Dengue fever caused by a flavivirus named DENV is a major global health challenge, risking almost half of the world’s population. Since the early 20th century, the scientific community has faced multiple challenges to develop effective dengue vaccines. This spanned a variety of techniques – from the use of ox bile to weaken DENV to … Read more
Researchers at the Ragon Institute have made a significant discovery about how antibodies can directly enhance the body’s ability to fight Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB). Despite decades of research, TB remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, with about 10 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths annually. Currently, … Read more
In the long battle to create an effective HIV vaccine, scientists have made a major leap forward. A new study shows that a series of vaccines can coax the immune system to produce powerful antibodies capable of blocking a wide range of HIV strains-including those that are typically the hardest to stop. Published in Immunity … Read more
Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, decreased immune function, depression, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the tools we use to monitor stress are often imprecise or expensive, relying on self-reporting questionnaires and psychiatric evaluations. Now a Tufts interdisciplinary engineer and his team have devised a simple device using specially designed floss that … Read more
With congenital syphilis at a 30-year high in the US, experts stress that early and universal syphilis screening in pregnancy is vital to protect both mothers and newborns from preventable harm. Study: Screening for Syphilis Infection During Pregnancy: US Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation Statement. Image Credit: Summit Art Creations / Shutterstock.com In a recent … Read more
Scientists harnessed AI to create mutation-resistant antibodies that outperformed conventional drug design, offering a powerful new tool against fast-evolving viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Study: AI designed, mutation resistant broad neutralizing antibodies against multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains. Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock In a recent study in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers tested and leveraged several cutting-edge technologies, including machine … Read more
Traumatically injured women are considerably less likely to receive whole blood transfusions within the first four hours of injury compared to men, despite whole blood being associated with reduced mortality in both women and men, according to new research led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists. The findings were published in advance of … Read more
People who suffer from the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis experience muscle weakness that can affect any of the muscles we use to blink, smile or even move our body around. Researchers have known that the disease is caused by miscommunication between nerves and muscles. The body’s immune system mistakenly produces “autoantibodies,” or antibodies that attack … Read more
As of the end of 2023, nearly 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million in the United States. In the same year, about 630,000 people globally died from AIDS-related illnesses. Although this is a significant decline from previous years, AIDS-related deaths remain a critical global health challenge. While antiretroviral therapy … Read more
Research from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago strongly suggests that Kawasaki disease is caused by a single respiratory virus that is yet to be identified. Findings contradict the theory that many different pathogens or toxins could cause this disease that can lead to serious cardiac … Read more