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People taking placebo pills and statins experienced similar side effects, shows study

People taking dummy pills and statins experienced similar side effects in a new study.

15 Nov 2020

PARP inhibitor, stenoparib inhibits pre- and post-entry processes of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A team of researchers from the Northern Arizona University evaluated a new PARP inhibitor, stenoparib, which has recently advanced to Stage II of clinical trials to treat ovarian cancer. Their study, an initial report on in vitro stenoparib activity against human coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2, has been published on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

15 Nov 2020

Promising new compounds to potentially treat novel coronaviruses identified

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy have discovered new drug compounds to potentially treat the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

15 Nov 2020

Immunotherapy combination shrinks rare angiosarcoma tumors in 25% of patients

Researchers from SWOG Cancer Research Network, a cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment, part of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that the immunotherapy combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab shrinks rare angiosarcoma tumors in 25 percent of all patients, with some having an even stronger response to the drug combination.

15 Nov 2020

Drugs targeting neutrophils could reduce ARDS in severe COVID-19

Scientists in Taiwan recently published a report on their use of anti-neutrophil strategies to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) – a life-threatening condition that can arise in critical COVID-19 cases – in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.

15 Nov 2020

New methodology predicts mutation hotspots in SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers in Sweden and China have presented a new methodology for predicting mutation “hotspot” sites within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

15 Nov 2020

Arthritis drug may improve COVID-19 survival among elderly patients

A type of arthritis drug may reduce the risk of dying for elderly patients with COVID-19.

15 Nov 2020

Promising MS drug may make the debilitating disease worse

A drug that has shown promise for treating multiple sclerosis may actually make the debilitating disease worse, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

15 Nov 2020

Inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a (SNG001) helps COVID-19 patients recovers

Now, a team of researchers at the Synairgen Research, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom, has found that inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a (SNG001), a drug used for multiple sclerosis, helped COVID-19 patients have greater odds of improvement and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

15 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

Antimalarials could disrupt SARS-CoV-2’s Nsp1 translation termination

A research team from the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology in Russia have shown that Nsp1 – a non-structured protein present in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen – stimulates translation termination in the stop codon recognition stage. Studying and developing drugs that compete with Nsp1 for binding with the termination complex could therefore be a potential strategy for fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Nov 2020

Ovarian cancer project shows promise

Porvair Sciences reports, due to promising results, it has agreed with its collaborative partners to make additional investment in the CEAT project** which aims to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 13 Nov 2020

MIT researchers unravel the molecular structure of key coronavirus protein

MIT chemists have determined the molecular structure of a protein found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This protein, called the envelope protein E, forms a cation-selective channel and plays a key role in the virus's ability to replicate itself and stimulate the host cell's inflammation response.

12 Nov 2020

New model can predict the risk of adverse side effects of cancer treatment

The risk of serious adverse effects on the blood status and bone marrow of patients during chemotherapy can be predicted by a model developed at Linköping University, Sweden.

12 Nov 2020

New prediction model may make it easier to find which infants will develop NAS

A new Vanderbilt-designed prediction model may make it easier to determine which infants will go on to develop neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns that occurs after exposure to opioids during pregnancy.

12 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2-induces temporary loss of smell in mice

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 presents the onset of olfactory dysfunction (loss of smell) in mice infected with the virus, examining this process at the cellular level. In doing so, this study throws more light on this curious symptom and COVID-19’s manifestations outside the lungs.

12 Nov 2020

"Cat's claw" extract inhibits replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers in Columbia and Peru have shown that Uncaria tomentosa – a woody vine native to South America known of as "Cat's claw" – exerts in vitro antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Nov 2020

Antidepressant drug fluvoxamine may prevent some serious complications of COVID-19

In a preliminary study of COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate disease who were attempting to recover in their homes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the drug fluvoxamine seems to prevent some of the most serious complications of the illness and make hospitalization and the need for supplemental oxygen less likely.

12 Nov 2020

Common spike mutation may make SARS-CoV-2 more susceptible to a vaccine

A new study published in Science confirms that SARS-CoV-2 has mutated in a way that's enabled it to spread quickly around the world, but the spike mutation may also make the virus more susceptible to a vaccine.

12 Nov 2020

Polymeric nanomicelles effectively deliver anti-cancer drugs to glioblastoma

Using practical nano-DDS technology, a polymeric nanomicelle that effectively delivers the potent mitotic inhibitor desacetyl vinblastine hydrazide (DAVBNH) to glioblastoma (GBM) was developed.

12 Nov 2020