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Study reveals new, potent way to boost immunity and fight viruses

Study reveals new, potent way to boost immunity and fight viruses

Findings aid antiviral drug discovery Many viral infections, such as the common cold, cause mild illnesses that the body’s immune system eventually defeats. But when viruses cause severe disease, doctors have few options for effective treatment. Studying mice with a variety of viral infections, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have […]

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Key studies from Nottingham central to major flu drug report

Key studies from Nottingham central to major flu drug report

A major new national report into the use of antiviral drugs (neuraminidase inhibitors) to treat and prevent influenza has drawn heavily on two pieces of research undertaken at The University of Nottingham. The landmark report, published by the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Wellcome Trust, concludes that anti-viral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) were […]

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Role of breast cell infection in flu transmission between mothers and breast-feeding ferrets

Role of breast cell infection in flu transmission between mothers and breast-feeding ferrets

Influenza is known as an infectious respiratory disease, but a study published on October 8th in PLOS Pathogens suggests that infected cells in breast tissues could play a role in virus transmission from mothers to breast-feeding infants and vice versa using a ferret model. Alyson Kelvin, from the University Health Network, Toronto, Canada, and colleagues […]

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Preventive care drops when government cuts close women’s health clinics, research says

Preventive care drops when government cuts close women’s health clinics, research says

When women’s health clinics close because of government funding cuts aimed at abortion providers, fewer women seek lifesaving preventive care that can identify health threats such as cancer, research from the University of Kansas shows. David Slusky, assistant professor of economics at KU, and Yao Lu of the Analysis Group in Boston found that when […]

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Latest technology could help curb repeat Ebola crisis, experts say

Latest technology could help curb repeat Ebola crisis, experts say

Recent developments in surveillance technology could enable a swifter, more effective response to potentially deadly outbreaks of disease, a study has found. The Ebola crisis has highlighted a need to bolster global surveillance and enhance the capability to react appropriately to further outbreaks, experts say. This should include making use of modern technologies for detecting […]

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Rapidly assessing the next influenza pandemic

Rapidly assessing the next influenza pandemic

Influenza pandemics are potentially the most serious natural catastrophes that affect the human population. New findings published in PLOS Computational Biology suggest that with both timely and accurate data and sophisticated numerical models, the likely impact of a new pandemic can be assessed quickly, and key decisions made about potential mitigation strategies. Novel strains of […]

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Hepatitis A-like virus identified in seals

Hepatitis A-like virus identified in seals

Scientists in the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have discovered a new virus in seals that is the closest known relative of the human hepatitis A virus. The finding provides new clues on the emergence of hepatitis A. The research appears in the July/August issue of mBio, […]