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.

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

In a new scientific investigation headed by the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, water from African and Mongolian waterholes as well as bloodmeals from Southeast Asian leeches were assessed for the ability to retrieve mammalian viruses without the need to find and catch the mammals.

28 Jun 2021

Study examines the impact of hotel's community support during COVID-19 pandemic

Hotels that opened their doors to homeless people in their community during lockdown generated greater positive word-of-mouth marketing than those that offered free accommodation to frontline healthcare workers, finds new University research.

28 Jun 2021

Novel approach to molecular drug design paves way for promising bladder cancer therapy

A new approach to molecular drug design has yielded a highly promising bladder cancer drug, which induced rapid shedding of tumor cells and resulted in a significant reduction in tumour size when used in clinical trials.

28 Jun 2021

Greater screen time usage among preteens associated with higher BMI one year later

A new national study finds that children in the United States with greater screen time usage at ages 9-10 are more likely to gain weight one year later.

28 Jun 2021

Blood cancer patients show widely variable response to COVID-19 vaccines

Patients with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma had a widely variable response to COVID-19 vaccines--in some cases, no detectable response--pointing to the need for antibody testing and precautions for these patients after vaccination, according to a study that will be published in Cancer Cell this week.

28 Jun 2021

UK study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic cats and dogs

Researchers analyzed sera from pet cats and dogs and found them to have developed antibodies against the virus later on during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that viral prevalence among the human populations could have led to the pets becoming infected.

28 Jun 2021

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

Researchers compared peripheral blood mononuclear cells in people with high and low antibody titers after two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine. They found a positive correlation between naïve B cells present before vaccination and high antibody titers.

28 Jun 2021

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

New research suggests that if a lockdown had been imposed earlier on in superspreader cities like São Paulo, mandatory road traffic restrictions had been enforced, and ICU beds had been allocated more equitably across geographical regions, Brazil’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might have been mitigated.

28 Jun 2021

Study finds minimal SARS-CoV-2 viral load in vaginal secretions

The virus has also been observed to be present in blood, urine, feces, and tears, though not in semen. Vaginal secretions have not been consistently shown to be positive for the virus in most studies. The authors of a new study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine affirm that the presence of the virus in the vagina is rare, irrespective of pregnancy.

28 Jun 2021

Resting heart rate variability predicts emotional resilience during COVID-19 restrictions

An interesting new study available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server suggests that vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) is a physiological marker of resilience to stress by indicating how well an individual handles the emotions when faced with changes in the surroundings.

28 Jun 2021

Could microalgae-derived antiviral compounds combat SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses?

A new review article published in the journal Antibiotics reports the presence of a large number of bioactive compounds in microalgae that target chemical structures present only in their structure.

28 Jun 2021

Vaccines and drugs must be adapted to combat emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, says study

A new review of the emerging variants of concern (VOCs) of the SARS-CoV-2, which has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, shows that there is a major need to constantly re-evaluate the utility of existing therapeutics and vaccines against the virus and to develop new ones.

28 Jun 2021

Achieving gender equality within global health

News-Medical spoke to Dr. Claire Bayntun about her incredible career in global health, and how we can achieve gender equality within healthcare settings.

28 Jun 2021

Tocilizumab and sarilumab shown to be effective in critical COVID-19

A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes how a team of researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands explored the efficacy of four monoclonal antibodies that antagonize powerful pro-inflammatory pathways. The team sought to determine which were useful in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients on organ support.

28 Jun 2021

An affordable, scalable and highly sensitive virus-genome-based testing approach

Aiming to reduce human suffering, economic costs, and restrictions on personal freedom caused by COVID-19 to a minimum, researchers from Germany and Austria proposed an alternative method - efficient population-based genome-based testing.

28 Jun 2021

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine induces robust T cell-based immunity

A recent study conducted by an international team of scientists has revealed that the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, AZD1222, is capable of inducing strong spike-specific CD4+ T cell helper type 1 (Th1) and CD8+ T-cell responses in vaccinated individuals. A detailed description of AZD1222-induced cellular immunity is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

28 Jun 2021

An oral pill for COVID-19? Molnupiravir shows promise

Recently, researchers reported molnupiravir as the first oral and direct-acting antiviral that is highly effective at reducing SARS-CoV-2 levels.

27 Jun 2021

Swedish study reveals how long immunity lasts after mild COVID

As a result of the ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated disease, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the global public health at risk has never been more dire.

27 Jun 2021

Why is staying active important during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Working from home is no excuse to stop exercising. New research led by Akira Ogami from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan confirms that regular exercise is needed in maintaining good physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers who allocated time towards exercise or some form of physical activity reported a higher health-related quality of life than people who did not.

27 Jun 2021

Oxford study sheds light on level of antibodies needed to protect against COVID-19 symptoms

Researchers in the UK have reported on the relationship between humoral (antibody) responses and protection against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) following immunization with AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 vaccine.

27 Jun 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

Study examines the impact of hotel's community support during COVID-19 pandemic

Novel approach to molecular drug design paves way for promising bladder cancer therapy

Greater screen time usage among preteens associated with higher BMI one year later

Blood cancer patients show widely variable response to COVID-19 vaccines

UK study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic cats and dogs

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

Study finds minimal SARS-CoV-2 viral load in vaginal secretions

Resting heart rate variability predicts emotional resilience during COVID-19 restrictions

Could microalgae-derived antiviral compounds combat SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses?

Vaccines and drugs must be adapted to combat emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, says study

Achieving gender equality within global health

Tocilizumab and sarilumab shown to be effective in critical COVID-19

An affordable, scalable and highly sensitive virus-genome-based testing approach

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine induces robust T cell-based immunity

An oral pill for COVID-19? Molnupiravir shows promise

Swedish study reveals how long immunity lasts after mild COVID

Why is staying active important during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Oxford study sheds light on level of antibodies needed to protect against COVID-19 symptoms

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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