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Medieval medicine to tackle antibiotic resistance

Biofilm-associated infections are notoriously difficult to treat, and they also play a role in antibiotic resistance as more antimicrobials are urgently needed to treat biofilm-associated infections. These biofilms act as protective layers that prevent the antibiotics from reaching and destroying the targeted bacteria.

29 Jul 2020

Relatives of SARS-CoV-2 may pose a health threat for years to come

Coronaviruses are zoonotic viruses that jump from animals to humans and cause infection. There are many types of common human coronaviruses, which usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of coronavirus types 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1 at some point in their lives.

29 Jul 2020

The toll that COVID-19 takes on the heart

Now, two new studies describe the toll that COVID-19 takes in the heart, increasing the risk of long-term damage even after patients recover. These studies also show that heart damage can even occur in people who did not have severe illness that required hospitalization.

29 Jul 2020

Loss of smell in COVID-19 explained by scientists

Now, a team of researchers at Harvard Medical school says they have found the reason why some people who get COVID-19 experience loss of smell.

29 Jul 2020

Iota-carrageenan from red seaweed inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

In a recent bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Marinomed Biotech biopharmaceutical company in Austria showed that a sulfated polysaccharide iota-carrageenan has the propensity to inhibit cell entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by using an in vitro neutralization assay.

29 Jul 2020

Unexpected neurologic complication identified in severe COVID-19

Physicians working at Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have reported that a significant proportion of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who required intensive care developed unanticipated disabling neurological deficits that were related to a mononeuritis multiplex.

29 Jul 2020

People with SARS-CoV-2 most infectious in days 0-5, no evidence of transmission after day 9

A study conducted by researchers in the UK and Italy suggests that individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are probably at their most infectious during the first week of illness.

29 Jul 2020

Clinical study evaluates potential of oral cancer drug to reduce respiratory symptoms of COVID-19

Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are conducting a new clinical trial to determine if an oral cancer drug called ibrutinib can also help patients with cancer or other immunocompromised conditions recover from COVID-19.

29 Jul 2020

Study explores if prior exposure to common cold viruses may affect SARS-CoV-2 severity

A study led by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) shows that some healthy individuals possess immune cells capable of recognizing the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jul 2020

Researchers identify potential anti-viral strategy for SARS-CoV-2 virus

In the case of an infection, the SARS-CoV-2 virus must overcome various defense mechanisms of the human body, including its non-specific or innate immune defense. During this process, infected body cells release messenger substances known as type 1 interferons. These attract natural killer cells, which kill the infected cells.

29 Jul 2020

Where mask-wearing isn’t gospel: Colorado churches grapple with reopening

The lights dimmed. Guitars thrummed. And a nine-piece band kicked off what amounted to a rock concert inside an amphitheater of a church. "Shout for joy to the Lord," one musician called out, quoting Scripture.

29 Jul 2020

Avacta and Daewoong Pharmaceutical expand partnership to include COVID-19 neutralising Affimer therapy

Avacta Group plc, is pleased to announce an expansion of its collaboration and license agreement with Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd and AffyXell Therapeutics.

29 Jul 2020

Inconsistent SARS-CoV-2 antibody results in nephrology workers

Using a broad spectrum of antibody tests the present study revealed inconsistent results for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among asymptomatic individuals, while this was not the case among Covid-19 patients.

29 Jul 2020

Platelet hyperreactivity, a unique feature of COVID-19

A new study by Irish researchers and published in the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 reports a bidirectional relationship between COVID-19 and coagulation abnormalities.

29 Jul 2020

Researchers launch randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of pulmozyme in COVID-19 patients

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital have launched a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of dornase alfa (Pulmozyme) in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation.

29 Jul 2020

Exciting cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate using Newcastle disease

Experts warn that the world may see repeated waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, scientists around the world are working hard to create a protective vaccine or antiviral, which could help to reduce the number of deaths and cases the next time around.

29 Jul 2020

Case Fatality Rate alone may be a misleading measure of overall COVID-19 mortality

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 16.67 million individuals and caused over 659,000 deaths around the world. Commonly the deadly virus and its impact are measured by the case fatality ratio (CFR).

29 Jul 2020