Medical Research News

RSS

Researchers take actions to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19

Infectious disease experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine are advocating for earlier actions to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

17 Jun 2020

Nano-bio hybrid systems could deliver tumor therapy

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. In this mini-review article the authors Yuhao Chen, Meng Du, Jinsui Yu, Lang Rao, Xiaoyuan Chen, and Zhiyi Chen from The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD, USA consider nanobiohybrids in cancer therapy.

17 Jun 2020

An improved tetravalent antibody blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows the potential of a new fusion molecule called a biparatopic protein to inhibit viral interaction with the host cell ACE2 receptor. This could lead to therapeutic applications.

17 Jun 2020

Scientists use fMRI to explain why people are still lonely even if they are around others

Social connection is essential to one's well-being, but how the brain reflects a person's attachment to other people remains unclear. Now, a team of researchers has found that loneliness can alter the brain's social network, explaining how the brain represents relationships.

17 Jun 2020

Researchers investigate how neural circuits enable the brain to regulate basal sighing

One group of neurons controls various types of sighing, but they receive their instructions from different areas of the brain depending on the reason for the sigh, according to a study scheduled to publish June 16 in the journal Cell Reports.

17 Jun 2020

Mapping RNA sequences of therapeutic value in the SARS-CoV-2 genome

Now, in new research published on the preprint server bioRxiv European scientists have performed RNA structure probing to obtain a single-base resolution secondary structure map of the full SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus genome.

17 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 mutated spike proteins show variations in cell entry

A new study by Japanese scientists published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the D614g mutation in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein can enhance the infectivity of the virus while leaving it vulnerable to neutralization by antibodies.

17 Jun 2020

Novel ACE2-antibody fusion molecules show anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Now, in a new study published on the preprint server, bioRxiv researchers in the U.S. investigated a soluble version of ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 viral neutralization activity.

17 Jun 2020

Scientists isolate powerful SARS-CoV-2 -neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients

A new study has shown that potent antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could help protect against COVID-19 infection. Preliminary results in animal studies have so far proven successful. The study titled, "Isolation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and protection from disease in a small animal model," was published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

17 Jun 2020

CSIRO study on the effects of COVID-19 on weight and well being

The CSIRO, Australia's federal government agency responsible for scientific research, has come up with a study looking at the emotional well being and weight loss or gain associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced stay-at-home measures.

16 Jun 2020

Antibiotic X-206 effective against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

The current study published on the preprint server bioRxiv aims to understand how these compounds affect SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark examined 11 natural PEIs, with a single synthetic analog, screening them for inhibitory activity against the CPE of SARS-CoV-2 infecting cultured cells with overexpression of TMPRSS2, a serine protease that is instrumental in cleaving the spike protein of the virus.

16 Jun 2020

Study: One in five adults experienced a decrease in their sexual behavior early in the pandemic

One in five adults in the United States report they have experienced change - mostly a decrease - in their sexual behavior during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.

16 Jun 2020

How antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent patients

A new study by researchers from the United Kingdom and Taiwan and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 describes the structural basis for the neutralizing effect of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody on the virus. This also indicates a possible therapeutic molecule by identifying its binding epitope as possibly a major neutralizing site.

16 Jun 2020

Anti-TNF drug preserves beta-cell function in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with Type 1 diabetes

In research led by a University at Buffalo pediatric endocrinologist, a drug called golimumab showed that it preserved beta-cell function in children and young adults with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, according to findings from a Phase 2 study.

16 Jun 2020

TERAVOLT tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19

New data from TERAVOLT, a global consortium that tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19, offers clues as to why they experienced a high death rate of 33% when the coronavirus swept across Europe.

16 Jun 2020

Two potent small molecules appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers

City of Hope scientists have identified and developed two potent small molecules that appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers even when other treatments cease to work, possibly due to the development of drug resistance.

16 Jun 2020

Cancer results from interaction between individual’s genetics and exposure to carcinogens

A new study led by the University of Hawai?i Cancer Center looks into how and why certain individuals develop cancer and others do not.

16 Jun 2020

Scientists evaluate SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in livestock, poultry, pets and wildlife

A large-scale single-cell screening endeavor on a wide variety of animals showed that cells targeted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are most abundant in cats, but are also found in other animals – unveiling a valuable resource for controlling the ongoing disruptive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

16 Jun 2020

Experts evaluate options for treating cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis

Experts in cognitive research evaluated the status of available treatments as well as promising strategies for treating cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis.

16 Jun 2020

Severity of COVID-19 linked to heparanase activity and heparan sulfate levels

Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands reported an increase of heparanase activity and heparan sulfate levels in the plasma of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was also associated with the severity of the condition – suggesting, in turn, potential treatment utility of low molecular weight heparins. The paper is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

16 Jun 2020