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Experimental drug APN01 prevents COVID-19 infection in the lab

With the world gripped with the COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is a frantic rush to find an effective drug that can be used to treat the disease.

6 Apr 2020

Study suggests targeted cancer therapy could help with rare neurologic disease

A targeted therapy currently studied for treatment of certain cancers may be beneficial in treating other neurologic diseases.

6 Apr 2020

Nanopore reveals shape-shifting enzyme linked to catalysis

Scientists observed characteristics of an enzyme inside a nanopore, revealing that it can exist in four different folded states.

6 Apr 2020

COVID-19 and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors

A new viewpoint article published in the journal JAMA Network in April 2020 deals with the use of a widely used category of cardiovascular medications in COVID-19 patients with hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These are the most common medical conditions that are found in COVID-19 patients and contribute disproportionately to mortality.

5 Apr 2020

COVID-19 adversely impacts patients with cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders

COVID-19 has a significant impact on patients with pre-existing conditions, many of which fall under the cardiovascular and metabolic disorder category.

3 Apr 2020

Investigating Human Disease with Mass Spectrometry-based Proteomics

Dr. Andrew Webb describes how his lab uses mass spectrometry-based techniques to understand the role of post-translational modifications in human disease.

From Bruker Daltonics 3 Apr 2020

Study shows how Toxoplasma infection causes seizures, psychiatric illness for some

Think about traffic flow in a city - there are stop signs, one-way streets, and traffic lights to organize movement across a widespread network. Now, imagine what would happen if you removed some of the traffic signals.

2 Apr 2020

Is coronavirus spread through feces?

A startling study from China, published in the journal Gastroenterology in March 2020, reports that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can spread via feces as well as the more familiar respiratory droplet route or from virus-contaminated surfaces.

2 Apr 2020

How (easily) does the novel coronavirus spread?

Viruses are tiny bundles of DNA or RNA which have the ability to infect host cells, hijack the machinery of the host cell and then replicate. Once the host cell’s resources are exhausted, the viral particles are released to infect other cells. In this way, the viruses ensure their survival, often at the expense of the host.

1 Apr 2020

What are coronaviruses and COVID-19?

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2020

Researchers identify risk gene for Alzheimer's development

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Central South University in China have for the first time identified a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

1 Apr 2020

Pancreatitis drug Nafamostat shows promise for coronavirus

With the increasing number of infections across the globe, scientists have resorted to studying existing drugs in the hope of discovering a cure for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A team of researchers has found that an existing drug, Nafamostat or Fusan, a drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the process used by the novel coronavirus to spread and cause illness.

1 Apr 2020

Antihypertensive drugs may protect against COVID-19 in heart patients

Common drugs used in high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic patients with kidney damage, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), could be protective in patients with COVID-19.

31 Mar 2020

Gastric bypass may be the best surgical option in patients with NAFLD

Bariatric surgery may be an effective treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), suggests a new study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, and publication in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

31 Mar 2020

Understanding the novel coronavirus genome

The novel coronavirus emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in China, and since then, it has rapidly spread to over 170 countries across the globe. Our knowledge of the virus, now officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still in the early stages. However, scientists around the world are racing to better understand the virus, in the hope of shedding light on potential vaccines and therapies.

31 Mar 2020

Clinical trial using genetic testing to guide antiplatelet therapy post-PCI falls short of stated goal

An international clinical trial that used genetic testing to guide which antiplatelet medication was given to patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) did not meet its stated goal for cutting in half the incidence of serious adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, in the year following the procedure.

30 Mar 2020

Origins of SARS-CoV-2 – natural or man-made?

With over 780,000 individuals across the world infected and over 37,000 dead, the world is gripped by the pandemic caused by the novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

30 Mar 2020

Investigational drug vericiguat benefits patients with worsening heart failure

Patients with worsening heart failure and reduced ejection fraction who received the investigational drug vericiguat had a significantly lower rate of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization compared with those receiving a placebo, based on research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology.

30 Mar 2020

AI tool could accurately predict which COVID-19 patients will develop respiratory disease

An artificial intelligence tool accurately predicted which patients newly infected with the COVID-19 virus would go on to develop severe respiratory disease, a new study found.

30 Mar 2020

Experimental drug could offer new treatment for people with chronic heart failure

An experimental drug recently concluded a successful third-phase clinical trial and could potentially offer a new treatment for about 300,000 Canadians who have worsening chronic heart failure.

30 Mar 2020