Feature Channels: Infectious Diseases

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Released: 23-Mar-2023 12:30 PM EDT
Study: SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, can alter genome structure of our cells
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

People infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may experience genome structure changes that not only may explain our immunological symptoms after infection, but also potentially link to long COVID, according to a new study by researchers at UTHealth Houston.

Released: 23-Mar-2023 12:25 PM EDT
World TB Day: Rutgers Is Awarded $20 Million to Lead Consortium of Seven Universities and Eight Nations to Curb Tuberculosis
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School will receive $20 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to coordinate research being conducted in eight nations on tuberculosis (TB) control and prevention.

Newswise:Video Embedded ttuhsc-el-paso-to-announce-transformative-nih-tuberculosis-research-grant
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Released: 23-Mar-2023 11:00 AM EDT
TTUHSC El Paso Researcher Awarded $2.6 Million NIH Grant to Develop Innovative Tuberculosis Vaccine
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

Dr. Pani's research has the potential to significantly impact the health and well-being of border communities.

Newswise: How Are Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Connected?
Released: 23-Mar-2023 9:55 AM EDT
How Are Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Connected?
Ochsner Health

The linking of MS and EBV could be a significant step in gaining the upper hand in the prevention of MS, which affects nearly 1 million people over the age of 18 in the United States.

Released: 22-Mar-2023 5:20 PM EDT
Memory B cell marker predicts long-lived antibody response to flu vaccine
University of Alabama at Birmingham

In a study published in the journal Immunity, researchers describe a distinct and novel subset of memory B cells that predict long-lived antibody responses to influenza vaccination in humans.

Newswise: Why Subvariants of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Accelerated the Pandemic
Released: 22-Mar-2023 12:15 PM EDT
Why Subvariants of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Accelerated the Pandemic
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego researchers describe why SARS-CoV-2 subvariants spread more rapidly than the original virus strain, and how an early treatment might have made people more susceptible to future infections.

Released: 22-Mar-2023 12:10 PM EDT
UCLA Health Tip Sheet: Visual loss and mask-wearing practices; Influenza vaccination rates are low; Mixed ancestry study provides clues to genetic traits
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Below is a brief roundup of news and story ideas from the experts at UCLA Health. For more information on these stories or for help on other stories, please contact us at [email protected].

Released: 22-Mar-2023 8:45 AM EDT
Long-Haul COVID-19 Linked With PTSD, Says Study
Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP)

Post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long-haul COVID-19, is positively associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), says new research presented at Physiatry ’23, the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) annual meeting.

Released: 21-Mar-2023 6:35 PM EDT
Co-infection with ‘superbug’ bacteria increases SARS-CoV-2 replication up to 15 times
University of Western Ontario (now Western University)

Global data shows nearly 10 per cent of severe COVID-19 cases involve a secondary bacterial co-infection – with Staphylococcus aureus, also known as Staph A., being the most common organism responsible for co-existing infections with SARS-CoV-2.

Newswise: Researchers develop a universal oral COVID-19 vaccine that prevents severe illness in hamsters
Released: 21-Mar-2023 5:15 PM EDT
Researchers develop a universal oral COVID-19 vaccine that prevents severe illness in hamsters
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A UCLA-led team has developed an inexpensive, universal oral COVID-19 vaccine that prevented severe respiratory illness and weight loss when tested in hamsters, which are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. It proved as effective as vaccines administered by injection or intranasally in the research. If ultimately approved for human use, it could be a weapon against all COVID-19 variants and boost uptake, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and among those with an aversion to needles.

   
Released: 21-Mar-2023 4:50 PM EDT
Cancer Clarity
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause several cancers in both men and women, including 91% of cervical cancers, 91% of anal cancers and 75% of vaginal cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of these cancers are caused by just a handful of HPV virus types.

Released: 21-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Defunding prevention and climate change drive rebound of malaria in Peru
Duke University

Malaria control programs in Amazonian Peru helped reduce the incidence of the deadly parasitic disease by 78 percent. That is, until the programs ceased to operate.

   
Newswise: Lack of canine COVID-19 data fuels persisting concerns over dog-human interactions
Released: 20-Mar-2023 6:50 PM EDT
Lack of canine COVID-19 data fuels persisting concerns over dog-human interactions
Purdue University

Early COVID-19 pandemic suspicions about dogs’ resistance to the disease have given way to a long-haul clinical data gap as new variants of the virus have emerged.

   

Not for public release

This news release is embargoed until 20-Mar-2023 5:00 PM EDT Released to reporters: 14-Mar-2023 2:00 PM EDT

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Released: 20-Mar-2023 3:45 PM EDT
Stigma-coping intervention empowers people with HIV and drug use to engage in health, substance use care
Boston University School of Medicine

A new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that a brief stigma intervention that specifically targets people with HIV who inject drugs was effective in increasing engagement in substance use care as well as improving their ART adherence.

Newswise: SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination
Released: 20-Mar-2023 3:25 PM EDT
SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination
NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

The magnitude and quality of a key immune cell’s response to vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were considerably lower in people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without prior infection, a study has found.

Newswise: Emergence of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei strain in France
Released: 20-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Emergence of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei strain in France
Institut Pasteur

Scientists from the French National Reference Center for Escherichia coli, Shigella and Salmonella at the Institut Pasteur who have been monitoring Shigella in France for several years have detected the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Shigella sonnei.

Released: 20-Mar-2023 1:30 PM EDT
COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk to develop gastrointestinal disorders
Universita di Bologna

COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of developing long-term gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome.

Released: 20-Mar-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Underactive immune response may explain obesity link to COVID-19 severity
University of Cambridge

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

Released: 20-Mar-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem. Learn all about it in the Drug Resistance channel.
Newswise

Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides difficile, Candida auris, Drug-resistant Shigella. These bacteria not only have difficult names to pronounce, but they are also difficult to fight off. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat.

     
Newswise: Stickiness may determine how influenza spreads
Released: 20-Mar-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Stickiness may determine how influenza spreads
Washington University in St. Louis

Influenza viruses have an enormous impact in the U.S., with an estimated 25 million illnesses and 18,000 deaths in the 2022-23 flu season alone. However, the majority of virus particles are not infectious or are only partially infectious. How, then, do they become such a contagious and deadly virus?

   
Released: 17-Mar-2023 12:50 PM EDT
UW study investigates how ‘vaccine shopping’ impacts rollout during pandemic
University of Washington

New research from Leela Nageswaran, assistant professor of operations management in the University of Washington Foster School of Business, considers whether individuals should be able to select their vaccine type.

   
Released: 16-Mar-2023 7:25 PM EDT
An extra X chromosome-linked gene may explain decreased viral infection severity in females
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers may have found why viral infections hit males more severely than females. They found that female mouse and human NK cells have an extra copy of an X chromosome-linked gene called UTX. UTX acts as an epigenetic regulator to boost NK cell anti-viral function, while repressing NK cell numbers.

   
Released: 16-Mar-2023 7:10 PM EDT
Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
Kaiser Permanente

A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in Lancet ID.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 4:25 PM EDT
Research sheds light on protections against COVID-19 variant infections
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Research is shedding light on why ‘breakthrough’ Omicron infections occur in vaccinated individuals and suggests those who are both vaccinated and experienced previous infection have better protection against getting sick again.

Newswise: Humans bite back by deactivating mosquito sperm
Released: 16-Mar-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Humans bite back by deactivating mosquito sperm
University of California, Riverside

New UC Riverside research makes it likely that proteins responsible for activating mosquito sperm can be shut down, preventing them from swimming to or fertilizing eggs.

   
Released: 16-Mar-2023 2:25 PM EDT
‘The Last of Us’ for amphibians: University researchers trace emergence of fungus threatening African amphibians
San Francisco State University

For the past few years, how a virus triggered a global pandemic has dominated conversations. Now, thanks to the TV show “The Last of Us” (about an apocalypse triggered by brain-eating ’shrooms), fungi have infected popular culture.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 1:25 PM EDT
Scientists create antibody 'cocktail' to fight deadly Lassa virus
Argonne National Laboratory

A group of researchers have used the Advanced Photon Source to look at monoclonal antibodies to subvert the “shield” of the Lassa virus, potentially paving the way for new therapies.

   
Released: 15-Mar-2023 3:45 PM EDT
Don't keep hitting that snooze button! Get the latest research news and expert commentary on sleep here.
Newswise

It's sleep awareness week, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It’s important to understand how sleep deprivation can impact your health. Most people recognize that if they don’t get enough sleep, their mood and memory will suffer the next day.

       
Released: 15-Mar-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Common cold gives children immunity against COVID-19
Karolinska Institute

During the pandemic, it became clear that children who contracted COVID-19 became less ill than adults.

14-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Bird Flu Associated with Hundreds of Seal Deaths in New England in 2022, Tufts Researchers Find
Tufts University

Researchers at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was associated with the deaths of more than 330 New England harbor and gray seals along the North Atlantic coast in June and July 2022, and the outbreak was connected to a wave of avian influenza in birds in the region.

Released: 15-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Tune in, wash hands: COVID-19 TV coverage added momentum to hand hygiene boom
Osaka University

Long before COVID-19, washing and sterilizing hands were known to help prevent the spread of infections such as influenza, and hand hygiene practices were especially important in high-risk areas, such as hospitals. So it was something of a public health boon that COVID-19 abruptly increased hand hygiene awareness.

Newswise: ‘Glow-in-the-dark’ proteins could help diagnose viral diseases
10-Mar-2023 8:00 AM EST
‘Glow-in-the-dark’ proteins could help diagnose viral diseases
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Many highly sensitive diagnostic tests for viral diseases still require complicated techniques. But now, a team reporting in ACS Central Science has developed a sensitive method that analyzes viral nucleic acids quickly and can be completed in one step with “glow-in-the-dark” proteins.

   
Released: 14-Mar-2023 10:00 AM EDT
The ‘Rapunzel’ virus: an evolutionary oddity
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)

A recent study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry has revealed the secret behind an evolutionary marvel: a bacteriophage with an extremely long tail. This extraordinary tail is part of a bacteriophage that lives in inhospitable hot springs and preys on some of the toughest bacteria on the planet.

   
Released: 13-Mar-2023 7:15 PM EDT
Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on incidence of long-term conditions in Wales
Swansea University

A population data linkage study using anonymised primary and secondary care health records in Swansea University’s SAIL Databank has revealed that in 2020 and 2021, fewer people in Wales were being diagnosed with long-term conditions than expected.

7-Mar-2023 2:00 PM EST
Painful, swirling skin lesions a rare symptom of undiagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis
American College of Physicians (ACP)

A patient presenting with painful, swirling skin lesions, chills, and weight loss was found to be suffering from erythema gyratum repens (EGR), a rare and striking skin condition that is associated with underlying malignancy in most cases, but in some cases can stem from an autoimmune disease, messenger RNA-based vaccines against COVID-19, or in rare cases, tuberculosis (TB). The case report from authors at Stanford University is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Wayne State researchers develop new technology to easily detect active TB
Wayne State University Division of Research

A team of faculty from Wayne State University has discovered new technology that will quickly and easily detect active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection antibodies.

Newswise: URI researcher discusses parasitic fungus at the heart of HBO sci-fi series
Released: 13-Mar-2023 1:20 PM EDT
URI researcher discusses parasitic fungus at the heart of HBO sci-fi series
University of Rhode Island

If you’re a fan of HBO’s post-apocalyptic series “The Last of Us” – or the video game that inspired it – you’ve probably heard the term Cordyceps. In the show, the parasitic fungus has mutated, graduating from infecting insects to humans – transforming them into mind-controlled zombies. But it’s not all science fiction. Niels-Viggo Hobbs Ph.D. ’16, a University of Rhode Island assistant teaching professor in biological sciences, lends his expertise to carefully walk us through the world of Cordyceps.

   
Newswise: A Quick New Way to Screen Virus Proteins for Antibiotic Properties
Released: 13-Mar-2023 11:30 AM EDT
A Quick New Way to Screen Virus Proteins for Antibiotic Properties
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A whole new world of antibiotics is waiting inside the viruses that infect bacteria. Our scientists are making it easier to study them.

Newswise: Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
Released: 13-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
University of Sydney

The next pandemic that cascades through the human population could be caused by a new influenza virus strain concocted in animals, against which humans will have little to no immunity.

   
9-Mar-2023 5:25 PM EST
Too little sleep could make vaccination less effective
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Sleeping fewer than six hours per night around the time of vaccination was associated with a robust decrease in antibody response, researchers found.

10-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
Not getting enough sleep could blunt antibody response to vaccination, leaving you more vulnerable to infection
University of Chicago Medical Center

In reviewing data from previous studies, a team lead by researchers at the University of Chicago and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) found that individuals who had fewer than six hours of sleep per night in the days surrounding vaccination had a blunted antibody response. That indicates efforts to promote heathy sleep duration ahead of an immunization could be an easy way to improve vaccine effectiveness.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 10:25 AM EDT
History saved lives in this pandemic. Will society listen next time?
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

As the pandemic enters its fourth year, the medical historian whose team's work on the 1918 flu influenced the "flatten the curve" approach in 2020 reflects on what lessons for the future can be drawn by studying recent pandemic history.

Newswise: Mountainside Medical Center Recognized for Antimicrobial Stewardship
Released: 13-Mar-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Mountainside Medical Center Recognized for Antimicrobial Stewardship
Hackensack Meridian Health (Mountainside Medical Center)

Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center has been recognized as a Silver Level Antimicrobial Stewardship Recognition Program award recipient by the NJDOH.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 8:00 AM EDT
‘Deaths of Despair’ contribute to 17% rise in Minnesota’s death rate during COVID-19 pandemic
Mayo Clinic

According to a new study published by Mayo Clinic researchers, the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to a 17% increase in the death rate in Minnesota during the first year of the pandemic compared to the two previous years.



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