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Nasal delivery of single-domain antibodies improves SARS-CoV-2 symptoms in animal model

In a recent study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, scientists showed that nasal administration of a single-domain antibody (VHH), named K-874A, brought about inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 titers in infected lungs of Syrian hamsters.

19 Oct 2021

Scientists scan 110 natural compounds for SARS-CoV-2 antiviral potential

Phytochemicals are plant-derived molecules from medicinal plants that act as a prominent reservoir for treating a wide range of viral infections. In a new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists adopted a computational approach to identify Mpro inhibitors.

19 Oct 2021

Blood pressure regulation in males and females is different, scientists say

Another difference between females and males appears to be a key mechanism in how they become hypertensive, scientists say, and consequently which antihypertensives should be most effective for them.

18 Oct 2021

Factors contributing to a weak antibody response to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

A new study discusses risk factors for the failure of seroconversion following full vaccination with the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.

18 Oct 2021

Neuroscientists discover specific brain circuit that triggers cocaine relapse in mice

Relapse is a common feature of addiction recovery – two in three patients treated for substance use disorder in the United States relapse within 12 months, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Oct 2021

Statin treatment and COVID-19 mortality

The authors highlight the importance of their study in clarifying and expanding the current understanding of the relationship between COVID-19 and statins.

18 Oct 2021

Scientists pave the way for creating 'mini biological computers' in droplets

Scientists have worked out how to best get DNA to communicate with membranes in our body, paving the way for the creation of 'mini biological computers' in droplets that have potential uses in biosensing and mRNA vaccines.

18 Oct 2021

New method to study the nuclear pore complex directly inside cells

Context matters. It's true for many facets of life, including the tiny molecular machines that perform vital functions inside our cells.

18 Oct 2021

Researchers discover a new paradigm for how biological switches are regulated

Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) researchers at UC San Francisco have discovered a new paradigm for how fundamental biological switches, proteins that can be turned on and off to control processes like cell differentiation, cell growth, and transport within a cell, are regulated at the molecular level, specifically by molecules binding at newly discovered sites far away from the main binding site, and the broader impacts these changes have on a cellular level.

18 Oct 2021

Research reveals how daily circadian rhythms help to change heart function

A new study has shown how circadian rhythms in heart cells help to change heart function over the course of the day and may explain why shift workers are more vulnerable to heart problems.

18 Oct 2021

Accelerated regime of preventative drugs could prevent malaria infection and deaths in Africa

Malaria infection and deaths could be avoided by more than half a million young children thanks to an accelerated regime of preventative drugs being rolled in four African countries, says global health agency Unitaid.

18 Oct 2021

Common treatment for MIS-C patients likely works by depleting neutrophils

Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) — a common treatment for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) — likely works by depleting immune cells called neutrophils, according to a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

15 Oct 2021

Mapping proteo-genomic connections between different human diseases

Hundreds of connections between different human diseases have been uncovered through their shared origin in our genome by an international research team led by scientists from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, challenging the categorization of diseases by organ, symptoms, or clinical specialty.

15 Oct 2021

Global progress in tackling tuberculosis has been reversed by the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of global progress in tackling tuberculosis and for the first time in over a decade, TB deaths have increased, according to the World Health Organization's 2021 Global TB report.

15 Oct 2021

Generating Cell Repellent Surfaces in Microfluidic Devices

AMSBIO report that researchers from the Medical University of Vienna (Austria), have used Lipidure® - CM5206 to coat channels in their novel microfluidic devices, to prevent cell adhesion.

From AMS Biotechnology 15 Oct 2021

Researchers explore how opioids may have become so widely abused

Researchers may have uncovered new answers on how to create safer opioids. Design a new opioid to bypass the part of brain that feels pleasure, but retain the analgesic properties, which make opioids one of the most effective pain relievers.

15 Oct 2021

Daily use of cannabidiol oil may shrink lung tumors

It may be worth exploring further the use of cannabidiol ('CBD') oil as a potential lung cancer treatment, suggest doctors in BMJ Case Reports after dealing with a daily user whose lung tumor shrank without the aid of conventional treatment.

15 Oct 2021

Study reveals unique molecular mechanisms of stomach’s acid pump

Nagoya University researchers and colleagues have improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of a key protein that makes the stomach acidic. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to better drugs for stomach ulcers and shed light on the functions of similar proteins across the human body.

15 Oct 2021

Researchers identify neurons and signaling pathways that make sexually receptive females more active

Scientists have known for a century that female animals become more active just as they are about to ovulate, a behavior that evolved to enhance their chances of mating when they are fertile.

15 Oct 2021