Cigarette smoke can reprogram cells in your airways, causing COPD to hang on after smoking ends

A new discovery offers hope for ways to treat a debilitating disease that has become a leading cause of death in the US..

Bradley Richmond, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University • conversation
yesterday • ~8 min
Tags: health medicine inflammation smoking tobacco lungs antibodies lung-disease breathing cigarettes copd

The spooky and dangerous side of black licorice

Who knew that black licorice had a dark side? A scientist explains when this treat becomes a threat.

Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology; author of Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are, Indiana University • conversation
Oct. 26, 2020 • ~8 min

Tags:  health  medicine  sugar  halloween  blood-pressure  sweets  candy

Why males may have a worse response to COVID-19

A new study is the first to identify sex differences in inflammation and immune cell activation in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes COVID-19.

Meghan E. Rebuli, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • conversation
Oct. 12, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  health  medicine  covid-19  coronavirus  pandemic  immunology  flu  sars-cov-2  severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-sars  immune-response  sex  middle-east-respiratory-syndrome

What is COVAX and why does it matter for getting vaccines to developing nations?

The Trump administration wants to go it alone when it comes to vaccine development and distribution. What does this mean for the U.S. and the world?

Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
Oct. 2, 2020 • ~8 min

Tags:  health  medicine  covid-19  pandemic  sars-cov-2  world-health-organization-who  gavi  covax

One small part of a human antibody has the potential to work as a drug for both prevention and therapy of COVID-19

Antibodies are great for neutralizing viruses. But they are big and bulky. Antibody engineers are now creating smaller synthetic antibody-like molecules that may be better for fighting COVID-19.

Dimiter Stanchev Dimitrov, Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Antibody Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Oct. 1, 2020 • ~9 min

Tags:  health  medicine  immune-system  pandemic  immunology  sars-cov-2  covid-19-pandemic  ace2  antibody  innovation-and-invention  covid-19-research

How the airline industry recovers from COVID-19 could determine who gets organ transplants

As policymakers weigh financial aid for the airline industry, they have an opportunity to help make the US organ transplantation system more equitable at the same time.

Ronghuo Zheng, Assistant Professor of Accounting, University of Texas at Austin • conversation
Sept. 28, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: health medicine business covid-19 coronavirus pandemic organ-transplant transportation airlines kidney-transplant organ-transplantation

How a pregnant mouse's microbes influence offspring's brain development – new study offers clues

Microbes in the gut aren't just important for digesting your food. In pregnant women, these gut microbes are producing chemicals that are essential for proper brain development of the fetus.

Helen Vuong, Postdoctoral Scholar of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
Sept. 23, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: health medicine biology microbiome microbes viruses pregancy virome vaginal-microbiome

COVID-19 vaccines: Open source licensing could keep Big Pharma from making huge profits off taxpayer-funded research

Governments must embrace policies that promote sharing and collective invention to create and distribute a vaccine quickly.

Timothy Ford, Professor and Chair of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell • conversation
Sept. 18, 2020 • ~9 min

Tags:  health  medicine  covid-19  pandemic  vaccines  sars-cov-2  open-source  innovation-and-invention  process-of-innovation

What’s in your medicine may surprise you – a call for greater transparency about inactive ingredients

There are ingredients in your pills other than the one designed to treat your ailments. Those unnamed ingredients can alter how you respond to a medicine or even make you sick.

Yelena Ionova, Postdoctoral Fellow in Quality of Medical Products, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Sept. 11, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: drugs medicine generic-medicines generic-drugs patient-safety cares-act adverse-drug-reactions

Live bacteria spray is showing promise in treating childhood eczema

Can a naturally occurring skin microbe help millions who suffer from eczema?

Ian Myles, Head, Epithelial Therapeutics Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases • conversation
Sept. 10, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  health  medicine  skin  microbiome  eczema  skin-microbiome  rash

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