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.

Potential sea animal reservoirs for coronaviruses?

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused, yet again, intense research interest on coronaviruses, due to the high toll the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has taken on human life, health, economic well-being, and social activity. A recent paper published on the server Preprints in September 2020 reviews what is known about this viral infection in water life.

13 Sep 2020

Climatic changes may potentially impact COVID-19 pandemic

A recent epidemiological study by Princeton University researchers suggests that the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak during the winter season depends on the susceptibility of the population to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced infection as well as the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical control measures applied to control the virus spread.

13 Sep 2020

New insights into structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

In a recent bioRxiv preprint paper, researchers from the US and Italy utilized molecular dynamics simulations and revealed that the conformational stability of the SARS-CoV-2 binding site, bound inhibitors, and the hydrogen bond networks of the viral main protease (Mpro) are highly sensitive to protonation assignments.

13 Sep 2020

A map of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations enables the development of therapeutic antibody cocktails

A recent tour-de-force study by the US researchers describes a comprehensive approach to completely map mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) that escape antibody binding – enabling, in turn, rational design of antibody therapeutics and appraisal of the antigenic consequences of viral evolution. The results are currently available in a bioRxiv preprint paper.

13 Sep 2020

India's whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows promise

Researchers in India have conducted a preclinical study demonstrating the safety and efficacy of a new candidate vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Sep 2020

ACP highlights the importance of planned increases in payments for E/M services

Today the American College of Physicians sent a letter to every member of Congress stressing the importance that the planned increases in payments for evaluation and management services and other changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule move forward as scheduled on Jan. 1.

12 Sep 2020

Health-related inequities among people of color in the U.S. have been exacerbated by COVID-19

In an editorial for the American Journal of Public Health, faculty from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy led by Dean Ayman El-Mohandes highlight the long-standing public health-related inequities among people of color in the United States--which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic--and call upon New York City lawmakers to put forth policies to achieve a more equitable distribution of basic necessities such as employment, food, health care, housing, and education.

12 Sep 2020

Study: Public health regulation to tackle unhealthy diets is consistently opposed by food industry

A new study out this week during the Global Week for Action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) highlights that global public health regulation intended to tackle unhealthy diets, a key risk factor for NCDs, is being consistently opposed by the food and drinks lobby.

12 Sep 2020

Antiviral effects of honeysuckle decoction affected in SIDT1poly population

Previously, Chen-Yu Zhang's group have identified SID1 transmembrane family member 1 (SIDT1) as a critical membrane protein mediating dietary miRNAs absorption, which is abolished in SIDT1 deficient mice.

11 Sep 2020

Making gyms safer: Why the virus is less likely to spread there than in a bar

After shutting down in the spring, America’s empty gyms are beckoning a cautious public back for a workout. To reassure wary customers, owners have put in place — and now advertise — a variety of coronavirus control measures.

11 Sep 2020

Kids are missing critical windows for lead testing due to pandemic

Families skipping or delaying pediatric appointments for their young children because of the pandemic are missing out on more than vaccines. Critical testing for lead poisoning has plummeted in many parts of the country.

11 Sep 2020

Ghana’s community-based surveillance is enabling early detection of preventable diseases

Members of the public trained on how to collect health information in Ghana are enabling early detection and reporting of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, a study says.

11 Sep 2020

Danish household SARS-CoV-2 study shows low transmission from children

Using data from the national register in Denmark, researchers studied how likely persons infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmit it within their households. The study found additional household members tested positive in 17% of cases after one person in the household was infected. The research is published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020.

11 Sep 2020

Seroconversion marks recovery from COVID-19

Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are still seeking to understand the protective immunity that develops against the causative agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the increasing need for serological tests in epidemiology, their clinical value has not been fully established. A new paper published in the Journal of Medical Virology in September 2020 describes the relationship of COVID-19 disease symptoms with the serological status over time.

11 Sep 2020

Study shows how the pandemic unfolded across the world

A new study combines evolutionary genomics from coronavirus samples with computer-simulated epidemics and detailed travel records to reconstruct the spread of coronavirus across the world in unprecedented detail.

11 Sep 2020

Study indicates factors that could have contributed to delayed detection of SARS-Cov-2 in the US, Europe

SARS-CoV-2 arrived in Washington State somewhere between late January and early February 2020, sparking rapid community transmission of the virus that went undetected for several weeks before this community spread became evident, prompting a change in testing criteria to emphasize individuals with no travel history.

11 Sep 2020

Study sheds light on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Blacks

In a study published in JAMA today, Mount Sinai researchers report findings that shed some light on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Blacks, who have experienced rates of infection and death that are much greater, in some areas twice and three times more, than their proportion of the population.

11 Sep 2020

Study: Correcting COVID-19 misconceptions is largely influenced by a person's moral values

The effectiveness of educational content aimed at correcting misconceptions about the risks, transmission, and prevention of Covid-19 is largely influenced by a person's prevailing moral values, according to a new study published today in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

11 Sep 2020

Comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in COVID-19 patients can help develop effective vaccine

A comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could inform the development of an effective vaccine, according to a study published September 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Chao Wu and Rui Huang of Nanjing University Medical School, and colleagues.

11 Sep 2020

Antibiotic molecule helps the body's own immune system to kill HIV infected cells

Ever since the first cases of a mysterious disease in the early 1980s exploded into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, researchers have been searching for ways to outsmart the deadly virus.

11 Sep 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Potential sea animal reservoirs for coronaviruses?

Climatic changes may potentially impact COVID-19 pandemic

New insights into structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

A map of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations enables the development of therapeutic antibody cocktails

India's whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows promise

ACP highlights the importance of planned increases in payments for E/M services

Health-related inequities among people of color in the U.S. have been exacerbated by COVID-19

Study: Public health regulation to tackle unhealthy diets is consistently opposed by food industry

Antiviral effects of honeysuckle decoction affected in SIDT1poly population

Making gyms safer: Why the virus is less likely to spread there than in a bar

Kids are missing critical windows for lead testing due to pandemic

Ghana’s community-based surveillance is enabling early detection of preventable diseases

Danish household SARS-CoV-2 study shows low transmission from children

Seroconversion marks recovery from COVID-19

Study shows how the pandemic unfolded across the world

Study indicates factors that could have contributed to delayed detection of SARS-Cov-2 in the US, Europe

Study sheds light on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Blacks

Study: Correcting COVID-19 misconceptions is largely influenced by a person's moral values

Comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in COVID-19 patients can help develop effective vaccine

Antibiotic molecule helps the body's own immune system to kill HIV infected cells

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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