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.

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein vaccine less immunogenic but more antigenic than expected

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server presents preliminary results of a stabilized SARS-CoV-2 pre-fusion spike protein vaccine expressed in a baculovirus system (CoV2 preS dTM), with two different adjuvant formulations.

26 Jan 2021

B.1.1.7 variant and healthcare workers’ travel worry

Recently a team of researchers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States assessed travel-related anxiety in healthcare workers (HCWs) considering the emergence of new variants caused by SARS-CoV-2 mutations.

25 Jan 2021

Circulating antiphospholipid antibodies drive endothelial cell activation in COVID-19

With the emergence of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), researchers have been closely investigating the complex interplay between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the human immune system, and COVID-19 disease severity.

25 Jan 2021

Probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients

In a recent review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, Luigi Santacroce and Francesco Inchingolo et al. address the many factors such as dysbiosis (imbalance in the microbiota) that could influence the SARS-CoV-2 infection course.

25 Jan 2021

New, highly accurate 20-minute COVID-19 test is trialed across the University of Surrey

A new, highly accurate COVID-19 test, Virus Hunter 6 (VH6), which delivers results in under 20 minutes is being trialed across the University of Surrey, this week.

25 Jan 2021

Bispecific antibody shows efficacy against new SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of international scientists has recently developed a bispecific antibody that can bind two non-overlapping regions of the spike receptor-binding domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and completely prevent the viral-host interaction.

25 Jan 2021

Herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 may not be achievable with current vaccines

A recent preprint research paper posted on the medRxiv server asks the question: “Is “herd immunity” to COVID-19 a realistic outcome of any immunization program with the two main vaccines currently licensed in the UK?”

25 Jan 2021

European soccer players may have up to 3.5 times higher risk for COVID-19

As efforts are underway to keep the season going under existing restrictions, a preprint research paper appearing on the medRxiv server describes the estimated incidence and the risk of infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among European soccer players.

25 Jan 2021

Study: Most high-school age youth are willing to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread

A new study from Indiana University researchers finds that most high-school age youth are willing to wear masks to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but that more education is needed on how to wear masks properly and on the importance of consistent commitment to public health guidelines.

25 Jan 2021

Lifestyle management with focus on innovations is key to preventing non-communicable diseases

The key factor in preventing non-communicable diseases is lifestyle management at the individual level with a focus on such innovations, which can help increase the awareness of risk factors management in society, claim an international team of researchers, among them - scientists from Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania in a recent study.

25 Jan 2021

New modeling study shows increased future demand for cancer surgery

Public health researchers, led by UNSW Sydney, have estimated the number of cancer cases requiring surgery globally each year, predicting the number will rise from 9.1 million to 13.8 million from 2018 to 2040 - an increase of 52 per cent or 4.7 million cases.

25 Jan 2021

Vaccine ramp-up squeezes covid testing and tracing

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, under growing pressure to jump-start a faltering covid-19 vaccine rollout, jetted to Los Angeles on Jan. 15 to unveil a massive new vaccination site at Dodger Stadium that is expected eventually to inoculate 12,000 people a day.

25 Jan 2021

Amid covid health worker shortage, foreign-trained professionals sit on sidelines

As hospitals nationwide struggle with the latest covid-19 surge, it's not so much beds or ventilators in short supply. It's the people to care for the sick.

25 Jan 2021

Study identifies early warnings of COVID-19 outbreak on Twitter posts

Even before public announcements of the first cases of COVID-19 in Europe were made, at the end of January 2020, signals that something strange was happening were already circulating on social media.

25 Jan 2021

Promising nanobodies against COVID-19 produced by llamas

News-Medical speaks to Dr. David Brody about his latest research that involved discovering nanobodies produced by llamas that could help combat coronavirus.

25 Jan 2021

Scientists call for strict control measures to reduce the spread of new COVID-19 variants

A group of scientists is calling on governments to consider the continued use of strict control measures as the only way to reduce the evolution and spread of new COVID-19 variants.

25 Jan 2021

Study: Armed conflict affects health needs of at least 630 million women, children

Armed conflicts are becoming increasingly complex and protracted and a growing threat to humanitarian access and the delivery of essential health services, affecting at least 630 million women and children--over 8% of the world's population--in 2017.

24 Jan 2021

Second-generation double antibody protects from SARS-CoV-2 and its tested variants

The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB; Bellinzona, Switzerland), affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) developed a second-generation 'double antibody' that protects from SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, and all its tested variants. It also prevents the virus from mutating to resist the therapy.

24 Jan 2021

Study looks at anxiety of HCW during the COVID-19 pandemic

The study reveals that healthcare workers from Saudi Arabia suffer from a high level of anxiety due to a higher risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

Transcriptional regulator BRD2 as a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19

A team of international scientists has demonstrated that therapeutic inhibition of a transcriptional regulator BRD2, required for the endogenous expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can potentially suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein vaccine less immunogenic but more antigenic than expected

B.1.1.7 variant and healthcare workers’ travel worry

Circulating antiphospholipid antibodies drive endothelial cell activation in COVID-19

Probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients

New, highly accurate 20-minute COVID-19 test is trialed across the University of Surrey

Bispecific antibody shows efficacy against new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 may not be achievable with current vaccines

European soccer players may have up to 3.5 times higher risk for COVID-19

Study: Most high-school age youth are willing to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread

Lifestyle management with focus on innovations is key to preventing non-communicable diseases

New modeling study shows increased future demand for cancer surgery

Vaccine ramp-up squeezes covid testing and tracing

Amid covid health worker shortage, foreign-trained professionals sit on sidelines

Study identifies early warnings of COVID-19 outbreak on Twitter posts

Promising nanobodies against COVID-19 produced by llamas

Scientists call for strict control measures to reduce the spread of new COVID-19 variants

Study: Armed conflict affects health needs of at least 630 million women, children

Second-generation double antibody protects from SARS-CoV-2 and its tested variants

Study looks at anxiety of HCW during the COVID-19 pandemic

Transcriptional regulator BRD2 as a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19

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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