Cytomegalovirus News and Research

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpes virus group, which includes herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus (which causes chickenpox), and Epstein-Barr virus (which causes infectious mononucleosis). Infection with CMV is a major cause of disease and death in immunocompromised patients, including organ transplant recipients, patients undergoing hemodialysis, patients with cancer, patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, and HIV-infected patients. While drugs are available for treatment of these conditions, the primary drug choices carry significant side effects and warnings. Currently, there are no anti-CMV drugs indicated for treatment of primary CMV infection during pregnancy resulting in infections that can have catastrophic consequences to the newborn. Maternal-fetal transfer of CMV infection results in a fetal death rate of 12% and most survivors have permanent debilitating disorders, including mental retardation, vision loss, and sensorineural deafness.

Immune inflammatory reaction to COVID-19 may not be the underlying cause of long Covid

Long Covid, which affects nearly two-million people in the UK, is not caused by an immune inflammatory reaction to COVID-19, University of Bristol-led research finds.

4 Jul 2023

Insights gained from genetically modified pig heart transplantation

Researchers described a genetically engineered pig cardiac xenotransplantation in a 57-year-old male patient.

3 Jul 2023

Advances in influenza research

This interview with Dr. Mohammad S Safiarian, Associate Product Manager at Sino Biological, discusses the advances in influenza research and how effective vaccines are developed.

From Sino Biological Inc. 30 Jun 2023

Space travel weakens immune system by altering gene expression in white blood cells

Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases.

24 Jun 2023

Parental loss at a young age affects a person’s immune system later in life

When a person loses a parent or a caregiver at a young age, their immune system suffers later in life, according to University of Michigan research.

21 Jun 2023

Unlocking the secret to lifelong health: the power of optimal immune resilience

Researchers assessed immune resilience (IR) metrics in individuals across diverse infectious and non-infectious models.

15 Jun 2023

Letermovir: A promising breakthrough in CMV prevention for kidney transplant recipients

In a recent article published in the journal JAMA Network, researchers performed a randomized clinical trial (RCT) to demonstrate the noninferiority of letermovir vs. valganciclovir for prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in adult CMV-seronegative kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) who received a kidney from a CMV-seropositive individual.

13 Jun 2023

Common infections in mid- and late-life can worsen cognitive performance

A new study from a team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.

20 Apr 2023

Study assesses the cellular and molecular immunopathology of post-COVID lung disease

Researchers assessed the cellular and molecular level immunopathology of PCLD.

4 Apr 2023

New therapeutic approach to eliminate aging cells by boosting anti-viral immune response

Aging, or senescent cells, which stop dividing but don't die, can accumulate in the body over the years and fuel chronic inflammation that contributes to conditions such as cancer and degenerative disorders.

30 Mar 2023

Penn State Health expert offers insight on childhood hearing loss

Two to three out of every 1,000 children are born with permanent childhood hearing loss. And finding out who they are can be tricky, since the patients haven't yet developed the ability to tell you what's wrong.

22 Mar 2023

Childhood common colds help protect against COVID-19

In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers assessed the association between cross-reactive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) CD4+ T cells generation and age.

20 Mar 2023

Research highlights the importance of ventilation and air filtration to reduce pathogen transmission

Testing of ambient air can be used to monitor the community circulation of respiratory pathogens.

16 Mar 2023

A possible link between aggregation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and protein misfolding diseases

A new study in the journal Nature Communications aimed to analyze the aggregation propensity in the proteins of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV.

21 Feb 2023

Study identifies a previously unknown role of 'natural killer' immune cells

Melbourne researchers have improved our understanding of how the immune system is regulated to prevent disease, identifying a previously unknown role of 'natural killer' (NK) immune cells.

10 Feb 2023

Pregnancy outcomes after monoclonal antibodies infusion for COVID-19

Researchers evaluated the impact of monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 on maternal-fetal health.

8 Feb 2023

Researchers utilize discarded facial tissues to diagnose respiratory viral infections in children

Researchers developed an innovative method to diagnose respiratory viral infections (RVIs) in children using discarded facial tissues.

1 Feb 2023

The impact of common viral infections on blood-brain barrier function and insulin sensitivity

A new study discusses the impact of several human viruses on blood-brain barrier function and insulin sensitivity.

31 Jan 2023

Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus detection using ribonucleic acid sequencing among smokers

Researchers identified serological Hepatitis C virus (HCV) signatures and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) signatures through the secondary utilization of ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis data among previous and existing smokers with or without COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

30 Jan 2023

Researchers report on the largest cohort of patients tested using plasma mcfDNA sequencing for pathogen detection

Researchers identified a wide variety of pathogenic organisms using plasma mcfDNA sequencing.

16 Jan 2023