Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated brain aging in adolescent girls, researchers find

Researchers discovered that COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated cortical thinning in adolescent brains, with females experiencing more significant and widespread changes than males, indicating a higher developmental impact on female brains.

10 Sep 2024

Gene therapy improves vision in patients with Bothnia dystrophy

Bothnia dystrophy is a form of hereditary blindness, prevalent in the region Västerbotten in Sweden. A new study at Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications shows that gene therapy can improve vision in patients with the disease.

10 Sep 2024

Targeted RSV vaccination for older adults with health conditions found cost-effective

Targeting vaccination programs for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to older adults with underlying health conditions is a cost-effective way to reduce disease, according to a new modelling study https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240452 in CMAJ.

9 Sep 2024

SP-101 gene therapy shows promise for cystic fibrosis treatment

Scientists from Spirovant Sciences describe SP-101, a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy.

9 Sep 2024

Eating fruit, oats and rye in childhood may increase type 1 diabetes risk

New research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid, Spain (9-13 September), shows that eating fruit, oats and rye in childhood is associated with a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D).

9 Sep 2024

Chinese farmed fur animals found to harbor dozens of novel viruses

Researchers identified 125 virus species in Chinese farmed fur animals, including 36 novel viruses with significant zoonotic potential, emphasizing the need for enhanced surveillance to prevent future pandemics.

9 Sep 2024

Artificial lymphoid organ-chips created to predict vaccine responses in humans

Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in France have developed artificial "lymphoid organ-chips" that recreate much of the human immune system's response to booster vaccines

6 Sep 2024

Novel monoclonal antibody appears effective at neutralizing numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants

A monoclonal antibody appears effective at neutralizing the numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2, as well as related viruses in animals that could pose a threat if they were to begin spreading in people.

6 Sep 2024

Arthritis medications could reverse COVID lung damage

Arthritis drugs already available for prescription have the potential to halt lingering lung problems that can last months or years after COVID-19 infections, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai suggests.

6 Sep 2024

Early cholesterol spikes fuel atherosclerosis by altering macrophages

Early intermittent hyperlipidemia significantly accelerates atherosclerosis by disrupting macrophage function, highlighting the need for early cholesterol management.

6 Sep 2024

Mpox inactivated in 60 seconds with Σ-MM™ & patient friendly collection swab

In the wake of the global Mpox outbreak in non-endemic countries in 2022, the medical community has been searching for safer and more efficient ways to transport and test virus samples, especially from patients in areas with limited biological containment facilities.

From Medical Wire 6 Sep 2024

Hypertonic saline speeds recovery from colds

Using hypertonic saline nasal drops can reduce the length of the common cold in children by two days, according to a study that will be presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria. They can also reduce the onward transmission of colds to family members.

6 Sep 2024

RSV vaccine reduces illness and hospitalizations in adults over 60

Vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus for adults over 60 is likely cost-effective by preventing illness, hospitalizations, lost quality of life and deaths, according to new research.

5 Sep 2024

How mosquito spit could help develop therapies for arboviral diseases

You might guess it'd be tough to extract saliva from a mosquito. And you'd be correct. Yet, because mosquitos spread disease via saliva, it's critical to sample and study.

5 Sep 2024

Mucosal COVID-19 boosters outperform mRNA shots in preventing upper airway infections

Aerosolized mucosal vaccines show promise in controlling SARS-CoV-2, offering greater protection and immune response than intramuscular bivalent mRNA boosters.

5 Sep 2024

A call for robust H5N1 influenza preparedness and response

As the global threat of H5N1 influenza looms with outbreaks across species and continents including the U.S., three international vaccine and public health experts say it is time to fully resource and support a robust strategy to address this and future potential pandemic influenza threats, including to consider voluntary vaccination for those now at exposure risk.

5 Sep 2024