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COVID-19 patients with dementia have higher risk for complications, mortality

Early in the pandemic, neurologists expressed concern that COVID-19 patients with dementia may be at higher risk for complications and mortality.

31 Mar 2021

COVID-19 associated seizures may increase death risk in patients

COVID-19 can have damaging effects on multiple organs in the body, including the brain. A new study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) indicates that some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experience non-convulsive seizures, which may put them at a higher risk of dying. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology.

31 Mar 2021

Soft X-ray microscopy shows how viral pathogens penetrate human cells

How do viral pathogens succeed in penetrating human cells? Which cellular mechanisms do they use to multiply efficiently and, in doing so, how do they change the structure of their host cell? These questions are the focus of a pan-European research project called "Compact Cell-Imaging Device" (CoCID), in which Heidelberg scientists are playing a major role.

31 Mar 2021

NIAID researchers identify key player in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2

When variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) emerged in late 2020, concern arose that they might elude protective immune responses generated by prior infection or vaccination, potentially making re-infection more likely or vaccination less effective.

31 Mar 2021

Study finds remarkable differences in the way individuals respond to malaria

Scientists have discovered that tracking malaria as it develops in humans is a powerful way to detect how the malaria parasite causes a range of infection outcomes in its host.

31 Mar 2021

Study shows how viral distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in the human body relates to tissue damage

Researchers have mapped the distribution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in deceased patients with the disease, and shed new light on how viral load relates to tissue damage.

31 Mar 2021

New Columbia University center provides specialized care for Lyme and tick-borne diseases

A new center that will provide specialized care for patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases will begin seeing patients this summer at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

31 Mar 2021

Researchers analyze how in-person learning would impact transmission in schools' communities

Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, parents, teachers, and school administrators have faced difficult questions regarding when and how to safely reopen for in-person learning.

31 Mar 2021

New study may lead to GRK5-based therapies to prevent heart failure

The human heart works under high demand, constantly pumping oxygen-rich blood through the body. When faced with disease, however, fulfilling this demand can become increasingly difficult and harmful.

31 Mar 2021

Scientists receive NIH grant to monitor COVID-19 in wastewater

Everyone poops, and now scientists are using this bodily function to develop a detailed analysis of the virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2.

31 Mar 2021

SwRI to design machine learning algorithms for integrated traffic management

Southwest Research Institute, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University, is developing machine learning algorithms to help the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) coordinate traffic management and incident response along portions of Interstate 24 in the rapidly growing Nashville region.

31 Mar 2021

Combination of two existing drugs can kill cancer cells

Preclinical research from VCU Massey Cancer Center published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the combination of two existing drugs can exploit the metabolic "hunger" of a particularly aggressive type of neuroblastoma to kill cancer cells without inflicting too much collateral damage to healthy tissue.

31 Mar 2021

Development of a model of substrate coordination to Zn-bound ACE2

The ongoing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has claimed more than 2.8 million lives worldwide. Authorities are facing difficulty in preventing the spread of disease due to the highly infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, reducing the virus's ability to infect an individual's respiratory epithelial cells could prove an effective measure to prevent disease transmission.

31 Mar 2021

Study of twins reveals differences in adaptive immunity towards SARS-CoV-2

Twins may look alike on the outside, but not so much on the inside. That's one takeaway from a new preprint study posted to the medRxiv server where Brazilian researchers observed different T-cell responses in two pairs of identical twins exposed to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One twin who was reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 four months after had low recognition of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes.

31 Mar 2021

New coronavirus variant with E484K mutation detected in Arizona

Arizona joins the ever-growing list of American states harboring a variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A study led by Efrem S. Lim of Arizona State University confirms evidence of the B.1.243.1 with an E484K mutation on the spike protein.

30 Mar 2021

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the US: CDC report

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), underlies the importance of evaluating the impact of strategies addressing adult mental health status during the pandemic. This way, these can help plan strategies and interventions for the affected groups.

30 Mar 2021

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective among front liners, CDC study shows

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), highlights the efficacy of mRNA vaccines in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

30 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutation T478K spreading at alarming speed in Mexico

Several SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged, posing a renewed threat to COVID-19 containment and to vaccine and drug efficacy. In this study, we analyzed more than 820,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences deposited up to March 26, 2021 and identified a novel T478K mutation located on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

30 Mar 2021

Study estimates premature mortality burden due to poor urban and transport planning

Failure to comply with international exposure recommendations for air pollution, noise, heat and access to green space is associated with more than 1,000 deaths per year in Barcelona and more than 900 in Madrid, accounting for 7% and 3% of overall premature mortality, respectively.

30 Mar 2021

Female doctors experiencing domestic abuse fear the consequences of reporting it

Female doctors who suffer domestic abuse can feel unable to get help due to perceptions that it "should not happen to a doctor" and a judgemental culture in medical settings, a new study suggests.

30 Mar 2021