Disease/Infection News

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Are SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors effective antivirals in treating COVID-19?

Many antiviral development studies have focused on the possibility of inhibiting the main viral protease (Mpro), and papain-like protease (PLpro), given their central role in viral replication. A new study draws attention to the high odds that these may not have anti-infective activity because of the redundant pathways present in human host cells.

30 Nov 2020

UK’s post-lockdown COVID-19 restrictions allows families to celebrate Christmas 2020 together

The UK's three-tier system of COVID-19 restrictions could be tweaked to allow a more effective control of viral spread, while still ensuring that families can choose their own course of action over the Christmas holidays, says a new preprint published on the medRxiv* server in late November 2020.

30 Nov 2020

Excessive use of antibiotics during COVID-19 pandemic could intensify drug resistance

A new study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment in November 2020 discusses this potentially serious issue along with its wider consequences.

30 Nov 2020

TDR and WHO develop interactive web-based research toolkit for TB care

TDR, in partnership with the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme, has developed an interactive web-based toolkit that supports national TB programmes and other partners to conduct implementation research designed to evaluate digital technologies for TB care.

30 Nov 2020

‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to avoid a big bill for your COVID test

Tests for the coronavirus are supposed to be free. And, usually, they are. But sometimes … things happen. Here's how to keep those things from happening to you.

30 Nov 2020

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020

Wuhan mass screening program finds 300 asymptomatic cases

A mass screening programme of more than 10 million Wuhan residents identified 300 asymptomatic cases, but none were infectious - according to a study involving the University of East Anglia.

30 Nov 2020

How pharma money colors Operation Warp Speed’s quest to defeat COVID

April 16 was a big day for Moderna, a Massachusetts biotech company on the verge of becoming a front-runner in the U.S. government's race for a coronavirus vaccine. It had received roughly half a billion dollars in federal funding to develop a COVID shot that might be used on millions of Americans.

30 Nov 2020

Steam inhalation therapy found to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 virions

Researchers have published a study on the efficacy of steam inhalations as another possible treatment to help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers highlight potential advantages of mucosal vaccine

Anyone who has undergone a nasal swab or saliva test for COVID-19 knows that the virus is most easily detected in the nose and mouth.

30 Nov 2020

WHO calls on global health partners to step up the fight against malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on countries and global health partners to step up the fight against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

29 Nov 2020

Warmer countries less vulnerable to COVID-19, study finds

In fact, a new study by a researcher at the University College London (UCL) suggests that global temperature plays an essential role in the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19.

29 Nov 2020

Asymptomatic patients have higher SARS-CoV-2 viral loads than symptomatic patients, study says

Now, a surprising new study shows that asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have greater viral loads than those with symptoms.

29 Nov 2020

Healthy diet plays vital role in warding off COVID-19

A researcher at the School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, explored nutrition's role in boosting the immune system to combat COVID-19 infection.

29 Nov 2020

Research suggests importance of vitamin D for good health in the context of COVID-19

A researcher at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina revealed that avoiding vitamin D deficiency may help reduce the risk of severe COVID-19.

29 Nov 2020

Virusend TX-10 detergent rapidly reduces SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

Researchers at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have conducted a study showing that a novel disinfectant called Virusend TX-10 is highly effective at inactivating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

29 Nov 2020

Female reproductive hormones may be protective against COVID-19

In an article recently published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Graziano Pinna from the University of Illinois in Chicago outlines some of the evidence suggesting that female reproductive hormones may play a role in the sex bias that has been observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

29 Nov 2020

Study exposes human olfactory and brain cells as genuine viral targets of SARS-CoV-2

In a study published in the iScience journal, a research group from Switzerland shows that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptors and entry genes are expressed in the human olfactory neuroepithelial cells and brain by observing key molecular players implicated in the infectious process

29 Nov 2020

MARA project aims to use new DNA based nanotechnology to fight bacteria

Antibiotics are used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. They have played a major role in combating infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid fever, and meningitis in 20th century.

27 Nov 2020