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Australia may beat the novel coronavirus, modeling shows

Many countries are now in lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, now called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has sickened 2.47 million people worldwide, triggering many preventive measures. Now, it appears that preventive measures taken in Australia are containing the virus, according to a new modeling.

21 Apr 2020

Scientists use genomics and bioinformatics to analyze blueprint of novel coronavirus

Australian researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have found a new way to decode the genome of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 disease. This approach could help in drug and vaccine development. Their work titled, "Supporting pandemic response using genomics and bioinformatics: a case study on the emergent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak," is published in the latest issue of the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.

21 Apr 2020

COVID-19 and immunodeficiency

COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly infectious disease. As of today, over 170,000 people worldwide have succumbed to the infection. Reports have shown that some comorbidities and illnesses raise the risk of getting infected and also influence the severity of the disease. Having a compromised immune system can also drastically raise the risk of getting COVID-19.

21 Apr 2020

Does high COVID-19 viral load mean more risk of infection?

The risk of getting infected with COVID-19 disease is higher among healthcare workers who are in close contact with infected patients

21 Apr 2020

Role of ACE/ARB inhibitors in the treatment of COVID-19

A new opinion piece published in the journal Circulation Research in April 2020 defends the use of antihypertensive drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients with pandemic viral pneumonia called COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Research could help stabilize and improve brain-computer interfaces

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have published research in Nature Biomedical Engineering that will drastically improve brain-computer interfaces and their ability to remain stabilized during use, greatly reducing or potentially eliminating the need to recalibrate these devices during or between experiments.

20 Apr 2020

University of Utah invests $1.3 million in multidisciplinary COVID-19 research projects

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe, University of Utah scientists are at the forefront of efforts to learn more about how to lasso the virus that causes it and understand its potential long-term social, economic, and psychological effects.

20 Apr 2020

Discovery could open door to the development of new anti-cancer drugs

A team of scientists led by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a key braking mechanism against the runaway growth of many types of cancer.

20 Apr 2020

CSIRO researchers unveil new approach to understand evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus strains

Researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have unveiled a new approach to analyzing the genetic codes - or the blueprint - of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

McKelvey engineers receive federal funding for rapid COVID-19 test

Engineers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have received federal funding for a rapid COVID-19 test using a newly developed technology.

20 Apr 2020

ACE2 receptor expression by SARS-CoV-2 across different animal species

A new report published on the preprint server bioRxiv in April 2020 reports that several species of animals can be infected with relative ease by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is the causative agent of the currently raging COVID-19 pandemic. This casts much light on the possible natural hosts and routes of transmission of this virus.

20 Apr 2020

ATS publishes first official clinical practice guidelines for sarcoidosis

New guidance is available for physicians who must go through a number of steps to provide a probable diagnosis of sarcoidosis - an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs, lymph glands, and other organs.

20 Apr 2020

Mutations in novel coronavirus make it more dangerous

A new report published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 reveals that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 shows the presence of new mutations acquired within infected human cases, which significantly increase its ability to cause human disease.

20 Apr 2020

BGU researchers develop new type of self-sterilizing air filter

With the worldwide focus on coronavirus prevention and transmission, a new type of air-filter that self-sterilizes and decontaminates is being developed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel based on water filtration technology.

20 Apr 2020

ACE2-TMPRSS2 profiling indicates tissue vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published in April 2020 on the preprint server bioRxiv reports that the different levels of susceptibility of various organs to viral attack by the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the huge pandemic of COVID-19 sweeping around the world can be predicted from the level of expression of two molecules, the ACE2 receptor, and the TMPRSS2 protein.

20 Apr 2020

Study analyzes effects of social grooming on incivility in COVID-19

A new study analyzing tweets about COVID-19 found that users with larger social networks tend to use fewer uncivil remarks when they have more positive responses from others.

20 Apr 2020

New review confirms effectiveness of MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today finds MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines are effective and that they are not associated with increased risk of autism.

20 Apr 2020

Do ACE inhibitors increase SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clinicians and academicians to intensive research to find evidence for many conventional therapies. A new round-up editorial published in the journal Cardiovascular Research in April 2020 summarizes the current clinical grounds for and against the use of the commonly used angiotensin axis inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center awarded $8.7 million NIEHS grant

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center a five-year, $8.7 million grant to conduct research aimed at better understanding and minimizing the negative health and environmental impacts of chlorinated organic compounds found at Superfund sites across the Commonwealth and the U.S.

20 Apr 2020

Attitudes towards vaccination vary significantly across Europe

Researchers in France have reported findings resulting from a web-based survey called Vaccinoscopie 2019 that asked 1,500 parents across five European countries how they feel about and what they know about vaccination.

20 Apr 2020