Pandemic News and Research

RSS

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 SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1 shows increased transmissibility and immune resistance

A Japanese study published in BioRxiv explores the virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 variant, finding it has a higher effective reproductive number and stronger resistance to immunity from other variants, potentially due to the L455S spike protein mutation.

11 Dec 2023

Pandemic stressors overwhelm genetic resilience to depression in college students

Living through a historic pandemic while handling the stress of the first year of college sent one-third of students in a new study into clinical depression. That's double the percentage seen in previous years of the same study.

11 Dec 2023

Transcendental Meditation significantly reduces PTSD, anxiety, and burnout in nurses during COVID-19

Frontline nurses who learned the Transcendental Meditation technique during the COVID-19 pandemic showed rapid and significant improvements in flourishing, PTSD, anxiety, and burnout over 3 months compared to controls, according to a study published today in the Journal of Nursing Administration.

11 Dec 2023

Natural compound activates macrophages to fight resistant tuberculosis bacteria

Tuberculosis (TB) is a prevalent infectious disease that affects millions of people each year. It was previously the leading cause of death from a single pathogen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Dec 2023

Watch: She had a home and a good-paying job. Then illness and debt upended it all.

Sharon Woodward used to travel the country as a medical technician. She made good money and prided herself on her skills.

11 Dec 2023

Increased internet use linked to higher anxiety in teens, research shows

The prevalence of anxiety and internet addiction among adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019.

11 Dec 2023

AIHW data reveals increase in waiting times for patients undergoing elective surgery in Australia’s public hospitals

The number of patients undergoing elective (non-emergency) surgery in Australia’s public hospitals increased by 18% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, but many patients are still facing long wait times, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

11 Dec 2023

COVID-19 significantly raises risk of severe complications in pregnant women

Study found that pregnant mothers with COVID-19 face a significantly higher risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM), including adult respiratory distress syndrome and acute renal failure, emphasizing the urgent need for their early diagnosis and treatment.

10 Dec 2023

Researchers discover next-gen lipid nanoparticles for muscle-focused mRNA delivery

A team of researchers based at the University of Toronto's (U of T) Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has discovered a novel ionizable lipid nanoparticle that enables muscle-focused mRNA delivery while minimizing off-target delivery to other tissues.

8 Dec 2023

Unmasking system hesitancies that aggravated the COVID-19 tragedy

More than 1.2 million people have died in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic to date, more documented deaths than any other nation on Earth.

8 Dec 2023

Closing the gender gap in HIV treatment could slash infection rates in Uganda

A study looking at 15 years of HIV transmission and suppression in Uganda reveals how closing gender gaps in treatment could slash infection rates.

8 Dec 2023

Repeated mRNA vaccines supercharge immune response against COVID-19, study finds

Study published in Nature Immunology reveals that repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations enhance immune response, especially in previously infected individuals, leading to a diversified and increased number of immune cell clones and a stronger ability to combat various virus strains.

7 Dec 2023

Study shows decline in post-surgery opioid prescriptions, but urges continued efforts

Post-surgery pain relief has shifted away from opioid-containing medications over the past seven years, but the downward trend has slowed since 2020, a new study shows.

7 Dec 2023

COST's Network of Actions against COVID-19

Throughout history, infectious diseases have been a constant presence, and this is still the case today, with frequent outbreaks.

7 Dec 2023

Study reveals need for improved infection prevention for high-risk healthcare personnel

A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), based on a survey of healthcare professionals conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests that new efforts may be needed to strengthen infection prevention precautions and protect staff members at the highest risk of exposure to dangerous pathogens.

7 Dec 2023

Immune system shows remarkable adaptability to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Although SARS-CoV-2 is no longer a stranger to the immune system, new virus variants still pose a challenge.

7 Dec 2023

Understanding deprivation measures: A key to equitable public health resource allocation

Over the course of the pandemic, COVID-19 hit Black communities and communities of color particularly hard.

6 Dec 2023

Ashwagandha extracts show promise in reducing stress hormones, study suggests

A systematic review reveals that Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) extracts can effectively reduce cortisol levels in the short term, offering a natural alternative for stress management, though long-term effects remain unexplored.

6 Dec 2023

Design modifications offer promise for safer and more effective mRNA therapeutics

Researchers have discovered that misreading of therapeutic mRNAs by the cell's decoding machinery can cause an unintended immune response in the body.

6 Dec 2023

Practical guidance for implementing EHR-based chronic disease surveillance

As hospitalizations due to chronic conditions increase across the United States, attention is focusing on using data collected in electronic health records (EHRs) by healthcare systems to enable public health departments to gain understanding of the incidence and prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, obesity and other chronic diseases with the ultimate goal of improving disease outcomes.

6 Dec 2023

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

New SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1 shows increased transmissibility and immune resistance

Pandemic stressors overwhelm genetic resilience to depression in college students

Transcendental Meditation significantly reduces PTSD, anxiety, and burnout in nurses during COVID-19

Natural compound activates macrophages to fight resistant tuberculosis bacteria

Watch: She had a home and a good-paying job. Then illness and debt upended it all.

Increased internet use linked to higher anxiety in teens, research shows

AIHW data reveals increase in waiting times for patients undergoing elective surgery in Australia’s public hospitals

COVID-19 significantly raises risk of severe complications in pregnant women

Researchers discover next-gen lipid nanoparticles for muscle-focused mRNA delivery

Unmasking system hesitancies that aggravated the COVID-19 tragedy

Closing the gender gap in HIV treatment could slash infection rates in Uganda

Repeated mRNA vaccines supercharge immune response against COVID-19, study finds

Study shows decline in post-surgery opioid prescriptions, but urges continued efforts

COST's Network of Actions against COVID-19

Study reveals need for improved infection prevention for high-risk healthcare personnel

Immune system shows remarkable adaptability to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Understanding deprivation measures: A key to equitable public health resource allocation

Ashwagandha extracts show promise in reducing stress hormones, study suggests

Design modifications offer promise for safer and more effective mRNA therapeutics

Practical guidance for implementing EHR-based chronic disease surveillance

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Latest News