Disease/Infection News

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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

U of A researchers and Tonix Pharmaceuticals join forces to develop, test COVID-19 vaccine

University of Alberta researchers launched a joint effort with U.S.-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals to develop and test a vaccine against COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Should school closures related to COVID-19 be continued long-term?

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, many countries have introduced restrictive measures to curb the circulation and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

13 May 2020

Simpler ventilator design receives FDA's Emergency Use Authorization

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM) is safe for use in the United States under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization, which helps support public health during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

13 May 2020

UCI Health to initiate clinical trial of a drug to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients

UCI Health will initiate a clinical study of a drug to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients who face a high mortality rate because of acute inflammation that fills their lungs with fluid, a grave condition that even mechanical ventilation cannot improve.

13 May 2020

Placentas of pregnant women with COVID-19 showed abnormalities

A study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University, Chicago, has found that the placentas of pregnant women who were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) showed abnormalities, compared with those of uninfected women.

13 May 2020

WPI receives NSF Grant to study how coronavirus pandemic impacts student learning

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers with expertise in fields ranging from psychology to architectural engineering will use a $199,999 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how the novel coronavirus global pandemic is affecting stress in college students and their ability to learn in remote settings.

13 May 2020

Worldwide study of ICU data to provide insight into best COVID-19 treatments

Queensland researchers are leading a worldwide clinical study using AI to examine COVID-19 patient data from 300 intensive care units to provide insight for health professionals to determine the best treatments for the disease.

13 May 2020

Scientists discover how the iron chelator drives immune system to deal with TB

Although COVID-19 commands the headlines today, tuberculosis (TB) remains the biggest infection killer in the world and multiple drug resistant TB, which does not respond to regular antibiotics, continues to be a major threat to global health.

13 May 2020

Non-invasive ventilation mask could reduce aerosolization when treating COVID-19 patients

Led by Lawson Health Research Institute, London Health Sciences Centre, University Health Network and General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, researchers have designed a non-invasive ventilation mask that could significantly reduce aerosolization - the production of airborne respiratory droplets that may contain viruses or bacteria - when treating patients with COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Study on airborne virus transmission in buildings launched

As society prepares to reopen indoor spaces and ease back into some sense of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is launching a study of the risk of airborne transmission of viruses within buildings and how to mitigate those risks.

13 May 2020

Researchers urge Ireland government to change recommendations for vitamin D supplements

A new publication from Dr Eamon Laird and Professor Rose Anne Kenny, School of Medicine, and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), in collaboration with Professor Jon Rhodes at University of Liverpool, highlights the association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Exposure to fine particulate matter can increase mortality in young patients with certain cancers

An analysis of nearly 16,000 young patients with cancer in Utah revealed that exposure to fine particulate matter was associated with increased mortality at five and 10 years after diagnosis of certain cancers.

13 May 2020

Study shows why older individuals are vulnerable to COVID-19

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

13 May 2020

Experts review symptoms, diagnosis, and current treatment of COVID-19

The ongoing economic and social impact of the pandemic is staggering, but despite a daily flood of news on the disease, few laypeople know that paradoxically, COVID-19 mostly kills through an overreaction of the immune system, whose function is precisely to fight infections.

13 May 2020