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Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,143

16 deaths from COVID-19 in Washington as officials scramble to contain

Wuhan Coronavirus Pandemic Washington State.

More deaths and it looks like they’re going to look at previous deaths at the retirement home that is the epicenter to see if some of those previous deaths were caused by Wuhan Coronavirus.

“Killian went on to say that since February 19, Life Care Center reported 26 deaths. Since that date, 11 additional patients died at the facility. They generally have three to seven deaths a month, Killian said. Life Care Center is still waiting back for reports on post-mortem testing and whether 11 of those patients tested positive for coronavirus.”

SEATTLE — Another death from coronavirus in King County was reported Saturday, bringing the total to 16 in Washington state. So far, at least 103 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

The new death comes just a day after three people died at at EvergreenHealth Hospital, where now 12 deaths have occurred, hospital officials said. One earlier reported death occurred in a patient never hospitalized and the other was a death at Harborview last week that was later found to have been likely caused by COVID-19. In total, there are 27 confirmed cases of coronavirus at EvergreenHealth.

Of the 15 coronavirus deaths reported in King County, 13 are associated with Life Care Center In Kirkland. Eighteen residents have also tested positive for COVID-19, according to Tim Killian, public liaison for Life Care Center.

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Study: Rapamycin has harmful effects when telomeres are short

In the past few decades, researchers discovered that the rate at which we age is strongly influenced by biochemical processes that, at least in animal models, can be controlled in the laboratory. Telomere shortening is one of these processes; another is the ability of cells to detect nutrients mediated by the mTOR protein. Researchers have been able to prolong life in many species by modifying either one of them. But what if they manipulate both?

A team from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has studied it for the first time, with unexpected results. Blocking nutrient sensing by treatment with rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, delays the aging of healthy , but curiously, it worsens diseases and premature aging that occur in mice with short telomeres. This finding has important implications for the treatment of diseases associated with short telomeres, but also for that are also associated with short telomeres. The study, done by the Telomeres and Telomerase Group headed by Maria Blasco at the CNIO, is published in Nature Communications with Iole Ferrara-Romeo as the first author.

Telomeres, regions of repetitive nucleotide sequences at the end of chromosomes, preserve the genetic information of the cells. They shorten with age until they can no longer fulfill their function: The cells stop dividing and the tissues age since they are no longer able to regenerate.

New CDC guidance says older adults should ‘stay at home as much as possible’ due to coronavirus

Amid a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging older people and people with severe chronic medical conditions to “stay at home as much as possible.”

This advice is on a CDC website that was posted Thursday, according to a CDC spokeswoman.

Early data suggests older people are twice as likely to have serious illness from the novel coronavirus, according to the CDC.

Fujifilm stock rises as Japan considers Avigan for COVID-19 treatment

Avigan was developed as a flu medicine and also has been used for Ebola virus disease (EVD) treatment. EVD, which causes fatal hemorrhagic fever, resulted in more than 11,300 deaths in the West Africa region between 2014 and 2016. There is currently another outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has seen more than 2,000 fatalities to date.

HONG KONG – Fujifilm Holdings Corp. stock (TYO:4901) jumped 8.8% to ¥5,890 (US$53.48) on Feb. 25, as Japan considers using Avigan (favipiravir), an anti-influenza medication developed by the company’s Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd., to treat COVID-19. The share price ended the day at ¥5,567, for a gain of 2.83%.

The medication attracted market attention when Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato said on Feb. 22 that the country is planning to test Avigan against COVID-19. “We hear from foreign countries that some drugs among those that have been used against influenza may be useful,” Kato said.

As of Feb. 25, more than 850 cases have been confirmed in Japan.

Measuring iron in the brain can point to dementia

According to the first author of the study George Thomas, “It’s really promising to see measures like this, which can potentially track the varying progression of Parkinson’s disease, as it could help clinicians devise better treatment plans for people based on how their condition manifests.”

The co-author of the study, Dr. Julio Acosta-Cabronero from Tenoke Ltd. and the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, also comments on the findings:

Treatment of Neuroterrorism

Bioterrorism is defined as the intentional use of biological, chemical, nuclear, or radiological agents to cause disease, death, or environmental damage. Early recognition of a bioterrorist attack is of utmost importance to minimize casualties and initiate appropriate therapy. The range of agents that could potentially be used as weapons is wide, however, only a few of these agents have all the characteristics making them ideal for that purpose. Many of the chemical and biological weapons can cause neurological symptoms and damage the nervous system in varying degrees. Therefore, preparedness among neurologists is important. The main challenge is to be cognizant of the clinical syndromes and to be able to differentiate diseases caused by bioterrorism from naturally occurring disorders. This review provides an overview of the biological and chemical warfare agents, with a focus on neurological manifestation and an approach to treatment from a perspective of neurological critical care.

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13311-011‑0097-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Keywords: Neuroterrorism, Bioterrorism, Warfare Agents.

Scientists Find a Way to Create Needle-Free Vaccines That Dissolve in Your Mouth

The race is on to identify an effective vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. Once discovered, the next challenge will be manufacturing and distributing it around the world.

My research group has developed a novel method to stabilize live viruses and other biological medicines in a rapidly dissolving film that does not require refrigeration and can be given by mouth.

Since the ingredients to make the film are inexpensive and the process is relatively simple, it could make vaccine campaigns much more affordable. Large quantities could be shipped and distributed easily given its flat, space saving shape.