Disease/Infection News

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Mutations in novel coronavirus make it more dangerous

A new report published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 reveals that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 shows the presence of new mutations acquired within infected human cases, which significantly increase its ability to cause human disease.

20 Apr 2020

ACE2-TMPRSS2 profiling indicates tissue vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published in April 2020 on the preprint server bioRxiv reports that the different levels of susceptibility of various organs to viral attack by the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the huge pandemic of COVID-19 sweeping around the world can be predicted from the level of expression of two molecules, the ACE2 receptor, and the TMPRSS2 protein.

20 Apr 2020

Study analyzes effects of social grooming on incivility in COVID-19

A new study analyzing tweets about COVID-19 found that users with larger social networks tend to use fewer uncivil remarks when they have more positive responses from others.

20 Apr 2020

New review confirms effectiveness of MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today finds MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines are effective and that they are not associated with increased risk of autism.

20 Apr 2020

Do ACE inhibitors increase SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clinicians and academicians to intensive research to find evidence for many conventional therapies. A new round-up editorial published in the journal Cardiovascular Research in April 2020 summarizes the current clinical grounds for and against the use of the commonly used angiotensin axis inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Attitudes towards vaccination vary significantly across Europe

Researchers in France have reported findings resulting from a web-based survey called Vaccinoscopie 2019 that asked 1,500 parents across five European countries how they feel about and what they know about vaccination.

20 Apr 2020

HIV-1 and influenza antivirals not effective for treating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases

An exploratory randomized, controlled study on the safety and efficacy of either lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) or Arbidol--antivirals that are used in some countries against HIV-1 and to treat influenza , respectively--as treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, suggests that neither drug improves the clinical outcome of patients hospitalized with mild-to-moderate cases of the disease over supportive care.

20 Apr 2020

COVID-19: Gender-based violence during global emergencies

Gender-based violence has been shown to increase during global emergencies. In a paper just published by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, researchers report that according to early evidence it is the same for the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 Apr 2020

New biosensor rapidly detects SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs

According to many experts, early diagnosis and management are critical for slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Antibody detection for COVID-19 - promise and risks

Recently, several research groups emphasized how the pervasive screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies may prove pivotal in determining infection seroprevalence in a given population defining previous exposure, screening health care workers, but also identifying highly reactive individuals that may act as donors for the therapeutic use of their convalescent serum.

20 Apr 2020

CRISPR technology mobilized for rapid COVID-19 diagnosis

A group of authors from the United States published a study in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology in which they have described a CRISPR-Cas-based approach for rapid and accurate diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection – without the need for complex laboratory infrastructure.

20 Apr 2020

Cost-effective plastic canopy system protects health workers at risk of airborne coronavirus infection

Researchers have designed a cost-effective, constant flow plastic canopy system that can help to protect healthcare workers who are at risk of airborne coronavirus infection while delivering non-invasive ventilation or oxygen via high flow nasal canula, according to a research letter published in the European Respiratory Journal.

20 Apr 2020

Researchers to develop predictive COVID-19 Intervention Modelling for East Africa

A £1m grant from the Wellcome Trust has enabled researchers from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, to work with East African countries in their emergency preparations for COVID-19 as the pandemic spreads across Africa.

20 Apr 2020

COVID-19 lung injury is not like high altitude pulmonary edema

A group of researchers with experience in treating high altitude pulmonary edema have written to correct the misconception in medical social media forums and elsewhere that the lung injury seen in COVID-19 is not like typical acute respiratory distress syndrome and is instead like HAPE.

20 Apr 2020

Food insecurity in Vermont increased 33% during coronavirus pandemic, survey reveals

Food insecurity in Vermont has increased by one-third during the coronavirus pandemic, from 18.3% to 24.3%, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Vermont at the end of March and announced in a series of briefs today.

20 Apr 2020

EMBL-EBI and partners launch new COVID-19 Data Portal

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and partners today launched the COVID-19 Data Portal, which enables the sharing and analysis of data related to the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

20 Apr 2020

A data dashboard developed to support COVID-19 tracking and response in Indiana

Regenstrief Institute and partners have developed a data dashboard to support COVID-19 tracking and response in the state of Indiana. The dashboard augments the state's existing information by providing data on patients' course of care through healthcare systems in Indiana.

20 Apr 2020

Penn Medicine launches convalescent plasma therapy trial for COVID-19 patients

Convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients -- an experimental approach of giving a transfusion of plasma collected from a donor who has recovered from COVID-19 to a patient with an active infection -- is the focus of a new two-part research initiative at Penn Medicine.

20 Apr 2020

Restrictive healthcare policies may delay diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

The introduction of policies that restrict healthcare access for visitors and migrants not entitled to free NHS care may be associated with delays in diagnosis and treatment for patients with tuberculosis (TB) who were not born in the UK, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

20 Apr 2020