by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Strains of a common subtype of influenza virus, H3N2, have almost universally acquired a mutation that effectively blocks antibodies from binding to a key viral protein, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results have implications for flu...
HIV pre-exposure drug regimen highly effective in preventing infection
A new drug regimen requiring injections every eight weeks have shown to be more effective in preventing HIV infection than one in which a pill must be taken daily, researchers from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) announced at the 23rd International AIDS Conference. Emory University was a key participant in the study, enrolling seven...
New database aims to make Alzheimer’s diagnosis easier and earlier
Volunteers can add data with a five-minute online session. Do you get nervous when you can’t think of a word? Chances are it’s a momentary lapse, but problems with language are one of the symptoms that can indicate a neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, diagnosing these conditions requires scoring below a rather low threshold...
Five things you need to know about: mRNA vaccines
The race for a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, is on, with 54 different vaccines under development, two of which are already being tested in humans, according to the World Health Organization. And among the different candidates is a new player on the scene – mRNA vaccines. According to Prof. Bekeredjian-Ding, an approved...
1 in 3 young adults may face severe COVID-19, UCSF study shows
Smoking habits trump asthma, obesity in risk factors for otherwise healthy population UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO As the number of young adults infected with the coronavirus surges throughout the nation, a new study by researchers at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals indicates that youth may not shield people from serious disease. The study looked...
Single-dose drug can reduce flu’s spread within households, study finds
A single dose of the flu drug baloxavir marboxil can reduce the spread of the illness within households, new research concludes. A study examining 752 household contacts of 545 patients with the flu found that flu infections were much less common in household members who received the drug than among those who received a placebo....
FOR EACH COVID-19 DEATH, 9 FAMILY MEMBERS GRIEVE
Every death from COVID-19 will affect approximately nine surviving family members, according to a new study of kinship networks in the United States. Deaths from COVID-19 will have a ripple effect causing impacts on the mental health and health of surviving family members. But the extent of that impact has been hard to assess until...
India clears a psoriasis drug for COVID-19, and a tiny US biotech’s shares soar
Dive Brief: India’s drug regulator has granted an emergency approval to the antibody drug itolizumab to treat the potentially deadly immune response, cytokine release syndrome, that appears to affect some patients hospitalized with acute respiratory distress related to COVID-19. The Drugs Controller General of India cleared the treatment for use after itolizumab, alongside standard of...
Delirium may cause long term cognitive decline
by Columbia University Irving Medical Center A new meta-analysis of 24 observational studies from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found that delirium may cause significant long-term cognitive decline. The findings were published in JAMA Neurology. Delirium is the most common surgical complication in adults older than 65. It is also...
Chemical offers new hope of finding treatments for neglected tropical diseases
by University of York Targeting the Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle: the target represents the compound AB1, and (the dart) its phenotype showed as a parasite with cell cycle defects. Credit: Manuel Saldivia and Andrés Sánchez Scientists say they are a step closer to developing a drug to kill the trypanosome parasite that causes human African...