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.

New pain management regimen reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients

A pain management regimen comprised mostly of over-the-counter medication reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients while achieving equal levels of pain control, according to a new study by physician-researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

22 Jan 2021

New model shows key role of innate immunity in controlling COVID-19 viral load

Since SARS-CoV-2 was identified in December 2019, researchers have worked feverishly to study the novel coronavirus. Although much knowledge has been gained, scientists still have a lot to learn about how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with the human body, and how the immune system fights it.

21 Jan 2021

New data on impact of spike mutations and B117 UK variant on neutralization by mAbs and sera

A recent paper by British and Dutch scientists, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, shows that the neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies can be dramatically reduced by mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein – unlike polyclonal antibodies generated after natural infection that remain active regardless of any introduced amino acid changes.

21 Jan 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows reduced neutralization potential against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 spike variant

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study assessing the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 against the new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Jan 2021

Positive messages could potentially increase mask usage during the pandemic

Many organizations are looking at effective ways to communicate the importance of wearing a mask, especially as highly transmissible new strains of coronavirus threaten to cause a surge in infections.

21 Jan 2021

Randomized trials could help clarify uncertainties around reopening schools safely

Schools are closing again in response to surging levels of COVID-19 infection, but staging randomised trials when students eventually return could help to clarify uncertainties around when we should send children back to the classroom, according to a new study.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers simulate tailgating to examine the impact of excessive eating and drinking

The NFL playoffs are underway, and fans are finding ways to simulate tailgating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Football watch parties are synonymous with eating fatty foods and drinking alcohol. Have you ever wondered what all of that eating and drinking does to your body?

21 Jan 2021

Older age may offer a buffer against negative feelings brought on by the pandemic

Older adults are managing the stress of the coronavirus pandemic better than younger adults, reporting less depression and anxiety despite also experiencing greater general concern about COVID-19, according to a study recently published by researchers at the UConn School of Nursing.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers identify genetic risk factors contributing to pneumonia susceptibility and severity

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

Using SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a bioengineered bacteriophage T4 nanoparticle structure using CRISPR technology that can be used as a universal platform to produce vaccines.

21 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in Southern California, USA

By analyzing throat and nose swabs from patients in Southern California, researchers detected a new SARS-CoV-2 strain with mutations in the spike protein. This major finding may explain a surge in the number of cases in the region.

21 Jan 2021

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

A new study published shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.

21 Jan 2021

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

A new study reports the level of ACE2 and furin, two enzymes that are intimately linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.

21 Jan 2021

Can cancer patients receive urgent care without risk of COVID-19?

A new study describes how a successful application of mitigation techniques to prevent COVID-19 transmission to cancer patients admitted to or attending a healthcare facility might look.

21 Jan 2021

Yurts, igloos and pop-up domes: How safe is ‘outside’ restaurant dining this winter?

With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing, the restaurant industry — looking at losses of $235 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter.

21 Jan 2021

Cancer patients have higher risk of severe COVID -19 infection than non-cancer patients

Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a new study from Penn Medicine published online today in JNCI Cancer Spectrum shows.

21 Jan 2021

Nearly one third of UK's hospitalized COVID-19 patients readmitted

In a recent medRxiv preprint paper, researchers from the UK discussed how they determined organ impairment rates post recovery from COVID-19-related hospitalization and compared the results with that in a control group.

20 Jan 2021

Prioritizing vaccination of high-risk individuals has only a marginal effect, study suggests

The World Health Organization reports that as of January 19, 2021, there are approximately 94 million cases of COVID-19 globally, with over 2 million deaths.

20 Jan 2021

People with problems in the upper GI tract may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection

No evidence so far indicates that food or drinks can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19, but new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that people with problems in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be vulnerable to infection after swallowing the virus.

20 Jan 2021

COVID-19 has transformed the world of vaccines

Researchers at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Italy and Belgium say the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is transforming the world of vaccinology by accelerating vaccine development and the availability of powerful technologies.

20 Jan 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

New pain management regimen reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients

New model shows key role of innate immunity in controlling COVID-19 viral load

New data on impact of spike mutations and B117 UK variant on neutralization by mAbs and sera

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows reduced neutralization potential against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 spike variant

Positive messages could potentially increase mask usage during the pandemic

Randomized trials could help clarify uncertainties around reopening schools safely

Researchers simulate tailgating to examine the impact of excessive eating and drinking

Older age may offer a buffer against negative feelings brought on by the pandemic

Researchers identify genetic risk factors contributing to pneumonia susceptibility and severity

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

New SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in Southern California, USA

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

Can cancer patients receive urgent care without risk of COVID-19?

Yurts, igloos and pop-up domes: How safe is ‘outside’ restaurant dining this winter?

Cancer patients have higher risk of severe COVID -19 infection than non-cancer patients

Nearly one third of UK's hospitalized COVID-19 patients readmitted

Prioritizing vaccination of high-risk individuals has only a marginal effect, study suggests

People with problems in the upper GI tract may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection

COVID-19 has transformed the world of vaccines

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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