Ebola (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) are highly lethal viruses that cause severe disease in infected patients by extensively damaging the body. This includes the gastrointestinal tract. Severe diarrhea followed by dehydration is a major causes of death in EBOV and MARV disease patients, yet the role of the intestinal lining (epithelium) in these outcomes remain poorly understood.

 

A new study first-authored by Elizabeth Yvonne Flores, PhD, a recent graduate from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) and the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) of BU and Boston Medical Center, sheds light on the mechanisms behind this damage. The study found that both EBOV and MARV are capable of infecting and replicating within human gut epithelial cells and that the viruses interfere with the cells' ability to regulate fluid secretion, mirroring the severe symptoms observed in patients.

As the United States continues to face the persistent and deadly opioid crisis, driven by the dangerous synthetic fentanyl, a $2.67 million gift to the University of Houston from the estate of Dr. William A. Gibson will honor his late son Michael, who lost his life to addiction in 2019.

Individuals who identify as a sexual minority face higher risks of primary Cesarean birth compared with their completely heterosexual peers, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Risks varied substantially across sexual-orientation subgroups, with the largest increase observed among a rarely examined group: people who identify as heterosexual but report prior same-sex experience.

A new statewide spatial analysis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) has uncovered significant disparities in Maryland’s rural communities, offering a striking example of how healthcare accessibility is shaping health outcomes across the United States.  

Music is widely known for its ability to arouse, change moods or trigger a cathartic emotional release in people. A multidisciplinary team from three universities found that indoor lighting of various hues so strongly influences listeners’ experiences that musical venues, health-care settings and even homeowners might wish to reconsider their lighting choices for maximal effect and enjoyment of their music. 

In new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of University of New Mexico School of Medicine researchers describe how adverse childhood experiences appear to disrupt activity across multiple brain networks when threats are encountered later in life.

Therapeutic antibodies packaged into microparticles could be injected with a standard syringe, avoiding the need for time-consuming transfusions.