Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

IBS after a bout of gastroenteritis may last 4 or more years

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)--- characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habit - may last 4 or more years following a bout of gastroenteritis in around half of those affected, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the journal Gut.

17 Jul 2024

Harnessing cell's natural delivery system for targeted drug delivery

Each cell in the body has its own unique delivery system that scientists are working on harnessing to move revolutionary biological drugs - molecules like proteins, RNA and combinations of the two - to specific diseased parts of the body.

17 Jul 2024

Researchers identify ORF6 protein as key to SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

An article published in the journal Cell describes a study that enabled a group of researchers to discover how SARS-CoV-2 evades the cytotoxic immune response by identifying a protein called ORF6 that is a key factor in this mechanism.

16 Jul 2024

Mitochondrially-targeted antioxidants could reduce SARS-CoV-2 effects across multiple organs

Building upon groundbreaking research demonstrating how the SARS-CoV-2 virus disrupts mitochondrial function in multiple organs, researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) demonstrated that mitochondrially-targeted antioxidants could reduce the effects of the virus while avoiding viral gene mutation resistance, a strategy that may be useful for treating other viruses.

15 Jul 2024

Unveiling the zoonotic web: Understanding complex interactions involved in zoonoses

Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna have dissected the complex interactions involved in zoonoses, which affect worldwide over two billion people annually.

15 Jul 2024

5 cases of bird flu reported in Colorado poultry workers, doubling this year’s US tally

Five people who work at a poultry farm in northeastern Colorado have tested positive for the bird flu, the Colorado public health department reported July 14. This brings the known number of U.S. cases to nine.

15 Jul 2024

Global childhood immunization coverage: Stalled progress and growing gaps

Global childhood immunization coverage stalled in 2023, leaving 2.7 million additional children un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to data published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

15 Jul 2024

40% of US cancer cases linked to lifestyle choices

Nearly 40% of cancer cases and 44% of cancer deaths in 2019 were due to modifiable risk factors, with cigarette smoking as the leading cause. This study highlights the potential to significantly reduce cancer burden through lifestyle changes.

14 Jul 2024

Study offers insights on prevalence and risk factors of persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms

Early on during the coronavirus pandemic, there were reports of cases of persistent post-infection symptoms.

14 Jul 2024

New brain targets for GLP1-based obesity drugs may reduce weight without nausea

Researchers identified distinct hindbrain GLP1R neurons driving satiety and aversion, offering new targets for effective, side-effect-free obesity treatments.

14 Jul 2024

Gene editing silences mutant microRNA, restores hearing in adult mice

Researchers have used gene editing to restore hearing in adult mice with a type of inherited hearing loss. They showed that shutting down a damaged copy of a gene called a microRNA (miRNA) enabled the animals to regain hearing. The approach by a research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported in Science Translational Medicine, may eventually lead to potential treatments for inherited hearing loss in people.

13 Jul 2024

Groundbreaking mRNA vaccine administered to captive elephant to fight EEHV

Colossal, the de-extinction company, announces that the mRNA vaccine it helped to provide research support and acceleration funding for has been administered to the first elephant in captivity.

13 Jul 2024

Priority pathogens selected for wastewater surveillance during Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The study by researchers from the French national public health institute aimed to identify priority pathogens that could be suitable for wastewater surveillance (WWS) during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place from 26 July to 11 August and 28 August to 8 September, respectively.

12 Jul 2024

Over-the-counter nasal sprays cut respiratory infections by 20%, study finds

Widely available over-the counter nasal sprays could keep upper respiratory tract infections - like colds, chest infections, flu, sore throat, and sinus infections - at bay, and prevent full-blown symptoms from developing, one of the largest trials to date to test their effectiveness finds.

12 Jul 2024

Study identifies RFC4 as key player in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Lichuan Wu et al., at Medical College of Guangxi University, China, presented a comprehensive study on the role of replication factor C subunit 4 (RFC4) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a type of epithelial cancer commonly associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection.

12 Jul 2024

Study: 40% of cancer cases in the U.S. attributable to modifiable risk factors

A new study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) finds four in 10 cancer cases and about one-half of all cancer deaths in adults 30 years old and older in the United States (or 713,340 cancer cases and 262,120 cancer deaths in 2019) could be attributed to modifiable risk factors, including cigarette smoking, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, diet, and infections.

11 Jul 2024

Optimizing influenza vaccine strategies with nanoparticle immunization

To offer cross-protection against diverse influenza virus variants, nanoparticle vaccines can produce pivotal cellular and mucosal immune responses that enhance vaccine efficacy and broaden protection, according to a study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

11 Jul 2024

Finland is offering farmworkers bird flu shots. Some experts say the US should, too.

As bird flu spreads among dairy cattle in the U.S., veterinarians and researchers have taken note of Finland's move to vaccinate farmworkers at risk of infection. They wonder why their government doesn't do the same.

11 Jul 2024

Liver's defense mechanism hinders immunity in chronic hepatitis B, study reveals

In chronic hepatitis B, the liver contains immune cells that could destroy hepatitis B virus infected cells but are inactive. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered that cells blood vessels in the liver start a "sleep timer" that switches off immune cells. Targeting this mechanism could be a starting point for immunotherapies.

11 Jul 2024

New gene editing technique offers hope for millions

A team led by Mass Eye and Ear researchers has demonstrated for the first time a successful restoration of hearing through a novel, in vivo genome editing approach in an adult mouse model with a form of inherited deafness caused by mutations in microRNA.

11 Jul 2024