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New method to trace COVID-19 in wastewater can be used to track future outbreaks

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) scientists have developed a new methodology to trace the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the sewage and wastewater systems, which could potentially be used to track existing and future outbreaks of the coronavirus.

6 May 2020

Is ACEI, ARB use linked to testing positive for COVID-19?

A new study published in the prestigious journal JAMA Cardiology in May 2020 reports that there is no association between the use of ACEIs/ARBs and testing positive for COVID-19. This supports current medical advice to continue using these drugs as indicated irrespective of the ongoing pandemic but indicates the need for more research to rule out any additional risk of severe illness due to these agents.

6 May 2020

Long-term buprenorphine treatment can improve health care outcomes

A study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that long-term buprenorphine treatment is associated with improvements in health care outcomes.

6 May 2020

An economic side effect of cancer treatment

Many cancer survivors with high medical copayments experience financial toxicity, an economic side effect of cancer treatment.

6 May 2020

Public perception of SARS-CoV-2 influences health behavior

A new study published in the Journal of Risk Research in April 2020 shows that public health behaviors aimed at preventing viral spread are influenced by public risk perception, which varies between countries around the world.

6 May 2020

Study shows thinking and walking speed usually decline together

Do thinking and walking go hand in hand in determining the health course of senior adults? A study published by UT Health San Antonio researchers found that, indeed, the two functions often parallel each other in determining a person's health trajectory.

6 May 2020

Study provides more insight into the initiation and progression of human cancers

Volume 11, Issue 18 of @Oncotarget Clinical implications of chromatin accessibility assessed by ATAC-seq profiling in human cancers especially in a large patient cohort is largely unknown.

6 May 2020

Cytokine storms created by COVID-19 could be reduced by using blood filter

Cytokine storms created by COVID-19 are causing major organ destruction and death, and for the first time in the United States, when patients begin to show signs of trouble, physicians are replacing the usual filter in a kidney dialysis machine with a filter known to trap these tiny proteins, with the goal of avoiding the devastation.

6 May 2020

AMP publishes evidence-based recommendations to standardize clinical genotyping tests for warfarin response

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostic professional society, today published consensus, evidence-based recommendations to aid in the design, validation and interpretation of clinical genotyping tests for the prediction of warfarin response.

6 May 2020

GlaxoSmithKline awards grants to support ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund

Today, the American Thoracic Society announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has awarded the Society two grants totaling $380,000 to support the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, a newly launched initiative to develop and disseminate research, education and scientific recommendations to providers in the pulmonary and critical care communities, as well as other clinicians in need of expanding their skill set during this emergency.

6 May 2020

New mathematical tool can predict the spread of infectious diseases more accurately

An international team of researchers has developed a new mathematical tool that could help scientists to deliver more accurate predictions of how diseases, including COVID-19, spread through towns and cities around the world.

5 May 2020

Artificial intelligence may help diagnose diseases that affect the heart

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be an aid to interpreting ECG results, helping healthcare staff to diagnose diseases that affect the heart.

5 May 2020

Australia and New Zealand negotiate 'travel bubble'

With the new travel bubble, travelers could fly between Australia and New Zealand without undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine at either end of the journey. The new link is now being discussed by the two leaders, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

5 May 2020

Study provides evidence for safety and efficacy of chloroquine in COVID-19

After a pilot study (Huang et al.Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, in press), having proved the safety and effectiveness of the drug to reduce the viral RNA to undetectable levels in 10 COVID-19 patients, the researchers began this current study, published on the preprint server medRxiv.

5 May 2020

Israeli scientists discover monoclonal antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2

Now, in a significant medical breakthrough, Israel's Institute for Biological Research Institute (IIBRI) has wrapped up the development of a potential treatment for the coronavirus disease. The scientists say they have identified an antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2.

5 May 2020

First French COVID-19 case was in December 19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), formerly known as the novel coronavirus infection, was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Many health experts believe that the virus had spread way before it was identified as the culprit for many pneumonia-like diseases. Now, a French doctor says that the coronavirus reached France back in December when it admitted a pneumonia patient into hospital.

5 May 2020

How non-pharmaceutical interventions affect COVID lockdown relaxation

An American study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 shows the frightening limitations of any relaxation of social distancing norms with respect to containing the COVID-19 spread. Currently, the illness is the cause of massive numbers of deaths, close to 70,000, as well as widespread business shutdowns, loss of revenue and employment, and social disruptions in America.

5 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports on a large scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and reveals a clonal geo-distribution and rich genetic variations.

5 May 2020

COVID-19 and exposure to air pollution

A scientist from the Netherlands has worked on a study that looked at the association between COVID-19 infections and exposure to air pollution. Researcher Bo Pieter Johannes Andrée’s study titled “Incidence of COVID-19 and Connections with Air Pollution Exposure Evidence from the Netherlands” was released prior to the peer review process on the online server Medrxiv.

5 May 2020

Shortages of PPE for healthcare workers could be tackled using social media and 3D printing

Researchers have come up with the use of social media and 3D printing techniques to deal with the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for healthcare workers who are dealing with the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The

5 May 2020