Disease/Infection News

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UNC scientists develop new kind of antibody test for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with many thousands of new infections reported each day, there is a need for widely applicable surveillance testing to gain a better understanding of infection rates, especially the number of infections in people with mild or no symptoms, who can still be carriers.

11 Jun 2020

WVU researchers develop new diagnostic and antibody tests for COVID-19

COVID-19 tests are in short supply. The companies that make the necessary chemicals--called reagents--can't keep up with demand. But researchers at West Virginia University are developing new tests on their own to identify who has COVID-19 now and who had it in the past but recovered.

11 Jun 2020

Synthetic nanobodies potent neutralizers for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences report the generation of potent synthetic nanobodies that selectively and efficiently neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pseudovirus.

11 Jun 2020

Progression and severity of COVID-19 highly dependant on cytokine changes

A new review paper by the researchers from Spain, published in the journal Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, demonstrates how changes in the levels of cytokines and other biomolecules are associated with the presence and more serious prognosis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

11 Jun 2020

COVID-19 poses a global threat to the entire nervous system

A new review of neurological symptoms of COVID-19 patients in current scientific literature reveals the disease poses a global threat to the entire nervous system, reports a Northwestern Medicine study published this week in Annals of Neurology.

11 Jun 2020

Race-related differences in genetic determinants of COVID-19 severity

Researchers at the University of Iowa have identified differences in gene expression levels between African Americans and European Americans that may explain the disproportionately higher rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and related deaths among African Americans.

11 Jun 2020

Antihypotensive agent for sepsis disrupts the immune system, increases susceptibility to infections

Patients who go into shock caused by sepsis (septic shock) are treated with the antihypotensive agent norepinephrine.

11 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Say what? The spread of coronavirus confusion

As we gain more and more information about the coronavirus and COVID-19, we seem to have less and less understanding of how the disease works and how prevalent it is in areas around the country and world.

11 Jun 2020

UCD spin-out awarded €4.5 million funding to help combat coronavirus pandemic

SiriusXT (https://siriusxt.com/), a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out company, has been awarded just over €4.5 million in blended (grant and equity) funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator Pilot programme which is part of Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme.

11 Jun 2020

COVID ‐19 stay‐at‐home orders influence health behaviors of patients with obesity

Shelter-in-place orders to reduce the spread of COVID-19 put unusual strains on people with obesity, making it more difficult for them to eat properly and manage their weight, according to a UT Southwestern study.

11 Jun 2020

College students are sleeping better during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders have taken a toll on many facets of physical and mental health in recent months. But according to new University of Colorado Boulder research, one silver lining may exist.

11 Jun 2020

UofSC research: Twitter could help predict future pandemics

The places people tweet could help predict a future pandemic thanks to the work of three University of South Carolina professors.

11 Jun 2020

Drug shortages can be exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines the nation's current shortage of vitally needed medications, and how this dangerous situation is being made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jun 2020

New sensor could dramatically improve the efficiency of Covid-19 tests

A new sensor that can give an immediate response to the presence of coronavirus could dramatically improve the efficiency of testing and overcome some of the current surveillance bottlenecks, believe its Swedish developers.

11 Jun 2020

Federal help falters as nursing homes run short of protective equipment

Around the country, nursing homes trying to protect their residents from the coronavirus eagerly await boxes of masks, eyewear and gowns promised by the federal government. But all too often the packages deliver disappointment — if they arrive at all.

11 Jun 2020

A family with five doctors — and two COVID deaths

On the morning of April 1, Dr. Priya Khanna inched her way from the bedroom to the front door, using walls, doors and railings to hold herself up long enough to get to the stretcher waiting outside. She had been battling COVID-19 for five days and was struggling to breathe.

11 Jun 2020

Using stories to mentally survive as a COVID-19 clinician

Dr. Christopher Travis, an intern in obstetrics-gynecology, has cared for patients with COVID-19 and performed surgery on women suspected of having the coronavirus. But the patient who arrived for a routine prenatal visit in two masks and gloves had a problem that wasn’t physiological.

11 Jun 2020

Turning autoimmunity drugs into anti-cancer treatments

Professor Mark Cragg speaks to News-Medical about his research which involves turning autoimmunity drugs into anti-cancer treatments.

11 Jun 2020

Hydroxychloroquine suppresses 'trained immunity'

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) suppresses a form of immunity called ‘trained immunity,’ with repercussions for its potential use to treat COVID-19.

11 Jun 2020

Co-existing non-communicable diseases linked to higher risk of illness and death from COVID-19

The interaction of COVID-19 with co-existing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a perfect storm, particularly for communities of poverty, according to a new opinion piece published by Columbia Mailman School of Public Health researchers in the journal British Medical Journal.

11 Jun 2020