Influenza researchers have long focused most of their efforts on the epithelial cells lining the lungs because these are the cells that become infected and killed while producing new copies of the virus. But other cells lining the upper airways are exposed to viruses in the same amounts and somehow aren’t as likely to be […]
Ten post-mortem examinations performed on patients with confirmed COVID-19 found that all patients had lung injuries and early scarring of the lungs as a result of the virus, as well as injury to their kidneys. Nine patients also had thrombosis—a blood clot- in at least one major organ (heart, lung or kidney). The team were […]
Many care home residents who have COVID-19 infection are either asymptomatic or experience “atypical” symptoms—according to a new study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and North Norfolk Primary Care, supported by UEA Health and Social Care Partners. Due to the rapid-response nature of this evaluation, it has not yet been peer reviewed. In […]
Masks reduce the spread of COVID-19. But just how much of an effect do they have? A study co-authored by an MIT professor finds that if the U.S. had introduced a uniform national mask mandate for employees of public-facing businesses on April 1, the number of deaths in the U.S. would likely have been 40 […]
Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country—with almost two-thirds […]
Chronic diseases typically associated with middle age and older adulthood are common in young people needing hospital care in Hawaiʻi, according to public health researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. More than a quarter of hospitalized youth and 12 percent of youth who visited an emergency department had at least one chronic condition […]
A new study of 1,443 medications found that three prescription drugs currently on the market caused unexpected changes in worms that could point to potential, unrecognized effects in humans. The study shows that a microscopic nematode worm called C. elegans, which is commonly used in biology experiments, can serve as a quick, inexpensive tool to […]
Screening for symptoms of COVID-19 and self-quarantine are good at preventing sick people from spreading the coronavirus. But more and more evidence is suggesting that people without symptoms are spreading the virus too. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, explains what is known about asymptomatic spread […]
Nearly 4 in 10 American adults reported engaging in dangerous cleaning practices to prevent COVID-19, such as washing food with bleach, using household disinfecting products on their skin or intentionally inhaling vapors from cleaning products, according to a recent survey. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) follows an earlier study […]
Mona Eskandari, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UC Riverside, is conducting research to combat lung damage due to overventilation. The lungs undergo extensive stretching with each breath. The organ is made of materials such as collagen and elastin, which help them elongate and snap back. Damage to these biophysical structures can lead to […]
