Respiratory News and Research

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Multispecies Transmission of Avian Flu Virus Includes Dairy Cattle, Cats, and Raccoons

A viral spillover of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus belonging to the hemagglutinin 5 neuraminidase 1 (H5N1) 2.3.4.4b clade among herds of dairy cattle.

5 Aug 2024

Geographic Origin Plays Key Role in Tuberculosis Infection, Harvard Study Finds

For some forms of tuberculosis, the chances that an exposed person will get infected depend on whether the individual and the bacteria share a hometown, according to a new study comparing how different strains move through mixed populations in cosmopolitan cities.

2 Aug 2024

Swabbing Technique Reveals Diversity of Immune Cells in the Upper Airway

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have published the first-ever, in-depth analysis of immune cell memory in the upper airways of adult volunteers. Among these immune cells, the researcher spotted "tissue resident" memory cells, which stand ready to defend the airway from SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory diseases.

1 Aug 2024

Dairy Cattle Become Hosts for Avian Flu Transmission

A new study reveals evidence that avian influenza has spilled over from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states, resulting in mammal-to-mammal transmission between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.

25 Jul 2024

Traffic-Related Ultrafine Particles Cause Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Olfactory Mucosa

Ultrafine particles, UFPs, the smallest contributors to air pollution, hinder the function of mitochondria in human olfactory mucosa cells, a new study shows.

25 Jul 2024

New Assay Fast-Tracks Virucidal Testing

An innovative technique that can quickly ascertain whether a virus is contagious or not has the potential to completely transform how humans respond to pandemics in the future.

24 Jul 2024

Flu Virus Exploits Immune System Weakness to Infect Cells

The majority of influenza viruses enter animal or human cells through particular surface-based pathways. It has recently been found by researchers at the University of Zurich that some influenza viruses, both human and avian, can also enter cells through a second entry point that involves an immune system protein complex.

18 Jul 2024

UQ Researchers Reveal Mechanism of Immune Evasion by Haemophilus influenzae

Researchers from The University of Queensland have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness.

12 Jul 2024

Artificial Intelligence Drives Breakthroughs in Drug Discovery, Reducing Costs and Timelines

Researchers discussed using deep generative AI models and their diverse algorithms in de novo drug design.

12 Jul 2024

Scientists Identify Gene Region that Fuels Asthma Inflammation

Pollen and house dust mites are two common allergens that cause respiratory distress in asthma patients. But type-2 helper T (Th2) cells and group-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) release a class of proteins known as type-2 cytokines in response to a variety of asthma triggers. GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) is essential for the maturation of Th2 and ILC2.

25 Jun 2024

Detecting Auto-Antibodies for Early Identification of High-Risk COVID-19 Cases

Researchers recently discovered that auto-antibodies against their type 1 interferons, crucial immunological signaling proteins, were present in some COVID-19 patients.

20 Jun 2024

Study Reveals Immune Factors Behind COVID-19 Resistance in Some Individuals

As part of the first-ever COVID-19 human challenge study, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and their collaborators examined immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthy adult volunteers using single-cell sequencing.

20 Jun 2024