Feature Channels: Infectious Diseases

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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.

Newswise: New Class of Drugs Could Prevent Resistant COVID-19 Variants
Released: 10-Mar-2023 6:00 PM EST
New Class of Drugs Could Prevent Resistant COVID-19 Variants
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

The constant evolution of new COVID-19 variants makes it critical for clinicians to have multiple therapies in their arsenal for treating drug-resistant infections. Researchers have now discovered that a new class of oral drugs that acts directly on human cells can inhibit a diverse range of pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 strains. In their newly published study, the team found a novel mechanism through which the gene that expresses angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2)—the cellular receptor to which SARS-CoV-2 binds so that it can enter and infect the cell—is turned on.

Newswise: Immune cells have a backup mechanism
Released: 10-Mar-2023 5:20 PM EST
Immune cells have a backup mechanism
University of Bonn

The enzyme TBK1 is an important component of the innate immune system that plays a critical role in the defense against viruses. Upon mutation-induced loss of TBK1 function, patients show an increased susceptibility to viral infections.

Released: 10-Mar-2023 3:00 PM EST
Looking for risky viruses now to get ahead of future pandemics
Ohio State University

Rather than let the next outbreak take the world by surprise, two virologists say in a Science Perspective article published today (March 10, 2023) that the scientific community should invest in a four-part research framework to proactively identify animal viruses that might infect humans.

   
Released: 9-Mar-2023 6:15 PM EST
Study suggests little deterioration in mental health linked to the pandemic
BMJ

Mental health among the general population has not changed by large amounts during the covid-19 pandemic compared with pre-pandemic levels, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Released: 9-Mar-2023 4:40 PM EST
Moving on from COVID means facing its impact on mental health, say experts
University of Sydney

A new review on the global mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic confirms feared increases in depression and anxiety, with leading experts saying little has been done to address what is set to become a mounting mental health crisis.

Newswise: New Class of Drugs May Prevent Infection by Wide Range of COVID-19 Variants
Released: 9-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EST
New Class of Drugs May Prevent Infection by Wide Range of COVID-19 Variants
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

A new class of oral drugs can inhibit a wide range of SARS-CoV-2 variants, researchers report, potentially identifying new antiviral agents providing broad activity against the constantly emerging new strains of the COVID-19 virus

Released: 8-Mar-2023 5:15 PM EST
Study associates long COVID with physical inactivity
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The link between symptoms of COVID-19 and physical inactivity is increasingly evident. An article recently published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil describes a study in which COVID-19 survivors with at least one persistent symptom of the disease were 57% more likely to be sedentary, and the presence of five or more post-acute sequelae of infection by SARS-CoV-2 increased the odds of physical inactivity by 138%.

Newswise: USU’s Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program Hosts First Science Symposium
Released: 8-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EST
USU’s Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program Hosts First Science Symposium
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Infectious diseases like COVID, HIV, and battlefield wound infections cause illness and disruptions that threaten health and military readiness across the nation. To help foster collaboration in the field and share best practices, the Uniformed Service University’s (USU) Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program (IDCRP) is hosting its first annual Science Symposium March 6-10.

   
Released: 8-Mar-2023 12:20 PM EST
First nasal monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 shows promise for treating virus, other diseases
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

A pilot trial by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, tested the nasal administration of the drug Foralumab, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody.

6-Mar-2023 6:10 PM EST
How the Brain Senses Infection
Harvard Medical School

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School illuminates how the brain becomes aware that there is an infection in the body.

Released: 7-Mar-2023 1:30 PM EST
How differences in individual infections affect COVID-19 spread within households
eLife

Substantial variation in infectiousness among cases may strongly impact the way SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads in the population, even at the household level, shows a study published today in eLife.

Released: 7-Mar-2023 1:25 PM EST
Localized lockdowns could control pandemics while reducing socio-economic impact
eLife

Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands suggests that locally targeted pandemic control measures could have been just as effective as national lockdowns, according to a study published today in eLife.

Released: 7-Mar-2023 10:05 AM EST
Cornell-developed anti-TB compound headed to trials
Cornell University

A novel compound that has the potential to starve the bacteria that causes tuberculosis – the world’s leading infectious killer after SARS-CoV2 – is entering human clinical trials.

Newswise: COVID-19 infections raise risk of long-term gastrointestinal problems
6-Mar-2023 7:00 PM EST
COVID-19 infections raise risk of long-term gastrointestinal problems
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system shows that people who have been infected with COVID-19 are at an increased risk of developing a range of gastrointestinal conditions within the first month to a year after illness.

Released: 6-Mar-2023 7:20 PM EST
The next pandemic: Researchers develop tool to identify existing drugs to use in a future outbreak
New York University

A global team of researchers has created an algorithmic tool that can identify existing drugs in order to combat future pandemics. The work, reported in the Cell Press journal Heliyon, offers the possibility of responding more quickly to public-health crises.

Released: 6-Mar-2023 2:55 PM EST
Electronic Messages Improved Influenza Vaccination Rates in Nationwide Danish Study
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

To evaluate best strategies for increasing vaccination rates, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, collaborated with Danish researchers to develop and implement a nationwide trial in Denmark testing nine different electronic messaging tactics among adults over age 65.

Newswise: Temperature-stable TB vaccine safe, prompts immune response in NIH-supported study
Released: 6-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EST
Temperature-stable TB vaccine safe, prompts immune response in NIH-supported study
NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

A clinical trial testing a freeze-dried, temperature-stable experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine in healthy adults found that it was safe and stimulated both antibodies and responses from the cellular arm of the immune system.

Newswise: High-Dose Anticoagulation Can Reduce Intubations and Improve Survival for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Released: 6-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
High-Dose Anticoagulation Can Reduce Intubations and Improve Survival for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Mount Sinai Health System

High-dose anticoagulation can reduce deaths by 30 percent and intubations by 25 percent in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are not critically ill when compared to the standard treatment, which is low-dose anticoagulation.

Newswise: One in Four Parents Misled Others About Their Children Having COVID-19, Survey Finds
1-Mar-2023 4:35 PM EST
One in Four Parents Misled Others About Their Children Having COVID-19, Survey Finds
University of Utah Health

More than 25% of parents surveyed report that they were less than truthful about their children’s COVID-19 status or that they didn't follow the disease’s preventive guidelines during the pandemic for their offspring, according to a nationwide study led in part by University of Utah scientists.

Newswise: Eradicating Polio Will Require Changing the Current Public Health Strategy
6-Mar-2023 10:00 AM EST
Eradicating Polio Will Require Changing the Current Public Health Strategy
Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

The recent public health emergency declarations in New York and London due to polio infections and detection of the virus in these cities’ wastewater strongly indicate that polio is no longer close to being eradicated. Now, four members of the Global Virus Network (GVN) proposed changes in global polio eradication strategy to get the world back on track to one day eliminating polio’s threat.

Released: 6-Mar-2023 9:00 AM EST
Eradicating Polio Will Require Changing the Current Public Health Strategy
Global Virus Network

The recent public health emergency declarations in New York and London due to polio infections and detection of the virus in these cities’ wastewater strongly indicate that polio is no longer close to being eradicated.

Released: 3-Mar-2023 6:05 PM EST
Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives
Boston University School of Public Health

Public and private sector health officials and public policymakers should team up immediately with community leaders to more effectively disseminate accurate narratives regarding the life-saving benefits of vaccines to counter widespread, harmful misinformation from anti-vaccine activists in the United States.

Released: 3-Mar-2023 3:40 PM EST
“COVID rebound” is common, even in untreated patients
Scripps Research Institute

“COVID rebound,” in which evidence of the illness disappears and then returns days or weeks later, is surprisingly common—whether or not patients are given the antiviral Paxlovid.

Released: 3-Mar-2023 12:45 PM EST
Putting out “the fire in the brain”
Universität Leipzig

In autoimmune encephalitis, a rare but serious and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the central nervous system, the body’s own defences are directed against the central nervous system.

Released: 3-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EST
Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives
University of California, Riverside

Public and private sector health officials and public policymakers should team up immediately with community leaders to more effectively disseminate accurate narratives regarding the life-saving benefits of vaccines to counter widespread, harmful misinformation from anti-vaccine activists.

   
Newswise: Parasitic infections common in kids in low-resource US communities, study finds
Released: 2-Mar-2023 4:55 PM EST
Parasitic infections common in kids in low-resource US communities, study finds
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University in St. Louis finds evidence that parasitic infections in kids are likely widespread in low-resource communities throughout the southern United States, where environmental conditions combined with infrastructural neglect and inadequate access to health care create the perfect breeding ground for these infections.

Newswise: Eye experts weigh in on artificial tears in midst of infectious outbreak
Released: 2-Mar-2023 1:15 PM EST
Eye experts weigh in on artificial tears in midst of infectious outbreak
NIH, National Eye Institute (NEI)

Questions remain about artificial tears linked to an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections involving 64 people in 13 states, including 8 cases of vision loss, as well as lung and urinary tract infections, and one death. Federal agencies warned people to stop using EzriCare and Delsam Pharma artificial tears after tests of opened bottles used by those affected found a rare, extensively drug-resistant strain of P. aeruginosa. The strain had never been reported in the United States.What is clear is that eye health experts have advice for people using artificial tears, which are sold over the counter and widely used for eye irritation associated with dry eye disease, contact lens use, and refractive surgery, as well among those using other eye drops regularly, such as for glaucoma.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 6:55 PM EST
Long COVID linked to lower brain oxygen levels, cognitive problems and psychiatric symptoms
University of Waterloo

Long COVID is associated with reduced brain oxygen levels, worse performance on cognitive tests and increased psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety, according to new research studying the impacts of the disease.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 6:20 PM EST
Wastewater study monitors Houston schools for viral threats
Rice University

Schools are among the most notable settings people associate with picking up viral infections such as the common cold, various types of the flu or other respiratory viruses.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 5:40 PM EST
Social workers experienced depression, PTSD, and anxiety at alarming rates during pandemic
University of Toronto

A new study published in the journal International Social Work has uncovered concerning rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety among social workers.

Newswise: Researcher Leonard A. Jason pushes discovery on long COVID, ME/CFS
Released: 1-Mar-2023 2:40 PM EST
Researcher Leonard A. Jason pushes discovery on long COVID, ME/CFS
DePaul University

Leonard A. Jason, a professor of psychology at DePaul, seeks to catalyze global knowledge about virally induced chronic illness and push forward discovery.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 1:30 PM EST
Medical experts available: Multiple Sclerosis, 3rd anniversary of COVID, Colorectal Cancers, and International Women’s Day
Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health has medical experts on standby to discuss Multiple Sclerosis, 3rd anniversary of COVID, Colorectal Cancers, and International Women’s Day

Released: 1-Mar-2023 12:30 PM EST
Review of studies finds disparity in presumptive chlamydia and gonorrhea treatment rates despite CDC guidelines
Regenstrief Institute

A Regenstrief Institute-led review of studies on proactive health services for chlamydia and gonorrhea has found that rates of presumptive treatment -- antibiotics prior to laboratory test confirmation -- varies widely.

Newswise:Video Embedded how-bacteria-invade-the-brain
VIDEO
27-Feb-2023 8:00 AM EST
How Bacteria Invade the Brain
Harvard Medical School

Research in mice shows bacteria hijack communication between nerve and immune cells in the meninges — the protective layers that shield the brain from infection.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 9:00 AM EST
Global Virus Network (GVN) Adds Brazil’s Laboratory for Clinical Research in Neuroinfections at Fiocruz
Global Virus Network

The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing 71 Centers of Excellence and 9 Affiliates in 40 countries comprising foremost experts in every class of virus causing disease in humans, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil announced the addition of the Laboratory for Clinical Research in Neuroinfections (LabClin-Neuro), the Principal National Reference Centre for Neurovirology Infections at the National Institute of Health located at Fiocruz, as GVN’s newest Center of Excellence.

Newswise: Death Positive Scholar Brings a New Angle to Grief
Released: 28-Feb-2023 2:55 PM EST
Death Positive Scholar Brings a New Angle to Grief
California State University, Fullerton

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health crises, death anxiety in the United States has significantly increased. Christian Seiter, assistant professor of human communication studies at Cal State Fullerton, analyzes how different emotions — such as worry and humor — impact people’s willingness to confront their mortality.

Newswise: UT Southwestern researchers report new mechanism in an ancient pathway of immune response
Released: 28-Feb-2023 10:05 AM EST
UT Southwestern researchers report new mechanism in an ancient pathway of immune response
UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern biochemist Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., famously identified the cGAS enzyme pathway that alerts the human immune system to disease-causing invaders like viruses. Since then, researchers have found that cGAS signaling is an ancient, conserved defense strategy stretching from bacteria to mammals. A new study from the Chen lab published in Nature reports a novel mechanism bacteria use to enhance the effectiveness of the cGAS-mediated immune response.

Newswise: New testing approach diagnoses COVID-19 with near-perfect accuracy
Released: 27-Feb-2023 5:25 PM EST
New testing approach diagnoses COVID-19 with near-perfect accuracy
Simons Foundation

By inspecting the body’s immune response at a molecular level, a research team has developed a new way to test patients for COVID-19.

Released: 27-Feb-2023 11:45 AM EST
New method for the detection of RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2
University of Barcelona

Experts from the University of Barcelona, the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute of Aragon (INMA) —a joint institute of the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza— have developed a new method to detect RNA viruses based on the triplex-forming probe technology.

Newswise: Could a naturally occurring amino acid lead us to a cure for COVID-19?
Released: 24-Feb-2023 7:10 PM EST
Could a naturally occurring amino acid lead us to a cure for COVID-19?
Tokyo Institute of Technology

After more than two years since its discovery, six million deaths, and half a billion reported cases, there is still no effective cure for COVID-19. Even though vaccines have lowered the impact of outbreaks, patients that contract the disease can only receive supportive care while they wait for their own body to clear the infection.

Newswise: A simpler way to track the spread of infectious diseases
Released: 24-Feb-2023 6:20 PM EST
A simpler way to track the spread of infectious diseases
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia

How society organizes affects different phenomena, from the transmission of information to the spread of contagious diseases. The more links we establish with each other via social and transportation networks, the more spread is favored.

Released: 24-Feb-2023 11:05 AM EST
The Achilles heel of the influenza virus: ubiquitin protein may be an approach for future medicines
University of Münster

Every year, the influenza season presents a challenge to hospitals. Despite having been vaccinated, older people and patients with health problems in particular run a heightened risk of falling prey to a severe bout of influenza.

Newswise: Deadly waves: Researchers document evolution of plague over hundreds of years in medieval Denmark
22-Feb-2023 10:50 AM EST
Deadly waves: Researchers document evolution of plague over hundreds of years in medieval Denmark
McMaster University

Scientists who study the origins and evolution of the plague have examined hundreds of ancient human teeth from Denmark, seeking to address longstanding questions about its arrival, persistence and spread within Scandinavia.

   
Released: 24-Feb-2023 10:45 AM EST
More than half of COVID patients suffer long COVID symptoms
Osaka Metropolitan University

Various long-term effects have been found to occur after infection by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and the reality of these lingering symptoms remains unknown.



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