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Medicinal plant stops the growth of breast cancer cells, shows research

A plant which had previously been dismissed as not being medically useful, could prove to be a hero in disguise, after scientists discovered it not only stops the growth of breast cancer cells but does not affect normal cells - a potential first for future cancer chemotherapy treatment.

30 Oct 2020

Booster dose enhances immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in aged mice

Now, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* shows that a single dose of the vaccine has induced cellular and humoral immunity in aged or older mice. A second dosage was needed to enhance the vaccine's immune response, showing that a prime-boost strategy may be an essential step to boost immunogenicity in the elderly.

30 Oct 2020

COVID-19 study: Researchers recruit frontline workers to identify asymptomatic individuals

Fifteen hundred frontline workers are being recruited for a yearlong study to find what percentage are positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, what percentage become positive and whether the antibodies they produce protect them from reinfection.

30 Oct 2020

Massey Cancer Center and VCUarts win Hamilton International Arts in Health Award

Last year, 12 patients in the Supportive Care Clinic at VCU Massey Cancer Center stepped inside a conference room, donned motion sensors and engaged in a facilitated life review, acting out various parts of their lives through a virtual avatar displayed on a projection screen.

30 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 viroporin triggers NLRP3 inflammasome causing a severe inflammatory response

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Florida report that the SARS-CoV-2 viroporin triggers the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is responsible for the inflammatory pathology in severely ill COVID-19 patients.

30 Oct 2020

Study sheds new light on the biological base of psychotic symptoms

Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is an autoimmune brain illness that is often mistaken by a psychiatric disorder since it causes psychoses and other behaviour alterations. Despite having these similarities, the illness does not respond to common antipsychotic treatments.

30 Oct 2020

Scientists use new approach to analyze millions of chemical-gene interactions

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has used an unprecedented objective approach to identify which molecular mechanisms in mammals are the most sensitive to chemical exposures.

30 Oct 2020

Symptoms and outcomes of 3.32 million people tested for SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 shows the need for large-scale studies on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 at the national and international scale. This is essential to shape interventions and optimize the use of resources to contain and manage a second wave of the pandemic.

30 Oct 2020

A2B-COVID: Rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 transmission

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 reports a method to assess transmission potential for any event in the current pandemic, using what is known about the virus's spread, data on the mobility of individuals, and new ways of processing genomic sequencing data. The outcome is to determine whether cases are linked or not so as to take action to prevent further spread.

29 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 load varies widely in the community and over time

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 reports that there are large differences in the viral load in different communities. Moreover, the authors say that the cycle threshold values required to obtain a positive result for viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction may provide an early warning of an outbreak.

29 Oct 2020

MD65 IgG-YTE shows powerful post-exposure neutralization of SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 describes a reliable animal model to demonstrate the powerful capacity of human neutralizing mAbs directed against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent viral binding the host cell receptor and thus block infection. This indicates the lifesaving value of mAbs in severe COVID-19.

29 Oct 2020

SMART researchers develop novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production and expansion that offers higher yield and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods, and reduces steps required in the cell retrieval process.

29 Oct 2020

Model includes spatial heterogeneity to analyze airborne disease spread

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have included parameters that consider a spatially heterogeneous population for transmission in a new model for airborne disease transmission. This allows for estimating superspreaders and appropriate mitigation strategies.

29 Oct 2020

New mouth spray could help treat patients with rare genetic skin condition

A new spray for treating severely painful blisters, mouth ulceration and oral scarring in patients with a rare genetic skin condition is being developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

29 Oct 2020

COVID-19 patients at risk of fatal co-infection during ICU stays

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing that a high proportion of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acquire a secondary bacterial co-infection during their hospital stay.

29 Oct 2020

New machine learning-based approach helps detect atrial fibrillation drivers

Researchers from Skoltech and their US colleagues have designed a new machine learning-based approach for detecting atrial fibrillation drivers, small patches of the heart muscle that are hypothesized to cause this most common type of cardiac arrhythmia.

29 Oct 2020

App-based surveillance system enables early detection of COVID-19 hotspots

Researchers in the UK, United States, and Sweden have used large-scale self-reported app data to estimate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence, prevalence, and effective reproductive number in England.

29 Oct 2020

UH and CWRU announce Phase 3 trial of Astrazeneca's investigational COVID-19 vaccine

University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University announced today that UH Cleveland Medical Center has been selected as a clinical trial site for the Phase 3 global study of an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, sponsored by AstraZeneca.

29 Oct 2020

More intensive, less frequent drug regimen could cure Chagas disease

Researchers in the University of Georgia's Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases have found that a more intensive, less frequent drug regimen with currently available therapeutics could cure the infection that causes Chagas disease, a potentially life-threatening illness affecting up to 300,000 people in the United States.

29 Oct 2020