Breathing News and Research

RSS

Study shows how air pollution makes COVID-19 mortality worse for marginalized populations

As scientists worldwide race to gather data about the novel coronavirus, one of the more surprising findings has been detecting the virus attached to fine particles of air pollution.

8 May 2020

Talking and breathing can contribute to COVID-19 spread, shows study

Current knowledge about the role of aerosols in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 warrants urgent attention.

7 May 2020

Research looks at best ways to disinfect N95 masks for reuse

The world is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The health care personnel and those caring for these patients are at considerable risk of contracting the infection. N95 masks have been mentioned as protective face gear to cover the face, nose, and mouth of the user to prevent the spread of the infection via aerosols generated while coughing, sneezing, or even breathing.

6 May 2020

Asymptomatic carriers transmit SARS-CoV-2 with normal breathing

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first emerged in a seafood market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. Since then, it has spread to 187 countries, infecting more than 3.58 million people. The novel coronavirus spreads rapidly partly due to asymptomatic carriers. Now a new study shows that asymptomatic carriers may transmit the virus by merely breathing.

4 May 2020

Loss of smell should be listed as early symptom of COVID-19

Though the two common symptoms are cough and fever, recent studies and reports point to a loss of smell as a symptom early in the disease process. A team of researchers at the Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden) revealed that the sudden loss of smell is experienced by many patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

4 May 2020

Meditation combined with aerobic exercise reduces stress in medical students

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School student Paul Lavadera expected his career would put him on the front lines of dealing with medical emergencies.

4 May 2020

AI-based technology could help accelerate clinical trials for glaucoma

The technology, supported by an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, could help accelerate clinical trials, and eventually may be used in detection and diagnostics, according to the Wellcome-funded study published today in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics.

4 May 2020

New project launched to reduce COVID-19 infection among emergency room workers

Dr. David Talan, professor of emergency medicine and medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UCLA medical school will lead the trial with co-principal investigator Dr. Nicholas Mohr, vice chair for research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Iowa.

4 May 2020

FDA approves SFU professor's invention to wean COVID-19 patients from ventilators

Simon Fraser University professor Andy Hoffer hopes the SFU spinoff company he founded, Lungpacer Medical Inc., will help save the lives of COVID-19 patients using mechanical ventilators--and get them off more quickly, so that more ventilators can be available for all critically ill patients.

4 May 2020

A 'sniff test' could signal consciousness after a brain injury

A team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel revealed that the ability to detect smells predicts recovery and long-term survival in patients who had a severe brain injury. The study, published in the journal Nature, shows that the simple "sniff test," which is inexpensive and convenient, could help doctors to diagnose and develop treatments for patients who have brain injuries and unconsciousness.

3 May 2020

New clinical trial to assess whether hypertension drug may reduce COVID-19 severity

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a clinical trial to investigate whether a drug approved for treating high blood pressure, heart failure and diabetic kidney disease might also reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, lowering rates for intensive care unit admissions, the use of mechanical ventilators and all-cause mortality.

30 Apr 2020

New low-tech ventilator could be a game-changer during COVID-19 pandemic

A research collaboration and ensuing friendship between a trauma surgeon in Oregon and a handful of engineers in Florida has resulted in a new ventilator design that requires no electricity and could be a game-changer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

30 Apr 2020

Equating COVID-19 with high altitude pulmonary edema can have dangerous implications

Early reports of COVID-19 symptoms and the compelling need to quickly identify treatment options and curb the growing number of critically ill patients have led to erroneous and potentially dangerous comparisons between COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases like high altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE.

30 Apr 2020

Optimal combinations of protective gears can minimize exposure to chemicals during COVID-19 pandemic

The spread of coronavirus has spurred massive efforts to consistently disinfect everything from office buildings to schools to city buses.

30 Apr 2020

COVERED study aims to reduce risk of COVID-19 among emergency department staff

A $3.7 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been awarded to the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to study ways to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection among frontline health care workers in hospital emergency departments.

29 Apr 2020

Tobacco use may explain why more men die of coronavirus than women in Spain

Whether or not you are a smoker could condition how the coronavirus affects you. At least that is what numerous researchers are saying, insisting that tobacco use is to blame for the weakened cardiovascular systems which are at greatest risk from COVID-19.

29 Apr 2020

COVID-19 could be causing potentially fatal inflammatory disease in children, doctors warn

Since the emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China in December 2019, health experts have cautioned that the disease is particularly serious in high-risk populations, including older adults, those with underlying diseases, and those who are immunocompromised. Now, doctors in the United Kingdom warn of a rare and severe inflammatory disease in children with COVID-19.

28 Apr 2020

UTHealth experts successfully treat 3-week-old infant with severe COVID-19

In one of the first reported cases of its kind, a 3-week-old infant in critical condition recovered from COVID-19 due to rapid recognition and treatment by physicians from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston/

28 Apr 2020

India to deploy homegrown tech against COVID-19

When India's 1.3 billion people come out of a 40-day lockdown on 3 May, imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, they can hope that a battery of technologies that the government is readying to deploy against the contagious virus could offer them some protection.

28 Apr 2020

Free online resource provides soothing music and videos to support people during COVID-19

A free new online resource, which combines science and technology to provide a catalogue of soothing and calming music and videos, has been developed to support people who may feel anxious during the COVID-19 pandemic.

28 Apr 2020