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.

Scientists receive grant to investigate tumor development within a natural environment

Unlike many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, biological cells are not isolated from the outside world. Chemical variations, intercellular activity, and other microenvironmental factors impact cell survival.

25 Feb 2021

CRISPR screen identifies clinically approved immunosuppressants that could treat coronavirus infections

Researchers in Switzerland and Germany have identified host cell factors required for coronavirus replication that could serve as targets for treatment with clinically-approved drugs.

25 Feb 2021

Recommendations to help ensure access to high-quality opioid use disorder treatment

On January 14, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submitted notice to the Federal Register that it would issue practice guidelines that exempt physicians from the requirement to apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) in up to 30 patients at one time.

25 Feb 2021

Study pinpoints potential transmission advantage of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7

Researchers in the UK have shown that the increased transmissibility of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage B.1.1.7 that emerged in the UK during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic does not appear to be the result of increased viral replication or immune escape.

25 Feb 2021

Study: Majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations attributable to four pre-existing conditions

A modeling study suggests a majority of adult COVID-19 hospitalizations nationwide are attributable to at least one of four pre-existing conditions: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure, in that order.

25 Feb 2021

A roadmap for critical care societies to address burnout among health care professionals

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society provides a roadmap that critical care clinicians' professional societies can use to address burnout.

25 Feb 2021

Texas Tech professor receives DARPA grant for developing indoor COVID-19 detector

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause headaches, dizziness and even death in certain circumstances.

25 Feb 2021

New, more reliable testing program rolled-out to hospital staff to curb Covid transmission rates

Frontline staff at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals are among the first in the country to benefit from the rollout of more accurate saliva tests in a bid to curb Covid transmission rates.

25 Feb 2021

Renalytix AI and University of Utah announce partnership to improve kidney health

Renalytix AI plc, an artificial intelligence-enabled in vitro diagnostics company, and the University of Utah, one of the top research institutions in the United States, today announced a partnership to improve kidney health and reduce the risk of kidney failure for large scale populations in the earliest stages of kidney disease.

25 Feb 2021

New training course helps to better equip health professionals in disaster preparedness and response

A new comprehensive course incorporating an interdisciplinary approach to disaster preparedness shows promise for better equipping health professionals in responding to disasters.

25 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation limits host immune suppression, finds study

Researchers have identified a high variability in the C-terminal end of ORF7a in SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected from around the globe. They noted that mutations result in a defective suppression of interferon and lowered replication rate.

25 Feb 2021

With GOP back at helm, Montana renews push to sniff out welfare fraud

Montana is considering becoming the latest state to intensify its hunt for welfare overpayments and fraud, a move expected to remove more than 1,500 enrollees from low-income health coverage at a time when the pandemic has left more people needing help.

25 Feb 2021

Research shows effective strategy to target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The virus that causes COVID-19 belongs to the family of coronaviruses, "corona" referring to the spikes on the viral surface. These spikes are not static - to infect cells, they change shapes.

25 Feb 2021

International cooperation is key to get equal access to COVID-19 vaccines

Almost 130 countries are yet to receive a single COVID-19 vaccine dose, as ten high-income countries secure the majority.

25 Feb 2021

Study reveals molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with human cells

In order to infect cells, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, needs to insert itself into the membrane of human cells. New molecular models show what parts of SARS-CoV-2 are critical for that interaction, revealing new potential drug targets.

25 Feb 2021

Study addresses COVID-19 pandemic concerns and guidelines for increasing food safety

A team of researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed food practices and safety protocols for workers in food-processing plants.

25 Feb 2021

Study of children hospitalized with COVID-19 shows 2% mortality

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been observed to be less serious in infants and children. However, this age group is also subject to certain complications following infection. A new study describes the findings of an observational study of children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection in several different hospitals across three countries.

25 Feb 2021

Neuroinvasiveness of SARS-CoV-2 shown by viral RNA and inflammation in the brain

A new study describes the results of a macaque study that showed the development of neurological features of inflammation, following infection by SARS-CoV-2.

25 Feb 2021

Novel single-particle digital assay using plasmonic nanobubbles

An interdisciplinary team from the University of Texas applied DIAMOND to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnostics and demonstrated that DIAMOND is 150 times more sensitive than commercial lateral flow assays. They found that the measurements are completed within 2 minutes. The results of this study are published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Feb 2021

Travel bans are effective only in the first phases of pandemic

Travel bans have been key to efforts by many countries to control the spread of COVID-19. But new research aimed at providing a decision support system to Italian policy makers, recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that reducing individual activity (i.e., social distancing, closure of non-essential business, etc.) is far superior in controlling the dissemination of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

25 Feb 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists receive grant to investigate tumor development within a natural environment

CRISPR screen identifies clinically approved immunosuppressants that could treat coronavirus infections

Recommendations to help ensure access to high-quality opioid use disorder treatment

Study pinpoints potential transmission advantage of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7

Study: Majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations attributable to four pre-existing conditions

A roadmap for critical care societies to address burnout among health care professionals

Texas Tech professor receives DARPA grant for developing indoor COVID-19 detector

New, more reliable testing program rolled-out to hospital staff to curb Covid transmission rates

Renalytix AI and University of Utah announce partnership to improve kidney health

New training course helps to better equip health professionals in disaster preparedness and response

SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a mutation limits host immune suppression, finds study

With GOP back at helm, Montana renews push to sniff out welfare fraud

Research shows effective strategy to target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

International cooperation is key to get equal access to COVID-19 vaccines

Study reveals molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with human cells

Study addresses COVID-19 pandemic concerns and guidelines for increasing food safety

Study of children hospitalized with COVID-19 shows 2% mortality

Neuroinvasiveness of SARS-CoV-2 shown by viral RNA and inflammation in the brain

Novel single-particle digital assay using plasmonic nanobubbles

Travel bans are effective only in the first phases of pandemic

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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