Category: Science and Tech
Johns Hopkins Scientists Uncover Hidden Trigger Behind COVID-19’s Deadly Cytokine Storm
SciTechDaily Scientists discovered that overactivation of immune genes and the RAAS system causes cytokine storms in severe COVID-19 cases. This leads to widespread inflammation and organ damage. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pittsburgh, and Weill Cornell Medicine, as part of the COVID-19 International Research Team, identified a […]
Dec 11, 2024
Biological Mechanisms Underlying Severe COVID-19
Technology Networks Immunology and Microbiology Severe COVID-19 arises in part from the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s impact on mitochondria, tiny oxygen-burning power plants in cells, which can help trigger a cascade of organ- and immune system-damaging events, suggests a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of […]
Dec 4, 2024
Five years after the first covid-19 cases, there are lessons to learn
New Scientist It is now five years since clinicians in Wuhan, China, first encountered covid-19 cases in December 2019. Hindsight makes it even clearer how the battle against the disease wasn’t just a fight against a virus, but also a struggle against the political suppression of scientific evidence. This isn’t a new phenomenon. During the […]
Dec 4, 2024
Searching for high pathogenicity avian influenza virus in Antarctica
Nature The current panzootic spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has caused unprecedented mortality in wild animals worldwide1. In 2022, the virus caused mass mortality of seabirds and marine mammals in South America, which raised concerns about HPAIV spreading to Antarctica. The wildlife in Antarctica is seasonally dense due […]
Nov 20, 2024
AI sees a lot of long Covid
Politico The number of people with long Covid could be three times as high as previous studies have found, according to new research out of the Boston health system Mass General Brigham. The researchers estimate nearly 23 percent of people have endured long-term symptoms, lasting at least two months, from a Covid-19 infection. That compares to a […]
Nov 13, 2024
New AI model improves prediction power for genomics related to disease
Phys.org To understand the workings of DNA in relation to disease, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the first multimodal deep learning model of its kind, EPBDxDNABERT-2, capable of ascertaining the precise relationship between transcription factors, proteins that regulate gene activities, leveraging an aspect of DNA called DNA breathing, in which the double-helix […]
Nov 13, 2024
The Most Dangerous Germs Without Effective Vaccines
Gizmodo The World Health Organization has put out a hit list of germs for future vaccines to tackle. In a report published this week, WHO scientists have identified 17 widely common pathogens that most need new or improved vaccines, including influenza, HIV, norovirus, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Vaccines have long been one of humanity’s most important public […]
Nov 6, 2024
Japan’s Shionogi says Phase 3 study showed COVID pill reduces transmission
Reuters Japan’s Shionogi & Co said on Tuesday a global, late-stage study showed its pill-based treatment for COVID-19 was effective in reducing transmission of the disease. Ensitrelvir, known commercially as Xocova, showed a statistically significant reduction in participants with symptomatic infection after exposure to household contacts with COVID, Shionogi said in a statement. The Phase 3 […]
Oct 30, 2024
Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir reduces COVID-19 hospitalization and prevents long COVID in adult outpatients
Nature Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir received Emergency Use Authorization for treating mild to moderate COVID-19 in high-risk patients. Its efficacy against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 remains uncertain. This retrospective cohort study assessed the effect of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir in preventing severe disease progression and long COVID symptoms after acute COVID-19 in non-hospitalized adults. SALAMA medical records from […]
Oct 29, 2024
Research reveals new clues to the mysteries of long COVID
University of Alberta Three groundbreaking studies pinpoint immune cells and proteins linked with the lingering condition — and suggest a possible cause. Researchers at the University of Alberta have pinpointed two proteins that could serve as markers for identifying patients with long COVID — a discovery that may lead to treatments that will bring better […]
Oct 29, 2024