Category: Science and Tech
New bird flu infections: Here’s what you need to know
MIT Tech Review New cases in cows and a dairy worker in Texas highlight the need for vigilance and better strategies to protect animals and people. A dairy worker in Texas tested positive for avian influenza this week. This new human case of bird flu—the second ever reported in the United States—isn’t cause for panic. […]
Apr 5, 2024
Cornell scientists identify bird flu infecting dairy cows
Cornell University Cornell virology experts are sequencing the bird flu virus that struck cows in the Texas panhandle last week, after work at Cornell and two other veterinary diagnostic laboratories found the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in cattle samples, a first for this species. Sequencing of the virus may help scientists understand why […]
Apr 3, 2024
F.D.A. Authorizes New Drug to Protect High-Risk Patients From Covid
New York Times Pemgarda, available in the coming weeks, is intended for immunocompromised people who are unlikely to mount an adequate response after vaccination. The Food and Drug Administration has greenlit a new medicine to protect some of the people most at risk from Covid. The agency granted emergency use authorization for Pemgarda, a monoclonal […]
Apr 2, 2024
Zoonotic Viruses: Humans More Often a Source Than a Sink
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Zoonotic viruses fill us with dread—and rightly so. Such viruses have been known to spread from animals to human hosts, transmitting deadly diseases such as Ebola, rabies, and bird flu. And according to virologists and other scientists with relevant expertise, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the source of the COVID-19 pandemic, is […]
Mar 27, 2024
People more often are origin of infectious diseases in animals than vice versa, data suggest
CIDRAP People pass twice as many viruses to domestic and wild animals than animals pass to people, concludes a study today in Nature Ecology & Evolution. University College London (UCL) researchers analyzed genomic data on nearly 12 million viruses in 32 viral families using network and evolutional analyses to characterize the mutations behind recent vertebrate species jumps. Most emerging and re-emerging […]
Mar 26, 2024
Ventilation Can Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Viruses in Indoor Spaces
CDC Levels of respiratory disease continue to decline nationally from the peak around late December. But even as we move past winter, it is important to remember that respiratory viruses are still spreading at elevated levels, with some spreading throughout the year. Ventilation can reduce respiratory virus transmission By using core strategies, like vaccination and practicing good hygiene, […]
Mar 26, 2024
JAMA Question Is an artificial intelligence (AI) deterioration model–enabled intervention associated with a decreased risk of escalations in care during hospitalization? Findings In this cohort study of 9938 patients hospitalized at a single academic center in 2021 and 2022, exposure to the intervention was associated with a 10.4–percentage point absolute risk reduction in the primary composite outcome […]
Mar 26, 2024
A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease
MIT News Researchers also found that a variant of the protein is not as protective against the bacteria and increases susceptibility to the disease. Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, affects nearly half a million people in the United States every year. In most cases, antibiotics effectively clear the infection, but for some […]
Mar 20, 2024
Zika Vaccine Candidate Battles Brain Cancer
Precision Vaccinations Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) have developed a new approach using the Zika virus to destroy brain cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth while sparing healthy cells. Using Zika virus vaccine candidates developed at Duke-NUS, the team discovered how these strains target rapidly proliferating cells over mature cells—making them an ideal option […]
Mar 12, 2024
New antibodies target “dark side” of influenza virus protein
NIH NIH researchers explore hidden, vulnerable region of influenza neuraminidase. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified antibodies targeting a hard-to-spot region of the influenza virus, shedding light on the relatively unexplored “dark side” of the neuraminidase (NA) protein head. The antibodies target a region of the NA protein that is common among […]
Mar 5, 2024