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.

Study shows behavioral and physiological impacts from COVID-19 infection can last over 79 days

Analysis of resting heart rate, activity, and sleep patterns, show infected individuals experienced delayed recovery following COVID-19 infection.

7 Jul 2021

Study explores the prevalence of long COVID in England

A review of long COVID studies conducted in March 2021 summarized the available literature on the persistent symptoms after acute COVID-19. The review also reported that most studies included hospitalized patients who had a higher prevalence of persistent symptoms compared to two community-based studies.

7 Jul 2021

Interleukin-6 antagonists benefit hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Findings from a study published today [6 July] in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have prompted new World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to use interleukin-6 antagonists in patients with severe or critical COVID-19 along with corticosteroids.

7 Jul 2021

Study shows antibody titers after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection last longer than previously thought

A recent study by researchers from the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that antibody levels associated with protection against reinfection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are likely to last from 1.5 to 2 years on average and that the protection from severe infection may be present for several years.

7 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States and India have presented the first known evidence that the rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is restricting the evolutionary and immune escape pathways accessible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

Study quantifies the impact of loneliness in old age on life and health expectancy

In 1966, The Beatles cemented the plight of lonely older people in the popular imagination with the iconic 'Eleanor Rigby', a song that turned pop music on its head when it stayed at number one on the British charts for four weeks.

6 Jul 2021

Investigation reveals considerable added benefit of remdesivir for moderately ill COVID-19 patients

Since July 2020, remdesivir has been conditionally approved in Europe for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen but no invasive ventilation.

6 Jul 2021

Many US adults report an unmet need for mental health counseling during the pandemic

A new national study published in Psychiatric Services finds that over a quarter of US adults with depression or anxiety symptoms reported needing mental health counseling but were not able to access it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Jul 2021

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Eight new research projects are getting underway in Canada to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs).

6 Jul 2021

Study provides a reliable early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 severity

In a retrospective, multi-centre cohort study conducted by researchers from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jinling Hospital and the Second Hospital of Nanjing, a microRNA-like small RNA encoded by SARS-CoV-2 was identified in the serum of COVID-19 patients, which can be developed as a non-invasive biomarker for stratification of severe patients from mild/moderate ones and for identification of high-risk individuals before clinical manifestation of severe symptoms.

6 Jul 2021

Laboratory manufactured protein spikes mimic key features of SARS-CoV-2 virus

A new international study has found that the key properties of the spikes of SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19 are consistent with those of several laboratory-developed protein spikes, designed to mimic the infectious virus.

6 Jul 2021

Sleep deprivation can affect mood in adolescents

Sleep deprivation - from lifestyle choices, pandemic stress, or late-night computer study - can quickly lead to loss of energy and function during the day and even feelings of anger and depression, an Australian sleep institute study has shown.

6 Jul 2021

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-targeting autoantibodies may increase COVID-19 severity

A team of US-based scientists recently demonstrated that pro-thrombotic autoantibodies that target angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) may be associated with endothelial complications observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

Serum testosterone status recovery an accurate predictor of survival in male COVID-19 patients

In a study available on the medRxiv* the preprint server, researchers from Spain showed that testosterone trajectories are very accurate individual predictors of survival in male patients with COVID-19. To better understand the relationship between testosterone levels and disease severity, they studied a group of male and female COVID-19 patients assessing their serum and blood biomarkers in association with outcome of disease.

6 Jul 2021

Mutations in the Epsilon variant contribute to SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Three mutations in the Epsilon coronavirus spike protein dampen the neutralizing potency of antibodies induced by current vaccines or past COVID infections.

6 Jul 2021

Study examines evolution and avidity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies after mRNA vaccination

New research released on the medRxiv* preprint server has measured antibody responses in 71 mRNA vaccinated adults (54 vaccinated with Pfizer and 17 vaccinated with Moderna).

6 Jul 2021

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

A new study has been released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with a comprehensive survey on alternative splicing concerning SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study has also included two other betacoronavirurses (SARS-CoV and MERS), a control set of unrelated viruses, and a bacterium, namely, Streptococcus pneumonia. The study findings suggest that several cellular parameters are affected owing to a betacoronavirus infection, which in turn affects some genes and invariably various biological functions.

6 Jul 2021

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

A face mask has been developed that can detect COVID-19. News-Medical spoke to the researchers behind this idea to find out more about how it works.

6 Jul 2021

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

The B.1.617 lineage of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first detected in October 2020, has led to new outbreaks of the infection and new waves of the pandemic. This infectious lineage has resulted in the generation of sub-lineages such as B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3.

6 Jul 2021

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

A recent tour-de-force study by researchers from the United Kingdom reveals variants of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that can improve or decrease binding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – including two variants with distinct population distributions showing an enhanced affinity for viral spike glycoprotein.

5 Jul 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Study shows behavioral and physiological impacts from COVID-19 infection can last over 79 days

Study explores the prevalence of long COVID in England

Interleukin-6 antagonists benefit hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Study shows antibody titers after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection last longer than previously thought

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Study quantifies the impact of loneliness in old age on life and health expectancy

Investigation reveals considerable added benefit of remdesivir for moderately ill COVID-19 patients

Many US adults report an unmet need for mental health counseling during the pandemic

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Study provides a reliable early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 severity

Laboratory manufactured protein spikes mimic key features of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Sleep deprivation can affect mood in adolescents

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-targeting autoantibodies may increase COVID-19 severity

Serum testosterone status recovery an accurate predictor of survival in male COVID-19 patients

Mutations in the Epsilon variant contribute to SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Study examines evolution and avidity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies after mRNA vaccination

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

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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