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.

Research demonstrates multivalent nanobodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, researchers isolated anti-RBD nanobodies from llamas and “nanomice” (they engineered to produce VHHs cloned from alpacas, dromedaries and camels).

10 Mar 2021

Study: COVID-19 test package can reduce infections and mortality at justifiable cost

Mailing a package of SARS-CoV-2 tests to every household in America and asking people to use them once a week could greatly reduce total infections and mortality at a justifiable cost, a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health finds.

10 Mar 2021

Analysis shows moderate evidence for SARS-CoV-2 recombination

Recently, a team of researchers from the US performed a comprehensive recombination analysis across all medically relevant human coronaviruses, including 158,118 public seasonal hCoV, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV genome sequences with the help of the RDP4 software. They aimed at identifying the current and future risks of the emergence of recombinants of SARS-CoV-2

10 Mar 2021

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

In a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers analyzed viral loads from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in an extensive university surveillance program.

9 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

The study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv*, highlights the need to study viral evolution and pathogenesis in human and animal hosts. This could help prevent future outbreaks that may mimic the magnitude of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Mar 2021

Scientists study seven human coronavirus envelope proteins using topology prediction and molecular modeling

A new study by researchers at the University of the Western Cape aimed to determine why some coronaviruses are more virulent than others. The team speculates that the increased flexibility of the PDZ-binding motif (PBM) of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS22 CoV-2 to be more flexible than the PBM of hCoVs 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.

9 Mar 2021

Advanced 3D models and a telemedicine system enable online training in endoscopic sinus surgery

The world's first international online training session utilizing advanced 3D sinus models and a telemedicine system has taken place, highlighting a new mode of medical training in the Covid-19 era.

9 Mar 2021

Study finds reduction in pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations during the pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children's hospitals across the United States have seen signification reductions in the number of children being treated for common pediatric illnesses like asthma and pneumonia, according to a new multicenter study led by Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

9 Mar 2021

UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be more deadly than previous strains

Researchers have conducted a study showing that the B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the UK is associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared with the viral strain previously circulating in the country.

9 Mar 2021

Princeton researchers discover previously unknown organelle that plays role in bone metastasis

Some of Princeton's leading cancer researchers were startled to discover that what they thought was a straightforward investigation into how cancer spreads through the body -- metastasis -- turned up evidence of liquid-liquid phase separations: the new field of biology research that investigates how liquid blobs of living materials merge into each other, similar to the movements seen in a lava lamp or in liquid mercury.

9 Mar 2021

Research reveals increased risk of COVID-19 among women with PCOS

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at a significantly increased risk of contracting COVID-19 than women without the condition, new research led by the University of Birmingham has revealed.

9 Mar 2021

Researchers examine susceptibility of raccoons and striped skunks to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers from the University of Georgia, USA, have found some members of the superfamily Musteloidea – the group that includes badgers and weasels – appear to not only have no effects of the virus, but do little in spreading it.

9 Mar 2021

Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans

In a recent report made available on bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from Poland and Finland reveal a spillover event of mink-adapted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from farmed mink to humans after an extensive adaptation process.

9 Mar 2021

Higher levels of airborne pollen increase SARS-CoV-2 infection rates

When airborne pollen levels are higher, increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates can be observed. These results were determined by a large-scale study conducted by an international team headed by researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum München.

9 Mar 2021

Computerized, remote training program alleviates negative emotions in preadolescents

Anxiety levels in the United States are rising sharply and have especially intensified in younger populations.

9 Mar 2021

Greater cross-neutralization against UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in vaccinated individuals with prior infection

A team of researchers in Spain has observed that, of those who have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, higher titers of neutralizing antibodies for the B.1.1.7 variant (originating in the UK) were present in those who had previously been infected with the virus.

9 Mar 2021

Proteomics shows SARS-CoV-2 NSP7 and NSP8 forms stable dimeric unit

A new preprint, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the structure of part of the dynamic protein-RNA complex known as the replication-transcription complex (RTC), which is crucial in the replication of the large ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome of this virus.

9 Mar 2021

Pandemic aid package includes relief from high premiums

As President Joe Biden's pandemic relief package steams through Congress, Democrats have hitched a ride for a top health care priority: strengthening the Affordable Care Act with some of the most significant changes to insurance affordability in more than a decade.

9 Mar 2021

Rapid increase of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant found in sewage in England between October 2020 to January 2021

A new study confirms the utility of wastewater surveillance as an important new tool in this regard by showing the presence of the UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in wastewater samples from London early in November, with increasing frequency thereafter.

9 Mar 2021

Ultraviolet light therapy reduces viral load in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Scientists from the United States has recently evaluated the safety and efficacy profiles of ultraviolet-A (UVA) light applied via an endotracheal tube to critically ill COVID-19 patients.

9 Mar 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Research demonstrates multivalent nanobodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations

Study: COVID-19 test package can reduce infections and mortality at justifiable cost

Analysis shows moderate evidence for SARS-CoV-2 recombination

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

Scientists study seven human coronavirus envelope proteins using topology prediction and molecular modeling

Advanced 3D models and a telemedicine system enable online training in endoscopic sinus surgery

Study finds reduction in pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations during the pandemic

UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be more deadly than previous strains

Princeton researchers discover previously unknown organelle that plays role in bone metastasis

Research reveals increased risk of COVID-19 among women with PCOS

Researchers examine susceptibility of raccoons and striped skunks to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans

Higher levels of airborne pollen increase SARS-CoV-2 infection rates

Computerized, remote training program alleviates negative emotions in preadolescents

Greater cross-neutralization against UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in vaccinated individuals with prior infection

Proteomics shows SARS-CoV-2 NSP7 and NSP8 forms stable dimeric unit

Pandemic aid package includes relief from high premiums

Rapid increase of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant found in sewage in England between October 2020 to January 2021

Ultraviolet light therapy reduces viral load in critically ill COVID-19 patients

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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