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Harvard scientists will join forces with Chinese colleagues on coronavirus research

Since its identification in December, the novel coronavirus has quickly evolved into a global threat, taking a toll on human health, overwhelming vulnerable health care systems and destabilizing economies worldwide.

24 Feb 2020

Is COVID-19 the dreaded ‘Disease X' scientists warned us about?

Back in February 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) talked about a new virus that will emerge and wreak havoc across the globe. Disease X was the term used for this new unknown pathogen that might cause a future epidemic.

23 Feb 2020

Tulane establishes COVID-19 research program to develop a vaccine and test treatments

From working to develop one of the first nonhuman primate models for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to designing new therapeutic strategies and nanotechnology-based tests to rapidly diagnose infections, researchers at Tulane University are responding across disciplines to the emerging coronavirus epidemic.

21 Feb 2020

UV technology eliminates more than 96% of pathogens in ORs and on medical equipment

Ultraviolet technology developed by the New York-based firm PurpleSun Inc. eliminates more than 96 percent of pathogens in operating rooms and on medical equipment, compared to 38 percent using manual cleaning methods that rely on chemicals to disinfect surfaces, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Infection Control.

21 Feb 2020

Researchers develop novel therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant superbug infections

There may be a solution on the horizon to combating superbug infections resistant to antibiotics. The tenacious bacteria and fungi sicken more than 2.8 million people and lead to more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year.

20 Feb 2020

New study uncovers human genes controlling HIV infection

Viruses are parasites. The only way they can grow is by hijacking their hosts. When they infect a human host, viruses use human proteins to multiply and modify the human cells to sustain the infection. At the same time, the human host activates defense mechanisms to fight the infection.

20 Feb 2020

Study identifies new CoV responsible for the Wuhan outbreak

The 2019 novel coronavirus causes fatal pneumonia that has claimed over 1300 lives, with more than 52000 confirmed cases of infection by February 13, 2020, all in the span of just over a month.

18 Feb 2020

Social media users most misinformed about vaccines

With the advent of the coronavirus outbreak and other viral outbreaks that are taking the lives of many people worldwide, vaccination is more important today than ever. But, recently, immunization rates have drastically decreased due to information people receive through social media platforms.

18 Feb 2020

Fruit flies have a new defense strategy to deal with oxidative stress

Oxidative stress affects all living organisms, and the damage it causes is believed to play a part in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions.

18 Feb 2020

Plasma from recovered patients used to treat coronavirus a valid approach, WHO says

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) outbreak has taken nearly 1,900 people and infected more than 73,000 people, mainly in China. It has spread to 28 countries, prompting scientists to develop potential therapies to treat deadly viral infections. Now, Chinese doctors are using plasma therapy to treat coronavirus patients.

18 Feb 2020

New laser-driven technology to detect toxins and pathogenic E. coli in food samples

Researchers at Purdue University have been working to develop new technologies to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses, which kill 3,000 people a year, by detecting them more efficiently.

16 Feb 2020

Swansea University drug resistance research highlighted in two prestigious journals

Swansea University research into the threat posed by antifungal drug resistance has been highlighted in two prestigious international journals.

14 Feb 2020

Researchers develop high-resolution forecast model for the spread of malaria

Climate change aggravates global health problems, above all for people in Africa. The group "Climate change and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa" funded by the German Research Foundation studies climate-induced damage to health in Burkina Faso and Kenya.

13 Feb 2020

Study gives clues on how to stop HIV reemergence

A new study released today in the Journal of Virology gives insights into how the HIV-1 virus, which often persists in the body despite antiretroviral treatment, reemerges when treatment stops. More importantly, the study also gives clues on how to stop this reemergence from occurring.

12 Feb 2020

Coronavirus can live on common surfaces for nine days - how to kill it

When a new pathogen wreaks havoc on the planet, scientists from across the globe race to understand how it behaves and spreads. Now, scientists have found that the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) can survive on metal, plastic, and glass for as long as nine days.

11 Feb 2020

Coronavirus spread via aerosol raises concern as death toll rises

The Wuhan coronavirus or novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has started to spread in a seafood market in Wuhan China before New Year of 2019 and has since spread to 25 countries and has infected more than 40,000 people. The death toll has surpassed that of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, and new developments in the virus’s mode of transmission raise alarm worldwide.

10 Feb 2020

Protein Data Bank archive releases new coronavirus protease structure

The Protein Data Bank archive, which contains more than 160,000 3D structures for proteins, DNA, and RNA, this month released a new Coronavirus protease structure following the recent coronavirus outbreak, an ongoing viral epidemic primarily affecting mainland China that now threatens to spread to populations in other parts of the world.

10 Feb 2020

High bacterial levels in half of lupus skin rashes

A new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reports that half the skin lesions present in patients with lupus show the presence of viable staph bacteria. This makes them more susceptible to skin infections and also increases the risk that the infection will spread to others.

9 Feb 2020

Fly model could help lay the foundation for new therapies to fight 'difficult' pathogen

The Clostridium difficile pathogen takes its name from the French word for "difficult." A bacterium that is known to cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening colon damage, C. difficile is part of a growing epidemic of concern for the elderly and patients on antibiotics.

8 Feb 2020

Panicky responses to coronavirus may create many more problems

The new coronavirus is still spreading rapidly, in and out of China. By January 31, barely a month after the new pathogen's appearance on the world stage, already 62 countries had imposed restrictions on the entry of Chinese citizens.

6 Feb 2020

Pathogen News and Research

Harvard scientists will join forces with Chinese colleagues on coronavirus research

Is COVID-19 the dreaded ‘Disease X' scientists warned us about?

Tulane establishes COVID-19 research program to develop a vaccine and test treatments

UV technology eliminates more than 96% of pathogens in ORs and on medical equipment

Researchers develop novel therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant superbug infections

New study uncovers human genes controlling HIV infection

Study identifies new CoV responsible for the Wuhan outbreak

Social media users most misinformed about vaccines

Fruit flies have a new defense strategy to deal with oxidative stress

Plasma from recovered patients used to treat coronavirus a valid approach, WHO says

New laser-driven technology to detect toxins and pathogenic E. coli in food samples

Swansea University drug resistance research highlighted in two prestigious journals

Researchers develop high-resolution forecast model for the spread of malaria

Study gives clues on how to stop HIV reemergence

Coronavirus can live on common surfaces for nine days - how to kill it

Coronavirus spread via aerosol raises concern as death toll rises

Protein Data Bank archive releases new coronavirus protease structure

High bacterial levels in half of lupus skin rashes

Fly model could help lay the foundation for new therapies to fight 'difficult' pathogen

Panicky responses to coronavirus may create many more problems

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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