By Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc. In order to develop appropriate treatments and vaccines to combat the novel coronavirus, otherwise known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, researchers around the world have carefully examined every microscopic component of this potent virus. What is protease? The term protease is used to describe a large group...
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. A group of over 120 researchers from various institutions across Europe has performed the first genome-wide association study to reveal host genetic factors that may contribute to respiratory failure in cases of coronavirus disease 209 (COVID-19). The authors say the genetic variants they have identified could help guide further research into...
by Ian Colbeck, The Conversation An estimated 28,000 to 36,000 deaths a year in the UK are attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. Exposure to air pollution can cause a range of serious health complications, including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. Pollution can come from a variety of sources, including wood burning fires...
(Reuters Health) — Acute, non-remitting conjunctivitis may be the only presenting symptom of Covid-19 infections in some instances, according to case reports on five patients in Italy. “Conjunctivitis per se is not a very common finding among positive subjects, but when it occurs, it generally presents with or anticipates other symptoms, such as fever, general...
by The Mount Sinai Hospital Pathologists at The Mount Sinai Hospital, at the epicenter of the COVID-19 global pandemic, have prepared one of the largest, most comprehensive analysis of autopsies of COVID-19 victims to date, revealing many complex new details about the disease. The analysis was released on the preprint server MedRxiv. “An essential contribution...
by Tamara Hew-Butler and Mariane Fahlman, The Conversation So here we are, perfecting our social distancing skills while schools, sports and other forms of social engagement are on indefinite hold, by a dangerous virus named after a (regal) crown. The coronavirus is named because the center envelope is surrounded by small protein spikes called peplomers....
Barcelona, 20 May 2020. A new study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, has analysed deaths linked to respiratory disease in Spain between 1980 and 2016. The study, which analysed data on more than 1.3 million deaths, found that the seasonality of temperature-attributable mortality from...
by Qian Ye and Matthew Knight A Chinese laboratory has been developing a drug it believes has the power to bring the coronavirus pandemic to a halt. The outbreak first emerged in China late last year before spreading across the world, prompting an international race to find treatments and vaccines. A drug being tested by...
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a coating that can be used to create textiles that repel viruses, along with bodily fluids such as saliva and blood. Interestingly, the coated textiles are reusable, and can be washed and scrubbed repeatedly without losing their virus-repelling properties. These characteristics may make them highly suited for...
by Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report....
