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Study provides greater detail about the characteristics of COVID-19 patients

Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely male, younger, and, in both the US and Spain, had fewer comorbidities and lower medication use than hospitalized influenza patients according to a recent study published by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics community.

6 Oct 2020

Using virus-like particles to study SARS-CoV-2 assembly, budding, and entry

In a recent preprint paper published on the bioRxiv server, researchers from the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, discuss their efforts to assess the 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins for their ability to produce VLPs from human cells to create a competent system for BSL-2 studies of SARS-CoV-2.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers examine COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on physical activity, sedentary behavior

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most universities across the United States transitioned from face-to-face classes to remote learning, closed campuses and sent students home this past spring.

6 Oct 2020

Self-isolation on arrival at airports dramatically improves detection of disease importation

Researchers from Public Health England have conducted a study showing that screening and quarantining travelers on arrival at airports significantly reduces the risk of disease importation during international outbreaks, compared with screening alone.

6 Oct 2020

Liquid gel in COVID patients' lungs could be the key to new effective therapies

In some patients who died with severe COVID-19 and respiratory failure, a jelly was formed in the lungs. Researchers have now established what the active agent in the jelly is and thanks to that, this new discovery can now be the key to new effective therapies.

6 Oct 2020

Low lymphocyte count before COVID-19 heightens death risk

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have conducted a study suggesting that having a low white blood cell count (lymphocytopenia) prior to exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be associated with an increased risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Oct 2020

Antigen testing detects SARS-CoV-2 better than PCR

A team of scientists from the United States demonstrates that rapid antigen tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are more effective in determining the actual infection status in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR)-based tests.

6 Oct 2020

Study reveals potential utility of artemisinin-based treatments against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent, methodologically robust bioRXiv preprint paper, researchers from Germany, Denmark and Hong Kong report in vitro efficacy of extracts from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua), but also artemisinin, artesunate and artemether derivatives against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Oct 2020

New coalition across California to address COVID-19's impact on communities at risk

A coalition of 11 academic institutions and their community partners across California has received a $4.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a statewide community-engaged approach to addressing COVID-19 among populations that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

6 Oct 2020

'Dipstick' technology could be used for mobile and accurate COVID-19 testing

Technology that helps to quickly extract and analyze genetic material could be used for cheap, accurate and mobile COVID-19 testing, including at airports and remote testing centres.

6 Oct 2020

Dried blood spot samples accurately detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein antibodies

Using dried blood spot samples (DBS) is an accurate alternative to venous blood in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests, a new study by immunology experts at the University of Birmingham has found.

6 Oct 2020

Analysis: ‘Don’t be afraid of COVID’? Not buying it, unless businesses do job right

As stores, restaurants, airlines and offices try to lure clients back, this is what they need to do to earn my business: Make me feel safe — no, make me be as safe as possible. As I've begun to explore old haunts, some are doing a fabulous job. Others are not.

6 Oct 2020

Easier-to-use coronavirus saliva tests start to catch on

As the coronavirus pandemic broke out across the country, health care providers and scientists relied on the standard method for detecting respiratory viruses: sticking a long swab deep into the nose to get a sample. The obstacles to implementing such testing on a mass scale quickly became clear.

6 Oct 2020

Campus dorm resident assistants adjust to a new role: COVID cop

Breaking up parties, confiscating booze and answering noise complaints — being a resident adviser has always required a willingness to be the "bad guy" and uphold university policy despite the protests of friends and peers.

6 Oct 2020

Supercharged "clones" trigger the re-emergence of scarlet fever

A University of Queensland-led team of international researchers says supercharged "clones" of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has caused high death rates for centuries.

6 Oct 2020

Older heavier COVID-19 positives likely to be superspreaders

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 is known to be through respiratory droplets as well as via aerosols, composed of minute particles normally exhaled during natural breathing.

6 Oct 2020

SARS-COV-2 traveled from China to West Africa directly or via Europe

With the onset of COVID-19, the focus of medical research has been on tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2, which was first reported in China’s Wuhan city.

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

Plasma ACE2 concentration associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events

A team of scientists at the Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, and McMaster University, Hamilton, in Ontario, Canada, revealed that increased plasma ACE2 levels in the blood could indicate a higher risk of major cardiovascular events. The study is published in the journal The Lancet.

6 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 and anti-COVID-19 drugs activate Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* aimed to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on people with various illnesses. Specifically, the researchers at the Rockefeller Cancer Institute, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences wanted to see the effects of COVID-19 on patients with cancer and other infectious diseases.

6 Oct 2020

Disease/Infection News

Study provides greater detail about the characteristics of COVID-19 patients

Using virus-like particles to study SARS-CoV-2 assembly, budding, and entry

Researchers examine COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on physical activity, sedentary behavior

Self-isolation on arrival at airports dramatically improves detection of disease importation

Liquid gel in COVID patients' lungs could be the key to new effective therapies

Low lymphocyte count before COVID-19 heightens death risk

Antigen testing detects SARS-CoV-2 better than PCR

Study reveals potential utility of artemisinin-based treatments against SARS-CoV-2

New coalition across California to address COVID-19's impact on communities at risk

'Dipstick' technology could be used for mobile and accurate COVID-19 testing

Dried blood spot samples accurately detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein antibodies

Analysis: ‘Don’t be afraid of COVID’? Not buying it, unless businesses do job right

Easier-to-use coronavirus saliva tests start to catch on

Campus dorm resident assistants adjust to a new role: COVID cop

Supercharged "clones" trigger the re-emergence of scarlet fever

Older heavier COVID-19 positives likely to be superspreaders

SARS-COV-2 traveled from China to West Africa directly or via Europe

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

Plasma ACE2 concentration associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events

SARS-CoV-2 and anti-COVID-19 drugs activate Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

Scaling organ‑chip technology for human‑relevant drug discovery

Unlocking drug amorphization: Continuous, solvent-free twin screw granulation

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