SCLERODERMA Around 300 000 Americans are affected by scleroderma. African Americans are more at risk of developing the condition. Symptoms include hard, thick skin which is smooth and shiny in appearance and can include painful and swollen joints. A secondary condition, Raynaud’s phenomenon, often occurs with...
There is not much in terms of a silver lining when looking at the devastation which COVID-19 has caused, but could there be a tiny glimmer of one on the horizon? Instead of traditional vaccines which use a weakened form of a virus, mRNA vaccines give...
There is no shortage of debate surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines, and more recently whether new variants affect the efficacy of them. As more vaccines are distributed and administered, data has allowed many questions about efficacy and safety to be answered. While no one yet has...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many have experienced something that is well known to those with chronic conditions – isolation and remaining at home for extended periods. Beyond a place to lay one’s head; a bedroom for someone with a chronic condition becomes a central...
As we draw near to the end of 2020, it is safe to say that few of us are sorry to see the back of it. Worldwide, people are suffering from pandemic fatigue, political friction, economic challenges, and exposure to misinformation. This has ensured that...
Data from initial research indicates that blood type may influence one’s susceptibility to COVID-19. Scientists at 23andMe, a biotech giant, studied 750,000 people, including 10 000 patients that had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized. This was done in order to establish whether genetic data could...
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe infecting more than 5.4M people worldwide and killing more than 349,000 people so far. Across the globe, researchers are tirelessly working to develop a coronavirus vaccine. A team in the Netherlands, at Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical...
The immune system has a host of different defense mechanisms that respond when the body is under attack. One such mechanism is the production of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins, also known as immunoglobulins. Antibodies are produced by white blood cells known as plasma B cells...
Dr. PJ Utz is our featured alumnus this March. He is the head of the Utz lab in the Department of Medicine, Standford. His lab studies immunology, autoimmunity, and vaccines for influenza and tuberculosis. Dr. Utz is one of the researchers who has taken up...
COVID-19 is a new disease and as such there is limited information regarding risk factors for severe disease. Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness...