The COVID-19 Pandemic – News and Features

When consumed in chili during pregnancy, beans may help lower one’s risk for gestational diabetes, according to new research.

Early tests suggest that an antibody-based therapy is safe, with no harmful effects on healthy cells, suggesting that it could be a promising treatment to help fight mucormycosis in people with weakened immune systems.

According to a CSH study, people who later experienced persistent shortness of breath or fatigue after a COVID-19 infection were already taking significantly fewer steps per day and had a higher resting heart rate before contracting the virus.

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women, yet diagnosis takes nearly a decade, leading to prolonged pain, infertility and organ damage. Improved awareness, research and reduced wait times are crucial for earlier detection and better patient outcomes.

An AI-based computer model makes aging visible at the cellular level for the first time. Researchers have applied it to immune cells, showing how immune cells age and how this is influenced by vaccines and infections.

Successful high-affinity B cells can proliferate under special conditions that reduce the risk of mutation. Capturing this mechanism in the lab may lead to more efficient vaccine strategies in the clinic.

Scientists have identified a key component to launching immune activity – and overactivity. The researchers identified a protein in cells that spurs the release of infection-fighting molecules.

Researchers discovered that Zika virus constructs nanotubes to transport infection across the placental barrier undetected. The viral protein NS1 triggers this process, allowing Zika to spread while evading immune defenses.

Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed CeSPIACE, a peptide inhibitor that blocks SARS-CoV-2 from binding to host cell receptors. Unlike some existing treatments, CeSPIACE works against many variants.

Research finds that 23% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 between 2021 and 2023 developed long COVID, and in more than half of them, the symptoms persisted for two years.