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Live free or die if you must, say Colorado urbanites — but not in my hospital

Whenever Larry Kelderman looks up from the car he's fixing and peers across the street, he's looking across a border. His town of 28,000 straddles two counties, separated by County Line Road.

29 Dec 2020

Neurologists say there is no medical justification for neck restraints in policing

Some police departments in the United States continue to teach officers that neck restraints are a safe method for controlling agitated or aggressive people, but that's a dangerous myth, according to a Viewpoint written by three neurologists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in JAMA Neurology.

28 Dec 2020

In fast-moving pandemic, health officials try to change minds at warp speed

Nine months into the pandemic that has killed more than 320,000 people in the U.S., Kim Larson is still trying to convince others in her northern Montana county that COVID-19 is dangerous.

28 Dec 2020

New studies uncover link between vaping and mental fog

Two new studies from the University of Rochester Medical Center have uncovered an association between vaping and mental fog. Both adults and kids who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers.

28 Dec 2020

Heart transplantations: Larger case volumes correlate with higher survival probabilities

In a series of commissions awarded by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, the question is whether for certain surgical procedures, a correlation can be shown between the volume of services provided per hospital and the quality of treatment results.

28 Dec 2020

Study identifies the effects of malnutrition on patient survival after cardiac surgery

Nutrients are the structural components of food that the body needs to function properly. They are divided into macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, provitamins, various minerals, and so on). Their shortage is called nutritional deficiency.

28 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike-antibody binding strength and hydrogen bond numbers are temperature dependent, study finds

A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the interactions between the binding spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the antibodies. Earlier studies have addressed the similarity in the 3D structures of the spike protein in the two SARS viruses as seen on cryo-EM.

24 Dec 2020

Could engineered red blood cells be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

In a new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers explores the antiviral potential of red blood cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of COVID-19.

24 Dec 2020

Animal study suggests palmitoylation inhibitor reduces virulence of SARS-CoV-2

A new study preprint on the bioRxiv* server demonstrates the ability of a fatty acid synthase inhibitor to improve the survival of mice infected with murine hepatitis virus. In so doing, it adds to the sum of knowledge about the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 with cholesterol metabolism in the host cell.

24 Dec 2020

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 NTD-directed antibodies are protective against lethal infection

As the world struggles to contain the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for over 1.6 million deaths and 76 million infections globally, researchers are trying to pin down the determinants of lethality, of infectivity and of protection. Such data would help contain its spread and develop preventive and therapeutic antivirals and vaccines. A new preprint that appeared recently on the bioRxiv* server describes the high degree of protection afforded by antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the virus.

24 Dec 2020

Immunologic modeling of COVID-19 severity and chronicity

In a new study by researchers at Universidad de Costa Rica and other institutions, a bioinformatics approach is used to determine whether Chronic COVID-19 (CC) might have a distinct immunologic signature compared to the mild to moderate (MM) or the severe/critical COVID-19.

24 Dec 2020

Loss of taste and smell may be most reliable COVID-19 symptoms for digital surveillance

A team of researchers from various institutions in London, Israel, and the USA recently tested the existence of consistent links between COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 test status in 3 national surveillance platforms.

24 Dec 2020

Mental disorders highly prevalent during coronavirus pandemics

Researchers in the United States have conducted an analysis showing the high prevalence of mental disorders across populations impacted by coronavirus pandemics.

24 Dec 2020

Reopening college campuses could initiate COVID-19 superspreading

Researchers at Stanford University in the United States have conducted a study showing that college campuses have an extremely high incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and that reopening them could initiate superspreading into neighboring communities.

24 Dec 2020

Analysis: Some said the vaccine rollout would be a ‘nightmare.’ They were right.

Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be "a logistical nightmare."

24 Dec 2020

Researchers find correlation between consistent mask-wearing and improved well-being

A team of researchers at the University of Edinburgh, UK, suggest that consistent mask-wearing is associated with better wellbeing.

24 Dec 2020

Higher BMI linked to increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA, revealed that the spike-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in obese people are negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) and serum levels of proinflammatory and metabolic markers of pulmonary inflammation.

24 Dec 2020

How has the COVID19 pandemic affected the well-being of pregnant women?

A new study by researchers at the Department of Women and Children’s Health at Uppsala University, Sweden, aimed to determine the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women's mental health and well-being.

24 Dec 2020

Researchers publish study results on challenges of COVID-19 during confinement

The University of Alicante Public Health Research Group has just published the results of a study on the challenges of COVID-19 in Alicante; its effects on health and citizen resistance during confinement.

24 Dec 2020

A common compound in mouthwashes found to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers found that cetylpyridinium chloride, found in most mouthwashes, lowers infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro, likely by inhibiting viral fusion with target cells. With more tests to prove validity, mouthwashes could be a simple, cheap way of curbing transmission.

24 Dec 2020