Smoking rates surge during COVID-19: University of Queensland researchers have found nicotine consumption in Australia increased by 30 per cent during the early stages of COVID-19. Associate Professor Phong Thai from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) led the research, which analysed data from the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program. “Tobacco and nicotine […]
Study finds silicon, gold and copper among new weapons against COVID-19 New Curtin research has found the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, a strain of coronaviruses that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, become trapped when they come into contact with silicon, gold and copper, and that electric fields can be used to destroy the spike proteins, likely […]
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Innovative research using AI led by the University of Aberdeen aims to find better ways of managing and treating fatigue. Many people struggle with fatigue which can be the result of medical conditions like long covid, stress or simply because of modern lifestyle. This makes it difficult for doctors to understand whether patients are tired […]
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Covid-19 in pregnant women can damage the placenta and the foetus: Using prenatal magnetic resonance imaging, a group of MedUni Vienna researchers examined the placentas and foetuses of women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. Their research results demonstrate that the different strains of the virus that emerged during the pandemic led to varying degrees […]
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First-line immune defences against COVID-19 are short-lived and may explain reinfection. A new study finds that antibodies produced in the nose decline nine months after COVID-19 infection, while antibodies found in the blood last at least a year. Antibodies in the nasal fluid (known as immunoglobulin A, or IgA) provide first-line defence against COVID-19 by […]
Third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss: Smell loss is one of the most prevalent symptoms of long Covid according to a new study from the University of East Anglia. New research published today reveals that almost a third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss, with almost a fifth experiencing loss of […]
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Clamp2 provides vaccine hope for future pandemics: The University of Queensland is set to take a second-generation molecular clamp vaccine to a proof-of-concept human trial. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) has announced in Brisbane today that it will provide up to AU$8.5 million to support further development of the re-engineered technology for use […]
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‘A silent killer’ – COVID-19 shown to trigger inflammation in the brain: The UQ team was led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda from UQ’s School of Biomedical Sciences, and virologists from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. “We studied the effect of the virus on the brain’s immune cells, ‘microglia’ […]
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A finger-prick blood test can identify people most at risk of being reinfected with COVID-19. The simple test, developed by a small biotech firm based in Cardiff (ImmunoServ Ltd) in close collaboration with Cardiff University researchers, measures the presence of immune T cells that can recognise SARS-CoV-2. Over 300 volunteers were recruited from across the UK […]
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Study reveals how COVID-19 damages heart DNA: University of Queensland researchers have discovered how COVID-19 damages the heart, opening the door to future treatments. This initial study – featuring a small cohort – found COVID-19 damaged the DNA in cardiac tissue, which wasn’t detected in influenza samples. UQ Diamantina Institute researcher Dr Arutha Kulasinghe said […]