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UrduNew research from Boston Medical Center found that alcohol screening rates dropped substantially during the first COVID-19 surge.
Tag: covid 19
Researchers find an antibody that targets omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants
A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Scripps Research and the University of Chicago has identified an antibody that appears to block infection by all dominant variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, including Omicron, the most recent. Their discovery could lead to more potent vaccines and new antibody-based treatments.
Researchers discover key pathway for COVID organ damage in adults
Even after three years since the emergence of COVID-19, much remains unknown about how it causes severe disease, including the widespread organ damage beyond just the lungs. Increasingly, scientists are learning that organ dysfunction results from damage to the blood vessels, but why the virus causes this damage is unclear.
Team uncovers new details of SARS-COV-2 structure
A new study led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) brings into sharper focus the structural details of the COVID-19 virus, revealing an elliptical shape that “breathes,” or changes shape, as it moves in the body.
Model for predicting transmission of COVID-19 can help policymakers monitor virus, inform health surveillance systems
In a new study, researchers analyzed data from Cali, Colombia, to develop a model that provides a template for tracking data, predicting transmission, and informing health surveillance systems.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased – but also polarised – trust in science
Research by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, UK, along with colleagues at Universities of Oxford and Aberdeen, finds that trust in scientists has hugely increased overall since the COVID-19 pandemic, but that attitudes have also become more polarized. The study also found that people were more likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine if their trust in the science had increased.
COVID vaccine induces robust T cell responses in blood cancer patients
Researchers found that, despite being heavily immunocompromised, haematology patients generate strong cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination, on par with that of healthy individuals.
RSV hospitalizations spiked unusually high in late 2021, study finds
The COVID-19 pandemic posed an immense challenge on the health care industry in 2020 and 2021. While hospitals were inundated with COVID-19 cases, other illnesses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) saw a decrease in hospital visits, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
Is it COVID-19 or the flu? New sensor could tell you in 10 seconds
Scientists report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to build a device that can simultaneously detect the presence of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu — at much lower levels and much more quickly than conventional tests for either. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2023.
Substance use disorders do not increase the likelihood of COVID-19 deaths
New research from Boston Medical Center found that substance use disorders do not increase the likelihood of dying from COVID-19. Published in Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, the study showed that the increased risk for severe COVID-19 in people with SUD that has been seen may be the result of co-occurring medical conditions.
Lack of canine COVID-19 data fuels persisting concerns over dog-human interactions
Early COVID-19 pandemic suspicions about dogs’ resistance to the disease have given way to a long-haul clinical data gap as new variants of the virus have emerged.
Daily step counts before, after onset of COVID-19
The researchers found a significant decline in daily step counts that persisted even after most COVID-19–related restrictions were relaxed, suggesting COVID-19 affected long-term behavioral choices. It is currently unknown whether this reduction is steps is clinically meaningful over time.
Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in Lancet ID.
‘Glow-in-the-dark’ proteins could help diagnose viral diseases
Many highly sensitive diagnostic tests for viral diseases still require complicated techniques. But now, a team reporting in ACS Central Science has developed a sensitive method that analyzes viral nucleic acids quickly and can be completed in one step with “glow-in-the-dark” proteins.
COVID-19 pandemic has long-lasting effects on adolescent mental health and substance use
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a long-lasting impact on adolescent mental health and substance use according to a new population-based study are based on survey responses from a nationwide sample of over 64,000 13–18-year-old North American and Icelandic adolescents assessed prior to and up to two years into the pandemic.
Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on incidence of long-term conditions in Wales
A population data linkage study using anonymised primary and secondary care health records in Swansea University’s SAIL Databank has revealed that in 2020 and 2021, fewer people in Wales were being diagnosed with long-term conditions than expected.
World’s most comprehensive study on COVID-19 mental health
COVID-19 has taken a relatively limited toll on the mental health of most people around the globe, according to a paper published today in the BMJ by a McGill University-led research team involving collaborators from McMaster University, the University of Toronto, and other institutions.
Group exercise program for older adults led to more independent exercise despite pandemic restrictions
A new study by the University of Missouri and Oklahoma State University found that even when gyms were closed and there were other COVID-19 restrictions limiting face-to-face meetings, older adults who completed the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy exercise program — created at MU in 2005 — continued to maintain long-term exercise habits independently, which resulted in improved lifestyle changes and an increase in both physical energy and self-confidence.
Study associates long COVID with physical inactivity
The link between symptoms of COVID-19 and physical inactivity is increasingly evident. An article recently published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil describes a study in which COVID-19 survivors with at least one persistent symptom of the disease were 57% more likely to be sedentary, and the presence of five or more post-acute sequelae of infection by SARS-CoV-2 increased the odds of physical inactivity by 138%.
First nasal monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 shows promise for treating virus, other diseases
A pilot trial by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, tested the nasal administration of the drug Foralumab, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody.
How differences in individual infections affect COVID-19 spread within households
Substantial variation in infectiousness among cases may strongly impact the way SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads in the population, even at the household level, shows a study published today in eLife.
Localized lockdowns could control pandemics while reducing socio-economic impact
Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands suggests that locally targeted pandemic control measures could have been just as effective as national lockdowns, according to a study published today in eLife.
The next pandemic: Researchers develop tool to identify existing drugs to use in a future outbreak
A global team of researchers has created an algorithmic tool that can identify existing drugs in order to combat future pandemics. The work, reported in the Cell Press journal Heliyon, offers the possibility of responding more quickly to public-health crises.
Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives
Public and private sector health officials and public policymakers should team up immediately with community leaders to more effectively disseminate accurate narratives regarding the life-saving benefits of vaccines to counter widespread, harmful misinformation from anti-vaccine activists in the United States.
“COVID rebound” is common, even in untreated patients
“COVID rebound,” in which evidence of the illness disappears and then returns days or weeks later, is surprisingly common—whether or not patients are given the antiviral Paxlovid.
Social workers experienced depression, PTSD, and anxiety at alarming rates during pandemic
A new study published in the journal International Social Work has uncovered concerning rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety among social workers.
New testing approach diagnoses COVID-19 with near-perfect accuracy
By inspecting the body’s immune response at a molecular level, a research team has developed a new way to test patients for COVID-19.
Could a naturally occurring amino acid lead us to a cure for COVID-19?
After more than two years since its discovery, six million deaths, and half a billion reported cases, there is still no effective cure for COVID-19. Even though vaccines have lowered the impact of outbreaks, patients that contract the disease can only receive supportive care while they wait for their own body to clear the infection.
Two new papers demonstrate use of Outbreak.info as one-stop online source for COVID data
While COVID-19 may be transitioning from a “pandemic” to an “endemic” phase, it remains critically important to continue tracking the virus in real-time.
Flu vaccination rate holds steady but misinformation about flu and Covid-19 persists
Although the public had been alerted that this winter could be a potentially bad flu season, barely half of Americans said in January that they had received a flu shot, a vaccination level unchanged in a representative national panel from the comparable period last year.
Online storytelling improved people with dementia’s quality of life during Covid-19 lockdowns
The academics translated a storytelling method known as ‘TimeSlips’ into Spanish for the first time and reworked it for delivery on Zoom when Covid-19 halted their research and face-to-face practice.
COVID-19: no increased risks of serious diseases found for vaccinated people
COVID-19 vaccines did not cause an increased risk of adverse events such as heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest, myocarditis, pericarditis, and deep vein thrombosis.
Keeping SARS-CoV-2 closed for business with small molecules
Spike proteins are one of the main targets for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. But those remedies gradually lose effectiveness when the spike proteins mutate. Now, researchers report in ACS Central Science that they have discovered small molecules that target other segments that mutate less.
Immunocompromised patients remain at higher risk of COVID-19 death in hospital
People with weakened immune systems remain more likely to die if hospitalised with COVID-19 than patients with normal immune systems, a new UK study has confirmed.
90% reduction in COVID-19 deaths after booster dose: Hong Kong study
A booster (third) dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was associated with a 90% reduction in death in people with multiple health conditions compared to 2 doses, according to a new study from Hong Kong published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
COVID calculations lead to unexpected solution to long-standing problem in theoretical computer science
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joachim Kock, mathematician at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), began to experiment with epidemiological models. He did not improve upon the predictions, but unexpectedly he made a mathematical discovery that led to the solution of an old problem in theoretical computer science, open since the 1980s, on Petri nets.
Corona vaccine based on new technology tested in clinical study
A new COVID-19 vaccine based on a different platform than current vaccines on the market has been tested in humans for the first time by researchers at Radboud university medical center.
COVID toll realized: CVD deaths take big jump, especially among certain populations
The number of people dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the U.S. escalated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 874,613 CVD-related deaths recorded in 2019 to 928,741 in 2020.
COVID-19 conspiracy theories that spread fastest focused on evil, secrecy
In the early pandemic, conspiracy theories that were shared the most on Twitter highlighted malicious purposes and secretive actions of supposed bad actors behind the crisis, according to an analysis of nearly 400,000 posts.
Overdose deaths involving buprenorphine did not proportionally increase with new flexibilities in prescribing
The proportion of opioid overdose deaths involving buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, did not increase in the months after prescribing flexibilities were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
500,000 missed out on blood pressure lowering drugs during pandemic
Nearly half a million people missed out on starting medication to lower their blood pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre at Health Data Research UK published today in Nature Medicine [1].
COVID-19 symptoms 6 months after onset, role of vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 infection
In this study of 1,832 U.S. adults, the risk of reporting symptoms for 28 or more days after COVID-19 onset was significantly higher in participants who were unvaccinated at the time of infection and those who reported moderate or severe acute illness symptoms.
Vaccination gets a boost when people know their neighbors are doing it
Just as a highly transmissible variant prompts officials to extend COVID-19 emergency status, one of the largest surveys ever conducted shows people are more willing to get vaccinated when health workers reveal how many others are doing so.
COVID is changing how we are exposed to household health risks
COVID-19 is changing household behaviors related to how we are exposed to various household chemicals linked to poor health outcomes.
Mucosal antibodies in the airways provide durable protection against SARS-CoV-2
High levels of mucosal IgA antibodies in the airways protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least eight months. Omicron infection generates durable mucosal antibodies, reducing the risk of re-infection.
Gone fishing: highly accurate test for common respiratory viruses uses DNA as ‘bait’
A new test that ‘fishes’ for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as ‘bait’, and gives highly accurate results in under an hour, has been developed by Cambridge researchers.
Annual or biannual boosters are optimal for fighting endemic COVID-19, study shows
While COVID-19 boosters have been found to protect against infection, hospitalization, and severe illness, the waning of their protection has led to uncertainty about when it is most appropriate to get an additional booster shot.
Perceptions of stress, mood associated with listening to music during COVID-19 lockdown
Listening to music in daily life was significantly associated with lower levels of stress during the COVID-19 lockdown period in this study of 711 adults.
Age-related macular degeneration a risk factor for COVID-19 infection, severe disease
Recent evidence has emerged to suggest that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a clinical risk factor for increased risk for infection and mortality.
Examination of COVID-19 vaccine reactions after multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
In this study of study of 385 patients ages 5 or older with a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), no serious adverse events were reported after COVID-19 vaccination.