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Even light physical activity can significantly boost health, shows study

More than 5 million people around the world die from causes associated with a lack of physical activity. Two research teams at UC San Diego School of Medicine sought to understand sedentary lifestyles, with one study finding that even light physical activity, including just standing, can benefit health, and the other that Americans are still sitting too much.

13 Oct 2020

Zinc deficiency linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes

A team of researchers from various universities and institutes in Spain recently published a paper on the preprint server medRxiv,* in which they hypothesize that serum zinc levels have a significant influence on COVID-19 progression and thus may be a useful biomarker in predicting severe disease in early stages of COVID-19 infection.

12 Oct 2020

Even mild fatty liver disease associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD, affects nearly one in four adults in Europe and the U.S. Earlier research has demonstrated an increased risk of death in patients with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis.

12 Oct 2020

Italian research shows low transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within schools

A team of scientists from Italy has recently conducted a study to investigate the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among students attending Italian schools after reopening after COVID-19 lockdown. The findings reveal that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low among younger students. The study is published on the medRxiv preprint server.

12 Oct 2020

Universal facemask use could prevent hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 deaths

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) COVID-19 Forecasting team has advised that universal mask-wearing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could save hundreds of thousands of lives and delay the need for mitigation measures such as stay-at-home policies.

12 Oct 2020

COVID-19 susceptibility is independent of age, research shows

Scientists have estimated that the age of an individual does not indicate how likely they are to be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, development of symptoms, progression of the disease, and mortality are age-dependent.

12 Oct 2020

People with pandemic-related stress show least engagement at work

As COVID-19 cases surged this spring, the pandemic led some people more than others to ponder their own mortality. A new study in China and the United States suggests that these people were the ones who showed the highest levels of stress and the least engagement at work.

12 Oct 2020

COVID stalks Montana town already saddled with asbestos disease

Like thousands of people from Libby and Lincoln County in the far northwestern corner of Montana, the 61-year-old Fahland has scarred lungs after years of breathing in asbestos fibers from dust and soil contaminated by the town's now-defunct plant that produced vermiculite, a mineral used in insulation and gardening.

12 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism underlying the progression of FAP-associated Desmoid tumor

Volume 11, Issue 26 of Oncotarget reported that in this study the authors studied the differences in mi RNA expression between sporadic and FAP-associated Desmoid tumors using microarray confirmed by quantitative PCR.

12 Oct 2020

Combination of biology and lifestyle increases COVID-19 mortality in men

Being a man, having a lower income, having a lower level of education, not being married, and being born abroad in low- or middle-income countries - these are factors that, independent of one another, are related to an elevated risk of dying from COVID-19 in Sweden.

12 Oct 2020

Elevated plasma ACE2 activity persists months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Recently, researchers from the University of Melbourne and Immune Therapies Group, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, reported that downregulation of cardiac ACE2 is linked to increased plasma ACE2 activity. This study is summarized in a preprint paper published in medRxiv.

11 Oct 2020

Temporal predictors of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Researchers in a recent paper published as a preprint on the preprint medRxiv, study the clinical factors, the laboratory assays to streamline plasma donor selection, and the durability of nAb responses in adults.

11 Oct 2020

Vaccines likely to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation

The emergence of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutation D614G has raised many questions, including whether it will cause the virus to become resistant to the vaccines produced against earlier versions of the virus. A new study published in the journal npj Vaccines in October 2020 shows that this may be an unfounded fear.

11 Oct 2020

Analysis of existing comorbidities and COVID-19 mortality

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, and research related to potential risk factors for COVID-19 mortality continues, it is becoming clear that individuals with underlying comorbidities have a greater risk of death from COVID-19. The exact contribution of different comorbidities is unclear, however. Now, a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE dissects this topic and may help to quantify the risk posed by specific conditions and offer help with the prognosis.

11 Oct 2020

Pathways contributing to hypercoagulability in severe SARS‐CoV‐2 patients

In a study by researchers explored the possible mechanisms of the clotting disorder, focusing on the role of hypoxia-related activation of coagulation factors; cytokine storm, activation of neutrophils, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps.

11 Oct 2020

New age and sex-specific model of COVID-19 transmission

Researchers at the University of Rostock in Germany have developed a model of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission that considers subdivisions of age and sex to provide better insights into the impact that increased contact rates might have on the risk of infection and mortality.

11 Oct 2020

Launch of new WHO guidance on ethics and vector-borne diseases

On Wednesday 14 October, WHO will launch new guidance: Ethics & vector-borne diseases. The guidance document is a culmination of more than three years of work and will be a valuable new tool to support global efforts to prevent and control vector-borne diseases (VBDs).

9 Oct 2020

Investment in PPE for health care workers saves lives, provides substantial economic return

Providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for all health care workers around the world requires an initial investment of billions of dollars, but the returns on that investment could be close to 8000% in productivity gains, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Nicholas Risko of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and colleagues.

9 Oct 2020

Exuberant activation of immune cells in severe COVID-19 resembles lupus

In severe cases of COVID-19, Emory researchers have been observing an exuberant activation of immune cells, resembling acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease.

9 Oct 2020

Study examines ways to improve prone positioning for severe ARDS during COVID-19 pandemic

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines ways to increase the use of prone positioning for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and develops specific implementation strategies that can assist in clinicians' response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Oct 2020