In a recent study published in eClinicalMedicine, researchers examined the influence of pre-existing sleep disturbances on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) susceptibility, severity, and long-term effects. The study found that pre-existing sleep disturbances elevated the risk of susceptibility to COVID-19, as well as hospitalization, mortality, and long COVID, with age and sex playing a role. …

A recent perspective article published in the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery discussed the evolution of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for nucleic acid delivery. The authors, Pieter Cullis, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia, and Philip Felgner, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine, are co-inventors…

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers investigated whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related sensory deficiencies are associated with transcriptome changes in the foliate papillae area of the tongue. Study: Impaired metal perception and regulation of associated human foliate papillae tongue transcriptome in long-COVID-19. Image Credit: Radu Bercan/Shutterstock.com Background Chemosensory impairment, a…

In a recent review published in the journal Cell Communication and Signaling, a team of researchers in Egypt and the United States explored the direct and indirect mechanisms of T lymphocyte-linked adaptive anti-viral immune responses that might contribute to lymphopenia associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Schematic representation of…

In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers investigate the association between population-level coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation strategies, including vaccination rates and face mask mandates, and the prevalence of symptomatic asthma among children. Study:  COVID-19 Vaccination and Parent-Reported Symptomatic Child Asthma Prevalence . Image Credit: SeventyFour / Shutterstock.com …

In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers investigate the association between concurrent use of tobacco and cannabis with mental health problems among teenagers in the United States. Study:  Concurrent Use of Tobacco and Cannabis and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in US Youths. Image Credit: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com …

In a recent study published in Communications Medicine, researchers examined the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) in India. Study:  Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on low birth weight in a nationwide study in India . Image Credit: Zetar Infinity/Shutterstock.com Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic…

In a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open, a group of researchers evaluated the association of in-hospital delirium (sudden, severe confusion and brain function changes) with functional disability and cognitive impairment (decline in memory and thinking skills) over the six months following discharge among older adults hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). …

Dexamethasone is one of the most important drugs in the treatment of severe COVID-19, but patients respond very differently to the therapy. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now discovered how the cortisone compound influences the impaired inflammatory response and which patients benefit from it. Their…

A research team led by Prof. Guo Yusong, Associate Professor of the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), recently made a novel discovery related to the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. The team identified new host factors that interact with the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike…