Health News

Could our immune system be why COVID-19 is so deadly?

Respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (causing COVID-19) can often catalyze an overactive immune response that leads to a life-threatening cycle, known as a cytokine storm. Analyzing cytokine responses from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and similar common respiratory viruses has unearthed glaringly important differences in how SARS-CoV-2 affects cytokines compared to other common respiratory viruses. The […]

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Replacing your furnace filter could help protect from COVID-19

Until a vaccine is readily available, a high-efficiency furnace filter used along with other precautions could help protect people from COVID-19 while they spend time together indoors. Dr. Yue-Wern Huang, director of S&T’s Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and a professor of biological sciences, is studying bioaerosols—the particles people release when they speak, sing or cough. […]

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Antibiotic could be repurposed and added to tuberculosis treatment arsenal

Research has found fidaxomicin, an antibiotic usually used to treat bowel infections, prevents growth of resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) in the lab. Published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, the research found that fidaxomicin was more effective than existing tuberculosis (TB) medication at preventing growth of the bacterium that causes TB. Researchers compared […]

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Pangolin coronavirus could jump to humans

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found important structural similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and a pangolin coronavirus, suggesting that a pangolin coronavirus could infect humans. While SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have evolved from a bat coronavirus, its exact evolutionary path is still a mystery. Uncovering its history is challenging as there are likely many undiscovered […]

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Decision-support tool could reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for child diarrhea

A decision-support tool that could be accessed via mobile devices may help clinicians in lower-resource settings avoid unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for children with diarrhea, a study published today in eLife shows. The preliminary findings suggest that incorporating real-time environmental, epidemiologic, and clinical data into an easy-to-access, electronic tool could help clinicians appropriately treat children with […]

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New LawAtlas data show widespread preemption efforts by US states in policy domains that could improve health

Across the US, states are increasingly using preemption to stymie local advancement of public health policy strategies, according to updated data released today to LawAtlas.org by the Center for Public Health Law Research and the National League of Cities with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The updated data capture state preemption of local […]

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Identifying a gene that could explain disparity in COVID-19 effects

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, has identified a specific genetic target that could help explain the tremendous variation in how sick those infected with COVID-19 become. The study results, recently published in the journal mSphere, describe a molecule made from DNA—miR1307—as a potential dimmer switch that may influence […]

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Any mask containing metal could cause burns during an MRI, FDA warns

(HealthDay)—Patients who wear face masks with metal parts or coatings during MRIs could suffer facial burns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Monday. That’s because metal parts such as bendable nose clips or wires, staples on the headband, nanoparticles (ultrafine particles), or antimicrobial coating that may contain metal (such as silver or copper) can […]