Research begins to pick apart the mechanisms behind a deadly COVID-19 complication. Purple rashes, swollen legs, clogged catheters and sudden death — blood clots, large and small, are a frequent complication of COVID-19, and researchers are just beginning to untangle why. For weeks, reports have poured in of the disease’s effects throughout the body, many...
CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS Recent evidence suggests a link between cholesterol metabolism and innate immunity. Upon viral infection, macrophages show reduced cholesterol synthesis accompanied by enhanced expression of antiviral genes, including type I interferon (IFN-I). IFN-I can induce 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) accumulation, which blocks viral entry. However, it has been unclear whether other cholesterol-associated metabolic...
Posted Today New tools for editing genetic code offer hope for new treatments for inherited diseases, some cancers, and even stubborn viral infections. But the typical method for delivering gene therapies to specific tissues in the body can be complicated and may cause troubling side effects. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have addressed many...
By Jenna Fletcher Reviewed by Cameron White, MD, MPH Hepatitis C is liver inflammation that results from a viral infection. It may not cause symptoms, so it can go undetected for years. As the infection progresses over many years, it can cause liver damage. This may take the form of scarring, permanent damage called cirrhosis,...
An upset stomach can be a result of many things. When symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and fever, chances are it’s a viral infection. “A viral gastroenteritis, which we sometimes call ‘a stomach bug’ or ‘a stomach flu,” is a common reason for having an acute onset of vomiting and diarrhea, and sometimes with fever,” says Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician. The viral infection is most commonly...
New research shows how the immune system’s interaction with viruses leads to autoimmune disease Viral infections can trigger the onset of debilitating autoimmune diseases. For example, in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), the body attacks a protein that protects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, often following a viral infection. However, how viral infections interact...
CREDIT: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION This image illustrates the beginning stages of an influenza infection and shows what happens after the influenza viruses enter the human body. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — A team of researchers, co-led by a University of California, Riverside professor, has found a long-sought-after mechanism in human cells that creates...
