A recent study published in Scientific Reports has demonstrated the antiviral effectiveness of cetylpyridinium chloride against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Cetylpyridinium chloride is an ammonium compound commonly present in mouthwash. Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded [...]

Striking decreases in the stress hormone cortisol were the strongest predictor for who develops long Covid in new research that identified several potential drivers of the lingering symptoms afflicting millions of survivors. Levels of cortisol in the blood of those with the so-called post Covid-19 condition were roughly half those found in healthy, uninfected people or individuals who fully recovered [...]

A proton is one of the subatomic particles that make up the nucleus of an atom. As small as protons are, they are composed of even tinier elementary particles known as quarks, which come in a variety of "flavors," or types: up, down, strange, charm, bottom and top. Typically, a proton is thought to be made [...]

In an article recently published in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials, researchers discussed the utility of neutrophil cell membrane coating of a self-assembly nanoconstruct to enable high specificity for triple-negative breast cancer treatment. Severity of Breast Cancer With a 12% lifetime risk for women, breast cancer (BC) continues to be the second most prevalent [...]

Long-term and excessive use of antibiotics has caused the spread of antibiotic resistance. The time- and cost-consuming process of new antibiotic development results in the much slower emergence of new antibacterial drugs than that of bacterial resistance. The emergence of superbugs has been growing to become a dominant challenge in human health. Tigecycline is [...]

The adapted COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna targets two different coronavirus variants – the original virus from 2020 and the Omicron variant An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna that targets two coronavirus variants (known as a “bivalent” vaccine) has today been approved for adult booster doses by the Medicines and [...]

Artificial nanomotors with advanced functions, such as motility and miniaturization, enabled the exploration of new strategies for cancer treatment. However, these nanorobots do not contain multiple functions that could help progress this technology rapidly. In a recent study, researchers proposed a dual-source powered Janus nanomotor containing multiple photo-theranostic functions, for example, photodynamic therapy (PDT), [...]

An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has, for the first time, observed the build-up of a physical phenomenon that plays a role in the conversion of sunlight into electrical energy in 2D materials. The scientists succeeded in making quasiparticles – known as dark Moiré interlayer excitons – visible and explaining their [...]

A discovery by a team of B.C. researchers may lead to improved COVID-19 treatment options that are effective against several variants of the disease. Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they've found a "weak spot" in COVID-19 variants, including in the latest Omicron subvariants. Their findings were published in Nature Communications on [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for fast-produced and adaptable vaccines that could be equally distributed around the world. Developing an efficient mRNA vaccine that is effective, thermostable, and has fewer side effects strongly depends on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) which preserve and deliver mRNA to cells. Lipid nanoparticles appear to be the sole solution [...]