COVID-19 has exacerbated existing mental health inequalities for people in Wales, according to a new report from Cardiff University. The analysis, conducted by academics at the Wales Governance Center, reveals the share of people experiencing severe mental health issues increased from 11.7% during the period immediately before the pandemic to 28.1% by April 2020. While […]
Mammals have a poor ability to recover after a spinal cord injury, which can result in paralysis. A main reason for this is the formation of a complex scar associated with chronic inflammation that produces a cellular microenvironment blocking tissue repair. Now, a research team led by Leonor Saude, group leader at Instituto de Medicina […]
A bout with flu virus can be hard, but when Streptococcus pneumonia enters the mix, it can turn deadly. Now researchers have found a further reason for the severity of this dual infection by identifying a new virulence mechanism for a surface protein on the pneumonia-causing bacteria S. pneumoniae. This insight comes more than three […]
New research finds elite athletes have temporary mitochondrial impairment after intense workouts, suggesting they may need to be mindful about overtraining. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Mitochondria, the “powerhouses of the cells,” are structures that produce energy in the body. Mitochondrial capacity is a term used to […]
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s government gave the green light to a care system reform on Wednesday that includes a 1 billion euro ($1.22 billion) annual tax subsidy to increase the pay for nursing staff and reduce the contributions of care home residents. The reform, which will affect Germany’s 1.2 million care workers, comes after criticism […]
The Serum Institute of India said Tuesday that it hopes to start delivering coronavirus vaccine doses to the U.N-backed effort known as COVAX and to other countries by the end of the year, a delay that will significantly set back global efforts to immunize people against COVID-19. India’s Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine-maker and […]
Speech problems such as stammering or stuttering plague millions of people worldwide, including 3 million Americans. President Biden himself struggled with stuttering as a child and has largely overcome it with speech therapy. The cause of stuttering has long been a mystery, but researchers at Tufts University are beginning to unlock its causes and a […]
The S1 C-terminal domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is responsible for interaction with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor commonly found on the surface of cells in the lungs and brain, allowing the virus to enter. The function of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the S1 subunit […]
Contact lenses are the result of an accidental discovery made during the Second World War. Ophthalmologist Harold Ridley noticed that despite acrylic plastic shrapnel shards becoming embedded in the eyes of fighter pilots, it did not appear to cause any harm. This finding eventually led to the creation of hard intraocular lenses for the treatment […]
Developers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine expect to have a modified jab to cope with the South Africa coronavirus variant by autumn, the vaccine’s lead researcher said Sunday. Health officials in Britain are trying to contain the spread of the variant first identified in South Africa amid concerns that it is more contagious or resistant to […]
