Disease/Infection News

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New technique evaluates connectivity of brain networks in COVID-19 patients

Many patients with severe coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) remain unresponsive after surviving critical illness.

7 Jul 2020

New technique to sort out complex interactions unique to prostate cancer cells

UT Southwestern researchers have identified vast webs of small snippets of the genome that interact with each other and with genes to promote prostate cancer.

7 Jul 2020

Faulty immune response to SARS-CoV-2 one of the main causes of death

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 describes the organ and tissue-specific spread of the virus causing the current COVID-19 pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 detected in Santiago, Chile wastewater with very little loss of viral RNA

A preliminary report from Chile describes the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in sewage as a sensitive method to assess the circulation of viruses within a community.

7 Jul 2020

Dutch trial of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 discontinued

Now, a recent trial published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports that a majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have a high titer of neutralizing antibodies, at the time of admission, within 10 days of symptomatic disease.

7 Jul 2020

Viral and bacterial co-infections are pervasive in severe COVID-19 patients

A large group of researchers from China recently characterized microbial co-infections in the respiratory tract of hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and demonstrated a high prevalence of both viral and bacterial co-infections – particularly in individuals presenting with severe disease.

6 Jul 2020

Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 possible and should not be ignored

Researchers at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands say that airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is possible and should not be discounted.

6 Jul 2020

Doping agent Epo could be effective against Covid-19

Erythropoietin (Epo) is actually a medication for anaemia. According to researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, the doping agent Epo could also be effective against Covid-19.

6 Jul 2020

Surge in gun purchases in U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic

A team of experts from the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center says the purchase and interpersonal use of firearms in the United States has increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

6 Jul 2020

COVID-19 risk halved when airplane middle seats empty, expert statistician says

As the coronavirus cases skyrocket, many countries have started to ease lockdown measures to save the ailing economy. Restaurants, malls, recreational centers, and transportation are slowly returning to normal operations. However, one of the most heavily impacted sectors amid the pandemic is the aviation industry.

6 Jul 2020

Work begins on UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater

Scientists will develop a standardized UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater, in order to provide an early warning of future outbreaks and reduce reliance on costly testing of large populations.

6 Jul 2020

$5 million gift aims to propel Lyme disease research and education

To the Fairbairns, the symptoms--debilitating fatigue, joint pain, cognitive problems--were as worrisome as they were mystifying. All four members of the family had them.

6 Jul 2020

Mongolia warns of suspected bubonic plague

Mongolia has issued a warning to residents in the western Khovd region after two people are suspected of having the bubonic plague. The National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) states that the disease is linked to the consumption of marmots, a relatively large ground squirrel.

6 Jul 2020

COVID-19 complications may be associated with von Willebrand factor in the blood

Anna Aksenova, a senior research associate at the Laboratory of Amyloid Biology at St Petersburg University, has advanced a hypothesis that the severe course of COVID-19 may be associated with von Willebrand factor.

6 Jul 2020

Florida man infected with brain-eating amoeba

The health agency announced that one patient in Hillsborough County contracted the Negleria fowleri, a water-borne and single-cell amoeba that targets the brain. The amoeba can cause a rare infection of the brain known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which destroys brain tissue.

6 Jul 2020