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.

After 18 months, Sutter antitrust settlement finally poised for formal approval

More than 18 months after Sutter Health agreed to a tentative settlement in a closely watched antitrust case joined by the California Attorney General's Office, the judge presiding over the case indicated she would sign off on the terms, pending agreement on attorney fees. The nonprofit health care giant, based in Sacramento, stood accused of violating California's antitrust laws by using its market dominance to drive up prices.

22 Jul 2021

First dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines has strong protective effect against COVID-19 in older adults

A new study estimates vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 mortality in England using the RDD approach.

22 Jul 2021

Nurses face increased likelihood of burnout during COVID-19, reports study

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 40 percent of nurses and other health care workers had risks associated with an increased likelihood of burnout, reports a survey study in the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

22 Jul 2021

UMD awarded grant to develop an integrated hypertension management program for older adults

To address the significant health burden of hypertension (characterized by consistently high blood pressure), the University of Maryland (UMD) was recently awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to develop, test, and deliver an integrated hypertension management program for older adults.

22 Jul 2021

Efficacy of mRNA vaccine-induced memory B cells against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A new study characterizes the functional humoral immunity post-COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccination.

22 Jul 2021

Synergistic multi-antibody cocktail protects against SARS-CoV-2 in animal model

Researchers in Canada have reported the discovery of a multi-antibody cocktail that synergistically protected against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an animal model of acute infection.

22 Jul 2021

Study in France suggests high efficacy of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A nationwide case-control study conducted in France has assessed the efficacy of mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines against original severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, including B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P1.

22 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 reprograms host chromatic network to induce immune dysfunction

A recent study conducted at the University of Texas Science Center, Houston, in the USA, has revealed that upon infection, SARS-CoV-2 alters the host chromatin architecture to suppress antiviral interferon-responsive genes and augment inflammatory genes. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

22 Jul 2021

Can platelet size predict severity and mortality in COVID-19?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has baffled researchers with its propensity to cause symptoms of largely unpredictable severity in the affected individuals. An exciting new study reports on the potential predictive value of platelet size in this situation. COVID-19 patients with severe disease often develop clots in vital organs, which leads to further complications. It is known that platelet size is a good indicator of activation.

22 Jul 2021

Can prior human seasonal coronavirus antibody response patterns predict SARS-CoV-2 inhibition?

A new study, recently released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reports the intriguing finding that the cross-neutralizing antibodies elicited by human seasonal coronaviruses (sCoVs) show varying ability to prevent binding between the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen and its cognate receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

22 Jul 2021

New blood test could help predict the severity of COVID-19 symptoms

During the height of the pandemic, some hospitals were overwhelmed with patients seeking treatment for COVID-19.

22 Jul 2021

Pfizer vaccine and isolation independently associated with reduced household transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Israel was among the leading proponents of COVID-19 vaccination as the way out of the current worldwide restrictions on social and economic interactions and activity. A new study, recently released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reports on the effects of the large-scale vaccination campaigns carried out in this country, relating to successful control of SARS-CoV-2 spread within households.

22 Jul 2021

Finding most promising targets for pan-coronavirus drugs

Safe and effective vaccines offer hope for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the possible emergence of vaccine-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as novel coronaviruses, make finding treatments that work against all coronaviruses as important as ever.

22 Jul 2021

Wildfire smoke drives people in low-vaccinated areas indoors, raising outbreak fears

Missoula's new downtown library was teeming with people who might typically spend a Saturday afternoon hiking, biking or otherwise making the most of Montana's abundant outdoor recreation. One look at the soupy haze blanketing the city and it was clear why.

22 Jul 2021

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations L452R & Y453F evade cellular immunity

The study, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, also showed emerging mutations L452R and Y453F in the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding motif evade (HLA) A24-restricted cellular immunity. Meanwhile, the L452R enhances spike stability, viral fusogenicity, and viral infectivity. Hence, the findings suggest that HLA-restricted cellular immunity potentially affects the evolution of viral phenotypes.

22 Jul 2021

Scientist explore conserved RNA elements as potential targets for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs

The study, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, identified many small molecules that bind to certain parts of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that are less likely altered by mutations using dedicated substance libraries. The scientists derived key functional units and groups in ligands for effective and safe targeting of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

22 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 proteins manipulate autophagy

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has claimed more than 4.1 million lives worldwide. This pandemic is caused by a novel single-stranded RNA virus, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The rapid spread of this virus is attributed to its high infectiousness and its ability to escape and counteract host immune responses, e.g., autophagy.

22 Jul 2021

Experts call for immediate action to ensure physical activity is built into everyday lives

Not enough progress has been made to address physical inactivity worldwide, with adolescents and people living with disabilities (PLWD) among the least likely populations to have the support needed to meet the World Health Organization (WHO)'s physical activity guidelines.

22 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance identifies intricacies of stabilizing vs. destabilizing mutations

Some of these variants, known as variants of concern (VoC), have a much higher rate of transmission and increased mortality than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the efficacy of the available vaccines against the circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains. In addition, tracking the continuously evolving genetic variants is also vital to prevent future outbreaks.

22 Jul 2021

Study lays out challenges of achieving equity in communication for diverse patients at hospital discharge

A new study by research, quality improvement and health equity experts at Massachusetts General Hospital in The American Journal of Managed Care lays out the challenges of achieving equity for diverse patients in communication at hospital discharge.

21 Jul 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

After 18 months, Sutter antitrust settlement finally poised for formal approval

First dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines has strong protective effect against COVID-19 in older adults

Nurses face increased likelihood of burnout during COVID-19, reports study

UMD awarded grant to develop an integrated hypertension management program for older adults

Efficacy of mRNA vaccine-induced memory B cells against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Synergistic multi-antibody cocktail protects against SARS-CoV-2 in animal model

Study in France suggests high efficacy of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

SARS-CoV-2 reprograms host chromatic network to induce immune dysfunction

Can platelet size predict severity and mortality in COVID-19?

Can prior human seasonal coronavirus antibody response patterns predict SARS-CoV-2 inhibition?

New blood test could help predict the severity of COVID-19 symptoms

Pfizer vaccine and isolation independently associated with reduced household transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Finding most promising targets for pan-coronavirus drugs

Wildfire smoke drives people in low-vaccinated areas indoors, raising outbreak fears

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations L452R & Y453F evade cellular immunity

Scientist explore conserved RNA elements as potential targets for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs

SARS-CoV-2 proteins manipulate autophagy

Experts call for immediate action to ensure physical activity is built into everyday lives

SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance identifies intricacies of stabilizing vs. destabilizing mutations

Study lays out challenges of achieving equity in communication for diverse patients at hospital discharge

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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