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Diphtheria is evolving to become antibiotic-resistant and could lead to vaccine escape

Diphtheria - a relatively easily-preventable infection - is evolving to become resistant to a number of classes of antibiotics and in future could lead to vaccine escape, warn an international team of researchers from the UK and India.

8 Mar 2021

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

An interesting new study by researchers at the University of Liverpool, University of Bristol and Public Health England in the UK describes a novel bioinformatics tool used to detect subgenomic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequences from the virus. This may help develop new diagnostic tools and model the transmission of the virus.

8 Mar 2021

Scientists optimize wastewater disinfection process to minimize spread of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a global threat today, owing in part to the efficiency with which resistance spreads among them. Some of this spread happens in waterbodies—and our wastewater systems are no exception.

8 Mar 2021

Virtual avatar-based coaching can prevent childhood obesity

Virtual reality avatar-based coaching shows promise to increase access to and extend the reach of nutrition education programs to children at risk for obesity, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier.

8 Mar 2021

Despite modest progress, maternal and child undernutrition remains a key health concern

The Lancet today published the latest Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition Progress, including three new papers that build upon findings from the previous 2008 and 2013 Series, which established an evidence-based global agenda for tackling undernutrition over the past decade.

8 Mar 2021

Study analyzes COVID fatality rate using age and GDP as proxies for the quality and abundance of healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 2.5 million lives globally as of today. The case fatality rate (CFR) is an important parameter in COVID-19 mortality research and is defined as the ratio of the number of infected cases to the death toll number.

7 Mar 2021

Study confirms B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible

A new modeling study published in the journal Science estimates the B.1.1.7 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant is 43% to 90% more transmissible than previous coronavirus variants. The variant was initially found in Southeast England last fall.

7 Mar 2021

FDA authorizes first molecular non-prescription, at-home COVID-19 test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Cue COVID-19 Test for Home and Over The Counter (OTC) Use.

5 Mar 2021

FDA issues emergency use authorization for T-Detect COVID Test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the T-Detect COVID Test developed by Adaptive Biotechnologies.

5 Mar 2021

California’s vaccine appointment website has glitches. No surprise?

California rolled out a statewide covid vaccination website this week aiming to streamline the appointment process after months of criticism, but the site is riddled with its own snags, preventing many from signing up for shots.

5 Mar 2021

Eight hallmarks of environmental exposures that contribute to disease

A new review of existing evidence proposes eight hallmarks of environmental exposures that chart the biological pathways through which pollutants contribute to disease: oxidative stress and inflammation, genomic alterations and mutations, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, endocrine disruption, altered intercellular communication, altered microbiome communities, and impaired nervous system function.

5 Mar 2021

African American breast cancer survivors need to be better informed about CVD risk

African American breast cancer survivors are four times more likely to die from breast cancer than women of all other races and ethnicities, and they have a disproportionately high rate of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

5 Mar 2021

Study identifies worrying trends between teenage screen use and lower physical activity

Two thirds of children use more than one screen at the same time after school, in the evenings and at weekends as part of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, according to new research at the University of Leicester.

5 Mar 2021

Multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains may be spreading between pigs, farmworkers in North Carolina

DNA sequencing of bacteria found in pigs and humans in rural eastern North Carolina, an area with concentrated industrial-scale pig-farming, suggests that multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains are spreading between pigs, farmworkers, their families and community residents, and represents an emerging public health threat, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

5 Mar 2021

Robotic systems gain patient approval for contactless care

In the age of COVID-19, mobile robotic telehealth systems could help clinicians and patients interact without contact. Last spring, some health care systems deployed robotic systems within a hospital to evaluate and interact with patients.

5 Mar 2021

FDA plans to further reduce toxic elements in foods for babies and young children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration takes exposure to toxic elements, such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead, in the food supply extremely seriously, especially when it comes to protecting the health and safety of the youngest and most vulnerable in the population.

5 Mar 2021

Fine particles in wildfire smoke more harmful to human respiratory health than other pollutants

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego examining 14 years of hospital admissions data conclude that the fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than particulate matter from other sources such as car exhaust.

5 Mar 2021

Public Health News and Research

Diphtheria is evolving to become antibiotic-resistant and could lead to vaccine escape

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

Scientists optimize wastewater disinfection process to minimize spread of antibiotic resistance

Virtual avatar-based coaching can prevent childhood obesity

Despite modest progress, maternal and child undernutrition remains a key health concern

Study analyzes COVID fatality rate using age and GDP as proxies for the quality and abundance of healthcare

Study confirms B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible

FDA authorizes first molecular non-prescription, at-home COVID-19 test

FDA issues emergency use authorization for T-Detect COVID Test

California’s vaccine appointment website has glitches. No surprise?

Eight hallmarks of environmental exposures that contribute to disease

African American breast cancer survivors need to be better informed about CVD risk

Study identifies worrying trends between teenage screen use and lower physical activity

Multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains may be spreading between pigs, farmworkers in North Carolina

Robotic systems gain patient approval for contactless care

FDA plans to further reduce toxic elements in foods for babies and young children

Fine particles in wildfire smoke more harmful to human respiratory health than other pollutants

Study: Grandmothers can play a key role in newborn care

Firefighters — ‘health care providers on a truck’ — signal pandemic burnout

One school district’s struggle over public health, parents and politics

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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