The University of Oxford confirmed that the Covid-19 vaccine it’s developing with AstraZeneca produced strong immune responses in older adults in an early study, with key findings from the last phase of tests expected in the coming weeks. From a report: The results, published Thursday in The Lancet medical journal, shed more light on preliminary data released in recent months showing…
Tag: immune responses
Tiny Variants In Genes May Dictate Severity of Coronavirus
Scientists are tracking small differences in DNA to explain why the disease has different effects. An anonymous reader shares a report from The Guardian: Key developments include research which indicates that interferon — a molecular messenger that stimulates immune defenses against invading viruses — may play a vital role in defending the body. Scientists have found that rare mutations in some…
Covid-19 news: Russian vaccine induced immune responses in small trial
The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-russian-vaccine-induced-immune-responses-in-small-trial/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Coronavirus drugs: how well is the hunt for covid-19 treatments going?
Hundreds of trials are testing known antiviral drugs as well as those that block immune responses to coronavirus, but we may need to build a covid-19 treatment from scratch Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2244349-coronavirus-drugs-how-well-is-the-hunt-for-covid-19-treatments-going/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Transferring Vaginal Fluids Could ‘Revolutionize’ Women’s Health, Researchers Say
While fecal transplants have proven to be quite successful, researchers are now experimenting with swapping vaginal fluids to improve health. “If [vaginal microbiota transplants (VMTs)] work as researchers hypothesize, they could rub out many common problems at once,” reports Ars Technica. “And based on what we know of vaginas, they could be far less messy than transplants involving poop.” From the…
Possible Link Found Between Body Weight and the Immune System
The Atlantic talked to Lora Hooper, chair of the immunology department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, one of the researchers investigating gut microbes, inflammation, and what may be a very important connection. They note that the rise of antibiotic usage among humans “coincides with the obesity epidemic.” This could be a spurious correlation, of course — lots of…