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Tag: Japan

Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Uncovering the Molecular Basis of Long COVID Brain Fog

Published October 1, 2025

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Published by: Yokohama City University
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Researchers use a specialized brain imaging technique to identify a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of Long COVID

Long COVID is a chronic condition that causes cognitive problems known as “brain fog,” but its biological mechanisms remain largely unclear. Now, researchers from Japan used a novel imaging technique to visualize AMPA receptors—key molecules for memory and learning—in the living brain. They discovered that higher AMPA receptor density in patients with Long COVID was closely tied to the severity of their symptoms, highlighting these molecules as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

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Topic: new waveView all posts for the topic: new wave

U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China

Published May 23, 2025

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Published by: CBS News
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By Alexander Tin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s airport screening program has detected multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a large surge of the virus in China.

Cases linked to the NB.1.8.1 variant have been reported in arriving international travelers at airports in California, Washington state, Virginia and the New York City area, according to records uploaded by the CDC’s airport testing partner Ginkgo Bioworks.

Details about the sequencing results, which were published in recent weeks on the GISAID, or Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, virus database, show the cases stem from travelers from a number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. The travelers were tested from April 22 through May 12, the records show.

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Topic: researchView all posts for the topic: research

Japanese researchers develop peptide preventing COVID-19 infections

Published January 22, 2025

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Published by: The Japan Times
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Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University said that they have developed a peptide that can bind to the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 to prevent COVID-19 infections.

The peptide, which is a short chain of amino acids, has shown effectiveness in experiments involving various coronavirus strains attempting to infect human cell lines and hamsters.

Researchers hope to conduct a physician-led clinical trial for possible preventive and therapeutic treatment.

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Topic: JapanView all posts for the topic: Japan

Japan COVID deaths 14 times that of flu after guidelines lifted

Published October 24, 2024

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Published by: Kyodo News+
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More than 30,000 people in Japan died of COVID-19 in the first year after most coronavirus-related guidelines were lifted in May 2023, a figure over 14 times higher than deaths caused by influenza during the same period, government data showed Thursday.

Coronavirus infections led to 32,576 deaths during the 12 months, with those aged 65 or older accounting for 97 percent of the total, while the number of influenza fatalities reached 2,244, according to the health ministry’s vital statistics.

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Topic: heart failureView all posts for the topic: heart failure

Post-COVID ‘heart failure pandemic’ possible: Japan researchers

Published December 26, 2023

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Published by: The Mainichi
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After contracting COVID-19, patients may have higher risk of heart failure from persistent viral infection in their hearts, even without developing notable heart disease, according to study results announced by Japanese researchers on Dec. 23.

The team including researchers from Riken, Japan’s largest scientific institute, pointed out the possibility of a “heart failure pandemic” in the near future, and is stressing the need for countermeasures.

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Topic: heart failureView all posts for the topic: heart failure

コロナ感染、心不全のリスク高まる可能性　理研など研究

Published December 22, 2023

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Published by: Mainichi Shimbun
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On December 23, a research team from Riken and other institutes announced the results of a study showing that after infection with the novel coronavirus, the heart may be persistently infected with the virus and the risk of heart failure may increase, even if the patient does not develop noticeable heart disease. The team points to the possibility of a sharp increase in the number of heart failure patients in the near future and calls for countermeasures to be taken.

Infection with the novel coronavirus occurs when a protruding “spike protein” on the surface of the virus binds to the ACE2 receptor on the surface of human cells. According to the team, the heart is more likely to express ACE2 compared to other organs. It has also been reported that some people infected with the novel coronavirus have reduced cardiac function, but the detailed mechanism is not known.

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Topic: JapanView all posts for the topic: Japan

Study suggests mass vaccination programs cut COVID cases in Japan 65%

Published November 6, 2023

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Stephanie Soucheray

The population benefit of COVID-19 vaccination via direct and indirect effects was substantial in Tokyo in early 2022 during Omicron, with an estimated 65% reduction in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to a new model that compared risks between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.

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Topic: JapanView all posts for the topic: Japan

Mask use in Japan at 86% despite eased guidelines, AI analysis finds

Published April 11, 2023

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Published by: The Japan Times
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About 86% of people are still wearing masks in public a month after Japan’s guidelines were eased, according to an artificial intelligence system developed by broadcaster NTV surveying people at Tokyo Station.

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Topic: JapanView all posts for the topic: Japan

Over 10% of children in Japan with COVID-related brain disease died, survey finds

Published March 27, 2023

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Published by: The Japan Times
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More than 10% of children in Japan who developed acute brain syndrome after infection with COVID-19 have died, results of a nationwide survey recently announced by a health ministry research team has shown.

The survey identified 34 cases of acute encephalopathy associated with COVID-19 infection among those under 18 between January 2020 and May 2022. The team analyzed 31 patients who did not have any underlying illnesses that could be responsible for causing the brain disease.

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