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Area-level variation in infection fatality ratio in the US COVID-19 pandemic

A new preprint describes the infection fatality ratio, a crucial indicator for planning public health programs and shaping policies.

7 Dec 2021

Study reveals link between recent cannabis use and extremes of nightly sleep duration

Recent cannabis use is linked to extremes of nightly sleep duration--less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours--reveals a study of a large representative sample of US adults, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

7 Dec 2021

Possible impact of spike protein mutations on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

The current study not only analyses the mutations in the Omicron spike variant but classifies various combinations of spike mutations into groups.

7 Dec 2021

Exploring SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responsiveness in immunosuppressed patients

A new study indicates an immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in immunosuppressed patients that were comparable to healthy patients.

7 Dec 2021

Immune response of Pfizer vaccinees who received Moderna or Pfizer booster

A new preprint discusses the immune boost resulting from homologous or heterologous booster doses in individuals fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

7 Dec 2021

Comparison of waning COVID-19 immunity between vaccinated and infected individuals

The current study compares the waning of immunity in infected-and-recovered vs. vaccinated cohorts.

7 Dec 2021

Risk factors for COVID-19 among US healthcare workers

Researchers from the CDC have investigated the risk posed to healthcare workers and which factors are most likely to lead to infection.

7 Dec 2021

Method for inactivation and direct RT-qPCR of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have been exploring ways to optimize this process further, allowing RT-qPCR to work more efficiently by eliminating one of the key steps.

7 Dec 2021

Study suggests algal polysaccharide may be a promising anti-COVID-19 candidate

Researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been investigating the potential of rhamnan sulfate as an antiviral agent.

7 Dec 2021

Study finds mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are effective in cancer patients

The mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection in most cancer patients, according to a nationwide study of veterans diagnosed with cancer in the past decade.

6 Dec 2021

Study investigates how vision influences the development of hearing

As it is common experience, our senses do not work in complete isolation from the others: sight helps listening (and this is maybe why it is difficult to understand people when they speak with their mask on) but can also influence taste.

6 Dec 2021

Simple quantitative framework to understand the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19

Researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States developed a model to explain why severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections induce high inflammatory levels.

6 Dec 2021

Omicron variant increases risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

New surveillance data from South Africa published in the medRxiv* preprint server suggests that the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omnicron variant has the potential to escape naturally-acquired immunity. The research indicates people who previously recovered from a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at risk for reinfection with the Omicron variant. The results show that the risk of reinfection is greater with the Omicron variant versus Delta and Beta.

6 Dec 2021

New test provides a more objective way to assess negative urgency

If you can't stop saying or doing things that you later regret, here's a diagnostic test for you: Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have pioneered a way to better determine when acting on one's worst impulses verges on pathological.

6 Dec 2021

Study reveals the effects of cannabis use on oral microbiome and brain health

More and more states are legalizing marijuana, but little is known about how long-term cannabis use affects the microbes in the oral cavity, known as the oral microbiome.

6 Dec 2021

Stress accelerates biological clock, but psychological resilience can help manage the effects

Scientists in recent years have developed ways to measure biological age by tracking chemical changes in DNA that occur naturally as people age but occur at different times in different people.

6 Dec 2021

Researchers discover clearest evidence to date of how memories form

In a discovery that could one day benefit people suffering from traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia, UT Southwestern researchers have identified the characteristics of more than 100 memory-sensitive neurons that play a central role in how memories are recalled in the brain.

6 Dec 2021