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Prolonged shedding and multiple mutations 154 days after initial SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis reported

An interesting new preprint published on the medRxiv server describes an immunosuppressed patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who continued to shed the virus for an astounding 154 days. During this period, the virus underwent numerous mutations.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers identify seven criteria to tackle obesity problem in the UK

Successive governments' approach to obesity policies has destined them to fail, say researchers.Government obesity policies in England over the past three decades have largely failed because of problems with implementation, lack of learning from past successes or failures, and a reliance on trying to persuade individuals to change their behavior rather than tackling unhealthy environments.

19 Jan 2021

Scientists develop world's first test to accurately predict mood disorders

University of South Australia scientists have developed the world's first test to accurately predict mood disorders in people, based on the levels of a specific protein found in the brain.

19 Jan 2021

Expert urges to stop 5G networks until people’s safety is confirmed

We should err on the side of caution and stop the global roll out of 5G (fifth generation) telecoms networks until we are certain this technology is completely safe, urges an expert in an opinion piece published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

19 Jan 2021

FIT test can help identify people with higher risk of colorectal cancer

New research has demonstrated that a simple, cheap test can help identify who is at risk of developing colorectal cancer, aiding early diagnosis and potentially saving lives.

19 Jan 2021

Scientists set research priorities for COVID-19 vaccines

More than 2,800 scientists from 130 countries gathered on Friday (January 15) in a virtual forum hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify knowledge gaps and set research priorities for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

19 Jan 2021

WHO Emergency Committee to review emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), according to the WHO Emergency Committee (EC) on COVID-19.

19 Jan 2021

Global scientists are intensifying research on COVID-19

Global scientists are intensifying research into COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) moves to expand its scientific collaboration and monitoring of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

18 Jan 2021

Researchers find potential biomarkers of Parkinson's disease

A research team led by Nagoya University in Japan has found that blood pressure, the hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in blood), and serum cholesterol levels change in patients with Parkinson's disease long before the onset of motor symptoms.

18 Jan 2021

World Health Assembly calls for urgent action on prevention and control of meningitis

At the 73rd Session of the World Health Assembly, Member States overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution calling for urgent action on meningitis prevention and control through the implementation of a bold, comprehensive global roadmap to defeat meningitis by 2030.

18 Jan 2021

Fried-food intake can increase risk of heart disease, stroke

Fried-food intake is linked to a heightened risk of major heart disease and stroke, finds a pooled analysis of the available research data, published online in the journal Heart.

18 Jan 2021

International health organizations establish global Ebola vaccine stockpile

The four leading international health and humanitarian organizations announced today the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile to ensure outbreak response.

18 Jan 2021

E-cigarettes stress and inflame the lungs, impair key regulatory proteins

E-cigarettes stress and inflame the lungs of rats, compromising important regulatory proteins through exposure, according to research recently published in the journal Redox Biology.

18 Jan 2021

WHO sets nutrition criteria to increase the availability of healthy food

Public settings, such as schools, childcare centers, nursing homes, hospitals and correctional facilities and all other canteens of public institutions, can play a key role in ensuring people are provided with healthy food and helping prevent the 8 million annual deaths currently caused by unhealthy diets.

18 Jan 2021

Green Mediterranean diet reduces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, show randomized trials

A green Mediterranean (MED) diet reduces intrahepatic fat more than other healthy diets and cuts non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in half, according to a long-term clinical intervention trial led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers and a team of international colleagues.

18 Jan 2021

WHO and partners urge countries to strengthen childcare

The early years in a child's life are critical in building a foundation for optimal development through a stable and nurturing environment.

18 Jan 2021

Genomics reveals distinct patterns of emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike variants in Columbus, Ohio

Recently researchers from the United States reported the results of a SARS‐CoV‐2 genomic surveillance conducted between April 2020 and January 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Their work is released as a preprint on the bioRxiv server.

18 Jan 2021

Understanding the Philippines' relative success with COVID-19

Many high-income countries have reported rising numbers of cases, while a few low-income countries such as the Philippines report a less severe COVID-19 outbreak. To date, the archipelagic country in Southeast Asia has reported 502,000 cases and 9,900 deaths among its population of around 108 million.

18 Jan 2021

About 60 percent of SARS-CoV-2 cases in England tied to new variant by the end of December

One new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, called 202012/01, started to spread in England in late October. A new study published on the pre-print server medRxiv found that 60 percent of daily COVID-19 cases screened by the Alderley Park Lighthouse Labs were tied to 202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1. This suggests a rapid spread of the new variant across the country.

18 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021