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Blunted inflammatory response in obese individuals responsible for susceptibility to severe COVID-19

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

23 Mar 2023

Blunted inflammatory response could make obese patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

21 Mar 2023

Fomepizole may reduce disease severity in the lungs of mice with bacterial pneumonia

Pneumococcal disease leads to over three million hospitalizations and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually.

17 Mar 2023

Pathogenic fungus binds to a human protein to escape elimination from lung cells

The pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus escapes elimination from surface cells of the human lung by binding to a human protein.

9 Mar 2023

Small group of airway neurons plays a key role in alerting the brain about infection

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School illuminates how the brain becomes aware that there is an infection in the body.

9 Mar 2023

Revolutionary drug blocks a gene associated with driving the spread of bone cancer

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have developed a new drug that works against all of the main types of primary bone cancer.

8 Mar 2023

AI tool can accurately identify normal and abnormal chest X-rays in a clinical setting

An artificial intelligence tool can accurately identify normal and abnormal chest X-rays in a clinical setting, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

8 Mar 2023

Using nanoparticles to carry drugs across the blood-brain barrier

Brain tumors are notoriously hard to treat. One reason is the challenge posed by the blood-brain barrier, a network of blood vessels and tissue with closely spaced cells.

3 Mar 2023

Efficient and powerful biological computing harnesses brain organoids

According to Johns Hopkins University scientists, a “biocomputer” fueled by human brain cells could be created within this lifetime. Such technology is expected to tremendously enhance the capabilities of modern computing and develop novel fields of study.

1 Mar 2023

Discovery of a lung stem cell subset provides opportunity for new COPD treatments

Respiratory viral infections pose significant morbidity and mortality to patients with chronic lung diseases like emphysema and COPD, causing exacerbations that drive destruction of normal lung tissue, and leading to one of the most common diagnoses for hospital admissions.

24 Feb 2023

New host protease determinants facilitating the infection of SARS-CoV-2 identified

Researchers from Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has identified novel host protease determinants, that facilitate the infection of SARS-CoV-2, including the Omicron variant, which provided new targets for combating the pandemic.

22 Feb 2023

Lung immunity in neonates is influenced by the mother’s microbiota

A recent study led by Bruno Silva Santos, Group Leader and Vice-Director at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, found that a specific subset of white blood cells called γδ T cells affects the transfer of the mother’s microbiota during childbirth and breastfeeding and affects the infants’ lung immune response.

15 Feb 2023

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

University of Sydney scientists have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.

10 Feb 2023

Macrophages as new therapeutic target to address obesity-related diseases

Macrophages are immune system cells that control inflammation and tissue function in addition to being crucial in the early response to microbial infection. Since it aids in the repair of damaged tissue, inflammation is a natural physiological response.

6 Feb 2023

Study sheds light on why lung tumors do not respond well to immunotherapy

Immunotherapy -; drug treatment that stimulates the immune system to attack tumors -; works well against some types of cancer, but it has shown mixed success against lung cancer.

6 Feb 2023

Investigating the molecular mechanisms that govern cilia force sensing

Although the human body is superficially symmetric along the left–right axis, most internal organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and brain, have noteworthy left–right asymmetries in their structure and placement.

6 Jan 2023

The potential of cellular “glue” in regenerative medicine

Scientists at UC San Francisco have created molecules that function as “cellular glue,” enabling them to precisely control how cells adhere to one another. The discovery is a significant step toward regenerative medicine’s long-term goal of creating new tissues and organs.

14 Dec 2022