Health-care workers received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020. A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that repeat vaccination with updated versions of the COVID-19 vaccine promotes the development of antibodies that neutralize a wide range of variants of the virus that causes…

Airborne transmission of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, has been a focal point for infection prevention in multi-use facilities with dense populations. Traditional air samplers often require long sampling times, increasing the risk of false negatives due to RNA degradation. The newly developed electrostatic sampler addresses this issue by increasing the airflow rate and improving collection efficiency.…

In a recent study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers estimated hospitalization and mortality rates in people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States (US) in the pre-vaccination period. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused more than 20 million cases, 480,000 hospitalizations, and 350,000 deaths in…

In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers compared blood pressure (BP) self-monitoring along with self-titration of antihypertensive medication to usual care for patients with poorly controlled hypertension. To this end, the combination of BP self-monitoring with self-titration of antihypertensive medication led to a significant reduction in both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic…

A recent eBioMedicine study identifies shared immunopathology between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and melanoma differentiation-associated protein-5 (MDA5) autoimmunity. Study:  MDA5-autoimmunity and interstitial pneumonitis contemporaneous with the COVID-19 pandemic (MIP-C) . Image Credit: Light Studio Design / Shutterstock.com Background Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by severe skin and muscle inflammation. Additionally,…

In a recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, a team of researchers from China and the Netherlands used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging or rs-fMRI to examine the long-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on brain function, based on reports of persistent neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms in individuals…

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers investigated the effects of curcumin and curcuminoids on a human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Study:  Antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of curcumin and curcuminoids in SH-SY5Y cells infected by SARS-CoV-2 . Image Credit: Photoongraphy/Shutterstock.com Background…

In early 2020, with reports of covid-19 outbreaks making dire headlines, Trever Schapers worried about her father's safety in a nursing home in Queens. She had delighted in watching her dad, John Schapers, blow out the candles on his 90th birthday cake that February at the West Lawrence Care Center in the New York City…

In a recent study published in Nature Aging, researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial (RCT) to investigate whether a health education intervention offered to Chinese college students will increase severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) booster vaccinations among their grandparents. Study:  Influence of grandchildren on COVID-19 vaccination uptake among older adults in…

Suddenly they appear and - like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus - can trigger major epidemics: Viruses that nobody had on their radar. They are not really new, but they have changed genetically. In particular, the exchange of genetic material between different virus species can lead to the sudden emergence of threatening pathogens with significantly altered characteristics.…