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 reveals how lung alveolus forms at cellular level

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have determined what happens at a cellular level as the lung alveolus forms and allows newborns to breathe air.

11 Mar 2021

Delays in treatment at the hospital may have severe consequences on stroke recovery

For every 10-minute delay between arrival at the emergency room (ER) and starting stroke treatment, patients with severe strokes may lose eight weeks of healthy life, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2021.

11 Mar 2021

Study finds limited association between vitamin D and improved COVID-19 outcomes

New research shows a lack of an association between Vitamin D deficiency and the number of COVID-19 cases, recoveries, or mortality rates in European countries.

11 Mar 2021

High obesity rates in Southern states magnify Covid threat

In January, as Mississippi health officials planned for their incoming shipments of covid-19 vaccine, they assessed the state's most vulnerable: health care workers, of course, and elderly people in nursing homes.

11 Mar 2021

Promega launches XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents

Promega Corporation has released XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents that facilitate RNA extraction-free sample preparation that is automation-friendly.

From Promega Corporation 11 Mar 2021

Is a single mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose enough for recovered individuals?

A new study deals with the evaluation of adaptive immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in candidates who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11 Mar 2021

Researchers develop assay for qualitative assessment of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

To address the need for a high-quality neutralization assay against SARS-CoV-2, researchers from the NIAID modified and optimized a previously established fluorescence reduction neutralization assay (FRNA) to provide a quantitative assessment of a large number of infected cells through the use of a high-content imaging system.

11 Mar 2021

Pregnant women in Japan had higher levels of anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

Pregnant women in Japan who responded to an online survey early in the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated higher levels of anxiety compared to women undergoing fertility treatments and to pregnant women in Iran.

11 Mar 2021

Objective and subjective memory can function independently, shows study

When we recall a memory, we retrieve specific details about it: where, when, with whom. But we often also experience a vivid feeling of remembering the event, sometimes almost reliving it. Memory researchers call these processes objective and subjective memory, respectively.

11 Mar 2021

Believing in one’s own capabilities boosts personal resilience, shows study

The unpredictable nature of life during the coronavirus pandemic is particularly challenging for many people. Not everyone can cope equally well with the uncertainty and loss of control.

11 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 subunit induces hypercoagulability

The vascular complications of the condition include a range of various coagulopathies that cause bleeding and thrombocytopenia or a hypercoagulable state. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server describes the role of a fibrinogen-related protein in inducing these clinical features of COVID-19.

10 Mar 2021

Study assesses COVID-19 policy differences between GOP- and Democrat-led states

The per-capita rates of new COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths were higher in states with Democrat governors in the first months of the pandemic last year, but became much higher in states with Republican governors by mid-summer and through 2020, possibly reflecting COVID-19 policy differences between GOP- and Democrat-led states, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Medical University of South Carolina.

10 Mar 2021

TraCK study says schoolchildren unlikely to transmit SARS-CoV-2

An interesting new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server reports there is little evidence to suggest the rapid transmission of the virus among school children while attending school.

10 Mar 2021

Danish study on the efficacy of Pfizer/BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine after first and second dose

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues, many countries have rolled out vaccines against the virus. In an encouraging preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server, scientists report on the vaccine efficacy in the Danish vaccination program.

10 Mar 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant most problematic for BNT-162b2 vaccine

Researchers from Germany and the US investigated the efficacy of neutralizing antibodies against newer variants using serum and saliva samples obtained from groups of infected, vaccinated (with Pfizer BNT-162b2), and uninfected individuals. The researchers started this study to uncover vaccine-induced immune response and show the efficiency of antibody binding and neutralization in SARS-CoV-2 variants.

10 Mar 2021

Study confirms COVID-19 vaccine rollout decreasing disease incidence across USA

By comparing vaccination rates in 580 counties across the United States with the corresponding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) incidence rates, a recent study currently available on the medRxiv preprint server finds that cumulative county-level vaccination rates are significantly associated with a concomitant fall in the incidence of COVID-19.

10 Mar 2021

Newly-discovered bat coronavirus 94.5% identical to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in China and Australia have reported the discovery of novel bat coronaviruses that further reveal the diversity and complex evolutionary history of these viruses.

10 Mar 2021

Genome-wide covariation analysis sheds light on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have computed genome-wide covariation within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to investigate interactions that could be of considerable importance in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

10 Mar 2021

Recuperation spaces help reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations among homeless individuals

A new study shows that providing a non-acute care space after hospital discharge for patients with COVID-19 who are experiencing homelessness helped reduce hospitalizations and keep inpatient beds available for those requiring acute care.

10 Mar 2021

Low doses of aspirin may have a potential beneficial effect on COVID-19

Aspirin is an established, safe, and low-cost medication in long-standing common use in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and in the past a pain relief and fever reducing medication.

10 Mar 2021