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MSU researchers make surprising discovery about the human gut's enteric nervous system

Researchers at Michigan State University have made a surprising discovery about the human gut's enteric nervous system that itself is filled with surprising facts. For starters, there's the fact that this "second brain" exists at all.

2 Oct 2021

COVID-19 deaths in U.S. surpass 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is most likely the deadliest outbreak in recent American history, exceeding the estimated deaths from the 1918 influenza pandemic.

21 Sep 2021

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

In a review paper published in the journal Nature Reviews, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania have described the underlying technologies for mRNA vaccines and their future prospects with improved delivery systems and applications in diseases beyond the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

31 Aug 2021

Small NIH clinical trial shows that new monoclonal antibody can prevent malaria

One dose of a new monoclonal antibody discovered and developed at the National Institutes of Health safely prevented malaria for up to nine months in people who were exposed to the malaria parasite.

11 Aug 2021

Pilot study assesses antibody response to third COVID-19 vaccine dose in kidney transplant recipients

A pilot study has begun to assess the antibody response to a third dose of an authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in kidney transplant recipients who did not respond to two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

10 Aug 2021

Expert panel recommends standardized criteria to define placental SARS-CoV-2 infection

A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health has recommended standardized criteria to define infection of the placenta with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

9 Aug 2021

Should we be concerned about the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant?

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), wreaks havoc across the globe, the efficacy of available vaccines is being threatened by emerging variants.

15 Jul 2021

Enzyme inhibitor boosts immune system to fight MRSA and other dangerous skin infections

In what turned out to be one of the most important accidents of all time, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after a vacation in 1928 to find a clear zone surrounding a piece of mold that had infiltrated a petri dish full of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a common skin bacterium he was growing.

8 Jul 2021

Surprising similarities found in membrane proteins of bacteria and humans

The cells of simple organisms, such as bacteria, as well as human cells are surrounded by a membrane, which fulfills various tasks including protecting the cell from stress.

24 Jun 2021

Study examines SARS-CoV-2 replication in cells using super-resolution microscopy

Despite tremendous efforts by the global scientific community to curb the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), by developing more efficient testing protocols, therapies, and vaccines at a rapid pace, relatively little is known about the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 replication within cells.

18 Jun 2021

Hair follicle stem cells play an outsize role in healing skin blisters

A team of scientists has shown that the healing of skin blisters is driven by hair follicle stem cells, which delay their own development in the process.

14 Jun 2021

Direct action of SARS-CoV-2 on organs may lead to exacerbated inflammatory response in pediatric patients

Besides common symptoms such as fever, cough and respiratory distress, some children have an atypical form of COVID-19 known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), characterized by persistent fever and inflammation of several organs, such as the heart and intestines, as well as the lungs to a lesser extent.

1 Jun 2021

NIH starts Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules

The National Institutes of Health has started a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in which adult volunteers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will receive booster doses of different COVID-19 vaccines to determine the safety and immunogenicity of mixed boosted regimens.

1 Jun 2021

Study shows that breast cancer can be prevented with better contraception choices

Hormonal contraceptives, e.g. the pill, the patch, and the vaginal ring, contain synthetic hormones that prevent pregnancy by either stopping ovulation, changing the cervical mucus to stop sperm from passing through the cervix and finding an egg, or changing the womb's lining to prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted in it.

29 May 2021

Salmonella bacteria colonize the gut using intestinal epithelial cells

The immune system's attempt to eliminate Salmonella bacteria from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract instead facilitates colonization of the intestinal tract and fecal shedding, according to National Institutes of Health scientists.

26 May 2021

Unique pre-clinical model enables study of HIV infection and testing of new therapies

A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Children's National Hospital has developed a unique pre-clinical model that enables the study of long-term HIV infection, and the testing of new therapies aimed at curing the disease.

14 May 2021

Clinical trial to test existing antibiotic for treating serious S. aureus infections begins

A clinical trial to test the antibiotic dalbavancin for safety and efficacy in treating complicated Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteremia has begun.

27 Apr 2021

New Phase 3 trial of therapeutics begins enrolling severely ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A new Phase 3 trial to test the safety and efficacy of therapeutics for COVID-19 has begun enrolling patients hospitalized with life-threatening cases of COVID-19, including those with acute respiratory failure.

22 Apr 2021

Researchers invent new technique to measure the speed of fibril growth

Amyloid fibrils are deposits of proteins in the body that join together to form microscopic fibres. Their formation has been linked to many serious human diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Type 2 diabetes.

16 Apr 2021

NIAID establishes a network of research sites to study influenza outbreaks

he National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has established a network of research sites to study the natural history, transmission and pathogenesis of influenza and provide an international research infrastructure to address influenza outbreaks.

15 Apr 2021