More than 20 years after the discovery of the parkin gene linked to young-onset Parkinson’s disease, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa may have finally figured out how this mysterious gene protects the brain.
Predicting COVID-19 outbreaks with cell phone mobility data
Mobility tracking using cell phone data showing greater movement of people is a strong predictor of increased rates of COVID-19, according to new data in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Tissue-integrated microlasers used to measure contraction in beating heart of zebrafish
Researchers have shown that tiny lasers integrated into heart muscle cells or tissue can be used to acquire high-resolution measurements of contractility in heart muscle cells, live zebrafish and living heart tissue at locations several times deeper than other light-based techniques. The ability to characterize the contractile properties of single cells in the beating heart …
Carbon dioxide levels reflect COVID-19 risk
Tracking carbon dioxide levels indoors is an inexpensive and powerful way to monitor the risk of people getting COVID-19, according to new research from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and the University of Colorado Boulder. In any given indoor environment, when excess CO2 levels double, the risk of transmission also roughly …
Crohn’s disease may be caused by immune signaling failure
People with Crohn’s disease are typically treated with powerful anti-inflammatory medications that act throughout their body, not just in their digestive tract, creating the potential for unintended, and often serious, side effects. New research from the lab of Mark Sundrud, Ph.D., at Scripps Research, Florida suggests a more targeted treatment approach is possible.
Fungi are present in your lungs
The lungs were for a long time considered to be sterile in health, while in diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) failure in immune mechanisms were thought to allow microorganisms to proliferate and persist. New sequencing techniques have shown that several microorganisms reside in the lungs of healthy individuals, as well. Few studies have …
Belgium restricts AstraZeneca vaccine to over 55s
Belgium on Wednesday announced it is restricting AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to over 55s only, following a finding by the EU’s drugs regulator of a link with rare forms of blood clots.
Ultrasensitive, rapid diagnostic detects Ebola earlier than gold standard test
An interdisciplinary team of scientists at Duke University has developed a highly sensitive and rapid diagnostic test for Ebola virus (EBOV) infection. In monkeys infected with Ebola, this diagnostic, called the D4-assay, proved to be 1000 times more sensitive than the currently approved rapid diagnostic test and capable of detecting the virus a full day …
Clots are AstraZeneca’s latest curse
Hailed as a cheap, easy to store not-for-profit vaccine, the AstraZeneca shot has suffered a litany of setbacks.
AstraZeneca jab clots link plausible but unconfirmed: WHO experts
A link between AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 jabs and blood clots is plausible but unconfirmed, the World Health Organization’s vaccine experts said Wednesday, stressing that reported occurrences were “very rare”.