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.

HEPA filters reduce respiratory aerosols produced during intense exercise

A pair of Mayo Clinic studies shed light on something that is typically difficult to see with the eye: respiratory aerosols. Such aerosol particles of varying sizes are a common component of breath, and they are a typical mode of transmission for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 to spread to other people and surfaces.

5 May 2021

PAS 2021 Virtual Meeting to discuss intersectionality of child poverty

A state of the art plenary session during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2021 Virtual Meeting will bring together national experts on child poverty, racism and racial inequities, immigrant health, Native American culture, and environmental threats to discuss the intersectionality of child poverty.

5 May 2021

Emergency physicians use heparin alternative to treat vaccine-induced blood clot

A new case report, detailed in Annals of Emergency Medicine, is the first known case of a patient with VITT (vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia) treated with a heparin alternative following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

5 May 2021

Study shows how politicization and social mobilization affect the incidence of COVID-19 infection

Measures to contain the Corona pandemic are the subject of politically charged debate and tend to polarize segments of the population.

5 May 2021

Study examines the impact of private equity investments in health care

Private equity investment in hospitals has grown substantially in the 21st century, and it accelerated in the years leading up the COVID-19 pandemic. Now

5 May 2021

Disposable face masks release potentially dangerous chemical pollutants

Swansea University scientists have uncovered potentially dangerous chemical pollutants that are released from disposable face masks when submerged in water.

5 May 2021

Study examines service use among transition-age youth with autism

During the next 10 years, an estimated half-million individuals in the U.S. with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are expected to transition from adolescence to adulthood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5 May 2021

Study reveals no negative effect of SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccination on male fertility

Researchers analyzed the sperm parameters of males undergoing fertility treatment and found no effect from the BNT162b2 mRNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine.

4 May 2021

Medicaid expansion has provided a financial boost to hospitals, study reveals

A new study published in Medical Care Research and Review found that the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid programs to cover people previously uninsured, provided a financial boost to hospitals.

4 May 2021

Individuals with intellectual disabilities faced triage biases during COVID-19 pandemic

When COVID-19 patients began filling up ICUs throughout the country in 2020, health care providers faced difficult decisions. Health care workers had to decide which patients were most likely to recover with care and which were not so resources could be prioritized.

4 May 2021

Wyss Institute licenses nasal swab collection technology to Massachusetts-based startup

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Massachusetts-based startup Rhinostics announced today that the University's sample collection swab and high-throughput automation technologies have been licensed to Rhinostics.

4 May 2021

Mixed tree nut snacks result in significant weight loss and improved satiety

In a randomized, controlled study published online in the journal, Nutrients, researchers found that including mixed tree nuts in a weight management program resulted in significant weight loss and improved satiety.

4 May 2021

A primary care physician for every American, science panel urges

The federal government must aggressively bolster primary care and connect more Americans with a dedicated source of care, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine warn in a major report that sounds the alarm about an endangered foundation of the U.S. health system.

4 May 2021

Researchers identify mechanism of platelet hyperactivation in COVID-19 patients

A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, has revealed the mechanism of platelet hyperactivation in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

4 May 2021

What happens in the first few days of SARS-CoV-2 infection?

New research, published in PLOS Biology, has evaluated SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary cultures of well-differentiated cells to determine how the virus affects the body and how the infection starts. Answers to these questions are essential to forming a general understanding of viral pathogenesis, which helps us develop effective prevention and treatment strategies for COVID-19.

4 May 2021