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.

Novel strategy redirects generic antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins

The SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the current pandemic, infects humans by binding its surface-exposed spike proteins to ACE2 receptors exposed on the cell membranes.

3 Feb 2021

Airborne Infection Rate index predicts timing of second wave of pandemic

The "second wave" of the coronavirus pandemic has placed much blame on a lack of appropriate safety measures. However, due to the impacts of weather, research suggests two outbreaks per year during a pandemic are inevitable.

3 Feb 2021

Key variants help explain the differences between viruses that cause COVID-19 and SARS

An effort led by Lin Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics at The University of Texas at El Paso, in collaboration with students and faculty from Howard University, has identified key variants that help explain the differences between the viruses that cause COVID-19 and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

3 Feb 2021

One dose of VSV-vectored vaccine prevents SARS-CoV-2 replication in hamsters

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server describes a viral vector vaccine candidate's efficacy to protect against SARS-CoV-2 replication in a hamster model.

3 Feb 2021

J&J SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows immunity in non-human primates 6 months after vaccination

A new preprint research paper released on the bioRxiv server discusses the findings from a model that assesses the association between the immunogenicity and protection conferred by a set of adenovirus- (Ad26)-vectored vaccines that express stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

3 Feb 2021

New process separates beneficial glucocorticoids from unwanted side-effects

A collaboration led by Scripps Research has developed a way to separate the beneficial anti-inflammatory properties of a group of steroids called glucocorticoids from some of their unwanted side-effects, through an optimization process they named "ligand class analysis."

3 Feb 2021

Delayed time between abnormal stool-based screening and colonoscopy increases cancer risk

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality among men and women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. At-home tests, which measure blood in stool as a potential marker for colon cancer, are often used for colorectal cancer screening.

3 Feb 2021

Two-dose regimen of adenovirus-based vaccine offers 91.6% efficacy against COVID-19

An interim analysis of data from the phase 3 trial of the COVID-19 vaccine from Russia (Gam-COVID-Vac) suggests that a two-dose regimen of the adenovirus-based vaccine offers 91.6% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19.

2 Feb 2021

Rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test improved with silver amplification

A new preprint posted to the medRxiv server describes the use of silver amplification technology to develop a sensitive, rapid antigen test for COVID-19.

2 Feb 2021

Prone positioning associated with lower mortality and intubation in COVID-19 patients

In the absence of specific antivirals to combat the pandemic, supportive care is paramount. In this context, a new preprint posted to the medRxiv server describes the observed efficacy of prone positioning to reduce mortality and the risk of intubation in COVID-19 patients with respiratory insufficiency.

2 Feb 2021

Highly conserved neutralizing epitope identified on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

A recent study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, has identified a highly conserved neutralizing antibody binding site on the spike S2 domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The study findings might help develop novel spike-targeting antibodies for widespread protection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

2 Feb 2021

ECMO life-support therapy can increase odds of survival for critically-ill COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 has caused more than 2 million deaths worldwide since the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic in March 2020.

2 Feb 2021

Most of the telehealth appointments found to be audio-only visits

Telehealth use has surged during the pandemic at clinics that serve lower-income Americans, which allowed the clinics to maintain access to care at a time when many other health care organizations saw significant declines in utilization, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

2 Feb 2021

Study finds link between lack of ICU beds and patient mortality during COVID-19 pandemic

A new study by Yale researchers found a significant association between the availability of hospital resources -- particularly ICU beds -- and patient mortality during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 Feb 2021

Delaying colonoscopy after an abnormal stool test can have major consequences

A new Veterans Affairs study finds that delays in undergoing colonoscopy following an abnormal stool test increase the risk of a colorectal cancer diagnosis and cancer-related death.

2 Feb 2021

What is the structure and function of SARS-CoV-2’s D614G spike mutation?

A team of researchers use a computational approach to integrate available data D614G SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation, exploring its structure and molecular mechanisms.

2 Feb 2021

Zinc supplementation bolsters repurposed antivirals against SARS-CoV-2

A new preprint reports the efficacy of two repurposed drugs that could be useful against SARS-CoV-2 when supplemented with zinc.

2 Feb 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows promise against new SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of researchers in the U.S. studied the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate - currently being rolled out in many parts of the world to high-risk individuals - to see if it still holds up against mutant strains of the virus and yielded encouraging results.

2 Feb 2021

ACE2 agonist C21 relieves respiratory difficulty in COVID-19

A new study describes a pilot study on the efficacy of a molecule called C21, which enhances the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host cell receptor that facilitates viral entry.

2 Feb 2021

Antiviral compound GC-376 shows efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

Over the past months, many potential antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 have been identified as deserving further development to target several viral proteins. A new study deals with one such molecule, the viral main protease (Mpro) inhibitor GC-376, and describes its efficacy in inhibiting virus-host interaction.

2 Feb 2021