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Digital warm-start CRISPR assay enables sensitive quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples

In a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, researchers from the University of Connecticut Health Center in the United States unveil their digital warm-start CRISPR (WS-CRISPR) method for stringent and sensitive quantitative detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in clinical samples of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

24 Nov 2020

Parents complain that pediatricians, wary of COVID, shift sick kids to urgent care

A mom of eight boys, Kim Gudgeon was at her wits' end when she called her family doctor in suburban Chicago to schedule a sick visit for increasingly fussy, 1-year-old Bryce.

23 Nov 2020

New COVID-19 app can make contact tracing more private and secure

Engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech are collaborating on a smartphone app that can help conduct contact tracing needed to contain the spread of COVID-19 without risking users' privacy or personal security. Their work is funded by a one-year, $120,000 RAPID grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

20 Nov 2020

People proving to be weakest link for apps tracking COVID exposure

The app builders had planned for pranksters, ensuring that only people with verified COVID-19 cases could trigger an alert. They'd planned for heavy criticism about privacy, in many cases making the features as bare-bones as possible.

19 Nov 2020

Around 30 percent of Australians hesitant to accept SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, study finds

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 suggests that a significant proportion of the Australian population is likely to show vaccine hesitancy. This indicates the need for public health messaging as well as, in some cases, other policy measures.

18 Nov 2020

Aggressive COVID testing minimize the spread of disease among students

An aggressive COVID-19 surveillance and testing effort at Duke University was highly effective in minimizing the spread of the disease among students on campus, according to a case study appearing Tuesday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

18 Nov 2020

Universal mask-wearing can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility by almost two-thirds, study finds

A new study presents more empirical evidence that universal masking can reduce transmissibility by almost two-thirds, even with inadequate social distancing. The study was published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020.

17 Nov 2020

Researchers look at barriers related to use of contact tracing apps

As a tool for controlling the spread of COVID-19, mobile applications for contact tracing are most effective when they are widely adopted and left on indefinitely.

16 Nov 2020

People taking placebo pills and statins experienced similar side effects, shows study

People taking dummy pills and statins experienced similar side effects in a new study.

15 Nov 2020

Artificial olfactory system mimics the mammalian nose to assess meat freshness

A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore has invented an artificial olfactory system that mimics the mammalian nose to assess the freshness of meat accurately.

10 Nov 2020

Study finds diabetes epidemic among Xavante indigenous community in Central Brazil

The Xavante, one of the indigenous communities most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil, are suffering from an epidemic of diabetes, a "silent" disease considered a risk factor for severe COVID-19.

10 Nov 2020

Heart rate data from wearable devices helps predict SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States has developed a digital platform to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and related symptoms in healthcare personnel.

9 Nov 2020

Successful containment of COVID-19 in a Brazilian archipelago

The team of researchers in May 2020, headed by Ligia Regina Franco Sansigolo Kerr and Prof Costa Mendes, aimed to discuss and report the various control measures taken by FNA authorities in order to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FNA). Their research is published on the preprint server medRxiv.

8 Nov 2020

App-delivered computerized brain-training helps prevent alcohol relapse

A recent study has shown that it may be possible to dampen the workings of the subconscious brain to prevent alcohol relapse, the results leading to a world-first trial of a personalised smartphone app called "SWiPE".

4 Nov 2020

Researchers to use new app data to prevent anxiety, improve wellbeing in young people

Young people across Europe are being recruited to a trial to put their smartphone addiction to good use, via an app designed to prevent anxiety and depression and improve wellbeing.

4 Nov 2020

New system wirelessly captures data from pulse oximeters for COVID-19 monitoring

Automating the collection and presentation of healthcare data is crucial in the fight against COVID-19 - it adds capacity to screening efforts by automating routine tasks, thereby allowing frontline staff such as dormitory operators and healthcare workers in community care facilities to focus on more pressing tasks while receiving regular updates on the health status of the individuals under their care.

4 Nov 2020

Mobile smartphone technology may be key to improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival

Mobile smartphone technology can accelerate first responder dispatch and may be instrumental to improving out of hospital cardiac arrest (OCHA) survival.

30 Oct 2020

Decision conflict may lead to less favorable treatment outcomes in cancer patients

Nearly one-third of cancer patients who decide to undergo surgery for their condition may have second thoughts, and this decision conflict may lead to less favorable treatment outcomes in both the near- and long-term, according to a team of investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).

30 Oct 2020

Autonomous robot uses UV light to kill COVID-19

Ultraviolet light is a form of radiation that can be used for sterilization and disinfection. With schools and offices beginning to meet in-person again despite little change in the rate of COVID-19 infections, easy, low-cost sterilization strategies are necessary to curb the spread of the pandemic.

28 Oct 2020

Telemedicine or in-person visit? Pros and cons

As COVID-19 took hold in March, U.S. doctors limited in-person appointments — and many patients avoided them — for fear of infection. The result was a huge increase in the volume of remote medical and behavioral health visits.

27 Oct 2020

Smartphone News and Research

Digital warm-start CRISPR assay enables sensitive quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples

Parents complain that pediatricians, wary of COVID, shift sick kids to urgent care

New COVID-19 app can make contact tracing more private and secure

People proving to be weakest link for apps tracking COVID exposure

Around 30 percent of Australians hesitant to accept SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, study finds

Aggressive COVID testing minimize the spread of disease among students

Universal mask-wearing can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility by almost two-thirds, study finds

Researchers look at barriers related to use of contact tracing apps

People taking placebo pills and statins experienced similar side effects, shows study

Artificial olfactory system mimics the mammalian nose to assess meat freshness

Study finds diabetes epidemic among Xavante indigenous community in Central Brazil

Heart rate data from wearable devices helps predict SARS-CoV-2 infection

Successful containment of COVID-19 in a Brazilian archipelago

App-delivered computerized brain-training helps prevent alcohol relapse

Researchers to use new app data to prevent anxiety, improve wellbeing in young people

New system wirelessly captures data from pulse oximeters for COVID-19 monitoring

Mobile smartphone technology may be key to improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival

Decision conflict may lead to less favorable treatment outcomes in cancer patients

Autonomous robot uses UV light to kill COVID-19

Telemedicine or in-person visit? Pros and cons

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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