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Symptomatic COVID-19 patients less likely to be smokers

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages in many parts of the world, a new study shows that smoking may not play a significant role in increasing the severity of illness in these patients. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020.

12 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 binds heparan sulfate, preventing host cell infection

A new study published in May 2020 on the preprint server bioRxiv shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can bind to a sugar molecule called heparan sulfate (HS), thereby hindering its entry into the host cell.

12 May 2020

Study: Diarrhea-causing bacteria provoke host's response to increase infectivity

A type of E. coli bacteria that causes bloody diarrhea uses an amino acid produced by the body in response to infection to intensify its symptoms, according to a new study from UT Southwestern scientists.

12 May 2020

Study sheds more light on the evolutionary ancestry of SARS-CoV-2

There is ongoing debate among policymakers and the general public about where SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, came from. While researchers consider bats the most likely natural hosts for SARS-CoV-2, the origins of the virus are still unclear.

12 May 2020

Study shows how diarrhea-causing bug finds its way through the human gut

A study from UT Southwestern researchers sheds new light on how the bug that's the No. 1 cause of bacterial diarrhea finds its way through the human gut.

12 May 2020

Study: New combination treatment significantly improves degenerative joint diseases

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a fatal condition that is especially prevalent in the skin, cardiovascular and the musculoskeletal systems. There exists a wide gap between existing knowledge of the disease and a potential treatment or cure.

12 May 2020

Antiviral cocktail may help treat mild COVID-19 patients

The skyrocketing number of cases due to the coronavirus pandemic has taken a massive toll on the health systems in many countries. Since the advent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), hundred of research teams are racing to find an effective vaccine and treatment to combat the deadly infection. Now, a team of researchers in Hong Kong suggests that combining three existing antivirals may help treat COVID-19 patients.

12 May 2020

Study provides genetic explanation behind the sex bias observed in certain diseases

Some diseases exhibit a clear sex bias, occurring more often, hitting harder or eliciting different symptoms in men or women.

12 May 2020

Collaborative approach is essential to speed up COVID-19 vaccine candidates, say NIH experts

A harmonized and collaborative approach to the clinical testing, scale-up and distribution of candidate vaccines to prevent COVID-19 is essential, scientific leaders write in a perspective published today in Science.

12 May 2020

Study may reveal why some people are more affected by Covid-19 than others

A group of researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have set-up a clinical study of NHS Healthcare Workers to better understand the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), and why some people are more affected by the virus than others.

12 May 2020

Smart health system to monitor people in COVID-19 quarantine

The global coronavirus pandemic has spread to 187 countries and territories, infecting more than 4.17 million people. Most countries, especially those with a skyrocketing caseload, grapple with a lack of hospital beds and facilities to cater to every patient infected with the virus. Now, a team of researchers may have the solution to this problem – a smart health system to monitor patients who are in home isolation.

12 May 2020

Study: COVID-19 pandemic dominates views of government and politics

The COVID-19 pandemic dominates views of government, politics and virtually all aspects of daily life, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters.

12 May 2020

Parents stress over work and children's wellbeing while in lockdown

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown and home-schooling have become a monumental challenge for parents across the globe. Now, a new report shows that parents are most stressed about work followed by worries over their children's wellbeing and education while in lockdown.

11 May 2020

Researchers report decline in cancer diagnoses due to COVID-19 crisis

Cancer care has dramatically changed as a result of the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic: many patients have not been going to their GPs, or putting it off, and have been referred to the hospital later.

11 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine is not effective against COVID-19, extensive U.S. study shows

Over the past few months, doctors resorted to repurposing medicines that have already been approved for other diseases to treat coronavirus patients. One drug that was widely used in the pandemic, hydroxychloroquine, has been found to be ineffective in treating the viral infection.

11 May 2020

New two-in-one shot could make it easier for diabetics to control their blood sugar

A Stanford research team has developed a way to boost the effectiveness of the insulin injections people with diabetes routinely take to control their blood sugar.

11 May 2020

Global air quality has significantly improved due to COVID-19 lockdowns

Levels of two major air pollutants have been drastically reduced since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant - ground-level ozone - has increased in China, according to new research.

11 May 2020

Study reveals the effect of ancestry on molecular makeup of cancer

Questions about the genealogical imprint of tumors have hovered over cancer research since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003.

11 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 could spread through surface of the eyes

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus could spread via ocular or eye surfaces. This is because the receptor where the virus binds – the ACE2, is also expressed on human eyes, they note.

11 May 2020

Genomic sequences from all over the world help fight SARS-CoV-2

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages across the world, killing hundreds of thousands and infecting over 4.1 million, researchers are racing against time to understand the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The SARS-CoV-2 genome has now been sequenced in many different regions of the world, and researchers are collaborating by sharing information to better understand the make-up and mutations that the virus has undergone.

11 May 2020