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Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces?

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford and the Trip Medical Database and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 as part of the ongoing Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 reports the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in feces and the need for precautions to prevent orofecal spread in the surroundings of confirmed or suspected cases.

12 Aug 2020

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

European Commission approves first drug for hepatitis D

What started off as basic research 25 years ago has now lead to a successfully approved drug: The entry blocker bulevirtide (brand name Hepcludex, formerly known as Myrcludex B), jointly developed by researchers from Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, the DZIF and other partners, has now been approved by the European Commission.

5 Aug 2020

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

Medieval remedy can help treat modern day infections

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing battle for scientists to overcome, as more antimicrobials are urgently needed to treat biofilm-associated infections.

28 Jul 2020

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute receives NIH award for esophageal cancer study

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased 8-fold over the past 50 years. This is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of only 20 percent. However, the survival rate more than doubles if the cancer is identified early.

13 Jul 2020

Newly discovered endometrial cancer biomarker enables early detection and treatment

A newly discovered endometrial (uterine) cancer biomarker and diagnostic method will enable detection of the tumor type that is likely to spread and recur so that clinicians can initiate treatment early and stop the cancer from attacking other parts of the body.

3 Jul 2020

Study: Oats and rye brans reduce weight gain, hepatic inflammation

In a newly published experimental study, the consumption of dietary fibre from oat and rye brans supported the growth of beneficial gut microbiota, which in turn ameliorated cholesterol metabolism, enhanced gut barrier function and reduced hepatic inflammation.

2 Jul 2020

Study indicates the importance of identifying emerging trends in wildlife consumption

A new study of wildlife consumption in northern Laos by San Diego Zoo Global researchers found widespread use of products made from sun bears, Asiatic bears, and serows--goat-like mammals found throughout Asia--among other vulnerable species.

2 Jul 2020

Scientists find coronavirus' Achilles' heel

A team of scientists at the University of California San Francisco has found out how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) invades proteins in the cells that serve as master regulators of key cellular processes.

1 Jul 2020

Study shows how gut bacteria helps people resist cholera

Cholera can kill within hours if left untreated, and it sickens as many as 4 million people a year. In a new article in the journal Cell, researchers describe how gut bacteria helps people resist the disease.

29 Jun 2020

New steroid compounds from deep-water starfish show anticancer activity

Russian scientists from Far Eastern Federal University, G. B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, and A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center for Marine Biology have discovered four new steroid substances which target cells of human breast cancer, and colorectal carcinoma.

26 Jun 2020

Steroidal drugs subvert SARS-CoV-2 interaction with ACE2 receptors

A new study by Italian researchers and published online on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 reports the ability of several existing steroidal drugs to reduce the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 to the ACE2 receptor. This could help define newer strategies using viral entry blockers to reduce viral load.

14 Jun 2020

New insights into how parenteral oil emulsions prevent liver disease in preterm babies

Infants born prematurely may require parenteral or intravenous nutrition to provide the necessary nourishment, as their digestive system is immature and cannot digest nutrients.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers successfully transplant fully functional mini livers into rats

Using skin cells from human volunteers, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have created fully functional mini livers, which they then transplanted into rats.

2 Jun 2020

Researchers receive $5 million to study two types of parasitic infection

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $5 million to study two types of parasitic worm infection that cause devastating illness in millions of people worldwide.

21 May 2020

Fibroblasts of different pancreatic diseases exhibit distinct properties, study reveals

Fibroblasts present in different pancreatic diseases are genetically distinct and their functions are 'programmed' by the unique environment of each disease, according to new research from the University of Liverpool (UK).

18 May 2020

A promising treatment for chronic inflammatory liver disease

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the bile ducts and is difficult to treat.

14 May 2020

Study finds bowel abnormalities in patients with COVID-19

Patients with COVID-19 can have bowel abnormalities, including ischemia, according to a new study published today in the journal Radiology.

11 May 2020

New drugs developed for treating polycystic hepatorenal diseases

Polycystic hepatorenal diseases are hereditary, genetic disorders characterized by the progressive development of multiple symptomatic cysts in the kidneys and/or liver which may cause alterations in the function of these organs and/or complications associated with their growth.

11 May 2020