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Optimizing allocation of future COVID-19 vaccine can double effectiveness

In anticipation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine deployment, the Australian and US researchers utilized an age-structured mathematical model to appraise the potential benefits of optimizing age-specific dose allocation for suppressing SARS-CoV-2 transmission – and reaffirmed the notion that vaccination alone may be inadequate to achieve herd immunity in some settings. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

12 Oct 2020

Penn receives $4.5 million NIH grant to create a comprehensive resource for women’s health

Junhyong Kim, PhD, Chair and Patricia M. Williams Professor of Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences, and Kate O'Neill, MD MTR, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Perelman School of Medicine, have been awarded a Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) grant supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development and the Common Fund of the National Institutes of Health.

9 Oct 2020

Study reveals how ovaries maintain a female's fertility

Recently published work from Carnegie's Allan Spradling and Wanbao Niu revealed in unprecedented detail the genetic instructions immature egg cells go through step by step as they mature into functionality.

9 Oct 2020

Study estimates lower herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S.

A new study shows that recognizing the differences in the population composition, connectedness and distribution, as well as inter-individual differences in immunity, susceptibility and infectivity, are crucial to estimating the herd immunity attained as a result of natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) more accurately.

8 Oct 2020

Transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in two Indian states

Indian and American researchers collaborated to study the trends of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in two Indian states – Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Their study titled, “Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in two Indian states,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Science last week.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers decipher evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes

New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved.

6 Oct 2020

Sperm mitochondrial DNA biomarkers may predict male reproductive health and pregnancy success

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have identified a single-measure biomarker in sperm mitochondrial DNA that may predict male reproductive health and pregnancy success.

6 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in England “Higher than at any time from May 2020.”

The UK was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the numbers of patients requiring hospitalization high during the first wave of the infection.

6 Oct 2020

Higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation in Washington State

The study findings also indicate that the 614G viral variant is associated with higher viral load, but not with disease severity. The study is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

4 Oct 2020

NPIs reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission in South Korea

Although some studies examined how public health interventions can help contain COVID-19 outbreaks, not much information was available on public health measures against SARS-CoV-2 transmission, specifically in South Korea.

4 Oct 2020

Work bubbles can help reduce risk of company-wide COVID-19 outbreaks

Creating "work bubbles" during the COVID-19 pandemic can help reduce the risk of company-wide outbreaks while helping essential businesses continue to function, as the example of Bombardier Aviation demonstrates in an analysis published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

1 Oct 2020

Women with unexplained miscarriages have altered perceptions to male body odors

Women who have suffered unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL) have altered perceptions and brain responses to male body odors, in comparison to those with no history of uRPL, suggests a new study published today in eLife.

30 Sep 2020

Access to emergency contraception can help reduce unintended pregnancy in teens

About 22 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 44 report having used emergency contraception. But even though the Food and Drug Administration approved levonorgestrel--more commonly known as Plan B--for over-the-counter use for women of all ages in 2013, it's not always easy to get--especially at local, mom-and-pop drug stores.

30 Sep 2020

Unexplained repeated pregnancy loss may be linked to the olfactory system

The odors we give off are a sort of body language - one that may affect our relationships more than we realize.

29 Sep 2020

Researchers decipher how the immune system memorizes pathogens after an infection

The immune system will memorize the pathogen after an infection and can therefore react promptly after reinfection with the same pathogen. Now, scientists at the University of Würzburg have deciphered new details of this process.

28 Sep 2020

Seniors the optimal target for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

ith several vaccines already in stage 3 clinical trials, a study by University of Warwick researchers and published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 discusses the use of computer modeling techniques in order to achieve optimal vaccine coverage.

28 Sep 2020

College re-openings could cause 3,200 extra cases of COVID-19 per day in the US

A new report published in the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows the close relationship between the re-opening of colleges, especially those drawing students from high-incidence areas, and those offering in-person instruction, and the significant increase in the incidence of COVID-19 among students and the community.

27 Sep 2020

Women treated with fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian tumors could become pregnant

Women receiving fertility-sparing surgery for treatment of borderline ovarian tumors were able to have children, a study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in Fertility & Sterility shows.

25 Sep 2020

D614G mutation now the dominant variant in the global COVID-19 pandemic

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that a significant variant characterized by the D614G mutation has higher infectivity, which may account for its rapid rise to the dominant position in all regions where it has emerged.

25 Sep 2020

Study highlights the importance of healthy placental development in pregnancy

The first stages of placental development take place days before the embryo starts to form in human pregnancies. The finding highlights the importance of healthy placental development in pregnancy, and could lead to future improvements in fertility treatments such as IVF, and a better understanding of placental-related diseases in pregnancy.

25 Sep 2020