Mosquitoes can survive prolonged droughts by drinking blood, which helps to explain why rates of mosquito-borne illness don't always decline in dry periods.

Rates of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome have dramatically increased since pre-pandemic times. A new large study has found that people who have had COVID are much more likely to have this understudied condition.

American soldiers are 10 times more likely to use nicotine pouches that can cause serious health issues than average American adults, according to a survey of military personnel at Fort Liberty, the largest American military base.

New proteins not found in nature have now been designed to counteract certain highly poisonous components of snake venom. The deep learning, computational methods for developing these toxin-neutralizing proteins offer hope for creating safer, more cost-effective and more readily available therapeutics than those currently in use.  Each year more than 2 million people suffer snakebites. More than 100,000 die, and 300,000 suffer disabling complications. Snakebites pose a significant public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Papua New Guinea, and Latin America. Treatments for bites from elapid snakes currently depend on immunizing animals againt the venom and recovering antibodies. Computationally designed antivenom proteins could offer such advantages as simpler manufacturing requirements and the ability to more quickly counteract toxins and reduce damage. 

The University of Cincinnati’s Jun-Ming Zhang has received a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to research the effect of blood vessel movement inside sensory ganglia on neuropathic spontaneous pain.