All Infection Prevention & Control articles – Page 4
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NewsChildhood measles vaccination rates fall worldwide post COVID-19
Routine vaccine program disruptions and under-resourced health systems are driving a global decline in childhood measles vaccination rates post COVID-19, a study has found.
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NewsScientists create white blood cell with memory of how to fight off winter flu bugs
Scientists have started work on a new way to fight cold and flu viruses by reprogramming the cells in our immune system to respond faster to infections. They are developing a type of white blood cell, called killer cells, with a pre-installed memory of how to fight off respiratory diseases.
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NewsScientists ‘crank up’ cells’ natural defence against viruses
Researchers have found a way to amplify one of the body’s natural antiviral defence pathways, making cells significantly more resistant to infection. By boosting signalling through the protein ISG15, the approach could lead to host-directed treatments that remain effective even as viruses mutate.
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NewsAdvanced air purification fails to reduce surgical infections
Cleaner operating-room air may not be enough to prevent surgical infections. In a study of more than 110,000 procedures, advanced air-purification systems did not reduce infections, complications or deaths, suggesting hospitals may gain more by targeting direct contamination of surgical wounds.
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NewsLike humans, some primates become cautious of germs in the wake of a viral outbreak
Researchers found that macaque monkeys who had lived through a deadly disease outbreak became significantly more cautious about food that appeared contaminated, even though they did not know how the disease had spread. The findings suggest that pathogen-avoidance behavior can be shaped by experience, offering clues about the evolutionary roots of disgust.
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NewsSpouses mattered more than genes for the risk of severe COVID-19
Researchers ound no evidence that genetic factors played an important role in determining who was hospitalised with COVID-19. Instead, spouses of hospitalised individuals had more than three times the risk of being hospitalised themselves compared with matched controls.
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NewsScientific triumph, equity failure: Faster, fairer COVID-19 vaccine roll-out could have saved millions of lives
Beginning the global COVID-19 vaccine roll-out 100 days after the virus was sequenced could have saved more than 8 million lives by the end of 2021, most of them in lower-middle-income countries. The authors of a new Policy Brief argue that fair vaccine-sharing rules should be established before the next pandemic, rather than negotiated during the crisis itself.
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NewsU-M-led consortium to receive up to $52 million in NIH funding to study why viral respiratory infections affect children differently
A Michigan Medicine-led research consortium has secured approval for up to $52 million in federal funding to launch a multicenter study examining why some young children recover fully from viral lower respiratory tract infections while others develop severe illness or lasting problems such as asthma.
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NewsBay Area Lyme Foundation issues call-for-applications for 2027 Emerging Leader Awards and Research Grants
Bay Area Lyme Foundation has announced the opening of applications for the 2027 Emerging Leader Awards (ELA), which recognize researchers identifying innovative approaches to solve the challenges of Lyme and tick-borne illnesses.
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NewsBee hives found to be ‘living immune systems’ that protect bees
Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as ‘living immune systems’ that help protect the bee colony, their offspring, and food supplies from disease. In a remarkable example of insect engineering each part of the hive is ‘built in’ strategically across different compartments of the hive.
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NewsStudy uses artificial intelligence to design potential antiviral compounds
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-guided strategy to discover molecules that inhibit deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS), a human enzyme involved in eIF5A hypusination, a process that supports the replication of a broad range of viruses. The researchers experimentally tested AI-generated molecules.
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NewsPlasmonic coating on bacterial surfaces paves the way for rapid sepsis diagnosis
Researchers have developed a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis technology that rapidly detects extremely low concentrations of viable bacteria by directly growing plasmonic metal nanostructures on and around bacterial cells.
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NewsWomen with history of recurrent UTIs more likely to report perioperative vaginal estrogen use and have a perioperative UTI
Postmenopausal women are at greater risk for multiple health issues, such as hip fractures and urinary tract infections (UTIs), due to estrogen loss. Vaginal estrogen is used to prevent recurrent UTIs, but a new study suggests its use may be associated with perioperative hip fracture complications, like UTIs.
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NewsSkin injection of live flu virus provides durable protection without lung damage
A single subcutaneous injection of a live, unattenuated influenza virus can provide durable protection against lethal flu without causing lung damage, according to new findings that challenge the long-standing trade-off between the safety of inactivated vaccines and the potent immunity of live vaccines.
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NewsHantavirus and the mouth: Review maps early oral warning signs, salivary clues, and precautions for dental teams
A review brings together the virology, epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of human hantavirus infection and examines what each means for the mouth and for dental care.
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News£4 million awarded to develop vaccines that protect livestock and tackle growing biosecurity threat
Scientists are set to receive £4 million to help tackle the growing biosecurity threat faced by the UK. The project will develop an mRNA vaccine platform for use across major livestock species. This platform will help prepare for future epidemics, tackle antimicrobial resistance, and accelerate the development of next-generation animal vaccines.
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NewsProposed changes to Hepatitis B vaccination schedule could significantly increase infections, model suggests
A modeling study suggests that replacing universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth with delayed vaccination or a shared decision-making approach, as recommended by the U.S. federal government this year, could lead to substantially more chronic hepatitis B infections among U.S. children.
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NewsCharité opens new HIV cure research center
A new research centre in Berlin is aiming to move HIV care beyond lifelong treatment and towards cure or long-term remission. Building on two rare HIV cures achieved in the city, researchers will investigate antibody, immune, gene and cell therapies designed to eliminate the virus or keep it permanently under control without medication.
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NewsPlague never disappeared, but modern medicine has changed the risk
Plague may sound like a disease from the history books, but Yersinia pestis still circulates in wildlife around the world. Despite recent concern over a possible laboratory-linked death in Russia, experts stress that human cases remain rare and the infection is usually treatable when diagnosed quickly.
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NewsResearch finds vegan honey could be made with similar antimicrobial properties to mānuka honey
Vegan honey alternatives could be engineered to have similar antimicrobial properties to prized mānuka honey from New Zealand, according to research. Two components of mānuka honey proved to be particularly effective when added to vegan honey formulations - methylglyoxal (MGO) and hydrogen peroxide.