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.

Researchers develop rapid antibody screening method for novel COVID-19 therapeutics development

New research undertaken by researchers in the USA describes two parallel but distinct in vivo approaches for the accelerated discovery of antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

3 Jun 2021

Known pharmaceutical compounds could provide new therapies for COVID-19

After screening over 12,000 existing treatments, researchers have found many promising antiviral compounds that could treat COVID-19.

3 Jun 2021

Study compares Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccine-elicited response to SARS-CoV-2 variants

A new study has been published on the bioRxiv preprint server which focuses on the correlation between the vaccine-triggered Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels and neutralization titers against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Further, neutralization activities against the variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.525, and B.1.351), using Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, sera were assessed.

3 Jun 2021

Scientists assess the filtration efficacy of 227 models of face masks sold in Brazil

The novel coronavirus is transmitted mainly via inhalation of saliva droplets or respiratory secretions suspended in air, so that face covering and social distancing are the most effective ways to prevent COVID-19 until enough vaccines are available for all.

3 Jun 2021

Centivax and US Naval Medical Research Center to begin Phase I clinical trial of antibody therapeutics

Centivax Inc. announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) for Phase I clinical development of Centi-B9, Centivax's SARS-CoV-2 broad-spectrum injectable antibody therapeutic and prophylactic.

3 Jun 2021

New survey highlights key role of ECT for treating severe depression, other conditions

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in North America in March 2020, health care facilities stopped providing all but "essential" care, to reduce infection risks and preserve protective gear known as PPE.

3 Jun 2021

Study could help scientists, policymakers communicate about zoonotic diseases

A new study from North Carolina State University found that certain types of messages could influence how people perceive information about the spread of diseases from wildlife to humans.

3 Jun 2021

Experts offer plausible solutions to mitigate zoonotic risk associated with intensive animal agriculture

As early as the Neolithic period (circa 3900 BC), the domestication of animals likely led to the development of diseases including measles and smallpox. Since then, zoonotic disease has led to other major transnational outbreaks including HIV, Ebola, SARS, MERS, and H1N1 swine flu, among others.

3 Jun 2021

A study of the COVID fatality rates in India during waves 1 and 2

A team of researchers at the Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan estimated the underreporting factor for infections using publicly available data released by the Indian Council of Medical Research on the reported number of cases and national seroprevalence surveys.

3 Jun 2021

COVID-19 mortality in Israel and Europe after vaccination

The study, which appeared on the pre-print server, medRxiv*, confirms the potent efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination based on real-life public data in terms of protection against death.

2 Jun 2021

Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin therapy at a higher dose improved survival by nearly 200% in ventilated COVID patients

However, a fascinating new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server suggests that such disappointment may have been both premature and unwarranted, based on a re-analysis of over 250 patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during the first two months of the pandemic.

2 Jun 2021

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

Predictors of COVID vaccination uptake in the U.S.

A recent preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server describes the changing patterns of vaccine uptake in the USA and offers short-term forecasts to help create strategies of vaccine supply as required.

2 Jun 2021

E484K mutation may confer immune evasion capability on UK variant of SARS-CoV-2

A new medRxiv* preprint reports the immunomodulatory effect of the E484K mutation newly acquired by the United Kingdom (U.K.) variant.

2 Jun 2021

Low-wage earners could not afford to comply with stay-at-home orders during lockdown

Fine-grained location data gleaned from mobile phones shows that people living in less affluent neighborhoods spent less time at home during the early lockdown and first several months of the coronavirus pandemic.

2 Jun 2021

New insight into how platelets help resolve bacterial lung inflammation

Treating patients with acute respiratory failure is a constant challenge in intensive care medicine. In most cases, the underlying cause is lung inflammation triggered by a bacterial infection or - more rarely, despite being frequently observed at present due to the corona pandemic - a viral infection.

2 Jun 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 variants partially resistant to infection- and vaccine-induced immunity, study finds

A recent study conducted by a team of scientists in the Netherlands has revealed that while severely affected hospitalized COVID-19 patients and vaccinated individuals are capable of neutralizing the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants of SARS-CoV-2, a significant proportion of non-hospitalized patients with less severe COVID-19 remain susceptible to these viral variants.

2 Jun 2021

Could higher carnitine levels in the blood protect against severe COVID-19?

Researchers at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK, found that carnitine and its derivative acetyl-carnitine provide a protective effect against severe COVID-19. Doubling of carnitine or acetyl-carnitine is tied to a 40-percent reduction risk of disease progression.

2 Jun 2021

Could certain genes be associated with a loss of smell in some COVID-19 patients?

Researchers at the 23andMe COVID-19 Team, who help search for genetic links associated with the severity of COVID-19, found that the genes UGT2A1 and UGT2A2 may be associated with the loss of smell in those infected with SARS-CoV-2.

2 Jun 2021

Could semen quality indicate SARS-CoV-2 insult susceptibility in polluted areas?

In a recent review in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Italian researchers focused on “the evidence that correlates the degree and type of pollution with the increased susceptibility of many countries to this pandemic and proposes human semen as an early marker of the environmental health and the general health of individuals.” Their observations are based on a robust body of experimental evidence.

2 Jun 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers develop rapid antibody screening method for novel COVID-19 therapeutics development

Known pharmaceutical compounds could provide new therapies for COVID-19

Study compares Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccine-elicited response to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Scientists assess the filtration efficacy of 227 models of face masks sold in Brazil

Centivax and US Naval Medical Research Center to begin Phase I clinical trial of antibody therapeutics

New survey highlights key role of ECT for treating severe depression, other conditions

Study could help scientists, policymakers communicate about zoonotic diseases

Experts offer plausible solutions to mitigate zoonotic risk associated with intensive animal agriculture

A study of the COVID fatality rates in India during waves 1 and 2

COVID-19 mortality in Israel and Europe after vaccination

Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin therapy at a higher dose improved survival by nearly 200% in ventilated COVID patients

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Predictors of COVID vaccination uptake in the U.S.

E484K mutation may confer immune evasion capability on UK variant of SARS-CoV-2

Low-wage earners could not afford to comply with stay-at-home orders during lockdown

New insight into how platelets help resolve bacterial lung inflammation

Novel SARS-CoV-2 variants partially resistant to infection- and vaccine-induced immunity, study finds

Could higher carnitine levels in the blood protect against severe COVID-19?

Could certain genes be associated with a loss of smell in some COVID-19 patients?

Could semen quality indicate SARS-CoV-2 insult susceptibility in polluted areas?

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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