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COVID-19 prevention strategies may have led to a decrease in common respiratory infections

Wearing masks and physical distancing - two key infection prevention strategies implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 - may have led to the dramatic decrease in rates of common respiratory viral infections, such as influenza.

23 Mar 2021

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine found to be moderately less effective against South African variant

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have found that the Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine is moderately less effective against the South African variant, but still neutralizes the British variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 strain.

23 Mar 2021

Researchers use new approach to detect COVID-19 in wastewater

There are many ways to test municipal wastewater for signs of the virus that causes COVID-19, but scientists in Houston have determined theirs is the best yet.

23 Mar 2021

Anti-androgen drugs may help disarm coronavirus spike protein, stop progression of COVID-19

Hormone drugs that reduce androgen levels may help disarm the coronavirus spike protein used to infect cells and stop the progression of severe COVID-19 disease, suggests a new preclinical study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in Cell Press's iScience.

22 Mar 2021

The hype has faded, but don’t count out convalescent plasma in Covid battle

Six months after it was controversially hailed by Trump administration officials as a "breakthrough" therapy to fight the worst effects of Covid-19, convalescent plasma appears to be on the ropes.

22 Mar 2021

Diagnostic test helps identify the virulent forms of swine bacterial pathogens

A team led by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has developed a diagnostic test that can identify virulent forms of the swine bacterial pathogen Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus -- often referred to as "Strep zoo" -- which can cause severe illness and death in pigs, other animals and rarely people.

19 Mar 2021

Molecule produced by the immune system can reduce potency of antibiotics

Research from the University of Kent's School of Biosciences has revealed that a molecule produced by the human immune system can severely diminish the potency of certain antibiotics.

18 Mar 2021

Study characterizes shifting neoantigen burden between primary and metastatic tumors within HNSCC

Oncotarget published "Genomic and neoantigen evolution from primary tumor to first metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma" which reported that prior work has characterized changes in the mutation burden between primary and recurrent tumors; however, little work has characterized the changes in neoantigen evolution.

18 Mar 2021

Compromised immunity can allow SARS-CoV-2 to evade the immune system

The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity--such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases--can become chronically infected.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers uncover potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Florida Research and Innovation Center have identified a potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies.

16 Mar 2021

Engineered mouse Intestine Chip platform can help study host-microbiome interactions

Trillions of commensal microbes live on the mucosal and epidermal surfaces of the body and it is firmly established that this microbiome affects its host's tolerance and sensitivity of the host to a variety of pathogens.

16 Mar 2021

HPSE protein found to be a key regulator of cells’ innate defense mechanisms

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that heparanase, HPSE, a poorly understood protein, is a key regulator of cells' innate defense mechanisms.

15 Mar 2021

Study shows evidence-based interventions can improve infant brain health

In the world of neurodevelopment, one thing is clear: the earlier the intervention the better. Infancy is a critical time in brain development, and neuroscientists are increasingly identifying factors that can negatively impact cognition and ones that can improve cognition early in life.

15 Mar 2021

Study: Lowering the activity of KRAS gene can help fight pancreatic cancer

If clinicians could stop mutations of the KRAS gene in pancreatic cancer – which happens in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases and drastically reduces response to immunotherapy – the chances of improving treatment for this deadly form of cancer would be increased.

11 Mar 2021

Five herbal medicines show potent activity against Babesia duncani in the lab

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., today announced the publication of new data finding that five herbal medicines had potent activity compared to commonly-used antibiotics in test tubes against Babesia duncani, a malaria-like parasite found on the West Coast of the U.S. that causes the disease babesiosis.

9 Mar 2021

Expert insights from collaborative and commercial microbiome research studies

This webinar series is brought to you by APC Microbiome Ireland, and Atlantia Clinical Trials. Exciting times ahead as we announce this unique event, which will offer industry professionals the opportunity to gain insights not found elsewhere.

From Atlantia Clinical Trials 9 Mar 2021

New research project aims to treat patients with secondary brain damage

The Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge have launched a new research project aimed at discovering if selective P2X7 receptor blocker drugs can be repurposed to treat patients with secondary brain damage.

9 Mar 2021

Inhibition of complement disrupts neurodegeneration, improves cognitive function in TBI patients

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and a risk factor for early-onset dementia. The injury is characterized by a physical insult followed acutely by complement driven neuroinflammation.

9 Mar 2021

COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for human clinical testing

A few days from now the first human will be vaccinated with a Danish vaccine candidate against COVID-19.

9 Mar 2021

Self-assembling nanoparticles an effective vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2

The currently developed vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 include the RBD in their immunogen. With a similar objective, a new study developed an RBD protein-based vaccine candidate against the SARS-CoV-2, using self-assembling Helicobacter pylori-bullfrog ferritin nanoparticles as an antigen delivery system. The study is published recently in the journal mBio (by the American Society of Microbiology).

8 Mar 2021