BOSTON, Nov 4:
Researchers have found that a subset of COVID-19 patients who recover faster have a persistent antibody response against the novel coronavirus, an advance which sheds more light on the functioning of the immune system and may aid in the development of vaccines against the disease.
The scientists, including those from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US, examined patients who had recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 and found that while antibodies against the virus declined in most people over time, some individuals sustained their production several months following infection.
According to the researchers, previous studies had provided conflicting accounts about whether people recovering quickly from the viral infection can sustain potentially-protective antibodies or not.
The results of the current study, published in the journal Cell, noted that these antibody “sustainers” had a shorter course of symptoms, suggesting that some individuals who recover from COVID-19 faster may be mounting a more effective and durable immune response to the virus.
“We’ve found a subset of individuals that heal quickly while sustaining virus-specific antibody levels after COVID-19,” said Duane Wesemann, a co-author of the study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
In the research, the scientists recruited and enrolled 92 people in the Boston area in the US who had recovered from COVID-19 between March and June of 2020.
Five of the individuals were hospitalised but all others recovered at home, the study noted.
The researchers collected and analysed blood samples monthly, measuring a range of antibodies, including immunoglobulin-G (IgG), against the novel coronavirus. They split the cohort into two groups — those that sustain virus-specific IgG levels over several weeks, and those that lose them — and analysed these groups and potential connections they had to the clinical data.
The study found that IgG levels against the virus tended to decline substantially in most individuals over the course of three to four months.
However, the antibody production remained stable or enhanced in about 20 per cent of individuals over the same time period.
According to the scientists, these “sustainers” had symptoms for a significantly shorter period of time compared to “decayers” — average of 10 days versus 16 days.
They said the sustainers also had differences in memory T cell populations and B cells — two types of immune cells that can play a key role in immune memory and protection. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Nov 4:
India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati on Wednesday entered into an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to launch 51 direct-to-home (DTH) education TV channels.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Prasar Bharati and Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology aims to bring quality educational programmes to every household, including those in rural and remote areas, the Government said in a statement.
“Under the ambit of this MoU, 51 DTH education TV channels comprising Swaymprabha (22 channels) (M/o Education), e-Vidya for classes 1 to 12 (12 channels) of NCERT, Vande Gujarat (Govt. Of Gujarat) (16 channels) and DigiShala under M/o Electronics and IT (1 channel) shall be available as DD co-branded channels to all DD FreeDish viewers. This move aims to bring quality educational programmes to every household, including those in rural and remote areas,” it said.
The services will be available free of cost for all the viewers 24×7, in line with Government’s commitment towards skill development and providing quality education to the last person in the country, it said. “This Government initiative will go a long way in achieving Government’s goal of providing education to all,” the statement said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Nov 4:
The national capital witnessed another cold morning on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature settling at 10.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the temperature met the criteria for “cold wave” on Tuesday but not Wednesday.
For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.
On Tuesday, the minimum temperature had dropped to 10 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the season so far. It was less than that of Dalhousie (10.9 degrees Celsius), Dharamshala (10.6) and Mandi (10.2) in Himachal Pradesh and Mussoorie (10.4) in Uttarakhand.
Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the regional forecasting center of IMD, said a similar situation is expected to prevail for another four to five days.
He said the month of November this year is expected to be the coldest in the last four to five years.
Normally, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, records a minimum of 14.8 degrees Celsius in the first week of November.
The mercury dips to 11-12 degrees Celsius by the last week of November, according to IMD officials.
The senior IMD scientist said the minimum temperature is expected to be recorded in single digits in the next three to four days.
Delhi has been witnessing a trend of low minimum temperatures due to the absence of cloud cover, he said.
Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground.
Also, there has been snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh in the last three to four days, so cold winds from that region have started affecting Delhi’s weather, he said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Nov 4:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it cannot hold the upcoming CA exam online as suggested by some of the candidates, in view of COVID-19, as it tests the analytical capabilities of the examinees.
The ICAI said its 3-hour exam is of a different pattern altogether, which have descriptive answers and not tick marks.
A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna asked the ICAI to publish on its website the steps taken for students welfare with regard to COVID-19 and disposed of the petition seeking a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the examinees in the upcoming CA exams.
The Chartered Accountant exams are scheduled to be held on November 21 to December 14.
During the hearing, senior advocate Ramji Srinivasan, appearing for the ICAI, said that they don’t have any isolation room as examination centres and don’t have the facilities for doctors.
He said that as directed by the top court in its last hearing, they have examined all the suggestions given by advocate Bansuri Swaraj, representing the petitioners.
“There was suggestion that can we hold an online exams. Ours exams has different pattern and therefore we cannot hold the online examination”, he said, adding that they test the analytical capabilities of examinees.
The bench then told Swaraj that petitioners need to be reasonable in their demands and it was not satisfied with their responses.
Srinivasan further said that transport and accommodation was also sought by the petitioner but that is not possible.
He submitted that ICAI may request Ministry of Home Affairs to allow e-admit cards to book hotels.
The bench said that it is a state specific issue as earlier when such suggestions were made, the State Governments have agreed to do so.
It told Swaraj that how can online exams be allowed when the answers are required to be descriptive.
“How can this be allowed? Just because courts are allowing many things, you cannot keep on asking what you want. Be reasonable in your demands,” the bench told the petitioner’s counsel.
It asked ICAI to put all the information on the grievances raised by the Petitioners on the website and disposed of the plea saying if there is any lapse it will be addressed but exams in the past have been handled well.
The petitioners have contended that despite less than a month left for the commencement of examination, no steps have been taken by the authorities with respect to safety of examinees.
They have claimed that no safety guidelines have been issued by ICAI on how the examinations will be held amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The plea alleged that the examination will be in violation of Central Government guidelines which prohibits congregations of more than 100 persons at an academic institution. (PTI)