Investigational RSV Vaccine in Pregnancy Tied to Fewer Abx Scripts for Babies
Infants whose mothers received an investigational respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in pregnancy had fewer antimicrobial prescriptions during their first 3 months of life, a post hoc secondary analysis of a randomized trial found. Across 11 countries, infants born to mothers assigned to the vaccine arm during pregnancy had a 12.9% (95% CI 1.3-23.1) lower […]
How a virus packages its genetic material: Simulations could help design nanocontainers used in drug delivery
Each simple RNA virus has a genome, its “native RNA.” This genome dictates how the virus replicates in cells to eventually cause disease. The genome also has the code for making a capsid, the protein shell of a virus that encapsulates the genome and protects it like a nanocontainer. A team led by Roya Zandi, […]
What Does HIV Do to a Person? Symptoms & Stages
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the immune system, impairing the body’s ability to fight diseases and infections Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the immune system, impairing the body’s ability to fight diseases and infections. Without a healthy, functioning immune system, a person may become vulnerable to infections that can then lead […]
What Happens When You Have Mononucleosis? Mono Symptoms, Treatment
Once infected with mononucleosis, the virus may remain dormant in the throat and body fluids for the rest of your life. Mononucleosis is a contagious viral infection usually caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It typically affects adolescents and young adults and is characterized by symptoms such as fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and […]
Discovery could enable broad coronavirus vaccine
The COVID-causing virus SARS-CoV-2 harbors a vulnerable site at the base of its spike protein that is found also on closely related coronaviruses, according to a new study from Scripps Research. The discovery, published Feb 8 in Science Translational Medicine, could inform the design of broad-acting vaccines and antibody therapies capable of stopping future coronavirus […]
Artificial intelligence system rapidly predicts how two proteins will attach: The machine-learning model could help scientists speed the development of new medicines
Antibodies, small proteins produced by the immune system, can attach to specific parts of a virus to neutralize it. As scientists continue to battle SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, one possible weapon is a synthetic antibody that binds with the virus’ spike proteins to prevent the virus from entering a human cell. To develop […]
Can You Survive West Nile Virus? Symptoms, Prevention
Most people infected with the West Nile virus do not feel sick (70-90% remain asymptomatic), and less than 1% of people become severely ill. Fortunately, most people infected with the West Nile virus do not feel sick (about 70 to 80 percent of infections are asymptomatic). Only one in five infected people have a fever […]
Fewer Hepatitis C Patients Seeking Treatment of Late
The number of people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) treated with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) dropped sharply in 2020, accelerating a decline that began in 2015, CDC researchers found. While 843,362 individuals from 2014-2020 were estimated to receive DAAs for HCV, only 83,740 initiated DAA treatment in 2020, down from 114,893 in 2019 and a […]
ACIP: All Adults Ages 59 and Younger Should Get Hep B Vaccine
Adults ages 59 and younger, and adults ages 60 and up who have risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV), are recommended to be vaccinated against HBV, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said in a unanimous vote Wednesday. ACIP voted 15-0 to recommend this split philosophy for HBV vaccination. The initial recommendation […]
COVID’s Assault on the Moral Fiber of Medicine
COVID-19’s fourth surge is testing the moral fiber of American medicine. The virus has infected more than 42 million Americans and claimed more than 675,000 lives in less than 2 years. Now the Delta variant is forcing us to once again face an onslaught of critically ill patients while at the same time delaying routine […]