Immunodeficiency News and Research

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Immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.

Mexican case study finds similar mortality rates in diabetic patients with and without COVID-19

In a large case study based in Mexico, researchers recently examined the mortality risk associated with diabetes in symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

30 Nov 2020

New CDC report describes COVID-19 in NYC in early spring

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), has published an update on the outbreak in New York City. The report is titled, "COVID-19 Outbreak — New York City, February 29–June 1, 2020".

23 Nov 2020

Pomegranate peel extract shows potential as inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers led by first author Relja Suručić from the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, have studied the use of pomegranate peel extracts in preventing infections with SARS-CoV-2.

22 Nov 2020

Chemists discover effective inhibitors to block SARS-CoV-2

Some viruses can get inside cells via a mechanism that involves sulfur organic molecules. Chemists at UNIGE have discovered effective inhibitors and blocked the uptake of SARS-CoV-2.

20 Nov 2020

Carrageenan-based composite nasal spray may help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom formulated a spray that contains polysaccharides known for their mucoadhesive antiviral properties for prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020

Triple RNA sequencing dissects gene expression of virus and fungi in infection processes

Organ and stem cell transplants are proven and frequently used methods in everyday modern clinical practice. However, even when performed regularly in specialized centers, some patients still experience a number of serious complications afterward.

19 Nov 2020

Primate model helps detect features of COVID-19 virus

Features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19, which could be useful for developing vaccines and treatment strategies, were identified using a nonhuman primate model developed at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB).

16 Nov 2020

Dopamine-release mechanisms in the brain may play a major role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

The study, which appeared in the Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, shows that the SARS-CoV-2 may behave akin to the CNS pathogenic mechanism of JEV and HIV during the early stages of infection.

15 Nov 2020

Convalescent plasma in COVID-19 can be effective, especially early in disease

A team of researchers in the United States have conducted an extensive literature review looking at the usage of convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those with an impaired immune system. Their study, titled “Therapeutic use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients with immunodeficiency: A systematic review,” has been released on medRxiv*, the preprint server.

12 Nov 2020

Cabotegravir highly effective in preventing HIV among women

UNAIDS has been strongly encouraged by groundbreaking new study results showing that the antiretroviral medicine cabotegravir administered by an injection every two months – prevents HIV among women.

10 Nov 2020

Lupus patients receiving prophylactic therapy are at high risk for adverse reactions

New research shows that adults with systemic lupus erythematosus, who receive trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), a prophylactic therapy to help prevent pneumocystis pneumonia, are at high risk for adverse reactions to the drug, particularly if they are also positive for anti-Smith (anti-Sm) antibodies.

6 Nov 2020

Pre-existing anti-IFN autoantibodies may worsen COVID-19 in lupus patients

“Our observations suggest that the presence of these autoantibodies may predispose SLE patients to infection with SARS-CoV-2 with a more severe presentation and represent an additional risk factor in this patient population,” write Sarthak Gupta and colleagues from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland.

5 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 virus may target red marrow and prevent the formation of new erythrocytes

Specialists from the Department of Fundamental Medicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with Russian and Japanese colleagues have probed into mechanisms of COVID-19 inside-the-body distribution linked to erythrocytes damaging.

30 Oct 2020

COVID-19 now likely leading cause of death among 25-44's in USA

A team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, aimed to determine changes in all-cause mortality or excess deaths among adults between 25 and 44 years old in the United States. Further, they also want to identify the years of lost life (YLL) among this age group.

26 Oct 2020

Researchers explore new method to monitor the effectiveness of HIV treatment at home

Development of a new method to monitor the effectiveness of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment at home instead of in hospitals is underway by Penn State researchers.

20 Oct 2020

Antibody levels drop rapidly in recovering COVID-19 patients, shows study

In the absence of approved, effective treatments for COVID-19, some hospitals have been treating patients with severe COVID symptoms with blood plasma from recovering patients.

16 Oct 2020

SHEA releases updated guidance for healthcare workers with HIV, hepatitis

In light of the low rate of transmission and advances in treatments for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America today released updated guidance for healthcare personnel living with these bloodborne pathogens based on the latest available science.

14 Oct 2020

Mothers transmit passive protection against SARS-CoV-2 to their newborns

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 shows that newborns may be protected from acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by antibodies in the mother’s blood that travels through the placenta.

13 Oct 2020

Study highlights need for culturally relevant programs to educate Black communities on hepatitis B

Hepatitis B disproportionately impacts U.S. Blacks, including African American and Haitian Blacks. Both communities suffer from widespread misinformation and access to care issues that might avert disease detection and prevention, according to a study published in Cancer Causes & Control by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

12 Oct 2020

Scientists recreate initial steps of HIV infection in a test tube

Accomplishing a feat that had been a pipe dream for decades, scientists have recreated in a test tube the first steps of infection by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

9 Oct 2020