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.

Advocating full reimbursement for care provided by nurse practitioners

The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners (NPs) allows NPs to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate.

16 Jun 2021

People with a strong life purpose feel less lonely during COVID-19 isolation, study finds

Why can some people weather the stress of social isolation better than others, and what implications does this have for their health? New research from the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who felt a strong sense of purpose in life were less lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

16 Jun 2021

'Wonder material' used to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus in laboratory experiments

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have successfully used graphene -- one of the strongest, thinnest known materials -- to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in laboratory experiments.

16 Jun 2021

Online mental health intervention improves anxiety in isolated scleroderma patients during the pandemic

People with a rare autoimmune disease, who likely experience more serious isolation during a global pandemic, saw their anxiety and depression improve after receiving online mental health intervention through an international study involving investigators from Michigan Medicine.

16 Jun 2021

Research identifies missed COVID-19 cases by retrospective testing of throat swabs

Research published today in the Journal of General Virology has identified missed cases of SARS-CoV-2 by retrospective testing of throat swabs.

16 Jun 2021

Novel altruistic stem cell defense mechanism may be targeted to develop new COVID-19 vaccines

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 may have the ability to reactivate dormant tuberculosis (TB). In a novel study scientists report in The American Journal of Pathology that infection with a specific coronavirus strain reactivated dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in mice.

16 Jun 2021

Unvaccinated, homebound and now hospitalized with Covid in New York City

Dr. Leora Horwitz treats fewer and fewer Covid patients at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Still, she thinks there are too many.

16 Jun 2021

New computational topology strategy to identify existing medicines for treating COVID-19

Researchers from the ESI International Chair of the CEU Cardenal Herrera University (CEU UCH) and ESI Group have just published in scientific journal Pharmaceutics a new computational topology strategy to identify existing medicines that could be applied to treat COVID-19 without waiting for the research and clinical trial phases required to develop a new medicine.

16 Jun 2021

Scientists reveal the mechanism of liquid-liquid phase separation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed how interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and the double-stranded RNA motifs impart distinct droplet properties that can support multiple viral functions. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

16 Jun 2021

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

A study recently published in the journal Science explores the concept of senescent cells (SnC) having a hyperinflammatory response and the use of a class of small molecules called senolytics to combat this.

16 Jun 2021

COVID-e-Vax DNA vaccine candidate elicits robust immune responses in preclinical trials

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, describes the late-stage clinical trial efficacy of a new vaccine candidate based on a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) plasmid platform expressing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Among different constructs of the vaccine plasmid, the RBD was found to produce the most potent and broad immune response.

16 Jun 2021

Study observes increased breadth of SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralization acquired over one year

A new paper in the journal Nature offers a reassuring answer, showing that convalescent COVID-19 patients, some of whom had received vaccination as well, retain antiviral antibodies and neutralizing activity, as well as memory B cells, for up to 6-12 months from infection.

16 Jun 2021

Collecting FEMA funeral money takes some tenacity — and help

As a funeral director at Ingold Funeral and Cremation in Fontana, California, Jessica Rodriguez helps families say goodbye to their loved ones. "We serve predominantly Latino families, most of them second- and third-generation" residents, said Rodriguez. "We do have quite a few that are first-generation, that don't speak any English."

16 Jun 2021

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

A new approach focusing on cellular repair may be an effective strategy to address the pandemic.

16 Jun 2021

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

A new approach focusing on cellular repair may be an effective strategy to address the pandemic.

16 Jun 2021

Increased viral replication and shedding in nonhuman primates carrying SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant

A team of researchers from the US and UK used the AGM intranasal model of SARS-CoV-2 infection to determine differences between a contemporary SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant circulating in summer 2020 and the B.1.1.7 UK variant of concern that emerged in late 2020.

16 Jun 2021

Cissampelos pareira (velvetleaf) exhibits anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential

Cissampelos pareira (Cipa), also known as velvetleaf, is a widely used hormone modulator used to treat reproductive disorders and fever. Research has shown that it can inhibit three serotypes of Dengue virus (DENV) and affect various hormones.

16 Jun 2021

Prior vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus associated with less severe COVID-19

The researchers found that individuals with registered diphtheria or tetanus vaccinations were less likely to develop severe COVID-19 than people who had only received other vaccinations. The results of this study are posted to the medRxiv* preprint server.

16 Jun 2021

A study on SARS-CoV-2 proteins for the development of COVID-19 drugs

The authors of the review have grouped the virus proteins into three categories, (a) host-entry, (b) self-acting, and (c) host-interacting. Additionally, individual SARS-CoV-2 proteins are evaluated to be either directly targeted by drugs or block virus-host interactions.

16 Jun 2021

Two vaccines elicit durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical study

A group of scientists led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian reported that the Moderna mRNA vaccine and a protein-based vaccine candidate elicited durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical research. There were no adverse effects.

16 Jun 2021

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Advocating full reimbursement for care provided by nurse practitioners

People with a strong life purpose feel less lonely during COVID-19 isolation, study finds

'Wonder material' used to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus in laboratory experiments

Online mental health intervention improves anxiety in isolated scleroderma patients during the pandemic

Research identifies missed COVID-19 cases by retrospective testing of throat swabs

Novel altruistic stem cell defense mechanism may be targeted to develop new COVID-19 vaccines

Unvaccinated, homebound and now hospitalized with Covid in New York City

New computational topology strategy to identify existing medicines for treating COVID-19

Scientists reveal the mechanism of liquid-liquid phase separation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

COVID-e-Vax DNA vaccine candidate elicits robust immune responses in preclinical trials

Study observes increased breadth of SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralization acquired over one year

Collecting FEMA funeral money takes some tenacity — and help

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

Increased viral replication and shedding in nonhuman primates carrying SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant

Cissampelos pareira (velvetleaf) exhibits anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential

Prior vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus associated with less severe COVID-19

A study on SARS-CoV-2 proteins for the development of COVID-19 drugs

Two vaccines elicit durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical study

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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