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New microchip can measure stress hormones in real time from a drop of blood

A Rutgers-led team of researchers has developed a microchip that can measure stress hormones in real time from a drop of blood.

1 Jul 2021

COVID-19 burden consistently hits Latino Californians, shows study

Researchers from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health have found the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has consistently hit Latino Californians with case rates roughly three times that of whites in all age groups.

1 Jul 2021

Frequent testing improves the detection of SARS-CoV-2

Detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, improves with regularity of testing, whether using rapid antigen tests or PCR molecular tests

1 Jul 2021

Majority of people were unprepared and did not have a pandemic plan, survey reveals

Researchers point out that if these healthy individuals had a challenging time absorbing COVID-related information, then such challenges may be even greater in people with limited educational opportunities or with neurocognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease or a brain injury, due to low health literacy and impaired memory.

1 Jul 2021

Cancer cells become more aggressive when exposed to tissue stiffening

In cases of breast cancer, bone metastasis - when cancer cells spread to new sites in the bone - causes the most breast cancer-related harm and is often incurable in advanced disease. A new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers found that cancer cells become more aggressive when exposed to tissue stiffening and that these changes persist over time.

1 Jul 2021

New article focuses on drug discovery targeting SARS-CoV-2

The July edition of SLAS Discovery is a Special Edition featuring the cover article, "Development of a High-Throughput Screening Assay to Identify Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Guanine-N7-Methyltransferase Using RapidFire Mass Spectrometry" by Lesley-Anne Pearson, Charlotte J. Green, Ph.D., De Lin, Ph.D., Alain-Pierre Petit, Ph.D., David W. Gray, Ph.D., Victoria H. Cowling, Ph.D., and Euan A. F. Fordyce, Ph.D., (Drug Discovery Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK).

1 Jul 2021

Study offers a new model for examining genetic risk associated with nicotine dependence

Some people casually smoke cigarettes for a while and then stop without a problem, while others develop long-term, several packs-per-day habits. A complex mix of environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors appear to raise this risk for nicotine dependence.

1 Jul 2021

Alpha variant mutations help SARS-CoV-2 overcome evolutionary weaknesses

The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that the mutations in the virus, particularly the deletion of two amino acids H69/V70 seen in the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), enables the virus to overcome weaknesses as it evolves.

30 Jun 2021

Elevated levels of circulating proteins linked with protection against diabetic kidney disease

Elevated levels of three specific circulating proteins are associated with protection against kidney failure in diabetes, according to research from the Joslin Diabetes Center that will be published 30th June in Science Translational Medicine.

30 Jun 2021

Novel candidate malaria vaccine confers high levels of durable protection

Two U.S. Phase 1 clinical trials of a novel candidate malaria vaccine have found that the regimen conferred unprecedentedly high levels of durable protection when volunteers were later exposed to disease-causing malaria parasites.

30 Jun 2021

Effectively monitoring COVID-19 in reopened educational institutions: the San Diego model

An interesting new study from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) shows that using preventive measures to block viral transmission, coupled with repeated testing and rapid turnaround times for the results, can successfully prevent outbreaks associated with the reopening of educational institutions.

30 Jun 2021

Researchers successfully implanted the first artificial tubular muscle in vivo

In January of this year, EPFL engineers announced in Advanced Science their concept of a novel cardiac assist device that is devoid of rigid metallic components. It consists of a soft, artificial muscle wrapped around the aorta that can constrict and dilate the vessel, ultimately enhancing the aorta's natural function and aiding the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body.

30 Jun 2021

COVID-19 prevalence among hospitalized infants may depend on levels of community transmission

How common COVID-19 is among infants may depend on the degree of the pandemic virus circulating in a community, a new study finds.

30 Jun 2021

Suzukii flies produce only males after mating, shows study

Populations of Drosophila suzukii fruit flies - so-called "spotted-wing Drosophila" that devastate soft-skinned fruit in North America, Europe and parts of South America - could be greatly suppressed with the introduction of genetically modified D. suzukii flies that produce only males after mating, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

30 Jun 2021

Researchers identify key protein that allows cancer-destroying viruses to enter tumor cells

Researchers from the Laboratory of Oncolytic-Virus-Immuno-Therapeutics (LOVIT) at the LIH Department of Oncology (DONC) are working on the development of novel anticancer strategies based on oncolytic viruses, "good" viruses that can specifically infect, replicate in and kill cancer cells.

30 Jun 2021