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.

Study: Awake prone positioning can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients

A six country clinical study of more than 1,100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who required high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy suggests that prone positioning (rotating patients with severe breathing issues so they are face down) soon after admission can significantly reduce the need for mechanical ventilation.

23 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant exhibits enhanced household transmission

In a recent study, the transmission rate of wildtype and the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 through households is tracked.

23 Aug 2021

CDC offers health tips to help children have a successful school year

As schools plan for a safe return to campus this year, it is critically important to consider the health and well-being of students and staff, and address issues with COVID-19, mental and physical health, and managing other chronic health conditions.

23 Aug 2021

Electronic health systems helped increase HBV screenings during COVID-19 pandemic

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, community health clinics saw a significant drop in patient visits. Important screenings like those for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) were getting missed, which was a setback for a local program called END B to end the transmission of HBV-;a leading risk factor for liver cancer.

23 Aug 2021

FDA and Mexican counterparts report accomplishments and set goals for future food safety partnership

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of food imported from Mexico and advance protections for consumers in both countries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its regulatory counterparts in Mexico - the Federal Commission for the Protection from Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) and the National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) held the first Food Safety Partnership Annual Meeting on August 20, an important milestone in food safety.

23 Aug 2021

FDA approves COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that uses fundamental Penn technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the first full approval to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, which uses modified mRNA technology invented and developed by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, whose years of research in mRNA science laid a critical piece of the foundation for the largest global vaccination campaign in history.

23 Aug 2021

Study finds unacceptably alarming rise in gestational diabetes among U.S. women

The rate of gestational diabetes has shot up 30 percent in young U.S. women over the past decade and more than doubled in U.S. women who identify as Asian-Indian compared with non-Hispanic White women, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study published in JAMA.

23 Aug 2021

Expansion of seasonal betacoronavirus antibodies post-vaccination is associated with reduction in neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A new study determined the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal viruses induced by BNT162b2-Comirnaty vaccination in healthcare workers.

23 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 affect male fertility?

A recently published review describes the state of current knowledge regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the male reproductive system.

23 Aug 2021

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

A new study details the genomic characteristics and descent of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest.

23 Aug 2021

New study identifies novel compound as promising pan-coronavirus drug candidate

A recent study describes a novel compound with frameshifting capability against MERS-CoV, inhibiting viral propagation within infected cells.

23 Aug 2021

New study reveals unique immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, Ebola and respiratory syncytial virus using B cell repertoire analysis

A new study has been published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which takes a long-read repertoire amplification approach to better understand, compare and contrast B cell responses to emerging or endemic viruses.

23 Aug 2021

Study uses computational modeling of coronavirus spike proteins to examine dynamics responsible for immunogenicity and immune escape

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server focused on the development of dynamic computational models for a large subset of S proteins of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

23 Aug 2021

Pandemic unveils growing suicide crisis for communities of color

Rafiah Maxie has been a licensed clinical social worker in the Chicago area for a decade. Throughout that time, she'd viewed suicide as a problem most prevalent among middle-aged white men.

23 Aug 2021

As temperatures rise, so do the health risks for California’s farmworkers

Leoncio Antonio Trejo Galdamez, 58, died in his son's arms on June 29 after spending the day laying irrigation pipes in California's Coachella Valley. News of his death reverberated through the largely Latino community near the Mexican and Arizona borders — another casualty in a dangerous business.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers use residues in wastewater to study illicit drug consumption

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders and other restrictions drastically affected how people lived and worked, resulting in social isolation and economic instability. Now, researchers show that some people turned to a variety of drugs for relief. Using wastewater analysis, the team identified a spike in consumption of easily abused prescription opioids and anti-anxiety sedatives, while some illicit drug use plummeted, between March and June 2020.

23 Aug 2021

Visual imagination motivates people to engage in pleasurable and achievement-oriented activities

People struggling to motivate themselves to engage in activities that are good for them should tap into their imagination to visualize themselves carrying out the activity, according to new research from The University of Western Australia.

23 Aug 2021

Nanotechnology provides novel solutions against zoonotic viruses

Therefore, scientists functionalize nanoparticles to act against these pathogenic viruses in a clinical strategy. In a recent review published in the journal Microbial Pathogenesis, researchers look at the novel solutions against zoonotic viruses provided by nanotechnology.

23 Aug 2021

National poll: Families worried about COVID's looming impact on students

Back to school jitters may have different meaning in the COVID era. After more than a year of pandemic disruptions, families are heading into the next school year worried about COVID's looming impact on students, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

23 Aug 2021

Young coronavirus patients share their stories to encourage people to get vaccinated

Young coronavirus (COVID-19) patients have told their stories of battling the virus and suffering long-term debilitating effects as part of a new film encouraging people to get their vaccines.

23 Aug 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Awake prone positioning can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant exhibits enhanced household transmission

CDC offers health tips to help children have a successful school year

Electronic health systems helped increase HBV screenings during COVID-19 pandemic

FDA and Mexican counterparts report accomplishments and set goals for future food safety partnership

FDA approves COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that uses fundamental Penn technology

Study finds unacceptably alarming rise in gestational diabetes among U.S. women

Expansion of seasonal betacoronavirus antibodies post-vaccination is associated with reduction in neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Does SARS-CoV-2 affect male fertility?

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

New study identifies novel compound as promising pan-coronavirus drug candidate

New study reveals unique immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, Ebola and respiratory syncytial virus using B cell repertoire analysis

Study uses computational modeling of coronavirus spike proteins to examine dynamics responsible for immunogenicity and immune escape

Pandemic unveils growing suicide crisis for communities of color

As temperatures rise, so do the health risks for California’s farmworkers

Researchers use residues in wastewater to study illicit drug consumption

Visual imagination motivates people to engage in pleasurable and achievement-oriented activities

Nanotechnology provides novel solutions against zoonotic viruses

National poll: Families worried about COVID's looming impact on students

Young coronavirus patients share their stories to encourage people to get vaccinated

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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