Fibrosis News and Research

RSS

Fibrosis is the growth of fibrous tissue.

SARS-CoV-2 viroporin activity impacts viral infectivity and pathogenicity

A team of researchers studied the two main viroporins of SARS-CoV-2, namely Orf3a and Envelope (E) protein, from a structural viewpoint.

29 Sep 2021

Radiation therapy for ventricular tachycardia may revert heart muscle cells to a younger state

Radiation therapy for ventricular tachycardia — a life-threatening irregular heart rhythm — appears to work by reverting heart muscle cells to a younger state, reducing the irregular rhythms, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

24 Sep 2021

Scientists discover how mucus protein emerges to disrupt airways of individuals with lung conditions

Mucus is an essential protective layer of gel-like liquid composed largely of proteins called mucins throughout our airways. One of them, called MUC5B, is crucial for the innate defense against the various things we inhale.

23 Sep 2021

Serum modified PTEN levels associated with increased risk of kidney function decline

High levels of a polyubiquinated form of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were associated with an almost four-fold higher risk of a 40% decline in kidney function in a cohort of American Indians with or at high risk of diabetic kidney disease.

22 Sep 2021

Repeated injury to the epithelial tissue of airways causes "biological aging" of stem cells

Are prematurely aged or overworked stem cells a significant factor in chronic lung disease? Findings of a study just released in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) say this is likely so.

22 Sep 2021

Differences in DNA methylation could accurately predict progression of liver disease

Findings of a national study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, identify potential biomarkers that might eventually be used to diagnose progressive stages of liver disease.

20 Sep 2021

Role of host gene variants in COVID-19 severity

A new study discusses the importance of common, rare, and intermediate variants of several host genes to the clinical severity of infection with SARS-CoV-2.

20 Sep 2021

Pairing bacteriophages with antibiotics to fight drug-resistant pathogens

Mycobacterium abscessus, a relative of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, is responsible for particularly severe damage to human lungs and can be resistant to many standard antibiotics, making infections extremely challenging to treat.

18 Sep 2021

Sex defining factors influence expression of ACE2 and other SARS-CoV-2 machinery

Results from this study provided evidence for the hypothesis that sex-defining factors influence the expression of ACE2 and other SARS CoV-2 machinery.

17 Sep 2021

COVID-19 and the gut-lung axis

A new study explores the hypothesis that stimulation of the gut could be responsible for the lung inflammation seen in COVID-19, triggered by SARS-CoV-2.

16 Sep 2021

IU researcher uncovers potential new approach for treating pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified how restoring a missing molecule in pancreatic fibrosis could help deliver treatments to cancer cells.

14 Sep 2021

A review of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for severe COVID-19

Researchers find that MSC treatment is highly tolerated and effective in reducing lung damage in COVID-19 patients and improving their chances of recovery.

13 Sep 2021

Rutgers study examines link between COVID-19 and memory loss, dementia

A new Rutgers study will examine how COVID-19 is affecting individuals in a number of cognitive-related areas, including memory loss, "brain fog," and dementia.

13 Sep 2021

Newly developed antibody may be used to treat muscular dystrophy

Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed an antibody that they believe can be used to treat muscular dystrophy, findings that were published in Science Translational Medicine.

13 Sep 2021

Researchers receive $12.8M renewal grant to reveal how smoking causes distinct lung diseases

Despite cigarette smoking being the single most preventable risk factor for both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), two devastating diseases that make it hard to breathe, about 44 million American adults continue to smoke.

8 Sep 2021

People living with HIV have higher risk of sudden cardiac death, finds study

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who do not have HIV, especially if the virus is not well-controlled or if they have other heart disease risk factors.

8 Sep 2021

Study pinpoints an entirely new approach for treatment of biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is the largest cause of end-stage liver fibrosis in children and the main reason children need liver transplants. Despite many years of worldwide research, scientists have not yet found a way to prevent the condition.

7 Sep 2021

Risk of COVID-19 transmission from animals to older adults

A new study in the journal GeroScience deals with this aspect of the disease, especially with respect to preventing higher death rates in older adults.

2 Sep 2021

New model shows how dysfunction in the air sacs initiates fibrotic cascade

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and severe form of lung disease characterized by relentless scarring leading to death within an average of four years from the time of diagnosis.

31 Aug 2021

Researchers develop adult lung organoids that represent all cell types

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in early 2020, scientists have struggled to find laboratory models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the respiratory virus that causes COVID-19. Animal models fell short; attempts to grow adult human lungs have historically failed because not all of the cell types survived.

31 Aug 2021