Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Pioneering method reveals the dynamics of HIV Gag lattice structure

Viruses are scary. They invade our cells like invisible armies, and each type brings its own strategy of attack. While viruses devastate communities of humans and animals, scientists scramble to fight back.

16 Jul 2020

Compelling study shows heparin may protect against COVID-19

A compelling new study conducted by an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the widely used blood-thinning medication - heparin - can block infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Jul 2020

COVID-19 associated with serious blood clots in leg arteries

COVID-19 is associated with life-threatening blood clots in the arteries of the legs, according to a study published in Radiology.

16 Jul 2020

Chest X-rays reveal more severe COVID-19 in racial/ethnic minority patients

Racial/ethnic minority patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 infection are more likely to have more severe disease on chest X-rays than white/non-Hispanic patients, increasing the likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as intubation or death, according to a study published in the journal Radiology.

16 Jul 2020

British Columbia’s successful response to COVID-19 - policy anchored by science

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the BC Center for Disease Control in Vancouver have reported the first estimates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence for Canada before and after mitigation measures were relaxed in May.

16 Jul 2020

Certain decontamination methods damage N95 face masks' protective function

Certain methods of decontaminating medical face masks for repeated use during the COVID-19 pandemic appear to damage the masks' integrity and protective function, according to research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist.

16 Jul 2020

Inflammageing may be related to worse COVID-19 outcomes in older individuals

The increased severity and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infections in older individuals may be related to inflammageing - an age-associated phenomenon of increased general inflammation.

16 Jul 2020

Disease-carrying mosquitoes fly free as health departments focus on coronavirus

The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources necessary to confront the worst health crisis in a century. Read the investigation from KHN and The Associated Press.

16 Jul 2020

GW researcher receives $3.6 million to study HIV-1 resistance to antibody treatments

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $3.6 million to Rebecca Lynch, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, to investigate HIV-1 resistance to antibody treatments.

16 Jul 2020

CBD may help reduce cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation in COVID-19

Cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with COVID-19, researchers say.

16 Jul 2020

Why doctors keep monitoring kids who recover from mysterious COVID-linked illness

Israel Shippy doesn’t remember much about having COVID-19 — or the unusual auto-immune disease it triggered — other than being groggy and uncomfortable for a bunch of days. He’s a 5-year-old, and would much rather talk about cartoons, or the ideas for inventions that constantly pop into his head.

16 Jul 2020

A coronavirus vaccine: Where does it stand?

More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, how close are the U.S. and the world to a safe and effective vaccine? Scientists say they see steady progress and are expressing cautious optimism that a vaccine could be ready by spring.

16 Jul 2020

ATS releases guidance development on restoring elective in-person pulmonary and sleep services

An American Thoracic Society-led international task force has released a guidance document to help guide clinicians on restoring elective in-person pulmonary and sleep services as COVID-19 incidence decreases in their communities.

16 Jul 2020

Prominent pharmacologist calls for new approach to treat COVID-19

A prominent Australian pharmacologist has called for a new approach to treating COVID-19 as hopes fade of finding an effective vaccine or antiviral before the end of the year.

16 Jul 2020

COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the physical activity of older adults

By now, we're all aware that COVID-19 is especially dangerous for older adults--the older you are, the higher your risk for serious illness and even death if you contract the virus.

16 Jul 2020

Selective statins may reduce SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and inhibit infection

Statins are a class of drugs often used to control high cholesterol levels in obesity. Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 suggests that statins do not aggravate the risk of COVID-19 infection and may have a small beneficial effect in some cases.

16 Jul 2020

How do international travel bans effect local COVID-19 epidemics?

Now, a new study published in July 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv* shows that the latter is likely to cause 90% or more of local epidemics and that stringent bans on international travelers are therefore unlikely to affect the course of the local outbreak significantly.

16 Jul 2020

Massive study looks at history of COVID-19 in Catalonia, Spain

A massive and important new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 sets out a comprehensive picture of the COVID-19 outbreak in Catalonia, Spain. It fills in a void in the current research, with its grand scale and detailed analysis.

16 Jul 2020

New study offers guidelines on elective orthopedic surgery

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Americans have had to delay recommended but elective orthopedic surgical procedures, such as joint replacement surgery or knee arthroscopy.

16 Jul 2020

Children with MIS-C have different antibody responses than adults with COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint medRxiv in July 2020 reveals that children with the condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have a distinctly different pattern of antibody generation compared to adults with COVID-19 disease.

16 Jul 2020