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Newly identified mechanism regulates activity of nitric oxide-producing enzyme

The liver filters blood, detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. Hepatitis, alcohol and primary liver diseases are common sources of damage in the liver and can result in scarring, known as fibrosis.

5 Jun 2020

U.K. doctors test lipid ibuprofen as COVID-19 treatment

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Ibuprofen is being tested as a potential treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Doctors in the United Kingdom rolled out a clinical trial of the everyday painkiller to see if it reduces respiratory failure in patients experiencing severe COVID-19 disease.

4 Jun 2020

New device shows cigarette alternatives may be more hazardous than revealed by manufacturer testing

A more sensitive technique shows cigarette alternatives may be more hazardous than manufacturer testing had found.

4 Jun 2020

27 protein biomarkers predict COVID-19 severity in patients

Some patients infected with the novel coronavirus may experience only mild symptoms, while others may need medical care due to severe illness. People who are at a high risk of developing severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include older adults and those with underlying health conditions. However, severe disease has also been seen in young people with no underlying disease.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers are developing portable device to detect the presence of PFAS in water

Potentially harmful man-made chemicals used in firefighting foam and consumer products have contaminated groundwater and even private wells near military, industrial and disposal sites across the country - including Joe Foss Field and Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers design new microfluidic device to help detect blood clots

Researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University are working on an entirely new way to detect blood clots, especially in pediatric patients.

3 Jun 2020

Bacteria lurking in cancer cells may affect treatment

Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers.

2 Jun 2020

Does interferon therapy work in COVID-19?

A new study published on the preprint site medRxiv in May 2020 reports on the efficacy of interferons in treating COVID-19. The research could help evaluate the place of such therapy in the management of this disease.

2 Jun 2020

Specific immune suppression leads to severe COVID-19 disease

A new study published online on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports that specific changes in the way the human immune system responds to COVID-19 determine whether the individual develops moderate or severe illness.

2 Jun 2020

A handheld ultraviolet light device to kill novel coronavirus may be feasible

A personal, handheld device emitting high-intensity ultraviolet light to disinfect areas by killing the novel coronavirus is now feasible, according to researchers at Penn State, the University of Minnesota and two Japanese universities.

1 Jun 2020

Dogs could help monitor how environmental chemicals impact human health

Man's best friend may also be man's best bet for figuring out how environmental chemicals could impact our health.

1 Jun 2020

WVU researchers explore woody biomass for protection against COVID-19

As healthcare facilities grapple with personal protective equipment shortages, West Virginia University researchers are going against the grain to help with an earthy, unorthodox resource: wood.

1 Jun 2020

Searching for safety: Where children hide when gunfire is all too common

Champale Greene-Anderson keeps the volume up on her television when she watches 5-year-old granddaughter Amor Robinson while the girl's mom is at work.

28 May 2020

A key player in hepatitis A virus infection discovered

How hepatitis A virus manages to enter liver cells called hepatocytes and initiate infection had remained a mystery for fifty years until now.

26 May 2020

Researchers identify genetic mechanisms that produce radioresistance in cancer cells

Cancer stem cells are a cell type that was previously little known. They are resistant to irradiation and prevent the effective treatment of many types of cancer. A research group from Innsbruck has now identified two genetic mechanisms that produce this radioresistance.

26 May 2020

Can Chlorpromazine help treat COVID-19?

A new research paper published in the journal L'Encéphale in May 2020 reports on the planned ReCoVery Study, which will examine the possibility of repurposing the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine for the treatment of COVID-19.

25 May 2020

Improving IVF Treatments by Imaging Sperm Cells

News-Medical spoke to Professor Natan Shaked about his new sperm cell imaging technique that could be used to help improve the outcomes of IVF treatments.

22 May 2020

Scientists identify compounds in noxious weed that reduce virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria

Scientists have identified specific compounds from the Brazilian Peppertree -- a weedy, invasive shrub in Florida -- that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

22 May 2020

Hydrocarbon bonds may help synthesize large range of novel organic molecules

The most common chemical bond in the living world -- that between carbon and hydrogen -- has long resisted attempts by chemists to crack it open, thwarting efforts to add new bells and whistles to old carbon-based molecules.

22 May 2020

IL-6 blocker use in severe COVID-19 increases risk of secondary infections

With many hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a rush to find an effective vaccine or drug against the virus. A new study on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows that the use of some biologically plausible drugs may be counterproductive, and care should be taken when trying out unproven therapies.

22 May 2020