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.

SNPRC at Texas Biomed awarded $37 million NIH grant to continue operations into 2026

The Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomedical Research Institute has been awarded more than $37 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue operations into 2026.

15 Jun 2021

Adapting COVID-19 vaccination strategies based on SARS-CoV-2’s evolution

Given the risk of SARS-CoV-2 developing new variants in unvaccinated individuals, vaccination sites are crucial. However, new research from the University of Michigan, USA, shows current vaccination programs may be worsening regional outbreaks when viral strains and SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations outdo vaccination rates.

15 Jun 2021

Could urine tests predict kidney injury and mortality in COVID-19?

A team of scientists from the Columbia University, New York, has recently identified a potential biomarker to predict acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients. By analyzing urine samples of 444 COVID-19 patients, they have revealed that the urinary level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) can be used to determine the severity and duration of acute kidney and tubular injuries, as well as to predict the risk of mortality in acute COVID-19 patients.

15 Jun 2021

RBD and NTD antibody cocktail could prevent the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutants

A new bioRxiv* preprint demonstrates how a combination of antibodies to two different regions on the viral spike could enhance neutralization efficiency as well as prevent the emergence of resistant variants.

15 Jun 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 show seasonal variation in transmission in temperate countries?

The need to understand how and why such spread occurs is vital to containing it. A new medRxiv* preprint describes a significant reduction in transmission during the summer (by 42%), which is comparable to the impact of the most effective non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI).

15 Jun 2021

Fusogenicity and resistance of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 compared to D614G

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, describes the biological effects induced by mutations in two circulating VOCs. These are the alpha and beta strains, also called B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, respectively.

15 Jun 2021

Weather conditions made no impact on people’s mental health during Covid-19 pandemic

Come rain or shine, the weather did nothing to ease or worsen the mental health consequences of Covid-19 - according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex.

15 Jun 2021

Potent antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 can be produced without T follicular helper cells, suggests study

It has been uncertain whether antibodies produced via this non-canonical pathway are protective against SARS-CoV-2. In a new study, recently released as a preprint on the bioRxiv*server, the neutralization potency of these antibodies is compared with those traditionally produced in germinal center-based antiviral responses.

15 Jun 2021

Researchers screen dual main protease-cathepsin L inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a selective dual inhibitor of MPRO and cathepsin L is described, producing synergistic results that suppress SARS-CoV-2 infection.

15 Jun 2021

Being vaccinated doesn’t mean you must go maskless. Here’s why.

For more than a year, public health officials have repeatedly told us that masks save lives. They've warned us to keep our distance from our neighbors, who've morphed into disease vectors before our eyes.

15 Jun 2021

Benefits and Challenges for XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents

News-Medical interviews Curtis Knox, Sr Strategic Portfolio Manager at Promega, about using the XpressAmp™ for the direct amplification of reagents.

From Promega Corporation 15 Jun 2021

Carbon-based antimicrobial nanoweapons to fight COVID-19

In a recent review article published in the journal ACS Nano, interdisciplinary researchers from across the world evaluated the role of carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as fullerene, carbon dots, graphene, and their derivatives as promising alternatives to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and other microbial infections.

15 Jun 2021

Alkaloids show potential as treatments for COVID-19

To further study these organic compounds, researchers from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile, reviewed the role of alkaloids as a potential antiviral, specifically against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They presented the chemistry, plant sources, and antiviral effects of alkaloids and their anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect.

15 Jun 2021

Analysis of COVID-19 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests

New research published on the medRxiv preprint server provides a detailed analysis of COVID-19 patients who had repeated positive PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large US COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) database.

15 Jun 2021

REGEN-COV antibody cocktail shown to significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 viral load

In human trials, the interim analysis of 275 participants showed REGEN-COV quickly reduced viral loads. Moreover, this reduction was much faster in people who did not have a high viral load when they started treatment.

15 Jun 2021

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

Researchers in Canada have shown that the long-lasting immunity that develops following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by different T cell responses than those observed for influenza A virus-specific immune memory.

14 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern could cause further epidemics in UK

The team – from the University of Warwick, the University of Manchester, and the University of Oxford – say that a variant of concern that has either a substantial transmission advantage over resident lineages, or the ability to evade vaccine- or infection-induced immunity, can be expected to drive a wave of infections and hospitalizations similar to that seen in the country during the winter of 2020-21.

14 Jun 2021

Plasma zinc status not an effective prognostic factor for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Due to previous evidence suggesting that zinc deficiencies can lead to complications along with an impaired antiviral response, a group of international researchers has undertaken a prospective observational study to investigate this association further.

14 Jun 2021

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants overtake UK variant in French regions

Researchers have found that the variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that were initially identified in South Africa (B.1.351) and Brazil (P.1) appear to be spreading more quickly in some areas of France than the previously dominant UK variant B.1.1.7.

14 Jun 2021

Study reveals risk factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes for people with IDD

A study of nearly 550 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving residential services in New York City found that age, larger residential settings, Down syndrome and chronic kidney disease were the most common risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis, and heart disease was most associated with COVID-19 deaths.

14 Jun 2021