Disease/Infection News

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Does SARS-CoV-2's ability to infect humans stem from its evolutionary past?

Study challenges the hypothesis of genetic recombination in SARS-CoV-2's evolution, suggesting its ancestral virus already possessed human-infecting traits, based on analyses of over 100 viral genomes.

7 Jan 2024

Genetic keys to COVID-19 vaccine response unlocked

A genome-wide association study in the U.K. Biobank reveals genetic factors influencing IgG serostatus against SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the role of HLA class II genes in variable immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines.

7 Jan 2024

Inpatient costs of treating COVID-19 in the U.S.

Study analyzes the average inpatient care costs for COVID-19 patients, revealing significant variations in expenses across pandemic waves and patient demographics.

7 Jan 2024

Sesame protein-derived peptides show promise in fighting E. coli and S. aureus

A study in "Nutrients" reveals that sesame protein-derived peptides, Ala-Gly-Gly-Val-Pro-Arg and Ser-Thr-Ile-Arg, show effective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

7 Jan 2024

University of Louisville scientists aim to disarm Yersinia pestis, the bubonic plague bacteria

When the body encounters bacteria, viruses or harmful substances, its innate immune cells, neutrophils, assemble at the site to combat the invader.

5 Jan 2024

St. Jude scientists develop novel spectinomycin derivatives to combat Mycobacterium abscessus

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are tackling Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) antibiotic resistance.

5 Jan 2024

Stapled lipopeptides show promise as broad-spectrum antiviral agents

Compounds that obstruct the "landing gear" of a range of harmful viruses can successfully protect against infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, a study published today and led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists shows.

5 Jan 2024

UKHSA urges eligible groups to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding all those eligible that it's not too late to book their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

5 Jan 2024

COVID-19's unseen impact: study reveals surge in home deaths across 32 countries

Trends in places of death across 32 countries during and before the COVID-19.

5 Jan 2024

40-year timeline of HIV: Testing assays, global burden, prevalence, treatment, and challenges

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. More than 77 million individuals have been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and approximately 37.6 million people are living with HIV infection.

4 Jan 2024

Sample type and time of collection play a role in the diagnosis of scrub typhus

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Scrub typhus (ST) is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Laboratory tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis when the characteristic eschar is absent.

4 Jan 2024

Early pandemic sees drop in child UTI diagnoses, severity unchanged

A cohort study in JAMA Network Open found a decrease in urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnoses among children during the early COVID-19 pandemic without an increase in disease severity, suggesting a potential reduction in over- or misdiagnosis.

4 Jan 2024

Scientists unearth dual-action weapons against deadly tuberculosis

A research team has detected various substances that have a dual effect against tuberculosis: They make the bacteria causing the disease less pathogenic for human immune cells and boost the activity of conventional antibiotics / publication in ‘Cell Chemical Biology’.

4 Jan 2024

Gonorrhea cases surge 64% post-COVID lockdown in England, highlighting unintended STI suppression

A study analyzing data from the Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset in England shows a 64% increase in gonorrhea diagnoses following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, despite only a 5.6% increase in STI testing, suggesting that social distancing may have suppressed STI transmission.

4 Jan 2024

HPV infection linked to doubled risk of thyroid cancer

A study in Taiwan involving 3,062 thyroid cancer patients and 9,186 controls finds that HPV infection more than doubles the risk of developing thyroid cancer, providing the first evidence of a carcinogen for this common endocrine cancer.

4 Jan 2024

AI model predicts future spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants using genomic data

Researchers developed an AI-based model to predict the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, analyzing nine million genomic sequences across 30 countries and incorporating factors like vaccination rates and non-pharmaceutical interventions.

4 Jan 2024

Paxlovid does not reduce long COVID risk in vaccinated individuals, study finds

A team of researchers from UC San Francisco has found that Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) did not reduce the risk of developing long COVID for vaccinated, non-hospitalized individuals during their first COVID-19 infection.

4 Jan 2024

Unmasking the persistent threats of long-COVID's pulmonary sequelae

A collaborative study led by Dr. Estefanía Nova-Lamperti of the Universidad de Concepción, Dr. Gonzalo Labarca of Harvard University, and Mauricio Hernández, of MELISA Institute, and which included the participation of researchers from leading academic institutions, sought to identify the sequelae associated with long-term pulmonary dysfunction (L-PDD) in patients with COVID-19.

4 Jan 2024

Gut microbiome plays a role in immune response to mRNA COVID vaccines

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that the gut microbiome can influence how well people respond to mRNA COVID vaccines.

4 Jan 2024