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.

Eyeglasses may provide some protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection

During the current pandemic, we've all been advised to protect ourselves from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 by masking, physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.

7 Oct 2020

Sofosbuvir combined with other antivirals is more effective against COVID-19, shows study

Columbia Engineering researchers report that Sofosbuvir-terminated RNA is more resistant to the proofreader of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, than Remdesivir-terminated RNA.

7 Oct 2020

A global review of COVID-19 impact on cancer treatment and research

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of cancer care and research- from introducing new risks for cancer patients to disrupting the delivery of cancer treatment and the continuity of cancer research, a review of scientific literature shows.

7 Oct 2020

DFG establishes new research units

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is setting up six new Research Units and a new Clinical Research Unit. The DFG Joint Committee decided this on the recommendation of the Senate.

7 Oct 2020

Robotic surgery poses challenges as hospital resume elective surgery amid COVID-19

Robotic surgery plays a major role in modern management of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and other conditions treated by urologists. But it also poses some special challenges as hospitals resume elective surgery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 Oct 2020

"Brain fog" after COVID -19 recovery may indicate post-traumatic stress disorder

A new report suggests that lingering "brain fog" and other neurological symptoms after COVID-19 recovery may be due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an effect observed in past human coronavirus outbreaks such as SARS and MERS.

7 Oct 2020

Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients exhibit neurological symptoms, study finds

Nearly a third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experienced some type of altered mental state and function, ranging from delirium to confusion, and in some cases, unresponsiveness, a new study has found.

7 Oct 2020

New project aims to improve quality of life for dementia patients in care homes

£1.2 million in government funding will help researchers develop an innovative online program to improve and personalise care for people with dementia in care homes, which were hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

7 Oct 2020

New clinical report on brain changes in deceased COVID-19 patients

German researchers published a report on a series of cases on post mortem findings of COVID-19 patients who succumbed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection along with neurological complications. Their study titled “Neuropathology of patients with COVID-19 in Germany: a post-mortem case series” is published in the latest issue of The Lancet Neurology.

6 Oct 2020

Binge drinking is increasing, especially in women during COVID-19

Researchers last week released their work studying the pattern of alcohol use and its consequences on Americans during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Oct 2020

Study: Brazil's community health workers could play a key role in combating COVID-19

Brazil has more than 286,000 community health workers integrated into the national primary healthcare program. These professionals form a broad network serving 75% of the population, especially low-income families who lack medical insurance and are the most adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Oct 2020

Study provides greater detail about the characteristics of COVID-19 patients

Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely male, younger, and, in both the US and Spain, had fewer comorbidities and lower medication use than hospitalized influenza patients according to a recent study published by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics community.

6 Oct 2020

Nursing home residents face considerable risk when disasters strike

Government officials vastly undercounted the death toll among Florida nursing home residents after the destruction of Hurricane Irma in 2017, according to new research led by a Brown University scholar who studies disaster management in the long-term care industry.

6 Oct 2020

Using virus-like particles to study SARS-CoV-2 assembly, budding, and entry

In a recent preprint paper published on the bioRxiv server, researchers from the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, discuss their efforts to assess the 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins for their ability to produce VLPs from human cells to create a competent system for BSL-2 studies of SARS-CoV-2.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers examine COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on physical activity, sedentary behavior

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most universities across the United States transitioned from face-to-face classes to remote learning, closed campuses and sent students home this past spring.

6 Oct 2020

Low lymphocyte count before COVID-19 heightens death risk

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have conducted a study suggesting that having a low white blood cell count (lymphocytopenia) prior to exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be associated with an increased risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Oct 2020

Antigen testing detects SARS-CoV-2 better than PCR

A team of scientists from the United States demonstrates that rapid antigen tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are more effective in determining the actual infection status in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR)-based tests.

6 Oct 2020

Study reveals potential utility of artemisinin-based treatments against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent, methodologically robust bioRXiv preprint paper, researchers from Germany, Denmark and Hong Kong report in vitro efficacy of extracts from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua), but also artemisinin, artesunate and artemether derivatives against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Oct 2020

Tuned lighting helps improve sleep in nursing home residents, study finds

Nursing home residents tend to fall asleep at all hours of the day, and during the night, their sleep may be interrupted by periods of wakefulness.

6 Oct 2020

New coalition across California to address COVID-19's impact on communities at risk

A coalition of 11 academic institutions and their community partners across California has received a $4.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a statewide community-engaged approach to addressing COVID-19 among populations that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

6 Oct 2020