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.

Gold nanoparticles investigated as part of in vitro tool for SARS-CoV-2 drug screening

Scientists have measured the interaction of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein with nano-gold colloids. These nanoparticles functionalized with the S protein have different spectroscopic signals allowing for new information about the protein to be extracted.

21 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine tested in animal model

A team of experts has tested the immune responses elicited by mucosal homologous plasmid and a heterologous immunization strategy using a plasmid vaccine and a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) antigens.

21 Feb 2021

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Researchers have found a 96% similarity in nucleotide sequence between bat coronavirus (RaTG13), isolated from Rhinolophus affinis bats in China in 2013, and SARS-CoV-2 and ~97% amino acid similarity with the Spike (S) protein. This S protein performs two essential roles, i.e., mediates receptor-binding and membrane fusion. Hence, spike protein is regarded as a key coronavirus determinant of host tropism.

21 Feb 2021

Research shows impact of seasonal temperature changes on SARS-CoV-2 transmission

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused tremendous upheaval, leading to more than 2.3 million deaths worldwide and 465,000 in the United States.

20 Feb 2021

Parenting programs support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty

Parent education programs and interventions that begin shortly after the birth of a child have shown to significantly impact parenting behaviors that support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty, according to a study led by pediatricians and psychologists across the country, including NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Steinhardt, and the University of Pittsburgh.

20 Feb 2021

Survey reveals high prevalence of depression and anxiety in college students

A survey by a Boston University researcher of nearly 33,000 college students across the country reveals the prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people continues to increase, now reaching its highest levels, a sign of the mounting stress factors due to the coronavirus pandemic, political unrest, and systemic racism and inequality.

20 Feb 2021

Interval between doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine can be safely extended to 3 months, suggests study

A 3-month interval between doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine results in higher vaccine efficacy than a 6-week interval, with the first dose offering 76% protection in the 3 months between doses.

20 Feb 2021

Antimicrobial resistance to critical drugs spirals in low- and middle-income countries

As antibiotic use grows in lower-income countries so does antibiotic resistance, says report.

20 Feb 2021

Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate preclinically tested at UAB expected to start clinical trial

The Altimmune Inc. vaccine candidate that was tested preclinically at the University of Alabama at Birmingham last year is expected to start patient enrollment for its Phase 1 clinical trial next week.

20 Feb 2021

UIC experts highlight the historical issues that impact research involving Black populations

Several University of Illinois Chicago faculty members have addressed the issue of how to ethically conduct research with Black populations.

20 Feb 2021

Experts advocate for increased diversity in vaccine clinical trials

A team of scientific experts from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are advocating for increased diversity in vaccine trials after publishing a new report that highlights a decade's worth of disparities.

20 Feb 2021

Research calculates the years of life lost to COVID-19 in 81 countries

The major direct and indirect effects of covid-19 have forced the authorities to implement policies that strike a balance between minimizing the immediate health impact of the pandemic and containing the long-term damage to society arising from protective policies.

20 Feb 2021

Study: Asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19

A new study looking at how COVID-19 affects people with asthma provides reassurance that having the condition doesn't increase the risk of severe illness or death from the virus.

20 Feb 2021

Feds OK’d export of millions of N95 masks as U.S. workers cried for more

In the midst of a national shortage of N95 masks, the U.S. government quietly granted an exception to its export ban on protective gear, allowing as many as 5 million of the masks per month to be shipped overseas.

19 Feb 2021

New single-payer bill intensifies Newsom’s political peril

A group of Democratic state lawmakers introduced legislation Friday to create a single-payer health care system to cover all Californians, immediately defining the biggest health policy debate of the year and putting enormous political pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom.

19 Feb 2021

FDA warns 10 companies for selling unlawful dietary supplements that claim to treat mental health problems

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced warning letters to 10 companies for illegally selling dietary supplements that claim to cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent depression and other mental health disorders, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

19 Feb 2021

UNH's new report on child maltreatment shows mixed trends

A new report from the University of New Hampshire's Crimes against Children Research Center, using data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showed a marked increase in the share of child maltreatment cases resulting in fatalities as well as a decline in cases of physical abuse and neglect in 2019.

19 Feb 2021

Spurred by pandemic, Little Shell Tribe fast-tracks its health service debut

Linda Watson draped a sweater with the words "Little Shell Chippewa Tribe" over her as she received the newly recognized tribal nation's first dose of covid-19 vaccine.

19 Feb 2021

Companies pan for marketing gold in vaccines

For a decade, Jennifer Crow has taken care of her elderly parents, who have multiple sclerosis. After her father had a stroke in December, the family got serious in its conversations with a retirement community — and learned that one service it offered was covid-19 vaccination.

19 Feb 2021

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows protective efficacy in vivo

A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the development of a live attenuated vaccine candidate to counter the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Feb 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Gold nanoparticles investigated as part of in vitro tool for SARS-CoV-2 drug screening

SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine tested in animal model

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Research shows impact of seasonal temperature changes on SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Parenting programs support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty

Survey reveals high prevalence of depression and anxiety in college students

Interval between doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine can be safely extended to 3 months, suggests study

Antimicrobial resistance to critical drugs spirals in low- and middle-income countries

Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate preclinically tested at UAB expected to start clinical trial

UIC experts highlight the historical issues that impact research involving Black populations

Experts advocate for increased diversity in vaccine clinical trials

Research calculates the years of life lost to COVID-19 in 81 countries

Study: Asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19

Feds OK’d export of millions of N95 masks as U.S. workers cried for more

New single-payer bill intensifies Newsom’s political peril

FDA warns 10 companies for selling unlawful dietary supplements that claim to treat mental health problems

UNH's new report on child maltreatment shows mixed trends

Spurred by pandemic, Little Shell Tribe fast-tracks its health service debut

Companies pan for marketing gold in vaccines

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows protective efficacy in vivo

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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