proteomics) - "The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease, has led to an ongoing global pandemic since 2019...Additionally, we identified several novel modification sites on SARS-CoV-2 proteins that we investigated in relation to their interactions with host proteins. A detailed analysis of relevant modifications, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and S-nitrosylation, provides important hypotheses about the functional role of these modifications during viral infection by SARS-CoV-2."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases • Targeted Protein Degradation

Prospective longitudinal evaluation of hospitalised COVID-19 survivors 3 and 12 months after discharge. (PubMed, ERJ Open Res) - "At 1 year, the majority showed improvement to almost complete recovery. To identify additional care or rehabilitation needs, we recommend a timely multidisciplinary follow-up visit following COVID-19 admission."

Journal • Alzheimer's Disease • Cognitive Disorders • Fatigue • Fibrosis • Infectious Disease • Mood Disorders • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Psychiatry • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases