Disease/Infection News

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SARS-CoV-2 is resistant to extreme variations in temperature, finds study

A recent study from Belize and Taiwan shows that four essential proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are well adapted to habitable temperatures and exhibit extreme thermostability, which means temperature changes between the winter and summer months have a negligible effect on the viral spread.

28 Jan 2021

Can the US keep covid variants in check? Here’s what it takes

The covid-19 variants that have emerged in the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa and now Southern California are eliciting two notably distinct responses from U.S. public health officials.

28 Jan 2021

New covid cases plunge 25% or more as behavior changes

A dozen states are reporting drops of 25% or more in new covid-19 cases and more than 1,200 counties have seen the same, federal data released Wednesday shows. Experts say the plunge may relate to growing fear of the virus after it reached record-high levels, as well as soaring hopes of getting vaccinated soon.

28 Jan 2021

Neurological and psychiatric complications six months after COVID-19 recovery

Researchers in the United Kingdom have aimed to determine the prevalence of patients who experience neurological and psychiatric conditions six months after recovering from COVID-19.

28 Jan 2021

Moderna vaccine shows robust suppression of SARS-CoV-2 infection in animal model

Researchers have demonstrated that the prime or prime-boost vaccination of Moderna vaccine in hamsters induced robust neutralizing antibodies, ameliorated weight loss, and suppressed SARS-CoV-2 replication in the airways.

28 Jan 2021

COVID-19 patients in high-altitude ICUs had improved survival in case study

A team of researchers in Ecuador and the U.K. found that high altitudes may be linked to improved COVID-19 survival – particularly among patients with no comorbidities.

28 Jan 2021

Cultural concerns influence willingness to share personal data to reduce COVID-19 spread

Culture, civic-mindedness and privacy concerns influence how willing people are to share personal location information to help stem the transmission of COVID-19 in their communities, a new study finds.

28 Jan 2021

Professor receives NIHCM grant to study effect of COVID-19 on patients with chronic conditions

Alison Cuellar, Professor of Health Administration and Policy and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic changed health care for patients with chronic conditions.

28 Jan 2021

Viral ExoN regulates the rate of recombination in SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston have discovered what may be the Achilles' heel of the coronavirus, a finding that may help close the door on COVID-19 and possibly head off future pandemics.

28 Jan 2021

COVID-19 vaccines should be given to pregnant or breastfeeding people, argue experts

People who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive should be offered the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine based on ethical grounds, argue authors of a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

28 Jan 2021

Melatonin synthesized in the lungs acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2

Melatonin synthesized in the lungs acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2, preventing expression of genes that encode proteins in cells such as resident macrophages in the nose and pulmonary alveoli, and epithelial cells lining the alveoli, all of which are entry points for the virus.

28 Jan 2021

Ebola survivors experienced a resurgence in antibody levels after recovery

A high proportion of survivors of Ebola experienced a resurgence in antibody levels nearly a year after recovery, a new University of Liverpool study has found.

27 Jan 2021

New tool offers data-driven, precision medicine approach to help scientists better understand COVID-19

It is called PAGER-CoV, and it promises to be an important tool in finding therapies for COVID-19.

27 Jan 2021

Temperature, latitude correlate with COVID-19 cases and mortality rates

With cities around the globe locking down yet again amid soaring COVID-19 numbers, could seasonality be partially to blame? New research from the University of Illinois says yes.

27 Jan 2021

R&D lacking on emerging infectious diseases, report finds

As research into COVID-19 swells, R&D on other infectious diseases is seriously lacking, report finds.

27 Jan 2021

New trial to look at reducing transmission of Covid-19 in care homes

A new trial, led by experts from the University of Nottingham, will look at reducing the transmission of Covid-19 and its severity in care homes, thanks to funding from the National Institute for Health Research.

27 Jan 2021

Biliverdin shields SARS-CoV-2 from host antibody response, study finds

A team of international scientists has recently revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with two heme metabolites, bilirubin and biliverdin, to escape the antibody-mediated host immune responses.

27 Jan 2021

Anakinra shows therapeutic potential in critically ill COVID-19 patients

A team of international scientists recently conducted an open-level clinical trial to investigate the effects of personalized immunotherapy on critically ill COVID-19 patients.

27 Jan 2021

CDC researchers back U.S. school re-openings but with strict COVID-19 regulations

As the U.S. continues to grapple with surging cases and the complex logistics of mass vaccination, is the country in a position to fully re-open its schools for in-person learning? Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) think so – notwithstanding a few very important caveats.

27 Jan 2021

COVID-19 will impact cardiovascular disease deaths for years to come, warn experts

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2021 Update, published today in the Association's flagship journal Circulation, and experts warn that the broad influence of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue to extend that ranking for years to come.

27 Jan 2021