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Pollen contributes to flu and COVID-19 seasonality

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting millions of people around the world and has taken a toll of over 411,000 lives. Yet after five months, there are immense gaps in our knowledge as to the factors that increase or inhibit viral transmission.

10 Jun 2020

Cys-C protein can predict risk of cardiovascular and renal diseases

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is normally specified as a measure of kidney function. The GFR is the volume of blood that the kidneys filter per minute (the unit of measurement, in relation to a standardized body surface area, is therefore ml/min/1.73 m2).

10 Jun 2020

People may be more prone to paranoia in times of unexpected uncertainty

In times of unexpected uncertainty, such as the sudden appearance of a global pandemic, people may be more prone to paranoia, Yale University researchers suggest in a new study published in the journal eLife.

9 Jun 2020

Botox can be an effective treatment for certain sports injuries

While botulinum toxin is commonly known as a cosmetic treatment for facial lines and wrinkles, a growing body of evidence suggests that "Botox" can also be an effective treatment for certain sports injuries and chronic pain conditions, according to a review in the June issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports, official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

9 Jun 2020

Study sheds new light on memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease

Neurons that are responsible for new experiences interfere with the signals of neurons that contain memories and thereby disturb the recall of memories - at least in mice.

9 Jun 2020

Undersized airways increase risk of COPD regardless of smoking habits

A new study of lung anatomy may explain why 1 in 4 cases of COPD--a lung disease most often linked to smoking--occur in people who have never smoked, a fact that has long perplexed researchers.

9 Jun 2020

Cannabis temporarily reduces severity of PTSD symptoms

People suffering from post-traumatic distress disorder report that cannabis reduces the severity of their symptoms by more than half, at least in the short term, according to a recent study led by Carrie Cuttler, a Washington State University assistant professor of psychology.

9 Jun 2020

Machine learning helps predict clinical forms of drug-induced cardiotoxicity

We announce the publication of a new research paper titled 'Dual transcriptomic and molecular machine learning predicts all major clinical forms of drug cardiotoxicity' in Frontiers in Pharmacology.

9 Jun 2020

NIH grant awarded to UConn faculty to develop smartphone sensor to quantify tooth pain

Faculty from the Division of Endodontology and Department of Biomedical Engineering at the UConn School of Dental Medicine recently received a total award of $462,964 from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research to test a novel way to quantify tooth pain and to develop a patient-friendly smartphone sensor to measure it.

9 Jun 2020

Exposure to flame retardant impacts paternal reproduction

A new study from the University of Georgia has shown that exposure to a now-banned flame retardant can alter the genetic code in sperm, leading to major health defects in children of exposed parents.

9 Jun 2020

Immune cell discovery could help develop new treatments for hepatitis B

For the first time, researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified and described a new and unique subset of human cells that are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The discovery could help develop new treatments for HBV and inform future vaccine design.

9 Jun 2020

Study reveals essential components of dietary restriction

Studies by Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI), have provided a new understanding into the roles two essential amino acids play in metabolic health, which may help scientists in the fight against obesity.

9 Jun 2020

Kidney function deteriorates with age, study shows

An international study that has been carried out on nearly 3000 people in Norway, Germany, and Iceland, shows that our kidney function deteriorates with age, even if we do not have any other diseases.

9 Jun 2020

High-salt diet may modulate the gut microbiome

Particularly in females with untreated hypertension, reducing salt intake to what's considered a healthier level appears to be good for both their gut microbiome and their blood pressure, scientists report.

9 Jun 2020

New technique to identify genes implicated in the development of malignant brain tumor

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a method for identifying functional mutations and their effect on genes relevant to the development of glioblastoma - a malignant brain tumor with a very poor prognosis. The study is published in Genome Biology.

9 Jun 2020

Researchers develop new search filters for comprehensive studies in PubMed and Medline

Study filters consist of a defined combination of search terms to pre-select references with a specific study design as accurately as possible. Controlled NRS are presented very differently in databases.

9 Jun 2020

Researchers use virtual reality displays to test people's visual awareness of color

Color awareness has long been a puzzle for researchers in neuroscience and psychology, who debate over how many color observers really perceive.

9 Jun 2020

COVID-19 produces lung inflammation in non-human primate experiments

A new study published on the online preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the successful use of three primate species to model the infection, pathogenesis, and clinical features associated with COVID-19. The research provides useful and immediately available models to test new vaccines and treatments.

9 Jun 2020

Scientists harness cancer immunotherapy tools to identify targets for COVID-19 vaccine

Cancer researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have harnessed tools used for the development of cancer immunotherapies and adapted them to identify regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to target with a vaccine, employing the same approach used to elicit an immune response against cancer cells to stimulate an immune response against the virus.

8 Jun 2020

Indirect viral infection of the kidneys by SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammatory reaction

SARS-CoV-2-associated acute kidney injury is not uncommon. Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients - as many as 80% of critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to a current study - develop acute kidney injury, but without requiring dialysis in most cases. Proteinuria and hematuria are present in about half the cases.

8 Jun 2020