UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN DIEGO Nanoparticles cloaked in human lung cell membranes and human immune cell membranes can attract and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell culture, causing the virus to lose its ability to hijack host cells and reproduce. The first data describing this new direction for fighting COVID-19 were published on June...
Tag: <span>Coronavirus</span>
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HIV and TB increase death risk from COVID-19, study finds—but not by much
By Linda NordlingJun. 15, 2020 , 4:30 PM Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center. CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—Living with HIV or active tuberculosis (TB) increases a person’s likelihood of dying from COVID-19, preliminary data from South Africa show. However, the effect is small compared with other known risk factors such as old...
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How cells’ ‘lava lamp’ effect could make cancer drugs more powerful
Discovery that synthetic compounds form concentrated droplets inside cells could shake up drug development — including the hunt for coronavirus treatments. Fluorescently tagged molecules of the cancer drug cisplatin clump up inside droplets in cells.Credit: Isaac Klein/Whitehead Institute There’s a long-standing assumption in the pharmaceutical industry that when drug molecules enter a cell, they spread...
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Up to 45 percent of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be asymptomatic
by The Scripps Research Institute An extraordinary percentage of people infected by the virus behind the ongoing deadly COVID-19 pandemic never show symptoms of the disease, according to the results of a Scripps Research analysis of public datasets on asymptomatic infections. The findings, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that asymptomatic infections may account...
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Ten reasons why immunity passports are a bad idea
Restricting movement on the basis of biology threatens freedom, fairness and public health. Imagine a world where your ability to get a job, housing or a loan depends on passing a blood test. You are confined to your home and locked out of society if you lack certain antibodies. It has happened before. For most...
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18.2 million at increased risk of severe COVID-19 uninsured or underinsured: Harvard study
Racial minorities who are most likely to be inadequately insured against the costs of illness among those at increased risk of severe complications from coronavirus Even before soaring unemployment caused millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, 18.2 million individuals at increased risk of severe COVID-19 were either uninsured or underinsured, according to a...
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Artificial nose shows potential to treat breathing disorders
by Cliff Peale, Miami University A respiratory simulation device, complete with an artificial nose made from a 3-D printer, is the subject of Miami University’s newest patent and a potential breakthrough in researching, diagnosing and treating breathing disorders. Lei Kerr, professor of chemical, paper and biomedical engineering, is the inventor on the patentalong with co-inventors...
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From the research lab to your doctor’s office – here’s what happens in phase 1, 2, 3 drug trials
For COVID-19, like all illnesses, the drugs and vaccines to treat or prevent the disease must be backed by rigorous evidence. Clinical trials are the source of this evidence. With vaccines and drugs for the coronavirus already entering human testing, it is important to know what the different phases of clinical trials are testing for....
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Beware of false negatives in diagnostic testing of COVID-19
by Waun’shae Blount, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Maribel Jose and Zhellann Aguilar test Covid-19 samples in the lab. Credit: Keith Weller/Johns Hopkins Medicine One of the most commonly used diagnostic tools, particularly during this pandemic, is the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR), which uses a person’s respiratory sample to detect viral...
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Primary care experts produce guidance for limiting the psychological impacts of coronavirus
by St. George’s University of London New guidance published in the BMJ today during Mental Health Awareness Week has outlined guidance for primary care workers on the best-evidenced methods to mitigate the psychological effects of social distancing. Recommended interventions include remote consultations and social prescribing, such as online exercise and dance classes. The new guidance,...