Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus 'package up' their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells. The findings open up the possibility that drugs or anti-viral agents can be developed that would stop such infections.
Researchers found that fact-check tags located immediately below or near a social media post can generate more positive attitudes toward vaccines than misinformation alone, and perceived source expertise makes a difference.
Pregnant women who are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, during the third trimester are unlikely to pass the infection to their newborns, new research suggests. The study followed 127 pregnant women who were admitted to Boston hospitals during the spring of 2020. Among the 64 pregnant women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, no newborns tested positive for the virus.
New research has shown that implementing point-of-care testing in hospitals to diagnose influenza can lead to better treatment and faster recovery for patients. The researchers are now calling for routine use of these tests to become standard for patients admitted with acute respiratory symptoms during the influenza season.
Neuroscientists have found no significant association between COVID-19 and the potentially paralyzing and sometimes fatal neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Researchers have found a possible breakthrough in how to manage COVID-19, as well as future viruses. It involves using polymer and oligomer materials activated with UV light in order to kill microbes on surfaces.
Researchers have developed an assay that can detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a nasal swab using a device attached to an ordinary smartphone. Although more research is needed before such a test can be rolled out, the results are promising and ultimately may be applicable to screening more broadly for other viruses.
The role of a protein in detecting the common cold virus and kickstarting an immune response to fight infection has been uncovered by a team of scientists.
Survivors from a wide range of cancers are more likely than people in the general population to be hospitalized or die from seasonal influenza even several years after their cancer diagnosis, according to new data. Given that flu and COVID-19 are both epidemic respiratory viruses with broadly similar risk factors, the findings suggest that cancer survivors are also likely to be at raised risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
It is largely unknown why influenza infections lead to an increased risk of bacterial pneumonia. Researchers have now described important findings leading to so-called superinfections, which claim many lives around the world every year.
A new therapy for influenza virus infections that may also prove effective against many other pathogenic virus infections, including HIV and COVID-19, has been developed by scientists. The team's approach uses a targeted therapy approach against the virus infections.
While respiratory issues continue to be the most common symptom of a COVID-19 infection, new research indicates the disease could also be associated with an increased tendency of the blood to clot, leading to a higher risk of death from COVID-19.
In order for the SARS-CoV2 virus to enter host cells, its 'spike' protein has to be cleaved by the cell's own enzymes -- proteases. The protease inhibitor aprotinin can prevent cell infection, as scientists have now discovered. An aprotinin aerosol is already approved in Russia for the treatment of influenza and could readily be tested for the treatment of COVID-19.
New insights into the local transmission of seasonal influenza may be valuable for planning interventions to combat the spread of respiratory diseases within cities, according to a new study.
The polio vaccines heralded the elimination of polio from the U.S., saving countless children from sudden paralysis and death. In the developing world, however, outbreaks of poliovirus still occur sporadically, an ironic consequence of the polio vaccine itself. A new genetic study of the vaccine poliovirus reveals how this happens in real time.
Children in an Australian family developed a COVID-19 immune response after chronic exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus from their parents, a new case report has found.
Researchers have successfully used molecules made up of small strands of RNA to shut down the production of destructive proteins generated by the COVID-19 virus. Additionally, the researchers are working to aerosolize the RNA molecules so that they could be incorporated in an inhalable drug that would mitigate viral chaos.
New research adds to the developing picture of the immune system response and our understanding of the immunological features associated with the development of severe and life-threatening disease following COVID-19.
