Efficacy News and Research

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Cancer drug could help inhibit adenovirus infection

An adenovirus infection can be potentially life-threatening, especially for children after a stem cell transplant.

14 Jul 2020

Researcher and health research journalist point out biased misinformation on coronavirus

In a new JAMA editorial, a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher and a health research journalist outline common ways that media, governments, and industry and academic public relations press releases have incompletely and misleadingly reported coronavirus research, and how they can do better.

14 Jul 2020

People with accelerated biological age at increased risk of COVID-19 symptom severity and mortality

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 discusses the explanation in terms of the biological aging markers in patients with severe disease, rather than the chronological age.

13 Jul 2020

Severely injured donor lungs can be successfully recovered outside the body

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death worldwide, and lung transplantation is still the only cure for patients with end-stage lung disease.

13 Jul 2020

Coronavirus disease immunity fades within a few months, study finds

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly across the globe, with more than 13 million people infected. Of these, an estimated 7 million have recovered from the viral infection. However, it was unclear whether being exposed to the virus would provide long-lasting immunity. Now, a new study says that SARS-CoV-2 immunity may only last for months.

13 Jul 2020

New theranostic agents show efficacy for precision diagnosis, treatment of prostate cancer

Researchers have developed a new pair of agents that show exceptional effectiveness for precision diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in preclinical studies.

13 Jul 2020

Bat research critical to help predict and prevent the next pandemic

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.

13 Jul 2020

Study shows safety and effectiveness of PET radiotracer in imaging glioblastomas

A first-in-human study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting has demonstrated the safety, favorable pharmacokinetic and dosimetry profile of 64Cu-EBRGD, a new, relatively long-lived PET tracer, in patients with glioblastomas.

13 Jul 2020

New radiotracer can directly measure synaptic changes following stroke

A new radiotracer, 18F-SynVesT-2, can directly assess synaptic density changes in the brain, providing an objective and quantitative measure of disease progression after stroke.

13 Jul 2020

NUS teams develop three nasopharyngeal swab designs for COVID-19 testing

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a global surge in demand for nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, a key element in testing for SARS-CoV-2. Singapore is no exception. Commercially available NP swabs used in COVID-19 test kits are often out of stock due to supply chain disruptions.

13 Jul 2020

Global government COVID-19 interventions - no one-fits-all solution exists

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that some less intrusive NPIs are better than total lockdown. This may help to shape future measures should repeated waves of the pandemic occur.

12 Jul 2020

Membrane makeover turns N95 respirator into a reusable mask

A polyimide membrane with regularly sized and spaced pores turns the N95 respirator into a reusable mask for protection against COVID-19.

12 Jul 2020

Aerosol boxes increase healthcare workers' exposure to COVID-19

A new study shows that certain aerosol boxes of a similar type to those that have been manufactured and used in hospitals in the UK and around the world in order to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 can actually increase exposure to airborne particles that carry the virus, and thus casts doubt on their usefulness.

12 Jul 2020

Morinaga Milk’s probiotic B. breve A1 improves memory functions of older adults with MCI

Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese dairy product company and a key global probiotics manufacturer, confirmed that its proprietary probiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve A1 (a.k.a. B. breve MCC1274) is safe and effective for improving memory functions of older adults with suspected mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT).

10 Jul 2020

New clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma to prevent COVID-19

There is only one approved, specific treatment for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, albeit with modest efficacy.

10 Jul 2020

What people know and how they behave during COVID-19: Canadian perspective

Now, a new study by researchers in Canada and published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that national news is the primary source of information about the pandemic.

10 Jul 2020

Volunteers can now register for coronavirus disease vaccine trials

In an attempt to recruit many volunteers, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has established a new clinical COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (COVPN) that aims to enroll thousands of volunteers to test various investigational vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

10 Jul 2020

Challenges in evaluating the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

With more than 140 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development, the race is on for a successful candidate to help prevent COVID-19.

9 Jul 2020

UHN leads first-of-its-kind real world evidence study of medical cannabis

Medical cannabis is finally being put under the microscope, in a first-of-its-kind real world evidence study led by Dr. Hance Clarke, Director of Pain Services, Toronto General Hospital, and a recognized leader in educating Canadians about chronic pain management and the risk factors of continued opioid use.

9 Jul 2020

Rochester community initiative increases adolescent use of long-acting reversible contraception

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that a University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) community outreach initiative has helped adolescents in Rochester adopt long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) at a rate far higher than the U.S. overall.

9 Jul 2020