In a recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, researchers examined closures of United States (US) schools due to 11 influenza seasons between 2011 and 2022, determining the frequency and features of these closures. Study:  School closures due to seasonal influenza: a prospective data collection-based study of eleven influenza seasons—United States, 2011–2022…

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin, USA, have developed a broad-spectrum vaccine that can protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants as well as bat sarbecoviruses. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. Study: Broad protection against clade 1 sarbecoviruses after…

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers investigated age-related differences in nasal epithelial cell (NEC) responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection across pediatric, adult, and older adult groups.  Study: Age-specific nasal epithelial responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Image Credit: Designua / Shutterstock Background  Despite effective vaccines, age…

A recent study published in Pediatrics investigated whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection influences children's asthma risk. Study:  COVID-19 and Asthma Onset in Children . Image Credit: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock.com Background Respiratory viral infections in childhood are potential risk factors for asthma. Various studies have reported associations between acute wheezing illnesses in…

In a recent study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a group of researchers investigated the association between messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and sudden cardiac death in Oregon residents aged 16–30 years between June 2021 and December 2022. Study: Assessment of Risk for Sudden…

In a recent review published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, researchers examined the current evidence on the role of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in protecting infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and disease, highlighting potential mechanisms and future research directions. Potential role of hMOS on RSV disease. hMOS such as 2’-FL…

In a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers identified the cellular tropism and transcriptome consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by infecting human lung tissue and using single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing (scRNA-seq) to rebuild the transcriptional program in "infection pseudotime" for distinct lung cell types. Lower respiratory infections,…

Thirty years after prisoners with disabilities sued the state of California and 25 years after a federal court first ordered accommodations, a judge found that state prison and parole officials still are not doing enough to help deaf and blind prisoners — in part because they are not using readily available technology such as video…

In a recent study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of researchers from the United States (U.S.) attempted to understand whether individuals experienced any economic benefits in getting an annual coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, given that the morbidity and mortality rates associated with the disease have decreased and the government no…

In a recent review published in the journal PNAS, researchers examined the germ theory from a non-centric perspective on infection outcome, considering the variables that influence illness severity while drawing on a known understanding of microbial pathogenesis, evolutionary biology, and pathogen-host interactions. The germ theory revisited: A noncentric view on infection outcome. Image…