Macrophage News and Research

RSS

A macrophage is a type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms, removes dead cells, and stimulates the action of other immune system cells.

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020

Healthy diet plays vital role in warding off COVID-19

A researcher at the School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, explored nutrition's role in boosting the immune system to combat COVID-19 infection.

29 Nov 2020

Research suggests importance of vitamin D for good health in the context of COVID-19

A researcher at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina revealed that avoiding vitamin D deficiency may help reduce the risk of severe COVID-19.

29 Nov 2020

Female reproductive hormones may be protective against COVID-19

In an article recently published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Graziano Pinna from the University of Illinois in Chicago outlines some of the evidence suggesting that female reproductive hormones may play a role in the sex bias that has been observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

29 Nov 2020

Could beta-blockers be a potential treatment for COVID-19?

News-Medical spoke to researchers about their latest research into beta-blockers, and how they could potentially be used to treat COVID-19.

27 Nov 2020

Immunonutrition may improve COVID-19 patients' recovery

Researchers duo Emma Derbyshire and Joanne Delange from the Nutritional Insight, Surrey, United Kingdom, explore the role of immunonutrition – nutrition that boosts or influences the immune system for those over 65 years of age in COVID-19. Their study titled, “COVID-19: is there a role for immunonutrition, particularly in the over 65s?,” was released in the latest issue of the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

26 Nov 2020

Researchers develop lung-on-chip model to study the body’s response to early TB

Scientists have developed a lung-on-chip model to study how the body responds to early tuberculosis (TB) infection, according to findings published today in eLife.

25 Nov 2020

The role of micro-RNA in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19

A team of researchers based in Iran have explored the role of micro-RNA in COVID-19. Their study titled, “The emerging role of microRNAs in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection,” was published in the latest issue of the journal International Immunopharmacology.

24 Nov 2020

Researchers uncover potential new target to fight inflammatory diseases

An international team of researchers have uncovered a drug-like compound that blocks a crucial inflammatory pathway, potentially paving the way for a new treatment for a host of diseases - including COVID-19.

19 Nov 2020

Scientists discover potential strategy to prevent inflammation in COVID-19 patients

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant illness and death while treatment options remain limited. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered a potential strategy to prevent life-threatening inflammation, lung damage and organ failure in patients with COVID-19. The research appeared online in the journal Cell.

19 Nov 2020

Vitamin D3 supplementation shows no therapeutic benefits in severe COVID-19 patients, study finds

A team of researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil aimed to determine if vitamin D3 supplementation reduces the length of stay in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.

18 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 causes a unique cytokine storm, study finds

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 reports some of the unique elements of COVID-19-induced CRS and how understanding these distinctive characteristics of the disease could help in formulating specific interventions and therapies.

18 Nov 2020

Study identifies new factor that offers potential strategy for treating obesity

Obesity is a serious global health problem and a risk factor for diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease.

17 Nov 2020

Hydrogen therapy may help severely ill COVID-19 patients

Researchers from the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu in China, have explored the possibility of using hydrogen therapy on severely ill COVID-19 patients. The team published their study's findings, titled "Hydrogen: A Potential New Adjuvant Therapy for COVID-19 Patients," in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

17 Nov 2020

Targeting BCAP with new drugs could benefit people with inflammatory bowel disease

Managing the activity of the BCAP protein could help the body repair intestinal tissue from damage caused by inflammation, according to a new study led by experts at Cincinnati Children's.

17 Nov 2020

Drugs targeting neutrophils could reduce ARDS in severe COVID-19

Scientists in Taiwan recently published a report on their use of anti-neutrophil strategies to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) – a life-threatening condition that can arise in critical COVID-19 cases – in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.

15 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2-induces temporary loss of smell in mice

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 presents the onset of olfactory dysfunction (loss of smell) in mice infected with the virus, examining this process at the cellular level. In doing so, this study throws more light on this curious symptom and COVID-19’s manifestations outside the lungs.

12 Nov 2020

Uracil point mutations found in SARS-CoV-2 variants alter innate immune responses

Tohoku University scientists have found that human editing enzymes are likely behind a type of mutation in the COVID-19 virus that stimulates the release of pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines by immune cells in the body.

11 Nov 2020

A promising vaccine for treating poorly immunogenic tumors

Patients with cancer have multiple treatment options available to them today, but each has its drawbacks. Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cancer cells, but it also damages healthy cells in the body and often does not effectively prevent tumor metastasis or disease recurrence.

11 Nov 2020

COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis caused by aspergillus fumigatus

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 discusses the characteristics of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA).

10 Nov 2020