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UrduA UC San Diego-led program that monitors wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and which has effectively predicted subsequent surges in COVID-19 cases in San Diego has been expanded to detect the presence of monkeypox.
Tag: Infectious Diseases
Mount Sinai Announces the Formation of CastleVax Inc., a Clinical-Stage Infectious Diseases Company Developing Novel Vaccines and Therapeutics, Targeting Pandemic Threats and Diseases of Unmet Medical Need
The Mount Sinai Health System has launched CastleVax, Inc. (“CastleVax”), a clinical-stage vaccine research and development company.
New Low-cost Device Rapidly, Accurately Detects Hepatitis C Infection
The entire virus detection process is executed inside a uniquely designed, portable, inexpensive, disposable, and self-driven microfluidic chip. The fully automated sample-in–answer-out molecular diagnostic set-up rapidly detects Hepatitis C virus in about 45 minutes and uses relatively inexpensive and reusable equipment costing about $50 for sample processing and disease detection. The disposable microfluidic chip also offers shorter times for a reliable diagnosis and costs about $2.
Vircell launches Amplirun® Monkeypox Virus DNA Control, an independent molecular control to combat the current outbreak
Vircell, leading provider of independent external run controls for nucleic acid testing, announces the launch of a new independent molecular control which will help laboratories all over the world to combat the current outbreak
Did Gonorrhea Give Us Grandparents?
UC San Diego researchers tracked the evolution of a gene variant that supports cognitive health in older humans, but may have first emerged to protect against bacteria.
The Medical Minute: Monkeypox cases on the rise
Like the coronavirus pandemic, misinformation about monkeypox is mounting along with the number of cases. A Penn State Health infectious disease doctor cuts through the white noise in this week’s Medical Minute.
Milk boost: Research shows how breastfeeding offers immune benefits
When infants breastfeed, they receive an immune boost that helps them fight off infectious diseases, according to recent research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Mathematical Model Helps Predict Anal Cancer Risk in Persons with HIV Infection
UC San Diego researchers have created a mathematical model to help predict risk of anal cancer in persons with HIV infection and aid patients and doctors regarding screening decisions.
Hiking Safety for Kids: Expert Tips
As you’re enjoying the early fall weather and outdoor adventures, like hiking, don’t forget to make safety a priority to help keep illness and injuries from spoiling family fun time. Jeffrey M. Bender, MD, attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and former ranger in the Sierra Mountains, points out tips on how to prevent bug bites, proper animal interaction and empowering kids to explore the outdoors in a safe and smart way.
Kids and the COVID-19 Vaccine: Eleven Key Questions Answered
With the vaccine for children ages 6 months and older approved, the experts at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provide guidance for families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone approved to receive a COVID-19 vaccine get one—including children ages 6 months and older.
University of Pennsylvania’s First NFT Commemorates mRNA Research
The historic scientific breakthrough at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that helped lead the world’s fight against COVID-19 through mRNA-based vaccines is being commemorated through a non-fungible token—a digital asset to be auctioned by Christie’s—that will support ongoing research at Penn.
Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation Launches 2022 ‘IDea’ Incubator Competition
The Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation has launched the 2022 IDea Incubator, the premier showcase of technology in the field of infectious diseases.
COVID long-haulers: Study shows who is most at risk, impact on local communities
A Japanese research team looking at COVID-19’s lingering impacts on survivors and local communities found that having a mild case of COVID-19, smoking status, comorbidities, or your sex aren’t significant predictors to tell if you are less likely to develop long-term symptoms but age is.
FAU’s LeaAnne DeRigne, Ph.D., Cited in U.S. ‘2022 Economic Report of President Biden’
DeRigne’s research on the importance of paid sick leave benefits cited in President Biden’s report, was published in 2016 in the journal Health Affairs. The study was the first to examine the relationship between paid sick leave benefits and delays in medical care and forgone medical care for both working adults and their family members.
Study Reveals Genetic Diversity of a Particularly Problematic Pathogen
Researchers at UC San Diego have used a systems biology approach to parse the genetic diversity of Clostridioides difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen, particularly in health care settings.
Hand washing and sanitizing not enough: close that toilet lid after flushing!
Leaving toilet lids open after flushing can disperse contaminated droplets beyond a metre and remain in the air for 30 minutes. This is one of the findings revealed in a global review of the risks of bacterial and viral transmission in public bathrooms, undertaken by the ANU and University of South Australia.
What causes disease outbreaks?
Since 1974, contaminated water has been the most common driver of large-scale zoonotic infectious disease outbreaks, according to new research from the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (CEID) at the University of Georgia.
Shape of virus may determine RSV infection outcomes
Using a novel technology, the lab of Michael Vahey at the McKelvey School of Engineering uncovered shape-shifting properties of a common respiratory virus.
Transatlantic slave trade introduced novel pathogenic viruses in the Americas
The transatlantic slave trade may have introduced new pathogenic viruses from Africa to North America that affected Indigenous communities, shows an analysis of ancient DNA published in eLife.
Penn mRNA Researchers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó Awarded the 2021 Albany Prize
PHILADELPHIA – For their landmark research that set a foundation for the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research, and Katalin Karikó;, PhD, an adjunct professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior vice president at BioNTech, have been selected to receive the 2021 Albany Prize.
With short course of TB prevention for people living with HIV, completion soars
People who are HIV positive and living in high tuberculosis-transmission regions of the world are much more likely to finish a TB-prevention regimen lasting just three months – half as long as the standard treatment, a large clinical trial in Africa has found.
What you need to know about the delta variant
For more than 40 years, UCI infectious disease researcher Michael Buchmeier has studied coronaviruses, and he’s one of the leading experts on SARS-CoV-2, the version of the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. As a more lethal mutation of the virus, called the delta variant, sparks another wave of cases, he offers his expertise about this threat.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Identify Approach for Potential Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae Vaccine
Scientists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified two proteins that could be used for a potential vaccine against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Working in a mouse model, the investigators found that administering two bacterial adhesive proteins that play a key role in helping the bacteria to latch on to respiratory cells and initiate respiratory tract infection stimulated protective immunity against diverse NTHi strains, highlighting the vaccine potential.
Monoclonal antibodies help COVID-19 patients avoid hospitalization
In a large observational study, Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that two monoclonal antibodies administered separately helped prevent hospitalization in high-risk patients who became infected with COVID-19. The study also showed more hospitalizations were observed among patients with more comorbidities. The findings appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Hopkins Med News Update
NEWS STORIES IN THIS ISSUE:
– Johns Hopkins Medicine Celebrates Its Contributions to Keto Therapy as Diet Turns 100
– COVID-19 News: Can Dietary Supplements Help the Immune System Fight Coronavirus Infection?
– Johns Hopkins Medicine Helps Develop Physician Training to Prevent Gun Injuries, Deaths
– COVID-19 News: Study Says Pandemic Impaired Reporting of Infectious Diseases
– Johns Hopkins Medicine Helps Create Treatment Guide for Neurodegenerative Disorders
– Johns Hopkins Pediatrics Says, ‘Get Kids Required Vaccines Before Going Back to School’
Imaging Test May Predict Patients Most at Risk of Some Heart Complications from COVID-19
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have shown that a type of echocardiogram, a common test to evaluate whether a person’s heart is pumping properly, may be useful in predicting which patients with COVID-19 are most at risk of developing atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat that can increase a person’s risk for heart failure and stroke, among other heart issues. The new findings, published online May 30 in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, also suggest that patients with COVID-19 who go on to develop atrial fibrillation more commonly have elevated levels of heart-related proteins called troponin and NT-proBNP in blood test samples.
International team develops predictive tool to help mitigate COVID-19 in Africa
Penn State researchers are leading a multi-country collaboration to develop a surveillance modeling tool that provides a weekly projection of expected COVID-19 cases in all African countries.
SARS-CoV-2 Detectable — Though Likely Not Transmissible — on Hospital Surfaces
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers discovered that SARS-CoV-2, or at least its genetic signature, abounds on hospital surfaces, often co-locating with one particular type of bacteria.
Tick Threat Remains a Public Health Concern
With the dangers of Covid-19 waning, and summer nearly upon us, another infectious disease danger remains present for our Long Island population and the region – tick-borne illnesses. Stony Brook experts have been sharing their tick expertise with the community…
Health Status of Vulnerable Gopher Tortoises Revealed in Southeastern Florida
In previously unstudied gopher tortoise aggregations, researchers found that overall, 42.9 percent had circulating antibodies to an infectious bacterium that causes upper respiratory tract disease. Physical examination showed that 19.8 percent had clinical signs consistent with upper respiratory tract disease and 13.2 percent had some form of physical abnormality. None of the tortoises tested positive for Ranavirus or Herpesvirus, which represents important baseline data, since these viruses are thought to be emerging pathogens of other tortoise and turtle species.
Flu shot associated with fewer, less severe COVID cases
People who received a flu shot last flu season were significantly less likely to test positive for a COVID-19 infection when the pandemic hit, according to a new study. And those who did test positive for COVID-19 had fewer complications if they received their flu shot.
Precision medicine, digital technology hold potential as powerful tools against tuberculosis
The global fight against tuberculosis is gaining some powerful tools. Precision medicine — already used to personalize diagnosis and treatment of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer — and health care technologies such as telemedicine have the potential to advance the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, says Zelalem Temesgen, M.D., an infectious diseases expert and medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis.
Mayo Clinic’s Coronavirus Map now features forecasting on emerging COVID-19 hot spots
Mayo Clinic’s Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has county-by-county information on COVID-19 cases and trends nationwide, now offers predictive modeling that forecasts where hot spots will emerge over the next 14 days.
Capitalizing on measles vaccine’s successful history to protect against SARS-CoV-2
A new SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, developed by giving a key protein’s gene a ride into the body while encased in a measles vaccine, has been shown to produce a strong immune response and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and lung disease in multiple animal studies.
Story Tips from Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19
Reports on variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 have swept the news over the past few months, but what exactly is a virus variant?
Human Lung and Brain Organoids Respond Differently to SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Lab Tests
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers are using stem cell-derived organoids to study how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with various organ systems. Their findings may help explain the wide variety in COVID-19 symptoms and aid the search for therapies.
Experts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Describe Types of Rashes Associated with MIS-C
In a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) describe the array of rashes seen in MIS-C patients at their hospital through late July 2020, providing photos and information that could help doctors diagnose future cases.
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.
Alzheimer’s microbe hypothesis gets major NIH funding
After years of paltry funding, research on the possible role of microbes in the causation of Alzheimer’s disease will now get a major infusion of grants from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging
Black churches are trusted messengers of COVID-19 information to their communities, Mayo study finds
U.S. public health officials have reported that Black communities are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher infection and mortality rates than the general population. Now as the number of COVID-19 cases across the U.S. surge, Mayo Clinic researchers are working closely with Black churches on disparities in emergency preparedness and providing access to culturally relevant, evidence-based health information.
AI platform developed by NUS researchers finds best combination of available therapies against COVID-19
Researchers from the National University of Singapore have utilised a ground-breaking AI platform to find an optimal combination of available therapies against COVID-19. The research team identified the drug combination from over 530,000 possibilities within two weeks, cutting down the number of tests typically needed by hundreds of thousands.
Pacific Symphony working with UCI public health experts on COVID-19 plan
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 — University of California, Irvine public health experts are providing consulting services to Pacific Symphony to enable the Orange County ensemble to once again play music together – which hasn’t happened since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the past months, Pacific Symphony has held online events – including virtual concerts, living room concerts on video, internet interview programs, and KCET and PBS SoCal’s “Southland Sessions Presents Pacific Symphony” series – featuring offerings from the orchestra’s archival vaults.
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins Medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.
Breaking It Down: How Cells Degrade Unwanted Micrornas
DALLAS – Nov. 12, 2020 – UT Southwestern researchers have discovered a mechanism that cells use to degrade microRNAs (miRNAs), genetic molecules that regulate the amounts of proteins in cells.
UCLA Health infectious disease experts tout critical role mask wearing plays in limiting spread of COVID-19
With thousands of new cases logged daily and a vaccine to fight COVID-19 still in development, UCLA Health infectious disease experts are encouraging people to continue to wear masks as the best method of protecting against virus transmission.
Can Scientists take the STING out of Common Respiratory Viruses?
UNC-Chapel Hill scientists discovered that many rhinoviruses need a human protein called STING to make copies of its RNA, opening the door to a new strategy for controlling infection of these pesky and at times very dangerous pathogens.
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health experts available for media inquires regarding the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr. David Eisenman is director of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Center for Public Health and Disasters and professor-in-residence of community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Jonathan Fielding is a distinguished professor…
Population distribution can greatly impact COVID-19 spread, UCI-led study finds
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 1, 2020 — Uneven population distribution can significantly impact the severity and timing of COVID-19 infections within a city or county, leading individual communities to have vastly different experiences with the pandemic, according to a recent study led by the University of California, Irvine. Findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that the heterogeneous spatial features of interpersonal connections may produce dramatic local variations in exposures to those with the illness.
Flu Season Returns As The COVID-19 Pandemic Continues
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, the annual flu season emerges once again. Cases of the flu have already begun to surface around the nation, and there are some reports of co-infection with COVID-19. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts say now is the time to take action to fight against the flu. Doctors recommend that everyone age 6 months and older get the flu vaccine each year to prevent infection from the virus or reduce the severity of the illness.
Experimental vaccine that boosts antigen production shows promise against COVID-19
A bioengineering technique to boost production of specific proteins could be the basis of an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, new research suggests.