Disease/Infection News

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Analysis across 170 countries of Government responses to COVID-19

An exciting new study by researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports that early and stringent government measures in the form of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against the spread of COVID-19 results in a significant reduction in the mortality due to this disease. The finding could help shape public health policies in the absence of effective vaccines or therapeutic drugs.

8 Jul 2020

Asthma inhalers being trialed for treatment of COVID-19

Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and Oxford University are working in collaboration to begin human clinical trials of inhaled corticosteroids, commonly used for asthma patients, on patients with COVID-19. The researchers believe that this could be useful for patients with the novel coronavirus infection.

7 Jul 2020

Many in the UK would refuse a coronavirus vaccine, survey finds

The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has left many scientists and pharmaceutical companies racing to develop an effective vaccine to combat the viral infection. With 21 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation, 139 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation across the world, most countries are hoping to be first to the post.

7 Jul 2020

New studies examine outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19

Two new studies examine the health and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 who have undergone kidney transplantation or are receiving hemodialysis. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.

7 Jul 2020

BUSPH study outlines how remdesivir could save lives in countries with less hospital capacity

Amid news that the United States has bought up virtually the entire global supply of remdesivir, a new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study outlines how the drug could save lives in countries with less hospital capacity, such as South Africa, where COVID-19 is beginning to overwhelm intensive care units (ICUs).

7 Jul 2020

New standardized codes for healthcare systems released to track coronavirus

LOINC®, created and maintained by the Regenstrief Institute, is amplifying its global work to help track the coronavirus by releasing new standardized codes for healthcare systems' laboratory tests, clinical observations and other data.

7 Jul 2020

Research sheds light on mysterious COVID-19 related hyperinflammatory shock in children

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of human lives, besides more than 11 million cases. Caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease was initially thought to be more severe in the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. However, it started to manifest in children after the peak of the first wave.

7 Jul 2020

Manchester expert backs new multidisciplinary task force to combat pandemics

A world-leading materials expert from The University of Manchester is helping to launch a new global task force to drive innovation in digital health to combat pandemics like COVID-19 - and ambitious outputs could eventually include building 'smart cities' that feature anti-virus defenses.

7 Jul 2020

How facemasks protect against COVID-19

The “new normal” is a way of living that helps prevent contracting the novel coronavirus. These include practices such as wearing masks in public places and staying at least six feet from each other. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), can be transmitted via respiratory droplets when a person sneezes, coughs, or talks.

7 Jul 2020

Coronavirus study shows herd immunity is infeasible

Herd immunity has been one of the key topics amid the coronavirus pandemic. Previous reports show that when a large proportion of the population gets immune to the novel coronavirus, through vaccination, herd immunity can be achieved.

7 Jul 2020

Risk of severe COVID-19 in ~50 kb genomic segment inherited from Neanderthals

Researchers have found that a small fragment of the genetic code that has been inherited by modern humans from Neanderthals could carry the secret of why some people succumb to a severe form of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, while others recover.

7 Jul 2020

New 'catch and kill' air filter can trap SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers from the University of Houston, in collaboration with others, have designed a "catch and kill" air filter that can trap the virus responsible for COVID-19, killing it instantly.

7 Jul 2020

Gene expression networks flag potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2

An international team of researchers from Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States has identified dozens of genes that could contribute to the pathology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and serve as potential therapeutic targets.

7 Jul 2020

NIH study: Long-acting form of HIV prevention drug more effective than daily oral pill

A pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimen containing an investigational long-acting form of the HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every 8 weeks was more effective than daily oral Truvada at preventing HIV acquisition among cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

7 Jul 2020

Cerebrospinal fluid autoantibodies target the brain in some COVID-19 patients

A study conducted by German researchers has shown that the neurological symptoms observed in some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be caused by autoantibodies targeting the brain.

7 Jul 2020

Migrant workers contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in India’s villages

India's lockdown may have hastened spread of COVID-19 to rural areas as millions of migrant workers, trapped in the big cities, ended up being exposed to the virus — which they carried into their distant villages when finally allowed to return.

7 Jul 2020

Evolutionary snapshot reveals genetic stability of SARS-CoV-2

A multinational study currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server shows that in the early large genome of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only a handful of amino acids are exchanged, implying a relatively low mutation rate and selection pressure.

7 Jul 2020