Respiratory News and Research

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Study reveals a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19

In 2020, a research team demonstrated that a significant genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection was inherited from Neanderthals.

17 Feb 2021

Bernese researchers create sophisticated lung-on-chip

The lung is a complex organ whose main function is to exchange gases. It is the largest organ in the human body and plays a key role in the oxygenation of all the organs.

10 Feb 2021

Climate change may have played a direct role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2

Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a hotspot for bat-borne coronaviruses, by driving growth of forest habitat favored by bats.

8 Feb 2021

Study suggests the need to characterize patient-specific responses to respiratory syncytial virus

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that while most individuals responded to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) natural reinfection with a typical sustained antibody response associated with protection, a few individuals surprisingly responded atypically, not being able to sustain the antibody response, which declined to levels that made the individuals susceptible to RSV reinfection.

5 Feb 2021

Immunity of COVID-19 patients may rely on antibodies from previous coronavirus infections

The results of a study led by Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest the immune systems of people infected with COVID-19 may rely on antibodies created during infections from earlier coronaviruses to help fight the disease.

22 Jan 2021

COVID-19 virus triggers antibody response from prior coronavirus infections

According to the results of a study, the immune systems of COVID-19 patients may depend on antibodies that were produced during infections from previous coronaviruses to help combat the disease.

20 Jan 2021

Augmented response of immune system explains COVID-19 severity in patients with hypertension

COVID-19 patients who also suffer from high blood pressure are more likely to fall severely ill with the disease, which also leaves them at greater risk of death.

12 Jan 2021

New discovery helps explain how COVID-19 suppresses the body’s immune response

Seeking to understand why COVID-19 is able to suppress the body's immune response, new research from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology suggests that mitochondria are one of the first lines of defense against COVID-19 and identifies key differences in how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, interacts with mitochondrial genes when compared to other viruses.

12 Jan 2021

Scientific experts discuss the definition of fermented foods and beverages

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics has brought together a group of experts to address the state of knowledge on fermented foods.

8 Jan 2021

Scientists need to look at unique fish biology through a different lens

The distribution and concentration of dissolved oxygen and water temperature in the oceans and freshwaters are usually far more influential in shaping the growth and reproduction of fish than the distribution of their prey.

7 Jan 2021

Altered sugar composition impacts cell-to-surface adhesion

Biotechnologists measure the forces with which algae cells adhere to surfaces and move on them. How can cells adhere to surfaces and move on them? This is a question that was investigated by an international team of researchers headed by Prof. Michael Hippler from the University of Münster and Prof. Kaiyao Huang from the Institute of Hydrobiology (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China).

4 Jan 2021

Scientists discover molecular defects associated with rare genetic disorder in children

Damien D'Amours and his team at the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology needed three years to discover the molecular defects associated with the LIC Syndrome, a serious genetic disorder that affects young children and result in acute respiratory distress, immune deficiency and abnormal chromosomes.

23 Dec 2020

Inhaling wildfire smoke's microbial content can increase risk of infection

Wildfire smoke contains microbes, a fact that's often ignored, but one that may have important health repercussions.

From The University of California, Davis 21 Dec 2020

Scientists observe detailed images of spike proteins in coronavirus

Coronaviruses, similar to the one that causes COVID-19 infection, are embedded with protein “spikes” that attach to receptors on their victims’ cells.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers discover protein that may trigger lung scarring

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease associated with inflammation and fibrosis, or scarring, that affects organs including the skin, heart, kidney and lungs.

18 Dec 2020

ECSIT protein can shed light on the origin of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have found how a protein governs the behavior of proteins associated with the activity in mitochondria, which is impacted in Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2020

Study may lead to new approaches to protect older individuals from viruses

A drug that boosts the removal of cellular debris in immune cells may increase the protective effects of vaccines in older adults, a study published today in eLife shows.

16 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target to fight COVID-19 disease

In COVID-19 patients with severe lung disease, targeting the endothelial cells—that is, cells comprising the blood vessel wall, which control oxygen exchange between the bloodstream and airways—may be an innovative strategy to restore normal function of the lungs.

15 Dec 2020

Study provides new insight on how lung bacteria protect against invading pathogens

New insight on how bacteria in the lungs protect against invading pathogens has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

9 Dec 2020

CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 provides quick, accurate results

Imagine swabbing your nostrils, putting the swab in a device, and getting a read-out on your phone in 15 to 30 minutes that tells you if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus.

7 Dec 2020