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 examine long-term immune responses following COVID-19 across clinically diverse cohort

A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the different aspects of long-term immune responses in a wide sample of patients, as well as how they vary in clinical severity and sequelae.

3 Mar 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine candidate produces strong neutralizing response in vivo

A new study by researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, reports a COVID-19 vaccine candidate called HexaPro in producing neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in an animal model.

3 Mar 2021

Muscle strength associated with reduced COVID-19 hospitalization in older adults

Exercising more than once a week after 50 years of age is linked to a 60% lower risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. An international team of researchers has found that physical activity involving muscle training can be protective against severe infection.

3 Mar 2021

New guidance to manage swollen lymph nodes after COVID-19 vaccination

Lymph nodes in the armpit area can become swollen after a COVID-19 vaccination, and this is a normal reaction that typically goes away with time.

3 Mar 2021

Cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce stress, improve mood in pregnant women

Perinatal depression has soared during the pandemic. But many mental health professionals are overwhelmed and can't take on new clients.

3 Mar 2021

New tool can define how infectious pathogens transport in the air

In the 1995 movie "Outbreak," Dustin Hoffman's character realizes, with appropriately dramatic horror, that an infectious virus is "airborne" because it's found to be spreading through hospital vents.

3 Mar 2021

COVID-19 disrupts heart muscle contraction, may lead to heart failure

Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms.

3 Mar 2021

Study demonstrates long-term neuropsychological consequences following SARS-CoV-2 infection

The study, published in the pre-print server medRxiv, demonstrates the presence of long-lasting neuropsychological sequelae after COVID-19, regardless of the respiratory disease's severity.

2 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 viremia predicts severe COVID-19 disease outcomes

The SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia has been linked to severe disease and death in COVID-19 cases in small-scale cohort studies. The current study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, aimed to study the mechanisms behind this relationship.

2 Mar 2021

Early antibody response predicts COVID-19 outcome

To address this gap, researchers from the U.S. evaluated the timing of antibody production against SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients. They used a highly sensitive multiplexed bead-based immunoassay that allows for early detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv.

2 Mar 2021

A model of vaccine-derived herd immunity against COVID-19 in heterogeneous populations

A recent theoretical paper, currently available on the medRxiv preprint server, unveils a novel vaccination model that shows how a herd immunity threshold (HIT) value which considers heterogeneity is substantially lower in comparison with a HIT value of assuming a homogeneous population – with many implications for further vaccination planning.

2 Mar 2021

Concerning mutation in New York SARS-CoV-2 should be monitored, warn researchers

Researchers at the New York State Department of Health in the United States have said concerning mutations within the B.1.526 lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has recently become prevalent in New York State warrant further monitoring.

2 Mar 2021

Survey reveals impact of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in the UK

Researchers at Imperial College London in the UK have reported on round five of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program – a cross-sectional community survey measuring the prevalence of antibodies against the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among adults in England.

2 Mar 2021

Child abuse cases may have declined during the pandemic, study shows

While natural disasters and economic recessions traditionally unleash an uptick in child abuse, a new study suggests that cases may have declined in the first months of the pandemic, compared with the same timeframe in previous years.

2 Mar 2021

New computer algorithm offers a path toward pan-influenza and coronavirus vaccine

A novel computer algorithm that could create a broadly reactive influenza vaccine for swine flu also offers a path toward a pan-influenza vaccine and possibly a pan-coronavirus vaccine as well, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications.

2 Mar 2021

Study: The pandemic has worsened the condition of 70% of people with chronic pain

The pandemic has impacted significantly on people who suffer chronic pain. A study performed by the eHealth Lab, a research group affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's eHealth Center, has shown that 70% of the people with chronic pain have seen their condition worsen in terms of severity, frequency of episodes and interference in their daily activities.

2 Mar 2021

Survey: Dentists find an increase in patients experiencing stress-related dental conditions

More than 70 percent of dentists surveyed by the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute are seeing an increase of patients experiencing teeth grinding and clenching, conditions often associated with stress.

2 Mar 2021

FAIR Health study highlights the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric mental health

In March and April 2020, mental health claim lines for individuals aged 13-18, as a percentage of all medical claim lines, approximately doubled over the same months in the previous year.

2 Mar 2021

Readers and tweeters dispense timely advice for difficult times

Your body’s immune system has produced antibodies that will kill a few thousand kinds of germs and virus. Since you are alive, the chances are quite high you will survive its producing another. Here is how the system works.

2 Mar 2021

New poll spotlights a major gap in testing for hearing loss in older adults

Eighty percent of Americans over 50 say their primary care doctor hasn't asked about their hearing in the past two years, and nearly as many - 77% -- haven't had their hearing checked by a professional in that same time, according to a new national poll report.

2 Mar 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers examine long-term immune responses following COVID-19 across clinically diverse cohort

Novel SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine candidate produces strong neutralizing response in vivo

Muscle strength associated with reduced COVID-19 hospitalization in older adults

New guidance to manage swollen lymph nodes after COVID-19 vaccination

Cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce stress, improve mood in pregnant women

New tool can define how infectious pathogens transport in the air

COVID-19 disrupts heart muscle contraction, may lead to heart failure

Study demonstrates long-term neuropsychological consequences following SARS-CoV-2 infection

SARS-CoV-2 viremia predicts severe COVID-19 disease outcomes

Early antibody response predicts COVID-19 outcome

A model of vaccine-derived herd immunity against COVID-19 in heterogeneous populations

Concerning mutation in New York SARS-CoV-2 should be monitored, warn researchers

Survey reveals impact of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in the UK

Child abuse cases may have declined during the pandemic, study shows

New computer algorithm offers a path toward pan-influenza and coronavirus vaccine

Study: The pandemic has worsened the condition of 70% of people with chronic pain

Survey: Dentists find an increase in patients experiencing stress-related dental conditions

FAIR Health study highlights the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric mental health

Readers and tweeters dispense timely advice for difficult times

New poll spotlights a major gap in testing for hearing loss in older adults

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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