news 2022

COVID-19 infections are once again on the rise as our immune systems struggle to combat new variants. That's according to a University of Toronto study that found the antibodies generated by people who were vaccinated and/or recovered from COVID-19 prior to 2022 failed to neutralize the variants circulating today.

Study identifies a new signaling molecule that increases the energy consumption of brown fat cells A study led by the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn has identified a molecule - the purine inosine - that boosts fat burning in brown adipocytes. The mechanism was discovered in mice, but probably exists in humans as well: If a transporter for inosine is less active, the mice remain significantly leaner despite a high-fat diet.

By comparing the neutralisation capacity induced by the different variants of SARS-CoV-2, a team from the UNIGE and the HUG reveals the exceptional capacity of Omicron to evade our immunity. The current wave of COVID-19 highlights a particularly high risk of reinfection by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is conducting research that analyses antibiotic resistance patterns with the aim of finding trends that can help decide which treatment to apply to each type of patient and stop the spread of bacteria. This study, recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, has been carried out together with the University of Exeter, the University of Birmingham (both in the United Kingdom) and the Westmead Hospital in Sydney (Australia).

Children in the UK and Republic of Ireland who are diagnosed with Wilms tumour - the most common children's kidney cancer - are less likely to survive without relapse than those in Germany and France due to later diagnosis, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in JCO Global Oncology , compared tumour size and stage of cancer at diagnosis with survival chances of 3,176 children with Wilms tumour.

A Monash University researcher has helped discover how to reduce the recurrence of skin cancer tumours by blocking a naturally-occurring hormone that causes drug resistance in melanoma cells. Studies showed that by blocking androgens - the 'male' sex hormones - with the drug enzalutamide, melanoma cells were more sensitive to drugs designed to inhibit cancer growth.

How can we increase the efficacy of vaccines used to protect against viral respiratory diseases such as influenza and COVID-19? Scientists from Inserm, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université at the Center of Immunology Marseille-Luminy are opening up new prospects in the field, with the triggering of memory B cells directly in the lungs looking to be a promising avenue.

A new study has found that a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the superbug MRSA - methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - has emerged in livestock in the last 50 years, probably due to widespread antibiotic use in pig farming. Cases of livestock-associated MRSA in humans are still only a small fraction of all MRSA cases in human populations, but the fact that they-re increasing is a worrying sign.

Researchers at ETH have shown that cases of opioid poisoning and the prescription of opioids have increased sharply in Switzerland over the past 20 years. Although the situation is not as serious as in North America, the risk should not be underestimated. Since the early 2000-s the US has been in the grip of an opioid crisis that has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic - in 2021, more than 100,000 people died of an opioid overdose in the country.

Infants undergoing heart surgery are connected to a heart-lung machine and given nitric oxide as an anti-inflammatory. Researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Queensland have now conducted the world's largest study of its kind, showing that using nitric oxide does not improve children's recovery after surgery.

A new path to help stop the spread of antibiotic resistance has been uncovered by a team led by UCL and Birkbeck researchers, in a move that could impact the lives of millions globally. The pioneering research the structure of the transport apparatus that enables the spread of antibiotic resistant genes between bacteria.

Even if the evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis is still very scarce, Quebecers are self-prescribing products from this plant for health problems ranging from pain to shyness Anxiety, depression, insomnia, shyness, migraines, muscle spasms, pain, loss of appetite, loss of libido. These are some of the health problems for which Quebecers self-prescribe cannabis, even though no reliable scientific study has yet demonstrated its effectiveness for these uses.

A research team at MedUni Vienna has discovered key mechanisms of allergy to pollen from the common weed mugwort, thereby also laying the foundation for the development of the world's first vaccine. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) poses a serious problem for allergic individuals in our latitudes from July through to September.

A new combination therapy to combat cancer could one day consist of a plant virus and an antibody that activates the immune system's "natural killer" cells, shows a study by researchers at the University of California San Diego. In mouse models of colon cancer, the combination therapy eliminated all tumors and prevented their recurrence, which in turn resulted in 100% survival.

A MedUni Vienna study team has identified the role of a specific subtype of macrophages (white blood cells) in progressive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As part of the immune system, these cells have a protective function against fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. At the same time, they are useful as biomarkers of liver disease progression as they can be measured by a blood test.

New research co-led by scientists at UCL, found that existing drugs modifying the effect of the hormone progesterone, such as mifepristone, could reduce the risk of aggressive "triple negative" breast cancer in women with an alteration of the BRCA1 gene. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is most common in women who have a BRCA1 mutation and this type of cancer affects 13 in every 100,000 women.

Curtin researchers will test a new nano-gel they have created to protect children receiving chemotherapy treatment from the common side effect of hearing loss, as part of a new project with Ear Science Institute Australia and supported by funding from the Channel 7 Telethon Trust. Lead researcher Associate Professor Hani Al-Salami, from the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) based at Curtin University, said 90 per cent of children survive cancer but about half will have some degree of permanent hearing due to toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs.

Scientists led by EPFL have successfully engrafted breast cancer cells on mice, allowing them to study in vivo the cross-talk between the estrogen and progesterone receptors that hampers hormone therapies. Their findings suggest that endocrine therapy may need to be personalized, and that abrogating progesterone receptor expression can be a therapeutic option.

A new study by UCLA researchers reveals that adult flu vaccination rates have declined in U.S. states where COVID-19 vaccination rates are also low. The research suggests declining trust in public health, indicating that COVID-19 vaccination behavior has spilled over to flu vaccination behavior.

Patients with chronic liver disease may suffer hepatic complications as a result of severe Covid-19. A study conducted by a research team led by Lukas Hartl, Thomas Reiberger and Michael Trauner from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna found that a rise in cholestasis parameters and subsequent damage to the bile ducts, so-called secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC), develops with striking frequency in patients with pre-existing liver disease.