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Abnormal liver tests associated with poorer COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Yale Liver Center found that patients with COVID-19 presented with abnormal liver tests at much higher rates than suggested by earlier studies.

7 Aug 2020

GADL1 enzyme may be linked to athletic performances, shows study

Carnosine and its precursor beta-alanine increases muscle strength, and have recently become extremely popular as dietary supplements in competitive sports.

5 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 lured away and trapped by a new decoy version of ACE2

Researchers in the United States and Canada have engineered affinity-optimized “receptor traps” that prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from binding to and infecting cells.

3 Aug 2020

Scientific evidence shows GLDH is a safe biomarker for drug-induced liver injury

Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced today that the Biomarker Qualification Program (BQP) at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a positive response to the Qualification Plan (QP) for glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) as a safety biomarker for drug-induced liver injury (DILI), developed by C-Path's Predictive Safety Testing Consortium (PSTC) and Duchenne Regulatory Science Consortium (D-RSC).

22 Jul 2020

Involvement of nicotine receptors in COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Bristol, Oxford Brookes University and the University of California San Diego neatly demonstrated how the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits high affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), with significant implications for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pathology and infectivity. Their findings are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Jul 2020

Digestive manifestations common but mild among hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A team of 121 researchers from the United States and Canada reports that while digestive manifestations seem to be common among people hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the majority appear to be mild and not associated with severe clinical outcomes.

12 Jul 2020

Study reports structure of enzyme activator for high pathogenic avian influenza

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the current pandemic of COVID-19, is the focus of many investigators seeking to find an effective vaccine or therapeutic. Among the potential targets are various protease enzymes suspected of allowing the virus to gain entry to host cells and establish a successful infection.

16 Jun 2020

Drug offers hope for patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder that begins in childhood and adolescence.

8 Jun 2020

High-throughput analysis of blood plasma could help identify biomarkers for ALS

High-throughput analysis of blood plasma could aid in identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to research from North Carolina State University.

29 May 2020

Study provides groundwork for restoring nerve-muscle connection in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles.

28 May 2020

Researchers identify CoV Mac1 proteins as a potential SARS-CoV-2 drug target

A recent study by researchers at the University of Kansas and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* reveals that Mac1 protein implicated in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a strikingly similar structure and activity in all coronaviruses – suggesting that possible future treatments targeting this protein may exert broad antiviral activity.

13 May 2020

Study identifies protein vital for liver restoration and regeneration after transplant

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona and the CELLEX Biomedical Research Centre from IDIBAPS have identified in a study with mice a protein which is fundamental to guarantee the restoration and regeneration of the liver after a transplant or hepatic surgery.

6 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein discovery could pave way for COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have made an important discovery about a viral fusion protein found on the surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could help researchers develop a vaccine.

27 Apr 2020

The Latest Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy Technology

In this interview, Kalina Ranguelova, Senior EPR Application Scientist at Bruker BioSpin, discusses the newest member of benchtop EPS spectrometers family, the Magnettech ESR 5000.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 22 Apr 2020

AI tool could accurately predict which COVID-19 patients will develop respiratory disease

An artificial intelligence tool accurately predicted which patients newly infected with the COVID-19 virus would go on to develop severe respiratory disease, a new study found.

30 Mar 2020

Key antibiotic used for treating drug-resistant TB does not work as expected

Crick and Imperial researchers have found that a key antibiotic widely used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis does not work as expected - a finding which could be used to develop new drugs.

16 Mar 2020

Supplementing diet with amino acid delays signs of ALS in animal study

The addition of dietary L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for formation of proteins and nerve cells, delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an animal study.

24 Feb 2020

New sensitive marker may enable early diagnosis, treatment of spotted fever rickettsioses

Rickettsiae are bacteria that cause severe, potentially lethal human infections, including Mediterranean spotted fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

16 Jan 2020

Botanical product kratom may cause liver toxicity and injury, study finds

Data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that kratom, a popular and widely available product, may cause liver toxicity and severe liver injury.

10 Nov 2019

Study shows how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater may cause ALS

Can a computer be used to explain why an environmental toxin might lead to neurodegenerative disease? According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a computer generated-simulation allowed them to see how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater might cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

17 Sep 2019