All Viruses articles – Page 18
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NewsRNA immunity: A silent defender against viruses in mammals
Researchers propose that small RNA molecules play a direct and specific role in fighting viral infections in mammals. RNA immunity relies on the base-pairing precision of small RNA fragments, such as microRNAs, to recognize and suppress viral genetic material.
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NewsSweet disguise: the human body hides RNA with sugar coatings
To our immune system, naked RNA is a sign of a viral or bacterial invasion and must be attacked. But our own cells also have RNA. To ward off trouble, our cells clothe their RNA in sugars, a new study reports.
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NewsNew drug combo outperforms Tamiflu in fighting flu (and chocolate is the key)
Scientists have unveiled a new drug pairing - including a compound found in chocolate - that outperforms Tamiflu, the most widely used anti-influenza medication, against even the deadliest flu strains, including avian and swine flu.
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NewsStudy finds gaps in evidence for air cleaning technologies designed to prevent respiratory infections
A new study finds that although many technologies claim to clean indoor air and prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, most have not been tested on people and their potential risks are not yet fully understood.
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NewsResearchers debunk long-standing concern about flu treatment in children
Researchers have debunked a long-standing theory about oseltamivir, known as Tamiflu. Oseltamivir treatment during flu episodes was associated with a reduced risk of serious neuropsychiatric events, such as seizures, altered mental status and hallucination.
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NewsWhy killer cells can lapse into ‘exhausted’ CD8+ T cells that no longer can stem disease
In a detailed study of exhausted T cell subsets researchers show that a transcriptional repressor called Gfi1 is a key regulator of the subset formation of exhausted CD8+ T cells and may offer a key to reducing exhaustion.
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NewsNew mega RNA virus may hold the key to mass oyster die-offs
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus in farmed Pacific oysters during a mass die-off in B.C., Canada. The discovery serves as a reminder that growers should exercise caution when moving young oysters, to prevent potential spread of pathogens.
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NewsScientists discover how leukemia virus stays hidden in the body
A research team has discovered how the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) silently persists in the body. Their findings identify a previously unknown genetic “silencer” element that keeps the virus in a dormant, undetectable state.
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NewsGene therapy may block HIV transmission during breastfeeding, study shows
Delivering broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 to newborns via gene therapy provided them with multi-year protection from HIV/AIDS infection, according to an animal study.
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NewsStudy highlights the severity of acute necrotizing encephalopathy in kids with the flu
For a small subset of children, influenza can trigger a rare but serious complication called influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). Now, findings of a multicenter study suggest that ANE is often fatal in these children — despite intensive treatment.
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News‘One and done’: A single shot at birth may shield children from HIV for years, study finds
A new study shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.
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NewsH5N1 found in dairy cattle retains preference for infecting birds, representing low risk to humans
Avian influenza virus from the ongoing outbreak in dairy cattle appears to be keeping its bird-infecting features rather than adapting to better infect other mammals, according to a new study.
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NewsMucosal vaccine shows transient action against Covid-19 variant
Mucosal adenovirus vaccine Ad5-XBB.1.5 boosting elicits nasal IgA and transiently prevents JN.1 wave infection for less than 6 months in real-world settings, a new study reveals.
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NewsAntiviral treatment fails to slow early-stage Alzheimer’s
A clinical trial has found that a common antiviral for herpes simplex infections, valacyclovir, does not change the course of the disease for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
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NewsPioneering research reveals worldwide scale of Hepatitis C among babies and children
A new study has estimated for the first time the number of children born globally with hepatitis C virus. Each year around 74,000 children globally are born with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with around 23,000 of these estimated to still have HCV infection at age five.
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NewsEconomically disadvantaged patients at greater risk for long COVID
A study found that people with social risk factors including economic instability and food insecurity at the time of COVID-19 infection were at greater risk for long COVID.
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NewsNew insights could help phages defeat antibiotic resistant bacteria
Researchers have worked out how bacteria defend themselves against viruses called phages and the new insights could be key to tackling antibiotic resistance. The new research is the first to describe how a bacterial defence mechanism against phages, called Kiwa, works.
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NewsNew study unlocks molecular defense against devastating potato pathogen
A team of plant scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding how potato plants defend themselves against a soilborne pathogen that causes powdery scab, an emerging and economically damaging disease affecting potato crops worldwide.
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NewsEngineers take a closer look at how a plant virus primes the immune system to fight cancer
Scientists took a closer look at how the cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), unlike other plant viruses, is uniquely effective at activating the body’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
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NewsGut microbiome may predict “invisible” chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID
Millions suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may be closer to personalized care, according to new research that shows how the disease disrupts interactions between the microbiome, immune system, and metabolism.