Halting the Dangerous Neurological Effects of the Powassan Virus

While Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States, other infections transmitted through tick bites are just as dangerous. One of these is the Powassan virus (POWV). Erich Mackow, PhD, a virologist at Stony Brook University, is conducting research in an attempt to uncover one the most dangerous effects of POWV – neurologic damage.

Study Results: Subsequent Chemotherapy May Increase Risk of Joint Infection for Patients with Joint Replacements

Researchers at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore have found a possible relationship between receiving chemotherapy within a year of total joint replacement surgery and increased incidence of infection in the replaced joint. Findings published this month in the Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery.

Chula Researcher’s Innovative Wireless Hepatitis B Test Kit for Complete Screening and Data Collection in One Step

Chula researchers have developed a remarkable wireless hepatitis B virus test kit to screen for infection and collect data for an online database that’s fast and complete in one step.

Large Multicenter Clinical Trial Finds that Antiseptic Containing Iodine Reduces Surgical-Site Infections in Patients with Extremity Fractures

A large multicenter clinical trial co-led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found that an antiseptic containing iodine resulted in about one-quarter fewer post-surgical infections in patients with limb fractures compared to another frequently used skin antiseptic.

Artificial intelligence may help predict infection risks after implant-based breast reconstruction

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques may provide a more accurate approach to predicting the risk of periprosthetic infection after implant-based breast reconstruction, reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Research Group Calls for Consensus, Collaboration to Improve Understanding of how Infections Drive Alzheimer’s

A research consortium, including a Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine neuroscientist and his research coordinator, are calling for a consensus on how scientists identify and evaluate how infections contribute to or cause cognitive impairment and dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Therapeutic Potential of Bizarre ‘Jumbo’ Viruses Tapped for $10M HHMI Emerging Pathogens Project

UC San Diego and its collaborating partners have been awarded $10 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to leverage the biomedical promise of viruses known as bacteriophages as new therapeutic agents in the fight against the rising crisis of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

AI Model Proactively Predicts if a COVID-19 Test Might be Positive or Not

Researchers trained five classification algorithms to create an accurate model to predict COVID-19 test results. Results identify the key symptom features associated with COVID-19 infection and provide a way for rapid screening and cost effective infection detection. Findings reveal that number of days experiencing symptoms such as fever and difficulty breathing play a large role in COVID-19 test results. Findings also show that molecular tests have much narrower post-symptom onset days compared to post-symptom onset days of serology tests. As a result, the molecular test has the lowest positive rate because it measures current infection.

Research takes on a massive problem: Chronic infection linked to medical devices

Infections related to implanted medical devices are shockingly common and a research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York is working to address the problem.

Researchers discover potential treatment for Chagas disease

Researchers from the University of Georgia have discovered a potential treatment for Chagas disease, marking the first medication with promise to successfully and safely target the parasitic infection in more than 50 years. Human clinical trials of the drug, an antiparasitic compound known as AN15368, will hopefully begin in the next few years.

Mangosteen Peel as Medicine – CU’s Faculty of Veterinary Science is Successful in Replicating Mangosteen Peel Extract! Treatment for Intestinal Inflammation in Humans and Animals

The Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University has researched and replicated “hydroxy-xanthones”, the vital extracts rich in antioxidants found in mangosteen peels that kill germs and halt infections in the intestinal mucosa. It hopes to expand to include health products for humans and animals in the future.

CUVET Answers All Your Questions Related to “Rabies” while Campaigning for Vaccination in High-Risk Groups to Prevent Fatal Communicable Disease

Chula Veterinary Science joined the World Rabies Day campaign on September 28, to educate and raise awareness about rabies, and organize vaccinations for veterinarian science students who volunteered in the community, while emphasizing that people at risk should be vaccinated regularly against rabies.

Down on Vitamin D? It could be the cause of chronic inflammation

World-first genetic research from the University of South Australia shows a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation, providing an important biomarker to identify people at higher risk of or severity of chronic illnesses with an inflammatory component.

Reduction of Shunt Infection Rates in Adult Hydrocephalus Patients After Implementation of a Standardized Shunt Infection Prevention Protocol

Preoperative skin antisepsis added to a shunt infection control protocol resulted in a reduction of the infection rate to 0% in 379 consecutive procedures. Key to achieving this success were continuous monitoring and adjustments to the shunt protocol, which the authors believe can be easily generalized to other centers. Larger, multicenter studies should be completed to verify the effectiveness of the protocol reported in this study.

Immune Molecules From a Llama Could Provide Protection Against a Vast Array of SARS-like Viruses Including COVID-19, Researchers Say

Mount Sinai-led researchers have shown that tiny, robust immune particles derived from the blood of a llama could provide strong protection against every COVID-19 variant, including Omicron, and 18 similar viruses.

Low levels of high-risk salmonella evade traditional methods of detection

Poultry is responsible for more than one out of every five cases of salmonella infection in the U.S. But traditional methods of testing the chicken you grab off the grocery shelf may not be enough to detect all strains of the bacteria, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

Study: Dental implant surfaces play major role in tissue attachment, warding off unwanted bacteria

The surface of implants, as well as other medical devices, plays a significant role in the adsorption of oral proteins and the colonization by unwanted microorganisms (a process known as biofouling), according to a new study led by the University at Buffalo and the University of Regensburg.

MD Anderson Research Highlights for August 25, 2021

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recently published studies in basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. Current advances include clinical studies to investigate novel treatment strategies, a new understanding of cancer precursor lesions, identifying a calcium signaling receptor, characterizing nodal immune flair after immunotherapy, a community screening tool for BRCA testing and a new method for diagnosing Clostridioides difficile infections.

Covid-19 vaccines also protect unvaccinated family members

Researchers at the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics have found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines protect both vaccinated individuals and their unvaccinated adult household members against SARS-CoV-2 infections. The study, not yet peer-reviewed, used Finnish administrative datasets to examine the link between mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines and infection risk among vaccinated individuals as well as their unvaccinated family members.

University of Miami Researchers Report COVID-19 Found in Penile Tissue Could Contribute to ED

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers report the widespread blood vessel dysfunction, or endothelial dysfunction, that results from the COVID-19 infection could contribute to erectile dysfunction, or ED, according to a study published in the World Journal of Men’s Health .

UCLA to lead CDC-funded study testing effectiveness of vaccines on health workers

Researchers will study vaccinated and non-vaccinated health workers who get tested for the virus after experiencing common COVID-19 symptoms like fever, cough or a loss of sense of taste or smell. They will compare the incidence of positive tests and severity of illness in those who test positive.

Study Identifies Concerning Delays in TB Diagnoses in the United States

Most delays ranged between 10 and 45 days, with a median of 24 days, after a visit to a doctor, which exceeds current World Health Organization recommendations of diagnosing and treating TB within two to three weeks of symptom onset

Delays were linked to greater risk for disease complications, transmission of infection to household members

Older individuals and those with compromised immunity were at greater risk for delayed diagnoses

Use of diagnostic molecular testing, use of chest imaging and being seen by a specialist were all linked to more prompt identification of TB infection, suggesting delays may be preventable

Findings underscore the need to increase awareness of TB among frontline clinicians who may not suspect TB due to rarity of infection in this country

New Study Shows How Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Allow the Virus to Evade Immune System Defenses

Research reveals how mutated SARS-CoV-2 evades immune system defenses

In lab-dish experiments, the mutant virus escaped antibodies from the plasma of

COVID-19 survivors as well as pharmaceutical-grade antibodies

Mutations arose in an immunocompromised patient with chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection

Patient-derived virus harbored structural changes now seen cropping up independently in samples across the globe

Findings underscore the need for better genomic surveillance to keep track of emerging variants

Results highlight importance of therapies aimed at multiple targets on SARS-CoV-2 to minimize risk of resistance

Biomaterials Could Mean Better Vaccines, Virus-Fighting Surfaces

Advances in the fields of biomaterials and nanotechnology could lead to big breakthroughs in the fight against dangerous viruses like the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In APL Bioengineering, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science describe possibilities being explored by scientists, combining biomaterials and nanotechnology, to make vaccines more effective and build surfaces that could fight and kill viruses on their own.

Disposable Helmet Retains Cough Droplets, Minimizes Transmission to Dentists, Otolaryngologists

Dentists and otolaryngologists are at particular risk of infection of COVID-19, since they need direct access to the mouth, nose, and throat of patients. The current solutions are expensive, not highly effective, and not very accessible. In Physics of Fluids, researchers discuss their design of an open-faced helmet for patient use that is connected to a medical-grade air filtration pump from the top that creates a reverse flow of air to prevent cough droplets from exiting the helmet.

Interactions Within Larger Social Groups Can Cause Tipping Points in Contagion Flow

Contagion processes, such as opinion formation or disease spread, can reach a tipping point, where the contagion either rapidly spreads or dies out. When modeling these processes, it is difficult to capture this complex transition. In the journal Chaos, researchers studied the parameters of these transitions by including three-person group interactions in a contagion model called the susceptible-infected-susceptible model. In this model, an infected person who recovers from an infection can be reinfected.