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Protein markers could help predict how ill a COVID-19 patient will become

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have identified 27 protein biomarkers that could be used to predict whether a patient with COVID-19 is likely to become severely ill with the disease.

4 Jun 2020

27 protein biomarkers predict COVID-19 severity in patients

Some patients infected with the novel coronavirus may experience only mild symptoms, while others may need medical care due to severe illness. People who are at a high risk of developing severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include older adults and those with underlying health conditions. However, severe disease has also been seen in young people with no underlying disease.

4 Jun 2020

New mobile app can help the severity of COVID-19 cases

A new mobile app can help clinicians determine which patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are likely to have severe cases.

4 Jun 2020

Dotmatics achieves standard ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system

Dotmatics Ltd, a scientific informatics software and services company that is driving the automation of laboratory data workflows for scientific discovery and innovation research, today announced it has achieved certification to the internationally recognized standard ISO 9001:2015 for its quality management system.

4 Jun 2020

Drug Teixobactin shows promise against drug-resistant superbugs

Two well-known superbugs are the gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). A new drug Teixobactin has shown promise against these microbes. The study titled, “The Killing Mechanism of Teixobactin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an Untargeted Metabolomics Study,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Therapeutics and Prevention.

4 Jun 2020

How COVID-19 affects people with Down Syndrome

A new study published in June 2020 on the preprint online server medRxiv reports on the increased risk of COVID-19 in Down Syndrome (DS) and certain characteristic features that are found in this population segment.

3 Jun 2020

Artificial red blood cells mimic the favorable properties of natural ones

Scientists have tried to develop synthetic red blood cells that mimic the favorable properties of natural ones, such as flexibility, oxygen transport and long circulation times.

3 Jun 2020

Showers, toilets and washbasins may act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs despite low environmental transmission

In their new research paper currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany demonstrated that indirect environmental transmission most likely plays only a minor role in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, certain potentially neglected viral reservoirs have to be taken into account when introducing epidemiological measures.

3 Jun 2020

‘Terminator’ protein suppresses tumorigenesis

Essential processes in mammalian cells are controlled by proteins called transcription factors. For example, the transcription factor HIF-1 is triggered by a low-oxygen situation to cause the cell to adapt to decreased oxygen.

3 Jun 2020

Cognitive behavior therapy superior to other psychotherapies at boosting the immune system

A review of 56 randomized clinical trials finds that psychological and behavioral therapies may be effective non-drug treatments for reducing disease-causing inflammation in the body.

3 Jun 2020

Mindfulness program can improve attention and decision making skills in children with autism

School-based mindfulness programs can improve decision-making skills and teach children with autism to focus attention and react less impulsively through breathing exercises that will allow them to reduce anxiety, according to Rutgers researchers.

3 Jun 2020

Teen vaping study identifies stomach issues and history of substance abuse

A study of teens diagnosed with the vaping-linked respiratory disease EVALI revealed that most also had gastrointestinal symptoms and a history of psychosocial factors, including substance abuse, UT Southwestern researchers found in one of the first clinical reviews of its kind.

3 Jun 2020

Bruker introduces breakthrough MALDI-2 source on timsTOF fleX, and further innovations in CCS-enabled 4D proteomics on timsTOF

At the virtual ASMS 2020 Reboot conference, Bruker Corporation today announces a major advance in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) with the launch of the world’s first commercial MALDI-2 post-ionization (PI) source, which is now available as an option on the timsTOF fleXTM ESI/MALDI mass spectrometer.

From Bruker Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry 3 Jun 2020

Sample inactivation may contribute to false-negative rate of SARS-Cov-2

To protect medical laboratory personnel from infection when testing clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2, most laboratories inactivate the virus before testing.

3 Jun 2020

Mini tumors predict how cancer responds to heat treatment

Hyperthermia has shown promise in the treatment of cancer in previous studies. Now, in a new study by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, the researchers tested the effects of a combination of heat and radiation on mini tumors grown in a spheroid, where cells are placed in a three-dimensional structure. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

3 Jun 2020

Siemens receives FDA approval for SARS-CoV-2 antibody test

Siemens Healthineers has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued an Emergency Use Authorization for its total antibody test to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies, including Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the blood.

3 Jun 2020

Study looks at delirium in critically ill COVID-19 patients

A new study published on the online preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports on the high incidence of delirium in COVID-19 patients in intensive care. This highlights the urgent need to predict, prevent, and manage delirium and to cut it short in patients with COVID-19.

2 Jun 2020

Rigidity of tissues drives immune system activity, UCLA study finds

A UCLA research team has identified a new paradigm for understanding the regulation of the immune system, potentially paving the way for new approaches to treating infections and immune-related diseases such as type 1 diabetes and certain cancers.

2 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 can adversely affect cardiac cells and heart function

A research group from Germany demonstrated a direct toxic effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on cardiac cells in their paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server. The finding warrants an in-depth analysis of cardiac tissue in certain coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, as well as close monitoring for any direct cardiomyocyte injury.

2 Jun 2020

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Results from a new study suggest that whether certain genes are expressed -- turned on or off-- may play a role in susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder.

2 Jun 2020