Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

New York joins local governments in erasing billions in medical debt

New York City pledged this week to pay down $2 billion worth of residents' medical debt. In doing so, it has come around to an innovation, started in the Midwest, that's ridding millions of Americans of health care debt.

25 Jan 2024

Study confirms safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy for infant neurodevelopment

A large cohort study in "JAMA Pediatrics" found no significant differences in neurodevelopmental rates between infants exposed to COVID-19 vaccines in-utero and those who were not, affirming the safety of maternal COVID-19 vaccination.

24 Jan 2024

Balancing efficacy and safety: The challenges of mRNA drugs and vaccines in modern medicine

Researchers analyzed the toxicity concerns and advancements in mRNA therapeutics, focusing on their cellular toxicity, reactogenicity, and distribution, and discussed the challenges and benefits of mRNA research.

24 Jan 2024

Maternal COVID-19 vaccination equally benefits preterm and full-term babies

A study in JAMA Network Open reveals that maternal COVID-19 vaccination provides similar antibody levels in preterm and full-term infants' cord blood, with higher doses leading to increased antibodies.

24 Jan 2024

Curcumin spray shows promise in fighting SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses

A study in the Virology Journal reveals a curcumin-containing oro-nasal film spray with potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, boosting mucosal immunity without cytotoxic effects.

24 Jan 2024

COVID-19 lockdown fueled fuel primary school obesity crisis in the UK

Obesity among primary school children in the UK spiked during the COVID-19 lockdown, with a 45% increase between 2019/20 and 2020/21 among 4-5-year-olds, according to a study published on January 24, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Iván Ochoa-Moreno from the University of Southampton, UK, and colleagues.

24 Jan 2024

Ancient DNA reveals syphilis-like disease in pre-Columbian America

Researchers at the Universities of Basel and Zurich have discovered the genetic material of the pathogen Treponema pallidum in the bones of people who died in Brazil 2,000 years ago.

24 Jan 2024

UKHSA unveils groundbreaking Pathogen Genomics Strategy for pandemic preparedness

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has today published its Pathogen Genomics Strategy, laying out a 5 year plan for the organization's role in the wider delivery of pathogen genomics to prepare for and respond to infectious disease threats to public health.

24 Jan 2024

mRNA therapy revives p53 to combat ovarian tumors

Ovarian cancer is often very aggressive and responds poorly to the therapies currently available. A recent study by Goethe University Frankfurt and University Hospital Frankfurt offers hope that this could change in the medium term.

24 Jan 2024

COVID-19 pandemic erases years of advances in cardiovascular health

New research confirms what public health leaders have been fearing: the significant uptick in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rate that began in 2020 has continued.

24 Jan 2024

More than half of Americans uninformed as heart disease claims top spot again

More than half of people in the U.S. (51%) do not know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, according to a recent Harris Poll survey conducted on behalf of the American Heart Association in November 2023.

24 Jan 2024

AI Therapy companion 'replika' gains traction among lonely students

The young adult mental health outcomes of using a GPT3-enabled chatbot.

24 Jan 2024

Prepared for the next virus pandemic: The APPEAL project

In collaboration with 12 partners from 6 countries, MatTek is establishing the Antivirus Pandemic Preparedness EuropeAn pLatform (APPEAL), a European research initiative aimed at enhancing preparedness for future pandemics.

From MatTek Corporation 24 Jan 2024

Non-COVID-19 mortality among people with diabetes increased during the pandemic

Non-COVID-19-related deaths among people with diabetes increased during the pandemic, as did the diabetes complication of sight loss, according to a global study review led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher that examined the impacts of pandemic-related disruptions on this vulnerable population.

23 Jan 2024

Long COVID's impact on cardiovascular health: what we do and do not know

Researchers review the cardiovascular effects of long COVID.

23 Jan 2024

Persistent presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in long COVID patients

Researchers conduct blood digital transcriptomics to determine the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with long COVID-19.

23 Jan 2024

Long COVID and ME/CFS patients could benefit from a coordinated treatment strategy

People suffering from Long COVID or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) could benefit from a coordinated treatment strategy, a new University of Otago study has found.

22 Jan 2024

Primary care physicians drowning in EHR workload

The study evaluated recent trends in primary care physicians' (PCPs) electronic health record (EHR) workload.

22 Jan 2024

Scientists demonstrate way to produce SARS-CoV-2 receptor protein in mouse cells

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University has demonstrated a way to produce large quantities of the receptor that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, binds to on the surface of human cells.

22 Jan 2024

COMO study focuses on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents in Germany

Less exercise, more time spent in front of screens, higher psychological stress, and reduced physical fitness: These alarming results were obtained by various studies focusing on children and adolescents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

22 Jan 2024