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.

Template for COVID-19 management in a rural health system

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge existing health networks, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 reports on a strategy to address existing health care disparities in rural and urban areas of the USA. This should draw attention to the need for more such systems to ensure proper rural healthcare in the current and future pandemics.

20 Oct 2020

Androgen deprivation strategies could help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have noted that women are generally less severely affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This has led to the exploration into estrogen and androgens' role in the hyperinflammatory clinical phenotypes of COVID-19. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv shows that drugs targeting androgens and TMPRSS2 inhibitors may potentially combat the pandemic.

20 Oct 2020

Study shows concerning levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

More than a third of people (34%) in Turkey and one sixth of people (17%) in the UK are 'hesitant' about a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a study by UCL and Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey.

20 Oct 2020

New research finds marked impact of COVID-19 on osteoporosis management

A new study published prior to World Osteoporosis Day finds that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely affected management of non-communicable diseases, is markedly impacting the management of osteoporosis as judged by access to online FRAX fracture risk assessments.

20 Oct 2020

Study presents new framework to assess urban food waste policies and initiatives

Food waste is one of the most important issues of current food systems: Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that more than one third of food is either lost or wasted along the entire food supply chain causing significant economic, social and environmental impacts.

20 Oct 2020

New inhaled treatment may lead to self-administered therapy for COVID-19

An inhaled treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 virus may lead to a future self-administered therapy for COVID-19, the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million people worldwide.

20 Oct 2020

The connection between severe COVID-19 and white blood cell counts

However, in other research, white blood cells' exact roles and subtypes in severe COVID-19 are still unclear. The team writes, "It is unknown if blood cell counts before infection are associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19." They explained that the numbers of these cell types could be influenced by several factors such as age, gender, disease status, and medications.

19 Oct 2020

Adult stem cell-based lung organoid models emulate host immune response in fatal COVID-19

Recently, a team of researchers from the University of California San Diego and The Scripps Research Institute, CA, USA, showed that an integrated stem cell-based disease modeling and computational approach is crucial for simulating the host immune response in fatal COVID-19 patients.

19 Oct 2020

Promising interim results for Sinopharm's inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to intensive scientific efforts to bring about an effective vaccine for global distribution. Many different vaccine design approaches are underway. A recent study published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases in October 2020 reports a potentially successful inactivated virus vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

19 Oct 2020

Researchers provide new evidence that fear and anxiety reflect overlapping brain circuits

Anxiety, the most common family of mental illnesses in the U.S., has been pushed to epic new heights by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults and a staggering 41% of people ages 18-29 experienced clinically significant anxiety symptoms in late August.

19 Oct 2020

Design of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles

Now, a new study presented on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 describes the efficient design of an mRNA vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), based on the use of the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP).

19 Oct 2020

OMA announces availability of updated Pediatric Obesity Algorithm

The Obesity Medicine Association today announced the immediate availability of the 2020-2022 Pediatric Obesity Algorithm, which includes new information for clinicians such as specific considerations for special populations, nutritional recommendations for patients with obesity and adiposity-related diseases, and advanced therapies for pediatric obesity.

19 Oct 2020

Antigenic imprinting of sarbecovirus

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020 shows that the design of a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) must consider the prior history of exposure to coronaviruses since these affect the antibody response to the virus.

19 Oct 2020

New lab test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies gives results more quickly than existing assays

Knowing you have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus after recovering from COVID-19 doesn't tell you everything about your immunity.

19 Oct 2020

Study tackles the role of the renin-angiotensin system on COVID-19 pathophysiology

Vinicius Novaes Rocha, a researcher at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil, provides an insight into the role of the renin-angiotensin on the pathophysiology of COVID-19, paving the way for developing new treatment methods in the journal Medical Hypotheses.

19 Oct 2020

Student adherence to control measures could significantly reduce COVID-19 risk

Researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have conducted a modeling study showing that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could readily spread among students in the university setting if non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are not properly adhered to.

19 Oct 2020

New project to use plasma jets to decontaminate vital medical equipment exposed to Covid-19 virus

A NEW project developed by Lancaster University's Health Innovation Campus and Material Science Institute will see pioneering technology used to decontaminate vital medical equipment exposed to the Covid-19 virus, via a partnership with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

19 Oct 2020

COVID-19 has increased the urgency of advanced care planning, WVU study shows

No one likes to think about their own mortality. But COVID-19 has shoved life's dark questions to the forefront: "What if I'm hooked to a ventilator and can't speak?" "If my heart stops beating, do I want to be resuscitated?" "Where do I want to die?"

19 Oct 2020

Temple researchers identify criteria to predict cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients

Like a cold front that moves in, setting the stage for severe weather, coronavirus infection triggers showers of infection-fighting immune molecules - showers that sometimes escalate into a chaotic immune response known as a cytokine storm.

19 Oct 2020

Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses with little prospect of immediate relief, a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 discusses the association of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoantibodies against the host receptor that binds severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with severe disease via vascular endothelial damage. This could help develop better therapies and prognostic criteria.

19 Oct 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Template for COVID-19 management in a rural health system

Androgen deprivation strategies could help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection

Study shows concerning levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

New research finds marked impact of COVID-19 on osteoporosis management

Study presents new framework to assess urban food waste policies and initiatives

New inhaled treatment may lead to self-administered therapy for COVID-19

The connection between severe COVID-19 and white blood cell counts

Adult stem cell-based lung organoid models emulate host immune response in fatal COVID-19

Promising interim results for Sinopharm's inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers provide new evidence that fear and anxiety reflect overlapping brain circuits

Design of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles

OMA announces availability of updated Pediatric Obesity Algorithm

Antigenic imprinting of sarbecovirus

New lab test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies gives results more quickly than existing assays

Study tackles the role of the renin-angiotensin system on COVID-19 pathophysiology

Student adherence to control measures could significantly reduce COVID-19 risk

New project to use plasma jets to decontaminate vital medical equipment exposed to Covid-19 virus

COVID-19 has increased the urgency of advanced care planning, WVU study shows

Temple researchers identify criteria to predict cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients

Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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