Covid-19 vaccine that can cope with mutated viruses

vaccine

A new DNA-based vaccine against covid-19 is being tested for the first time on healthy participants at Karolinska University Hospital. The vaccine has been developed at Karolinska Institutet and target multiple parts of the virus, making it less vulnerable to mutated strains and potentially effective against new variants. “This vaccine makes the immune system’s reaction […]

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Flu pandemics followed by recurrent outbreaks for around two decades

pandemics

Influenza pandemics cause a persistent increase in influenza mortality risk, lasting around two decades, according to new research analysing historical data from the 19th and 20th centuries. The latest study – which is led by researchers at the University of Glasgow, and including academics at Lancaster University – reveals new and important findings about the persistent health […]

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COVID-19 can cause brain cells to ‘fuse’

brain

Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can cause brain cells to fuse, initiating malfunctions that lead to chronic neurological symptoms. Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol from the Queensland Brain Institute have explored how viruses alter the function of the nervous system. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, […]

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Stillborn and preterm statistics for Covid-19 first wave

preterm

Babies born preterm decreased slightly and stillborn rates unchanged during first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns. Babies born preterm decreased and stillborn rates remained unchanged during the first four months of COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a large-scale international study. The research of 52 million births from 26 countries, published in Nature Human Behavior, reported a 3-4 […]

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Covid-19 in pregnant women can damage the placenta and the foetus

Covid-19 in pregnant

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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‘A silent killer’ – COVID-19 shown to trigger inflammation in the brain

‘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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How COVID-19 damages heart DNA

heart

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 […]

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Immune-suppressing drugs and booster vaccination

immune

Interrupting treatment of immune-suppressing medicines, doubles antibody response to COVID-19 booster vaccination: A major clinical trial, led by experts at the University of Nottingham working in partnership with several Universities and NHS hospitals, has found that by interrupting the treatment of vulnerable people on long-term immune supressing medicines for two weeks after a COVID-19 booster […]

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Patients at high risk of liver failure and bile duct damage

liver

Patients at high risk of liver failure and bile duct damage: Within the context of a cross-sectional study, a research team led by Lukas Hartl, Thomas Reiberger and Michael Trauner from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within the Department of Medicine III of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna analysed the liver chemistries of […]

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COVID kidney injury twice as common as diagnosed

kidney injury

COVID kidney injury twice as common as diagnosed: A University of Queensland-led study has found millions of COVID-19 patients may have undiagnosed acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is a condition where the kidneys suddenly fail to filter waste from the blood, which can lead to serious illness or even death. Existing data indicates approximately 20 […]

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