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.

Research provides guidance for treating pancreatic cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic not only affects patients who have the virus, but strikes the entire healthcare system including the care for patients with cancer.

27 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood tests not associated with infectious virus

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged hospitals and laboratory services worldwide. Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 initially lagged but is now primarily based on the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viral nucleic RNA in the samples. However, viral RNA has also been reported in several small series of cases, though its significance and frequency remain unclear.

27 May 2020

ACE2 receptors in the kidney not linked to high BP or RAS blockers

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to smolder and flare up in various parts of the world, researchers are still trying to make sense of the virus, its routes of spread, its target tissues, and the immune responses it induces. One crucial piece of knowledge is that the primary viral receptor is a human enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

27 May 2020

Researchers to explore the idea of using ultraviolet light to kill novel coronavirus

The idea of UV sterilization is not a new one, but little or no scientific data about its potency against COVID-19 have been collected, until now.

27 May 2020

Is vitamin D really linked to excess COVID-19 mortality?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused many deaths, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, over many different countries. However, the reasons for the differential mortality from region to region are far from clear, despite intensive research.

27 May 2020

Study shows children and adults have a comparable expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry-related genes

A recent paper by researchers from China demonstrated comparable expression levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cell entry mediators in adults and children, suggesting that previously implied difference in viral-entry associated genes is likely not responsible for milder symptoms in children. The study is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

27 May 2020

COVID-19 only kills 1% of people in remote Papuan village with limited resources

A researcher from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and a tropical medicine expert who lives in Wamena, Indonesia have published a unique account of a village in the Papuan highlands of Indonesia that has experienced what was presumed to be an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

27 May 2020

Emerging antiviral may turn the tide for COVID-19 pandemic

Scientists everywhere are working overtime to develop treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

27 May 2020

Study may help deal with stress-induced fear and anxiety

Yale researchers have found a neural home of the feeling of stress people experience, an insight that may help people deal with the debilitating sense of fear and anxiety that stress can evoke, Yale researchers report May 27 in the journal Nature Communications.

27 May 2020

Scientists discover two anti-inflammatory drugs that inhibit COVID-19 infection

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rapid spread, the scientific community has been working on developing an effective treatment for the virus responsible for the disease.

27 May 2020

Novel antiviral, antibacterial surface can reduce hospital-acquired infections

The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused an increased demand for antimicrobial treatments that can keep surfaces clean, particularly in health care settings.

27 May 2020

Going the distance by bus through a pandemic

Mary Pierson boarded a nearly empty L.A. Metro bus at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Riggin Street in Monterey Park one recent afternoon.

27 May 2020

COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund allows coronavirus research in Ontario and London

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition. It occurs when the body's response to an infection is out of balance, triggering hyperinflammation that can damage multiple organs.

27 May 2020

Scientists are collecting big data to expedite the fight against COVID-19

A nationwide collaboration of clinicians, informaticians and other biomedical researchers aims to turn data from hundreds of thousands of medical records from coronavirus patients into effective treatments and predictive analytical tools that could help lessen or end the global pandemic.

27 May 2020

Simple salt solution can help transport COVID-19 samples to testing laboratories

In a new peer-reviewed study appearing in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, investigators report that a simple salt solution commonly found in hospitals and clinical laboratories, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), can be used as a medium to reliably transport coronavirus-contaminated specimens to the testing laboratory for periods of up to 18 hours, which is often needed in busy clinical settings.

27 May 2020

Researchers develop rapid electro-optical test to identify COVID-19 carriers

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's Prof. Gabby Sarusi has developed a one-minute electro-optical test of nose, throat, or breath samples that will identify both asymptomatic and affected carriers of the COVID-19 virus in under one minute with greater than 90% accuracy.

27 May 2020

Universities and commercial partners team up to develop new COVID -19 test kit

A new COVID -19 test kit, which can detect the presence of the virus in six different individuals simultaneously in under 30 minutes, is one step closer to coming to market following a partnership deal with leading electronic, robotics, and software companies.

27 May 2020

Prolonged period of lockdown may change people’s housing desires

Writing for The Conversation,Dr Tara Hipwood, lecturer in architecture at Northumbria University, suggests that changes in commuting or work habits will prompt a fundamental shift in what people perceive as priority features in the home, with outdoor space and a home office high up the list in future.

27 May 2020

Study: High level of anxiety is linked to depression

Led by King's College London in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and published in The Lancet's EClinicalMedicine journal, the research examined a group of people with depression in Zimbabwe and found that people are nearly three times more likely to suffer this illness long-term if they also have a high level of anxiety.

27 May 2020

CanSino's potential coronavirus vaccine triggers immune response in clinical trial

Scientists across the globe are racing to develop a vaccine that can provide protection against coronavirus disease (COVID-19). An effective and safe vaccine would curb not only the current coronavirus pandemic but also prevent future outbreaks

27 May 2020