Main 200
Company behind new FDA-approved coronavirus antibody aims to produce millions of kits by June
3 May 14:39
•
33 articles
Weight: 4.96
Importance: 5.11
Age penalty: 0.97
Best date: 3 May 10:40
Average US: 17.855151515151512
Weighted average US: 20.301605423339446
Average GB: 0.7863636363636363
Weighted average GB: 1.3282150785159978
Average IN: 3.49
Weighted average IN: 5.494628031882665
Company behind new FDA-approved coronavirus antibody aims to produce millions of kits by June
The Food and Drug Administration continues to expedite its approval time for technology that should help combat the coronavirus pandemic. This time, the FDA cleared a coronavirus antibody test produced by Swiss diagnostics giant Roche for emergency use, the company said Sunday. The test identifies via blood samples antibodies made by the body to fight off the coronavirus. It could therefore determine whether a person had been infected with the virus in the past, even if the infection subsided. There are questions about the accuracy of many available commercial antibody tests so far, but they're considered crucial for better understanding both the true extent of the pandemic, as well as possible length of immunity to the virus. Roche, at least, doesn't have those concerns about its product, saying its test has proven 100 percent accurate at detecting antibodies in the blood and 99.8 percent accurate at ruling out the presence of those antibodies. Thom Schinecker, who leads the company's diagnostics business, said they were able to run its test on 6,000 blood samples, which is a much higher number than its smaller competitors. Additionally, Roche's infrastructure will allow it to increase production of the test quickly, and its kits are also designed to run on Roche automated machines, which are already installed in more than 100 labs throughout the U.S. The company is determined to dispense test kits in the "high double-digit millions" by June, and double that by the end of the year. Read more at The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.
3 May 14:39 • The Week • https://theweek.com/speedreads/912455/company-behind-new-fdaapproved-coronavirus-antibody-aims-produce-millions-kits-by-juneRating: 0.58
Roche receives emergency-use authorisation for Covid-19 antibody test
Roche received emergency-use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its new Covid-19 antibody test, according to a company statement. The Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test is designed to determine if a patient has been exposed to the coronavirus and has developed antibodies against it, Roche said on Sunday. Governments are trying to learn how many people have been exposed to Covid-19 as they reopen economies and end social-distancing measures. The restrictions have resulted in millions of lost jobs, closed schools and businesses and sent the financial markets through the most turbulent period since the 2008 financial crisis. With no vaccine available yet for the novel coronavirus, more than 100 different programs have been launched to develop and test treatments. These include everything from antiviral drugs and antibody-containing plasma from recovered patients, to traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Gilead Sciences’s antiviral drug remdesivir was cleared by US regulators on May 1st for emergency use in Covid-19 patients, becoming the first medication backed by early clinical data to be made available to fight the disease. – Bloomberg
3 May 12:24 • The Irish Times • https://www.irishtimes.com/business/personal-finance/roche-receives-emergency-use-authorisation-for-covid-19-antibody-test-1.4243917Rating: 1.99
Roche gets FDA emergency use approval for COVID-19 antibody test
BASEL: Roche Holding received emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Sunday (May 3). Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to "high double-digit millions" per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8 per cent and sensitivity rate of 100 per cent. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including US-based Abbott Laboratories , Becton Dickinson and Co, Italy's DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got US emergency authorisation for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinised some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA's decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
3 May 10:55 • CNA • https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/roche-gets-fda-emergency-use-approval-for-covid-19-antibody-test-12697684Rating: 3.25
Roche gets US FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 antibody test
Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Sunday. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to "high double-digit millions" per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories , Becton Dickinson and Co, Italy's DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got U.S. emergency authorization for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinized some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA's decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed.
3 May 11:20 • The Peninsula • https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/03/05/2020/Roche-gets-US-FDA-emergency-use-nod-for-COVID-19-antibody-testRating: 3.14
Roche gets US FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 antibody test
Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to "high double-digit millions" per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including US-based Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Co, Italy's DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got US emergency authorisation for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinized some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA's decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed.
3 May 10:40 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/05/03/roche-gets-us-fda-emergency-use-nod-for-covid-19-antibody-testRating: 2.85
FDA grants emergency approval to Swiss firm's coronavirus antibody test
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for an antibody coronavirus test developed by Roche Holding AG, the Swiss healthcare company said in a statement Sunday. The tests are used to determine whether a person has been infected with the novel coronavirus and developed antibodies against it. State and federal officials have touted the tests as a way to help guide decisions about how to safely reopen parts of the U.S. Roche Holding AG said that its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, had a 99.8 percent specificity rate and a sensitivity rate of 100 percent based on a sampling of 5,272 people. The company said that it would begin ramping up production of the tests to the "high double-digit millions per month" to serve countries accepting them. The firm has already started shipping the tests to some laboratories. “Thanks to the enormous efforts of our dedicated colleagues we are now able to deliver a high-quality antibody test in high quantities, so we can support healthcare systems around the world with an important tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis,” Roche Group CEO Severin Schwan said in a statement. ”I am in particular pleased about the high specificity and sensitivity of our test, which is crucial to support health care systems around the world with a reliable tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis.” Multiple companies, including US-based Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Co, and Italy’s DiaSorin, have reportedly received emergency approval from the FDA for their antibody tests. The rush to develop the tests, however, has produced fears about inaccurate results. The House Oversight and Reform Committee recently released a report that showed the FDA allowed numerous antibody tests on the market without review. The committee said it resulted in hundreds of flawed tests that are still available on the market, which could lead to inaccurate conclusions about whether someone has immunity to COVID-19. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, told The Hill last week that he wants the agency to clear the market of any unauthorized test. In its news release, Roche said that its sampling showed no cross-reactivity to the four human coronaviruses causing a common cold, reducing the chance of false positives. The company previously said that its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies, Reuters reported.
3 May 14:18 • TheHill • https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/495854-fda-grants-emergency-approval-to-swiss-firms-coronavirus-antibody-testRating: 1.94
A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate is now cleared for emergency use in the US, easing concerns of false positives that hindered earlier tests
US regulators authorized Sunday emergency use of a coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate, addressing concerns about high false positive rates that have plagued some of the first tests. The test is made by Roche, a Swiss giant in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. Roche said Sunday it will boost its manufacturing to produce "high double-digit millions per month" of the test. Antibodies are proteins created by the body's immune system to fight invading threats, like viruses or bacteria. Antibody testing is seen by many as a critical step into reopening the economy. Some have floated ideas of using the tests to issue some form of "immunity passports," which could allow people with the antibodies to return to work. Roche stated the test has a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which are significantly higher than some of the first antibody tests that were cleared for use in the US. The results came from using more than 5,000 samples on its test. It will take about 18 minutes to process a single test, with Roche's devices able to run up to 300 tests per hour in an automated fashion, the company said. One recent study found several of these tests are less than 90% accurate. Combined with Roche's ability to mass-manufacture millions of tests, this new test should help address the issue of false positive results, where a test may tell someone they have the antibodies when they actually do not. Another medical diagnostics giant, Abbott, has been using its antibody test for the past few weeks in the US. Abbot says its test is 99% accurate, based on testing about 1,000 samples. Read more: Tests that can tell who's had the coronavirus are crucial to reopening the country. Here are the companies racing to bring them to the US healthcare system. Even if fully accurate, antibody testing still faces several critical unknowns that may limit the usefulness of these tests. First, it is not yet known for sure that having antibodies equals protection. For most viruses, having antibodies means being protected from future infections. But studies have yet to be done on the novel coronavirus proving this to be the case, and there have been some reports of potential reinfection. Even if antibodies give a degree of protection from the virus, researchers do not know how long that protection will last. This could be another critical limitation if antibody protection lasts for months instead of years. Finally, it is still unknown what percentage of the US or world population has already been infected with the coronavirus. Reliable and widespread antibody testing can help answer this question. LoadingSomething is loading. Featured Health Articles:- Telehealth Industry Explained- Value-Based Care Explained- Senior Care & Assisted Living Market- Smart Medical Devices & Wearable Tech- AI in Healthcare- Remote Patient Monitoring Explained - AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
3 May 14:10 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/antibody-test-that-is-more-than-99-accurate-gets-emergency-clearance-by-fda-2020-5Rating: 4.40
Thinking of getting a COVID-19 antibody test? Here's what you should know
Antibody tests are seen as a valuable tool in helping medical experts in the battle against COVID-19.But the process also has limitations.EveryDay Healthcare in Fresno, California is one of the latest clinics to unveil its capability to conduct testing for COVID-19 antibodies.Blood samples taken there are sent to major national lab company Quest Diagnostics to be analyzed.Many people who've been sick in the past have questions."Were you exposed to a positive case, did you go through the quarantine for 14 days but now feel better, have no symptoms and now you want to find out if you have antibodies?" says Gilbert Bustos.Data from antibody tests help track the spread of the coronavirus but that information is limited.With several companies offering FDA-approved antibody tests, experts say it can be difficult to validate results."There's no single test that's the perfect one to compare to show that this one is the gold standard and it performs as well as that," says Dr. Jessica Mason.Bustos says many insurance companies cover the cost of the test. If you don't have insurance, it would cost $95 for the office visit. You'd also get a $55 bill from Quest."It's really a good helpful tool to find out if you ever had it. If they come back positive, they have antibodies,which helps to determine whether the can return to work, go back to school."But false positives are a real concern because you could have been exposed to a different coronavirus and return to life as normal, thinking you're protected."It is also not necessarily the Holy Grail. It's going to give us very valuable information but we have to remember the limitations. You may have antibodies and have a negative test. You also may not have antibodies and have a positive test," says Dr. Mason.Dr. Mason adds that even if you do have COVID-19 antibodies, it is not known whether or not you can be re-infected.
3 May 18:32 • ABC7 Los Angeles • https://abc7.com/health/want-to-get-a-covid-19-antibody-test-heres-what-to-know/6147384/Rating: 0.39
A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate is now cleared for emergency use in the US, easing concerns of false positives that hindered earlier tests
US regulators authorized Sunday emergency use of a coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate, addressing concerns about high false positive rates that have plagued some of the first tests. The test is made by Roche, a Swiss giant in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. Roche said Sunday it will boost its manufacturing to produce “high double-digit millions per month” of the test. Antibodies are proteins created by the body’s immune system to fight invading threats, like viruses or bacteria. Antibody testing is seen by many as a critical step into reopening the economy. Some have floated ideas of using the tests to issue some form of “immunity passports,” which could allow people with the antibodies to return to work. Roche stated the test has a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which are significantly higher than some of the first antibody tests that were cleared for use in the US. The results came from using more than 5,000 samples on its test. It will take about 18 minutes to process a single test, with Roche’s devices able to run up to 300 tests per hour in an automated fashion, the company said. One recent study found several of these tests are less than 90% accurate. Combined with Roche’s ability to mass-manufacture millions of tests, this new test should help address the issue of false positive results, where a test may tell someone they have the antibodies when they actually do not. Another medical diagnostics giant, Abbott, has been using its antibody test for the past few weeks in the US. Abbot says its test is 99% accurate, based on testing about 1,000 samples. Read more:Tests that can tell who’s had the coronavirus are crucial to reopening the country. Here are the companies racing to bring them to the US healthcare system. Even if fully accurate, antibody testing still faces several critical unknowns that may limit the usefulness of these tests. First, it is not yet known for sure that having antibodies equals protection. For most viruses, having antibodies means being protected from future infections. But studies have yet to be done on the novel coronavirus proving this to be the case, and there have been some reports of potential reinfection. Even if antibodies give a degree of protection from the virus, researchers do not know how long that protection will last. This could be another critical limitation if antibody protection lasts for months instead of years. Finally, it is still unknown what percentage of the US or world population has already been infected with the coronavirus. Reliable and widespread antibody testing can help answer this question.
3 May 14:10 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/antibody-test-that-is-more-than-99-accurate-gets-emergency-clearance-by-fda-2020-5Rating: 0.30
A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate is now cleared for emergency use in the US, easing concerns of false positives that hindered earlier tests, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
US regulators authorized Sunday emergency use of a coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate, addressing concerns about high false positive rates that have plagued some of the first tests. The test is made by Roche, a Swiss giant in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. Roche said Sunday it will boost its manufacturing to produce “high double-digit millions per month” of the test. Antibodies are proteins created by the body’s immune system to fight invading threats, like viruses or bacteria. Antibody testing is seen by many as a critical step into reopening the economy. Some have floated ideas of using the tests to issue some form of “immunity passports,” which could allow people with the antibodies to return to work. Roche stated the test has a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which are significantly higher than some of the first antibody tests that were cleared for use in the US. The results came from using more than 5,000 samples on its test. It will take about 18 minutes to process a single test, with Roche’s devices able to run up to 300 tests per hour in an automated fashion, the company said. One recent study found several of these tests are less than 90% accurate. Combined with Roche’s ability to mass-manufacture millions of tests, this new test should help address the issue of false positive results, where a test may tell someone they have the antibodies when they actually do not. Another medical diagnostics giant, Abbott, has been using its antibody test for the past few weeks in the US. Abbot says its test is 99% accurate, based on testing about 1,000 samples. Read more:Tests that can tell who’s had the coronavirus are crucial to reopening the country. Here are the companies racing to bring them to the US healthcare system. Even if fully accurate, antibody testing still faces several critical unknowns that may limit the usefulness of these tests. First, it is not yet known for sure that having antibodies equals protection. For most viruses, having antibodies means being protected from future infections. But studies have yet to be done on the novel coronavirus proving this to be the case, and there have been some reports of potential reinfection. Even if antibodies give a degree of protection from the virus, researchers do not know how long that protection will last. This could be another critical limitation if antibody protection lasts for months instead of years. Finally, it is still unknown what percentage of the US or world population has already been infected with the coronavirus. Reliable and widespread antibody testing can help answer this question.
3 May 14:10 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/antibody-test-that-is-more-than-99-accurate-gets-emergency-clearance-by-fda-2020-5Rating: 0.30
A coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate is now cleared for emergency use in the US, easing concerns of false positives that hindered earlier tests
US regulators authorised Sunday emergency use of a coronavirus antibody test that is more than 99% accurate, addressing concerns about high false positive rates that have plagued some of the first tests. The test is made by Roche, a Swiss giant in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. Roche said Sunday it will boost its manufacturing to produce “high double-digit millions per month” of the test. Antibodies are proteins created by the body’s immune system to fight invading threats, like viruses or bacteria. Antibody testing is seen by many as a critical step into reopening the economy. Some have floated ideas of using the tests to issue some form of “immunity passports,” which could allow people with the antibodies to return to work. Roche stated the test has a 100% sensitivity rating and a 99.8% specificity rating, which are significantly higher than some of the first antibody tests that were cleared for use in the US. The results came from using more than 5,000 samples on its test. It will take about 18 minutes to process a single test, with Roche’s devices able to run up to 300 tests per hour in an automated fashion, the company said. One recent study found several of these tests are less than 90% accurate. Combined with Roche’s ability to mass-manufacture millions of tests, this new test should help address the issue of false positive results, where a test may tell someone they have the antibodies when they actually do not. Another medical diagnostics giant, Abbott, has been using its antibody test for the past few weeks in the US. Abbot says its test is 99% accurate, based on testing about 1,000 samples. Read more:Tests that can tell who’s had the coronavirus are crucial to reopening the country. Here are the companies racing to bring them to the US healthcare system. Even if fully accurate, antibody testing still faces several critical unknowns that may limit the usefulness of these tests. First, it is not yet known for sure that having antibodies equals protection. For most viruses, having antibodies means being protected from future infections. But studies have yet to be done on the novel coronavirus proving this to be the case, and there have been some reports of potential reinfection. Even if antibodies give a degree of protection from the virus, researchers do not know how long that protection will last. This could be another critical limitation if antibody protection lasts for months instead of years. Finally, it is still unknown what percentage of the US or world population has already been infected with the coronavirus. Reliable and widespread antibody testing can help answer this question.
3 May 14:10 • Business Insider Australia • https://www.businessinsider.com.au/antibody-test-that-is-more-than-99-accurate-gets-emergency-clearance-by-fda-2020-5Rating: 0.30
'Covid-19 results taking too long'
DOCTORS have urged the government to work on improving the turnaround time of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results for coronavirus (Covid-19) which they say is way too long.PCR tests are being done to check for the presence of Covid-19 in human beings.So far in Zimbabwe results have been taking between two and three days to be ready while patients are waiting for them at home.Zimbabwe Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA) said this is risky as positive Covid-19 patients could be spreading the virus in their homes without knowing within those three days."We commend the government for decentralising testing to Mpilo Hospital and implore that more centres be opened. We are however concerned with the long turnaround time for results. In some of the scenarios, suspected cases waiting for the PCR tests results will have been told to go home and wait for a phone call to avail their results.With the current decentralisation of services, the ministry can utilise the available counselling services from counsellors, nurses and doctors in the different units to take part in availing results," the doctors said in a statement.Doctors said there is need for training of those responsible for divulging results to avoid situations whereby results are shared on social media before their owners are informed.This comes after a Bulawayo nurse who recently tested positive for Covid-19 and identified herself as #case 15 complained that she saw her results on social media before getting formal communication from health officials.Health and Childcare minister Obadiah Moyo said PCR results take long as they have to test samples from all over the country in only two centres."The reason why our results take longer to come out is to do with the testing scheme. We have to batch the samples which will be coming from all over the country. The testing system itself takes a long time before you get the results."We have the PCR system which takes five hours and part of that testing system requires that after the samples have been taken from the patient, you have to extract it and then do what are called Oral or Nasal-phyryngial Swabbing," Moyo said.
3 May 13:58 • Bulawayo24 News • https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-184707.htmlRating: 0.30
Thinking of getting a COVID-19 antibody test? Here's what you should know
Data from antibody tests help track the spread of the coronavirus - but they have limitations. Antibody tests are seen as a valuable tool in helping medical experts in the battle against COVID-19. But the process also has limitations. EveryDay Healthcare in Fresno, California is one of the latest clinics to unveil its capability to conduct testing for COVID-19 antibodies. Blood samples taken there are sent to major national lab company Quest Diagnostics to be analyzed. Many people who've been sick in the past have questions. "Were you exposed to a positive case, did you go through the quarantine for 14 days but now feel better, have no symptoms and now you want to find out if you have antibodies?" says Gilbert Bustos. Data from antibody tests help track the spread of the coronavirus but that information is limited. With several companies offering FDA-approved antibody tests, experts say it can be difficult to validate results. "There's no single test that's the perfect one to compare to show that this one is the gold standard and it performs as well as that," says Dr. Jessica Mason. Bustos says many insurance companies cover the cost of the test. If you don't have insurance, it would cost $95 for the office visit. You'd also get a $55 bill from Quest. "It's really a good helpful tool to find out if you ever had it. If they come back positive, they have antibodies,which helps to determine whether the can return to work, go back to school." But false positives are a real concern because you could have been exposed to a different coronavirus and return to life as normal, thinking you're protected. "It is also not necessarily the Holy Grail. It's going to give us very valuable information but we have to remember the limitations. You may have antibodies and have a negative test. You also may not have antibodies and have a positive test," says Dr. Mason. Dr. Mason adds that even if you do have COVID-19 antibodies, it is not known whether or not you can be re-infected.
3 May 18:32 • ABC7 New York • https://abc7ny.com/health/want-to-get-a-covid-19-antibody-test-heres-what-to-know/6147384/Rating: 0.30
Roche COVID-19 antibody test gets emergency FDA approval
Roche Holding AG became the latest company to win emergency US approval for a coronavirus antibody test and promised a fast scale-up of the tool that policy makers hope will smooth the reopening of economies. The Swiss giant expects production of the test to reach the high double-digit millions by June and pass the 100 million monthly threshold later this year. The test looks for antibodies in blood that have been raised to fight off the virus that causes Covid-19. Roche's version runs on a high-volume instrument that can produce a single result in 18 minutes and as many as 300 results in an hour, the company said in a statement Sunday after receiving emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Our people have been working in operations day and night to make sure we have all the products," Thomas Schinecker, head of Roche's diagnostics unit, said in a phone interview. Antibody testing could help pinpoint which people have already been exposed to the virus, potentially giving them some immunity to it. It could also help determine how widely the disease has spread, since the molecular testing that's been around since January - and used to confirm more than 3 million infections globally - can't show who had the disease weeks or months ago. While it's still unclear how strong immunity will be for different people - or how long it will last - knowing who has already fought off the virus could nonetheless show how vulnerable regions are to future outbreak waves. The pandemic probably won't be controlled until about two-thirds of the world's population is immune, according to a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Roche's antibody test has demonstrated a "specificity" of more than 99.8% and a "sensitivity" of 100% when validated against over 5,000 blood samples taken from people 14 days after their Covid-19 cases were confirmed using molecular testing, Roche said. If a test can reliably identify positive samples, it's considered highly sensitive. If it can identify negatives, it's called specific. That means it knows the difference between Covid-19 antibodies and others raised by, say, another coronavirus that causes the common cold. Read More: Where Are We in Quest for Coronavirus Drugs, Vaccine? Governments are trying to learn how many people have been exposed to the virus as they wind down social-distancing measures. The restrictions on businesses have cost millions their jobs and the global economy is on course for its deepest dive since the Great Depression. Countries including the U.K. and parts of the U.S. were so eager for antibody tests early on that they bought versions that didn't work. Most of the earliest versions on the market came from small players, but now bigger companies with strong reputations are bringing out their own versions - including Roche and Abbott Laboratories. The U.S. FDA has granted emergency use approval to about a dozen of these tests. Roche's test is also cleared for countries accepting Europe's CE marking, the company said. With no vaccine available yet for the novel coronavirus, there have been proposals that people who have antibodies could be issued an "immunity passport" that would allow them to travel or return to work, on the assumption that they're safe from re-infection. Yet the World Health Organization has cautioned on the level of protection against a second infection that people who have recovered from Covid-19 will have. In addition to the search for a vaccine, more than 100 different programs have been launched to develop and test treatments. These include everything from antiviral drugs and antibody-containing plasma from recovered patients, to traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Gilead Sciences Inc.'s antiviral drug remdesivir has been cleared by US regulators for emergency use in Covid-19 patients, becoming the first medication backed by early clinical data to be made available to fight the disease. Once any resistance to the coronavirus is better understood, Roche's new test could help assess who has built up immunity, Roche said. For now, the tests will probably go first to health-care workers and their families, along with people who have already had the disease and those who think they may have had it, Schinecker said. "There are people that think they had the flu in February, and now they're not sure - did they have the flu or something else?" Schinecker said. "Most likely these people will be tested, and then over time you can see how this develops - are they immune, or are they not immune?"
3 May 17:25 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/roche-covid-19-antibody-test-gets-emergency-fda-approval-1.1588526987459Rating: 3.21
Roche wins U.S. nod for COVID-19 antibody test, aims to boost output
Roche has won emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to determine whether people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20200503:nGNE71pdqt on Sunday. Thomas Schinecker, Roche’s head of diagnostics, said the company aims to more than double production of tests from about 50 million a month to significantly more than 100 million a month by the end of the year. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests to learn who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to help end national lockdowns. Basel-based Roche, which also makes molecular tests to identify active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test has a specificity rate exceeding 99.8% and sensitivity of 100%, meaning tests would show very few false positives and no false negatives. A false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. Roche said its test relies on intravenous blood draws, with higher accuracy than finger-prick tests. “If you take blood from a finger prick, you will never be able to achieve the same level of specificity that you will achieve … when you take blood from the vein,” Schinecker said. “You have to have very, very high specificity. Even 0.1% or 0.2% makes a difference.” RIVALS’ TESTS Similar antibody tests have also been developed by companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Italy’s DiaSorin. Abbott has said the specificity and sensitivity of its test are 99.5% and 100% respectively. Diasorin has said its Liason XL test has 97.4% sensitivity and 98.5% specificity. As demand escalates for antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established testing competency have also joined the experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. Roche did not disclose a price for its test but said that it would be identical worldwide. Schinecker foresees a high need for testing healthcare workers and their families for exposure, and those who showed signs and symptoms, to see if they have antibodies. While antibodies typically confer some immunity, Schinecker acknowledged that much remains to be learned about the novel coronavirus before drawing definitive conclusions. “Since this virus is not well known, one can hypothesize, but the proof will take longer,” he said. “Testing these people … is key to seeing whether or not people really have developed immunity.” (Reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru and John Miller in Zurich; Editing by Himani Sarkar and David Goodman)
3 May 11:59 • Financial Post • https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/roche-wins-u-s-nod-for-covid-19-antibody-test-aims-to-boost-outputRating: 0.94
Roche Covid-19 antibody test gets emergency green light from FDA
Roche Holding AG received emergency-use authorisation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its new test determining if someone has been exposed to Covid-19, according to a statement on Sunday. The Basel-based drugmaker said it has already started shipments and that as of May, tens of millions of the antibody test will be available in the U.S. and much of Europe. Governments are trying to learn how many people have been exposed to the coronavirus as they wind down social-distancing measures. The restrictions on businesses have cost millions their jobs and the global economy is on course for its deepest dive since the Great Depression. “Our best scientists have worked 24/7 over the last few weeks and months,” said Thomas Schinecker, chief executive officer of Roche Diagnostics. Hospitals and reference laboratories can run the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test on one of Roche’s analysis platforms, the Swiss pharmaceutical company said. Roche’s antibody test has a specificity of more than 99.8% and 100% sensitivity, meaning that it not only reliably identifies patients who’ve developed antibodies but also can filter out those who haven’t, reducing misdiagnoses. With no vaccine available yet for the novel coronavirus, there have been proposals that people who have antibodies could be issued an “immunity passport” that would allow them to travel or return to work, on the assumption that they were safe from re-infection. Yet the World Health Organization has cautioned on the level of protection against a second infection that people who have recovered from Covid-19 will have. Once any resistance to the coronavirus is better understood, the new test could help to assess who has built up immunity, Roche said. In addition to the search for a vaccine, more than 100 different programs have been launched to develop and test treatments. These include everything from antiviral drugs and antibody-containing plasma from recovered patients, to traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral drug remdesivir has been cleared by U.S. regulators for emergency use in Covid-19 patients, becoming the first medication backed by early clinical data to be made available to fight the disease. © 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
3 May 11:21 • Moneyweb • https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/international/roche-covid-19-antibody-test-gets-emergency-green-light-from-fda/Rating: 1.42
Palestinian laborers back working in Israel as virus slows
DUBAI: An Abu Dhabi doctor said the new stem cell treatment against COVID-19 “doesn’t provide an entire cure,” but helps patients overcome its symptoms, local daily Khaleej Times reported.“It's a national achievement. This treatment is supportive and doesn't provide an entire cure. It helps patients overcome the symptoms caused by the virus but doesn't kill it,” Dr. Fatima Al-Kaabi, Head Hematology and Oncology at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said.Al-Kaabi, who was part of the 28-man team that came up with the treatment, added clinical trials are ongoing.“We are about to conclude the collection of data to conduct further comparative experiments and compare them with patients who have not received the treatment,” she explained at a press conference on Saturday.The treatment works by extracting stem cells from a patient’s blood and reintroducing it in an “activated” state to the lungs through a fine mist.It was first used on a patient early last month, and has so far helped 73 coronavirus patients.
3 May 08:56 • Arab News • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1668906/middle-eastRating: 1.72
Pharma giant Roche gets US go-ahead for Covid-19 antibody test
Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG says it has received emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to “high double-digit millions” per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active Covid-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies, including US-based Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Co, and Italy’s DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. DiaSorin and Abbott recently received US emergency authorisation for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand Covid-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinised some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the US, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA’s decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed.
3 May 06:21 • the Guardian • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/pharma-giant-roche-gets-us-go-ahead-for-covid-19-antibody-testRating: 5.39
Roche gets U.S. FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 antibody test
(Reuters) - Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Sunday. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to “high double-digit millions” per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Co, Italy’s DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got U.S. emergency authorization for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinized some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA’s decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed.
3 May 04:48 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-testing-roche-hldg-idUSKBN22F04WRating: 4.04
Roche gets U.S. FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 antibody test
Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20200503:nGNE71pdqt on Sunday. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to “high double-digit millions” per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories , Becton Dickinson and Co, Italy’s DiaSorin have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got U.S. emergency authorization for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinized some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA’s decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed. (Reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru and John Miller in Zurich; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
3 May 04:31 • National Post • https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/roche-gets-u-s-fda-emergency-use-nod-for-covid-19-antibody-testRating: 1.59
Coronavirus epidemic sparks rush for oxygen cylinders in India – even as oxygen demand drops
About 100 km from India’s national capital, Bharatpur district in Rajasthan has a population of more than 25 lakh people. The district hospital has 525 beds. Of these, only 18 beds are connected to piped oxygen, crucial to saving the lives of patients who develop acute respiratory distress because of the novel coronavirus infection. As of May 2, the district had 111 coronavirus positive cases. But what if the number of cases were to rise? Dr Navneet Saini, the principal medical officer of the district, said that in addition to the piped oxygen, the hospital had arranged for 90 oxygen cylinders and was procuring 200 more. Across India, the coronavirus epidemic has sparked a rush to buy oxygen cylinders. In a letter dated April 4, the Union Ministry of Health directed all states and Union Territories to maintain adequate oxygen supplies. In a press briefing on April 23, Dr Randeep Guleria, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said that around 15% of all coronavirus cases in India could be treated with supportive care and oxygen therapy, while less than 5% would require ventilator support and critical care. This underlines the importance of oxygen availability – more vital than ventilators. On May 1, in a press briefing, the ministry said India had capacity to manufacture 6,400 metric tonnes of oxygen daily of which 1,000 metric tonnes was used as medical oxygen. About 60,000 industrial oxygen cylinders had been ordered for conversion into medical oxygen, a spokesperson said. The country has 4.38 lakh medical oxygen cylinders and orders had been placed for more than 1 lakh cylinders, he added. But health infrastructure varies across states and districts. States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam have the most number of districts with shortages of isolation beds, intensive care units and ventilators, according to a presentation made by the Union cabinet secretary in a meeting attended by state health secretaries on April 26, The Indian Express reported. As many as 143 of a total of 718 districts in the country did not have intensive care unit beds and 123 districts had no ventilator beds. While there was no district-level data available publicly for beds connected to piped oxygen, Scroll.in spoke to district officials in seven districts across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Officials in four districts said that the district hospital did not have a medical gas pipeline connected to a central storage tanker to supply oxygen directly to beds. Some said they had just begun to construct the system in district hospitals. Others said it would be difficult to build infrastructure overnight and they had decided to stockpile oxygen cylinders to augment capacity. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has detected 2,328 coronavirus cases as of May 2. In August 2017, more than 60 children had died in Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das Medical College, the largest hospital in the state’s eastern region, because of an administrative crisis that failed to ensure supply of medical oxygen. What has the state done to ensure lack of oxygen does not have lethal consequences during the current epidemic? Muzaffarnagar district, which had reported 14 cases, did not have a piped oxygen supply system at the district hospital. “There is a proposal for now [to set up a central oxygen unit],” said Dr Praveen Chopra, the chief medical officer of the district. “We have got 100 cylinders.” In Ballia district, which had not yet reported a single case of the coronavirus, the work to install a piped supply was still ongoing. “There is a lockdown that is why the work has stopped but for now we are making do with oxygen cylinders,” said Dr BP Singh, the chief medical superintendent of the district hospital. Singh said that the hospital had 43 cylinders for the 226-bedded hospital. Kushinagar district has also not yet reported a single case. Chief Medical Officer Dr Narendra Kumar said that a central piped supply of oxygen was available for 100 beds in the district hospital and that an additional 40 cylinders had been ordered. So far, Bihar has reported 471 cases of the virus. In Siwan district that has seven cases, only 25 beds – 12 beds in the intensive care unit and 13 in the emergency ward – had piped oxygen supply, said Dr MK Alam, the additional chief medical officer. “We have 186 cylinders in both small and large sizes and we have just ordered for the piped supply to reach 15 more beds which will take four more days,” he said. There was no piped supply in Muzaffarpur’s district hospital where zero cases were reported, said Dr Harendra Kumar Alok, the chief medical officer. The hospital has 180 beds and had stockpiled 56 cylinders, he said. In Rajasthan’s Alwar district that has recorded seven cases, the district hospital does not have a piped supply facility either, said Dr OP Meena, the chief medical and health officer. “We only have cylinder supply only in specific wards,” he said, adding that the supply reached 84 beds out of 200 beds. “There is zero requirement [for oxygen] right now,” he said. Meena said that they had 80 cylinders and that they had begun the process of setting up the piped system. “We have spoken to the contractor. It could take around 15 to 20 days,” he said. As district hospitals across India order more oxygen cylinders, demand for the metal cylinders itself has risen manifold, said manufacturers. But firms supplying medical-grade oxygen say demand for the gas has dropped as elective surgeries have been deferred around the country during the lockdown. “The demand for the gas has gone down by 20-25%,” said Rajeev Gupta of Vinayak Air Products that supplies medical grade oxygen across North India. Gupta is the general secretary of All India Industrial Gases Manufacturers Association. He anticipates the demand could rise in the future – once the lockdown is lifted, and if there is a rise in coronavirus cases. “In case the number of Covid patients goes up, then in that scenario also we are equipped,” he said. Meanwhile, firms making cylinders that can store oxygen have already started beefing up capacity. Ravi Kaul of Luxfer Uttam India, a cylinder manufacturer based in Faridabad, Haryana, said that their manufacturing units had started to focus solely on making cylinders for medical oxygen. “We are not manufacturing anything else,” he said. Another manufacturer explained why firms were only producing cylinders for medical grade oxygen. “We have only got the licence for this [under the lockdown] so there is no use producing for any other gas,” said Puneet Khurana of Everest Kanto Cylinders, that manufactures cylinders from Kutch, Gujarat and Boisar, a suburb located outside Mumbai, Maharashtra. Khurana said that the firm manufactured around six lakh cylinders annually and supplied across the country to oxygen plants that would fill up the gas. “All the small hospitals and quarantine facilities cannot go on the pipeline system immediately,” he said. “Cylinders provide a temporary solution.” Both Kaul and Khurana said their firms faced difficulties in working with a minimal workforce under the lockdown. Kaul’s firm can produce around 2,000 cylinders a month but he said the unit was underproducing. “We are having issues mobilising manpower for production,” he said. “There are problems in some pockets. The workers are unable to come.” Another manufacturer in Gandhidham, Gujarat, cited the same reason for being unable to meet their capacity of producing around 8,000 cylinders per month. “We are getting many calls everyday and we are only making 30% of our capacity,” said Pravin Nandu of Euro India. To add to this, there was also difficulty in procuring raw materials for other parts that go into a cylinder such as flow meters, valves and regulators among other accessories. “We have to supply the complete kit,” he said. “But there is a problem in procuring this material. Some of these shops selling the parts may not be open.” At present, the industry produces around 900 metric tonnes of medical oxygen per day but the capacity could go up to 6,400 metric tonnes, said Gupta. The maximum retail price of the gas is fixed at Rs 17.5 per cubic metre, he said. To fast track the process of increasing oxygen supply in the country, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation on April 7 issued an order to state drug controllers stating that industrial gas manufacturers would get a licence within 24 hours to start manufacturing medical oxygen. On April 22, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation issued a circular stating the standard operating procedure of converting industrial gas cylinders to medical oxygen cylinders. “Now we have an option, if the need arises for the stock of industrial oxygen to be converted into medical oxygen,” said Saket Tiku, president of the All India Industrial Gases Manufacturers’ Association. Tiku is a member of a committee set up to ensure oxygen supply in the country under the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The committee had made the proposal before the ministry. “This can reach far flung areas where there is no medical oxygen plant nearby but there is an industrial gas plant available,” he said. “We have to keep the [oxygen] impurity level in mind since we are not exempt from the [Drugs and Cosmetics] Act.”
3 May 04:00 • Scroll.in • https://scroll.in/article/960582/coronavirus-epidemic-sparks-rush-for-oxygen-cylinders-in-india-even-as-oxygen-demand-dropsRating: 0.30
FDA Grants Emergency Authorization To Roche Antibody Tests
Pharmaceutical and diagnostic company Roche said Sunday that its coronavirus antibody test was granted emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, and that it can churn out over 100 million of the kits by the end of this year, as governments search for ways to safely reopen communities and let people go back to work. An antibody test can detect whether a person has had the coronavirus, according to the Wall Street Journal, which experts hope will mean protection against the virus moving forward. It’s unclear if—or for how long—antibodies can prevent repeated infections of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the virus is new and scientists are still learning about it, the WSJ reported. Roche says its test is 100% accurate in detecting the presence of antibodies, and 99.8% effective in ruling out the presence of antibodies, which means very few false positive results. Roche’s test relies on an intravenous blood draw as opposed to a finger prick, Reuters reported. According to the WSJ, most commercially-available antibody tests aren’t accurate enough. Roche has already begun shipping its test to labs around the world, CNBC reported. “Testing these people….is key to seeing whether or not people really have developed immunity,” Thomas Shinecker, Roche’s head of diagnostics, told Reuters. 6,000. That’s how many blood samples Roche tested for antibodies, Shinecker told the WSJ. Roche was able to test a significantly higher number of samples compared to its rivals, the WSJ said. Antibody testing is seen by governments around the world as one key to reopening economies, as the results can provide insight into the spread of coronavirus—especially mild or asymptomatic cases, the WSJ reported. Some governments are looking into whether to issue “immunity passports” to people who have antibodies, which could let those individuals return to work sooner. There is no vaccine or treatment for coronavirus (although antiviral remdesivir, also granted emergency FDA authorization over the weekend, appeared to shorten recovery time in a federal trial). Coronavirus Vaccine In 12-18 Months Is ‘Ambitious’, Roche CEO Says (Forbes) Coronavirus Drug Update: The Latest Info On Pharmaceutical Treatments And Vaccines (Forbes) Coronavirus Business Tracker: How The Private Sector Is Fighting The COVID-19 Pandemic (Forbes) Handicapping The Most Promising Of 267 Potential Coronavirus Cures (Forbes) Gilead’s Antiviral Remdesivir Had A Good Day - But It’s Still Not Clear How Effective It Is Against COVID-19 (Forbes) Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
3 May 00:00 • Forbes • https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/05/03/fda-grants-emergency-authorization-to-roche-antibody-tests/Rating: 4.41
Roche gets FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 antibody test
By Aakriti Bhalla and John Miller (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG (S:ROG) received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u= on Sunday. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests, to help them learn more about who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies. Roche had previously pledged to make its antibody test available by early May and to boost production by June to "high double-digit millions" per month. The Basel-based company, which also makes separate molecular tests to identify people with active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity rate of about 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%. These rates help determine if a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, and if the patient has developed antibodies against it. Other companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories (N:ABT), Becton Dickinson and Co (N:BDX), Italy's DiaSorin (MI:DIAS) have also developed tests to identify antibodies that develop after somebody has come into contact with the virus. Diasorin and Abbott recently got U.S. emergency authorization for their tests. Countries have various plans to use such tests to better understand COVID-19, while also identifying those who were infected but showed only mild symptoms, or none at all. An erroneous false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. In developing its test, Roche scrutinized some existing products for reliability before rejecting them, its chief executive, Severin Schwan, had earlier said. Schwan said there were about 100 such tests on offer, including finger-prick assays that offer a quick result. It declined to specify which rival tests it had studied, but said it was not referring to tests from established testing companies. Roche has said its antibody test requires an intravenous blood draw to determine the presence of antibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which remains longer in the human body, suggesting possible immunity. As demand escalates for blood antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established competency in medical testing have joined experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. The rush to obtain, advertise and find buyers for test kits follows the FDA's decision to allow any company to sell antibody tests in the country without prior review by the agency. This comes after the agency faced criticism that it did not act quickly enough with diagnostic tests. FDA has said the aim of its policy is to provide laboratories and healthcare providers early access to the tests, but that it will adjust the approach as needed.
3 May 00:00 • Investing.com • https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/roche-gets-fda-emergency-use-approval-for-covid19-antibody-test-2158852Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus latest: World lights up to thank 'heroes' working to combat COVID-19
Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT) 05:22 Swiss drugmaker Roche says it has been granted emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its coronavirus antibody test. Such blood tests have been seen by governments and businesses as a potentially important tool in working out who has contracted the virus, and who may be immune, as countries move towards lifting lockdowns. The Basel-based company had previously pledged to make the test, called Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, available by early May. It requires an intravenous blood draw, and is designed to determine if a patient has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and if they have developed antibodies against it. Roche said it had already started shipping the tests to laboratories around the world, with plans to "ramp up production capacity to the high double-digit millions per month." 04:49 The coronavirus death toll in Japan has surpassed 500. According to official figures cited by local broadcaster NHK, the number of fatalities now stands at 530, with more than 15,000 confirmed cases. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to decide Monday whether to extend the nationwide state of emergency, which is set to expire on May 6. While citizens are encouraged to stay home, and many shops and businesses are closed, Japan has resisted imposing the kind of strict lockdown measures seen in some other countries. People have still been allowed to go out to parks and beaches, as well as to crowded places such as games halls. 04:04 The Australian state of Victoria has seen its biggest jump in new cases in several weeks while the country's most populous state, New South Wales, is dealing with a cluster of infections at an old people's care facility. Thirteen new cases have been registered in Victoria, health officials said, with six of the infections related to a meat processing facility in the state’s capital, Melbourne. "What I'm worried about is the unknown unknowns," Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said, pleading for more people to get tested. She added: "We want to make sure that if we have cases that are positive in the community we can identify those individuals... this is how we are going to defeat the virus." In New South Wales there were four new infections, two of which were reported at the Newmarch aged care facility in Sydney, where more than 60 people have contracted the novel virus, resulting in 14 deaths. 03:57 The number of confirmed cases in Germany has increased by 793 to 162,496, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases has revealed. This represented a decrease of 152 on the previous day's amount of new infections as the number of daily cases in Germany continues to steadily decline. The reported death toll rose by 74 bringing the total number of fatalities to 6,649. 02:49 China has reported two new cases in its daily COVID-19 update, up from one the day before, the country's national health authority has revealed. One case was imported and the other was local, the National Health Commission (NHC) said. The NHC also reported 12 asymptomatic cases for May 2, down from 20 in the previous day's update. China has recorded 82,877 cases in total since the outbreak first emerged in the city of Wuhan while the country's death toll currently stands at 4,633. The Chinese government has taken a number of stringent measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including blocking almost all foreigners from entering the country and sharply curtailing the number of international flights. 02:08 German Health Minister Jens Spahn has raised ethical questions over the possibility of issuing so-called "immunity passports" to those who had already been infected with the novel coronavirus. Spahn expressed his concerns in a letter to the Ethics Council in Germany, according to newspaper Bild am Sonntag. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician said it is "a matter of concern to him that the ethical aspects" are met while there were still questions over "how and in what context the proof of an immunity should be used." "Immunity passports" could be a way for key workers to get back to work as they will have developed the antibodies necessary to give them protection from the virus that has infected almost 3.5 million people worldwide. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently said it was yet to be convinced on the idea of any such certification being issued. 01:25 The United States has registered 1,435 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 66,364, significantly more any other country in the world. The Johns Hopkins University has stated that more than 1.1 million infections have occurred in the country, having recorded its first case on January 20. 01:22 Doctors treating British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for coronavirus last month were prepared to announce his death after he was taken into intensive care, he told the Sun on Sunday newspaper. "It was a tough old moment, I won't deny it," he said. "They had a strategy to deal with a 'death of Stalin'-type scenario." "I was not in particularly brilliant shape and I was aware there were contingency plans in place. The doctors had all sorts of arrangements for what to do if things went badly wrong." The British PM first announced he had contracted the virus on March 27 but at the time was only displaying mild symptoms. However, the following week it became apparent that his condition had deteriorated sufficiently for him to be admitted to hospital, where soon after he was moved to intensive care. Johnson spent three days on "oxygen support," and admitted after his discharge on April 12 that his battle "could have gone either way." The 55-year-old and his partner Carrie Symonds announced the arrival of their newborn son earlier this week and said the child would bear the names of "the two doctors that saved Boris' life," Symonds said. Read more: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson names baby after coronavirus doctors 01:17 Mexico's health ministry reported 1,349 new cases of the novel coronavirus on May 2, bringing the total number of infections in the country to over 22,000. The country also reported 89 more deaths, which brought the total death toll to over 2,000. 00:48 Panama has recorded 370 new cases, bringing its total to 7,090, and 197 deaths, the health ministry said. The ministry said the increase was partly because of ramping up testing. In addition, Luis Sucre, Panama's health vice minister, said about a quarter of all tests performed had come back positive. "This tells us that we're not meeting our required objectives for this phase," said Sucre. 00:02 The Eiffel Tower joined other famous landmarks around the world on Saturday in capping a sparkling tribute to those fighting against COVID-19. The initiative was first launched by the Empire State Building in New York last month. At 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), the Paris monument lit up in "sparkling white" to hail "the unfailing courage of care workers confronting the coronavirus pandemic," said SETE, the firm that manages the Eiffel Tower. The nine-day #HeroesShineBright initiative first began on April 24 in New York. Each night a different color is shone into the night sky to express gratitude towards healthcare staff, transit workers, and police or military personnel, SETE said. Other landmarks that have seen similar acts are the Euromast in Rotterdam, the 360 Observation Deck in Chicago, the UAE'S Burj Khalifa, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Macao tower in China, the Busan Tower in South Korea, the Ostankino TV Tower in Russia, the Tallinn TV Tower in Estonia and the OVNI Tower in Slovakia. 00:00 Catch up on yesterday's coronavirus news here: Coronavirus latest: Spain released from seven-week lockdown In reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, unless otherwise specified, DW uses figures provided by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Coronavirus Resource Center in the United States. JHU updates figures in real-time, collating data from world health organizations, state and national governments and other public official sources, all of whom have their own systems for compiling information. Germany's national statistics are compiled by its public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). These figures depend on data transmission from state and local levels and are updated around once a day, which can lead to deviation from JHU.jsi/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
3 May 00:00 • Deutsche Welle • https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-world-lights-up-to-thank-heroes-working-to-combat-covid-19/a-53314901Rating: 3.71
COVID-19: Latest developments around the world
Here are a few latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: US authorities approve an experimental drug for emergency use on patients, in the latest step in the global push to find viable treatments and a vaccine. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug initially developed to treat Ebola, is given the green light after a major trial finds it boosted recovery in serious COVID-19 patients. In reassuring news for millions of people, three major studies say commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease. The World Health Organization reiterates that the virus was of natural origin after claims from US President Donald Trump he had seen evidence it originated in a Chinese lab. 241,682 people have died worldwide since the epidemic surfaced in China in December, according to an AFP tally at 1900 GMT Saturday based on official sources. In all, 3,398,390 cases have now been reported in 195 countries and territories. In the United States, which has the highest toll, 65,645 people have died. Italy is the second hardest-hit country, with 28,710 dead, followed by the United Kingdom with 28,131, Spain 25,100 and France 24,760. France will extend a health emergency imposed on March 24 for another two months until July 24, its health minister announces. “We are going to have to perform a long-distance run,” says Olivier Veran. The chairman of the national rail operator SNCF says his company has already lost two billion euros ($2.2 billion) during the crisis, and will likely apply for state aid and cut staff numbers. Spain’s nearly 47 million people, under strict lockdown since March 14, are allowed outside for walks or sport. Many restrictions remain, however. In towns of more than 5,000 inhabitants, children and the elderly cannot leave home at the same time. The International Monetary Fund approves a $643 million emergency loan for Ecuador, hard hit by the pandemic and low oil prices. The repatriation of Europeans who found themselves outside the EU when borders closed as part of national lockdowns is almost complete, says the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. Rock legend Mick Jagger and Hollywood’s Will Smith will be among dozens of international and Bollywood stars taking part in a four-hour concert Sunday to raise funds for the battle against the virus in India, where the number of cases is surging. AFP
2 May 21:10 • Punch Newspapers • https://punchng.com/latest-covid-19-developments-around-the-world/Rating: 0.30
COVID-19 UAE: Stem cell treatment is supportive, not curative
Abu Dhabi: The innovative and promising treatment for COVID-19 infections using stem cells is supportive not curative, it helps patients to defeat the COVID-19 symptoms rather than eradicating the virus itself, a top health official has revealed on Saturday. While speaking during the UAE Government regular media briefing , Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, Head of Hematology and Oncology Department at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, and research assistant of the Stem Cell Project, said: “At the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, we are proud to work on developing a supportive treatment for COVID-19 patients, which is undergoing clinical trials for the first time in the UAE, this is a national achievement”. Dr. Fatima added: “We have successfully passed the initial phase of clinical trials - with 73 patients making full recoveries without any adverse side effects. The recipients were moderately or severely ill before treatment, with 25 per cent of them were at ICUs”. “We are finalizing data collection to establish the effectiveness of this treatment, comparing a control group with the same characteristics of the patients that received the treatment. Next steps involve evaluating its effectiveness and application to a wider group”. She further said: “A total of 28 researchers at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center worked on isolating an early-developed stem cell that maintains regenerative qualities. The procedure is less invasive, only requiring drawing blood from patients, and administration is done via jet nebulization method”. “After we collect blood and separate cells, we put them through a biochemical process whereby the patient’s own platelets growth factor is used to activate the cells. We believe they are able to regenerate damaged cells, help in repairing pulmonary damage,” Al Kaabi noted. Dr. Fatima also said: “Stem cells are a special type of cells found throughout the human body. They have multiple characteristics including the ability to transform into other types of cells and reproduce indefinitely to create more of the same cells. The idea behind using stem cells in treatments is to harness their unique characteristics to regenerate cells that do not regenerate on their own”. She highlighted that stem cells have been used as supportive therapies in many cases, including leukemia and immunodeficiency disorders for more than 30 years. Also speaking during the briefing was Prof. Alawi Al Sheikh-Ali, Emirates Scientists Council‘s spokesperson. “The scientific community of the UAE continues to focus on the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). Several research groups across UAE universities are conducting extensive studies to reach a deeper understanding of the virus” Prof. Alawi said. He added: “A group of researchers from the University of Sharjah and Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences worked on a study to understand why older adults and patients with comorbidities get severe COVID19 symptoms than younger populations”. Emirates Scientists Council‘s spokesperson noted that the study has found that children have less of specific receptors called (ACE2) in their nasal and lung tissue compared to adults, which make the virus entry possible. Also, the study has found that these receptors are increased in smokers, patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthmatic patients, and patients with pulmonary hypertension. Another study with collaborative team including Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah and Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital is examining the relationship between obesity and COVID-19, he underlined. The findings of the studies contribute to our understanding of why older adults and people with comorbidities may be at a higher risk of infection and develop severe COVID19 symptoms. They also confirm the need to adhere to the precautionary measures set by the UAE Government, he added.
2 May 19:02 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/uae/covid-19-uae-stem-cell-treatment-is-supportive-not-curative-1.1588446269179Rating: 3.21
1 million tested for Covid in India; 10k recover
The number of people tested for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in India crossed a million on Saturday, up from 38,914 on April 1, which takes the number of tests to almost 770 per million of the population. And the number of recoveries crossed 10,000. On Friday, India tested 74,507 samples, of which around 85% of the tests were done at government labs using the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), which is the only diagnostic test for Covid-19 approved by the World Health Organization. “We have made a quantum jump in testing. We plan to ramp it up further to move towards a situation where we can test everyone who needs it. The number of labs doing Covid-19 tests has gone up, with 406 labs -- of which 105 are private ones -- now testing for Covid-19 across states,” said C K Mishra, secretary, environment, and co-chair of the PM’s high-level committee on preparedness for a medical emergency. The health ministry expects testing to cross 100,000 tests a day next week, up from 5,580 a day on April 1. “Positivity remains low except for the 20 cities, which are still a cause of concern as the Covid-19 curve doesn’t appear to be flattening there. The strategy for the future will be ramping up surveillance in these cities so we test every case of influenza-like illness to inform the containment response,” said a health ministry official who asked not to be named RT-PCR is used for qualitative detection of genetic material called nucleic acid (RNA) from Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and is the most accurate diagnostic test for infection, while other tests, such as rapid antibody tests, are surveillance tools that cannot test for current infection. Among the 304 government labs, 254 use Real-Time RT PCR systems, 42 use TrueNat machines, and use Gene-Xpert cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) for Covid-19. Truenat is a small battery-operated machine that can run 32 to 48 samples and produces results in one hour, while CBNAAT machines are widely available in low-resource rural settings, where it is used to test for tuberculosis. India has added two more high throughput systems that are capable of running 1,100-1,200 tests in one shift to the existing two in Noida and Bhubhaneshwar. “Labs in Noida and Bhubaneshwar already have high-throughput systems, another one has been added to Bangalore, and a new one has arrived, which will be installed in National Centres of Disease Control in Delhi to increase testing capacity further,” said Mishra. India has testing kits in stock for another 11-12 days, and the threat of interrupted supply of RNA extraction kits from China is being addressed by domestic suppliers, who now provide 70,000-80,000 kits a day. “With local suppliers coming into play, shortages are no longer an overwhelming concern,” said the health ministry official. The health ministry has taken steps to address the pendency issue, where labs were taking several days to send back results. An examination of national showed Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi being identified as the states with the highest pendency. In Delhi, the National Institute of Biologicals in Noida was identified as a bottleneck, with the lab’s capacity to test 1,000-1,100 samples a day being stretched because of the arrival of samples from both Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. It resulted in around 9,000 results being pending, of which close to 5,000 were from Delhi. “We asked Delhi to withdraw its samples and send them to private labs for testing, and now the problem is sorted. Delayed data entry in some states is still a challenge, but we are working on that,” said the health ministry official, who is part of the team coordinating with states. Public health experts hope more people with symptoms will come forward to get tested following the health ministry order that now allows for home quarantine of mild cases. “People are not stupid, no one wants to die. We have to empower them to protect themselves. Japan now asks people with fever and cough to stay home quarantined and get tested only if the symptoms worsen or don’t go away a week later,” said Mishra. According to HT’s dashboard, the number of infections were 39,911 on Saturday night, with 1,319 deaths and 10,758 recoveries.
2 May 18:11 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/1mn-tested-for-covid-in-india-10k-recover/story-SANAO358Z79yqNuGnP6NxN.htmlRating: 0.30
Coronavirus | Can antibody tests help tackle COVID-19?
The story so far: In the COVID-19 fight, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had advised States to use antibody testing for surveillance and reiterated that the focus has always been on real time RT-PCR (or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests for diagnosis. The rapid testing kits that State governments had been using to detect antibodies to the novel coronavirus were throwing up unreliable results. In Rajasthan for example, rapid testing kits failed to detect antibodies even when the laboratories had confirmed patients to be COVID-19 positive. There are two ways to detect the presence of a virus, directly or indirectly. Antibody tests, also called serological tests, have usually been the time-tested approach to finding out the presence of a virus in the body. They do so by detecting the presence and quantity of antibodies that are produced by the immune system to battle an infection. It is an indirect test because it cannot find the virus, but it can determine if the immune system has encountered it. Editorial | Rapid failures: On antibody testing kits Antibodies can show up between nine to 28 days after an infection has set in; by that time, an infected person, if not isolated, can spread the disease. Sometimes the antibodies may be produced in response to a closely-related pathogen and sometimes they may not be the right kind to counter the infection. These are the factors that can make an antibody test erroneous. In an RT-PCR test, a nasal or throat swab is taken from a patient suspected of having the disease. The test involves extracting RNA or ribonucleic acid, the genetic material of the virus, and checking if it shares the same genetic sequence as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If it is a match, the sample is deemed positive. The only way such tests turn negative is if the actual sample does not have the virus or the swab was not properly administered and too little of the virus was gleaned. As the sequencing of genomes is now widespread and the technology well understood by experts in several countries, China, and subsequently others, were quickly able to determine the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and learn what differentiates it from related viruses. This is why it was possible to prepare accurate tests to detect the virus relatively quickly, almost in the middle of a pandemic, and the RT-PCR tests began to be followed as the ‘gold standard’ in detecting the virus. As not enough research hours have been spent studying the antibodies and the profile of recovered patients, the antibody tests we have for COVID-19 are imperfect. Coronavirus | Rapid antibody tests kits can’t be used, Centre informs Bombay High Court Antibody tests are fast and relatively inexpensive. The current RT-PCR technology requires RNA extracting machines, a specialised laboratory, and trained technicians. And at least a minimum of 30 samples are needed to make the process economically viable. The tests are done in batches and it can take up to four hours to confidently test for the presence of a virus from a batch. If one adds the time taken to isolate the RNA from swabs, this could again take a couple of hours. The scale of logistics involved can mean that it can practically take a day for results from a sample to be known. If one adds the cost of chemicals needed to perform these tests and the vagaries of importing practically every element of the paraphernalia involved, in the midst of a pandemic when demand far exceeds supply, it results in the test not being cheap. It can cost at least ₹4,500 depending on whether one is tested at a public or privately-run facility. Antibody tests are portable, can be administered on-site, conducted en masse and give quick answers. However, these answers are useful in-so-far as those who are using them are asking the right questions. Comment | Testing for COVID-19 in India Given that they are not useful for directly detecting the presence of the virus, antibody tests can be used to gauge the extent of infection in a community or a large group of people who may have had exposure to the virus. Much like pregnancy detection kits, rapid-test kits change colour when particular molecules are detected. Two kinds of antibodies result from an infection: Immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G (IgM and IgG). In response to an infection, the IgM is first produced within a week of infection. Two weeks later, the levels of IgM reduce and are replaced by IgG. The latter is a longer-lasting antibody and, depending on the infectious agent involved, can offer different durations of immunity. Antibodies to the chickenpox virus last for decades. Those to influenza viruses and even other coronaviruses (that cause the common cold) last no more than a year or two. This is why people need flu shots at regular intervals, and one of the reasons why it is practically pointless to have a vaccine for the common cold. It is too early in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine how long immunity lasts. Nevertheless the presence of IgM, IgG can in a sample of the population determine whether the virus is present in certain clusters. Ideally, this can help government authorities decide on what regions in a lockdown can be opened up if the aim is to get regular life back on track as soon as possible. Experts speak | COVID-19: The tests reveal all This is what happened when infections had reached frightening proportions in the United States and Europe. It was apparent that the limitations of the RT-PCR combined with the virus’s ability to spread even through those who were not visibly sick would mean large numbers would be infected without being detected. Rapid antibody tests can also play a role in determining the degree of “herd immunity” in a population. That is, the true number who may have been infected; when a sizeable fraction of the population has been infected, the virus ceases its pace of spread. Current research expects herd immunity to have been achieved when 55% to 80% of the population has been infected — only careful serological surveys can establish that. Studies in India too have shown that for every symptomatic positive, there are two asymptomatic or presymptomatics (those who do not visibly manifest the disease). Thus, antibody tests could also be used for such estimates in India. The ICMR had laid out the strategy to use antibody tests to gauge the degree of COVID-19 presence in the country. The plan involved using a combination of both RT-PCR and antibody tests to establish infection levels. Two Chinese companies, Wondfo and Livzon, got licences to sell 500,000 rapid antibody kits to the ICMR. Several of these were to be given to States and some were for the ICMR’s own use. A first batch was deployed in some States and soon complaints began pouring in over inaccurate results. The ICMR then asked States to stop using these kits for two days. After two days, the ICMR advised States to stop using the kits altogether. The Health Ministry has cancelled the licences given to the companies that were importing these kits from China. So far, the ICMR has not clarified what was wrong with the kits. The Chinese companies have also claimed that the kits were validated by the ICMR’s expert body, the National Institute of Virology (NIV). However, the NIV only clears batches of kits that are submitted for testing. It is possible that even if a company’s kits get cleared, it ends up supplying kits on the field that are not up to the mark. Editorial | Focus on the curve: On India’s COVID-19 numbers Another feature of the kits is their sensitivity (in percentage terms, the times the tests correctly identify people as positive for an infection) and specificity (in percentage terms, the times the test correctly rules out those not carrying the virus). Specificity refers to its ability to accurately distinguish between the target virus and other viruses. It is a well-established feature of tests that in regions of low actual prevalence of a disease, they can, depending on the kit’s specificity and sensitivity, miscategorise vast numbers of those tested. It is not clear if these were factored in in tests using kits blamed as faulty by States. India is not the only place where complaints over Chinese kits have been raised. The United Kingdom and Spain have also raised such issues with these kits. In either event, there is no clarity if the ICMR has ordered more kits. The Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has said that by the end of May, the country will have kits that are made in India for antibody and RT-PCR tests.
2 May 18:32 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/coronavirus-can-antibody-tests-help-tackle-covid-19/article31490919.eceRating: 0.30
Breakthrough COVID-19 Treatment Developed by UAE Stem Cell Center
A patent has been granted by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy for the development of an innovative and promising treatment for coronavirus infections using stem cells, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday. The treatment was developed by a team of doctors and researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, ADSCC, and involves extracting stem cells from the patient’s own blood and reintroducing them after activating them. The patent was granted for the innovative method in which the stem cells are collected, WAM said. The treatment was administered in the UAE to 73 COVID-19 patients who recovered after they were successfully treated by inhaling the treatment, which had been nebulized into a fine mist, into their lungs. The treatment has successfully undergone the initial phase of clinical trials, demonstrating its safety. None of the patients who have received the treatment reported immediate adverse effects and there have been no interactions found with the conventional treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients, WAM said. Trials to demonstrate the efficacy of the treatment are ongoing and are expected to be completed in a couple of weeks, it added. According to WAM, the treatment has been given to patients along with the conventional medical intervention and will continue to be applied as an adjunct to established treatment protocols rather than as a replacement. Non-pharmacological interventions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as staying at home, social distancing and infection prevention and control measures remain necessary to reduce the burden of the disease on the healthcare system, said WAM.
2 May 05:30 • Asharq AL-awsat • https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2263481/breakthrough-covid-19-treatment-developed-uae-stem-cell-centerRating: 2.10
Egypt contracts with Gilead to get remdesivir drug for COVID-19 patients
CAIRO - 2 May 2020: Egypt contracted with the U.S. Gilead Sciences to get antiviral medicine Remdesivir for the new coronavirus COVID-19 patients, said Egyptian Ministry of Health Hala Zayed. In a phone call with Al-Hikaya talk show on MBC channel on Friday, the minister added that the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the first cargo of the medicine will be sent to Egypt. The ministry has previously announced that it started injecting plasma of patients who have recovered from the deadly COVID-19 into severely ill patients with the novel virus. Plasma from recovered cases has the antibodies required to battle the virus inside other patients and curb its replication. Moreover, Egypt contacted the Japanese manufacturer of the antiviral drug Avigan to treat patients. The drug, developed by a group firm of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., has been stored in Japan as a treatment for influenza. Reports in China showed that the drug has been effective in treating COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. Japan plans to provide Avigan for free to 20 countries hoping to use it to treat COVID-19 patients and will provide the United Nations Office for Project Services with a $1 million grant to buy and distribute the drug, according to Japan’s national daily The Mainichi. Egypt recorded 298 new coronavirus cases and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total infected patients of COVID-19 to 6,193 and the total deaths to 415 according to the Health Minister's daily briefing on Saturday.
2 May 00:00 • Egypt Today • http://egypttoday.com/Article/1/85341/Egypt-contracts-with-Gilead-to-get-remdesivir-drug-for-COVIDRating: 0.67
Struggling to scale COVID-19 tests, Nigeria considers antibodies diagnosis in general population
As Nigeria struggles to ramp up the number of COVID-19 tests, the country is now considering doing serological diagnosis within its general population to determine the total number of people infected with the virus. Nigeria sits among countries with the least number of standard coronavirus tests conducted worldwide. As of April 30, 2020, Nigeria has only carried out 12,828 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, which translates to 62 tests in every 1 million Nigerians. RT-PCR is the standard coronavirus test. It usually involves the use of a sterile swab inserted to the back of a person’s nasal passage and throat to absorb secretions, which are then tested for the presence of SARS-CoV2 in a molecular laboratory. Nigeria has 15 molecular laboratories with an aggregate capacity to undertake 2,500 tests per day, President Muhammadu Buhari claimed. However, last Sunday the director of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, confessed that the country was in desperate need of test kits and gave specifications and preferred manufacturers “We’re desperately looking for more RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) extraction kits as we expand #COVID19 testing. Product: Total viral RNA extraction kits (preferably spin column and with a lysis buffer). Manufacturers: Qiagen, ThermoFischer, SeeGene, Inqaba, LifeRiver etc,” he wrote on Twitter. Though the NCDC announced an “ambitious” plan to test two million people in the coming months, it, however, admitted that the financial implication of this plan was going to be enormous. Serological Diagnosis Thus, in order to determine the extent of the spread of the virus in the country, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in conjunction with the University College in London, said it planned to do a serological survey across Nigeria. “We are working with some of our colleagues in the PTF to do serological study,” Babatunde Salako, the director-general of the NIMR, told PREMIUM TIMES during a telephone chat. “This study will look at the community and the development of antibodies against COVID-19 in the community so that we can determine how widespread the infection has been, how many people have come in contact with that virus since we are not testing anybody. That is the only test that can show us how widely spread is the disease within a particular community.” “The one that we want to do is to assess in the general population how many people have such antibodies. That then means we would be able to project how many people within the population had come in contact with the virus. “A large majority of the virus people(carriers) are asymptomatic, so they don’t know if they have the disease. Naturally, they develop antibodies, their bodies fight the virus and kill the virus because of the antibodies, and they can get well, and they don’t know,” he added. Mr Salako, a professor, explained that because serological tests involved the use of conventional test equipment, it does not have the financial burden of the difficult-to-come-by test kits needed for RT-PCR tests. “What we are using is the gold standard for testing. In serological tests, you just take blood from the patient. You don’t need that kind of serious equipment (used in RT-PCR tests),” he said. However, Mr Salako said despite the lower cost implications of serological tests, the plan might not take off if funds were not immediately earmarked for it. The professor said he was concerned that researches into possible understanding and remedies are not getting enough attention in the country. He, however, said he was hopeful that in the coming days the Nigerian government and private institutions supporting efforts at controlling the spread of the disease would make funds available to support research endeavours. “Everybody both public and private are much more concern about case detection and case management and control of the disease than research. Whereas research is very key to the control and to the treatment of the disease. We are not seeing any clear-cut budget for research from the government. “No special fund for that now but I must quickly say, I am part of a meeting with the Federal Ministry of Health and we have recently been asked to put together our action plans and I imagine that through that action plan, they might be planning to give fund for research,” he said. WHO preaches caution While serological tests may help countries such as Nigeria understand the spread of the virus in their population, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a brief released on April 24, 2020, warned that it should not be used as the basis for an “immunity passport” explaining that there is not enough evidence that people with antibodies are protected from being re-infected. “WHO continues to review the evidence on antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.2-17 Most of these studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood,4 suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical for recovery. As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans,” the brief read. “People who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice. The use of such certificates may, therefore, increase the risks of continued transmission. As new evidence becomes available, WHO will update this scientific brief,” the brief added. Apart from NIMR’s planned serological test, scientists around the country are working on several responses to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. These responses include the development of a rapid diagnostics, the development of a vaccine, and at least two clinical trials of two potential herbal treatment of symptoms associated with the virus. Development of a rapid test, vaccine At the forefront of these efforts is the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), located at Redeemer University in Ede, Osun State. The centre rose to national prominence during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak after it developed a five-minute diagnostics test for Ebola. Going forward the centre also developed a five-minute test for Lassa fever. Keeping with its pacesetting tradition, ACEGID, in collaboration with researchers from other institutions, did the first genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2. Christian Happi, the coordinator of the centre told PREMIUM TIMES that the sequence was done within 48 hours, which he said was unprecedented globally. Just like it did during the outbreak of Ebola, and with Lassa fever, Mr Happi, a professor, told PREMIUM TIMES that the centre is working on developing a rapid 10-minute diagnostics for coronavirus, which could help improve Nigeria’s abysmal testing numbers. “We are working on developing rapid diagnostics. We are working to produce a-10-minutes rapid diagnostics. The Ebola diagnostics is different, but we are using the same technology to develop something similar. We are not there yet. I just want people to know that we have the technology. And we have done the same thing for Lassa fever. And we want to believe we would do the same thing for COVID-19,” he said. Mr Happi, also added that his centre is working on the development of a vaccine in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. He explained this was possible because of the successful genomic sequence of a sample of virus collected from Nigeria’s index case, an Italian. “Because we were able to sequence the whole genome, we have the ability to see the virus and see the areas of strength and areas of weakness of the virus. So, we want to use the areas of weakness of the virus to develop and vaccine. “We are working quietly on it, but we are at the very early stage. We are working on a collaboration with the University of Cambridge. It has cost implications but what we are doing right now is to put together a technology that can drive the production of the vaccine. We need additional technology to do that and that is what we are doing,” he said. He explained that because the virus is easily mutable, his institution is working to develop a technology that does not only lead to the production of a vaccine but one that makes it possible to adapt to a new strain of the virus within days. “If you are reading the literature, there is almost 30 strains of the virus circulating now This virus has the ability to change very fast so we are working on a technology that will be agile. If we see a new strain within three or four days, we can adapt our technology for that strain. We need technology and innovation; we need creativity in order to fight this virus. It is not business as usual. We have to keep an open mind that accepts and embrace innovation,” he said. Clinical trial of ‘repurposed’ drugs Mr Salako, the director of the NIMR, also told PREMIUM TIMES that country isn’t left out from the global experimentation of treating coronavirus patients with drugs which have been previously used to treat diseases such as HIV, Ebola and malaria. He said the study is being done in collaboration with foremost Nigerian tertiary medical institutions such as the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Lagos University Teaching Hospitals and isolation centres across the country. “One of the drugs is Remdesivir which is used for Ebola virus and then there are other drugs for HIV virus and chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. These drugs have been used in several places since the advent of COVID-19. Reports from China and France and a few other places show that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine help the outcome of the disease. There are others that show that it didn’t help, so there is no consensus about the use of chloroquine. “But we thought we should also look at chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and because this is a drug we have used for donkey years in Nigeria and so we are capable of knowing what side effect that can come from that drug and capable of managing those side effects,” he said. Herbal remedies Scientists at the University of Ibadan and the Federal University Dutse (FUD) have also commenced the study of herbal remedies to treat some of the symptoms in critical cases of the virus. At the University of Ibadan, researchers have started the clinical trial of a trial called Euphorbia Hirta to treat symptoms such as dry cough, fever and respiratory ailment associated with COVID-19. When reached for comment about the study, Idayat Gbadamosi, a member of the team of researcher told PREMIUM TIMES that they decided to study the plant following ethnobotanical information and the experience of users. She, however, refused to give details about the size of the population sample and preliminary results of the study. “We are conducting a clinical trial. We won’t divulge information until we are doing with the research,” she said. Similarly, at FUD, scientists are at the early stages of studying plants to treat acute pneumonia, fever and other symptoms of COVID-19. Salihu Ibrahim, the head of the research team, told PREMIUM TIMES that they are working in collaboration with traditional medicinal practitioners. “Eighty per cent of the population in Africa relies on traditional medicines because of accessibility and affordability. Traditional medical practitioners have vest knowledge of plants which they used to take care of diseases. The University is an institution for teaching, research and making policy. He said the clinical trial will test those plants for toxicity and long-term side effects. When asked if his team was working with local laboratories such as ACEGID, that has done the genomic sequence of the virus, Mr Ibrahim said, the research was in progress and it was too early to reveal details of what his team are exploring. “When the results are out, we shall call the press to tell them our findings,” he said.
2 May 10:54 • Premium Times Nigeria • https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/390996-struggling-to-scale-covid-19-tests-nigeria-considers-antibodies-diagnosis-in-general-population.htmlRating: 0.30
UAE's corona treatment may be a game-changer
By Joanne SerriehDUBAI -- A United Arab Emirates research institute has developed a coronavirus treatment using stem cells “which could be a game-changer in the global fight” against the outbreak, a government official announced on Friday.The Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center has developed a treatment method that regenerates lung cells and prevents the immune system from overreacting, Hend Al-Otaiba, Director of Strategic Communications with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a Twitter thread.She said the treatment involves the extraction of stem cells from a patient’s own blood and reintroducing them into the lungs via inhalation of a mist.“[This] could have a significant impact on our ability to live with the virus until a vaccine is available,” Al Otaiba added.The treatment has successfully undergone an initial phase of clinical trials, with no harmful side effects, on 73 patients making full recoveries, according to the director. The Ministry of Economy granted a patent for the development of the treatment, official WAM news agency reported.Many of the trial patients were moderately to severely ill prior to treatment, and many were incubated in an intensive care unit, according to Al-Otaiba.More trials are being conducted and a clearer understanding of the treatment’s potential should be available in the coming weeks. -- Al Arabiya English
2 May 12:03 • Saudi Gazette • https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/592591/World/Mena/UAEs-corona-treatmentmay-be-a-game-changerRating: 0.30
US Scientists Design Coronavirus Test Detecting Carriers Before They Become Infectious - Report
The development comes as the US Food and Drug Administration has authorised the use of remdesivir, a drug originally developed to treat Ebola. It will be used on people hospitalised with COVID-19. A recent trial showed that remdesivir helps shorten the recovery time, however, it doesn’t improve survival rates. US scientists working for the military have designed a COVID-19 test that could potentially identify virus carriers before they become infectious and spread the disease, The Guardian reported. Researchers hope that their creation will be able to detect the virus as early as 24 hours after an individual is infected – 4 days earlier than existing tests. Unlike nasal swab tests that hunt for the virus itself, the new test looks at the body’s response to the disease. The project developed by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was initially designed to quickly detect germ and chemical warfare poisoning, but was repurposed after the coronavirus outbreak. It will be now be evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration and should it be approved it could become the absolute gamechanger, said Dr Brad Ringeisen, head of DARPA’s biological technologies office. "The concept fills a diagnostic gap worldwide", said Ringeisen. The development comes as some countries prepare to ease lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus. Opponents of lifting restrictions say this may bring a second wave of the outbreak.
2 May 12:35 • Sputniknews • https://sputniknews.com/us/202005021079172233-us-scientists-design-coronavirus-test-detecting-carriers-before-they-become-infectious---report/Rating: 3.96
Canada giving AbCellera Biologics C$176 million for coronavirus research
3 May 17:28
•
4 articles
Weight: 3.18
Importance: 3.18
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:26
Average US: 15.675
Weighted average US: 20.111926513398366
Average GB: 0.225
Weighted average GB: 0.5126973870296851
Average IN: 4.05
Weighted average IN: 5.358315891175851
Canada giving AbCellera Biologics C$176 million for coronavirus research
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said on Sunday it was giving privately held Canadian firm AbCellera Biologics Inc C$176 million to help it find naturally produced antibodies that could be used to battle the coronavirus outbreak. Federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said AbCellera had identified over 500 antibodies from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19. “This funding is instrumental in accelerating and expanding AbCellera’s capabilities to combat COVID-19. AbCellera and its partners expect clinical trials to begin in July 2020 or earlier,” he said in a statement. The money will also help the firm to build a Vancouver facility that can manufacture antibodies for clinical testing, he added. AbCellera said in March it was working with Eli Lilly and Co to co-develop antibody products for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, a flu-like disease caused by the coronavirus.
3 May 17:28 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada-abcellera-idUSKBN22F0R8Rating: 4.04
Canada giving AbCellera Biologics C$176 mln for coronavirus research
OTTAWA — Canada said on Sunday it was giving privately held Canadian firm AbCellera Biologics Inc C$176 million to help it find naturally produced antibodies that could be used to battle the coronavirus outbreak. Federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said AbCellera had identified over 500 antibodies from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19. “This funding is instrumental in accelerating and expanding AbCellera’s capabilities to combat COVID-19. AbCellera and its partners expect clinical trials to begin in July 2020 or earlier,” he said in a statement. The money will also help the firm to build a Vancouver facility that can manufacture antibodies for clinical testing, he added. AbCellera said in March it was working with Eli Lilly and Co to co-develop antibody products for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, a flu-like disease caused by the coronavirus. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
3 May 17:26 • Financial Post • https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/canada-giving-abcellera-biologics-c176-mln-for-coronavirus-researchRating: 0.94
Trudeau gives $175.6M to Eli Lilly partner for COVID work
AbCellera Biologics Inc. is getting $175.6 million (US$125 million) from the Canadian government to accelerate its research on COVID-19 antibodies. The Vancouver-based biotech company is in a partnership with Eli Lilly & Co. on a treatment for the disease, with a goal of starting clinical trials by July. “This new funding will help them continue their vital work,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference from Ottawa Sunday. AbCellera, which says it has identified more than 500 antibodies from a patient who recovered from Covid-19, said it will use the money “to expand efforts related to the discovery of antibodies for use in drugs to treat Covid-19” and build technology for future antibody therapies. AbCellera’s research may also be used to create tests for Covid-19, and the company is working with other organizations to develop new diagnostics to monitor the disease, according to a government statement. Separately, another Canadian biotech firm, Spartan Bioscience Inc., said it is recalling a Covid-19 testing product after the National Microbiology Laboratory raised concerns about its efficacy, the Ottawa-based company said on its website. The government’s focus remains on how to resolve the crisis and it’s too early to draw conclusions about the origin of the pandemic, Trudeau said at the news conference. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said there is “enormous evidence” the coronavirus outbreak began in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, without providing proof.
3 May 17:58 • BNN • https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trudeau-gives-125-million-to-eli-lilly-partner-for-covid-work-1.1430793Rating: 1.34
Vancouver based research company receiving $175-million federal support in efforts to treat COVID-19
Summary Vancouver based AbCellera Biologics is receiving $175-million in federal support Funding the research company is an effort to treat COVID-19 OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) — The federal government is pouring millions of dollars into a Vancouver-based bio-research company, which is looking into the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. $175-million to AbCellera Biologics was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his daily update from Ottawa Sunday morning. He said the company is doing a “very promising” work around COVID-19. “They’ve identified antibodies that could be used in drugs to treat this virus. This new funding will help them continue their vital work, and will support human [trials].” Trials will begin as early as July. In addition to the federal support, the City of Vancouver is “ensuring AbCellera has the infrastructure needed as they accelerate finding a treatment for COVID-19,” Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says in a release published by AbCellera. “We couldn’t be more proud to be on the front lines of this global effort thanks to the innovation and leadership of AbCellera,” Stewart adds. During Trudeau’s Sunday briefing, he said, although while Canadians wait for effective treatments or a vaccine, “we still need a reliable supply of everything from masks to ventilators.”
3 May 18:22 • City NEWS 1130 • https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/03/vancouver-research-company-receiving-federal-support-covid/Rating: 0.77
Mysterious strokes among young COVID-19 patients may reveal how 'a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before,' a doctor says
3 May 17:15
•
3 articles
Weight: 2.50
Importance: 2.50
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:15
Average US: 19.733333333333334
Weighted average US: 52.09786007755312
Average GB: 0.13333333333333333
Weighted average GB: 0.35201256809157516
Average IN: 1.1333333333333333
Weighted average IN: 2.9921068287783883
Mysterious strokes among young COVID-19 patients may reveal how 'a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before,' a doctor says
Four people in their 30s and 40s were recently admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with life-threatening strokes. Their cases were united by a common theme: All of them had COVID-19. "Large-vessel strokes in young patients are exceedingly rare," Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai who published a new report about the cases, told Business Insider. "They'd need a past history concerning strokes. But these patients had minimal past medical histories and all came in within two weeks." The patients, four men and one woman, were hospitalized between March 23 and April 7. In Oxley's paper, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, he and his colleagues wrote that "every two weeks over the previous 12 months, our service has treated, on average, 0.73 patients younger than 50 years of age with large-vessel stroke." So the recent handful of stroke cases stood out. "What if we're now learning that a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before?" Oxley said. Large-vessel strokes are caused by a blood clot that travels from the body into an artery in the brain. The new report describes how this happened in each of the five recent New York cases. The only woman in the study, a 33-year-old, had no prior medical history, the paper says. She experienced a COVID-19-related cough, headache, and chills in the week prior to her stroke. Then, over a period of 28 hours, her speech became slow and slurred as her jaw muscles shut down. Her left arm and leg became weak and numb. At Mount Sinai, Oxley and his colleagues found a blood clot in her brain's carotid artery. They used a "clot-busting" drug to break it up over the next 10 days. The four male patients, meanwhile, had similar stories. All of them experienced numbness, slowed speech, and temporary paralysis before they went to the hospital, where doctors removed the life-threatening clots. The men ranged in age from 37 to 49; two had mild coronavirus symptoms while the other two reported none at all. Only one had suffered a stroke before. Oxley said that since first speaking out about these stroke cases, he's been flooded with emails from other coronavirus patients describing minor strokes. A 31-year-old man messaged him on Sunday, describing a sudden onset of speech disturbance and numbness, Oxley said. The patient went to the hospital, and an MRI revealed he'd had a stroke in his thalamus. "I was just dumbfounded by this story of a patient who had never had a past history of stroke," Oxley said. He added that strokes have also been observed in older COVID-19 patients, but the new trend is reason for additional concern because it involves people in their 30s and 40s without severe symptoms. (Overall, nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65.) Oxley and J. Mocco, another Mount Sinai neurosurgeon, think the link between COVID-19 and the increase in strokes they're seeing has to do with blood clots. Experts have reported blood clots appearing in various parts of coronavirus patients' bodies, including the lungs. Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who was diagnosed with coronavirus, had to have his right leg amputated after clots formed. "It's very striking how much this disease causes clots to form," Mocco told Reuters. Coronaviruses in general have also been known to cause neurological issues like strokes, according to a February study. Roughly 2% of patients in Singapore who contracted SARS (also a coronavirus) had strokes. A study on COVID-19 patients at three hospitals in Wuhan, China — which is not yet peer-reviewed — found that of 214 patients, 36% had neurological symptoms. That included impaired consciousness and acute cerebrovascular diseases like strokes. Scientists aren't yet sure why COVID-19 causes clots, but Oxley said they might be the result of blood vessels' reaction to being invaded by the virus. The new coronavirus attacks via a specific cell receptor called ACE2, which can be found throughout the body, including in our guts, lungs, hearts, and even noses. According to Oxley, the virus can also bind to ACE2 receptors in the walls of our blood vessels. That leads the vessels to become inflamed, which can cause clotting. Then once a clot has formed, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Not everyone's blood-vessel walls have the same level of ACE2 receptors, though. That characteristic is linked to a patient's genetics, rather than their age, Oxley said. That might explain why blood clots appear in patients across age brackets. Oxley said COVID-19 is teaching his colleagues about a previously unexplored link between viruses, inflammation, and strokes. "There are other viruses we're going to learn about in the future that may be connected to strokes in the same way," he said. LoadingSomething is loading. Featured Health Articles:- Telehealth Industry Explained- Value-Based Care Explained- Senior Care & Assisted Living Market- Smart Medical Devices & Wearable Tech- AI in Healthcare- Remote Patient Monitoring Explained - AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
3 May 17:15 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-causes-strokes-inflammation-in-blood-vessels-clots-2020-4Rating: 4.40
Mysterious strokes among young COVID-19 patients may reveal how ‘a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before,’ a doctor says
Four people in their 30s and 40s were recently admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with life-threatening strokes. Their cases were united by a common theme: All of them had COVID-19. “Large-vessel strokes in young patients are exceedingly rare,” Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai who published a new report about the cases, told Business Insider. “They’d need a past history concerning strokes. But these patients had minimal past medical histories and all came in within two weeks.” The patients, four men and one woman, were hospitalized between March 23 and April 7. In Oxley’s paper, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, he and his colleagues wrote that “every two weeks over the previous 12 months, our service has treated, on average, 0.73 patients younger than 50 years of age with large-vessel stroke.” So the recent handful of stroke cases stood out. “What if we’re now learning that a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before?” Oxley said. Large-vessel strokes are caused by a blood clot that travels from the body into an artery in the brain. The new report describes how this happened in each of the five recent New York cases. The only woman in the study, a 33-year-old, had no prior medical history, the paper says. She experienced a COVID-19-related cough, headache, and chills in the week prior to her stroke. Then, over a period of 28 hours, her speech became slow and slurred as her jaw muscles shut down. Her left arm and leg became weak and numb. At Mount Sinai, Oxley and his colleagues found a blood clot in her brain’s carotid artery. They used a “clot-busting” drug to break it up over the next 10 days. The four male patients, meanwhile, had similar stories. All of them experienced numbness, slowed speech, and temporary paralysis before they went to the hospital, where doctors removed the life-threatening clots. The men ranged in age from 37 to 49; two had mild coronavirus symptoms while the other two reported none at all. Only one had suffered a stroke before. Oxley said that since first speaking out about these stroke cases, he’s been flooded with emails from other coronavirus patients describing minor strokes. A 31-year-old man messaged him on Sunday, describing a sudden onset of speech disturbance and numbness, Oxley said. The patient went to the hospital, and an MRI revealed he’d had a stroke in his thalamus. “I was just dumbfounded by this story of a patient who had never had a past history of stroke,” Oxley said. He added that strokes have also been observed in older COVID-19 patients, but the new trend is reason for additional concern because it involves people in their 30s and 40s without severe symptoms. (Overall, nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65.) Oxley and J. Mocco, another Mount Sinai neurosurgeon, think the link between COVID-19 and the increase in strokes they’re seeing has to do with blood clots. Experts have reported blood clots appearing in various parts of coronavirus patients’ bodies, including the lungs. Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who was diagnosed with coronavirus, had to have his right leg amputated after clots formed. “It’s very striking how much this disease causes clots to form,” Mocco told Reuters. Coronaviruses in general have also been known to cause neurological issues like strokes, according to a February study. Roughly 2% of patients in Singapore who contracted SARS (also a coronavirus) had strokes. A study on COVID-19 patients at three hospitals in Wuhan, China – which is not yet peer-reviewed – found that of 214 patients, 36% had neurological symptoms. That included impaired consciousness and acute cerebrovascular diseases like strokes. Scientists aren’t yet sure why COVID-19 causes clots, but Oxley said they might be the result of blood vessels’ reaction to being invaded by the virus. The new coronavirus attacks via a specific cell receptor called ACE2, which can be found throughout the body, including in our guts, lungs, hearts, and even noses. According to Oxley, the virus can also bind to ACE2 receptors in the walls of our blood vessels. That leads the vessels to become inflamed, which can cause clotting. Then once a clot has formed, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Not everyone’s blood-vessel walls have the same level of ACE2 receptors, though. That characteristic is linked to a patient’s genetics, rather than their age, Oxley said. That might explain why blood clots appear in patients across age brackets. Oxley said COVID-19 is teaching his colleagues about a previously unexplored link between viruses, inflammation, and strokes. “There are other viruses we’re going to learn about in the future that may be connected to strokes in the same way,” he said.
3 May 17:15 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/coronavirus-causes-strokes-inflammation-in-blood-vessels-clots-2020-4Rating: 0.30
Mysterious strokes among young COVID-19 patients may reveal how 'a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before,' a doctor says, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
Four people in their 30s and 40s were recently admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with life-threatening strokes. Their cases were united by a common theme: All of them had COVID-19. “Large-vessel strokes in young patients are exceedingly rare,” Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai who published a new report about the cases, told Business Insider. “They’d need a past history concerning strokes. But these patients had minimal past medical histories and all came in within two weeks.” The patients, four men and one woman, were hospitalized between March 23 and April 7. In Oxley’s paper, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, he and his colleagues wrote that “every two weeks over the previous 12 months, our service has treated, on average, 0.73 patients younger than 50 years of age with large-vessel stroke.” So the recent handful of stroke cases stood out. “What if we’re now learning that a virus can cause strokes in ways we never knew before?” Oxley said. Large-vessel strokes are caused by a blood clot that travels from the body into an artery in the brain. The new report describes how this happened in each of the five recent New York cases. The only woman in the study, a 33-year-old, had no prior medical history, the paper says. She experienced a COVID-19-related cough, headache, and chills in the week prior to her stroke. Then, over a period of 28 hours, her speech became slow and slurred as her jaw muscles shut down. Her left arm and leg became weak and numb. At Mount Sinai, Oxley and his colleagues found a blood clot in her brain’s carotid artery. They used a “clot-busting” drug to break it up over the next 10 days. The four male patients, meanwhile, had similar stories. All of them experienced numbness, slowed speech, and temporary paralysis before they went to the hospital, where doctors removed the life-threatening clots. The men ranged in age from 37 to 49; two had mild coronavirus symptoms while the other two reported none at all. Only one had suffered a stroke before. Oxley said that since first speaking out about these stroke cases, he’s been flooded with emails from other coronavirus patients describing minor strokes. A 31-year-old man messaged him on Sunday, describing a sudden onset of speech disturbance and numbness, Oxley said. The patient went to the hospital, and an MRI revealed he’d had a stroke in his thalamus. “I was just dumbfounded by this story of a patient who had never had a past history of stroke,” Oxley said. He added that strokes have also been observed in older COVID-19 patients, but the new trend is reason for additional concern because it involves people in their 30s and 40s without severe symptoms. (Overall, nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65.) Oxley and J. Mocco, another Mount Sinai neurosurgeon, think the link between COVID-19 and the increase in strokes they’re seeing has to do with blood clots. Experts have reported blood clots appearing in various parts of coronavirus patients’ bodies, including the lungs. Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who was diagnosed with coronavirus, had to have his right leg amputated after clots formed. “It’s very striking how much this disease causes clots to form,” Mocco told Reuters. Coronaviruses in general have also been known to cause neurological issues like strokes, according to a February study. Roughly 2% of patients in Singapore who contracted SARS (also a coronavirus) had strokes. A study on COVID-19 patients at three hospitals in Wuhan, China – which is not yet peer-reviewed – found that of 214 patients, 36% had neurological symptoms. That included impaired consciousness and acute cerebrovascular diseases like strokes. Scientists aren’t yet sure why COVID-19 causes clots, but Oxley said they might be the result of blood vessels’ reaction to being invaded by the virus. The new coronavirus attacks via a specific cell receptor called ACE2, which can be found throughout the body, including in our guts, lungs, hearts, and even noses. According to Oxley, the virus can also bind to ACE2 receptors in the walls of our blood vessels. That leads the vessels to become inflamed, which can cause clotting. Then once a clot has formed, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Not everyone’s blood-vessel walls have the same level of ACE2 receptors, though. That characteristic is linked to a patient’s genetics, rather than their age, Oxley said. That might explain why blood clots appear in patients across age brackets. Oxley said COVID-19 is teaching his colleagues about a previously unexplored link between viruses, inflammation, and strokes. “There are other viruses we’re going to learn about in the future that may be connected to strokes in the same way,” he said.
3 May 17:15 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/coronavirus-causes-strokes-inflammation-in-blood-vessels-clots-2020-4Rating: 0.30
Roche aims to make more than 100 million coronavirus antibody tests per month by end of year
3 May 11:11
•
3 articles
Weight: 2.14
Importance: 2.18
Age penalty: 0.98
Best date: 3 May 11:11
Average US: 35.166666666666664
Weighted average US: 44.85637289212854
Average GB: 0.5333333333333333
Weighted average GB: 0.7867521434487981
Average IN: 3.4333333333333336
Weighted average IN: 5.389634010552254
Roche aims to make more than 100 million coronavirus antibody tests per month by end of year
ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche aims to more than double production of its new coronavirus antibody test to “significantly more than” 100 million tests a month by the end of the year, the company’s diagnostics unit head said on Sunday. The Swiss company won U.S. emergency use approval for the test that relies on taking intravenous blood draws. Roche said its test has a specificity rate of more than 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%, figures indicating very few false-positive tests and no false negatives. “If you take blood from a finger prick, you will never be able to achieve the same level of specificity that you will achieve...when you take blood from the vein,” Roche diagnostics head Thomas Schinecker told Reuters on Sunday. “You have to have very, very high specificity. Even 0.1 or 0.2 percent makes a difference.”
3 May 11:11 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-roche-antibodytest-idUSKBN22F0G6Rating: 4.04
Roche aims to make more than 100 million coronavirus antibody tests per month by end of year
ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche aims to more than double production of its new coronavirus antibody test to "significantly more than" 100 million tests a month by the end of the year, the company's diagnostics unit head said on Sunday. The Swiss company won U.S. emergency use approval for the test that relies on taking intravenous blood draws. Roche said its test has a specificity rate of more than 99.8% and sensitivity rate of 100%, figures indicating very few false-positive tests and no false negatives. "If you take blood from a finger prick, you will never be able to achieve the same level of specificity that you will achieve...when you take blood from the vein," Roche diagnostics head Thomas Schinecker told Reuters on Sunday. "You have to have very, very high specificity. Even 0.1 or 0.2 percent makes a difference." (Reporting by John Miller, editing by John Revill)
3 May 11:11 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/roche-aims-more-100-million-111154392.htmlRating: 0.30
FDA approves coronavirus antibody test that boasts near-perfect accuracy
The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval to a COVID-19 antibody test that boasts near-perfect accuracy, the company said Sunday. Swiss drugmaker Roche said the new test, which determines whether someone had a past infection, has proven 100% accurate at detecting antibodies in the blood and 99.8% accurate at ruling out the presence of them. The company said the test requires intravenous blood draws, with higher accuracy than finger-prick tests. “If you take blood from a finger prick, you will never be able to achieve the same level of specificity that you will achieve … when you take blood from the vein,” said Thomas Schinecker, the company’s head of diagnostics. “You have to have very, very high specificity. Even 0.1% or 0.2% makes a difference.” Schinecker said the tests are an important step in determining whether someone may have immunity, but acknowledged that more research is required to determine whether antibodies protect people from being reinfected. “Since this virus is not well known, one can hypothesize, but the proof will take longer,” Schinecker said. “Testing these people … is key to seeing whether or not people really have developed immunity.” With Post wires
3 May 17:03 • New York Post • https://nypost.com/2020/05/03/fda-approves-coronavirus-antibody-test-that-boasts-near-perfect-accuracy/Rating: 2.55
Delayed vaccinations could imperil children, say experts
3 May 18:06
•
9 articles
Weight: 1.79
Importance: 2.13
Age penalty: 0.84
Best date: 3 May 08:48
Average US: 5.822222222222223
Weighted average US: 9.593162576573805
Average GB: 1.9000000000000001
Weighted average GB: 3.2671114977378775
Average IN: 14.54444444444444
Weighted average IN: 22.615901038726776
Delayed vaccinations could imperil children, say experts
The vaccination schedule of children in the State appears to have been disturbed following the lockdown to contain COVID-19. Vaccinations have dipped by 50% in the past one month as these could not be administered on children in the first two weeks of the lockdown, thereby creating a huge backlog. The situation is alarming, especially in pockets where the immunisation rates are already suboptimal, says M. Narayanan, State president, Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), Kerala. If immediate intervention is not made, there are chances of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria in vulnerable areas. To cover lost ground, the IAP, Kerala, has joined hands with the government in a drive to deny emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases in the State when the government and front-line health workers are fighting the pandemic. The government has issued an advisory for restarting the immunisation activities both in public and private sector institutions. At the public health centre (PHC) level, parents of unimmunised and partially immunised children will be informed about the date, time, and place of immunisation in advance by the junior public health nurse. No mass vaccination campaigns would be conducted till the pandemic subsides. The IAP has come out with a plan called Filling the Blanks to encourage parents to bring their children for the missed vaccines. Paediatricians will enter in an app the vaccination status of children at the outpatient department. The app will send text messages to the parent’s mobile three days prior to the vaccination date. Unprotected children get exposed to diseases easily as against the herd immunity that protects them when there is 85% or more vaccination, says Dr. Narayanan. Measles is one of the most transmissible infections, with an attack rate of 12 against the 1.4 to 5.7 for COVID-19. Attack rate denotes the number of persons who will be infected from a single patient. Vaccinations for pneumococcal disease, chickenpox, hepatitis A, and typhoid also have dropped. The sales figures of these vaccines show a drop of 5% to 30% compared to previous months, says Dr. Narayanan.
3 May 18:06 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/delayed-vaccinations-could-imperil-children-say-experts/article31496219.eceRating: 0.30
Millions of minors in Middle East, N Africa risk missing vaccines
The coronavirus pandemic could jeopardise vaccination campaigns across the Middle East and North Africa, the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) has said, warning that millions of children could miss out on polio and measles immunisations. "As a result, one in five children or 10 million children under the age of five risk missing their polio vaccination," UNICEF said in a statement on Sunday. "Nearly 4.5 million children under the age of 15 risk missing their measles vaccination." Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's regional director, said it was "absolutely critical that every child gets immunised against deadly diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria and hepatitis". He said measures including disinfection, protective clothing and physical distancing meant that "immunisation for children is possible" even in the time of the new coronavirus, which causes a highly infectious respiratory disease known as COVID-19. "COVID-19 pandemic is overstretching health systems, as frontline workers are supporting the outbreak response. Despite that, nearly 1.5 million children on average are getting their vaccines every month," Chaiban said. UNICEF said most countries in the region were continuing with routine campaigns, under strict controls to prevent the spread of the virus. But the UN body warned that some vaccination campaigns had been suspended as health workers were diverted to fighting COVID-19. UNICEF and the World Health Organization warned in mid-April that approximately 117 million children worldwide risked contracting measles as dozens of countries curtailed vaccination programmes to battle the pandemic. In many parts of Africa, medical aid projects that might normally include measles and other vaccine campaigns have stalled as countries closed their borders and limited routine health services.
3 May 10:01 • Aljazeera • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/millions-minors-middle-east-africa-risk-missing-vaccines-200503080455132.htmlRating: 2.44
Nicotine patch test on Covid patients, healthcare workers to see if smokers are ‘protected’
New Delhi: French researchers are now preparing to launch nicotine patch trials on healthcare workers and patients, after a study in France found that smokers are less likely to be infected by the novel coronavirus than non-smokers. The French study, published in April, found that the people who smoke are 80 per cent less likely to catch Covid-19 than non-smokers of the same age and sex. Its authors — Jean-Pierre Changeux, emeritus professor of neuroscience at France’s Pasteur Institute, and Zahir Amoura, professor at Paris’ Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital — are conducting the follow-up human trials. “Compared to the French general population, the Covid-19 population exhibited a significantly weaker current daily smoker rate by 80.3 per cent for outpatients and by 75.4 percent for inpatients,” it said. “Thus, current smoking status appears to be a protective factor against the infection by SARS-CoV-2,” said the study, which found that only 5 per cent of 482 Covid-19 cases detected between 28 February and 9 April were daily smokers. Overall, 25 per cent of the French population are daily smokers. Also read:How smokers are getting by without cigarettes in Covid-19 lockdown (it’s helping many quit) While nicotine does not attack the virus directly, it is likely to play an indirect role, involving a cell-membrane protein, ACE2, to which the virus plugs. Researchers suspect that nicotine binds to the same membrane, and so, prevents the virus from attaching itself. Under the planned trial, nicotine patches will be tested on a sample group of 1,500 health professionals and 400 patients. “They will be assessed to see if they catch the virus, and whether those wearing the nicotine patches are more resistant than their colleagues wearing the placebo patches,” Reutersreported. The French study clearly warned against the use of nicotine for other purposes, and about the serious consequences of smoking on health. “One should not forget that nicotine is a drug of abuse responsible for smoking addiction. Smoking has severe pathological consequences and remains a serious danger for health. Yet, under controlled settings, Nicotinic agents could provide an efficient treatment for an acute infection such as Covid-19,” it stated. Following the study, France’s government has limited the sales of nicotine. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned against smoking, saying it increases the susceptibility of transmission. “Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to Covid-19 as the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips, which increases the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth. Smokers may also already have lung disease or reduced lung capacity, which would greatly increase risk of serious illness,” it said. “Conditions that increase oxygen needs or reduce the ability of the body to use it properly will put patients at higher risk of serious lung conditions such as pneumonia,” the WHO said. A study conducted at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, has contradicted the French study, finding that smokers “could be living on the edge of contracting Covid-19 infection”. The IIT study, titled ‘Neurological insights of Covid-19 pandemic’, was published in an international journal of the American Chemical Society. “The likeliness of Covid-19 patients to contract neurological infections can be exacerbated by secondary factors like smoking. According to a pilot study, smoking can enhance the chances of contracting Covid-19 based neuroinfections due to the functional interactions between human receptor and nicotinic receptor,” it had said. Neither the French study nor the one from IIT-Jodhpur is peer-reviewed. ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 09:02 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/health/nicotine-patch-test-on-covid-patients-healthcare-workers-to-see-if-smokers-are-protected/413513/Rating: 1.95
UN: Virus efforts jeopardise vaccines for millions of MENA children
AMMAN, May 3 — The coronavirus pandemic could jeopardise vaccination campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa, Unicef warned today, saying millions of children could miss out on polio and measles immunisations. The UN agency said most countries in the region were continuing with routine campaigns, under strict controls to prevent the spread of the virus. But it warned that some vaccination campaigns had been suspended as health workers were diverted to fighting the Covid-19 illness. “As a result, one in five children or 10 million children under the age of five risk missing their polio vaccination,” it said in a statement. “Nearly 4.5 million children under the age of 15 risk missing their measles vaccination.” Ted Chaiban, Unicef’s regional director, said it was “absolutely critical that every child gets immunised against deadly diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria and hepatitis”. He said measures including disinfection, protective clothing and social distancing meant that “immunisation for children is possible even in the time of Covid”. UNICEF and the World Health Organization warned in mid-April that around 117 million children worldwide risked contracting measles as dozens of countries curtailed vaccination programmes to battle the pandemic. The head of the global organisation fighting polio told AFP in early April that the novel coronavirus had dealt an unprecedented blow to mass immunisation drives, risking a resurgence of the disease. — AFP
3 May 08:48 • Malaymail • https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2020/05/03/un-virus-efforts-jeopardise-vaccines-for-millions-of-mena-children/1862606Rating: 1.42
Virus efforts jeopardise vaccines for millions of MENA children: UN
Amman, Jordan. The coronavirus pandemic could jeopardise vaccination campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa, UNICEF warned Sunday, saying millions of children could miss out on polio and measles immunisations.The UN agency said most countries in the region were continuing with routine campaigns, under strict controls to prevent the spread of the virus.But it warned that some vaccination campaigns had been suspended as health workers were diverted to fighting the COVID-19 illness."As a result, one in five children or 10 million children under the age of five risk missing their polio vaccination," it said in a statement."Nearly 4.5 million children under the age of 15 risk missing their measles vaccination."Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's regional director, said it was "absolutely critical that every child gets immunised against deadly diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria and hepatitis".He said measures including disinfection, protective clothing and social distancing meant that "immunisation for children is possible even in the time of COVID".UNICEF and the World Health Organization warned in mid-April that around 117 million children worldwide risked contracting measles as dozens of countries curtailed vaccination programmes to battle the pandemic.The head of the global organisation fighting polio told AFP in early April that the novel coronavirus had dealt an unprecedented blow to mass immunisation drives, risking a resurgence of the disease.
3 May 00:00 • THE CITIZEN • https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/-Virus-efforts-jeopardise-vaccines-for-millions-of-MENA/1840386-5541344-4nm0ta/index.htmlRating: 0.30
Some preventive measures for malaria you can follow by staying indoors
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by malarial parasites that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. It is seasonal and most commonly seen during the monsoons in India. Enhanced malaria prevention and control measures are dramatically reducing the malaria burden in many places. WHO strongly encourages countries not to suspend the planning for or implementation of mosquito control activities, while ensuring these services are delivered using best practices to protect health workers and communities from COVID-19 infection. “The estimated number of malaria deaths in 2018 stood at 405,000, a similar number to the previous year. As per WHO, India contributes 77 per cent of cases in South-East Asia. The diagnosis of malaria depends on the symptoms along with physical examination and blood test. There is a variety of drugs now available for the treatment of malaria which should be taken under medical supervision only,” says Dr Santosh Datar, Medical Director, Ziqitza Healthcare. Look out for these signs and symptoms The common symptoms of malaria are chills, fever, sweating, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. Severe cases may exhibit symptoms such as jaundice, convulsions and coma especially with Falciparum malaria. Initial symptoms may be similar to many bacterial, viral and parasitic infections and that may pose a challenge for an accurate diagnosis. The symptoms may repeat every 48 to 72 hours with asymptomatic intervals. Since we are all under lockdown in India, here are some preventive measures of malaria you can follow by staying indoors: * Keep the windows and doors closed in the evening in mosquito-infested regions. * Have screens/wire mesh to cover windows and doors and check their integrity. * Use a mosquito net over your bed (Permethrin-coated nets, if available). * Use / plugin mosquito repellents to avoid mosquito bites. * Apply mosquito repellent to the exposed skin. * Empty and refill the flower vases regularly at least once a week. * Indoor residual spraying of walls may be another mosquito control measure. However, these measures should be followed not only during the lockdown period but under regular circumstances as well.
2 May 16:59 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/some-preventive-measures-of-malaria-you-can-follow-by-staying-indoors-6390266/Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus 'more likely' to claim lives of people with vitamin D deficiency
People with vitamin D deficiency could be more likely to die from coronavirus, a study has suggested. As the UK continues following strict lockdown measures – which include restrictions on time outdoors – research has shown that a vitamin usually procured from natural sunlight could help boost Covid-19 survival rates. In the study, scientists from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust and the University of East Anglia write: “We believe, that we can advise Vitamin D supplementation to protect against SARS-CoV2 infection.” The paper, published on Research Square, states that vitamin D levels are found to be severely low in the ageing population, especially in Spain, Italy and Switzerland. This is also the group most vulnerable for Covid-19. It reads: "Severe deficiency is defined as a serum 25(OH)D lower than 30nmol/L. In Switzerland, mean vitamin D levels are 23(nmol/L) in nursing homes and in Italy 76% of women over 70 years of age have been found to have circulating levels below 30nmol/L. "These are countries with high number of cases of COVID–19 and the aging people is the group with the highest risk for morbidity and mortality with SARS-Cov2. "The research has not yet been peer-reviewed by other scientists and only offers up tentative evidence at this point." The authors of the paper also acknowledge: “The number of cases/country is affected by the number of tests performed.” Currently the NHS website recommends people consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day. It adds: “This is because you may not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight if you’re indoors most of the day.” But while the NHS acknowledges emerging reports of vitamin D reducing the risk of coronavirus, it states that currently there is no evidence that this is the case. It also warns people to refrain from buying more vitamin D than they need. Last week, Dr Rachel Neale said that 10 minutes of sunshine a day could trigger the production of Vitamin D and potentially help reduce the risk of coronavirus, as she has found it does with other respiratory infections. Dr Neale, a researcher at Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, says it would "make sense" if having low levels of vitamin D left people more vulnerable to worse symptoms of coronavirus. However, she added that research was needed to confirm whether or not this is the case.
2 May 11:51 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-more-likely-claim-lives-21962628Rating: 2.39
What if we already have a coronavirus vaccine?
by Melinda Wenner MoyerAs the world waits for a coronavirus vaccine, tens of thousands of people could die. But some scientists believe a vaccine might already exist. Surprising new research in a niche area of immunology suggests that certain live vaccines that have been around for decades could, possibly, protect against the coronavirus. The theory is that these vaccines could make people less likely to experience serious symptoms — or even any symptoms — if they catch it. At more than 25 universities and clinical centers around the world, researchers have begun clinical trials, primarily in health care workers, to test whether a live tuberculosis vaccine that has been in use for 99 years called the bacillus Calmette-Guérin, or B.C.G., vaccine, could reduce the risks associated with the coronavirus. Another small but esteemed group of scientists is raising money to test the potential protective effects of a 60-year-old live polio vaccine called O.P.V. It’s counterintuitive to think that old vaccines created to fight very different pathogens could defend against the coronavirus. The idea is controversial in part because it challenges the dogma about how vaccines work. But scientists’ understanding of an arm of immunology known as innate immunity has shifted in recent years. A growing body of research suggests that live vaccines, which are made from living but attenuated pathogens (as opposed to inactivated vaccines, which use dead pathogens) provide broad protection against infections in ways that no one anticipated. “We can’t be certain as to what the outcome will be, but I suspect it’ll have an effect” on the coronavirus, said Jeffrey Cirillo, a microbiologist and immunologist at Texas A&M University who is leading one of the B.C.G. trials. “Question is, how big will it be?” Scientists stress that these vaccines will not be a panacea. They might make symptoms milder, but they probably won’t eliminate them. And the protection, if it occurs, would most likely last only a few years. Still, “these could be a first step,” said Dr. Mihai Netea, an immunologist at Radboud University in the Netherlands who is leading another one of the trials. “They can be the bridge until you have the time to develop a specific vaccine.” The first evidence to suggest that live vaccines could be broadly protective trickled in nearly a century ago, but no one knew what to make of it. In 1927, soon after B.C.G. was rolled out, Carl Naslund of the Swedish Tuberculosis Society observed that children vaccinated with the live tuberculosis vaccine were three times less likely to die of any cause compared with kids who weren’t. “One is tempted to explain this very low mortality among vaccinated children by the idea that B.C.G. vaccine provokes a nonspecific immunity,” he wrote in 1932. Then, in clinical trials conducted in the 1940s and ’50s in the United States and Britain, researchers found that B.C.G. reduced nonaccidental deaths from causes other than tuberculosis by an average of 25 percent. Also in the 1950s, Russian researchers, including Marina Voroshilova of the Academy of Medical Science in Moscow, noticed that people who had been given the live polio vaccine, compared with people who hadn’t, were far less likely to fall ill with the seasonal flu and other respiratory infections. She and other scientists undertook a clinical trial involving 320,000 Russians to more carefully test these mysterious effects. They found that among individuals who had received the live polio vaccine, “the incidence of seasonal influenza was reduced by 75 percent,” said Konstantin Chumakov, Voroshilova’s son, who is now an associate director for research in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review. Recent studies have produced similar findings. In a 2016 review of 68 papers commissioned by the World Health Organization, a team of researchers concluded that B.C.G., along with other live vaccines, “reduce overall mortality by more than would be expected through their effects on the diseases they prevent.” The W.H.O. has long been skeptical about these “nonspecific effects,” in part because much of the research on them has involved observational studies that don’t establish cause and effect. But in a recent report incorporating newer results from some clinical trials, the organization described nonspecific vaccine effects as “plausible and common.” Dr. Stanley Plotkin, a vaccinologist and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania who developed the rubella vaccine but has no involvement in the current research, agreed. “Vaccines can affect the immune system beyond the response to the specific pathogen,” he said. Peter Aaby, a Danish anthropologist who has spent 40 years studying the nonspecific effects of vaccines in Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa, and whose findings have been criticized as implausible, is hopeful that these trials will be a tipping point for research in the field. “It’s kind of a golden moment in terms of actually having this taken seriously,” he said. The possibility that vaccines could have nonspecific effects is brow-furrowing in part because scientists have long believed that vaccines work by stimulating the body’s highly specific adaptive immune system. After receiving a vaccine against, say, polio, a person’s body creates an army of polio-specific antibodies that recognize and attack the virus before it has a chance to take hold. Antibodies against polio can’t fight off infections caused by other pathogens, though — so, based on this framework, polio vaccines should not be able to reduce the risk associated with other viruses, such as the coronavirus. But over the past decade, immunologists have discovered that live vaccines also stimulate the innate immune system, which is less specific but much faster. They have found that the innate immune system can be trained by live vaccines to better fight off various kinds of pathogens. For instance, in a 2018 study, Dr. Netea and his colleagues vaccinated volunteers with either B.C.G. or a placebo and then infected them all with a harmless version of the yellow fever virus. Those who had been given B.C.G. were better able to fight off yellow fever. Research by Dr. Netea and others shows that live vaccines train the body’s immune system by initiating changes in some stem cells. Among other things, the vaccines initiate the creation of tiny marks that help cells turn on genes involved in immune protection against multiple pathogens. This area of innate immunity “is one of the hottest areas in fundamental immunology today,” said Dr. Robert Gallo, the director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-founder of the Global Virus Network, a coalition of virologists from more than 30 countries. In the 1980s, Dr. Gallo helped to identify H.I.V. as the cause of AIDS. Dr. Gallo is leading the charge to test the O.P.V. live polio vaccine as a treatment for coronavirus. He and his colleagues hope to start a clinical trial on health care workers in New York City and Maryland within six weeks. O.P.V. is routinely used in 143 countries, but no longer in the United States. An inactivated polio vaccine was reintroduced here in 1997, in part because one out of every 2.7 million people who receive the live vaccine can actually develop polio from it. But O.P.V. does not pose this risk to Americans who have received a polio vaccine in the past. “We believe this is very, very, very safe,” Dr. Gallo said. It’s also inexpensive at 12 cents a dose, and is administered orally, so it doesn’t require needles. Some scientists have raised concerns over whether these vaccines could increase the risk for “cytokine storms” — deadly inflammatory reactions that have been observed in some people weeks after they have been infected with the coronavirus. Dr. Netea and others said that they were taking these concerns seriously but did not anticipate problems. For one thing, the vaccines will be given only to healthy people — not to people who are already infected. Also, B.C.G. may actually be able to ramp up the body’s initial immune response in ways that reduce the amount of virus in the body, such that an inflammatory response never occurs. It may “lead to less infection to start with,” said Dr. Moshe Arditi, the director of the Infectious and Immunological Diseases Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, who is leading one of the trial arms. The science on this is still early days. Several pre-prints — scientific papers that have not yet been peer-reviewed — published over the past few months support the idea that B.C.G. could protect against the coronavirus. They have reported, for instance, that death rates are lower in countries that routinely vaccinate children with B.C.G. But these studies can be fraught with bias and difficult to interpret; it’s impossible to know whether the vaccinations, or something else, provided the protection. Such studies are “at the very bottom of the evidence hierarchy,” said Dr. Christine Stabell Benn, who is raising funds for a Danish B.C.G trial. She added that the protective effects of a dose of B.C.G given to adults decades ago, when they were infants, may well differ from the protective effects the vaccine could provide when given to adults during an outbreak. “In the end,” said Dr. Netea, “only the clinical trials will give the answer.” Thankfully, that answer will come very soon. Initial results from the trials that are underway may be available within a few months. If these researchers are right, these old vaccines could buy us time — and save thousands of lives — while we work to develop a new one.
2 May 07:16 • The Economic Times • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/what-if-we-already-have-a-coronavirus-vaccine/articleshow/75502684.cmsRating: 0.30
What if we already have a coronavirus vaccine?
As the world waits for a coronavirus vaccine, tens of thousands of people could die. But some scientists believe a vaccine might already exist. Surprising new research in a niche area of immunology suggests that certain live vaccines that have been around for decades could, possibly, protect against the coronavirus. The theory is that these vaccines could make people less likely to experience serious symptoms — or even any symptoms — if they catch it. At more than 25 universities and clinical centres around the world, researchers have begun clinical trials, primarily in health care workers, to test whether a live tuberculosis vaccine that has been in use for 99 years called the bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, vaccine, could reduce the risks associated with the coronavirus. Another small but esteemed group of scientists is raising money to test the potential protective effects of a 60-year-old live polio vaccine called OPV. It’s counterintuitive to think that old vaccines created to fight very different pathogens could defend against the coronavirus. The idea is controversial in part because it challenges the dogma about how vaccines work. But scientists’ understanding of an arm of immunology known as innate immunity has shifted in recent years. A growing body of research suggests that live vaccines, which are made from living but attenuated pathogens (as opposed to inactivated vaccines, which use dead pathogens) provide broad protection against infections in ways that no one anticipated. “We can’t be certain as to what the outcome will be, but I suspect it’ll have an effect” on the coronavirus, said Jeffrey Cirillo, a microbiologist and immunologist at Texas A & M University who is leading one of the BCG trials. “Question is, how big will it be?” Scientists stress that these vaccines will not be a panacea. They might make symptoms milder, but they probably won’t eliminate them. And the protection, if it occurs, would most likely last only a few years. Still, “these could be a first step,” said Dr. Mihai Netea, an immunologist at Radboud University in the Netherlands who is leading another one of the trials. “They can be the bridge until you have the time to develop a specific vaccine.” The first evidence to suggest that live vaccines could be broadly protective trickled in nearly a century ago, but no one knew what to make of it. In 1927, soon after BCG was rolled out, Carl Naslund of the Swedish Tuberculosis Society observed that children vaccinated with the live tuberculosis vaccine were three times less likely to die of any cause compared with kids who weren’t. “One is tempted to explain this very low mortality among vaccinated children by the idea that BCG vaccine provokes a non-specific immunity,” he wrote in 1932. Then, in clinical trials conducted in the 1940s and ‘50s in the United States and Britain, researchers found that BCG reduced non-accidental deaths from causes other than tuberculosis by an average of 25 per cent. Also in the 1950s, Russian researchers, including Marina Voroshilova of the Academy of Medical Science in Moscow, noticed that people who had been given the live polio vaccine, compared with people who hadn’t, were far less likely to fall ill with the seasonal flu and other respiratory infections. She and other scientists undertook a clinical trial involving 320,000 Russians to more carefully test these mysterious effects. They found that among individuals who had received the live polio vaccine, “the incidence of seasonal influenza was reduced by 75 per cent,” said Konstantin Chumakov, Voroshilova’s son, who is now an associate director for research in the US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review. Recent studies have produced similar findings. In a 2016 review of 68 papers commissioned by the World Health Organisation, a team of researchers concluded that BCG, along with other live vaccines, “reduce overall mortality by more than would be expected through their effects on the diseases they prevent.” The WHO has long been sceptical about these “non-specific effects,” in part because much of the research on them has involved observational studies that don’t establish cause and effect. But in a recent report incorporating newer results from some clinical trials, the organisation described non-specific vaccine effects as “plausible and common.” Dr. Stanley Plotkin, a vaccinologist and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania who developed the rubella vaccine but has no involvement in the current research, agreed. “Vaccines can affect the immune system beyond the response to the specific pathogen,” he said. Peter Aaby, a Danish anthropologist who has spent 40 years studying the non-specific effects of vaccines in Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa, and whose findings have been criticised as implausible, is hopeful that these trials will be a tipping point for research in the field. “It’s kind of a golden moment in terms of actually having this taken seriously,” he said. The possibility that vaccines could have non-specific effects is brow-furrowing in part because scientists have long believed that vaccines work by stimulating the body’s highly specific adaptive immune system. After receiving a vaccine against, say, polio, a person’s body creates an army of polio-specific antibodies that recognise and attack the virus before it has a chance to take hold. Antibodies against polio can’t fight off infections caused by other pathogens, though — so, based on this framework, polio vaccines should not be able to reduce the risk associated with other viruses, such as the coronavirus. But over the past decade, immunologists have discovered that live vaccines also stimulate the innate immune system, which is less specific but much faster. They have found that the innate immune system can be trained by live vaccines to better fight off various kinds of pathogens. For instance, in a 2018 study, Dr. Netea and his colleagues vaccinated volunteers with either BCG or a placebo and then infected them all with a harmless version of the yellow fever virus. Those who had been given B.C.G. were better able to fight off yellow fever. Research by Dr. Netea and others shows that live vaccines train the body’s immune system by initiating changes in some stem cells. Among other things, the vaccines initiate the creation of tiny marks that help cells turn on genes involved in immune protection against multiple pathogens. This area of innate immunity “is one of the hottest areas in fundamental immunology today,” said Dr. Robert Gallo, the director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-founder of the Global Virus Network, a coalition of virologists from more than 30 countries. In the 1980s, Dr. Gallo helped to identify HIV as the cause of AIDS. Dr. Gallo is leading the charge to test the OPV live polio vaccine as a treatment for coronavirus. He and his colleagues hope to start a clinical trial on health care workers in New York City and Maryland within six weeks. OPV is routinely used in 143 countries, but no longer in the United States. An inactivated polio vaccine was reintroduced here in 1997, in part because one out of every 2.7 million people who receive the live vaccine can actually develop polio from it. But OPV does not pose this risk to Americans who have received a polio vaccine in the past. “We believe this is very, very, very safe,” Dr. Gallo said. It’s also inexpensive at 12 cents a dose, and is administered orally, so it doesn’t require needles. Some scientists have raised concerns over whether these vaccines could increase the risk for “cytokine storms” — deadly inflammatory reactions that have been observed in some people weeks after they have been infected with the coronavirus. Dr. Netea and others said that they were taking these concerns seriously but did not anticipate problems. For one thing, the vaccines will be given only to healthy people — not to people who are already infected. Also, BCG may actually be able to ramp up the body’s initial immune response in ways that reduce the amount of virus in the body, such that an inflammatory response never occurs. It may “lead to less infection to start with,” said Dr. Moshe Arditi, the director of the Infectious and Immunological Diseases Research Centre at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, who is leading one of the trial arms. The science on this is still early days. Several pre-prints — scientific papers that have not yet been peer-reviewed — published over the past few months support the idea that BCG could protect against the coronavirus. They have reported, for instance, that death rates are lower in countries that routinely vaccinate children with BCG. But these studies can be fraught with bias and difficult to interpret; it’s impossible to know whether the vaccinations, or something else, provided the protection. Such studies are “at the very bottom of the evidence hierarchy,” said Dr. Christine Stabell Benn, who is raising funds for a Danish BCG trial. She added that the protective effects of a dose of BCG given to adults decades ago, when they were infants, may well differ from the protective effects the vaccine could provide when given to adults during an outbreak. “In the end,” said Dr. Netea, “only the clinical trials will give the answer.” Thankfully, that answer will come very soon. Initial results from the trials that are underway may be available within a few months. If these researchers are right, these old vaccines could buy us time — and save thousands of lives — while we work to develop a new one. — Melinda Wenner Moyer is a science and health writer and the author of a forthcoming book on raising children.
2 May 03:21 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/what-if-we-already-have-a-coronavirus-vaccine-1.71284417Rating: 3.21
From fish to rat: how early humans' tastes changed on long trip to Australia
3 May 08:00
•
3 articles
Weight: 1.28
Importance: 1.80
Age penalty: 0.71
Best date: 3 May 08:00
Average US: 3.733333333333333
Weighted average US: 3.1681237569867884
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 1.8333333333333333
Weighted average IN: 1.720587750415579
From fish to rat: how early humans' tastes changed on long trip to Australia
When early humans arrived in south-east Asia tens of thousands of years ago, they were mostly eating fish. Research has found they quickly learned to love rat. Australian researchers working in the Indonesian region have discovered that ancient humans were mostly eating fish and other marine-based food as they travelled through the region more than 45,000 years ago. Griffith University Associate Professor Julien Louys said by about 20,000 years ago, many of the humans who had settled into the region had transitioned to a mostly land-based diet. “It indicates that humans are incredibly flexible, ecologically, that’s one of the defining traits of humanity,” the palaeontologist said. “That allowed these people to move very rapidly through these islands on their way to Australia, basically, but also they were able to subsist on these islands once they became established.” It has been previously revealed ancient humans living on islands in the Indonesian archipelago, including Flores, Timor and Alor, hunted local game, including giant rats and a miniature species of the elephant-like stegodon. Professor Louys said her team used carbon-dating analysis to discover people only started to eat those animals in large numbers from 20,000 years ago onwards. “This is the first direct evidence we have of what they were doing,” he said. “The chemicals in their teeth show us that when they first got there, they were using marine resources, and it was only later that they started to diversify into other resources available on the islands.” Such evidence shows how adaptable early humans were, as many of the islands in the region have been surrounded by water for the past 2 million years, and have always required water crossing for humans to reach them. Professor Louys said the fact Homo sapiens adapted to different climates and resources while others did not, showed why humans spread so quickly across the globe. “The results of this study support the idea that a distinguishing characteristic of Homo sapiens is high ecological flexibility, compared to other hominins from the same region,” he said. “Compare that to things like the “hobbit” [Homo floresiensis] or Homo luzonensis, these small-body hominins that are found only on some of these islands. “They didn’t seem to be able to get as far as humans did, and the data seems to suggest the reason for that is they couldn’t exploit marine resources like modern humans could.” The work being done by Professor Louys and the team, which also includes researchers from the Max Planck Institute and Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada, is part of a major push by palaeontologists around the world to investigate the south-east Asia and Oceania regions, which are only now being explored extensively by scientists. “There’s still so much to be discovered. Within these island chains there’s something like 17,000 different islands, and we've got archaeological records for around 10 of them,” he said. “This region is completely unknown, so every time we put a hole in the ground we’re finding new stuff. So these discoveries will continue to be made.” The latest findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
3 May 08:00 • The Age • https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/from-fish-to-rat-how-early-humans-tastes-changed-on-long-trip-to-australia-20200501-p54p2e.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 2.20
From fish to rat: how early humans' tastes changed on long trip to Australia
When early humans arrived in south-east Asia tens of thousands of years ago, they were mostly eating fish. Research has found they quickly learned to love rat. Australian researchers working in the Indonesian region have discovered that ancient humans were mostly eating fish and other marine-based food as they travelled through the region more than 45,000 years ago. Griffith University Associate Professor Julien Louys said by about 20,000 years ago, many of the humans who had settled into the region had transitioned to a mostly land-based diet. “It indicates that humans are incredibly flexible, ecologically, that’s one of the defining traits of humanity,” the palaeontologist said. “That allowed these people to move very rapidly through these islands on their way to Australia, basically, but also they were able to subsist on these islands once they became established.” It has been previously revealed ancient humans living on islands in the Indonesian archipelago, including Flores, Timor and Alor, hunted local game, including giant rats and a miniature species of the elephant-like stegodon. Professor Louys said her team used carbon-dating analysis to discover people only started to eat those animals in large numbers from 20,000 years ago onwards. “This is the first direct evidence we have of what they were doing,” he said. “The chemicals in their teeth show us that when they first got there, they were using marine resources, and it was only later that they started to diversify into other resources available on the islands.” Such evidence shows how adaptable early humans were, as many of the islands in the region have been surrounded by water for the past 2 million years, and have always required water crossing for humans to reach them. Professor Louys said the fact Homo sapiens adapted to different climates and resources while others did not, showed why humans spread so quickly across the globe. “The results of this study support the idea that a distinguishing characteristic of Homo sapiens is high ecological flexibility, compared to other hominins from the same region,” he said. “Compare that to things like the “hobbit” [Homo floresiensis] or Homo luzonensis, these small-body hominins that are found only on some of these islands. “They didn’t seem to be able to get as far as humans did, and the data seems to suggest the reason for that is they couldn’t exploit marine resources like modern humans could.” The work being done by Professor Louys and the team, which also includes researchers from the Max Planck Institute and Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada, is part of a major push by palaeontologists around the world to investigate the south-east Asia and Oceania regions, which are only now being explored extensively by scientists. “There’s still so much to be discovered. Within these island chains there’s something like 17,000 different islands, and we've got archaeological records for around 10 of them,” he said. “This region is completely unknown, so every time we put a hole in the ground we’re finding new stuff. So these discoveries will continue to be made.” The latest findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
3 May 08:00 • Brisbane Times • https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/from-fish-to-rat-how-early-humans-tastes-changed-on-long-trip-to-australia-20200501-p54p2e.htmlRating: 0.86
From fish to rat: how early humans' tastes changed on long trip to Australia
When early humans arrived in south-east Asia tens of thousands of years ago, they were mostly eating fish. Research has found they quickly learned to love rat. Australian researchers working in the Indonesian region have discovered that ancient humans were mostly eating fish and other marine-based food as they travelled through the region more than 45,000 years ago. Griffith University Associate Professor Julien Louys said by about 20,000 years ago, many of the humans who had settled into the region had transitioned to a mostly land-based diet. “It indicates that humans are incredibly flexible, ecologically, that’s one of the defining traits of humanity,” the palaeontologist said. “That allowed these people to move very rapidly through these islands on their way to Australia, basically, but also they were able to subsist on these islands once they became established.” It has been previously revealed ancient humans living on islands in the Indonesian archipelago, including Flores, Timor and Alor, hunted local game, including giant rats and a miniature species of the elephant-like stegodon. Professor Louys said her team used carbon-dating analysis to discover people only started to eat those animals in large numbers from 20,000 years ago onwards. “This is the first direct evidence we have of what they were doing,” he said. “The chemicals in their teeth show us that when they first got there, they were using marine resources, and it was only later that they started to diversify into other resources available on the islands.” Such evidence shows how adaptable early humans were, as many of the islands in the region have been surrounded by water for the past 2 million years, and have always required water crossing for humans to reach them. Professor Louys said the fact Homo sapiens adapted to different climates and resources while others did not, showed why humans spread so quickly across the globe. “The results of this study support the idea that a distinguishing characteristic of Homo sapiens is high ecological flexibility, compared to other hominins from the same region,” he said. “Compare that to things like the “hobbit” [Homo floresiensis] or Homo luzonensis, these small-body hominins that are found only on some of these islands. “They didn’t seem to be able to get as far as humans did, and the data seems to suggest the reason for that is they couldn’t exploit marine resources like modern humans could.” The work being done by Professor Louys and the team, which also includes researchers from the Max Planck Institute and Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada, is part of a major push by palaeontologists around the world to investigate the south-east Asia and Oceania regions, which are only now being explored extensively by scientists. “There’s still so much to be discovered. Within these island chains there’s something like 17,000 different islands, and we've got archaeological records for around 10 of them,” he said. “This region is completely unknown, so every time we put a hole in the ground we’re finding new stuff. So these discoveries will continue to be made.” The latest findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
3 May 08:00 • WAtoday • https://www.watoday.com.au/national/queensland/from-fish-to-rat-how-early-humans-tastes-changed-on-long-trip-to-australia-20200501-p54p2e.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 0.55
Oxford scientist says its vaccine is making headway, could show efficacy by June
3 May 14:02
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.17
Importance: 0.17
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:02
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Oxford scientist says its vaccine is making headway, could show efficacy by June
WASHINGTON — British scientists developing a potential vaccine for the coronavirus hope to see a "signal" as to whether their vaccine candidate is working by June, an official involved in the effort said Sunday on "Meet the Press." Sir John Bell, the Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, where one of the leading efforts to develop a vaccine is underway, said that the prospects for Oxford's candidate are "pretty good" and that "as every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up." The researchers hope to have enough data from their phase-two trials that "we would get evidence that the vaccine has efficacy by the beginning of June." Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak The group at Oxford is one of the many racing toward finding an effective and safe vaccine for the coronavirus alongside efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic. More than 240,000 people have died of COVID-19 since January, and there have been more than 3.4 million reported coronavirus cases around the world, according to NBC News. Bell didn't offer a timeline for when a vaccine might be fully developed, but he said that in the rush for one, it is imperative to make sure that safety remains a top priority. He said the Oxford group has already conducted preclinical primate studies and taken other steps to make sure "we're being very careful." "It's a big issue for us, is trying to be sure that we do this quickly but we don't miss out any of the key safety steps," he said. "I think we've got reason to believe that the efficacy, the efficacy of the vaccine in terms of generating strong antibody responses, is probably going to be OK. The real question is whether the safety profile's going to be fine. So that's actually the main focus of the clinical studies," he said. Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak With so many trials and vaccine working groups across the globe, Bell said, the Oxford group wants to be sure that there can be "wide access" to its vaccine if it ultimately proves successful. "One of our ambitions is to make sure that there's wide access around the globe should the vaccine be successful," he said, adding that the team wants to make sure developing countries aren't "left behind in the manufacturing race to get more vaccine available."
3 May 14:02 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/oxford-scientist-says-vaccine-making-140200911.htmlRating: 0.30
Oxford Researcher Working On Coronavirus Vaccine Could Show Effectiveness In Humans By June
May 3, 2020 Aaron Homer 'As every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up,' says Sir John Bell. An Oxford University scientist says that he’s hopeful a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be showing efficacy by June, although he didn’t offer a timetable for when the vaccine would be available for widespread use, NBC News reports. Sir John Bell spoke to Meet The Press on Sunday and talked about the work his team, the Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group, is doing on producing a vaccine for the virus. As Business Insider reports, the Oxford team has already produced a vaccine — hAdOx1 nCoV-19 — and then shipped it to a lab in Montana to be tested on rhesus macaques. The animals were exposed to exceptionally-high concentrations of the virus. After 28 days, none of the primates showed any signs of illness, from the vaccine itself or from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Though the experiment was carried out on animals and not on humans, Vincent Munster, the head of the Virus Ecology Unit at the laboratory, said that the biological similarities between the two species means the results are promising for the vaccine’s use in humans. “The rhesus macaque is pretty much the closest thing we have to humans,” Munster said. Bell, for his part, is bullish on the results so far. “As every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up,” Bell said. He said he’s hopeful that the data will be conclusive by June that the vaccine is ready to be tested on humans. However, Bell notes that the safety of the human test subjects is the team’s top priority. “I think we’ve got reason to believe that the efficacy, the efficacy of the vaccine in terms of generating strong antibody responses is probably going to be OK. The real question is whether the safety profile’s going to be fine. So that’s actually the main focus of the clinical studies,” he said. Even if Bell’s prediction that the key milestone will be reached by June holds true, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a vaccine will be deployed for widespread use in humans at that time. Further, Bell echoed a sentiment previously expressed by Bill Gates: namely, that developing the vaccine would be a wasted effort if it’s only deployed in countries that can afford to pay for it. As reported by The Inquisitr, Gates, like Bell, is hopeful a vaccine will be developed soon. However, manufacturing, distributing, and injecting the vaccine is a process that’s going to cost money, and he, like Bell, is concerned that governments of poorer countries, and their citizens, might be left behind.
3 May 16:55 • The Inquisitr • https://www.inquisitr.com/6032188/oxford-researcher-coronavirus-vaccine/Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus | When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?
The story so far: On April 23, Oxford University initiated a phase-1 human clinical trial of its vaccine — ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 — against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. A single dose of the candidate vaccine will be administered to 1,112 healthy volunteers to study the safety, ability to produce immune response and efficacy of the vaccine. Oxford University is optimistic of a positive outcome of the candidate vaccine and has planned to get millions of doses of the vaccine before the end of the year even as results of the final phase of the trial (phase-3) are awaited. The vaccine candidate was developed by the University’s Jenner Institute which began trials in humans on April 23 jointly with the University’s Oxford Vaccine Group. The vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, uses the common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees. The adenovirus has been genetically altered so that it does not grow once injected. The construct carries the genetic material of the novel coronavirus that makes the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus and plays a crucial role in binding to specific human receptors found on cell surfaces and entering the cells. Coronavirus | WHO raises concern over use of BCG vaccine By introducing the genetic material of the spike protein, the candidate vaccine will help the body recognise it and make antibodies against the spike protein. The antibodies produced will help mount an immune response and prevent the virus from entering the human cells and causing an infection. Oxford University has used vaccines made from the adenovirus construct to over 320 people and has found it to be safe and well tolerated. It does cause transient side effects such as a fever, headache or a sore arm but is otherwise safe. The adenovirus construct has been used by Oxford University researchers to test safety for both the 2002 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Once the safety of the MERS vaccine was proven in a trial carried out in the U.K., a trial began in December last year in Saudi Arabia, where MERS outbreaks occur frequently. The safety of the candidate vaccine was earlier tested on six rhesus macaque monkeys. Coronavirus | Two vaccines enter human trials, 60 in pre-clinical stage A single dose protected all the six animals for nearly a month even when exposed to high levels of the virus, boosting the confidence of the researchers. Up to 1,112 healthy volunteers from Oxford, Southampton, London and Bristol have been recruited for the phase-1 trial. Volunteers, both male and female between 18-55 years, are being recruited for the trial. A single dose of the candidate vaccine will be administered to volunteers. The participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the candidate vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or a ‘control’, the MenACWY vaccine, for comparison. Oxford University is using the MenACWY vaccine — that protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria — rather than a saline control. The participants will not know if he or she received a candidate vaccine or not. The university researchers will also be testing two doses of the candidate vaccine given four weeks apart on a small group of 10 volunteers to assess the dosage and immune response. Coronavirus | China approves third COVID-19 vaccine for clinical trials The MenACWY vaccine is a licensed vaccine given routinely to teenagers in the U.K. since 2015. The MenACWY vaccine is being used as an “active control” vaccine to help understand participants’ response to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. The reason for using this vaccine, rather than a saline control, is because researchers expect to see some minor side effects from the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine such as a sore arm, headache and fever. Saline does not cause any of these side effects. If participants were to receive only this vaccine or a saline control, and went on to develop side effects, they would be aware that they had received the new vaccine. It is critical for the study, says Oxford University, that participants remain blinded to whether or not they have received the vaccine, “as, if they knew, this could affect their health behaviour in the community following vaccination, and may lead to a bias in the results of the study”. While all participants will be told how to reduce infection risk, it is necessary that participants receiving both vaccines are exposed to the virus and some get infected. Only then will it become possible to understand if the vaccinated group remained protected or not compared with the control arm. For this purpose, keeping the participants in the dark about the vaccine received makes the trial robust. The phase-1 trial is expected to be completed in end-May if transmission remains high in the community. The phase-2 trial may be completed by August-September. According to Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., phase-2 and phase-3 trials may get combined if the phase-1 trial results are encouraging. Coronavirus | Infecting healthy people with coronavirus can speed up vaccine trials According to Mr. Jadhav, the company will start manufacturing the vaccine the moment the phase-3 trial or the combined phase-2/phase-3 trial begins. If the last two stages of the trial are combined then it would start manufacturing the vaccine by end-June and be ready with millions of doses by the end of the year. The company is confident of manufacturing 60-70 million vaccine doses by the end of the year. He says, “Since we will begin manufacturing when the last phase of the trial is initiated, we will have millions of vaccine doses ready by the time the trial ends.” Coronavirus | Serum Institute eyes COVID-19 vaccine by October In a tweet on April 30, Oxford University said it is partnering with AstraZeneca to manufacture and distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible. It said the vaccine will be made available on a “not for profit basis for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic”.
2 May 18:32 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/coronavirus-when-will-a-covid-19-vaccine-be-ready/article31490925.eceRating: 0.30
Roche wins U.S. nod for COVID-19 antibody test, aims to boost output
3 May 15:08
•
7 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.46
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 12.442857142857141
Weighted average US: 27.769356935704394
Average GB: 0.2571428571428571
Weighted average GB: 0.6395654728282202
Average IN: 3.642857142857143
Weighted average IN: 8.400265332996463
Roche wins U.S. nod for COVID-19 antibody test, aims to boost output
(Reuters) - Roche (ROG.S) has won emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to determine whether people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Sunday. Thomas Schinecker, Roche’s head of diagnostics, said the company aims to more than double production of tests from about 50 million a month to significantly more than 100 million a month by the end of the year. Governments, businesses and individuals are seeking such blood tests to learn who may have had the disease, who may have some immunity and to potentially craft strategies to help end national lockdowns. Basel-based Roche, which also makes molecular tests to identify active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test has a specificity rate exceeding 99.8% and sensitivity of 100%, meaning tests would show very few false positives and no false negatives. A false-positive result could lead to the mistaken conclusion that someone has immunity. Roche said its test relies on intravenous blood draws, with higher accuracy than finger-prick tests. “If you take blood from a finger prick, you will never be able to achieve the same level of specificity that you will achieve ... when you take blood from the vein,” Schinecker said. “You have to have very, very high specificity. Even 0.1% or 0.2% makes a difference.” Similar antibody tests have also been developed by companies including U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N), Becton Dickinson (BDX.N) and Italy’s DiaSorin (DIAS.MI). Abbott has said the specificity and sensitivity of its test are 99.5% and 100% respectively. Diasorin has said its Liason XL test has 97.4% sensitivity and 98.5% specificity. As demand escalates for antibody tests, an array of distributors with no background or established testing competency have also joined the experienced companies in an all-but-unregulated marketplace in the United States, according to a Reuters investigation. Roche did not disclose a price for its test but said that it would be identical worldwide. Schinecker foresees a high need for testing healthcare workers and their families for exposure, and those who showed signs and symptoms, to see if they have antibodies. While antibodies typically confer some immunity, Schinecker acknowledged that much remains to be learned about the novel coronavirus before drawing definitive conclusions. “Since this virus is not well known, one can hypothesise, but the proof will take longer,” he said. “Testing these people ... is key to seeing whether or not people really have developed immunity.”
3 May 15:08 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-testing-roche-hldg-idUSKBN22F02QRating: 4.04
Gilead Sciences exporting remdesivir, CEO says
Washington (AFP) - The head of the maker of remdesivir, an anti-viral shown to reduce recovery times in COVID-19 patients, said Sunday the company has been exporting the drug and is making it available to patients in the United States through the US government. Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O'Day said the company is donating its entire existing supply of the drug -- 1.5 million vials, enough to treat 100,000 to 200,000 patients. "We have been exporting for clinical trials and for compassionate use thousands of treatment courses," O'Day said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "And our collaboration with the government has been such, we have been very transparent with them here in the United States and we have a good relationship on future allocation." US regulators on Friday authorized the experimental drug for emergency use against COVID-19 after a major clinical trial showed it shortened the time to recovery in some coronavirus patients by a third. It is the first medicine to show beneficial results in treating COVID-19 since the new coronavirus emerged in China late last year. O'Day said the US government will determine how the drug is allocated in the United States based on where it is needed most. "They will begin shipping tens of thousands of treatment courses out early this week and adjust that as the epidemic shifts and evolves in different parts and different cities here in the United States," he said. O'Day said there will be a significantly greater supply of remdesivir in the second half of the year. In the meantime, the company has not been barred from exporting the drug, he said. "In terms of the allocation question, I think we're aligned with the US government to both serve the patients here in the United States, and then to be able to also make sure as a global company based in the United States that we can serve other countries," he said. "We've had very good dialogues with the government and that's going well." Remdesivir, which is administered by injection, was already available to some patients who enrolled in clinical trials, or who sought it out on a "compassionate use" basis. The authorization by the federal Food and Drug Administration allows it to be distributed far more widely and used in both adults and children who are hospitalized with a severe form of COVID-19. The FDA defines severe as having low blood oxygen levels, requiring oxygen therapy, or being on a ventilator.
3 May 23:50 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/gilead-sciences-exporting-remdesivir-ceo-says-180558527.htmlRating: 0.30
IICT to launch COVID testing kits soon
CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has taken up the challenge of making an affordable RT-PCR kit indigenously using recombinant technology. The research institute has partnered with a city-based company, Genomix Biotech, to optimise the kit for COVID-19 diagnosis, by adding ‘Taqman’ probes. CSIR-IICT and Genomix Biotech plan to approach the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) or its recognised laboratory for validation to launch the product in a couple of weeks, informed director S. Chandrashekar on Saturday. A research team led by A. Anthony had worked for the last two-and-a-half months to come out with an indigenous version of the testing kit, which was being imported mostly from United States and Europe. “With COVID-19 pandemic, the demand was pretty high and there were limitations on how much could be imported so we took up the challenge of devising our own kit and succeeded in making the key three enzymes required for the test or 80% of it,” Dr. Anthony said. “We have prepared sufficient material to make upto two lakh testing kits a week and once we get the necessary approvals, we can scale up based on the demand from the government. Our collaborator needs to add the COVID-19 probes to complete the kit,” he said. This tie up is expected to produce a much cheaper quality RT-PCR kit or at least 50% less than the prevailing cost of about ₹4,500 and help meet the huge demand during this pandemic. This RT-PCR kit can also be used in other disease diagnostics of humans like cancer, and even diseases of animals and plants. “This technology will last long as it is not restricted to COVID alone and bring down the overall cost of RT-PCR based diagnosis,” he added.
3 May 17:44 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/iict-to-launch-covid-testing-kits-soon/article31495913.eceRating: 0.30
Roche’s COVID-19 antibody test receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization and is available in markets accepting the CE mark
Basel, 03 May 2020 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)1 for its new Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. The test is designed to help determine if a patient has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and if the patient has developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Roche has already started shipping the new antibody test to leading laboratories globally and will ramp up production capacity to high double-digit millions per month to serve healthcare systems in countries accepting the CE mark2 as well as the U.S."Thanks to the enormous efforts of our dedicated colleagues we are now able to deliver a high-quality antibody test in high quantities, so we can support healthcare systems around the world with an important tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis,” said Severin Schwan, CEO Roche Group. ”I am in particular pleased about the high specificity and sensitivity of our test, which is crucial to support health care systems around the world with a reliable tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis.”"Our best scientists have worked 24/7 over the last few weeks and months to develop a highly reliable antibody test to help fight this pandemic,” said Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Diagnostics. "Roche is committed to helping laboratories deliver fast, accurate, and reliable results to healthcare professionals and their patients.”Roche’s SARS-CoV2 antibody test, which has a specificity greater than 99.8% and 100% sensitivity3 (14 Days post-PCR confirmation), can help assess patients’ immune response to the virus. As more is understood about immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the test may help to assess who has built up immunity to the virus.With extensive global manufacturing capabilities, Roche will be able to deliver high double-digit millions of tests per month. Hospitals and reference laboratories can run the test on Roche’s cobas e analysers, which are widely available around the world.For countries with specific regulatory requirements, local approval timelines apply. In addition there may be other country-specific regulations, such as import requirements, which will determine when the test becomes available locally. Roche will work closely with the respective regional representatives to ensure we appropriately support local registration efforts.About antibody testingAn antibody test, also called a serology test, is used to determine whether a person might have gained immunity against a pathogen or not. The human body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses. In the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, antibody tests need to be able to specifically detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 with no cross-reactivity to other similar coronaviruses, which could generate a false positive result and thus wrongly indicate potential immunity. A false positive result happens when a person receives a positive test result, when they should have received a negative result. False positives are particularly critical when we do not know how many people in a given population have had COVID-19. As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans4.About Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 serology testElecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 is an immunoassay for the in-vitro qualitative detection of antibodies (including IgG) to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human serum and plasma. Through a blood sample, the test, which is based on an in-solution double-antigen sandwich format, can detect antibodies to the new coronavirus causing COVID-19, which could signal whether a person has already been infected and potentially developed immunity to the virus. Based on the measurement of a total of 5272 samples, the Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay has 99.81% specificity and shows no cross-reactivity to the four human coronaviruses causing common cold. This means it can lower the chance of false positives due to the detection of similar antibodies that may be present in an individual, but are specific for coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2. Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 detected antibodies with 100% sensitivity in samples taken 14 days after a PCR-confirmed infection. The importance of specificity and sensitivity of a particular test will be dependent on its purpose and disease prevalence within a given population.Hospitals and reference laboratories can run the test on Roche’s cobas e analysers, which are widely available around the world. These fully automated systems can provide SARS-CoV-2 test results in approximately 18 minutes for one single test, with a test throughput of up to 300 tests/hour, depending on the analyser.About RocheRoche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the eleventh consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2019 employed about 98,000 people worldwide. In 2019, Roche invested CHF 11.7 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 61.5 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.References[1] The Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) authority allows FDA to help strengthen the nation’s public health protections against CBRN threats by facilitating the availability and use of medical countermeasures needed during public health emergencies https://www.fda.gov/home[2] CE-IVD marking is granted through completion of a comprehensive technical validation and self declaration under the European Directive for In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices.[3] Full specifications of Roche’s Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test and immunoassay systems, including throughput, can be found on our diagnostics.roche website[4] https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19 Roche Group Media RelationsPhone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com- Nicolas Dunant (Head)- Patrick Barth- Daniel Grotzky- Karsten Kleine- Nathalie Meetz- Barbara von Schnurbein Attachment
3 May 04:15 • finanzen.ch • https://www.finanzen.ch/nachrichten/aktien/roches-covid-19-antibody-test-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization-and-is-available-in-markets-accepting-the-ce-mark-1029156888Rating: 0.95
Roche gets U.S. FDA emergency use approval for COVID-19 antibody test
Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20200503:nGNE71pdqt on Sunday. The drugmaker said its antibody test, Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, has a specificity greater than 99.8% and can help assess patients’ immune response to the COVID-19 virus. (Reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
3 May 02:46 • National Post • https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/roche-gets-u-s-fda-emergency-use-approval-for-covid-19-antibody-testRating: 1.59
Entire Stockpile Of Coronavirus Treatment Remdesivir Donated To Government, Says CEO
Gilead Sciences—which manufactures Remdesivir, the antiviral found to help hasten coronavirus patients’ recovery—is donating its entire Remdesivir stockpile to the government, said the biopharma company’s CEO in a Sunday interview on CBS. The drug supply will be given to the federal government, which will then allocate it on as-needed basis across the country starting early next week, Gilead Sciences chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day said in the Sunday morning interview. “We’ve donated the entire supply . . . because we acknowledge and recognize the human suffering . . . and want to make sure nothing gets in the way of this getting to patients,” said O’Day. Though Remdesivir is not a coronavirus cure, in a study of 800 patients, the antiviral drug shortened the duration of hospital stay in users to 11 days on average, versus 15 days for COVID-19 patients who were not administered the drug. Gilead says that 140,000-plus prescriptions will be available by the end of May, with 1 million available by 2020’s end. The company has yet to share what it will charge for the drug, should it be approved in the long term. “This is really quite important,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci with a smile after Remdesivir’s promising clinical trials on Wednesday. “This will be the standard of care.” The Food and Drug Administration gave Remdesivir emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19, meaning that it has not undergone the standard FDA vetting required of drugs on the market and it is only available for use by doctors in hospitals. In the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ 800-patient study on the drug, 50% of COVID-19 patients on the drug had shorter hospital stays than those who did not receive the drug. Also, patients who received the drug had an 8% mortality rate, compared to the 11.6% mortality rate for the non-Remdesivir group. Foster City, California-headquartered Gilead Sciences develops and manufactures a slew of other medicines for HIV/AIDS, liver disease, hematology/oncology, inflammation and respiratory diseases, but perhaps the most common is Tamiflu, which is used to treat the common flu. Gilead CEO Says Remdesivir Available To Coronavirus Patients This Week: ‘We’ve Donated The Entire Supply’ (CNBC) Data On Gilead Drug Raises Hopes In Pandemic fight, Fauci Calls It 'Highly Significant' (Reuters) Stanford Scientists Explain What's Next After FDA Approves Gilead Drug, Remdesivir, For Emergency COVID-19 Use (ABC 7) FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization For Gilead’s Coronavirus Treatment Remdesivir (Forbes) Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
3 May 00:00 • Forbes • https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2020/05/03/entire-stockpile-of-coronavirus-treatment-remdesivir-donated-to-government-says-ceo/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_content=3318636593&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesTechTwitterRating: 4.41
Remdesivir will be available to coronavirus patients this week: Gilead CEO
Gilead Sciences has said that its antiviral drug, Remdesivir, will be available to patients as early as this week, Gilead Science CEO Daniel O’Day told American television channel CBS. "We intend to get that to patients in the early part of this next week, beginning to work with the government which will determine which cities are most vulnerable and where the patients are that need this medicine," O'Day said on CBS’ "Face of the Nation". "We’ve donated the entire supply that we have within our supply chain and we did that because we acknowledge and recognize the human suffering, the human need here, and want to make sure nothing gets in the way of this getting to patients," O'Day said, according to CNBC. Also Read | Why Gilead's Remdesivir trial data is significant in fight against COVID-19 "What we will do is provide that donation to the US government and they will determine — based upon things like ICU beds, where the course of the epidemic is in the United States — they will begin shipping tens of thousands of treatment courses out early this week and be adjusting that as the epidemic shifts and evolves," the Gilead CEO said. Earlier, in an exclusive interaction with Moneycontrol, a Gilead spokesperson had said that the company is open to collaborate with governments, pharmaceutical companies, including from India, and is even considering proposals of patent-pooling to expand capacity and provide access to Remesdesivir for COVID-19 patients across the world. In Pics | All you need to know about Gilead's experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir "It will be essential for countries to work together to create enough supply for people all over the world and we look forward to these collaborative efforts. In the event of regulatory action, we are in discussions with various groups about how we might bring remdesivir to the developing world," Gilead had said. Earlier, on April 29, the company had said that Remdesivir helped improve symptoms in COVID-19 patients who were given the drug early than among those who were treated later.Moneycontrol Ready ReckonerNow that payment deadlines have been relaxed due to COVID-19, the Moneycontrol Ready Reckoner will help keep your date with insurance premiums, tax-saving investments and EMIs, among others.Download a copy
3 May 00:00 • Moneycontrol • https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/gilead-says-its-coronavirus-drug-remdesivir-to-be-available-for-patients-this-week-5216771.htmlRating: 0.30
Apple Watch Detected 80-Year Old’s Heart Condition Which Got Missed by Hospital’s Own ECG
3 May 22:47
•
5 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.97
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 24.480000000000004
Weighted average US: 26.213060062062258
Average GB: 1.1
Weighted average GB: 1.3518564931703398
Average IN: 10.280000000000001
Weighted average IN: 12.075778049424299
Apple Watch Detected 80-Year Old’s Heart Condition Which Got Missed by Hospital’s Own ECG
The Apple Watch has been the subject of many stories where it detected an irregularity in the wearer’s heart condition and provided an early warning to prevent any irreparable event from ever occurring. On this occasion, the wearable’s ECG has proven to be more reliable than the hospital’s own equipment, as the smart watch’s feature was able to detect a heart condition in an 80-year old woman in Mainz Germany. According to a report published in the European Heart Journal on Wednesday, the patient attended the University Medical Center Mainz of Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, with what was described as ‘typical angina symptoms’. During the session with doctors, the staff performed a 12-channel ECG using their own machine, with the test revealing no evidence for ischemia. Ischemia is a condition in which there is inadequate blood supply to an organ or any other part of the body but more specifically targeted to heart muscles. Warning: Viral String of Characters Making Rounds Will Crash Your iPhone to Smithereens Later, the 80-year old patient showed doctors the results of the ECG tests she took with her Apple Watch, revealing ‘tracings with marked ST-segment depression’. In those results, the doctors did see evidence of myocardial ischemia, and the patient was later transferred to the catheterization lab. Further analysis revealed ‘a left main stem stenosis and a left anterior descending/diagonal bifurcation lesion’. With the evidence shown that was originally ignored by the hospital’s specialized equipment, doctors were convinced to treat the patient. Thanks to this development, the European Heart Journal talks about how far technology has brought about smarter products. If you want to check out the complete report, you can click on the source link below. In addition, the Apple Watch Series 6 is said to arrive with more features, opening new possibilities in the field of health. Source: European Heart Journal
3 May 22:47 • Wccftech • https://wccftech.com/apple-watch-ecg-detects-80-year-old-heart-condition-hospital-missed/Rating: 1.26
European Heart Journal: Apple Watch ECG detects signs of coronary ischemia missed by hospital ECG
Since the Apple Watch added the ECG app with the Series 4, numerous stories have surfaced about how the app has contributed to saving people’s lives. Now, a new article from the European Heart Journal tells the story of an 80-year-old woman in Mainz Germany whose Apple Watch detected evidence of a heart condition missed by a hospital ECG. The woman arrived at University Medical Center Mainz complaining of chest pain, irregular heart rhythm, and lightheadedness. At the hospital, doctors performed a traditional 12-channel ECG, which revealed “no evidence for ischemia.” The patient then showed doctors the results of ECG tests that she took with her Apple Watch, which included “tracings with marked ST-segment depression.” In these results, the doctors did see evidence of myocardial ischemia. The patient was transferred to the catheterization lab which showed “a left main stem stenosis and a left anterior descending/diagonal bifurcation lesion.” Thus, the patient was treated with “coronary artery stenting” and left the hospital the next day. The Mayo Clinic describes myocardial ischemia as: The article from the European Health Journal concludes that the Apple Watch can be used to detect myocardial ischemia: You can read the full report from the European Health Journal here.
3 May 15:33 • 9to5Mac • https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/03/apple-watch-myocardial-ischemia/Rating: 1.27
Apple Watch ECG detects heart condition in German woman
The ECG function of the Apple Watch has been credited with uncovering a heart condition in an 80-year-old woman in Germany, one that was seemingly missed by a hospital's own ECG during a diagnosis. The Apple Watch has repeatedly appeared in stories where it warned wearers of possible heart problems, and has been praised for being an early warning system for serious cardiovascular issues. In one recently reported case, the Apple wearable actually provided better evidence of a condition than a hospital's own equipment. In a report published in the European Heart Journal on Wednesday and spotted by9to5Mac, an 80-year-old woman attended the University Medical Center Mainz of Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, with what was described as "typical angina symptoms." The patient also advised of two praesyncopy episodes, a situation where a person almost loses consciousness due to reduced flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Based on the presented details, and the female engineer's previous diagnosis of arterial hypertension, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and having had a pulmonary embolism two years prior, doctors performed an initial 12-channel ECG. The test didn't see any evidence for ischaemia, which is a restriction in blood vessels that can restrict the blood supply. Despite the hospital's own equipment not showing ischaemia, doctors were then convinced there was a related issue by the patient complaining about earlier ectopic beat episodes, which she recorded by using the ECG function of her Apple Watch. The recordings also included tracings with marked ST-segment depression, evidence that led to the medical team omitting further diagnostic measures in favor of treatment. In effect, the Apple Watch ECG recordings showed evidence of an issue that didn't appear in the hospital's specialized equipment, and successfully convinced doctors to treat the patient. The woman was transferred to a catheterization laboratory for a "left main stem stenosis and a left anterior descending/diagonal bifurcation lesion," and treatment with coronary artery stenting. The patient left the hospital the next day. It is suggested by the report that the Apple Watch "may be used not only to detect atrial fibrillation or atrioventricular-conduction disturbances but also to detect myocardial ischaemia." Current speculation for the Apple Watch Series 6 suggests the next generation of Apple Watch may include a feature for blood oxygen detection, as well as an upgraded ECG capable of working at higher heart rate ranges than the version introduced in the Apple Watch Series 4.
3 May 19:33 • AppleInsider • https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/05/03/apple-watch-ecg-detects-heart-condition-in-german-womanRating: 0.92
Apple Watch beats hospital ECG equipment, saves life of an 80-year-old woman
Apple Watch has once again saved a life and this time it did so by failing ECGs used in hospitals. According to a report from the European Heart Journal, Apple Watch was able to detect a serious health issue in an 80-year old woman with its inbuilt ECG (electrocardiogram) feature, even after she was announced fit. She reportedly complained about light-headedness and chest pain with an irregular pulse. While the results by Chest Pain Unit of the hospital came normal after the electrocardiogram test, the patient showed Apple Watch ECG recordings that indicated severe coronary ischemia. After going through a heart catheterization, it was revealed that she had “a severe coronary artery disease such as a main stem stenosis and a bifurcation lesion.” Also read: Future Apple Watch may automatically detect panic attacks: Report She was then successfully treated with Balloon angioplasty and use of stent. Praising the Apple Watch, the cardiologists said “The development of smart technologies paves the way for new diagnostic possibilities. In the case of the Apple Watch, after the mobile application is installed, the records an ECG when a finger is placed on the watch’s digital crown. A 30-s tracing is stored in a PDF file that can be retrieved from the application. Thus, the Apple Watch may be used not only to detect atrial fibrillation or atrioventricular-conduction disturbances but also to detect myocardial ischemia. An apple a day may keep myocardial infarction away.” While ECG is saving lives around the world, there’s another feature that is said to come in Apple Watch Series 6 later this year – Pulse Oximeter. This measures the oxygen saturation level of a patient and may help detect lung-related issues.
3 May 10:26 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/tech/apple-watch-fails-hospital-ecg-equipment-saves-life-of-an-80-year-old-woman/story-EdB5AwnLVJwgIEhTQNRBfI.htmlRating: 0.30
An Apple Watch is credited with saving yet another user from an acute heart condition
According to a report published in a medical journal, a patient's Apple Watch successfully detected a serious anomaly missed by diagnostic hospital equipment. However, when the individual pointed out ECGs matching the health issue in question generated by her wearable to doctors, it was apparent treatment was in order. The Apple Watch and its built-in heart-rate monitor has already reportedly detected a potentially fatal cardiovascular incident in 1 case; now, it seems the same wearable has done it again. A recent European Heart Journal report describes an incident in which an 80-year-old woman presented to a medical center in Mainz, Germany with chest pains. However, her standard ECG and lab tests detected nothing out of the ordinary, and that may have been the end of the case - had the patient not had her Apple Watch and its own ECG records on her. The patient (who had had a working life in engineering) highlighted these recordings and the fact that they exhibited a specific pattern of changes whenever she was having the pains she had come into the center with. These signs, as it turned out, were "marked ST-segment depressions" commonly associated with the condition of coronary artery ischemia. Therefore, the patient was sent for a procedure to scan this vital artery in more detail on the strength of these readings. It resulted in a clear image of stenosis (or narrowing) in the left main stem of the vessel, with an additional obstruction in another part of it leading off from there. These potentially dangerous anomalies were promptly treated with a coronary stent, and the patient was able to leave the center the next day. This case, then, may be yet another point in favor of wearables in real-world, clinical-grade diagnosis. Some analysts believe that this prospect is yet to become apparent; however, it sometimes seems that vision of the future is already here. European Heart Journal
3 May 00:00 • Notebookcheck • https://www.notebookcheck.net/An-Apple-Watch-is-credited-with-saving-yet-another-user-from-an-acute-heart-condition.463697.0.htmlRating: 1.95
Tree trunks take a licking as koalas source water
3 May 17:18
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.17
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 23:00
Average US: 36.233333333333334
Weighted average US: 36.3404753544829
Average GB: 3.0666666666666664
Weighted average GB: 2.7203466755792087
Average IN: 14.066666666666666
Weighted average IN: 14.679241753075372
Tree trunks take a licking as koalas source water
Koalas are one of the world's most charismatic animals. But there is a lot we still don't know about them. For example, how do the marsupials access water in the treetops? Do they only absorb moisture from the gum leaves they eat? Or do they come down from the trees to drink from a waterhole? Until now, no one really knew. A study published today in Ethology, led by a researcher from The University of Sydney, has captured koala drinking behaviour in the wild for the first time. The paper describes how koalas drink by licking water running down smooth tree trunks during rain. The news arrives in time to celebrate Wild Koala Day on Sunday 3 May. "For a long time, we thought koalas didn't need to drink much at all because they gained the majority of the water they need to survive in the gum leaves they feed on," said Dr. Valentina Mella, in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. "But now we have observed them licking water from tree trunks. This significantly alters our understanding of how koalas gain water in the wild. It is very exciting." Survival Australia is currently suffering the longest dry period ever documented, with severe rainfall deficits and record maximum temperatures. Koalas experience severe heat-stress and mass mortality events in prolonged hot and dry conditions and they spend more time drinking from artificial water stations if rain is scarce. Further research could investigate when and why koalas from different areas need access to free water—not contained in the leaves as moisture but available freely as liquid, such as rain, river water or puddles—and whether water supplementation is necessary for some populations. "This type of drinking behaviour—licking tree trunks—relies on koalas being able to experience regular rainfall to access free water and indicates that they may suffer serious detrimental effects if lack of rain compromises their ability to access free water," Dr. Mella said. "We know koalas use trees for all their main needs, including feeding, sheltering and resting. This study shows that koalas rely on trees also to access free water and highlights the importance of retaining trees for the conservation of the species." Koalas rarely drink water Each day, wild koalas eat around 510 grams of fresh succulent eucalyptus leaves, and the water in the foliage they feed on is believed to contribute about three quarters of their water intake in both summer and winter. Among their adaptations to the Australian climate, koalas also possess extraordinary urinary concentrating abilities and have restricted respiratory and cutaneous water loss compared to similar-sized mammals. In captivity, koalas have been observed to drink water, but this behaviour has often been considered unusual and attributed to disease or to severe heat stress. However, anecdotal reports suggest that koalas in the wild drink from waterholes in summer when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Koalas have also been observed approaching humans to access free water (in bottles, gardens and swimming pools during drought and after fire. But this is considered an unusual occurrence. Observing licking behaviour For this study, Dr. Mella collated observations of koalas drinking in the wild made by citizen scientists and independent ecologists between 2006 and 2019 at the You Yangs Regional Park in Victoria and the Liverpool Plains in NSW. Each observation was koala behaviour noticed by chance and reported to Dr. Mella. There were 44 observations of free ranging koalas licking water running down a tree trunk during or immediately after rain in the You Yangs Regional Park. The other two observations of koala drinking behaviour were recorded between the towns of Gunnedah and Mullaley, in the Liverpool Plains. One was an adult female, with a joey, who drank profusely and uninterruptedly for 15 minutes. The other was an adult male who drank at a steady pace for 34 minutes. "As koalas are nocturnal animals and observation of their behaviour rarely occurs during heavy rainfall, it is likely that their drinking behaviour has gone largely unnoticed and has therefore been underestimated in the past," Dr. Mella said. "Our observations probably only represent a minority of the drinking that normally takes place in trees during rainfall." Koalas were observed accessing water in trees by licking the wet surfaces of branches and tree trunks during rain across a range of weather conditions, even when free-standing water was available in dams. "This suggests koalas were drinking not as a result of heat stress and that this behaviour is likely to represent how koalas naturally access water," said Dr. Mella. More information: Valentina S. A. Mella et al, An insight into natural koala drinking behaviour, Ethology (2020). DOI: 10.1111/eth.13032Provided by University of Sydney
3 May 17:18 • phys.org • https://phys.org/news/2020-05-tree-trunks-koalas-source.htmlRating: 1.30
Tree trunks take a licking as koalas source water
Koalas are one of the world's most charismatic animals. But there is a lot we still don't know about them. For example, how do the marsupials access water in the treetops? Do they only absorb moisture from the gum leaves they eat? Or do they come down from the trees to drink from a waterhole? Until now, no one really knew. A study published today in Ethology, led by a researcher from The University of Sydney, has captured koala drinking behaviour in the wild for the first time. The paper describes how koalas drink by licking water running down smooth tree trunks during rain. The news arrives in time to celebrate Wild Koala Day on Sunday 3 May. "For a long time, we thought koalas didn't need to drink much at all because they gained the majority of the water they need to survive in the gum leaves they feed on," said Dr Valentina Mella, in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. "But now we have observed them licking water from tree trunks. This significantly alters our understanding of how koalas gain water in the wild. It is very exciting." Australia is currently suffering the longest dry period ever documented, with severe rainfall deficits and record maximum temperatures. Koalas experience severe heat-stress and mass mortality events in prolonged hot and dry conditions and they spend more time drinking from artificial water stations if rain is scarce. Further research could investigate when and why koalas from different areas need access to free water — not contained in the leaves as moisture but available freely as liquid, such as rain, river water or puddles — and whether water supplementation is necessary for some populations. "This type of drinking behaviour — licking tree trunks — relies on koalas being able to experience regular rainfall to access free water and indicates that they may suffer serious detrimental effects if lack of rain compromises their ability to access free water," Dr Mella said. "We know koalas use trees for all their main needs, including feeding, sheltering and resting. This study shows that koalas rely on trees also to access free water and highlights the importance of retaining trees for the conservation of the species." Each day, wild koalas eat around 510 grams of fresh succulent eucalyptus leaves, and the water in the foliage they feed on is believed to contribute about three quarters of their water intake in both summer and winter. Among their adaptations to the Australian climate, koalas also possess extraordinary urinary concentrating abilities and have restricted respiratory and cutaneous water loss compared to similar-sized mammals. In captivity, koalas have been observed to drink water, but this behaviour has often been considered unusual and attributed to disease or to severe heat stress. However, anecdotal reports suggest that koalas in the wild drink from waterholes in summer when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Koalas have also been observed approaching humans to access free water (in bottles, gardens and swimming pools during drought and after fire. But this is considered an unusual occurrence. For this study, Dr Mella collated observations of koalas drinking in the wild made by citizen scientists and independent ecologists between 2006 and 2019 at the You Yangs Regional Park in Victoria and the Liverpool Plains in NSW. Each observation was koala behaviour noticed by chance and reported to Dr Mella. There were 44 observations of free ranging koalas licking water running down a tree trunk during or immediately after rain in the You Yangs Regional Park. The other two observations of koala drinking behaviour were recorded between the towns of Gunnedah and Mullaley, in the Liverpool Plains. One was an adult female, with a joey, who drank profusely and uninterruptedly for 15 minutes. The other was an adult male who drank at a steady pace for 34 minutes. "As koalas are nocturnal animals and observation of their behaviour rarely occurs during heavy rainfall, it is likely that their drinking behaviour has gone largely unnoticed and has therefore been underestimated in the past," Dr Mella said. "Our observations probably only represent a minority of the drinking that normally takes place in trees during rainfall." Koalas were observed accessing water in trees by licking the wet surfaces of branches and tree trunks during rain across a range of weather conditions, even when free-standing water was available in dams. "This suggests koalas were drinking not as a result of heat stress and that this behaviour is likely to represent how koalas naturally access water," said Dr Mella. make a difference: sponsored opportunity
3 May 00:00 • ScienceDaily • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200503092739.htmRating: 1.87
Thirsty koalas lick trees
Koalas lick tree trunks to quench their thirst when it rains, scientists just learned. It upends what biologists long thought about koalas: that they get almost all the water they need from the eucalyptus leaves they eat. But koalas probably lap up water like many animals — except they do so from trees, according to the findings published today in the journal Ethology. With fires, heat waves, and droughts putting more and more stress on the critters, scientists have been paying close attention to how koalas are keeping hydrated. “This significantly alters our understanding of how koalas gain water in the wild. It is very exciting,” lead author of the Ethology paper and University of Sydney researcher Valentina Mella said in a statement. The surprising discovery was made by enlisting the help of citizen scientists and independent ecologists who had observed the koalas’ behavior in the wild between 2006 and 2019. One koala was caught lapping up rainwater for more than 30 minutes, at “a steady pace” of two licks per second. Altogether, they documented 46 instances of koalas drinking in trees during and after it rained. Koalas were recorded drinking every time observations were made in the rain. One of the reasons why scientists hadn’t noticed this before is because people are less likely to go out and look for them in bad weather, according to Mella. The marsupials seem to prefer smooth parts of the trees where it’s easier to collect the trickling water. Koalas are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps track of endangered species. They were devastated by massive bushfires that swept through Australia late last year. Nearly a third of all koalas were thought to have been wiped out in the state of New South Wales, which was the hardest hit by the fires. The same hot and dry conditions that fueled the flames left koalas parched. Photos and videos of koalas approaching people to drink went viral as the wildfires raged throughout Australia last year. Even before the latest fires, Mella’s previous research found that climate change was leaving koalas thirsty. In 2017, koalas were caught on camera standing up to drink at artificial water stations set up by researchers — a very unusual behavior for animals that spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees. At the time, Mella and her colleagues thought the behavior was because hotter temperatures and changing rainfall patterns were drying up the leaves that koalas eat. Now, she and her co-authors of the new paper think that less rainfall could be another, more direct factor leaving koalas with less rainwater to lap off of the tree trunks they call home. Mella is currently raising money to continue her research and set up more drinking stations for koalas. She hopes the drinking stations, which are placed in trees, will give the koalas a safe way to cool down even as the world around them continues to heat up.
2 May 23:00 • The Verge • https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/2/21244624/koalas-water-lick-trees-climate-changeRating: 3.34
Qatar eyes new medicine showing positive results in COVID-19 treatment
3 May 08:36
•
21 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.79
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:00
Average US: 14.255714285714285
Weighted average US: 16.734348264610475
Average GB: 3.576666666666667
Weighted average GB: 9.513475063331958
Average IN: 21.346666666666668
Weighted average IN: 20.313630205191554
Qatar eyes new medicine showing positive results in COVID-19 treatment
Qatar is eyeing to bring a new medicine which has shown potentially effective results in the treatment of COVID-19 patients during trials, said a health official. “Recently some results of the experiments which were conducted by the US on using a new medicine called ‘Remdesivir’ for coronavirus patients were found effective somehow,” said Dr. Abdul Latif Al Khal, Head of the Infectious Diseases Division at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) while speaking to Qatar TV yesterday. He said that the new medicine which is administered through veins of critical cases of coronavirus showed help in alleviating the symptoms of disease in the patients in 11 days instead of 15 days and the mortality rate also reduced from 11 percent to 8 percent. “We are awaiting more results and details of the experiments on the new medicine and also awaiting when this medicine is made available to buy and provide to the patients in Qatar,” said Dr. Al Khal. He said that there are a number of medicines which are being used for the treatment of coronavirus patients and the medicine is being given when needed. “However, cases that do not show the symptoms or carrying very mild symptoms are not given medicines of coronavirus,” said Dr. Al Khal. He said that the patients suffering from coronavirus severely with symptoms like high temperatures and breathing problems are being given medicines like hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and others which help in treatment and recovery. Dr. Al Khal called upon people to not come out from homes at the time when the positive cases are on spike except in the cases of utmost need. He said that people should wear face masks while going out and interacting with others. “They are also needed to keep sanitising their hands and keep safe distance, at least two meters, especially when they are in public places like shopping complexes,” he added. He said that Qatar is tracing and screening all cases which came in the contacts of the confirmed positive cases of coronavirus. “The Ministry of Public Health dispatches immediately a medical team to the accommodations and work places of infected people to screen all those came in their contacts,” said Dr. Al Khal. He said that sometime thousands of people of contacts were screened in a day which led to detect more cases that did not show any symptoms of coronavirus but if they were left without screening, they might cause spreading virus largely. Read MorePlasma treatment helps improve oxygen level of COVID-19 patients in 2-3 days: Qatar health official She said that no one can predict about what will happen next but growth in cases is expected to continue till the beginning of May then it will decrease once again. Read MoreFirst vaccination for COVID-19 likely by beginning of next year: Dr Al Khal Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Co-Chair of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation has said that over 70 vaccinations are under experiments in all over the world. Read MorePlasma treatment technology yields positive results for COVID-19 in Qatar: CDC Medical Director Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) started using blood plasma to treat some COVID-19 cases at its Communicable Diseases Center (CDC).
3 May 08:36 • The Peninsula • https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/03/05/2020/Qatar-eyes-new-medicine-showing-positive-results-in-COVID-19-treatmentRating: 3.14
Irish researchers study effectiveness of blood thinners on coronavirus
Irish researchers are taking part in a large international study to determine if blood thinners could help change the progression of coronavirus and prevent patients from requiring intensive care, a leading professor in clinical medicine has said. Prof Fionnuala Ní Áinle, a consultant haematologist and professor in University College Dublin, said UCD scientists were leading the Irish part of the trial – known as Rapid – which aims to understand the “very best way” to use blood thinners, such as heparin, to have an impact on disease progression. “We have very good data already that a preventative dose of heparin protects patients from developing blood clots when they’re in hospital. There are signals from a number of studies around the world that heparin has anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms that could actually impact on disease progression of Covid-19,” Prof Ní Áinle told The Irish Times. “There is one study in particular which has suggested that heparin can actually improve outcome in the sickest patients. But we simply don’t know on a large scale whether a higher dose of heparin will do just that – protect patients from progressing to need intensive care or ventilation.” She added: “The purpose of this study is to determine in a large multicentre trial whether the effects will be observed.” The trial is being led by Dr Michelle Scholzberg in Canada, and follows various studies showing individuals admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 infection are experiencing abnormal clotting that contributes to death in some patients. One study, published by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) last week, found that Irish patients with severe Covid-19 experienced micro-clots within the lungs. The authors also found that Irish patients with higher levels of blood clotting activity had a significantly worse prognosis and were more likely to require ICU admission Prof Niamh O’Connell, consultant haematologist and director of the coagulation centre at St James’s Hospital, said the clotting in the lungs and legs of coronavirus patients is “contributing to the severity of the illness”. “There’s no doubt that risk-assessing people for risk of clotting and giving them preventative blood thinners or low molecular weight heparin is really important,” she told RTÉ Radio One’s This Week. “But we feel there may be a role beyond this for blood thinners or anticoagulants and that they may help to reduce the amount of inflammation and to help people to recover from the illness but this isn’t proven at the moment.” Prof Ní Áinle said the Rapid trial is an “acute priority” among the medical community and that “the number of partners who are interested [in participating] is growing by the day”. “There are a number of clinical trials that are of a similar design being done around the world so there is a good probability that we will have an answer to this important question within the next six months,” she said. “Clinicians and scientists from around the world will work together to get an answer to these questions because only by working together as international collaborators can we truly make progress, particularly at a time like this, during a pandemic, when so many challenges face us.”
3 May 15:49 • The Irish Times • https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/irish-researchers-study-effectiveness-of-blood-thinners-on-coronavirus-1.4244070Rating: 1.99
Early Signs of Glaucoma Progression to Blindness Can be Spotted by AI
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), researchers have developed a quick test to identify which people with glaucoma are at risk of rapid progression to blindness. Also Read - Genetic Sequencing Study Identifies 102 Genes Associated With Autism A new test can detect glaucoma progression 18 months earlier than the current gold standard method, said the study published in the journal Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics. Also Read - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Medical Problems That Fall Under The Condition Glaucoma, the leading global cause of irreversible blindness, affects over 60 million people, which is predicted to double by 2040 as the global population ages. Loss of sight in glaucoma is caused by the death of cells in the retina, at the back of the eye. “Being able to diagnose glaucoma at an earlier stage, and predict its course of progression, could help people to maintain their sight, as treatment is most successful if provided at an early stage of the disease,” said study first author Eduardo Normando from Imperial College London. The test, called DARC (Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells), involves injecting into the bloodstream (via the arm) a fluorescent dye that attaches to retinal cells, and illuminates those that are in the process of apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. The damaged cells appear bright white when viewed in eye examinations — the more damaged cells detected, the higher the DARC count. One challenge with evaluating eye diseases is that specialists often disagree when viewing the same scans, so the researchers have incorporated an AI algorithm into their method. In the Phase II clinical trial of DARC, the AI was used to assess 60 of the study participants — 20 with glaucoma and 40 healthy control subjects. The AI was initially trained by analysing the retinal scans (after injection of the dye) of the healthy control participants. The AI was then tested on the glaucoma patients. Those taking part in the AI study were followed up 18 months after the main trial period to see whether their eye health had deteriorated. The researchers were able to accurately predict progressive glaucomatous damage 18 months before that seen with the current gold standard OCT retinal imaging technology, as every patient with a DARC count over a certain threshold was found to have progressive glaucoma at follow-up. “These results are very promising as they show DARC could be used as a biomarker when combined with the AI-aided algorithm,” said lead researcher Francesca Cordeiro from University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Lifestyle Latest News on India.com. Comments - Join the Discussion
3 May 13:31 • India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com • https://www.india.com/lifestyle/early-signs-of-glaucoma-progression-to-blindness-can-be-spotted-by-ai-4018575/Rating: 0.30
AI-supported test for very early signs of glaucoma progression
A new test can detect glaucoma progression 18 months earlier than the current gold standard method, according to results from a UCL-sponsored clinical trial. The technology, supported by an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, could help accelerate clinical trials, and eventually may be used in detection and diagnostics, according to the Wellcome-funded study published today in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics. Lead researcher Professor Francesca Cordeiro (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Imperial College London, and Western Eye Hospital Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) said: "We have developed a quick, automated and highly sensitive way to identify which people with glaucoma are at risk of rapid progression to blindness." Glaucoma, the leading global cause of irreversible blindness, affects over 60 million people, which is predicted to double by 2040 as the global population ages. Loss of sight in glaucoma is caused by the death of cells in the retina, at the back of the eye. The test, called DARC (Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells), involves injecting into the bloodstream (via the arm) a fluorescent dye that attaches to retinal cells, and illuminates those that are in the process of apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. The damaged cells appear bright white when viewed in eye examinations - the more damaged cells detected, the higher the DARC count. One challenge with evaluating eye diseases is that specialists often disagree when viewing the same scans, so the researchers have incorporated an AI algorithm into their method. In the Phase II clinical trial of DARC, the AI was used to assess 60 of the study participants (20 with glaucoma and 40 healthy control subjects). The AI was initially trained by analysing the retinal scans (after injection of the dye) of the healthy control subjects. The AI was then tested on the glaucoma patients. Those taking part in the AI study were followed up 18 months after the main trial period to see whether their eye health had deteriorated. The researchers were able to accurately predict progressive glaucomatous damage 18 months before that seen with the current gold standard OCT retinal imaging technology, as every patient with a DARC count over a certain threshold was found to have progressive glaucoma at follow-up. "These results are very promising as they show DARC could be used as a biomarker when combined with the AI-aided algorithm," said Professor Cordeiro, adding that biomarkers - measurable biological indicators of disease state or severity - are urgently needed for glaucoma, to speed up clinical trials as the disease progresses slowly so it can take years for symptoms to change. "What is really exciting, and actually unusual when looking at biological markers, is that there was a clear DARC count threshold above which all glaucoma eyes went on to progress," she added. First author Dr Eduardo Normando (Imperial College London and Western Eye Hospital Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) said: "Being able to diagnose glaucoma at an earlier stage, and predict its course of progression, could help people to maintain their sight, as treatment is most successful if provided at an early stage of the disease. After further research in longitudinal studies, we hope that our test could have widespread clinical applications for glaucoma and other conditions." The team is also applying the test to rapidly detect cell damage caused by numerous conditions other than glaucoma, such as other neurodegenerative conditions that involve the loss of nerve cells, including age-related macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. The AI-supported technology has recently been approved by both the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the USA's Food and Drug Administration as an exploratory endpoint for testing a new glaucoma drug in a clinical trial. The researchers are also assessing the DARC test in people with lung disease, and hope that by the end of this year, the test may help to assess people with breathing difficulties from Covid-19. DARC is being commercialised by Novai, a newly formed company of which Professor Cordeiro is Chief Scientific Officer.
3 May 04:00 • EurekAlert! • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/ucl-atf050120.phpRating: 1.03
'Covid Toe' And Other Rashes Puzzle Doctors
Five rashes, including Covid toe, are affecting some hospital patients diagnosed with Covid-19, a small study by Spanish doctors has found.The rashes tended to appear in younger people and lasted several days.It is not uncommon for a rash to be a symptom of a virus, such as the spots that indicate chicken pox.But the researchers said they were surprised to see so many varieties of rash with Covid-19.Rashes are not currently included in the list of symptoms of the illness.There have been many reports about "Covid toe" - a rash appearing on Covid patients' feet even in the absence of other symptoms - but lead researcher Dr Ignacio Garcia-Doval said the most common form of rash in the study was maculopapules - small, flat and raised red bumps that tend to appear on the torso."It is strange to see several different rashes - and some of them are quite specific," Dr Garcia-Doval told the BBC."It usually appears later on, after the respiratory manifestation of the disease - so it's not good for diagnosing patients," he added.All the patients in the study were already in hospital and had respiratory symptoms.The peer-reviewed paper was published this week in the British Journal of Dermatology.All dermatologists in Spain were asked to share details of Covid patients they had seen who had developed rashes in the previous two weeks. There were 375 in total.The five rashes were:Asymmetrical, chilblain-like lesions around the hands and feet, which could be itchy or painful. Generally found in younger patients, lasted on average 12 days, appeared later on in the course of the disease, and were associated with mild infections. Accounted for 19% of cases.Outbreaks of small blisters, often itchy, found on the trunk and limbs. These were found in middle-aged patients, lasted around 10 days, and appeared before other symptoms. (9%)Pink or white raised areas of skin that looked liked nettle rash, and often itchy. Mostly on the body but sometimes on the palms of the hands. (19%)Maculopapules - small, flat and raised red bumps. These accounted for 47% of cases. They lasted around seven days and appeared at the same time as other symptoms but tended to be seen in patients with more severe infections.Livedo (also known as necrosis) was present in 6% of cases. The skin looked blotchy red or blue, with a net-like pattern. It's a sign of poor blood circulation. This appeared in older patients with severe illness.However, the researchers stressed that rashes can have many causes, and it can be difficult to differentiate between them without medical expertise."The relevance of this study is not so much in helping people self-diagnose, but rather to help build our wider understanding of how the infection can affect people," said Dr Ruth Murphy, president of the British Association of Dermatologists.Dr Michael Head at the University of Southampton said that rashes were a well-known side effect of many viral infections, including pneumonia."With Covid-19, rashes and skin ulcers have been noted in a few per cent of hospitalised patients. We don't yet know the extent of these links, or precisely why this inflammation occurs in some patients but not others."The American Academy of Dermatology is also compiling a register of skin symptoms seen by its members. Featured Video
3 May 00:00 • Peacefmonline • https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/health/202005/407302.phpRating: 0.30
Coronavirus: 'Covid toe' and other rashes puzzle doctors
Five rashes, including Covid toe, are affecting some hospital patients diagnosed with Covid-19, a small study by Spanish doctors has found. The rashes tended to appear in younger people and lasted several days. It is not uncommon for a rash to be a symptom of a virus, such as the spots that indicate chicken pox. But the researchers said they were surprised to see so many varieties of rash with Covid-19. Rashes are not currently included in the list of symptoms of the illness. There have been many reports about "Covid toe" - a rash appearing on Covid patients' feet even in the absence of other symptoms - but lead researcher Dr Ignacio Garcia-Doval said the most common form of rash in the study was maculopapules - small, flat and raised red bumps that tend to appear on the torso. "It is strange to see several different rashes - and some of them are quite specific," Dr Garcia-Doval told the BBC. "It usually appears later on, after the respiratory manifestation of the disease - so it's not good for diagnosing patients," he added. All the patients in the study were already in hospital and had respiratory symptoms. The peer-reviewed paper was published this week in the British Journal of Dermatology. All dermatologists in Spain were asked to share details of Covid patients they had seen who had developed rashes in the previous two weeks. There were 375 in total. The five rashes were: However, the researchers stressed that rashes can have many causes, and it can be difficult to differentiate between them without medical expertise. "The relevance of this study is not so much in helping people self-diagnose, but rather to help build our wider understanding of how the infection can affect people," said Dr Ruth Murphy, president of the British Association of Dermatologists. Dr Michael Head at the University of Southampton said that rashes were a well-known side effect of many viral infections, including pneumonia. "With Covid-19, rashes and skin ulcers have been noted in a few per cent of hospitalised patients. We don't yet know the extent of these links, or precisely why this inflammation occurs in some patients but not others." The American Academy of Determatology is also compiling a register of skin symptoms seen by its members.
2 May 23:56 • BBC News • https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52493574Rating: 4.85
'How is this possible?' Researchers grapple with Covid-19's mysterious mechanism
Respiratory physician Dr David Darley says something peculiar happens to a small group of Covid-19 patients on day seven of their symptoms. “Up until the end of that first week, they’re stable,” says Darley, a doctor with Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital. “And then suddenly, they have this hyper-inflammatory response. The proteins involved in that inflammation start circulating in the body at high levels.” In these patients, the lungs begin to struggle. Blood pressure lowers. Other organs, including the kidneys, may begin to shut down. Blood clots form throughout the body. The brain and intestines may also be affected. Some suffer changes to their personality, suggesting brain damage. “I think what is evolving is a very specific set of stages of disease and for some reason, not everyone goes through all of the stages,” Darley says. “Some go through to the most severe stage and they require breathing support and oxygen. These patients who are severe tend to be older, they are more likely to be men, and also have other medical problems like diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.” But there is no way of knowing which patients will be affected by the most severe symptoms. Clinicians like Darley hope that a disease biomarker – a unique characteristic in the blood, body fluids, or tissues – will eventually be discovered for each stage. “It would help clinicians predict what stage patients are at and maybe even if they will progress to the next stage of disease,” he said. “It could help us predict who needs to be more closely observed in hospitals and would mean we have all the systems ready to go if they worsen. And it would give us more confidence to have them discharged to home if a biomarker says they are low risk for developing severe illness.” Darley is one of the researchers working on a long-term St Vincent’s study of patients admitted to the hospital with Covid-19. Patients will be followed for a year after being discharged, receiving tests at regular intervals to see if there are any lasting effects or changes in the body’s immune system and blood. They will also be assessed for any ongoing changes to lung, gut and brain functions. No one yet knows if the virus causes permanent or long-term harm. “I don’t think it’s clear yet whether it’s the virus infecting the lungs and the blood vessels, or if it’s the body’s immune system which goes out of control which then causes lung and blood vessel injury,” Darley said. “Or, it could be a combination of both. “The pathogenesis is not clear yet. We are observing brain inflammation in a subset of patients, and in those we are seeing agitation and a change in behaviour or personality. That’s really interesting, and there are reports coming from elsewhere of some people, including younger patients, suffering stroke. It’s unclear whether the virus is infecting the lining cells of blood vessels in the brain, or whether the patient’s blood is excessively prone to clotting because of all the inflammation, leading to stroke.” A renowned intensive care specialist from Italy, Prof Luciano Gattinoni, said this type of clotting in respiratory diseases is “extremely unusual”. The 75-year-old has been working in intensive care for 40 years, and said he has never seen anything like what is happening to the lungs of some Covid-19 patients. What is particularly baffling is patients are presenting with poor oxygenation but little lung damage. This type of presentation is more typical of patients suffering from altitude sickness than a viral infection, Gattignoni says. As a result, patients who are very sick may not feel like they’re really struggling to breathe – even as they’re being critically deprived of oxygen. “How is this possible?” Gattinoni told Guardian Australia from the intensive care department of the German hospital where he is working as a guest professor. “Bad oxygenation and good lungs tells me this must have something to do with the blood vessels. But these vessels are everywhere. In the brain. In the kidneys. So, in some patients, many organs are affected.” The problem is, mechanical ventilation in intensive care replaces the strength of the respiratory muscles. If patients are struggling to breathe but their lung structure is OK, this ventilation does little to help and in fact may prove harmful, Gattinoni said, because mechanical ventilation is invasive. He said while only a small number of patients are severe enough to require ventilation, a significant proportion of those on ventilators die, continuing to show low blood oxygen levels despite mechanical assistance. Gattinoni said doctors must use ventilators only when needed, and at the right time. Getting this right can improve survival rates, he believes, and he thinks wrongly timed ventilation is why some intensive care units treating Covid-19 patients have higher death rates than others. “Timing with this disease is absolutely critical,” he said. “Ventilation cannot begin too early or too late.” In the meantime, patients are given anticoagulants, drugs that prevent or slow blood clotting in the hope that stroke can be prevented. Darley said scans of the lungs of Covid-19 patients are unique, showing “ground glass opacity”, a hazy pattern that does not obscure the underlying lung structure. Lung cancer, for example, would typically show on a scan as a dark, solid lesion, obscuring other structures in the lungs. While other illnesses, for example bacterial infections, can result in ground glass opacity on a scan, there were some unusual features on scans for Covid-19, Darley said. “It has a classic pattern in Covid,” he said. He suspects men are more severely affected than women because the virus is activated by an enzyme controlled by androgens, a group of hormones that play a role in male characteristics. But more research is needed to test this hypothesis. Darley added that any research into the virus needed to be conducted ethically and with strong scientific protocols. “With no treatments for this virus, all we can do for severe patients at the moment is provide supportive care,” he said. “If the level of fluid is low, we can replace it. If they need ventilation, we can help them breathe. But treatments for this disease can only come from clinical trials. “Our commitment at our hospital is to work with the highest level of scientific inquiry. People are desperate for treatments but we are reluctant to try treatments outside of clinical trials here. “If we don’t clearly show a treatment is better than placebo or other treatments, we could be creating noise and adding to the current chaos of the scientific community. Our responsibility is to find treatments that work.” Gattinoni agrees. He said scientists had been trying for decades to find drugs that moderate the inflammatory reaction, and he said these drugs had been “romanticised and popularised” in the race to find treatments for Covid-19. “But in thousands of experiments over the years trying to block inflammatory responses, we’ve only had a lot of poor results,” Gattinoni said. “Like many other things in medicine, we have to be patient.”
2 May 20:00 • the Guardian • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/how-is-this-possible-researchers-grapple-with-covid-19s-mysterious-mechanismRating: 5.39
Judiciously managing brain tumour patients
Brain tumours affect people of all ages and can be benign or malignant and require well-coordinated multi-specialist care. Brain tumours in children are especially associated with very high chance of cure and treatments have to be administered to ensure tumour control as well as minimal late toxicity, to maintain quality of life. Like other cancer patients, brain tumour patients can be at an increased risk of COVID-19 infection due to their immunocompromised state caused by the tumour and treatments given to them. Our team recently published a collaborative effort with modified recommendations as per available evidence for managing brain tumour patients optimally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care professional involved in management of brain tumour patients must take into cognisance the ongoing situation with limited resources and optimise treatment strategies along with prioritising patients based on disease severity. Here are some suggestions: Adequate screening needs to be done in clinics to take care of brain tumour patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Adequate usage of PPE and distancing should be encouraged. Visits of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients and patients with benign tumours can be rescheduled to later date. Virtual consultations on various digital platforms must be put in place to take care of brain tumour patients. Patients should be called for follow-up consultations only when they are symptomatic (moderate-tosevere headache, hemiplegia, incessant vomiting, and seizures). For patients requiring definitive treatment, their management can be discussed in virtual multi-disciplinary tumour boards (MDT) with only key decision making members. Surgical management should be planned judiciously during this time and should be done only for urgent cases, such as patients who have increased pressure (e.g., hydrocephalus) and require measures such as emergency shunt placement. Minimisation of hospitalisation and critical care stay should be encouraged to reduce burden on in-patient resources. Procedures where aerosol risk is high should be avoided and alternative approaches adopted. For brain tumour patient requiring radiation therapy, identifying and stratifying patients according to the priority of treatment can be done as follows: Similarly, brain tumour patients requiring chemotherapy should get priority based on their diagnosis (type and grade of brain tumour). In case of intractable seizures that may be life threatening, the patient must be given intravenous anti-epileptics with due COVID-19 precaution. In case of seizures in COVID-19 patients, neurological symptoms due to COVID 19 should be considered as a rare possibility of acute necrotizing encephalopathy also needs to be kept in mind. Health care professionals should be in touch with their brain tumour patients more frequently during this time of the pandemic through video and telephonic consultations and assure them of continued care and support even if they are unable to visit clinics. Brain tumour patients may experience increased anxiety due to the fear emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic situation, hence adequate psychosocial support through virtual platforms should be provided to alleviate their concerns. Patients should be extremely careful and maintain adequate physical distancing and their diet and physical activities even during the lockdown restrictions. (The author is Medical Director, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre)
2 May 18:41 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/judiciously-managing-brain-tumour-patients/article31492236.eceRating: 0.30
Combination of schizophrenia drug and radiation shows promise in treating glioblastoma
Researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues have found that adding a drug once commonly used to treat schizophrenia to traditional radiation therapy helped improve overall survival in mice with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat brain tumors. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that a combination of radiation and the drug trifluoperazine not only targets glioblastoma cells but also helps overcome the resistance to treatment so common to this aggressive form of cancer. The results could prove promising for patients with the disease, for whom the median survival time is only 12 to 18 months following diagnosis. Radiation is an integral part of therapy for people with cancer and one of the most effective treatments. In many cases, it can help cure the disease. But in glioblastoma, tumor cells often become resistant to radiation treatment because the radiation itself can induce "phenotype conversion," a process that turns certain non-tumor stem cells into tumor-producing cells, causing the cancer to reoccur. UCLA researchers have been exploring new ways to prevent glioblastoma tumor cells from becoming resistant to radiation by adding drugs to the treatment regimen that have traditionally been used for other purposes. To find out if there were any existing drugs that could interfere with the radiation-induced phenotype conversion, the team screened more than 83,000 compounds through the shared resources at UCLA, which provides researchers access to specialized equipment and services to help them pursue cutting-edge research. They were able to identify nearly 300 compounds, including the dopamine receptor antagonist trifluoperazine, that had the potential to block phenotype conversion and improve the efficacy of radiation therapy. Once trifluoperazine was identified, it was tested on mice with patient-derived orthotopic tumors. The team found that, when used in combination with radiation, trifluoperazine successfully delayed the growth of the tumors and significantly prolonged the overall survival of the animals. Combining radiation treatment with trifluoperazine extended survival in 100% of the mice to more than 200 days, compared to 67.7 days in the control group receiving only radiation. "Many preclinical glioblastoma studies report fairly small increases in overall survival in mice, and that rarely translates into benefits for patients," said Pajonk, who is also a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. "But here we see pretty drastic effects in improved overall survival, and I find that very encouraging. It gives us hope that this is all going to translate into a benefit for people." The team plans to start a clinical trial this summer for people with recurrent glioblastoma to test using dopamine receptor antagonist with radiation therapy. "I think we can find a combination of treatments with radiation that is very tolerable to patients and can do well," said co-author Leia Nghiemphu, an associate professor of clinical neurology at the Geffen School of Medicine and principal investigator on the upcoming clinical trial. "The next step is to see if we can stop this resistance to radiation in humans." The study was funded in part by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health's Brain Specialized Programs of Research Excellence, or SPORE, at UCLA, which helps advance work in the prevention, detection and treatment of brain tumors. Source: UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
2 May 16:23 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Combination-of-schizophrenia-drug-and-radiation-shows-promise-in-treating-glioblastoma.aspxRating: 0.76
COVID-19 - Arthritis drug Tocilizumab may help fight it
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are trying desperately to find a cure for the disease. But despite many false hopes, they have not been able to zero in on any potential cure. Trials of possible cures have started in different parts of the world. But it may still be a long time before we see a vaccine in the market for the general public. Besides trying to find a new drug, scientists are also trying to figure out if any existing drug can be used to fight the pandemic. Examples include the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the tuberculosis vaccine. The latest drug to join the list is the rheumatoid arthritis medication Tocilizumab.Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 37,776 as death toll reaches 1,223 Researchers from UC San Diego Health have started a Phase III clinical trial to see if this medication has any therapeutic value for COVID-19 patients who develop or at high risk of developing serious lung damage from SARS-CoV-2 infections. Doctors commonly use this drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. This endeavor is part of a global effort to find a cure for the ongoing pandemic at the earliest.Also Read - Scientists identify mobile phones as 'Trojan horses' for COVID-19 This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventional trial will enroll around 330 participants at nearly 70 sites across the world. In UC San Diego, researchers will recruit around 20 participants who are 18 years or older. All participants are in hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia and have evidence of impaired gas exchange. They will receive one intravenous infusion of either tocilizumab or the placebo, with a possible second infusion if clinical symptoms worsen or show improvement. At the end of it, researchers are hopeful of being able to answer questions on whether tocilizumab can improve the health and clinical status of treated COVID-19 patients or if it can reduce the mortality rate due to COVID-19 pneumonia.Also Read - No, alcohol can’t kill the novel coronavirus, as claimed by Rajasthan Congress MLA Tocilizumab is an immunosuppressive drug, which doctors use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is basically a monoclonal antibody-based therapy, which blocks cellular receptors for interleukin-6 (IL-6), a protein or cytokine that is known to trigger inflammation. The immune system of some COVID-19 patients seem to go haywire. There is an overexpression of IL-6 and this generates a ‘cytokine storm’. This can cause severe and fatal damage to the lungs and other organs of the body. Scientists have known for a long time that cytokine storms can lead to many serious inflammatory diseases including respiratory ailments caused by coronaviruses, influenza, multiple sclerosis and also pancreatitis. Now, to control the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, doctors there had used this drug to treat a few patients with serious lung damage. They were surprised to see promising results. Because of this, the Chinese National Health Commission now includes tocilizumab in its guidelines for treating COVID-19-related pneumonia and other lung issues. Many voices from the scientific community warn that this must not be seen as a cure for COVID-19. It is important to reiterate again and again right now that there are no approved therapies for COVID-19. Doctors treat the patient only for the symptoms that he or she may exhibit. Moreover, COVID-19 affects patients in many different ways and inflammation of lungs is just one of the symptoms. Tocilizumab can suppress this inflammatory response and it may reduce the need for more extreme medical interventions like mechanical ventilation and greater risk of chronic injury and death, say UC San Diego researchers.
2 May 07:39 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/news/arthritis-drug-tocilizumab-joins-list-of-drugs-that-may-help-fight-covid-19-743209/Rating: 0.69
Clinical Trials Of Mesoblast’s Stem Cell Treatment For COVID-19 Set To Begin Soon
Melbourne-based biotech company Mesoblast announced earlier this week that it’s begun enrolling up to 300 patients for a randomized, controlled study of its stem cell therapy remestemcel-L in the treatment of COVID-19 patients experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome. Over 20 hospitals will participate in the study, which is anticipated to last 3-4 months. The announcement came about a week after the company reported that treatment with remestemcel-L in a group of 12 COVID-19 patients with ARDS at Mt. Sinai hospital in New York had a survival rate of 83%. The purpose of the randomized, controlled clinical trial is to test that survival rate on a larger scale. “We were very pleased with preliminary data demonstrating the cells seem to have benefitted some of these patients,” says CEO Silviu Itescu. “If the cells work in COVID-19 ARDS, we’re in a position to provide products to as many patients as possible.” For coronavirus patients, ARDS is one of the deadliest complications of the disease, and often ends up requiring the use of ventilators in order to ensure they’re getting sufficient oxygen. It’s caused by what’s known as a “cytokine storm” - an overreaction of the immune system in which the body ends up damaging the lungs in an attempt to destroy the coronavirus and the lung cells that it has infected. “The cytokines these cells make destroy lung tissue,” says Itescu. “It’s a trade-off being trying to get rid of the virus and trying to limit destruction to your own lung tissue.” According to the CDC, between 20-42% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients develop ARDS, with as many as 85% of patients admitted to intensive care having this complication. Among those ICU patients who develop ARDS, over 40% die (some studies show that number as high as 72%) and those who survive spend an average of 10-13 days in the hospital. Mesoblast’s remestemcel-L treatment is derived from allogenic mesenchymal stem cells, which when infused into the body can slow down an immune response and prevent the body from damaging itself. Its technology originally spun out of a research collaboration between Columbia University and Australian scientists, leading to the founding of the company in 2004. One of the diseases the company has been working to treat is graft-vs-host disease, a condition that arises in patients who receive bone marrow transplants. In that disease, the donated bone marrow begins to see its new host as “foreign” and directs the immune system to attack it in a manner similar to that of the cytokine storm seen in ARDS. The company is one of several biotech firms aiming to use mesenchymal stem cells as a potential COVID-19 treatment. Cleveland-based Athersys, which is working on stem cell therapies for strokes, heart disease and other conditions, is also expected to begin clinical trials soon. Haifa, Israel-based Pluristem, which is developing stem cell treatments as well, secured 50 million Euro (about $55.4 million) in financing this week from the European Investment Bank to support its COVID-19 trials. So far, says Itescu, Mesoblast’s treatment has been tested in clinical trials in over 1,100 graft-vs-host patients. On April 1, the FDA accepted a priority review filing for use of the treatment against graft-vs-host disease. On April 6, the FDA gave clearance for an investigational new drug application for remestemcel-L in COVID-19 patients, which paved the way for this clinical trial. Using Mesoblast’s treatment for coronavirus patients with ARDS “has a rationale behind it” says Dr. Wayne Marasco, who’s studied a number of coronavirus diseases and is currently researching potential antibody treatments for COVID-19. “That would be in line with how it works with graft-versus-host disease.” Itesecu says that his company is focused on the next phase of its clinical research in the midst of this pandemic, and hopes it proves to be part of a number of effective therapies against the disease. “We’re going to do our best to provide a solution to those patients in greatest need: those who are in intensive care on ventilators, where I think a safe and effective way to reduce severe inflammation is needed,” says Itescu. “We hope that what we’re doing is complementary to what folks who are developing vaccines and antivirals are doing.” Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
2 May 00:00 • Forbes • https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2020/05/02/large-scale-clinical-trials-of-mesoblasts-stem-cell-treatment-for-covid-19-coronavirus-set-to-begin-soon/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_content=3318642950&utm_campaign=sprinklrForbesTechTwitterRating: 4.41
Coronavirus Update: New COVID-19 Antibiotic, WLBU2, Has Been Developed That Could Fight Lung Infections
According to a report from The Dailymail, a new COVID-19 antibiotic has been developed that could potentially fight lung infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, in patients who have contracted the novel coronavirus. The new antibiotic, called WLBU2, was developed by medical experts to fight "superbug" lung infections. According to the report, a study revealed that the drug could combat severe lung infections in mice as well as in human cells. The study showed that the new medication could help those who suffer from cystic fibrosis--who are more vulnerable to lung infections--extend their lives. It could also stop secondary infections from infecting a patient's airways, which is a particular problem for critically ill patients on ventilators. The antibiotic is offering new hope in potentially decreasing coronavirus death rates. According to The Dailymail, the newly developed drug is called "Engineering Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide" or "eCAP" which works by "punching into" the virus, as experts described, thereby destroying them. The results of the study showed that the synthetic version of the new antibiotic is more efficient compared to natural antimicrobial proteins which are used to form the first line of defense against deadly infections in humans. Experts were working with an eCAP called WLBU2 and accidentally discovered a way to make it less toxic and, at the same time, more efficient. Peter Di, the author of the study and an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, said that they were surprised and happy with the discovery. "At first, we were skeptical and repeated the experiment - but yes, it was 20 times less toxic toward red blood cells in our lab. And when we saw similar results in mice, we were really excited," he said in the report. The researchers administered the new antibiotic via the lung's windpipe to target the infections. The result showed that it performed better than the current last-resort antibiotics without any side effects. However, the World Health Organisation has warned that antimicrobial resistance claims around 700,000 lives a year and could rise to 10 million by 2050. It was explained in the report that the rising death rate occurs when antibiotics push the bacteria to rapidly mutate to fight back, making them harder to combat. The researchers clarified that the breakthrough came by chance while looking for ways to make WLBU2 more stable for human consumption. The drug has already been licensed for clinical tests to measure and observe its efficacy against the COVID-19. The researchers are also looking to use the drug for knee and hip replacement operations.
2 May 04:14 • Tech Times • https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249306/20200502/coronavirus-update-new-covid-19-antibiotic-wlbu2-has-been-developed-that-could-fight-lung-infections.htmRating: 0.73
Coronavirus: Blood clotting significant cause of death in Covid-19 patients
Clinician-scientists have found that Irish patients admitted to hospital with severe coronavirus (COVID-19) infection are experiencing abnormal blood clotting that contributes to death in some patients. The research team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that abnormal blood clotting occurs in Irish patients with severe COVID-19 infection, causing micro-clots within the lungs. According to the study, they also found that Irish patients with higher levels of blood clotting activity had a significantly worse prognosis and were more likely to require ICU admission. “Our novel findings demonstrate that COVID-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting disorder that is primarily focussed within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with COVID-19,” said Professor James O’Donnell from St James’s Hospital in Ireland. In addition to pneumonia affecting the small air sacs within the lungs, the research team has also hundreds of small blood clots throughout the lungs. This scenario is not seen with other types of lung infection and explains why blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe COVID-19 infection, the study, published in the British Journal of Haematology said. “Understanding how these micro-clots are being formed within the lung is critical so that we can develop more effective treatments for our patients, particularly those in high-risk groups,” O’Donnell said. “Further studies will be required to investigate whether different blood-thinning treatments may have a role in selected high-risk patients in order to reduce the risk of clot formation,” Professor O’Donnell added. According to the study, emerging evidence also shows that the abnormal blood-clotting problem in COVID-19 results in a significantly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. As of Friday morning, the cases increased to 20,612 cases in Ireland, with 1,232 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. ) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter
2 May 12:35 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/coronavirus-blood-clotting-significant-cause-of-death-in-covid-19-patients/story-UuNY7SjZIQWrpAXE48XKjK.htmlRating: 0.30
Coronavirus: Several US hospitals using hydroxychloroquine for treating patients, says report
Several hospitals in the United States continue to use malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19 positive patients, a media report said. Medical publication, MDedge on Friday reported that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the malaria drug, is currently the first-line therapy and Tocilizumab the second-line medication for people hospitalised with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Covid-19 infection in the Yale New Haven Health System, which operates hospitals across Connecticut. "Hydroxychloroquine is first-line at Yale because in-vitro data shows potent inhibition of the virus and possible clinical benefit, which is about as good as evidence gets at the moment," Indian American cardiologist Nihar Desai told the medical publication. "It's cheap, it's been used for decades, and people are relatively comfortable with it," he added. "We are trying to do the best we can. One hopes we never have to go through anything like this (coronavirus pandemic) again," Desai told MDedge. His home institution, Yale New Haven Hospital, is almost half full with Covid-19 patients, at more than 400, the report said. On Friday, US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. HCQ was the first drug to receive EAU from FDA for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. US President Donald Trump has been an advocate of use of HCQ, which has reportedly cured patients in New York and several other place. Reports indicate that the malaria drug has been effective during the initial phases of a person being infected by coronavirus but poses a danger to those having heart ailments. At the request of Donald Trump, India had exported 50 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the United States. IndiaToday.in has plenty of useful resources that can help you better understand the coronavirus pandemic and protect yourself. Read our comprehensive guide (with information on how the virus spreads, precautions and symptoms), watch an expert debunk myths, check out our data analysis of cases in India, and access our dedicated coronavirus page.
2 May 02:11 • India Today • https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/coronavirus-pandemic-several-us-hospitals-hydroxychloroquine-treatment-covid-19-patients-report-1673534-2020-05-02Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus: Several US hospitals using hydroxycloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients, says MDedge report
Reports indicate that the malaria drug has been effective during the initial phases of a person being infected by coronavirus but poses a danger to those with heart ailments Several hospitals in the United States continue to use malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients, a media report said. Medical publication, MDedge on Friday reported that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the malaria drug, is currently the first-line therapy and Tocilizumab the second-line medication for people hospitalized with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 infection in the Yale New Haven Health System, which operates hospitals across Connecticut. Hydroxychloroquine is first-line at Yale because in-vitro data shows potent inhibition of the virus and possible clinical benefit, which is about as good as evidence gets at the moment, Indian American cardiologist Nihar Desai told the medical publication. "It's cheap, it's been used for decades, and people are relatively comfortable with it," he added. "We are trying to do the best we can. One hopes we never have to go through anything like this (coronavirus pandemic) again," Desai told MDedge. His home institution, Yale New Haven Hospital, is almost half full with COVID-19 patients, at more than 400, the report said. On Friday, US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID 19 patients. HCQ was the first drug to receive EAU from FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. US President Donald Trump has been an advocate of use of HCQ, which has reportedly cured patients in New York and several other place. Reports indicate that the malaria drug has been effective during the initial phases of a person being infected by coronavirus but poses a danger to those having heart ailments. At the request of Trump, India had exported 50 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the United States. Also read: Coronavirus: US FDA permits emergency use of drug for treating COVID-19 patients Also read: Coronavirus: Immune system may aid COVID-19 infect more cells, says study
2 May 02:20 • Business Today • https://www.businesstoday.in/current/world/coronavirus-several-us-hospitals-using-hydroxycloroquine-for-treating-covid-19-patients-says-mdedge-report/story/402652.htmlRating: 2.10
Covid-19: Effectiveness of the antiviral drug remdesivir still in question
A US study published this week raised great hope for the effectiveness of the antiviral drug remdesivir for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. But the results of a similar study in China seemed to show the opposite. Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a prominent member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, is satisfied. Fauci, who oversaw the US study on the effectiveness of the antiviral drug remdesivir, was visibly pleased when he told reporters that “the data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery” of Covid-19 patients. Following this conclusion, the New York Times reported that the White House had begun to consider allowing hospitals to administer the drug. The study that put a smile on Fauci’s face was conducted under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on 1,063 patients in the US, Europe, and Asia. Beginning on February 21, for every patient who received a placebo, two patients received remdesivir, and preliminary analysis of the results showed that patients treated with Gilead’s drug could expect to recover from Covid-19 four days sooner than those who were not. The fatality rate of the disease was also found to be slightly lower for those individuals who received remdesivir. “Specifically, the median time to recovery was 11 days for patients treated with remdesivir compared with 15 days for those who received placebo,” said an NIH statement. “Although a 31 percent improvement doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” said Fauci at the White House. This may be proof that the scientific community has been waiting for. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, remdesivir has been considered one of the most promising treatment options while the world waits for a vaccine. What makes it particularly attractive is that it specifically targets the mechanism that allows pathogens such as coronaviruses to “replicate and amplify their viral load in the host body”, said Isabelle Imbert, a specialist in antivirals at the University of Aix-Marseille. In addition, remdesivir attacks a process “specific to these viruses and which does not occur naturally in the human body, which makes it less harmful to the organism and improves its benefit-risk ratio”, she adds. Initially developed by Gilead to combat Ebola, the treatment has proven to be effective against the various coronaviruses that have emerged since the early 2000s. “It has produced very encouraging results in tests on animals exposed to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which occurred between 2002 and 2004) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which appeared in 2012),” the French researcher recalled. That a vast study seems to confirm the hopes placed in remdesivir has not escaped the notice of financial markets. The announcement of the US study’s results was enough to cause the stock market index to soar in New York, underlining the importance of this perceived scientific breakthrough in the eyes of investors. Different results in China However, perhaps investors should have paid more attention to what was happening in China. On the same day that Gilead and the NIH announced their findings, a team of Chinese researchers published much less encouraging conclusions in the highly respected British medical journal The Lancet. Their experiment, conducted on 237 severely ill patients in 10 hospitals in Hubei province (the region where the epidemic originated), seems to indicate that remdesivir makes little difference. “Unfortunately, our study shows that this treatment does not provide any specific benefit compared to a placebo,” wrote Bin Cao, the main author of the article. So back to square one? It’s difficult to decide, because “the two studies seem to be of equal quality”, says Stephen Evans, a pharmacoepidemiology researcher in the department of medical statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Moreover, it seems difficult to compare the studies because information about some of their basic assumptions is lacking. “We don’t know, for example, at what stage of the disease the remdesivir was administered in each case and whether there were combinations with other treatments, which could have had major impacts on the results,” said Jonathan Stoye, a virologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Furthermore, “the studies carried out on SARS in 2002 showed that the longer it took to use remdesivir, the less effective it was”, recalls Étienne Decroly, virologist and director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, speaking to FRANCE 24. In the Chinese experiment, the patients were all “in a serious condition”, which could explain why its results are less promising, she says. Still, the Chinese study has some advantages that may overshadow the US one. First, it is complete, while US trials are still underway. “It is generally known that provisional analyses tend to produce more positive results than final analyses,” said Derek Hill, a medical imaging specialist at University College London. In addition, a full scientific publication of the NIH trial has yet to come, which makes it difficult to evaluate the study properly. A low number of participants But the study conducted in Hubei province suffers from a major flaw: Only 237 patients were tested. “That’s too few to draw definitive conclusions because the low number introduces considerable uncertainty as to the scope of the results,” said Evans. The researcher went even further, arguing that the difference in the number of patients in the two experiments may be the only reason why they did not reach the same conclusion. “The four days gained by the people treated with remdesivir in the US trial are within the margin of error due to the uncertainty of the Chinese experiment,” he explained. In other words, the Chinese team might have seen a similarly fast rate of remission if they had also studied closer to 1,000 participants. In the meantime, scientists are waiting for the results of other large-scale tests concerning remdesivir, such as one conducted by France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research that began on March 24 on some 1,000 people. In any case, in order for a treatment to be validated and marketed, “it usually requires two large clinical trials to demonstrate its efficacy”, said Hill of University College. For the moment, said Evans, one thing is certain. “Even if the evidence of its effectiveness is not yet complete, we can at least guess that remdesivir is the new standard against which other treatments currently in development will be compared.”
2 May 10:56 • The Express Tribune • https://tribune.com.pk/story/2212333/8-covid-19-effectiveness-antiviral-drug-remdesivir-still-question/Rating: 1.80
Despite thalidomide's dark past, researchers are investigating it as a potential COVID-19 treatment
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have turned to existing medicines to see whether they can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. Antiviral medicines such as remdesivir and favipiravir that prevent the virus from reproducing itself are amongst many medicines being tested. Some cough syrups are even being investigated. And surprisingly, the drug thalidomide is also being tested as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Thalidomide infamously caused thousands of birth defects to babies who were exposed to the drug after their mothers took it to treat morning sickness between 1958-1962. Despite its dark past, the drug has been repurposed in recent years, and is an approved treatment for multiple myeloma (a type of blood cell cancer) and complications of leprosy. Thalidomide was originally used as a sedative, and was later found to also be useful for treating severe morning sickness in the 1950s and 1960s. Tragically its use resulted in severe and rare birth defects in children, particularly to the limbs, but also damaged many other parts of the body. Yet thalidomide has many different effects within the body – which is why researchers are looking at it as a potential COVID-19 treatment. For example, it can inhibit the immune system’s inflammatory response, making it effective against inflammatory conditions, including leprosy. It can also inhibit new blood vessel formation, making thalidomide potentially effective against cancers. It is currently approved to treat multiple myeloma. Read more: Thalidomide: the drug with a dark side but an enigmatic future The drug can also protect the lungs, and has been effective in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This is a life-threatening condition where the alveoli (which exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules in the bloodstream) of the lungs are damaged, thickened and hardened, preventing them from working correctly. This leaves patients short of breath and with a persistent cough. Thalidomide has been shown to reduce the persistent cough and reduce the lung damage, improving patient life quality. It appears able to do this by blocking the inflammatory response. Thalidomide also appears to help relieve lung damage caused by the herbicide Paraquat. High doses of it can be toxic and result in lung inflammation, which causes scarring and reduced function. Animal studies suggest thalidomide can reduce the inflammatory response in lung tissue. Thalidomide has been found to protect against lung infections caused by the H1N1 virus in mice. H1N1 caused the 2009 flu pandemic. The study found that thalidomide improves the chances of survival for mice infected with H1N1 by reducing the body’s inflammatory response. Evidence shows thalidomide could protect the lungs by reducing the body’s inflammatory response, preventing damage of lung tissues and controlling the immune system. We know the coronavirus affects the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms that result in inflammation, difficulty breathing and transporting oxygen around the body. Several research groups wonder if thalidomide’s ability to protect the lungs against other diseases could make it a potential treatment for COVID-19. Repurposing this existing drug to treat a new condition also means the dosage and potential side effects are already known. Preliminary evidence has found that using thalidomide in combination with glucocorticoids (which reduce immune response and inflammation pathways in the body) was able to successfully treat a patient suffering with pneumonia-like symptoms caused by COVID-19. However, this study is yet to be peer-reviewed. A clinical trial is also underway to investigate if thalidomide could be used to treat moderate and severe COVID-19 induced pneumonia in China. Patients testing positive for COVID-19 will be given thalidomide or a placebo medicine. The placebo should have no effect on COVID-19 progression and will then be compared with the thalidomide-exposed patients. It will still be some time before researchers know whether thalidomide is effective in treating some COVID-19 patients. However, thalidomide still has the ability to cause serious side effects. Thalidomide exposure during pregnancy can still harm the developing baby, something that happened recently in Brazil. Clinical use of thalidomide can also cause many other side-effects which include peripheral neuropathy in patients. This causes damage to the nerves in the body’s extremities, causing pain. While such side-effects are usually associated with long-term use, any use of thalidomide needs to be carefully overseen by medical professionals. – The Conversation | Rappler.com Neil Vargesson is a Professor in Developmental Biology at the University of Aberdeen. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
2 May 06:00 • Rappler • https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/life-health/259659-thalidomide-research-potential-coronavirus-treatmentRating: 1.64
Remdesivir update: FDA issues EUA for COVID-19 treatment days after clinical trial results
By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that preliminary data analysis from a clinical trial on the investigational antiviral drug, remdesivir, showed hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19 and lung involvement who received the drug recovered faster than similar patients who received placebo. The same day, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut and significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery”. He called the early findings from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “highly significant.” On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease. “FDA’s emergency authorization of remdesivir, two days after the National Institutes of Health’s clinical trial showed promising results, is a significant step forward in battling COVID-19 and another example of the Trump Administration moving as quickly as possible to use science to save lives,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “NIH, FDA, and scientists across America and around the world have worked tirelessly with patients to get us this new potential treatment for COVID-19. The seamless cooperation between government and private industry under the President’s all-of-America approach to COVID-19 is getting treatment options to patients in record time.” The EUA allows for remdesivir to be distributed in the U.S. and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease. Severe disease is defined as patients with low blood oxygen levels or needing oxygen therapy or more intensive breathing support such as a mechanical ventilator. Based on evaluation of the emergency use authorization criteria and the scientific evidence available, it was determined that it is reasonable to believe that remdesivir may be effective in treating COVID-19, and that, given there are no adequate, approved, or available alternative treatments, the known and potential benefits to treat this serious or life-threatening virus currently outweigh the known and potential risks of the drug’s use.
2 May 09:17 • Outbreak News Today • http://outbreaknewstoday.com/remdesivir-update-fda-issues-eua-for-covid-19-treatment-days-after-clinical-trial-results-61292/Rating: 0.30
Several US hospitals using HCQ in treatment of coronavirus patients: Report
Several hospitals in the US are using antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients, a media report has said. MDedge, a medical publication, on Friday reported that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is currently the first-line therapy and Tocilizumab the second-line medication for people hospitalized with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 infection in the Yale New Haven Health System, which operates hospitals across Connecticut. Coronavirus lockdown 3.0: Here's a list of what will remain open and closed across India “Hydroxychloroquine is first-line at Yale because in-vitro data shows potent inhibition of the virus and possible clinical benefit, which is about as good as evidence gets at the moment,” Indian-American cardiologist Nihar Desai told the medical publication. "It's cheap, it's been used for decades, and people are relatively comfortable with it," he added. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here "We are trying to do the best we can. One hopes we never have to go through anything like this (coronavirus pandemic) again," Desai told MDedge. His home institution, Yale New Haven Hospital, is almost half full with COVID-19 patients, at more than 400, the report said. On US President Donald Trump's request, India allowed the export of 50 million HCQ tablets to treat COVID-19 patients in America, the worst-hit country by the pandemic. On Friday, US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. HCQ was the first drug to receive EAU from FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. US President Donald Trump has been an advocate of use of HCQ, which has reportedly cured patients in New York and several other place. Reports indicate that the malaria drug has been effective during the initial phases of a person being infected by coronavirus but poses a danger to those having heart ailments.
2 May 10:22 • Deccan Herald • https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/several-us-hospitals-using-hcq-in-treatment-of-coronavirus-patients-report-832575.htmlRating: 2.25
Several US hospitals using hydroxychloroquine in treatment of COVID-19 patients: Report
The vaccine has reportedly cured patients in New York and several other places. Washington: Several hospitals in the US are using the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as the first-line of therapy for COVID-19 positive patients, a medical publication has reported. MDedge on Friday reported that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is currently the first-line therapy and Tocilizumab the second-line medication for people hospitalised with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 infection in the Yale-New Haven Health System, which operates hospitals across Connecticut, one of the hotspots in the US. Hydroxychloroquine is one of the oldest and best-known anti-malarial drugs. US President Donald Trump has called hydroxychloroquine a "game-changer" drug in the fight against COVID-19. At Trump's request, India last month allowed the export of 50 million HCQ tablets to treat COVID-19 patients in America, the worst-hit country by the pandemic. "Hydroxychloroquine is first-line at Yale because in-vitro data shows potent inhibition of the virus and possible clinical benefit, which is about as good as evidence gets at the moment," Indian-American cardiologist Nihar Desai told the medical publication. "It's cheap, it's been used for decades, and people are relatively comfortable with it," he added. "We are trying to do the best we can. One hopes we never have to go through anything like this (coronavirus pandemic) again," Desai told MDedge. His home institution, Yale New Haven Hospital, is almost half full with COVID-19 patients, at more than 400, the report said. On Friday, US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. HCQ was the first drug to receive EAU from FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The vaccine has reportedly cured patients in New York and several other places. Reports indicate that the malaria drug has been effective during the initial phases of a person being infected by coronavirus but poses a danger to those having heart ailments. Email ArticlePrint Article Next Story
2 May 08:03 • The Hans India • https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/several-us-hospitals-using-hydroxychloroquine-in-treatment-of-covid-19-patients-report-620359Rating: 1.10
US Approval Broadens Use of COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir
Gilead Science Inc’s (GILD.O) antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. “It’s the first authorized therapy for COVID-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 US states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. US Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading.
2 May 06:29 • TOLO news • https://tolonews.com/index.php/world/us-approval-broadens-use-covid-19-drug-remdesivirRating: 1.16
'Murder hornets' spotted in the US for the first time
3 May 23:46
•
27 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 4.16
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:52
Average US: 46.0037037037037
Weighted average US: 38.31182641947147
Average GB: 2.237037037037037
Weighted average GB: 4.844173508471811
Average IN: 5.037037037037036
Weighted average IN: 5.0802493867948355
'Murder hornets' spotted in the US for the first time
A horrifically large species of Asian hornets, dubbed ‘murder hornets,’ are becoming active in the US with the arrival of warmer spring weather after being discovered in the country for the first time. Scientists say the Asian giant hornets have become active last month after the queens came out of hibernation and began forming colonies. The deadly species was first discovered in Washington state last December, but experts say it is a matter of time before they make their way across the country. The hornets can grow to be up to two inches long and earned their terrifying nickname because of their powerful venom which can kill a human if stung multiple times. They are also strong enough to penetrate a beekeeper’s suit. The hornets are known to be much more aggressive towards bees than humans, although they kill approximately 50 people a year in Japan. Scientists are still unsure about how the hornets made it to the US from Asia. They were first discovered in Custer, Washington for the first time after beekeeper Ted McFall found his bees killed and decapitated, according to The New York Times. It was later determined his McFalls’ bees were killed by the massive hornet species. Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at Washington State University’s Department of Entomology, told WSU Insider the hornets are ‘like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face.’ The hornets’ venom has been known to send humans into anaphylactic shock or organ failure. It has also been known to destroy nerve endings and break down flesh. Those who have survived an attack by the hornets have had physical effects last for months, including inflammation of the liver and heart. Todd Murray, an entomologist and invasive species specialist at Washington State University, called the ‘shockingly large hornet’ a ‘health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.’ Researchers said the hornets are known to target beehives. They reportedly decapitate and kill the adults while eating the larvae and pupae. Because of their size and strength, a handful of hornets can destroy an entire hive of honey bees in just hours. Experts urged people to stay away from the hornets and report any sightings. ‘Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,’ said Chris Looney, an entomologist at Washington’s agricultural department, told Washington State University. ‘If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know every sighting if we’re going to have any hope of eradication.’
3 May 23:46 • Metro • https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/03/murder-hornets-spotted-us-first-time-12649564/Rating: 2.18
The US is being colonized by 'murder hornets,' a 'shockingly large' insect that can kill humans and behead entire colonies of bees
As if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the “murder hornet.” Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state’s Department of Agriculture says. The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April. “They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at WSU’s Department of Entomology. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at the university. While generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances. In 2013, between July and October, the insects killed 41 people and injured 1,600 in Shaanxi province during a particularly bad hornet season, the BBC reported. Their main target, however, is the hives of honeybees, which they attack and often will destroy, largely by decapitating the bees in the hive, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). “Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a “slaughter phase” where they kill bees by decapitating them,” the department said. “They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.” Scientists are keen to make clear that people should be extremely cautious around the insects. Such is the threat posed by the giant hornets that the WSDA has an entire web page devoted to reporting sightings of the insects and instructions on how to trap them. The site displays a large red banner warning people to be careful near them. “Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,” said entomologist Chris Looney from the WSDA in a blog post on the WSU website. “If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we’re going to have any hope of eradication.”
3 May 15:51 • Business Insider Nederland • https://www.businessinsider.nl/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5/Rating: 0.30
Giant Asian 'murder hornets' that kill dozens of people a year spread to the West
Giant Asian 'murder hornets' which kill dozens of people every year are invading western parts of the world. The large insects, which are native to tropical climates, have been spotted several times in the US. The sightings started in November 2019 along the west coast, but it is unclear who they got there. More than double the size of honeybees, Asian giant hornets have a wingspan measuring more than three inches. They have a large stinger that contains deadly venom neurotoxin, which can cause cardiac arrest and anaphylactic shock. Conrad Bérubé, a beekeeper and entomologist, was sent to destroy a hive on Vancouver Island, but was stung several times by one. He told the New York Times : "It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh." He added he was left bleeding after being stung. He still managed to destroy the nest, but he said he suffered from leg pains as if he had the flu. Despite the deadly threat to humans, entomologists are more concerned that the 'murder hornets' will kill bee populations in the US. Last month, experts warned an invasion of large hornets in the UK, which could cost £7.6m in research alone. It will cost the country millions to get rid of the potentially deadly two-inch insects and have a devastating impact on the already-dwindling bee population. Asian hornets were accidentally introduced to France from China in 2004 and they have been spreading rapidly throughout Europe ever since. Experts estimate the Asian hornet colonised most of France at a rate of 60 to 80 kilometres per year. And the species has swiftly been invading other countries including Spain in 2010, Portugal and Belgium in 2011, Italy in 2012 and Germany in 2014. The first invasive hornets made it to the UK in 2016. Now French scientists have evaluated the estimated cost of the invasion to Europe. Professor Franck Courchamp said: "In 2006, only two years after the hornet was first observed in France, three departments were already invaded and the cost of nest destruction was estimated at 408,000 euros. "Since then, the estimated yearly costs have been increasing by about 450,000 euros each year, as the hornet keeps spreading and invades new departments. “Definitely more actions need to be taken in order to handle harmful invasive species - one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning." Nicola Spence, Chief Plant Health Officer, said: “By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets. “While the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than a bee, we recognise the damage they can cause to honey bee colonies and other beneficial insects. "Please continue to look out for any Asian hornets and if you think you’ve spotted one, report your sighting through the Asian hornet app or online.” They analysed the negative impact on ecosystems and the global decline in pollination and honey production. Attempts to control the invasion concentrate on destroying hornet nests and bait trapping. But experts say these methods are not enough to completely eradicate the species.
3 May 17:23 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/giant-asian-murder-hornets-kill-21967552Rating: 2.39
US bracing for invasion of monster hornets
The US is facing an invasion of giant Asian hornets that scientists fear could threaten its bee population. The monster hornets – nicknamed "murder hornets" by researchers in the northwestern state of Washington – were first spotted late last year near Blaine, a town near the Canadian border. Known as the Vespa Mandarinia, the hornet is two inches long and is capable of stinging several times, which can prove fatal. It is estimated that they kill around 50 people a year in Japan alone. The hornets' stingers are so long that they can penetrate beekeepers' protective suits. Their toxic venom is equivalent to that of a poisonous snake, according to Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan. In all four hornet colonies were found in Washington and two more were discovered in British Columbia. The tell-tale sign was piles of dead bees with their heads ripped off. Just a handful of hornets can destroy a beehive in a matter of hours, according to Washington's department of agriculture. Having decapitated the bees during what is known as their "slaughter phase" the hornets then take control of the hive. They then use the bodies of the bees to feed their young. "It's a shockingly large hornet," said Todd Murray, an entomologist at Washington State University. "It's a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honeybees," he added. "They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," said Susan Cobey, a bee breeder with Washington State University's Department of Entomology. The hornets' natural habitat is the forests and mountains of eastern and southeast Asia, where it has already devastated the local population of the European honeybee. How they arrived in North America remains unclear. One theory is that they might have been inadvertently transported in international cargo. Washington's department of agriculture has issued a chilling warning to local residents, telling them to use extreme caution should they come across a colony, even though they do not normally attack people or pets unless they feel threatened. "Anyone who is allergic to bee or wasp stings should never approach an Asian giant hornet," it said. "Don't try to take them out yourself if you see them," added Chris Looney, another state of Washington entomologist. "If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we're going to have any hope of eradication."
3 May 18:42 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/us-bracing-invasion-monster-hornets-184204926.htmlRating: 0.30
‘Murder hornets’ spotted in United States
(CNN) – Scientists say an invasive and potentially deadly species of hornets has made its way to the United States. Asian giant hornets, which researchers have nicknamed “murder hornets,” have been spotted in Washington state. Their venomous sting can kill humans if they are stung multiple times. The hornets are also strong enough to puncture a beekeeper’s suit. The hornets are more than 2 inches long and have reportedly been attacking beehives in Washington state. Scientists do not yet know how they made it to the U.S. The hornets were first spotted in Washington state in December, and scientists believe they started becoming active again last month. Copyright 2020 CNN. All rights reserved.
3 May 17:13 • Hawaii News Now • https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/05/03/murder-hornets-spotted-united-states/Rating: 0.30
Killer Asian Giant Hornets Discovered in U.S. for First Time
Asia’s ‘murder hornets’ were spotted in the United States for the first time recently, causing scientists to worry that the insect might be colonizing. “In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States,” the New York Times reported Saturday. The article continued: The initial sightings occurred in Washington state in December, and scientists have since launched a full-scale hunt for the deadly pest over concerns it might “establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost,” the Times noted. During the winter, state agriculture biologists and local beekeepers joined forces and set up traps to find and kill the hornets. “This is our window to keep it from establishing. If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done,” said Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Sunday, ABC 13 shared a photo of an Asian giant hornet on Twitter. An infestation of the hornets could be devastating for beekeepers who bring their hives to Washington state to pollinate Northwest Pacific crops such as cherries, blueberries, and apples, according to UPI. “Commercial beekeepers have 300 to 400 hives in the area,” said Timothy Lawrence, director of the Island County extension office at Washington State University. “They may not want to go to certain counties if this infestation takes hold.” Global economies and travel to and from distant places have caused invasive species to be more common, according to Todd Murray, a Washington State University extension entomologist. “When we do get establishment of a new invasive species, its’ [sic] a ‘forever change,’ and becomes something we learn to live with,” he explained, adding, “This is definitely a hornet I don’t want to learn to live with.”
3 May 19:57 • Breitbart • https://www.breitbart.com/environment/2020/05/03/killer-asian-giant-hornets-discovered-u-s-first-time/Rating: 0.30
Asian Giant 'Murder' Hornets Come to America, Threaten Crops and Terrorize People
The Asian Giant Hornet, nicknamed the "murder hornet," is the latest export of Asia to wreak havoc in the U.S. While native to places like South Korea and Japan, the insect was detected in Washington State late last year. While the insect is known to devastate crops, it also poses a threat to human beings in its path. In Japan, up to 50 people are killed by murder hornets every year. The hornets have yellow-orange heads and prominent eyes. Their abdomens are black and yellow striped, and the insect is usually around 1.5 inches long. The queens can grow to be two inches in length. The New York Times reports the insect uses mandibles, shaped like shark fins, to wipe out entire honeybee hives in a matter of hours. After decapitating the honeybees, the terrorizing hornets then feed the thoraxes of the honeybees to their young. Humans have likened the hornet's stinger and accompanying venom to the feeling of "hot metal driving into their skin," according to The Times. The bees stinger is even long enough to penetrate a beekeeper's suit. In Dec. 2019, Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed four sightings of the insect in the state. The hornets had been spotted in British Columbia that fall. The hornets are most dangerous at the end of summer into early fall as they ravage through honeybee populations, which are needed to pollinate crops. The hornet's sting is not only painful but infects the victim with neurotoxins. Even to someone who is not allergic to bees, a few stings can be enough to kill a person. Officials in Washington State are beginning to track the hornets and set up traps in an effort to mitigate the damage caused by the invaders.
3 May 22:20 • Townhall • https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bronsonstocking/2020/05/03/asian-giant-murder-hornets-come-to-america-threatening-crops-and-terrorizing-p-n2568096Rating: 0.30
‘Murder hornets’ spotted in United States
(CNN) – Scientists say an invasive and potentially deadly species of hornets has made its way to the United States. Asian giant hornets, which researchers have nicknamed “murder hornets,” have been spotted in Washington state. Their venomous sting can kill humans if they are stung multiple times. The hornets are also strong enough to puncture a beekeeper’s suit. The hornets are more than 2 inches long and have reportedly been attacking beehives in Washington state. Scientists do not yet know how they made it to the U.S. The hornets were first spotted in Washington state in December, and scientists believe they started becoming active again last month.
3 May 17:13 • NewsChannel 10 • https://www.newschannel10.com/2020/05/03/murder-hornets-spotted-united-states/Rating: 0.30
‘Murder hornets’ spotted in United States
(CNN) – Scientists say an invasive and potentially deadly species of hornets has made its way to the United States. Asian giant hornets, which researchers have nicknamed “murder hornets,” have been spotted in Washington state. Their venomous sting can kill humans if they are stung multiple times. The hornets are also strong enough to puncture a beekeeper’s suit. The hornets are more than 2 inches long and have reportedly been attacking beehives in Washington state. Scientists do not yet know how they made it to the U.S. The hornets were first spotted in Washington state in December, and scientists believe they started becoming active again last month.
3 May 17:08 • WVLT • https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Murder-hornet-spotted-in-United-States-570158331.htmlRating: 0.30
The US is being colonised by 'murder hornets,' a 'shockingly large' insect that can kill humans and behead entire colonies of bees
As if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the “murder hornet.” Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state’s Department of Agriculture says. The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April. “They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at WSU’s Department of Entomology. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at the university. While generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances. In 2013, between July and October, the insects killed 41 people and injured 1,600 in Shaanxi province during a particularly bad hornet season, the BBC reported. Their main target, however, is the hives of honeybees, which they attack and often will destroy, largely by decapitating the bees in the hive, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). “Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a “slaughter phase” where they kill bees by decapitating them,” the department said. “They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.” Scientists are keen to make clear that people should be extremely cautious around the insects. Such is the threat posed by the giant hornets that the WSDA has an entire web page devoted to reporting sightings of the insects and instructions on how to trap them. The site displays a large red banner warning people to be careful near them. “Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,” said entomologist Chris Looney from the WSDA in a blog post on the WSU website. “If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we’re going to have any hope of eradication.”
3 May 13:48 • Business Insider Australia • https://www.businessinsider.com.au/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5Rating: 0.30
The US is being colonized by ‘murder hornets,’ a ‘shockingly large’ insect that can kill humans and behead entire colonies of bees
As if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the “murder hornet.” Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state’s Department of Agriculture says. The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April. “They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at WSU’s Department of Entomology. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at the university. While generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances. In 2013, between July and October, the insects killed 41 people and injured 1,600 in Shaanxi province during a particularly bad hornet season, the BBC reported. Their main target, however, is the hives of honeybees, which they attack and often will destroy, largely by decapitating the bees in the hive, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). “Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a “slaughter phase” where they kill bees by decapitating them,” the department said. “They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.” Scientists are keen to make clear that people should be extremely cautious around the insects. Such is the threat posed by the giant hornets that the WSDA has an entire web page devoted to reporting sightings of the insects and instructions on how to trap them. The site displays a large red banner warning people to be careful near them. “Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,” said entomologist Chris Looney from the WSDA in a blog post on the WSU website. “If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we’re going to have any hope of eradication.”
3 May 13:48 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5Rating: 0.30
The US is being colonized by 'murder hornets,' a 'shockingly large' insect that can kill humans and behead entire colonies of bees, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
As if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the “murder hornet.” Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state’s Department of Agriculture says. The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April. “They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at WSU’s Department of Entomology. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at the university. While generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances. In 2013, between July and October, the insects killed 41 people and injured 1,600 in Shaanxi province during a particularly bad hornet season, the BBC reported. Their main target, however, is the hives of honeybees, which they attack and often will destroy, largely by decapitating the bees in the hive, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). “Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a “slaughter phase” where they kill bees by decapitating them,” the department said. “They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.” Scientists are keen to make clear that people should be extremely cautious around the insects. Such is the threat posed by the giant hornets that the WSDA has an entire web page devoted to reporting sightings of the insects and instructions on how to trap them. The site displays a large red banner warning people to be careful near them. “Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,” said entomologist Chris Looney from the WSDA in a blog post on the WSU website. “If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we’re going to have any hope of eradication.”
3 May 13:48 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5Rating: 0.30
Giant 'Murder Hornets' Threat Looms Over the United States - Report
Scientists in the United States have embarked on a full-scale hunt for dangerous insects known as Asian giant hornets which have been spotted in the country for the first time and which threaten to decimate local bee populations if left unchecked, The New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, the insects, simply described as “murder hornets” by some researchers, were apparently spotted in Washington State last fall, and at least one beekeeper there apparently found one of his bee colonies wiped out - "thousands and thousands of bees with their heads torn from their bodies and no sign of a culprit". With their queens capable of growing up to two inches in size, Asian giant hornets possess sharp mandibles that potentially allow them to "wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours", while their long stinger – which can puncture a beekeeper's suit – and potent venom make them a credible threat to humans as well, as the hornets kill up to 50 people a year in Japan. Now, researchers are hunting for the hornets before the insects "establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost". The newspaper adds that Asian giant hornets were also apparently seen in Canada, with one hornet being spotted in British Columbia in November, some 10 miles away from the site of the sightings in Washington State, while a whole hive of hornets was located in Vancouver Island before that.
3 May 11:49 • Sputniknews • https://sputniknews.com/environment/202005031079181259-giant-murder-hornets-threat-looms-over-the-united-states/Rating: 3.96
"Murder hornets" have entered the U.S. for the first time
"Asian giant hornets" are an invasive and potentially deadly species. They've now been found in the U.S. for the first time. Researchers have nicknamed the species "murder hornet." The "murder hornet" has a venomous sting that can kill a human if they are stung several times. They're also strong enough to puncture a beekeeper's suit. The hornets are described as more than two inches long. They've reportedly been attacking beehives in Washington state. Scientists do not yet know how they made it to the United States.
3 May 17:47 • ABC15 Arizona • https://www.abc15.com/news/national/murder-hornets-have-entered-the-u-s-for-the-first-timeRating: 0.30
Invasive 'murder hornets' have been spotted in the U.S.
Just when you thought 2020 could not get any worse. Now we have giant hornets with freakish eyes and a venomous sting to add to this year's list of worries. For the first time, Asian giant hornets have been spotted in the United States, specifically in Washington state, scientists say. Beekeepers have reported piles of dead bees with their heads ripped off, an alarming sight in a country with a rapidly declining bee population. At more than two inches long, they're the world's largest hornets with a sting that can kill humans if bitten multiple times, according to experts at the Washington State University. Researches have nicknamed them "murder hornets." "They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at the Washington State University's department of entomology, said recently. Scientists don't know how these giant hornets native to Asia ended up in Washington state. They're sometimes transported in international cargo -- in some cases deliberately, said Seth Truscott with WSU's college of agricultural, human and natural resource sciences. The giant hornet was first spotted in the state in December, and scientists believe it started becoming active again last month, when queens emerge from hibernation to build nests and form colonies. "Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall, when they are on the hunt for sources of protein to raise next year's queens," Truscott said on the WSU's Insider. "They attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and devouring bee larvae and pupae, while aggressively defending the occupied colony," he added. "Their stings are big and painful, with a potent neurotoxin. Multiple stings can kill humans, even if they are not allergic." Washington state agricultural officials are asking beekeepers and residents to report any sightings of the giant hornets. But don't get too close. Its sting can penetrate a regular beekeeper's suit, and state scientists had to order special reinforced suits. "Don't try to take them out yourself if you see them," said entomologist Chris Looney of the state Department of Agriculture. "If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we're going to have any hope of eradication." State officials are asking people in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan, Jefferson and Clallam counties to be especially vigilant. The giant hornets especially target bees between late summer and the fall. "The most likely time to catch Asian giant hornets is from July through October -- when colonies are established and workers are out foraging," the Washington State Department of Agriculture said in a statement. "Traps can be hung as early as April if attempting to trap queens, but since there are significantly fewer queens than workers, catching a queen isn't very likely." State officials set up traps and launched an app to quickly report sightings, saying just a few of the hornets can devastate a hive within hours. Bees pollinate plants producing fruit, nuts and vegetables, and are crucial to the nation's food industry. Attack by the hornets risks decimating bees, which are already on endangered lists due to their sharply declining numbers.
3 May 13:46 • CTVNews • https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/invasive-murder-hornets-have-been-spotted-in-the-u-s-1.4922711Rating: 2.87
'Murder hornet' from Asia found in the US for first time
BLAINE, Washington -- Officials are warning about the Asian giant hornet, a new invasive species found in Washington state that can pack a powerful sting and be a threat to honeybees.The Washington State Department of Agriculture said the bug was found in early December in Blaine, near the Canadian border.The state's agriculture and health officials are now warning people in the area to be on the lookout and avoid the hornets, which are typically 1.5 inches long with large yellow heads.Researchers simply call it the "murder hornet."The species is not usually interested in humans or animals but may sting if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened.They are a greater threat to honeybee populations in the United States, scientists say.The health department says humans should take preventative measures by covering food and garbage and also avoid swatting at the hornets.Winter is dormant season for the bugs, which are more often seen from July through October.
3 May 00:19 • ABC7 Los Angeles • https://abc7.com/pets-animals/murder-hornet-found-in-the-us-for-first-time/6145910/Rating: 0.39
'Murder hornet' from Asia found in the US for first time
Asian giant hornets are primarily a threat to honeybees, but may sting humans if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened. BLAINE, Washington -- Officials are warning about the Asian giant hornet, a new invasive species found in Washington state that can pack a powerful sting and be a threat to honeybees. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said the bug was found in early December in Blaine, near the Canadian border. The state's agriculture and health officials are now warning people in the area to be on the lookout and avoid the hornets, which are typically 1.5 inches long with large yellow heads. Researchers simply call it the "murder hornet." The species is not usually interested in humans or animals but may sting if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened. They are a greater threat to honeybee populations in the United States, scientists say. The health department says humans should take preventative measures by covering food and garbage and also avoid swatting at the hornets. Winter is dormant season for the bugs, which are more often seen from July through October.
3 May 00:19 • ABC7 New York • https://abc7ny.com/pets-animals/new-dangerous-species-of-hornet-found-in-us/6145910/Rating: 0.30
'Murder hornet' from Asia found in the US for first time
Asian giant hornets are primarily a threat to honeybees, but may sting humans if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened. BLAINE, Washington -- Officials are warning about the Asian giant hornet, a new invasive species found in Washington state that can pack a powerful sting and be a threat to honeybees. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said the bug was found in early December in Blaine, near the Canadian border. The state's agriculture and health officials are now warning people in the area to be on the lookout and avoid the hornets, which are typically 1.5 inches long with large yellow heads. Researchers simply call it the "murder hornet." The species is not usually interested in humans or animals but may sting if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened. They are a greater threat to honeybee populations in the United States, scientists say. The health department says humans should take preventative measures by covering food and garbage and also avoid swatting at the hornets. Winter is dormant season for the bugs, which are more often seen from July through October.
3 May 00:19 • ABC7 New York • https://abc7ny.com/pets-animals/murder-hornet-found-in-the-us-for-first-time/6145910/Rating: 0.30
New, dangerous species of hornet found in US
Officials are warning about the Asian giant hornet, a new invasive species found in Washington state that can pack a powerful sting and be a threat to honeybees.The Washington State Department of Agriculture said the bug was found in early December in Blaine, near the Canadian border.The state's agriculture and health officials are now warning people in the area to be on the lookout and avoid the hornets, which are typically 1.5 inches long with large yellow heads.The species is not usually interested in humans or animals but may sting if they or their ground nests are disturbed or threatened.The health department says humans should take preventative measures by covering food and garbage and also avoid swatting at the hornets.Winter is dormant season for the bugs, which are more often seen from July through October.
3 May 00:19 • ABC7 Los Angeles • https://abc7.com/pets-animals/new-dangerous-species-of-hornet-found-in-us/6145910/Rating: 0.39
'Murder Hornets' Have Officially Been Spotted in The US. Here's What You Need to Know
As if 2020 wasn't already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the "murder hornet". Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state's Department of Agriculture says. The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April. "They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at WSU's Department of Entomology. "It's a shockingly large hornet," added Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at the university. While generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances. In 2013, between July and October, the insects killed 41 people and injured 1,600 in Shaanxi province during a particularly bad hornet season, the BBC reported. Their main target, however, is the hives of honeybees, which they attack and often will destroy, largely by decapitating the bees in the hive, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). "Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a "slaughter phase" where they kill bees by decapitating them," the department said. "They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects." Scientists are keen to make clear that people should be extremely cautious around the insects. Such is the threat posed by the giant hornets that the WSDA has an entire web page devoted to reporting sightings of the insects and instructions on how to trap them. The site displays a large red banner warning people to be careful near them. "Don't try to take them out yourself if you see them," said entomologist Chris Looney from the WSDA in a blog post on the WSU website. "If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we're going to have any hope of eradication." This article was originally published by Business Insider. More from Business Insider:
3 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-a-murder-hornet-and-it-s-currently-taking-over-the-usRating: 1.50
'Murder hornets' arrive in the U.S., beekeepers fear mass honeybee deaths
A species of giant hornets native to Asia, nicknamed “murder hornets,” with mandibles that look like spiky shark fins they use to bite the heads off honeybees. People who've been stung by these hornets say their venom and stingers feel like hot metal driving into skin. They make an appearance in the viral video above, by YouTube persona Coyote Peterson. “Murder hornets” have arrived in the United States. And scientists fear they may further destroy fragile honeybee populations, reports Mike Baker in the New York Times. The story opens with a beekeeper realizing his hive has been decimated by the 'murder hornets': Read more: Tracking the ‘Murder Hornet’: A Deadly Pest Has Reached North America[Mike Baker, NYT]
2 May 20:44 • Boing Boing • https://boingboing.net/2020/05/02/murder-hornets-arrive-in-t.htmlRating: 1.31
'Murder hornets' in Washington state threaten bees and whip up media swarm
Researchers and citizens in Washington state are on a careful hunt for invasive “murder hornets”, after the insect made its first appearance in the US. The Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest and can kill humans. But it is most dangerous for the European honeybee, which is defenseless in the face of the hornet’s spiky mandibles, long stinger and potent venom. Washington state verified four reports of Asian giant hornets in two north-western cities in December. The species becomes more active in April, prompting local officials to invite the public to help beekeepers by creating their own hornet traps. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” Todd Murray, Washington State University Extension entomologist and invasive species specialist, said in a statement. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honeybees.” Murray said it was important for people to learn to recognize the insect now, while the population is small and still new to the region. “We need to teach people how to recognize and identify this hornet while populations are small,” he said, “so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance.” The hornets are about the size of an adult thumb, with a yellow and orange head. They are most destructive in the late summer and early fall. One telltale sign they have visited a hive is the remains of decapitated bees. Some researchers refer to the insect as a “murder hornet”, according to a New York Times story published on Saturday. In Japan, up to 50 people a year die after being stung, though the hornet is usually only aggressive to humans if it is disturbed. The Times story prompted a slew of comments on social media, noting the appearance of the hornets in the US in 2020, alongside famine, pestilence and war. “Whomever had murder by hornet on their apocalypse bingo card, please step forward to collect your winnings,” wrote Kaz Weida, a freelance journalist. The comedian Patton Oswalt shared the story and wrote “murder hornets. Sure thing, 2020. Give us everything. Hypno-frogs. Fecal blizzards. Toilet tsunamis. A CATS sequel. We can take it.” The author Rabih Alameddine posted: “I really think that was missing from my life this year was murder hornets.”
2 May 20:02 • the Guardian • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/02/murder-hornets-washington-state-bees-twitterRating: 5.39
Asia's 'murder hornet' lands in US for first time
Beekeepers are fretting about a deadly threat from Asia. Deadly hornets from Asia that measure up to 2 inches long have been found for the first time in the U.S., with researchers worried that the insects are colonizing, the New York Post reported Saturday. The “murder hornets,” as the aggressive insects are known, can wipe out bee colonies within hours and have stingers long and powerful enough to puncture beekeeping suits, according to the paper. In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year, according to The New York Times. CORONAVIRUS MAKES IT HARDER TO BATTLE SWARMS OF LOCUSTS RAVAGING AFRICA In the state of Washington, beekeepers have already seen the hornets devastate their hives, according to the paper. The hornet has a distinctive look, with a cartoonishly fierce face featuring teardrop eyes like Spider-Man, orange and black stripes that extend down its body like a tiger and broad, wispy wings like a small dragonfly, The Times reported. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE “This is our window to keep it from establishing,” Washington state entomologist Chris Looney told The Times. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.” The Bellingham Herald in Washington reported Saturday that the State Department received and verified four reports of Asian giant hornets near Blaine and Bellingham in December 2019. Those were the first sightings of the hornets in Washington state and the U.S. Members of the Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association have put up traps and are monitoring them as part of the state’s efforts to find and kill the invasive pests, the paper reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The hornet dwarfs other winged insects, making the yellow-head bumblebee, bald-faced hornet and western yellowjacket seem small in comparison, and even when compared to the burly bumblebee, according to the Herald.
2 May 19:10 • Fox News • https://www.foxnews.com/science/asia-murder-hornet-in-us-first-timeRating: 3.32
Asian 'murder hornets' found in US
A species of Asian "murder hornets" has appeared in the U.S. as researchers search for ways to eradicate the vicious insects before populations grow. The hornets were discovered near Custer, Wash., last November when beekeeper Ted McFall found carcasses of his bees with decapitated heads, according to an interview with The New York Times. McFall told the Times that he could not imagine what could have killed his bees, later discovering that it was the result of a murder hornet attack. The Asian hornets are reportedly enormous, with queens growing as long as two inches. According to the Times, the hornets utilize their mandibles, which are shaped like spiked shark fins, to decapitate worker bees, clearing hives within hours and feeding honeybee thoraxes to their offspring. The hornet's venom causes unbearable pain for larger victims who are stung, which reportedly feels like hot metal being driven through one's skin. They also can break through beekeeper suits, presenting a real threat to not only honeybees but also their keepers. Japan reports around 50 people a year die from deadly hornet attacks, the Times added. While McFall did not directly witness the attack, researchers have discovered the undesirable insects in northwest Washington, although little information, including population numbers, is known. Scientists are reportedly seeking to track the invasive species to prevent further bee colonies from being eradicated while attempting to reduce the murder hornet population. Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told the Times that the hornets must be controlled within a short time frame. "This is our window to keep it from establishing," he said, according to the Times, adding, "If we can't do it in the next couple of years, it probably can't be done."
2 May 18:52 • TheHill • https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/495812-asian-murder-hornets-found-in-usRating: 1.94
Asia’s ‘murder hornet’ found in US for first time
Enough already. Now, deadly hornets from Asia that measure up to 2 inches long have been found for the first time in the US — and researchers are worried they’re colonizing. The aggressive insects, nicknamed “murder hornets,” can wipe out bee colonies within hours and have stingers long and powerful enough to puncture beekeeping suits. Beekeepers in Washington have already seen the hornets devastate their hives; Japan attributes 50 human deaths a year to the nasty buzzers, which have “teardrop eyes like Spider-Man, orange and black stripes that extend down its body like a tiger, and broad, wispy wings like a small dragonfly,” according to the New York Times. Researchers are determined to keep the hornets in check. “This is our window to keep it from establishing,” Washington state entomologist Chris Looney told the Times. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.”
2 May 17:16 • New York Post • https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/asias-murder-hornet-found-for-first-time-in-the-us/Rating: 2.55
Giant 'murder hornets' that kill up to 50 people a year in Asia have invaded the US: Scientists desperately try to stop spread of predator bugs that decimate bee colonies
Asian giant hornets have been spotted in the United States and Canada for the first time - sparking panic among members of the scientific community . The large insects - nicknamed 'murder hornets' - are native to temperate and tropical climates in East Asia, where they kill around 50 people are year. But since November 2019, there have been several sightings of the hornets on the west coast of North America. It's unclear how they arrived. Asian giant hornets are more than double the size of honeybees, and have a wingspan measuring more than three inches. The insects also have a large stinger filled with venom that contains neurotoxin, which is capable of causing both cardiac arrest and anaphylactic shock. Beekeeper Conrad Bérubé told The New York Times he was recently attacked by a swarm of the 'murder hornets' on Vancouver Island. 'It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh,' Bérubé stated, adding that he was left bleeding from the attack. Bérubé was stung seven times and was lucky to be alive. But while the hornets can be deadly to humans, entomologists are more concerned that they could kill of bee populations in North America. The insects are ferocious and can decimate entire beehives in just hours. Last November, a beekeeper in Washington state found 'thousands and thousands' of his honeybees with their heads torn off. 'I couldn't wrap my head around what could have done that,' the keeper stated. Asian giant hornets nest in the ground for most of the year, but are most active between July and November. Now, entomologists are 'embarking on a full-scale hunt for the hornets', before they breed and become widely established in North America. 'This is our window, Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told The Times. While he has set out in the woods of Washington to trap the hornets, he says the task will be difficult, given the hornets can fly more than 20 miles an hour. 'If we can't do it in the next couple of years, it probably can't be done,' he stated.
2 May 21:44 • Mail Online • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8281101/Giant-murder-hornets-kill-50-people-year-Asia-invaded-US.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490Rating: 4.11
Invasive Asian giant hornet discovered in Washington state
DENVER, May 2 (UPI) -- Washington agriculture authorities are asking residents to be on the lookout for an invasive giant wasp with an "excruciating" sting that attacks honeybee colonies, leaving thousands of bees without heads. "The Asian giant hornet been called the most venomous, intimidating insect in the world, and it even scares away other hornets," said Timothy Lawrence, director of the Island County extension office at Washington State University. Asian giant hornets originating in South Korea were first reported last fall near Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Then, residents in Blaine, Wash., near the Canadian border, used an invasive species app to report wasps that were confirmed to be Asian giant hornets from Japan, the state agriculture department said. An infestation of the new giant wasps could be devastating for beekeepers who bring their hives to the state to pollinate Northwest Pacific crops like cherries, blueberries and apples. "Commercial beekeepers have 300 to 400 hives in the area. They may not want to go to certain counties if this infestation takes hold," Lawrence said. In Europe, the invasive yellow-legged Asian hornets, which also kill honeybees and other pollinators, has caused millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops in France and elsewhere after they gained a foothold. The Asian giant hornets, also called "yak-killer hornets," measure about 2 inches long and have an orangeish-yellow face with large black eyes. "They're like something out of a monster cartoon," Susan Cobey, a bee breeder with WSU's Department of Entomology, said in a statement. The Asian giant hornet's sting is described as excruciating, and they can sting repeatedly. Their quarter-inch stinger can penetrate beekeeping protective clothing, a state agriculture department warning said. The wasps are dangerous if their underground nests are disturbed, or if a food source is threatened. Their venom, seven-times stronger than that of honeybees, can cause anaphylactic shock, but also can be lethal to people who are not allergic if victims are stung repeatedly. "They give a warning before they sting. They snap their mandibles and make a clicking sound," Lawrence said. "But if you stick around to notice that, you're probably already in a world of hurt." The wasps might have hitched a ride to the Pacific Coast in a container ship, but also could have been imported intentionally as an ingredient for a folk recipe for wasp venom in alcohol, made popular by Internet bodybuilders, entomologists think. The life cycle of the Asian giant hornet begins when a queen emerges from hibernation in April and feeds on plant sap and fruit, looking for a spot to build an underground nest, according to state fact sheets. By summer, queens have created a colony of worker wasps that spread out to seek food. At the end of the summer, the hornets enter a "high-protein demand" phase when they attack honeybee colonies, killing off the adults to feast on the immature brood of pupa and larva, scientists say. The hornets will leave piles of dead bees, most of them headless, outside their beehive. A few dozen hornets can kill an entire colony of 30,000 bees in a few hours. Scientists will be hunting for queens this spring, wearing special reinforced suits from China, said Rian Wojahn, eradication coordinator for the pest program at the Washington State Department of Agriculture. "The suits are made out of thick foam material with everything -- boots, gloves, hat -- attached," Wojahn said. Trappers have set out bait bottles, filled with orange juice and rice wine, in coordination with state beekeeper clubs. The trappers will use heat cameras to find underground nests, Wojahn said. Wasps will be sedated with carbon dioxide fire extinguishers, and pest workers will dig out the nests. Local entomologists worry about native bees and other pollinators that also might be threatened if the Asian giant hornet gets established, said Todd Murray, a Washington State University extension entomologist. Global economies and travel between faraway parts of the world are making invasive species more common, Murray said. "When we do get establishment of a new invasive species, its' a 'forever change,' and becomes something we learn to live with," he said. This is definitely a hornet I don't want to learn to live with."
2 May 20:52 • UPI • https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/05/02/Invasive-Asian-giant-hornet-discovered-in-Washington-state/7661588207690/Rating: 0.76
FDA grants Gilead’s remdesivir emergency authorization for COVID-19 treatment
4 May 12:51
•
41 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 3.65
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:18
Average US: 8.660975609756097
Weighted average US: 14.363455637737301
Average GB: 2.754390243902439
Weighted average GB: 2.9736888205438823
Average IN: 12.317560975609757
Weighted average IN: 14.504091114822721
FDA grants Gilead’s remdesivir emergency authorization for COVID-19 treatment
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted an emergency use authorization to Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir, a decade-old experimental therapy first tested on Ebola disease patients, as a COVID-19 treatment. President Donald Trump announced the news just as the markets closed Friday afternoon at the White House. The authorization means that the drug can be used by hospitalized patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 outside of clinical trials or on a compassionate use basis. Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day on Thursday night told investors during an earnings call that talks with the FDA about an emergency use authorization, or EUA, or other formal approval had intensified in the last 48 hours. “There’s a big sense of urgency,” he said, according to a FactSet transcript of the call. “We think the FDA will move quite quickly.” Shares of Gilead GILD, -4.82% moved 1.9% higher in after-hours trading Friday immediately after the announcement. Year-to-date, the company’s stock has gained 23%, hitting a low of $62.23 on Jan. 21 before soaring to a $85.97 high for the year on March 19. It closed Friday at $79.95. The antiviral drug has been widely considered a front-runner in the rush to find viable treatments for a disease that has sickened more than three million people worldwide and killed at least 220,000, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. It is the first new drug to get an EUA, a type of authorization that the FDA is using during the pandemic. The regulator in March authorized chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to be repurposed for some COVID-19 patients though both drugs have previously been approved to treat other diseases, like malaria. Investors and clinicians have been paying close attention to the snippets of study data about the antiviral drugs, sending the company’s shares up or down depending on the day. Though experts have had mixed responses to the clinical findings so far, it’s clear that demand is high. There are no proven treatments for infections caused by the coronavirus, making it difficult for the nation’s health-care workers to care for the patients who end up in their emergency rooms and intensive care unit beds. There’s also an economic angle. The market has been swinging in response to remdesivir data, driven by the investor stance that a proven treatment, even more so than vaccine, would support the prospect of an economic rebound for the U.S., which is thought to be headed for a recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilead began developing remdesivir in 2009. It was later tested as a treatment for Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), among other diseases. The company said it began providing doses of remdesivir to the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Prevention in January when the coronavirus outbreak there began to worsen. By February, the investigational therapy had been moved into a number of clinical trials in the U.S. and abroad, including one conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). That trial has been the one to watch, primarily because it had a placebo arm and two of the Gilead-sponsored trials do not. A preliminary data analysis released this week by the federal research agency found that the drug improved recovery times in COVID-19 patients — the median time to recover in that group of patients was 11 days — compared with 15 days in those patients taking placebo. Though government officials including President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIAID director, have talked up the results, with Fauci saying remdesivir would become the standard of care in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, other medical experts have been more measured in their responses to the clinical-trial data. “Remdesivir is an efficacious drug beyond recovery time (but not a miracle, or extremely potent one),” Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, tweeted this week Half a dozen clinical trials testing remdesivir in COVID-19 patients have been launched since Chinese authorities first identified the virus late last year, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. However, two clinical trials in China have since been halted, and a medical study, published Wednesday in The Lancet, found that one of them, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site trial, didn’t report “statistically significant clinical benefits” in patients taking remdesivir. One positive finding was that remedesivir patients did have faster recoveries, though researchers urged confirmation studies. During Gilead’s Thursday earnings call, which was monopolized by remdesivir questions, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Dickinson said the company may spend up to $1 billion in 2020 developing the drug. “Under the emergency-use authorization, one could charge for the product,” CEO O’Day told investors on the earnings call. “We made a decision, as you know, to donate 1.5 million vials, which is the entirety of our supply through the early summer.” The vials encompass 140,000 10-day treatment courses. O’Day later said during the call that donating the investigational therapy “is the right thing to do at this time.” Analysts later stressed their concerns about the company’s lack of clarity about revenue generation for a drug brought to market under emergency powers during a global pandemic with huge public health implications. Raymond James’ Steven Seedhouse, one of at least three analysts to downgrade Gilead stock after the earnings call, cited the drug’s minimal impact on COVID-19 patients and the company’s unclear path to profitability for the drug. “It’s not clear to us if remdesivir will be used much in COVID beyond the initial 1.5M donated doses or beyond this near-term panic phase of the public health crisis,” he wrote. “Remdesivir has been a big sentiment boost for GILD (if not the entire market) and the company should be commended for its efforts in so quickly addressing this public health emergency, but we still feel it’s unlikely to result in tangible long-term cash flows,” J.P. Morgan analysts told investors when they downgraded the stock. SVP Leerink’s Geoffrey Porges, however, expects that Gilead will establish a business model for remdesivir. “The allocation process is likely to be challenging, controversial and ultimately highly political,” he wrote, “and once Gilead starts charging for the product we expect calls for the exercise of march-in rights and compulsory or no-cost licensing to become louder.” Some lawmakers, including Reps. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, and Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, have already raised questions about taxpayer investment in remdesivir. “The public deserves an accounting of what taxpayer investment enabled this hopeful COVID-19 treatment,” they wrote in an April 30 letter. The S&P 500 SPX, -2.80% is down 9.8% since the start of the year.
4 May 12:51 • MarketWatch • https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-gileads-remdesivir-became-the-leader-in-the-rush-to-find-a-treatment-for-covid-19-2020-05-01Rating: 0.30
Anti-malarial drug use for COVID-19 associated with increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a Public Health Concern of Global Interest on January 30, more than one million have tested positive for the illness in the United States, and more than 62,000 have died. With no FDA-approved treatments available to date, the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, has emerged as a potential therapy for the pneumonia associated with COVID-19, with or without the antibiotic azithromycin. In a brief report published today in JAMA Cardiology, a team of pharmacists and clinicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, found evidence suggesting that patients who received hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 were at increased risk of electrical changes to the heart and cardiac arrhythmias. The combination of hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin was linked to even greater changes compared to hydroxychloroquine alone. Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin each can cause an electrical disturbance in the heart known as a QTc prolongation, indicated by a longer space between specific peaks on an electrocardiogram. QTc prolongation denotes that the heart muscle is taking milliseconds longer than normal to recharge between beats. The delay can cause cardiac arrhythmias, which in turn increases the likelihood of cardiac arrest, stroke or death. In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, Mercuro and colleagues evaluated 90 adults with COVID-19 who were hospitalized at BIDMC between March 1 and April 7, 2020, and received at least one day of hydroxychloroquine. More than half of these patients also had high blood pressure, and more than 30 percent had diabetes. Seven patients (19 percent) who received hydroxychloroquine alone developed prolonged QTc of 500 milliseconds or more, and three patients had a change in QTc of 60 milliseconds or more. Of the 53 patients who also received azithromycin, 21 percent had prolonged QTc of 500 milliseconds or more, and 13 percent experienced a change in QTc of 60 milliseconds or more. In 2003, preliminary data suggested hydroxychloroquine may be effective against SARS-CoV-1, a fatal but hard-to-transmit respiratory virus related to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. More recently, a small study of patients with COVID-19 appeared to benefit from the anti-malarial drug. Subsequent research, however, has failed to confirm either finding. In light of their data, Gold and colleagues urge caution and careful consideration before administering hydroxychloroquine as treatment for COVID-19. "If considering the use of hydroxychloroquine, particularly combined with azithromycin, clinicians should carefully weigh the risks and benefits, and closely monitor QTc -- particularly considering patients' co-morbidities and concomitant medication use," said senior author Howard S. Gold, MD, an infectious disease specialist at BIDMC and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Based on our current knowledge, hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 should probably be limited to clinical trials." Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Journal reference: Mercuro, N.J., et al. (2020) Risk of QT Interval Prolongation Associated With Use of Hydroxychloroquine With or Without Concomitant Azithromycin Among Hospitalized Patients Testing Positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). JAMA Cardiology. doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2020.1834.
3 May 20:53 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Anti-malarial-drug-use-for-COVID-19-associated-with-increased-risk-of-cardiac-arrhythmias.aspxRating: 0.76
Braving the new challenge
Doctors are trained to work in challenging circumstances in order to treat people. But with the outbreak of COVID-19, staying healthy and safe has become an altogether new challenge for all the medical professionals in the frontline. And being a pulmonologist leaves one in the forefront of the action, as doctors with this specialisation are directly in touch with the patients in the COVID wards. The challenge is not in treating the patients, as the treatment is primarily based on symptomatic conditions, but it is in handling the patients, says Dr. Kothakota Raju, a pulmonologist at the GITAM Institute of Medical Science and Research, a government-nominated COVID hospital. Visakhapatnam district has recorded about 24 COVID positive cases and 23 were treated at GIMSR. Twenty-one have been discharged after testing negative. "On the one hand we have to live with the fact that even doctors and medical staff are prone to infections, and on the other, we have to bear the wrath of the patients," he says. "During the first phase of treatment, the patients were hostile and abusive. But we did not lose our cool and went on with our work and tried to convince them. They were even reluctant for a swab test. This was a big de-motivating factor for our nurses and the team of young doctors," he explains. Since COVID is a new disease and the medical fraternity is still learning from experience, social media had a negative effect on the minds of the young doctors and nursing staff. "Social media reports gave us a bad feeling. But we had to convince our team and after three weeks of continuous work had to quarantine the first team of doctors and nurses," remarks Dr. Raju. Though there was no shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), as the logistics team of the district gave us an uninterrupted flow of these, the news of doctors dying in other countries and the related social media posts, gave us a scary feeling. It took time to convince the nursing staff and the team of doctors. But now things are settling down after 21 successful discharges, opines Dr. Raju.
3 May 17:28 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/braving-the-new-challenge/article31495833.eceRating: 0.30
Gilead has yet to set a price for the coronavirus treatment remdesivir, but an influential drug pricing watchdog says it could be worth up to $4,500 per patient
While the big biotech Gilead Sciences has yet to outline its sales plan for the first effective coronavirus treatment, an influential drug pricing group has calculated the drug is worth up to $4,500 per patient. The experimental antiviral called remdesivir was authorized for emergency use in the US on Friday, after a trial showed patients on the drug recovered 31% faster than those on a placebo. That translates to shaving four days off the typical hospital stay among these patients. It is the first drug to show a clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients in a high-quality randomized study. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is a Boston-based nonprofit that analyzes drug pricing. The pharma industry regularly clashes with ICER, criticizing its models for being too rigid. The group often finds drugs to be overpriced compared to their value in the healthcare system. But in the case of remdesivir, ICER said Friday a price of up to $4,500 per treatment course is justified for remdesivir. The organization cautioned its findings are based on preliminary data that may change over time. ICER's analysis is focused on list prices for drug, which do not take into account rebates or discounts offered by drug companies. "We are releasing these estimates now, despite the fact that the evidence is highly uncertain and evolving, because now is the time when the public and policymakers should be actively debating how to link pricing to an overall platform to develop treatments for COVID-19," said Steven Pearson, ICER's president, in a statement. "The consequential discussion about the tradeoffs and priorities involved with different pricing approaches cannot wait." But the California biotech has called it too early to set a long-term pricing strategy. So far, the company pledged to donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to 140,000 treatment courses. The pricing question has become a top uncertainty among many investors and Wall Street analysts. "The fact that ICER is typically conservative in all their analyses, and yet they can justify up to $4,500, seems pretty interesting," Jefferies biotech analyst Michael Yee wrote in a Sunday note to investors. Read more: Gilead plans to spend up to $1 billion to ramp up manufacturing of its coronavirus treatment, but execs dodged Wall Street's questions about turning a profit Using a placeholder of a $1,000 price, Yee estimated Gilead could make $1 billion on remdesivir by the end of 2020 if it sells 1 million treatment courses in the US and internationally. A $1,000 pricetag is "pretty reasonable" in the context of modern drug pricing, the analyst said. Gilead has pledged it will donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses. CEO Daniel O'Day said Sunday the drug should start reaching patients within the next few days. Remdesivir is given as a 10-day IV infusion and has only been tested in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The company is also researching ways to administer the drug subcutaneously or through inhalation but has not provided any timetables on those efforts. Read more: Coronavirus researchers are crafting drug cocktails with Gilead's antiviral remdesivir, tapping the HIV playbook to fight the coronavirus LoadingSomething is loading. Telehealth IndustryValue-Based CareSenior Care & Assisted Living MarketMedical Devices & Wearable TechAI in HealthcareRemote Patient MonitoringAI in Medical Diagnosis Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
3 May 16:39 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-icer-pricing-analysis-on-gileads-remdesivir-2020-5Rating: 4.40
Gilead has yet to set a price for the coronavirus treatment remdesivir, but an influential drug pricing watchdog says it could be worth up to $4,500 per patient
While the big biotech Gilead Sciences has yet to outline its sales plan for the first effective coronavirus treatment, an influential drug pricing group has calculated the drug is worth up to $4,500 per patient. The experimental antiviral called remdesivir was authorized for emergency use in the US on Friday, after a trial showed patients on the drug recovered 31% faster than those on a placebo. That translates to shaving four days off the typical hospital stay among these patients. It is the first drug to show a clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients in a high-quality randomized study. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is a Boston-based nonprofit that analyzes drug pricing. The pharma industry regularly clashes with ICER, criticizing its models for being too rigid. The group often finds drugs to be overpriced compared to their value in the healthcare system. But in the case of remdesivir, ICER said Friday a price of up to $4,500 per treatment course is justified for remdesivir. The organization cautioned its findings are based on preliminary data that may change over time. ICER’s analysis is focused on list prices for drug, which do not take into account rebates or discounts offered by drug companies. “We are releasing these estimates now, despite the fact that the evidence is highly uncertain and evolving, because now is the time when the public and policymakers should be actively debating how to link pricing to an overall platform to develop treatments for COVID-19,” said Steven Pearson, ICER’s president, in a statement. “The consequential discussion about the tradeoffs and priorities involved with different pricing approaches cannot wait.” But the California biotech has called it too early to set a long-term pricing strategy. So far, the company pledged to donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to 140,000 treatment courses. The pricing question has become a top uncertainty among many investors and Wall Street analysts. “The fact that ICER is typically conservative in all their analyses, and yet they can justify up to $4,500, seems pretty interesting,” Jefferies biotech analyst Michael Yee wrote in a Sunday note to investors. Read more:Gilead plans to spend up to $1 billion to ramp up manufacturing of its coronavirus treatment, but execs dodged Wall Street’s questions about turning a profit Using a placeholder of a $1,000 price, Yee estimated Gilead could make $1 billion on remdesivir by the end of 2020 if it sells 1 million treatment courses in the US and internationally. A $1,000 pricetag is “pretty reasonable” in the context of modern drug pricing, the analyst said. Gilead has pledged it will donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses. CEO Daniel O’Day said Sunday the drug should start reaching patients within the next few days. Remdesivir is given as a 10-day IV infusion and has only been tested in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The company is also researching ways to administer the drug subcutaneously or through inhalation but has not provided any timetables on those efforts. Read more:Coronavirus researchers are crafting drug cocktails with Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir, tapping the HIV playbook to fight the coronavirus
3 May 16:39 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/coronavirus-treatment-icer-pricing-analysis-on-gileads-remdesivir-2020-5Rating: 0.30
Gilead has yet to set a price for the coronavirus treatment remdesivir, but an influential drug pricing watchdog says it could be worth up to $4,500 per patient
While the big biotech Gilead Sciences has yet to outline its sales plan for the first effective coronavirus treatment, an influential drug pricing group has calculated the drug is worth up to $US4,500 per patient. The experimental antiviral called remdesivir was authorised for emergency use in the US on Friday, after a trial showed patients on the drug recovered 31% faster than those on a placebo. That translates to shaving four days off the typical hospital stay among these patients. It is the first drug to show a clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients in a high-quality randomised study. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is a Boston-based nonprofit that analyses drug pricing. The pharma industry regularly clashes with ICER, criticising its models for being too rigid. The group often finds drugs to be overpriced compared to their value in the healthcare system. But in the case of remdesivir, ICER said Friday a price of up to $US4,500 per treatment course is justified for remdesivir. The organisation cautioned its findings are based on preliminary data that may change over time. ICER’s analysis is focused on list prices for drug, which do not take into account rebates or discounts offered by drug companies. “We are releasing these estimates now, despite the fact that the evidence is highly uncertain and evolving, because now is the time when the public and policymakers should be actively debating how to link pricing to an overall platform to develop treatments for COVID-19,” said Steven Pearson, ICER’s president, in a statement. “The consequential discussion about the tradeoffs and priorities involved with different pricing approaches cannot wait.” But the California biotech has called it too early to set a long-term pricing strategy. So far, the company pledged to donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to 140,000 treatment courses. The pricing question has become a top uncertainty among many investors and Wall Street analysts. “The fact that ICER is typically conservative in all their analyses, and yet they can justify up to $US4,500, seems pretty interesting,” Jefferies biotech analyst Michael Yee wrote in a Sunday note to investors. Read more:Gilead plans to spend up to $US1 billion to ramp up manufacturing of its coronavirus treatment, but execs dodged Wall Street’s questions about turning a profit Using a placeholder of a $US1,000 price, Yee estimated Gilead could make $US1 billion on remdesivir by the end of 2020 if it sells 1 million treatment courses in the US and internationally. A $US1,000 pricetag is “pretty reasonable” in the context of modern drug pricing, the analyst said. Gilead has pledged it will donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses. CEO Daniel O’Day said Sunday the drug should start reaching patients within the next few days. Remdesivir is given as a 10-day IV infusion and has only been tested in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The company is also researching ways to administer the drug subcutaneously or through inhalation but has not provided any timetables on those efforts. Read more:Coronavirus researchers are crafting drug cocktails with Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir, tapping the HIV playbook to fight the coronavirus
3 May 16:39 • Business Insider Australia • https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-treatment-icer-pricing-analysis-on-gileads-remdesivir-2020-5Rating: 0.30
Gilead has yet to set a price for the coronavirus treatment remdesivir, but an influential drug pricing watchdog says it could be worth up to $4,500 per patient, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
While the big biotech Gilead Sciences has yet to outline its sales plan for the first effective coronavirus treatment, an influential drug pricing group has calculated the drug is worth up to $4,500 per patient. The experimental antiviral called remdesivir was authorized for emergency use in the US on Friday, after a trial showed patients on the drug recovered 31% faster than those on a placebo. That translates to shaving four days off the typical hospital stay among these patients. It is the first drug to show a clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients in a high-quality randomized study. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is a Boston-based nonprofit that analyzes drug pricing. The pharma industry regularly clashes with ICER, criticizing its models for being too rigid. The group often finds drugs to be overpriced compared to their value in the healthcare system. But in the case of remdesivir, ICER said Friday a price of up to $4,500 per treatment course is justified for remdesivir. The organization cautioned its findings are based on preliminary data that may change over time. ICER’s analysis is focused on list prices for drug, which do not take into account rebates or discounts offered by drug companies. “We are releasing these estimates now, despite the fact that the evidence is highly uncertain and evolving, because now is the time when the public and policymakers should be actively debating how to link pricing to an overall platform to develop treatments for COVID-19,” said Steven Pearson, ICER’s president, in a statement. “The consequential discussion about the tradeoffs and priorities involved with different pricing approaches cannot wait.” But the California biotech has called it too early to set a long-term pricing strategy. So far, the company pledged to donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to 140,000 treatment courses. The pricing question has become a top uncertainty among many investors and Wall Street analysts. “The fact that ICER is typically conservative in all their analyses, and yet they can justify up to $4,500, seems pretty interesting,” Jefferies biotech analyst Michael Yee wrote in a Sunday note to investors. Read more:Gilead plans to spend up to $1 billion to ramp up manufacturing of its coronavirus treatment, but execs dodged Wall Street’s questions about turning a profit Using a placeholder of a $1,000 price, Yee estimated Gilead could make $1 billion on remdesivir by the end of 2020 if it sells 1 million treatment courses in the US and internationally. A $1,000 pricetag is “pretty reasonable” in the context of modern drug pricing, the analyst said. Gilead has pledged it will donate its current supply of remdesivir, which amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses. CEO Daniel O’Day said Sunday the drug should start reaching patients within the next few days. Remdesivir is given as a 10-day IV infusion and has only been tested in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The company is also researching ways to administer the drug subcutaneously or through inhalation but has not provided any timetables on those efforts. Read more:Coronavirus researchers are crafting drug cocktails with Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir, tapping the HIV playbook to fight the coronavirus
3 May 16:39 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/coronavirus-treatment-icer-pricing-analysis-on-gileads-remdesivir-2020-5Rating: 0.30
Elderly coronavirus patients should be given anti-ageing drugs to make their immune systems 'younger' so they can fight the virus faster, scientists claim
Elderly coronavirus patients could be given anti-ageing drugs to restore their 'young' immune system and help them fight the coronavirus, scientists say. Over 80 per cent of COVID-19 hospitalisations are those over 65 years of age with a greater than 23-fold increased risk of death. As a person ages, their immune system becomes suppressed and it takes longer for their body to recognise and attack the virus. It gives the virus time to replicate and cause serious disease - which may be heightened by pre-existing health conditions. But Harvard scientists say this could be fixed with NAD boosters, a relatively new class of anti-ageing supplements. Lower levels of NAD+ in the body as a result of ageing are thought to impair biological functions important to health, which might contribute to age-related diseases. One of the paper authors sees NAD as the 'closest we’ve gotten to a fountain of youth'. The Harvard paper, which is yet to be peer reviewed by other scientists, said: 'The most exciting and potentially impactful technologies to treat Covid-19 are those that activate the body's defences against ageing. 'It may even be possible to reset the age of cells and tissues so currently high-risk individuals can respond to viral infections as though they were young.' Even though the science is still developing, the available evidence supports the notion that older people are more at risk of the coronavirus. For example, NHS data shows of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, 72 per cent are over the age of 60 - 58 per cent of which are men. And more than 91 per cent of people who have died from the virus in England (total 20,853) are over the age of 60, data shows. More than half of deaths have been in those over 80. The Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School team said the severity of coronavirus symptoms experienced by a patient depend on how their body responds to the virus when it enters the body. The presence of already existing health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, fail to explain exactly why the elderly are less resilient, the team said. An effective immune system response is to recognise the virus, alert the body to it and then destroy it with speed and then clear it from the body. In a young person, immune cells recognise the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it first enters the upper respiratory tract. The immune cells act appropriately to directly kill the virus and infected cells, preventing the spread of the virus. These mechanisms are 'known to be dysfunctional' in the elderly, the paper, authored by three scientists, said. Viral alert signals are slow, resulting in greater viral replication and the movement of the virus into the lower respiratory tract where it can infect more cells. During ageing, the immune system changes in two fundamental ways which are 'major drivers of the high mortality rates in older patients', according to the research. Firstly, there is a gradual decline in immune function, called immunosenescence, which hampers the body's ability to recognise pathogens and respond to them effectively. The second immune change is a chronic increase in inflammation. It means the body overzealously registers the presence of a pathogen but fails to effectively respond to it. The team added that in half of fatal COVID-19 cases, the patient experienced a cytokine storm - 82 per cent of whom were over the age of 60. A cytokine storm is when chemical-signalling molecules which guide a healthy immune response become overactive and go haywire. COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome experience a cytokine storm that features high level circulation of inflammatory cytokines in the body. It exacerbates symptoms and triggers inflammation in major tissues such as the lungs, kidneys, liver and brain. Why the elderly are more at risk of a cytokine storm is not known, but there are some ideas - one of these being a decline in levels of NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. 'Stiff' lung tissue seen in the elderly may be why the novel coronavirus is more deadly to older patients, a new review article suggests. The virus invades mucosal cells - cells that produce mucus - before multiplying and spreading throughout the body. Researchers say the virus replicates itself better in these stiff cells, found in the lungs and upper respiratory tracts of older people, which allows the disease to spread faster. The team, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says its findings indicate the prevalence of the virus may not be due to the weakening of the elderly's immune systems as many scientists suspect. When humans are infected with the new strain, known as SARS-COV-2, the virus first attacks cells that secrete mucus in the respiratory tract. After the virus invades a cell, it 'hijacks' the machinery of the cells to replicate itself thousands of times. These copies infect other cells the body or are expelled via droplets from a cough or sneeze that then infect other cells. In older people, tissue in the lungs and respiratory tract are stiffer due to a larger supply of protein fibers, according to the researchers. The researchers say stiff cells 'favor the multiplication of the virus' meaning they replicate themselves easier. 'Biopsies or cell culture experiments could now be used to determine whether this is indeed the case,' they wrote. The team says this could help scientists determine where to focus their efforts as they research and develop drugs to fight against the virus. NAD+ lowers as we age, which results in the depression of other important proteins and enzymes, and the surge of others. NLPR3, centrally responsible for the activation of inflammatory responses, are thought to be hyperactivated when NAD+ levels drop. It doesn't help that NAD+ levels are depleted during the course of COVID-19, according to early research. And, there is 'increasing evidence that lower NAD+ levels in the lung and vascular endothelium contribute to poor Covid-19 outcomes'. The team envision a 'two-step model' whereby inflammation increased due to ageing, and the hyperactivation by SARS-CoV-2 triggers a cytokine storm. 'Maintaining NAD+ levels may therefore alleviate COVID-19 symptoms,' the authors of the paper said. NAD boosters are supplements that contain nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3. When taken as a supplement, the body converts the nicotinamide riboside to NAD+ - the prized coenzyme in youngsters. There is scarce evidence that NAD boosters work. They have only started to creep onto the market in the last 10 years or so. But a 2017 study published in the journal Science found that boosting NAD+ levels in mice reversed the signs of aging in the tissue and muscles of older mice. The reversal was so drastic that researchers could no longer tell the difference between four-month-old mice and two-year-old mice, Futurism reported. Though it was on animals, the study strongly suggests that boosting NAD+ levels in humans could have health benefits by optimising cellular health. David Sinclair, an author of the recent Harvard paper, said at the time: 'NAD+ is the closest we’ve gotten to a fountain of youth. 'It’s one of the most important molecules for life to exist, and without it, you’re dead in 30 seconds.' The team also said NAD boosters and other techniques may be needed to improve the effectiveness of vaccines, which typically are weaker in the elderly. They write: 'In the aged, immune responses to vaccination are often weak or defective...Therefore, in designing vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, it will be important to consider that older people may not respond as well to vaccines as young people.' The academics concluded that research into older people will be essential for understanding the threat of the virus among different ages. There is still 'much to be elucidated' about the varying effects of Covid-19 on people of different ages.
3 May 11:25 • Mail Online • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8281975/Elderly-coronavirus-patients-given-anti-ageing-drugs-make-immune-systems-younger.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490Rating: 4.11
10 things you need to know today: May 2, 2020
FDA approves emergency use of remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the emergency use of the antiviral remdesivir on COVID-19 patients. Gilead Sciences revealed promising study results involving remdesivir on Wednesday, and the Trump administration announced the authorization, which sidesteps the usual testing required to approve a drug's usage, during a Friday Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar, FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, and Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O'Day. In Gilead's trial, at least 50 percent of patients treated with remdesivir improved, though the study wasn't evaluated against a control group, and it's unclear if those recoveries were natural. As clinical trials continue, doctors can use remdesivir on some patients. O'Day said Gilead is working to rapidly increase its supply. [NBC News] Fauci blocked from testifying before House committee The White House confirmed Friday it is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has taken on a prominent role in the Trump administration's coronavirus response, from testifying before the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee about the pandemic next week. White House spokesman Judd Deere said "it is counterproductive" to have someone like Fauci, who is heavily involved in the government's efforts to re-open the American economy and expedite a coronavirus vaccine, step away from those tasks and testify. Deere did say the White House would work with Congress to find a more "appropriate time" for Fauci to testify. Fauci, who at times has dissented from President Trump on certain coronavirus-related matters, will reportedly appear before the Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee the following week. [The Washington Post, CNN] Biden denies Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday addressed for the first time former staffer Tara Reade's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 1993. "I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago," Biden said in a statement. "They aren't true. This never happened." Biden said Reade's story "has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways," and he said he is asking the National Archives to identify a record of a complaint Reade says she filed in the Senate and release it to the press "if there was ever any such complaint." Biden had been facing calls to personally address Reade's allegation after his campaign previously denied it. [The Washington Post, The New York Times] European countries begin to ease some coronavirus restrictions Coronavirus restrictions continued to ease Saturday in some European countries, including Spain, one of the world's hardest-hit nations. Adults were allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, prompting runners and cyclists to hit the pavement, though social distancing guidelines remain in place. In Madrid, a field hospital set up by the military at a convention center was closed, as was a makeshift morgue established at an ice rink. Spain has more than 213,000 cases of COVID-19 with 24,543 deaths. Elsewhere, museums, zoos, and playgrounds were permitted to open for the first time in several weeks in Germany. Italy will begin loosening some restrictions Monday. [The Associated Press, BBC] North Korean state media: Kim Jong Un makes first public appearance in 20 days North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days on Friday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports, citing state media. Kim reportedly made his appearance for the completion of a fertilizer plant north of Pyongyang. Kim was out of the public eye for weeks, sparking rumors he was in ill health or even dead. CNN reported in April that the U.S. was monitoring intelligence that Kim was "in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery," though South Korean officials disputed that report, saying he was "alive and well" and likely simply mildly sick or "being isolated because of coronavirus concerns." While North Korean state media reported Kim's appearance, few details were verifiable regarding his presence or his health. [Yonhap News Agency, The Associated Press] Newsom says California could ease restrictions in a matter of days Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Hunting Beach, south of Los Angeles, on Friday to protest California Gov. Newsom's (D) decision to close beaches throughout the state as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the measure was a breach of individual liberties. Many of the protesters were reportedly not wearing masks. But during his Friday press conference, Newsom said he is hopefully just "days" away from lifting some restrictions in California's stay-at-home order, which is one of the strictest in the country. The governor hinted that restaurants may soon be able to re-open for table service with some safety measures, but people will need to continue to shelter at home in the meantime before any changes come to fruition. [Reuters, The Daily Beast] Canada bans all assault-style weapons Canada on Friday banned the use and sale of all assault-style weapons, effective immediately, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced. The ban comes after a deadly shooting in Nova Scotia in April that ended with 22 people dead. The Associated Press writes the ban affects "over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, including two weapons used by the [Nova Scotia] gunman as well as the AR-15." Trudeau said the weapons are unnecessary for hunting, and said "There is no use — and no place — for such weapons in Canada." It is "no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons in this country," said Trudeau, but it is not illegal to own the weapons. [The Associated Press] Bezos called to testify on Amazon's possibly 'perjurious' statements House Judiciary Committee members on Friday asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify before Congress and clarify statements from the company they say may be "criminally false." The Wall Street Journal reported last week that although Amazon says it does not use data from third-party sellers to develop competing products, interviews with more than 20 former employees "reveal that employees did just that." Amazon associate general counsel Nate Sutton told Congress last year "we don't use individual seller data directly to compete" with third-party sellers. Seven lawmakers asked Bezos to testify. "If the reporting in the Wall Street Journal article is accurate, then statements Amazon made to the committee about the company's business practices appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious," the letter says. [CNBC, The Week] Judge sides with U.S. Soccer in USWNT's pay discrimination case A federal judge issued a ruling late Friday hampering the United States women's national soccer team's lawsuit which claims the U.S. Soccer Federation violated the Equal Pay Act by paying them less then the men's national team. Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled the plaintiffs were not able to demonstrate they were paid less than their male counterparts between 2015 and 2019, siding with U.S. Soccer which has said the USWNT was paid more overall during that time frame. The women said that was only because they played more games than the men, but Klausner's ruling cited as undisputed fact that the USWNT averaged more per game, as well. The judge also sided in part with U.S. Soccer in response to the plaintiffs' claim they were discriminated against by being subjected to playing on inferior surfaces. [The Wall Street Journal, ESPN] Scrubs actor Sam Lloyd dies at 56 Sam Lloyd, the actor best known for his role as Sacred Heart's lawyer Ted Buckland on the television comedy Scrubs, died, his agent confirmed Friday. He was 56. Lloyd's agent did not provide details on the cause, but the actor was diagnosed with a brain tumor and cancer last year that had spread to his lungs and spine. Lloyd, who was also a talented musician, additionally appeared in shows like Seinfeld, Modern Family, and The West Wing. Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence and Lloyd's co-star on the show Zach Braff offered tributes to the actor on Twitter, with Braff noting Lloyd never failed to make him laugh and break character when they shared a scene. [Variety, CNN]
2 May 13:36 • The Week • https://theweek.com/10things/912416/10-things-need-know-today-may-2-2020Rating: 0.58
Blood pressure patients are more susceptible to complications from COVID-19, says HMC
Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has warned that patients with high blood pressure may be at greater risk of developing severe complications if they are infected with coronavirus (COVID-19), therefore they must take more preventive measures to prevent this infection. Dr Mawahib Ali El Hassan, Acting Director of the Coronary Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at HMC's Heart Hospital said patients who have high blood pressure may be more susceptible to complications from COVID-19 and should take extra precautions to avoid contracting the virus. "We don't yet fully understand why people with poor cardiovascular health and high blood pressure seem to be at higher risk for more severe illness from this virus, but what we do know is that COVID-19 puts a strain on the lungs and this also burdens the heart. For this reason, it is extra important that anyone who has poor cardiovascular health takes extra precautions," said Dr El Hassan. "COVID-19 is a new coronavirus so we are still learning about its pathology, including how it attacks the body. Available data from China, where the virus originated, seems to indicate that individuals with cardiovascular disease and hypertension are among those who experienced worse outcomes. We strongly encourage people with these conditions to exercise a greater degree of prevention and protection," said Dr. El Hassan. Dr. El Hassan explains that high blood pressure means the heart must work harder to pump blood around the body. She says high blood pressure causes the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart to lose their elasticity and narrow, which places individuals with the condition at an increased risk for a heart attack. She says patients with high blood pressure should not panic but they should ensure they follow their doctor's instructions and take extra precautions to prevent contracting the virus. "It's normal for people to feel concerned, especially if they have a preexisting medical condition. My advice for any patients with high blood pressure is to follow prevention guidelines around personal hygiene and social distancing, which includes avoiding places where they might encounter crowds, like busy grocery stores. They should also continue to follow whatever direction they've been given by their doctor, including taking any prescribed medications. It is also really important for people to ensure they are getting information about COVID-19 from reliable sources, like the Ministry of Public Health and the World Health Organization (WHO)," says Dr. El Hassan. Dr. El Hassan says defensive steps everyone can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 include avoiding people who are sick, thoroughly washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with unclean hands, and frequently cleaning surfaces touched often, like doorknobs, handles, steering wheels, and light switches. The Ministry of Public Health has established a dedicated website (www.moph.gov.qa) to provide the public with updates on the current situation as well as information on how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. A hotline (16000), which is available 24-hours a day to answer COVID-19 related queries, and an educational social media campaign have also been launched, with the MoPH, HMC, and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) sharing infographics and videos through their social media channels. Read MoreTraffic department launches campaign to control serious violations The General Directorate of Traffic has launched a campaign to control serious violations aiming at reducing wrong traffic behaviour and enhancing safety and security requirements on the road to save lives and properties. Read MoreMeteorology Department warns of thundery rain, strong winds Weather inshore tonight until 6 am on Sunday will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times with a chance of scattered rain maybe thundery at times, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report Read MoreAshghal wins two International Safety Awards from British Safety Council The Public Works Authority's (Ashghal) Roads Projects Department has won two International Safety Awards with a Merit from the British Safety Council in recognition of its commitment to keeping its workers and workplaces healthy and safe during the 2019 calendar year.
2 May 18:18 • The Peninsula • https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/02/05/2020/Blood-pressure-patients-are-more-susceptible-to-complications-from-COVID-19,-says-HMCRating: 3.14
COVID -19: No approved drug, vaccine yet — NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has not approved any drug or vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19. The Director General of the agency, Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement on Saturday that NAFDAC had not granted approval for any vaccine for the treatment and cure of COVID-19. “To put the record straight, no drugs or vaccines have been given approval in the country for cure of COVID-19,” Mrs Adeyeye, a professor, said. “While the medical researchers globally, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working tirelessly on the discovery of vaccines and drugs to cure COVID-19, the agency urges the public to desist from making unsubstantial claims. “NAFDAC is the only authority in the country to grant approval to such drugs and vaccines.” The NAFDAC boss’ statement came as the US Food and Drug Administration announced the emergency use of the experimental drug remdesivir on hospitalised coronavirus patients. Last week, the World Health Organisation warned against the use of a herbal cure for coronavirus after Madagascar’s president launched a plant-based tonic named Covid-Organics. Mrs Adeyeye said that NAFDAC would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to safeguard the health of Nigerians and that in the event of any approved drug or vaccine for the cure of COVID-19, the agency would not hesitate to inform the public. Mrs Adeyeye, however, advised Nigerians to comply strictly with measures issued by NCDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, adding that these include the use of face covering masks, social distancing, washing of hands and use of alcohol based sanitisers. (NAN)
2 May 13:53 • Premium Times Nigeria • https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/391036-covid-19-no-approved-drug-vaccine-yet-nafdac.htmlRating: 0.30
COVID-19 Doctors Finally Understand the Reason Behind Coronavirus' Deadly Blood Clots
The novel coronavirus infection attacks the body of each patient differently with an onslaught of various complications that could be deadly if not treated. Among the complications they have seen among COVID-19 patients were neurological symptoms, including confusion and seizure, and an increase of young infected patients also developed stroke symptoms. Unfortunately, this "weird" complication is also the deadliest as experts believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus is capable of creating tiny blood clots that can block arteries and even reach the brain. According to a report by BGR, experts found out that the virus can cause blood coagulation and could create tiny blood clots that form in the lungs first--and now, medical doctors finally understand how it happens. In a study penned by doctors from the St. James's Hospital, Irish Center for Vascular Biology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the researchers found that abnormal blood clotting is one of the causes of death of many coronavirus patients that were severely infected with the virus. They have also found out that these tiny clots start in the lungs following the infection and that the higher the clotting, the worse the prognosis. Most cases with worse prognosis also tend to require intensive care. The study, which was published in the British Journal of Haematology, has already been peer-reviewed. "Our novel findings demonstrate that COVID-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting disorder that is primarily focussed within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with COVID-19," said Professor James O'Donnell, the director of the Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, RCSI. The disorder is known as pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy (PIC). It is different from disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) that is observed in various other medical conditions. The disorder might be responsible for the blood clots reaching the heart or the brain of the patients, which could then lead to heart attacks or stroke that could be deadly to those with severe complications. Read Also: COVID-19 'Pandemic Drone' Creator Warned it Might Be Used to Monitor the Public In addition, Professor O'Donnell said that in addition to pneumonia that affects the small air sacs within the lungs, they have also found hundreds of the tiny clots in the lungs of severely ill coronavirus patients--something they haven't seen in other respiratory infections. The disorder could explain why "blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe COVID-19 infection," leading to the need for ventilator and oxygenation therapy. As of now, the team will require further research to know whether blood-thinning medications could help high-risk patients against the formation of these tiny clots and help save their lives. The team would also have to continue researching the complication in order to understand how the blood clots form in the lungs and find a way to develop more effective treatments for coronavirus patients. Their study also found out that both race and ethnicity "have major effects upon thrombotic risk." Caucasians and African-American patients are more likely to develop blood clotting disorder compared to Chinese patients. The study says Chinese patients are four times less likely to develop them compared to Caucasian patients, while African-American patients have a significantly higher risk. Read Also: Coronavirus to End in December? Data Scientist Predicts End of Pandemic with A.I. Model
2 May 18:00 • Tech Times • https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249316/20200502/covid-19-doctors-finally-understand-the-reason-behind-coronavirus-deadly-blood-clots.htm?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fzen.yandex.com&utm_campaign=dbrRating: 0.73
COVID-19 and diabetes: Control your blood sugar to reduce complications
So far, data suggests elderly and people with underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung problems are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. These people are also at greater risk of a poor outcome if they become infected with the deadly virus.Also Read - Dengue, malaria cases emerging amidst the COVID-19 threat Now, a new study has suggested that controlling blood sugar levels is the key to fighting the COVID-19 infections for people with diabetes. The researchers found that COVID-1 patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) were less likely to die if they had their blood glucose well controlled than those with poorly controlled T2D. Also, those with well-managed T2D received less of other medical interventions and had fewer health complications.Also Read - Arthritis drug Tocilizumab joins list of drugs that may help fight COVID-19 Therefore, the researchers from China suggested that people with diabetes should take extra care to keep their blood sugar under good control during the pandemic. The findings were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 40,263 as death toll reaches 1,306 It is estimated that more than 500 million people around the world have Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Previous studies have observed that people with this condition fare worse with COVID-19. But the researchers have been trying to understand the role a person’s blood glucose control on COVID-19 outcomes. Surprisingly, researchers the Wuhan University in China found favourable outcomes in well-controlled blood glucose group among patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing type 2 diabetes. “Considering that people with diabetes had a much higher risk for death and various complications, and there are no specific drugs for COVID-19, our findings indicate that controlling blood glucose well may act as an effective auxiliary approach to improve the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing diabetes,” said study senior author Hongliang Li of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in China. For the result, the research team studied 7,337 confirmed COVID-19 cases enrolled among 19 hospitals in Hubei Province, China. The data showed that people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 and T2D required more medical interventions. Despite those interventions, they also had significantly higher mortality (7.8 per cent vs. 2.7 per cent) as well as a greater incidence of multiple organ injury. However, the researchers found that people with well-controlled blood sugar and COVID-19 were less likely to die than those whose blood glucose was poorly controlled. Moreover, those with well-managed T2D also received less of other medical interventions including supplemental oxygen and/or ventilation and had fewer health complications. According to the Chinese researchers, their new findings offer three main messages for people with diabetes: The researchers said they will continue to study the relationship between T2D and COVID-19 outcomes. They hope to learn more about the underlying biology that is leading to poorer outcomes for people with T2D and high blood sugar. When left unchecked, high blood sugar can lead to diabetes. When your body can’t effectively transport sugar from blood into cells, your blood sugar level increases. Also known as hyperglycemia, high blood sugar occurs when a person’s blood sugar is over 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). For people with diabetes, it is important to keep blood sugars at target levels to avoid serious complications from the disease. They should aim to keep their blood sugar levels under 100 mg/dL before eating and under 180 mg/dL after eating. This can help them significantly reduce their risk of adverse effects from the disease. Over time, unhealthful blood sugar levels can damage small and large blood vessels in several organs and systems. This can lead to serious consequences, such as: (With inputs from IANS) Click here for our latest updates on coronavirus
3 May 04:10 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/news/covid-19-and-diabetes-controlling-blood-sugar-is-the-key-to-fighting-infections-743355/Rating: 0.69
Coronavirus treatment’s surprise approval gets a mixed reaction: Here’s why
The United States’ “emergency use” approval of the experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir to fight COVID-19 in patients made big news this weekend. The approval was granted by the US Food and Drugs Administration two days after the National Institutes of Health’s clinical trial showed modestly promising results. Ordinarily, this sort of news would come via a peer-reviewed journal. Instead, it’s occurred over three days, via a series of press releases. On the heels of the USA, Japan has also announced it will fast-track a review of remdesivir so it can hopefully be approved for domestic COVID-19 patients. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato’s stated: “I’ve heard that Gilead Sciences will file for approval (in Japan) within days. “I issued an instruction so that we will be ready to approve it within a week or so.” The US trial involved 1063 severely ill patients in dozens of hospitals around the world. According to a statement from the US National Institute of Health, which funded the trial, patients given the drug, intravenously, over a ten day period, recovered 31 per cent faster than equally sick patients who were given a placebo. In real terms, Remdesivir cut recovery time from a median of 15 days to 11. The trial also showed a small improvement over mortality, but one not statistically significant. The FDA, in the opening paragraph of the announcement, noted “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using Remdesivir to treat people”. The listed possible side effects, including “increased levels of liver enzymes, which may be a sign of inflammation or damage to cells in the liver; and infusion-related reactions, which may include low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and shivering”. The FDA authorisation means the drug can be used in hospitalised patients with severe symptoms, even in cases where COVID-19 is suspected, and not actually confirmed by testing. It can be given to adults and children. The FDA drug had already approved the use of Remdesivir on compassionate grounds. People on the verge of dying were given the drug because there was nothing to lose. The FDA announcement was entirely a surprise. The previous day, at the White House, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, described the trial results as “a very important proof of concept, because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus”. Dr Fauci conceded the quicker recovery achieved by the drug “doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 per cent,” and he was careful to make clear that Remdesivir isn’t a magic bullet or a cure. And yet, he declared: “This will be the standard of care.” And he’s correct, because so far there is nothing else that has worked in slowing or halting the disease. Scientists tend to agree that the double-blind randomised controlled trial agree that the trial was well run (although the goal posts of the trial were reportedly changed), but there’s been a call for the trial data to be made public. Gilead Science, the company that developed the drug, as a potential remedy for Ebola and hepatitis (both of those trials failed) is donating 1.5 million doses of the drug to hospitals. Dr Gaetan Burgio is head of the Transgenesis Core Facility in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the John Curtin School of Medical Research. Responding to questions by email, Dr Burgio said: “This is a very interesting question and there is a bit of debate on this. The US Remdesivir trial released from the NIH trial in a press release (not yet in a peer review publication) shows an acceleration for time to recovery (11 days instead of 14 days with placebo group) and reduction in mortality (not convincing). “Indeed the time to recovery was assessed at day 28 in this trial. (A) Chinese trial published in The Lancet showed no difference in outcome between the placebo and the Remdesivir group. Overall it shows Remdesivir may work against the infection but not a silver bullet or a miracle drug. More details are needed to assess in detail this NIH trial. “In this respect, yes I am a bit surprised by the rapid move to standard treatment and the fact it is made available under emergency provision. I would have expected more complete results from the respective arms (US, Europe, China) of this large trial before adopting such a move. “I guess the pressure is massive in the US hospitals. Three days gain in recovery time might make a difference regarding the US situation and might ease the pressure in overloaded hospitals.” Noting the “serious side effects”, Dr Burgio said the administration of Remdesivir has to be in light of the balance between risk and benefit. “In short this means Remdesivir treatment might be beneficial to some, risky for others and this has to assessed carefully before initiating the treatment. Hence, its primary indication to a risk group (severe COVID19) where the benefits (time to recovery, mortality) outweigh the risks (severe side effects).” Professor Stephen Evans, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology in the Dept of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in a posting at the Science Media Centre, said: “This is the first evidence that Remdesivir has genuine benefits, but they are certainly not dramatic. We do not know what adverse events occurred and the long term prognosis is not yet known. A full assessment of these results cannot be made without seeing a full publication.”
2 May 22:00 • The New Daily • https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2020/05/02/coronavirus-remdesivir-approval/Rating: 0.78
Coronavirus: US authorises Ebola drug for COVID-19 treatment
- The United States's Food and Drug Administration has authorised the emergency use of remdesivir for treating COVID-19 - A recent clinical trial revealed that the drug helps shorten the recovery time for COVID-19 patients who are seriously ill - The company producing remdesivir, which was originally developed for Ebola drug, said it will donate 1.5 million vials of the drug PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed The United States's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the novel coronavirus. BBC explains that the authorisation means that the anti-viral drug can now be used on people who are hospitalised with severe Covid-19. Legit.ng gathers that a recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill. 92 recoveries, no death: How this African country is using its own herbal drink to treat COVID-19 The BBC report, however, states that the drug did not significantly improve survival rates. The drug was originally developed to treat Ebola. Though it helped reduce the recovery time for COVID-19 patients, experts warned that remdesivir should not be seen as a "magic bullet" for treating coronavirus. In a meeting with the US President Donald Trump, Daniel O'Day, the chief executive of Gilead pharmaceutical company which developed the drug said the FDA authorisation was an important first step. He disclosed that the company would donate 1.5 million vials of the drug. According to BBC, emergency FDA authorisation is not the same as formal approval, which requires a higher level of review. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news In another related report, a German pharmaceutical company, BioNTech, has started testing a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus on human volunteers. Sigh of relief as Nigerian priests finally develop COVID-19 drug According to Al Jazeera, BioNTech said on Wednesday, April 29, that 12 participants of a clinical trial in Germany received doses of the vaccine candidate BNT162 since April 23. Legit.ng gathers that the German company is working with the US-based company, Pfizer. BioNTech said the next step it will take in the vaccine production is to start increasing the dose of BNT162 in a trial involving about 200 participants aged 18 to 55. Also, President Trump has claimed he has seen evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The US president who made the allegation on Thursday, April 30, however, declined to provide details to substantiate his claim. Trump's claim contradicted a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Veteran Nollywood actress, Hilda Dokubo, is not pleased with the lifting of the total movement restriction in the country during the raging coronavirus pandemic. Hope rises as German company begins human trials of coronavirus vaccine The actress took to her Instagram handle to question President Muhammadu Buhari's motivation for easing the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja. The activist who has been vocal about the government claimed some people are lying to the president about what is actually going down. According to her, someone is lying to the president, and he cannot be allowed to reach decisions on the strength of a lie. The actress went on to charge Nigerians to take responsibility for their safety and life. Her Instagram video was captioned: "Who is lying to the President? "They have relaxed the lockdown. Your safety and life is now in your hands. Do not relax! Corona virus is not relaxing. Observe all the safety protocols. Any attempt to believe their lies" She started the video by saying: "Who exactly is lying to the president, who? The president has announced the easing of the lockdown on the strength of a lie, who is lying to the president?...." Breakthrough as Nigerian varsity produces clinically tested ventilator that can work for hours without electricity NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have upgraded to serve you better The Nigerian government cannot handle this pandemic - Woman | Legit TV
2 May 14:37 • Legit • https://www.legit.ng/1326231-coronavirus-us-authorises-ebola-drug-covid-19-treatment.htmlRating: 0.30
Coronavirus: What is a pulse oximeter, and why is it now sought after?
As healthcare systems around the world struggle to test as well as treat people for Covid-19, some experts have advocated the use of a medical device called the ‘pulse oximeter’ for testing those who have the disease, or those suspected of having it. The device, used to measure oxygen levels in the blood, is being recommended for the early detection of ‘Covid pneumonia’, a potentially deadly condition seen among the most severe coronavirus cases. According to John Hopkins Medicine, “Pulse oximetry is a test used to measure the oxygen level (oxygen saturation) of the blood. It is an easy, painless measure of how well oxygen is being sent to parts of your body furthest from your heart, such as the arms and legs.” The device is generally used to check the health of patients who have known conditions that affect blood oxygen levels, such as heart and lung conditions, and for those who show symptoms such as shortness of breath. The device measures the saturation of oxygen in red blood cells, and can be attached to a person’s fingers, toes, nose, feet, ears, or forehead. It can be reused or disposed of after use. Based on the information from the blood oximeter, a healthcare provider can take a decision about whether a person needs extra oxygen. Coronavirus Explained Click here for more According to an opinion piece in the The New York Times by physician and inventor Richard Levitan, a pulse oximeter can help identify a potentially deadly condition in Covid-19 patients called ‘Covid pneumonia’ sooner and more effectively, and thus help save more lives. Among those who contract the novel coronavirus, the most severe cases are those who develop Covid pneumonia. 📢 Express Explained is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@ieexplained) and stay updated with the latest This disease affects the lungs’ ability to transfer oxygen. It also causes difficulty in breathing. When a person cannot inhale enough oxygen and exhale enough carbon dioxide, the pneumonia can lead to death. Compared to other kinds of pneumonia, Covid pneumonia is especially severe as it completely affects the lungs instead of small parts. Also, most other types of pneumonia that are known are bacterial, and treated using antibiotics. This is not the case with Covid pneumonia, as it is viral. Patients are required to be put on ventilator support in such severe cases to ensure adequate circulation of oxygen in the body. In the NYT piece, Levitan has said that a pulse oximeter could help in the early detection of ‘silent hypoxia’, a form of oxygen deprivation that is known to precede Covid pneumonia. Using the device, those who have Covid-19 or those suspected of having it, can check their oxygen levels early on. A fall in oxygen levels, caused by the silent hypoxia, can serve as a signal for seeking additional treatment immediately, and not wait for a coronavirus test. The same method of early detection of hypoxia worked in the case of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the article said.
2 May 12:23 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/pulse-oximeter-coronavirus-explained-6390548/Rating: 0.30
Covid-19 impacting patients' kidneys with many ending up needing dialysis
COVID-19 IS hitting patient kidneys, not just their lungs. Early reports from China hinted that the kidneys were infected by the virus, and since then, hospitals in Italy, London and New York were left scrambling for dialysismachines when hospital cases spiked. “It has been clear that the kidney is a target,” said Alan Kliger, a clinical professor of medicine at Yale University, who saw a surge in Covid-19 patients suffering from kidney failure in New York. Dr Kliger estimates that up to half of patients in intensive care had kidney failure in New York hospitals. Those patients “actually had acute kidney failure that required renal replacement therapy”, explained Dr Kliger, who is co-chairman of a Covid-19 response team for the American Society of Nephrology. Dialysis machines take over the role of the kidneys in scrubbing blood of toxins and removing excess fluids. Early in hospitalisation some patients show kidney damage, which suggests kidneys are infected by the virus early on, said Dr Kliger. Those most at risk of kidney failure are often the same patients at higher risk of dying from Covid-19, such as those with existing kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and lung disease. “Among patients in intensive care units, probably 75% of them are on ventilators, and roughly 40% or so are on dialysis or other renal (kidney) replacement therapies,” said Dr Kliger. He adds that the pandemic increased roughly five-fold the need for renal replacement therapy. Most medical centres in New York don’t have the ability to flex up five times more kidney therapy than usual. Several hospitals there, having seen what happened in Italy, had ordered additional equipment, additional filters and additional fluids for dialysis in advance, said Dr Kliger. Between 20 and 30% of Irish patients who survive Covid-19 require dialysis after intensive care. “This was expected, following the Italian experience,” said Mark Murphy, chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association. He said Irish authorities were ahead of the curve and got extra kidney treatment equipment and supplies after the disease outbreak in northern Italy. Last year, there were over 2,000 Irish people on dialysis. Eleven acute hospitals host dialysis units. “Most dialysis units are running two shifts, morning and afternoon for four hours each, according to Murphy. They could run an evening shift, so there is spare capacity, he said. Some kidney units in hospitals are quite small, said Murphy, but flattening the infection curve in Ireland has meant that they did not get overwhelmed. In the US, Dr Kliger said medics must figure out what to do today, in the midst of a pandemic, but also look to the future. “The 20th-century approach of just-in-time ordering, making sure that you don’t stack your shelves, but have the ability instead to order what you need and have it shipped to you has been a great business model in the 20th century,” said Dr Kliger. “Clearly that model fails at a time of a pandemic.” He advocates a more flexible and global approach for the 21st-century which would see stockpiling of medical equipment. “It doesn’t have to be stockpiled in every hospital, or every state or even every country. There needs to be global thinking, with reserves that can be sent where they are needed. A pandemic moves in waves, and doesn’t happen at the same moment everywhere,” said Dr Kliger. Anthony King is a freelance science journalist working in Dublin. You can find him on Twitter @AnthonyJKing #Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you Support us now
3 May 05:45 • TheJournal.ie • https://www.thejournal.ie/coronavirus-kidneys-5089817-May2020/Rating: 1.13
FDA authorizes Remdesivir drug for COVID-19
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Friday the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted authorization to Gilead Sciences for emergency use of its experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat patients with COVID-19. During a meeting in the Oval Office with the president, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1 million vials of the drug to help patients.
2 May 04:43 • CNA • https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/fda-authorizes-remdesivir-drug-for-covid-19-12695978?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterRating: 3.25
Govt places urgent orders for 11.45 cr HCQ tablets
India has placed urgent orders for at least 11.45 crore tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). This drug is being directly procured by HLL Lifecare, on behalf of the Union health ministry. Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) Lifecare is a government-owned healthcare manufacturing company. HCQ is an anti-malarial drug and has only been recommended as prophylaxis of COVID-19 as per the national task force for COVID-19. It is not a cure but this protocol has been recommended by the national task force for mostly frontline health care workers and has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for restricted use in an emergency situation. A senior official at the health ministry told ANI: "For HCQ, we have placed orders for about 11.45 crore tablets to two Indian firms -- IPCA laboratories and Zydus Cadila. So far, we have received 6.64 crore HCQ drugs and remaining will arrive by May 16." As per revised guidelines on clinical management of COVID-19, the HCQ tablets are only for restricted and prophylaxis use of COVID-19 in selected eligible persons, the official said. "Its selected eligible individuals include: (i) asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients, (ii) asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, (iii) COVID-19 patients with severe disease requiring ICU management," he said and added that these drugs should be administrated under the close medical supervision with monitoring for side effects. This medication is not recommended for children below 12 years, lactating and pregnant mothers. The drug is contraindicated in persons with known cases of retinopathy, known hypersensitivity to HCQ, added the official. According to the official, "Out of 6.64 crore HCQ drugs, the Centre has distributed at least 4.3 crore HCQ tablets to the states and remaining is kept in the Centre-State buffer stock." Some states have purchased about 3.8 crore HCQ tablets from the manufactures directly. "Hence, over 10.44 crore HCQ tablets have been available to the states till date," the official said. If anyone becomes symptomatic while on prophylaxis he/she should immediately contact the health facility, get tested as per national guidelines, and follow the standard treatment protocol, according to government guidelines. The individual is advised to consult with a physician for any adverse event or potential drug interaction before initiation of medication. These guidelines are based on currently available information and would be reviewed from time to time as new evidence emerges. Apart from domestic use, India has also exported close to 3 million of HCQ tablets to 87 countries, garnering praise from heads of state of various nations. On Friday, the Central government had informed that the production of HCQ has increased to 30 crore tablets in April from an earlier production capacity of 12.33 crore tablets. A total of 16 crore tablets has been released into the market.
2 May 00:00 • Rediff • https://www.rediff.com/news/report/coronavirus-in-india-govt-places-urgent-orders-for-1145-cr-hcq-tablets/20200502.htmRating: 0.30
How are the COVID-19 patients being treated?
CHENNAI: COVID-19 patients come in different age groups and with varying health conditions. As a result, doctors are unable to follow a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. They have adopted a wide range of protocols. The fundamental division is between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, says doctor Ravi, nodal officer for treatment at the Stanley Hospital. “Asymptomatic patients are kept in observation. They don’t need much treatment. We check their oxygen level in blood once a day during daily rounds,” says Ravi. The focus is on patients with symptoms, and among them those with co-morbid conditions. “We provide customised treatment for these patients.” “Blood tests and chest x-rays are regularly conducted, and blood sugar levels are monitored for patients with co-morbid conditions. For instance, oxygen supply is provided and renal output tests are conducted for patients with kidney ailments.” Ravi says the key to fighting the infection is boosting immunity level. “Measures in this regard include providing patients with protein-rich food.” Stanley’s dietician in-charge of COVID-19 patients, Karthika, says the hospital follows a three-type high-protein menu. “The diet plan includes nuts, fruits, and pulses. For children, milk and curds are included.” Main course includes idlies, pongal, and rotis. “Most patients lose taste with the onset of the disease, so we have been giving them flavoured juices.” Karthika claims fresh juices and the government recommended Kabasura Kudineer are good for immunity. Apart from food, doctors say the mental state of the patients are also crucial to fighting the disease. To ensure this, the Institute of Mental Health has been tasked with appointing counsellors across the State and prescribe a protocol. IMH director doctor Poorna Chandrika says they have proposed access for patients to music, books, phones, and streaming of daily news. “We also provide them counselling to help them avoid fear and anxiety.” Chandrika also suggests breathing exercises and yoga to keep the mind in control. “The stigma has turned from the diseases to the patients. People need to understand that this is only a passing phenomenon.”
3 May 06:46 • The New Indian Express • https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2020/may/03/how-are-the-covid-19-patients-being-treated-2138527.htmlRating: 2.04
Hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease most common co-morbidities in SA Covid-19 patients
BREAKING NEWS Picture: iStock Hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease are among the most common co-morbidities associated with serious Covid-19 cases in the country, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday. This as 123 deaths were recorded nationwide. “We have looked at the data for patients who have been hospitalised and found that, consistent with evidence emerging worldwide, hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease are the three most common co-morbidities associated with serious illness from Covid-19,” he added. Mkhize said other co-morbidities, which are present in admitted patients, were chronic pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic renal disease, malignancy and HIV as well as active and past TB cases. “I would therefore like to urge our millions of South Africans who are over 63 years of age and those who live with these conditions, to take extra precaution as we ease the lockdown.” He reiterated the need for continued isolation from the public. “I would also like to urge all South Africans to continue to stay at home as far as possible, only venturing out to perform essential tasks as we move through the stages of the gradual lifting of the lockdown.” The numbers so far Mkhize said as of Saturday night, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa was 6 336, adding tests conducted to date stood at 230 686, of which 13 164 were done in the last 24 hours. “This is the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour cycle to date.” Seven Covid-19-related deaths in the Western Cape and Free State have brought the toll to 123, while the number of recoveries stands at 2 549. The Western Cape has emerged as the epicentre of the virus, with the latest data indicating it accounts for 56 of the 123 deaths countrywide. The province recorded 779 recoveries, but also led the nation with 2 700 confirmed cases, Mkhize said.
3 May 06:36 • The Citizen • https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/health/2278029/hypertension-diabetes-cardiac-disease-most-common-co-morbidities-in-sa-covid-19-patients/Rating: 1.26
Hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease most common co-morbidities in SA Covid-19 patients
Hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease are among the most common co-morbidities associated with serious Covid-19 cases in the country, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday. This as 123 deaths were recorded nationwide. "We have looked at the data for patients who have been hospitalised and found that, consistent with evidence emerging worldwide, hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease are the three most common co-morbidities associated with serious illness from Covid-19," he added. Mkhize said other co-morbidities, which are present in admitted patients, were chronic pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic renal disease, malignancy and HIV as well as active and past TB cases. "I would therefore like to urge our millions of South Africans who are over 63 years of age and those who live with these conditions, to take extra precaution as we ease the lockdown." He reiterated the need for continued isolation from the public. "I would also like to urge all South Africans to continue to stay at home as far as possible, only venturing out to perform essential tasks as we move through the stages of the gradual lifting of the lockdown." The numbers so far Mkhize said as of Saturday night, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa was 6 336, adding tests conducted to date stood at 230 686, of which 13 164 were done in the last 24 hours. "This is the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour cycle to date." ANALYSIS | The big problem with South Africa’s official Covid-19 numbers Seven Covid-19-related deaths in the Western Cape and Free State have brought the toll to 123, while the number of recoveries stands at 2 549. The Western Cape has emerged as the epicentre of the virus, with the latest data indicating it accounts for 56 of the 123 deaths countrywide. The province recorded 779 recoveries, but also led the nation with 2 700 confirmed cases, Mkhize said.
2 May 21:22 • News24 • https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/hypertension-diabetes-cardiac-disease-most-common-co-morbidities-in-sa-covid-19-patients-20200502Rating: 2.83
India Can Easily Do Synthesis Of New Anti-viral Drug Remdesivir, Says Former ICMR Director
Accidents & Disasters Written By Pritesh Kamath | Mumbai | Updated On: May 03, 2020 09:25 IST Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) former Director-General Dr. Nirmal K Ganguly has said that India can easily do the synthesis of the new antiviral drug Remdesivir if allowed by the US-based pharma company Gilead Sciences. The American Pharma major is now in touch with several Indian Pharmaceutical Companies and is exploring various avenues, even possibly for open licensing of this drug. "The antiviral was created to treat RNA viruses — Marburg and Ebola. It, however, did not succeed then," he added. READ | FDA Grants Remdesivir Emergency Use Authorisation To Treat COVID Patients, Announces Trump READ | 'Significant Step': HHS Chief Lauds Approval Of Emergency Use Of Remdesivir For COVID-19 "After the results are known, India will be able to use this drug as this is the largest randomised chemical trial," added Dr. Ganguly. Dr. Ganguly also spoke about the much talked about drug Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) which India had exported to numerous countries after US President Donald Trump requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for lifting export ban and send the medicine to the US as it was then seen as an only possible medicine to control the virus in the body. He opined that though the medicine did not significantly reduce fatality rates and FDA has taken it out from the list of compulsory drugs owing to the deaths, doesn't mean India cannot carry out trials. READ | From Plasma Therapy To Administering Remdesivir; Doctors Around The World Urge Caution READ | NIH States Remdesivir Proves Effective Over placebo, Higher Recovery Rate After Using Drug Gilead Sciences is now planning to conduct larger trials of Remdesivir in seven countries. Interestingly, Remdesivir effectively treats COVID-19 from both humans and animals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specified that the drug can be used for both adults and children who are severely ill due to the Coronavirus with low blood oxygen levels or those who are on the ventilator. (With ANI inputs)
3 May 09:25 • Republic World • https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/accidents-and-disasters/india-icmr-gilead-sciences-remdevisir-coronavirus-covid-19-us.htmlRating: 2.30
Japan health ministry expediting remdesivir for COVID-19 patients
The health ministry is moving to approve the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat domestic coronavirus patients. The move on Satuday followed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement the previous day that the Food and Drug Administration had authorized the emergency use of the drug for COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir was originally developed by Gilead Sciences Inc. as an Ebola remedy but failed. If given the go-ahead, remdesivir would become Japan's first recognized remedy for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. To greenlight remdesivir, the health ministry will apply a special approval system that allows screening to be substantially shortened on condition that the drug in question has been approved overseas. On Saturday afternoon, the government, at a round-robin-style Cabinet meeting, revised a related ordinance in such a way to make it possible to apply the special approval system to remdesivir. "I heard that the company will file an application for approval in a few days," health minister Katsunobu Kato said. "I've instructed officials to be prepared to be able to grant an approval in about a week once the application is made." Japan's approval process usually takes about a year based on domestic clinical trials. Expectations are especially high that remdesivir will help severely ill patients. In late April, the government said remdesivir needs to be introduced for emergency use and that fast-track procedures to greenlight domestic sales were being prepared under the pharmaceuticals and medical devices law. After receiving the application from Gilead Sciences, the health ministry will collect opinions on safety and other aspects of the drug at a meeting of its Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a Ebola treatment, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the coronavirus, copy themselves to overwhelm the host's immune system. According to a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug was effective in nearly 70 percent of 53 coronavirus patients with severe symptoms, but caused serious side effects, including deterioration of kidney and liver functions, in a quarter of them. The government, however, has not applied the special approval system to the flu drug Avigan, because its sales prospects overseas are unclear. Instead, the government is proceeding with clinical trials. Avigan is widely viewed as a potential treatment for COVID-19. It was developed by Tokyo-based Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co., an affiliate of Fujifilm Holdings Corp.
3 May 07:46 • The Japan Times • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/03/national/science-health/japan-health-ministry-approve-remdesivir/Rating: 2.31
Ministry Speaks About New Covid-19 Wonder Drug [VIDEO]
The Ministry of Health has weighed in on the use of a new drug identified as Remdevisir which was adopted in the US for Covid-19 treatment on May 1, 2020. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Health Director-General Patrick Amoth on Saturday, May 2, the government had observed that the drug had worked significantly well on patients in the US. "This is a drug that was initially tried for the Ebola Virus treatment and the treatment of other coronaviruses like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) whose outbreak was recorded in 2003 in Hong Kong," he stated. Amoth announced that the trial for the drugs was done in the US involving 1,063 cases, a matter that he approved of as a relevant testing base given the numbers involved. According to his report, there was an improvement in terms of the use of supplemental oxygen for critically ill patients (breathing with ventilators) and the time of discharge for patients generally. "During this study, 31 per cent of the 1,063 people were able to go home within 11 days compared to the other arm who received normal treatment. "Based on this, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to register this medicine for the treatment of the pandemic, Amoth stated. He, however, warned that this was not a cause to celebrate given that the medication was not that very different from the treatment currently being employed. "If you look at the time frame, it is only 15 days for those who received normal treatment compared to 11 days for those who received Remdisivir. "Therefore this is not a silver bullet, even though it has been approved but the other shortcoming of this medication is that it can only be given as an infusion through an injection and not as an oral formulation, and is also relatively expensive. "For our cases, because most of them are mild and asymptomatic, it could be deployed but to a small fraction of our patients," he stated, playing down the use of the medication in the country. Acting Ministry of Health Director-General Patrick Amoth taking notes at a past meeting.Twitter He added that as at now, the government was still actively pursuing other drugs from Japan and the US, including Hydrochloroquine which he explained, was now locally available. "That is how the treatment landscape looks like right now. Still, there is no cure despite this encouraging news," he stated.
2 May 14:35 • Kenyans.co.ke • https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/52761-ministry-speaks-about-new-covid-19-wonder-drug-videoRating: 1.04
No approved drug, vaccine for COVID-19 yet — NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has not approved any drug or vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19. The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement on Saturday that NAFDAC had not granted approval for any vaccine for the treatment and cure of COVID-19. “To put the record straight, no drugs or vaccines have been given approval in the country for cure of COVID-19. “While the medical researchers globally, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working tirelessly on the discovery of vaccines and drugs to cure COVID-19, the agency urges the public to desist from making unsubstantial claims. “NAFDAC is the only authority in the country to grant approval to such drugs and vaccines,” Adeyeye said. She said that NAFDAC would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to safeguard the health of Nigerians and that in the event of any approved drug or vaccine for the cure of COVID-19, the agency would not hesitate to inform the public. Adeyeye, however, advised Nigerians to comply strictly with measures issued by NCDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, adding that these include the use of face covering masks, social distancing, washing of hands and use of alcohol based sanitisers. (NAN)
2 May 20:16 • Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics • https://thenationonlineng.net/no-approved-drug-vaccine-for-covid-19-yet-nafdac/Rating: 0.30
No approved drug, vaccine for COVID-19 yet — NAFDAC
Kindly Share This Story: The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has not approved any drug or vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19. The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement on Saturday that NAFDAC had not granted approval for any vaccine for the treatment and cure of COVID-19. “To put the record straight, no drugs or vaccines have been given approval in the country for cure of COVID-19. “While the medical researchers globally, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working tirelessly on the discovery of vaccines and drugs to cure COVID-19, the agency urges the public to desist from making unsubstantial claims. “NAFDAC is the only authority in the country to grant approval to such drugs and vaccines,” Adeyeye said. She said that NAFDAC would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to safeguard the health of Nigerians and that in the event of any approved drug or vaccine for the cure of COVID-19, the agency would not hesitate to inform the public. Adeyeye, however, advised Nigerians to comply strictly with measures issued by NCDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, adding that these include the use of face-covering masks, social distancing, washing of hands and use of alcohol-based sanitisers. NAN Vanguard News Nigeria Kindly Share This Story:
2 May 15:10 • Vanguard News • https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/no-approved-drug-vaccine-for-covid-19-yet-nafdac/Rating: 2.43
No approved drug, vaccine for COVID-19 yet — NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has not approved any drug or vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19. The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement on Saturday that NAFDAC had not granted approval for any vaccine for the treatment and cure of COVID-19. “To put the record straight, no drugs or vaccines have been given approval in the country for cure of COVID-19. “While the medical researchers globally, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working tirelessly on the discovery of vaccines and drugs to cure COVID-19, the agency urges the public to desist from making unsubstantial claims. “NAFDAC is the only authority in the country to grant approval to such drugs and vaccines,” Adeyeye said. She said that NAFDAC would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to safeguard the health of Nigerians and that in the event of any approved drug or vaccine for the cure of COVID-19, the agency would not hesitate to inform the public. Adeyeye, however, advised Nigerians to comply strictly with measures issued by NCDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, adding that these include the use of face covering masks, social distancing, washing of hands and use of alcohol based sanitisers.
2 May 14:09 • The Guardian • https://guardian.ng/news/no-approved-drug-vaccine-for-covid-19-yet-nafdac/Rating: 0.30
Remdesivir gets US emergency approval for treating Covid-19 patients: Know all about the antiviral drug
The US has allowed the emergency use of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19 based on early clinical data that shows it helps coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients recover faster. Remdesivir, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is the world’s first drug approved based on clinical data to treat Covid-19, which has killed close to 240,000 people worldwide and infected over three million. Emergency-use authorization allows products to be used for treatment without full data on their safety and efficacy, which has to be still submitted as trial continue. “This was lighting speed in terms of getting something approved. From clinical trial to getting it authorized, it was 90 days,” said US Food and drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn, speaking at the White House with President Donald Trump at his side. Remdesivir, when administered by an intravenous infusion, helped patients recover on an average in 11 days, compared to 15 days taken by those on placebo. The emergency use of remdesivir is limited to hospitalised Covid-19 patients with low blood-oxygen levels or who need breathing support, the FDA said in its letter of authorisation. “Based on the totality of scientific evidence available to FDA, it is reasonable to believe that remdesivir may be effective in treating COVID-19, and that, when used under the conditions described in this authorization, the known and potential benefits of remdesivir when used to treat Covid-19 outweigh the known and potential risks of such products; and there is no adequate, approved, and available alternative,” said the FDA in the letter. A treatment will help tide the pandemic till an effective vaccine, now expected to be ready as early as six months, is available to protect against the disease and help reopen the economies and lower social-distancing restrictions, which have led to job losses, closed schools and wrecked global economy. “Remdesivir covered by this authorization will be used only to treat adults and children with suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 and severe disease defined as SpO2 ≤ 94% on room air, requiring supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO),” said FDA. Hospitalised patients in need of oxygen support account for about 14% of Covid-19 patients, according to early studies of the outbreak. Patients on a mechanical ventilator or ECMO should be given the drug for 10 days, while those who are less sick should get it for five days, the company said. “Gilead Sciences now plans to expand trials to many countries, excluding India. Available data shows it is one of foremost potential drugs against disease, and since the supply is limited, according to Gilead, India must consider ways to make this drug available to its population. In the past, India saved millions by providing affordable and effective anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV and AIDS, not just to its own population, but also to other countries who needed them, including to many countries in Africa,” said Dr Nirmal K Ganguly, emeritus scientist and former director general of Indian Council of Medical Research. Two anti-malaria drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, have been approved for use against Covid-19 in India and the US, but these have not undergone rigorous clinical trials. Gilead is donating its entire supply of 1.5 million doses of remdesivir to the US government, which will help treat 140,000 patients based on a 10-day treatment cycle. “Given the severity of illness of patients appropriate for remdesivir treatment and the limited availability of drug supply, hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority in the distribution of remdesivir,” Gilead said in a statement. Gilead has scaled up manufacturing of remdesivir from zero production in January to make 500,000 treatment courses by October. It plans to double that number by December through production tie-ups with a consortium of pharmaceutical companies around the world. “One trial compared five days regimen with 10 days regimen and noted equal clinical recovery time. There was no control group and effect on deaths was not studied. Another trial was randomised, had a control group of standard care, and observed a benefit in reduction of recovery time from severe illness. The impact on death was, however, not statistically significant and hence unproven. The need for larger controlled clinical trials, which can demonstrate clear impact on hard clinical endpoints including mortality reduction, remains as search for an effective life-saving cure remains. Other trials are underway, including the World Health Organisation’s multi-country SOLIDARITY trial,” said Dr K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India. What is Remdesivir? •Remdesivir is a nucleoside ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase inhibitor. •Remdesivir for injection, 100 mg, is a sterile, preservative-free lyophilized solid that is reconstituted with 19mL of sterile water for injection and diluted into 0.9% saline prior to intravenous (IV) administration. •Following reconstitution, each single-dose, clear glass vial contains a 5 mg/mL remdesivir concentrated solution with sufficient volume to allow withdrawal of 20 ml. •Remdesivir Injection, 5 mg/mL, is a sterile, preservative- free, clear, solution that is to diluted into 0.9% saline prior to intravenous (IV) administration. •Remdesivir for injection, 100 mg, vials should be stored below 30 °C until time of use. Remdesivir injection, 5 mg/mL vials should be stored at refrigerated temperatures (2 °C to 8 °C) until time of use. •Following dilution with 0.9% saline, the solution can be stored for up to 4 hours at room temperature (20 °C to 25 °C) or 24 hours at refrigerated temperatures (2 °C to 8 °C). Source: US FDA
2 May 04:47 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/science/remdesivir-gets-us-emergency-approval-for-treating-covid-19-patients-know-all-about-the-antiviral-drug/story-20gdUT7fdBikK22FNHF96L.htmlRating: 0.30
U.S. emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's COVID-19 drug remdesivir
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gilead Science Inc’s (GILD.O) antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. “It’s the first authorized therapy for COVID-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 U.S. states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading. GRAPHIC: Tracking the novel coronavirus in the U.S. tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T
2 May 18:49 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-fda-idUSKBN22D69RRating: 4.04
US FDA Approves Emergency Use Of Anti-Viral Drug Remdesivir For Covid-19 Patients
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19. In an FDA fact sheet for patients and their families and caregivers, the agency on Friday (1 May) noted that remdesivir has not undergone the same type of review as an FDA-approved or cleared product, reports Xinhua news agency. Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral medicine to treat certain people in the hospital with COVID-19, said the FDA, adding the drug was still being studied. "There is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19," said the FDA. Remdesivir was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some people. There are no medicines approved by the FDA as safe and effective to treat people in the hospital who have COVID-19. Therefore, the FDA has authorized the emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 under an EUA, said the agency. Remdesivir is given to patients through a vein one time each day for up to 10 days depending on recommendations of healthcare providers, according to the FDA. The drug may help decrease the amount of the coronavirus in bodies and help patients get better faster, said the agency. Possible side effects of remdesivir include infusion-related reactions and increases in levels of liver enzymes, according to the FDA. "These are not all the possible side effects of remdesivir. Remdesivir is still being studied so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time," said the FDA. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
2 May 11:14 • Swarajya • https://swarajyamag.com/insta/us-fda-approves-emergency-use-of-anti-viral-drug-remdesivir-for-covid-19-patientsRating: 1.22
US FDA approves emergency use of remdesivir
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19. Washington: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19. In an FDA fact sheet for patients and their families and caregivers, the agency on Friday noted that remdesivir has not undergone the same type of review as an FDA-approved or cleared product, reports Xinhua news agency. Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral medicine to treat certain people in the hospital with COVID-19, said the FDA, adding the drug was still being studied. "There is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19," said the FDA. Remdesivir was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some people. There are no medicines approved by the FDA as safe and effective to treat people in the hospital who have COVID-19. Therefore, the FDA has authorized the emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 under an EUA, said the agency. Remdesivir is given to patients through a vein one time each day for up to 10 days depending on recommendations of healthcare providers, according to the FDA. The drug may help decrease the amount of the coronavirus in bodies and help patients get better faster, said the agency. Possible side effects of remdesivir include infusion-related reactions and increases in levels of liver enzymes, according to the FDA. "These are not all the possible side effects of remdesivir. Remdesivir is still being studied so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time," said the FDA Email ArticlePrint Article Next Story
2 May 21:45 • The Hans India • https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/us-fda-approves-emergency-use-of-remdesivir-620483Rating: 1.10
US allows emergency use of the drug remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment
US regulators said Friday that they have authorized the emergency use of the experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir for treating coronavirus patients, saying that clinical trials have showed "promising results." "While there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19, the investigational drug was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some patients," the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. The move, which will enable the drug to be used for those hospitalized with severe illness caused by the new coronavirus, is a "significant step" forward in battling the pandemic, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said in a statement. The company said it aims to produce at least 500,000 treatment courses by October, 1 million treatment courses by December and millions more in 2021, if required. Remdesivir was developed by US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences as a possible treatment for Ebola, but it has not been licensed or approved anywhere globally. Clinical trials have been under way to confirm the effectiveness and safety of its use for coronavirus patients around the world, including Japan. The Japanese government is looking to fast-track its approval. The drug is expected to be available in Japan as early as this month, a government official said. Under the emergency use authorization, remdesivir will be distributed in the United States and administered intravenously by health care providers for patients with low blood oxygen levels as well as those needing oxygen therapy or more intensive breathing support such as a mechanical ventilator. More than 1 million people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus, with the country's death toll exceeding 64,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there have been more than 3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, and more than 230,000 deaths. If you want to help in the fight against COVID-19, we have compiled an up-to-date list of community initiatives designed to aid medical workers and low-income people in this article. Link: [UPDATED] Anti-COVID-19 initiatives: Helping Indonesia fight the outbreak
2 May 13:45 • The Jakarta Post • https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/02/us-allows-emergency-use-of-the-drug-remdesivir-for-covid-19-treatment.htmlRating: 1.40
US allows use of 1st drug shown to help virus recovery
WASHINGTON: U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus.The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators.President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn.“This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved” said Hahn, calling the drug “an important clinical advance.”The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that the drug, remdesivir, shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average vs. 15 days for the comparison group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure.Dr. Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug’s benefit.“I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.”The FDA said preliminary results from the government study warranted Friday’s decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir.”The drug’s side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to physicians and patients, the FDA said.The National Institutes of Health’s Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness.The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs, tests and other medical products during public health crises.In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks.Gilead has said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the U.S. government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most.No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval.The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness.Full Coverage: Racing for a Remedy “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specializing in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.”The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns.The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. The agency made the announcements after receiving new reports of injury and death with the medication, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.Two small studies published Friday add to concerns about hydroxychloroquine. Critically ill COVID-19 patients given the pill-based drug were prone to heart rhythm problems, and for many risks mounted when it was combined with an antibiotic, the studies found. Related Articles Utah passes new abortion rules as Legislature wraps up The Global Health Institute at AUB and “Epic” demonstrate the Sijilli database Rights group: COVID-19 supplies not reaching northeast Syria Show Comments
2 May 11:30 • An-Nahar • https://en.annahar.com/article/1179289-us-allows-use-of-1st-drug-shown-to-help-virus-recoveryRating: 1.13
US approves Ebola drug for treatment of COVID-19
Authorities in the United States will allow the emergency use of Ebola drug remdesivir for treating patients with severe COVID-19. The anti-viral drug was shown to help shorten the recovery time for people who were hospitalised with the coronavirus in recent clinical trials. However the emergency authorisation by the Food and Drug Administration means usage has been rushed through without the usual higher levels of review medication goes through before it can be rolled out for treating the public. Medical experts have since warned that the use of the Ebola drug, which is manufactured by Gilead pharmaceutical company, should not be seen as a “magic bullet” for COVID-19. ‘Important first step’The company will donate 1.5 million doses of the drug to help during the crisis, in what Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day said during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office was an “important first step”. “It’s the first authorised therapy for Covid-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, also present at the meeting, added. US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) found that remdesivir shortened the duration of symptoms suffered by patients with Covid-19 from 15 days to 11 during clinical trials on 1063 different people with the virus in hospitals around the world. Head of NIAID, Dr Anthony Fauci, said that the use of remdesirvir had a “clear cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery”. Even so, while the drug may speed up recovery, and potentially stop the need for some patients to be treated in intensive care, there was no clear evidence it could actually prevent further deaths from the virus. On Saturday morning, 65,603 deaths from coronavirus have been confirmed in the US. Convalescent plasmaMeanwhile, in the UK, a potential treatment that uses plasma from recovered patients is being trialled at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London. Transfusions are expected to begin in the next few weeks. It is hoped that the “convalescent plasma” treatment will help patients whose bodies are failing to produce enough antibodies to fight Covid-19. The NHS Blood and Transplant service is on standby to begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma a week to the NHS if the treatment is proven to be effective. That would be enough to treat 5,000 patients in hospital a week. (www.newsnow.co.uk)
2 May 12:14 • Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics • https://thenationonlineng.net/us-approves-ebola-drug-for-treatment-of-covid-19/Rating: 0.30
US approves use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients
Antiviral drug remdesivir has been approved by US regulators to treat hospitalised Covid-19 patients. After studied showed remdesivir a drug previously used to treat ebola patients, shortened recovery time by 31 per cent, or around four days on average, for hospitalised Covid-19 patients, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared its use. Patients given the remdesivir drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average, compared to 15 days for the placebo group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. Now, the drug can be administered to patients with severe conditions, such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks. Follow us on Facebook – @Lailasnews; Twitter – @LailaIjeoma for updates
2 May 17:45 • LailasNews.com • https://lailasnews.com/us-approves-use-of-anti-viral-drug-remdesivir-to-treat-coronavirus-patients/Rating: 1.27
US approves use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients
US regulators have approved the use of the first drug which appears to help coronavirus patients recover quicker. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the use of remdesivir, a drug previously used to treat ebola patients, after studies showed it shortened recovery time by 31 per cent, or around four days on average, for hospitalised Covid-19 patients. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average, compared to 15 days for the placebo group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. The drug is can now be administered to patients with severe conditions, such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks. Cathy Burgess, an attorney specialising in FDA issues, said: “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” Pharmaceutical company Gilead Science, which produces remdesivir, said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and ramp up production. They said the US government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most. No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. Coronavirus: Everything you need to know
2 May 06:47 • ITV News • https://www.itv.com/news/2020-05-02/us-approves-use-of-anti-viral-drug-remdesivir-to-treat-coronavirus-patients/Rating: 0.88
US emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's Covid-19 drug remdesivir
WASHINGTON: Gilead Science Inc’s (GILD.O) antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration for Covid-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for Covid-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. “It’s the first authorised therapy for Covid-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 US states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe Covid-19 who require oxygen supplementation. US Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by Covid-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against Covid-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading.
2 May 19:43 • The Express Tribune • https://tribune.com.pk/story/2212750/3-us-emergency-approval-broadens-use-gileads-covid-19-drug-remdesivir/Rating: 1.80
US issues emergency approval for remdesivir for COVID-19 patients
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The experimental drug remdesivir has been authorized by US regulators for emergency use against COVID-19, President Donald Trump announced Friday. It comes after the antiviral made by Gilead Sciences was shown in a major clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some coronavirus patients, the first time any medicine has had a proven benefit against the disease. "It is really a really promising situation," Trump said at the White House, where he was joined by Gilead s CEO Daniel O Day. "We are humbled with this first step for hospitalized patients," said O Day, adding: "We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine." The company has previously announced it was donating some 1.5 million doses for free. This amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses based on a 10-day treatment duration. Remdesivir, which is administered by an injection, was already available to some patients who enrolled in clinical trials, or who sought it out on a "compassionate use" basis. The new move allows it to be distributed far more widely and used in both adults and children who are hospitalized with a severe form of COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the approval, defines severe as having low blood oxygen levels, requiring oxygen therapy, or being on a ventilator. The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced the results of a trial involving more than 1,000 people on Wednesday. It found that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress got better quicker than those on a placebo. Specifically, patients on the drug had a 31 percent faster time to recovery. "Although the results were clearly positive from a statistically significant standpoint, they were modest," Anthony Fauci, the scientist who leads the NIAID told NBC News on Thursday. While not considered a miracle cure, remdesivir s trial achieved a "proof of concept," according to Fauci that could pave the way for better treatments. Remdesivir incorporates itself into the virus s genome, short circuiting its replication process. It was first developed to treat Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever, but did not boost survival rates as other medicines.
2 May 13:39 • Dunya News • https://dunyanews.tv/en/World/543708-US-issues-emergency-approval-for-remdesivir-for-COVID-19-patientsRating: 1.71
US okays remdesivir for emergency Covid-19 use
The US drug regulator has allowed emergency use of experimental antiviral drug remdesivir for Covid-19 treatment based on early clinical data that showed it helps coronavirus patients recover faster. The drug is made by Gilead Sciences and is the first to be approved globally as a treatment for the viral pandemic that has killed over 240,000 people worldwide. The emergency authorisation allows products to be used for treatment without full data on their safety and efficacy, which has to be still submitted as trials continue. “This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved. From clinical trial to getting it authorised, it was 90 days,” said US Food and drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn. Remdesivir, when administered by an intravenous infusion, helped patients recover in 11 days on average , compared to 15 days taken by those on placebo, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. US President Donald Trump, who announced the authorisation at the White House on Friday accompanied by top officials of his coronavirus task force and Gilead CEO Dan O’Day, called the drug the “hot thing” and “an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients” and a “promising situation”. The emergency use will be limited to hospitalised Covid-19 patients with low blood-oxygen levels or those who need breathing support, the FDA said. “It is reasonable to believe that remdesivir may be effective in treating Covid-19, and that, when used under the conditions described in this authorisation, the known and potential benefits of remdesivir when used to treat Covid-19 outweigh the known and potential risks of such products,” the US regulator said. “Remdesivir... will be used only to treat adults and children with suspected or laboratory confirmed Covid-19 and severe disease defined as SpO2 ≤ 94% on room air, requiring supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).” Hospitalised patients in need of oxygen support account for about 14% of Covid-19 patients, according to early studies of the outbreak. Patients on mechanical ventilator or ECMO should be given the drug for 10 days, while those who are less sick should get it for five days, Gilead said. “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” said Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force. Former Indian Council of Medical Research director-general Dr Nirmal K Ganguly said Gilead plans to expand remdesivir trials to many countries, excluding India. “Since the supply (of remdesivir) is limited, according to Gilead, India must consider ways to make this drug available to its population,” said Ganguly. Public Health Foundation of India president Dr K Srinath Reddy said one trial compared five days’ regimen with 10 days’ regimen and noted equal clinical recovery time. “There was no control group and effect on deaths was not studied. Another trial was randomised, had a control group of standard care, and observed a benefit in the reduction of recovery time from severe illness. The impact on death was, however, not statistically significant and hence unproven.’
2 May 21:57 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-okays-remdesivir-for-emergency-covid-19-use/story-CqBC5S1Fb1B49ShiY13DLM.htmlRating: 0.30
What is Remdesivir? How can it help in Covid-19 treatment
Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral drug. According to early clinical data, it can help Covid-19 patients recover faster. The experimental antiviral, which was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for “emergency use authorisation” in the US, is created by pharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences which is headquartered in California, US, with operations in over 30 countries. The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) describes Remdesivir as a nucleoside ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase inhibitor. “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Anthony Fauci, the top US epidemiologist who oversaw the study, told reporters at the White House as reported by news agency AFP. However, he added that the experimental drug is not a miracle cure. The drug was first developed to treat Ebola and showed early promise in a primate study in 2016. In February, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced working with remdesivir to tackle Covid-19. Also read: US okays remdesivir for emergency Covid-19 use How does it work? In a trial, evaluating 5-day and 10-day dosing durations of the drug remdesivir in coronavirus patients, it was found that the drug achieved improvement in patients with a severe manifestation of Covid-19 . The effectiveness of the drug was measured in terms of clinical improvement reported in patients ranging from improvement in breathing, increased level of oxygen support to hospital discharge. Nearly 50% of patients in the 5-day treatment showed clinical improvement in 10 days. More than half of patients in two treatment groups of the clinical trial were discharged from the hospital by Day 14. The trial was conducted by Gilead Sciences, Inc. The availability Remdesivir has already been given to patients around the world, both in clinical trials and outside. Gilead has been responding to “compassionate use requests” for emergency access. The company is also looking into potentially developing an inhaled formulation, but hasn’t given a timeline. The US FDA has already issued an “emergency use authorisation” which will expand its use further, before it gets a formal approval. The drug is complex to manufacture and is administered via injection, rather than a pill. (With inputs from AFP, Gilead Sciences, US FDA)
3 May 04:16 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/what-is-remdesivir-how-can-it-help-in-covid-19-treatment/story-yptfinp4SmPlQgNsw6HScM.htmlRating: 0.30
Scientists Find The Highest-Ever Concentration of Microplastics on The Seafloor
3 May 00:00
•
5 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.44
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 16:53
Average US: 18.98
Weighted average US: 21.020259525798068
Average GB: 0.7200000000000001
Weighted average GB: 0.8170723081836397
Average IN: 6.18
Weighted average IN: 6.162094894919904
Scientists Find The Highest-Ever Concentration of Microplastics on The Seafloor
What if the "great ocean garbage patches" were just the tip of the iceberg? While more than 10 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the sea each year, we actually see just 1 percent of it – the portion that floats on the ocean surface. What happens to the missing 99 percent has been unclear for a while. Plastic debris is gradually broken down into smaller and smaller fragments in the ocean, until it forms particles smaller than 5 mm, known as microplastics. Our new research shows that powerful currents sweep these microplastics along the seafloor into large "drifts", which concentrate them in astounding quantities. We found up to 1.9 million pieces of microplastic in a 5 cm-thick layer covering just one square metre – the highest levels of microplastics yet recorded on the ocean floor. While microplastics have been found on the seafloor worldwide, scientists weren't sure how they got there and how they spread. We thought that microplastics would separate out according to how big or dense they were, in a similar manner to natural sediment. But plastics are different – some float, but more than half of them sink. Plastics which once floated can sink as they become coated in algae, or if bound up with other sticky minerals and organic matter. Recent research has shown that rivers transport microplastics to the ocean too, and laboratory experiments revealed that giant underwater avalanches of sediment can transport these tiny particles along deep-sea canyons to greater depths. We've now discovered how a global network of deep-sea currents transports microplastics, creating plastic hotspots within vast sediment drifts. By catching a ride on these currents, microplastics may be accumulating where deep-sea life is abundant. We surveyed an area of the Mediterranean off the western coast of Italy, known as the Tyrrhenian Sea, and studied the bottom currents that flow near the seafloor. These currents are driven by differences in water salinity and temperature as part of a system of ocean circulation that spans the globe. Seafloor drifts of sediment can be many kilometres across and hundreds of metres high, forming where these currents lose their strength. We analysed sediment samples from the seafloor taken at depths of several hundred metres. To avoid disturbing the surface layer of sediment, we used samples taken with box-cores, which are like big cookie cutters. In the laboratory, we separated microplastics from the sediment and counted them under microscopes, analysing them using infra-red spectroscopy to find out what kinds of plastic polymer types were there. Most microplastics found on the seafloor are fibres from clothes and textiles. These are particularly insidious, as they can be eaten and absorbed by organisms. Although microplastics on their own are often non-toxic, studies show the build-up of toxins on their surfaces can harm organisms if ingested. These deep ocean currents also carry oxygenated water and nutrients, meaning that the seafloor hotspots where microplastics accumulate may also be home to important ecosystems such as deep-sea coral reefs that have evolved to depend on these flows, but are now receiving huge quantities of microplastics instead. What was once a hidden problem has now been uncovered – natural currents and the flow of plastic waste into the ocean are turning parts of the seafloor into repositories for microplastics. The cheap plastic goods we take for granted eventually end up somewhere. The clothes that may only last weeks in your wardrobe linger for decades to centuries on the seafloor, potentially harming the unique and poorly understood creatures that live there. Ian Kane, Reader in Geology, University of Manchester and Michael Clare, Principal Researcher in Marine Geoscience, National Oceanography Centre. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
3 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/teeny-tiny-plastics-are-sinking-deep-into-the-ocean-to-where-life-is-abundantRating: 1.50
Highest-ever concentration of microplastics found on seafloor: scientists
TORONTO -- Scientists say they have discovered the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded on the seafloor. As part of an international research project led by the University of Manchester, scientists were able to uncover a staggering 1.9 million pieces of microplastics in a single square-metre of the ocean’s floor in the Mediterranean. In a study, published in the journal “Science” on Thursday, the researchers showed how deep-sea currents act as conveyor belts to transport and deposit tiny plastic fragments and fibres across the seafloor. As a result of these currents, “microplastic hotspots” or large accumulations can occur in certain locations, the study said. “Almost everybody has heard of the infamous ocean ‘garbage patches’ of floating plastic, but we were shocked at the high concentrations of microplastics we found in the deep seafloor,” Ian Kane, the study’s lead author and an earth scientist at the University of Manchester, said in a press release. “We discovered that microplastics are not uniformly distributed across the study area; instead, they are distributed by powerful seafloor currents which concentrate them in certain areas.” While people often think of microplastics as tiny pieces of plastics in exfoliants, detergents, and glitter; the deposits found in the study area of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea, consisted primarily of fibres from textiles and clothing. These types of microplastics can easily enter rivers and oceans because they’re not effectively filtered out in domestic waste water treatment plants, the researchers said. According to the scientists, more than 10 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. And although there has been much attention given to floating debris, such as plastic drinking straws and bags, which are visible on the surface, it only accounts for one per cent of the plastic that enters the world’s oceans. The other 99 per cent of plastic waste is believed to be somewhere below the surface in the depths of the oceans. The difficulty for scientists, however, has been locating where exactly all that plastic waste has wound up in the oceans. That is why the international team set out to determine how deep ocean currents affects the location of microplastic hotspots. To do this, they collected sediment samples from the seafloor of the Tyrrhenian Sea and combined them with calibrated models and deep ocean currents and detailed mapping of the seafloor. They then analyzed all the samples using infra-red spectroscopy to determine the different plastic types. “Our study has shown how detailed studies of seafloor currents can help us to connect microplastic transport pathways in the deep sea and find the ‘missing’ microplastics,” Mike Clare, a co-lead on the project and a researcher at the National Oceanography Centre, said. The researchers said understanding where the microplastic hotspots are is vital because deep ocean currents carry oxygenated water and nutrients, which means these areas are also likely to house important ecosystems with marine life that can consume or absorb the harmful plastics. “The results [of the study] highlight the need for policy interventions to limit the future flow of plastics into natural environments and minimize impacts on ocean ecosystems,” Clare said.
2 May 16:53 • CTVNews • https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/highest-ever-concentration-of-microplastics-found-on-seafloor-scientists-1.4922127Rating: 2.87
New Satellite Gives Clearest View Yet of Polar Ice Melt
A cutting-edge NASA satellite has provided one of the most detailed looks yet at glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica. The findings are clearer than ever: Both ice sheets are losing billions of tons of mass into the ocean each year, contributing significantly to global sea-level rise. The results were published yesterday in the journal Science by a team of researchers from around the country, led by Ben Smith of the University of Washington. They’re among the first published findings from the ICESat-2 mission, a NASA satellite that can measure changes in the height of the Earth’s ice sheets and the thickness of polar sea ice. Launched in September 2018, the mission was a much-anticipated follow-up to a previous ICESat mission, which concluded in 2009. Equipped with a set of high-tech laser instruments, ICESat-2 is far more sensitive than the original mission—able to make fine observations of changes in the Earth’s surface. Now, those observations are giving scientists new insight into the plight of the world’s largest ice sheets. Since 2003, the combined ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica has contributed more than a half-inch to global sea-level rise. While some sections of the ice sheets are actually gaining mass in the form of accumulating snow, those gains are outweighed by losses from melting ice and crumbling glaciers in other areas. Previous studies have come to similar conclusions. But the new data gives scientists a closer look at exactly where those losses are coming from—and what’s causing them. In Greenland, ice loss mainly occurs in the form of surface melting. The top of the ice sheet warms and melts, and the water runs off into the ocean. While Greenland saw some modest gains in mass near the center of the ice sheet, it suffered far more serious losses in other areas—especially the northwest and southeast regions. Antarctica also gained mass in some areas, mainly East Antarctica. But these gains were outweighed by losses in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. In contrast to Greenland, crumbling glaciers are a more important factor when it comes to ice loss in Antarctica. This is when chunks of ice pour from the edge of the ice sheet into the sea. Glaciers are often stabilized by ice shelves—tongues of ice that jut out from the edge of the ice sheet into the ocean. If an ice shelf weakens or breaks, it can cause ice to pour from the glacier into the ocean at a faster rate. In recent years, scientists have noticed that warm ocean currents are causing some Antarctic ice shelves to melt from the bottom up, making them thinner and weaker. Since ice shelves are already technically resting in the water, their own melting doesn’t actually contribute to sea-level rise. But if the glaciers behind them begin to flow and crumble at faster rates as the shelf weakens, that’s a concern. The new data indicates that thinning ice shelves are a growing cause of ice loss from Antarctic glaciers. In West Antarctica, for instance—the fastest-melting part of the Antarctic ice sheet—melting ice shelves accounted for nearly a third of the region’s total mass loss. Meanwhile, grounded ice—the ice that actually contributes to sea-level rise—is still pouring into the ocean by the billions of tons. Greenland is losing around 200 billion tons of grounded ice each year, and Antarctica more than 100 billion. Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from E&E News. E&E provides daily coverage of essential energy and environmental news at www.eenews.net.
2 May 07:00 • Scientific American • https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-satellite-gives-clearest-view-yet-of-polar-ice-melt/Rating: 1.53
NASA Space Lasers Offer 'Fantastically Detailed' Look At The World's Ice Loss
The ice sheets are melting, and a new study research relies on state-of-the-art technology to reveal where the biggest losses are happening. It’s pretty freaking cool even if the results are bad news. The findings, published in Science on Thursday, use space lasers to create a detailed view of the planet’s biggest pieces of ice. The team of researchers, which includes scientists from NASA and the University of Washington, looked at ice mass change from 2003 to 2019 to get a sense of how global warming is affecting these critical ice sheets. The findings show increased snow accumulation isn’t enough to offset massive ice losses in Greenland and Antarctica. Greenland has shed an average of 200 gigatons of ice a year, and Antarctica has lost an average of 118 gigatons of ice a year. That’s contributed to more than half an inch of sea level rise over the past 16 years alone, a rate that is expected to accelerate and affect our numerous cities and infrastructure located on the coast. Previous studies have shown that sea-level rise may cause extreme floods to happen daily in most of the U.S. coast by the end of the century. By 2050, we may be bidding farewell to our beloved beaches as well. But to refine our understanding of the future, scientists need to understand what’s going with ice sheets today. The researchers gathered the data for the new study using two laser altimeters that can measure the height of snow surface from space on NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite or ICESat. The first ICESat launched in 2003 and collected data until it was retired in 2010. A second ICESat—dubbed ICESat-2—launched in 2018 with an even more precise laser altimeter to gather data. “The result is a fantastically detailed look at how the ice sheets are changing over a 15+ year period,” Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado’s Earth Science and Observation Centre who was not involved in the study, told Earther. The study shows ice sheets are gaining some snow but losing mass overall. Though Antarctica is growing thicker in its interior, the coasts of West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula are particularly vulnerable to ice loss. Warm ocean water undercuts floating ice shelves there and causing more ice to spill into the sea, more than offsetting the interior gains. Greenland is also experiencing some thickening in its interior, but this is mostly happening at high elevations. Here, too, this snow accumulation isn’t enough to offset the melting of ice on the coasts. “Our study showed that there are a variety of processes at work in Antarctica and Greenland, with thickening in some places and thinning in others,” author Ben Smith, the principal physicist at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, told Earther in an email. “We can measure both processes precisely, and our study shows that the net result is that the loss of ice from the grounded ice sheets into the ocean is making a large contribution to sea-level rise.” This research fits in line with what previous studies have shown. It also doesn’t include other factors that could be driving even more ice loss. Smith said the satellites measure thickness of the ice sheets and shelves, but they don’t capture the majoricebergcalvingevents we’ve seen in recent years. Nor do they capture the breakdown at the front of ice shelves where researchers worry ever greater walls of ice could tumble into the ocean. That could be an unstoppable destabilizing force in the coming decades, particularly for West Antarctica. In short, what we’re seeing in this study is likely only a slice of what’s to come for these critical ice sheets—and the coasts that could suffer if melt speeds up. “It is only capturing the beginning of the ice sheet changes we expect to see,” Smith said. “We need to keep making measurements like these in years and decades to come to understand the long-term evolution of the ice sheets.” These findings illustrate just how quickly ice is going away as temperatures rise. How worse this gets depends entirely on much longer the world goes on without sufficient climate action.
2 May 01:24 • Gizmodo AU • https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/nasa-space-lasers-offer-fantastically-detailed-look-at-the-worlds-ice-loss/Rating: 0.49
Highest-ever concentration of plastic pieces are on ocean floor
Researchers have uncovered the highest-ever concentration of microplastics on the seafloor. According to a new study in the journal Science, scientists recently found 1.9 million pieces in an area of about 11 square feet in the Mediterranean Sea. Over 10 million tons of plastic waste enter oceans each year — but the visible floating plastic that has led to anti-straw and anti-plastic bag movements accounts for less than 1% of the ocean's total plastic. The other 99% is thought to live in the deep ocean — and the new study helps to explain how it ends up there. Researchers were able to track deep-sea currents and show how they act like "conveyor belts" to transport microplastics across the seafloor. To conduct the study, a team of scientists collected sediment samples from the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Italy before extracting and analyzing the plastic within it. After studying deep ocean currents and mappings of the sea, the team was able to demonstrate how currents distribute microplastics along the seafloor. Researchers said "microplastic hotspots" occur when flowing seafloor currents concentrate plastics in large sediment accumulations. They are essentially the deep-sea counterparts of "garbage patches" that collect on the ocean surface and wind up on beaches. These "garbage-patches" have been widely researched, but researchers were surprised at what they found when they traveled to the depths of the sea. "Almost everybody has heard of the infamous ocean 'garbage patches' of floating plastic, but we were shocked at the high concentrations of microplastics we found in the deep-seafloor," lead author Dr. Ian Kane from The University of Manchester said in a press release. A graphic illustrating the transportation of microplastics by currents along the seafloor. University of Manchester The microplastics found by researchers were mostly made up of tiny clothing fibers, which can easily enter oceans if not filtered out properly in wastewater treatment plants. Along with microplastics, these currents also trap oxygenated water and nutrients, meaning important seafloor ecosystems are absorbing the plastics — possibly ingesting and passed them up the food chain. Scientists hope their findings will help to predict the locations of other microplastic hotspots and lead to further research on their impacts on marine life in oceans around the world. "Our study has shown how detailed studies of seafloor currents can help us to connect microplastic transport pathways in the deep-sea and find the 'missing' microplastics," said co-lead author Dr. Mike Clare of the National Oceanography Center. "The results highlight the need for policy interventions to limit the future flow of plastics into natural environments and minimise impacts on ocean ecosystems." Researchers said the amount of plastic is so high, it has essentially become part of the makeup of the ocean floor — a potentially devastating threat to biodiversity. "It's unfortunate, but plastic has become a new type of sediment particle, which is distributed across the sea floor together with sand, mud and nutrients," said Dr. Florian Pohl from Durham University. "Thus, sediment-transport processes such as seafloor currents will concentrate plastic particles in certain locations on the seafloor, as demonstrated by our research." Kids across America air minor lockdown grievances North Korea state-run media says Kim Jong Un attended factory opening Elite flying squadrons honor frontline workers
2 May 00:04 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/highest-ever-concentration-plastic-pieces-000416724.htmlRating: 0.30
HR minister advises employers, workers to adapt to new normal
3 May 22:57
•
6 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.72
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:53
Average US: 15.816666666666666
Weighted average US: 33.15914121525728
Average GB: 0.5166666666666666
Weighted average GB: 0.7561192215474415
Average IN: 3.5166666666666666
Weighted average IN: 5.008900676646773
HR minister advises employers, workers to adapt to new normal
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — The Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) urges all employers and employees to adopt the new normal as a daily routine while at business or work premises. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, in a statement last night, said this was following the conditional movement control order (CMCO) which would be implemented today. He said the routine must comply with all measures of control and prevention of infectious diseases. “Some of these new normal practices demand the cultivation of good procedures such as screening and recording the temperature of the worker’s body each time he arrives at work and returns home and practicing social distancing. “The others are providing hand sanitiser and gloves, wearing face masks while at work as well as maintaining personal hygiene including the provision of health and safety guidelines in the workplace,” he said. He also said the MOHR continued to intensify enforcement interventions and inspections to employment premises to ensure that all employers respected and complied with the requirements of the standard operating procedures. “Officials of the Department of Labour of Peninsular Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) are empowered and are responsible for these duties as enshrined under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342),” he said. . In addition, he said the government would not compromise with companies or employers who were negligent and failed to implement control and preventive measures under the act. “Our fight against the invisible Covid-19 pandemic is not over. “Therefore, each party, including employers and workers, are required to give their full co-peration and commitment in adhering to the requirements set by adopting a new normal culture for the benefit of the people and the nation,” he added. — Bernama
3 May 22:57 • Malaymail • https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/05/04/hr-minister-advises-employers-workers-to-adapt-to-new-normal/1862719Rating: 1.42
Here is a back-to-work checklist for employers to ensure compliance
Under lockdown Level 4, many businesses may be heading back to work, which comes with renewed risk of the highly contagious Covid-19 infection spreading exponentially. Ensuring the safety of a team will be top-of-mind for all employers, notes cleaning and sanitary company, Ecowize. Decontamination services will play a major role in making sure an environment is safe, along with stringent Covid protocols including the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), regular cleaning of high touch points, hand sanitation and the requisite social distancing. Here is a checklist for businesses going back to work on ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Have you decontaminated your environment? Covid-19 is transmitted via droplet spread. This means surfaces can be contaminated quickly. A decontamination protocol is the best way to ensure a workplace is coronavirus free. It involves the microbial fogging of all surfaces, production lines, workstations, walls, floors and ceilings using specialized chemicals, after which the area is air dried. The decontamination team is specially trained and attired in the necessary PPE. All disposable PPE is immediately placed in a biohazard bag and treated as Health Care Risk Waste. Decontamination protocols should be imperative following a positive Covid-19 incident. Have you done a risk analysis? If a decontamination is done before a team returns to work then a risk analysis is done afterwards. Otherwise, a risk analysis should already be in place. This critical assessment determines high touch points (most touched surfaces) and the cleaning regimen required to maintain the necessary hygiene standards. It’s vital daily cleaning happens (at minimum) with special care paid to the mapped touch points. Have you got the right products? The correct chemicals need to be used in daily cleaning practices. High-alcohol solutions work well for hard surface sanitizing of small areas and sensitive equipment. Solutions containing sodium hypochlorite such as bleach should be used on walls and floors. Professional bodies have recommended the following chemicals be used: Have you trained your team? Ultimately, a lot depends on every employee complying with the rules. It’s essential to train a team on best personal hygiene practices like frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing. Entrenching these behaviours relies on discipline. People will slip up, so have Covid-19 hygiene reminders everywhere, in the form of posters, frequent check-ins, morning mailers… even ‘messaging mats’ on the floor. Have you got the right PPE? Masks and gloves remain highly sought after. Businesses will need to source these and have an abundance of products like hand sanitizer available as well. Make sure there are strict protocols regarding the donning and doffing of PPE and its disposal. Have a biohazard waste disposal mechanism for single-use items. And ensure fabric masks are washed, ironed and rotated consistently. Have you got social distancing measures in place? Before a team returns, use reflective tape to designate well-spaced-out ‘work zones’ to comply with social distancing. Use tape to outline how people should queue for the bathroom. Draw up kitchen and lunch ‘shifts’. All communal spaces like meeting rooms should ideally not be in use, or severely restricted. Have clear policies for how team members should interact with each other and other stakeholders like customers, if applicable. Have you got equipment for daily temperature testing? Daily temperature testing should ideally be enforced, using infrared thermometers. Additionally, ask questions regarding whether someone is experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sneezing, runny nose or general feeling of being unwell. Use a daily log for results. Have you got drills for scenario testing? It’s important to conduct drills so you know how to handle a positive Covid-19 case, a security incident, breach of hygiene protocol, etc. Practicing these with a team will take time but will enforce the seriousness of the situation and help everyone feel more prepared. Have you got support systems in place? Individuals will feel a huge amount of uncertainty and stress so employers should consider offering free counselling services during this time. Empathetic leadership is key – people appreciate honesty, constant communication, caring one-on-one check-ins, flexibility and recognition.
3 May 00:00 • BusinessTech • https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/393774/here-is-a-back-to-work-checklist-for-employers-to-ensure-compliance/Rating: 1.45
Decontaminating a surface with the coronavirus is a 2-step process. A biohazard cleaner says people are skipping the first step.
The novel coronavirus is thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets released when you sneeze or cough, but it can also linger on surfaces in your home. To reduce your chance of infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning areas you touch often, like doorknobs, sinks, and toilets. But cleaning a surface isn’t the same as disinfecting it. The cleaning process involves scrubbing an area with soap and water, while disinfecting means applying a chemical to kill germs. “The most important step is the cleaning step,” Cory Chalmers, the CEO of the professional cleaning service Steri-Clean, told Business Insider. His team specializes in biohazard cleaning for sites contaminated with infectious diseases. For the past month, the team has dedicated itself almost exclusively to scrubbing down places contaminated by the new coronavirus. That includes homes, cruise ships, offices, factories, and fast-food restaurants. “A lot of people spray a surface and then wipe it around right away,” Chalmers said. “But you’re not letting the disinfectant do its job.” That’s because dirty surfaces are coated in clusters of germs called biofilm that resist disinfectants. These germs have to be removed before a chemical can effectively kill off any lingering viruses or bacteria. Chalmers said the first step in the cleaning process should be putting soap on a rag or paper towel and then folding the towel into quarters. The towel will lift the biofilm off the surface so only residual germs are left behind. After you’ve wiped down a small surface – a couple of square feet – flip the towel over and use the other side, then turn it inside out and use the remaining quarters. “People sometimes will walk around the house with the same rag, cleaning all the surfaces. That doesn’t do anything because now they’re just spreading the germs around,” Chalmers said. “Once that towel or rag that you’re using is full of germs, it’s not going to absorb anymore.” After the surface is clean, you can apply a disinfectant spray or wipe. Chalmers said the back of every disinfectant bottle was marked with a “dwell time” – how long the disinfectant needs to sit on a surface before it kills germs. Some disinfectants take 10 minutes, while others only about 30 seconds. Depending on the type of surface, it’s possible to let the coronavirus die on its own. Research from the University of Hong Kong suggests that the novel coronavirus can live for three hours on printing and tissue paper but for two days on cloth. The virus tends to survive for much longer on glass and paper money: about four days. But its lifespan also depends on temperature and humidity. The Hong Kong researchers found that the coronavirus lasted up to two weeks in a test tube under 39 degrees Fahrenheit, but just one day under 99 degrees Fahrenheit. A group of Beijing researchers also determined that high temperature and high humidity could reduce the virus’ transmission. Since there’s still more research to be done, Chalmers said cleaning and disinfecting was a safer method than waiting for the virus to die. “When you’re dealing with a new strain like this, we really don’t have all the answers,” he said. “I don’t think we have enough factual data to know that closing up a building or an office or a room will kill that virus.” That’s also why he recommends being extra cautious when wiping things down – or hiring a service to do it for you. “There are so many companies out there from landscapers to plumbers to exterminators that are all claiming they’re experts and they’re going to disinfect your house,” Chalmers said. “Ask them how they’re doing it. What’s the process? Are they cleaning first, then applying the disinfectant? Are they testing? If they’re doing all three of those, you should be safe.”
2 May 15:53 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/coronavirus-how-to-clean-disinfect-your-home-2020-4Rating: 0.30
Decontaminating a surface with the coronavirus is a 2-step process. A biohazard cleaner says people are skipping the first step.
The novel coronavirus is thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets released when you sneeze or cough, but it can also linger on surfaces in your home. To reduce your chance of infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning areas you touch often, like doorknobs, sinks, and toilets. But cleaning a surface isn't the same as disinfecting it. The cleaning process involves scrubbing an area with soap and water, while disinfecting means applying a chemical to kill germs. "The most important step is the cleaning step," Cory Chalmers, the CEO of the professional cleaning service Steri-Clean, told Business Insider. His team specializes in biohazard cleaning for sites contaminated with infectious diseases. For the past month, the team has dedicated itself almost exclusively to scrubbing down places contaminated by the new coronavirus. That includes homes, cruise ships, offices, factories, and fast-food restaurants. "A lot of people spray a surface and then wipe it around right away," Chalmers said. "But you're not letting the disinfectant do its job." That's because dirty surfaces are coated in clusters of germs called biofilm that resist disinfectants. These germs have to be removed before a chemical can effectively kill off any lingering viruses or bacteria. Chalmers said the first step in the cleaning process should be putting soap on a rag or paper towel and then folding the towel into quarters. The towel will lift the biofilm off the surface so only residual germs are left behind. After you've wiped down a small surface — a couple of square feet — flip the towel over and use the other side, then turn it inside out and use the remaining quarters. LoadingSomething is loading. "People sometimes will walk around the house with the same rag, cleaning all the surfaces. That doesn't do anything because now they're just spreading the germs around," Chalmers said. "Once that towel or rag that you're using is full of germs, it's not going to absorb anymore." After the surface is clean, you can apply a disinfectant spray or wipe. Chalmers said the back of every disinfectant bottle was marked with a "dwell time" — how long the disinfectant needs to sit on a surface before it kills germs. Some disinfectants take 10 minutes, while others only about 30 seconds. Depending on the type of surface, it's possible to let the coronavirus die on its own. Research from the University of Hong Kong suggests that the novel coronavirus can live for three hours on printing and tissue paper but for two days on cloth. The virus tends to survive for much longer on glass and paper money: about four days. But its lifespan also depends on temperature and humidity. The Hong Kong researchers found that the coronavirus lasted up to two weeks in a test tube under 39 degrees Fahrenheit, but just one day under 99 degrees Fahrenheit. A group of Beijing researchers also determined that high temperature and high humidity could reduce the virus' transmission. Since there's still more research to be done, Chalmers said cleaning and disinfecting was a safer method than waiting for the virus to die. "When you're dealing with a new strain like this, we really don't have all the answers," he said. "I don't think we have enough factual data to know that closing up a building or an office or a room will kill that virus." That's also why he recommends being extra cautious when wiping things down — or hiring a service to do it for you. "There are so many companies out there from landscapers to plumbers to exterminators that are all claiming they're experts and they're going to disinfect your house," Chalmers said. "Ask them how they're doing it. What's the process? Are they cleaning first, then applying the disinfectant? Are they testing? If they're doing all three of those, you should be safe." Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
2 May 15:53 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-how-to-clean-disinfect-your-home-2020-4Rating: 4.40
Decontaminating a surface with the coronavirus is a 2-step process. A biohazard cleaner says people are skipping the first step., Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
The novel coronavirus is thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets released when you sneeze or cough, but it can also linger on surfaces in your home. To reduce your chance of infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning areas you touch often, like doorknobs, sinks, and toilets. But cleaning a surface isn’t the same as disinfecting it. The cleaning process involves scrubbing an area with soap and water, while disinfecting means applying a chemical to kill germs. “The most important step is the cleaning step,” Cory Chalmers, the CEO of the professional cleaning service Steri-Clean, told Business Insider. His team specializes in biohazard cleaning for sites contaminated with infectious diseases. For the past month, the team has dedicated itself almost exclusively to scrubbing down places contaminated by the new coronavirus. That includes homes, cruise ships, offices, factories, and fast-food restaurants. “A lot of people spray a surface and then wipe it around right away,” Chalmers said. “But you’re not letting the disinfectant do its job.” That’s because dirty surfaces are coated in clusters of germs called biofilm that resist disinfectants. These germs have to be removed before a chemical can effectively kill off any lingering viruses or bacteria. Chalmers said the first step in the cleaning process should be putting soap on a rag or paper towel and then folding the towel into quarters. The towel will lift the biofilm off the surface so only residual germs are left behind. After you’ve wiped down a small surface – a couple of square feet – flip the towel over and use the other side, then turn it inside out and use the remaining quarters. “People sometimes will walk around the house with the same rag, cleaning all the surfaces. That doesn’t do anything because now they’re just spreading the germs around,” Chalmers said. “Once that towel or rag that you’re using is full of germs, it’s not going to absorb anymore.” After the surface is clean, you can apply a disinfectant spray or wipe. Chalmers said the back of every disinfectant bottle was marked with a “dwell time” – how long the disinfectant needs to sit on a surface before it kills germs. Some disinfectants take 10 minutes, while others only about 30 seconds. Depending on the type of surface, it’s possible to let the coronavirus die on its own. Research from the University of Hong Kong suggests that the novel coronavirus can live for three hours on printing and tissue paper but for two days on cloth. The virus tends to survive for much longer on glass and paper money: about four days. But its lifespan also depends on temperature and humidity. The Hong Kong researchers found that the coronavirus lasted up to two weeks in a test tube under 39 degrees Fahrenheit, but just one day under 99 degrees Fahrenheit. A group of Beijing researchers also determined that high temperature and high humidity could reduce the virus’ transmission. Since there’s still more research to be done, Chalmers said cleaning and disinfecting was a safer method than waiting for the virus to die. “When you’re dealing with a new strain like this, we really don’t have all the answers,” he said. “I don’t think we have enough factual data to know that closing up a building or an office or a room will kill that virus.” That’s also why he recommends being extra cautious when wiping things down – or hiring a service to do it for you. “There are so many companies out there from landscapers to plumbers to exterminators that are all claiming they’re experts and they’re going to disinfect your house,” Chalmers said. “Ask them how they’re doing it. What’s the process? Are they cleaning first, then applying the disinfectant? Are they testing? If they’re doing all three of those, you should be safe.”
2 May 15:53 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/coronavirus-how-to-clean-disinfect-your-home-2020-4Rating: 0.30
Keep your hands germ-free with this antimicrobial stylus
Source: Stack Commerce Keeping your hands washed and germ-free has never been so important. As we continue to ride out the unexpected and increasingly worrisome coronavirus pandemic, federal and local governments are encouraging citizens to consistently wash their hands and avoid touching their faces—important sanitary measures that will undoubtedly help reduce the transmission rate of the virus. But these standard sanitation methods can only go so far if you're constantly touching surfaces that may be contaminated. The Hygiene Hand: Antimicrobial Brass Door Opener & Stylus will help you take your hygiene routine to the next level, and it's currently available for 20% off at just $19.99. This naturally antimicrobial brass stylus offers a completely germ-free way to open doors, press buttons, and use shared surfaces. A favorite on Kickstarter, the Hygiene Hand is crafted from strong antimicrobial brass—making it naturally averse to a wide range of bacteria and pathogens that can make you sick. The entire device is no larger than an average keychain so you'll be able to take it with you wherever you go, and an ergonomic finger hole supports easy use. It's even easy to keep this trusty key as clean as it keeps your hands, since you'll be able to remove any remaining germs and pathogens with a simple antibacterial wipe. Keep yourself and those around you safe and virus-free with a Hygiene Hand: Antimicrobial Brass Door Opener & Stylus. Usually priced at $25, this germ-killing utility is currently available for just $19.99—20% off its usual price for a limited time. Prices are subject to change. so close CHUWI's AeroBook Pro is an affordable 4K laptop, but it's not without flaws The 15.6-inch AeroBook Pro has a 4K display that's great for media, but its keyboard and touchpad make productivity work a frustrating experience. Does the low price still make it an option for a secondary device? bold and beautiful Review: Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15-inch convertible laptop with S-Pen Samsung's new 15-inch 2-in-1 convertible laptop drops in a siloed S-Pen, QLED display, decent speakers, and slim profile. There aren't many 15-inch convertibles, but Samsung managed to fill a nice niche with the new Galaxy Book Flex. And if you find 15-inches too big, Samsung also has a 13.3-inch model too. Watch out A new phishing attack is imitating Microsoft Teams email notifications Fake Microsoft Teams alerts are being used by criminals to gain people's Office 365 login details. The attack uses cloned imagery and a site that looks like the Office 365 login page to trick people into entering their details. Buyers Guide These external monitors are a perfect addition to your Surface Book 2 Thinking about adding some screen real estate to your Surface Book 2? Check out these external monitors that will fill the need for high resolution, smooth gaming, or budget pricing.
2 May 18:03 • Windows Central • https://www.windowscentral.com/keep-your-hands-germ-free-antimicrobial-stylus?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wmexperts+%28Windows+Central%29Rating: 2.16
Global Impact of Covid-19 May Include More Poverty, Hunger
3 May 15:00
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.35
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:20
Average US: 34.06666666666666
Weighted average US: 52.936758690968865
Average GB: 0.8666666666666667
Weighted average GB: 0.73974248654601
Average IN: 2.1666666666666665
Weighted average IN: 3.1664239546137893
Global Impact of Covid-19 May Include More Poverty, Hunger
More than 240,000 people worldwide have already died of Covid-19, and before the pandemic finishes, it could kill hundreds of thousands, even millions, more. But the final toll is destined to be far higher than just those who die of Covid-19. Experts warn that deaths from secondary impacts — poverty, hunger, diseases, and violence exacerbated by the pandemic — may dwarf the number of those who die of the novel coronavirus itself. A new analysis by researchers from King’s College London and Australian National University, under the aegis of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, for example, warns that the economic contraction caused by Covid-19 could push an additional 500 million people — about 8 percent of the Earth’s population — into poverty, reversing 30 years of economic improvement. “We were surprised at the sheer scale of the potential poverty tsunami that could follow Covid-19 in developing countries,” said Andy Sumner, one of the study’s authors. Not surprisingly, such financial fallout has grim knock-on effects. “I want to stress that we are not only facing a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe,” warned David Beasley, the executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. “Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation, with the specter of famine a very real and dangerous possibility.” A new study by the WFP found that lockdowns and the economic recession caused by Covid-19 may exacerbate an already dire worldwide hunger crisis, almost doubling the number of people who could go hungry, pushing a total of 265 million people to the brink of starvation by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization notes that a diversion of resources could have especially devastating effects on the fight against malaria. Under a worst-case scenario, in which all insecticide-treated bed net campaigns are suspended, and there is a 75% reduction in access to effective antimalarial medicines, fatalities from the mosquito-borne illness could reach 769,000 — double the number of deaths in 2018 — effectively wiping out 20 years of gains in suppressing malaria mortality. Similarly, a new analysis by researchers at Imperial College London found that in low- and middle-income countries, disruptions to health services could cause deaths from HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria to increase by up to 10, 20, and 36 percent respectively over five years. “As Covid-19 cases surge worldwide, the survival of pregnant women and children is at great risk due to strained healthcare systems, and the disruption of life-saving health services,” said Dr. Stefan Peterson, associate director and global chief of health at the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. In fact, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health warn, for example, that the impact of the pandemic to newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services might lead to the deaths of 1.2 million children — a 45 percent increase over existing child mortality levels. The overall death toll among the young may actually be exponentially higher according to a recent report from the Christian aid organization, World Vision. An analysis of 24 countries with existing humanitarian crises — from Afghanistan to Yemen — found that as many as 30 million children’s lives are at risk from other diseases, like diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus, if health care systems are swamped by the pandemic and resources are diverted from immunizations. “We are wrong if we think this is not a children’s disease,” said Andrew Morley, World Vision’s president and chief executive. “Experience tells us that when epidemics overwhelm health systems, the impact on children is deadly.” Among youths, girls will suffer most according to a recent analysis by Plan International, an aid organization that advocates for children’s rights and equality for girls. Since women and girls undertake more than three-quarters of unpaid care and, in rural communities and low-income countries, spend up to 14 hours a day on such work, girls will likely be at greater risk of infection. But this is just one type of collateral damage. “Covid-19 shutdowns will disrupt early learning, formal education and livelihoods,” according to the report. “Measures to curb the disease have worsened existing inequalities, forcing girls out of school and placing them at heightened risk of violence in their home.” UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, notes that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, an estimated one in three women had experienced physical or sexual abuse. Confinement, lockdowns, and quarantines coupled with deteriorating socioeconomic conditions have now created a perfect storm. “These factors significantly increase the risks of intimate partner violence, with refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons among the most vulnerable,” according to the agency. But the “shadow pandemic” of violence against girls and women extends far beyond refugees and displaced war victims, with reports of domestic violence having increased by 30% in France, while calls to help lines have jumped 30% in Cyprus and 33% in Singapore. The United Nations study forecasts that the greatest economic impact of Covid-19 will be in sub-Saharan Africa, where cases are rapidly increasing and, if projections prove accurate, “up to half of the new poor will live.” There, the effects will be felt in infant and maternal mortality, undernutrition, malnourishment, and educational achievement, among other indicators. Alexandra Lamarche, senior advocate for West and Central Africa at Refugees International, explained that preventative measures aimed at countering Covid-19 were also impediments to humanitarian aid, leaving poor people without access to food. “We’re going to see significant impacts on malnutrition rates,” she told The Intercept. “And we’re seeing all sorts of secondary impacts. For example, there’s a polio outbreak in Niger because they stopped vaccinating.” Between hunger and disease, poverty and violence, the follow-on effects of Covid-19 threaten to be as wide-ranging as they are lethal. “There are just so many different unexpected consequences,” said Lamarche. “It’s extremely disheartening. And it’s going to be exceptionally dire.”
3 May 15:00 • The Intercept • https://theintercept.com/2020/05/03/exceptionally-dire-secondary-impacts-of-covid-19-could-increase-global-poverty-and-hunger/Rating: 1.18
How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future
Today's novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the globe. The pandemic has rapidly uprooted life as we know it and left countries across the world scrambling to contain the outbreaks. In just a few short months, billions of people have become jobless, ill, or had their lives significantly disrupted. But this might not be the only infectious disease we'll have to battle in our lifetimes. According to research from the World Health Organization, and other institutions, the threat of climate change could make outbreaks even worse in the coming decades. Researchers fear that as temperatures continue to rise, infectious-disease carrying animals could adapt to more widespread climates, pathogens could become stronger at surviving in hotter temperatures, and the human immune system could face greater difficulty in battling illness. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has not been linked to climate change, here's how rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in future infectious diseases. Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Sources: WHO, NOAA Source: Stanford University Source: Stanford University Source: WHO Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Scientific American Sources: Scientific American, Science Sources: Time Magazine, Scientific American Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine, Business Insider Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Time Magazine Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Business Insider Sources: Time Magazine, Johns Hopkins Source: WHO LoadingSomething is loading. Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
2 May 15:20 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/how-climate-change-could-impact-the-future-of-infectious-diseases-2020-5Rating: 4.40
How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future
Today’s novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the globe. The pandemic has rapidly uprooted life as we know it and left countries across the world scrambling to contain the outbreaks. In just a few short months, billions of people have become jobless, ill, or had their lives significantly disrupted. But this might not be the only infectious disease we’ll have to battle in our lifetimes. According to research from the World Health Organisation, and other institutions, the threat of climate change could make outbreaks even worse in the coming decades. Researchers fear that as temperatures continue to rise, infectious-disease carrying animals could adapt to more widespread climates, pathogens could become stronger at surviving in hotter temperatures, and the human immune system could face greater difficulty in battling illness. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has not been linked to climate change, here’s how rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in future infectious diseases. Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Sources: WHO,NOAA Source: Stanford University Source: Stanford University Source: WHO Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Scientific American Sources: Scientific American, Science Sources: Time Magazine, Scientific American Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine, Business Insider Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Time Magazine Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Business Insider Sources: Time Magazine,Johns Hopkins Source: WHO
2 May 15:20 • Business Insider Australia • https://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-climate-change-could-impact-the-future-of-infectious-diseases-2020-5Rating: 0.30
NAFDAC disowns PAXHERBAL claim on drug for treatment of COVID-19
2 May 17:40
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.26
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:55
Average US: 9.44
Weighted average US: 12.397719551380073
Average GB: 6.799999999999999
Weighted average GB: 8.934194207502658
Average IN: 0.13333333333333333
Weighted average IN: 0.19641322471913272
NAFDAC disowns PAXHERBAL claim on drug for treatment of COVID-19
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has disassociated itself from PAXHERBAL advertorial claim that it has developed a drug for the treatment of COVID-19. PAXHERBAL is a clinic and a research laboratory, also known as Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratory, a Nigerian alternative medicine product manufacturing company. It had issued an advertorial to the public titled: “An official statement by Pax herbal on the treatment of COVID-19”. The advertorial claimed that Pax herbal Clinic has developed a new drug called: PAX CVD PLUS for the treatment of COVID-19, and that the laboratory is working with NAFDAC to speed up approval for the use of the drugs. The advertorial was also alleged to have claimed that NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has appointed experts to work with Paxherbal on what the laboratory described as a special project. Meanwhile, in a statement obtained by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday, NAFDAC DG refuted the collaboration, adding that the laboratory was yet to be registered with the agency or listed for the treatment of COVID-19. “The attention of the Agency has been drawn to an advertorial from Paxherbal clinic and research laboratories, NAFDAC wishes to inform the public that PAX CVD PLUS has not been registered nor listed for treatment of COVID-19. “To set the records straight, at no time did the DG or anyone in the agency appoint any expert or staff to work with Paxherbal on any project. “The company wrote a letter to NAFDAC informing the agency about their development of an antiviral plant based drug with potential to treat COVID-19 and an invitation to join their research team. “The Agency politely declined since as a regulator of clinical trials, participation would be a conflict of interest. “However, we encouraged them to carry out clinical trials which should be under strict supervision of the agency to establish efficacy of their product. “However, the clinical trial has not taken place,” NAFDAC said. According to the agency, it was unfortunate that PAXHERBAL have made claims that were not backed up by facts and this response was intended to correct the erroneous impression created by the advertorial. (NAN)
2 May 17:40 • Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics • https://thenationonlineng.net/nafdac-disowns-paxherbal-claim-on-drug-for-treatment-of-covid-19/Rating: 0.30
FDA cautions public over use of Naphthalene for Coronavirus treatment
Click to read all about coronavirus → The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is raising an alert over the use of Naphthalene (commonly called Camphor of Mothbalts) for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. The Authority in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Delese A.A. Darko, said a viral audio on social media was suggesting the inhalation of vapour from Naphthalene for the prevention and treatment of Coronavirus. In the said audio, the speaker claimed he was speaking from Amponsah Herbal Centre in Holland and advises the listeners to inhale the vapour produced by camphor dissolved in hot water for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. “The FDA would like to inform Ghanaians that camphor is an insecticide and produces a toxic gas which repels and kills Insects.” The vapour produced by camphor in this way elicits a toxic gas which should not be inhaled under any circumstances, ” the statement said. Warning the public against its use, the FDA said when the vapour produced is inhaled, the body breaks it down into other chemicals that react with cells in the body and damage tissues. "This can cause skin and eye irritation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Other effects of inhalation of the vapour produced by camphor are confusion excitement, convulsions. severe anaemia and renal shutdown, “it warned. The FDA said there is no such proven treatment for Covid-19 and advised the public to stay calm and follow the measures announced by the Ministry of Health. The measures include frequent washing of hands with soap under running water, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, wearing of face or nose masks regularly and maintain social distancing while avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth. “Stay home and only go out if absolutely necessary,” the statement advised. Send your news stories to and via WhatsApp on +233 55 2699 625.
3 May 00:00 • GhanaWeb • https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/FDA-cautions-public-over-use-of-Naphthalene-for-Coronavirus-treatment-940525Rating: 1.81
NAFDAC: We’re yet to permit any vaccine for treatment of coronavirus
Kindly Share This Story: AGAINST the backdrop of claims that cure for coronavirus has been discovered in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, said it was yet to give permission for use of any vaccine to treat the disease. If there was any potent vaccine to the disease, the agency said it was the only constitutionally recognized institution to approve it. To this end, it called on Nigerians to stop making claims that it noted, were not true. NAFDAC,in a statement Saturday, by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, insisted that it had not given approval for any vaccine for the treatment and cure of the dreaded disease. According to NAFDAC,“To put the record straight, no drugs or vaccines have been given approval in the country for the cure of COVID-19.” “NAFDAC is the only authority in the country to grant approval to such drugs and vaccines,” the statement said even as it assured that it would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to safeguard the health of Nigerians. The agency added that it would inform the public whenever it grants approval for any drug or vaccine for the cure of COVID-19. The statement tasked the public to adhere to measures issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story:
2 May 15:55 • Vanguard News • https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/nafdac-were-yet-to-permit-any-vaccine-for-treatment-of-coronavirus/Rating: 2.43
'Breakthrough' drug that could transform coronavirus fight gets UK trial
3 May 23:08
•
20 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.84
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:52
Average US: 6.782499999999999
Weighted average US: 9.23452188453707
Average GB: 6.2065
Weighted average GB: 3.1876541859491
Average IN: 16.931500000000003
Weighted average IN: 20.11558484654403
'Breakthrough' drug that could transform coronavirus fight gets UK trial
BBC Panorama has been allowed inside a UK coronavirus drugs trial for the first time. The SNG-001 drug, being developed by Synairgen, prepares the body for a viral attack by stimulating the immune response in the lungs of asthma and chronic lung disease patients. It is hoped the treatment will help coronavirus patients and prevent the most severe cases from requiring intensive care and ventilators. Panorama has spoken to those involved in a trial at University Hospital Southampton. Richard Marsden, the CEO of Synairgen, said: "Our drug is a special formulation of interferon beta that we deliver directly to the airways when the virus is there. "What we've shown in our research is that older people, and people with some chronic conditions, have a poor interferon beta response when there's a virus present. Coronavirus does the same thing." SNG-001 uses interferon beta - a protein produced by the body to tackle viruses. Southampton University's Professor Tom Wilkinson, who is leading the trial, said: "In an ideal world we would see a significant improvement in the health of the patients receiving the drug, a reduction in those requiring intensive care and ventilation. "But it is early days to understand that and we will know more when we have the results." The results of the trial are expected by the end of June. Synairgen is already talking to suppliers about producing the drug as soon as the trial has finished. It is aiming to distribute it later this year if the tests prove it is beneficial.
3 May 23:08 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breakthrough-drug-could-transform-coronavirus-21968430Rating: 2.39
Critical Covid-19 patient in Hyderabad administered 'experimental' plasma therapy
A critical coronavirus patient in Hyderabad has been administered an experimental therapy involving injecting convalescent plasma for passive immunisation to treat the disease, it emerged on Sunday. The development was confirmed by the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) isolation ward's focal person Dr Aftab Hussain Phull. Does plasma therapy treat Covid? Is it safe? Here's all you need to know about the approach The plasma — donated by a recovered coronavirus patient to the Diagnostic and Research Laboratory at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences — was administered to a patient under treatment at the isolation ward. "He was given the plasma after managing his condition as best as possible under the given circumstances," Phull said. On April 30, the Sindh government had allowed three hospitals in the province to carry out clinical trials for the “experimental use of Covid-19 convalescent plasma for passive immunisation". The hospitals included the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital in Karachi, the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) in Karachi and LUH, a government facility in Hyderabad. Prior to this, the government had approved clinical trials for plasma therapy in addition to approving locally made ventilators for treating critically ill patients and granting permission for manufacturing sanitisers and producing chloroquine. The experimental therapy involves collecting blood from someone who has recovered from Covid-19 and transfusing separated plasma to a critically sick patient; plasma is the clear part of blood that is left when blood cells have been removed and contains antibodies and other proteins. The transfusion of plasma with its antibodies provides a form of 'passive immunity' to the sick recipient to fight the infection. The protection offered by passive immunisation, however, is short-lived, usually lasting only a few weeks or months. The science behind plasma therapy and passive immunisation is not new; the concept has been widely applied for treating different infectious diseases including mumps, measles and polio.
3 May 23:49 • DAWN.COM • https://www.dawn.com/news/1554263Rating: 2.87
Inventor of hepatitis C cure wins prestigious award from University of Edinburgh
A medicinal chemist who found a cure for the viral disease hepatitis C has received a prestigious award from the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Michael J Sofia, who devised the drug sofosbuvir, is the winner of this year's Cameron Prize for Therapeutics. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that primarily affects the liver. Without intervention, it can progress into a life-long chronic disease that causes extreme liver damage and liver cancer. Around 71 million people worldwide are affected. Sofusbuvir works by stopping the virus from reproducing, by blocking a key protein that the virus needs to reproduce its genetic material. The drug does not have the same harsh side effects as older, less effective therapies and has slashed treatment times from one year to just 12 weeks. Dr. Sofia created sofosbuvir in 2007 and the drug was approved for use in 2013. Greater than 95 percent of patients with the most common form of hepatitis C can now be cured by the treatment. With sofosbuvir as the backbone of combination therapies, all forms of hepatitis C can now be cured. More recently, researchers have begun exploring whether drugs based on sofosbuvir could also be used to treat Covid-19. Dr. Sofia is currently Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Arbutus Biopharma, a US-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing a cure for patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B infection. Dr. Sofia studied chemistry at Cornell University, received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois and was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. He has received numerous awards for his work on the hepatitis C virus including the 2015 Economist Innovation Award, the 2016 IUPAC-Richter Prize, and the 2016 Lasker-DeBakey Award in Clinical Medical Research. The Cameron Prize for Therapeutics is awarded every two years by the University of Edinburgh to a person who has made a highly important and valuable addition to the treatment of illnesses. The Prize was first awarded in 1879 and lists numerous Nobel and Lasker prize winners amongst its subsequent awardees. The list of winners includes a truly diverse array of innovations from the 20th century: from transplant surgery, bone marrow transplants, and hemodialysis, to ground-breaking vaccines, antimicrobials and novel medicines. Winners are invited to deliver a lecture about their work at the University of Edinburgh. Owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this year's award lecture has been postponed until further notice. Source: University of Edinburgh
3 May 20:35 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Inventor-of-hepatitis-C-cure-wins-prestigious-award-from-University-of-Edinburgh.aspxRating: 0.76
Covid-19: Trials Of Anti-Leprosy Mw Vaccine To Be Conducted On 40 Patients In Three Hospitals, Says PGIMER Director
The Director of PGIMER, Chandigarh has informed on Sunday (3 May) that the safety trial of anti-leprosy drug Mycobacterial w (Mw) drug has been completed and its actual trials would be held at PGI-Chandigarh, AIIMS-Delhi and AIIMS-Bhopal, reportsANI. Mycobacterium indicus pranni, which was earlier known as Mw is a non-pathogenic mycobacterial species. Based on its metabolic properties and growth characteristics, it is classified as a member of the Mycobacterium avium complex. In India, the immune-boosting drug was developed in 1966 as an anti-leprosy drug which resulted in a successful treatment to cure leprosy. It acts through the toll-like receptor pathway and enhances host-T cell responses. Earlier, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had started the clinical trial on an anti-leprosy vaccine to identify if it can be used as a COVID-19 vaccine. In a recently concluded multi-center trial of the drug, it had been found that Mw reduces mortality in ICU patients with severe sepsis. A PGI spokesperson reportedly said, "Mw can potentially decrease the cytokine storm seen in patients with Covid-19 and may thus be of potential benefit in managing these patients and decreasing mortality."
3 May 16:56 • Swarajya • https://swarajyamag.com/insta/covid-19-trials-of-anti-leprosy-mw-vaccine-to-be-conducted-on-40-patients-in-three-hospitals-says-pgimer-directorRating: 1.22
Rajasthan gets ICMR nod to use plasma therapy on COVID-19 patients: CM Ashok Gehlot
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its nod to Rajasthan’s appeal for using convalescent plasma therapy in treating COVID-19 patients, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday. Also read: Explained: Will convalescent plasma help COVID-19 patients? He said the State government has made all preparations for using plasma therapy on coronavirus patients in critical condition as per the protocol set by the country’s apex health research body. “This will be performed in a proper manner in Rajasthan,” the chief minister said. Mr. Gehlot said that doctors from SMS Medical College are also conducting plasma therapy research which is being conducted round the globe. Under convalescent plasma therapy technique, plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused to patients who are in severe condition. The Centre has, however, said plasma therapy for treatment of coronavirus patients is at an experimental stage and it has the potential to cause life-threatening complications.
3 May 13:29 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/rajasthan-gets-icmr-nod-to-use-plasma-therapy-on-covid-19-patients-cm-ashok-gehlot/article31494877.eceRating: 0.30
New blood plasma Covid-19 treatment set to be trialled
A potential treatment for Covid-19 using plasma from recovered patients is to be trialled by doctors at London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital. The first donations of the plasma have been collected and transfusions will begin in “the coming weeks”, the hospital’s Biomedical Research Centre said in a statement. It is hoped the potential treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help patients whose bodies are not producing sufficient antibodies to fight the virus. The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma per week to the NHS, enough to treat 5,000 patients each week. “As a new disease, there are no proven drugs to treat critically ill patients with Covid-19. Providing critically ill patients with plasma from patients who have recovered… could improve their chances of recovery,” said Dr Shankar-Hari. Health and Social Care secretary Matt Hancock said: “This global pandemic is the biggest public health emergency this generation has faced and we are doing absolutely everything we can to beat it. “The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and I have every hope this treatment will be a major milestone in our fight against this disease. “Hundreds of people are participating in national trials already for potential treatments and the scaling up of convalescent plasma collection means thousands could potentially benefit from it in the future.” The BBC reported there was currently enough plasma to transfuse to 143 patients.
3 May 12:32 • Jersey Evening Post • https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/02/new-blood-plasma-covid-19-treatment-set-to-be-trialled/Rating: 0.38
AstraZeneca teams up with Oxford University to develop coronavirus vaccine — first results from human trials expected in June or July
British drug maker AstraZeneca has teamed up with the University of Oxford to develop and manufacture a vaccine for coronavirus, in a move that could allow for rapid vaccination around the world if the treatment proves to be effective. Human trials of the vaccine developed by the university’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group entered phase-one testing last week, with hundreds of people aged 18 to 55 volunteering across five trial centres in southern England. “As COVID-19 continues its grip on the world, the need for a vaccine to defeat the virus is urgent,” Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca AZN, -1.44%AZN, -0.80%, said in a statement on Thursday. Speaking to BBC radio, Soriot said: “It is definitely a risk to launch into the development of the vaccine but now is the time to take those kind of risks.” “By June, July we will already have a very good idea of the direction of travel in terms of its potential efficacy,” he added. Shares in AstraZeneca, which are up 8.8% in the year to date, were up 1.90% in early morning trading in London. Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, described the partnership with AstraZeneca as a “major force in the struggle against pandemics” for “many years” to come. But Bell told the BBC’s Today program that the challenge is to be able to manufacture at scale once it is approved by the regulators. “We also want to make sure that the rest of the world will be ready to make this vaccine at scale so that it gets to populations in developing countries, for example, where the need is very great,” he said. The U.K. death toll from the coronavirus disease COVID-19 has risen to 26,097, after the government on Wednesday started including deaths in care homes and the wider community for the first time. The AstraZeneca-Oxford University partnership is the first created since the U.K. government launched the Vaccines Taskforce two weeks ago to help find a new coronavirus vaccine. Details of the agreement are set to be finalized in the coming weeks. It comes amid a global race to find a vaccine against the coronavirus, with governments lobbying companies to secure first access when one is ready. There are 70 treatments under development worldwide. On Wednesday, the top U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci said data collected from the coronavirus drug trial testing by Gilead Sciences GILD, -4.82% with the antiviral drug remdesivir showed “quite good news.” Oxford University said both partners have agreed to operate on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic, with only the costs of production and distribution being covered. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was “hugely welcome news” that Oxford University had come to an agreement with AstraZeneca to scale up its coronavirus vaccine. “The science is uncertain, and no vaccine may work, but this deal gives the U.K. the best chance we can of a breakthrough that could defeat this awful virus. I’m sending best wishes for good fortune to all involved — for the sake of the nation and indeed the whole world.
3 May 12:18 • MarketWatch • https://www.marketwatch.com/story/astrazeneca-teams-up-with-oxford-university-to-develop-coronavirus-vaccine-first-results-from-human-trials-expected-in-june-or-july-2020-04-30Rating: 0.30
Despite thalidomide’s dark past, it is being investigated as potential Covid-19 treatment
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have turned to existing medicines to see whether they can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. Antiviral medicines such as remdesivir and favipiravir that prevent the virus from reproducing itself are amongst many medicines being tested. Some cough syrups are even being investigated. And surprisingly, the drug thalidomide is also being tested as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Thalidomide infamously caused thousands of birth defects to babies who were exposed to the drug after their mothers took it to treat morning sickness between 1958-1962. Despite its dark past, the drug has been repurposed in recent years, and is an approved treatment for multiple myeloma (a type of blood cell cancer) and complications of leprosy. Thalidomide was originally used as a sedative, and was later found to also be useful for treating severe morning sickness in the 1950s and 1960s. Tragically its use resulted in severe and rare birth defects in children, particularly to the limbs, but also damaged many other parts of the body. Yet thalidomide has many different effects within the body – which is why researchers are looking at it as a potential COVID-19 treatment. For example, it can inhibit the immune system’s inflammatory response, making it effective against inflammatory conditions, including leprosy. It can also inhibit new blood vessel formation, making thalidomide potentially effective against cancers. It is currently approved to treat multiple myeloma. The drug can also protect the lungs, and has been effective in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This is a life-threatening condition where the alveoli (which exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules in the bloodstream) of the lungs are damaged, thickened and hardened, preventing them from working correctly. This leaves patients short of breath and with a persistent cough. Thalidomide has been shown to reduce the persistent cough and reduce the lung damage, improving patient life quality. It appears able to do this by blocking the inflammatory response. Thalidomide also appears to help relieve lung damage caused by the herbicide Paraquat. High doses of it can be toxic and result in lung inflammation, which causes scarring and reduced function. Animal studies suggest thalidomide can reduce the inflammatory response in lung tissue. Thalidomide has been found to protect against lung infections caused by the H1N1 virus in mice. H1N1 caused the 2009 flu pandemic. The study found that thalidomide improves the chances of survival for mice infected with H1N1 by reducing the body’s inflammatory response. Evidence shows thalidomide could protect the lungs by reducing the body’s inflammatory response, preventing damage of lung tissues and controlling the immune system. We know the coronavirus affects the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms that result in inflammation, difficulty breathing and transporting oxygen around the body. Several research groups wonder if thalidomide’s ability to protect the lungs against other diseases could make it a potential treatment for COVID-19. Repurposing this existing drug to treat a new condition also means the dosage and potential side effects are already known. Preliminary evidence has found that using thalidomide in combination with glucocorticoids (which reduce immune response and inflammation pathways in the body) was able to successfully treat a patient suffering with pneumonia-like symptoms caused by COVID-19. However, this study is yet to be peer-reviewed. A clinical trial is also underway to investigate if thalidomide could be used to treat moderate and severe COVID-19 induced pneumonia in China. Patients testing positive for COVID-19 will be given thalidomide or a placebo medicine. The placebo should have no effect on COVID-19 progression and will then be compared with the thalidomide-exposed patients. It will still be some time before researchers know whether thalidomide is effective in treating some COVID-19 patients. However, thalidomide still has the ability to cause serious side effects. Thalidomide exposure during pregnancy can still harm the developing baby, something that happened recently in Brazil. Clinical use of thalidomide can also cause many other side-effects which include peripheral neuropathy in patients. This causes damage to the nerves in the body’s extremities, causing pain. While such side-effects are usually associated with long-term use, any use of thalidomide needs to be carefully overseen by medical professionals. Using thalidomide in the treatment of COVID-19 might also give researchers a better understanding of the drug’s effect in the body, and what other clinical conditions it could be useful for. Such work could also result, one day, in making safer forms of the drug that are an effective treatment without harmful side effects. However, it remains too early to determine its effectiveness in treating COVID-19. Neil Vargesson, Professor in Developmental Biology, University of Aberdeen This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 10:55 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/health/despite-thalidomides-dark-past-it-is-being-investigated-as-potential-covid-19-treatment/412516/Rating: 1.95
Australia joins international bid to use stem cells against COVID-19
A new stem cell treatment for coronavirus patients is set to be trialled by Sydney’s Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Executive director Professor Jason Kovacic says the institute will work on a local clinical trial of the treatment also being explored by US researchers. Nine out of 12 patients in the US administered with stem cells were able to come off a ventilator in just 10 days, he noted. “These stem cells were trialled extensively for patients with cardiac diseases and the beauty of them is it is an off-the-shelf therapy,” Prof Kovacic told the Sunday Telegraph. “The stem cells can be administered to any patient and have substantial effects on changing the course of inflammation and the immune response.” The institute is looking to start trials with local patients in coming months. Prof Kovacic says the treatment could help avert higher mortality among COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular illness. As part of the international effort, the Australian program will expandpromising trials already underway at New York’s Mt Sinai Hospital, in Texas and in California. Coronavirus victims find their lungs fill with fluid and cannot supply oxygen to the body, explained University of Texas researcher Dr. Charles Cox. “We wouldn’t anticipate seeing a substantial turn around in terms of lung function for at least 72, 96 hours. “A good rule of thumb is you are probably not going to better quicker than you got sick.” -with AAP
3 May 10:33 • The New Daily • https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/05/03/australia-stem-cell-researchers-tackle-covid/Rating: 0.78
Vietnam tests Covid-19 vaccine on mice - VnExpress International
The Covid-19 vaccine was developed after scientists successfully generated the novel coronavirus antigen in the lab, said Dr. Do Tuan Dat, President of the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VABIOTECH) in Hanoi. Antigen units are the most important ingredient in vaccine production, helping the body process antigens. Dat said the vaccine will be tested further in animals and evaluated for safety and effectiveness before a manufacturing process is embarked on. The vaccine has been developed by collaborating scientists at VABIOTECH and the U.K.’s Bristol University. A vaccine is said to be the most effective way to fight against a viral disease. Produced from weakened virus or a protein or other small "pieces" taken from it, a vaccine trains the body’s immune system to fight the disease it has not come into contact with before. After testing the VABIOTECH vaccine in mice for two weeks, scientists will conduct blood tests on the animal, sending samples to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. According to the institute, it will take at least 12-18 months to develop Covid-19 vaccine that can work safely on human. There are currently no approved vaccines or medication for the Covid-19, which has killed nearly 245,000 people worldwide and infected almost 3.5 million. Around 150 Covid-19 vaccine development projects are being conducted worldwide. Human trials are underway at Oxford University in England for a coronavirus vaccine made from a chimpanzee virus, and in the U.S. for a different vaccine. In China, a firm is said to be ready for testing and mass production.
3 May 08:00 • VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam • https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-tests-covid-19-vaccine-on-mice-4093317.htmlRating: 0.30
Ayurveda medicine approved for clinical trials on COVID-19 patients
An Ayurvedic medicine developed by Pankajakasthuri Herbal Research Foundation, a renowned Ayurvedic organisation from Kerala, has been approved for clinical trials on Covid-19 infected adults by CTRI. The Clinical trials Registry of India is the apex body under the ICMR for clinical trials. The company said in a statement: “This drug, which is effective against Respiratory infections, Viral Fever, Acute Viral Bronchitis has now been found to be effective against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza virus in the scientific studies conducted. In vitro experiments done at the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology has proven that there are no side effects in the human cell. Subsequently, the approval was received from the Institutional Ethics Committees (IEC), basis which the Central Government’s CTRI (Clinical Trial Registry of India, which comes under the ICMR, has provided approval and granted permission to conduct Randomised single-blinded placebo-controlled prospective multicenter interventional clinical trial to various medical colleges across the country.” This comes at a time when search for therapeutic options against the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) is going on at a frenetic pace the world over.
2 May 20:18 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ayurveda-medicine-approved-for-clinical-trials-on-covid-19-patients-6391049/Rating: 0.30
New blood plasma Covid-19 treatment set to be trialled
London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital is leading research using the plasma of recovered coronavirus patients. A potential treatment for Covid-19 using plasma from recovered patients is to be trialled by doctors at London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital. The first donations of the plasma have been collected and transfusions will begin in “the coming weeks”, the hospital’s Biomedical Research Centre said in a statement. It is hoped the potential treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help patients whose bodies are not producing sufficient antibodies to fight the virus. The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma per week to the NHS, enough to treat 5,000 patients each week. The trial is co-led by Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at the hospital, along with experts from NHS Blood and Transplant and the University of Cambridge. “As a new disease, there are no proven drugs to treat critically ill patients with Covid-19. Providing critically ill patients with plasma from patients who have recovered… could improve their chances of recovery,” said Dr Shankar-Hari. Health and Social Care secretary Matt Hancock said: “This global pandemic is the biggest public health emergency this generation has faced and we are doing absolutely everything we can to beat it. “The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and I have every hope this treatment will be a major milestone in our fight against this disease. “Hundreds of people are participating in national trials already for potential treatments and the scaling up of convalescent plasma collection means thousands could potentially benefit from it in the future.” The BBC reported there was currently enough plasma to transfuse to 143 patients.
2 May 04:49 • Shropshire Star • https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/02/new-blood-plasma-covid-19-treatment-set-to-be-trialled/Rating: 0.30
New blood plasma Covid-19 treatment set to be trialled
A potential treatment for Covid-19 using plasma from recovered patients is to be trialled by doctors at London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital. The first donations of the plasma have been collected and transfusions will begin in “the coming weeks”, the hospital’s Biomedical Research Centre said in a statement. It is hoped the potential treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help patients whose bodies are not producing sufficient antibodies to fight the virus. The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma per week to the NHS, enough to treat 5,000 patients each week. The trial is co-led by Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at the hospital, along with experts from NHS Blood and Transplant and the University of Cambridge. “As a new disease, there are no proven drugs to treat critically ill patients with Covid-19. Providing critically ill patients with plasma from patients who have recovered… could improve their chances of recovery,” said Dr Shankar-Hari. Health and Social Care secretary Matt Hancock said: “This global pandemic is the biggest public health emergency this generation has faced and we are doing absolutely everything we can to beat it. “The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and I have every hope this treatment will be a major milestone in our fight against this disease. “Hundreds of people are participating in national trials already for potential treatments and the scaling up of convalescent plasma collection means thousands could potentially benefit from it in the future.” The BBC reported there was currently enough plasma to transfuse to 143 patients.
2 May 04:49 • Express & Star • https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/02/new-blood-plasma-covid-19-treatment-set-to-be-trialled/Rating: 0.30
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for COVID-19
A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. London's Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with COVID-19, is to test the so called "convalescent plasma" treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. "At the moment, there is no proven treatment for COVID-19," said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. "Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease," he said. "This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat COVID-19."
2 May 21:46 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/05/02/uk-hospital-trials-blood-plasma-treatment-for-covid-19Rating: 2.85
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for COVID-19
A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. Follow live updates on the coronavirus pandemic here London's Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with COVID-19, is to test the so called "convalescent plasma" treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. "At the moment, there is no proven treatment for COVID-19," said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. "Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease," he said. "This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat COVID-19."
2 May 19:26 • Deccan Herald • https://www.deccanherald.com/international/uk-hospital-trials-blood-plasma-treatment-for-covid-19-832755.htmlRating: 2.25
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for COVID-19
London: A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. London's Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with COVID-19, is to test the so called "convalescent plasma" treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. "At the moment, there is no proven treatment for COVID-19," said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. "Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease," he said. "This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat COVID-19." Read MoreMeet Wilfred Johnson, newborn son of British PM and fiancée Boris Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds have named their newborn son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas, partly as a tribute to two of the intensive care doctors who treated the British prime minister for COVID-19 last month. Read MoreFrance extends health emergency until July 24 France on Saturday decided to extend a health emergency imposed to fight the new coronavirus for two months until July 24, Health Minister Olivier Veran said. Read MoreSpain’s streets come to life as deaths top 25,000 As outdoor exercise was permitted for the first time in 48 days, Spain’s Health Ministry on Saturday reported 276 more COVID-19 deaths and 1,147 new infections.
2 May 16:59 • The Peninsula • https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/02/05/2020/UK-hospital-trials-blood-plasma-treatment-for-COVID-19Rating: 3.14
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for COVID-19
LONDON (Reuters) - A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with COVID-19, is to test the so called “convalescent plasma” treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. “At the moment, there is no proven treatment for COVID-19,” said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. “Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease,” he said. “This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat COVID-19.”
2 May 13:59 • Reuters • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-plasma-idUSKBN22E0JERating: 4.04
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for COVID-19
LONDON — A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with COVID-19, is to test the so called “convalescent plasma” treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. “At the moment, there is no proven treatment for COVID-19,” said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. “Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease,” he said. “This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat COVID-19.” (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Nick Macfie)
2 May 13:52 • National Post • https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/uk-hospital-trials-blood-plasma-treatment-for-covid-19Rating: 1.59
UK hospital trials blood plasma treatment for Covid-19
LONDON: A top British hospital will use blood plasma treatment for Covid-19 patients as part of a trial that transfuses plasma from recovered people into sick people to give their immune systems a boost to fight the virus. Since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, it has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and drug companies are racing to produce a vaccine though there is not yet any specific treatment. London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said helped save his life after he fell gravely ill with Covid-19, is to test the so-called “convalescent plasma” treatment as part of an international trial. Blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from Covid-19 is transfused into sick patients whose bodies are not producing enough of their own antibodies against the virus. “At the moment, there is no proven treatment for Covid-19,” said Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’. “Convalescent plasma is a promising treatment that could help patients whose bodies aren’t producing enough antibodies to curb the disease,” he said. “This trial will help us understand whether the treatment should be used more widely to treat Covid-19.”
2 May 19:57 • The Express Tribune • https://tribune.com.pk/story/2212790/3-uk-hospital-trials-blood-plasma-treatment-covid-19/Rating: 1.80
UK to trial new Covid-19 blood plasma treatment
A potential treatment for Covid-19 using plasma from recovered patients is to be trialed by doctors at London's Guy's and St Thomas' hospital. The first donations of the plasma have been collected and transfusions will begin in "the coming weeks", the hospital's Biomedical Research Centre said in a statement. It is hoped the potential treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help patients whose bodies are not producing sufficient antibodies to fight the virus. The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma per week to the NHS, enough to treat 5,000 patients each week. The trial is co-led by Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at the hospital, along with experts from NHS Blood and Transplant and the University of Cambridge. "As a new disease, there are no proven drugs to treat critically ill patients with Covid-19. Providing critically ill patients with plasma from patients who have recovered... could improve their chances of recovery," said Dr Shankar-Hari. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This global pandemic is the biggest public health emergency this generation has faced and we are doing absolutely everything we can to beat it. "The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and I have every hope this treatment will be a major milestone in our fight against this disease. "Hundreds of people are participating in national trials already for potential treatments and the scaling up of convalescent plasma collection means thousands could potentially benefit from it in the future." The BBC reported there was currently enough plasma to transfuse to 143 patients.
2 May 06:43 • RTE.ie • https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0502/1136216-coronavirus-plasma-uk/Rating: 2.47
ICMR plans to study whether novel coronavirus strain in India changed form
2 May 12:01
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.05
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:27
Average US: 0.9666666666666666
Weighted average US: 2.2549811907353665
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 29.96666666666667
Weighted average IN: 69.90441691279638
ICMR plans to study whether novel coronavirus strain in India changed form
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is planning to study whether the novel coronavirus strain in India has undergone mutation while spreading within the country over the last two months. According to a senior scientist of the country’s apex health research body, determining whether or not the SARS-CoV2 strain has changed form will help in ensuring the effectiveness of a potential vaccine. “The study will also indicate whether it has become more virulent and increased transmission capability.” Also read: Coronavirus | Rapid test kits were cleared by ICMR, say Chinese manufacturers Samples will be collected from COVID-19 patients to study whether the novel coronavirus strain has mutated or not, he said. However, the study can begin once the lockdown is lifted since currently there are difficulties involved in transportation of samples from different states and Union Territories, scientists said. As per Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), so far the maximum difference in the novel coronavirus strain in India has been found to be between 0.2 to 0.9 per cent as compared to the strains in other countries, another scientist said. GISAID, which promotes international sharing of all influenza virus sequences and related clinical and epidemiological data, has over 7,000 complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV2 deposited by various laboratories across the world where they have classified the virus based on their mutations. Also read: Did SARS-CoV-2 begin from a lab? There are chances that people arriving in India from different countries are bringing various strains of the virus. Three strains of the virus have been traced in India so far. One was from Wuhan, and the other two from Italy and Iran. The sequence of the coronavirus strain from Iran was similar to that of China. “It will take some time for us to know the predominant quasi-species of the novel coronavirus in the country. But mutations are not likely to make potential vaccines ineffective, as all sub-types of the virus have the same enzymes. Also, it has been in India for three months and it does not mutate very fast,” Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar had said earlier. Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19, joining the global race to find a preventive for the deadly infection spreading rapidly across the world. Also read: Coronavirus | ICMR study points to community transmission Nearly 70 ‘vaccine candidates’ are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage, but a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021. India has also collaborated with WHO’s multi-country “solidarity trial” for developing potential treatments and drugs for COVID-19. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,218 and the number of cases climbed to 37,336 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 26,167, while 9,950 people have recovered and one patient has migrated.
2 May 12:01 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/icmr-plans-to-study-whether-novel-coronavirus-strain-in-india-changed-form/article31489388.eceRating: 0.30
Hunt for Covid-19 vaccine: ICMR to probe whether novel coronavirus strain in India changed form
According to a senior scientist at ICMR, determining whether or not the SARS-CoV2 strain has changed form will help in ensuring the effectiveness of a potential vaccine The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is planning to study whether the novel coronavirus strain in India has undergone mutation while spreading within the country over the last two months. According to a senior scientist of the country's apex health research body, determining whether or not the SARS-CoV2 strain has changed form will help in ensuring the effectiveness of a potential vaccine. "The study will also indicate whether it has become more virulent and increased transmission capability." Samples will be collected from COVID-19 patients to study whether the novel coronavirus strain has mutated or not, he said. However, the study can begin once the lockdown is lifted since currently there are difficulties involved in transportation of samples from different states and Union Territories, scientists said. Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 cases in India rise to 37,776, death toll at 1,223 As per Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), so far the maximum difference in the novel coronavirus strain in India has been found to be between 0.2 to 0.9 per cent as compared to the strains in other countries, another scientist said. GISAID, which promotes international sharing of all influenza virus sequences and related clinical and epidemiological data, has over 7,000 complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV2 deposited by various laboratories across the world where they have classified the virus based on their mutations. There are chances that people arriving in India from different countries are bringing various strains of the virus. Three strains of the virus have been traced in India so far. One was from Wuhan, and the other two from Italy and Iran. The sequence of the coronavirus strain from Iran was similar to that of China. "It will take some time for us to know the predominant quasi-species of the novel coronavirus in the country. But mutations are not likely to make potential vaccines ineffective, as all sub-types of the virus have the same enzymes. Also, it has been in India for three months and it does not mutate very fast," Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar had said earlier. Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19, joining the global race to find a preventive for the deadly infection spreading rapidly across the world. Nearly 70 'vaccine candidates' are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage, but a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021. India has also collaborated with WHO's multi-country "solidarity trial" for developing potential treatments and drugs for COVID-19. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,218 and the number of cases climbed to 37,336 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 26,167, while 9,950 people have recovered and one patient has migrated. Coronavirus: RBI Governor praises banks for near normal operations in lockdown, reviews economic situation
2 May 13:27 • Business Today • https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/novel-coronavirus-strain-in-india-icmr-plans-to-study/story/402697.htmlRating: 2.10
ICMR plans to study whether novel coronavirus strain in India changed form
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is planning to study whether the novel coronavirus strain in India has undergone mutation while spreading within the country over the last two months. According to a senior scientist of the country's apex health research body, determining whether or not the SARS-CoV2 strain has changed form will help in ensuring the effectiveness of a potential vaccine. "The study will also indicate whether it has become more virulent and increased transmission capability." Samples will be collected from COVID-19 patients to study whether the novel coronavirus strain has mutated or not, he said. However, the study can begin once the lockdown is lifted since currently there are difficulties involved in transportation of samples from different states and Union Territories, scientists said. Coronavirus India LIVE Updates As per Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), so far the maximum difference in the novel coronavirus strain in India has been found to be between 0.2 to 0.9 per cent as compared to the strains in other countries, another scientist said. GISAID, which promotes international sharing of all influenza virus sequences and related clinical and epidemiological data, has over 7,000 complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV2 deposited by various laboratories across the world where they have classified the virus based on their mutations. There are chances that people arriving in India from different countries are bringing various strains of the virus. Three strains of the virus have been traced in India so far. One was from Wuhan, and the other two from Italy and Iran. The sequence of the coronavirus strain from Iran was similar to that of China. "It will take some time for us to know the predominant quasi-species of the novel coronavirus in the country. But mutations are not likely to make potential vaccines ineffective, as all sub-types of the virus have the same enzymes. Also, it has been in India for three months and it does not mutate very fast," Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar had said earlier. Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19, joining the global race to find a preventive for the deadly infection spreading rapidly across the world. Nearly 70 'vaccine candidates' are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage, but a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021. India has also collaborated with WHO's multi-country "solidarity trial" for developing potential treatments and drugs for COVID-19. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,218 and the number of cases climbed to 37,336 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 26,167, while 9,950 people have recovered and one patient has migrated. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here.Moneycontrol Ready ReckonerNow that payment deadlines have been relaxed due to COVID-19, the Moneycontrol Ready Reckoner will help keep your date with insurance premiums, tax-saving investments and EMIs, among others.Download a copy
2 May 00:00 • Moneycontrol • https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/icmr-plans-to-study-whether-novel-coronavirus-strain-in-india-changed-form-5215001.htmlRating: 0.30
A US researcher who worked with a Wuhan virology lab gives 4 reasons why a coronavirus leak would be extremely unlikely
3 May 03:01
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.30
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:11
Average US: 3.033333333333333
Weighted average US: 3.0333333333333337
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
A US researcher who worked with a Wuhan virology lab gives 4 reasons why a coronavirus leak would be extremely unlikely
A fringe theory suggests that the new coronavirus leaked by accident from a lab in Wuhan. Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) study infectious diseases, including coronaviruses, and did before the pandemic started. So as questions about how the pandemic started continue to go unanswered, the lab has drawn scrutiny. Matthew Pottinger, Trump’s deputy national security adviser, asked intelligence agencies in January to look into the idea of a Wuhan lab leak, The New York Times reported. But CIA officers didn’t find any evidence. There’s a reason for that, according to Jonna Mazet, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis, who has worked with and trained WIV researchers in the past. “I know that we worked together to develop very stringent safety protocol, and it’s highly unlikely this was a lab accident,” she told Business Insider. Here are four reasons why. The WIV houses China’s only Biosafety-level-4 laboratory. Scientists study the most dangerous and infectious microbes known to humankind in these types of facilities. Some of the institute’s researchers, including virologist Shi Zhengli, have collected, sampled, and studied coronaviruses that circulate Chinese bats. In 2013, Shi and her collaborators pinpointed the bat population most likely responsible for spreading SARS, in the Shitou Cave near Kunming. After her team sequenced the COVID-19 virus, Shi told Scientific American that she quickly checked her laboratory’s record from the past few years to check for accidents, especially during disposal. Then she cross-referenced the new coronavirus’ genome with the genetic information of other bat coronaviruses her team had collected. They didn’t match. “That really took a load off my mind,” Shi said told Scientific American, adding, “I had not slept a wink for days.” Mazet has met and worked with Shi through PREDICT, a pandemic early-warning program started by the US Agency for International Development. The program has trained staff and funded labs in 30 countries, including the WIV, but President Donald Trump shut down PREDICT last fall. “I’ve spoken to her recently,” Mazet said of Shi. “She is absolutely positive that she had never identified this virus prior to the outbreak happening.” Mazet added that Shi set up a secure, shared database into which PREDICT members could upload their work for public release. In 2018, US officials raised concerns about safety issues at WIV, according to diplomatic cables obtained by The Washington Post. But Mazet said Shi’s work in the lab and in the field was above reproach. “In the field, they wear extreme personal protective equipment, including multiple layers of gloves, eye protection, full body suits, and masks,” she said. (She noted, however, that she has not personally visited the WIV and couldn’t speak to all the research done there.) Samples collected from bats, Mazet added, get immediately split between some vials that contain chemicals that deactivate the virus, and other containers that leave the virus alive. All samples are then dunked into liquid nitrogen on the spot, which freezes them, then the vials are disinfected and transported to the lab. There, scientists wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) unload them into a freezer set to minus 80 degrees Celsius. When the samples are studied later, researchers only use the deactivated, non-infectious ones, Mazet said, adding that the vials with viable virus are locked down in a special area. Rather than a leak, the coronavirus is more likely the latest disease to have jumped from an animal host to humans, experts say. This type of cross-species hop, called a spillover event, also led to outbreaks of Ebola and SARS. Both of those viruses originated in bats, and genetic research has all but confirmed the same for the new coronavirus – a study published in February found that it shares 96% of its genetic code with coronaviruses circulating in Chinese bat populations. Three out of every four emerging infectious diseases come to us from other species; these pathogens are known as zoonotic diseases. The coronavirus is the seventh zoonotic virus to have spilled over into people in the last century. The 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic – swine flu – started in pigs then killed nearly 300,000 people. People have caught bird flus via direct contact with infected poultry. Other pandemic influenza strains, including the 1957 “Asian flu” and the 1968 Hong Kong pandemic, likely started in birds, too. And in the last 45 years, at least four epidemics have been traced back to bats. The caves and wild habitats in which samples get collected from bats are dangerous places for people, since humans can be exposed to the live viruses circulating in the animals, Mazet said. Shi’s researchers navigate those caves in full PPE; but tourists, hunters, poachers, and other people who rely on animals in some capacity for food or trade wander into such places less protected. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance (which managed PREDICT’s relationship with the WIV), told NPR last week that his colleagues are “finding 1 to 7 million people exposed” to zoonotic viruses in Southeast Asia each year. “That’s the pathway. It’s just so obvious to all of us working in the field,” he said. A study published in March 2019 even predicted that bats would be the source of a new coronavirus outbreak in China. That’s because the majority of coronaviruses – those that affect humans and animals – can be found in China, and many bats “live near humans in China, potentially transmitting viruses to humans and livestock,” the authors said. The frequency of spillover events will increase as humans encroach further into wild habitats that house disease-carrying species we haven’t interacted with before, Mazet said. Researching how past spillovers happened and which habitats present the greatest risk for such events helps scientists make predictions about the next pandemic. Since 2014, Shi’s group at the WIV has received nearly $600,000 from a multi-million dollar, five-year grant funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to research the spillover of bat coronaviruses. The grant, which is managed by EcoHealth Alliance, was renewed for another five years in 2019. However, after being questioned about that funding at a White House briefing on April 17, President Trump said his administration would “end that grant very quickly.” A week later, the National Institutes of Health canceled it. Yuan Zhiming, director of the WIV’s biosafety laboratory, told Reuters that “malicious” claims about the lab had been “pulled out of thin air” and contradicted all available evidence. The persistent circulation of the lab-leak theory could impact future scientific cooperation and information sharing between the US and China, according to Mazet. “What’s happening sociologically right now is our biggest risk -who’s going to want to work on this if they’re the ones put under a microscope?” Mazet said. “I think the real danger of what’s going on now is that experts like Shi and myself may not be able to keep collaborating to identify these viruses because of government pressures.” Mazet said. That would make it harder to discover where the COVID-19 virus came from, as well as to forecast and prepare for the next spillover. Mazet added that she worries a blame game could even put lives at risk in the short term. “If we point fingers at other nations that have best opportunity to develop a vaccine, why would we expect them to freely share that with us?” Mazet said. “Collaboration is key right now, otherwise you have countries developing things in parallel, and you can’t assume the US is the best at everything.”
3 May 03:01 • Business Insider Nederland • https://www.businessinsider.nl/why-coronavirus-did-not-leak-from-wuhan-lab-researcher-2020-4/Rating: 0.30
A US researcher who worked with a Wuhan virology lab gives 4 reasons why a coronavirus leak would be extremely unlikely
A fringe theory suggests that the new coronavirus leaked by accident from a lab in Wuhan. Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) study infectious diseases, including coronaviruses, and did before the pandemic started. So as questions about how the pandemic started continue to go unanswered, the lab has drawn scrutiny. Matthew Pottinger, Trump’s deputy national security adviser, asked intelligence agencies in January to look into the idea of a Wuhan lab leak, The New York Times reported. But CIA officers didn’t find any evidence. There’s a reason for that, according to Jonna Mazet, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis, who has worked with and trained WIV researchers in the past. “I know that we worked together to develop very stringent safety protocol, and it’s highly unlikely this was a lab accident,” she told Business Insider. Here are four reasons why. The WIV houses China’s only Biosafety-level-4 laboratory, which is one of only a dozen in the world. Scientists study the most dangerous and infectious microbes known to humankind in these types of facilities. Some of the institute’s researchers, including virologist Shi Zhengli, have collected, sampled, and studied coronaviruses that circulate Chinese bats. In 2013, Shi and her collaborators pinpointed the bat population most likely responsible for spreading SARS, in the Shitou Cave near Kunming. After her team sequenced the COVID-19 virus, Shi told Scientific American that she quickly checked her laboratory’s record from the past few years to check for accidents, especially during disposal. Then she cross-referenced the new coronavirus’ genome with the genetic information of other bat coronaviruses her team had collected. They didn’t match. “That really took a load off my mind,” Shi said told Scientific American, adding, “I had not slept a wink for days.” Mazet has met and worked with Shi through PREDICT, a pandemic early-warning program started by the US Agency for International Development. The program has trained staff and funded labs in 30 countries, including the WIV, but President Donald Trump shut down PREDICT last fall. “I’ve spoken to her recently,” Mazet said of Shi. “She is absolutely positive that she had never identified this virus prior to the outbreak happening.” Mazet added that Shi set up a secure, shared database into which PREDICT members could upload their work for public release. In 2018, US officials raised concerns about safety issues at WIV, according to diplomatic cables obtained by The Washington Post. But Mazet said Shi’s work in the lab and in the field was above reproach. “In the field, they wear extreme personal protective equipment, including multiple layers of gloves, eye protection, full body suits, and masks,” she said. (She noted, however, that she has not personally visited the WIV and couldn’t speak to all the research done there.) Samples collected from bats, Mazet added, get immediately split between some vials that contain chemicals that deactivate the virus, and other containers that leave the virus alive. All samples are then dunked into liquid nitrogen on the spot, which freezes them, then the vials are disinfected and transported to the lab. There, scientists wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) unload them into a freezer set to minus 80 degrees Celsius. When the samples are studied later, researchers only use the deactivated, non-infectious ones, Mazet said, adding that the vials with viable virus are locked down in a special area. Rather than a leak, the coronavirus is more likely the latest disease to have jumped from an animal host to humans, experts say. This type of cross-species hop, called a spillover event, also led to outbreaks of Ebola and SARS. Both of those viruses originated in bats, and genetic research has all but confirmed the same for the new coronavirus – a study published in February found that it shares 96% of its genetic code with coronaviruses circulating in Chinese bat populations. Three out of every four emerging infectious diseases come to us from other species; these pathogens are known as zoonotic diseases. The coronavirus is the seventh zoonotic virus to have spilled over into people in the last century. The 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic – swine flu – started in pigs then killed nearly 300,000 people. People have caught bird flus via direct contact with infected poultry. Other pandemic influenza strains, including the 1957 “Asian flu” and the 1968 Hong Kong pandemic, likely started in birds, too. And in the last 45 years, at least four epidemics have been traced back to bats. The caves and wild habitats in which samples get collected from bats are dangerous places for people, since humans can be exposed to the live viruses circulating in the animals, Mazet said. Shi’s researchers navigate those caves in full PPE; but tourists, hunters, poachers, and other people who rely on animals in some capacity for food or trade wander into such places less protected. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance (which managed PREDICT’s relationship with the WIV), told NPR last week that his colleagues are “finding 1 to 7 million people exposed” to zoonotic viruses in Southeast Asia each year. “That’s the pathway. It’s just so obvious to all of us working in the field,” he said. A study published in March 2019 even predicted that bats would be the source of a new coronavirus outbreak in China. That’s because the majority of coronaviruses – those that affect humans and animals – can be found in China, and many bats “live near humans in China, potentially transmitting viruses to humans and livestock,” the authors said. The frequency of spillover events will increase as humans encroach further into wild habitats that house disease-carrying species we haven’t interacted with before, Mazet said. Researching how past spillovers happened and which habitats present the greatest risk for such events helps scientists make predictions about the next pandemic. Since 2014, Shi’s group at the WIV has received nearly $600,000 from a multi-million dollar, five-year grant funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to research the spillover of bat coronaviruses. The grant, which is managed by EcoHealth Alliance, was renewed for another five years in 2019. However, after being questioned about that funding at a White House briefing on April 17, President Trump said his administration would “end that grant very quickly.” A week later, the National Institutes of Health canceled it. Yuan Zhiming, director of the WIV’s biosafety laboratory, told Reuters that “malicious” claims about the lab had been “pulled out of thin air” and contradicted all available evidence. The persistent circulation of the lab-leak theory could impact future scientific cooperation and information sharing between the US and China, according to Mazet. “What’s happening sociologically right now is our biggest risk -who’s going to want to work on this if they’re the ones put under a microscope?” Mazet said. “I think the real danger of what’s going on now is that experts like Shi and myself may not be able to keep collaborating to identify these viruses because of government pressures.” Mazet said. That would make it harder to discover where the COVID-19 virus came from, as well as to forecast and prepare for the next spillover. Mazet added that she worries a blame game could even put lives at risk in the short term. “If we point fingers at other nations that have best opportunity to develop a vaccine, why would we expect them to freely share that with us?” Mazet said. “Collaboration is key right now, otherwise you have countries developing things in parallel, and you can’t assume the US is the best at everything.”
2 May 12:11 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/why-coronavirus-did-not-leak-from-wuhan-lab-researcher-2020-4Rating: 0.30
A US researcher who worked with a Wuhan virology lab gives 4 reasons why a coronavirus leak would be extremely unlikely, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
A fringe theory suggests that the new coronavirus leaked by accident from a lab in Wuhan. Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) study infectious diseases, including coronaviruses, and did before the pandemic started. So as questions about how the pandemic started continue to go unanswered, the lab has drawn scrutiny. Matthew Pottinger, Trump’s deputy national security adviser, asked intelligence agencies in January to look into the idea of a Wuhan lab leak, The New York Times reported. But CIA officers didn’t find any evidence. There’s a reason for that, according to Jonna Mazet, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis, who has worked with and trained WIV researchers in the past. “I know that we worked together to develop very stringent safety protocol, and it’s highly unlikely this was a lab accident,” she told Business Insider. Here are four reasons why. The WIV houses China’s only Biosafety-level-4 laboratory. Scientists study the most dangerous and infectious microbes known to humankind in these types of facilities. Some of the institute’s researchers, including virologist Shi Zhengli, have collected, sampled, and studied coronaviruses that circulate Chinese bats. In 2013, Shi and her collaborators pinpointed the bat population most likely responsible for spreading SARS, in the Shitou Cave near Kunming. After her team sequenced the COVID-19 virus, Shi told Scientific American that she quickly checked her laboratory’s record from the past few years to check for accidents, especially during disposal. Then she cross-referenced the new coronavirus’ genome with the genetic information of other bat coronaviruses her team had collected. They didn’t match. “That really took a load off my mind,” Shi said told Scientific American, adding, “I had not slept a wink for days.” Mazet has met and worked with Shi through PREDICT, a pandemic early-warning program started by the US Agency for International Development. The program has trained staff and funded labs in 30 countries, including the WIV, but President Donald Trump shut down PREDICT last fall. “I’ve spoken to her recently,” Mazet said of Shi. “She is absolutely positive that she had never identified this virus prior to the outbreak happening.” Mazet added that Shi set up a secure, shared database into which PREDICT members could upload their work for public release. In 2018, US officials raised concerns about safety issues at WIV, according to diplomatic cables obtained by The Washington Post. But Mazet said Shi’s work in the lab and in the field was above reproach. “In the field, they wear extreme personal protective equipment, including multiple layers of gloves, eye protection, full body suits, and masks,” she said. (She noted, however, that she has not personally visited the WIV and couldn’t speak to all the research done there.) Samples collected from bats, Mazet added, get immediately split between some vials that contain chemicals that deactivate the virus, and other containers that leave the virus alive. All samples are then dunked into liquid nitrogen on the spot, which freezes them, then the vials are disinfected and transported to the lab. There, scientists wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) unload them into a freezer set to minus 80 degrees Celsius. When the samples are studied later, researchers only use the deactivated, non-infectious ones, Mazet said, adding that the vials with viable virus are locked down in a special area. Rather than a leak, the coronavirus is more likely the latest disease to have jumped from an animal host to humans, experts say. This type of cross-species hop, called a spillover event, also led to outbreaks of Ebola and SARS. Both of those viruses originated in bats, and genetic research has all but confirmed the same for the new coronavirus – a study published in February found that it shares 96% of its genetic code with coronaviruses circulating in Chinese bat populations. Three out of every four emerging infectious diseases come to us from other species; these pathogens are known as zoonotic diseases. The coronavirus is the seventh zoonotic virus to have spilled over into people in the last century. The 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic – swine flu – started in pigs then killed nearly 300,000 people. People have caught bird flus via direct contact with infected poultry. Other pandemic influenza strains, including the 1957 “Asian flu” and the 1968 Hong Kong pandemic, likely started in birds, too. And in the last 45 years, at least four epidemics have been traced back to bats. The caves and wild habitats in which samples get collected from bats are dangerous places for people, since humans can be exposed to the live viruses circulating in the animals, Mazet said. Shi’s researchers navigate those caves in full PPE; but tourists, hunters, poachers, and other people who rely on animals in some capacity for food or trade wander into such places less protected. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance (which managed PREDICT’s relationship with the WIV), told NPR last week that his colleagues are “finding 1 to 7 million people exposed” to zoonotic viruses in Southeast Asia each year. “That’s the pathway. It’s just so obvious to all of us working in the field,” he said. A study published in March 2019 even predicted that bats would be the source of a new coronavirus outbreak in China. That’s because the majority of coronaviruses – those that affect humans and animals – can be found in China, and many bats “live near humans in China, potentially transmitting viruses to humans and livestock,” the authors said. The frequency of spillover events will increase as humans encroach further into wild habitats that house disease-carrying species we haven’t interacted with before, Mazet said. Researching how past spillovers happened and which habitats present the greatest risk for such events helps scientists make predictions about the next pandemic. Since 2014, Shi’s group at the WIV has received nearly $600,000 from a multi-million dollar, five-year grant funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to research the spillover of bat coronaviruses. The grant, which is managed by EcoHealth Alliance, was renewed for another five years in 2019. However, after being questioned about that funding at a White House briefing on April 17, President Trump said his administration would “end that grant very quickly.” A week later, the National Institutes of Health canceled it. Yuan Zhiming, director of the WIV’s biosafety laboratory, told Reuters that “malicious” claims about the lab had been “pulled out of thin air” and contradicted all available evidence. The persistent circulation of the lab-leak theory could impact future scientific cooperation and information sharing between the US and China, according to Mazet. “What’s happening sociologically right now is our biggest risk -who’s going to want to work on this if they’re the ones put under a microscope?” Mazet said. “I think the real danger of what’s going on now is that experts like Shi and myself may not be able to keep collaborating to identify these viruses because of government pressures.” Mazet said. That would make it harder to discover where the COVID-19 virus came from, as well as to forecast and prepare for the next spillover. Mazet added that she worries a blame game could even put lives at risk in the short term. “If we point fingers at other nations that have best opportunity to develop a vaccine, why would we expect them to freely share that with us?” Mazet said. “Collaboration is key right now, otherwise you have countries developing things in parallel, and you can’t assume the US is the best at everything.”
2 May 12:11 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/why-coronavirus-did-not-leak-from-wuhan-lab-researcher-2020-4Rating: 0.30
Covid exit strategy depends on getting vaccine to whole world
2 May 09:26
•
4 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.53
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 09:26
Average US: 0.875
Weighted average US: 1.716728519648714
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 22.625
Weighted average IN: 44.297229015089385
Covid exit strategy depends on getting vaccine to whole world
Coming up with a vaccine to halt Covid-19 in a matter of months isn’t the only colossal challenge. The next big test: getting billions of doses to every corner of the world at a time when countries increasingly are putting their own interests first. A variety of financing tools are under consideration to spur production of large quantities of potential vaccines and ensure they’re distributed equitably. In one arrangement, developers would agree to provide shots at affordable prices in return for funding commitments from governments or other donors. The stakes are immense with the coronavirus sickening more than 3 million people, even as billions hide from the pathogen indoors. Health advocates are concerned about richer countries monopolizing the global supply of Covid-19 vaccines if companies succeed, a scenario that played out during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Distributing shots widely, they say, isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also crucial in curbing the spread of the contagion. “There’s a lot of awareness of the potential injustice and inequity ahead,” said Gavin Yamey, director of Duke University’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health. “There’s been less awareness of the critical notion that you actually need to allocate the vaccine in a way that makes public-health sense.” Lack of access to vital drugs and vaccines is a perennial issue for the world’s poor. More than two decades ago, the high price of HIV drugs sparked an outcry as millions in Africa and other regions who couldn’t afford them died, leading much later to programs to help those populations. Fair distributionWith Covid-19, the worry is that wealthy countries will put their own interests ahead of global unity. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week joined the World Health Organization in calling for fair distribution of vaccines. “It has the potential to get very ugly,” said Michael Kinch, a vaccine specialist and associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis. “There’s going to be a lag between when we have a vaccine and when we have the ability to protect 7 billion people.” Still, he said, “there are ways of heading it off,” such as creating manufacturing facilities all around the world. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an Oslo-based group that’s funding a number of experimental coronavirus vaccines, has said that’s the goal. The coalition sees promise in so-called advance market commitments, according to Chief Executive Officer Richard Hatchett. In that type of program, donors promise funds to guarantee the price of vaccines once they have been developed. CEPI is talking with other organizations including the World Bank, which is exploring how to set up such agreements, he said. “The virus does not respect borders and it cuts across all classes of society, and all age groups,” Hatchett said. “There really does seem to be a rapidly evolving consensus around the importance of delivering a vaccine globally to all countries as quickly as it can become available.” Advance purchaseGavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a group that works to prevent disease in poor countries, established a similar arrangement to tackle Ebola in Africa. The nonprofit signed an advance purchase commitment with Merck & Co., creating a stockpile of doses used in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Merck initially agreed to provide 300,000 doses of the vaccine available for use in expanded clinical trials or on an emergency basis while development continued. In an agreement with Gavi a decade ago, Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc slashed the price of their pneumonia vaccines by up to 90% in developing nations, each committing to supply 30 million doses a year over a decade. Manufacturing and supplying vaccines to meet global demand is expected to be an unprecedented mobilization, according to Joe Cerrell, managing director of global policy and advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The cost to secure the doses needed could be as much as $25 billion, he estimated. “Time is not on our side,” he said by phone. “We don’t have a year or so to figure this out.” The International Finance Facility for Immunization, which raises money to purchase and deliver vaccines by selling bonds, is another option that could work with Covid-19, Cerrell said. The group funds programs through Gavi. Those kinds of tools are “innovative mechanisms for taking long-term pledges and turning them into front-loaded cash,” Duke’s Yamey said. “We’re going to need large amounts of money now.” Vaccine raceDozens of companies, including Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc., are in the race to come up with a vaccine, along with researchers at institutions ranging from the University of Oxford to the University of Queensland in Australia. One of the biggest companies in the hunt, London-based Glaxo, is talking with governments on the issue of supply, according to Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley. “We do think this needs to be a global approach,” she told reporters. “We’re expecting those conversations to go on in parallel and ahead of data concluding, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with governments to be part of the solution.” While a vaccine is a crucial part of the exit strategy, the world lacks a global system for managing distribution in a crisis, said Gayle Smith, who leads the ONE Campaign, an advocacy group. During the flu pandemic more than a decade ago, wealthy nations secured the bulk of the supply before later moving to try to allocate shots to the rest of the world, she told reporters this week. It’s important a vaccine is “available equitably and equally everywhere,” she said. “We can’t think of this pandemic as something that exists simply within our own borders.” © 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
2 May 09:26 • Moneyweb • https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/international/covid-exit-strategy-depends-on-getting-vaccine-to-whole-world/Rating: 1.42
Coronavirus exit strategy depends on getting vaccine to whole world
By James Paton Coming up with a vaccine to halt Covid-19 in a matter of months isn’t the only colossal challenge. The next big test: getting billions of doses to every corner of the world at a time when countries increasingly are putting their own interests first. A variety of financing tools are under consideration to spur production of large quantities of potential vaccines and ensure they’re distributed equitably. In one arrangement, developers would agree to provide shots at affordable prices in return for funding commitments from governments or other donors. The stakes are immense with the coronavirus sickening more than 3 million people, even as billions hide from the pathogen indoors. Health advocates are concerned about richer countries monopolizing the global supply of Covid-19 vaccines if companies succeed, a scenario that played out during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Distributing shots widely, they say, isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also crucial in curbing the spread of the contagion. “There’s a lot of awareness of the potential injustice and inequity ahead,” said Gavin Yamey, director of Duke University’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health. “There’s been less awareness of the critical notion that you actually need to allocate the vaccine in a way that makes public-health sense.” Lack of access to vital drugs and vaccines is a perennial issue for the world’s poor. More than two decades ago, the high price of HIV drugs sparked an outcry as millions in Africa and other regions who couldn’t afford them died, leading much later to programs to help those populations. With Covid-19, the worry is that wealthy countries will put their own interests ahead of global unity. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week joined the World Health Organization in calling for fair distribution of vaccines. “It has the potential to get very ugly,” said Michael Kinch, a vaccine specialist and associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis. “There’s going to be a lag between when we have a vaccine and when we have the ability to protect 7 billion people.” Still, he said, “there are ways of heading it off,” such as creating manufacturing facilities all around the world. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an Oslo-based group that’s funding a number of experimental coronavirus vaccines, has said that’s the goal. The coalition sees promise in so-called advance market commitments, according to Chief Executive Officer Richard Hatchett. In that type of program, donors promise funds to guarantee the price of vaccines once they have been developed. CEPI is talking with other organizations including the World Bank, which is exploring how to set up such agreements, he said. “The virus does not respect borders and it cuts across all classes of society, and all age groups,” Hatchett said. “There really does seem to be a rapidly evolving consensus around the importance of delivering a vaccine globally to all countries as quickly as it can become available.” Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a group that works to prevent disease in poor countries, established a similar arrangement to tackle Ebola in Africa. The nonprofit signed an advance purchase commitment with Merck & Co., creating a stockpile of doses used in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Merck initially agreed to provide 300,000 doses of the vaccine available for use in expanded clinical trials or on an emergency basis while development continued. In an agreement with Gavi a decade ago, Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc slashed the price of their pneumonia vaccines by up to 90% in developing nations, each committing to supply 30 million doses a year over a decade. Manufacturing and supplying vaccines to meet global demand is expected to be an unprecedented mobilization, according to Joe Cerrell, managing director of global policy and advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The cost to secure the doses needed could be as much as $25 billion, he estimated. “Time is not on our side,” he said by phone. “We don’t have a year or so to figure this out.” The International Finance Facility for Immunization, which raises money to purchase and deliver vaccines by selling bonds, is another option that could work with Covid-19, Cerrell said. The group funds programs through Gavi. Those kinds of tools are “innovative mechanisms for taking long-term pledges and turning them into front-loaded cash,” Duke’s Yamey said. “We’re going to need large amounts of money now.” Dozens of companies, including Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc., are in the race to come up with a vaccine, along with researchers at institutions ranging from the University of Oxford to the University of Queensland in Australia. One of the biggest companies in the hunt, London-based Glaxo, is talking with governments on the issue of supply, according to Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley. “We do think this needs to be a global approach,” she told reporters. “We’re expecting those conversations to go on in parallel and ahead of data concluding, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with governments to be part of the solution.” While a vaccine is a crucial part of the exit strategy, the world lacks a global system for managing distribution in a crisis, said Gayle Smith, who leads the ONE Campaign, an advocacy group. During the flu pandemic more than a decade ago, wealthy nations secured the bulk of the supply before later moving to try to allocate shots to the rest of the world, she told reporters this week. It’s important a vaccine is “available equitably and equally everywhere,” she said. “We can’t think of this pandemic as something that exists simply within our own borders.”
2 May 05:53 • The Economic Times • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/coronavirus-exit-strategy-depends-on-getting-vaccine-to-whole-world/articleshow/75501680.cmsRating: 0.30
Covid exit strategy depends on getting vaccine to whole world
Coming up with a vaccine to halt Covid-19 in a matter of months isn’t the only colossal challenge. The next big test: getting billions of doses to every corner of the world at a time when countries increasingly are putting their own interests first. A variety of financing tools are under consideration to spur production of large quantities of potential vaccines and ensure they’re distributed equitably. In one arrangement, developers would agree to provide shots at affordable prices in return for funding commitments from governments or other donors. Read| An Expert Explains: ‘We need global access agreements before a vaccine is developed’ The stakes are immense with the coronavirus sickening more than 3 million people, even as billions hide from the pathogen indoors. Health advocates are concerned about richer countries monopolizing the global supply of Covid-19 vaccines if companies succeed, a scenario that played out during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Distributing shots widely, they say, isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also crucial in curbing the spread of the contagion. “There’s a lot of awareness of the potential injustice and inequity ahead,” said Gavin Yamey, director of Duke University’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health. “There’s been less awareness of the critical notion that you actually need to allocate the vaccine in a way that makes public-health sense.” Lack of access to vital drugs and vaccines is a perennial issue for the world’s poor. More than two decades ago, the high price of HIV drugs sparked an outcry as millions in Africa and other regions who couldn’t afford them died, leading much later to programs to help those populations. With Covid-19, the worry is that wealthy countries will put their own interests ahead of global unity. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week joined the World Health Organization in calling for fair distribution of vaccines. “It has the potential to get very ugly,” said Michael Kinch, a vaccine specialist and associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis. “There’s going to be a lag between when we have a vaccine and when we have the ability to protect 7 billion people.” Read| Explained: How far are we from COVID-19 drugs, vaccine? Still, he said, “there are ways of heading it off,” such as creating manufacturing facilities all around the world. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an Oslo-based group that’s funding a number of experimental coronavirus vaccines, has said that’s the goal. The coalition sees promise in so-called advance market commitments, according to Chief Executive Officer Richard Hatchett. In that type of program, donors promise funds to guarantee the price of vaccines once they have been developed. CEPI is talking with other organizations including the World Bank, which is exploring how to set up such agreements, he said. “The virus does not respect borders and it cuts across all classes of society, and all age groups,” Hatchett said. “There really does seem to be a rapidly evolving consensus around the importance of delivering a vaccine globally to all countries as quickly as it can become available.” Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a group that works to prevent disease in poor countries, established a similar arrangement to tackle Ebola in Africa. The nonprofit signed an advance purchase commitment with Merck & Co., creating a stockpile of doses used in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Merck initially agreed to provide 300,000 doses of the vaccine available for use in expanded clinical trials or on an emergency basis while development continued. In an agreement with Gavi a decade ago, Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc slashed the price of their pneumonia vaccines by up to 90% in developing nations, each committing to supply 30 million doses a year over a decade. Manufacturing and supplying vaccines to meet global demand is expected to be an unprecedented mobilization, according to Joe Cerrell, managing director of global policy and advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The cost to secure the doses needed could be as much as $25 billion, he estimated. “Time is not on our side,” he said by phone. “We don’t have a year or so to figure this out.” The International Finance Facility for Immunization, which raises money to purchase and deliver vaccines by selling bonds, is another option that could work with Covid-19, Cerrell said. The group funds programs through Gavi. Those kinds of tools are “innovative mechanisms for taking long-term pledges and turning them into front-loaded cash,” Duke’s Yamey said. “We’re going to need large amounts of money now.” Dozens of companies, including Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc., are in the race to come up with a vaccine, along with researchers at institutions ranging from the University of Oxford to the University of Queensland in Australia. One of the biggest companies in the hunt, London-based Glaxo, is talking with governments on the issue of supply, according to Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley. “We do think this needs to be a global approach,” she told reporters. “We’re expecting those conversations to go on in parallel and ahead of data concluding, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with governments to be part of the solution.” While a vaccine is a crucial part of the exit strategy, the world lacks a global system for managing distribution in a crisis, said Gayle Smith, who leads the ONE Campaign, an advocacy group. During the flu pandemic more than a decade ago, wealthy nations secured the bulk of the supply before later moving to try to allocate shots to the rest of the world, she told reporters this week. It’s important a vaccine is “available equitably and equally everywhere,” she said. “We can’t think of this pandemic as something that exists simply within our own borders.”
2 May 05:51 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/world/covid-exit-strategy-depends-on-getting-vaccine-to-whole-world-6390034/Rating: 0.30
Defeating Covid doesn’t just need a vaccine, but also rich countries to not monopolise it
London: Coming up with a vaccine to halt Covid-19 in a matter of months isn’t the only colossal challenge. The next big test: getting billions of doses to every corner of the world at a time when countries increasingly are putting their own interests first. A variety of financing tools are under consideration to spur production of large quantities of potential vaccines and ensure they’re distributed equitably. In one arrangement, developers would agree to provide shots at affordable prices in return for funding commitments from governments or other donors. The stakes are immense with the coronavirus sickening more than 3 million people, even as billions hide from the pathogen indoors. Health advocates are concerned about richer countries monopolizing the global supply of Covid-19 vaccines if companies succeed, a scenario that played out during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Distributing shots widely, they say, isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also crucial in curbing the spread of the contagion. “There’s a lot of awareness of the potential injustice and inequity ahead,” said Gavin Yamey, director of Duke University’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health. “There’s been less awareness of the critical notion that you actually need to allocate the vaccine in a way that makes public-health sense.” Lack of access to vital drugs and vaccines is a perennial issue for the world’s poor. More than two decades ago, the high price of HIV drugs sparked an outcry as millions in Africa and other regions who couldn’t afford them died, leading much later to programs to help those populations. Also read: Bill Gates’s coronavirus vaccine could be ready in 12 months With Covid-19, the worry is that wealthy countries will put their own interests ahead of global unity. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week joined the World Health Organization in calling for fair distribution of vaccines. “It has the potential to get very ugly,” said Michael Kinch, a vaccine specialist and associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis. “There’s going to be a lag between when we have a vaccine and when we have the ability to protect 7 billion people.” Still, he said, “there are ways of heading it off,” such as creating manufacturing facilities all around the world. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an Oslo-based group that’s funding a number of experimental coronavirus vaccines, has said that’s the goal. The coalition sees promise in so-called advance market commitments, according to Chief Executive Officer Richard Hatchett. In that type of program, donors promise funds to guarantee the price of vaccines once they have been developed. CEPI is talking with other organizations including the World Bank, which is exploring how to set up such agreements, he said. “The virus does not respect borders and it cuts across all classes of society, and all age groups,” Hatchett said. “There really does seem to be a rapidly evolving consensus around the importance of delivering a vaccine globally to all countries as quickly as it can become available.” Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a group that works to prevent disease in poor countries, established a similar arrangement to tackle Ebola in Africa. The nonprofit signed an advance purchase commitment with Merck & Co., creating a stockpile of doses used in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Merck initially agreed to provide 300,000 doses of the vaccine available for use in expanded clinical trials or on an emergency basis while development continued. In an agreement with Gavi a decade ago, Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc slashed the price of their pneumonia vaccines by up to 90% in developing nations, each committing to supply 30 million doses a year over a decade. Also read: How coronavirus vaccines can reach the market faster with the right incentives Manufacturing and supplying vaccines to meet global demand is expected to be an unprecedented mobilization, according to Joe Cerrell, managing director of global policy and advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The cost to secure the doses needed could be as much as $25 billion, he estimated. “Time is not on our side,” he said by phone. “We don’t have a year or so to figure this out.” The International Finance Facility for Immunization, which raises money to purchase and deliver vaccines by selling bonds, is another option that could work with Covid-19, Cerrell said. The group funds programs through Gavi. Those kinds of tools are “innovative mechanisms for taking long-term pledges and turning them into front-loaded cash,” Duke’s Yamey said. “We’re going to need large amounts of money now.” Dozens of companies, including Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc., are in the race to come up with a vaccine, along with researchers at institutions ranging from the University of Oxford to the University of Queensland in Australia. One of the biggest companies in the hunt, London-based Glaxo, is talking with governments on the issue of supply, according to Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley. “We do think this needs to be a global approach,” she told reporters. “We’re expecting those conversations to go on in parallel and ahead of data concluding, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with governments to be part of the solution.” While a vaccine is a crucial part of the exit strategy, the world lacks a global system for managing distribution in a crisis, said Gayle Smith, who leads the ONE Campaign, an advocacy group. During the flu pandemic more than a decade ago, wealthy nations secured the bulk of the supply before later moving to try to allocate shots to the rest of the world, she told reporters this week. It’s important a vaccine is “available equitably and equally everywhere,” she said. “We can’t think of this pandemic as something that exists simply within our own borders.” –Bloomberg ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
2 May 09:46 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/health/defeating-covid-doesnt-just-need-a-vaccine-but-also-rich-countries-to-not-monopolise-it/413222/Rating: 1.95
COVID-19: FUTA researchers recommend cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage as immune system booster
3 May 16:39
•
8 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.47
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 08:47
Average US: 1.9637499999999999
Weighted average US: 3.953067473223405
Average GB: 0.0975
Weighted average GB: 0.187516412171433
Average IN: 11.843749999999998
Weighted average IN: 29.787147944289966
COVID-19: FUTA researchers recommend cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage as immune system booster
In the wake of the rampaging coronavirus pandemic, a group of researchers at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) led by Nathaniel Fagbemi a Professor of Food Science Technology , has recommended the regular consumption of a blend of cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage which has the potential to boost immunity of people against communicable diseases and viruses. The cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage with high antioxidant potential was developed by the FUTA researchers from blends of Hibiscus sabdariffa (zobo) and ginger blends and natural cocoa powder. The cocoa–zobo–ginger beverage possesses high antioxidant activities and shows potential as a health security beverage that can boost immunity against diseases and viruses. The researchers say though oxidation reactions are necessary for life especially during respiration, complex electron transfer and incomplete reduction of oxygen can result into generation of highly reactive and damaging reactive oxygen species leading to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been associated with the cause of significant damage to biological molecules such as lipids, proteins, DNA and development of chronic diseases such as cancer, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, neurological disorder and weakening of immune system. They said research has shown that though the human body has physiological defense mechanism, which produces antioxidants to reduce oxidative damage, additional antioxidants may be necessary during severe oxidative stress and for constant maintenance of oxidative balance. Functional beverages that are high in antioxidants like the zobo-ginger-cocoa drink can adequately protect against oxidative stress and boost immunity in case of stress or diseases. They said a better immunity helps to fend off diseases and also improves chances of survival of ill persons. The cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage could be made in cold or hot water extracts making it vital in the hot tropical climate as well as in the cold harmattan seasons obtained in Nigeria. They said its ingredients are easily available and can be made and enjoyed by all strata of the society. The university has the cocoa-zobo-ginger beverage blends in sachets which has been developed and exhibited in many NUC organised university trade fairs and scientific exhibitions and would be ready to enter into partnership with Government agencies and other interested stakeholders for mass production. The Vice Chancellor, Joseph Fuwape, said FUTA will continue to respond to emerging national and global trends and challenges through relevant researches and product development.
3 May 16:39 • Premium Times Nigeria • https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/391197-covid-19-futa-researchers-recommend-cocoa-zobo-ginger-beverage-as-immune-system-booster.htmlRating: 0.30
Antibiotics treat infections by either killing or sterilizing bacteria
Antibiotics are a popular group of medicines that help the body fight bacterial infections. In 2017, alone, physicians wrote Americans around 260 million antibiotic prescriptions, according to the Center for Disease Control. Here’s what you need to know about this essential class of medication. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections in a few different ways that involve disrupting various parts of the way bacteria survive and multiply in the human body. Bacteria have cell walls that help protect them against the harsh environment inside you. These cell walls protect the fragile interior that contains the DNA and essential proteins that bacteria use to reproduce asexually. Antibiotics often work in one of three ways: Bactericidal antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria outright. Examples include penicillin, vancomycin, and cephalosporin. Bacteriostatic antibiotics are drugs that prevent bacteria from multiplying. Examples include antibiotics include ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and rifamycin. Some antibiotics can both kill bacteria and prevent farther growth. It just depends on the dose you’re prescribed as well as how far your bacterial infection has progressed. Doctors prescribe antibiotics for all types of bacterial infections from minor strep throat or urinary tract infections to severe, life-threatening conditions such as bacterial pneumonia or sepsis. “The properties of some antibiotics make them amenable to other medical conditions, as well,” says Anthony Kaveh, MD, physician anesthesiologist, and integrative medicine specialist. For example, the quinolone and tetracycline groups of antibiotics are used in anti-malarial therapy. Certain antibiotics also have anti-inflammatory effects, which may be useful in treating inflammation caused by a viral infection. For example, researchers are investigating how the antibiotic azithromycin may help reduce inflammation, may also help COVID-19 patients. However, Kaveh points out that, “We are still learning about this effect of antibiotics. Azithromycin is one of these antibiotics. It is possible that some of the reported success from azithromycin is from its anti-inflammatory effect.” Depending on the type of infection, a physician may prescribe you one of two types of antibiotics: broad-spectrum or narrow-spectrum. Broad-spectrum antibiotics affect a wide range of bacteria, whereas narrow-spectrum antibiotics attack specific types of bacteria. Physicians will often times try to prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics when they know which bacteria caused the infection. For example in pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, a physician may prescribe benzylpenicillin. Because using broad-spectrum antibiotics unnecessarily can contribute to antibiotic resistance. “Unfortunately, the side effects of antibiotics must be taken into account […]. In particular, bacterial resistance must be considered whenever using antibiotics for non-bacterial infections,” says Kaveh. Scientists agree that antibiotics don’t directly affect SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. That’s because “antibiotics do not treat viral infections,” says Kaveh. Yet, figures from China show that a large percentage of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 receive antibiotics. But it’s not the viral infection they’re treating. Often times it’s a secondary bacterial infection that patients develop due to a weakened immune system. In a review of 247 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in China, the researchers found that 15% of survivors and 50% of those who died, acquired secondary bacterial infections. COVID-19 isn’t the only disease that causes dangerous secondary infections. During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the CDC estimates that globally 151,700 – 575,400 people died. Around half of these deaths were due to secondary bacterial pneumonia. So physicians may prescribe an antibiotic as a precautionary measure. “We do not yet have accurate tools for determining when an infection is bacterial or viral, and in those cases, an antibiotic may be given empirically if deemed appropriate by the physician,” says Kaveh. Antibiotics start working almost immediately. For example, amoxicillin takes about one hour to reach peak levels in the body. However, a person may not feel symptom relief until later. “Antibiotics will typically show improvement in patients with bacterial infections within one to three days,” says Kaveh. This is because for many illnesses the body’s immune response is what causes some of the symptoms, and it can take time for the immune system to calm down after the harmful bacteria are destroyed. Some antibiotics, such as fosfomycin that’s used to treat certain cases of UTIs, work immediately and usually only require one dose. Other antibiotics, including tetracycline that’s used to treat a wide range of conditions from acne to syphilis, may take several weeks of treatment with multiple doses before the patient notices any improvement in symptoms. “The timeframe depends on the type of infection and whether the bacteria are susceptible to that particular antibiotic,” says Kaveh. It’s important to complete the full course of antibiotics, even if you begin to feel better beforehand. Because if you discontinue the treatment early you may not eliminate enough bacteria, and the condition could re-occur, as surviving bacteria multiply. Doing so also contributes to the growing issue of antibiotic resistance. However, in the continued battle against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, researchers have started to study the dosage amount. A growing body of evidence suggests that shorter regimes of antibiotic treatment may be just as effective as the longer courses traditionally prescribed. However, more research is needed so you should still complete the full course of antibiotics you’re prescribed for an infection.
2 May 15:55 • Business Insider Malaysia • https://www.businessinsider.my/how-antibiotics-workRating: 0.30
Related stories about antibiotics:
Antibiotics are a popular group of medicines that help the body fight bacterial infections. In 2017, alone, physicians wrote Americans around 260 million antibiotic prescriptions, according to the Center for Disease Control. Here’s what you need to know about this essential class of medication. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections in a few different ways that involve disrupting various parts of the way bacteria survive and multiply in the human body. Bacteria have cell walls that help protect them against the harsh environment inside you. These cell walls protect the fragile interior that contains the DNA and essential proteins that bacteria use to reproduce asexually. Antibiotics often work in one of three ways: Bactericidal antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria outright. Examples include penicillin, vancomycin, and cephalosporin. Bacteriostatic antibiotics are drugs that prevent bacteria from multiplying. Examples include antibiotics include ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and rifamycin. Some antibiotics can both kill bacteria and prevent farther growth. It just depends on the dose you’re prescribed as well as how far your bacterial infection has progressed. Doctors prescribe antibiotics for all types of bacterial infections from minor strep throat or urinary tract infections to severe, life-threatening conditions such as bacterial pneumonia or sepsis. “The properties of some antibiotics make them amenable to other medical conditions, as well,” says Anthony Kaveh, MD, physician anesthesiologist, and integrative medicine specialist. For example, the quinolone and tetracycline groups of antibiotics are used in anti-malarial therapy. Certain antibiotics also have anti-inflammatory effects, which may be useful in treating inflammation caused by a viral infection. For example, researchers are investigating how the antibiotic azithromycin may help reduce inflammation, may also help COVID-19 patients. However, Kaveh points out that, “We are still learning about this effect of antibiotics. Azithromycin is one of these antibiotics. It is possible that some of the reported success from azithromycin is from its anti-inflammatory effect.” Depending on the type of infection, a physician may prescribe you one of two types of antibiotics: broad-spectrum or narrow-spectrum. Broad-spectrum antibiotics affect a wide range of bacteria, whereas narrow-spectrum antibiotics attack specific types of bacteria. Physicians will often times try to prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics when they know which bacteria caused the infection. For example in pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, a physician may prescribe benzylpenicillin. Because using broad-spectrum antibiotics unnecessarily can contribute to antibiotic resistance. “Unfortunately, the side effects of antibiotics must be taken into account […]. In particular, bacterial resistance must be considered whenever using antibiotics for non-bacterial infections,” says Kaveh. Scientists agree that antibiotics don’t directly affect SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. That’s because “antibiotics do not treat viral infections,” says Kaveh. Yet, figures from China show that a large percentage of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 receive antibiotics. But it’s not the viral infection they’re treating. Often times it’s a secondary bacterial infection that patients develop due to a weakened immune system. In a review of 247 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in China, the researchers found that 15% of survivors and 50% of those who died, acquired secondary bacterial infections. COVID-19 isn’t the only disease that causes dangerous secondary infections. During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the CDC estimates that globally 151,700 – 575,400 people died. Around half of these deaths were due to secondary bacterial pneumonia. So physicians may prescribe an antibiotic as a precautionary measure. “We do not yet have accurate tools for determining when an infection is bacterial or viral, and in those cases, an antibiotic may be given empirically if deemed appropriate by the physician,” says Kaveh. Antibiotics start working almost immediately. For example, amoxicillin takes about one hour to reach peak levels in the body. However, a person may not feel symptom relief until later. “Antibiotics will typically show improvement in patients with bacterial infections within one to three days,” says Kaveh. This is because for many illnesses the body’s immune response is what causes some of the symptoms, and it can take time for the immune system to calm down after the harmful bacteria are destroyed. Some antibiotics, such as fosfomycin that’s used to treat certain cases of UTIs, work immediately and usually only require one dose. Other antibiotics, including tetracycline that’s used to treat a wide range of conditions from acne to syphilis, may take several weeks of treatment with multiple doses before the patient notices any improvement in symptoms. “The timeframe depends on the type of infection and whether the bacteria are susceptible to that particular antibiotic,” says Kaveh. It’s important to complete the full course of antibiotics, even if you begin to feel better beforehand. Because if you discontinue the treatment early you may not eliminate enough bacteria, and the condition could re-occur, as surviving bacteria multiply. Doing so also contributes to the growing issue of antibiotic resistance. However, in the continued battle against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, researchers have started to study the dosage amount. A growing body of evidence suggests that shorter regimes of antibiotic treatment may be just as effective as the longer courses traditionally prescribed. However, more research is needed so you should still complete the full course of antibiotics you’re prescribed for an infection.
2 May 15:55 • www.businessinsider.sg • https://www.businessinsider.sg/how-antibiotics-workRating: 0.30
Blood pressure medicines don't raise COVID-19 risk, says research
WASHINGTON DC, USA – Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said Friday, positive news for the millions of people who take them. The research primarily concerned angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which are also given to diabetes patients to help protect their kidneys. ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril and other drugs ending in -pril; while ARBs include valsartan and losartan, and generally end in -sartan. There had been concern arising from animal studies that these medicines might increase the body's levels of a protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus latches on to when it invades human cells, thus increasing people's vulnerability to the disease. Confusing matters further, there were also contradictory animal studies that showed having more ACE2 proteins might lessen an inflammatory reaction in lungs to COVID-19, a beneficial effect. The 3 new studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Each involved reviewing the records of thousands of people either on or not on the medicines and seeing if they got infected and how the disease progressed. They then used statistical methods to control for other factors like underlying health conditions that might make people more susceptible to infection and to serious COVID-19. "We saw no difference in the likelihood of a positive test with ACE inhibitors and with angiotensin receptor blockers," Harmony Reynolds of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who led one of the studies that involved about 12,600 people, told AFP. The studies were "observational," meaning the researchers observed the effect of a risk factor. This type of investigation is always considered weaker than "experimental" where an intervention is introduced along with a control, which leaves less to chance. The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM acknowledged this inherent limitation, but added: "We find it reassuring that 3 studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message." Reynolds said the findings were relieving, because she had been getting questions from worried patients who had read press reports and were asking if they should stop their medicines. "I'm very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications," she said. This is especially important given that lockdown life itself appears to be causing high blood pressure, "maybe from stress or less exercise or eating differently," she added. Mandeep Mehra, the medical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Heart and Vascular Center who led another of the studies, said another fundamental question had been answered. Early on in the pandemic, when it became clear that people with cardiovascular conditions were more likely to get severe COVID-19, scientists wondered: Was it heart disease that was the risk factor, or the medicine used to control it? The new research settles the debate firmly in favor of the former, he said. "It tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that COVID-19 somehow interacts with the cardiovascular system in a pretty negative way," said Mehra. Potential benefit? Mehra's study, which looked at almost 9,000 patients across 11 countries, also tied the use of blood pressure medicines to a lower risk of death from COVID-19 – a finding not shared by the other two studies. "The same drugs that appear to have life saving benefits in patients with cardiovascular illness also appear to show us a signal of benefit in patients who are in the throes of COVID-19," he said. He added it was unclear why this was the case – whether it was because the medicines were helping the heart which in turn made it more resilient to the effects of the virus, or whether they were doing something else. "What we can tell you is that, if you're on a statin or an ACE inhibitor, by golly, please continue it," added Mehra. Nearly half of adults in the United States, or 108 million people, have hypertension, according to official figures. – Rappler.com
2 May 10:36 • Rappler • https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/life-health/259740-blood-pressure-medicines-do-not-raise-covid-19-riskRating: 1.64
Blood pressure medicines don't raise COVID-19 risk: Research
Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said Friday, positive news for the millions of people who take them. The research primarily concerned angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which are also given to diabetes patients to help protect their kidneys. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril and other drugs ending in -pril; while ARBs include valsartan and losartan, and generally end in -sartan. There had been concern arising from animal studies that these medicines might increase the body's levels of a protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus latches on to when it invades human cells, thus increasing people's vulnerability to the disease. Follow DH Coronavirus page for all the latest news Confusing matters further, there were also contradictory animal studies that showed having more ACE2 proteins might lessen an inflammatory reaction in lungs to COVID-19, a beneficial effect. The three new studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Each involved reviewing the records of thousands of people either on or not on the medicines and seeing if they got infected and how the disease progressed. They then used statistical methods to control for other factors like underlying health conditions that might make people more susceptible to infection and to serious COVID-19. "We saw no difference in the likelihood of a positive test with ACE inhibitors and with angiotensin receptor blockers," Harmony Reynolds of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who led one of the studies that involved about 12,600 people, told AFP. The studies were "observational," meaning the researchers observed the effect of a risk factor. This type of investigation is always considered weaker than "experimental" where an intervention is introduced along with a control, which leaves less to chance. The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM acknowledged this inherent limitation, but added: "We find it reassuring that three studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message." Reynolds said the findings were relieving, because she had been getting questions from worried patients who had read press reports and were asking if they should stop their medicines. "I'm very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications," she said. This is especially important given that lockdown life itself appears to be causing high blood pressure, "maybe from stress or less exercise or eating differently," she added. Mandeep Mehra, the medical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Heart and Vascular Center who led another of the studies, said another fundamental question had been answered. Early on in the pandemic, when it became clear that people with cardiovascular conditions were more likely to get severe COVID-19, scientists wondered: Was it heart disease that was the risk factor, or the medicine used to control it? The new research settles the debate firmly in favor of the former, he said. "It tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that COVID-19 somehow interacts with the cardiovascular system in a pretty negative way," said Mehra. Mehra's study, which looked at almost 9,000 patients across 11 countries, also tied the use of blood pressure medicines to a lower risk of death from COVID-19 -- a finding not shared by the other two studies. "The same drugs that appear to have life saving benefits in patients with cardiovascular illness also appear to show us a signal of benefit in patients who are in the throes of COVID-19," he said. He added it was unclear why this was the case -- whether it was because the medicines were helping the heart which in turn made it more resilient to the effects of the virus, or whether they were doing something else. "What we can tell you is that, if you're on a statin or an ACE inhibitor, by golly, please continue it," added Mehra. Nearly half of adults in the United States, or 108 million people, have hypertension, according to official figures.
2 May 08:47 • Deccan Herald • https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/blood-pressure-medicines-dont-raise-covid-19-risk-research-832560.htmlRating: 2.25
Blood pressure medicines don't raise Covid-19 risk, says research
WASHINGTON, May 2 ― Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to Covid-19 infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said yesterday, positive news for the millions of people who take them. The research primarily concerned angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which are also given to diabetes patients to help protect their kidneys. ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril and other drugs ending in -pril; while ARBs include valsartan and losartan, and generally end in -sartan. There had been concern arising from animal studies that these medicines might increase the body's levels of a protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus latches on to when it invades human cells, thus increasing people's vulnerability to the disease. Confusing matters further, there were also contradictory animal studies that showed having more ACE2 proteins might lessen an inflammatory reaction in lungs to Covid-19, a beneficial effect. The three new studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Each involved reviewing the records of thousands of people either on or not on the medicines and seeing if they got infected and how the disease progressed. They then used statistical methods to control for other factors like underlying health conditions that might make people more susceptible to infection and to serious Covid-19. “We saw no difference in the likelihood of a positive test with ACE inhibitors and with angiotensin receptor blockers,” Harmony Reynolds of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who led one of the studies that involved about 12,600 people, told AFP. The studies were “observational,” meaning the researchers observed the effect of a risk factor. This type of investigation is always considered weaker than “experimental” where an intervention is introduced along with a control, which leaves less to chance. The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM acknowledged this inherent limitation, but added: “We find it reassuring that three studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message.” Reynolds said the findings were relieving, because she had been getting questions from worried patients who had read press reports and were asking if they should stop their medicines. “I'm very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications,” she said. This is especially important given that lockdown life itself appears to be causing high blood pressure, “maybe from stress or less exercise or eating differently,” she added. Mandeep Mehra, the medical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Heart and Vascular Center who led another of the studies, said another fundamental question had been answered. Early on in the pandemic, when it became clear that people with cardiovascular conditions were more likely to get severe Covid-19, scientists wondered: Was it heart disease that was the risk factor, or the medicine used to control it? The new research settles the debate firmly in favor of the former, he said. “It tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Covid-19 somehow interacts with the cardiovascular system in a pretty negative way,” said Mehra. Potential benefit? Mehra's study, which looked at almost 9,000 patients across 11 countries, also tied the use of blood pressure medicines to a lower risk of death from Covid-19 ― a finding not shared by the other two studies. “The same drugs that appear to have life saving benefits in patients with cardiovascular illness also appear to show us a signal of benefit in patients who are in the throes of Covid-19,” he said. He added it was unclear why this was the case ― whether it was because the medicines were helping the heart which in turn made it more resilient to the effects of the virus, or whether they were doing something else. “What we can tell you is that, if you're on a statin or an ACE inhibitor, by golly, please continue it,” added Mehra. Nearly half of adults in the United States, or 108 million people, have hypertension, according to official figures. ― AFP
2 May 03:12 • Malaymail • https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2020/05/02/blood-pressure-medicines-dont-raise-covid-19-risk-says-research/1862288Rating: 1.42
Blood pressure medicines don’t raise COVID-19 risk – Study
Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to COVID-19 infection or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said Friday, positive news for the millions of people who take them. The research primarily concerned angiotensin-converting–enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers, which are also given to diabetes patients to help protect their kidneys. ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril and other drugs ending in -pril; while ARBs include valsartan and losartan, and generally end in -sartan. There had been concern arising from animal studies that these medicines might increase the body’s levels of a protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus latches on to when it invades human cells, thus increasing people’s vulnerability to the disease. Confusing matters further, there were also contradictory animal studies that showed having more ACE2 proteins might lessen an inflammatory reaction in lungs to COVID-19, a beneficial effect. The three new studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Each involved reviewing the records of thousands of people either on or not on the medicines and seeing if they got infected and how the disease progressed. They then used statistical methods to control for other factors like underlying health conditions that might make people more susceptible to infection and to serious COVID-19. “We saw no difference in the likelihood of a positive test with ACE inhibitors and with angiotensin receptor blockers,” Harmony Reynolds of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who led one of the studies that involved about 12,600 people, told AFP. The studies were “observational,” meaning the researchers observed the effect of a risk factor. This type of investigation is always considered weaker than “experimental” where an intervention is introduced along with a control, which leaves less to chance. The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM acknowledged this inherent limitation, but added: “We find it reassuring that three studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message.” Reynolds said the findings were relieving because she had been getting questions from worried patients who had read press reports and were asking if they should stop their medicines. “I’m very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications,” she said. This is especially important given that lockdown life itself appears to be causing high blood pressure, “maybe from stress or less exercise or eating differently,” she added. Mandeep Mehra, the medical director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center who led another of the studies, said another fundamental question had been answered. Early on in the pandemic, when it became clear that people with cardiovascular conditions were more likely to get severe COVID-19, scientists wondered: Was it heart disease that was the risk factor, or the medicine used to control it? The new research settles the debate firmly in favor of the former, he said. “It tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that COVID-19 somehow interacts with the cardiovascular system in a pretty negative way,” said Mehra. – Potential benefit? – Mehra’s study, which looked at almost 9,000 patients across 11 countries, also tied the use of blood pressure medicines to a lower risk of death from COVID-19 — a finding not shared by the other two studies. “The same drugs that appear to have life-saving benefits in patients with cardiovascular illness also appear to show us a signal of benefit in patients who are in the throes of COVID-19,” he said. He added it was unclear why this was the case — whether it was because the medicines were helping the heart which in turn made it more resilient to the effects of the virus, or whether they were doing something else. “What we can tell you is that, if you’re on a statin or an ACE inhibitor, by golly, please continue it,” added Mehra. Nearly half of adults in the United States, or 108 million people, have hypertension, according to official figures. (AFP)
2 May 09:09 • Punch Newspapers • https://punchng.com/blood-pressure-medicines-dont-raise-covid-19-risk-study/Rating: 0.30
Blood pressure medicines don’t raise COVID-19 risk: research
Washington, United States | AFP | Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said Friday, positive news for the millions of people who take them. The research primarily concerned angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which are also given to diabetes patients to help protect their kidneys. ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril and other drugs ending in -pril; while ARBs include valsartan and losartan, and generally end in -sartan. There had been concern arising from animal studies that these medicines might increase the body’s levels of a protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus latches on to when it invades human cells, thus increasing people’s vulnerability to the disease. Confusing matters further, there were also contradictory animal studies that showed having more ACE2 proteins might lessen an inflammatory reaction in lungs to COVID-19, a beneficial effect. The three new studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Each involved reviewing the records of thousands of people either on or not on the medicines and seeing if they got infected and how the disease progressed. They then used statistical methods to control for other factors like underlying health conditions that might make people more susceptible to infection and to serious COVID-19. “We saw no difference in the likelihood of a positive test with ACE inhibitors and with angiotensin receptor blockers,” Harmony Reynolds of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who led one of the studies that involved about 12,600 people, told AFP. The studies were “observational,” meaning the researchers observed the effect of a risk factor. This type of investigation is always considered weaker than “experimental” where an intervention is introduced along with a control, which leaves less to chance. The authors of an accompanying editorial in the NEJM acknowledged this inherent limitation, but added: “We find it reassuring that three studies in different populations and with different designs arrive at the consistent message.” Reynolds said the findings were relieving, because she had been getting questions from worried patients who had read press reports and were asking if they should stop their medicines. “I’m very happy to be able to tell patients that they should continue their blood pressure medications,” she said. This is especially important given that lockdown life itself appears to be causing high blood pressure, “maybe from stress or less exercise or eating differently,” she added. Mandeep Mehra, the medical director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Heart and Vascular Center who led another of the studies, said another fundamental question had been answered. Early on in the pandemic, when it became clear that people with cardiovascular conditions were more likely to get severe COVID-19, scientists wondered: Was it heart disease that was the risk factor, or the medicine used to control it? The new research settles the debate firmly in favor of the former, he said. “It tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that COVID-19 somehow interacts with the cardiovascular system in a pretty negative way,” said Mehra. – Potential benefit? – Mehra’s study, which looked at almost 9,000 patients across 11 countries, also tied the use of blood pressure medicines to a lower risk of death from COVID-19 — a finding not shared by the other two studies. “The same drugs that appear to have life saving benefits in patients with cardiovascular illness also appear to show us a signal of benefit in patients who are in the throes of COVID-19,” he said. He added it was unclear why this was the case — whether it was because the medicines were helping the heart which in turn made it more resilient to the effects of the virus, or whether they were doing something else. “What we can tell you is that, if you’re on a statin or an ACE inhibitor, by golly, please continue it,” added Mehra. Nearly half of adults in the United States, or 108 million people, have hypertension, according to official figures. Share on: WhatsApp
2 May 05:30 • The Independent Uganda: • https://www.independent.co.ug/blood-pressure-medicines-dont-raise-covid-19-risk-research/Rating: 0.30
Utqiagvik sees record low after unusually warm April
2 May 20:33
•
4 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.40
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 09:33
Average US: 41.849999999999994
Weighted average US: 43.37402456277647
Average GB: 0.6
Weighted average GB: 0.6239722779869518
Average IN: 2.9499999999999997
Weighted average IN: 3.0727200402726504
Utqiagvik sees record low after unusually warm April
UTQIAGVIK, Alaska — The temperature in Alaska’s northernmost city of Utqiagvik reached 20 degrees below zero on Wednesday, a record low for April 29 and the first record low since 2007. “It’s also the latest in the season with a low of -20F or lower,” Rick Thoman said in a post on Twitter. Thoman is a climatologist with the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. The previous record was a low of 24 degrees below zero on April 28, 1964. “Of course, the record low is really just one day,” Thoman said. “For April as a whole, this was the sixth warmest April in the last century at Utqiagvik.” Utqiagvik has also set or tied record high temperatures as well. Thoman told the Alaska Energy Desk that “112 daily record highs have been set or tied.” The most recent occurred on March 24, when a high of 22 degrees beat the previous record of 21 set in 2019, he said. Utqiagvik is not the only one seeing this trend. Sea ice plays a huge role in the fluctuations of temperatures, and with lower sea ice in the Arctic, record lows are harder to come by, opening up the Arctic to absorb sunlight and warmth, prolonging the warmer months and leading to a series of records high, KTVA-TV reported. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a higher chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures for Utqiagvik during the month of May. The Associated Press
2 May 20:33 • 680News • https://www.680news.com/2020/05/02/utqiagvik-sees-record-low-after-unusually-warm-april/Rating: 0.61
Utqiagvik sees record low after unusually warm April
UTQIAGVIK, Alaska (AP) — The temperature in Alaska’s northernmost city of Utqiagvik reached 20 degrees below zero on Wednesday, a record low for April 29 and the first record low since 2007. “It’s also the latest in the season with a low of -20F or lower,” Rick Thoman said in a post on Twitter. Thoman is a climatologist with the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. The previous record was a low of 24 degrees below zero on April 28, 1964. “Of course, the record low is really just one day,” Thoman said. “For April as a whole, this was the sixth warmest April in the last century at Utqiagvik.” Utqiagvik has also set or tied record high temperatures as well. Thoman told the Alaska Energy Desk that “112 daily record highs have been set or tied.” The most recent occurred on March 24, when a high of 22 degrees beat the previous record of 21 set in 2019, he said. Utqiagvik is not the only one seeing this trend. Sea ice plays a huge role in the fluctuations of temperatures, and with lower sea ice in the Arctic, record lows are harder to come by, opening up the Arctic to absorb sunlight and warmth, prolonging the warmer months and leading to a series of records high, KTVA-TV reported. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a higher chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures for Utqiagvik during the month of May. The Associated Press
2 May 13:33 • The Seattle Times • https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/utqiagvik-sees-record-low-after-unusually-warm-april/Rating: 0.74
Utqiagvik sees record low after unusually warm April
UTQIAGVIK, Alaska — The temperature in Alaska’s northernmost city of Utqiagvik reached 20 degrees below zero on Wednesday, a record low for April 29 and the first record low since 2007. “It’s also the latest in the season with a low of -20F or lower,” Rick Thoman said in a post on Twitter. Thoman is a climatologist with the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. The previous record was a low of 24 degrees below zero on April 28, 1964. “Of course, the record low is really just one day,” Thoman said. “For April as a whole, this was the sixth warmest April in the last century at Utqiagvik.” Utqiagvik has also set or tied record high temperatures as well. Thoman told the Alaska Energy Desk that “112 daily record highs have been set or tied.” The most recent occurred on March 24, when a high of 22 degrees beat the previous record of 21 set in 2019, he said. Utqiagvik is not the only one seeing this trend. Sea ice plays a huge role in the fluctuations of temperatures, and with lower sea ice in the Arctic, record lows are harder to come by, opening up the Arctic to absorb sunlight and warmth, prolonging the warmer months and leading to a series of records high, KTVA-TV reported. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a higher chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures for Utqiagvik during the month of May. The Associated Press
2 May 09:33 • City NEWS 1130 • https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/02/utqiagvik-sees-record-low-after-unusually-warm-april/Rating: 0.77
Utqiagvik sees record low after unusually warm April
UTQIAGVIK, Alaska (AP) - The temperature in Alaska’s northernmost city of Utqiagvik reached 20 degrees below zero on Wednesday, a record low for April 29 and the first record low since 2007. “It’s also the latest in the season with a low of -20F or lower,” Rick Thoman said in a post on Twitter. Thoman is a climatologist with the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. The previous record was a low of 24 degrees below zero on April 28, 1964. “Of course, the record low is really just one day,” Thoman said. “For April as a whole, this was the sixth warmest April in the last century at Utqiagvik.” Utqiagvik has also set or tied record high temperatures as well. Thoman told the Alaska Energy Desk that “112 daily record highs have been set or tied.” The most recent occurred on March 24, when a high of 22 degrees beat the previous record of 21 set in 2019, he said. Utqiagvik is not the only one seeing this trend. Sea ice plays a huge role in the fluctuations of temperatures, and with lower sea ice in the Arctic, record lows are harder to come by, opening up the Arctic to absorb sunlight and warmth, prolonging the warmer months and leading to a series of records high, KTVA-TV reported.
2 May 00:00 • The Washington Times • https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/2/utqiagvik-sees-record-low-after-unusually-warm-apr/Rating: 0.79
US emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's COVID-19 drug remdesivir
2 May 06:35
•
19 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 5.79
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 06:28
Average US: 7.944736842105262
Weighted average US: 6.642121306094839
Average GB: 1.5426315789473684
Weighted average GB: 2.7762822279956216
Average IN: 16.952105263157897
Weighted average IN: 20.760189268947215
US emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's COVID-19 drug remdesivir
Gilead Science Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. "It's the first authorised therapy for COVID-19, so we're really proud to be part of it," FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalisation stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead's trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 US states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorisation applies to patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. US Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug's limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host's immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading.
2 May 06:35 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/05/02/us-emergency-approval-broadens-use-of-gilead-s-covid-19-drug-remdesivirRating: 2.85
US Approval Broadens Use of COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir
Gilead Science Inc’s (GILD.O) antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. “It’s the first authorized therapy for COVID-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 US states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. US Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading.
2 May 06:29 • TOLO news • https://tolonews.com/world/us-approval-broadens-use-covid-19-drug-remdesivirRating: 1.16
US gives emergency-use authorization to Covid-19 treatment drug
The US drug regulator on Friday granted emergency use authorization for doctors to prescribe remdesivir, an antiviral medicine made by American pharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences Inc, for the treatment currently of hospitalized adults and children with severe coronavirus infection. The Food and Drug Administration, the regulator, said that though there is limited information available about the safety and effectiveness of the drug, it has been seen to shorten the recovery time in some patients. President Donald Trump announced with the emergency use authorization with a full-court briefing at the White House Friday accompanied by top officials of his coronavirus task force and the Gilead CEO Dan O’Day. The president called the drug the “hot thing” and “an important treatment for hospitalized coronavirus patients” and a “promising situation”. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic The US drug regulator has said the emergency use authorization allows for remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease, which it defined as patients with low blood oxygen levels or needing oxygen therapy or more intensive breathing support such as a mechanical ventilator. The emergency use authorization was a much anticipated development after the president and the top US government epidemiologist declared positive outcome earlier in the week about form the clinical trial underway. Click here for the latest updates from the coronavirus outbreak “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Anthony Fauci, the top epidemiologist and member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task-force told reporters, prefacing the announcement as “quite good news”. The trial, which was conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that Fauci leads, showed “a drug can block the virus”, Fauci added and described it as “a new standard of care” for treating Covid-19. He had gone on to compare development to the trial 36 years ago in 1986 that led to the HIV antiviral AZT, a drug that had then shown only “modest” efficacy but became the base for better and more improved treatments over the years. Remdesivir is not a vaccine and cannot prevent Covid-19. It can treat Covid-19 better than any other drug around now
2 May 13:11 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-gives-emergency-use-authorization-to-covid-19-treatment-drug/story-QkN2fvKjstXELcIZWdVuZK.htmlRating: 0.30
Remdesivir gets USFDA emergency approval for Covid-19 treatment, here's all you need to know
The regulator body can revise the Remdesivir's status from temporary to full approval if Gilead Sciences or other researchers generate more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for treating coronavirus patients The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the experimental drug Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients. "I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has a EUA (emergency use authorisation) from the FDA for Remdesivir," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. The US food and drug regulatory body allowed the drug's authorisation after some studies, including one led by an Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, found that the drug Remdesivir shortened the recovery time for the hospitalised patients with severe coronavirus infection. "Based on evaluation of the emergency use authorization criteria and the scientific evidence available, it was determined that it is reasonable to believe that Remdesivir may be effective in treating Covid-19, and that, given there are no adequate, approved or available alternative treatments, the known and potential benefits to treat this serious or life-threatening virus currently outweigh the known and potential risks of the drug's use," FDA said in a statement. A government-sponsored study earlier showed that the drug Remdesivir helped recover some of the infected coronavirus patients by 31%. In a statement, Gilead Sciences said that the EUA will facilitate broader use of Remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe infection. The US-based vaccine maker added that the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials. Under the EUA, both 5-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of the disease, Gilead Sciences noted. The research-based biopharmaceutical company is working with the US government, USFDA and National Institute of Health on the logistics of distribution for the vaccine to enable its access across the country. The authorization is temporary, Gilead said and added that Remdesivir remains an investigational drug, which has not been approved by the FDA. The regulator body can revise the Remdesivir's status from temporary to full approval if Gilead Sciences or other researchers generate more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for treating coronavirus patients. Coronavirus update: Special train carrying migrants from Nashik reaches Bhopal India records sharpest jump of 2,293 coronavirus cases in 24 hours; total cases cross 37,000-mark Coronavirus India Live Updates: 2,293 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, biggest jump after lockdown extension Coronavirus crisis: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das to meet bank chiefs today: What's on the agenda?
2 May 08:05 • Business Today • https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/coronavirus-update-us-allows-emergency-use-of-remdesivir-drug-for-patients/story/402670.htmlRating: 2.10
US authorises remdesivir as emergency treatment for Covid-19
WASHINGTON: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted authorisation to Gilead Sciences for emergency use of its experimental antiviral drug remdesivir to treat patients with Covid-19, it said in a letter to Gilead. During a meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating one million vials of the drug to help patients. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. The closely watched drug has moved financial markets in recent weeks, following the release of several studies that painted a mixed picture of its effectiveness. Vice President Mike Pence said the one million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Businesses reopen in Georgia Nearly every business in Georgia was free to reopen on Friday after being shut for weeks, in a move closely watched by the US government and other states to see if the lifting of restrictions triggers a spike in coronavirus deaths. With about half of US states edging towards the partial lifting of shutdowns that had aimed to curb the pandemic, Georgia was trying to get back to business ahead of the others. Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, decided against extending Georgia’s month-long shelter-in-place orders this week, enabling a full gamut of businesses to open. He approved the reopening of hair salons, gyms and other service businesses last Friday, followed by movie theatres and restaurants on Monday. By contrast, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday all state schools including colleges would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the pandemic. The coronavirus has hit New York especially hard, making it the world epicenter for the COVID-19 disease. With stores shut, Americans are relying more heavily on home deliveries of everything from food to clothes and office equipment, giving online retailers like Amazon.com Inc a heavy workload. Some workers at Amazon, Target Corp and Instacart Inc were staging protests and sick-outs in New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon and other states on Friday to demand a safer work environment and better pay during the outbreak. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and an adviser to President Donald Trump, said on Thursday he was concerned about states and communities reopening ahead of a timeline recommended by the White House. But Georgia’s rush to get back to work was applauded by Michael Bowers, 55, who co-owns Bowers Watch & Clock Repair in Atlanta’s tony Buckhead neighborhood. “We need to reopen,” he said of the business his grandfather started in the 1940s. Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2020
2 May 07:00 • DAWN.COM • https://www.dawn.com/news/1553927Rating: 2.87
Ebola drug remdesivir given ’emergency approval’ to treat coronavirus patients in the US
A DRUG used to treat Ebola has been given emergency approval for use on coronavirus patients. Early results from a study by the US National Institute of Health suggests the drug could improve the odds of survival for very ill coronavirus patients by as much as 30 per cent. It could also speed up recovery time from 14 days to 11 days. The drug is made by Gilead Sciences and the company’s chief executive Daniel O'Day met with the President in the Oval Office. "We're humbled by this being an important first step for hospitalized patients,” he said. “We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine, so we made a decision to donate about 1.5 million vials.” Vice President Mike Pence said the vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. The drug could also be ready to treat 140,000 coronavirus patients in the UK by the end of May and has been labelled "promising" by UK's Chief Scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Interest in the remdesivir has been high as there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for the coronavirus. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease Gilead said on Wednesday the drug had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, It provided data suggesting remdesivir worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. Remdesivir has been authorised by the FDA using its emergency powers. In normal circumstances "substantial evidence" in the form of more studies would be required to prove the drug's safety and effectiveness. But as a result of the pandemic, the FDA only requires a drug maker to prove that the drug's potential benefits outweigh its risks. It will still need full approval but the FDA can give this if Gilead Sciences or other researchers provide more evidence of remdesivir's safety and effectiveness. The drug, which is given intravenously in hospital, has not been tested on people with the milder form of the virus. Remdesivir is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
2 May 09:47 • The Sun • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11532717/remdesivir-emergency-approval-coronavirus-patients/Rating: 2.72
Trump: FDA has approved use of remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19
US President Donald Trump says emergency use of remdesivir has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for hospitalised patients who tested positive for coronavirus. He made the announcement on Friday during a meeting with Daniel O’Day, chief executive officer of Gilead Sciences. On Wednesday, Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company in the US, announced “positive data” in the clinical trial of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19. In a statement issued on Friday, Gilead gave details of the emergency use authorisation (EUA) process for the drug. “The EUA will facilitate broader use of remdesivir to treat hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 disease, enabling access to remdesivir at additional hospitals across the country,” it read. “Allocation of the currently limited available supply of remdesivir will be made based on guiding principles that aim to maximize access for appropriate patients in urgent need of treatment, with direction from and in collaboration with the government.” According to the statement, the use of the investigational antiviral remdesivir is authorised in patients with severe complications, while “the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials.” “Under the EUA, both 5-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of disease. The authorization is temporary and does not take the place of the formal new drug application submission, review and approval process,” it added. “The EUA allows for the distribution and emergency use of remdesivir only for the treatment of COVID-19; remdesivir remains an investigational drug and has not been approved by FDA.” The statement also noted that the donation and distribution of remdesivir will be coordinated by the US government. “This EUA opens the way for us to provide emergency use of remdesivir to more patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19,” O’Day, said. “We will continue to work with partners across the globe to increase our supply of remdesivir while advancing our ongoing clinical trials to supplement our understanding of the drug’s profile. “We are working to meet the needs of patients, their families and healthcare workers around the world with the greatest sense of urgency and responsibility.”
2 May 10:15 • TheCable • https://www.thecable.ng/trump-fda-has-approved-use-of-remdesivir-for-treatment-of-covid-19Rating: 0.30
Antiviral drug Remdesivir cleared by US regulators for emergency use in Covid-19 cases
New York/ Washington/ Minneapolis: Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral drug remdesivir was cleared by U.S. regulators for emergency use in Covid-19 patients, becoming the first medication backed by early clinical data to be made available to fight the novel coronavirus. Remdesivir reduced the time it took hospitalized Covid-19 patients to recover in an interim analysis of an ongoing study.The Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency-use authorization, President Donald Trump said on Friday, a step by which the agency can allow products to be used without full data on their safety and efficacy. Gilead shares closed down 4.8% on Friday at $79.95 in New York. The company has faced questions from investors about how it plans to make money on the drug, but its stock is still up 23% this year, at a time when the rest of the market has cratered. “This was lighting speed in terms of getting something approved,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, speaking with Trump. “From clinical trial to getting it authorized, it was 90 days.” Emergency use is limited to hospitalized Covid-19 patients with low blood-oxygen levels or who need breathing support, the FDA said in a statement. A U.S.-led study released this week showed patients given remdesivir, which is administered by an intravenous infusion, recovered in 11 days, on average, while those who got a placebo recovered in 15 days. Finding a reliable therapy is important for reopening the economy and ending social-distancing measures that have resulted in millions of lost jobs, closed schools and sent the financial markets through the most turbulent period since the 2008 financial crisis. Remdesivir could help curb the coronavirus, which has infected more than a million people in the U.S., and provide a bridge to an effective vaccine. The FDA has also authorized two malaria drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, for use against Covid-19, but those haven’t undergone rigorous research or shown an effect against the coronavirus. Also read: Remdesivir trial discovers a Covid weak spot and why this success is critical Gilead is donating 1.5 million doses of remdesivir, its entire current supply, as it continues to seek full FDA approval and clearance from regulators around the world. That would cover 140,000 patients based on a 10-day treatment cycle. Gilead didn’t comment on what it plans to charge for the medication once the 1.5 million doses have been exhausted. “Given the severity of illness of patients appropriate for remdesivir treatment and the limited availability of drug supply, hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority in the distribution of remdesivir,” Gilead said in a statement. The medication will be produced by Gilead and the U.S. government will coordinate its distribution. Patients who are hospitalized and in need of oxygen support account for about 14% of Covid-19 patients, according to early studies of the outbreak. Patients on a mechanical ventilator or heart-lung bypass machine should receive it for 10 days, while those who are less sick should get it for five days, the company said. Gilead has quickly scaled up manufacturing of remdesivir, which it wasn’t producing in January, by working with multiple partners around the world. It plans to make 500,000 treatment courses by October and double that number by December. The company is also building a consortium of chemical and pharmaceutical companies to help produce it. Some investors have asked how, or if, Gilead will make money on the product. Analysts asked on an earnings conference call Thursday what its long-term plans were for the drug after it dispenses an early round of the treatment for free. “There has been no other time like this in the history of the planet,” Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day said on the call. “There is no rule book out there, other than that we need to be thoughtful about how we can make sure we provide access of our medicines to patients around the globe and do that in a sustainable way for the company, for shareholders, and we acknowledge that.” –Bloomberg ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
2 May 06:28 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/world/antiviral-drug-remdesivir-cleared-by-us-regulators-for-emergency-use-in-covid-19-cases/413131/Rating: 1.95
FDA allows emergency use of anti-viral vaccine Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients
WASHINGTON: The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed the emergency use of an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, including one led by an Indian-American physician, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The FDA authorisation came after researches, including one led by Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, reported Remdesivir shortened the recovery times in people who have fallen ill from the new coronavirus. "I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has an EUA (emergency use authorisation) from the FDA for Remdesivir," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. Trump said that EUA is an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that this is a significant step forward in battling COVID-19. The EUA allows for Remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe condition. By Friday, over 63,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus and over one million have tested positive with COVID-19. Trump said that his administration has been doing work with the teams at the FDA, National Institute of Health and Gilead for spearheading this public-private partnership to make this happen very quickly. "I think this really illustrates what can happen in such a short time. For the first case, that was diagnosed in the United States to now, our first step forward with a therapeutic in less than 90 days," said Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. In a statement, Gilead said that the EUA will facilitate broader use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 disease, enabling access to the vaccine at additional hospitals across the country. Remdesivir is authorised for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 disease, it said, adding that the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials. Under the EUA, both five-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of disease. The authorisation is temporary and does not take the place of the formal new drug application submission, review and approval process, Gilead noted. "This EUA opens the way for us to provide emergency use of Remdesivir to more patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19," said Daniel O'Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. "We will continue to work with partners across the globe to increase our supply of Remdesivir while advancing our ongoing clinical trials to supplement our understanding of the drug's profile. We are working to meet the needs of patients, their families and healthcare workers around the world with the greatest sense of urgency and responsibility," he said. According to Gilead, the EUA is based on available data from two global clinical trials - the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases' placebo-controlled Phase 3 study in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, including those who were critically ill, and Gilead's global Phase 3 study evaluating 5-day and 10-day dosing durations of Remdesivir in patients with severe disease. Multiple additional clinical trials are ongoing to generate more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine as a treatment for COVID-19, it said. Indian-American Subramanian, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Chief, Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, is one of the lead investigators of the study. Earlier in an interview to Fox news, Subramanian said that "there's a lot more work to be done in terms of exactly who should get this drug, what is the best timing, who is at highest risk for having complications ... And what can we add to this or what can we improve upon this to make outcomes even better." "This (remdesivir) is a direct-acting antiviral. It has been shown to have great promise in the lab and in animal models and for the first time now in human clinical trials," Subramanian told Fox News. "We know that so far, it's been very safe and tolerable. We've had good clinical outcomes and yesterday we found that compared to placebo, that is people who are given no medication, people do much better," she said. FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn said, "today's action is an important step in our efforts to collaborate with innovators and researchers to provide sick patients timely access to new therapies where appropriate, while at the same time supporting research to further evaluate whether they are safe and effective."
2 May 05:09 • The Economic Times • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/fda-allows-emergency-use-of-anti-viral-vaccine-remdesivir-to-treat-covid-19-patients/articleshow/75501209.cmsRating: 0.30
FDA allows emergency use of anti-viral vaccine Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Washington: The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed emergency use of an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, including one led by an Indian-American physician, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The FDA authorization came after researches, including one led by Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, who reported Remdesivir shortened the recovery times in people who have fallen ill from the new coronavirus. "I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has a EUA (emergency use authorization) from the FDA for Remdesivir," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. Trump said that EUA is an important treatment for hospitalized coronavirus patients. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that this is a significant step forward in battling COVID-19. The EUA allows for Remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with a severe condition. By Friday, over 63,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus and over one million have tested positive with COVID-19. Trump said that his administration has been doing work with the teams at the FDA, National Institute of Health and Gilead for spearheading this public-private partnership to make this happen very quickly. "I think this really illustrates what can happen in such a short time. For the first case, that was diagnosed in the United States to now, our first step forward with a therapeutic in less than 90 days," said Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. In a statement, Gilead said that the EUA will facilitate broader use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 disease, enabling access to the vaccine at additional hospitals across the country. Remdesivir is authorized for the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 disease, it said, adding that the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials. Under the EUA, both five-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of the disease. The authorization is temporary and does not take the place of the formal new drug application submission, review, and approval process, Gilead noted. "This EUA opens the way for us to provide emergency use of Remdesivir to more patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19," said Daniel O'Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. "We will continue to work with partners across the globe to increase our supply of Remdesivir while advancing our ongoing clinical trials to supplement our understanding of the drug's profile. We are working to meet the needs of patients, their families and healthcare workers around the world with the greatest sense of urgency and responsibility," he said. According to Gilead, the EUA is based on available data from two global clinical trials the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases' placebo-controlled Phase 3 study in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, including those who were critically ill, and Gilead's global Phase 3 study evaluating 5-day and 10-day dosing durations of Remdesivir in patients with severe disease. Multiple additional clinical trials are ongoing to generate more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine as a treatment for COVID-19, it said. Indian-American Subramanian, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Chief, Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, is one of the lead investigators of the study. Earlier in an interview to Fox News, Subramanian said that "there's a lot more work to be done in terms of exactly who should get this drug, what is the best timing, who is at highest risk for having complications. And what can we add to this or what can we improve upon this to make outcomes even better." "This (remdesivir) is a direct-acting antiviral. It has been shown to have great promise in the lab and in animal models and for the first time now in human clinical trials," Subramanian told Fox News. "We know that so far, it's been very safe and tolerable. We've had good clinical outcomes and yesterday we found that compared to placebo, that is people who are given no medication, people do much better," she said. FDA Commissioner Stephen M.Hahn said, "today's action is an important step in our efforts to collaborate with innovators and researchers to provide sick patients timely access to new therapies where appropriate, while at the same time supporting research to further evaluate whether they are safe and effective." Email ArticlePrint Article Next Story
2 May 06:46 • The Hans India • https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/fda-allows-emergency-use-of-anti-viral-vaccine-remdesivir-to-treat-covid-19-patients-620353Rating: 1.10
US FDA authorises emergency use of antiviral drug remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment
WASHINGTON: Gilead Science Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID-19 on Friday (May 1), clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalisation stays by 31 per cent compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at US$10, but suggested that the price would rise to US$4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead's trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 US states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorisation applies to patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. US vice president Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug's limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and more than 232,800 dead, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and casualties, with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
2 May 04:43 • CNA • https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/covid-19-coronavirus-treatment-remdesivir-gilead-us-fda-12695978Rating: 3.25
USFDA okays emergency use of Gilead drug for hospitalised Covid-19 patients
The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed emergency use of an investigational anti-viral vaccine to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, including one led by an Indian-American physician, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The FDA authorisation came after researches, including one led by Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, reported Remdesivir shortened the recovery times in people who have fallen ill from the new coronavirus. I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has an EUA (emergency use authorisation) from the FDA for Remdesivir, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. Trump said that EUA is an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that this is a significant step forward in battling COVID-19. The EUA allows for Remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe condition. ALSO READ: World coronavirus dispatch: Hottest Silicon Valley start-ups are on sale By Friday, over 63,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus and over one million have tested positive with COVID-19. Trump said that his administration has been doing work with the teams at the FDA, National Institute of Health and Gilead for spearheading this public-private partnership to make this happen very quickly. I think this really illustrates what can happen in such a short time. For the first case, that was diagnosed in the United States to now, our first step forward with a therapeutic in less than 90 days, said Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. In a statement, Gilead said that the EUA will facilitate broader use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalised patients with severe Covid-19 disease, enabling access to the vaccine at additional hospitals across the country. Remdesivir is authorised for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe Covid-19 disease, it said, adding that the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials. Under the EUA, both five-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of disease. The authorisation is temporary and does not take the place of the formal new drug application submission, review and approval process, Gilead noted. ALSO READ: India coronavirus dispatch: Detect, isolate, share data more transparently This EUA opens the way for us to provide emergency use of Remdesivir to more patients with severe symptoms of Covid-19, said Daniel O'Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. We will continue to work with partners across the globe to increase our supply of Remdesivir while advancing our ongoing clinical trials to supplement our understanding of the drug's profile. We are working to meet the needs of patients, their families and healthcare workers around the world with the greatest sense of urgency and responsibility, he said. According to Gilead, the EUA is based on available data from two global clinical trials the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases' placebo-controlled Phase 3 study in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, including those who were critically ill, and Gilead's global Phase 3 study evaluating 5-day and 10-day dosing durations of Remdesivir in patients with severe disease. Multiple additional clinical trials are ongoing to generate more data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine as a treatment for Covid-19, it said. Indian-American Subramanian, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Chief, Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, is one of the lead investigators of the study. ALSO READ: Covid-19 Factoid: India's confirmed cases have tripled during Lockdown 2.0 Earlier in an interview to Fox news, Subramanian said that there's a lot more work to be done in terms of exactly who should get this drug, what is the best timing, who is at highest risk for having complications And what can we add to this or what can we improve upon this to make outcomes even better. This (remdesivir) is a direct-acting antiviral. It has been shown to have great promise in the lab and in animal models and for the first time now in human clinical trials, Subramanian told Fox News. We know that so far, it's been very safe and tolerable. We've had good clinical outcomes and yesterday we found that compared to placebo, that is people who are given no medication, people do much better, she said. FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn said, today's action is an important step in our efforts to collaborate with innovators and researchers to provide sick patients timely access to new therapies where appropriate, while at the same time supporting research to further evaluate whether they are safe and effective.
2 May 04:22 • Business-Standard • https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/covid-19-us-fda-okays-emergency-use-of-remdesivir-in-hospitalised-patients-120050200159_1.htmlRating: 0.30
Coronavirus: US allows emergency use of antiviral drug remdesivir to treat patients
United States President Donald Trump on Friday issued an emergency approval for the use of remdesivir, an antiviral drug, as a treatment for patients severely ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the drug – designed to treat both hepatitis and a common respiratory virus – under emergency use provisions, after a clinical trial demonstrated some improvements among severely ill patients. There are some reports on the drug, made by American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, being able to help Covid-19 patients. “It is a really promising situation,” Trump said at the White House, according to AFP. He was also joined by Gilead’s CEO Daniel O’Day. “We are humbled with this first step for hospitalised patients,” said O’Day said. “We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine.” The company has previously announced it was donating some 1.5 million doses for free. Follow today’s live updates on the pandemic here. Also read: The use of the drug will be authorised for adults or children who are hospitalised with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 and those with a “severe” condition, meaning they have low blood oxygen levels, need oxygen therapy or are on a mechanical ventilator, the Food and Drug Administration said. Patients who receive the drug will be provided with a fact sheet, it added. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-sponsored clinical trial of the drug included over 1,000 hospitalised patients and found that those receiving remdesivir recovered faster by 31%, or about four days on an average, than those who get a placebo. Remdesivir, which is administered by an injection, was already available to some patients in intensive care who enrolled in clinical trials, or who sought it out on a “compassionate use” basis. The approval for the use of the drug came days after Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease expert, expressed optimism about the results of a remdesivir drug trial. “Although the results were clearly positive from a statistically significant standpoint, they were modest,” Fauci told NBC News on Thursday. “While it is not considered a miracle cure, remdesivir’s trial achieved a ‘proof of concept’, which could pave the way for better treatments.” The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the United States rose by 1,883 on Saturday, taking the toll to 64,808. The total number of cases stand at 11.03 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker. Meanwhile, globally, the coronavirus has infected 33.43 lakh people and killed at least 2.38 lakh people.
2 May 04:24 • Scroll.in • https://scroll.in/latest/960828/coronavirus-us-allows-emergency-use-of-antiviral-drug-remdesivir-to-treat-patientsRating: 0.30
India makes government tracing app mandatory for all workers
WASHINGTON: Gilead Science Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States.During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.“We’re humbled by this being an important first step for ... hospitalized patients. We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine, so we made a decision to donate about 1.5 million vials,” he said.Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after those donations are used up.The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation.Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority.Countries around the world are reeling from the novel coronavirus. There are more than 1 million cases and over 63,000 people have died in the United States, where much of the country is on lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection.Data released this week from a National Institutes of Health trial showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment.Interest in Gilead’s drug has been high as there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, and doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases.The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 3 million people and killed over 225,000 worldwide.A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early.Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday.
2 May 08:21 • Arab News • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1668471/worldRating: 1.72
S. Korea open to import of Remdesivir after full clinical testing
South Korea said Saturday it is open to importing Remdesivir, an Ebola treatment that has emerged as a new hope in tackling the new coronavirus, if it proves to be effective through clinical tests."Health authorities are working closely with related bodies to follow up on ongoing clinical tests, while preparing to promptly import Remdesivir in case of contingencies," Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.Under local law, the KCDC can request the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to grant special permission to expedite imports of drugs that have not been approved in the domestic market.The drug has drawn keen attention since the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases earlier said its tests showed that the drug "accelerates recovery" of COVID-19 patients.The US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval on the pharmaceutical product to treat the new coronavirus as well.Under cooperation with the drug's maker, Gilead Sciences, three hospitals in South Korea are currently carrying out clinical tests of the drug on some 200 COVID-19 patients.Kwon said while South Korea still needs to take a wait-and-see approach on the effectiveness of the drug, it was still notable that a "reputable" organization like the US FDA issued emergency approval. (Yonhap)
2 May 06:44 • Koreaherald • http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200502000084Rating: 1.56
US issues emergency approval for remdesivir for COVID-19 patients
Kindly Share This Story: The experimental drug remdesivir has been authorized by US regulators for emergency use against COVID-19, President Donald Trump announced Friday. It comes after the antiviral made by Gilead Sciences was shown in a major clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some coronavirus patients, the first time any medicine has had a proven benefit against the disease. “It is really a really promising situation,” Trump said at the White House, where he was joined by Gilead’s CEO Daniel O’Day. “We are humbled with this first step for hospitalized patients,” said O’Day, adding: “We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine.” The company has previously announced it was donating some 1.5 million doses for free. This amounts to about 140,000 treatment courses based on a 10-day treatment duration. Remdesivir, which is administered by an injection, was already available to some patients who enrolled in clinical trials, or who sought it out on a “compassionate use” basis. The new move allows it to be distributed far more widely and used in both adults and children who are hospitalized with a severe form of COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the approval, defines severe as having low blood oxygen levels, requiring oxygen therapy, or being on a ventilator. The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced the results of a trial involving more than 1,000 people on Wednesday. It found that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress got better quicker than those on a placebo. Specifically, patients on the drug had a 31 percent faster time to recovery. “Although the results were clearly positive from a statistically significant standpoint, they were modest,” Anthony Fauci, the scientist who leads the NIAID told NBC News on Thursday. While not considered a miracle cure, remdesivir’s trial achieved a “proof of concept,” according to Fauci that could pave the way for better treatments. Remdesivir incorporates itself into the virus’s genome, short circuiting its replication process. It was first developed to treat Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever, but did not boost survival rates as other medicines. [AFP] Vanguard News Nigeria. Kindly Share This Story:
2 May 04:32 • Vanguard News • https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/us-issues-emergency-approval-for-remdesivir-for-covid-19-patients/Rating: 2.43
U.S. emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's COVID-19 drug remdesivir
Washington – Gilead Science Inc.’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. “It’s the first authorized therapy for COVID-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31 percent compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 U.S. states, have been administering the drug. The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system. Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26 percent so far this year, were up 2.7 percent at $82.10 in after hours trading.
2 May 01:40 • The Japan Times • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/02/world/science-health-world/us-emergency-approval-gilead-coronavirus-drug-remdesivir/Rating: 2.31
US allows emergency use of remdesivir for Covid-19 patients
Gilead Science Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients. The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection. With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases. Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials. Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 U.S. states, have been administering the drug.The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority. There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 dead, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and casualties at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early. Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.
2 May 01:19 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/world/us-allows-emergency-use-of-remdesivir-for-covid-19-patients-6389749/Rating: 0.30
US allows use of 1st drug shown to help virus recovery
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. “This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved” said Hahn, calling the drug “an important clinical advance.” The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that the drug, remdesivir, shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average vs. 15 days for the comparison group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. Dr. Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug's benefit. “I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.” The FDA said preliminary results from the government study warranted Friday's decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir.” The drug's side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to physicians and patients, the FDA said. The National Institutes of Health’s Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness. The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs, tests and other medical products during public health crises. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment's potential benefits outweigh its risks. Gilead has said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the U.S. government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most. No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specializing in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. The agency made the announcements after receiving new reports of injury and death with the medication, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Two small studies published Friday add to concerns about hydroxychloroquine. Critically ill COVID-19 patients given the pill-based drug were prone to heart rhythm problems, and for many risks mounted when it was combined with an antibiotic, the studies found. ___ Marchione reported from Milwaukee. AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner contributed to this report from Chicago. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
2 May 00:19 • THE OKLAHOMAN • https://oklahoman.com/article/feed/10046323/fda-allows-emergency-use-of-drug-for-coronavirusRating: 0.30
Going easy on yourself can make you healthier as well as happier
2 May 07:34
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.80
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 07:34
Average US: 3.733333333333333
Weighted average US: 3.1681237569867884
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 1.8333333333333333
Weighted average IN: 1.720587750415579
Going easy on yourself can make you healthier as well as happier
People are being urged to go easy on themselves during difficult times such as the coronavirus lockdown, as research shows it improves not only mental but also physical health. University of Queensland researchers along with colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom used brain imaging and other scanning techniques to measure how the body reacted when someone was positive or negative about themselves. PhD candidate Jeffrey Kim from UQ said the scientific investigation into the power of positive thinking was in its early stages but results indicated it was related to stress levels. “We looked at how people responded to setbacks, failures and mistakes and we are living in very stressful times – many people will be experiencing those things right now,” he said. “So I think our research can show evidence to support the positive role that compassion can have on the brain and body when we’re stuck in this space.” Mr Kim said the findings showed our brains and bodies reacted the same way to self-criticism as they did to external threats and could exacerbate the effect they had on us. “We have a core process in the brain which engages to deal with threat, and we showed that when you engage in self-criticism, [there is] activation in these regions which code for threat increase,” he said. “Whereas if you engage in compassion or reassuring self-relating style, activation in these threat regions go down, so we have direct evidence for how a self-relating style can have [an effect] on the brain.” The researchers, from UQ’s school of psychology, Stanford University’s center for compassion and altruism research and the UK's Compassionate Mind Foundation, had participants engage in self-critical behaviour and then self-compassionate behaviour. The subjects then spent two weeks doing self-compassionate exercises designed by the researchers before being tested again. They found most of the participants had benefits from the exercises, including lower resting heart rate variance and other measures of parasympathetic response. Mr Kim said, ultimately, if people were kind to themselves, they would not only feel better but also be physically healthier. “People often conflate compassion with weakness, or giving yourself a pass,” he said. “We have evidence that you can experience threat and pain when you have a self-critical style but if you engage in a self-reassuring perspective, you can actually change how the brain responds to threats. “So, if someone is critical of themselves for not being able to ‘hold it all together’ during the pandemic, then engaging in compassionate practice will be beneficial to their mental health.” The research has been published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
2 May 07:34 • The Age • https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/going-easy-on-yourself-can-make-you-healthier-as-well-as-happier-20200501-p54p18.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 2.20
Going easy on yourself can make you healthier as well as happier
People are being urged to go easy on themselves during difficult times such as the coronavirus lockdown, as research shows it improves not only mental but also physical health. University of Queensland researchers along with colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom used brain imaging and other scanning techniques to measure how the body reacted when someone was positive or negative about themselves. PhD candidate Jeffrey Kim from UQ said the scientific investigation into the power of positive thinking was in its early stages but results indicated it was related to stress levels. “We looked at how people responded to setbacks, failures and mistakes and we are living in very stressful times – many people will be experiencing those things right now,” he said. “So I think our research can show evidence to support the positive role that compassion can have on the brain and body when we’re stuck in this space.” Mr Kim said the findings showed our brains and bodies reacted the same way to self-criticism as they did to external threats and could exacerbate the effect they had on us. “We have a core process in the brain which engages to deal with threat, and we showed that when you engage in self-criticism, [there is] activation in these regions which code for threat increase,” he said. “Whereas if you engage in compassion or reassuring self-relating style, activation in these threat regions go down, so we have direct evidence for how a self-relating style can have [an effect] on the brain.” The researchers, from UQ’s school of psychology, Stanford University’s center for compassion and altruism research and the UK's Compassionate Mind Foundation, had participants engage in self-critical behaviour and then self-compassionate behaviour. The subjects then spent two weeks doing self-compassionate exercises designed by the researchers before being tested again. They found most of the participants had benefits from the exercises, including lower resting heart rate variance and other measures of parasympathetic response. Mr Kim said, ultimately, if people were kind to themselves, they would not only feel better but also be physically healthier. “People often conflate compassion with weakness, or giving yourself a pass,” he said. “We have evidence that you can experience threat and pain when you have a self-critical style but if you engage in a self-reassuring perspective, you can actually change how the brain responds to threats. “So, if someone is critical of themselves for not being able to ‘hold it all together’ during the pandemic, then engaging in compassionate practice will be beneficial to their mental health.” The research has been published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
2 May 07:34 • Brisbane Times • https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/going-easy-on-yourself-can-make-you-healthier-as-well-as-happier-20200501-p54p18.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national_queenslandRating: 0.86
Going easy on yourself can make you healthier as well as happier
People are being urged to go easy on themselves during difficult times such as the coronavirus lockdown, as research shows it improves not only mental but also physical health. University of Queensland researchers along with colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom used brain imaging and other scanning techniques to measure how the body reacted when someone was positive or negative about themselves. PhD candidate Jeffrey Kim from UQ said the scientific investigation into the power of positive thinking was in its early stages but results indicated it was related to stress levels. “We looked at how people responded to setbacks, failures and mistakes and we are living in very stressful times – many people will be experiencing those things right now,” he said. “So I think our research can show evidence to support the positive role that compassion can have on the brain and body when we’re stuck in this space.” Mr Kim said the findings showed our brains and bodies reacted the same way to self-criticism as they did to external threats and could exacerbate the effect they had on us. “We have a core process in the brain which engages to deal with threat, and we showed that when you engage in self-criticism, [there is] activation in these regions which code for threat increase,” he said. “Whereas if you engage in compassion or reassuring self-relating style, activation in these threat regions go down, so we have direct evidence for how a self-relating style can have [an effect] on the brain.” The researchers, from UQ’s school of psychology, Stanford University’s center for compassion and altruism research and the UK's Compassionate Mind Foundation, had participants engage in self-critical behaviour and then self-compassionate behaviour. The subjects then spent two weeks doing self-compassionate exercises designed by the researchers before being tested again. They found most of the participants had benefits from the exercises, including lower resting heart rate variance and other measures of parasympathetic response. Mr Kim said, ultimately, if people were kind to themselves, they would not only feel better but also be physically healthier. “People often conflate compassion with weakness, or giving yourself a pass,” he said. “We have evidence that you can experience threat and pain when you have a self-critical style but if you engage in a self-reassuring perspective, you can actually change how the brain responds to threats. “So, if someone is critical of themselves for not being able to ‘hold it all together’ during the pandemic, then engaging in compassionate practice will be beneficial to their mental health.” The research has been published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
2 May 07:34 • WAtoday • https://www.watoday.com.au/national/queensland/going-easy-on-yourself-can-make-you-healthier-as-well-as-happier-20200501-p54p18.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 0.55
How remdesivir, new hope for COVID-19 patients, was resurrected
3 May 03:24
•
14 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.13
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 05:50
Average US: 9.292857142857143
Weighted average US: 4.833781724715617
Average GB: 0.8214285714285714
Weighted average GB: 0.6130066362576326
Average IN: 15.885714285714286
Weighted average IN: 23.884539539363935
How remdesivir, new hope for COVID-19 patients, was resurrected
Remdesivir, an antiviral drug designed to treat both hepatitis and a common respiratory virus, seemed fated to join thousands of other failed medications after proving useless against those diseases. The drug was consigned to the pharmaceutical scrap heap, all but forgotten by the scientists who once championed it. But Friday, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency approval for remdesivir as a treatment for patients severely ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The story of remdesivir’s rescue and transformation testifies to the powerful role played by federal funding, which allowed scientists labouring in obscurity to pursue basic research without obvious financial benefits. This research depends almost entirely on government grants. Dr. Mark Denison of Vanderbilt University is one of a handful of researchers who discovered remdesivir’s potential. He began studying coronaviruses a quarter-century ago, a time when few scientists cared about them; the ones infecting humans caused colds, he recalled, and scientists just wanted to know how they worked. “We were interested from the biologic perspective,” Denison recalled. “No one was interested from a therapeutic perspective.” Neither he nor the scores of other scientists interested in coronaviruses foresaw that a new one would unleash a plague that has killed nearly a quarter-million people worldwide. The FDA rushed to approve remdesivir under emergency use provisions after a federal trial demonstrated modest improvements in severely ill patients. The trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, included more than 1,000 hospitalised patients and found that those receiving remdesivir recovered faster than those who got a placebo: in 11 days, versus 15 days. But the drug did not significantly reduce fatality rates. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results were “a very important proof of concept” but not a “knockout.” President Donald Trump hailed the drug Friday as “an important treatment” and “really promising.” Remdesivir is approved only for severely ill patients and only temporarily; formal approval must come later. Still, some doctors labouring in intensive care units embraced the drug as an important new weapon against a virus that is killing patients worldwide. “It’s a great first step,” said Dr. Robert Finberg, chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Little about the early history of remdesivir, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, suggested the hopes now placed upon it. Coronaviruses hold much more RNA than scientists once theorised a virus could. Many viruses that cause epidemics rely on this type of genetic material, and almost all mutate constantly. That is why flu viruses change from year to year. Yet coronaviruses did not change much; their mutation rate is about one-twentieth the rate of other RNA viruses. In 2007, Denison discovered that coronaviruses have a powerful “proofreading” system. If an error occurs in copying RNA as the coronavirus replicates, it corrects the error. In lab experiments, coronaviruses that mutated were weaker, outcompeted by those without mutations. Denison and other experts wondered if it might be possible to trick the virus with a drug that dodged the proofreading system and blocked the virus’s growing RNA chain, making it prematurely terminate. Talking about this problem with another scientist at a meeting, Denison learned that Gilead Sciences had dozens of drugs that might do the trick. “All of these compounds had been shelved for one reason or another,” Denison said. Most worked in lab tests to shut down coronaviruses, he found — some better than others. One of the best was GS-5734, now known as remdesivir. “I like to call it the Terminator,” Denison said. Denison discovered remdesivir was just what they were seeking: a drug that slipped past the virus’s powerful system to protect RNA, their genetic material. Remdesivir made growing chains of the viral RNA terminate prematurely, killing the virus. Remdesivir killed every known coronavirus in Denison’s tests. Then researchers at the University of North Carolina found that the drug also killed the viruses in infected animals. That included not just coronaviruses that cause the common cold but also those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome — even a coronavirus that infects only mice. But the drug failed a number of real-life tests — not just against hepatitis but also against Ebola in Africa. The drug languished, unapproved for any use — until a new coronavirus emerged. As SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, began to grow into a pandemic, many scientists realised that remdesivir might be the best solution at hand. It had already undergone animal testing and safety testing in humans. So doctors began giving it to patients in studies without controls and even outside of studies altogether. Anecdotes fuelled demand. Gilead sponsored some of these studies and gave the drug to doctors who treated hundreds of patients under compassionate use, a legal exemption permitting use of an unapproved drug to treat patients. But none of this could demonstrate that a drug was helpful to patients. It took the federal trial, in which many patients were given a placebo, to show that remdesivir seems to have a modest effect. Even a modest effect from the drug in hospitalised patients was a surprise, said Dr. Arnold Monto, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. He had expected that patients like those in the federal trial would not respond. They were severely ill, and such patients often suffer not from their viral infections but from overreactions of the immune system. (That is why Tamiflu does not work well in severely ill flu patients, he added.) “Thank God we have something that works,” Monto said. Not everyone is convinced that remdesivir will live up to its promise. A study in China, published this week in Lancet, found the drug offered no benefit to severely ill patients. And many experts want to see the data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial; so far, there have been only announcements about the results from administration officials. Despite these questions, Gilead has been ramping up production and currently has 1.5 million vials on hand, enough for about 150,000 patients. Those will be provided to patients at no cost, said Daniel O’Day, the company’s chief executive. He would not discuss what Gilead might charge in the long run, following a formal approval, but remdesivir is unlikely to be cheap, despite its origins in federally funded research. “Gilead discovered this medicine and developed this medicine,” O’Day said. “We have been involved all the way.” Some experts fear that taxpayers won’t get their due. “Their pricing should reflect that the government not only invested substantial funds, but at risky stages,” said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a professor of medicine at Harvard University who studies drug pricing. If Gilead reaps all the rewards, he added, “that doesn’t seem fair.” ©2020 The New York Times Company
3 May 03:24 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/05/03/how-remdesivir-new-hope-for-covid-19-patients-was-resurrectedRating: 2.85
Using photoacoustic imaging to visualize scarring in donor kidneys before transplant
When kidney transplants first came into practice in the 1950s, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) could finally picture freedom from the unrelenting routine of blood-cleansing dialysis treatments. Just over a half-century later, demand has completely outstripped supply. The critically ill languish for years on waiting lists, while doctors have little choice but to accept donations of damaged kidneys in a desperate attempt to save lives. Transplant outcomes are so hard to predict that nephrologist Dr. Darren Yuen, of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, compares it to "spinning a roulette wheel". But recently published findings in JCI Insight are laying the groundwork to potentially revolutionize this dynamic - and empower physicians to eventually reset the gold standard in transplantation protocol. The research is an integration of Yuen's clinical insights on kidney disease with the medical physics expertise of Ryerson University's Dr. Michael Kolios and Ph.D. candidate Eno Hysi, and their respective teams. Both Yuen and Kolios have labs at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST), a unique collaboration between the hospital and university, bringing together experts from diverse and traditionally siloed research fields. The team's new method is a world-first in applying photoacoustic (PA) imaging to visualize scarring in kidneys, also known as fibrosis, a common form of damage in donor kidneys. Their results produced clear images of kidney scarring just hours before surgery. During this window of opportunity, an accurate assessment could mean the difference between implanting an organ with decades-long durability - or one that quickly fails, sending a patient right back to dialysis and the years-long waitlist. Needle biopsy - a painful procedure fraught with bleeding risk - is currently the only method to assess the amount of kidney scarring in prospective donors. But its reliability is hampered by potentially inaccurate estimates based on a tissue sample size of only 1% of the kidney. The current research takes a quicker, non-invasive and more comprehensive route to quantify kidney damage, using PA imaging instead. The novel technology combines laser and ultrasound - a sequence that Hysi likens to lightning and thunder. "We shine light on kidney tissue, which creates a pressure wave that can be heard using an ultrasound probe." The sound data is then run through a proprietary algorithm based on a technique called spectral unmixing. Each kind of body tissue absorbs colored laser light in its own unique way. Collagen - one of the main components in kidney scarring - absorbs color in a manner that is distinct from other components in the kidney. Spectral unmixing teases out the differences. Maps generated by the technology show the amount and distribution of collagen, blood or other tissue - thus allowing physicians to 'see' the quality of donated kidneys. When Hysi first proposed using spectral unmixing to hone in on collagen, nothing in prior medical physics knowledge hinted that the application was even possible. Hysi persisted with a counterintuitive approach. With so many other biological substances exhibiting peaks and valleys once spectral unmixing is applied, collagen might stand out conspicuously by virtue of its own flatness. The problem became so intriguing that Hysi decided to explore this possibility in parallel with his own doctoral research on cancer monitoring. Two years later, the findings validated his hypothesis, and the proprietary algorithms are now being patented. In less than two minutes, the new technique can generate a 2D image with enough detail to quantify total scarring in a kidney. Within 15 minutes, 3D imaging allows visualization not only of overall scarring, but also its varied distribution throughout the kidney. As the research moves into clinical trials at St. Michael's Hospital, Hysi and Yuen will assess how closely their predictions on kidney quality mirror actual outcomes in patients. If successful, their scoring method could have a significant impact on transplantation practice, and become the new gold standard in kidney assessment. Healthcare systems could save the whopping $100,000 in direct, annual, per-patient costs to manage dialysis patients. But the greatest impact is in giving each patient the best possible kidney, keeping them off dialysis and giving them a new, durable lease on life. Yuen sums up the two-year whirlwind of research: "I've never seen anything like this before. Clinicians and researchers working together, and discovering such great results in so short a time - it's just amazing." Source: Ryerson University - Faculty of Science Journal reference: Hysi, E., et al. (2020) Photoacoustic imaging of kidney fibrosis for assessing pre-transplant organ quality. JCI Insight. doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.136995.
2 May 20:17 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Using-photoacoustic-imaging-to-visualize-scarring-in-donor-kidneys-before-transplant.aspxRating: 0.76
UAE stem cell therapy: Revolutionary treatment helps cure COVID-19 patients
DUBAI: Adult stem cell therapy is dubbed as the new healing force of the 21st century, much as the internet revolutionised the past century. Now, UAE researchers have demonstrated they're in the leading edge of this breakthrough in medicine. Abu Dhabi-based doctors have announced pioneering work in stem cell therapy to repair lung damage caused by coronavirus infection. One simple yet fascinating aspect of this new therapy: it's administered through inhalation. It's a potential "wow" moment for immunotherapy and regenerative medicine — the Abu Dhabi team sucessfully treated 73 COVID-19 patients, who were cured of COVID-19 before hospital discharge. Numerous vaccine trials are undeway for COVID-19, but a safe and effective jab that can be used on a massive scale on healthy patients is at least a year away. Speaking at a press conference on coronavirus updates on Saturday night, Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, Head Hematology and ncology Department at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, explained the results of the stem cell therapy. “At the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, we are proud to work on developing a supportive treatment for COVID-19 patients which is undergoing clinical trials for the first time in the UAE. This is a national achievement,” Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, who is part of the stem cell research team against COVID-19. The announced treatment is supportive and not curative, she explained, and helps alleviate COVID-19 symptoms rather than eradicating the virus itself. Treatment was administered on 73 confirmed positive COVID-19 patients, and was considered a success, after they were cured of the virus by inhaling the treatment into their lungs after it has been "nebulised into a fine mist". The pioneering treatment is hypothesised to have its therapeutic effect by regenerating lung cells and modulating the immune response to keep it from overreacting to the COVID-19 infection and causing further damage to healthy cells. COVID-19 patients in the UAE who have all been successfully treated -- and cured -- of the virus by inhaling the treatment into their lungs after it has been nebulised into a fine mist. The treatment was developed by a team of doctors and researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center (ADSCC). A patent has been granted by the UAE Ministry of Economy for the development of an innovative and promising treatment for COVID-19 infections using stem cells. It involves extracting stem cells from the patient’s own blood and reintroducing them after "activating" them. The treatment has successfully undergone the initial phase of clinical trials, demonstrating its safety. IMMUNOTHERAPY: WHAT IS IT?"THERAPY": Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder (from Latin therapia and Greek therapeia, meaning "curing, healing, service done to the sick).IMMUNOTHERAPY OR BIOLOGICAL THERAPY: The treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as "activation immunotherapies". immunotherapies that reduce or suppress are classified as "suppression immunotherapies". None of the patients who had received the treatment reported adverse effects, according to the Abu Dhabi research team. More importantly, there have been no interactions found with the conventional treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients. ROLE OF STEM CELLS IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINERegenerative medicine aims at repair, replacement of cells or organs to recover the impaired function. It helps the body to form new functional tissue. It includes cell therapies, tissue engineering, gene therapy and biomedical engineering techniques.So, cell therapy and tissue engineering are parts of the field of regenerative medicine, whose aim is production of safe and effective therapies. Stem cells present in almost every type of tissues and represent an endogenous system of regeneration and repair. Therefore, stem cells represent great hope for the future of translational medicine.[International Journal of Stem Cells: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4961101/] A stem cell is a cell with the unique ability to develop into specialised cell types in the body. It's the basic building block of life. In the future, they may be used to replace cells and tissues that have been damaged or lost due to disease. They can become cells of the blood, heart, lungs or other body parts. Stem cells also have a strong secretory function, promoting the formation of new blood vessels, cell proliferation and differentiation and inhibiting inflammatory response, experts say. TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF STEM CELLSIn humans, stem cells can be subdivided into two main categories: intrinsic and extrinsic stem cells.A large variety of cell types has been used for regenerative medicine, including adult cells, resident tissue specific stem cells, bone marrow stem cells, Umbilical cord blood stem cells, embryonic stem cells and the recent breakthrough discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells from mature/adult cells (iPS) (called reprogramming, induced a pluripotent state in a previously differentiated cell type). [Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376801] Stem cells can self-renew or multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells. For example, right now, your body's stem cells are working hard replacing your skin every two weeks, creating new red and white blood cells. Yes. At least two studies had demonstrated this. First, in 2016, a team of Egyptian experts showed that stem cells help in lung regeneration, according to a study published in the International Journal of Stem Cells. The airway epithelium is exposed to inhaled particles and pathogens that may lead to the development of a many infectious and inflammatory respiratory diseases. The study investigated promising stem cell therapy to treat lung and tracheal tissue damage. The second recent study we found, published on Nature Communications on February 28, 2020, shows that an inhalation treatment of secretome and exosome exhibited therapeutic potential for lung regeneration. These were based on two experimental models of pulmonary fibrosis (lung disease in which persistent injury results in scar tissue formation — as fibrosis thickens, the lung tissue loses the ability to facilitate gas exchange and provide cells with needed oxygen). SARS-CoV-2 is a newly-discovered pathogen that primarily attacks the lungs (and airway epithelium). This leads to the development of an infectious and inflammatory respiratory disease, called COVID-19, partly as a result of the over-reaction of the human immune system which then leads to acute pneumonia — and can be deadly. SECRETOME AND EXOSOMEExosome: They are cell-derived vesicles encompassing lipids, DNA, proteins coding genes and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). They are present in diverse body fluids. They offer novel biomarker and drug therapy potential for diverse diseases, including cancer.Secretome: The stem cell secretome produce tiny “communication vesicles” (paracrine soluble factors) that interact with surrounding (stem) cells. Healthy Mesenchymal Stem Cells do this intensively with signals that have almost exclusively “positive” effects on surrounding cells and hence change not only the local tissue environment but also the whole immune system. The properties of the secreted factors are anti-inflammatory, neuro- and angio-trophic, immune modulatory, anti-apoptotic, neuroprotective and anti-oxidatory.[Sources: https://bit.ly/2YnEBqp; https://bit.ly/2WnyfEI] In March, Chinese researchers announced they were studying the use of stem cell technology in the treatment of people critically ill with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Xinhuanet reported then. Four COVID-19 patients who received stem cell treatment while in a serious condition have been reportedly discharged from hospital following recovery. The Chinese researchers said they will expand the clinical trial of the therapy. Yes. Stem cell therapy has been used in the treatment of some infectious diseases and complications. For instance, it has been tried in treating H7N9 avian flu and showed good results. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new stem cell drug, CAStem, which has shown promising results in animal experiments. The research team has applied for urgent assessment by the National Medical Products Administration. Approvals by the ethics committee, and clinical observation and evaluation are in progress. More trials to demonstrate the efficacy of the treatment are ongoing and are expected to be completed "in a couple of weeks". The treatment has been given to patients along with the conventional medical intervention and will continue to be applied as an adjunct to established treatment protocols rather than as a replacement. A UAE patent was granted for the innovative method in which the stem cells are collected, or "harvested". The innovation represents a pay-off from numerous scientific research work being conducted in the UAE and laws enacted to attract talent from different parts of the world. It also promises to potentially turn the tide in the global effort to fight SARS-CoV-2.
2 May 17:46 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-stem-cell-therapy-revolutionary-treatment-helps-cure-covid-19-patients-1.1588407976377Rating: 3.21
How remdesivir, new hope for Covid-19 patients, was resurrected
Remdesivir, an antiviral drug designed to treat both hepatitis and a common respiratory virus, seemed fated to join thousands of other failed medications after proving useless against those diseases. The drug was consigned to the pharmaceutical scrap heap, all but forgotten by the scientists who once championed it. But on Friday, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency approval for remdesivir as a treatment for patients severely ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The story of remdesivir’s rescue and transformation testifies to the powerful role played by federal funding, which allowed scientists laboring in obscurity to pursue basic research without obvious financial benefits. This research depends almost entirely on government grants. Dr. Mark Denison of Vanderbilt University is one of a handful of researchers who discovered remdesivir’s potential. He began studying coronaviruses a quarter-century ago, a time when few scientists cared about them — the ones infecting humans caused colds, he recalled, and scientists just wanted to know how they worked. ALSO READ: Business Standard Covid-19 tracker: Tracing the pandemic in India and world “We were interested from the biologic perspective,” Dr. Denison recalled. “No one was interested from a therapeutic perspective.” Neither he nor the scores of other scientists interested in coronaviruses foresaw that a new one would unleash a plague that has killed nearly a quarter-million people worldwide. The F.D.A. rushed to approve remdesivir under emergency use provisions, after a federal trial demonstrated modest improvements in severely ill patients. The trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, included more than 1,000 hospitalized patients and found that those receiving remdesivir recovered faster than those who got a placebo: in 11 days, versus 15 days. But the drug did not significantly reduce fatality rates. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results were “a very important proof of concept” but not a “knockout.” President Trump hailed the drug on Friday as “an important treatment” and “really promising.” ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE: Confirmed cases inches close to 38000, death toll at 1223 Remdesivir is approved only for severely ill patients and only temporarily; formal approval must come later. Still, some doctors laboring in intensive care units embraced the drug as an important new weapon against a virus that is killing patients worldwide. “It’s a great first step,” said Dr. Robert Finberg, chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Little about the early history of remdesivir, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, suggested the hopes now placed upon it. Coronaviruses hold much more RNA than scientists once theorized a virus could. Many viruses that cause epidemics rely on this type of genetic material, and almost all mutate constantly. That is why flu viruses change from year to year. ALSO READ: US commits over $775 mn in assisting nations to fight Covid-19: State Dept Yet coronaviruses did not change much — their mutation rate is about one-twentieth the rate of other RNA viruses. In 2007, Dr. Denison discovered that coronaviruses have a powerful “proofreading” system. If an error occurs in copying RNA as the coronavirus replicates, it corrects the error. In lab experiments, coronaviruses that mutated were weaker, outcompeted by those without mutations. Dr. Denison and other experts wondered if it might be possible to trick the virus with a drug that dodged the proofreading system and blocked the virus’s growing RNA chain, making it prematurely terminate. Talking about this problem with another scientist at a meeting, Dr. Denison learned that Gilead Sciences had dozens of drugs that might do the trick. “All of these compounds had been shelved for one reason or another,” Dr. Denison said. ALSO READ: Heir unapparent: If North Korea faces succession, who might replace Kim? Most worked in lab tests to shut down coronaviruses, he found — some better than others. One of the best was GS-5734, now known as remdesivir. “I like to call it the Terminator,” Dr. Denison said. Dr. Denison discovered remdesivir was just what they were seeking: a drug that slipped past the viruses’s powerful system to protect RNA, their genetic material. Remdesivir made growing chains of the viral RNA terminate prematurely, killing the virus. Remdesivir killed every known coronavirus in Dr. Denison’s tests. Then researchers at the University of North Carolina found that the drug also killed the viruses in infected animals. That included not just coronaviruses that cause the common cold, but also SARS and MERS — even a coronavirus that infects only mice. But the drug failed a number of real-life tests — not just against hepatitis but also against Ebola in Africa. The drug languished, unapproved for any use — until a new coronavirus emerged. ALSO READ: Free at last! Spaniards get outside to exercise after 49 days of lockdown As SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, began to grow into a pandemic, many scientists realized that remdesivir might be the best solution at hand. It had already undergone animal testing and safety testing in humans. So doctors began giving it to patients in studies without controls and even outside of studies altogether. Anecdotes fueled demand. Gilead sponsored some of these studies and gave the drug to doctors who treated hundreds of patients under compassionate use, a legal exemption permitting use of an unapproved drug to treat patients. But none of this could demonstrate that a drug was helpful to patients. It took the federal trial, in which many patients were given a placebo, to show that remdesivir seems to have a modest effect. Even a modest effect from the drug in hospitalized patients was a surprise, said Dr. Arnold Monto, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. He had expected that patients like those in the federal trial would not respond. They were severely ill, and such patients often suffer not from their viral infections but from overreactions of the immune system. (That is why Tamiflu does not work well in severely ill flu patients, he added.) ALSO READ: Covid-19: Low testing in India hints at lockdown extension beyond May 17 “Thank God, we have something that works,” Dr. Monto said. Not everyone is convinced that remdesivir will live up to its promise. A study in China, published this week in Lancet, found the drug offered no benefit to severely ill patients. And many experts want to see the data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial; so far, there have been only announcements about the results from administration officials. Despite these questions, Gilead has been ramping up production and currently has 1.5 million vials on hand, enough for about 150,000 patients. Those will be provided to patients at no cost, said Daniel O’Day, the company’s chief executive. He would not discuss what Gilead might charge in the long run, following a formal approval, but remdesivir is unlikely to be cheap, despite its origins in federally funded research. “Gilead discovered this medicine and developed this medicine,” Mr. O’Day said. “We have been involved all the way.” Some experts fear that taxpayers won’t get their due. “Their pricing should reflect that the government not only invested substantial funds, but at risky stages,” said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a professor of medicine at Harvard University who studies drug pricing. If Gilead reaps all the rewards, he added, “that doesn’t seem fair.”
2 May 13:58 • Business-Standard • https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/how-remdesivir-new-hope-for-covid-19-patients-was-resurrected-120050200907_1.htmlRating: 0.30
Washington approves virus drug as US states ease lockdowns
The approval is the latest step in a global push to find viable treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown.Washington, United States - American authorities approved an experimental drug for emergency use on coronavirus patients, as more US states eased pandemic lockdowns despite another spike in deaths from the disease. The approval is the latest step in a global push to find viable treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown, hammered the world economy, and infected more than 3.3 million people. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug initially developed to treat Ebola, was given the green light on Friday after a major trial found that it boosted recovery in serious COVID-19 patients. "It's really a very promising situation," President Donald Trump said on Friday at the White House, where he was joined by Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, which developed Remdesivir. Remdesivir incorporates itself into the virus's genome, short-circuiting its replication process. The drug approval came as the US leaders struggled with growing pressure from citizens wearying of stay-at-home orders. With about 1.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, nearly 65,000 of them fatal, the United States has the highest tolls of any country, and Trump is keen for a turnaround as the world's largest economy reels with tens of millions left jobless. "Hopefully, we're going to come in below that 100,000 lives lost, which is a horrible number nevertheless," said Trump, after suggesting earlier in the week the country could expect 60,000 or 70,000 fatalities. Texas became the largest US state yet to ease curbs, while anti-lockdown demonstrations were held in several states -- including California, where officials had re-closed beaches beginning Friday to avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline. There were protests in 11 cities in California -- where more than 50,000 coronavirus cases have been reported -- with people chanting against the lockdown. In Huntington Beach, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, several thousand people rallied to denounce Governor Gavin Newsom's beach shutdown order. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back," protester Monica Beilhard fumed. "It was uncalled for, unnecessary and people out here are making that known," she said. "And we're also very much saying enough is enough, we have the right to work... and it's time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back to business." - 'Slow, phased' reopening -Like the United States, governments around the world are struggling to balance the immense political and economic pressure to ease lockdowns with the need for public health measures against the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 people. Several European countries, including Austria, have begun to ease restrictions with authorities in some of the hardest-hit parts like Spain reporting signs that the pandemic there was slowing. Britain announced that it had hit its target of conducting 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, a step toward eventually lifting lockdown rules in the UK -- which this week overtook Spain to record the world's third-highest death toll. Ireland, however, extended its lockdown by two weeks to May 18, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying the nation will reopen "in a slow, phased, staged way" after that. Meanwhile in South Asia, India announced that the lockdown on its 1.3 billion people -- the world's biggest -- would continue for two more weeks from May 4. The virus restrictions also put a damper on May Day celebrations worldwide on Friday, with many labor unions delaying their rallies and some holding online events, while a determined few hit the streets in face masks in defiance of lockdown orders. In Cuba's capital Havana, where around a million workers and their families take part in the annual May Day march, the image of Che Guevara gazed down on an eerily silent Revolution Square. - Sharp rhetoric - May Day carried extra significance this year because of the staggering number of people put out of work by the pandemic, with the global economy in a tailspin and facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression. Stock markets tumbled again on Friday after President Trump's unproven allegation that the virus may have come from a lab in Wuhan -- the central Chinese city where the disease first emerged late last year. Beijing has rejected the accusation, and scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans. The White House has accused Chinese authorities of mishandling the outbreak, "slow-walking" coronavirus data and putting US lives at risk. The disease overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure when it hit the United States, putting immense pressure on doctors, nurses and emergency responders. Some US medics relied on past experience in other countries to fight the virus. David Callaway, a doctor and academic who has worked in the past on diseases in conflict-hit nations such as South Sudan and Iraq, said he found overseas epidemics easier to handle in some ways. "Family and loved ones, you can put them in a box and you use them as a source of motivation and inspiration when things get rough, but you know they are safe," he told AFP. "A pandemic at home, you know that your family and your loved ones are still at risk, their lives hang on the line."
2 May 10:28 • New Vision • https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1518437/washington-approves-virus-drug-us-ease-lockdownsRating: 0.79
Global virus update
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Sciences Inc.’s experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, for emergency use and Japan began a special approval process for the treatment. It’s the first medication backed by early clinical data to be made available to fight the disease. Singapore will allow some schools and workplaces to resume operations this month. Japan’s economy minister said the government will lay out its plans on Monday for restarting economic activity. China reported 20 asymptomatic infections while South Korea said it had six new cases, all of which were imported. A small Indonesian village was locked down after 1,200 blood tests showed more than a third of the people may have contracted the virus. Key Developments Japan to Detail Economic Restart Plan (1:37 p.m. HK)Japan will release details on Monday of its plan to restart economic activity hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Saturday. The 34 prefectures that aren’t designated as “special alert” will see a partial easing of restriction requests once spread of the virus comes under better control, he said. Honda Motor Co. said separately it will place 130 workers in the Kumamoto manufacturing plant on temporary leave through the end of August. Singapore to Ease Some Restrictions (12:13 p.m. HK)Singapore will allow some schools and workplaces to resume operations in the next couple of weeks, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health. The nation reported 447 new infections on May 2. Students sitting for national exams and those at some higher-education campuses will be allowed to return to school in small batches from May 19, while businesses including selected manufacturers, home-based food producers, and laundry and hairdressing services may resume operations from May 12. Japan Starts Gilead Drug Approval Process (11:05 a.m. HK)Japan’s Health Ministry has begun a special approval process for the antiviral drug remdesivir as a potential treatment for Covid-19, NHK reported. The approval process could be completed in around a week, the public broadcaster said without citing anyone. Remdesivir would be the first Covid-19 treatment drug available in Japan if it is cleared for use. With limited supplies, it’s likely to only be available at specific hospitals under the ministry’s jurisdiction during early stages, NHK said. Indonesian Village Locked Down (10:33 a.m. HK)A small village in Bali has been placed under local lockdown after the island’s provincial government conducted “rapid” blood tests on 1,200 people and found more than 400 of them may have ongoing or recent infections of coronavirus, The Jakarta Post newspaper reported, citing Dewa Made Indra, the chairman of the local Covid-19 taskforce. Medical workers have continued to administer such tests to more than 2,600 residents in the village. China Reports 20 Asymptomatic Cases (8:38 a.m. HK)China reported one new coronavirus infection on May 1 and 20 asymptomatic cases, according to numbers released by the National Health Commission. There were no deaths. South Korea confirmed six more coronavirus cases, bringing the nation’s total to 10,780. All of the new cases were imported from abroad. The death toll rose by two to 250. U.S. Cases Rise to 1.09 Million (4 p.m. NY)U.S. cases rose 4.4% from the day before to 1.09 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. That was higher than Thursday’s growth rate of 1.2% and above the past week’s average daily increase of 2.9%. Deaths rose 4.8% to 64,069. Italy Sees Fewer New Deaths (1 p.m. NY)Italy saw the number of new deaths from the coronavirus decline as it reported 1,965 new cases for the 24-hour period, compared with 1,872 a day earlier, according to civil protection authorities. There were 269 fatalities, down from 285 reported on Thursday. Confirmed cases total 207,428 and 28,236 people have died. The news came as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte fought off criticism of his administration. He apologized on Facebook for delays for financial aid and said he was open to a further easing of lockdown measures. Businesses may be able to open earlier than forecast if rules are followed and the contagion curve declines. © 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
2 May 09:32 • Moneyweb • https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/international/global-virus-update/Rating: 1.42
US allows use of remdesivir to help virus recovery
Washington: US regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. “This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved” said Hahn, calling the drug “an important clinical advance.” The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that the drug, remdesivir, shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average vs. 15 days for the comparison group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. Dr Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug’s benefit. “I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society, it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.” The FDA said preliminary results from the government study warranted Friday’s decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir.” The drug’s side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to physicians and patients, the FDA said. The National Institutes of Health’s Dr Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness. The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs, tests and other medical products during public health crises. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies, the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks. Gilead has said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the US government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most. No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specializing in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. The agency made the announcements after receiving new reports of injury and death with the medication, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Two small studies published Friday add to concerns about hydroxychloroquine. Critically ill COVID-19 patients given the pill-based drug were prone to heart rhythm problems, and for many risks mounted when it was combined with an antibiotic, the studies found.
2 May 09:02 • Deccan Chronicle • https://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/america/020520/us-allows-use-of-remdesivir-to-help-virus-recovery.htmlRating: 1.64
US regulators approve use of experimental drug to treat coronavirus patients
US REGULATORS HAVE approved emergency use of an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. It is the first drug shown to help fight Covid-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalised Covid-19 patients. The study of 1,063 patients is the largest and most strict test of the drug and included a comparison group that received just usual care so remdesivir’s effects could be rigorously evaluated. President Donald Trump announced the FDA’s action at the White House. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average versus 15 days for the comparison group. The drug also might be reducing deaths, although that is not certain from the partial results revealed so far. The National Institutes of Health’s Dr Anthony Fauci said the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill Covid-19 patients like those in this study. The drug has not been tested on people with milder illness, and currently is given through an IV in a hospital. The FDA said the intravenous drug would be specifically for hospitalised patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. Early days FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn said “this was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved”, calling the drug “an important clinical advance”. Dr Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug’s benefit. “I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Dr Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.” The FDA said preliminary results for federal researchers warranted Friday’s decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir”. The drug’s side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to doctors and patients, the FDA said. The drug, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness. The FDA authorised the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed experimental drugs, tests and other medical products to patients during public health crises. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies, the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental drug’s potential benefits outweigh its risks. Gilead has said it would donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the US government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to places most in need of it. No drugs are approved now for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specialising in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalised patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible Covid-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. #Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you Support us now
2 May 06:55 • TheJournal.ie • https://www.thejournal.ie/remdesivir-covid-19-treatment-us-approval-5090081-May2020/Rating: 1.13
US allows use of 1st drug shown to help virus recovery
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. “This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved” said Hahn, calling the drug “an important clinical advance.” The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that the drug, remdesivir, shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average vs. 15 days for the comparison group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. Dr. Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug’s benefit. “I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.” The FDA said preliminary results from the government study warranted Friday’s decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir.” The drug’s side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to physicians and patients, the FDA said. The National Institutes of Health’s Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness. The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs, tests and other medical products during public health crises. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks. Gilead has said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the U.S. government would coordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most. No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specializing in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. The agency made the announcements after receiving new reports of injury and death with the medication, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Two small studies published Friday add to concerns about hydroxychloroquine. Critically ill COVID-19 patients given the pill-based drug were prone to heart rhythm problems, and for many risks mounted when it was combined with an antibiotic, the studies found. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
2 May 06:04 • THE OKLAHOMAN • https://oklahoman.com/article/5661471/us-allows-use-of-1st-drug-shown-to-help-virus-recoveryRating: 0.30
COVID-19: Washington approves virus drug as US states ease lockdowns
Washington: American authorities approved an experimental drug for emergency use on coronavirus patients, as more US states eased pandemic lockdowns despite another spike in deaths from the disease. The approval is the latest step in a global push to find viable treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown, hammered the world economy, and infected more than 3.3 million people. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug initially developed to treat Ebola, was given the green light on Friday after a major trial found that it boosted recovery in serious COVID-19 patients. "It's really a very promising situation," President Donald Trump said on Friday at the White House, where he was joined by Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, which developed Remdesivir. Remdesivir incorporates itself into the virus's genome, short-circuiting its replication process. The drug approval came as the US leaders struggled with growing pressure from citizens wearying of stay-at-home orders. With about 1.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, nearly 65,000 of them fatal, the United States has the highest tolls of any country, and Trump is keen for a turnaround as the world's largest economy reels with tens of millions left jobless. "Hopefully, we're going to come in below that 100,000 lives lost, which is a horrible number nevertheless," said Trump, after suggesting earlier in the week the country could expect 60,000 or 70,000 fatalities. Texas became the largest US state yet to ease curbs, while anti-lockdown demonstrations were held in several states - including California, where officials had re-closed beaches beginning Friday to avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline. There were protests in 11 cities in California - where more than 50,000 coronavirus cases have been reported - with people chanting against the lockdown. In Huntington Beach, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, several thousand people rallied to denounce Governor Gavin Newsom's beach shutdown order. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back," protester Monica Beilhard fumed. "It was uncalled for, unnecessary and people out here are making that known," she said. "And we're also very much saying enough is enough, we have the right to work... and it's time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back to business." Like the United States, governments around the world are struggling to balance the immense political and economic pressure to ease lockdowns with the need for public health measures against the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 people. Several European countries, including Austria, have begun to ease restrictions with authorities in some of the hardest-hit parts like Spain reporting signs that the pandemic there was slowing. Britain announced that it had hit its target of conducting 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, a step toward eventually lifting lockdown rules in the UK - which this week overtook Spain to record the world's third-highest death toll. Ireland, however, extended its lockdown by two weeks to May 18, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying the nation will reopen "in a slow, phased, staged way" after that. Meanwhile in South Asia, India announced that the lockdown on its 1.3 billion people - the world's biggest - would continue for two more weeks from May 4. The virus restrictions also put a damper on May Day celebrations worldwide on Friday, with many labor unions delaying their rallies and some holding online events, while a determined few hit the streets in face masks in defiance of lockdown orders. In Cuba's capital, Havana, where around a million workers and their families take part in the annual May Day march, the image of Che Guevara gazed down on an eerily silent Revolution Square. May Day carried extra significance this year because of the staggering number of people put out of work by the pandemic, with the global economy in a tailspin and facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression. Stock markets tumbled again on Friday after President Trump's unproven allegation that the virus may have come from a lab in Wuhan - the central Chinese city where the disease first emerged late last year. Beijing has rejected the accusation, and scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans. The White House has accused Chinese authorities of mishandling the outbreak, "slow-walking" coronavirus data and putting US lives at risk. The disease overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure when it hit the United States, putting immense pressure on doctors, nurses and emergency responders. Some US medics relied on past experience in other countries to fight the virus. David Callaway, a doctor and academic who has worked in the past on diseases in conflict-hit nations such as South Sudan and Iraq, said he found overseas epidemics easier to handle in some ways. "Family and loved ones, you can put them in a box and you use them as a source of motivation and inspiration when things get rough, but you know they are safe," he told AFP. "A pandemic at home, you know that your family and your loved ones are still at risk, their lives hang on the line."
2 May 05:50 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/covid-19-washington-approves-virus-drug-as-us-states-ease-lockdowns-1.1588398682532Rating: 3.21
Coronavirus: US FDA permits emergency use of drug for treating COVID-19 patients
US coronavirus news: National Institutes of Health's Anthony Fauci said the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients US regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. It is the first drug shown to help fight COVID-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide. The Food and Drug Administration acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that Gilead Sciences's remdesivir shortened the time to recovery by 31 per cent, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The study of 1,063 patients is the largest and most strict test of the drug and included a comparison group that received just usual care so remdesivir's effects could be rigorously evaluated. President Donald Trump announced the FDA's action at the White House. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average versus 15 days for the comparison group. The drug also might be reducing deaths, although that's not certain from the partial results revealed so far. The National Institutes of Health's Anthony Fauci said the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients like those in this study. The drug has not been tested on people with milder illness, and currently is given through an IV in a hospital. Gilead has said it would donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. No drugs are approved now for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA previously gave emergency use authorization to a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, after President Donald Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible treatment for COVID-19. No large high-quality studies have shown the drug to work for that, however, and it has significant safety concerns. Also read: Coronavirus lockdown 3.0: What's open, what's closed in green, orange, red zones Also read: Coronavirus: India ships 50 million HCQ tablets to US to combat COVID-19
2 May 01:56 • Business Today • https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/coronavirus-us-fda-permits-emergency-use-of-drug-for-treating-covid-19-patients/story/402651.htmlRating: 2.10
US Authorises Ebola Drug For Coronavirus Treatment
The US's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the coronavirus.The authorisation means the anti-viral drug can now be used on people who are hospitalised with severe Covid-19.A recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill.However, it did not significantly improve survival rates.Experts have warned the drug - which was originally developed to treat Ebola, and is produced by Gilead pharmaceutical company in California - should not be seen as a "magic bullet" for coronavirus.The drug interferes with the virus's genome, disrupting its ability to replicate.During a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day said the FDA authorisation was an important first step.The company would donate 1.5 million vials of the drug, he said.FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn also said at the meeting: "It's the first authorised therapy for Covid-19, so we're really proud to be part of it."Emergency FDA authorisation is not the same as formal approval, which requires a higher level of review.What do we know about remdesivir?The drug did not cure Ebola, and Gilead says on its website: "Remdesivir is an experimental medicine that does not have established safety or efficacy for the treatment of any condition." Gilead also warns of possible serious side-effects.However, President Trump has been a vocal supporter of remdesivir as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.In its clinical trial, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) found that remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days down to 11.The trials involved 1,063 people at hospitals around the world - including the US, France, Italy, the UK, China and South Korea. Some patients were given the drug and others were given a placebo (dummy) treatment.Dr Anthony Fauci who runs NIAID, said that remdesivir had "a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery".However, although remdesivir may aid recovery - and possibly stop people having to be treated in intensive care - the trials did not give any clear indication whether it can prevent deaths from coronavirus.As much remains uncertain about the treatment regime, Gilead suggests a 10-day dosing duration for patients on ventilators and five days for patients who are not. Featured Video
2 May 00:00 • Peacefmonline • https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/health/202005/407237.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterRating: 0.30
US allows use of 1st drug shown to help virus recovery
WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. “This was lightning speed in terms of getting something approved” said Hahn, calling the drug “an important clinical advance.” The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that the drug, remdesivir, shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average vs. 15 days for the comparison group. The drug may also help avert deaths, but that effect is not yet large enough for scientists to know for sure. Dr. Sameer Khanijo, a critical care specialist, said he wants to see additional studies to clarify the drug's benefit. “I don’t think this is a cure yet, but I think it’s starting to point us in the right direction,” said Khanijo of North Shore University Hospital in New York. “As a society it’s nice to have something that will help stem the tide of this disease.” The FDA said preliminary results from the government study warranted Friday's decision, though regulators acknowledged “there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir.” The drug's side effects include potential inflammation of the liver and problems related to its infusion, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, sweating and low blood pressure. Information about dosing and potential safety issues will be provided to physicians and patients, the FDA said. The National Institutes of Health’s Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, which blocks an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material, has not been tested on people with milder illness. The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs, tests and other medical products during public health crises. In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards and require only that an experimental treatment's potential benefits outweigh its risks. Gilead has said it will donate its currently available stock of the drug and is ramping up production to make more. It said the U.S. government would co-ordinate distribution of remdesivir to parts of the country that need it most. No drugs are currently FDA-approved for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness. “This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn’t expect to have any sort of full approval at this point,” said Cathy Burgess, an attorney specializing in FDA issues. “But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible.” The FDA previously allowed narrow use of a malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for hospitalized patients who were unable to take part in ongoing studies of the medication. Trump repeatedly promoted it as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but no large high-quality studies have shown the drug works for that and it has significant safety concerns. The FDA warned doctors late last month against prescribing the drug outside of hospital or research settings, due to risks of sometimes fatal heart side effects. The agency made the announcements after receiving new reports of injury and death with the medication, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Two small studies published Friday add to concerns about hydroxychloroquine. Critically ill COVID-19 patients given the pill-based drug were prone to heart rhythm problems, and for many risks mounted when it was combined with an antibiotic, the studies found. ___ Marchione reported from Milwaukee. AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner contributed to this report from Chicago. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
2 May 00:20 • iNFOnews.ca • https://infotel.ca/newsitem/us-med-virus-outbreak-treatment/cp1199779813Rating: 0.30
Washington approves virus drug as US states ease lockdowns
American authorities approved an experimental drug for emergency use on coronavirus patients, as more US states eased pandemic lockdowns despite another spike in deaths from the disease. American authorities approved an experimental drug for emergency use on coronavirus patients, as more US states eased pandemic lockdowns despite another spike in deaths from the disease. The approval is the latest step in a global push to find viable treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown, hammered the world economy, and infected more than 3.3 million people. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug initially developed to treat Ebola, was given the green light on Friday after a major trial found that it boosted recovery in serious COVID-19 patients. "It's really a very promising situation," President Donald Trump said on Friday at the White House, where he was joined by Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, which developed Remdesivir. Advertisement Remdesivir incorporates itself into the virus's genome, short-circuiting its replication process. The drug approval came as the US leaders struggled with growing pressure from citizens wearying of stay-at-home orders. With about 1.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, nearly 65,000 of them fatal, the United States has the highest tolls of any country, and Trump is keen for a turnaround as the world's largest economy reels with tens of millions left jobless. "Hopefully, we're going to come in below that 100,000 lives lost, which is a horrible number nevertheless," said Trump, after suggesting earlier in the week the country could expect 60,000 or 70,000 fatalities. Texas became the largest US state yet to ease curbs, while anti-lockdown demonstrations were held in several states -- including California, where officials had re-closed beaches beginning Friday to avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline. There were protests in 11 cities in California -- where more than 50,000 coronavirus cases have been reported -- with people chanting against the lockdown. In Huntington Beach, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, several thousand people rallied to denounce Governor Gavin Newsom's beach shutdown order. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back," protester Monica Beilhard fumed. "It was uncalled for, unnecessary and people out here are making that known," she said. "And we're also very much saying enough is enough, we have the right to work... and it's time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back to business." 'Slow, phased' reopening Like the United States, governments around the world are struggling to balance the immense political and economic pressure to ease lockdowns with the need for public health measures against the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 people. Several European countries, including Austria, have begun to ease restrictions with authorities in some of the hardest-hit parts like Spain reporting signs that the pandemic there was slowing. Britain announced that it had hit its target of conducting 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, a step toward eventually lifting lockdown rules in the UK -- which this week overtook Spain to record the world's third-highest death toll. Ireland, however, extended its lockdown by two weeks to May 18, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying the nation will reopen "in a slow, phased, staged way" after that. Meanwhile in South Asia, India announced that the lockdown on its 1.3 billion people -- the world's biggest -- would continue for two more weeks from May 4. The virus restrictions also put a damper on May Day celebrations worldwide on Friday, with many labor unions delaying their rallies and some holding online events, while a determined few hit the streets in face masks in defiance of lockdown orders. In Cuba's capital Havana, where around a million workers and their families take part in the annual May Day march, the image of Che Guevara gazed down on an eerily silent Revolution Square. Sharp rhetoric May Day carried extra significance this year because of the staggering number of people put out of work by the pandemic, with the global economy in a tailspin and facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression. Stock markets tumbled again on Friday after President Trump's unproven allegation that the virus may have come from a lab in Wuhan -- the central Chinese city where the disease first emerged late last year. Beijing has rejected the accusation, and scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans. The White House has accused Chinese authorities of mishandling the outbreak, "slow-walking" coronavirus data and putting US lives at risk. The disease overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure when it hit the United States, putting immense pressure on doctors, nurses and emergency responders. Some US medics relied on past experience in other countries to fight the virus. David Callaway, a doctor and academic who has worked in the past on diseases in conflict-hit nations such as South Sudan and Iraq, said he found overseas epidemics easier to handle in some ways. "Family and loved ones, you can put them in a box and you use them as a source of motivation and inspiration when things get rough, but you know they are safe," he told AFP. "A pandemic at home, you know that your family and your loved ones are still at risk, their lives hang on the line."
2 May 00:00 • THE CITIZEN • https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/Washington-approves-virus-drug-as-US-states-ease-lockdowns/1840386-5540286-lon2sbz/index.htmlRating: 0.30
Not just bigwigs, Mid-rung local players join coronavirus vaccine race
2 May 17:23
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.89
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 04:34
Average US: 6.766666666666666
Weighted average US: 9.779446565749858
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 31.166666666666664
Weighted average IN: 55.80912846192643
Not just bigwigs, Mid-rung local players join coronavirus vaccine race
Not just bigwigs like Zydus and Serum but even mid-rung indigenous players across the country have joined the race for a coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine. The move comes at a time when Chinese research firms are entering phase II of clinical trials in a global race to find a vaccine for Covid-19. India, too, is gearing up to develop its indigenous variant soon. With vaccines of some firms already in animal trial phase, developers say that if all goes well, India could have a vaccine by next year. So far, Indian companies that are in the race to make a vaccine include big players like Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila), Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech as well as a start-up Mynvax, among others. Now, joining the race are indigenous but mid-rung players like Gurugram-based IIT Bombay alumnus-led Premas Biotech, Ahmedabad-based animal vaccine player Hester Biosciences and pathlab start-up Neuberg Supratech. ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE: With 2,411 cases, India sees biggest single-day jump They have started or are in the initial stages of developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. For instance, a team of researchers led by IIT Bombay alumnus Dr Prabuddha Kundu at Premas Biotech is developing a triple antigen vaccine. It has successfully identified three major antigens as a recombinant coronavirus vaccine candidate. According to Kundu, unlike single-protein vaccines currently under trials across the world, Premas Biotech has adopted a three-pronged approach to develop a multi subunit vaccine. It is using recombinantly expressed antigens Spike (S), Envelope (E), and Membrane (M) proteins in multiple formats, which it hopes will provide a good chance of immunity against Covid-19. The company is now moving forward with developing the scale up designs and applying for animal trials. Similarly, Ahmedabad-based Hester Biosciences has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati to develop a vaccine against Covid-19 based on the recombinant avian paramyxovirus-based vector platform. It has also been explored as a vaccine vector for animal pathogens like infectious bursal disease virus, infectious laryngotracheitis virus, bovine herpes virus, and Nipah virus, among others. ALSO READ: Covid-19 woes: Ease lockdown slowly, be ready for new cases, says WHO On the other hand, the Gujarat government’s arms have also joined their private counterparts in developing a vaccine. Gujarat government arm Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) has signed an MoU with Neuberg Supratech Reference Laboratory, Ahmedabad, a unit of Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited, for developing Covid-19 recombinant vaccine and diagnostics. Neuberg is a start-up in the pathlab chain segment. As part of the MoU, Neuberg Supratech will look for immune markers for the Covid-19 positive patients by using several in-house high throughput sequencing machines. “Our role is to take samples from asymptomatic and symptomatic Covid-19 positive patients and identify the peptide chain of protein molecule. This will be passed on to GBRC for developing a vaccine. Now that the MoU has been signed, we will apply for necessary regulatory approvals,” said Sandip Shah, executive director, Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited & director, Neuberg Supratech Reference Lab, Ahmedabad. Kundu said that based on an exclusive D-Crypt technology, developed and improved upon by Premas Biotech over the past decade, a modified version of baker’s yeast is being used to recombinantly produce the antigens. ALSO READ: Coronavirus is a matter of lives versus lives, says Jay Bhattacharya “Baker’s yeast grows fast, is more cost-effective as compared to other modern technologies and has been viewed as a safe compound by regulatory agencies like the USFDA and DCGI in other drugs. Specifically, a yeast host platform has been successfully used to produce many drugs, including insulin and many blood products and hormones,” Kundu added. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, too, is trying to design and test variants of the spike glycoprotein as vaccine candidates, the latter are being tested in animal models by Mynvax, a start-up. Meanwhile, Hester Biosciences managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) Rajiv Gandhi said the company’s involvement would be from master seed development to release of the commercial vaccine. Primarily an animal healthcare company and the second largest poultry vaccine manufacturer, this is the first time Hester is foraying into human vaccines. ALSO READ: US commits over $775 mn in assisting nations to fight Covid-19: State Dept “We have plants in Tanzania, too, where we are in discussion with the government there for a human vaccine. Going forward, our human vaccine division could overtake our animal vaccine division,” he said.
2 May 17:23 • Business-Standard • https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/not-just-bigwigs-mid-rung-local-players-join-coronavirus-vaccine-race-120050201203_1.htmlRating: 0.30
Several Pharmaceutical Companies Are Racing To Develop a Coronavirus Vaccine
"The race for a vaccine to combat the new coronavirus is moving faster than researchers and drugmakers expected," reported Dow Jones News Services this week, "with Pfizer Inc. joining several other groups saying that they had accelerated the timetable for testing and that a vaccine could be ready for emergency use in the fall." Pfizer said Tuesday it will begin testing of its experimental vaccine in the U.S. as early as next week. On Monday, Oxford University researchers said their vaccine candidate could be available for emergency use as early as September if it passes muster in studies, while biotech Moderna Inc. said it was preparing to enter its vaccine into the second phase of human testing... If the vaccine shows signs of working safely in the study, Moderna said the third and final phase of testing could start in the fall. The company said it could seek FDA approval to sell the vaccine by year's end, if it succeeds in testing... Merck & Co., a longtime maker of vaccines, said it is talking to potential partners about three different technologies to manufacture coronavirus vaccines... Johnson & Johnson said earlier this month it shaved months off the usual timelines for developing a vaccine, and expects to start human testing of a coronavirus candidate as soon as September, with possible availability on an emergency-use basis in early 2021. SFGate also reports that GlaxoSmithKline and the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi "expect their vaccine will be ready for human testing in the second half of 2020."And the Associated Press notes that America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "is tracking at least 86 active different approaches among pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers and scientists around the globe." Dr. Peter Marks, director of the agency's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, adds "We expect about two dozen more to enter clinical trials by this summer and early fall."
2 May 04:34 • science.slashdot.org • https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/02/1524226/several-pharmaceutical-companies-are-racing-to-develop-a-coronavirus-vaccine?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feedRating: 1.79
Indian companies join global race to develop coronavirus vaccine
By Nirmala Ganapathy NEW DELHI (the Straits Times/ANN)—More than half a dozen companies and research institutes in India have joined the international race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus as it continues to wreak havoc across the world, causing at least 234,143 deaths to date. Some are in international tie-ups, while others are developing it on their own. Bharat Biotech is working with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and fellow vaccine firm FluGen of the United States to develop a nasal vaccine for Covid-19 called CoroFlu. The three were already in a partnership to develop an influenza vaccine, which is currently in phase 2 of clinical trials, and is the base for the coronavirus vaccine as well. Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech International Limited, said: "Little did we know that this influenza vaccine candidate would become very useful as a 'backbone' in developing CoroFlu, which is a vaccine candidate that hopefully will be effective against both Covid-19 and influenza." He said the university will conclude animal trials in the next four to six months and his firm, which has the capacity to produce 300 million doses a year, will start human trials to get CoroFlu ready by the fall of 2020 or early 2021. "Thereafter, its efforts will be to gain regulatory approvals, the licence to mass-produce multi-doses of this vaccine, marketing and supplying of the vaccine across the globe," said Dr Ella. The firm aims to make the vaccine "easily accessible and affordable for even low-resource income countries", he added. One Indian biotechnology company that is even further along is Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker by number of doses - 1.5 billion a year - produced and sold globally. It has already started producing a vaccine even as human trials are still on at Britain's Oxford University. The Serum Institute is looking at manufacturing 60 million doses and has indicated pricing as low as 1,000 rupees (S$18.80). Experts said India's strength in these efforts is the capability to scale up production quickly and at a low cost. "They have the capacity to produce large amounts. There are other groups (in other countries developing vaccines) but India has the tremendous capacity for ramping up vaccine manufacturing," said Dr K. Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) president and a member of the Indian Council of Medical Research Covid-19 task force. India can expect to benefit even if it is unable to develop a vaccine ahead of others. Dr Reddy said: "If the vaccine is available (from another part of the world) and shared globally, we should be able to put all our resources to a larger manufacturing scale." India is the world's third-largest producer of drugs with the pharmaceuticals industry worth around US$38 billion (S$53 billion) a year. It is a global supplier of medicines for a variety of diseases and is known for producing high-quality and low-cost medicines. It fulfils 50 per cent to 60 per cent of global demand for many vaccines, 40 per cent of generic medicines consumed in the US and 25 per cent of all the medicines dispensed in Britain, according to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Other Indian firms working on a vaccine include Biological E, Indian Immunologicals and Mynvax, which are developing a vaccine each, while Zydus Cadila is developing two vaccines. Mr Pankaj R. Patel, chairman of pharma firm Zydus Cadila, said: "India has the capabilities to discover, develop and produce the vaccine in large quantities." His firm is working on two vaccines, including a DNA vaccine that targets the viral membrane protein that is responsible for the cell entry of the coronavirus. "This vaccine is in the animal testing stage and if the results are successful it will go into clinical trials in the second quarter of this financial year," said Mr Patel. The company is also exploring the use of a biologic drug Interferon alfa-2b to treat Covid-19. Research institutes in India are also working towards finding a cure. Dr Raghavan Varadarajan of Indian Institute of Science, a research university for higher education, started working on a vaccine in early February with four students and two scientists at Mynvax, a start-up founded by him and another colleague. The vaccine has entered animal testing. With India coming to the end of a lockdown on Sunday (May 3), he expects access to materials to improve, speeding up the vaccine's development. "Getting reagents (synthetic genes for our designs) as well as oligonucleotides and other reagents has been challenging as is sending material to our collaborators. We hope the situation will ease in the coming weeks," he said.
2 May 03:15 • Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd • https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/indian-companies-join-global-race-to-develop-coronavirus-vaccineRating: 0.30
4 symptoms that may indicate possible infertility in women
3 May 14:32
•
5 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.09
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 01:37
Average US: 4.58
Weighted average US: 7.383077666448548
Average GB: 0.38
Weighted average GB: 0.5563975858502086
Average IN: 16.52
Weighted average IN: 13.652328490288097
4 symptoms that may indicate possible infertility in women
Are you having trouble getting pregnant? You’re not alone. Female infertility affects an estimated 48 million women worldwide, with the highest prevalence in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa/Middle East, and Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant after one year of trying (or six months if a woman is 35 or older).Also Read - PCOS may make it difficult for you to get pregnant: 5 effective yoga poses to treat the condition Infertility in women may be caused by many factors, including nutrition, diseases, and other malformations of the uterus. Experts say the odds of getting pregnant begin to decrease exponentially after turning 30 and more so when a woman crosses 35.Also Read - 5 lifestyle factors that can bring down sperm count and affect fertility in men How would you know you have fertility issues? Many of the signs and symptoms related to infertility in women generally revolve around periods, but unfortunately most women tend to ignore them. If caught in time, these symptoms can be treated. So, watch out for these symptoms that may indicate possible infertility.Also Read - Male Infertility: Tips to boost sperm count and increase fertility Having a history of irregular periods is one of the primary indicators that you may struggle with infertility. This is because irregular periods may be caused by other health issues that can affect fertility. A common cause of irregular periods is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – which is a common cause of infertility. PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive-age women. Therefore, it’s important to keep track of your periods and identify the factors contributing to the irregularity. Another major indicator of infertility is amenorrhea, which is a complete absence of periods. If you’ve had three or more missing periods, you are probably suffering from amenorrhea. It can be caused by a number of factors, including stress, low body weight, excessive exercise, taking certain medications, uterine scarring, and lacking certain reproductive organs. Missing periods may also indicate menopause. About 1% of women have menopause before the age 40. Many women experience some degree of minor cramping while menstruating. But if it doesn’t get better after taking some ibuprofen, it’s better to consult a doctor. Painful periods are often caused by other health issues which may lead to infertility. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is frequently linked to STDs, is one of the causes. If left untreated, PID can cause scar tissue to form in and around the fallopian tubes, which can lead to infertility. Your painful periods may also be a sign of endometriosis—a condition in which uterine lining grows outside the uterus. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, endometriosis affects about 6% to 10% of women. The condition can lead to infertility in a number of ways, such as forming cysts in the ovaries and scarring of the fallopian tubes. While the endometriosis can be removed through surgery, fertility may not be completely normal afterward. In such case, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is generally considered to be the most effective treatment. Battling cancer and undergoing cancer treatments can also affect your fertility. Chemotherapy or pelvic radiation can cause rapid loss of eggs. Some women may experience earlier menopause after undergoing cancer treatments. Experts recommend speaking with a fertility specialist prior to cancer treatment for fertility preservation. Vitro maturation, ovarian transposition, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation are some of the fertility preservation options.
3 May 14:32 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/pregnancy/infertility/signs-of-infertility-that-most-women-ignore-743470/Rating: 0.69
Coronavirus: COVID-19 believed to have caused woman's miscarriage
Boris Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds gave birth to a healthy boy last week, despite spending part of her pregnancy bedridden with a likely COVID-19 infection. While her experience and other studies have found there's no increased risk of death for pregnant women compared to others, COVID-19 is now suspected to be the cause of a miscarriage in Switzerland. Worryingly, the virus appears to have breached the placental barrier. The 28-year-old, pregnant for the first time, showed up at Lausanne University Hospital on March 20 with fever, dry cough and fatigue - all symptoms of COVID-19, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide since emerging from China at the start of the year. She miscarried two days later. Testing of the placenta showed it had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Boris Johnson's son named after doctors who 'saved' UK PM's life Large number of children in Italy experiencing deadly syndrome with possible COVID-19 links "This case of miscarriage during the second trimester of pregnancy in a woman with COVID-19 appears related to placental infection with SARS-CoV-2, supported by virological findings in the placenta," the doctors said in a case study, published online by the journal JAMA. "No other cause of fetal demise was identified." The woman was obese, known to increase the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. The researchers say more research is needed into whether the virus could be a risk to unborn babies, or if it's an isolated case. Unlike most other viral diseases with high mortality rates, COVID-19 rarely kills young children. Few viruses are known to be capable of crossing the placental barrier - among them are rubella, chickenpox, HIV and zika.
3 May 00:57 • Newshub • https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/05/coronavirus-covid-19-believed-to-have-caused-woman-s-miscarriage.htmlRating: 1.12
Canadian doctors notice recent uptick in so-called COVID toes cases in children
A Toronto doctor is suggesting that parents look at their children’s feet to see if there are unusual lesions around the toes that could be a sign of possible COVID-19 infection. Dr. Elena Pope, the pediatric dermatology section head at the Hospital for Sick Children, said there has been an uptick in skin presentations of this nature – so-called COVID toes – in otherwise asymptomatic kids over the last few weeks in North America. “The kids are not really bothered by those lesions and I think that’s why it took a while for this to come to the forefront,” she said. “If they were not bothered by it, they maybe didn’t actually report it to their parents … most of the lesions disappear on their own. They fade over time.” Pope said there have been some cases where fingers are affected as well. The lesions have a red or purple colour and look similar to frostbite. The Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) issued a public health alert to clinicians this week, advising that these skin lesions should prompt COVID-19 testing. Pope and Dr. Irene Lara-Corrales, a pediatric dermatologist at Sick Kids, helped craft the alert. “Over all I would emphasize that this seems to be an unusual manifestation in children who potentially have COVID infection and potentially are contagious at the time of the diagnosis, but they’re otherwise asymptomatic and that it seems to resolve spontaneously over several weeks,” Pope said. Pope suggested that if lesions are discovered, virtual doctor care would be a good first step. “From what we have gathered so far is the kids present with either itching or some mild pain in their toes associated with some swelling, and then they develop red or purple bumps that are persistent afterwards,” Pope said. “Very few of them may actually have skin breakdown.” Definitive research in the area is still in the formative stages and specifics on case numbers have not been released. Registries have started around the world to track skin condition cases that may be connected to the novel coronavirus. Pope said it was unusual to see such a significant uptick in similar skin presentations on a regular basis. “I might see maybe less than five cases a year and nowadays we’re seeing many, many, many patients with this manifestation,” she said, speaking about the uptick here and in other countries. They have decided that if the lesions are within the first two weeks of onset, it’s worth testing those patients for COVID-19. “There have been case reports from other highly endemic areas of the skin manifestation in association with the positive swabs from COVID. And also, in some of the cases, there was evidence of antibodies. So in other words, there was evidence that the patients were exposed to COVID and had antibodies to the virus. “So I think it’s fair enough to say that based on all those reasons, this is a true association with COVID. What is unusual about this presentation is that children are otherwise asymptomatic. So they don’t have the classic symptoms of COVID.” Lesions may resemble chilblains or perniosis, a condition that doctors sometimes see in the spring when children are a little too eager to take off their boots and freeze their feet by wading in puddles of cold water, said Dr. Chantal Bolduc, a dermatologist at Universite de Montreal hospital centre. “We are not sure it is a sign of COVID, but we think so because of the context,” Bolduc said. “We see a little more cases than usual, and cold temperatures aren’t a factor, and it’s happening at the same time as the pandemic.” The majority of children showing the lesions don’t have a cough or a fever, she said. “From what has been reported so far, this is something that seems quite benign. The children are not sick. It suddenly appears and it seems a little odd, the children are in good health, it goes away on its own in two to four weeks,” Bolduc said. Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19. They may also include cough, fever and shortness of breath. “The good news for us is that the kids don’t seem to have any other major manifestations and they simply recover quite fast from this, so that’s reassuring,” Pope said. “But it would be important for us to understand more about the mechanism and why this is happening and why it’s happening primarily in children.”
2 May 01:37 • The Globe and Mail • https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-doctors-notice-recent-uptick-in-so-called-covid-toes-cases-in/Rating: 2.18
Covid-19 in vulnerable groups
Tatenda Simango I hope I find you well and in good health. In this week’s article we will look at how Covid-19 has been seen to affect specific groups in our community. We will also cover how Covid-19 may affect our psychosocial well-being as well as coping strategies. Covid-19 can also affect pregnant women. At present there is no evidence that pregnant women, including those living with HIV, are at higher risk of severe illness than the general population. It is important that pregnant women take precautions to protect themselves against Covid-19. No vertical transmission (mother to child transmission in utero) has been documented, transmission after birth via contact with infectious respiratory secretions is a concern. Infants born to mothers with suspected, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 should be breastfed. Infant and Young Child Feeding Mothers need to be re-assured that it is safe to breastfeed their children. Mothers should be counselled to continue breastfeeding should the infant or young child become sick with suspected, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 or any other illness. Mothers suspected or confirmed to have Covid-19 and are isolated at home should continue recommended feeding practices with necessary hygiene precautions during feeding: cough etiquette, regular hand washing with soap. In our communities where eating in a common bowl or feeding children by hand is common, it is preferable to use the child’s own plate and spoon to avoid transmission. If the mother has respiratory symptoms, use of a face mask when feeding or caring for the infant is recommended. Locally available or adaptive face masks can be used as an alternative. Children can and have been infected with Covid-19, children may play a major role in community-based viral transmission. Pre-school-aged children and infants were more likely than older children to have severe clinical manifestations. More severe outcomes have been associated with underlying pulmonary pathology, and immuno-compromising conditions. Common symptoms (including fever, cough, shortness of breath) were less frequent in paediatric patients. Myalgia, sore throat, headache, and diarrhoea were also less commonly reported by paediatric patients. It affects the under one-year-olds more. There is also evidence of fecal shedding in the stool for several weeks after diagnosis, leading to concern about fecal-oral transmission of the virus, particularly for infants and children who are not toilet trained, and viral replication in the gastrointestinal tract. Prolonged shedding in nasal secretions and stool has substantial implications for community spread in childcare centres, in schools, and in the home. However, four percent of virologically confirmed cases had asymptomatic infection, and this rate almost certainly understates the true rate of asymptomatic infection because many children who are asymptomatic are unlikely to be tested. At present there is no evidence to suggest that there is an increased risk of infection and increased severity of illness for people living with HIV; with the understanding that they have achieved viral suppression through antiretroviral treatment and do not have a compromised immune system and have no other co-infections or comorbidities. People living with HIV are advised to take the same precautions as the general population. There is insufficient data to assess the effectiveness of any type of antiretroviral for treating or preventing Covid-19. While there is no available data yet on how Covid-19 impacts people co-infected with HIV and TB, people living with HIV who are also living with TB or who are TB survivors often have lung damage. They therefore may be more susceptible to Covid-19 and may develop serious illness. People living with HIV and TB co-infection or are pulmonary TB survivors who are likely to have damaged lungs should take precautions to protect themselves against Covid-19 and pay attention to guidance on physical distancing of at least one meter. Infants and children with HIV should be up to date on all immunisations and continue their ARV therapy and other medications as prescribed. Mental well-being will be affected by lockdown, more so if one is infected or affected by Covid-19. It is normal to feel sad, distressed, worried, confused, scared or angry during this crisis. This makes it important to keep in touch with family and friends through phone calls and making use of social media platforms. As you stay at home, maintain a healthy lifestyle (including a proper diet, sleep, exercise and social contact with loved ones at home). Do not use tobacco, alcohol or other drugs to cope with your emotions. Decrease the time you and your family spend watching or listening to upsetting media. Help children cope with the stress. Children may respond to stress in different ways. Common responses include having difficulties sleeping, bedwetting, having pain in the stomach or head, and being anxious, withdrawn, angry, clingy or afraid to be left alone. Respond to children’s reactions in a supportive way and explain to them that they are normal reactions to an abnormal situation. Listen to their concerns and take time to comfort them and give them affection, reassure them that they are safe and praise them frequently. If possible, create opportunities for children to play and relax. Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, especially before they go to sleep, or help create new ones in a new environment. Provide age-appropriate facts about what has happened, explain what is going on and give them clear examples on what they can do to help protect themselves and others from infection. Share information about what could happen in a reassuring way. Put measures that prevent sexual abuse and exploitation for children in affected families eg children left alone due to quarantined parents. If you experience sexual and gender-based violence during this time, help is still available from Government clinics and organisations such as: Musasa Project (Toll free number 08080074) Adult Rape Clinic (0775 672 770) or Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (08080131) Additional information has been adapted from the Ministry of Health “Key messages brief on Covid-19”, updated 15 April 2020. Tatenda Simango is a medical practitioner. He can be contacted via email 9thavenuesurgery@gmail.com or follow him on Facebook 9th Avenue Surgery
2 May 00:05 • Chronicle • https://www.chronicle.co.zw/covid-19-in-vulnerable-groups/Rating: 0.30
Doctors notice recent uptick in so-called COVID toes cases in children
TORONTO - A Toronto doctor is suggesting that parents look at their children's feet to see if there are unusual lesions around the toes that could be a sign of possible COVID-19 infection. Dr. Elena Pope, the paediatric dermatology section head at the Hospital for Sick Children, said there has been an uptick in skin presentations of this nature — so-called COVID toes — in otherwise asymptomatic kids over the last few weeks in North America. "The kids are not really bothered by those lesions and I think that's why it took a while for this to come to the forefront," she said. "If they were not bothered by it, they maybe didn't actually report it to their parents ... most of the lesions disappear on their own. They fade over time." Pope said there have been some cases where fingers are affected as well. The lesions have a red or purple colour and look similar to frostbite. The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) issued a public health alert to clinicians this week, advising that these skin lesions should prompt COVID-19 testing. Pope and Dr. Irene Lara-Corrales, a paediatric dermatologist at Sick Kids, helped craft the alert. "Overall I would emphasize that this seems to be an unusual manifestation in children who potentially have COVID infection and potentially are contagious at the time of the diagnosis, but they're otherwise asymptomatic and that it seems to resolve spontaneously over several weeks," Pope said. Pope suggested that if lesions are discovered, virtual doctor care would be a good first step. "From what we have gathered so far is the kids present with either itching or some mild pain in their toes associated with some swelling, and then they develop red or purple bumps that are persistent afterwards," Pope said. "Very few of them may actually have skin breakdown." Definitive research in the area is still in the formative stages and specifics on case numbers have not been released. Registries have started around the world to track skin condition cases that may be connected to the novel coronavirus. Pope said it was unusual to see such a significant uptick in similar skin presentations on a regular basis. "I might see maybe less than five cases a year and nowadays we're seeing many, many, many patients with this manifestation," she said, speaking about the uptick here and in other countries. They have decided that if the lesions are within the first two weeks of onset, it's worth testing those patients for COVID-19. "There have been case reports from other highly endemic areas of the skin manifestation in association with the positive swabs from COVID. And also, in some of the cases, there was evidence of antibodies. So in other words, there was evidence that the patients were exposed to COVID and had antibodies to the virus. "So I think it's fair enough to say that based on all those reasons, this is a true association with COVID. What is unusual about this presentation is that children are otherwise asymptomatic. So they don't have the classic symptoms of COVID." Lesions may resemble chilblains or perniosis, a condition that doctors sometimes see in the spring when children are a little too eager to take off their boots and freeze their feet by wading in puddles of cold water, said Dr. Chantal Bolduc, a dermatologist at Universite de Montreal hospital centre. "We are not sure it is a sign of COVID, but we think so because of the context," Bolduc said. "We see a little more cases than usual, and cold temperatures aren't a factor, and it's happening at the same time as the pandemic." The majority of children showing the lesions don't have a cough or a fever, she said. "From what has been reported so far, this is something that seems quite benign. The children are not sick. It suddenly appears and it seems a little odd, the children are in good health, it goes away on its own in two to four weeks," Bolduc said. Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19. They may also include cough, fever and shortness of breath.
2 May 12:00 • iNFOnews.ca • https://infotel.ca/newsitem/doctors-notice-recent-uptick-in-so-called-covid-toes-cases-in-children/it72880Rating: 0.30
Babafemi Taiwo: Nigerian doctor leads major study on antiviral Covid-19 drug
3 May 07:23
•
13 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.60
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 00:00
Average US: 16.432307692307692
Weighted average US: 16.021535662467933
Average GB: 2.27
Weighted average GB: 5.8428580008528455
Average IN: 8.923076923076923
Weighted average IN: 10.764303942842835
Babafemi Taiwo: Nigerian doctor leads major study on antiviral Covid-19 drug
- Nigerians around the world are leading in the search of a way out of the coronavirus pandemic that has taken the world by storm - One of these Nigerians is Babafemi Taiwo, who is leading a major study on an antiviral drug named Remdesivir - Remdesivir appears to be effective in treating COVID-19 A Nigerian doctor identified as Babafemi Taiwo is leading a major study on an antiviral drug named Remdesivir that appears to be effective in treating COVID-19. Legit.ng notes that Dr Taiwo was interviewed by CNN and he explained the result of the drug in treating coronavirus. According to preliminary results of Remdesivir, the drug can help hospitalised COVID-19 patients recover faster. Preliminary data from the National Institutes of Health indicated that Remdesivir appears to help patients with coronavirus recover faster, but it does not significantly reduce death. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, is made by Gilead Sciences. The governor is lying - Ex-NHIS boss accuses Ganduje of downplaying Kano situation Watch interview below: In other news, a group of Nigerian Catholic priests have developed a supposed cure for the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, a drug called Pax CVD Plus. The disclosure was made in a statement released and signed by Father Anselm Adodo OSB on Wednesday, April 29, on the official page of the Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories. The cleric said the drug is solely for the treatment of coronavirus. Father Anselm said that plant-based drugs are seemingly the best approach for coronavirus because these drugs are easily produced, stored and distributed and can be handled by medical and non-medical personnel as they pose a low contamination risk. He said the constituents of the drug are antiviral and immunomodulatory agents which help to stimulate antibodies. The cleric said: “The Pax CVD PLUS contains herbs and active phytoconstituents with documented scientific evidence based on clinical reports of their efficacy and safety.” 113 doctors test positive for coronavirus, FG blames hospitals PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man identified as Yemi Ogunsina had died of the deadly coronavirus in the United Kingdom. The disclosure was made on Monday, April 27, by a Facebook user named Seyi Fasugba, who said the deceased was always willing and ready to offer assistance to many Nigerians in London. The deceased was survived by his four children. "Yemi Ogunsina, a childhood friend lived as an inspiration to many Nigerians in London, Birmingham. Always willing and ready to offer assistance particularly on immigration issues. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better Coronavirus: Where is the N30k the government promised us? - Father of 5 cries out | Legit TV
3 May 07:23 • Legit • https://www.legit.ng/1325885-babafemi-taiwo-nigerian-doctor-leads-major-study-antiviral-covid-19-drug.htmlRating: 0.30
Cancer patients with COVID-19 more likely to die from the disease
People with cancer who develop COVID-19 are much more likely to die from the disease than those without cancer, according to physician-researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The study, published today in the online edition of Cancer Discovery, is the largest so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with COVID-19. The study involved 218 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 18 to April 8, 2020 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York City, one of the regions in the United States hit hardest by the pandemic. A total of 61 cancer patients died from COVID-19, a dramatically high case-fatality rate of 28%. (The mortality rate for COVID-19 in the United States is 5.8%, according to the World Health Organization.) "A key element is that mortality appears to be more closely related to frailty, age, and co-morbidities than to active therapy for cancer," said co-senior author Balazs Halmos, M.D., M.S., director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program at Montefiore and professor of medicine at Einstein. "Our data suggest that we should not stop lifesaving cancer therapies, but rather develop strategies to minimize potential COVID-19 exposures and re-evaluate therapies for our most vulnerable cancer populations," explained co-senior author Amit Verma, M.B.B.S., director of the division of hemato-oncology at Montefiore and professor of medicine and of developmental and molecular biology at Einstein. The time period during which these patients were treated was earlier in the epidemic when testing was almost exclusively done in sicker, symptomatic patients who required hospitalization. This may partially explain the high fatality rate within the study's cancer population. However, even when compared to mortality rates in non-cancer patients at Montefiore and across New York City during the same time period, cancer patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19. As a group, COVID-19 patients with hematologic (blood) cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, had the highest mortality rate: 37% (20 of 54 patients). For patients with solid malignancies, the mortality rate was 25% (41 of 164). Striking differences were observed among specific solid cancers: the mortality rate for patients with lung cancer was 55% and colorectal cancer was 38%, compared with mortality rates of 14% for breast cancer and 20% for prostate cancer. Certain underlying conditions--older age, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease--were significantly associated with increased mortality among cancer patients with COVID-19. A detailed analysis of patients with cancer who died from COVID-19 shows that more than half of these individuals--37 of 61--had been in places with a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, such as nursing homes, hospitals or emergency departments within the 30 days before being diagnosed with COVID-19. This was before widespread social distancing had been implemented. Montefiore has already changed clinical practice as a result of the study's findings, by using telemedicine and early and aggressive social distancing for cancer patients, and by opening a dedicated cancer outpatient and inpatient clinical service. It has also instituted bilingual peer counseling and deployed social workers and food deliveries to its at-risk population. Montefiore is able to quickly identify patients with a known history of cancer who test positive for COVID-19 based on a daily collection and collation of data across the health system. This allows the care team to act immediately to ensure appropriate care for these individuals and track outcomes. Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine Journal reference: Mehta, M., et al. (2020) Case Fatality Rate of Cancer Patients with COVID-19 in a New York Hospital System. Cancer Discovery. doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0516.
2 May 20:25 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Cancer-patients-with-COVID-19-more-likely-to-die-from-the-disease.aspxRating: 0.76
Diabetes alert: Beware of cancer and dementia | TheHealthSite.com
High blood sugar levels lead to diabetes. This is a metabolic disease that can cause many complications like kidney damage, dementia, heart disease and even some cancer if not controlled. Now according to researchers, the rate of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular complications has improved among people with diabetes over the past 20 years. This narrows the gap in cardiovascular mortality rates between individuals with and without diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 463 million adults worldwide suffer from this condition. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that adults with diabetes have a two- to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes compared to adults who do not have the condition.Also Read - Diabetes checklist: Are you making these glucometer mistakes while checking blood sugar at home? But the new study from the University of Western Australia found that the rate of cardiovascular complications among individuals with diabetes has declined over the past two decades. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published this study.Also Read - Can people with diabetes keep fast during Ramadan? Researchers looked at data from two phases of the ‘Fremantle Diabetes Study’, which took place 15 years apart. The first phase, which ran from 1993 to 2001, compared data on 1,291 individuals with type 2 diabetes to 5,159 residents without the condition. During the second phase from 2008 to 2016, researchers collected data from 1,509 participants with type 2 diabetes and compared outcomes to 6,036 individuals who did not have the condition. They used a database of hospital records and death records for western Australia to identify cardiovascular complications and deaths among study participants. At the end they found that people with diabetes in the Fremantle Diabetes Study’s second phase were less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke, be hospitalised for heart failure, or be hospitalised for a lower extremity amputation than their counterparts in the first phase.Also Read - Want to control your blood sugar levels? Have a healthy dinner Researchers of the above-mentioned study say that while the outlook for people with diabetes in developed countries is improving significantly, the death rate from all causes among people with diabetes is worse than the general population. Conditions like cancer and dementia continue to be an issue for people with diabetes later in life. So they need to take measures to bring down their risks of these conditions. Cancer and dementia are complications of diabetes that you may have to face later on in life. But if you make some lifestyle changes now, you can significantly bring down your risk of these conditions. You need to eat right because nutrition plays an important role in the development of all health issues. Choose your foods with care and try to get as many vitamins and minerals in one meal as possible. Go more for fresh, seasonal foods and have a lot of fibre-rich foods. Other than this, you need to make exercise a part of your life. Physical activity is very important for your overall well-being. It will boost mental health and keep many diabetes complications away. Other than this, sleep well and be social.
2 May 12:00 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/diabetes/diabetes-alert-beware-of-dementia-and-cancer-if-you-have-elevated-blood-sugar-levels-743266/Rating: 0.69
Cancer patients may face high risk of death from Covid-19. Here’s why
Cancer patients with Covid-19 are much more likely to die due to novel coronavirus infection than those without the malignant disease, according to a study led by an Indian-origin researcher who says the findings may help protect this vulnerable section of the global population. The study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, is the largest so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with COVID-19, according to the researchers. “Our findings emphasise the need to prevent cancer patients from contracting COVID-19 and -- if they do -- to identify and closely monitor these individuals for dangerous symptoms,” said Vikas Mehta, a co-lead author of the study from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US. “We hope that our findings can inform states and communities that have not yet been so severely struck by this pandemic about the unique vulnerability cancer patients face,” Mehta added. In the study, the scientists assessed 218 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 18 to April 8 at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, US -- one of the worst hit regions by the pandemic in the country. They found that a total of 61 cancer patients died from COVID-19 -- a dramatically high case-fatality rate of 28 per cent. In comparison, they said, the mortality rate for COVID-19 in the US is 5.8 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “A key element is that mortality appears to be more closely related to frailty, age, and co-morbidities than to active therapy for cancer,” said co-senior author Balazs Halmos from Einstein College of Medicine. “Our data suggest that we should not stop lifesaving cancer therapies, but rather develop strategies to minimise potential COVID-19 exposures and re-evaluate therapies for our most vulnerable cancer populations,” explained Amit Verma, co-senior author of the study. According to the researchers, the time period during which these patients were treated was earlier in the epidemic when testing was almost exclusively done in sicker, symptomatic patients who required hospitalization. They said this may partially explain the high fatality rate within the study’s cancer population. However, even when compared to mortality rates in non-cancer patients at Montefiore and across New York City during the same time period, the study noted that cancer patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19. As a group, COVID-19 patients with hematologic (blood) cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, had the highest mortality rate of 37 per cent (20 of 54 patients), the scientists said. And for patients with solid malignancies, they said the mortality rate was 25 per cent (41 of 164). The researchers reported some striking differences among specific solid cancers in the study. They said the mortality rate for patients with lung cancer was 55 per cent, and for those with colorectal cancer, it was 38 per cent, compared with mortality rates of 14 per cent for breast cancer, and 20 per cent for prostate cancer. According to the study, certain underlying conditions such as older age, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease were significantly associated with increased mortality among cancer patients with COVID-19. More than half of those with cancer who died due to COVID-19 (37 out of 61 patients) had been in places with a higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus, such as nursing homes, hospitals, or emergency departments within the 30 days before being diagnosed with the highly contagious disease. The scientists said this period was before widespread social distancing had been implemented. Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said they could not fully account for all of the patients’ pre-existing health conditions prior to COVID-19 infection. Differential treatments paradigms for COVID-19 infection were also not controlled for in the study, the scientists said. “We also acknowledge that the mortality rate is highly dependent on the breadth of testing, and therefore understand that more widespread detection of viral infection would likely alter the results,” they wrote in the study. The researchers believe that further studies assessing a larger population of cancer patients with more rigorous control for other factors may help validate the findings. “These data suggest the need for proactive strategies to reduce likelihood of infection and improve early identification in this vulnerable patient population,” they concluded in the study. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. ) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter
2 May 11:03 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/cancer-patients-may-face-high-risk-of-death-from-covid-19-here-s-why/story-O7xkmGToAkiNyGwXyuniKM.htmlRating: 0.30
Men more likely to get very ill as stats suggest half of ICU patients will die
More than 70% of patients admitted to intensive care with coronavirus are men, according to concerning new data which makes stark comparisons with the fatality rate of Ebola. Researchers from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) also found that men were more likely to die in critical care, with 51% dying compared to around 43% of women. It comes as other data suggests the virus is affecting particular demographics more than others, with the Office For National Statistics (ONS) saying yesterday that people in the poorest areas of England are dying at twice the rate of those in the richest, while people from BME backgrounds have also been disproportionately affected. The ICNARC report, published yesterday, looked at a sample of 7,542 critically-ill patients confirmed as having Covid-19, and found that 5,389 of the patients were men, compared to 2,149 women. Experts are warning the public that underestimating the disease is a ‘grave mistake’. In total, about 49% of the 5,139 patients admitted to critical care who had recorded care outcomes had died, the study found – echoing previous research. That new data echoes the comments of a leading expert who said that Covid-19 was just as deadly as Ebola for people admitted to hospital in the UK. The report analysed data on patients with confirmed Covid-19 from 286 NHS critical care units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland taking part in the ICNARC programme up to 4pm on Thursday. But it does not include the many Covid-19 patients who have not been hospitalised. Professor Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool and a consultant respiratory paediatrician at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, said the data showed that coronavirus was just as fatal as Ebola for hospital patients. Research by Professor Semple and his team found that of the total number of patients, 17% required admission to high dependency or intensive care units and of these, 31% were discharged alive, 45% died and 24% continued to be treated in hospital. The professor, who was also chief investigator on a study published on Wednesday, said: ‘Some people persist in believing that Covid-19 is no worse than a bad dose of flu. They are gravely mistaken. ‘Despite the best supportive care that we can provide, the crude case fatality rate for people who are admitted to hospital – that is, the proportion of people ill enough to need hospital treatment who then die – with severe Covid-19, is 35 to 40% – which is similar to that for people admitted to hospital with Ebola. ‘It’s a really nasty disease.’ The new ICNARC data also showed that around 56% of 60 to 69-year-olds, 67% of 70 to 79-year-olds, and 65% of people aged 80 and over admitted to critical care died there. That compares to around 24% of people aged under 50. It also found that 70% of the patients who had been discharged from or died in critical care had required advanced respiratory support. However, 62% of patients who had required advanced respiratory support had died while three-quarters of those who needed any renal support died. It also found that about 26% of patients in critical care with Covid-19 were black or Asian compared to 66%, who were white. This follows a report from the ONS which found people living in the most deprived areas of England have experienced coronavirus mortality rates more than double those living in the least deprived areas. The ICNARC report confirmed that 25% of critical care coronavirus patients were from the most deprived quintile compared to 14.5% who were in the least deprived one. A separate Institute for Fiscal Studies report also found that per capita deaths among the black Caribbean population in English hospitals are three times those of white British people. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
2 May 10:33 • Metro • https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/02/men-likely-get-stats-suggest-half-icu-patients-will-die-12643540/Rating: 2.18
Higher thrombus risk in men with obesity in adolescence
WASHINGTON: While obesity comes with a multitude of health issues, a recent study has found that men who had a history of obesity in their late teens are at a higher risk of a blood clot (thrombus) in a leg or lung in their adult life. The risk rises successively and is highest in those who were severely obese in adolescence. A thrombus in the leg or lung is known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). This is one of our most common cardiovascular diseases. Risk increases with advancing age and, overall, 5-10 per cent of the population are affected at some time during their lives. The disease is potentially fatal, but its degree of severity varies. The current study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, is based on data on 1,639,838 men who enlisted for military service in Sweden in the years 1969-2005. Their average age on enlistment was just over 18 years. These individuals were followed up using patient and cause-of-death registers. During the follow-up period, with a median duration of 28 years, a blood clot in the leg or lung was registered among just over 1 per cent (n=18,665) of the study participants. A clear association was found between body mass index (BMI) at the time of enlistment and subsequent thrombus risk. A successive rise in VTE risk was also observed in the group in the middle and the upper part of the normal BMI range (20-25), compared with the lower part of the normal range (18.5-20). The risk then continued to rise in the two higher BMI groups, those with obesity and severe obesity, to which more than 36,000 of the study participants belonged. In the group with obesity (BMI 30-35), the relative risk was 2.93 compared with the reference group in the study -- over twice as high. For those with severe obesity, the corresponding relative risk was 4.95, i.e. a nearly fivefold risk for blood clots in the leg or lung during the follow-up period. Katarina Glise Sandblad is a PhD student at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, a resident physician specializing in internal medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the first author of the study. "Up to now, the association between VTE and obesity has been studied mainly in populations where BMI is measured relatively late in life. By then, the study participants may have developed obesity-related diseases, such as certain forms of cancer, that also affect their thrombus risk. Consequently, there's a danger of underestimating the risk of obesity. As obesity and severe obesity become more prevalent among children and adolescents, it's increasingly important to study the long-term risks involved," Dr Glise Sandblad says. Although the current study covers men only, the patterns and associations found are probably similar for women, in the research group's opinion. Heading the group is Annika Rosengren, Professor of Medicine at the University of Gothenburg. The group has previously conducted studies of obesity and outcomes other than VTE, such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure and cardiomyopathy, where similar patterns in both men and women have been observed.
2 May 10:07 • The Times of India • https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/higher-thrombus-risk-in-men-with-obesity-in-adolescence/articleshow/75504572.cmsRating: 0.30
Cancer patients may face high risk of death from COVID-19: Study
Cancer patients with COVID-19 are much more likely to die due to novel coronavirus infection than those without the malignant disease, according to a study led by an Indian-origin researcher who says the findings may help protect this vulnerable section of the global population. The study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, is the largest so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with COVID-19, according to the researchers. “Our findings emphasise the need to prevent cancer patients from contracting COVID-19 and — if they do — to identify and closely monitor these individuals for dangerous symptoms,” said Vikas Mehta, a co-lead author of the study from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US. “We hope that our findings can inform states and communities that have not yet been so severely struck by this pandemic about the unique vulnerability cancer patients face,” Mehta added. In the study, the scientists assessed 218 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 18 to April 8 at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, US — one of the worst hit regions by the pandemic in the country. They found that a total of 61 cancer patients died from COVID-19 — a dramatically high case-fatality rate of 28 per cent. In comparison, they said, the mortality rate for COVID-19 in the US is 5.8 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “A key element is that mortality appears to be more closely related to frailty, age, and co-morbidities than to active therapy for cancer,” said co-senior author Balazs Halmos from Einstein College of Medicine. “Our data suggest that we should not stop lifesaving cancer therapies, but rather develop strategies to minimise potential COVID-19 exposures and re-evaluate therapies for our most vulnerable cancer populations,” explained Amit Verma, co-senior author of the study. According to the researchers, the time period during which these patients were treated was earlier in the epidemic when testing was almost exclusively done in sicker, symptomatic patients who required hospitalization. They said this may partially explain the high fatality rate within the study’s cancer population. However, even when compared to mortality rates in non-cancer patients at Montefiore and across New York City during the same time period, the study noted that cancer patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19. As a group, COVID-19 patients with hematologic (blood) cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, had the highest mortality rate of 37 per cent (20 of 54 patients), the scientists said. And for patients with solid malignancies, they said the mortality rate was 25 per cent (41 of 164). The researchers reported some striking differences among specific solid cancers in the study. They said the mortality rate for patients with lung cancer was 55 per cent, and for those with colorectal cancer, it was 38 per cent, compared with mortality rates of 14 per cent for breast cancer, and 20 per cent for prostate cancer. According to the study, certain underlying conditions such as older age, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease were significantly associated with increased mortality among cancer patients with COVID-19. More than half of those with cancer who died due to COVID-19 (37 out of 61 patients) had been in places with a higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus, such as nursing homes, hospitals, or emergency departments within the 30 days before being diagnosed with the highly contagious disease. The scientists said this period was before widespread social distancing had been implemented. Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said they could not fully account for all of the patients’ pre-existing health conditions prior to COVID-19 infection. Differential treatments paradigms for COVID-19 infection were also not controlled for in the study, the scientists said. “We also acknowledge that the mortality rate is highly dependent on the breadth of testing, and therefore understand that more widespread detection of viral infection would likely alter the results,” they wrote in the study. The researchers believe that further studies assessing a larger population of cancer patients with more rigorous control for other factors may help validate the findings. “These data suggest the need for proactive strategies to reduce likelihood of infection and improve early identification in this vulnerable patient population,” they concluded in the study.
2 May 08:41 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/world/cancer-patients-may-face-high-risk-of-death-from-covid-19-study-6390268/Rating: 0.30
High BP Drugs Safe For Patients With COVID-19 Disease, Says Study
New York: Despite concerns expressed by some experts, common high blood pressure drugs did not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 or of developing severe disease in a new study of 12,594 patients. Also Read - 122 CRPF Jawans at Delhi-based Battalion Test COVID-19+ in Nearly 2 Weeks Published online in the New England Journal of Medicine journal, the study was launched in response to a joint statement issued by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Failure Society of America. Also Read - Man Drags Police Officer on Car's Bonnet in Jalandhar Amid Lockdown | Watch Video It urgently called for research to answer a question raised by past studies: do high blood pressure (antihypertensive) drugs worsen COVID-19 patient outcomes? Also Read - Madonna Tests Positive For Antibodies, Says 'I'm Going to Breathe in COVID-19 Air' Led by researchers from New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, the study found no links between treatment with four drug classes – angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta blockers, or calcium channel blockers — and increased likelihood of a positive test for COVID-19. “Understanding the relationship between these commonly used medications and COVID-19 was a critical public health concern,” said lead investigator Harmony Reynolds, associate director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at NYU Langone Health. “Our findings should reassure the medical community and patients about the continued use of these commonly prescribed medications, which prevent potentially severe heart events in their own right,” he added. Further, the study found no substantial increase in risk for more severe illness (intensive care, use of a ventilator, or death) with any of the treatments in patients with the pandemic virus. The study revolves around drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone hormonal system, which influences blood pressure. Central to this system is the signaling protein angiotensin II, levels of which are controlled by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Angiotensin II narrows blood vessels to increase blood pressure, and the study drugs counter that, either by blocking ACE-induced increases in angiotensin II, or the ability of ACE to interact with its receptor signaling partners on cells. SARS-CoV-2, the current pandemic virus, has been shown to connect to ACE2 on lung cells, a first step toward viral infection. This led to concern in the field that ACE inhibitors and ARBs might increase or worsen COVID-19 infection. Past studies in animal models had suggested that ACE inhibitors and ARBs increase ACE2 production in other organs, but how they related to ACE2 levels in the lungs was not known. “Before our study, there were no experimental or clinical data demonstrating the consequences of using these medications one way or the other in people at risk for COVID-19,” said senior study author Judith Hochman, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences at NYU Langone Health. “In terms of next steps, our plan is to use similar approaches to investigate other medications and their relationship to COVID-19 illness,” he noted. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Lifestyle Latest News on India.com. Comments - Join the Discussion
2 May 06:33 • India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com • https://www.india.com/lifestyle/high-bp-drugs-safe-for-patients-with-covid-19-disease-says-study-4017392/Rating: 0.30
Age, gender, and existing conditions – The South Africans most at risk from COVID-19
The Department of Health has revealed information on which groups of South Africans may be vulnerable to COVID-19. It said that based on the data it has on patients who have been hospitalized, there is evidence emerging worldwide that the three most common comorbidities associated with serious illness from COVID-19 are: Other comorbidities that were seen among COVID-19 patients were chronic pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic renal disease, malignancy, HIV, active and past tuberculosis. Combined with data on the ages of those who have died from COVID-19, the department said “South Africans who are over 63 years of age and those who live with these conditions [must] take extra precaution as government eases the lockdown”. The table below details the findings from the Department of Health on those who have died from COVID-19 in South Africa. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded in South Africa has reached 6,336, stated the Department of Health this evening. This is up from 5,951 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported yesterday. “The total number of tests conducted to date is 230,686, of which 13,164 were done in the last 24 hours,” said the department. “This is the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour cycle to date.” It added that a further seven deaths attributed to COVID-19 had been reported. This brings the total number of deaths to 123. “We are, however, pleased to report that the number of recoveries now stands at 2,549.
2 May 00:00 • MyBroadband • https://mybroadband.co.za/news/science/350414-age-gender-and-existing-conditions-the-south-africans-most-at-risk-from-covid-19.htmlRating: 1.91
Coronavirus pandemic | Cancer patients may face high risk of death from COVID-19: Study
Cancer patients with COVID-19 are much more likely to die due to novel coronavirus infection than those without the malignant disease, according to a study led by an Indian-origin researcher who says the findings may help protect this vulnerable section of the global population. The study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, is the largest so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with COVID-19, according to the researchers. "Our findings emphasise the need to prevent cancer patients from contracting COVID-19 and -- if they do -- to identify and closely monitor these individuals for dangerous symptoms," said Vikas Mehta, a co-lead author of the study from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US. "We hope that our findings can inform states and communities that have not yet been so severely struck by this pandemic about the unique vulnerability cancer patients face," Mehta added. In the study, the scientists assessed 218 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 18 to April 8 at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, US -- one of the worst hit regions by the pandemic in the country. They found that a total of 61 cancer patients died from COVID-19 -- a dramatically high case-fatality rate of 28 per cent. In comparison, they said, the mortality rate for COVID-19 in the US is 5.8 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "A key element is that mortality appears to be more closely related to frailty, age, and co-morbidities than to active therapy for cancer," said co-senior author Balazs Halmos from Einstein College of Medicine. "Our data suggest that we should not stop lifesaving cancer therapies, but rather develop strategies to minimise potential COVID-19 exposures and re-evaluate therapies for our most vulnerable cancer populations," explained Amit Verma, co-senior author of the study. According to the researchers, the time period during which these patients were treated was earlier in the epidemic when testing was almost exclusively done in sicker, symptomatic patients who required hospitalization. They said this may partially explain the high fatality rate within the study's cancer population. However, even when compared to mortality rates in non-cancer patients at Montefiore and across New York City during the same time period, the study noted that cancer patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19. As a group, COVID-19 patients with hematologic (blood) cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, had the highest mortality rate of 37 per cent (20 of 54 patients), the scientists said. And for patients with solid malignancies, they said the mortality rate was 25 per cent (41 of 164). The researchers reported some striking differences among specific solid cancers in the study. They said the mortality rate for patients with lung cancer was 55 per cent, and for those with colorectal cancer, it was 38 per cent, compared with mortality rates of 14 per cent for breast cancer, and 20 per cent for prostate cancer. According to the study, certain underlying conditions such as older age, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease were significantly associated with increased mortality among cancer patients with COVID-19. More than half of those with cancer who died due to COVID-19 (37 out of 61 patients) had been in places with a higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus, such as nursing homes, hospitals, or emergency departments within the 30 days before being diagnosed with the highly contagious disease. The scientists said this period was before widespread social distancing had been implemented. Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said they could not fully account for all of the patients' pre-existing health conditions prior to COVID-19 infection. Differential treatments paradigms for COVID-19 infection were also not controlled for in the study, the scientists said. "We also acknowledge that the mortality rate is highly dependent on the breadth of testing, and therefore understand that more widespread detection of viral infection would likely alter the results," they wrote in the study. The researchers believe that further studies assessing a larger population of cancer patients with more rigorous control for other factors may help validate the findings. "These data suggest the need for proactive strategies to reduce likelihood of infection and improve early identification in this vulnerable patient population," they concluded in the study.Moneycontrol Ready ReckonerNow that payment deadlines have been relaxed due to COVID-19, the Moneycontrol Ready Reckoner will help keep your date with insurance premiums, tax-saving investments and EMIs, among others.Download a copy
2 May 00:00 • Moneycontrol • https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/coronavirus-pandemic-cancer-patients-may-face-high-risk-of-death-from-covid-19-study-5214341.htmlRating: 0.30
Egypt records 298 COVID-19 cases, 9 deaths
CAIRO – 2 May 2020: Egypt recorded, Saturday 298 new coronavirus cases and 9 deaths, which raises the total infected patients of COVID-19 to 6193 and the total deaths to 415 according to Health Minster’s daily briefing. Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed added that 62 patients, were discharged from the hospital after being confirmed that they are completely recovered from the viruses, this also raises the number of recovered cases to 1522 out of 1970 who had been retested for the virus and had received negative results. The Egyptian Health Ministry will start injecting plasma of patients who have recovered from the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) into severely ill patients with the novel virus, Minister Hala Zayed previously said. Plasma from recovered cases has the antibodies required to battle the virus inside other patients and curb its replication. Zayed said that Egypt has the required experience in the convalescent plasma therapy and that the ministry is working hard through scientific research to find treatment for coronavirus patients.
2 May 00:00 • Egypt Today • http://egypttoday.com/Article/1/85343/Egypt-records-298-COVID-19-cases-9-deathsRating: 0.67
Heart attack, stroke down among people in Australia with diabetes
An Australian study has good news for people with type 2 diabetes -- fewer people with diabetes are having heart attacks and strokes compared to 20 years ago. Heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular complications have declined in the general population, too. But the decreases among people with diabetes have outpaced those for the general population, the researchers said. Senior author Dr. Timothy Davis, from the University of Western Australia, called the findings reassuring. They show that modern management of blood sugar and other risk factors "is having the desired effect on chronic vascular complications," he said. But not all of his findings were positive. "Although life expectancy is increasing in both groups, the difference [in life expectancy between the two groups] has not reduced, suggesting that more people with diabetes are still dying relatively early, but of other non-cardiovascular conditions such as dementia and cancer," Davis said. While increased use of medications to control heart and stroke risk factors is helping people with type 2 diabetes stay healthier, exercise and weight loss remain necessary parts of diabetes management. "People should not get complacent. Lifestyle factors are as important today as they were two decades ago," Davis said. The new study looked at two phases of a long-term diabetes study from Fremantle, Australia. The first phase ran from 1993 to 2001. Nearly 1,300 people with type 2 diabetes and more than 5,000 without diabetes participated. The second phase ran from 2008 to 2016. During that time, more than 1,500 people with diabetes volunteered for the study, as did more than 6,000 people without diabetes. Researchers also relied on data from hospital and death records in Western Australia to identify heart attacks, strokes and deaths. In phase two, they noted that people with diabetes were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or to be hospitalized with heart failure or a lower extremity amputation than in phase one. Several factors might account for those differences, Davis said. Better management of blood sugar levels likely played a role, and he said people with type 2 diabetes might also be getting diagnosed earlier. People with diabetes in the second phase were far more likely to be taking medications for abnormal cholesterol levels or high blood pressure. The improvements in the rate of heart disease and other conditions were seen mostly before introduction of newer diabetes medications, including classes of drugs called GLP-1 agonists and SGLT-2 inhibitors. "There were only a relatively small number of people in the second phase of the study on these newer treatments," Davis said. "The hope is that the gap between people with and without type 2 diabetes will narrow further as they are adopted more widely." Populations with type 2 diabetes differ between Australia and the United States, so the study's findings might be different in the two countries. "Australia is about 10 years behind the U.S. in the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes, so there is less diabetes in Australia at the moment," Davis said. "There have been advances in diabetes and cardiovascular risk factor treatments over the past 20 years which are available for clinicians to use in both countries, and U.S. data suggest the same trends in [cardiovascular] complications with lower rates over recent years." One big difference: Australia has a universal health care system. That means even uninsured patients won't miss out on the best treatments, he said. Dr. Robert Eckel, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said the study shows what is probably "occurring in developed nations around the world." Though the trend may also be happening in the United States, he hasn't seen any data yet confirming it. Like Davis, Eckel suspects there are several reasons for the positive changes. They include better identification and treatment of heart attacks and stroke, the use of cholesterol and blood pressure medications, improved blood sugar management and possibly, better lifestyles. Changes in lifestyle are more difficult to measure, he noted. His advice for folks with diabetes? "Work closely with your health care professionals to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease optimally managed and to help you own a lifestyle that is heart-, diabetes- and cancer-healthy," Eckel said. The study was published online April 30 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. More information Learn more about diabetes and heart disease from the American Heart Association. Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Continue Reading(0) Leave a commentupi.com/7001717 Health News // 15 hours agoHerbal blend may ease hangover, study showsFor as long as humans have been drinking alcohol, they have sought a cure for hangovers. Now, a small study suggests that a mix of plant extracts might help ease the misery. Health News // 1 day agoAnalysis suggests states need to plan for second wave of COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- Leaders across the United States should plan for a worst-case scenario, second wave to the COVID-19 pandemic, including no vaccine availability or herd immunity, say experts at the University of Minnesota. Health News // 1 day agoFDA approves remdesivir to treat COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization to the antiviral remdesivir to treat COVID-19. Health News // 1 day agoCDC: Nearly 5,000 workers at meat processing plants diagnosed with COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- Nearly 5,000 workers in 115 meat processing workers across 19 states have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health News // 1 day agoBlood test may effectively spot multiple cancersMay 1 (UPI) -- A new blood-test approach for cancer screening was able to identify 26 previously undetected cases of the disease, according to the findings of a new study published Friday by the journal Science. Health News // 1 day agoSuicide risk high in first year after brain cancer diagnosisMay 1 (UPI) -- People with brain cancer are at increased risk for suicide compared to the general population, particularly within the first year following diagnosis, a new analysis has found. Health News // 1 day agoT cell count in blood may offer clues to COVID-19 treatmentThe severity of COVID-19 illness may be influenced by what researchers call "cytokine storms." Health News // 1 day agoHonesty, patience key to parents managing kids' COVID-19 anxietyThey're not at school. They miss their friends. And Mom and Dad look worried. Lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic can take a toll on everyone, especially kids. Health News // 1 day agoHealthcare workers without insurance, sick leave at risk from COVID-19A new study finds that more than 600,000 health care workers are poor and potentially without insurance or paid sick leave, and up to 4 million have health problems that put them at risk of dying from COVID-19. Health News // 1 day agoBlood pressure, heart rate may spike in young adults who vapeElectronic cigarettes that contain nicotine may prompt spikes in blood pressure and heart rate in the young, a new study suggests.
2 May 05:35 • UPI • https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/05/02/Heart-attack-stroke-down-among-people-in-Australia-with-diabetes/9731588372164/Rating: 0.76
Herpes Impacts Women’s Reproductive Health
UpdatedMay 5, 2020 A new study estimates about half a billion people are living with genital herpes, and several billion have oral herpes infections around the world. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are lifelong and characterized by periodic reactivations. Symptomatic and asymptomatic viral shedding is common for both types of herpes. Thus, infected individuals can be asymptomatic, yet infectious, allowing these viruses to be transmitted unknowingly. This attribute contributes to the large global prevalence of herpes infections. And this study reports HSV type 2 (HSV-2) infections disproportionately affected women. This insight means that HSV has a substantial effect on the sexual and reproductive health of millions of people worldwide. Published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 1, 2020, these European researchers highlight the need to improve the awareness of products to prevent and treat herpes cases. This study estimates around 491 million people currently living with HSV-2 infection, 3.5 billion with oral HSV type 1 (HSV-1) infection, and 122 million –192 million with genital HSV-1, in those up to 49 years of age. HSV type 1 (HSV01) is primarily transmitted by oral-to-oral contact and cause orolabial herpes, which is commonly known as cold sores. Type 1 virus also causes rarer conditions, such as keratitis and other ocular sequelae, and encephalitis. HSV-1 genital infection from oral-to-genital contact is becoming increasingly common, although reactivations are less frequent than for HSV-2. HSV-2 is almost entirely sexually transmitted, causing genital herpes. Genital HSV infection may be unrecognized or result in painful genital ulcer disease in a proportion of those infected. Neonates can acquire HSV infection from genitally infected mothers during birth and from oral contact with caregivers postnatally. Neonatal infection, although rare, has a high fatality and disability rate in surviving infants. There is no cure for herpes today, says the WHO. Most herpes infections are self-limited and treatment is not always indicated or necessary. The current WHO guidelines provide 6 treatment recommendations for genital HSV infections. A summary of recommendations for genital HSV infection treatments can be found here. There are intravenous, oral, and topical antiviral herpes medications, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir, that can help to reduce the severity and frequency of symptoms. As of May 2, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any herpes preventive vaccine. However, after many years of research, various herpes vaccine candidates are making progress to FDA approval. These herpes vaccine candidates include, but are not limited to the following list: This new study was funded by the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, via support from the United States NIH (U01 AI108543). The researchers reported these competing interests: KJL reports grants from WHO during the conduct of the study and outside the submitted work. KJL and KMET report a grant from GSK outside the submitted work. NJW reports grants from the National Institute for Health Research during the conduct of the study and grants from Pfizer Ltd outside the submitted work. SLG reports grants from NIH during the conduct of the study. Herpes vaccine development news published by Precision Vaccinations. References:
2 May 00:00 • Precision Vaccinations • https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/genital-or-oral-herpes-cases-exceed-1-billionRating: 0.30
Why making anti-viral drugs is so hard - and how COVID-19 could be great for the field
2 May 14:00
•
7 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.37
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 00:00
Average US: 12.024285714285714
Weighted average US: 15.869756444231404
Average GB: 0.5985714285714284
Weighted average GB: 0.766301435255329
Average IN: 17.165714285714284
Weighted average IN: 18.321031388618906
Why making anti-viral drugs is so hard - and how COVID-19 could be great for the field
It was 1928 when Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed an odd phenomenon: mould that had formed accidentally in one of his petri dishes was stopping the growth of bacteria. Fleming had of course just discovered penicillin, and by the mid-1940s the world’s first antibiotic would be in mass production, launching a historic era when most bacterial infections became curable. As COVID-19 has made painfully clear, viral diseases are a rather different matter. Partly because of the unique, parasitical qualities of the virus, making drugs to treat infections ranging from the common cold to flu and Ebola has proven a much more daunting task, with a few major successes and many failures. An effective medication against COVID-19 could lessen the disease’s death toll and burden on health care in the year or so it until a vaccine comes online. But even the most promising treatment so far, Remdesivir, may only modestly speed up recovery, trial results released this week suggested. It was invented to treat Ebola and failed at that task. Hopes for ending the pandemic are instead being pinned largely on vaccines, substances that prevent infection rather than treating it. But as the scientific community receives funding to pivot massively toward the novel coronavirus, the anti-viral field in general could take a giant leap forward, a rare silver lining to the pandemic cloud, experts say. Looking for a way to fight COVID-19 is likely to have spillover benefits for a variety of largely untreatable viruses, they say. “It’s always a question of dollars for research — there’s never enough to do everything you want,” said Roy Duncan, a Dalhousie University virology professor. “So unfortunate situations like this do focus people’s and politicians’ attention on the need to do that … I think there will be big consequences.” Dr. Gerald Evans, chair of the infectious-diseases division at Queen’s University medical school, likens the potential explosion in science to what happened when AIDS emerged. “HIV research really took off in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and taught us how the virus replicates,” he said. “We’re kind of with anti-virals now where antibiotics were in the 1950s … This particular (COVID-19) virus is going to really dramatically accelerate a lot of work.” As for existing anti-virals, HIV definitely represents one of the success stories. The infection killed almost everyone who got it 30 years ago, but patients can now live a long and healthy life thanks to the drug regimen most now take. The medicine doesn’t cure the virus, but suppresses it enough that the deadly symptoms of AIDS are kept at bay. A new generation of Hepatitis C drugs, which come with massive price tags, are another breakthrough, actually curing that disease. But what about “acute” viral infections — flu, measles or West Nile — where there is a short, sharp onset of symptoms and relatively quick recovery, or sometimes death? “We really don’t have good anti-virals for any acute viral infections,” said Dr. Srinivas Murthy, who’s heading a Canadian trial of possible COVID-19 drug treatments. It is, said Evans, “a heck of a lot harder” to create an anti-viral than an antibiotic. Much of the challenge lies in the nature of the germ itself. Bacteria are complete, free-living cellular organisms, equipped with the biology to survive and reproduce independent of the host they invade. As such, they offer up a variety of relatively easy targets for drug weaponry, though inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to a dire resistance problem. Viruses essentially consist of nucleic acid — genetic material — encased in protein. “It’s really a chemical. It’s inert,” said Duncan. “They’re not alive or dead, they’re inactive or active.” Only when they infiltrate a host, like humans, and glom onto a cell do viruses become active, burrowing into the cell and using its molecular machinery to replicate, creating more viruses to infect other cells. That’s a difficult, more limited target, and drug developers have to ensure their medicine does not prove toxic to the host cell, as well as the virus attached to it. “They’re parasites, by definition that’s what they do — they take advantage of a host,” said Duncan. There is another difference that makes viruses harder to target with drugs than bacteria: their tendency to mutate more often and quickly, rendering any medicine targeting them less potent. As Murthy says, “viruses are tricky, they change.” And when people become seriously ill from viral infections, it is often the response of the body’s immune system that does the most damage, creating dangerous inflammation or sepsis. There are immune-suppressing and anti-inflammatory drugs that can treat those symptoms, but anti-virals may be of limited use by that point, even though it’s when many people seek medical help. Drug development has also been held back by a more practical issue, though also related to how the virus affects humans, says Joanne Lemieux, a University of Alberta biochemistry professor. Because flus and other acute viruses can often cause relatively short bouts of disease from which most people recover, the demand for drugs can be limited, she said. And some acute viruses simply disappear. That includes SARS, a coronavirus similar to the one that causes COVID-19. While in training, Lemieux worked in a lab developing a promising anti-SARS agent, but it never progressed to animal or human trials. Investment in that expensive part of the research dried up as SARS ceased to be an imminent threat, stopped in part by good anti-epidemic campaigns. “In the face of this pandemic, where public health measures are not sufficient, it is going to propel research further,” she predicted. “(It) is enhancing and will likely increase the number anti-virals being developed and tested.” Now with her own lab, Lemieux has changed gears like so many other scientists to address SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus. She and colleagues have found that a drug shown to be effective against a fatal, closely related coronavirus in cats is “very promising” in stopping the COVID-19 bug’s replication. And in felines, at least, it has already been proven safe. Now she is hoping it can move on to human trials. And, if eventually approved, have a possible role in combating the pandemic.
2 May 14:00 • National Post • https://nationalpost.com/health/covid-19-just-might-be-the-key-for-scientists-looking-for-anti-viral-vaccinesRating: 1.59
We must vaccinate everybody by 2021, say experts
Population genetic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have indicated that these viruses evolved into two major types (designated L and S), which show nearly complete linkage across the viral strains sequenced till date. New Delhi: Population genetic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have indicated that these viruses evolved into two major types (designated L and S), which show nearly complete linkage across the viral strains sequenced till date. But with mutations, there are other strains of this virus, which may have different virulence. Therefore, it is essential to vaccinate everybody by 2021 before the virus acquires any significant mutation, say experts. Speaking to IANS, Neha Gupta, consultant, Department of Infectious Disease, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said that through genomic sequencing of the virus, the researchers have found that Covid-19 is mutating, but most mutations are silent mutations, and very slowly accumulating. "This looks like good news for the success of vaccine. So, if we can vaccinate everyone by early 2021, it can build up protective immunity for a couple of years before the virus acquires another significant novel mutation," Gupta said. Citing US health advisor Anthony Fauci, she said the vaccine may be available by September 2020, but the accessibility to the vaccine may be an issue. "We know about L&S strains of novel coronavirus. But, now we know that with mutations, there are various other strains, which have different virulence," added Gupta. Coronaviruses have been causing problems for a long time and their several versions have been known to trigger common colds. Recently, two types have set off outbreaks of deadly illness: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers). But, their impact has been placid compared to the menace let loose by the SARS-CoV-2, which led to the Covid-19 pandemic. Email ArticlePrint Article Next Story
2 May 21:49 • The Hans India • https://www.thehansindia.com/news/national/we-must-vaccinate-everybody-by-2021-say-experts-620485Rating: 1.10
NIAB develops portable coronavirus detection kit
Adding support to the Health Minister’s promise that India will be able to produce RT-PCR and antibody test kits by the end of May, researchers from the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, have developed a biosensor that can detect the novel coronavirus in saliva samples. Biosensors have been currently used across the world to detect toxins, narcotic drugs, and are also considered as a reliable tool to detect infectious diseases. The new portable device named eCovSens, can be used to detect the presence of novel coronavirus antigens in human saliva within 30 seconds using just 20 microlitres of the sample. The in-house built biosensor consists of a carbon electrode and the coronavirus antibody. The antibody is capable of binding with the spike protein found on the outer layer of the virus. An electrical signal is generated when the antigen and antibody binds. Electrical components in the device further amplify this signal, process it, convert it to digital readings on an LCD display. The device can also be connected to a computer or cellphone via Bluetooth and studied. The signal’s intensity was found to be proportional to the concentration of the antigen in the sample. The device can also be battery-operated as it uses very low voltage of 1.3V to 3V. The team also compared eCovSens to a regular potentiostat and found the new device to be ultrasensitive and quicker. “The device is portable and can be taken to the bedside of the patient too. Also, it requires only a very small amount of saliva. The device is stable and when built in bulk can drastically bring down the cost of testing. The validation studies using saliva samples from coronavirus patients are yet to be done,” explains Dr. Sonu Gandhi from DBT-NIAB, Hyderabad, and corresponding author of the paper posted on the preprint server bioRxiv on April 29. It is yet to be peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal. Cross-reactivity studies were done to check if the antibody in the device binds with any other viral antigen. No electric current was generated when tested with antigens of the Avian influenza virus. The paper adds, “the device can be customised to any target analyte, and can also have other future applications for detection of various other ailments.”
2 May 11:54 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/niab-develops-portable-coronavirus-detection-kit/article31489364.eceRating: 0.30
Researchers Produce New COVID-19 Disinfectant That Protects Surfaces for 90 Days
What if there were a substance that, if sprayed on surfaces, could get rid of the coronavirus and other viruses and bacteria for 90 days? This would greatly reduce the chance of infection and go a long way in protecting people. RELATED: UV BACTERIA-KILLING ROBOT CLEANS HOSPITAL ROOMS FAR BETTER THAN HUMANS Now, researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have produced exactly such a disinfectant. They call it the Multilevel Antimicrobial Polymer (MAP-1) coating, and they report that it is "effective in killing viruses, bacteria, and even hard-to-kill spores. MAP-1 can inactivate up to 99.9% of highly-infectious viruses such as measles, mumps and rubella, and 99.99% of the surrogate feline calicivirus (FCV)," according to HKUST's press release. The MAP-1 coating was tested in two field studies in the Kowloon Hospital and Haven of Hope Woo Ping Care and Attention Home and in the Water Supplies Department and the Drainage Services Department. "We ran a seven-months field trial of the coating on privacy partition curtains in a local public hospital and six months study on bed linens in an elderly home, and the results are very encouraging, with the total amount of bacteria reduced by over 99% and 95.8% on the curtains and ben linens respectively," said Yeung King Lun, Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Division of Environment and Sustainability. The new coating is significantly better than traditional alcohol-based disinfectants that lose their power as soon as they evaporate. MAP-1 is activated by any type of heat, such as a hand touching a surface or even sweat droplets. Once activated, it releases its microbial and virus-fighting power, including its COVID-19 fighting power, to disinfect the surface once more. "According to the Technical Standard for Disinfection issued by the National Health Commission in Mainland China, the coating is proven to be non-toxic and is safe for skin and the environment, hence it also allows MAP-1 to be made into hand sanitizers, paints and coating, filter materials for air and water purification, as well as clothing and surgical masks to safeguard the health of the individual and public," reads the HKUST's press release. We have created an interactive page to demonstrate engineers’ noble efforts against COVID-19 across the world. If you are working on a new technology or producing any equipment in the fight against COVID-19, please send your project to us to be featured.
2 May 09:54 • Interesting Engineering • https://interestingengineering.com/researchers-produce-new-covid-19-disinfectant-that-protects-surfaces-for-90-days?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=May02Rating: 1.33
How to sanitise your smartphone during coronavirus outbreak
As per a new study, scheduled for publication in Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, mobile phones could be acting as “Trojan horses” for COVID-19. The research is a review of 56 previous studies from 24 countries and it found that 68 per cent of the phones sampled in these studies were contaminated. These studies predate the coronavirus pandemic and found a cocktail of live germs including Golden staph and E. Coli microbes on phones. However, the authors of the review believe that SARS-Cov-2 is probably present on mobiles and other touch-screen devices of coronavirus sufferers. “Our recommendation is that phones should be decontaminated daily and regularly with either 70% isopropyl or by sanitising with (ultraviolet) devices like PhoneSoap,” said the study. Here is how you can disinfect your phone. Cleaning your phone or tablet could be a tricky matter and you need to be extra careful while cleaning the screen. Follow these steps to clean and disinfect your iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone, or tablet: *Make sure your device is unplugged *First clean your phone with a soft slightly damp lint-free microfibre cloth *You can also dampen the corner of the cloth to wipe the screen and use the dry corner to remove excess moisture left on the phone/tablet *Now use a disinfecting wipe to make it germs free after you are done cleaning *In case you don’t have disinfecting wipes, you can use rubbing alcohol *Prepare a solution with 70 per cent isopropyl and spray it on to a microfibre cloth. Now gently wipe your smartphone before the solution dries out After you are done cleaning your phone, there is another way to disinfect your device. You can invest in a UV light sanitizer to kill off the germs present on your phone. Also, while you are at it, do not forget to clean and disinfect your phone’s case. Notably, different types of cases need a different type of cleaning.Plastic/silicone cases could be cleaned by soaking in a soapy water solution and rinsing off with water. For leather cases, damp the microfibre cloth with soapy water solution and wipe it clean. Wood cases need to be cleaned using water and vinegar solution followed by rinsing off with water.
2 May 08:39 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/techook/how-to-clean-phone-coronavirus-6390184/Rating: 0.30
We found and tested 47 old drugs that might treat the coronavirus
The more researchers know about how the coronavirus attaches, invades and hijacks human cells, the more effective the search for drugs to fight it. That was the idea my colleagues and I hoped to be true when we began building a map of the coronavirus two months ago. The map shows all of the coronavirus proteins and all of the proteins found in the human body that those viral proteins could interact with. In theory, any intersection on the map between viral and human proteins is a place where drugs could fight the coronavirus. But instead of trying to develop new drugs to work on these points of interaction, we turned to the more than 2,000 unique drugs already approved by the FDA for human use. We believed that somewhere on this long list would be a few drugs or compounds that interact with the very same human proteins as the coronavirus. We were right. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, called the QCRG, identified 69 existing drugs and compounds with potential to treat COVID-19. A month ago, we began shipping boxes of these drugs off to Institut Pasteur in Paris and Mount Sinai in New York to see if they do in fact fight the coronavirus. In the last 4 weeks, we have tested 47 of these drugs and compounds in the lab against live coronavirus. I’m happy to report we’ve identified some strong treatment leads and identified two separate mechanisms for how these drugs affect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings were published on April 30 in the journal Nature. Every place that a coronavirus protein interacts with a human protein is a potential druggable site. QBI Coronavirus Research Group, CC BY-ND The testing process The map we developed and the FDA drug catalog we screened it against showed that there were potential interactions between the virus, human cells and existing drugs or compounds. But we didn’t know whether the drugs we identified would make a person more resistant to the virus, more susceptible or do anything at all. To find those answers we needed three things: the drugs, live virus and cells in which to test them. It would be optimal to test the drugs in infected human cells. However, scientists don’t yet know which human cells work best for studying the coronavirus in the laboratory. Instead we used African green monkey cells, which are frequently used in place of human cells to test antiviral drugs. They can be readily infected with the coronavirus and respond to drugs very closely to the way human cells do. After infecting these monkey cells with live virus, our partners in Paris and New York added the drugs we identified to half and kept the other half as controls. They then measured the amount of virus in the samples and the number of cells that were alive. If the samples with drugs had a lower virus count and more cells alive compared to the control, that would suggest the drugs disrupt viral replication. The teams were also looking to see how toxic the drugs were to the cells. After sorting through the results of hundreds of experiments using 47 of the predicted drugs, it seems our interaction predictions were correct. Some of the drugs do in fact work to fight the coronavirus, while others make cells more susceptible to infection. It is incredibly important to remember that these are preliminary findings and have not been tested in people. No one should go out and buy these drugs. But the results are interesting for two reasons. Not only did we find individual drugs that look promising to fight the coronavirus or may make people more susceptible to it; we know, at a cellular level, why this is happening. We identified two groups of drugs that affect the virus and they do it two different ways, one of which has never been described. Disrupting translation At a basic level, viruses spread by entering a cell, hijacking some the cell’s machinery and using it to make more copies of the virus. These new viruses then go on to infect other cells. One step of this process involves the cell making new viral proteins out of viral RNA. This is called translation. When going through the map, we noticed that several viral proteins interacted with human proteins involved in translation and a number of drugs interacted with these proteins. After testing them, we found two compounds that disrupt the translation of the virus. The two compounds are called ternatin-4 and zotatifin. Both of these are currently used to treat multiple myeloma and seem to fight COVID-19 by binding to and inhibiting proteins in the cell that are needed for translation. Plitidepsin is a similar molecule to ternatin-4 and is currently undergoing a clinical trial to treat COVID-19. The second drug, zotatifin, hits a different protein involved in translation. We are working with the CEO of the company that produces it to get it into clinical trials as soon as possible. The coronavirus attacks human cells using dozens of devious tricks. narvikk/iStock Getty Images Plus via Getty Images Sigma receptors The second group of drugs we identified work in an entirely different way. Cell receptors are found both inside of and on the surface of all cells. They act like specialized switches. When a specific molecule binds to a specific receptor, this tells a cell to do a specific task. Viruses often use receptors to infect cells. Our original map identified two promising MV cell receptors for drug treatments, SigmaR1 and SigmaR2. Testing confirmed our suspicions. We identified seven drugs or molecules that interact with these receptors. Two antipsychotics, haloperidol and melperone, which are used to treat schizophrenia, showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Two potent antihistamines, clemastine and cloperastine, also displayed antiviral activity, as did the compound PB28 and the female hormone progesterone. Remember, all these interactions have so far only been observed in monkey cells in petri dishes. At this time we do not know exactly how the viral proteins manipulate the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. We think the virus uses these receptors to help make copies of itself, so decreasing their activity likely inhibits replication and reduces infection. Interestingly, a seventh compound – an ingredient commonly found in cough suppressants, called dextromethorphan – does the opposite: Its presence helps the virus. When our partners tested infected cells with this compound, the virus was able to replicate more easily, and more cells died. Laboratory testing is excellent at generating leads but clinical trials must be done to know if these findings translate to the real world. Quantitative Biosciences Institute, CC BY-ND This is potentially a very important finding, but, and I cannot stress this enough, more tests are needed to determine if cough syrup with this ingredient should be avoided by someone who has COVID-19. All these findings, while exciting, need to undergo clinical trials before the FDA or anyone else should conclude whether to take or stop taking any of these drugs in response to COVID-19. Neither people nor policymakers nor media outlets should panic and jump to conclusions. Another interesting thing to note is that hydroxychloroquine – the controversial drug that has shown mixed results in treating COVID-19 – also binds to the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. But based on our experiments in both labs, we do not think hydroxychloroquine binds to them efficiently. Researchers have long known that hydroxychloroquine easily binds to receptors in the heart and can cause damage. Because of these differences in binding tendencies, we don’t think hydroxychloroquine is a reliable treatment. Ongoing clinical trials should soon clarify these unknowns. Treatment sooner rather than later Our idea was that by better understanding how the coronavirus and human bodies interact, we could find treatments among the thousands of drugs and compounds that already exist. Our idea worked. We not only found multiple drugs that might fight SARS-CoV-2, we learned how and why. But that is not the only thing to be excited about. These same proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect and replicate in human cells and that are targeted by these drugs are also hijacked by related coronaviruses SARS-1 and MERS. So if any of these drugs do work, they will likely be effective against COVID-22, COVID-24 or any future iterations of COVID that may emerge. Are these promising leads going to have any effect? The next step is to test these drugs in human trials. We have already started this process and through these trials researchers will examine important factors such as dosage, toxicity and potential beneficial or harmful interactions within the context of COVID-19. – The Conversation | Rappler.com Nevan Krogan is a Professor and Director of Quantitative Biosciences Institute & Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, University of California, San Francisco. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
2 May 00:30 • Rappler • https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/life-health/259660-test-old-drugs-might-treat-coronavirus-promising-leadsRating: 1.64
Scientists Tested 47 Existing Drugs And Found Potential New Ways to Fight Coronavirus
The more researchers know about how the coronavirus attaches, invades and hijacks human cells, the more effective the search for drugs to fight it. That was the idea my colleagues and I hoped to be true when we began building a map of the coronavirus two months ago. The map shows all of the coronavirus proteins and all of the proteins found in the human body that those viral proteins could interact with. In theory, any intersection on the map between viral and human proteins is a place where drugs could fight the coronavirus. But instead of trying to develop new drugs to work on these points of interaction, we turned to the more than 2,000 unique drugs already approved by the FDA for human use. We believed that somewhere on this long list would be a few drugs or compounds that interact with the very same human proteins as the coronavirus. We were right. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, called the QCRG, identified 69 existing drugs and compounds with potential to treat COVID-19. A month ago, we began shipping boxes of these drugs off to Institut Pasteur in Paris and Mount Sinai in New York to see if they do in fact fight the coronavirus. In the last four weeks, we have tested 47 of these drugs and compounds in the lab against live coronavirus. I'm happy to report we've identified some strong treatment leads and identified two separate mechanisms for how these drugs affect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings were published on April 30 in the journal Nature. The map we developed and the FDA drug catalogue we screened it against showed that there were potential interactions between the virus, human cells and existing drugs or compounds. But we didn't know whether the drugs we identified would make a person more resistant to the virus, more susceptible or do anything at all. To find those answers we needed three things: the drugs, live virus and cells in which to test them. It would be optimal to test the drugs in infected human cells. However, scientists don't yet know which human cells work best for studying the coronavirus in the laboratory. Instead we used African green monkey cells, which are frequently used in place of human cells to test antiviral drugs. They can be readily infected with the coronavirus and respond to drugs very closely to the way human cells do. After infecting these monkey cells with live virus, our partners in Paris and New York added the drugs we identified to half and kept the other half as controls. They then measured the amount of virus in the samples and the number of cells that were alive. If the samples with drugs had a lower virus count and more cells alive compared to the control, that would suggest the drugs disrupt viral replication. The teams were also looking to see how toxic the drugs were to the cells. After sorting through the results of hundreds of experiments using 47 of the predicted drugs, it seems our interaction predictions were correct. Some of the drugs do in fact work to fight the coronavirus, while others make cells more susceptible to infection. It is incredibly important to remember that these are preliminary findings and have not been tested in people. No one should go out and buy these drugs. But the results are interesting for two reasons. Not only did we find individual drugs that look promising to fight the coronavirus or may make people more susceptible to it; we know, at a cellular level, why this is happening. We identified two groups of drugs that affect the virus and they do it two different ways, one of which has never been described. At a basic level, viruses spread by entering a cell, hijacking some of the cell's machinery and using it to make more copies of the virus. These new viruses then go on to infect other cells. One step of this process involves the cell making new viral proteins out of viral RNA. This is called translation. When going through the map, we noticed that several viral proteins interacted with human proteins involved in translation and a number of drugs interacted with these proteins. After testing them, we found two compounds that disrupt the translation of the virus. The two compounds are called ternatin-4 and zotatifin. Both of these are currently used to treat multiple myeloma and seem to fight COVID-19 by binding to and inhibiting proteins in the cell that are needed for translation. Plitidepsin is a similar molecule to ternatin-4 and is currently undergoing a clinical trial to treat COVID-19. The second drug, zotatifin, hits a different protein involved in translation. We are working with the CEO of the company that produces it to get it into clinical trials as soon as possible. The second group of drugs we identified work in an entirely different way. Cell receptors are found both inside of and on the surface of all cells. They act like specialized switches. When a specific molecule binds to a specific receptor, this tells a cell to do a specific task. Viruses often use receptors to infect cells. Our original map identified two promising MV cell receptors for drug treatments, SigmaR1 and SigmaR2. Testing confirmed our suspicions. We identified seven drugs or molecules that interact with these receptors. Two antipsychotics, haloperidol and melperone, which are used to treat schizophrenia, showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Two potent antihistamines, clemastine and cloperastine, also displayed antiviral activity, as did the compound PB28 and the female hormone progesterone. Remember, all these interactions have so far only been observed in monkey cells in petri dishes. At this time we do not know exactly how the viral proteins manipulate the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. We think the virus uses these receptors to help make copies of itself, so decreasing their activity likely inhibits replication and reduces infection. Interestingly, a seventh compound – an ingredient commonly found in cough suppressants, called dextromethorphan – does the opposite: Its presence helps the virus. When our partners tested infected cells with this compound, the virus was able to replicate more easily, and more cells died. This is potentially a very important finding, but, and I cannot stress this enough, more tests are needed to determine if cough syrup with this ingredient should be avoided by someone who has COVID-19. All these findings, while exciting, need to undergo clinical trials before the FDA or anyone else should conclude whether to take or stop taking any of these drugs in response to COVID-19. Neither people nor policymakers nor media outlets should panic and jump to conclusions. Another interesting thing to note is that hydroxychloroquine – the controversial drug that has shown mixed results in treating COVID-19 – also binds to the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. But based on our experiments in both labs, we do not think hydroxychloroquine binds to them efficiently. Researchers have long known that hydroxychloroquine easily binds to receptors in the heart and can cause damage. Because of these differences in binding tendencies, we don't think hydroxychloroquine is a reliable treatment. Ongoing clinical trials should soon clarify these unknowns. Our idea was that by better understanding how the coronavirus and human bodies interact, we could find treatments among the thousands of drugs and compounds that already exist. Our idea worked. We not only found multiple drugs that might fight SARS-CoV-2, we learned how and why. But that is not the only thing to be excited about. These same proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect and replicate in human cells and that are targeted by these drugs are also hijacked by related coronaviruses SARS-1 and MERS. So if any of these drugs do work, they will likely be effective against COVID-22, COVID-24 or any future iterations of COVID that may emerge. Are these promising leads going to have any effect? The next step is to test these drugs in human trials. We have already started this process and through these trials researchers will examine important factors such as dosage, toxicity and potential beneficial or harmful interactions within the context of COVID-19. [The Conversation's most important coronavirus headlines, weekly in a new science newsletter.] Nevan Krogan, Professor and Director of Quantitative Biosciences Institute & Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, University of California, San Francisco. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
2 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/there-are-nearly-50-already-approved-drugs-that-could-help-us-fight-covid-19Rating: 1.50
WHO: Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines to begin in Nigeria
2 May 11:58
•
3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.72
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 00:00
Average US: 0.5
Weighted average US: 1.0578225828090375
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
WHO: Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines to begin in Nigeria
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of the global solidarity trial of the vaccines being developed to combat COVID-19. Speaking on Friday at the joint national briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19, Fiona Braka, officer in charge, WHO Nigeria, said efforts are underway to start the process in the country. She said more than 100 countries have joined the solidarity clinical trial, which was launched by WHO and some partners, to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19. She said over 1,200 patients have been randomised from the first five countries to evaluate the “safety and efficacy of drug combinations”. Braka said a total of 89 vaccines are being developed globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials. She said the organisation is committed to ensuring that medicines and vaccines are shared equitably with all countries as they are being developed. “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria too,” Braka said. “Together with global health actors and partners, over the past week, WHO launched the access to COVID-19 tools ACT accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate development for equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. “We have a total of 89 vaccines that are in development globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics are in clinical trials. WHO is committed to ensuring that as medicines and vaccines are developed, they are shared equitably with all countries and people. “We do have the solidarity trial which is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the WHO and partners. More than 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial and to date, over 1,200 patients have been randomized from the first five countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of full drug and drug combinations.” As of Friday, 2,170 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Nigeria. There is no cure or vaccine yet for the disease.
2 May 11:58 • TheCable • https://www.thecable.ng/who-clinical-trials-of-covid-19-vaccines-to-begin-in-nigeriaRating: 0.30
COVID-19 vaccines: Nigeria to join WHO solidarity trial
- More than 100 countries have joined the global solidarity trial of the vaccines being developed to combat COVID-19 - WHO says Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trials - The organisation said it was working with health actors and partners around the globe to develop effective vaccines to combat the COVID-19 infection as soon as possible - PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Nigeria has indicated interest to be part of the global solidarity trial of the vaccines being developed to combat COVID-19, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Speaking at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, officer in charge, WHO Nigeria, Dr. Fiona Braka, said efforts are underway to start the process in the country, The Cable reports. Hope rises as German company begins human trials of coronavirus vaccine According to her, over a hundred countries have joined the solidarity clinical trial, launched by WHO and some partners, to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19. She said: "More than 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial. Till date, over 1,200 patients have been randomised from the first five countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug combinations. “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria too." Braka noted that a total of 89 vaccines are being developed globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials. "WHO is committed to ensuring that as medicines and vaccines are developed, they are shared equitably with all countries and people," she added. According to The Nation report, Braka disclosed that the process for the certification of vaccines is a very rigorous and thorough process because they have to ensure that products that are approved for use meet the safety requirements. EU supports United Nations with lifesaving assistance to fight COVID-19 in Nigeria PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app “It usually takes years to produce a vaccine but the emergency process currently ongoing is really aiming to get a vaccine out as soon as possible for the protection of people," she added. WHO had earlier announced that 102 potential COVID-19 vaccines are currently being developed around the world. Legit.ng reported that documents posted on the organisation’s website on Thursday, April 30, indicated that eight of the potential vaccines have been approved for clinical trial. There is no cure or vaccine yet to treat COVID-19 which is causing much havoc around the world. WHO has also there is no proof of a cure for Covid-19, warning against the widespread use of untested remedies. As of Friday, May 1, Nigeria has 2,170 confirmed cases of COVID-19. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Coronavirus: WHO reacts to claims of approved COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria Coronavirus: 20% of people who came here tested positive - MoH | Legit TV
2 May 14:33 • Legit • https://www.legit.ng/1326229-covid-19-vaccines-nigeria-join-who-solidarity-trial.htmlRating: 0.30
WHO To Commence Clinical Trial Of COVID-19 Vaccines In Nigeria
The World Health Organisation has said that Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of the global solidarity trial of the vaccines being developed to tackle COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking during the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Fiona Braka, Officer in Charge, WHO Nigeria, said efforts are underway to start the process in the country. She also said that 89 vaccines were being developed globally including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria too. “Together with global health actors and partners, over the past week, WHO launched the access to COVID-19 tools ACT accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate development for equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. “We have a total of 89 vaccines that are in development globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics are in clinical trials. WHO is committed to ensuring that as medicines and vaccines are developed, they are shared equitably with all countries and people. “We do have the solidarity trial which is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the WHO and partners. "More than 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial and to date, over 1,200 patients have been randomized from the first five countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of full drug and drug combinations.”
2 May 00:00 • Sahara Reporters • http://saharareporters.com/2020/05/02/who-commence-clinical-trial-covid-19-vaccines-nigeriaRating: 1.44
Dead Star's Signal May Finally Help Learn the Origins of Fast Radio Bursts, Scientists Say
3 May 15:05
•
2 articles
Weight: 2.06
Importance: 2.06
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 15:00
Average US: 3.3499999999999996
Weighted average US: 2.1041840941036996
Average GB: 29.4
Weighted average GB: 4.140008528723285
Average IN: 3.3
Weighted average IN: 3.2140816616623242
Dead Star's Signal May Finally Help Learn the Origins of Fast Radio Bursts, Scientists Say
While so called fast radio bursts (FRB) are hardly a novelty, with the first such signal being picked up by scientists back in 2007, it appears that for the first time, one such burst was recently detected originating from a celestial body in our very galaxy, Science Alert reports. The signal in question, emanated by magnetar SGR 1935+2154, which is located about 30,000 light years away from our planet, was picked up by observatories on Earth on 28 April. And according to the media outlet, while "work on this event is very preliminary", as astronomers still strive to analyze the data they've obtained, this discovery may finally help solve the mystery of the origins of such signals, as other theories also suggest supernovas and extraterrestrials as possible sources. Astronomers were also able to detect "the X-ray counterpart" to the signal, with astrophysicist Sandro Mereghetti of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy noting that this is "a very intriguing result and supports the association between FRBs and magnetars". The media outlet points out, however, that even if the SGR 1935+2154 signal confirms the magnetar origin of FRBs, which remains to be seen, it won't mean that magnetars are the only source of such signals.
3 May 15:05 • Sputniknews • https://sputniknews.com/science/202005031079182999-dead-stars-signal-may-finally-help-us-to-learn-the-origins-of-fast-radio-bursts-scientists-say/Rating: 3.96
Telescopes Around the World Pick Up Fast Radio Burst Coming From Our Own Galaxy
Astronomers just spotted an extremely bright burst of radio waves emanating from within our own galaxy. The surprising observation could help us understand the mystery behind these enigmatic emissions, known as fast radio bursts. Telescopes around the world are sharing data on electromagnetic radiation coming from the direction of a highly magnetic neutron star, called magnetar SGR 1935+2154. These observations, first reported by ScienceAlert, represent the first such radio blast on record originating from within our own galaxy – though scientists aren’t ready to decisively consider the event a fast radio burst like the ones that have been documented coming from other galaxies. Fast radio bursts are exactly what they sound like: short, strong bursts of radio waves that we measure here on Earth, always originating from outside the Milky Way. Scientists spotted the first FRB with the Parkes radio telescope in 2001 and have found many more since then, including ones that repeat. Given that these bursts come from distant galaxies, it’s been hard to pin down what causes them, though magnetars like SGR 1935+2154 have been considered the most likely culprit. Telescopes including the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) first noticed that SGR 1935+2154 was getting more active on April 27, emitting more x-rays and gamma rays. “After a few hours, there was suddenly a very large number of bright bursts, and we saw what’s typically known as a forest of bursts,” Jamie Kennea, research professor at Pennsylvania State University who works on Swift, told Gizmodo. “They’re coming so rapidly and close together that they become almost indistinguishable from one another.” Then came the flash: a burst of radio waves struck the CHIME telescope in Canada. They were outside the direct line of sight of CHIME, but the telescope saw them anyway. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project (CHIME/FRB) is a radio telescope in southern British Columbia consisting of four half-cylinder antennae that scan the sky 1,000 times per second in search of these bursts. It’s already seen a whole lot of them, but the burst from SGR 1935+2154 was something special. “It was so bright that we saw it from the corner of our eyes, so to speak,” postdoctoral fellow Shriharsh Tendulkar at McGill University told Gizmodo. They felt that they had to get news of the detection out to the community quickly, while the source was active. The texts and Slack messages came in torrents, other telescopes starting looking at the source, and soon x-ray telescopes, gamma-ray telescopes, and other radio telescopes began to pick up evidence of the signal. Researchers posted their observations on the Astronomer’s Telegram. Scientists are now working to understand whether or not they’ve truly spotted a fast radio burst originating inside our own galaxy. Tendulkar explained to Gizmodo that the burst would have fallen in the possible range of fast radio burst energies, though on the lower end; it would have looked faint from outside the Milky Way. They must also better calculate the distance to SGR 1935+2154 and the actual strength of the signal. “I think it’s worth still being cautious when claiming that magnetars can certainly exhibit FRB-type luminosities, but this event is certainly encouraging,” Victoria Kaspi, professor of physics at McGill University, told Gizmodo in an email. And if it was a fast radio burst, this event still wouldn’t confirm that magnetars account for all fast radio bursts. Magnetars have long been a leading candidate to explain these bursts. Atronomers think that these objects’ incredible magnetic fields can induce star-quakes, events that occasionally repeat and release bursts of gamma rays and x-rays. But astronomers didn’t see bursts of radio waves from these objects until now. This observation further strengthens the case to continue looking for bright flashes from magnetars. Tendulkar told Gizmodo that it’s just a matter of continuing observations to try to find another flash like this one. He also noted that other radio telescopes need to ensure they’re not throwing away bright flashes like this, since others might discard especially bright radio signals as Earthly interference. If you were hoping that aliens were behind fast radio bursts, fear not! This observation doesn’t rule out aliens just yet. Illustration: ESO/L.Calçada.
3 May 15:00 • Gizmodo UK • https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/05/telescopes-around-the-world-pick-up-fast-radio-burst-coming-from-our-own-galaxy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uk%2Fgizmodo+%28Gizmodo+UK%29&hl=enRating: 0.30
Not So Deadly After All? New Study Challenges Impact of Infamous Justinianic Plague Pandemic
3 May 16:34
•
2 articles
Weight: 1.98
Importance: 1.98
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:34
Average US: 16.6
Weighted average US: 9.176899600991698
Average GB: 1.75
Weighted average GB: 0.8662975715466306
Average IN: 8.4
Weighted average IN: 5.774141355452845
Not So Deadly After All? New Study Challenges Impact of Infamous Justinianic Plague Pandemic
The researchers suggested that given the diversity of factors like climate and population density in different corners of the empire, the plague couldn't have affected all areas of the Mediterranean in the same way. While medical researchers and doctors continue their battle against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a group of scientists have turned their attention towards a certain infamous plague epidemic that ravaged the Mediterranean during the 6th century – the Plague of Justinian. According to phys.org, researchers Lauren White and Lee Mordechai of the University of Maryland's National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) have challenged the assumption that the plague in question wiped out nearly half of the population of the Eastern Roman Empire, using the "novel mathematical models" they've developed to re-examine the sources from that time. The researchers also question the existing assumption that the plague affected all areas of the Mediterranean in the same way, with White and Mordechai arguing that the diversity of factors like climate and population density in different corners of the empire would've made such scenario rather unlikely. The study, titled "Modeling the Justinianic Plague: Comparing hypothesized transmission routes", was published in PLOS One scientific journal.
3 May 16:34 • Sputniknews • https://sputniknews.com/science/202005031079183890-not-so-deadly-after-all-new-study-challenges-impact-of-infamous-justinianic-plague-pandemic/Rating: 3.96
New call to examine old narratives: Infectious disease modeling study casts doubt on the Justinianic Plague's impact
Many have claimed the Justinianic Plague (c. 541-750 CE) killed half of the population of Roman Empire. Now, historical research and mathematical modeling challenge the death rate and severity of this first plague pandemic. Researchers Lauren White, Ph.D. and Lee Mordechai, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland's National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), examined the impacts of the Justinianic Plague with mathematical modeling. Using modern plague research as their basis, the two developed novel mathematical models to re-examine primary sources from the time of the Justinianic Plague outbreak. From the modeling, they found that it was unlikely that any transmission route of the plague would have had both the mortality rate and duration described in the primary sources. Their findings appear in a paper titled "Modeling the Justinianic Plague: Comparing hypothesized transmission routes" in PLOS ONE. "This is the first time, to our knowledge, that a robust mathematical modeling approach has been used to investigate the Justinianic Plague," said lead author Lauren White, Ph.D., a quantitative disease ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at SESYNC. "Given that there is very little quantitative information in the primary sources for the Justinianic Plague, this was an exciting opportunity to think creatively about how we could combine present-day knowledge of plague's etiology with descriptions from the historical texts." White and Mordechai focused their efforts on the city of Constantinople, capital of the Roman Empire, which had a comparatively well-described outbreak in 542 CE. Some primary sources claim plague killed up to 300,000 people in the city, which had a population of some 500,000 people at the time. Other sources suggest the plague killed half the empire's population. Until recently, many scholars accepted this image of mass death. By comparing bubonic, pneumonic, and combined transmission routes, the authors showed that no single transmission route precisely mimicked the outbreak dynamics described in these primary sources. Existing literature often assumes that the Justinianic Plague affected all areas of the Mediterranean in the same way. The new findings from this paper suggest that given the variation in ecological and social patterns across the region (e.g., climate, population density), it is unlikely that a plague outbreak would have impacted all corners of the diverse empire equally. "Our results strongly suggest that the effects of the Justinianic Plague varied considerably between different urban areas in late antiquity," said co-author Lee Mordechai, an environmental historian and a postdoctoral fellow at SESYNC when he wrote the paper. He is now a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and co-lead of Princeton's Climate Change and History Research Initiative (CCHRI). He said, "This paper is part of a series of publications in recent years that casts doubt on the traditional interpretation of plague using new methodologies. It's an exciting time to do this kind of interdisciplinary research!" Using an approach called global sensitivity analysis, White and Mordechai were able to explore the importance of any given model parameter in dictating simulated disease outcomes. They found that several understudied parameters are also very important in determining model results. White explained, "One example was the transmission rate from fleas to humans. Although the analysis described this as an important parameter, there hasn't been enough research to validate a plausible range for that parameter." These high importance variables with minimal information also point to future directions for empirical data collection. "Working with mathematical models of disease was an insightful process for me as a historian," reflected Mordechai. "It allowed us to examine traditional historical arguments with a powerful new lens." Together, with other recent work from Mordechai, this study is another call to examine the primary sources and narratives surrounding the Justinianic Plague more critically. More information: Lauren A. White et al, Modeling the Justinianic Plague: Comparing hypothesized transmission routes, PLOS ONE (2020). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231256 Journal information:PLoS ONE Provided by University of Maryland
2 May 12:23 • phys.org • https://phys.org/news/2020-05-narratives-infectious-disease-justinianic-plague.htmlRating: 1.30
UAE researchers monitor SARS-CoV-2 levels in municipal sewage in mass test
3 May 18:57
•
2 articles
Weight: 1.46
Importance: 1.61
Age penalty: 0.91
Best date: 3 May 09:26
Average US: 1.3
Weighted average US: 2.37805154620038
Average GB: 0.15
Weighted average GB: 0.27439056302312076
Average IN: 8.5
Weighted average IN: 15.548798571310178
UAE researchers monitor SARS-CoV-2 levels in municipal sewage in mass test
ABU DHABI — Khalifa University of Science and Technology announced Sunday that researchers from its Centre for Biotechnology and the Centre for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology, in collaboration with other stakeholders, are working on a project for the monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in municipal wastewater, as a method for the early detection and to track the spread of COVID-19 among the general population.Studies indicate that people infected with SARS-CoV-2, including asymptomatic individuals, shed the virus through human waste. Since the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater should mirror the number of detected infections among the population, testing a municipal wastewater sample will be tantamount to essentially testing everyone who has contributed to that sample in other words, this is a method of mass testing.The experiments have been successful, demonstrating Khalifa University’s preparedness in supporting the country’s measures to fight COVID-19 through the monitoring of the virus in wastewater."Thanks to the wise leadership, the UAE has always supported scientific research activities meeting global standards at Khalifa University, in order to achieve the most innovative solutions, while initiating appropriate measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.“Through this research, Khalifa University aims to establish a monitoring system for COVID-19 in municipal wastewater streams, linking it with simulation models developed for predicting and controlling the spread of the pandemic, together with the health authorities," said Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, executive vice-president, Khalifa University.The project is led by Dr. Ahmed Yousef, assistant professor, chemistry; Dr. Shadi Hasan, associate professor, chemical engineering, and Dr. Habiba Alsafar, acting associate dean for student affairs, college of medicine and health sciences, associate professor at the department of genetics and molecular biology, and director of Khalifa University Centre for Biotechnology. Dr. Alfaro Lopes, expert in toxicology and epidemiology in wastewater, is also collaborating with them.Once further studies assess the levels of SARS-CoV-2 found in the fecal samples of COVID-19 patients, scientists will be able to construct a model that estimates the total number of symptomatic and asymptomatic people, based on levels found in wastewater. — WAM
3 May 18:57 • Saudi Gazette • https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/592650/World/Mena/UAE-researchers-monitor-SARS-CoV-2-levels-in-municipal-sewage-in-mass-testRating: 0.30
Coronavirus: Khalifa University researchers studying virus load from Abu Dhabi wastewater
Abu Dhabi: Estimating the spread of the novel coronavirus in any population has so far proved a challenge, given that many individuals who contract the virus remain asymptomatic or untested. To get a better understanding of the spread of the virus, researchers at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology have launched a project to estimate the level of the virus in municipal wastewater. A statement by the university today (May 3) said the project will help surveil the viral load in municipal wastewater as a method for early detection, and for tracking the spread of the coronavirus in the general population. Studies have so far indicated that people infected with the coronavirus, including asymptomatic individuals, shed the virus through human waste. “Since the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater should mirror the number of detected infections in the population, testing a municipal wastewater sample will be tantamount to essentially testing everyone who has contributed to that sample - in other words a way of mass testing,” the university’s statement said. Through this research, Khalifa University aims to establish a surveillance system for COVID-19 in municipal wastewater streams, linking it with simulation models developed for predicting and controlling the spread of the pandemic, together with the health authorities,” said Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, executive vice-president at the University. The project is led by Dr Ahmed Yousef, assistant professor for Chemistry, Dr Shadi Hasan, associate professor for Chemical Engineering, and Dr Habiba Alsafar, acting associate dean for student affairs at the University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr Alsafar is also the associate professor at the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, and director of the Center for Biotechnology. Once further studies assess the levels of coronavirus found in COVID-19 patient fecal samples, scientists will be able to construct a model that estimates the total number of symptomatic and asymptomatic people in the population based on wastewater levels. Similar studies to estimate coronavirus load in wastewater are also being undertaken around the world, and results have already been published by authorities in Netherlands and Paris. However, these papers have not yet been vetted and approved by the wider scientific community as a viable method for estimating the spread of the virus in the general populatioon.
3 May 09:26 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/uae/coronavirus-khalifa-university-researchers-studying-virus-load-from-abu-dhabi-wastewater-1.71302703Rating: 3.21
World Health Organisation insists coronavirus not man-made after Donald Trump's claims
3 May 18:19
•
2 articles
Weight: 1.20
Importance: 1.20
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:19
Average US: 14.8
Weighted average US: 18.011484435595637
Average GB: 37.7
Weighted average GB: 21.119778030180655
Average IN: 6.199999999999999
Weighted average IN: 7.245599583682299
World Health Organisation insists coronavirus not man-made after Donald Trump's claims
The World Health Organization (WHO) has denied Donald Trump's claims that the coronavirus was created in a laboratory. Last month, the US President suggested the disease orginated was manmade in China. When asked if he had seen anything to suggest Covid-19 was created in a laboratory, Trump replied: "Yes, I have. Yes, I have. "And I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves because they're like the public relations agency for China." But, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19 dismissed Trump's claims, stating coronavirus comes from bats. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, she said: "Coronaviruses normally circulate in animals and many coronaviruses are circulating in bats. "Most emerging pathogens, viruses, come from an animal reservoir. Everything that we have seen about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19 or Sars-CoV-2, of the tens of thousands of sequences that are available, full genome sequences and partial sequences, compared to other coronavirus sequences that are available, this is of a natural origin. "And it originally comes from bats because the coronaviruses come from bats. What we need to do is really understand what we call the intermediate host - what is the animal that was infected from bats that potentially infected humans? "It's important that we know this because from a public health point of view, it's very important that we find the animal host so that we prevent this, (what) we call spillover from transmission from an animal to a human, we prevent that spillover from happening again." Dr Van Kerkhove added that all countries must remain "on alert" over the possibility of further transmission of coronavirus. When asked if a second wave of infection could be likely in countries that have started to ease their lockdowns, Ms Van Kerkhove said: "It's certainly possible. What we're seeing in a number of countries that have been successful in suppressing transmission is that many more people remain susceptible." She added: "All countries must remain on alert for the possibility of additional transmission even if they have been successful in suppressing transmission in the first round." Following comments by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that face masks will be "useful" as part of measures to come out of lockdown, Dr Van Kerkhove said that masks are recommended for those who are feeling unwell. She said: "We do recommend the use of masks for people who are feeling unwell, but masks alone will not solve the problem, they cannot solve the problem, and especially if you're thinking about lockdowns and you're thinking of lifting lockdowns. "There has to be a number of measures that have to be put in place before lockdowns can be released and it must be done in a slow and staggered approach." Asked about the longer-term health impact of the virus, Dr Van Kerkhove said: "The majority of people who are infected with Covid-19 will make a full recovery. "But there will be some people that may have some longer term effects. It affects the lungs, it affects the body in different ways and so we may see some damage to the lungs. "We need to follow individuals over time. We're in our fourth month of this pandemic so it's very, very early days."
3 May 18:19 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/who-insists-coronavirus-not-start-21967722Rating: 2.39
WHO denies Donald Trump's claims coronavirus was created in Chinese labratory
The WHO has denied President Donald Trump 's claims that coronavirus was created in a Chinese labratory. The US President told a White House media event that the disease was man-made and he had seen evidence. When asked if he had seen anything to suggest Covid-19 was created in a laboratory, Trump replied: "Yes, I have. Yes, I have. "And I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves because they're like the public relations agency for China." But, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19 dismissed Trump's claims, stating coronavirus comes from bats, the Mirror reports. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, she said: "Coronaviruses normally circulate in animals and many coronaviruses are circulating in bats. "Most emerging pathogens, viruses, come from an animal reservoir. Everything that we have seen about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19 or Sars-CoV-2, of the tens of thousands of sequences that are available, full genome sequences and partial sequences, compared to other coronavirus sequences that are available, this is of a natural origin. "And it originally comes from bats because the coronaviruses come from bats. What we need to do is really understand what we call the intermediate host - what is the animal that was infected from bats that potentially infected humans? "It's important that we know this because from a public health point of view, it's very important that we find the animal host so that we prevent this, (what) we call spillover from transmission from an animal to a human, we prevent that spillover from happening again." Dr Van Kerkhove added that all countries must remain "on alert" over the possibility of further transmission of coronavirus. When asked if a second wave of infection could be likely in countries that have started to ease their lockdowns, Ms Van Kerkhove said: "It's certainly possible. What we're seeing in a number of countries that have been successful in suppressing transmission is that many more people remain susceptible." She added: "All countries must remain on alert for the possibility of additional transmission even if they have been successful in suppressing transmission in the first round." Following comments by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that face masks will be "useful" as part of measures to come out of lockdown, Dr Van Kerkhove said that masks are recommended for those who are feeling unwell. She said: "We do recommend the use of masks for people who are feeling unwell, but masks alone will not solve the problem, they cannot solve the problem, and especially if you're thinking about lockdowns and you're thinking of lifting lockdowns. "There has to be a number of measures that have to be put in place before lockdowns can be released and it must be done in a slow and staggered approach." Asked about the longer-term health impact of the virus, Dr Van Kerkhove said: "The majority of people who are infected with Covid-19 will make a full recovery. "But there will be some people that may have some longer term effects. It affects the lungs, it affects the body in different ways and so we may see some damage to the lungs. "We need to follow individuals over time. We're in our fourth month of this pandemic so it's very, very early days."
3 May 22:01 • dailyrecord • https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/who-denies-donald-trumps-claims-21968530Rating: 0.35
Tripura doctor develops PPE face shield costing Rs 40 amid coronavirus pandemic
3 May 20:03
•
2 articles
Weight: 1.12
Importance: 1.12
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 20:03
Average US: 2.05
Weighted average US: 3.616867736353664
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 43.9
Weighted average IN: 77.45389932971993
Tripura doctor develops PPE face shield costing Rs 40 amid coronavirus pandemic
A doctor from Tripura has developed a PPE face shield costing only Rs 40, to protect frontline medical personnel from contracting COVID-19 while treating patients. A face shield is a protective gear with a transparent visor attached to a headband. It protects the wearer from coming in contact with respiratory droplets through which, according to the World Health Organisation, the novel coronavirus spreads. Dr Arkadipta Choudhury, an assistant professor at the Tripura Medical College (TMC), said that he developed the face shield, 'Stopdrop', using readily available inexpensive materials. With the coronavirus outbreak affecting delivery of products, Dr Choudhury made the face shield using compressed polyester, inexpensive straps and visors. Follow DH Coronavirus page for all the latest updates The medical institution he is employed in, procured 300 pieces of 'Stradrop' after rigorously testing the product and placed an order for 2,000 more units at the rate of Rs 40 per piece. "The manufacturing cost of a face shield used in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is only Rs 20-25, but is sold in the range of Rs 250 to Rs 499 in pharmacies and online retail platforms," the 31-year-old medical practitioner told PTI. "According to the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health, PPE kits, including face shields, are given only to personnel treating confirmed COVID-19 patients. However, with the number of asymptomatic patients on the rise, the medical personnel are at a higher risk of contracting the disease," he said. For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here His products are already in use in the ENT, ophthalmology and gastroenterology departments and at the OPD of the hospital. "The virus we are dealing with is a respiratory one which enters the body through mouth or nose. So, I helped the medical personnel cover their faces," he said. Dr Arindam Dutta, Medical Superintendent of the hospital and chairman of the institution's COVID-19 task force, said, "We are using the face shields at our hospital. Doctors are very happy and find them very handy. Dr Choudhury has also made slight modifications to the face shields as per the requirements of various departments." ENT Department head Dr Prabir Saha said Dr Choudhury's face shield effectively prevents medical personnel from coming in contact with respiratory droplets. "When a medical personnel collects samples from a patient's mouth, he or she is at risk of contracting the disease. Dr Choudhury's face shield is very useful as PPE is issued only to personnel dealing with confirmed COVID-19 patients," he said. Dr Shivasekhar Dutta, a professor of preventive medicine at the hospital, said 'Stopdrop' is entirely Dr Choudhury's brainchild. "The device can also be useful for police personnel and journalists. We will approach the trademark office in Kolkata to get a design approval for starting commercial production," Dr Choudhury said.
3 May 20:03 • Deccan Herald • https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/tripura-doctor-develops-ppe-face-shield-costing-rs-40-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-833115.htmlRating: 2.25
COVID-19: Tripura doctor develops PPE face shield costing only Rs 40
A doctor from Tripura has developed a PPE face shield costing only Rs 40, to protect frontline medical personnel from contracting COVID-19 while treating patients. A face shield is a protective gear with a transparent visor attached to a headband. It protects the wearer from coming in contact with respiratory droplets through which, according to the World Health Organisation, the novel coronavirus spreads. Dr Arkadipta Choudhury, an assistant professor at the Tripura Medical College (TMC), said that he developed the face shield, 'Stopdrop', using readily available inexpensive materials. With the coronavirus outbreak affecting delivery of products, Dr Choudhury made the face shield using compressed polyester, inexpensive straps and visors. The medical institution he is employed in, procured 300 pieces of 'Stradrop' after rigorously testing the product and placed an order for 2,000 more units at the rate of Rs 40 per piece. "The manufacturing cost of a face shield used in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is only Rs 20-25, but is sold in the range of Rs 250 to Rs 499 in pharmacies and online retail platforms," the 31-year-old medical practitioner told PTI. "According to the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health, PPE kits, including face shields, are given only to personnel treating confirmed COVID-19 patients. However, with the number of asymptomatic patients on the rise, the medical personnel are at a higher risk of contracting the disease," he said. His products are already in use in the ENT, ophthalmology and gastroenterology departments and at the OPD of the hospital. "The virus we are dealing with is a respiratory one which enters the body through mouth or nose. So, I helped the medical personnel cover their faces," he said. Dr Arindam Dutta, Medical Superintendent of the hospital and chairman of the institution's COVID-19 task force, said, "We are using the face shields at our hospital. Doctors are very happy and find them very handy. Dr Choudhury has also made slight modifications to the face shields as per the requirements of various departments." ENT Department head Dr Prabir Saha said Dr Choudhury's face shield effectively prevents medical personnel from coming in contact with respiratory droplets. "When a medical personnel collects samples from a patient's mouth, he or she is at risk of contracting the disease. Dr Choudhury's face shield is very useful as PPE is issued only to personnel dealing with confirmed COVID-19 patients," he said. Dr Shivasekhar Dutta, a professor of preventive medicine at the hospital, said 'Stopdrop' is entirely Dr Choudhury's brainchild. "The device can also be useful for police personnel and journalists. We will approach the trademark office in Kolkata to get a design approval for starting commercial production," Dr Choudhury said.Moneycontrol Ready ReckonerNow that payment deadlines have been relaxed due to COVID-19, the Moneycontrol Ready Reckoner will help keep your date with insurance premiums, tax-saving investments and EMIs, among others.Download a copy
3 May 00:00 • Moneycontrol • https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/coronavirus/covid-19-tripura-doctor-develops-ppe-face-shield-costing-only-rs-40-5217061.htmlRating: 0.30
Moderna Covid Drug Production Deal, And Other News: The Good, Bad And Ugly Of Biopharma
3 May 09:02
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.92
Importance: 0.97
Age penalty: 0.95
Best date: 3 May 10:00
Average US: 1.75
Weighted average US: 3.0328383156075236
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 44.9
Weighted average IN: 77.81396592615874
Moderna Covid Drug Production Deal, And Other News: The Good, Bad And Ugly Of Biopharma
Summary Moderna Boosts Production with Lonza Deal Moderna Therapeutics (MRNA) announced its new collaboration with Lonza for boosting its production capacity for mRNA 1273. The company had recently struck a deal with the federal government to focus on developing COVID 19 vaccine candidate. The company stands to receive $483 million from BARDA for accelerating the development of the vaccine. Moderna dosed the first patient under its Phase I clinical trial in March. Under the latest deal with the Swiss firm, Moderna will be able to use Lonza manufacturing facilities in the United States and Switzerland. It is expected that the technology transfer may be started in June while the batch production in the United States may begin in July. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said, “This long-term strategic collaboration agreement will enable Moderna to accelerate, by 10 times, our manufacturing capacity for mRNA-1273 and additional products in Moderna’s large clinical portfolio. Lonza’s global presence and expertise are critical as we scale at unprecedented speed." The agreed longevity of the deal is 10 years and will involve creations of manufacturing suites at various Lonza manufacturing sites. Moderna also recently announced that it has submitted with the FDA its plan to start Phase 2 and later stage trials of the vaccine candidate. The company has received early feedback for its Phase 2 study design. It is anticipated that the dosing for Phase 2 may start during the second quarter. The company is looking to enroll 600 healthy subjects for assessing the safety and efficacy of the shot with doses administered 28 days apart. Currently, there are a number of pharma companies in the race to produce vaccine for fight against COVID 19. In response to the latest deal, Lonza chairman and CEO ad interim Albert Baehny said, “The current pandemic illustrates the need to combine the best science with resilient supply chains that can scale. We are fully committed to leveraging our global network and experience in manufacturing technologies to support Moderna’s manufacture of mRNA-1273 as well as collaborating on future Moderna products.” Moderna’s collaboration with US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) involves development of mRNA 1273, which is an mRNA vaccine that encodes for a prefusion stabilized form of the Spike (NYSE:S) protein. BARDA is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services and its funding will support late stage clinical development programs for the vaccine. In order to scale up, Moderna anticipates to hire up to 150 new employees, including engineers, clinical staff and manufacturing staff. The company’s new tie up with Lonza is expected to allow the manufacturing of up to a billion doses per year. Lonza is based out of Basel in Switzerland. Marker Receives Orphan Drug Designation for AML Drug Candidate Marker Therapeutics (MRKR) announced that the FDA has granted Orphan Drug designation to its acute myeloid leukemia drug candidate MT 401. The orphan drug candidate offers several benefits such as tax credits for qualified clinical trials and 7 years of market exclusivity if the drug candidate is approved. The FDA generally grants this tag to novel biologics and drugs aiming to provide safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. MT 401 is a multi-tumor associated antigen-specific T cell based product developed for treating AML following allogeneic stem cell transplant. The company CEO and President Peter Hoang said, “In investigator-sponsored trials, our MultiTAA-specific T cell product candidate was well-tolerated and we have observed clinical benefit across various liquid and solid tumors, suggesting the product candidate's ability to induce a patient's own T cells to expand for a more durable anti-tumor effect.” The drug candidate has been given the tag for treating hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. Marker Therapeutics reported that it is planning to start its Phase 2 study in subjects with post allegeneic stem cell transplant AML. T cells are obtained from healthy donors and are made to undergo a two-step cell culture process. The process leads to creation of CD4 and CD8 cell mixture which is able to identify multiple tumor specific antigens. Marker Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on developing next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for treating hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. The company’s technology relies upon selective expansion of non-engineered, tumor-specific T cells that recognize tumor associated antigens and kill tumor cells expressing those targets. However, Marker does not genetically engineer its T Cell therapies and therefore its drug candidates are expected to be less expensive to manufacture. Jazz Pharmaceuticals Draws Blank on Phase 3 Clinical Trial Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc (JAZZ) reported that it has halted the enrolment in its Phase 3 clinical study of defibrotide. The company stated that the decision was taken on the recommendation of an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) which opined that the study is highly unlikely to produce statistical significance for the primary endpoint of VOD-free survival at Day +30 post-HSCT in the final analysis. Jazz Pharmaceuticals further stated that the IDMC reached the said recommendation after completing pre-planned interim analysis of the initial 280 patients and where the protocol-specified futility criteria were met. Robert Iannone, M.D., M.S.C.E., executive vice president, research and development of Jazz Pharmaceuticals said, "While enrollment has been discontinued, the trial will run to completion through the follow-up of the more than 370 patients enrolled. VOD is a rapidly progressive and devastating condition that can develop following stem-cell transplantation. As the only approved treatment with demonstrated efficacy based on survival at 100 days after HSCT, defibrotide is an important medicine for this patient population." The company has notified relevant authorities about the decision of discontinuance. The company stated that the patients already enrolled in the study may be allowed to continue participation if deemed appropriate after further investigation. The relevant Phase 3 was not intended to further assess defibrotide for the treatment of VOD and does not impact the approved indication or other ongoing clinical studies. The Phase 3 study was a randomized, open-label, multi-center trial with an adaptive design. The main aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of defibrotide versus best supportive care in the prevention of hepatic VOD. Jazz Pharmaceuticals mainly aims to develop medicines for critical diseases with limited treatment options. The main focus of the company is on neuroscience and oncology including movement disorders, sleep medicine and hematologic tumors. Thanks for reading. At the Total Pharma Tracker, we do more than follow biotech news. Using our IOMachine, our team of analysts work to be ahead of the curve. That means that when the catalyst comes that will make or break a stock, we’ve positioned ourselves for success. And we share that positioning and all the analysis behind it with our members. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
3 May 09:02 • Seeking Alpha • https://seekingalpha.com/article/4342415-moderna-covid-drug-production-deal-and-news-good-bad-and-ugly-of-biopharma?source=feed_all_articlesRating: 0.30
Vaccine leader Moderna Inc. signs deal for 1 billion Covid-19 doses a year
London: Moderna Inc., one of the leaders among U.S. companies developing experimental vaccines against the coronavirus, entered a pact with Lonza Group AG aimed at manufacturing 1 billion doses a year. The companies announced a global agreement under which the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical company will ramp up output of the proposed vaccine, which is based on a novel technology that relies on genetic material called mRNA. They expect the first batches to be produced in the U.S. in July. The agreement is one of several partnerships being struck between drugmakers as they rush to bring protection against Covid-19 to the market. On Thursday, AstraZeneca Plc announced an agreement to make an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, eyeing production capacity for 100 million doses by the end of the year. Because prospects for drugs to treat Covid-19 remain uncertain, rolling out vaccines on a widespread scale could be key to reopening economies from lockdowns. Otherwise new waves of infections could emerge, potentially on a seasonal pattern like the flu. If Moderna and Lonza reach their target of 1 billion doses a year, that would be enough for more than one-eighth of the world’s population. With dozens of projects under way around the world, the Trump administration wants to make shots available for Americans by the end of 2020. Richard Hatchett, head of the Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, has said cooperation between drugmakers could accelerate the process of bringing out a vaccine, which normally would take a year or more. Also read:Defeating Covid doesn’t just need a vaccine, but also rich countries to not monopolise it Moderna’s experimental shot induces the body’s own cells to make virus-like proteins that stimulate an immune response and prepare for an actual infection. It was one of the first proposed coronavirus vaccines to enter human trials. The company said it plans to begin the next phase of studies this quarter. Shares of Moderna, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have more than doubled since the start of the year as its studies of its vaccine candidate have advanced. In premarket trading Friday, they rose 3%. The pact with Lonza will enable a tenfold increase in manufacturing, which Moderna has already begun, according to a statement. The smaller players in the race won’t be able to produce a vaccine in large quantities on their own. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc., another U.S. biotech company in the first stage of testing an experimental vaccine, said Thursday that it agreed to expand a manufacturing collaboration with Germany’s Richter-Helm Biologics. A partnership between Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline Plc announced last month brought together a pair of pharmaceutical giants with manufacturing might. Sanofi will test its experimental coronavirus vaccine with Glaxo supplying so-called adjuvants, additional ingredients that improve efficacy and make it easier to produce shots in larger quantities. ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 10:00 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/world/vaccine-leader-moderna-inc-signs-deal-for-1-billion-covid-19-doses-a-year/413553/Rating: 1.95
Mohammed Al-Dukhainy, official spokesman of the Saudi General Authority for Statistics
3 May 18:01
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.86
Importance: 0.86
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:01
Average US: 2.85
Weighted average US: 4.85263988095559
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 4.35
Weighted average IN: 7.406660870932216
Mohammed Al-Dukhainy, official spokesman of the Saudi General Authority for Statistics
RIYADH: The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has been conducting advanced clinical studies at hospitals across the Kingdom to combat the coronavirus, the Saudi Press Agency reported.The medical team, comprising physicians, pharmacists and researchers, aims to assess four remedy protocols that include hydroxychloroquine lopinavir/ritonavir remdesivir interferon.These drugs have anti-viral properties, or imitate some of the virus immunity responses, and are given orally or through the veins. The study focuses on those showing medium to severe symptoms, and these drugs have shown preliminary effectiveness during laboratory studies.
3 May 18:01 • Arab News • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1669161/saudi-arabiaRating: 1.72
Health Ministry leads advance clinical studies on 4 innovative techniques
RIYADH — The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has been conducting advanced clinical studies in seven different centers at the several hospitals across the Kingdom to combat novel coronavirus.The process have been launched at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, at the Medical City of King Saud University, at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, all in Riyadh, at Uhud Hospital in Madinah, at Nur Hospital in Makkah as well as at Dammam Central Hospital and Qatif Central Hospital, in the Eastern Region.The medical team, comprising physicians, pharmacists and researchers are aiming at assessing four remedy protocols that include Hydroxychloroquine lopinavir/Ritonavir Remedisivir Interferon.These drugs have anti-viral properties or imitate some of virus immunity response techniques and are given orally or through the vein. The study is focusing on those showing medium to strong symptoms and that these drugs have proven preliminary effectiveness during the laboratory studies.Launching the study on Saturday was asserted by the General Department for Research and Studies, as some who have been contracting the virus were admitted as patients, simultaneously, at the beginning of the clinical experiment.The project shed light on the limitless efforts exerted by the government of Saudi Arabia and full support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, as they spare no endeavor to find effective vaccine to the pandemic, to maintain the safety and hygiene of citizens and residents, living on the motherland soils. — SPA
2 May 23:03 • Saudi Gazette • https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/592611/SAUDI-ARABIA/Health-Ministry-leads-advance-clinical-studies-on-4-innovative-techniquesRating: 0.30
Oxford scientist says if coronavirus vaccine is effective it will likely be seasonal
3 May 17:28
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.44
Importance: 0.44
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:28
Average US: 39.7
Weighted average US: 52.31253671906742
Average GB: 1.0
Weighted average GB: 1.3176961390193302
Average IN: 1.6
Weighted average IN: 2.1083138224309286
Oxford scientist says if coronavirus vaccine is effective it will likely be seasonal
Sir John Bell, an immunologist and the Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Oxford, said we'll probably know pretty soon whether Oxford's highly anticipated coronavirus vaccine works. Bell told NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press that researchers will likely "get a signal by June" about the vaccine's efficacy. The Oxford vaccine has made waves because of the rapid and unprecedented pace of its development and the possibility that it could hit the market in a limited capacity during the fall. If it does prove successful — and Bell's tempered opinion is that "prospects are pretty good" — it likely won't be a one-time vaccine. Bell said as far as anyone can tell the coronavirus doesn't mutate quite as easily as the flu, whose vaccine needs to updated every year to keep up with the changes, but there's a lot that still needs to be learned about potential immunity to the new virus, so chances are seasonal vaccination will be the norm. Tim O'Donnell
3 May 17:28 • The Week • https://theweek.com/speedreads/912467/oxford-scientist-says-coronavirus-vaccine-effective-likely-seasonalRating: 0.58
Oxford scientist says if coronavirus vaccine is effective it will likely be seasonal
Sir John Bell, an immunologist and the Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Oxford, said we'll probably know pretty soon whether Oxford's highly anticipated coronavirus vaccine works. Bell told NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press that researchers will likely "get a signal by June" about the vaccine's efficacy. The Oxford vaccine has made waves because of the rapid and unprecedented pace of its development and the possibility that it could hit the market in a limited capacity during the fall. If it does prove successful — and Bell's tempered opinion is that "prospects are pretty good" — it likely won't be a one-time vaccine. Bell said as far as anyone can tell the coronavirus doesn't mutate quite as easily as the flu, whose vaccine needs to updated every year to keep up with the changes, but there's a lot that still needs to be learned about potential immunity to the new virus, so chances are seasonal vaccination will be the norm. More stories from theweek.comTrump was the disaster we should have seen comingTrump's rosy COVID-19 predictions were reportedly fed by faulty White House economic modeling5 questions about how coronavirus will affect the 2020 election
3 May 17:28 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/oxford-scientist-says-coronavirus-vaccine-172827584.htmlRating: 0.30
All you need to know about STD | TheHealthSite.com
3 May 12:40
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.34
Importance: 0.34
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 12:40
Average US: 45.25
Weighted average US: 29.869227923816737
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 39.9
Weighted average IN: 53.77208487890159
All you need to know about STD | TheHealthSite.com
More than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide.Also Read - Tongue condoms: It may save you from fatal health complications More than one million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sometimes known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),are reported every day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).Also Read - Unsafe sex: STIs can lead to these 5 irreversible health conditions The four common STIs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis. The WHO figures suggest that on average one in every 25 people globally has at least one of these STIs.Also Read - Use protection during oral sex: Save yourself from cancer Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are passed from one person to another usually through sexual intercourse. Organisms like bacteria, viruses or parasites that cause these diseases pass through blood, semen or vaginal and other body fluids. Some of the common STDs are HPV (Human Papillomavirus), Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, HIV and more. In many cases the infections also occur due to non-sexual reasons like from a mother to child during pregnancy/childbirth, or through infected blood or shared needles. STDs not always cause symptoms. This means one may contract STDs from people who seem healthy and may not even know that they are infected. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have different range of symptoms which also include showing no symptoms at all. This is one reason that STDs and STIs in many cases go unnoticed until there are severe complications which come into light once a person is diagnosed. There are chances that symptoms may appear a few days after exposure, or it may take years before the problem is actually diagnosed, depending on the organism.Here are some signs that indicate STI – As mentioned above sexual activity plays an important role in spreading STIs and STDs. However, the infections can also be possibly spread without sexual contact. For example,the hepatitis A, B and C viruses, shigella, and Giardia intestinalis.Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be caused by microorganisms like bacteria (gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia), parasites (trichomoniasis) and viruses (human papillomavirus, genital herpes, HIV). There are a number of risk factors which lead to developing STDs. Anyone who is sexually active has little or high degree of exposure to a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Factors that may increase that risk include: Even though there is a slight risk of STIs when you are sexually involved with someone, there are several measures you can take to reduce the chances of getting infected. Here are some tips on how to avoid sexually transmitted infections –
3 May 12:40 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/sexual-health/over-one-million-stis-diagnosed-every-day-all-you-need-to-know-about-these-infections-743443/Rating: 0.69
Genital herpes is a substantial health concern worldwide: WHO
The World Health Organization announced Friday that billions of people across the globe are living with herpes infections. According to the UN health agency, some 500,000,000 estimated people worldwide are living with genital herpes, and several billion have an oral herpes infection. About 13% of the world’s population aged 15 to 49 years were living with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in 2016, the latest year for which data is available. HSV-2 is almost exclusively sexually transmitted, causing genital herpes. Infection can lead to recurring, often painful, genital sores in up to a third of people infected. Around 67% of the world’s population aged 0 to 49 had herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in 2016 – an estimated 3.7 billion people. Most of these infections were oral; however, between 122 million to 192 million people were estimated to have genital HSV-1 infection. HSV-1 is mainly transmitted by oral to oral contact to cause oral herpes infection – sometimes leading to painful sores in or around the mouth, or cold sores. However, HSV-1 can also be transmitted to the genital area through oral sex, causing genital herpes. The WHO also notes that people with HSV-2 infection are at least three times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed. Thus, HSV-2 likely plays a substantial role in the spread of HIV globally. Women are more susceptible to both HSV-2 and HIV. Women living in the WHO Africa Region have the highest HSV-2 prevalence and exposure to HIV – putting them at greatest risk of HIV infection.
3 May 00:50 • Outbreak News Today • http://outbreaknewstoday.com/genital-herpes-is-a-substantial-health-concern-worldwide-who-60855/Rating: 0.30
‘Fast and accurate’ antibody test developed by Edinburgh researchers
3 May 23:04
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:33
Average US: 19.05
Weighted average US: 19.05
Average GB: 45.7
Weighted average GB: 45.7
Average IN: 4.25
Weighted average IN: 4.25
‘Fast and accurate’ antibody test developed by Edinburgh researchers
A company is calling for talks with the UK Government after developing a 99.8% accurate blood screening test for coronavirus antibodies. A new “fast and accurate” coronavirus antibody test has been developed by scientists in Edinburgh, although the company fears the NHS could miss out amid interest in Europe for the machines. Researchers for blood-screening company Quotient have developed a new test for whether people are immune to Covid-19 by spotting whether a person has developed antibodies to the disease. Each serological screening machine has capacity for up to 3,000 tests a day and produces results in 35 minutes with 99.8% accuracy, the firm said. The company behind the new tests says it has 12 screening machines available, with a further 20 expected to be ready by the end of the year, but it has already had talks with interested parties across Europe. However, with the new test developed by scientists in Edinburgh, the company is calling for the UK and Scottish governments to begin talks so that the NHS might be able to benefit. While the UK Government says it has laboratory capability to test for coronavirus immunity, it is currently being used for survey testing of existing blood samples and the capacity is not known. It is also attempting to develop home testing kits, rather than requiring analysis in laboratories, but so far these have proved unreliable. The tests aim to establish whether a person has developed antibodies to the Covid-19 virus, usually after being infected by the disease, and is therefore immune from being infected again. On Friday, Quotient received European regulatory approval for the MosaiQ serological screening machines with 100% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity, meaning there is a low chance of a misread or “false positive”. Chief executive Franz Walt – who was managing director of a laboratory that developed the first diagnostic test for Sars in 2003 – said: “We are truly proud to have developed such a fast and accurate test. “This is an outstanding performance by our teams in both Edinburgh and Switzerland. “We now want to make sure that we can help as many people as possible as quickly as possible. “We have strong roots in the UK and want to speak to ministers there so MosaiQ can be used in the amazing national effort to tackle Coronavirus and relaunch the economy. “We realise ministers and the NHS are incredibly busy but are keen to talk given the strong interest from across Europe in the product.” Ed Farrell, chief operating officer at the Edinburgh office, added: “We’re incredibly proud of all our work here in Scotland and Switzerland. “We’ve got such a rich history here and we hope we can now make a difference at this challenging time.” A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Health Protection Scotland, with key partners, explore all options around new antibody tests as they become available on the market. “The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government to ensure that everyone is able to access new antibody tests when they become available. “It is essential that any new tests are reliable, and time is needed to undertake rigorous evaluation so that there is confidence that tests are accurate.”
3 May 23:04 • Shropshire Star • https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/fast-and-accurate-antibody-test-developed-by-edinburgh-researchers/Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus Scotland: ‘Fast and accurate’ Covid-19 antibody test developed by Edinburgh scientists
A NEW "fast and accurate" coronavirus antibody test has been developed by scientists in Edinburgh, although the company fears the NHS could miss out amid interest in Europe for the machines. Researchers for blood-screening company Quotient have developed a new test for whether people are immune to Covid-19 by spotting whether a person has developed antibodies to the disease. ⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates on Covid-19 Each serological screening machine has capacity for up to 3,000 tests a day and produces results in 35 minutes with 99.8% accuracy, the firm said. The company behind the new tests says it has 12 screening machines available, with a further 20 expected to be ready by the end of the year, but it has already had talks with interested parties across Europe. However, with the new test developed by scientists in Edinburgh, the company is calling for the UK and Scottish governments to begin talks so that the NHS might be able to benefit. While the UK Government says it has laboratory capability to test for coronavirus immunity, it is currently being used for survey testing of existing blood samples and the capacity is not known. It is also attempting to develop home testing kits, rather than requiring analysis in laboratories, but so far these have proved unreliable. The tests aim to establish whether a person has developed antibodies to the Covid-19 virus, usually after being infected by the disease, and is therefore immune from being infected again. On Friday, Quotient received European regulatory approval for the MosaiQ serological screening machines with 100% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity, meaning there is a low chance of a misread or "false positive". Chief executive Franz Walt - who was managing director of a laboratory that developed the first diagnostic test for Sars in 2003 - said: "We are truly proud to have developed such a fast and accurate test. "This is an outstanding performance by our teams in both Edinburgh and Switzerland. "We now want to make sure that we can help as many people as possible as quickly as possible. "We have strong roots in the UK and want to speak to ministers there so MosaiQ can be used in the amazing national effort to tackle Coronavirus and relaunch the economy. "We realise ministers and the NHS are incredibly busy but are keen to talk given the strong interest from across Europe in the product." Ed Farrell, chief operating officer at the Edinburgh office, added: "We're incredibly proud of all our work here in Scotland and Switzerland. "We've got such a rich history here and we hope we can now make a difference at this challenging time."
3 May 16:33 • The Scottish Sun • https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/5557563/coronavirus-scotland-covid-19-edinburgh/Rating: 0.30
With pressure growing, global race for a vaccine intensifies
3 May 03:31
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.04
Importance: 1.42
Age penalty: 0.03
Best date: 3 May 03:31
Average US: 40.8
Weighted average US: 17.22453809314294
Average GB: 0.7
Weighted average GB: 0.2874294166300015
Average IN: 3.5
Weighted average IN: 2.026533630821434
With pressure growing, global race for a vaccine intensifies
Four months after a mysterious new virus began its deadly march around the globe, the search for a vaccine has taken on an intensity never before seen in medical research, with huge implications for public health, the world economy and politics. Seven of the roughly 90 projects being pursued by governments, pharmaceutical makers, biotech innovators and academic laboratories have reached the stage of clinical trials. With political leaders — not least President Donald Trump — increasingly pressing for progress, and with big potential profits at stake for the industry, drugmakers and researchers have signalled that they are moving ahead at unheard-of speeds. But the whole enterprise remains dogged by uncertainty about whether any coronavirus vaccine will prove effective, how fast it could be made available to millions or billions of people and whether the rush — compressing a process that can take 10 years into 10 months — will sacrifice safety. Some experts say the more immediately promising field might be the development of treatments to speed recovery from COVID-19, an approach that has generated some optimism in the last week through initially encouraging research results on remdesivir, an antiviral drug previously tried in fighting Ebola. In an era of intense nationalism, the geopolitics of the vaccine race are growing as complex as the medicine. The months of mutual vilification between the United States and China over the origins of the virus have poisoned most efforts at cooperation between them. The US government is already warning that American innovations must be protected from theft — chiefly from Beijing. “Biomedical research has long been a focus of theft, especially by the Chinese government, and vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus are today’s holy grail,” John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security, said on Friday. “Putting aside the commercial value, there would be great geopolitical significance to being the first to develop a treatment or vaccine. We will use all the tools we have to safeguard American research.” The intensity of the global research effort is such that governments and companies are building production lines before they have anything to produce. “We are going to start ramping up production with the companies involved,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the federal government’s top expert on infectious diseases, said on NBC this week. “You don’t wait until you get an answer before you start manufacturing.” Two of the leading entrants in the United States, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, have announced partnerships with manufacturing firms, with Johnson & Johnson promising 1 billion doses of an as-yet-undeveloped vaccine by the end of next year. Not to be left behind, the Britain-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said this week that it was working with a vaccine development project at the University of Oxford to manufacture tens of millions of doses by the end of this year. With the demand for a vaccine so intense, there are escalating calls for “human-challenge trials” to speed the process: tests in which volunteers are injected with a potential vaccine and then deliberately exposed to the coronavirus. Because the approach involves exposing participants to a potentially deadly disease, challenge trials are ethically fraught. But they could be faster than simply inoculating human subjects and waiting for them to be exposed along with everyone else, especially as the pandemic is brought under control in big countries. Even when promising solutions are found, there are big challenges to scaling up production and distribution. Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, whose foundation is spending $250 million to help spur vaccine development, has warned about a critical shortage of a mundane but vital component: medical glass. Without sufficient supplies of the glass, there will be too few vials to transport the billions of doses that will ultimately be needed. The scale of the problem and the demand for a quick solution are bound to create tensions between the profit motives of the pharmaceutical industry, which typically fights hard to wring the most out of their investments in new drugs, and the public’s need for quick action to get any effective vaccines to as many people as possible. So far, much of the research and development has been supported by governments and foundations. And much remains to be worked out when it comes to patents and what national governments will claim in return for their support and pledges of quick regulatory approval. Given the stakes, it is no surprise that while scientists and doctors talk about finding a “global vaccine,” national leaders emphasise immunising their own populations first. Trump said he was personally in charge of “Operation Warp Speed” to get 300 million doses into American arms by January. Already, the administration has identified 14 vaccine projects it intends to focus on, a senior administration official said, with the idea of further narrowing the group to a handful that could go on, with government financial help and accelerated regulatory review, to meet Trump’s goal. The winnowing of the projects to 14 was reported Friday by NBC News. But other countries are also signalling their intention to nationalise their approaches. The most promising clinical trial in China is financed by the government. And in India, the chief executive of the Serum Institute of India — the world’s largest producer of vaccine doses — said that most of its vaccine “would have to go to our countrymen before it goes abroad.” George Daley, the dean of Harvard Medical School, said thinking in country-by-country rather than global terms would be foolhardy since it “would involve squandering the early doses of vaccine on a large number of individuals at low risk, rather than covering as many high-risk individuals globally” — health care workers and older adults — “to stop the spread” around the world. Given the proliferation of vaccine projects, the best outcome may be none of them emerging as a clear winner. “Let’s say we get one vaccine quickly but we can only get 2 million doses of it at the end of next year,” said Anita Zaidi, who directs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s vaccine development program. “And another vaccine, just as effective, comes three months later but we can make a billion doses. Who won that race?” The answer, she said, “is we will need many different vaccines to cross the finish line.” Speed Versus Safety At 1 a.m. on March 21, 1963, a 5-year-old girl named Jeryl Lynn Hilleman woke up her father. She had come down with the mumps, which had made her miserable with a swollen jaw. It just so happened that her father, Maurice, was a vaccine designer. So he told Jeryl Lynn to go back to bed, drove to his lab at Merck to pick up some equipment, and returned to swab her throat. Hilleman refrigerated her sample back at his lab and soon got to work weakening her viruses until they could serve as a mumps vaccine. In 1967, it was approved by the FDA. To vaccine makers, this story is the stuff of legend. Hilleman still holds the record for the quickest delivery of a vaccine from the lab to the clinic. Vaccines typically take 10 to 15 years of research and testing. And only 6% of the projects that scientists launch reach the finish line. For a world in the grips of COVID-19, on the other hand, this story is the stuff of nightmares. No one wants to wait four years for a vaccine, while millions die and economies remain paralysed. Some of the leading contenders for a coronavirus vaccine are now promising to have the first batches ready in record time, by the start of next year. They have accelerated their schedules by collapsing the standard vaccine timeline. They are combining trials that used to be carried out one after the other. They are pushing their formulations into production, despite the risk that the trials will fail, leaving them with millions of useless doses. But some experts want to do even more to speed up the conveyor belt. Writing last month in the journal Vaccines, the vaccine developer Dr. Stanley Plotkin and Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at NYU Langone Medical Center, proposed infecting vaccinated volunteers with the coronavirus — the method known as challenge trials. The procedure might cut months or years off the development but would put test subjects at risk. Challenge trials were used in the early days of vaccine research but now are carried out under strict conditions and only for illnesses, like flu and malaria, that have established treatments. In an article in March in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of researchers wrote, “Such an approach is not without risks, but every week that vaccine rollout is delayed will be accompanied by many thousands of deaths globally.” Caplan said that limiting the trials to healthy young adults could reduce the risk, since they were less likely to suffer serious complications from COVID-19. “I think we can let people make the choice and I have no doubt many would,” he said. In Congress, Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill. and a physicist, and Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla. and the former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, organised a bipartisan group of 35 lawmakers to sign a letter asking regulators to approve such trials. The organisers of a website set up to promote the idea, 1daysooner.org, say they have signed up more than 9,100 potential volunteers from 52 countries. Some scientists caution that truly informed consent, even by willing volunteers, may not be possible. Even medical experts do not yet know all the effects of the virus. Those who have appeared to recover might still face future problems. Even without challenge trials, accelerated testing may run the risk of missing potential side effects. A vaccine for dengue fever, and one for SARS that never reached the market, were abandoned after making some people more susceptible to severe forms of the diseases, not less. “It will be extremely important to determine that does not happen,” said Michel De Wilde, a former senior vice president of research and development at Sanofi Pasteur, a vaccine maker in France. When it comes to the risks from flawed vaccines, China’s history is instructive. The Wuhan Institute of Biological Products was involved in a 2018 scandal in which ineffective vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and other conditions were injected into hundreds of thousands of babies. The government confiscated the Wuhan institute’s “illegal income,” fined the company, and punished nine executives. But the company was allowed to continue to operate. It is now running a coronavirus vaccine project, and along with two other Chinese groups has been allowed to combine its safety and efficacy trials. Several Chinese scientists questioned the decision, arguing that the vaccine should be shown to be safe before testing how well it works. Nationalism Versus Globalism In the early days of the crisis, Harvard was approached by Chinese billionaire Hui Ka Yan. He arranged to give roughly $115 million to be split between Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals and the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases for a collaborative effort that would include developing coronavirus vaccines. “We are not racing against each other, we are racing the virus,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a professor at Harvard Medical School who is also working with Johnson & Johnson. “What we need is a global vaccine — because an outbreak in one part of the world puts the rest of the world at risk.” That all-for-one sentiment has become a mantra among many researchers, but it is hardly universally shared. In India, the Serum Institute — the heavyweight champion of vaccine manufacturing, producing 1.5 billion doses a year — has signed agreements in recent weeks with the developers of four promising potential vaccines. But in an interview with Reuters, Adar Poonawalla, the company’s billionaire chief executive, made it clear that “at least initially” any vaccine the company produces would have to go to India’s 1.3 billion people. The tension between those who believe a vaccine should go where it is needed most and those dealing with pressures to supply their own country first is one of the defining features of the global response. The Trump administration, which in March put out feelers to a German biotech company to acquire its vaccine research or move it to American shores, has awarded grants of nearly half a billion dollars each to two US-based companies, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson, though based in New Jersey, conducts its research in the Netherlands. Paul Stoffels, the company’s vice chairman and chief scientific officer, said in an interview that the Department of Health and Human Services understood “we can’t pick up our research and move it” to the United States. But it made sure that the company joined a partnership with Emergent BioSolutions — a Maryland biological production firm — to produce the first big batches of any approved vaccine for the US “The political reality is that it be would very, very hard for any government to allow a vaccine made in their own country to be exported while there was a major problem at home,” said Sandy Douglas, a researcher at the University of Oxford. “The only solution is to make a hell of a lot of vaccine in a lot of different places.” The Oxford vaccine team has already begun scaling up plans for manufacturing by half a dozen companies across the world, including China and India, plus two British manufacturers and the British-based multinational AstraZeneca. In China, the government’s instinct is to showcase the country’s growth into a technological power capable of beating the United States. There are nine Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in development, involving 1,000 scientists and the Chinese military. China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that one of the vaccines could be in “emergency use” by September, meaning that in the midst of the presidential election in the United States, Trump might see television footage of Chinese citizens lining up for injections. “It’s a scenario we have thought about,” one member of Trump’s coronavirus task force said. “No one wants to be around that day.” Traditional Versus New Methods The more than 90 different vaccines under development work in radically different ways. Some are based on designs used for generations. Others use genetic-based strategies that are so new they have yet to lead to an approved vaccine. “I think in this case it’s very wise to have different platforms being tried out,” De Wilde said. The traditional approach is to make vaccines from viruses. When our bodies encounter a new virus, they start learning how to make effective antibodies against it. But they are in a race against the virus as it multiplies. Sometimes they produce effective antibodies quickly enough to wipe out an infection. But sometimes the virus wins. Vaccines give the immune system a head start. They teach it to make antibodies in advance of an infection. The first vaccines, against diseases like rabies, were made from viruses. Scientists weakened the viruses so that they could no longer make people sick. A number of groups are weakening the coronavirus to produce a vaccine against COVID-19. In April, the Chinese company Sinovac announced that their inactivated vaccine protected monkeys. Another approach is based on the fact that our immune system makes antibodies that lock precisely onto viruses. As scientists came to understand this, it occurred to them that they didn’t have to inject a whole virus into someone to trigger immunity. All they needed was to deliver the fragment of a viral protein that was the precise target. Today these so-called subunit viral vaccines are used against hepatitis B and shingles. Many COVID-19 subunit vaccines are now in testing. In the 1990s, researchers began working on vaccines that enlisted our own cells to help train the immune system. The foundation of these vaccines is typically a virus called an adenovirus. The adenovirus can infect our cells, but is altered so that it doesn’t make us sick. Scientists can add a gene to the adenovirus from the virus they want to fight, creating what’s known as a viral vector. Some viral vectors then invade our cells, stimulating the immune system to make antibodies. Researchers at the University of Oxford and the Chinese company CanSino Biologics have created a viral vector vaccine for COVID-19, and they’ve started safety trials on volunteers. Others including Johnson & Johnson are going to launch trials of their own in the coming months. Some groups, including the American company Inovio Pharmaceuticals, are taking a totally different approach. Instead of injecting viruses or protein fragments, they’re injecting pure DNA, which is read by the cell’s machinery, making a copy as an RNA molecule. The RNA is then read by the cell’s protein-building factories, making a viral protein. The protein in turn comes out of the cell, where immune cells bump into it and make an antibody to it. Other teams are creating RNA molecules rather than DNA. Moderna and a group at Imperial College London have launched safety trials for RNA vaccines. While experimental, these genetic vaccines can be quickly designed and tested. Designing Versus Manufacturing It is one thing to design a vaccine in record time. It is an entirely different challenge to manufacture and distribute one on a scale never before attempted — billions of doses, specially packaged and transported at below-zero temperatures, to nearly every corner of the world. “If you want to give a vaccine to a billion people, it better be very safe and very effective,” said Stoffels of Johnson & Johnson. “But you also need to know how to make it in amounts we’ve never really seen before.” So the race is on to get ahead of the enormous logistical issues, from basic manufacturing capacity to the shortages of medical glass and stoppers that Gates and others have warned of. Researchers at Johnson & Johnson are trying to make a five-dose vial to save precious glass, which might work if a smaller dose is enough for inoculation. Each potential vaccine will require its own customised production process in special “clean” facilities for drug making. Building from scratch might cost tens of millions of dollars per plant. Equipping one existing facility could easily cost from $5 million to $20 million. Ordering and installing the necessary equipment can take months. Governments as well as organisations like the Gates Foundation and the nonprofit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations are putting up money for production facilities well before any particular vaccine is proven effective. What’s more, some vaccines — including those being tested by the American companies Moderna and Inovio — rely on technology that has never before yielded a drug that was licensed for use or mass-produced. But even traditional processes face challenges. Because of staff illnesses and social distancing, the pandemic this spring slashed productivity by 20% at the MilleporeSigma facility in Danvers, Massachusetts, that supplies many drugmakers with the equipment used for brewing vaccines. Then, about three weeks ago, the first clinical trials for new proposed vaccines started. Urgent calls poured from customers around the world. Even before the first phase of the first trials, manufacturers were scrambling. “Demand went through the roof, and everybody wanted it yesterday,” said Udit Batra, MilleporeSigma’s chief executive, who has expanded production and asked other customers to accept delays to avoid becoming a bottleneck. Treatments Versus Vaccines Even as the world waits for a vaccine, a potential treatment for coronavirus is already here — and more could be on the way. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorisation for the use of remdesivir as a treatment of severely ill patients. Remdesivir showed modest success in a federally funded clinical trial, slowing the progression of the disease, but without significantly reducing fatality rates. The FDA’s decision to allow its use comes as hundreds of other drugs — mainly existing medicines that are being used for other conditions — are being tested around the world to see if they hold promise. The FDA said there are currently 72 therapies in trial. Studies of drugs tend to move more quickly than vaccine trials. Vaccines are given to millions of people who are not yet ill, so they must be extremely safe. But in sicker people, that calculus changes, and side effects might be an acceptable risk. As a result, clinical trials can be conducted with fewer people. And because drugs are tested in people who are already sick, results can be seen more quickly than in vaccine trials, where researchers must wait to see who gets infected. Public health experts have cautioned there will likely be no magic pill. Rather, they are hoping for incremental advances that make COVID-19 less deadly. “Almost nothing is 100%, especially when you are dealing with a virus that really creates a lot of havoc in the body,” said Dr. Luciana Borio, a former director of medical and biodefense preparedness for the National Security Council during the Trump administration. Antiviral drugs like remdesivir battle the virus itself, slowing its replication in the body. The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine — which has been enthusiastically promoted by Trump and also received emergency authorisation to be used in coronavirus patients — showed early promise in the laboratory. However small, limited studies in humans have so far been disappointing. So have some HIV treatments, including a two-drug cocktail sold as Kaletra, which failed in a Chinese trial. Other researchers have focused on identifying immunosuppressant drugs that address the most severe form of COVID-19, when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive, attacking the lungs and other organs. Many in the medical community are closely watching the development of antibody drugs that could act to neutralise the virus, either once someone is already sick or as a way of blocking the infection in the first place. Several hospitals are also administering plasma from recovered patients to people who are sick with COVID-19, in the hopes that the antibodies of survivors will give the patients a boost. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, and others said that by the fall, the treatment picture for COVID-19 could look more hopeful. If proven effective in further trials, remdesivir may become more widely used. One or two antibody treatments may also become available, providing limited protection to health care workers. Even without a vaccine, Borio said, a handful of early treatments could make a difference. “If you can protect people that are vulnerable and you can treat people that come down with the disease effectively,” she said, “then I think it will change the trajectory of this pandemic.”©2020 The New York Times Company
3 May 03:31 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/the-long-read/2020/05/03/with-pressure-growing-global-race-for-a-vaccine-intensifiesRating: 2.85
With pressure growing, global race for a vaccine intensifies
WASHINGTON — Four months after a mysterious new virus began its deadly march around the globe, the search for a vaccine has taken on an intensity never before seen in medical research, with huge implications for public health, the world economy and politics. Seven of the roughly 90 projects being pursued by governments, pharmaceutical makers, biotech innovators and academic laboratories have reached the stage of clinical trials. With political leaders — not least President Donald Trump — increasingly pressing for progress, and with big potential profits at stake for the industry, drugmakers and researchers have signaled that they are moving ahead at unheard-of speeds. But the whole enterprise remains dogged by uncertainty about whether any coronavirus vaccine will prove effective, how fast it could be made available to millions or billions of people and whether the rush — compressing a process that can take 10 years into 10 months — will sacrifice safety. Some experts say the more immediately promising field might be the development of treatments to speed recovery from COVID-19, an approach that has generated some optimism in the last week through initially encouraging research results on remdesivir, an antiviral drug previously tried in fighting Ebola. In an era of intense nationalism, the geopolitics of the vaccine race are growing as complex as the medicine. The months of mutual vilification between the United States and China over the origins of the virus have poisoned most efforts at cooperation between them. The U.S. government is already warning that American innovations must be protected from theft — chiefly from Beijing. “Biomedical research has long been a focus of theft, especially by the Chinese government, and vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus are today’s holy grail,” John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security, said on Friday. “Putting aside the commercial value, there would be great geopolitical significance to being the first to develop a treatment or vaccine. We will use all the tools we have to safeguard American research.” Advertising The intensity of the global research effort is such that governments and companies are building production lines before they have anything to produce. “We are going to start ramping up production with the companies involved,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the federal government’s top expert on infectious diseases, said on NBC this week. “You don’t wait until you get an answer before you start manufacturing.” Two of the leading entrants in the United States, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, have announced partnerships with manufacturing firms, with Johnson & Johnson promising 1 billion doses of an as-yet-undeveloped vaccine by the end of next year. Not to be left behind, the Britain-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said this week that it was working with a vaccine development project at the University of Oxford to manufacture tens of millions of doses by the end of this year. With the demand for a vaccine so intense, there are escalating calls for “human-challenge trials” to speed the process: tests in which volunteers are injected with a potential vaccine and then deliberately exposed to the coronavirus. Because the approach involves exposing participants to a potentially deadly disease, challenge trials are ethically fraught. But they could be faster than simply inoculating human subjects and waiting for them to be exposed along with everyone else, especially as the pandemic is brought under control in big countries. Advertising Even when promising solutions are found, there are big challenges to scaling up production and distribution. Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, whose foundation is spending $250 million to help spur vaccine development, has warned about a critical shortage of a mundane but vital component: medical glass. Without sufficient supplies of the glass, there will be too few vials to transport the billions of doses that will ultimately be needed. The scale of the problem and the demand for a quick solution are bound to create tensions between the profit motives of the pharmaceutical industry, which typically fights hard to wring the most out of their investments in new drugs, and the public’s need for quick action to get any effective vaccines to as many people as possible. So far, much of the research and development has been supported by governments and foundations. And much remains to be worked out when it comes to patents and what national governments will claim in return for their support and pledges of quick regulatory approval. Given the stakes, it is no surprise that while scientists and doctors talk about finding a “global vaccine,” national leaders emphasize immunizing their own populations first. Trump said he was personally in charge of “Operation Warp Speed” to get 300 million doses into American arms by January. Already, the administration has identified 14 vaccine projects it intends to focus on, a senior administration official said, with the idea of further narrowing the group to a handful that could go on, with government financial help and accelerated regulatory review, to meet Trump’s goal. The winnowing of the projects to 14 was reported Friday by NBC News. But other countries are also signaling their intention to nationalize their approaches. The most promising clinical trial in China is financed by the government. And in India, the chief executive of the Serum Institute of India — the world’s largest producer of vaccine doses — said that most of its vaccine “would have to go to our countrymen before it goes abroad.” George Daley, the dean of Harvard Medical School, said thinking in country-by-country rather than global terms would be foolhardy since it “would involve squandering the early doses of vaccine on a large number of individuals at low risk, rather than covering as many high-risk individuals globally” — health care workers and older adults — “to stop the spread” around the world. Given the proliferation of vaccine projects, the best outcome may be none of them emerging as a clear winner. “Let’s say we get one vaccine quickly but we can only get 2 million doses of it at the end of next year,” said Anita Zaidi, who directs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s vaccine development program. “And another vaccine, just as effective, comes three months later but we can make a billion doses. Who won that race?” The answer, she said, “is we will need many different vaccines to cross the finish line.” Speed Versus Safety At 1 a.m. on March 21, 1963, a 5-year-old girl named Jeryl Lynn Hilleman woke up her father. She had come down with the mumps, which had made her miserable with a swollen jaw. Advertising It just so happened that her father, Maurice, was a vaccine designer. So he told Jeryl Lynn to go back to bed, drove to his lab at Merck to pick up some equipment, and returned to swab her throat. Hilleman refrigerated her sample back at his lab and soon got to work weakening her viruses until they could serve as a mumps vaccine. In 1967, it was approved by the FDA. To vaccine makers, this story is the stuff of legend. Hilleman still holds the record for the quickest delivery of a vaccine from the lab to the clinic. Vaccines typically take 10 to 15 years of research and testing. And only 6% of the projects that scientists launch reach the finish line. For a world in the grips of COVID-19, on the other hand, this story is the stuff of nightmares. No one wants to wait four years for a vaccine, while millions die and economies remain paralyzed. Some of the leading contenders for a coronavirus vaccine are now promising to have the first batches ready in record time, by the start of next year. They have accelerated their schedules by collapsing the standard vaccine timeline. They are combining trials that used to be carried out one after the other. They are pushing their formulations into production, despite the risk that the trials will fail, leaving them with millions of useless doses. But some experts want to do even more to speed up the conveyor belt. Writing last month in the journal Vaccines, the vaccine developer Dr. Stanley Plotkin and Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at NYU Langone Medical Center, proposed infecting vaccinated volunteers with the coronavirus — the method known as challenge trials. The procedure might cut months or years off the development but would put test subjects at risk. Advertising Challenge trials were used in the early days of vaccine research but now are carried out under strict conditions and only for illnesses, like flu and malaria, that have established treatments. In an article in March in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of researchers wrote, “Such an approach is not without risks, but every week that vaccine rollout is delayed will be accompanied by many thousands of deaths globally.” Caplan said that limiting the trials to healthy young adults could reduce the risk, since they were less likely to suffer serious complications from COVID-19. “I think we can let people make the choice and I have no doubt many would,” he said. In Congress, Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill. and a physicist, and Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla. and the former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, organized a bipartisan group of 35 lawmakers to sign a letter asking regulators to approve such trials. The organizers of a website set up to promote the idea, 1daysooner.org, say they have signed up more than 9,100 potential volunteers from 52 countries. Some scientists caution that truly informed consent, even by willing volunteers, may not be possible. Even medical experts do not yet know all the effects of the virus. Those who have appeared to recover might still face future problems. Advertising Even without challenge trials, accelerated testing may run the risk of missing potential side effects. A vaccine for dengue fever, and one for SARS that never reached the market, were abandoned after making some people more susceptible to severe forms of the diseases, not less. “It will be extremely important to determine that does not happen,” said Michel De Wilde, a former senior vice president of research and development at Sanofi Pasteur, a vaccine maker in France. When it comes to the risks from flawed vaccines, China’s history is instructive. The Wuhan Institute of Biological Products was involved in a 2018 scandal in which ineffective vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and other conditions were injected into hundreds of thousands of babies. The government confiscated the Wuhan institute’s “illegal income,” fined the company, and punished nine executives. But the company was allowed to continue to operate. It is now running a coronavirus vaccine project, and along with two other Chinese groups has been allowed to combine its safety and efficacy trials. Several Chinese scientists questioned the decision, arguing that the vaccine should be shown to be safe before testing how well it works. Advertising Nationalism Versus Globalism In the early days of the crisis, Harvard was approached by Chinese billionaire Hui Ka Yan. He arranged to give roughly $115 million to be split between Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals and the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases for a collaborative effort that would include developing coronavirus vaccines. “We are not racing against each other, we are racing the virus,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a professor at Harvard Medical School who is also working with Johnson & Johnson. “What we need is a global vaccine — because an outbreak in one part of the world puts the rest of the world at risk.” That all-for-one sentiment has become a mantra among many researchers, but it is hardly universally shared. In India, the Serum Institute — the heavyweight champion of vaccine manufacturing, producing 1.5 billion doses a year — has signed agreements in recent weeks with the developers of four promising potential vaccines. But in an interview with Reuters, Adar Poonawalla, the company’s billionaire chief executive, made it clear that “at least initially” any vaccine the company produces would have to go to India’s 1.3 billion people. The tension between those who believe a vaccine should go where it is needed most and those dealing with pressures to supply their own country first is one of the defining features of the global response. The Trump administration, which in March put out feelers to a German biotech company to acquire its vaccine research or move it to American shores, has awarded grants of nearly half a billion dollars each to two U.S.-based companies, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. Advertising Johnson & Johnson, though based in New Jersey, conducts its research in the Netherlands. Paul Stoffels, the company’s vice chairman and chief scientific officer, said in an interview that the Department of Health and Human Services understood “we can’t pick up our research and move it” to the United States. But it made sure that the company joined a partnership with Emergent BioSolutions — a Maryland biological production firm — to produce the first big batches of any approved vaccine for the U.S. “The political reality is that it be would very, very hard for any government to allow a vaccine made in their own country to be exported while there was a major problem at home,” said Sandy Douglas, a researcher at the University of Oxford. “The only solution is to make a hell of a lot of vaccine in a lot of different places.” The Oxford vaccine team has already begun scaling up plans for manufacturing by half a dozen companies across the world, including China and India, plus two British manufacturers and the British-based multinational AstraZeneca. In China, the government’s instinct is to showcase the country’s growth into a technological power capable of beating the United States. There are nine Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in development, involving 1,000 scientists and the Chinese military. China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that one of the vaccines could be in “emergency use” by September, meaning that in the midst of the presidential election in the United States, Trump might see television footage of Chinese citizens lining up for injections. Advertising “It’s a scenario we have thought about,” one member of Trump’s coronavirus task force said. “No one wants to be around that day.” Traditional Versus New Methods The more than 90 different vaccines under development work in radically different ways. Some are based on designs used for generations. Others use genetic-based strategies that are so new they have yet to lead to an approved vaccine. “I think in this case it’s very wise to have different platforms being tried out,” De Wilde said. The traditional approach is to make vaccines from viruses. When our bodies encounter a new virus, they start learning how to make effective antibodies against it. But they are in a race against the virus as it multiplies. Sometimes they produce effective antibodies quickly enough to wipe out an infection. But sometimes the virus wins. Vaccines give the immune system a head start. They teach it to make antibodies in advance of an infection. The first vaccines, against diseases like rabies, were made from viruses. Scientists weakened the viruses so that they could no longer make people sick. Advertising A number of groups are weakening the coronavirus to produce a vaccine against COVID-19. In April, the Chinese company Sinovac announced that their inactivated vaccine protected monkeys. Another approach is based on the fact that our immune system makes antibodies that lock precisely onto viruses. As scientists came to understand this, it occurred to them that they didn’t have to inject a whole virus into someone to trigger immunity. All they needed was to deliver the fragment of a viral protein that was the precise target. Today these so-called subunit viral vaccines are used against hepatitis B and shingles. Many COVID-19 subunit vaccines are now in testing. In the 1990s, researchers began working on vaccines that enlisted our own cells to help train the immune system. The foundation of these vaccines is typically a virus called an adenovirus. The adenovirus can infect our cells, but is altered so that it doesn’t make us sick. Scientists can add a gene to the adenovirus from the virus they want to fight, creating what’s known as a viral vector. Some viral vectors then invade our cells, stimulating the immune system to make antibodies. Researchers at the University of Oxford and the Chinese company CanSino Biologics have created a viral vector vaccine for COVID-19, and they’ve started safety trials on volunteers. Others including Johnson & Johnson are going to launch trials of their own in the coming months. Advertising Some groups, including the American company Inovio Pharmaceuticals, are taking a totally different approach. Instead of injecting viruses or protein fragments, they’re injecting pure DNA, which is read by the cell’s machinery, making a copy as an RNA molecule. The RNA is then read by the cell’s protein-building factories, making a viral protein. The protein in turn comes out of the cell, where immune cells bump into it and make an antibody to it. Other teams are creating RNA molecules rather than DNA. Moderna and a group at Imperial College London have launched safety trials for RNA vaccines. While experimental, these genetic vaccines can be quickly designed and tested. Designing Versus Manufacturing It is one thing to design a vaccine in record time. It is an entirely different challenge to manufacture and distribute one on a scale never before attempted — billions of doses, specially packaged and transported at below-zero temperatures, to nearly every corner of the world. “If you want to give a vaccine to a billion people, it better be very safe and very effective,” said Stoffels of Johnson & Johnson. “But you also need to know how to make it in amounts we’ve never really seen before.” So the race is on to get ahead of the enormous logistical issues, from basic manufacturing capacity to the shortages of medical glass and stoppers that Gates and others have warned of. Researchers at Johnson & Johnson are trying to make a five-dose vial to save precious glass, which might work if a smaller dose is enough for inoculation. Advertising Each potential vaccine will require its own customized production process in special “clean” facilities for drug making. Building from scratch might cost tens of millions of dollars per plant. Equipping one existing facility could easily cost from $5 million to $20 million. Ordering and installing the necessary equipment can take months. Governments as well as organizations like the Gates Foundation and the nonprofit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations are putting up money for production facilities well before any particular vaccine is proven effective. What’s more, some vaccines — including those being tested by the American companies Moderna and Inovio — rely on technology that has never before yielded a drug that was licensed for use or mass-produced. But even traditional processes face challenges. Because of staff illnesses and social distancing, the pandemic this spring slashed productivity by 20% at the MilleporeSigma facility in Danvers, Massachusetts, that supplies many drugmakers with the equipment used for brewing vaccines. Then, about three weeks ago, the first clinical trials for new proposed vaccines started. Urgent calls poured from customers around the world. Even before the first phase of the first trials, manufacturers were scrambling. “Demand went through the roof, and everybody wanted it yesterday,” said Udit Batra, MilleporeSigma’s chief executive, who has expanded production and asked other customers to accept delays to avoid becoming a bottleneck. Advertising Treatments Versus Vaccines Even as the world waits for a vaccine, a potential treatment for coronavirus is already here — and more could be on the way. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization for the use of remdesivir as a treatment of severely ill patients. Remdesivir showed modest success in a federally funded clinical trial, slowing the progression of the disease, but without significantly reducing fatality rates. The FDA’s decision to allow its use comes as hundreds of other drugs — mainly existing medicines that are being used for other conditions — are being tested around the world to see if they hold promise. The FDA said there are currently 72 therapies in trial. Studies of drugs tend to move more quickly than vaccine trials. Vaccines are given to millions of people who are not yet ill, so they must be extremely safe. But in sicker people, that calculus changes, and side effects might be an acceptable risk. As a result, clinical trials can be conducted with fewer people. And because drugs are tested in people who are already sick, results can be seen more quickly than in vaccine trials, where researchers must wait to see who gets infected. Advertising Public health experts have cautioned there will likely be no magic pill. Rather, they are hoping for incremental advances that make COVID-19 less deadly. “Almost nothing is 100%, especially when you are dealing with a virus that really creates a lot of havoc in the body,” said Dr. Luciana Borio, a former director of medical and biodefense preparedness for the National Security Council during the Trump administration. Antiviral drugs like remdesivir battle the virus itself, slowing its replication in the body. The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine — which has been enthusiastically promoted by Trump and also received emergency authorization to be used in coronavirus patients — showed early promise in the laboratory. However small, limited studies in humans have so far been disappointing. So have some HIV treatments, including a two-drug cocktail sold as Kaletra, which failed in a Chinese trial. Other researchers have focused on identifying immunosuppressant drugs that address the most severe form of COVID-19, when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive, attacking the lungs and other organs. Many in the medical community are closely watching the development of antibody drugs that could act to neutralize the virus, either once someone is already sick or as a way of blocking the infection in the first place. Several hospitals are also administering plasma from recovered patients to people who are sick with COVID-19, in the hopes that the antibodies of survivors will give the patients a boost. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, and others said that by the fall, the treatment picture for COVID-19 could look more hopeful. If proven effective in further trials, remdesivir may become more widely used. One or two antibody treatments may also become available, providing limited protection to health care workers. Even without a vaccine, Borio said, a handful of early treatments could make a difference. “If you can protect people that are vulnerable and you can treat people that come down with the disease effectively,” she said, “then I think it will change the trajectory of this pandemic.” This story was originally published at nytimes.com. Read it here.
2 May 14:51 • The Seattle Times • https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/with-pressure-growing-global-race-for-a-vaccine-intensifies/Rating: 0.74
Discovery heralds a new strategy in the hunt for antibiotics
3 May 20:24
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.02
Importance: 0.51
Age penalty: 0.04
Best date: 3 May 04:00
Average US: 20.3
Weighted average US: 20.446669551601897
Average GB: 0.75
Weighted average GB: 0.6399978362985755
Average IN: 19.75
Weighted average IN: 20.505348190749782
Discovery heralds a new strategy in the hunt for antibiotics
Scientists have identified a key process in the way bacteria protect themselves from attack - and it heralds a new strategy in the hunt for antibiotics. The researchers from the University of Leeds have pieced together how bacteria build their outer, defensive wall - in essence, the cell's armor plating. The research has focused on the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, but the process they have discovered is shared by many pathogenic gram-negative bacteria - so it could have importance for tackling other gram-negative pathogens, including the top three on the World Health Organisation's list of priority pathogens. The findings are published today (01/05) in the journal Nature Communications. The research has focused on the role of a protein called SurA. Known as a chaperone, the job of SurA is to martial other proteins from where they are made, at the center of the cell, to where they are needed, in this case to bolster the bacterium's outer wall. Proteins are long chains of amino acids that must adopt a defined structural shape in order to function effectively. Without the chaperone SurA, the essential proteins needed to build the cell wall run the risk of losing their structural integrity on their journey to the outer membrane. Using advanced analytical techniques, the scientists mapped how the chaperone SurA recognizes proteins to transport them to the bacterial outer membrane. Dr. Calabrese said: "For the first time we have been able to see the mechanism by which the chaperone, SurA, helps to transport proteins to the bacterial outer membrane. In effect it does this by cradling the proteins, to ensure their safe passage. Without SurA, the delivery pipeline is broken and the wall cannot be built correctly." Professor Sheena Radford, FRS, Director of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology said "This is an exciting discovery in our quest to find weak spots in a bacteria's armory that we can target to stop bacterial growth in its tracks and build much-needed new antibiotics. "It's early days, but we now know how SurA works and how it binds its protein clients. The next step will be to develop molecules that interrupt this process, which can be used to destroy pathogenic bacteria." The research was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and used equipment funded by the BBSRC and Wellcome Trust. Source: University of Leeds Journal reference: Calabrese, A.N., et al. (2020) Inter-domain dynamics in the chaperone SurA and multi-site binding to its outer membrane protein clients. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15702-1.
3 May 20:24 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Discovery-heralds-a-new-strategy-in-the-hunt-for-antibiotics.aspxRating: 0.76
IKBFU scientists have discovered a way to increase wheat immunity
lts of the research, which were financed by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the government of the Kaliningrad region, were recently published in the Plants scientific journal. Pavel Feduraev, project manager, PhD in Biology said: "Cereal crops have bifunctional enzyme phenylalanine (tyrosine)-ammonia-liaise, which plays a very important role in the process of splitting metabolism into primary and secondary. It is important to understand that in the process of primary metabolism there is a synthesis of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nucleic, and a number of organic acids, which are the basic resources of the cell. Secondary metabolism provides the cell with auxiliary, regulatory compounds, which largely determine the resistance of plants to adverse environmental factors. For example, one of the final products of secondary metabolism is a complex polymer - lignin, which consists of an additional protective shell of the cell. And the stronger this shell is, the more viable and resistant the plant will be. In particular, it is the lack of lignin that causes the wheat to die, which leads to the loss of a significant portion of the crop". In a sense, any secondary metabolism occurs at the expense of primary. But scientists of the IKBFU offer to stimulate this process as much as possible, providing secondary metabolism with additional material. Pavel Feduraev continues: "Simply put, phenylalanine (tyrosine)-ammonia-liase takes amino acids, detaches the amino group from them, and uses the rest of the secondary metabolism. In the course of our experiments, we selected the concentrations of inductors (i.e. amino acids, which are metabolized by this enzyme), which actively stimulate the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The results obtained form the basis of the research". According to the researcher, it will be possible to create a solution for the pre-sowing treatment of seeds, which will further stimulate the synthesis of secondary compounds as the plant grows.
3 May 04:00 • EurekAlert! • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/ikbf-ish050320.phpRating: 1.03
Stop destroying the environment or face deadlier pandemics, scientists warn
2 May 22:15
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.28
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 22:15
Average US: 61.05
Weighted average US: 65.45861562711278
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.225154054448785
Average IN: 6.3
Weighted average IN: 5.475726256687127
Stop destroying the environment or face deadlier pandemics, scientists warn
Environmentalists and scientists issued dire warnings this week: Stop environmental destruction and the illegal wildlife trade now — or face another pandemic that could wipe out civilization. On Monday, Professors Josef Settele, Sandra Díaz and Eduardo Brondizio, along with Dr. Peter Daszak, wrote an article for The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) titled: “COVID-19 Stimulus Measures Must Save Lives, Protect Livelihoods, and Safeguard Nature to Reduce the Risk of Future Pandemics.” The scientists warned that “Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people. This often occurs in areas where communities live that are most vulnerable to infectious diseases.” The scientists then pointed out that animal-to-human diseases that already exist, like Ebola, rabies or avian flu, already “cause an estimated 700,000 deaths each year.” Deaths in 2020 will skyrocket due to COVID-19, but if nature isn’t protected and animals aren’t isolated from humans, the next pandemic, they warn, will be worse. “Future pandemics are likely to happen more frequently, spread more rapidly, have greater economic impact and kill more people if we are not extremely careful about the possible impacts of the choices we make today,” the scientists write. Peter Knights, the CEO of WildAid, a conservation organization that works to end illegal poaching and consumption of wild animals, agrees. He told the Post: “Sixty percent of infectious diseases originate in animals and are transferred to humans … and the risks are increasing with deforestation and climate change. When someone logs in a rainforest and builds roads into the wild, we come into contact with species we aren’t supposed to. Humans then drive these animals into big cities and sell them at live markets, where the risks increase when you stress these animals or mix these species together.” Some scientists believe the COVID-19 pandemic started in a wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, possibly jumping from humans via bats or perhaps pangolins, the world’s most trafficked animal. “The way these cross-species jump happened is by mixing species that wouldn’t mix in the wild; they transmit diseases in close contact and under stress,” said Knights, who has started a petition calling for the end of wildlife poaching. “The wildlife trade is associated with disease. SARS [allegedly] came from bats via civets cats; HIV was [allegedly] transferred to humans via the bushmeat trade in monkeys and chimpanzees, and now COVID-19 is believed to come from bats, possibly transferred through pangolins.” The recent decimation of the tourism industry has led to a huge uptick in poaching, which exacerbates the problem. According to the New York Times: “Heads of poaching gangs in Mozambique are planning to take advantage of reduced ranger patrols and the lack of tourists in Kruger National Park in neighboring South Africa.” Meanwhile, CNBC reports: “In Botswana, at least six rhinos have been poached since the virus shut down tourism there … In northwest South Africa, at least nine rhinos have been killed since the virus lockdown.” The killings affect multiple generations, as many of the rhino babies left behind either starve, are killed by other wild animals or end up in a rhino orphanage. Even more poaching recruits are expected to sign up in the coming months. “African countries are in dire economic straits,” Knights said. “There are a lot of unemployed people, and without tourists on safari or people working in lodges, you have less surveillance. We’re very concerned that is what is leading to the poaching spike.” Knights and his team have been working non-stop with the governments of China and Vietnam — the largest procurers of illegally poached animals and animal parts — to try and stop this trade at the source. “There is a demand from China and Vietnam for these exotic animals as they have traditions of eating wild animals. The size of their economies fuels a large trade,” Knights said. “But the governments are much more ready to act now than they were five years ago.” In January, China imposed a ban on all farming and consumption of “terrestrial wildlife of important ecological, scientific and social value,” which is expected to be signed into law later this year. After conservationists sent an open letter to Vietnam’s prime minister recommending action against the wildlife trade as a means of preventing future outbreaks of disease, that country — where wildlife restaurants have bats, civet cats, snakes, bear, monkeys and pangolins on the menu — is also looking to stop importing imperiled animals to eat. And recently, both China and Vietnam introduced airport detection systems that can help expose someone trying to smuggle in animal parts. It’s already helped in efforts to curb the ivory trade: In early April, 11 large rhino horns were seized in Vietnam after a flight from Hong Kong was diverted from Ho Chi Minh city to Can Tho. “Many people in China [and Vietnam] find this illegal wildlife trade as abhorrent as everyone in the west,” Knights said. “When the coronavirus broke out there was a tremendous uproar. But in a country of 1.4 billion, you don’t need that many bad actors to have (a huge impact).” Paula Froelich is the founder and editor of the online travel magazine for women, A Broad Abroad. Instagram @pfro
2 May 22:15 • New York Post • https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/stop-destroying-the-environment-or-face-deadlier-pandemics-scientists-warn/Rating: 2.55
Stopping Deforestation Can Prevent Pandemics
SARS, Ebola and now SARS-CoV-2: all three of these highly infectious viruses have caused global panic since 2002—and all three of them jumped to humans from wild animals that live in dense tropical forests. Three quarters of the emerging pathogens that infect humans leaped from animals, many of them creatures in the forest habitats that we are slashing and burning to create land for crops, including biofuel plants, and for mining and housing. The more we clear, the more we come into contact with wildlife that carries microbes well suited to kill us—and the more we concentrate those animals in smaller areas where they can swap infectious microbes, raising the chances of novel strains. Clearing land also reduces biodiversity, and the species that survive are more likely to host illnesses that can be transferred to humans. All these factors will lead to more spillover of animal pathogens into people. Stopping deforestationwill not only reduce our exposure to new disasters but also tamp down the spread of a long list of other vicious diseases that have come from rain forest habitats—Zika, Nipah, malaria, cholera and HIV among them. A 2019 study found that a 10 percent increase in deforestation would raise malaria cases by 3.3 percent; that would be 7.4 million people worldwide. Yet despite years of global outcry, deforestation still runs rampant. An average of 28 million hectares of forest have been cut down annually since 2016, and there is no sign of a slowdown. Societies can take numerous steps to prevent the destruction. Eating less meat, which physicians say will improve our health anyway, will lessen demand for crops and pastures. Eating fewer processed foods will reduce the demand for palm oil—also a major feedstock for biofuels—much of which is grown on land clear-cut from tropical rain forests. The need for land also will ease if nations slow population growth—something that can happen in developing nations only if women are given better education, equal social status with men and easy access to affordable contraceptives. Producing more food per hectare can boost supply without the need to clear more land. Developing crops that better resist drought will help, especially as climate change brings longer, deeper droughts. In dry regions of Africa and elsewhere, agroforestry techniques such as planting trees among farm fields can increase crop yields. Reducing food waste could also vastly lessen the pressure to grow more; 30 to 40 percent of all food produced is wasted. As we implement these solutions, we can also find new outbreaks earlier. Epidemiologists want to tiptoe into wild habitats and test mammals known to carry coronaviruses—bats, rodents, badgers, civets, pangolins and monkeys—to map how the germs are moving. Public health officials could then test nearby humans. To be effective, though, this surveillance must be widespread and well funded. In September 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced it would end funding for PREDICT, a 10-year effort to hunt for threatening microbes that found more than 1,100 unique viruses. USAID says it will launch a new surveillance program; we urge it to supply enough money this time to cast a wider and stronger net. In the meantime, governments should prohibit the sale of live wild animals in so-called wet markets, where pathogens have repeatedly crossed over into humans. The markets may be culturally important, but the risk is too great. Governments must also crack down on illegal wildlife trade, which can spread infectious agents far and wide. In addition, we have to examine factory farms that pack thousands of animals together—the source of the 2009 swine flu outbreak that killed more than 10,000 people in the U.S. and multitudes worldwide. Ending deforestation and thwarting pandemics would address six of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals: the guarantee of healthy lives, zero hunger, gender equality, responsible consumption and production, sustainably managed land, and climate action (intact tropical forests absorb carbon dioxide, whereas burning them sends more CO2 into the atmosphere). The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophe, but it can rivet our attention on the enormous payoffs that humanity can achieve by not overexploiting the natural world. Pandemic solutions are sustainability solutions. Read more about the coronavirus outbreak here.
2 May 08:00 • Scientific American • https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stopping-deforestation-can-prevent-pandemics/Rating: 1.53
Boss of tiny UK firm ‘extremely optimistic’ his one-a-day pill will combat coronavirus
3 May 10:14
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.06
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 21:30
Average US: 27.1
Weighted average US: 29.222115181471224
Average GB: 13.65
Weighted average GB: 12.946029098454261
Average IN: 6.35
Weighted average IN: 5.890888542470169
Boss of tiny UK firm ‘extremely optimistic’ his one-a-day pill will combat coronavirus
A TINY British firm has developed a one-a-day cancer pill which could combat Covid-19 and is being fast-tracked by the NHS for trials. BerGenBio, which has only 38 staff, has created 'bemcentinib' a drug which stops the bug from entering cells and prevents it from “switching off” one of the body's most vital defence mechanisms. The pill was originally developed for cancer patients and is now being fast-tracked for government-backed human trials at NHS hospitals. It was one of only 12 drugs to be selected for the trials. BerGenBio chief exec Richard Godfrey said he was “extremely optimistic” the treatment would save lives. He told The Mail on Sunday: “I think there’s an 80 per cent probability of it working and being of benefit to patients.” Bemcentinib stops the killer bug from using AXL, a naturally-occurring protein, which it utilises to trick the body's cells into allowing it to enter. However, the impact of the drug on death rates is still not clear as eight per cent of those given the pill died against 11 per cent of those who passed away without it. Medical experts are hoping to see a more profound effect on death rate during the trials. But Mr Godfrey said: “I’m expecting something bigger because it’s so different to anything else that’s been tried. We are stopping the virus surviving.” He added that when the drug was used on the deadly virus it showed “some very big effects that dwarf what I’ve seen.” “So I’m extremely optimistic and think there’s going to be something quite profound (in the human trials),” he said. Two-thirds of the firm's employees are based in Oxford while the rest work in Bergen, Norway. The drug was so far been tested on 300 cancer patients, is easy to produce and has a good safety record, Mr Godfrey said.
3 May 10:14 • The Sun • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11537583/bemcentinib-coronavirus-trials-nhs/Rating: 2.72
Boss of tiny Oxford firm is 'extremely optimistic' over one-a-day pill it has developed to combat coronavirus
A tiny British company could beat the world’s pharmaceutical giants in the race to defeat Covid-19 after developing a one-a-day pill that is as convenient as aspirin. Thousands of scientists at the world’s drug giants are battling to find ways of combating coronavirus, but experts at BerGenBio, a British-Norwegian company with just 38 staff, believe they have found the key. Their bemcentinib drug, originally developed for cancer, defends against coronavirus by stopping it from entering cells and preventing it ‘switching off’ one of the body’s most important antiviral defence mechanisms. Bemcentinib has been fast-tracked to be tried on NHS hospital patients in Government-backed trials, one of only a dozen or so drugs to be picked. Last night, BerGenBio chief executive Richard Godfrey told The Mail on Sunday that he was ‘extremely optimistic’ the pill would save lives. ‘I think there’s an 80 per cent probability of it working and being of benefit to patients,’ he said. When US drugs firm Gilead last week announced that tests of its antiviral treatment remdesivir helped patients recover four days earlier from the virus, stock markets in the US and Asia soared. But the impact on death rates is less clear, with eight per cent of those given it dying, against 11 per cent of those who did not get the drug. The difference was not big enough for scientists to be sure it was having an effect. But Mr Godfrey said of bemcentinib: ‘I’m expecting something bigger because it’s so different to anything else that’s been tried. We are stopping the virus surviving.’ When the drug was used in the laboratory on live SARS-Cov-2 – the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 – it showed ‘some very big effects that dwarf what I’ve seen’ from other drugs, said Mr Godfrey. ‘So I’m extremely optimistic and think there’s going to be something quite profound [in human trials].’ Two-thirds of BerGenBio’s staff are based in Oxford, with the rest in Bergen, Norway. Mr Godfrey said the drug had been tested on 300 cancer patients, had a good safety record and was relatively easy to manufacture. It works by stopping the virus from utilising a naturally occurring protein called AXL, which it uses to trick cells to allow it entry. The virus also uses the protein to cut production of interferon, the body’s own antiviral substance. The drug should stop coronavirus ‘hijacking’ AXL, making it harder for it to replicate and leaving it more vulnerable to the immune system. The first of the 120 trial patients is due to be given the drug at Southampton General Hospital in the next few days. Results are expected at the end of June. There is also growing hope that a rheumatoid arthritis drug could help save the lives of the very sickest patients. Tocilizumab, made by Swiss giant Roche, works by calming down the immune systems of those who go into ‘overdrive’, which can cause lethal lung damage. French doctors said early tests were promising and now an NHS study of tocilizumab is under way.
2 May 21:30 • Mail Online • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8281109/Tiny-Oxford-firm-extremely-optimistic-pill-developed-combat-coronavirus.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490Rating: 4.11
Say There Were a Black Hole in Our Solar System: How Would We Find It?
3 May 12:00
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.24
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 23:30
Average US: 7.1
Weighted average US: 7.643367362948778
Average GB: 29.4
Weighted average GB: 22.45434762143735
Average IN: 5.25
Weighted average IN: 5.687056357154452
Say There Were a Black Hole in Our Solar System: How Would We Find It?
Last year, scientists published a paper with an iconic diagram: a black circle representing, to scale, a 5-solar-mass black hole – and the size of the hypothetical Planet Nine if it were a black hole instead of a planet. So, if Planet Nine really is a black hole, how would we find it? Physicist Edward Witten, famed theorist at the Institute for Advanced Study, has an idea. All it requires is an army of small, laser-launched spacecraft with really accurate clocks. The solar system, at present, has eight planets and a host of dwarf planets (including former planet Pluto). But astronomers have long wondered whether there could be a large ninth planet beyond Neptune that has so far eluded telescopes. Evidence for this planet stems from the strange collective motion of rocks past Neptune; they seem to move as if another massive object, five to 10 times the mass of Earth, were orbiting out there. Telescope searches haven’t found Planet Nine, nor have they proven that it doesn’t exist. But last September, scientists James Unwin at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Jakub Scholtz at Durham University released a paper suggesting that Planet Nine could be a black hole that has stuck around since the beginning of the universe and now orbits the Sun. They realised that they’d made a provocative proposal and that their theory was unlikely, but they hoped that scientists would open their minds to looking for a ninth planet in different ways, such as with gamma-ray telescopes. Witten took the idea a step further and imagined a mission specifically to hunt for Planet Nine assuming it were a black hole, publishing his paper on the arXiv physics preprint server. The work has not been peer reviewed. The proposed mission relies on the Breakthrough Starshot proposal, where lasers on Earth are used to guide and power ultra-light spacecraft weighing just a few grams each. Witten proposes that you could send out a thousand of these spacecraft travelling fast enough to reach a distance of 500 AU (Pluto’s distance from the Sun is around 40 AU, on average). Each of these spacecraft would send timing information back to Earth. Slight changes to one of the spacecraft’s clocks could signal that it had intersected the strong gravitational field of tiny black hole. So should we start building these craft? No, not yet. Witten said that the proposal should follow telescope searches or other, less conventional hunts. And it wouldn’t be easy. “Sufficiently accurate timekeeping in a miniature spacecraft may be the biggest obstacle to this project, though there are numerous other challenges,” Witten wrote. But hey, NASA is currently in the midst of testing an atomic clock for deep-space exploration, so many a breakthrough is on the horizon. It’s good to know we have a backup plan for finding Planet Nine, should searching with telescopes alone fail us. Featured image: Breakthrough Starshot
3 May 12:00 • Gizmodo UK • https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/05/say-there-were-a-black-hole-in-our-solar-system-how-would-we-find-it/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uk%2Fgizmodo+%28Gizmodo+UK%29&hl=enRating: 0.30
Say There Were A Black Hole In Our Solar System: How Would We Find It?
Last year, scientists published a paper with an iconic diagram: a black circle representing, to scale, a 5-solar-mass black hole—and the size of the hypothetical Planet Nine if it were a black hole instead of a planet. So, if Planet Nine really is a black hole, how would we find it? Physicist Edward Witten, famed theorist at the Institute for Advanced Study, has an idea. All it requires is an army of small, laser-launched spacecraft with really accurate clocks. The solar system, at present, has eight planets and a host of dwarf planets (including former planet Pluto). But astronomers have long wondered whether there could be a large ninth planet beyond Neptune that has so far eluded telescopes. Evidence for this planet stems from the strange collective motion of rocks past Neptune; they seem to move as if another massive object, five to 10 times the mass of Earth, were orbiting out there. Telescope searches haven’t found Planet Nine, nor have they proven that it doesn’t exist. But last September, scientists James Unwin at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Jakub Scholtz at Durham University released a paper suggesting that Planet Nine could be a black hole that has stuck around since the beginning of the universe and now orbits the Sun. They realised that they’d made a provocative proposal and that their theory was unlikely, but they hoped that scientists would open their minds to looking for a ninth planet in different ways, such as with gamma-ray telescopes. Witten took the idea a step further and imagined a mission specifically to hunt for Planet Nine assuming it were a black hole, publishing his paper on the arXiv physics preprint server. The work has not been peer reviewed. The proposed mission relies on the Breakthrough Starshot proposal, where lasers on Earth are used to guide and power ultra-light spacecraft weighing just a few grams each. Witten proposes that you could send out a thousand of these spacecraft travelling fast enough to reach a distance of 500 AU (Pluto’s distance from the Sun is around 40 AU, on average). Each of these spacecraft would send timing information back to Earth. Slight changes to one of the spacecraft’s clocks could signal that it had intersected the strong gravitational field of tiny black hole. So should we start building these craft? No, not yet. Witten said that the proposal should follow telescope searches or other, less conventional hunts. And it wouldn’t be easy. “Sufficiently accurate timekeeping in a miniature spacecraft may be the biggest obstacle to this project, though there are numerous other challenges,” Witten wrote. But hey, NASA is currently in the midst of testing an atomic clock for deep-space exploration, so many a breakthrough is on the horizon. It’s good to know we have a backup plan for finding Planet Nine, should searching with telescopes alone fail us.
2 May 23:30 • Gizmodo AU • https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/say-there-were-a-black-hole-in-our-solar-system-how-would-we-find-it/Rating: 0.49
Scientists Regenerate Neurons in Mice with Spinal Cord Injury and Optic Nerve Damage
3 May 00:00
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:54
Average US: 31.15
Weighted average US: 27.052756016887663
Average GB: 0.75
Weighted average GB: 1.0093192394374897
Average IN: 19.1
Weighted average IN: 17.544084563375062
Scientists Regenerate Neurons in Mice with Spinal Cord Injury and Optic Nerve Damage
iStock Read Time: Like power lines in an electrical grid, long wiry projections that grow outward from neurons -- structures known as axons -- form interconnected communication networks that run from the brain to all parts of the body. But unlike an outage in a power line, which can be fixed, a break in an axon is permanent. Each year thousands of patients confront this reality, facing life-long losses in sensation and motor function from spinal cord injury and related conditions in which axons are badly damaged or severed.New research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Temple University (LKSOM) shows, however, that gains in functional recovery from these injuries may be possible, thanks to a molecule known as Lin28, which regulates cell growth. In a study published online in the journal Molecular Therapy, the Temple researchers describe the ability of Lin28 -- when expressed above its usual levels -- to fuel axon regrowth in mice with spinal cord injury or optic nerve injury, enabling repair of the body's communication grid."Our findings show that Lin28 is a major regulator of axon regeneration and a promising therapeutic target for central nervous system injuries," explained Shuxin Li, MD, PhD, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology and in the Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and senior investigator on the new study. The research is the first to demonstrate the regenerative ability of Lin28 upregulation in the injured spinal cord of animals."We became interested in Lin28 as a target for neuron regeneration because it acts as a gatekeeper of stem cell activity," said Dr. Li. "It controls the switch that maintains stem cells or allows them to differentiate and potentially contribute to activities such as axon regeneration."To explore the effects of Lin28 on axon regrowth, Dr. Li and colleagues developed a mouse model in which animals expressed extra Lin28 in some of their tissues. When full-grown, the animals were divided into groups that sustained spinal cord injury or injury to the optic nerve tracts that connect to the retina in the eye.Another set of adult mice, with normal Lin28 expression and similar injuries, were given injections of a viral vector (a type of carrier) for Lin28 to examine the molecule's direct effects on tissue repair.Extra Lin28 stimulated long-distance axon regeneration in all instances, though the most dramatic effects were observed following post-injury injection of Lin28. In mice with spinal cord injury, Lin28 injection resulted in the growth of axons to more than three millimeters beyond the area of axon damage, while in animals with optic nerve injury, axons regrew the entire length of the optic nerve tract. Evaluation of walking and sensory abilities after Lin28 treatment revealed significant improvements in coordination and sensation."We observed a lot of axon regrowth, which could be very significant clinically, since there currently are no regenerative treatments for spinal cord injury or optic nerve injury," Dr. Li explained.One of his goals in the near-term is to identify a safe and effective means of getting Lin28 to injured tissues in human patients. To do so, his team of researchers will need to develop a vector, or carrier system for Lin28, that can be injected systemically and then hone in on injured axons to deliver the therapy directly to multiple populations of damaged neurons.Dr. Li further wants to decipher the molecular details of the Lin28 signaling pathway. "Lin28 associates closely with other growth signaling molecules, and we suspect it uses multiple pathways to regulate cell growth," he explained. These other molecules could potentially be packaged along with Lin28 to aid neuron repair.Reference: Fatima M. Nathan, Yosuke Ohtake, Shuo Wang, Xinpei Jiang, Armin Sami, Hua Guo, Feng-Quan Zhou, Shuxin Li. Upregulating Lin28a Promotes Axon Regeneration in Adult Mice with Optic Nerve and Spinal Cord Injury. Molecular Therapy, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.010This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
3 May 00:00 • Technology Networks • https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/scientists-regenerate-neurons-in-mice-with-spinal-cord-injury-and-optic-nerve-damage-334260Rating: 0.37
Study finds Lin28 as promising therapeutic target for central nervous system injuries
Like power lines in an electrical grid, long wiry projections that grow outward from neurons - structures known as axons - form interconnected communication networks that run from the brain to all parts of the body. But unlike an outage in a power line, which can be fixed, a break in an axon is permanent. Each year thousands of patients confront this reality, facing life-long losses in sensation and motor function from spinal cord injury and related conditions in which axons are badly damaged or severed. New research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Temple University (LKSOM) shows, however, that gains in functional recovery from these injuries may be possible, thanks to a molecule known as Lin28, which regulates cell growth. In a study published online in the journal Molecular Therapy, the Temple researchers describe the ability of Lin28 - when expressed above its usual levels - to fuel axon regrowth in mice with spinal cord injury or optic nerve injury, enabling repair of the body's communication grid. The research is the first to demonstrate the regenerative ability of Lin28 upregulation in the injured spinal cord of animals. To explore the effects of Lin28 on axon regrowth, Dr. Li and colleagues developed a mouse model in which animals expressed extra Lin28 in some of their tissues. When full-grown, the animals were divided into groups that sustained spinal cord injury or injury to the optic nerve tracts that connect to the retina in the eye. Another set of adult mice, with normal Lin28 expression and similar injuries, were given injections of a viral vector (a type of carrier) for Lin28 to examine the molecule's direct effects on tissue repair. Extra Lin28 stimulated long-distance axon regeneration in all instances, though the most dramatic effects were observed following post-injury injection of Lin28. In mice with spinal cord injury, Lin28 injection resulted in the growth of axons to more than three millimeters beyond the area of axon damage, while in animals with optic nerve injury, axons regrew the entire length of the optic nerve tract. Evaluation of walking and sensory abilities after Lin28 treatment revealed significant improvements in coordination and sensation. "We observed a lot of axon regrowth, which could be very significant clinically, since there currently are no regenerative treatments for spinal cord injury or optic nerve injury," Dr. Li explained. One of his goals in the near-term is to identify a safe and effective means of getting Lin28 to injured tissues in human patients. To do so, his team of researchers will need to develop a vector, or carrier system for Lin28, that can be injected systemically and then hone in on injured axons to deliver the therapy directly to multiple populations of damaged neurons. Dr. Li further wants to decipher the molecular details of the Lin28 signaling pathway. "Lin28 associates closely with other growth signaling molecules, and we suspect it uses multiple pathways to regulate cell growth," he explained. These other molecules could potentially be packaged along with Lin28 to aid neuron repair. Source: Temple University Health System Journal reference: Nathan, F.M., et al. (2020) Upregulating Lin28a Promotes Axon Regeneration in Adult Mice with Optic Nerve and Spinal Cord Injury. Molecular Therapy. doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.010.
2 May 18:54 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Study-finds-Lin28-as-promising-therapeutic-target-for-central-nervous-system-injuries.aspxRating: 0.76
‘Allow Nigerian scientists research into local herbs’
2 May 20:55
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.23
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:31
Average US: 4.07
Weighted average US: 7.24674481033534
Average GB: 2.945
Weighted average GB: 5.243651957355668
Average IN: 0.135
Weighted average IN: 0.24037114235756038
‘Allow Nigerian scientists research into local herbs’
AS a part of measures to find a cure to COVID-19 pandemic, an educationist and Chancellor of the Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Osun State, Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, has urged the Federal Government to encourage Nigerian scientists and researchers to explore the use of local herbs in the treatment of Coronavirus. Adedoyin made the appeal while fielding questions from reporters in Ife, Osun State. The educationist disclosed that he was setting up a research institute inside the Oduduwa University immediately and had earmarked $50,000 for this purpose alone. According to Adedoyin, before the advent of orthodox medicine, Africans had been using traditional herbs to treat different ailments and diseases successfully, adding that COVID-19 was not an exception. He advised the Nigerian government to look inwards and try to find internal and homegrown solution to the disease rather than wait for solutions from the western world, which may not come anytime soon. He made reference to some African countries like Madagascar which recently launched a drug which the country claimed can prevent and cure patients suffering from COVID-19 as a result of research by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research. “I am setting up a research institute inside the Oduduwa University immediately and has earmarked $50,000 for this purpose alone.”
2 May 20:55 • Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics • https://thenationonlineng.net/allow-nigerian-scientists-research-into-local-herbs/Rating: 0.30
Encourage professors to research into herbs to combat COVID-19 ― Adedoyin tells FG
Kindly Share This Story: A renowned educationist and Chancellor of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Ife North Local Government, area of Osun State, His Royal Eminence, Dr AbdulRahaman Adegoke Adedoyin has urged the Federal government to encourage Nigeria scientists and researchers to explore the use of local traditional herbs in the effective treatment of the dreaded COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for the use of people of Nigeria. Dr Adedoyin said this in a statement he made available to Vanguardat the weekend. The Ife born Prince noted that” before the advent of orthodox medicine, our forefathers used traditional herbs to treat different ailments and diseases successfully. This particular one looks like “lukuluku” and was curtailed then. “I have heard a number of our people claimed they used things like “ori” shea butter, garlic, lemons, palm oil etc to cure the coronavirus.” Adedoyin was optimistic that Nigerian scientists and researchers would find a potent cure for COVID-19 virus in view of the latest breakthrough made by Madagascar which just announced the solution of a potent cure for the dreaded virus for the use of people of that country. He said the breakthrough made by Madagascar was as a result of encouragement by the government in support of the researchers and scientists in that country particularly the research by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research. The educationist also backed the claims by some Nigerians living abroad that some local herbs and recipes could actually be used to combat and treat the stubborn disease. “The federal government should particularly encourage our researchers and scientists to find a potent cure for COVID-19 virus. We have all that it takes in abundant, both human and natural resources. Nigeria should find a homegrown solution to the problem, this would lasting and reliable rather than relying on drugs from foreign countries.” He said in the statement. He, therefore, advised the Nigerian government to look inwards and try to find an internal and homegrown solution to the disease and indeed other challenges rather than wait for solutions from the western world which may not come anytime soon. He, however, said that his university has begun the process of finding solution to end the COVID-19 virus in Nigeria He said: “I am setting up a research institute inside Oduduwa University immediately and has earmarked $50,000 for this purpose alone” He further advocated that research be conducted into the properties of such local herbs and recipes like Garlic, Ginger, Tumeric, Shea Butter, Bitter Kola among others which many people are claiming can be used in combatting the coronavirus pandemic. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story:
2 May 17:31 • Vanguard News • https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/encourage-professors-to-research-into-herbs-to-combat-covid-19-%e2%80%95-adedoyin-tells-fg/Rating: 2.43
Bees dying of disease eerily similar to coronavirus, British scientists say
2 May 16:32
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.28
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 16:32
Average US: 60.5
Weighted average US: 70.62055327784934
Average GB: 1.0
Weighted average GB: 0.8331776932222641
Average IN: 13.1
Weighted average IN: 7.4836490051495534
Bees dying of disease eerily similar to coronavirus, British scientists say
The latest buzz in the science world: Honeybees are dying of something that is freakishly similar to the coronavirus. Bee populations around the globe have been decimated by a viral disease that creeps into hives via asymptomatic insects and spreads like wildfire, British researchers discovered. Their research even suggests the insects could benefit from social distancing. The scientists found piles of bee carcasses outside hives infected with chronic bee paralysis virus, which causes severe trembling, flightlessness and death within a week, the Guardian reported. The infection was once a rarity but has spread rapidly, according to the researchers at Newcastle University, who examined bees in 25 countries. In Britain, for example, chronic bee paralysis virus took only a decade to invade 39 of 47 English counties and six of eight Welsh counties. In the US, the infection rate jumped from 0.7% in 2010 to 16% in 2014. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggests that the disease is twice as likely to infect commercially harvested bees — and that colonies not confined to the close quarters might fare better. “You can’t do social distancing in a hive as easily, but you can manage it by increasing the space in there,” Professor Giles Budge told the website.
2 May 16:32 • New York Post • https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/bees-dying-of-disease-eerily-similar-to-coronavirus-british-scientists-say/Rating: 2.55
Honey Bees in the UK Are Secretly Being Wiped Out By a Chronic Viral Disease
Honey bees are being silently killed by a chronic viral disease as some have been observed to be unable to fly and have weird greasy abdomens, experts say. According to a report from The Dailymail, a new study has revealed that honey bees in the UK are suffering from a deadly viral disease that is silently sweeping bee populations in Wales and England. The honey bee colonies found by British scientists have been infected by a viral disease called "chronic bee paralysis virus" or CBPV which increased nearly 200-fold between 2007 and 2017. Abnormal trembling, a disturbing loss of hair leading to odd shiny abdomens, and the inability to fly are being experienced by the honey bee colonies causing most of the insects to succumb to the virus. The honey bees infected by CBPV die within a week leading to a pile of dead bees outside the beehives. After being recorded in one country in 2007, new data has shown that more than 24,000 beekeepers reported that CBPV is present in their bee farms located in 45 counties in England and Wales. The deadly virus which is believed to have spread by the queen bees imported from overseas can potentially threaten Britain's honey production. According to The Dailymail, researchers have reported that the disease cases caused by CBPV are becoming more frequent. "Our analysis clearly confirms that chronic bee paralysis has been emerging across England and Wales since 2007 and that apiaries owned by professional beekeepers are at greater risk of the disease," said Giles Budge, a professor from Newcastle University's School of Natural Environment Sciences. "We do not yet know why colonies of bee farmers are at increased risk from this damaging disease, but many management practices are known to differ significantly between amateur and professional apiarists," he further explained in the report. The study revealed that the Western honey bee, also known as Apis Mellifera, is one of the pollinator species threatened by the viral disease. They are also vulnerable to parasites, land-use intensification, and chemical exposure putting the bees in a dangerous status. It was explained in the report that CBPV is an RNA virus that increases the death rate of the honey bees, weakening the pollination of the insects and their honey production. The viral disease is carried by the infected adult honey bees for up to six days before symptoms are identified. Since infected honey bees cannot be quickly confirmed by the beekeepers, the infected bees can infect other bees in the hive and even transmit the disease to other distant colonies.
2 May 02:56 • Tech Times • https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249304/20200501/silent-killer-honey-bees-are-secretly-wiped-out-by-a-chronic-viral-disease.htmRating: 0.73
The Eta Aquarids to give us a real light show for Cinco de Mayo
3 May 17:21
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.41
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:30
Average US: 17.95
Weighted average US: 17.69206338320106
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 15.7
Weighted average IN: 15.475875299260846
The Eta Aquarids to give us a real light show for Cinco de Mayo
And for those of us stuck inside because of the coronavirus pandemic, May's celestial events are the perfect excuse to reconnect with nature. The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. The Earth passes through Halley's path around the Sun a second time in October. This creates the Orionid meteor shower, which peaks around October 20. Halley's Comet is visible from Earth about every 76 years. It was last seen in 1986 and won't be visible again until 2061. According to NASA, every year, when Earth collides with the comet's orbit, a vaporizing debris field comes flying into our atmosphere at the astounding speed of 148,000 miles per hour. The ultra-fast meteors tend to leave glowing dust "trains" behind them, producing magnificent "shooting stars." As many as 30 Eta Aquarid meteors can be seen per hour during their peak. The radiant gives the meteor shower its name The radiant is the constellation from which a meteor shower appears to come from. This is an aid to skywatchers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night. The constellation is not the source of the meteors. Looking at the Eta Aquarids - they appear to be coming from the constellation Aquarius, the water bearer. One of the brightest stars within Aquarius is called Eta Aquarii, and these meteors appear from this area of the constellation. Eta Aquarii is one of four stars that make up the top of the "water jar." Keep in mind that the constellation Aquarius does not rise very far above the horizon in the northern hemisphere, and that's why northerners see relatively few meteors. But what they do see is spectacular. The Super Flower Moon on May 7 Following right on the heels of the Eta Aquarids, and right when the meteor showers will be peaking - is the "Super Flower Moon," and it will be the fourth and final supermoon of 2020. A supermoon is actually known as a perigee full moon by astronomers. The term is used for a full moon when it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. Keep in mind that the moon really isn't any bigger than it usually is, it's just our minds playing tricks on us. And because you would be looking at the moon through the densest part of Earth's atmosphere. it will appear to be a deep orange color (when rising or setting) and an entrancing pale yellow color (when just above the horizon).
3 May 17:21 • Digital Journal • http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/the-eta-aquarids-to-give-us-a-real-light-show-for-cinco-de-mayo/article/571136Rating: 0.78
Pieces of Halley's Comet are set to light up our mornings
At a few select times every year, the morning sky lights up with spectacular events known as meteor showers. A meteor, also known as a shooting star, is actually a tiny piece of rock falling to Earth which lights up as it burns through the atmosphere. A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a field of left-over debris, some of which is captured by our planet's gravity. This debris is usually left behind by a comet or sometimes an asteroid. This week's meteor shower, known as the Eta Aquariids, is caused by Halley's Comet. Halley's Comet is easily the most famous comet in the Solar System, primarily because it is one of the brightest. Like all comets, it is on a highly eccentric orbit. While Earth's orbit is mostly circular and we stay at a fairly constant distance from the Sun, a comet's orbit is more like a stretched oval. Halley's Comet drifts further from the Sun than Uranus but also moves into the inner Solar System every orbit, bringing it closer to the Sun than Venus. It takes 76 years to orbit the Sun, which means it passes near Earth and brightens our sky only once every 75-76 years. It last did this in 1986 and the next will be in 2061 or 2062. However, at times such as this week, we can still see the remnants of a previous encounter. Comets are primarily made of ice and dust. As they get closer to the Sun, they are heated by the Sun and some of the dust is burned off and is left behind, in orbit around the Sun. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is caused by some of this dust that came from Halley's Comet hundreds of years ago. This dust sits in the orbit of Halley's comet and crosses Earth's orbit twice. As a result, Earth passes through the debris field twice a year, and thus there are two meteor showers associated with Halley's Comet, the other being the Orionids in mid-October. In a meteor shower, all meteors appear to come from a particular point in the sky, known as the shower's radiant. The Eta Aquariids get their name because the radiant lies near the star Eta Aquarrii in the constellation of Aquarius. The meteor shower is best observed in the pre- dawn hours away from city lights. The meteors can be observed for a few weeks in late April and early May but the peak of the shower (when Earth is in the middle of the debris field) occurs about May 6. The best time to observe the meteor shower will be after 4 am when the radiant is sufficiently high but the sky is still dark. The meteors are sufficiently bright that you won't need a telescope or binoculars. The radiant will stay in the eastern sky until dawn so all you need to do is look to the east. The meteors can be seen until just before sunrise. The shower will have a peak rate of 30 meteors per hour which means you may need to wait two minutes to see another shooting star. However, with clear skies and a bit of patience, this proves to be a rewarding experience for any space enthusiast.
2 May 15:30 • The Canberra Times • https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6743241/pieces-of-halleys-comet-are-set-to-light-up-our-mornings/Rating: 0.81
Scientists to test sewage for years to track COVID bug
2 May 13:30
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.70
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:30
Average US: 4.449999999999999
Weighted average US: 4.52679155213218
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.0
Weighted average IN: 2.0658213303990123
Scientists to test sewage for years to track COVID bug
Victorian’s sewage looks set to be monitored for COVID-19 outbreaks for years after the current pandemic, with the state’s effluent a potential early warning system for new outbreaks. Scientists from Melbourne Water have been quietly taking samples of sewage from around the city for weeks and working on a diagnostic test for the virus. They hope this will lead to an early-warning system that senses an outbreak before it shows up in clinical testing. The project team believes it could be just weeks away from a reliable method of detecting COVID-19 in sewage, with overseas experience suggesting surveillance of human waste can be a powerful weapon in public health officials' armoury against the virus. Testing sewage for viruses is not new, said project manager Dan Deere, who has been hired by national body Water Research Australia to work on what has become a nationwide effort. The periodic monitoring for polio have taken place for decades. Dr Deere said there is a lot of science to be done before a working sewage surveillance system is in place for COVID-19. “We know we can test sewage and find diseases,” he said. “The problem in this case is that this is a new virus and the methods for testing for it haven’t been through the usual rigour.” Dr Deere said once a reliable test was in place, along with the know-how to use it most effectively, the team could move to “phase three” of their task – “routine surveillance”. “This may go on for a year or two when the health department would say they want us to and test Ballarat or Shepparton and do it once a month or once a week and keep going,” Dr Deere said. The science could also be used to detect COVID-19 in small enclosed environments such as planes and cruise ships. But developing the test is a big job, with 12 water utilities around Australia, six health departments and 10 research organisations involved. Nick Crosbie from Melbourne Water is leading a team that is working out the best way to sample wastewater, finding the best points in the sewage systems of Victoria’s towns and cities to tell him and his colleagues if COVID-19 is lurking in local populations. But the detection method must be sensitive enough to be able to track down the killer bug in waste from large populations, Dr Crosbie said. “If you take, say [Werribee’s] Western Treatment Plant, there are over 2 million people in that catchment,” he said. “Likewise if you take a small town of say 40,000 people, if you have a sensitive method and you were able to detect COVID with that method, then that gives you another line of information to provide to health authorities. “It won’t replace clinical testing, its additional information they can use to help target their screening and also to see if there’s anything unexpected.” Early reports from the US, France and the Netherlands have raised hopes and Dr Crosbie said he is cautiously optimistic. “You’d call it high risk, high gain,” he said. “It’s technically challenging so its high risk but if you can crack that technical nut and the preliminary evidence from overseas is promising, then it’s high gain because you’d have that ability to screen a large population efficiently.”
2 May 13:30 • Brisbane Times • https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/scientists-to-test-sewage-for-years-to-track-covid-bug-20200502-p54p90.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 0.86
Scientists to test sewage for years to track COVID bug
Victorian’s sewage looks set to be monitored for COVID-19 outbreaks for years after the current pandemic, with the state’s effluent a potential early warning system for new outbreaks. Scientists from Melbourne Water have been quietly taking samples of sewage from around the city for weeks and working on a diagnostic test for the virus. They hope this will lead to an early-warning system that senses an outbreak before it shows up in clinical testing. The project team believes it could be just weeks away from a reliable method of detecting COVID-19 in sewage, with overseas experience suggesting surveillance of human waste can be a powerful weapon in public health officials' armoury against the virus. Testing sewage for viruses is not new, said project manager Dan Deere, who has been hired by national body Water Research Australia to work on what has become a nationwide effort. The periodic monitoring for polio have taken place for decades. Dr Deere said there is a lot of science to be done before a working sewage surveillance system is in place for COVID-19. “We know we can test sewage and find diseases,” he said. “The problem in this case is that this is a new virus and the methods for testing for it haven’t been through the usual rigour.” Dr Deere said once a reliable test was in place, along with the know-how to use it most effectively, the team could move to “phase three” of their task – “routine surveillance”. “This may go on for a year or two when the health department would say they want us to and test Ballarat or Shepparton and do it once a month or once a week and keep going,” Dr Deere said. The science could also be used to detect COVID-19 in small enclosed environments such as planes and cruise ships. But developing the test is a big job, with 12 water utilities around Australia, six health departments and 10 research organisations involved. Nick Crosbie from Melbourne Water is leading a team that is working out the best way to sample wastewater, finding the best points in the sewage systems of Victoria’s towns and cities to tell him and his colleagues if COVID-19 is lurking in local populations. But the detection method must be sensitive enough to be able to track down the killer bug in waste from large populations, Dr Crosbie said. “If you take, say [Werribee’s] Western Treatment Plant, there are over 2 million people in that catchment,” he said. “Likewise if you take a small town of say 40,000 people, if you have a sensitive method and you were able to detect COVID with that method, then that gives you another line of information to provide to health authorities. “It won’t replace clinical testing, its additional information they can use to help target their screening and also to see if there’s anything unexpected.” Early reports from the US, France and the Netherlands have raised hopes and Dr Crosbie said he is cautiously optimistic. “You’d call it high risk, high gain,” he said. “It’s technically challenging so its high risk but if you can crack that technical nut and the preliminary evidence from overseas is promising, then it’s high gain because you’d have that ability to screen a large population efficiently.”
2 May 13:30 • WAtoday • https://www.watoday.com.au/national/victoria/scientists-to-test-sewage-for-years-to-track-covid-bug-20200502-p54p90.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feedRating: 0.55
Curing Coronavirus Isn’t a Job for Social Scientists
2 May 12:00
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.27
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:00
Average US: 30.35
Weighted average US: 36.11576198648115
Average GB: 0.3
Weighted average GB: 0.48699768604803695
Average IN: 5.95
Weighted average IN: 6.729157025200155
Curing Coronavirus Isn’t a Job for Social Scientists
The public appetite for more information about Covid-19 is understandably insatiable. Social scientists have been quick to respond. They are writing papers at a record pace, and academic journals are expediting the review process so that these new, exciting results can be published in a timely and newsworthy manner. While I understand the impulse, the rush to publish findings quickly in the midst of the crisis does little for the public and harms the discipline of social science. Even in normal times, social science suffers from a host of pathologies. Results reported in our leading scientific journals are often unreliable because researchers can be careless, they might selectively report their results, and career incentives could lead them to publish as many exciting results as possible, regardless of validity. A global crisis only exacerbates these problems. Rushing to publish timely results means more carelessness, and the promise of favorable news coverage in a time of crisis further distorts incentives. I am especially concerned about three trends among social scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first of which is that many of them appear to be rushing their work. Good science takes time. Researchers often spend months collecting, organizing and double-checking their data. They spend more months presenting their findings and gathering feedback from colleagues before they publicly release their results. But many social scientists are already releasing and publicizing studies using Covid-19 data that was collected just days ago, and they are often failing to apply the same level of rigor that they normally would. For example, several recent studies have asked whether partisan attitudes affect social distancing. One challenge is that it’s difficult to measure social distancing. In one recent study, survey respondents were asked to self-report their social distancing, but people often misreport their beliefs and behaviors in political surveys. Another study used GPS data to measure visits to places of interest like restaurants and movie theaters, but this seems like a poor test of social distancing at a time when many such places are closed (especially in more Democratic places). A second challenge is that even if we find a clear difference between Democratic and Republican behavior, it’s difficult to say whether this difference is explained by political attitudes or other factors. Democrats tend to live in more urban places, where the pandemic has been more severe and local governments have implemented more stringent policies and guidelines; neither of these studies accounted for these alternative explanations. Another recent study investigated the extent to which watching “Hannity” versus “Tucker Carlson Tonight” may have increased the spread of Covid-19. This is the kind of study that might make one skeptical in normal times. An extra concern now is that the paper was likely written in just a few days. Although the authors write that they used variation in sunset times to estimate the effect of watching “Hannity,” a closer reading suggests that they’re mostly using variation in how much people in different media markets watch television and how much Fox News they watch. Maybe conservative commentators like Sean Hannity have exacerbated the spread of Covid-19, but it’s dangerous for social scientists to publicize these kinds of results before they have been carefully vetted. Not only are social scientists rushing to write these studies, but academic journals are also rushing to publish them. An editor might typically vet submitted papers, then select experts in the field to review these papers. The reviewers might read a paper carefully and provide feedback. And then the authors would have the opportunity to revise their paper in response to that feedback, and the process would repeat (often multiple times). But for papers related to Covid-19, the typical process is being streamlined. I was recently asked to review three such papers for a scientific journal. Although an editor might normally give me six weeks to complete one review, I was asked to complete three reviews in just one week. Similarly, a political science journal asked me to referee a paper for a rapid-review series related to Covid-19. The editor explicitly stated that my review would not require the detail or length of a normal review; instead, they wanted a simple “accept” or “reject” within five days. One possible reason for rushing science in the midst of a crisis is that the benefits of quickly getting new information to the public and to policy makers outweigh the potential costs of giving them less reliable information. Perhaps one could make this argument for those studying how to cure or prevent the spread of Covid-19. But most of the work being done by social scientists on Covid-19, while interesting and important, is not urgent. Understanding how political attitudes affect social distancing may be relevant for understanding political psychology, for example, and it might even help us design better solutions in a future pandemic, but it doesn’t significantly benefit society to have this information today. The second troubling trend is the temptation of social scientists to speak outside their areas of expertise. There is so much we don’t know about Covid-19 and so much uncertainty about how the pandemic will play out that many are tempted to speculate and conduct their own analyses. I’ve recently seen scholars in fields as varied as political philosophy and macroeconomics giving public-health advice and predicting the future trajectory of the pandemic without seriously discussing the limits of their knowledge or the credibility of their assumptions. A legal scholar first predicted 500 deaths in the U.S., then appeared to revise that to 5,000, and most recently revised it again to 50,000. Despite the scholar’s lack of any relevant expertise or experience, these woefully optimistic early projections reportedly influenced decisions in the White House. (Apparently, this egotism is not unique to social science. Julia Gog, a mathematical modeler of infectious diseases, reports having an email folder full of documents titled “my_first_epidemic.xls.”) The third troubling trend in social science is the temptation to overclaim. I have seen several studies and analyses by social scientists during the pandemic that are interesting, important and relevant to policy. But the studies often make stronger statements than are warranted, then journalists and policy makers run with these statements and overclaim further. Despite the appeal of favorable news coverage, part of our job as social scientists is to reliably convey the uncertainty associated with our estimates and the limitations of our studies. In one example of these kinds of misleading claims, one study estimated the economic value of the people spared through social-distancing efforts. Essentially, the authors took estimates from epidemiologists about the number of lives that could be saved, then multiplied them with estimates of the statistical value of a life from economists. The researchers admittedly did not consider any of the potential costs of social distancing. Yet, in the concluding sentence of their abstract, they write, “Overall, the analysis suggests that social distancing initiatives and policies in response to the Covid-19 epidemic have substantial economic benefits.” To an economist, this sentence might simply convey that they computed large benefits but did not consider costs. But to a layperson or policy maker, it sounds like they have conducted a thorough analysis and concluded that social distancing is, on net, economically beneficial. Not surprisingly, many news outlets have cited this study to support the claim that there is no trade-off between saving lives and economic recovery. Social scientists have for decades studied questions of great importance for pandemics and beyond: How should we structure our political system to best respond to crises? How should responses be coordinated between local, state and federal governments? How should we implement relief spending to have the greatest economic benefits? How can we best communicate health information to the public and maximize compliance with new norms? To the extent that we have insights to share with policy makers, we should focus much of our energy on that. The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of what social scientists do on a regular basis, and in time, it will provide new opportunities for us to answer long-standing, policy-relevant questions. And by the time the next crisis comes around, we won’t care whether we answered these questions in a timely or newsworthy manner. We’ll care whether we answered them well. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. To contact the author of this story:Anthony Fowler at anthony.fowler@uchicago.edu To contact the editor responsible for this story:Brooke Sample at bsample1@bloomberg.net
2 May 12:00 • Bloomberg.com • https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-02/crises-like-coronavirus-are-bad-for-social-sciencesRating: 4.04
Curing Coronavirus Isn't a Job for Social Scientists
By Anthony Fowler (Bloomberg Opinion) — The public appetite for more information about Covid-19 is understandably insatiable. Social scientists have been quick to respond. They are writing papers at a record pace, and academic journals are expediting the review process so that these new, exciting results can be published in a timely and newsworthy manner. While I understand the impulse, the rush to publish findings quickly in the midst of the crisis does little for the public and harms the discipline of social science. Even in normal times, social science suffers from a host of pathologies. Results reported in our leading scientific journals are often unreliable because researchers can be careless, they might selectively report their results, and career incentives could lead them to publish as many exciting results as possible, regardless of validity. A global crisis only exacerbates these problems. Rushing to publish timely results means more carelessness, and the promise of favorable news coverage in a time of crisis further distorts incentives. I am especially concerned about three trends among social scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first of which is that many of them appear to be rushing their work. Good science takes time. Researchers often spend months collecting, organizing and double-checking their data. They spend more months presenting their findings and gathering feedback from colleagues before they publicly release their results. But many social scientists are already releasing and publicizing studies using Covid-19 data that was collected just days ago, and they are often failing to apply the same level of rigor that they normally would. For example, several recent studies have asked whether partisan attitudes affect social distancing. One challenge is that it’s difficult to measure social distancing. In one recent study, survey respondents were asked to self-report their social distancing, but people often misreport their beliefs and behaviors in political surveys. Another study used GPS data to measure visits to places of interest like restaurants and movie theaters, but this seems like a poor test of social distancing at a time when many such places are closed (especially in more Democratic places). A second challenge is that even if we find a clear difference between Democratic and Republican behavior, it’s difficult to say whether this difference is explained by political attitudes or other factors. Democrats tend to live in more urban places, where the pandemic has been more severe and local governments have implemented more stringent policies and guidelines; neither of these studies accounted for these alternative explanations. Another recent study investigated the extent to which watching “Hannity” versus “Tucker Carlson Tonight” may have increased the spread of Covid-19. This is the kind of study that might make one skeptical in normal times. An extra concern now is that the paper was likely written in just a few days. Although the authors write that they used variation in sunset times to estimate the effect of watching “Hannity,” a closer reading suggests that they’re mostly using variation in how much people in different media markets watch television and how much Fox News they watch. Maybe conservative commentators like Sean Hannity have exacerbated the spread of Covid-19, but it’s dangerous for social scientists to publicize these kinds of results before they have been carefully vetted. Not only are social scientists rushing to write these studies, but academic journals are also rushing to publish them. An editor might typically vet submitted papers, then select experts in the field to review these papers. The reviewers might read a paper carefully and provide feedback. And then the authors would have the opportunity to revise their paper in response to that feedback, and the process would repeat (often multiple times). But for papers related to Covid-19, the typical process is being streamlined. I was recently asked to review three such papers for a scientific journal. Although an editor might normally give me six weeks to complete one review, I was asked to complete three reviews in just one week. Similarly, a political science journal asked me to referee a paper for a rapid-review series related to Covid-19. The editor explicitly stated that my review would not require the detail or length of a normal review; instead, they wanted a simple “accept” or “reject” within five days. One possible reason for rushing science in the midst of a crisis is that the benefits of quickly getting new information to the public and to policy makers outweigh the potential costs of giving them less reliable information. Perhaps one could make this argument for those studying how to cure or prevent the spread of Covid-19. But most of the work being done by social scientists on Covid-19, while interesting and important, is not urgent. Understanding how political attitudes affect social distancing may be relevant for understanding political psychology, for example, and it might even help us design better solutions in a future pandemic, but it doesn’t significantly benefit society to have this information today. The second troubling trend is the temptation of social scientists to speak outside their areas of expertise. There is so much we don’t know about Covid-19 and so much uncertainty about how the pandemic will play out that many are tempted to speculate and conduct their own analyses. I’ve recently seen scholars in fields as varied as political philosophy and macroeconomics giving public-health advice and predicting the future trajectory of the pandemic without seriously discussing the limits of their knowledge or the credibility of their assumptions. A legal scholar first predicted 500 deaths in the U.S., then appeared to revise that to 5,000, and most recently revised it again to 50,000. Despite the scholar’s lack of any relevant expertise or experience, these woefully optimistic early projections reportedly influenced decisions in the White House. (Apparently, this egotism is not unique to social science. Julia Gog, a mathematical modeler of infectious diseases, reports having an email folder full of documents titled “my_first_epidemic.xls.”) The third troubling trend in social science is the temptation to overclaim. I have seen several studies and analyses by social scientists during the pandemic that are interesting, important and relevant to policy. But the studies often make stronger statements than are warranted, then journalists and policy makers run with these statements and overclaim further. Despite the appeal of favorable news coverage, part of our job as social scientists is to reliably convey the uncertainty associated with our estimates and the limitations of our studies. In one example of these kinds of misleading claims, one study estimated the economic value of the people spared through social-distancing efforts. Essentially, the authors took estimates from epidemiologists about the number of lives that could be saved, then multiplied them with estimates of the statistical value of a life from economists. The researchers admittedly did not consider any of the potential costs of social distancing. Yet, in the concluding sentence of their abstract, they write, “Overall, the analysis suggests that social distancing initiatives and policies in response to the Covid-19 epidemic have substantial economic benefits.” To an economist, this sentence might simply convey that they computed large benefits but did not consider costs. But to a layperson or policy maker, it sounds like they have conducted a thorough analysis and concluded that social distancing is, on net, economically beneficial. Not surprisingly, many news outlets have cited this study to support the claim that there is no trade-off between saving lives and economic recovery. Social scientists have for decades studied questions of great importance for pandemics and beyond: How should we structure our political system to best respond to crises? How should responses be coordinated between local, state and federal governments? How should we implement relief spending to have the greatest economic benefits? How can we best communicate health information to the public and maximize compliance with new norms? To the extent that we have insights to share with policy makers, we should focus much of our energy on that. The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of what social scientists do on a regular basis, and in time, it will provide new opportunities for us to answer long-standing, policy-relevant questions. And by the time the next crisis comes around, we won’t care whether we answered these questions in a timely or newsworthy manner. We’ll care whether we answered them well. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Anthony Fowler is an associate professor in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. ©2020 Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg.com
2 May 13:01 • Financial Post • https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/curing-coronavirus-isnt-a-job-for-social-scientistsRating: 0.94
How mushrooms can help you fight cancer, diabetes
2 May 07:02
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.43
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 07:02
Average US: 27.05
Weighted average US: 38.85060294487021
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 6.2
Weighted average IN: 8.904759270173578
How mushrooms can help you fight cancer, diabetes
Mushrooms can be eaten in various ways — you can saute, grill, bake, stir-fry or make it into a curry. They are not just delicious but also packed with nutritional benefits. Why you should eat mushrooms Edible mushrooms are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The antioxidant elements include selenium, vitamin C and choline, which eliminate free radicals or toxic byproducts of metabolism and other body processes, mentions Medical News Today. The vitamin B in mushrooms boosts energy and helps form red blood cells. Choline, on the other hand, helps in muscle movement, maintaining structure of cellular membranes and memory. Minerals in mushroom include potassium, copper, iron and phosphorus. Read| How to make beetroot mushroom chaaps Mushrooms are exposed to sunlight, making them a natural source of vitamin D2 that is turned into an active form of vitamin D in the body, which it needs to absorb calcium for healthy bones. While there are different kinds of mushrooms, the one most commonly eaten in our country are white or button mushrooms. And this superfood can help in tackling specific health conditions, as research has shown. Here are some of them: Cancer A 2018 study in the journal Oncotarget talked about using medicinal mushrooms for future cancer therapy owing to its anti-cancer properties. The antiodixant compounds such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, ergothioneine, glutathione, and selenium are known to be behind the mushrooms’ cancer-fighting ability, mentions Healthline. Another study in the journal 3 Biotech explains that “mushrooms are known to complement chemotherapy and radiation therapy by countering the side-effects of cancer, such as nausea, bone marrow suppression, anemia, and lowered resistance.” Read| Mushroom soup: Here’s why you should try this creamy favourite Diabetes Research has shown that mushrooms are low in carbs and sugar and are a source of natural bioactive coompounds which are anti-diabetic, and help prevent gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The dietary fibre in mushrooms can help reduce blood sugar level, according to Medical News Today. Read| Ready in 15 mins: Mushroom Saute recipe Improves heart health Mushrooms contain ergothioneine (a naturally occuring amino acid) and beta glucan (a soluble fibre) that can reduce the risk of heart diseases. They reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels which are linked to such diseases. Ergothioneine also inhibits arterial plaque (made up of fat, cholesterol, waste products from cells and clotting agent called fibrin) development, which could otherwise lead to high blood pressure and stroke. Boosts immunity Studies have shown that a variety of mushroom called shiitake, when eaten in the cooked form, could boost immunity as it is rich in vitamins and essential amino acids.
2 May 07:02 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/how-mushrooms-can-help-you-fight-cancer-diabetes-health-benefits-6388931/Rating: 0.30
Herbal blend may ease hangover, study shows
For as long as humans have been drinking alcohol, they have sought a cure for hangovers. Now, a small study suggests that a mix of plant extracts might help ease the misery. Researchers found that the herbal blend -- of Barbados cherry, prickly pear, ginkgo biloba, willow and ginger root extracts -- seemed to lessen certain hangover symptoms. The supplement also contained various vitamins and minerals. But study participants given those nutrients alone saw no hangover relief. It all suggests, the researchers said, that something about the plant compounds might explain the benefit -- though it's not clear precisely what. "Our study does not allow us to identify which plant ingredients, exactly, are responsible," said researcher Patrick Schmitt, of Johannes Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany. So a next step, he said, would be to separate the plant compounds to see how effective each might be. The ultimate goal, Schmitt explained, is to isolate any beneficial compounds and try to boost their bioavailability, or absorption in the body. From there, the researchers hope to create an "anti-hangover additive" for use in alcoholic beverages. However, a researcher who was not involved in the study was unimpressed by the supplement's performance. "There were no significant differences between the treatments," said Joris Verster, an associate professor at Utrecht University, in the Netherlands. Verster, who founded the Alcohol Hangover Research Group, has conducted many studies on the science of hangovers. And he broke the news like this: "There are currently no marketed hangover treatments that are backed up by published, peer-reviewed scientific data demonstrating their efficacy." According to Verster, "The best way to reduce or prevent hangovers is to moderate your alcohol consumption." The new study, published online April 30 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, involved 214 healthy adults who were randomly assigned into three groups. One was given a supplement containing vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, zinc and the electrolytes magnesium, potassium and sodium another was given those nutrients plus the plant extracts a third received a placebo supplement containing only sugar. All participants took the supplements 45 minutes before, and immediately after, drinking alcohol. They chose from beer or wine, and were allowed to drink as much as they wanted. The next day, once their blood alcohol levels were 0 percent, they were asked to rate any hangover symptoms they were suffering -- 47 in all. It might sound surprising that so many hangover symptoms exist. But according to Verster, they can run the gamut from physical to mental -- ranging from headache, nausea and fatigue to dizziness, memory problems and dulled emotions. On the overall hangover scale, all three study groups scored similarly. But when it came to a few individual symptoms, the plant-extract group looked a little better. Those symptoms included headache, nausea, indifference and restlessness. The problem, Verster said, is that those differences in select symptoms could have been due to chance. Plus, the few apparent improvements were "not impressive," he said. For example, in the placebo group, the average headache severity was just under a 3, on a scale of 0 to 10. That compared with a 2 in the plant-extract group. Of course, people vary in how they respond to alcohol, and in hangover symptoms, Schmitt said. "The response even differs day to day in the same person," he noted. So responses to any hangover remedy could vary, too. It's a common belief that dehydration, and a resulting loss of electrolytes, drives hangover symptoms. That has led many a sufferer to down water or sports drinks as a cure. But in the current study, there was no evidence that dehydration played a role. Nor did people benefit from the supplement containing electrolytes but no plant compounds. That's in line with what other research shows, according to Verster. "Although it's sometimes suggested that hangovers are caused by dehydration," he said, "there is no scientific evidence that supports that claim." The herb/vitamin/mineral blend used in this study is already sold in Germany as a food supplement, Schmitt said. The manufacturer provided the product to the researchers. More information The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more on hangovers. Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. (0) Leave a commentupi.com/7001721 Health News // 22 hours agoHeart attack, stroke down among people in Australia with diabetesAn Australian study has good news for people with type 2 diabetes -- fewer people with diabetes are having heart attacks and strokes compared to 20 years ago. Health News // 1 day agoAnalysis suggests states need to plan for second wave of COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- Leaders across the United States should plan for a worst-case scenario, second wave to the COVID-19 pandemic, including no vaccine availability or herd immunity, say experts at the University of Minnesota. Health News // 1 day agoFDA approves remdesivir to treat COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization to the antiviral remdesivir to treat COVID-19. Health News // 1 day agoCDC: Nearly 5,000 workers at meat processing plants diagnosed with COVID-19May 1 (UPI) -- Nearly 5,000 workers in 115 meat processing workers across 19 states have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health News // 1 day agoBlood test may effectively spot multiple cancersMay 1 (UPI) -- A new blood-test approach for cancer screening was able to identify 26 previously undetected cases of the disease, according to the findings of a new study published Friday by the journal Science. Health News // 1 day agoSuicide risk high in first year after brain cancer diagnosisMay 1 (UPI) -- People with brain cancer are at increased risk for suicide compared to the general population, particularly within the first year following diagnosis, a new analysis has found. Health News // 1 day agoT cell count in blood may offer clues to COVID-19 treatmentThe severity of COVID-19 illness may be influenced by what researchers call "cytokine storms." Health News // 1 day agoHonesty, patience key to parents managing kids' COVID-19 anxietyThey're not at school. They miss their friends. And Mom and Dad look worried. Lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic can take a toll on everyone, especially kids. Health News // 1 day agoHealthcare workers without insurance, sick leave at risk from COVID-19A new study finds that more than 600,000 health care workers are poor and potentially without insurance or paid sick leave, and up to 4 million have health problems that put them at risk of dying from COVID-19. Health News // 1 day agoBlood pressure, heart rate may spike in young adults who vapeElectronic cigarettes that contain nicotine may prompt spikes in blood pressure and heart rate in the young, a new study suggests.
2 May 07:36 • UPI • https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/05/02/Herbal-blend-may-ease-hangover-study-shows/6691588371942/Rating: 0.76
Research Casts Doubt on Elliptical Galaxies Being Cradles of Intelligent Life
2 May 12:00
•
2 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.25
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 07:34
Average US: 7.1
Weighted average US: 7.643367362948778
Average GB: 29.4
Weighted average GB: 22.45434762143735
Average IN: 5.25
Weighted average IN: 5.687056357154452
Research Casts Doubt on Elliptical Galaxies Being Cradles of Intelligent Life
We live inside a spiral galaxy, but one school of thought suggests oval-shaped elliptical galaxies are most likely to host intelligent civilisations. A new paper tries to overturn this assumption by applying a classic philosophical technique used by scientists for centuries. New research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society questions the life-supporting potential of large elliptical galaxies. The paper, authored by astrophysicist Daniel Whitmire from the University of Arkansas, attempts to overturn a 2015 paper which claimed that elliptical galaxies are 10,000 times more likely to host intelligent life. Galaxies come in three major configurations: spirals (like our home, the Milky Way), ellipticals, and irregulars. Elliptical galaxies appear as nondescript blobs, containing anywhere from millions to trillions of stars. The 2015 paper, led by University of Groningen astronomer Pratika Dayal, claimed that large ellipticals are more habitable than spirals owing to a bigger population of stars and far fewer celestial calamities, such as supernova explosions. The paper also argued that large ellipticals tend to have more “metals” than spirals, that is, more stuff not made from hydrogen and helium, which is good for life. Whitmire applies two lines of thinking in his attempt to overturn this finding, one scientific and one philosophical. In terms of the science, Whitmire says elliptical galaxies were bathed in radiation during their formative years, when they were much smaller, the result of quasars, supernovae, and other hazards. This effectively served to sterilize ellipticals at a very young age, forever stunting their habitable potential, according to the new paper. “Whitmire suggests that planets would have been sterilised when the ellipticals were younger – too many supernovas, active galactic nuclei irradiating everything – or the abundant ‘metals’ create more gas giant planets, and when they migrate inward during the formation of a solar system they wipe out terrestrial planets,” Anders Sandberg, a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute who wasn’t involved with the new study, told Gizmodo. Whitmire elaborated in a press release: So that’s the scientific argument, but Whitmire also used the Principle of Mediocrity to bolster his case. This principle is often applied when data is scarce and typically when only a single data point exists. It basically asks scientists to assume we’re typical and not extraordinary in the larger scheme of things. In other words, we should never assume we’re outliers in the absence of other frames of reference. By applying the Principle of Mediocrity to this case, Whitmore is saying we, as members of a spiral galaxy, should not expect to find ourselves in a spiral galaxy, given the apparent probability of ellipticals being 10,000 times more habitable than spirals. “When you have only a single data point, the Principle of Mediocrity is the best you can do,” Whitmire told Gizmodo. “When it has been subsequently tested, it’s usually been correct,” he said, adding that the counter-assumption that we are somehow atypical is “highly implausible.” Sandberg didn’t love the new study. For this theory to work, he said, mass extinction sterilisation events in young ellipticals must be so devastating that they wipe out a planet’s habitable potential for all time. “That seems to be a rather tall order, and I have a hard time imagining an environment so effective at sterilisation,” he told Gizmodo. “Same thing for the gas planet migration. Sure, there could be a lot more gas planets, but so many that less than one Earth in 10,000 escapes?” To which he added: “These kinds of arguments [i.e. Principle of Mediocrity] are tricky to get to work right, and are nearly always trumped by any kind of data. So we need to get more data.” Sandberg’s personal view is that he doesn’t “trust” the findings from the 2015 Dayal paper, namely the estimate of so many habitable planets in the ellipticals. “It is based on a fairly speculative extrapolation from galaxy metallicity to the number of terrestrial planets – there is so much that can go wrong there that this is where I think the trouble is,” Sandberg told Gizmodo. “If that estimate is not correct, then we don’t need to invoke deadly environments.” Featured image: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
2 May 12:00 • Gizmodo UK • https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/05/research-casts-doubt-on-elliptical-galaxies-being-cradles-of-intelligent-life/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uk%2Fgizmodo+%28Gizmodo+UK%29&hl=enRating: 0.30
Research Casts Doubt On Elliptical Galaxies Being Cradles Of Intelligent Life
We live inside a spiral galaxy, but one school of thought suggests oval-shaped elliptical galaxies are most likely to host intelligent civilizations. A new paper tries to overturn this assumption by applying a classic philosophical technique used by scientists for centuries. New research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society questions the life-supporting potential of large elliptical galaxies. The paper, authored by astrophysicist Daniel Whitmire from the University of Arkansas, attempts to overturn a 2015 paper which claimed that elliptical galaxies are 10,000 times more likely to host intelligent life. Galaxies come in three major configurations: spirals (like our home, the Milky Way), ellipticals, and irregulars. Elliptical galaxies appear as nondescript blobs, containing anywhere from millions to trillions of stars. The 2015 paper, led by University of Groningen astronomer Pratika Dayal, claimed that large ellipticals are more habitable than spirals owing to a bigger population of stars and far fewer celestial calamities, such as supernova explosions. The paper also argued that large ellipticals tend to have more “metals” than spirals, that is, more stuff not made from hydrogen and helium, which is good for life. Whitmire applies two lines of thinking in his attempt to overturn this finding, one scientific and one philosophical. In terms of the science, Whitmire says elliptical galaxies were bathed in radiation during their formative years, when they were much smaller, the result of quasars, supernovae, and other hazards. This effectively served to sterilise ellipticals at a very young age, forever stunting their habitable potential, according to the new paper. “Whitmire suggests that planets would have been sterilized when the ellipticals were younger—too many supernovas, active galactic nuclei irradiating everything—or the abundant ‘metals’ create more gas giant planets, and when they migrate inward during the formation of a solar system they wipe out terrestrial planets,” Anders Sandberg, a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute who wasn’t involved with the new study, told Gizmodo. Whitmire elaborated in a press release: So that’s the scientific argument, but Whitmire also used the Principle of Mediocrity to bolster his case. This principle is often applied when data is scarce and typically when only a single data point exists. It basically asks scientists to assume we’re typical and not extraordinary in the larger scheme of things. In other words, we should never assume we’re outliers in the absence of other frames of reference. By applying the Principle of Mediocrity to this case, Whitmore is saying we, as members of a spiral galaxy, should not expect to find ourselves in a spiral galaxy, given the apparent probability of ellipticals being 10,000 times more habitable than spirals. “When you have only a single data point, the Principle of Mediocrity is the best you can do,” Whitmire told Gizmodo. “When it has been subsequently tested, it’s usually been correct,” he said, adding that the counter-assumption that we are somehow atypical is “highly implausible.” Sandberg didn’t love the new study. For this theory to work, he said, mass extinction sterilization events in young ellipticals must be so devastating that they wipe out a planet’s habitable potential for all time. “That seems to be a rather tall order, and I have a hard time imagining an environment so effective at sterilization,” he told Gizmodo. “Same thing for the gas planet migration. Sure, there could be a lot more gas planets, but so many that less than one Earth in 10,000 escapes?” To which he added: “These kinds of arguments [i.e. Principle of Mediocrity] are tricky to get to work right, and are nearly always trumped by any kind of data. So we need to get more data.” Sandberg’s personal view is that he doesn’t “trust” the findings from the 2015 Dayal paper, namely the estimate of so many habitable planets in the ellipticals. “It is based on a fairly speculative extrapolation from galaxy metallicity to the number of terrestrial planets—there is so much that can go wrong there that this is where I think the trouble is,” Sandberg told Gizmodo. “If that estimate is not correct, then we don’t need to invoke deadly environments.”
2 May 07:34 • Gizmodo AU • https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/research-casts-doubt-on-elliptical-galaxies-being-cradles-of-intelligent-life/Rating: 0.49
Murder Hornets vs. Honeybees: A Swarm of Bees Can Cook Invaders Alive
3 May 16:34
•
1 articles
Weight: 2.69
Importance: 2.69
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:34
Average US: 54.5
Weighted average US: 54.49999999999999
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.39999999999999997
Average IN: 2.5
Weighted average IN: 2.5
Murder Hornets vs. Honeybees: A Swarm of Bees Can Cook Invaders Alive
SEATTLE — When a pack of Asian giant hornets targets a hive of honeybees for slaughter, the carnage can be swift. The so-called murder hornets, which have surfaced for the first time in the United States, have a particular appetite for bees and specialize in group attacks. The slaughter begins when a worker hornet spots a colony, marks it with a pheromone and then brings a backup crew of between two and 50 others. While a honeybee hive can have thousands of residents, hornets can wipe out the whole population in hours. During one recorded slaughter examined by researchers, each hornet killed one bee every 14 seconds, using powerful mandibles to decapitate its prey. But some bees have also demonstrated a remarkable survival strategy by working as a team to fight back against individual invaders, researchers have found. When a hornet enters the hive of Japanese honeybees, researchers have witnessed how hundreds of bees can respond by forming a ball around a hornet. While the bees face an immense disadvantage in both size and strength, the bees working in unison can vibrate to produce heat, raising the temperature in the formation, like a tiny oven, to over 115 degrees. Bees can survive the high temperature, but the hornet cannot, and after up to an hour of cooking, the hornet dies. European honeybees, which are the most common pollinator in the United States, don’t appear to have the same instinct. They try to defend against a hornet attack by stinging the invaders, but the Asian giant hornet carries a rigid exoskeleton that makes bee stings ineffective, according to researchers. “The honeybee in Japan has adapted with this predator and learned through generations to protect themselves,” said Ruthie Danielsen, a beekeeper in Birch Bay, Wash., near where two Asian giant hornets were discovered. “Our honeybees, the predator has never been there before, so they have no defense.” While the Asian giant hornet is a threat to humans, with a potent stinger that kills up to 50 people each year in Japan, its arrival in the United States has brought particular dread to beekeepers. They are working together to post traps to try and catch queens this spring and workers in the upcoming summer. Government biologists are trying to identify where the hornet has settled in Washington State and eradicate it before it establishes a permanent presence. Ms. Danielsen said the beekeepers were exploring a special trap used in Japan that was placed in front of a beehive, designed to catch an Asian giant hornet before it marks the hive with a pheromone. Tim Lawrence, a professor of entomology at Washington State University with expertise in honeybees, said that in Japan, however, there were smaller beekeeping operations compared with in the United States. In America, he said, it is not uncommon to find hundreds of bee hives in an apiary. “We don’t know what’s going to happen if the hornet is established in an apiary of that size,” Mr. Lawrence said.
3 May 16:34 • NY Times • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-giant-hornet-bees.htmlRating: 5.38
‘Highly Unlikely’: US Researcher Rebuts Coronavirus Lab Leak Theory
3 May 08:40
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.64
Importance: 1.98
Age penalty: 0.83
Best date: 3 May 08:40
Average US: 1.9
Weighted average US: 1.9000000000000001
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 3.2
Weighted average IN: 3.2000000000000006
‘Highly Unlikely’: US Researcher Rebuts Coronavirus Lab Leak Theory
One of the greatest mysteries of the coronavirus pandemic is how exactly the virus made its way to humans. The most widespread theory holds that it jumped from bats to humans, but some insist that a virus lab in Wuhan was at the epicentre of the outbreak. There is very little chance, for several reasons, that the SARS-CoV-2 has been accidentally released from a Chinese laboratory, according to a US pandemic specialist who has worked with Wuhan researchers. Mazet has led a US-funded pandemic early warning programme called PREDICT, which was wound down just months before the novel coronavirus was detected in China. That project provided money and training to virologists across the globe, including in Wuhan, the Chinese city where SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in December 2019. The Wuhan Institute of Virology houses China's first Biosafety Level 4 laboratory – a rare type of lab that deals with the most dangerous pathogens in the world, with the highest level of biocontainment. There is still scarce evidence as to where the coronavirus came from. The most widespread assumption, backed up by research, is that it has a natural origin and jumped from bats to humans, either directly or through an animal intermediary. However, there is also a yet-unconfirmed theory that SARS-CoV-2 was leaked from the Wuhan lab. US President Donald Trump has publicly backed this theory, and the US intelligence community is currently investigating it. The lab has denied any role in spreading the virus. Notably, however, the US national intelligence director's office has ruled out that the coronavirus was either man-made or genetically modified. Jonna Mazet told Business Insider that she had spoken to Shi Zhengli, a prominent Wuhan researcher of bat-borne coronaviruses. She said that Zhengli is “absolutely positive that she had never identified this virus prior to the outbreak happening”. Zhengli said in an interview published last month that she had gone through the lab's records and found that none of the sequences of the new coronavirus matched those of the viruses sampled by her team in the past - something that rules out a leak. Secondly, Mazet said, Wuhan virologists use “extreme personal protective equipment” and study only the samples that have been deactivated using chemicals, while the containers with the “active” virus are kept in a special area. She also pointed out that some visitors of bat habitats, like tourists and poachers, wander into those places less protected and are at a high risk of being exposed to viruses, unlike virologists who collect samples wearing protective equipment. Daszak estimated that from 1 million to 7 million people get infected by bat-borne viruses in Southeast Asia every year. “If you look at the labs in Southeast Asia that have any coronaviruses in culture, there are probably two or three and they’re in high security,” he said. “The Wuhan Institute of Virology does have a small number of bat coronaviruses in culture. But they’re not [the new coronavirus], SARS-CoV-2. There are probably half a dozen people that do work in those labs. So let’s compare 1 million to 7 million people a year to half a dozen people; it’s just not logical.”
3 May 08:40 • Sputniknews • https://sputniknews.com/science/202005031079178965-highly-unlikely-us-researcher-rebuts-coronavirus-lab-leak-theory/Rating: 3.96
Coronavirus: Khalifa University researchers studying virus load from Abu Dhabi sewage
3 May 09:26
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.46
Importance: 1.61
Age penalty: 0.91
Best date: 3 May 09:26
Average US: 2.6
Weighted average US: 2.6
Average GB: 0.3
Weighted average GB: 0.3
Average IN: 17.0
Weighted average IN: 17.0
Coronavirus: Khalifa University researchers studying virus load from Abu Dhabi sewage
Abu Dhabi: Estimating the spread of the novel coronavirus in any population has so far proved a challenge, given that many individuals who contract the virus remain asymptomatic or untested. To get a better understanding of the spread of the virus, researchers at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology have launched a project to estimate the level of the virus in municipal wastewater. A statement by the university today (May 3) said the project will help surveil the viral load in municipal wastewater as a method for early detection, and for tracking the spread of the coronavirus in the general population. Studies have so far indicated that people infected with the coronavirus, including asymptomatic individuals, shed the virus through human waste. “Since the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater should mirror the number of detected infections in the population, testing a municipal wastewater sample will be tantamount to essentially testing everyone who has contributed to that sample - in other words a way of mass testing,” the university’s statement said. Through this research, Khalifa University aims to establish a surveillance system for COVID-19 in municipal wastewater streams, linking it with simulation models developed for predicting and controlling the spread of the pandemic, together with the health authorities,” said Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, executive vice-president at the University. The project is led by Dr Ahmed Yousef, assistant professor for Chemistry, Dr Shadi Hasan, associate professor for Chemical Engineering, and Dr Habiba Alsafar, acting associate dean for student affairs at the University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr Alsafar is also the associate professor at the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, and director of the Center for Biotechnology. Once further studies assess the levels of coronavirus found in COVID-19 patient fecal samples, scientists will be able to construct a model that estimates the total number of symptomatic and asymptomatic people in the population based on wastewater levels. Similar studies to estimate coronavirus load in wastewater are also being undertaken around the world, and results have already been published by authorities in Netherlands and Paris. However, these papers have not yet been vetted and approved by the wider scientific community as a viable method for estimating the spread of the virus in the general populatioon.
3 May 09:26 • Gulf News • https://gulfnews.com/uae/coronavirus-khalifa-university-researchers-studying-virus-load-from-abu-dhabi-sewage-1.71302703Rating: 3.21
Drop in commercial flights due to COVID-19 may affect weather forecasts
3 May 18:15
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.44
Importance: 1.44
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:15
Average US: 4.7
Weighted average US: 4.7
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 1.3
Weighted average IN: 1.3
Drop in commercial flights due to COVID-19 may affect weather forecasts
TORONTO -- The suspension of commercial flights amid the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting more than just travel plans. Experts have found that the grounding of thousands of passenger planes has led to a severe decrease in aircraft-based observations, predominantly in Europe and across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which help with weather predictions. The World Meteorological Organization's Lars Peter Riishojgaard told NewsDay by CTV News, a new show on the streaming app Quibi, that fewer planes in the air means there are less reliable weather forecasts. "As a matter of routine operations, commercial airliners measure every few seconds the temperature of the wind speed or wherever they happen to be located in flight… They do it for their own avionics, but several of the major airlines have agreed to provide th[is] information to the metrological community, and they are a tremendously valuable source of information for us," Riishojgaard said. "We get about a million a day of these measurements literally from all over the globe and at the present time, we have lost somewhere around 75 to 80 per cent of that information resource," he added. Riishojgaard said the data from aircrafts is plugged into three-dimensional weather models of the atmosphere to simulate future weather conditions. After satellites, he says aircrafts are the second-most important airborne element in forecasting. Riishojgaard said the concern with a lack of data from aircrafts is that weather warnings may come too late if the coronavirus pandemic continues into flood and hurricane season. "This is a statistical game, so you never really know exactly what you're going to lose until after it has happened. But what can happen is that you will lose some of what we call the lead time. So you may be alerted to a certain phenomena two or three days ahead of time instead of perhaps three or four days or in very rapidly developing situations, perhaps the same day instead of a day [or] thirty six hours before," Riishojgaard said. Environment Canada's Executive Director of National Prediction Development Richard Hogue told CTV's NewsDay on Quibi on Saturday that meteorologists are relying more on weather balloons while aircrafts are grounded. He said that twice as many weather balloons have been launched across the world's 1,300 balloon sites amid the pandemic. "They run balloons with little instrument that measures temperature, humidity, winds all the way to the stratosphere. That's really important," Hogue said. "Instead of just sending them twice a day, they sending [them] four times a day. We're actually taking advantage of that data because we use the data globally." Hogue said forecasters are also leaning more on satellites to make up for the missing data to get the full weather picture. However, he said Canada's commercial flights have been only been reduced by approximately 50 per cent so meteorologists still receive some aircraft-based observations. "We're going to use more satellite derived data like we call them, winds from satellite information on temperature profile from satellites. These two pieces of information will help us in Canada to, in a sense, mitigate without reduction of aircraft," Hogue said. Hogue said the data gap is not currently big enough for Canadians to notice less accurate weather reports, but Environment Canada is monitoring the situation. While data taken from satellites is mostly autonomous, Riishojgaard said some satellites in underdeveloped countries still require human intervention to properly track weather observations. "We are particularly vulnerable over Africa and parts of South America in the developing world where many, many servers still rely on having [someone] go out every few hours, read an instrument and then go back into their office and call in their mission to some central facility before it gets transmitted into the international networks," Riishojgaard said. He said those areas are most vulnerable because their services have sent those staff home due to COVID-19. Hogue said ocean observations may also be greatly impacted by travel changes from COVID-19 over a long period of time. He said commercial ships and automated buoys that track long-range weather predictions, including the impact of climate change, are not being repaired as often during the outbreak. "When [buoys] stop reporting because they're fully automated, we've got to go and repair them. Well, we're not going these days and that's a big issue… If you want to repair a buoy, you have to put someone on a ship [and] who wants to go on a ship these days?" Hogue said. Riishojgaard said the World Meteorological Organization has only lost about 10 per cent of its ocean observing capabilities but cautioned that could increase as the coronavirus pandemic continues. While the lack of data may not have instant impacts on forecasts, Riishojgaard said there is still a global threat in preparedness for severe weather events. "We're not going to lose all capabilities altogether and in many situations, perhaps nothing will happen. The forecast will be just as find as it always has, but it increases your level of risk," Riishojgaard said.
3 May 18:15 • Coronavirus • https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/drop-in-commercial-flights-due-to-covid-19-may-affect-weather-forecasts-1.4922879Rating: 2.87
Social media, technology and COVID-19: View from QCRI scientists
3 May 08:56
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.35
Importance: 1.57
Age penalty: 0.86
Best date: 3 May 08:56
Average US: 0.1
Weighted average US: 0.1
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.3
Weighted average IN: 0.3
Social media, technology and COVID-19: View from QCRI scientists
Doha: From disseminating important information to assisting in potentially life-saving research and development, various forms of technology have a leading role in Qatar’s and the wider world’s response to COVID-19. Experts from Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) outline how social media platforms are tackling the spread of false information, AI’s contribution to research activities, and more. According to Dr. Kareem Darwish, a principal scientist at QCRI’s Arabic Language Technologies, and Dr. Faisal Farooq, Head of Digital Health research at QCRI, false information concerning COVID-19 includes conspiracy theories, fake cures and questionable political motivations. Popular conspiracies include suggestions that symptoms are caused by sarin gas and that 5G towers are behind the genetic mutation of the virus. Other theories claim that COVID-19 is a hoax designed to subdue and track people, or the work of a secret cabal bent on eliminating populations to save the environment. The effects of such rumors include the creation of a sense of helplessness and complacency among communities. Social media is currently awash with outlandish cures and remedies for COVID-19. It’s been claimed, for example, that alcohol, tobacco and even cow’s urine are useful for treating symptoms. The politicization of COVID-19 is equally – if not more – controversial. For instance, supporters of Donald Trump initially pushed the narrative that liberals were exaggerating the effects of the virus to undermine support for the US President. Similarly, followers of Narendra Modi have attributed the spread of COVID-19 around India to the Muslim missionary group Tableeghi Jaamat after some of its members tested positive following a religious gathering. Dr. Faisal Farooq Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have consistently pointed users to the World Health Organization (WHO) website for reliable information concerning COVID-19. Our research also highlights that many social media users have been actively dispelling rumors and discrediting sources. This is a positive sign, says Dr. Darwish and Dr. Farooq. “We’ve also observed that open social media platforms have been more successful in reducing fake news and rumors than their messaging counterparts, such as WhatsApp. Similarly, many of these platforms have created dedicated aggregators that distill information from articles, news and organizational posts while providing access to reliable information in a consolidated manner. Nonetheless, some rumors have made their way around social media at an alarming rate. You know you are in trouble when you receive the same video mentioning a specific rumor or conspiracy theory multiple times on WhatsApp,” they said. Similarly, under the compassionate use criteria many experimental drugs - or drugs approved for other diseases - are being tested on patients. This is resulting in a large number of trials, vast amounts of literature and the generation of new clinical data. AI and other data mining technologies are being utilized to generate insights from this data to answer high priority scientific questions. For example, the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD19) released by various organisations is now part of a strategic call to the scientific community from the White House for contributions. This includes the discovery of novel treatments or the off-label use of approved medicines, says Dr. Darwish and Dr. Farooq. Also artificial Intelligence is being applied to various aspects of the pandemic. For instance, China has deployed an AI radiology tool that uses CT images to diagnose COVID-19. This helped the country to overcome a shortage of test kits, which otherwise remains the standard practice within the scientific community. Variants of AI technology were also used to identify and track possible outbreaks and disease clusters, as well as patients entering quarantine and self-isolation. “Researchers are also using AI to identify novel and existing drug candidates based on molecular structure and protein interactions. While this does not obviate the need for lab testing, it significantly speeds up candidate generation. Elsewhere, research is ongoing into a data-driven approach to predict various end points like severity, length of recovery and mortality. If successful, this approach will prove extremely useful in situations where proper resource utilisation is critical,” says Dr. Darwish and Dr. Farooq. Read MoreStudents from QF schools embark on Ramadan journey of good deeds Illustrating and celebrating the spirit of Ramadan amid the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, and the recent transition to remote learning, students at Qatar Foundation schools are participating in a program that promotes the importance of doing good deeds in society. Read MoreQatar eyes new medicine showing positive results in COVID-19 treatment Qatar is eyeing to bring a new medicine which has shown potentially effective results in the treatment of COVID-19 patients during trials, said a health official. Read MoreRecord number of endangered hawksbill turtles transferred to protected site Department of Protection and Wildlife at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) has affirmed that the conservation project of endangered hawksbill turtle is continuing well and all precautions needed has been taken for the safety of the project team.
3 May 08:56 • The Peninsula • https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/03/05/2020/Social-media,-technology-and-COVID-19-View-from-QCRI-scientistsRating: 3.14
Covid-19: In Cameroon, chloroquine therapy hailed by French expert becomes state protocol
3 May 13:51
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.24
Importance: 1.24
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:51
Average US: 10.2
Weighted average US: 10.2
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.4
Average IN: 2.3
Weighted average IN: 2.3
Covid-19: In Cameroon, chloroquine therapy hailed by French expert becomes state protocol
Despite having authorised treatment in a very restricted manner for serious cases, France has shown scepticism regarding a dual therapy combining chloroquine (an antimalarial), or its derivative hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin (an antibiotic used for lung and ENT infections and angina) to treat patients suffering from Covid-19. On April 22, France's Health Minister Olivier Véran said the most recent publications from clinical studies were not in favour of the dual therapy. Six days later, during a speech on France’s strategy for lifting its Covid-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe clearly reaffirmed the government's position: “To date, no treatment has proven effective.” The debate surrounding the protocol of Dr Didier Raoult, the director of the University Hospital Institute (IHU) Méditerranée Infection in the southern city of Marseille, continues to divide the country’s medical community. But while some French professionals consider the treatment too toxic and doubt its effectiveness, many African countries, already accustomed to anti-malarial drugs, have decided in favour of the reseacher and professor. This is notably the case in Cameroon, which has adopted Raoult's dual therapy. Although the country increased its knowledge of epidemics following the appearance of Ebola in the region, its medical capacities remain limited and a European-style scenario, with a multiplication of serious Covid-19 cases, could lead to a catastrophe. In mid-March, as the epidemic began to spread across Cameroon and European countries, already hard hit, launched lockdown plans, the first video of Raoult selling the effectiveness of his protocol was widely shared on Cameroonian social networks, raising great hopes. In a country where part of the population still has major difficulties in accessing healthcare, the prospect of a treatment based on accessible, inexpensive and familiar drugs appeared to be a blessing. A chloroquine treatment On March 27, in a memorandum from Cameroon’s Ministry of Health, the country’s scientific council proposed the widespread use of chloroquine treatment. Judged “promising”, the treatment could make it possible to reduce viral load and contagiousness, even if the group of scientists acknowledged a “lack of conclusive data”. Finally, the council wished to combine the treatment, as recommended by Raoult, with azithromycin to avoid the risks of secondary infections. On April 9, the protocol was validated for the management of all types of patients with positive Covid-19 tests, from asymptomatic cases to patients suffering from severe infections. “With the arrival of the first cases, the clinicians were tempted to try the protocols themselves, and it was necessary to give clear instructions quickly to organise the response,” explained Dr Alain Etoundi, director of the fight against disease, epidemics and pandemics at Cameroon’s Ministry of Health, to FRANCE 24. “The question of the supposed toxicity of chloroquine has been addressed and dismissed by the council. So far, the results that are coming to us seem satisfactory, but the evaluation of the treatment is ongoing,” he said. A ‘national hero’ Professor William Ngatchou is a cardiovascular surgeon at the General Hospital in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. When FRANCE 24 asked him if he had heard of Professor Raoult, he responded with amusement: “Everyone knows Professor Raoult in Cameroon! Some even consider him like a national hero.” Like many health professionals in the country, Ngatchou thinks that the effectiveness of dual therapy combining an antimalarial and an antibiotic has been proven: “It’s been almost two months that this protocol has been in use for patients with Covid-19. I myself have noticed significant improvements in patients with its use, and the debate about the side effects of chloroquine seems very exaggerated to me.” Seven weeks after the detection of the first Covid-19 case on Cameroonian soil, there are more than 2,050 confirmed cases in the country. The progress of the virus seems, as in many African countries, to be much slower than indicated by scientific modelling. Nevertheless, Etoundi asserted that treatment is only one element of a global health policy and it is far too early to claim victory: “We are in a phase where the disease is on the rise and the peak has not yet been reached. Anything is still possible.” Supply problems and a black market explosion Beyond a public health resolution, the choice of dual therapy represents a logistical challenge in Cameroon. For while chloroquine was massively used in the country at one time, it has been several decades since it lost its effectiveness in the fight against malaria and was replaced by other, more effective drugs. “Stocks were totally exhausted, we had to place large orders abroad and restart national industrial production," explained Etoundi. In Cameroon, public hospitals have been selected to centralise Covid-19 patients. In theory, stocks of chloroquine and azithromycin are sufficient there, although a source within medical services, contacted by FRANCE 24, reported occasional shortages. But the situation is more complex in the pharmaceutical sector. Private pharmacies, very important in Cameroon, sometimes play the role of doctor, and they are not authorized to sell chloroquine. “As soon as we started talking about the disease in March, a lot of people wanted to buy stocks of chloroquine from us, some aggressively. Others came to try to sell us some,” a pharmacist in a working-class neighbourhood in Douala told FRANCE 24. “Here, demand for the Covid treatment is exploding, we quadrupled our sales of azithromycin between March and April. Since we don't have chloroquine, customers have switched to similar antimalarial drugs like Artequin, which is already out of stock at wholesalers,” she said. The black market for drugs, already flourishing in normal times in Cameroon, is on the rise with the Covid-19 crisis. The authorities have already issued several alerts about the circulation of fake chloroquine within the health network. Finally, another subject that worries the government is the disappearance of hydroxychloroquine, the chloroquine derivative, also recommended by Professor Raoult. It was previously sold over the counter in pharmacies and was very little used, because it was reserved for the treatment of specific diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. “The shelves have been robbed very quickly, yet patients depend on these drugs. They now find themselves destitute and we must find solutions to protect them,” Etoundi said. This article is a translation of the original in French.
3 May 13:51 • France 24 • https://www.france24.com/en/20200503-covid-19-in-cameroon-a-chloroquine-therapy-hailed-by-french-expert-becomes-state-protocolRating: 2.48
UK's largest bird of prey returns to English skies for first time in 240 years
3 May 21:04
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.20
Importance: 1.20
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 21:04
Average US: 19.1
Weighted average US: 19.1
Average GB: 15.5
Weighted average GB: 15.5
Average IN: 7.6
Weighted average IN: 7.599999999999999
UK's largest bird of prey returns to English skies for first time in 240 years
White-tailed eagles disappeared from English skies in 1780, but held on in Scotland until 1916. Now these birds, which spend hours perched on a lookout before soaring to high altitudes, have made a comeback of late. Also known as the fish eagle, they are the UK’s largest bird of prey with a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres. They became extinct here early in the 20th century due to illegal killing. But thanks to Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, who are leading a project to reintroduce them, releasing a group on the Isle of Wight last year, they may become a more frequent sighting in the skies near you. They are currently GPS tracking four young birds making their first big trips. During winter, they were sedentary, but with better weather they have flown from their nests to Somerset, Kent and Norfolk. Two brave birds, G318 and G393, have flown up as far north as Yorkshire to roost. Campaigners are appealing to people for sightings and photos. The birds have black-ridged tails, a hooked yellow beak and golden eyes with yellow legs and talons. Evidence from the Netherlands, where there is a small but growing population of white-tailed eagles, shows that the species will readily nest in densely populated areas, close to people. As a generalist predator, an animal that thrives in a wide variety of environments and scavenges on dead animals, white-tailed eagles favour fish in spring/summer, with water birds in autumn/winter, but also take rabbits and hares. The introduction of sea eagles has not been welcomed by all, with some farmers fearful the eagles may attack their lambs. An earlier plan to reintroduce eagles in Norfolk was rejected – with the potential dangers to livestock cited. The Roy Dennis Foundation said: “They are known to explore widely in their first two years before returning to their natural area to breed. There’s a chance of seeing one wherever you live so keep looking up, but please stay home and stay safe.”
3 May 21:04 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uks-largest-bird-prey-returns-21967507Rating: 2.39
Countries must remain 'on alert', warns WHO
3 May 10:26
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.19
Importance: 1.23
Age penalty: 0.97
Best date: 3 May 10:26
Average US: 7.6
Weighted average US: 7.6
Average GB: 1.7
Weighted average GB: 1.7
Average IN: 0.6
Weighted average IN: 0.6
Countries must remain 'on alert', warns WHO
All countries must remain "on alert" over the possibility of further transmission of the coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19, said that many people remain susceptible to the virus, even where transmission has been suppressed. Asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme if a second wave of infection could be likely in countries that have started to ease their lockdowns, Ms Van Kerkhove said: "It's certainly possible. What we're seeing in a number of countries that have been successful in suppressing transmission is that many more people remain susceptible." She added: "All countries must remain on alert for the possibility of additional transmission even if they have been successful in suppressing transmission in the first round." When asked about getting closer to finding a vaccine, she said hundreds of clinical trials are currently underway. "We need to be careful when we look at individual results as they need to have a large sample size etc to see which drugs are safe and effective." She said a vaccine should not be developed in some countries and not made available to everyone everywhere. On face masks being a useful part of measures to come out of lockdowns, Dr Van Kerkhove said while masks are useful, they alone will not solve the problem. "Masks are very helpful in a number of situations, firstly for healthcare workers. We also recommend for people in the community who are feeling unwell to wear a mask. "Masks alone cannot solve the problem especially if you are thinking of lifting lockdowns. It must be done in a slow and staggered approach." Asked about the longer-term health impact of the virus, Dr Van Kerkhove said: "The majority of people who are infected with Covid-19 will make a full recovery. "But there will be some people that may have some longer term effects. It affects the lungs, it affects the body in different ways and so we may see some damage to the lungs. "We need to follow individuals over time. We're in our fourth month of this pandemic so it's very, very early days." Read more coronavirus stories Dr Van Kerkhove also addressed claims by US President Donald Trump that he had seen evidence that the virus had originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. She said: "Coronaviruses normally circulate in animals and many coronaviruses are circulating in bats. "Most emerging pathogens, viruses, come from an animal reservoir. Everything that we have seen about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19 or Sars-CoV-2, of the tens of thousands of sequences that are available, full genome sequences and partial sequences, compared to other coronavirus sequences that are available, this is of a natural origin. "And it originally comes from bats because the coronaviruses come from bats. "What we need to do is really understand what we call the intermediate host - what is the animal that was infected from bats that potentially infected humans? "It's important that we know this because from a public health point of view, it's very important that we find the animal host so that we prevent this, (what) we call spillover from transmission from an animal to a human, we prevent that spillover from happening again."
3 May 10:26 • RTE.ie • https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0503/1136318-who-coronavirus/Rating: 2.47
Everything you need to know about 'murder hornets'
3 May 18:23
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.14
Importance: 1.14
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:23
Average US: 44.6
Weighted average US: 44.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 18.0
Weighted average IN: 18.0
Everything you need to know about 'murder hornets'
The internet is buzzing about so-called "murder hornets" after the New York Times detailed an invasion of Asian giant hornets in Washington state, adding another threat to worry about to the already calamitous year. The description of the devastation these insects caused at a local beehive feels like something out of a novel: thousands of bees laying dead with their heads ripped off — a whole colony decimated. It's such a problem that the state of Washington is enlisting people to find, report on, and kill these hornets with a "sometimes lethal" sting. A dead one was first spotted in December on a beekeeper's front porch. More may be seen this spring and into the fall as the queens' hibernations ended in April. In case you're unfamiliar with these murder hornets, here's exactly what we're dealing with, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture and Washington State University. Asian giant hornets are the largest species of hornet in the world. They grow to sizes of 1.5 inches to more than 2 inches, which is about the length of two quarters laying side-by-side. For comparison, the much more common European hornet is about half the size, and yellowjacket wasps are around 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches. Not only are Asian giant hornet stingers long enough to sting through normal beekeeper suits, getting stung by one of these hornets will cause excruciating pain. YouTuber Coyote Peterson subjected himself to the sting of an Asian giant hornet and described it while yelling and writhing as feeling like "absolute searing pain." Their stingers deliver seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee. Not only that, but they can sting victims multiple times without a problem. Attacking in groups, they can kill humans, but they're mostly hunting for honeybees. If people are allergic to the venom of Asian giant hornets or are stung by multiple hornets, it can be fatal. About 50 people are killed by the giant hornets each year in Japan, according to the Times. The hornets are territorial and will be aggressive when something gets close to their nest but are not as aggressive far away from their homes. If you spot a murder hornet in the wild in Washington, state officials ask that you contact them rather than trying to trap the insects yourself. This is the reason why these insects are referred to as murder hornets. Asian giant hornets feed themselves and their young by killing and eating other insects and regurgitating them back to their young. When Asian giant hornets find a honey bee nest, they can tear apart tens of thousands of them in mere hours with a team of just a few dozen, completely taking out a colony without a problem. This can be devastating to beekeepers and honey producers. To make matters worse, the honeybee population has been declining for years in the U.S. due to habitat loss, disease, and pesticides. When scouts head out to find food sources, they secrete a special scent on honeybee hives so that their fellow hornets can find it and team up to attack. They are the only known species of wasp to apply a scent to food targets, according the the entomology journal Psyche. Luckily, the Asian giant hornet isn't a threat all year long. They remain relatively dormant through the winter but they do start seeking food starting in April. During the late summer and the fall is when they're at their most aggressive and are most likely to go take on honeybee colonies. While it's currently unclear how these Asian giant hornets came to North America, the area they've been spotted in makes sense. They prefer to live in low-altitude forests and mountains and build underground nests. You probably won't find these insects in high-altitude areas or open plains. Asian giant hornets are exceptional fliers. They can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour and can travel several miles in a single day. Luckily they're less aggressive when they're far from home, but if they spot a honeybee colony near you, you could be in danger as they attack that area and defend it from other potential threats. This kind of goes without saying, but Asian giant hornets are not welcome in North America. Honeybees are vital to many facets of agriculture in North America as they help pollinate a lot of different crops including apples and various kinds of berries. Honeybees have enough trouble as it is with drastically reducing population numbers, the Asian giant hornet could have long-lasting effects if it's not eradicated quickly. Don't worry, it's possible to get rid of murder hornets. There are numerous methods of getting rid of Asian giant hornets through the use of poison, controlled fires, baited traps, and screens. Not only can humans do a lot to get rid of these pests, sometimes honeybees can outnumber these giant killers. A bunch of honeybees will completely cover the murder hornets and kill them by increasing the heat within the tangle of bodies and exerting carbon dioxide.
3 May 18:23 • Mashable • https://mashable.com/article/murder-hornets/?europe=trueRating: 2.28
Country lagging behind in genome sequencing
3 May 18:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 1.05
Importance: 1.05
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:00
Average US: 6.24
Weighted average US: 6.24
Average GB: 2.57
Weighted average GB: 2.57
Average IN: 3.26
Weighted average IN: 3.2600000000000002
Country lagging behind in genome sequencing
Though countries around the world, including Bangladesh's South Asian neighbours, are unraveling and analysing the genome of the coronavirus to better know its nature and behaviour, the country is yet to embark on genome sequencing. "We do not know how long the virus will stay in our country. We know that the virus behaved differently in different countries," said Mustak Ibn Ayub, assistant professor at the department of genetic engineering and biotechnology at the University of Dhaka. "To understand the nature of the virus, we need genome sequencing." A number of institutions in the country have the capacity to carry out genome sequencing of the virus, he said. "A national committee can be formed for genome sequencing. We have resources and we have to use them." A genome is the complete genetic material of an organism, in this case, the coronavirus. Genome sequencing is a powerful tool for tracking diseases through a process called genomic prediction. It helps researchers identify the genetic changes that occur in a virus when it spreads through the population, experts said. This sequencing will help scientists understand, for example, why some countries are suffering more from Covid-19, how fast the virus is mutating, and how a vaccine can be developed for a particular population. Three serotypes of coronavirus have been found so far and they are -- A, B, and C -- said Sharif Akhteruzzaman, professor of genetic engineering and biotechnology at DU. "In Europe and the US, A and C serotypes were found in large numbers whereas in Southeast Asian countries, the B serotype is more dominant," he said. Genome sequencing will help scientists devise a proper strategy and predict the future of the outbreak, he added. Government officials said they are now focusing on testing and reducing fatalities, but have plans for undertaking genome sequencing. "We are also thinking of genome sequencing but now our priority is to do more tests and reduce the spread and deaths," said Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services. As this virus will not go away soon, "we will do the sequencing once the situation improves", he said. Neighbouring India, Pakistan, and Nepal, as well as countries around the world have been reporting genome sequences of the virus from patient samples. In New York, for example, scientists deduced from sequencing samples of the virus that the viral strain dominant in the city arrived from Europe. Covid-19 has so far infected more than three million people in 210 countries and territories around the world and caused over 2,45,000 deaths. The first case in Bangladesh was reported on March 8 and as of yesterday, 177 have died with the virus and 9,455 cases were detected. Sources in the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) said the institute has no plans for genome sequencing right now. "Globally, around 13,000 genome sequences were done so far but no major differences were found. We will do it soon," said ASM Alamgir, principal scientific officer at the IEDCR. He, however, could not say when the work of genome sequencing will begin.
3 May 18:00 • The Daily Star • https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/country-lagging-behind-genome-sequencing-1899235Rating: 2.11
Gilead CEO: Remdesivir available to coronavirus patients this week, ‘We’ve donated the entire supply’
3 May 18:31
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.98
Importance: 0.98
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:31
Average US: 10.1
Weighted average US: 10.1
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 9.6
Weighted average IN: 9.6
Gilead CEO: Remdesivir available to coronavirus patients this week, ‘We’ve donated the entire supply’
CNBC reports that Gilead’s antiviral drug, remdesivir, has shown success in helping coronavirus patients recover faster. – CNBC reports. Some good news from a weekend of risk-off headlines could help to balance the start of the week's fundamental drivers: CNBC reports that "Gilead released preliminary results from its clinical trial on its antiviral drug remdesivir last week, showing at least 50% of the COVID-19 patients treated with a five-day dosage of the drug improved. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases then released a study that showed Covid-19 patients who took remdesivir usually recovered after 11 days, four days faster than those who didn’t take the drug." Taking AUD/JPY, the FX space's risk barometer, the cross is in a precarious area structurally on the charts and is ripe for a major sell-off on souring geopolitical news. While the remdesivir story is positive markets, it likely doesn't balance out a far greater risk to global markets which should dictate the flow of money on a longer-term outlook – trade wars are back on the market's agenda. More on that here: What you need to know as markets open: Pompeo and Trump ratcheted up US and China tensions and Forex Today: Slow start to another busy week
3 May 18:31 • FXStreet • https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gilead-ceo-remdesivir-available-to-coronavirus-patients-this-week-weve-donated-the-entire-supply-202005031831Rating: 1.96
One thing in common between Covid hotspots in Italy and Spain is nitrogen oxide
3 May 12:20
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.97
Importance: 0.97
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 12:20
Average US: 3.5
Weighted average US: 3.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 89.8
Weighted average IN: 89.8
One thing in common between Covid hotspots in Italy and Spain is nitrogen oxide
Residents in two of the world’s most polluted cities – New Delhi and Seoul – are finding some relief in the pandemic. Both hubs have enjoyed drops in the levels of airborne particulate matter of 60% and 54% respectively, against this time last year. “It’s positively alpine,” said one Delhi resident. Cleaner air is always welcome news to urban populations. And never more so than in the light of new research that finds people with long exposure to unhealthy levels of air pollution are now at greater risk of dying from COVID-19. New research published in the journal Science of the Total Environment has found that long-term exposure to air pollution may be “one of the most important contributors to fatality caused by the COVID-19 virus” around the world. The study looked at COVID-19 fatalities in four of the countries that have been hit hardest by the virus – Germany, France, Italy and Spain. It found that 78% of deaths had occurred in just five regions in northern Italy and Spain. These regions, the report notes, have the highest concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a pollutant harmful to human respiratory systems, while their geography means these areas also suffer from downward air pressure, which can prevent the dispersal of airborne pollutants. Italy’s worst-affected region has been Lombardy (home to Milan), which has recorded almost half of Italy’s total number of fatalities. Along with Piedmont, Emilia Romagna and Veneto, the Lombardy region sits in the Po Valley, which is ringed by mountains – hence the downward air pressure. In Spain, the worst-affected area has been the Madrid administrative region, which – as the study points out – is similarly surrounded by mountains. As the following graph shows, there is a very strong correlation between levels of NO2 and deaths associated with COVID-19. As the study’s authors put it: “Poisoning our environment means poisoning our own body, and when it experiences a chronic respiratory stress, its ability to defend itself from infections is limited.” Another recent study by Harvard University has generated similar findings. An analysis of 3,080 US counties found that even a small increase in long-term exposure to air pollution could have a significant effect on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. It posits that lowering the average amount of airborne particulate matter in Manhattan by just one microgram over the past 20 years could have led to 248 fewer deaths from the disease in the borough to date. Also read: Italy has a reopening plan with a caveat on second coronavirus wave Airborne vectors As well as weakening our respiratory systems and making us more susceptible to COVID-19, air pollution might also be functioning as a vector – that is, as a method of transmission for the virus. Scientists in Italy have detected coronavirus on particles of air pollution, which could, they believe, help the virus spread. The findings are preliminary however, and it is not yet known whether the virus remains viable after hitching a ride on pollution particles, or whether it can do so in sufficient amounts to cause infection. This article was originally published in the World Economic Forum. Also read:Nitrous oxide is good for plants but bad for the environment ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 12:20 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/environment/one-thing-in-common-between-covid-hotspots-in-italy-and-spain-is-nitrogen-oxide/412344/Rating: 1.95
This is why Covid-19 has a sex bias
3 May 11:36
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.96
Importance: 0.97
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 11:36
Average US: 3.5
Weighted average US: 3.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 89.8
Weighted average IN: 89.8
This is why Covid-19 has a sex bias
All over the world – in China, Italy, the United States and Australia – many more men than women are dying from COVID-19. Why? Is it genes, hormones, the immune system – or behaviour – that makes men more susceptible to the disease? I see it as an interaction of all of these factors and it isn’t unique to the SARS-Cov-2 virus – the different response of men and women is typical of many diseases in many mammals. In Italy and China deaths of men are more than double those of women. In New York city men constitute about 61% of patients who die. Australia is shaping up to have similar results, though here it’s mostly in the 70-79 and 80-89 age groups. One major variable in severity of COVID-19 is age. But this can’t explain the sex bias seen globally because the increased male fatality rate is the same in each age group from 30 to 90+. Women also live on average six years longer than men, so there are more elderly women than men in the vulnerable population. The other major factor is the presence of chronic diseases, particularly heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These are all more common in men than women, which might account for some of the bias. But then we must ask why men are more vulnerable to the diseases that put them at greater risk of COVID-19. Men and women differ in their sex chromosomes and the genes that lie on them. Women have two copies of a mid-sized chromosome (called the X). Men have only a single X chromosome and a small Y chromosome that contains few genes. One of these Y genes (SRY) directs the embryo to become male by kick-starting the development of testes in an XY embryo. The testes make male hormones and the hormones make the baby develop as a boy. In the absence of SRY an ovary forms and makes female hormones. It’s the hormones that control most of the obvious visible differences between men and women – genitals and breasts, hair and body type – and have a large influence on behaviour. The Y chromosome contains hardly any genes other than SRY but it is full of repetitive sequences (“junk DNA”). Perhaps a “toxic Y” could lose its regulation during ageing. This might hasten ageing in men and render them more susceptible to the virus. But a bigger problem for men is the male hormones unleashed by SRY action. Testosterone levels are implicated in many diseases, particularly heart disease, and may affect lifespan. Men are also disadvantaged by their low levels of estrogen, which protects women from many diseases, including heart disease. Male hormones also influence behaviour. Testosterone levels have been credited with major differences between men and women in risky behaviours such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol, as well as reluctance to heed health advice and to seek medical help. The extreme differences in smoking rate between men and women in China (almost half the men smoke and only 2% of women) may help to account for their very high ratio of male deaths (more than double female). Not only is smoking a severe risk factor for any respiratory disease, but it also causes lung cancer, a further risk factor. Smoking rates are lower and not as sex-biased in many other countries, so risky behaviour can’t by itself explain the sex difference in COVID-19 deaths. Maybe sex chromosomes have other effects. The X chromosome bears more than 1,000 genes with functions in all sorts of things including routine metabolism, blood clotting and brain development. The presence of two X chromosomes in XX females provides a buffer if a gene on one X is mutated. XY males lack this X chromosome backup. That’s why boys suffer from many sex-linked diseases such as haemophilia (poor blood clotting). The number of X chromosomes also has big effects on many metabolic characters that are separable from sex hormone effects, as studies of mice reveal. Females not only have a double dose of many X genes, but they may also have the benefit of two different versions of each gene. This X effect goes far to explain why males die at a higher rate than females at every age from birth. And another man problem is the immune system. We’ve known for a long time that women have a stronger immune system than men. This is not all good, because it makes women more susceptible to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. But it gives women an advantage when it comes to susceptibility to viruses, as many studies in mice and humans show. This helps to explain why men are more susceptible to many viruses, including SARS and MERS. There are at least 60 immune response genes on the X chromosome, and it seems that a higher dose and having two different versions of these gives women a broader spectrum of defences. Sex differences in the frequency, severity and treatment efficacy for many diseases were pointed out long ago. COVID-19 is part of a larger pattern in which males lose out – at every age. This isn’t just humans – it is true of most mammals. Are sex differences in disease susceptibility simply the by-catch of genetic and hormone differences? Or were they, like many other traits, selected differently in males and females because of differences in life strategy? It’s suggested that male mammals spread their genes by winning competitions for mates, hence hormone control of risky behaviour is a plus for men. It’s also suggested female mammals are selected for traits that enhance their ability to care for young, hence their stronger immune system. This made sense for most mammals through the ages. So the sex bias in COVID-19 deaths is part of a much larger picture – and a very much older picture – of sex differences in genes, chromosomes and hormones that lead to very different responses to all sorts of disease, including COVID-19. The author is a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at La Trobe University. This article was originally published in the World Economic Forum. ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 11:36 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/health/this-is-why-covid-19-has-a-sex-bias/412343/Rating: 1.95
Allergies and COVID-19 Symptoms Can Look Alike: Here's the Key Difference Parents Should Note
3 May 19:50
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.95
Importance: 0.95
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 19:50
Average US: 62.8
Weighted average US: 62.79999999999999
Average GB: 0.2
Weighted average GB: 0.2
Average IN: 8.1
Weighted average IN: 8.1
Allergies and COVID-19 Symptoms Can Look Alike: Here's the Key Difference Parents Should Note
If diligently watching your kids for symptoms of the coronavirus wasn't stress-inducing enough, it's also allergy season. "Now is the time of year when seasonal allergies are on the rise," board-certified pediatrician Dr. Natasha Burgert told POPSUGAR. "This allergy season is causing more anxiety, however, because some common allergy symptoms overlap with symptoms of COVID-19." Thus, distinguishing allergies from a viral illness — COVID-19 or otherwise — is critical for optimal management and care of our little ones. Viral symptoms, Burgert pointed out, cause things like the sudden onset of fever, extreme fatigue, aches and pains, cough, decreased eating, vomiting and diarrhea, and trouble sleeping. "These are all signs of a viral illness, including the novel coronavirus," Burgert said. "Although children with coronavirus are typically experiencing milder symptoms than older individuals, a child with any of these symptoms should trigger a call to your child's doctor for advice." The key difference between allergies and viral illnesses, Burgert said, "is absence of fever and presence of itch." Children with allergies will have itchy or swollen eyes, itching or runny nose, and sneezing. Some will even get a sore throat or cough when pollen counts get high. "In short, allergy kids look uncomfortable, but they don't appear sick," she said. "To help your child feel better, you should feel comfortable and confident using simple modifications at home and over-the-counter medications." For her patients, Burgert prefers long-acting antihistamines, like Children's Allegra: "This medication is safe and effective for symptom control, does not cause drowsiness, and lasts through an entire day of outside play. Also, it is available in a variety of forms to ensure accurate and easy dosing for children over the age of 2. Allergy eye drops and nasal sprays can be used with oral antihistamines, if needed. And if you have dosing questions, your child's pediatrician can help." In addition to routine use of medications, Burgert suggested doing what you can to decrease the amount of irritating pollen that gets into your home. "On days with high pollen counts, leave windows closed and your shoes outside," she said. "Taking a shower or bath after outside play will also decrease the amount of pollen on your child's hair and skin that may cause irritation." POPSUGAR aims to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus, but details and recommendations about this pandemic may have changed since publication. For the latest information on COVID-19, please check out resources from the WHO, CDC, and local public health departments.
3 May 19:50 • POPSUGAR Family • https://www.popsugar.com/family/difference-between-childhood-allergies-covid-19-symptoms-47409678Rating: 1.91
Indulge your morbid curiosity about the pandemic with these ten films
3 May 16:53
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.78
Importance: 0.78
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:53
Average US: 49.4
Weighted average US: 49.4
Average GB: 1.8
Weighted average GB: 1.7999999999999998
Average IN: 7.4
Weighted average IN: 7.3999999999999995
Indulge your morbid curiosity about the pandemic with these ten films
As the coronavirus spread rapidly around the world, and more people became aware of the serious threat it posed, the 2011 film Contagion experienced a sudden resurgence in popularity. The Steven Soderbergh-directed thriller moved from 270th place pre-pandemic on the most-watched list of Warner Bros. movies to second place in just a few months. The biggest spike in Google searches occurred on March 11, the same day President Trump announced a travel ban on Europe, peaking again three days later, when the ban was extended to the United Kingdom. This struck Coltan Scrivner, a graduate student at the University of Chicago specializing in the study of morbid curiosity, as remarkable, especially when he noted a similar spike in popularity for the 1995 film Outbreak. Why would people seek out the very kinds of films and TV shows that someone feeling threatened by a pandemic might be expected to avoid? He conducted an online survey to learn more. The result is a forthcoming article in the journal Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture. Scrivner's hypothesis is that such "morbidly curious" behavior is an evolved response mechanism for dealing with threats by learning from imagined experiences. "We might reason that these search terms spiked in popularity because people were trying to learn more about the coronavirus outbreak in response to its recent impact on their daily life around that time," he wrote in his paper. "The shutting of international borders may have signaled to the American consciousness that the coronavirus was, in fact, a real threat." And part of the human impulse to prepare for said threat would be to learn more about it—including seeking out fictional representations of said threat. His hypothesis is similar to the work of Mathias Clasen of Aarhus University in Denmark, author of Why Horror Seduces, who specializes in studying our response to horror in books, film, video games, and other forms of entertainment. Clasen's core hypothesis is that horror exploits the evolved fear system. In other words, we seek out being afraid in controlled settings as a means of confronting our fears in a safe environment. It helps us challenge our limits, practice coping mechanisms, and learn how to better regulate our fear. The same could be true for the sudden spike in interest in pandemic-related entertainment. One of the first things Scrivner did when he began studying morbid curiosity was to come up with a validated scale by which to make assessments. He found that most people cluster into four types of morbid curiosity: violence, supernatural dangers, body horrors (such as a pandemic), and the minds and motives of dangerous people, characteristic of the true crime genre. So Scrivner already had a valid metric on hand when he had the idea to conduct an online survey examining how the current coronavirus-driven pandemic was influencing people's choices in film and TV programs. Scrivner recruited 126 participants to complete his Morbid Curiosity scale and then answer questions about how interested they were in the coronavirus, and their current level of interest, compared to normal, in six different film and TV genres: scary/supernatural, mystery/thriller, pandemic/virus, romance, action/adventure, and comedy. He found that those who ranked higher on the morbid curiosity scale tended to seek out not just pandemic movies during this current outbreak, but also films and TV shows in the scary/supernatural and mystery/thriller categories. This was just a quick initial study, and Scrivner plans to refine his approach in the coming months, collaborating with Clasen, among others. In the meantime, we asked Scrivner to provide a list of ten recommended pandemic-related films—some obvious choices, some less so—for Ars readers who feel inclined to indulge their morbid curiosity. They're presented below, divided into five sub-groups with two representative films in each: pandemic, lab accident/zombies, quarantine, fear of the outdoors, and comic relief. (Mostly mild spoilers below.) Contagion This is an obvious choice, since it inspired Scrivner's study in the first place. The real-world parallels are striking. Contagion deals with a fictional respiratory virus (originating in China) similar to the flu—but more contagious and much more deadly. It spreads rapidly through city after city, leading to widespread government quarantines and, eventually, a breakdown of social norms as people succumb to fear and hysteria and resort to looting and violence. It has been praised for its remarkable scientific accuracy, both in its depiction of the virus and how it spreads and in the race to develop an effective vaccine. (Granted, they discover the vaccine far more quickly than usually happens in the real world. Chalk it up to "Hollywood time.") Outbreak Outbreak deals with the re-emergence of a deadly virus called Motaba, 28 years after it first appeared in an African jungle, infecting US soldiers. The US military destroyed the camp to conceal evidence of the virus, and when it re-emerges in Zaire, a series of bad human decisions—from stubborn denial that it could spread, to crass opportunism—cause it to spread. The deadliest outbreak hits the fictional town of Cedar Creek, California. The military declares martial law in the town as scientists race to develop a cure, even as a nefarious major-general plots to develop the virus as a biological weapon. From Scrivner's perspective, both of these films provide a way to explore how humans actually behave during a global pandemic. "How are people quarantining themselves? What are governments doing?" he said. He admits to being "shocked" at how well Contagion in particular portrayed "how people would freak out, and how they would buy into these miracle cures," as well as the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories over blogs and social media. 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later The 2002 film is often credited with sparking the 21st-century revival of the zombie genre, along with Resident Evil, released the same year. A highly contagious "Rage Virus" is accidentally released from a lab in Cambridge, England. Those infected turn into violent, mindless monsters who brutally attack the uninfected—so-called "fast zombies." Transmitted by bites, scratches, or even just by getting a drop of infected blood in one's mouth, the virus spreads rapidly, effectively collapsing society. A bicycle courier awakens from a coma 28 days later to find London mostly deserted, apart from a handful of survivors fleeing the infected hordes, and joins them in the pursuit of safety. "I think the human mind deals with the dynamics of a zombie outbreak in ways that are very similar to the way we deal with any kind of infectious outbreak," Scrivner said of this category. "Zombies give off cues of disgust, of infection. Their skin is kind of flaking, they're doing things that are irrational." Because most zombie movies start off with a virus as the point of origin, he narrowed the category down to zombie outbreaks that originated in laboratory accidents. Resident Evil This is the first (loose) film adaption of the video game series of the same name, in which a young woman with amnesia joins up with a band of commandos to contain a deadly outbreak of the fictional genetically engineered "T-virus." She is the sole survivor of the original outbreak in an underground genetic research lab known as the Hive, which turned the staff into zombies. The mission is to break into the Hive, shut down the lab's supercomputer, and close the facility before the virus threatens to overrun the entire Earth. Just as the virus in 28 Days Later was the result of a lab accident, jumping from monkeys to people, in Resident Evil, a corporation develops an immune-system-boosting virus that mutates and then gets out into the population when it is purposely released by a thief. "These films speak to people's curiosity about, what would this look like if this was a lab accident?" said Scrivner. "And again, what do people do? Do they cooperate? Do they not cooperate when facing a universal threat? We're interested in how people are going to behave, because it's one more variable we have to control for that we're not used to controlling for in our daily lives." 10 Cloverfield Lane This is the second installment in the popular Cloverfield franchise. The original 2008 film featured a Godzilla-like monster attacking New York City, releasing parasites that bit people, causing them to bleed from the eyes and then, well, explode. The US military attempts to destroy the monster by bombing Manhattan to bits. 10 Cloverfield Lane takes place in rural Louisiana, where a young woman wakes up from a car crash and finds herself in an underground bunker with two men. They tell her it's not safe to go above ground, since the air is filled with radiation from a recent nuclear or chemical attack. Three relative strangers cooped up underground indefinitely to avoid an unseen danger, who don't entirely trust each other? That's a recipe for disaster. "These people have no idea what's going on outside. They don't know if there's a nuclear fallout, if it's a virus," said Scrivner. "It gives you this scenario in which you're stuck in a place, and you can't leave. I'm guessing this is the first time in many people's lives that they've been quarantined, so it's a scenario that people are really interested in learning about. What is it supposed to look like when people are quarantined? What are the possible variables?" (Spoiler alert: the biggest variable is aliens.) Containment Those Brits certainly have a knack for making taut, psychological thrillers about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances. Containment takes place in a council block of apartments (flats) in Southampton. The residents wake up one morning to find they have been sealed inside their homes, with no electricity or running water and no way to communicate with the world outside. They can see people in hazmat suits patrolling the grounds through their windows, however, and there is a voice over the intercom repeatedly telling them to stay calm and stay indoors. "Containment is about a virus, about people who find they are quarantined inside their apartments," said Scrivner. "So they start to get a little stir crazy and decide to cooperate to break out of their own apartments." Sure, it's breaking quarantine and putting lives at risk (not just their own), but as we've seen in our current pandemic, fear and panic can bring out the worst in people, causing them to behave irrationally—and often violently. It Comes at Night It Comes at Night is another scenario in which a highly contagious virus has spread around the world. Two families seclude themselves in a house deep in the woods for safety, reasoning that their chances of survival are better if they combine their resources. But there are some strange rules: the home's only entrance must be kept locked, and only one man has the key; and nighttime excursions into the woods must be kept to a bare minimum, due to some unknown threat. The disease finds them anyway, and as family members begin to sicken, the tensions erupt into violent conflict. "A lot of people right now are afraid to go outdoors, especially if they're more susceptible and/or in a higher risk category," said Scrivner. "It's actually not clear what [the film] is about, but when you go outside, especially at night, you tend to disappear or die. So this movie is really about the fear of the unknown. It provides another scenario of people being quarantined, but it's not that they can't go outside; they're afraid to go outside." The Last Days The Last Days (Los Últimos Días) is a Spanish film set in Barcelona, a city ravaged by some mysterious catastrophic event that is never specified. The survivors hole up in apartment buildings and must forage for food and supplies, digging tunnels to move from building to building. A good chunk of the film is told in flashbacks, which show more and more people succumbing to a behavioral phenomenon dubbed "the Panic." With supplies scarce, and people increasingly desperate, they start to turn on each other. "Once again, people are afraid to go outside, and the reason is that there's been some kind of pandemic," said Scrivner. "This virus caused people to have extreme agoraphobia, so when they go outside they panic, go into seizures, and die." Shaun of the Dead Shaun of the Dead is a straight-up spoof of classic George Romero zombie movies, and upon release, became an instant classic of the "zom-com" genre. Best mates Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) find themselves facing a zombie outbreak and decide to collect Shaun's mom and ex girlfriend Liz and take refuge in their favorite local pub, the Winchester. But they must fight through hordes of ravenous zombies each step of the way. Needless to say, things do not go according to plan. There are loads of sly references to other zombie films, including 28 Days Later and its rage virus. When the coronavirus outbreak hit London, triggering social distancing measures, Pegg and Frost reunited for a spoof video, dispensing sage advice (video embedded below). First and foremost: "Do not go to the pub." It didn't work out so well last time. Mayhem Mayhem first made waves at the 2017 SXSW film festival, charming audiences with its sharply witty (if a bit gory) premise. There is a highly contagious "Red Eye" virus spreading around the world. While the virus is not lethal and doesn't turn people into zombies, it does compel them to act out their darkest impulses. "It basically shuts down parts of your prefrontal cortex so that you have no more inhibitions," said Scrivner. "So you act out very aggressively towards everything." The virus hits an office building, and everyone inside is put under immediate quarantine. A falsely accused, just-fired corporate lawyer and one of his firm's desperate clients, whose insurance claim has just been denied, resolve to take advantage of the situation. Together they fight their way to the top floor executive suites to demand restitution. The comic relief category garnered by far the most interest among average participants in Scrivner's study, as opposed to those who scored high on the morbid curiosity scale. It's a way of dealing with a threat by finding a way to make fun of it, thereby relieving one's anxiety. "It makes intuitive sense," said Scrivner. "What do you do when you're feeling stressed or anxious about something? You watch something funny. I thought people who are less morbidly curious, but still a little interested in pandemics, would enjoy these two movies." What, no Zombieland? Feel free to toss that 2009 film and its 2019 sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, into the lineup for a little extra comic relief.
3 May 16:53 • Ars Technica • https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/indulge-your-morbid-curiosity-about-the-pandemic-with-these-ten-films/Rating: 1.57
Roll Call: Describing the pandemic
3 May 18:39
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.71
Importance: 0.71
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:39
Average US: 2.9
Weighted average US: 2.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 64.7
Weighted average IN: 64.7
Roll Call: Describing the pandemic
‘The Coronavirus is the black swan of 2020.’ This is how the Covid-19 outbreak and its dire consequences for global health and economy are being widely described. However, we may be using the wrong animal metaphor to describe the coronavirus crisis. The first known use of the phrase, ‘black swan’, is attributed to the second-century Roman poet, Juvenal, who believed that such a bird didn’t exist. This was the popular belief until the Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh, saw black swans in Western Australia in 1697. The concept of the ‘black swan’ was popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in Fooled by Randomness. Subsequently, in The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Taleb identified the 9/11 attacks, the internet, the personal computer, World War I, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, among others, as examples of such outliers. Taleb went on to grade a ‘black swan’ event by the three measuring rods of rarity, extreme impact and retrospective predictability. The coronavirus pandemic is, however, not an unforeseen event. A number of similar epidemics have been reported from different parts of the globe during the last two decades including SARS, Swine Flu, Ebola, MERS, Nipah and Zika. In September 2019, the WHO had noted that “despite the increasingly dire risk of widespread epidemics, the world remains unprepared. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board warns that epidemic-prone diseases like Ebola, influenza and SARS are increasingly difficult to manage in the face of prolonged conflict, fragile states, and forced migration.” Infectious diseases were cited as one of the leading causes of risks for 2020 in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report. Other quaint phrases are also in vogue. Nate Silver of the polling organization, FiveThirtyEight, has termed the Covid-19-induced public health emergency “fat tail kind of black swan type of risk”. Among probability models, tails represent the likelihood of extreme events. A ‘thin tail’ resembles a situation like normality, but a ‘fat tail’ event is a statistical phenomenon during which there is a greater likelihood of occurrence of extreme outcomes. Claims that nobody could have seen the coronavirus pandemic coming are “pish posh”, says the author, Michele Wucker. She came up with another term, ‘Gray Rhino’ to describe something that is obvious, something coming right at you, with a large potential impact and highly probable consequences. In The Gray Rhino: How to Recognise and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore, Wucker explained: “I went to Wikipedia and discovered there are black rhinos and white rhinos, but the black ones aren’t actually black. The white ones aren’t actually white. They’re all gray, but until now nobody talked about the most obvious thing, which is that all rhinos are gray.” “Given what we know about pandemics and their increasing likelihood, outbreaks are highly probable and high impact,” wrote Wucker. In other words, a regular gray rhino reality check can help avoid a black swan. It is possible that there are gray rhinos behind every black swan phenomenon. For example, there were several distinct alarms in 2007 and 2008 before the recession took place. The coronavirus epidemic is not the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’. It could, however, be called a ‘black elephant’ event. The environmentalist, Adam Sweidan, explained this idea to Thomas L. Friedman thus: “[It is] a cross between a ‘black swan’ — a rare, low-probability, unanticipated event with enormous ramifications — and ‘the elephant in the room’: a problem that is widely visible to everyone, yet that no one wants to address, even though we absolutely know that one day it will have vast, black-swan-like consequences.”
3 May 18:39 • The Telegraph • https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/roll-call-describing-the-coronavirus-pandemic-as-a-black-swan/cid/1770069Rating: 1.42
[Herald Interview] ‘Making vaccines accessible is biggest COVID-19 challenge’
3 May 09:15
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.70
Importance: 0.78
Age penalty: 0.90
Best date: 3 May 09:15
Average US: 9.2
Weighted average US: 9.2
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.6
Weighted average IN: 2.6
[Herald Interview] ‘Making vaccines accessible is biggest COVID-19 challenge’
The International Vaccine Institute said participation in international efforts is critical to improving the chances of not only developing a vaccine for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but achieving its equitable distribution.“There are billions of people in this world who could potentially need a COVID-19 vaccine. If we were to vaccinate all of them, we may need as many as over 10 billion doses,” the institute’s director general, Dr. Jerome H. Kim, told The Korea Herald at his office in Gwanak, Seoul, Wednesday.“We have to start planning now for the supply and the availability of the vaccines, and think very carefully about the costs.”In the joint push for a COVID-19 vaccine, the Seoul-based nonprofit organization is working with the Korea National Institute of Health -- a state medical research center under the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- for clinical trials on vaccine candidates. “We’re hoping to do it faster, but June 1 is our target for starting clinical trials,” Kim said, explaining that the KNIH will run the assay to determine whether the vaccine generates the right protective immune responses.The KNIH said last month that the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a nongovernmental organization founded in 2017 for coordinating and financing the development of vaccines for new diseases with pandemic potential, has provided a grant of around 8.4 billion won ($6.86 million) for the research.Partnerships attained through bodies like the CEPI consolidate global commitment to making the vaccines available to countries that couldn’t otherwise afford it, Kim said.Given the scale of the pandemic, ensuring some equity in the distribution of the vaccines is something that needs to be figured out, he said.“Our biggest challenge will be access. I’m convinced that we will have a vaccine. But the question will be how to manufacture them in significant quantities and get the vaccine into the arm of the person who needs it.”Some 3.2 million people have been reported to be infected with COVID-19 globally, the World Health Organization’s Saturday situation report shows, and 229,971 have died from the disease so far.Kim said only governments are capable of making the needed interventions to prevent certain players from profiting off the vaccines, and to make sure the vaccines are accessible at a reasonable price.“The companies developing the vaccines are often funded by their governments, and usually, there are agreements built into the contract known as the access agreements or the general access agreements that compel companies to cooperate and price the vaccines reasonably.” As the vaccines will be in short supply in the initial phase of production, prioritizing who gets the vaccination and in what order is a serious decision that policymakers are going to have to make, for which the WHO can help set guidelines, he said.“Do we protect people who are most vulnerable, like the elderly, because they are at the greatest risk of death, or people who are providing care, like doctors and nurses, because they have a significant risk of exposure? Or people working essential jobs like in logistics, because you want to maintain a healthy economy?”Kim said that because no country alone can produce the necessary amount of vaccines quickly and cheaply enough, international collaboration is critical.“Maybe if you’re the United States or China, you can invest billions of dollars in COVID-19 vaccine development. But if you are a smaller country without an intrinsic vaccine industry, that is not the case.”In pandemic times, being a good player in the international arena means sharing information, he said.“None of us have all the answers all the time. If we agree to work with each other, that reduces some of the stress associated with getting the vaccine.”For instance, Korea, as a country that has controlled COVID-19, has made its experience with the outbreak widely available, which helped other countries understand how to control their own outbreaks, he said.Plus, failing to be transparent could jeopardize the global response to the health crisis.“If a country harbors significant COVID-19 outbreaks that they won’t disclose, they are actually a threat to everybody, in the same way a person who is infected that doesn’t stay in quarantine is a threat,” he said.“Countries that don’t do their part in controlling the outbreak, don’t report it and don’t collaborate with everyone else, really are putting other countries at risk.”COVID-19 is a reminder of the importance of vaccine security, Kim said, adding, “A part of pandemic preparedness is having a reasonable vaccine industry.”Kim said he believed Korea’s vaccine industry “has enormous potential.”“Korea is a country with lots of vaccine manufacturing and antibody manufacturing capability, technology and innovation,” he said. “And there is enough of a community of vaccine developers in the universities who would be able to spin things out quickly.”But developing a vaccine is nothing like developing a diagnostic test kit, which is much faster and less costly. A vaccine development program needs continued funding to move forward.“Someone needs to look at the next set of pathogens that are going to develop. Maybe it’s a coronavirus or a mutation in the Ebola virus,” he said. “These are big questions that research can help us sort out, and the kind of research -- not immediately practical with uncertain returns -- that only the government can fund.”Korea’s lessons from the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic have motivated the country to ramp up efforts in increasing self-sufficiency in vaccine development and production, Kim said.A pandemic is a bad time to turn to other countries for millions of doses of vaccines, as most are equally affected and inclined to take care of their own citizens first.In fact, the Korean government’s 215.1 billion won plan for developing vaccines for emerging diseases, approved in March last year, is set to kick off in July, he said.“Korea’s Health Ministry planned this before COVID-19 hit -- just the timing was wrong, because it’s hard to predict an epidemic.”Kim said every country around the world should invest in pandemic preparation, which may not necessarily be expensive. “It’s in thinking through what needs to be done should an outbreak occurs in the country, what needs to be mobilized, who they need to talk to.”In an outbreak response, vaccine is always going to be the second step, after you control a major part of the outbreak and earn time to focus on other things, Kim said. “As Korea prepares for the next outbreak -- the second wave -- it needs to be collaborating with other groups to ensure that Korea has access to the vaccines or drugs when they’re here.”Amid the race for the COVID-19 vaccine, many have started talking about a universal coronavirus vaccine, which would protect against lots of different coronaviruses in the same group, he said.Kim said there are many instances of “spin-offs” in vaccine developments.“Some of the advances made in regular vaccines came out of HIV vaccine research. A lot of the labs that worked on HIV vaccines are working on COVID-19 vaccines, because they have the technology and the skills and the ability to do analysis that can be swiftly applied to something else -- the next pathogen,” he said.By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)
3 May 09:15 • Koreaherald • http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200503000231Rating: 1.56
BioMarin Extends Gene Therapy Leadership with DiNAQOR in a Preclinical Collaboration and License Agreement to Develop Gene Therapies for Rare Genetic Cardiomyopathies
3 May 16:01
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.66
Importance: 0.66
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:01
Average US: 48.8
Weighted average US: 48.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 21.5
Weighted average IN: 21.5
BioMarin Extends Gene Therapy Leadership with DiNAQOR in a Preclinical Collaboration and License Agreement to Develop Gene Therapies for Rare Genetic Cardiomyopathies
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., May 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today announced that the company has entered into a preclinical collaboration and license agreement with DiNAQOR AG (DiNAQOR), a gene therapy platform company, to develop novel gene therapies to treat rare genetic cardiomyopathies. DiNAQOR will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestones on product sales in addition to tiered royalties on worldwide sales. The company did not disclose financial terms. BioMarin management reiterated its 2020 GAAP net income guidance of $20 to $80 million, inclusive of this collaboration. The license initially covers DiNAQOR's lead program, DiNA-001 for MYBPC3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Additionally, the companies will collaborate on several of DiNAQOR's other pipeline programs, and BioMarin has the option to extend the license to include these additional programs on similar terms. Reflecting the long-term commitment to the collaboration, BioMarin is simultaneously investing in DiNAQOR. "With this agreement, BioMarin is continuing to apply its gene therapy know-how and manufacturing expertise in new areas like cardiology," said Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at BioMarin. "This collaboration extends our global leadership position in gene therapy and boosts our potential to transform the lives of patients worldwide with rare genetic cardiomyopathies." "We are thrilled to collaborate with the researchers at DiNAQOR to conduct this pioneering work on the development of gene therapies for inherited cardiomyophathies," said Lon Cardon, Chief Scientific Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President at BioMarin. "We believe there is tremendous potential in combining our experience in gene therapy research and development with DiNAQOR's in-depth knowledge of genetic heart diseases." DiNAQOR was founded and is led by several leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology executives and academics with deep cardiology and gene therapy expertise. The company's holistic approach to gene therapy is focused on gene therapies for the heart that deliver a medical solution that can safely deliver gene therapies to the heart muscle, ensure transduction of the cardiac cells, and limit the exposure of the therapy to other organs. "BioMarin is a global leader in rare disease research, development and commercialization, and their commitment to DiNA-001 is a powerful validation of DiNAQOR's gene therapy platform," said Dr. Johannes Holzmeister, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO at DiNAQOR. "We believe our platform has many potential applications and this milestone agreement will enable us to invest in expanding our genetic medicine pipeline." "Momentum for gene therapies continues to build, and BioMarin has demonstrated tremendous scientific, clinical, and manufacturing leadership and expertise in the space," said Thomas Voit, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at DiNAQOR and Director of the Biomedical Research Centre at the Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London. "We are looking forward to combining our strengths to expand the promise of gene therapy treatments by targeting the heart muscle to treat rare genetic cardiomyopathies." About HCM and MYBPC3 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the most common genetic heart diseases, with about 500,000 patients diagnosed with HCM worldwide. Up to 60% of HCM cases have a genetic origin, and it is estimated that 40% of those have mutations in MYBPC3, the gene that encodes cardiac myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C). HCM affects the heart muscle, causing the muscle to enlarge. HCM patients have an increased risk of developing heart failure and life-threatening arrhythmias. There are no approved pharmacological treatment options available that address the underlying disease biology of HCM and invasive surgery or heart transplantation may be the only options available for patients with advanced disease. About BioMarin BioMarin is a global biotechnology company that develops and commercializes innovative therapies for serious and life-threatening rare genetic diseases. The Company's portfolio consists of six commercialized products and multiple clinical and pre-clinical product candidates. For additional information, please visit www.biomarin.com. Information on BioMarin's website is not incorporated by reference into this press release. About DiNAQOR Founded in 2019, DiNAQOR AG is a global gene therapy platform company focused on advancing novel solutions for patients suffering from heart disease. The company's lead preclinical program, DiNA-001 is focused on the treatment of MYBPC3-linked cardiomyopathy. DiNAQOR is headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, with additional presence in London, England and Boston, Massachusetts (US). For more information visit www.dinaqor.com. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements about the business prospects of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., including, without limitation, statements about: BioMarin's expectations regarding the announced collaboration, the prospects for the lead and follow on pipeline products and it's 2020 GAAP profitability. These forward-looking statements are predictions and involve risks and uncertainties such that actual results may differ materially from these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: results and timing of current and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; the content and timing of decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission and other regulatory authorities concerning the programs; the ability to manufacture the product candidates, BioMarin's revenue for 2020, especially with the possible impact of COVID-19, and those other risks detailed from time to time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in BioMarin's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including BioMarin's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and future filings and reports by BioMarin. BioMarin undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations. BioMarin® is a registered trademark of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. SOURCE BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. http://www.biomarin.com
3 May 16:01 • PR Newswire • https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/biomarin-extends-gene-therapy-leadership-with-dinaqor-in-a-preclinical-collaboration-and-license-agreement-to-develop-gene-therapies-for-rare-genetic-cardiomyopathies-301051582.htmlRating: 1.32
Christ the Redeemer gets a mask against COVID-19
3 May 21:28
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.66
Importance: 0.66
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 21:28
Average US: 48.8
Weighted average US: 48.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 21.5
Weighted average IN: 21.5
Christ the Redeemer gets a mask against COVID-19
SÃO PAULO, May 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Used by many people on the streets of Brazil and the world today, a mask also covered the nose and mouth of the largest Brazilian icon: Christ the Redeemer. Part of the Todos pela Saúde (All for Health) initiative, an alliance of health experts created with the objective of combating the new coronavirus and its effects on Brazilian society, the action highlights the importance of protecting everyone when leaving home and amplifies the message #MaskSaves. The projection took place between 7 and 10 pm this Sunday (May, 3rd). A video with the projection can be found here: https://we.tl/t-Aw5RL82qC5 "The Redemptive Christ presents itself once again as the ultimate symbol for the formation of a collective conscience for the preservation of life", said Father Omar, rector of the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary. The use of protective masks has been one of the main recommendations of authorities to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The measure is in line with recent medical studies that prove the high transmission capacity of asymptomatic people, making it essential to use protection even for those who do not have fever, cough, headache or sore throat. Thus, the initiative is important to reduce the levels of contamination in social contact. Todos pela Saúde (All for Health)The campaign to encourage the use of masks is part of the Todos pela Saúde initiative, created with the objective of combating the new coronavirus and its effects on Brazilian society. Comprising four axes - informing, protecting, caring and resuming - the initiative ranges from guidance and enhancement of existing initiatives to the purchase of health equipment, training of health professionals and purchase and distribution of inputs. Itaú, the largest bank in Latin America, directed US$ 200 million to finance the creation and activities of Todos pela Saúde. The funds are being managed by a group of specialists led by doctor Paulo Chapchap, doctor in surgical clinic by the University of São Paulo and general director at Hospital Sírio Libanês, one of the largest in Brazil. This team is already defining actions to be financed, so that strategic decisions are supported by technical and scientific premises. SOURCE Todos pela Saúde
3 May 21:28 • PR Newswire • https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/christ-the-redeemer-gets-a-mask-against-covid-19-301051616.htmlRating: 1.32
New Artificial Skin Gives Robots the Sense of Touch
3 May 11:39
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.66
Importance: 0.66
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 11:39
Average US: 24.3
Weighted average US: 24.3
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.4
Average IN: 11.8
Weighted average IN: 11.8
New Artificial Skin Gives Robots the Sense of Touch
Those fearing a robot apocalypse may want to look away now. Researchers around the world are looking to give robots the sense of touch through artificial skin, reports CNBC. RELATED: 'ROBOTIC SKINS' CAN NOW TURN INANIMATE OBJECTS INTO COMPLEX ROBOTS This sense of touch could be used to allow robots to do everything from feel temperature rises to actually feel other humans. For researchers, developing this sense is key to making robots more appealing to humans. John Yiannis Aloimonos, a professor with the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science, told CNBC that artificial skin “enables robots to perceive their surroundings in much greater detail and with more sensitivity. This not only helps them to move safely. It also makes them safer when operating near people and gives them the ability to anticipate and actively avoid accidents.” It can also open the doors to have robots grasp non-verbal cues and can be combined with other senses such as sight and hearing. “We use tactile feedback to get more information about our surroundings, and to adjust our actions by receiving continuous input about what we’re touching and interacting with,” Daniela Rus, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who serves as director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, told CNBC. She added that her goal is to “take a first step towards being able to enable robots to have some of the same capabilities.“ Currently, however, putting skin on all of a robot's surface is seeing some cost issues as such hardware is very expensive. As such, robot creators are likely to put skin on only the required areas. However, as far as scientists have come with robotic skin, getting it to mimic real skin is something that still eludes us, told CNBC professor Jong-Oh Park, vice-chair of the research committee of the International Federation of Robotics. “As well known, living tissue is basically programmed or designed in DNA in every living cell in nanometer scale,” he said.
3 May 11:39 • Interesting Engineering • https://interestingengineering.com/new-artificial-skin-gives-robots-the-sense-of-touchRating: 1.33
75% scope that we could have cure for COVID-19 by September: Adar Poonawalla
3 May 17:21
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.65
Importance: 0.65
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:21
Average US: 1.6
Weighted average US: 1.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 88.9
Weighted average IN: 88.9
75% scope that we could have cure for COVID-19 by September: Adar Poonawalla
Karan Johar along with Zoya Akhtar organized 'I For India', where a good news was unveiled. Karan indulged in a chat with philantrophist Natasha Poonawalla and her husband Adar Poonawalla, when they revealed that there is 75% scope that there might be cure for COVID-19 by September. Adar is the CEO of Serum Institue of India, which is working on a cure for coronavirus. Karan Johar went on to ask Adar about the progress on the cure, to which he said, "If everything goes well, it should be ready by September-October." Karan then asked Adar how much would he say that the cure would be available till September. He then went on to say that he thinks there is 75% scope that the cure might be available by the timeline. In a recent interview to New Indian Express, Adar had said that the vaccine would be affordable. "It’s too early to comment on the pricing at this point, but we will surely keep it affordable. We aim to manufacture 4-5 million doses per month, following which we aim to scale up production to 10 million doses a month, based on the success of the trials," he had said in the interview.
3 May 17:21 • DNA India • https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-75-scope-that-we-could-have-cure-for-covid-19-by-september-adar-poonawalla-2823524Rating: 1.31
Lessons from global war on Rinderpest
3 May 07:40
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.62
Importance: 0.98
Age penalty: 0.63
Best date: 3 May 07:40
Average US: 7.71
Weighted average US: 7.709999999999999
Average GB: 3.2
Weighted average GB: 3.2
Average IN: 0.26
Weighted average IN: 0.26
Lessons from global war on Rinderpest
In just under two months, the Covid-19 pandemic has wrecked livelihoods and lifestyles across the world, occasioning devastation on a massive scale. As experts seek solutions from research and lessons from past encounters with viral contagions, many Kenyans may be unaware that 26 years ago the country was a hotspot for another viral contagion. As a matter of fact, it was as infectious as Covid-19, the only difference being that it threatened to wipe out cattle and wild bovines — not humans. Many might also not be aware that it took the leadership of a Kenyan scientist to kick the plague out of Africa, ultimately contributing to the eradication of the disease globally. In 1994, word from the Kenya Veterinary Department and Kenya Wildlife Service reached Dr Walter Nyamori Masiga in Nairobi that buffaloes and kudu antelopes were dying like flies at the Tsavo West National Park in the Coast region. Dr Masiga, who was then director of the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (Ibar), an agency of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) specialising in animal resources, had to act fast. In a convoy of Land Rovers, Dr Masiga led a team of scientists and other experts to the national reserve in Taita-Taveta. On examining buffaloes and their carcasses, the team concluded they were dealing with an outbreak of Rinderpest. GLOBAL LIMELIGHT The disease, which had hitherto been deemed to have been eradicated, kills nearly 100 per cent of unvaccinated animals. In the Tsavo outbreak, it had killed 70 to 80 per cent of buffaloes and 80 to 90 per cent of kudu in a matter of days. The news spread fast across the world. The response was equally swift. “We received Sh300 million from the European Union, which we used to vaccinate all cattle from Kilgoris, through Narok, Kajiado, Taita-Taveta, Tana River, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit right up to West Pokot,” Masiga told the Sunday Nation in an online interview on Tuesday. “On average, we vaccinated around five million cattle to ensure the disease didn’t jump from the wildlife to cattle. The buffalo and kudu that recovered from the disease had undergone natural vaccination by developing herd immunity,” he added. The Tsavo incident was just the tip of the iceberg. Previously, the disease had been effectively controlled on most of the continent by the AU’s Pan African Rinderpest Control Project (Parc), which was funded by the European Union. The campaign, which eventually kicked Rinderpest out of Africa in a span of 12 years, catapulted Masiga to the international limelight, earning him the nickname ‘The Old Lion of Africa’ among veterinary scientists in Europe. For his sterling and starring role in the campaign, he received numerous global accolades and a treasured honorary doctorate from the prestigious Tufts University in Boston, US. STRATEGIES Before the Tsavo outbreak, Ibar had received funding to the tune of US$200 (Sh20 billion). It is this war-chest that Masiga and his team used in the campaign against Rinderpest. So how did they go about it? “As director of Ibar, I assembled a team of highly qualified experts. These included epidemiologists, vaccinologists, and communication experts. We developed strategies and assembled vaccination teams in 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We also had a team in Egypt, which was the only North African country that had a Rinderpest outbreak,” recalled Masiga, 79, who graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree from the University of East Africa in 1967. He also holds an academic diploma from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, at the University of London, as well as a PhD from the University of Nairobi. Luckily for the team, there was already a vaccine. It had been developed by Dr Walter Plowright, a globally acclaimed scientist who, between 1956 and 1962, had developed a tissue culture Rinderpest vaccine at the East African Veterinary Research Organization (EAVRO) in Muguga, Kenya. It is noteworthy that, in an interesting quirk of fate, Masiga had landed his first job at EAVRO after completing his undergraduate studies in April 1967. It is here that the fresh graduate had met Dr Plowright, who took him under his wing. At Muguga, the young Masiga would rise from an assistant researcher in 1967 to 1976, when he became the EAVRO director. Eight years later, in 1985, he left EAVRO to join Ibar. IMMUNISATION STAGES Thus, by the time the Rinderpest campaign began in the 80s, Masiga was well-versed in it. In fact, while he was director at Muguga, he once received a call from then President Daniel arap Moi, who directed him to supply Nigeria with Rinderpest vaccine. Kenya was the only country with the vaccine at the time. Back to the Ibar campaign, the team was to carry out vaccination in two stages. “For the countries that were the worst hit — Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Sudan — we carried out blanket vaccination at no cost to the countries. Next, we carried out strategic vaccinations in areas that we identified to be hot spots, which included Kenya. We then carried out sero-monitoring and sero-surveillance. This involved drawing blood from as many animals as possible to test for the antibody to the Rinderpest virus,” the scientist, who at one time was a successful chairman of the AFC Leopards football club, explained. “At the beginning we had two laboratories — one in Senegal, and the other in Ethiopia — which were tasked with quality-controlling the vaccine that various countries in Africa, including Kenya, were producing,” he recalled. “We only vaccinated cattle with quality controlled vaccine. Eventually, we closed the laboratory in Senegal and remained with the one in Ethiopia. Finally, we rolled out a ‘search and elimination’ programme, where we went searching for Rinderpest in the 32 participating countries in West, Central, Eastern Africa and Egypt. Where we found it we eliminated it by ring-vaccination.” ERADICATION Generally, by the year 2000, Rinderpest had been eradicated from Africa. “As we were trying to eradicate the disease, the Middle East, India, and Pakistan were also doing the same,” he told the Sunday Nation. In October 2010, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announced that Rinderpest was by and large eradicated, and in May 2011 the World Organisation for Animal Health, formed in 1924 to respond to the Rinderpest epidemics in Europe and Africa, made a formal declaration that Rinderpest had been eradicated globally. It is the only disease, apart from small pox, that has been eradicated globally. Is there a probability of Rinderpest recurring? “Not at all,” the veterinary doctor affirmed, “unless animals are infected deliberately or accidentally by humans. It should be noted that all Rinderpest virus stocks are stored at the Pan African Veterinary Centre of the African Union (AU-PANVAC) in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, and the Pirbright Institute, in the United Kingdom. Other stocks of the Rinderpest virus were destroyed in 2019 by Pirbright. The last time animals were vaccinated was in 2006 in Somalia.” He, however, cautions that a majority of cattle around the world are susceptible to the virus, and should it be reintroduced it would be catastrophic. He says there is need for constant vigilance since animal plagues keep recurring, especially during wars and military campaigns. He adds that the viral disease hit Europe particularly hard in the 18th Century, and reached Africa at the dawn of the 20th Century, a time characterised by mass colonisation. At the policy level, he advises that there should be a full-time plan to counter disease outbreaks. He also hopes a vaccine will be found for the new coronavirus.
3 May 07:40 • Daily Nation • https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Lessons-from-global-war-on-Rinderpest/1056-5540782-tuixhn/index.htmlRating: 1.96
9 Amazing Facts about Particle Accelerators and How They Work
3 May 09:12
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.59
Importance: 0.66
Age penalty: 0.89
Best date: 3 May 09:12
Average US: 24.3
Weighted average US: 24.3
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.4
Average IN: 11.8
Weighted average IN: 11.8
9 Amazing Facts about Particle Accelerators and How They Work
Particle accelerators, sometimes called atom smashers, are some of the most advanced pieces of scientific equipment in the world. But what are they and how do they work? Here we will briefly explore the technology behind them and look at some interesting facts about these high-tech matter "kablamers." RELATED: THIS TINY PARTICLE ACCELERATOR RECYCLES ENERGY WITH TERAHERTZ WAVES Particle accelerators, as the name suggests, are special pieces of tech used to speed up tiny pieces of matter called particles. But they are a lot more complex and interesting than that. Such devices effectively use magnetic and electric fields to produce a fast stream of charged particles that are fired at a particular target, depending on the application. The particles tend to consist of either protons or electrons, but in some special cases, they can be used to fire subatomic particles or even whole atoms like gold, uranium, etc. One particular kind of particle accelerator called a circular particle accelerator (like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN) is made up of around six basic components. 1. The particle source - This is where the intended particle beam "ammo" is produced. 2. The beam pipe - This is the structure inside which the particle beam travels. It is usually held in a vacuum and must be as clean as a whistle at all times. 3. Electromagnets - These are used to steer and focus the particles around the beam pipe. 4. Electric fields - At various set intervals around the beam pipe, electric fields are generated in either positive or negative polarities at a given frequency. These accelerate the particle beam as they pass through them. 5. Targets - The confined and accelerated beam of particles are usually aimed at a particle target. This could be a thin piece of metal foil or other particles. 6. Detectors - Special particle detectors are used to record the aftermath of any collisions within the accelerator. They will keep an eye on any resultant particles or radiation that is created during any collision. And so, without further ado, here are some interesting facts about particle accelerators. This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order. If you are old enough to remember the days before flat screen LCD and Plasma TVs, you will have, at one point, been the proud owner of your own small particle accelerator. CRT, standing for Cathode Ray Tube, used magnets to accelerate electrons in a vacuum into a screen of phosphor to produce light. Each little collision produced a lighted spot, or pixel, that when combined, would produce an image. Particle accelerators are not just used for home entertainment. They have many important applications around the world. For example, particle accelerators are used in medicine. They are used to help speed up diagnoses for myriad diseases around the word. In industry, they are used for making things like computer chips and shrink wrap. They are also used for inspecting cargo at border checks as well as stockpile stewardship and material characterization. One of the most important uses for particle accelerators is in the field of particle physics, aka high-energy physics. Using them, particle physicists are learning about the nature of many fundamental particles and physical laws that govern everything from matter to energy to time and space. The enormous Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It was first opened for business, well research, in September 2008, and consists of a 27-km long ring of superconducting magnets with acceleration points around its course. This massive structure is used to fire subatomic particles beams at close to the speed of light into one another to see what happens. The LHC has helped make many amazing breakthroughs in particle physics, including the discovery of the Higgs Boson. Particle accelerators come in a variety of shapes and sizes. But they tend to fall into one of two main categories; linear accelerators and circular ones. The former move particles in a straight line, hence the name. The latter, like the LHC at CERN or the Tevatron in the U.S., move them around a circular course. Particle accelerators have been used to make some major discoveries in other fields of science beyond particle physics. For example, early machines, like Lawrence's 60-inch Cyclotron, were used to discover plutonium, neptunium, and many other transuranic elements and isophotes. For this work, Glenn Seaborg and Edwin McMillan were awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1951. The Linear Accelerator building at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in San Francisco is one of the longest buildings in the world. The building is around 2 miles (3.2 km) long, and it houses a very powerful linear particle accelerator. A blistering temperature of around 5.5 trillion degrees Celsius was recorded in 2012 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavey Ion Collider. This not only won them a Guinness World Record but also enabled them to produce a small amount of quark-gluon plasma (a state of matter thought to have dominated the early universe). Between 1971 and 1999, ferrets were actually used to clean certain parts of the particle accelerator at Fermilab's Meson Laboratory. Since ferrets love to burrow and clamber through tunnels, they were deemed the perfect solution for keeping the hundreds of meters of vacuum piping clear of debris prior to firing particles down them. Each ferret, like Felicia the Ferret, would pull a rag dipped in solution through the long sections of pipe. Ferrets have since been replaced with specially designed robots.
3 May 09:12 • Interesting Engineering • https://interestingengineering.com/9-amazing-facts-about-particle-accelerators-and-how-they-workRating: 1.33
POST-REVOLUTION ROMANIA, 1990: Geodynamics Institute is established
3 May 11:05
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.58
Importance: 0.59
Age penalty: 0.98
Best date: 3 May 11:05
Average US: 0.5
Weighted average US: 0.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
POST-REVOLUTION ROMANIA, 1990: Geodynamics Institute is established
The Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S. Stefanescu" (I.G.) was established in 1990 by Government Decision No. 364/03.04.1990, being under the supervision of the Romanian Academy. The Institute was officially called the Geodynamics Center under the Romanian Academy. According to the official website of the Institute (www.geodin.ro), it continues a tradition started within the Geophysical Research Center of the Romanian Academy on the occasion of the total solar eclipse, on February 15, 1961, when it can be considered that experimental geodynamics was introduced in our country.In the production of the eclipse, in a building belonging to the monastic complex Caldarusani, the first records of the time variations of the gravitational field in Romania were made, using as a sensor an Askania-type gravimeter and its own construction recording systems.On the same occasion, the recordings were made with a paraconical pendulum, also of its own construction.In the history of the Institute (www.geodin.ro) it is stated that at present, in the building where these records were carried out, the Observatory of Geodynamics Caldarusani operates. Also, the cooperation established in 1961 between the Caldarusani Monastery - Romanian Orthodox Church and the Observatory of Geodynamics Caldarusani (Geophysical Research Center) - The Romanian Academy was officially celebrated in 2001.After the dissolution of the Geophysical Research Center of the Romanian Academy in 1970, the various administrative reorganizations that affected the entire research structure led to the functioning of the Geodynamics Observatory in Caldarusani as a research laboratory, first as part of the Bucharest Astronomical Observatory, then, for a short period, as part of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Geology.Subsequently, until the establishment in the current structure, the Geodynamics Laboratory operated within the Center for Physics and Seismology of the Earth, together with a seismology laboratory, which in 1990 became the National Institute of Earth Physics.The Geodynamics Laboratory and the research group for natural fields formed the core of the Institute of Geodynamics. Gradually, this nucleus created a material base consisting, at first, almost exclusively of specific geodynamic equipment designed and built within its own laboratories, sometimes and in cooperation with specialists belonging to other research groups in Romania - the institutes of the Romanian Academy, the Department of Geophysics of the University of Bucharest, research units from the Bucharest-Magurele Physics Platform - and abroad : Royal Observatory of Belgium, Institute of Physical du Globe Paris - France, Department of Geodynamics at the Institute of Theoretical Geodesy, Bonn University - Germany, Nagoya University - Japan.In 1993, the representatives of the European geodynamics elite - Prof. Paul Paquet, Prof. Bernard Dumarme, from the Belgian Royal Observatory, Prof. Manfred Bonatz, from the Institute of Theoretical Geodesy of the University of Bonn, Eng. Jan Flick, from the Walferdange Observatory, Prof. Dorel Zugravescu, from the Institute "Sabba S. Stefanescu" of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, Prof. Jean Louis Le Mouël, from the Institute of Physics of The Earth Paris - signed a multilateral collaboration, financed by the European Community.The Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S.Stefanescu" is a research institute with legal personality and operates on the basis of subsidies from the state budget. In order to achieve the objectives of its activity profile, the Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S. Stefanescu" enters into relations with other units (research institutes, enterprises, institutions, banking bodies and other specialized institutions) private or public, in the country and abroad.(source: http://www.geodin.ro/)
3 May 11:05 • Stiri pe surse • https://www.stiripesurse.ro/post-revolution-romania-1990-geodynamics-institute-is-established_1460141.htmlRating: 1.18
POST-REVOLUTION ROMANIA, 1990: Geodynamics Institute is established
3 May 10:36
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.57
Importance: 0.59
Age penalty: 0.97
Best date: 3 May 10:36
Average US: 0.5
Weighted average US: 0.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
POST-REVOLUTION ROMANIA, 1990: Geodynamics Institute is established
The Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S. Stefanescu" (I.G.) was established in 1990 by Government Decision No. 364/03.04.1990, being under the supervision of the Romanian Academy. The Institute was officially called the Geodynamics Center under the Romanian Academy. According to the official website of the Institute (www.geodin.ro), it continues a tradition started within the Geophysical Research Center of the Romanian Academy on the occasion of the total solar eclipse, on February 15, 1961, when it can be considered that experimental geodynamics was introduced in our country. In the production of the eclipse, in a building belonging to the monastic complex Caldarusani, the first records of the time variations of the gravitational field in Romania were made, using as a sensor an Askania-type gravimeter and its own construction recording systems. On the same occasion, the recordings were made with a paraconical pendulum, also of its own construction. In the history of the Institute (www.geodin.ro) it is stated that at present, in the building where these records were carried out, the Observatory of Geodynamics Caldarusani operates. Also, the cooperation established in 1961 between the Caldarusani Monastery - Romanian Orthodox Church and the Observatory of Geodynamics Caldarusani (Geophysical Research Center) - The Romanian Academy was officially celebrated in 2001. After the dissolution of the Geophysical Research Center of the Romanian Academy in 1970, the various administrative reorganizations that affected the entire research structure led to the functioning of the Geodynamics Observatory in Caldarusani as a research laboratory, first as part of the Bucharest Astronomical Observatory, then, for a short period, as part of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Geology. Subsequently, until the establishment in the current structure, the Geodynamics Laboratory operated within the Center for Physics and Seismology of the Earth, together with a seismology laboratory, which in 1990 became the National Institute of Earth Physics. The Geodynamics Laboratory and the research group for natural fields formed the core of the Institute of Geodynamics. Gradually, this nucleus created a material base consisting, at first, almost exclusively of specific geodynamic equipment designed and built within its own laboratories, sometimes and in cooperation with specialists belonging to other research groups in Romania - the institutes of the Romanian Academy, the Department of Geophysics of the University of Bucharest, research units from the Bucharest-Magurele Physics Platform - and abroad : Royal Observatory of Belgium, Institute of Physical du Globe Paris - France, Department of Geodynamics at the Institute of Theoretical Geodesy, Bonn University - Germany, Nagoya University - Japan. In 1993, the representatives of the European geodynamics elite - Prof. Paul Paquet, Prof. Bernard Dumarme, from the Belgian Royal Observatory, Prof. Manfred Bonatz, from the Institute of Theoretical Geodesy of the University of Bonn, Eng. Jan Flick, from the Walferdange Observatory, Prof. Dorel Zugravescu, from the Institute "Sabba S. Stefanescu" of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, Prof. Jean Louis Le Mouël, from the Institute of Physics of The Earth Paris - signed a multilateral collaboration, financed by the European Community. The Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S.Stefanescu" is a research institute with legal personality and operates on the basis of subsidies from the state budget. In order to achieve the objectives of its activity profile, the Institute of Geodynamics "Sabba S. Stefanescu" enters into relations with other units (research institutes, enterprises, institutions, banking bodies and other specialized institutions) private or public, in the country and abroad
3 May 10:36 • Stiri pe surse • https://www.stiripesurse.ro/post-revolution-romania-1990-geodynamics-institute-is-established_1460131.htmlRating: 1.18
Novel Nanodevices Could Stop Alzheimer's in Its Track
3 May 08:18
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.51
Importance: 0.66
Age penalty: 0.77
Best date: 3 May 08:18
Average US: 24.3
Weighted average US: 24.3
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.4
Average IN: 11.8
Weighted average IN: 11.8
Novel Nanodevices Could Stop Alzheimer's in Its Track
Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating, devastating disease that is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Researchers are always on the prowl for ways to cure or stop its spread, and now some may just have found a solution. RELATED: STUDY SHOWS ULTRASOUND MAY NOW BE USED TO TREAT ALZHEIMER'S Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, along with collaborators from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a treatment that may prove successful against this tricky disease. In those affected by Alzheimer’s, a type of plaque, made of molecules called β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides, builds up in the brain and results in the loss of neural connectivity and cell death. Researchers speculate if they can stop the peptides from forming these dangerous plaques, they can also freeze the development of Alzheimer’s. Now, this team of researchers has designed a nano-sized device that captures the peptides before they can self-assemble. “We’ve taken building blocks from nanotechnology and biology to engineer a high-capacity ‘cage’ that traps the peptides and clears them from the brain,” said Elena Rozhkova, scientist, Center for Nanoscale Materials. "The β-amyloid peptides arise from the breakdown of an amyloid precursor protein, a normal component of brain cells,” further explained Rosemarie Wilton, a molecular biologist in Argonne’s Biosciences division. “In a healthy brain, these discarded peptides are eliminated.” However, in Alzheimer’s brains, these peptides are not eliminated. This gives them the opportunity to self-assemble into destructive plaques. “The idea is that, eventually, a slurry of our nanodevices could collect the peptides as they fall away from the cells — before they get a chance to aggregate,” added Rozhkova, a scientist at Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a DOE Office of Science User Facility. The studies the researchers undertook with these nano-devices are published in the April issue of Advanced Functional Materials.
3 May 08:18 • Interesting Engineering • https://interestingengineering.com/novel-nanodevices-could-stop-alzheimers-in-its-trackRating: 1.33
Self-compassion: Don’t let the coronavirus make you feel like a loser
3 May 22:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.39
Importance: 0.39
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 22:00
Average US: 2.9
Weighted average US: 2.9000000000000004
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.6
Weighted average IN: 2.6000000000000005
Self-compassion: Don’t let the coronavirus make you feel like a loser
Kicking yourself because your home-schooling efforts are chaotic? Feeling, overall, that you’re not up to facing these new and challenging times? Are you blaming yourself for an income that has just about vanished because of the plague? This is, without a doubt, some of the self-talk going on around the country and the rest of the world. And it’s literally putting millions of hearts out of whack. In a timely new study, researchers from the University of Queensland found that pathogenic self-criticism flattens heart rate variability (HRV), a reliable measure of the autonomic nervous system, which keeps vital processes ticking over. It particularly flattens the response of the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure, when it’s under stress, promotes rest and helps the body store energy for future use. In their paper, the researchers note that “a recent major review of 48 studies, self-criticism is associated with: Eating disorders, depressive disorders, social anxiety disorder, personality disorder, psychotic symptoms and interpersonal difficulties. “It is also associated with self-harm and suicide risk. “Self-criticism interferes with goal pursuit, and is associated with problematic perfectionism, which has been increasing steadily over the last 20 years.” They also point out that while access to mental health treatments have improved drastically over the past two decades, rates of mental health problems have not decreased, with some research indicating they are on the rise. They go so far to suggest that pathogenic self-criticism within modern society has “blunted the impact of available treatments on mental health problems”. In other words, how we talk to ourselves (about ourselves) is a roadblock to recovery from depression or anxiety. On a more upbeat note, the study found that by engaging in Compassionate Mind Training, HRV improves, as does the feelings of wellbeing. Compassionate mind training (CMT) was developed for people with high shame and self-criticism, whose problems tend to be chronic, and who find self-warmth and self-acceptance difficult or even frightening. PhD candidate Jeffrey Kim said the findings were critical in the current climate, with many people experiencing frustration and setback due to COVID-19. “Our research provides evidence to support the positive impact that self-compassion can have on the brain and body when dealing with rejection, disappointment and setback,” Mr Kim said. The results were supported by MRI scans that revealed where and how the brain responded to feelings of rejection and disappointment, and then to active self-compassion. “Using brain-imaging techniques, we found that when faced with rejection or disappointment, practising compassion helped reduce activation within brain regions associated with threat, such as the amygdala,” Mr Kim said. “In contrast, people who were critical of themselves due to these disappointments had heightened activation within the brain’s neural networks associated with threat and pain.” Mr Kim told The New Daily that while the broader population was vulnerable to poor self-talk during the pandemic, healthcare workers might especially be at risk because of compassion burnout. In effect, doctors and nurses and patients end up feeling bad about themselves. Forty participants, mean age of 22, were exposed to written statements, half of which declared a personal mistake, setback or failure, and the other half of more positive or neutral flavour. An example: “I fail to keep up with my commitments in life”, and “I keep up with my commitments in life”. The participants gave feedback as to the intensity of feeling that accompanied these statements. The group underwent two weeks of compassionate mind training that comprised four elements: With this training protocol, the researchers assessed participants’ HRV at both rest and during the compassion exercise. The authors note: “Higher HRV is indicative of higher parasympathetic nervous system outflow via the Vagus nerve activity which have been associated with increased states of contentment, calmness, safeness.” Mr Kim said there was good evidence that if you’re being critical of yourself for not being able to hold it all together during the pandemic, then engaging in compassionate practice will be beneficial to your mental health.” The UQ School of Psychology-led study included researchers from Stanford University’s Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and the UK’s Compassionate Mind Foundation. You can try online compassionate mind training here.
3 May 22:00 • The New Daily • https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2020/05/03/why-self-compassion-matters/Rating: 0.78
3 scientists picked to do research at Acadia National Park
3 May 16:09
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.39
Importance: 0.39
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:09
Average US: 9.3
Weighted average US: 9.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.7
Weighted average IN: 2.7
3 scientists picked to do research at Acadia National Park
BAR HARBOR, Maine — The National Park Service has awarded fellowships to three scientists conduct research at Acadia National Park. The fellowships are part of Second Century Stewardship, which is an initiative of the park service, National Park Foundation and Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. It was created during the park service’s centennial in 2016 to help provide research for park stewardship, the Schoodic Institute said. The scientists are all with University of Maine. They are Rachel Fowler, laboratory co-ordinator with UMaine School of Biology and Ecology; Bonnie Newsom, assistant professor of anthropology; and Jay Wason, assistant professor of forest ecosystem physiology. David Shaw, founder of Second Century Stewardship, said the program has “compelling and far reaching implications for smart, science-based stewardship of our natural world.” The Associated Press
3 May 16:09 • City NEWS 1130 • https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/03/3-scientists-picked-to-do-research-at-acadia-national-park/Rating: 0.77
Study reports cryo-EM structure of Remdesivir-bound RNA replicase complex from SARS-CoV-2
3 May 16:18
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.38
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:18
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Study reports cryo-EM structure of Remdesivir-bound RNA replicase complex from SARS-CoV-2
A team of Chinese scientists have reported the high-resolution cryo-EM structure of Remdesivir-bound RNA replicase complex from SARS-CoV-2, the infective virus of COVID-19. The research, published online in Science on May 1, was conducted by Prof. XU Huaqiang and Prof. XU Yechun from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Prof. ZHANG Yan from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Prof. ZHANG Shuyang from Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and their collaborators. COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world and is an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Many countries are now facing tremendous challenges in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Finding an effective treatment is a very urgent matter. SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-strand RNA virus that mainly infects human cells through the mucosal system. The massive replication of the virus requires the rapid synthesis of its genetic RNA. This process is mediated by a multi-subunit replication transcription complex composed of multiple non-structural proteins (nsp) of the virus. The core element is the replicase complex, which is the core component of coronavirus replication. Numerous nucleoside drugs targeting replicase are currently under clinical testing, including Remdesivir. After 46 days of hard work, the scientists were able to elaborate the replicase-targeting mechanism underlying the antiviral efficacy of these nucleoside drugs. Their study reports the cryo-EM structure of the SARS-CoV-2 replicase both in the apo form at 2.8 Å resolution and in complex with a template-primer RNA and Remdesivir at 2.5 Å resolution. The overall conformation of the complex structure is very similar to that of the apo form, with the identical structures at the core catalytic active site. Comprehensive analysis of the structures showed that the SARS-CoV-2 replicase complex is a very efficient enzyme. During RNA extension, conformational change is small, which also explains the highly contagious nature of SARS-CoV-2. The replicase complex recognizes RNA - but not DNA - through a sequence-independent binding way. The structure of the complex explains how Remdesivir enters the replication active site and covalently links with the viral genome, thereby inhibiting virus replication. The residues involved in RNA binding, as well as those comprising the catalytic active site, are highly conserved among most RNA viruses. This shows the conservative mechanism of the replicase complex during gene replication and suggests it may be possible to develop broad spectrum antiviral inhibitors. The structures described in this study reveal potential binding patterns that offer theoretical support for the design of more powerful, efficient and specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. In this way, they provide a basis for the design of the antiviral drugs, which are so urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 crisis. Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters Journal reference: Yin, W., et al. (2020) Structural basis for inhibition of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from SARS-CoV-2 by remdesivir. Science. doi.org/10.1126/science.abc1560.
3 May 16:18 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Study-reports-cryo-EM-structure-of-Remdesivir-bound-RNA-replicase-complex-from-SARS-CoV-2.aspxRating: 0.76
Real-time monitoring of biochemical processes on DNA using infrared spectroscopy
3 May 16:29
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.38
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:29
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Real-time monitoring of biochemical processes on DNA using infrared spectroscopy
DNA damage in general and DNA strand breaks in particular occur every day in all cells of the human body. This is due to internal influences such as free radicals, which are produced during inflammatory processes and cellular respiration, and external ones, such as cosmic background radiation or X-rays in the course of medical diagnostic measures. DNA strand breaks can lead to cell death or to mutations and thus contribute in the long term to cancer development or the aging process. Cells possess molecular tools to repair such DNA strand breaks very efficiently. One of them is the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), which detects DNA strand breaks and thereby initiates downstream repair processes. By binding to a DNA strand break, PARP1 is (catalytically) activated and uses the substrate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to produce poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR), a chain-shaped biopolymer. This serves as a signal transmitter in the cell and coordinates the further DNA damage response. In the further course of the process, PARP1 detaches from the site of damage again, thus clearing the way for subsequent steps in DNA repair. This process is of medical importance, even more so as pharmacological inhibitors of PARP1 have recently been introduced into cancer therapy. Scientists at the University of Konstanz (working groups of Professor Aswin Mangerich and Professor Alexander Bürkle, Department of Biology, and working group of Professor Karin Hauser, Department of Chemistry) have now been able to visualize in detail the biochemical processes which PARP1 fulfills at a DNA strand break. To this end, they used a special method of infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), which had also been successfully used in a previous, recently published study on the interactions of the tumor suppressor protein p53 with DNA and PAR. Dr. Annika Krüger worked on the project as part of her – by now successfully completed – doctoral thesis. During the work on her doctoral thesis, Krüger was supported by the Research School Chemical Biology, the Zukunftskolleg of the University of Konstanz and the Konstanz Collaborative Research Centre 969 “Chemical and Biological Principles of Cellular Proteostasis”. She is now pursuing research at the renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. As a matter of principle, this spectroscopic method can be used to investigate also other enzymatic processes that take place at the DNA, in detail and with molecular resolution. In the long term, this may contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer development and aging, as well as of the mode of action of anticancer drugs. The study was published in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications. Source: University of Konstanz Journal reference: Krüger, A., et al. (2020) Real-time monitoring of PARP1-dependent PARylation by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15858-w.
3 May 16:29 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Real-time-monitoring-of-biochemical-processes-on-DNA-using-infrared-spectroscopy.aspxRating: 0.76
Nanostimulators can amp up stem cells' regenerative powers for muscle repair
3 May 20:04
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.38
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 20:04
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Nanostimulators can amp up stem cells' regenerative powers for muscle repair
In regenerative medicine, an ideal treatment for patients whose muscles are damaged from lack of oxygen would be to invigorate them with an injection of their own stem cells. In a new study published in the journal ACS Nano, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign demonstrated that "nanostimulators" - nanoparticles seeded with a molecule the body naturally produces to prompt stem cells to heal wounds - can amp up stem cells' regenerative powers in a targeted limb in mice. Muscle ischemia, or damage to muscle from limited oxygen or blood supply, can result from multiple causes, such as injury to a limb or peripheral artery disease. Stem cells derived from a patient's own fat tissue are known to produce factors that prompt new blood vessels to grow into the damaged muscle, restoring oxygen and nutrients, and to modulate inflammation in the damaged tissues. However, in vivo experiments have shown limited benefits, as the stem cells' activity seems to decline after injection into the muscle. A molecule naturally produced in the body called tumor necrosis factor alpha can spur the stem cells to secrete more of the desired factors. Other studies have tried incubating the cells with TNF-alpha before injection, but the effects fade quickly, Kong said. The Illinois team decided to try tethering the TNF-alpha directly to the stem cells, creating nanostimulators - nanoparticles laced with TNF-alpha. The nanoparticles bind to a receptor on the surface of the stem cells, providing localized, targeted and extended delivery of TNF-alpha. "The primary benefit of stem cells toward tissue regeneration is not necessarily the ability for the cells to replace lost tissue, but to release beneficial growth factors and cytokines that assist in the process," said study co-author Marni Boppart, a professor of kinesiology and community health. "The nanostimulators allow cells to release the beneficial factors longer than they would otherwise. This provides a significant advantage, particularly when cells are transplanted into injured, diseased or aged tissues." The researchers tested their approach on mice with surgically induced ischemia in one of their hind legs. They isolated the stem cells from fat tissue, mixed them with the nanostimulators and injected them locally to the mice's affected legs. The researchers saw increased blood flow and oxygen levels in the ischemic legs. They also witnessed improvements in mobility - the treated mice could walk longer distances and their legs were stronger. "We propose that this method is better than methods that require chemical preconditioning, which can affect the viability of the stem cells, take 24 hours or more of culturing and have limited-time effects," Kong said. "Our idea is to collect adipose tissue in the operating room, separate the stem cells, mix in the nanostimuators and reinject them to the patient - all in one procedure." The researchers caution that further work is necessary to optimize the conditions for stem cell harvesting and preparation, and to study the effects over longer terms. "Peripheral artery disease can cause debilitating pain and long-term disability. Unfortunately, there are no consistently effective treatments for this condition," Boppart said. "This study is important because it demonstrates the capacity for modified stem cells to effectively treat PAD in a preclinical model, representing a step closer toward relieving pain in humans." Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Journal reference: Leong, J., et al. (2020) Surface Tethering of Inflammation-Modulatory Nanostimulators to Stem Cells for Ischemic Muscle Repair. ACS Nano. doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b04926.
3 May 20:04 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Nanostimulators-can-amp-up-stem-cells-regenerative-powers-for-muscle-repair.aspxRating: 0.76
Research reveals mechanism underlying Parkinson's dyskinesia
3 May 13:53
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.38
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:53
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Research reveals mechanism underlying Parkinson's dyskinesia
Many people with Parkinson's disease eventually develop debilitating movements called dyskinesia, a side effect of their much-needed dopamine replacement medication. The mechanism underlying this unwanted side effect has been unknown, until now. An international collaboration led by Scripps Research, Florida has found a key cause, and with it, potentially, a new route to providing relief. Dopamine replacement therapy makes Parkinson's symptoms much better at first, but eventually treatment gives way to uncontrollable, jerky body movements. But why? New research shows that underlying this development is the therapy's unintended boost of a protein with the unwieldy name Ras-guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 1, or RasGRP1 for short. This boost in RasGRP1 produces a cascade of effects which lead to abnormal, involuntary movements known as LID, or L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, says co-lead author Srinivasa Subramaniam, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research, Florida. Encouragingly, the collaboration found that in dopamine-depleted mice and other animal models, inhibiting production of RasGRP1 in the brain during dopamine replacement diminished the involuntary movements without negating the useful effects of the dopamine therapy. Taken together, the research offers a new path to easing Parkinson's dyskinesia while allowing maintenance of dopamine replacement therapy, Subramaniam says. Subramaniam's group has long been interested in cellular signaling in the brain underlying motor movements, and how it is affected by brain diseases, including Huntington's and Parkinson's. The study, "RasGRP1 is a causal factor in the development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease," published in the journal Science Advances May 1. In addition to Subramaniam, the co-lead author is Alessandro Usiello, Ph.D., of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy, and the Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory at Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone that plays a key role in movement, learning, memory, motivation, and emotion. Parkinson's develops when dopamine-producing neurons in a region of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra stop working or die. It's a brain region associated with both movement initiation and reward, so its impairment causes a wide variety of symptoms, including stiffness, balance problems, walking difficulty, tremor, depression and memory issues. Doctors treat Parkinson's with dopamine replacement therapy, often a medicine called levodopa. The brain converts levodopa into dopamine, and at proper doses, this leads to resolution of symptoms. But as dose and duration grow, a side effect called dyskinesia can develop. After a decade, about 95 percent of Parkinson's patients will experience some degree of involuntary dyskinesia, Subramaniam says. Dyskinesia is different than tremor, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. "It can look like fidgeting, writhing, wriggling, head bobbing or body swaying," the foundation explains. "Many people say they prefer dyskinesia to stiffness or decreased mobility. Others, though, have painful dyskinesia or movements that interfere with exercise or social or daily activities." The reason for its development has eluded scientists. Subramaniam and his team had studied the problem over the past decade, leading them eventually to the discovery that RasGRP1 signaling was a main culprit. "There is an immediate need for new therapeutic targets to stop LID, or L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease," Subramaniam says. "The treatments now available work poorly and have many additional unwanted side effects. We believe this represents an important step toward better options for people with Parkinson's." The next steps in the research will be discovering the best route to selectively reducing expression of RasGRP1 in the striatum while not affecting its expression in other areas of the body, Subramaniam says. "The good news is that in mice, a total lack of RasGRP1 is not lethal, so we think that blocking RasGRP1 with drugs, or even with gene therapy, may have very little or no major side effects," Subramaniam says. "It's rare for a nonprofit institution to possess the medicinal chemistry and drug development expertise needed to identify and develop such a therapy, but we have that at Scripps Research," Subramaniam says. "Our next task is to develop suitable compounds capable of blocking RasGRP1 in the striatum." Source: Scripps Research Institute Journal reference: Eshraghi, M., et al. (2020) RasGRP1 is a causal factor in the development of l-DOPA–induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease. Science Advances. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz7001.
3 May 13:53 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Research-reveals-mechanism-underlying-Parkinsons-dyskinesia.aspxRating: 0.76
Aromatherapy may alleviate nurses’ on-the-job stress, study suggests
3 May 13:44
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.38
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:44
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Aromatherapy may alleviate nurses’ on-the-job stress, study suggests
Even under normal circumstances, nursing can be a stressful profession. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbates it. New research led by Marian Reven, a Ph.D. student in the West Virginia University School of Nursing, suggests that aromatherapy may reduce nurses' on-the-job feelings of stress, anxiety, exhaustion and being overwhelmed. Her pilot study results appear in the International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy. "If we can improve our nurses' emotional reserves and give them more resiliency by using aromatherapy--give them a place to step back, to do some mindfulness--we're doing a good thing at the other end of it by improving patient care," she said. In an eight-week study, she and her colleagues--WVU researchers Janelle Humphrey-Rowan and Nina Moore--provided aromatherapy patches to 19 nurses who worked at the Infusion Center at the WVU Cancer Institute. The nurses affixed the patches to the badges they wore on lanyards around their necks. The patches were infused with a citrusy blend of essential oils: lemon, orange, mandarin, pink grapefruit, lemongrass, lime and peppermint. The nurse participants wore aromatherapy patches on their ID badges for four-to-eight-hour stretches, on eight separate occasions, while working at the infusion center. Before and after wearing the patch each time, study participants completed a survey about their moods. They reported how strong certain emotions were, on a scale of one to 10. The researchers found that participants felt significantly less stressed, anxious, fatigued and overwhelmed after wearing the aromatherapy patches. The levels of anxiety and fatigue they reported fell by 40 percent, and their stress levels and feelings of being overwhelmed decreased by half. "Oncology nurses face a type of stress that is unique," Reven said. "There are so many cancers that are considered chronic illnesses that oncology infusion center nurses probably see these people for years instead of months. They know them. They get very invested in their lives." "It's a stressful job," said Laurie Theeke, professor and director of the Ph.D. Program at the School of Nursing and nurse practitioner in the Department of Family Medicine. "You're dealing with life or death or chronic illness every day. And people in all of the health professions are stressed. This doesn't just have application to nursing. It's about workplace stress." Aromatherapy might improve patients' moods, too, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospital patients can't receive visitors. "I work nightshift weekends," Reven said. "Last weekend, several of the patients tugged on my heart strings. They missed their family and friends so much during this time of 'no visitors.' I just wanted to be able to do something more for them. An aromatherapy patch with lavender or citrus might have helped. "As a nurse, I spend a lot of time at the bedside of very ill people," she added. "I often think, 'How would I feel if it was me?' I get very sad sometimes watching the suffering, and yes, I personally use aromatherapy to help with my resiliency." Loneliness isn't just unpleasant. It's also a predictor of depression, functional decline and mortality. "People do die of loneliness," Theeke said. The research results also suggest that aromatherapy might make people outside of healthcare settings feel better as they shelter in place to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. After all, a patch on an employment badge isn't the only way to use essential oils. Someone can plug in an essential oil diffuser or simply add a drop of pure lavender essential oil to a teaspoon of lotion. Reven emphasized the importance of buying essential oils only from reputable sources. "There are two professional organizations that can give the layperson credible information about where to find essential oils and how to use them safely: the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy," she said. But you don't have to buy anything special to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy. Common household items, used during common household tasks, can be enough. "Baking is aromatherapy," Reven said. "Cutting up an orange is aromatherapy. We need some aromatherapy all the time." Source: West Virginia University
3 May 13:44 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200503/Aromatherapy-may-alleviate-nursese28099-on-the-job-stress-study-suggests.aspxRating: 0.76
COVID-19 vaccine hunt heats up globally, still no guarantee
3 May 22:14
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.37
Importance: 0.37
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 22:14
Average US: 80.8
Weighted average US: 80.80000000000001
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.4
Average IN: 6.0
Weighted average IN: 6.000000000000001
COVID-19 vaccine hunt heats up globally, still no guarantee
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves in countries across the world to be injected with experimental vaccines that might stop COVID-19, spurring hope — maybe unrealistic — that an end to the pandemic may arrive sooner than anticipated. About 100 research groups are pursuing vaccines with nearly a dozen in early stages of human trials or poised to start. It’s a crowded field, but researchers say that only increases the odds that a few might overcome the many obstacles that remain. “We’re not really in a competition against each other. We’re in a race against a pandemic virus, and we really need as many players in that race as possible,” Dr. Andrew Pollard, who is leading the University of Oxford’s vaccine study, told The Associated Press. The hard truth: There’s no way to predict which — if any — vaccine will work safely, or even to name a front-runner. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top expert, put it: “You need more shots on goal for a chance at getting a safe and effective vaccine.” The first cautious tests of March, when small numbers of volunteers got injections to check for side effects, have turned into larger studies in China, the U.S. and Europe to look for hints that different vaccine candidates really protect. Advertising Next: Finding out for sure if any of the vaccines work in the real world by testing large groups of people in areas where the virus is circulating — a tricky prospect when study participants may be in places where the virus is fading or they are told to stay home — and finding a way to quickly distribute lots of doses of any successful candidates. Policymakers are devising plans to try to overcome both obstacles in an attempt to compress the years it usually takes to develop a vaccine. Asked if a vaccine by January was possible, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, told Fox News Sunday “on paper, it’s possible. It’s whether we can execute,” she said. Fauci has cautioned that even if everything goes perfectly, 12 to 18 months to develop a vaccine would set a speed record — and January will mark a year since the National Institutes of Health began creating its own COVID-19 vaccine, now in trials with Moderna Inc. MULTIPLE SHOTS WORK IN MULTIPLE WAYS Depending how you count, there are between eight and 11 vaccine candidates in early stages of testing in China, the U.S., Britain and Germany — a collaboration between Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech last week began a study in Germany that’s simultaneously testing four somewhat different shots. More study sites are about to open in still other countries — and between May and July another handful of different vaccines is set to begin first-in-human testing. There’s no shortage of volunteers. “This allows me to play a small role in fighting this thing,” said Anthony Campisi, 33, of Philadelphia, who received his first test dose of Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ DNA-based vaccine at the University of Pennsylvania last month. “I can be a guinea pig.” The initial vaccine candidates work in a variety of ways. That’s important because if one type fails, maybe another won’t. Advertising Different types of vaccines work better in some virus families than others. But for coronaviruses, there’s no blueprint. Back in 2003 when scientists attempted vaccines against SARS, a cousin of the new virus, animal studies hinted at safety problems but then SARS disappeared and vaccine funding dried up. Vaccines against another COVID-19 cousin named MERS have only reached first-step safety testing. “In 20/20 hindsight, we should have worked harder on coronavirus vaccines back then,” said Dr. Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. Now, “we’re obligated to try a variety of strategies if we want fast results.” PROS AND CONS China’s Sinovac and SinoPharm are testing “inactivated” vaccines, made by growing the new coronavirus and killing it. The companies have revealed little information about how the shots differ. But the technology is tried-and-true — polio shots and some types of flu vaccine are inactivated virus — although it’s hard to scale up to rapidly produce millions of doses. Most other vaccines in the pipeline aim to train the immune system to recognize a piece of the new coronavirus — mostly, the spiky protein that studs its outer surface. One way: Use a harmless virus to carry the spike protein into the body. It’s easier to produce but determining which virus is the best “carrier” is a key question. China’s CanSino Biologics brewed its vaccine using a common cold-causing adenovirus, engineered so it won’t spread in the body. And in case people’s immune systems fight off the cold virus before the vaccine can do its job, Pollard’s Oxford team instead chose an adenovirus that normally infects chimpanzees. Another way: Inject a piece of the coronavirus genetic code that instructs the body itself to produce spike protein that in turn primes the immune system to attack. It’s a new and unproven technology but one that promises even faster production. Vaccines made by NIH and Moderna, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and that Pfizer-BioNtech collaboration use genetic code approaches. Still more methods are next in line: Vaccine made of spike protein nanoparticles, and even a nasal spray alternative to shots. PROVING THEY WORK Most vaccine studies so far are tracking safety and whether volunteers’ blood shows any immune reactions. Some have jumped to larger numbers quickly, but there’s still concern about being able to prove real-world protection. If study participants are holed up at home or live in areas where the virus has quit spreading rapidly, then too few may get sick for scientists to tell if the vaccine or social distancing was what protected them. The Oxford study, for example, will track about 1,000 people, half given the real vaccine. But the team plans a later-stage study with another 5,000 volunteers for a final answer and knows it might have to move to other countries. “When you’re chasing a pandemic, the place that looks like the right one to go to today will be the wrong place two weeks from now. And that makes it really difficult,” Pollard said. In the U.S., some lawmakers have urged a different and controversial experiment: Recruit young, healthy volunteers who agree to be deliberately infected with the new coronavirus to prove if a vaccine protects them. But some healthy adults do die from COVID-19 — and until doctors better understand why, that so-called “challenge study” makes for a risky proposition with serious ethical questions, Yale’s Vermund noted. The World Health Organization last week called for countries to offer to be test sites for an international project that will speed the timeline by admitting on a rolling basis promising vaccine candidates for further study in locations where COVID-19 remains widespread at the time. Advertising In the U.S., the Trump administration is planning its own project dubbed Operation Warp Speed that will overlap studies of “different candidates that are made differently and act differently,” Birx said. If early evidence was strong enough and the virus is still widespread, the Food and Drug Administration might even consider emergency use of a vaccine before final test results were in, Dr. Peter Marks, who directs the FDA office that oversees vaccines, recently told reporters. SUPPLYING THE WORLD Whenever the first useful vaccine is identified, there won’t be enough for everyone. So a growing number of vaccine makers say they’re already starting to brew tons of doses — wasting millions of dollars if they bet on the wrong candidate but shaving a few months off mass vaccinations if their choice pans out. “We need to start building new manufacturing sites now,” said Wellcome Trust vaccine chief Charlie Weller. “And we need to accept that some of these sites will be created for vaccines that will ultimately fail.” It’s not just a gamble for shareholders. The U.S. government already has deals with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson that together total nearly $1 billion and include scaling up production. “The critical thing at the beginning is just to make as much stuff as we can,” said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is funding several COVID-19 vaccine attempts around the world. Advertising Even if one works, expect rationing early on as policymakers determine who most needs the first doses — possibly health workers or the elderly — until there’s enough for the world, rich and poor countries alike. “I am concerned about what I call vaccine nationalism. That’s the tension between obligations elected leaders will feel to protect the lives of their citizens” versus the imperative for equitable global sharing, Hatchett said. And with billions who’ll need a dose or maybe several, just one winner in this race won’t cut it. “It’s not likely that one manufacturer or one candidate vaccine is going to be able to deal with the global need and supply that need,” Pollard said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ For more coverage of the pandemic, visit https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. LAURAN NEERGAARD
3 May 22:14 • The Seattle Times • https://www.seattletimes.com/business/covid-19-vaccine-hunt-heats-up-globally-still-no-guarantee/Rating: 0.74
AI researchers seeking coronavirus answers face hurdles
3 May 12:31
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.37
Importance: 0.37
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 12:31
Average US: 80.8
Weighted average US: 80.80000000000001
Average GB: 1.4
Weighted average GB: 1.4
Average IN: 6.0
Weighted average IN: 6.000000000000001
AI researchers seeking coronavirus answers face hurdles
A month after the White House launched an effort that brought together technologists and artificial intelligence experts to scour the world’s repository of medical literature for insights on COVID-19, researchers reported that journals and publications designed to be read by people are posing challenges for computers to sift through. Most scientific papers published and distributed using the PDF format are “not amenable to text processing,” the group of 24 researchers wrote in a paper published last month. While “the file format is designed to share electronic documents faithfully for reading and printing” they pose challenges for “automated analysis of document content.” The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on March 16 announced a collaborative venture that included the National Library of Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, Microsoft, the Allen Institute for AI, Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, the Chan Zuckerberg Institute (named for Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, and his wife Priscilla Chan), and Kaggle, which is a unit of Google. The goal was to assemble a dataset of tens of thousands of scientific papers and literature on the coronavirus that would be examined using machine language and text processing programs to find patterns. That would help researchers rapidly answer questions raised by the World Health Organization and U.S. agencies about the pandemic. Scientists all over the world have been working and publishing their findings on various strains of coronavirus over the years, including other variants such as SARS, MERS and the latest, COVID-19. The application of artificial intelligence tools to look for commonalities and differences among the thousands of such published articles could help the scientists spot things they may have missed. Tens of thousands of papers The project began with about 29,000 papers and journal articles from researchers around the world and soon grew to more than 50,000 papers in the subsequent few weeks, the researchers from all of the groups involved in the effort wrote. The database is known as CORD-19. Advertising “There is however, significant work that remains” on what methods work best to search and analyze the text, how to involve biomedical experts in the process, and how to take useful results from the analysis and convert them into COVID-19 treatments and management of the pandemic, the researchers said. “If you see a PDF document, it’s great for reading and human consumption, but for a machine to understand the content, you have to extract from the different portions of a PDF and tell the machine here’s column one and here’s column two and here’s where a figure is with respect to the text,” Lucy Wang, one of the lead authors of the paper said in an interview. “Turns out it is not easy to do that.” Researchers also are grappling with collecting accurate metadata on publications in a form that computers can ingest, Kyle Lo, another author of the paper said. Metadata includes year of publication, authors of a paper and peer reviewers, which often are signals to other scientists on whether a publication is weighty enough for consideration in their own work. “If a paper was published 20 years ago,” and is broadly about the whole class of coronavirus, it may not be immediately useful to answer questions on the current SARS CoV2, which is the novel coronavirus that is causing COVID-19, Lo said. Publishers of scientific journals are helping gather and share their publications with the research group, including pre-publication papers, but each publisher may use a different format for their metadata that makes it difficult for text processing algorithms to sift through, Lo and Wang said. Wang and Lo are researchers at the Allen Institute for AI, co-founded by Paul Allen, who was a co-founder of Microsoft. Advertising Speed is the goal While literature reviews typically take months or longer to find pertinent scientific articles, and then extract, summarize and find useful insights in them, “here we are trying to automate this process to generate these results very quickly,” Wang said. “It remains to be seen how effective these systems will be but early results seem pretty promising.” Kaggle, which brings together more than 1 million data scientists from around the world, is holding a competition to generate algorithms that would extract information and findings from the articles to answer questions such as the incubation period for COVID-19 observed from around the world. They would then feed that to biomedical researchers, who in turn would provide feedback to the data scientists on further questions. PubMed Central, a free digital repository of scientific literature on biomedical and life sciences, at the National Library of Medicine, is leading the effort to gather all the scientific literature from around the world for the CORD-19 project. The repository of articles currently is primarily drawn from sources in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and from East Asian countries. Chinese researchers also have published thousands of papers on COVID-19, having been the epicenter of the outbreak. Still, there aren’t enough Chinese language papers in the database, especially those that were produced “during the early stages of the epidemic,” the researchers wrote. The database also is likely missing publications by government agencies, they wrote. The National Library of Medicine is in the process of collecting some of the Chinese publications, Wang and Lo said. The National Library of Medicine did not immediately respond to questions on its efforts. NIH is working with as many as 50 scientific publishers and journals that have agreed to make their COVID-19 and broader coronavirus articles freely available via PubMed Central in forms that support text mining and machine analysis, the agency said in an email. The database includes about 2,000 foreign language articles in Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Italian and others, NIH said. The bulk of the rest are in English, the agency said. Some of the early results from analyzing the database cover topics such as virus transmission, incubation and environmental factors affecting the disease, as well as risk factors for COVID-19, according to the researchers. Gopal Ratnam
3 May 12:31 • The Seattle Times • https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/ai-researchers-seeking-coronavirus-answers-face-hurdles/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_allRating: 0.74
[BREAKING] COVID-19 Update: Japanese Company Claims UV Light Robot Can Destroy Coronavirus in 2 Minutes
3 May 23:56
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.36
Importance: 0.36
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 23:56
Average US: 42.3
Weighted average US: 42.3
Average GB: 1.3
Weighted average GB: 1.3
Average IN: 23.2
Weighted average IN: 23.2
[BREAKING] COVID-19 Update: Japanese Company Claims UV Light Robot Can Destroy Coronavirus in 2 Minutes
A Japanese company has created a robot that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect contaminated surfaces. The device has been shown to destroy the coronavirus in only two minutes, reports claim. Texas-based Xenex Disinfection Services recently announced the successful launch of its LightStrike robot. The robot, sold in Japan by medical equipment maker Terumo, emits light of wavelengths between 200 and 315 nanometers to decontaminate beds, doorknobs, and different surfaces. Two or three five-minute rounds of ultraviolet radiation leave pathogens too damaged to function. The device has been tested to work against multidrug-resistant microorganisms and the Ebola virus, Xenex said. The LightStrike robot was also proven to be 99.99% effective in eliminating the coronavirus from N95 masks. The machines have been brought in approximately 500 health care facilities worldwide. Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Xenex, told AFP that disinfecting public spaces is a significant priority to reduce transmitting the diseases. "Putting an effective infection prevention infrastructure in place now is essential," Stibich said. Terumo was granted exclusive distribution rights in 2017 of the device. The devices, which cost around 15 million yen ($140,000), had been deployed in 11 facilities by the end of April. However, interest has been growing from hospitals in search of a way to avoiding spreadind the virus. "Between March and April, we had inquiries from more than 100 medical institutions," a Terumo representative told Nikkei. ALSO READ: COVID-19 Update: Summer, UV Lights Won't Likely Save People From Coronavirus - Experts Say Researchers had already been studying ultraviolet light treatment, USA Today reported. UV light, according to researchers, could be a life-saving weapon against the spread of viruses. UV light has long been used as a disinfectant in wastewater treatment, health facility rooms, and different settings. It also has a few scientific treatment applications, such as the use of fluorescent lamps to administer managed doses of UV light to pores and skin lymphoma patients. UV light works as a disinfectant because it prevents cells from reproducing. No microorganisms have shown immunity to UV at certain levels, International Ultraviolet Association told USA Today. ALSO READ: How Weird Coronavirus Would Get? Here Are Some of The Quirky Inventions Brought by COVID-19 However, medical experts have been brief to caution against the usage of disinfectant injections or UV light as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Among the experts were from corporations made up of device vendors, scientists, engineers and clinical professionals who deal with ultraviolet light. "We would like to inform the public that there are no protocols to advise or permit the safe use of UV light directly on the human body at the wavelengths and exposures proven to efficiently kill viruses such as SARS-CoV-2," a joint news release from the groups said. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said in a video posted on April 24 in that UV radiation is risky and has to be taken seriously. According to Lichtenfeld, there is no evidence whatsoever that ultraviolet radiation has any impact in any way on preventing or treating COVID-19. "And we have to understand that we rely on evidence -- there is no evidence," he added.
3 May 23:56 • Tech Times • https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249326/20200503/breaking-covid-19-update-japanese-company-claims-uv-light-robot-can-destroy-coronavirus-in-2-minutes.htmRating: 0.73
Rapid test for coronavirus recalled after Health Canada expresses concerns
3 May 16:37
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.31
Importance: 0.31
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 16:37
Average US: 6.8
Weighted average US: 6.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Rapid test for coronavirus recalled after Health Canada expresses concerns
OTTAWA– A rapid test developed for COVID-19 has experienced a setback. Ottawa’s Spartan Bioscience says it is voluntarily recalling its COVID-19 product and performing additional studies after Health Canada expressed some concerns Friday. Spartan says Health Canada was concerned about the “efficacy of the proprietary swab” for the testing product. The company says Health Canada had no concerns about the accuracy and analytical performance of the product. Health Canada says the product is restricted to research use only until adequate evidence of clinical performance can be provided. The federal government announced it had approved the hand-held DNA analyzer on April 13. The need for greater testing is widely acknowledged as key to understanding the true scope of COVID-19 infection in Canada, and how best to deploy suppression strategies. Canada was trying to send the devices to remote and Indigenous communities where access and timely results have been hindered by distance and limited resources.
3 May 16:37 • 680News • https://www.680news.com/2020/05/03/rapid-test-for-coronavirus-recalled-after-health-canada-expresses-concerns/Rating: 0.61
Covid-19 isn't quite the boon for science researchers it might seem
3 May 23:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.31
Importance: 0.31
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 23:00
Average US: 14.0
Weighted average US: 14.000000000000002
Average GB: 2.4
Weighted average GB: 2.4000000000000004
Average IN: 4.6
Weighted average IN: 4.6
Covid-19 isn't quite the boon for science researchers it might seem
Covid-19 could erase the next generation of New Zealand research leaders, write a group of academics who’ve been looking into the issue. In the wake of Covid-19, the research sector is bracing for contraction. Around the world, there are already indications that universities and other public research organisations are considering shedding jobs and freezing new appointments. In the corporate sector too, there are signs that research and development may contract as executives look for savings in non-core functions. The Covid-19 response has demonstrated the importance of a robust research sector. Science communicators, epidemiologists and other researchers are now well known by the public. Take Siouxsie Wiles’ writing in The Spinoff, for example. But ironically, it is the next generation of research leaders, often referred to as “early career researchers”, that are particularly exposed by the current situation. In all industries, people entering the job market and those on fixed-term contracts tend to bear the brunt of unemployment crises. This is likely to be acute in the research sector, where short-term contracts and tight bottlenecks into permanent positions have become entrenched conditions for early career researchers over several decades. They face a double bind. On one hand, people lucky to be employed are often on fixed-term contracts that don’t offer job security, and are tempting targets for those looking to make quick cuts. On the other, people looking for employment are faced with hiring freezes, fewer advertised positions and fiercer competition. In 2018, as part of our roles within the Early Career Researcher Forum of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, we surveyed over 700 early career researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our survey showed the majority have a strong desire to live here and contribute to research in this country, with three quarters wanting to stay for the medium and long term. Early career researchers are the future of the research workforce. They are at the cutting-edge of their fields, and in scientific fields in particular, they are a crucial part of large research teams, bringing new ideas and enthusiasm. They are also often the work horses of the research sector. With little job security, they do critical work that contributes to headline-grabbing discoveries, often in the shadow of better-known and better-recognised senior researchers whose jobs will likely be far more secure. Early career researchers are also more diverse than the research workforce at large. For example, two thirds of our survey respondents were female, and there is every reason to fear that the uneven impacts of a contracting research workforce will favour segments where women are less well represented, meaning junior cohorts of female researchers will be locked out of stable careers. Reports are already emerging of gender disparities in research journal submissions as lockdowns kick in and women take up additional caring responsibilities. If we are to stand a chance of making the research workforce reflect the make up of society today, not least the under-representation of Māori and Pacific researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand, we need to encourage, not close down, a thriving cohort of early career researchers. And despite the common assumption, they’re not necessarily young. Our survey showed that only 20% of respondents were aged 30 or under. They are often people with significant professional and life experiences, who have much to offer the research sector as well as the communities in which they are embedded. Early career researchers aspire to apply their research skills to the social, cultural, environmental and economic challenges of our time and place. They hope to encourage us to know ourselves better; to have the difficult, but necessary conversations that aim to serve and improve our local, national and international communities. As the research sector navigates the challenging tasks of responding to, and recovering from, Covid-19, we need to recognise the impacts on early career researchers are acute and there is much to be gained from supporting them as we plan for the months and years ahead. The Early Career Researcher Forum of the Royal Society Te Apārangi will be hosting a series of web discussions on Covid-19 and ECRs. The first is on Friday 8 May at 1pm and focuses on the impacts of Covid-19 on ECR careers and possible responses. All are welcome. This piece was written by Dr Tom Baker, University of Auckland; Dr Annette Bolton, ESR; Dr Sylvia Nissen, Lincoln University; Dr Darren Powell, University of Auckland; Dr Lucy Stewart, Toha Foundry. All authors are committee members of the Early Career Researcher Forum of the Royal Society Te Apārangi
3 May 23:00 • The Spinoff • https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/04-05-2020/covid-19-isnt-quite-the-boon-for-science-researchers-it-might-seem/Rating: 0.61
NASA's 'easy-to-build' COVID-19 Ventilator Gets FDA Authorisation For Emergency Use
3 May 05:48
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.24
Importance: 1.15
Age penalty: 0.21
Best date: 3 May 05:48
Average US: 6.6
Weighted average US: 6.6
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.4
Average IN: 79.3
Weighted average IN: 79.3
NASA's 'easy-to-build' COVID-19 Ventilator Gets FDA Authorisation For Emergency Use
US News Written By Bhavya Sukheja | Mumbai | Updated On: May 03, 2020 05:48 IST NASA’s new easy-to-build ‘high-pressure ventilator’ tailored to treat COVID-19 patients was approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday, May 1. The device called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally) was developed by the engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The ventilator is designed to treat patients with milder symptoms, thereby keeping the country’s limited supply of traditional ventilators available for patients with more severe COVID-19 symptoms. He added, “This ventilator is one of countless examples of how taxpayer investments in space exploration – the skills, expertise and knowledge collected over decades of pushing boundaries and achieving firsts for humanity – translate into advancements that improve life on Earth”. READ: NASA, SpaceX Set To Launch Historic First Astronaut Mission On May 27 According to the press note on the NASA website, the Office of Technology Transfer and Corporate Partnerships at Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA, is now offering a free license for VITAL. Further, they are also reaching out to the commercial medical industry to find manufacturers for the device. Fred Farina, chief innovation and corporate partnerships officer at Caltech, said that the authorities are working to ‘pass the baton’ to the medical community, and ultimately serve the patients. READ: Perseverance Rover To Get The Most Advanced Pair Of 'eyes' Ahead Of NASA's Mars Mission The team at NASA detailed that VITAL can be built faster and maintained more easily than a traditional ventilator. It is also composed of far fewer parts, many of which are currently available to potential manufacturers through existing supply chains. Moreover, with flexible design, the device can also be modified for use in field hospitals being set up in convention centres, hotels and other high-capacity facilities across the globe. The device, like all ventilators, will require patients to be sedated and an oxygen tube inserted into their airway to breathe. NASA also informed that VITAL would not replace current hospital ventilators as the device is intended to last only three to four months and is specifically tailored to the needs of COVID-19 patients. VITAL is expected to decrease the likelihood of patients getting to that advanced stage of the disease where they require advance ventilator assistance. READ: NASA Artemis Mission: SpaceX, Blue Origin And Dynetics Chosen To Design HLS READ: NASA Plea: Stay Home For 1st Home Astronaut Launch In Years
3 May 05:48 • Republic World • https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/us-news/nasas-easy-to-build-covid-19-ventilator-gets-fda-authorisation.htmlRating: 2.30
Great, Now Invasive 'Murder Hornets' Are A Thing To Worry About
3 May 10:29
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.23
Importance: 0.24
Age penalty: 0.97
Best date: 3 May 10:29
Average US: 9.4
Weighted average US: 9.4
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 7.1
Weighted average IN: 7.1
Great, Now Invasive 'Murder Hornets' Are A Thing To Worry About
Hey 2020, can you chill for, like, five minutes? Now on top of a literal pandemic and nearly unparalleled global economic unrest, it seems you’ll need to add “murder hornets” to the list of reasons to lose sleep these days. If you want to split hairs, technically they’re Asian giant hornets, but these flying nightmares have chalked up several colourful monikers such as “yak killers,” the “Giant Sparrow Bee,” and “OH DEAR GOD, SOMEONE BURN IT WITH FIRE” (though that last one might just have been my reaction upon seeing these real-life Cazadores). Some more not-so-fun facts: Their venomous stings kill roughly 50 people every year in Japan. They feed by ripping the heads off of bees and flying the decapitated carcasses back to their young. And though they’re native to southeastern and eastern Asia—hence the namesake—recently they’ve begun popping up in Washington State and Canada. Scientists still don’t know why. “They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” said Susan Cobey, a bee breeder with Washington State University’s Department of Entomology, in a recent statement. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, an entomologist and invasive species specialist with the university. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.” That’s because Asian giant hornets can decimate entire beehives in a few hours using their “mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins,” per a weekend New York Times report. As if bees, a notoriously threatened species, didn’t have enough to worry about already what with humans quickly driving them towards extinction. Last winter, locals in different parts of Washington’s Whatcom County spotted a handful of dead specimens, the Times reported. Authorities later learned that another hornet had been spotted across the Canadian border in White Rock, British Columbia that November, and an entire hive was discovered and exterminated on Vancouver Island before that. Washington State verified a total of four reported sightings in December, according to the Guardian. Officials sent several specimens to be analysed by a lab in Japan, where scientists confirmed they were Asian giant hornets, however inexplicable that may be. Adding to the mystery, the lab found that the hornets from Whatcom County and Vancouver Island were unrelated, thus indicating the species had been introduced in at least two separate incidents. That discovery comes with terrifying implications. The hornet’s queen can grow up to two inches long, and their stings deliver potent venom that can be comparable to that of a venomous snake bite if you’re unlucky enough to get attacked by a swarm. Unlike bees, they can jab you multiple times using stingers nearly the length of a hypodermic needle. And as you can imagine, not only is it potentially deadly, it hurts; you can check out YouTube daredevil Coyote Peterson getting stung by one here and it does not look like a fun time. Conrad Bérubé, a beekeeper and entomologist who was attacked while clearing out the Vancouver Island hive, told the Times “[i]t was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh”—even through his bee suit and underlying sweatpants. But even so, for many beekeepers and entomologists, getting attacked by these “murder hornets” is the last of their worries. “Most people are scared to get stung by them. We’re scared that they are going to totally destroy our hives,” Ruthie Danielson, a beekeeper who helped coordinate a response to these hornets across Whatcom County, told the Times. To that end, officials have teamed up to wage war against the potentially invasive species as its lifecycle begins anew this year. Around April, the hornets’ queen comes out of hibernation while workers go about finding and building underground dens to nest. Their destructiveness peaks throughout the late summer and early fall as workers furiously hunt for food, which can be anything from bees to mantises and even other species of hornets, to sustain the next year’s queen. “This is our window to keep it from establishing,” said Chris Looney, an entomologist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, in the Times’ report. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.” To keep the hornets from establishing a foothold in the region, authorities have recently begun laying out makeshift traps—these big boys won’t fit into traditional wasp and bee traps—using clear jugs and mixtures of orange juice and rice wine, fermented milk and water, and other experimental lures. Each one is hung on a tree and geo-tagged, and officials plan to set up hundreds more in the coming months. They’re also experimenting with deploying thermal imaging to suss out nests, according to the Times, since all that buzzing can result in temperatures up to 86 degrees. Any hornets caught will be equipped with either a “radio-frequency identification tag” or, more simply, a “small streamer” to map its journey back to its nest. The Washington State Department of Agriculture has partnered with local beekeepers and scientists with WSU for the initiative, and even the surrounding locals have been tapped to help track the species. Anyone who happens to spot a hornet buzzing around can report the sighting using the WA Invasives app. “We need to teach people how to recognise and identify this hornet while populations are small,” Murray said, “so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance.” Because after all, haven’t we already been through enough this year? And it’s only May, dammit. [New York Times]
3 May 10:29 • Gizmodo AU • https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/great-now-invasive-murder-hornets-are-a-thing-to-worry-about/Rating: 0.49
Skeletal Remains Found in Mexico Reveal Stories of African Enslavement 500 Years Ago in Latin America
3 May 10:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.20
Importance: 0.21
Age penalty: 0.95
Best date: 3 May 10:00
Average US: 38.9
Weighted average US: 38.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.6
Weighted average IN: 2.6
Skeletal Remains Found in Mexico Reveal Stories of African Enslavement 500 Years Ago in Latin America
Three skeletons found by scientists in a mass grave in 1992 in Mexico City chronicle the horrific life journey of some of the first Africans who were transported to Latin America and enslaved some 500 years ago. The bones display evidence of fractures, gunshot wounds, and the men’s introduction of infectious diseases during their enslavement in central Mexico. The study, published April 30 in the scientific journal Current Biology, paints a picture of the lives of many Africans during the early Spanish colonization and how their presence may have shaped disease dynamics in the New World, the study authors said in their joint statement. “Using a cross-disciplinary approach, we unravel the life history of three otherwise voiceless individuals who belonged to one of the most oppressed groups in the history of the Americas,” senior author Johannes Krause, an archaeogeneticist and professor at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. The remains of the three individuals were found at the site of the ancient San José de los Naturales Royal Hospital in Mexico City, a hospital founded in the early 1500s to serve the indigenous community, which had been decimated by the time King Charles I of Spain authorized the importation of Africans to Spanish colonies as slaves in 1518. The new analysis of the remains contributes to the study of African migration to Mexico during the 16th and 17th centuries, and points to why almost all Mexicans carry a small amount of African ancestry. “Having Africans in central Mexico so early during the colonial period tells us a lot about the dynamics of that time,” said author Rodrigo Barquera, a graduate student at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. “And since they were found in this mass burial site, these individuals likely died in one of the first epidemic events in Mexico City.” The bones revealed a life of hard toil and injuries, and once researchers extracted genetic and isotope data from the individuals’ teeth they got a better idea of how long they had lived in their homeland and which African regions they were taken from. “Their genetics suggest they were born in Africa, where they spent all of their youth,” Barquera said. “Our evidence points to either a Southern or Western African origin before being transported to the Americas.” One of the skeletal remains had remnants of gunshot wounds from copper bullets, while another had a series of skull and leg fractures. But, according to Barquera, the abuse did not end their lives. “Within our osteobiographies we can tell they survived the maltreatment that they received,” the author said. “Their story is one of difficulty but also strength, because although they suffered a lot, they persevered and were resistant to the changes forced upon them.” The remains also document the earliest signs in Latin America of hepatitis B and another contagious skin disease that is similar to syphilis. “We found that one individual was infected with hepatitis B virus, while another was infected with the bacterium that causes yaws — a disease similar to syphilis,” co-author Denise Kühnert, a mathematician working on the phylogeny of disease, said. “Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that both individuals contracted their infections before they were likely forcibly brought to Mexico.” The revelation has been extremely significant in the research as it suggests the impact of yaws, a chronic bacterial infection that affects the skin, bone, and cartilage, which was very common among Mexicans during that time. Kühnert found the research “plausible that yaws was not only brought into the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade but may subsequently have had a considerable impact on the disease dynamics in Latin America.” However, one thing about their discovery was certain; it brought answers to a few deep-rooted questions regarding Mexican culture. “We want to get insights into how pathogens emerged and spread during the colonial period in the New Spain, but we also want to continue to explore the life stories of the Africans brought here and other parts of the Americas,” Banquera said of further research. “That way they can take a more visible place in Latin American history.”
3 May 10:00 • Atlanta Black Star • https://atlantablackstar.com/2020/05/03/skeletal-remains-found-in-mexico-reveal-stories-of-african-enslavement-500-years-ago-in-latin-america/Rating: 0.42
America's Government Approves Release of Genetically-Engineered Mosquitoes
3 May 05:37
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.16
Importance: 0.89
Age penalty: 0.18
Best date: 3 May 05:37
Average US: 11.6
Weighted average US: 11.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 70.7
Weighted average IN: 70.7
America's Government Approves Release of Genetically-Engineered Mosquitoes
America's Environmental Protection Agency "granted permission for genetically engineered mosquitoes to be released into the Florida Keys and around Houston to see if they can help limit the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses," writes Bloomberg Environment.clovis (Slashdot reader #4,684) shared their report on ab experimental use permit granted to British biotech company Oxitec Ltd: Oxitec's first field trial in Brazil achieved up to a 96% suppression of target disease transmitting mosquito populations in dense urban settings, the company said. But in public comments on the permit approval docket, Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety, questioned Oxitec's claims and warned of other possible dangers. "Most (but not all) of the GE mosquitoes' offspring die at the late larval stage, in the water where the female mosquitoes lay their eggs," Hanson wrote."This partial survival rate, even if low (a reported 3 to 4% in laboratory conditions), would lead to the establishment of hybrid mosquitoes in the environment, which might possess altered properties, including the potential for enhanced disease transmission or resistance to insecticides," Hanson said.The U.S. agency said it "looks forward to receiving field test results regarding the effectiveness of this promising new tool that could help combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like the Zika virus."
3 May 05:37 • science.slashdot.org • https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/03/2135233/americas-government-approves-release-of-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feedRating: 1.79
Indian-owned company develops test kit
3 May 17:08
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:08
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Indian-owned company develops test kit
After the United States, Italy and Europe, India might soon see the deployment of antibody ELISA kits to know if a person has actually recovered from the COVID-19 coronavirus without even knowing that he or she had been infected, thus returning to a normal life without restrictions. The kits will be put to use after they receive the approval of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, the national regulatory body for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. They have been developed by scientists from India, the U.S. and the U.K. for Erba Mannheim, a company founded by Mumbai-based businessman Sunil Vazirani. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Vazirani, who started TRANSASIA Bio-Medicals in 1979, long before he set up Erba Mannheim Germany in 1995, said that the world was realising the coronavirus was not going away without a vaccine. “Our kits help identify individuals who had COVID-19, were asymptomatic and recovered without even knowing. They can thus confidently return to work and bring back normalcy to life, while reducing the stress on the frontline warriors," Mr. Vazirani said. Italy is testing 5 lakh people a day using the kits developed by Erba Mannheim. Each kit can be used to perform 100 tests, Mr. Vazirani said. The kits took a month-and-a-half to develop. After first receiving the European CE approval, Erba Mannheim also received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s nod for the advanced method of testing antibodies, which it claims is much faster than the rapid testing kits from China. Mr. Vazirani claims that his COVID-19 antibody ELISA kits can test 100 samples an hour, with an accuracy rate of 98%. Research tells us that the SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens stimulate the body’s immune system to produce antibodies that can be detected with IgM and IgG antibody tests. IgM is produced first and is detectable during early onset of the disease. IgG is produced later and is maintained for long-term immunity. ERBA Mannheim’s kit, called ErbaLisa® COVID-19 ELISA kits, can detect both antibodies. Through group company TRANSASIA India, Mr. Vazirani’s team has applied for permissions to use the kits in India, for which 500 sample kits have been imported. “Antibody tests are important to do. India imported rapid test kits from China which, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research, have a 6-30% [rate of] accuracy,” he explained. A team that includes Drugs Controller General of India Dr. V G Somani and others is looking into approvals for the antibody kits. Asked how many people could actually be infected with COVID-19, Mr. Vazirani said, “It is anybody’s guess, but 20-30 times more than those [who have been] tested have been infected. Our understanding is that 80% of those infected don’t show symptoms.” Once the approval is obtained, Mr. Vazirani plans to produce the kits at existing TRANSASIA India plants in Daman and Sikkim, which will further the setting up of a COVID-19 unit making only testing kits for the virus. This plant in Andhra Pradesh’s Med Tech Zone is backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is awaiting necessary regulatory approvals and on-ground permissions. For the future, Mr. Vazirani believes that the kits will help individuals test themselves, and also help companies test their employees in a big way. “Everybody is worried. This is an easy and affordable test. It will help bring back confidence in people — that they have the antibodies. ,” Mr. Vazirani said.
3 May 17:08 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/indian-owned-company-develops-test-kit/article31495728.eceRating: 0.30
A microwave steriliser to kill coronavirus
3 May 17:44
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:44
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
A microwave steriliser to kill coronavirus
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology in Pune, a deemed university supported by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has developed a microwave steriliser named ATULYA to disintegrate COVID-19. The virus gets disintegrated by differential heating in the range of 56-60 degree Celsius. It is cost-effective that can be operated in portable or fixed installations, and was tested for human/operator safety and has been found safe. Depending on size and shape of various objects, time of sterilisation is from 30 seconds to one minute. The approximate weight is three kg and it can be used for non-metallic objects only.
3 May 17:44 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/a-microwave-steriliser-to-kill-coronavirus/article31495921.eceRating: 0.30
‘Don’t mess with a cobra, even its hatchlings’
3 May 17:57
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 17:57
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
‘Don’t mess with a cobra, even its hatchlings’
It doesn’t require an adult cobra to snuff the life out of you; even its hatchlings are capable of it, warn herpetologists. Snake specialists sounded caution on handling snakes after a video of a Malayalam actor holding the hatchling of a cobra on her palm going viral on the social media. The hatchling, which has grown to a few centimetres in length, could be seen holding its hood up in the video and launching itself forward as if to make a strike. Oblivious of the risk, the actor speaks on video about the compassion to be shown towards such small guests that come calling. The actor was also seen introducing the snake to some children. “The young cobra has enough venom, fully developed fangs and a poison delivery system sufficient enough to kill an adult person or cause serious health risks. The cobra venom is neurotoxic. It was suicidal on the actor’s part to hold the snake on her palm and go for a video recording, ignoring the possibility of being bitten by it,” said Jose Louies, an IUCN specialist on snakes. Cobra is one of the four venomous snakes that account for most of the snakebite deaths in the country. Russell’s viper, Saw-scaled viper and Common krait are the other members of the lethal league. The venom in the cobra hatchling would be of high concentration. The striking distance between the snake and the human body was a few centimetres in this case. With its agility, the young snake could strike at any angle with lightning speed, said Mr. Louies, also the founder of Indiansnakes, a website that tracks snakes and snakebites. Snakes hatched towards the end of summer months and the chance of encountering them were higher during the monsoon period. Most cases of snakebites occurred during the monsoon period and caution should be exercised during the period, he said. Ideally, one should stay away from snakes. If confronted in an unavoidable situation, the movement of the snake could be restrained by covering with a bucket and then wait for the snake rescuers to arrive. In case of a hatchling, they should be removed from the area safely, he suggested.
3 May 17:57 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/dont-mess-with-a-cobra-even-its-hatchlings/article31496073.eceRating: 0.30
SCTIMST develops swabs for testing
3 May 18:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:00
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
SCTIMST develops swabs for testing
Sree Chitra Triunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has developed two types of nasal and oral swabs and viral transport medium (VTM) for COVID-19 testing, an official release issued by SCTIMST said here. Chitra EmBed flocked nylon swabs and Chitra EnMesh, polymeric foam-tipped, lint-free swabs with flexible plastic handles are designed for efficiency. Their convenient breakpoint ensures minimal contact of the health worker with the sample during packing. The second innovation, Chitra Viral Transport Medium, is designed to retain the virus in its active form during its transportation from the collection point to the laboratory. Technologies for both swabs and viral transport medium have been transferred to industries for immediate manufacture and sales—Mallelil Industries, Origin diagnostics, and Levram Life sciences. The swabs and VTM developed by SCTIMST could reduce import dependency and mass produce these at much lower costs.
3 May 18:00 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/sctimst-develops-swabs-for-testing/article31496107.eceRating: 0.30
Asian giant hornets - aka the 'murder hornet' - expected back in B.C.
3 May 18:06
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 18:06
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Asian giant hornets - aka the 'murder hornet' - expected back in B.C.
VANCOUVER -- With a terrifying new moniker, social media is abuzz with tales of the "murder hornet," an flying insect that rips bees apart and "carries a painful, sometimes lethal sting," according to entomologists at Washington State University. The Asian giant hornet has been spotted for the first time in Washington State, setting off a wave of media coverage that has resonated with the "end times" feeling of the spring of 2020. But Asian giant hornets have been in British Columbia for some time, with the first hornets spotted near Nanaimo in August 2019. The provincial government has warned that they'll likely return this spring and summer after they wake up from winter nesting. Two Asian giant hornets were discovered near Blaine, Wash. in December, and one was found in White Rock in November. "These findings indicate a probability that nesting hornets are overwintering in the area," the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement March 20. Residents who live along the B.C.-Washington border could be the first to spot the Asian giant hornet this year. The hornet prefers wooded areas, which proliferate along the border, so the Ministry of Agriculture has warned residents who live near Zero Avenue, from Surrey to Aldergrove, to be on the lookout for the hornets and to report any sightings to the Invasive Species Council of BC by calling 1-888-933-3722 or visiting online at https://bcinvasives.ca/report. The hornets make their nests in the ground and not in trees or buildings. If people stumble upon a nest, officials recommend that they avoid it and leave the area immediately. A provincial apiculturist also set up traps in the area to catch hornets. The hornet's stinger can pierce through normal beekeepers' suits, according to Washington State University. In fact, the Washington State Department of Agriculture has ordered special suits from China to help tackle the creatures. WSU researchers describe their stings as "big and painful, with a potent neurotoxin" and caution they can even be lethal, warning "multiple stings can kill humans, even if they are not allergic." They also warn the public not to attempt to deal with the hornets themselves. Despite this terrifying description, B.C.'s Ministry of Agriculture says the hornets are not usually interested in humans, pets or livestock. Rather, they eat honeybees — a significant concern since pollinating bee populations are already struggling. But if the hornets' nests are disturbed, "they will attack with painful stings, which can be hazardous to people’s health," according to the ministry. The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture describes Asian giant hornets as "large compared to other hornets, with noticeably large orange heads and black eyes." Worker hornets are around 3.5 centimetres in length, while queens can be up to four cm to five cm in length, with a wingspan of four cm to seven cm. With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Adam Chan.
3 May 18:06 • British Columbia • https://bc.ctvnews.ca/asian-giant-hornets-aka-the-murder-hornet-expected-back-in-b-c-1.4922871Rating: 0.30
Pune: IISER physicists design low-cost ventilator in 18 days
3 May 19:02
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 19:02
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Pune: IISER physicists design low-cost ventilator in 18 days
Two scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Pune, have developed a low-cost ventilator in less than three weeks. A group led by physicists Umakant Rapol and Sunil Nair said they were inspired by the Bharucha ventilator. However, they added, since patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are stated to require the support of sophisticated ventilator systems, they decided to improvise. Ventilator designs have been floating online since the outbreak of coronavirus, so manufacturing companies can enter mass production and meet the ever-growing demand. The union government, too, released similar documents aimed at Indian manufacturers. Coronavirus Explained Click here for more After studying many such designs, Rapol and Nair – along with Mohammad Naoman, Sainath Motlakunta, and the institute’s technical officer Nilesh Dumbre – finalised the hybrid design. The prototype is based on ventilator designs of the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), along with another from the University of Florida. Students have been remotely assisting in this project from Denmark and Canada, where they are pursuing higher studies. The nationwide lockdown has made the project difficult for the IISER team, as they were left with limited resources and material to work with. “We could not procure actual flow sensors and proportional valves,” Rapol, who is a trained quantum physicist, said. “These are crucial components for a ventilator. So we had to replace them with available material that performed similar functions.” Pitched at anywhere between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000, the IISER prototype is not only a low-cost ventilator, but also comes with remote access. The team said that once mass manufacturing was taken up, it could further reduce costs significantly. “For any sophisticated medical equipment to operate in the most user-friendly manner, a sound software setup is vital, and that is where our alumni contributed. The unit can be remotely monitored and controlled, even using a mobile phone,” Nair said. On some challenges the team faced, Rapol said, “Had we been able to procure the appropriate sensors, controllers and some key components, our prototype would also have been like the ventilators that are in everyday use presently in hospitals.” It took four revisions to finalise the current prototype, which will now be reviewed by doctors and clinicians, Nair said. “…Depending on their feedback, we can accommodate changes if need be,” he added.
3 May 19:02 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-iiser-physicists-design-low-cost-ventilator-in-18-days-6392270/Rating: 0.30
CSIR labs working at par with international peers to discover Covid-19 drug: Scientists
3 May 19:02
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 19:02
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
CSIR labs working at par with international peers to discover Covid-19 drug: Scientists
Scientific institution in the country were working at par with international peers to discover an effective drug to fight coronavirus (COVID-19), said senior scientists of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Saturday. Shekhar Mande, director general of CSIR, chaired an online discussion centred on COVID-19 research with the directors of six laboratories operating under the council. Talking about the ongoing trials of drug-potent molecules for coronavirus, Ram Vishwakarma, director of Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu and Kashmir, said, “Four to five potential molecules, meant for coronavirus drugs, are either under stage two of trials or will soon enter trials. Private hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, too, are involved in the research.” Vishwakarma said knowledge of traditional Indian medicine, some of them proven for over 5,000 years, was also under consideration for drug development in India. In this regard, a hospital in Gurugram was carrying out research and, soon, hospitals in Mumbai and Pune will commence similar efforts, he added. Scientists said India had recently emerged as one of the largest exporters of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and the drug had, so far, shown good results. “There is a certain window when HCQ can show the best results. Among all people showing early symptoms and medical practitioners who were put on HCQ, the results have been positive in 90 per cent cases,” said S Chandrashekhar, director, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. Coronavirus Explained Click here for more Suggesting a combination of HCQ with zinc, Vishwakarma said, “HCQ has been tried, tested and has been effective for over 50 years. A combination with zinc, which activates HCQ, is recommended.” Many CSIR labs, along with other scientific institutions in the country, have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 research. Mande said, “This is the result of investment in science.” Genome sequencing of this virus has been making a slow but steady progress, said senior scientists. “The patient enrolling is still underway, and we are still two months away from the actual process,” said Rakesh Mishra, director, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had recently said plasma therapy was not a fool-proof treatment for COVID-19. “The challenge is to find people who have recovered from COVID-19 and quality plasma,” said Dr Anurag Agrawal, director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi. As wearing of masks will remain mandatory in the coming months, the need for developing reusable masks is growing. Research is on for developing reusable N95 masks, said Jitendra Jadhav, director, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru. “The porosity of the material used in N95 masks ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 microns. Though this material can be recycled using ultraviolet light or chemicals, it has been recommended that a recycled mask be reused by the same user. We still need to work further for making masks reusable for all,” Jadhav said. With the Centre announcing an extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 17, the CSIR scientists discussed measures and precautions needed after the lockdown. Use of thermal scanners was highly recommended at public places as it was possible to detect 35 to 50 per cent people with fever, who could be otherwise carriers of the virus. “In addition, measures must include compulsory wearing of face masks and practice of physical distancing. Overcrowding in a closed environment, where air circulation is limited, must be avoided,” Dr Agrawal said.
3 May 19:02 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/csir-labs-working-at-par-with-international-peers-to-discover-covid-19-drug-scientists-6392271/Rating: 0.30
Coronavirus | Does SARS-CoV-2 affect the liver?
3 May 19:14
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 19:14
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Coronavirus | Does SARS-CoV-2 affect the liver?
There have been few predecessor viruses for this one, which share similarities in structure and in the way it inflicts damage to human body. Viruses self-mutate periodically, change its structure and form and take new avatars. The current avatar inducing COVID-19 spreads rapidly and has more death rate than previous generations. All previous coronaviruses were respiratory pathogens. Liver impairment has been reported in up to 60% of patients with the preceding coronavirus — SARS-CoV. Given the fact that this novel corona (SARS-CoV-2) has 80% genetic similarity to the preceding strain of the virus (SARS-CoV), does it act similarly with reference to the liver? Let us look at information from China. Liver damage in mild cases of COVID-19 is often temporary and the organ can return to normal without any special treatment. This could be due to the state of direct infection of liver cells or could as well be due to liver cells getting caught up in the immune war between body’s immune system and the virus with chemicals produced by our body, namely cytokines. More patients with severe disease had abnormal liver function tests than did non-severe patients with COVID. Those who tested positive for the virus (sub-clinical phase, identified by contact tracing), but did not develop symptoms had much less involvement of the liver. In short, liver injury depends on severity of COVID-19. Cases of acute liver failure have not been reported yet from China or from other countries. What about people who already have liver disease? People with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or its more severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), often have cardiovascular risk factors, including metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes, raising the risk for severe COVID-19 complications. Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) is common in China and other Asian countries, studies so far have not reported whether HBV-related liver disease influences COVID-19 outcomes. All these liver diseases without advanced scarring or cirrhosis would not have more chance to get the virus infection though. That is not the case with cirrhosis of liver — cirrhosis per se may be considered an immune dysfunctional state; those under medical management and those in whom a liver transplant is planned and waiting for organ allocation should also be considered at more risk. Those who have pre-existing liver disease, should they undergo check-up and LFTs to see if coronavirus has entered the liver? The answer is an emphatic NO. What has been mentioned here is abnormality of LFT in those patients who already developed COVID-19. COVID is a respiratory illness and will have symptoms pertaining to lung. Severe cases who are hospitalised alone may develop jaundice. Liver injury will not occur in the absence of respiratory illness and hence no screening tests/ LFT are indicated in patients with liver disease. Are liver transplant recipients at higher risk for COVID-19? Certainly. Those who have undergone liver transplant and are on immunosuppression medicines (anti-rejection medicines) are certainly at higher risk of getting this infection and logically, can end up with severe disease. People with a weakened immune system may be unable to fight off the virus. So transplant patients have more chance of getting the virus, but paradoxically transplant recipients may not exhibit symptoms — fever, breathlessness — to begin with. Apart from the routine measures of frequent hand washing, hand sanitising, cough etiquette and avoiding putting hands to mouth, they should try to avoid crowds and non-essential travel.
3 May 19:14 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/coronavirus-does-sars-cov-2-affect-the-liver/article31496541.eceRating: 0.30
COVID-19 test available for Okanagan pets
3 May 21:30
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 21:30
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
COVID-19 test available for Okanagan pets
The question on many pet owners' minds lately is whether or not their dog or cat is at risk of contacting COVID-19. This concern has grown following two cases in New York where cats contracted COVID-19, and another case involving a tiger in the Bronx Zoo. Because research on the subject is limited, there is no definite answer to the question. However, a COVID-19 test is now available at local veterinary clinics for pets that meet at least one of the three testing criteria, Dr. Moshe Oz from Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital in West Kelowna said. If the pet is living in the household with another human who has COVID-19, they've already been tested for other issues and vets cannot diagnose the problem, or they're showing clinical signs consistent with COVID-19 symptoms, a cat or dog (or ferret) is eligible for the test. READ MORE: Doctors notice recent uptick in so-called COVID toes cases in children Dr. Oz explained that COVID-19 symptoms would be the same in pets as they are in humans. "As far as we know, it's basically the same thing," he said. "Respiratory (symptoms), sneezing, coughing, pneumonia, gastrointestinal manifestation." These symptoms can also be indicators of different diseases, so the test is essential in properly diagnosing the issue. Dr. Oz explains that because there have been no pets treated for COVID-19, there is no protocol if a pet does contract the virus. READ MORE: Kelowna's Value Village first to re-open in North America "Because it's a viral infection, we don't really have treatment for it," he said. "So we just try to give the body some time to fight it with supportive treatment." Supportive treatment consists of antibiotics, fluids and respiratory medication. Results from the swab and stool sample take one to three business days to process, and the test costs $200. So far, no animals have been tested at Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital for COVID-19 since the test became available two days ago.
3 May 21:30 • iNFOnews.ca • https://infotel.ca/newsitem/covid-19-test-available-for-okanagan-pets/it72788Rating: 0.30
Let us go the Madagascar way - The Nation Nigeria News
3 May 23:40
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 23:40
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Let us go the Madagascar way - The Nation Nigeria News
The ongoing global search for sustainable solutions to stem the raging tide of the Coronavirus pandemic brings to mind the valuable experiences gathered while growing up in the rural area, back in the ‘sixties. That was especially so in my father’s farmland at Ayere in the then Kabba Province of the Northern Region (both now defunct). They remain cherished. And the reasons are because we lived close to Mother Nature, gained from its helping hands which we still find useful till this day. One of these features was the use of different herbs in the treatment of various ailments, and they proved efficacious. For instance, some of those herbs came in handy whenever a new child was born in the family. They were prepared in hot water as what the Ebiras call Enyi-Ojozi and given to the young one; to ward off several diseases. A particular herb called ireru in Ebira language was used to prepare hot soup and given to the nursing mother to drink. The aim was to replenish the calories she must have lost during childbirth and reinvigorate the production of new red blood cells. Again, it worked! Furthermore, the minor injuries sustained during cultivation and weeding of farmland as well as snake bites were treated with herbs. Malaria fever was combated with steamed neem leaves. We drank the infusion as well as inhaled the steam, while covered with calico clothes, until we sweated all the toxins out! This inspiring scenario therefore, brings to mind the announcement of the discovery of Corona-Organics to do away with the virus, by the president of Madagascar, Andy Rajoelina. While publicly proffering it as a cure, as he drank out of a bottle of the drug, he enthused that, it has shown “encouraging results in fighting off the coronavirus”. That was on April, 20. Not only did he lift the lockdown on three major cities in Madagascar but has gone ahead to make it compulsory for school children, given free of charge. The drug, produced at the country’s Institute of Applied Research comes as a herbal tea with Artemisia annua, as the main ingredient. It is a green, leafy plant that emits a striking smell known as sweet wormwood. So far, it has cured the few people that it has been tested on. It gives results within seven days. One of Madagascar’s top medical doctors, Dr. Charles Andrianjara says that it should be used for prevention. Let it be noted that though the country has recorded 121 cases, no death has been reported, so far. And Senegal that has taken the drug and recommended it to the citizens has had no cause for regrets. Yes, the World Health Organization WHO) may have dismissed it with a wave of the hand stating that there are “no short cuts” and that “tests are on the way”. But is it all the local drugs in different countries that WHO has to recommend for people to treat their peculiar health challenges? Don’t we have evidence-based herbal cures, significant to different people and places? Must all drugs for various diseases come from the western world? The answer is a concerted “no”! The COVID-19 has come as a wake-up call to different countries to do the needful, when it comes to looking inwards to finding solutions to endemic diseases. That makes a sense of the position of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan that traditional cure to the virus is on the way. He had earlier suggested a combination of bitter leaf, onions and parts of neem tree as a means of possible cure. One’s candid suggestion therefore, is that instead of outright dismals of claims to cures for the diseases that afflict the people, NAFDAC should come in with laboratory tests to verify such claims without political colouration but in the best interest of the citizens. With countries such as Cuba, Israel, India and now Madagascar coming forth with their own drugs, Nigerians are waiting to know the outcome of the claim by Prof. Maurice Iwu, to having a cure. The Nigerian professor of pharmacognosy, from the University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) who is also the chairman of the Imo State Task Force on COVID-19 has presented the plant-based patented treatment to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. He has also forwarded it to the United States, to test its veracity in the cure of coronavirus. It was produced to cure SARS. Coincidentally, another Nigerian, Dr. Babafemi Taiwo, a medical professor who is the chief of infectious disease at Northwestern University, Chicago has played a major role in the development of the anti-virus drug, Remdesivir which has received the commendation of posting “fantastic result”. It was originally developed to treat Ebola virus, with the effective day reducing from 15 to 11 days. The clinical trial of the drug ran with the full supervision of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases(NIAD). It has been tested on 1,063 people and has impressed Dr. Anthony Fauci who heads the agency. Said he: “The data shows that Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time of recovery”. The lessons from all these medical research trajectories are for countries to look inward for likely solutions to evolving health challenges, be proactive, decisive and fund their research institutes well. Furthermore, they should shed themselves of inferiority complex, do more with regards to researches into the use of local herbs that have been effective in treating ailments in the past, as India has been doing. Also, the private sector should be brought into the picture; to assist in funding some researches or breathe life into useful products that have been dormant at the pilot stage. The media has an important role to play in showcasing such products of creative ingenuity to the public, because the institutes cannot afford to be speaking to themselves! It behoves on governments-both at the state and federal levels-to sustain and build upon the infrastructures put in place to treat epidemic diseases such as the current coronavirus. Whatever happened to the previous isolation centres that came up for victims of Ebola virus back in 2014! Again, one must emphasize the need for government to earmark more percentage of the annual budgetary allocations to healthcare delivery. A wealthy nation comes from its healthy citizens.
3 May 23:40 • Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics • https://thenationonlineng.net/let-us-go-the-madagascar-way/Rating: 0.30
Cloth masks can offer 80% protection against coronavirus, new study finds
3 May 14:20
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:20
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Cloth masks can offer 80% protection against coronavirus, new study finds
Masks made from a combination of different fabrics such as cotton, silk, chiffon, flannel can provide 80% protection against infections, a new study has found. The new study published in April and obtained by TheCable shows that type of fabric and its arrangement can help improve protection against viruses, including the novel coronavirus. The research team in America’s Argonne National Laboratory found that cotton, natural silk, and chiffon provides above 50% protection against viral particles in aerosols, provided they have a tight weave. Tightly weaved layers of cotton, the most widely used material for cloth masks, “could provide over 79% depending on particle size, while a combination of different fabrics such as cotton silk, chiffon, flannel can provide 80% filtration coverage”. The report, titled “Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of Common Fabrics Used in Respiratory Cloth Masks”, has been published by the American Chemical Society. The report added that cotton quilt laced with batting provides the best protection at 96 percent because of the “fibrous nature of the batting aids in the superior performance at small particle sizes.” Earlier, researchers at Netherland’s National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and Public Health England (PHE) found that in the event of surgical mask shortage, these masks are better than no mask at all. “Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level,” the Netherland report had said. PHE opined that “homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection”. The researchers compared with the performance of a standard N95 mask to those of the fabric masks and reported that “all three hybrid combinations performed well, exceeding 80% efficiency in the <300 nm range, and >90% in the >300 nm range”. “These cloth hybrids are slightly inferior to the N95 mask above 300 nm, but superior for particles smaller than 300 nm. “It is important to note that in the realistic situation of masks worn on the face without elastomeric gasket fittings (such as the commonly available cloth and surgical masks), the presence of gaps between the mask and the facial contours will result in “leakage” reducing the effectiveness of the masks. “It is well recognized that the “fit” is a critical aspect of a high performance” The report recommends that designers working on cloth mask for mass production should be informed that finishing is critical to its performance. Edges and contours should fit as tightly as possible, as failure can result in air proliferation, and over 50% reduction in filter efficiency, and an increased probability of inhaling the virus. “In summary, we find that the use of cloth masks can potentially provide significant protection against the transmission of particles in the aerosol size range.” It is, however, important to state that cloth masks do not absolutely protect the user from the novel coronavirus.
3 May 14:20 • TheCable • https://www.thecable.ng/cloth-masks-can-offer-80-protection-against-coronavirus-new-study-findsRating: 0.30
We need more honesty in GMO discussions
3 May 14:03
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:03
Average US: 35.9
Weighted average US: 35.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
We need more honesty in GMO discussions
The statement by the pro-GMO expert in an article published in the Ethiopia Observer: “[GMOs] in principle, […] could allow increased yield and lower production costs, which translates to increased farm income,” lacks moral correctness and it is built more on theory than reality. The author has every right to promote Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) but his article is one-sided, selective in its use of studies, and full of factual errors. The author who has a manifestly unbridled enthusiasm for GMOs makes some overconfident claims, starting from his opening line which says, “genetically modified (GM) traits can be valuable and the discussion around them should be based on facts and in a case-by-case approach.” However, he did not provide enough case-by-case examples of these traits that could be relevant to solve the problems of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. After all, any technological intervention must be based on the needs and realities of those smallholder farmers who are the main producers of food and raw material for industrial production in Ethiopia. For instance, we have yet to see GM traits that could be effective to mitigate the devastating wheat rust, withstand extreme drought and frost, and provide a higher yield than existing crop varieties. There are numerous writings that wax lyrical about the virtues of GMOs, many of them written by paid advocates. But independent assessments on the nature and performance of GM crops in comparison with conventionally improved varieties are rare. Even if we must advocate for GMOs, it must be in consideration of the country’s interest than that of the multinationals, whose sole motive is nothing more than profit. We must also communicate facts that are relevant for smallholder farming in Ethiopia instead of stories from commercial farming in the U.S. or other industrialized countries. If the GM traits must be there, it must be with the aim to solve farmers’ problems. Indeed, GMOs should not be confused with the use of biotechnology as a science. There are biotechnology tools such as “marker-assisted selection” that are cheaper and can be helpful in countries like Ethiopia to develop new varieties in a short period of time for use. These kinds of technologies are less risky and easy to integrate with conventional breeding in pro-poor public research institutions. In the first paragraph, the author wrote, “the genome of organisms can be altered to contain [a] genetic variants so that the GMO can express a desired trait, which could, for instance, be drought-tolerance.” He adds, “in principle, this could allow increased yield and lower production costs, which translates to increased farm income.” The truth of the matter is, we have not yet seen super varieties or GM cultivars that have led to a huge surge in yields and tolerate moisture stress. High yield already exists in conventionally breed improved varieties. Most GMOs are created by inserting genes (e.g. from bacteria) into these high yielding varieties to produce toxins that kill insects or to become herbicide tolerant. Thus, two types of GM crops dominate today’s market. Insect-resistant GM crops – these types of GM crops are developed by introducing a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a soil bacterium. Such GM plants or Bt-plants were created to produce toxins that kill insect pests. The advantage is that we avoid spraying synthetic chemicals to control insect-pest by growing Bt-crops. This is useful for the environment and the economy of the producer. But things get murkier when the insect evolves through time and develop resistance to Bt toxin produced by the plants. Insect resistance by GM crops breaks as much as those varieties developed through conventional breeding. Studies have already shown this problem. This would force farmers to go back to using chemicals to control the pest, making the cost of production higher as farmers would be obliged to buy expensive GM seeds as well as associated insecticidal chemicals. It also means farmers would be required to spray more chemicals, which is bad for the environment. Another problem with GM crops is that they do not have certain features compared to their counterpart conventional varieties while they maintain insect resistance. For instance, the Bt-cotton failed in Burkina Faso because the fiber quality of cotton was below standard, and farmers were forced to sell at a low price. Generally, GM crops have not demonstrated superior performance compared to conventional varieties in this regard but one thing that we could speak with certitude is they increase production costs. This is because all GMOs are patented, which makes the seeds and associated agrochemical inputs more expensive. Thus, the patent on such GM crops is an incentive for the multinationals to accumulate wealth at the expense of poor farmers. Herbicide-tolerant GM crops – these types of GM crops are modified to tolerate huge doses of chemical herbicide e.g. Roundup Ready GM soybeans. Roundup kills non-modified normal soya plants and weeds. In other words, normal soya plants and all other unwanted plants in the field (weeds) die except those GM soya plants when we spray them with Roundup. Indeed, this makes weed control easier or manageable when we have a huge soya field which otherwise is difficult to control weeds by manual weeding. This can be beneficial for large scale farmers in developed countries where labor is expensive. The problem with this type of GM crop is the emergence of “superweeds” as observed in recent years. These are tolerant weeds that are no longer killed by Roundup and growers must spray more of it to control weed infestation. This means it exacerbates the environmental hazard. It increases water, soil, and air pollution, which can have a devastating effect on human and ecosystem health. Still, the winners are companies who earn from the sale of a patented chemical (roundup) and GM soya seeds. The author correctly points out that altering the genomes of plants and animals did not begin with the emergence of genetic engineering (GE) and genetic modification in recent decades. “In fact, people have been altering the genomes of plants and animals for thousands of years starting from domestication through to traditional selection and modern-day breeding,” he wrote. This is why many observers find patenting plants and animals outrageous because the diversity of crops that we have today is the result of thousands of years of selection and management by farmers. Companies are now “grabbing” plant genetic resources by incorporating genes from traditional plant varieties and crop wild relatives into GM crops through patenting It must be underlined that companies are not inventing genes, but they are simply isolating them from farmers’ varieties or genetic resources in the public domain. They would go on introducing these genes to a new one to claim a patent, which gives them complete monopoly of the genes. The example of introducing a gene that confers resistance to Xanthomonas from sweet pepper to banana shows this technological practice. The same thing is being tried on Enset. This becomes unfair when the technology is monopolized by a handful of multinational companies through patents. In addition to hiding these socio-economic harms from use of GMOs, the author intentionally avoids distinguishing genetic engineering from conventional breeding including the selection of better plant varieties by farmers. Genetic engineering (that involves the transfer of genes from unrelated organism to another such as between bacteria and plants to create transgenic organisms), and Genetic modification (that involves modifying the DNA of an organism by removing, replacing some genes or inserting genes from other plants of the same species) is different from farmers’ selection practices (conscious or unconscious). The later resulted in an enormous diversity of crops and animals we have today. This is a common communication practice by pro-GMO experts to ignore the socio-economic and ecological risks of GMOs. In my view, it is insincere to promote GMOs in a country that has weak or insufficient biosafety regulatory frameworks such as biotechnology and/or biosafety policy, laws, regulations and guidelines, administrative systems, decision-making systems and mechanisms for public engagement. While the author’s doubt about Ethiopia’s eco-leadership is forgivable, the fact he stressed regarding earlier cultivation of GMOs in other African countries is undeniable. I leave it to the author to learn about Ethiopia’s Pan-African environmental initiative by reading Dr. Melaku Wored’s work and that of Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher. Earlier cultivation of GMOs in other African countries is true, as the author points out. But he avoids mentioning that the use of GMOs has been restricted to few crops and countries on the continent. The U.S. and its agri-conglomerates pushed for commercial cultivation of GM crops in South Africa in the late 1990s following the country’s transition to democracy from apartheid. It is no accident, that they are trying to push for the same market opportunity in Ethiopia today. They see a similar moment in the country’s history – a transition from authoritarian rule to “democracy”. In the last 20 years, big commercial farmers in South Africa have been growing GMOs. Egypt and Sudan have allowed GM crop cultivation, especially Bt-Cotton. Burkina Faso tried to do the same, but it largely failed. Overall, GMOs have not expanded to many African countries as hoped by the U.S and its companies in the 1990s and later years. Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda seem to be the new target countries now. Uganda has allowed trials for the genetically modified banana in the last few years. Rwanda is considering opening up to genetically modified potato. GMOs have also made their way to the African Union in the form of policy through the development of the African Seed and Biotechnology Programme in 2008. But the program focuses on overall seed system development and states that GMOs can be one alternative, but it should be managed safely. I would also like to remind the author that this program was developed based on the African Model law that Ethiopia drafted in 2000, before its relaxation due to pressure from western donors and new philanthropists such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is understandable for the author to say that “GM can be a valuable tool but is no cure-all” when he argues using a study done by people from Agri-food group and a study that uses data from the internet (a literature review of studies mostly done/financed by Monsanto and other companies) instead of filed level environmental and socio-economic impacts of GMOs to make conclusions. What we have been lacking is an independent study of GMOs that has no affiliation to pro- and ant-GMO movements. So, all these praises don’t support the author’s claims. The author also tells that for countries with foreign currency bottlenecks like Ethiopia, reduced use of inputs such as pesticide, insecticide, and herbicide could translate to substantial foreign currency savings. Unfortunately, this is premised on flawed reasoning. Ethiopia could earn more foreign currency from exporting its organic products. Buying a technology that others benefit from will not solve its currency problem. Rather Ethiopia’s export will be questioned after the adoption of GMOs especially in Europe where GMOs are not welcomed both by consumers and their strict regulatory framework. Another argument by the author is the labor-saving benefits of insect-resistant – and herbicide-tolerant maize varieties. This is beside the point. It is strange to argue in this manner in a country where millions of young people are not in employment. The country might have many other problems but not labor. The author also said, “GM also offers an adaptive capacity against an increasingly unpredictable future.” What is proof of this? Of course, there is not. The author has simply overstretched himself. In my view, there is no risk that vulnerable smallholder farmers can bear, and Pro-GMO experts need to be honest and build public trust in Ethiopia Image: Cotton farmers near Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia, photo Ecotextile. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. Please cite Ethiopia Observer prominently and link clearly to the original article if you republish. If you have any queries, please contact us at ethiopiaobserver@protonmail.com. Check individual images for licensing details.
3 May 14:03 • Ethiopia Observer • https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2020/05/03/we-need-more-honesty-in-gmo-discussions/Rating: 0.30
Breaking News: Scientists Almost Know What the ‘V’ in COVID Stands For
3 May 14:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:00
Average US: 62.2
Weighted average US: 62.2
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Breaking News: Scientists Almost Know What the ‘V’ in COVID Stands For
TULSA, OK- In a major update in the race for a vaccine for COVID-19, we have learned of a promising development from the scientific research community. In what is being described as “groundbreaking”, just mere weeks after learning that the ‘C’ and ‘O’ stands for Cor and Ona, respectively, we are closing in on the meaning of the puzzling ‘V’ in COVID. “It’s definitely something science-y” said lead researcher Dr. J. Cyrus, “And I watch a LOT of Wheel of Fortune, so I feel extra qualified to solve this mystery and hopefully save the world.” Researchers are excited to overcome the hurdle of the mysterious ‘V’ so they can move on to the much more common ‘I’ and ‘D’. “I mean, I think everybody here can guess what the ‘D’ stands for!” said research assistant Dr. Todd Quinlan with a few winks and high fives to fellow researchers. Scientists believe that solving the puzzling acronym is the last major hurdle before smooth sailing to a vaccine. “I mean… I know it doesn’t stand for vaccine, since, you know, we don’t have one yet” Dr. Cyrus continued, “All I know is that when I do figure it out, the news is sure to go viral.”
3 May 14:00 • GomerBlog • https://gomerblog.com/2020/05/breaking-news-scientists-almost-know-what-the-v-in-covid-stands-for/Rating: 0.30
Pets Can Act Like Stress Busters For Parents With Autistic Children, Reveals Study
3 May 12:42
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 12:42
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Pets Can Act Like Stress Busters For Parents With Autistic Children, Reveals Study
Researchers have found that a family pet can lead to strong bonds and reduced stress for both children with autism and their parents. According to the study, parents of children with autism report higher levels of stress on average than parents of typically developing kids. Also Read - Genetic Sequencing Study Identifies 102 Genes Associated With Autism “Some kids with autism have specific sensitivities, so a big, loud dog that is highly active might cause sensory overload for a particular child, while a quiet cat may be a better fit,” said study researcher Gretchen Carlisle from the University of Missouri in the US. Also Read - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Medical Problems That Fall Under The Condition “My goal is to provide parents with evidence-based information so they can make informed choices for their families,” Carlisle added. For the results, the research team surveyed more than 700 families from the ‘Interactive Autism Network’ on the benefits and burdens of having a dog or cat in the family. They found that despite the responsibility of pet care, both children with autism and their parents reported strong bonds with their pets. Pet ownership was not related to parent stress, and parents with multiple pets reported more benefits. “Given that the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder are so broad, it can be difficult to identify interventions that are widely beneficial,” Carlisle said. Some of the core challenges that children with autism face include anxiety and difficulty communicating. “As pets can help increase social interaction and decrease anxiety, we found that they are not only helpful in providing comfort and support to children with autism, but to their parents as well,” she said. For parents considering adding a pet into their family, Carlisle recommends including the child in the decision and making sure the pet’s activity level is a good match with the child’s. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Lifestyle Latest News on India.com. Comments - Join the Discussion
3 May 12:42 • India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com • https://www.india.com/lifestyle/pets-can-act-like-stress-busters-for-parents-with-autistic-children-reveals-study-4018570/Rating: 0.30
High temperature and UV warning in Portugal
3 May 12:29
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 12:29
Average US: 7.4
Weighted average US: 7.400000000000001
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
High temperature and UV warning in Portugal
Mainland Portugal and the archipelago of Madeira today have a “very high” risk of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The IPMA also placed the islands of Faial and Terceira, in the Azores, at a “high” risk of exposure to ultraviolet rays. For regions with very high and high risk, the IPMA recommends the use of sunglasses with UV filter, hat, 't-shirt', parasol, sunscreen and avoiding children's exposure to the Sun. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere foresees today a generally cloudy sky, temporarily very cloudy by high clouds. The wind will blow weak to moderate (up to 30 km / h) from the east quadrant, gradually rotating towards the south quadrant from mid-morning, becoming moderate to strong (up to 45 km / h) in the highlands from the beginning in the morning. Forecasts point to a sharp rise in maximum temperature, especially on the west coast. In the Azores, western group (Flores and Corvo), the sky will generally be very cloudy, with periods of rain and showers and conditions favorable to the occurrence of thunderstorms. For the central group (Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, Graciosa and Faial), periods of very cloudy and open skies are expected, increasing in cloudiness, and periods of rain and showers especially in the afternoon and conditions favorable to the occurrence of thunderstorms. In the eastern group (São Miguel and Santa Maria) the sky will also have periods of very cloudy with open skies, increasing in cloudiness towards the end of the day. Showers are expected and conditions favorable to the occurrence of thunderstorms in these Azorean islands. For the archipelago of Madeira, the IPMA points to periods of very cloudy skies, becoming temporarily very cloudy in the afternoon. It also provides for periods of rain or showers starting in the afternoon, especially in the highlands. The maximum temperatures expected today are 34 centigrade in Santarém, 32 in Beja, 31 in Lisbon, 30 in Coimbra, 29 in Porto, Viana do Castelo, Faro and the Algarve and 27 in Bragança, 23 in Funchal and 17 in Ponta Slender.
3 May 12:29 • The Portugal News Online • https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/high-temperature-and-uv-warning-in-portugal/53976Rating: 0.30
Full spectrum of disease control needed on barley
3 May 12:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 12:00
Average US: 43.8
Weighted average US: 43.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Full spectrum of disease control needed on barley
“No individual disease predominates and defines the disease control programme on barley like Septoria does in wheat.” That’s according to Tom Gartland, area manager for Syngenta Ireland. “Variety, location, whether winter or spring sown, hybrid or conventional as well as environmental conditions all play a part in the disease control challenge on barley,” he said. “Last year, for example, we saw early mildew infections on some of our winter barley trial sites and the spot form of net blotch predominated in our trial in Oak Park. “We also had high rhynchosporium pressure in a spring barley trial in Cork and we had a mix of infections on other sites. The one constant across all the trials was ramularia, which occurred everywhere.” The ramularia control challenge is uppermost in many growers’ minds as we work through the final season of chlorothalonil (BRAVO) use. “BRAVO can be used on crops until May 20,” Tom said. “This is OK to hit the optimum ear emergence timing on winter barley. “On most crops of spring barley, the T1 fungicide timing will be approximately the middle of May and while application of BRAVO at this time is earlier than usual, we have data that shows benefits of BRAVO at T1.” Apart from ramularia, the choice of fungicide must cover the standard diseases rhynchorium, net blotch, mildew and indeed brown rust which is evident in some six-row barley varieties. Brackling reduction is also a target, while not a disease as such, fungicides do play a critical role in minimising brackling. On brackling, Tom said: “We have field experience and trials over a number of years that shows really strong brackling reduction with ELATUS™ ERA – as good as any fungicide in the market.” It is early to predict what will happen on spring barley but the April-sown crops will likely have relatively big canopies and bigger canopies are generally more susceptible to disease. The current wisdom is that both traditional fungicide timings on spring barley are equally important. The first at around GS30 is vital for tiller survival and eventual ear numbers. The second, as the ears are emerging, needs to support the crop through all the disease and brackling challenges to harvest. “ELATUS™ ERA fits the bill at either the first or second timing on spring barley. It contains SOLATENOL™, a really strong barley SDHI as well as prothioconazole. This combination delivers a broad-spectrum disease control and the brackling reduction I mentioned,” explained Tom. “ELATUS™ ERA plus BRAVO is a great choice for the final winter barley fungicide,” said Tom. “Not only is it proven on the traditional wet weather diseases, but it is also excellent on brown rust.” All of this contributes to the high yields seen with ELATUS™ ERA. Finally, Tom says that “product choice is very important in any disease control programme, but the game is often won or lost in the way the fungicides are applied”. “Our spray application trials show that fungicides including ELATUS™ ERA perform very well with air induction nozzles and that is our preference because they allow for more accurate application and increased spraying opportunities.” For more information, please visit Syngenta Ireland by simply clicking here Sponsored by Syngenta
3 May 12:00 • AgriLand • https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/full-spectrum-of-disease-control-needed-on-barley/Rating: 0.30
Bees Are on the Verge of Extinction: Israel Invents a Hi-Tech Solution
3 May 11:56
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 11:56
Average US: 35.3
Weighted average US: 35.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Bees Are on the Verge of Extinction: Israel Invents a Hi-Tech Solution
Bees are going extinct reports National Geographic.A phenomenon known as ‘colony collapse’ is causing 30%-40% of the world’s bees die off every year globally. Today, there’s one Israeli company with a robot-controlled solution.
3 May 11:56 • Breaking Israel News • https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/149570/israel-replenishes-worldwide-bee-extinction-with-robot-controlled-beehive/Rating: 0.30
High Noise Can Lead to Cancer-Related Damage And Blood Pressure Issues, Read on
3 May 10:45
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.15
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.97
Best date: 3 May 10:45
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
High Noise Can Lead to Cancer-Related Damage And Blood Pressure Issues, Read on
Whether it is loud machinery at work, a busy freeway, a nearby airport or loud music, many people are exposed to high levels of noise, say researchers, adding that exposure to loud noise is not only annoying but also bad for your health. Also Read - Entertainment News Today, May 3: Rishi Kapoor Had a Cancer Relapse, Reveals His Friend Rakesh Roshan Large studies have linked noise exposure to various health problems in people. Also Read - 'Tumko Yaad Rakhenge Guru Hum': Amul Pays Emotional Tribute to 'One of Our Finest Actors' Irrfan Khan With Cute Doodle Now, two new mouse studies provide new insight into how this type of noise exposure can lead to high blood pressure and cancer-related DNA damage. Also Read - Study Finds Online Search For Irrfan Khan Surges Globally by 6,200 Per Cent, Actor Continues to 'Live Forever in Hearts of Millions of Fans' “Our new data provide additional mechanistic insights into these adverse health effects, especially high blood pressure and potentially cancer development, both leading causes of global death,” said study researcher Matthias Oelze from the University Medical Centre of Mainz in Germany. Published in The FASEB Journal, the research found that healthy mice exposed to four days of aircraft noise were more likely to develop high blood pressure. For mice with pre-established high blood pressure, this noise exposure aggravated heart damage because of a synergistic increase of oxidative stress and inflammation in the cardiovascular and neuronal systems. In another study, the researchers observed that the same noise exposure induced oxidative DNA damage in mice. This damage led to a highly mutagenic DNA lesion that was previously associated with the development of cancer in other settings. They are currently conducting several studies on the health effects of noise, including interactions of pre-established cardiovascular diseases with noise as well as behavioural effects of noise exposure in mice. “These new findings, together with our other work on noise-associated cardiovascular effects, could lead to a better understanding of how noise influences health,” said Oelze. “This information could help inform policies and regulations that better protect people against diseases related to noise exposure,” Oelze noted. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Lifestyle Latest News on India.com. Comments - Join the Discussion
3 May 10:45 • India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com • https://www.india.com/lifestyle/high-noise-can-lead-to-cancer-related-damage-and-blood-pressure-issues-read-on-4018447/Rating: 0.30
Meacham: MaxQ swiftly responds to coronavirus crisis with a pivot
3 May 10:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.14
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.95
Best date: 3 May 10:00
Average US: 78.7
Weighted average US: 78.7
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Meacham: MaxQ swiftly responds to coronavirus crisis with a pivot
Great ideas and great companies don't go away during times of crisis. Many just require a little more nurturing. Other businesses recognize that with quick action and a bit of a pivot, they can not only survive a crisis, but that they can actually improve the situation. MaxQ, a Stillwater company that creates sophisticated packaging systems for blood and other biologics, is one of our portfolio companies. MaxQ's packaging systems are specially designed to hold and transfer refrigerated, controlled room temperature or frozen biological materials, such as red blood cells, whole blood, platelets, or plasma, as well as tissue specimens and organs. When the implications of COVID-19 began accelerating in February, CEO Saravan Kumar and the team at MaxQ immediately began assessing the potential impact on their business. At the time, the company was in nearly 450 hospitals in the U.S. and another 10 internationally. "Initially, we wanted to understand the market level changes and how to adapt our plans," Kumar said. "We quickly realized the need for antibody testing, and that our product designed to move blood inside of hospitals and diagnostic labs, and across the country, could move patient specimen kits (COVID19 swabs), reagents, and (convalescent) plasma." MaxQ is a made-in-USA company with a resilient supply chain. In the first week of February, the company reached out to suppliers. "Everyone came together to source the materials we needed," Kumar said. "We adapted our manufacturing and assembly, increased shifts, set up A and B teams for social distancing, and ramped up our inventory." In less than two weeks, MaxQ reconfigured three products to launch specific solutions for coronavirus-positive patients. One of those is an instant activation pouch solution with an integrated temperature control that was designed to help hospitals' in issuing single-units of blood to COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 medical teams need to collect and transport many, many temperature-controlled blood specimens rapidly from dispersed locations. The process requires an in-place inventory of transport boxes, gel packs and tons of ice. The challenge is matching the correct number of all the components required to send the available specimens to the appropriate lab in four hours or less. It's a logistical nightmare. With the MaxQ STAT pouch, a simple squeeze activates the cooling material, and in 15 seconds, the package is ready to go. Medical teams don't have to plan or coordinate multiple items for testing. "They grab the bag, crack it open, and send it out on a designated transport," Kumar said. "It is a single product, designed for a STAT situation. We have relevant technical solutions, a motivated team in-house, and a company culture that is aggressively focused on solving our customer’s challenges in providing highest quality patient care." In New York, MaxQ solutions are used to send blood to patients in more than 15 hospitals. In Seattle, MaxQ packages are used to move materials to coronavirus testing sites. Additionally, MaxQ stepped up by adapting processes and materials to make face shields with plans to supply community hospitals and first responders in Oklahoma who are having difficulty sourcing personal protective equipment. From the first time we met the MaxQ team eight years ago as a student team competing in the Governor’s Cup (now Love's Cup) to today, this founding team's culture and vision has been to have a measurable, positive impact on patient safety and healthcare. When we began, we had no idea just how far-reaching that vision would be. Scott Meacham is president and CEO of i2E Inc., a nonprofit corporation that mentors many of the state’s technology-based startup companies. i2E receives state appropriations from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Contact Meacham at i2E_Comments@i2E.org.
3 May 10:00 • THE OKLAHOMAN • https://oklahoman.com/article/5661413/meacham-maxq-swiftly-responds-to-coronavirus-crisis-with-a-pivotRating: 0.30
COVID-19: How to wash your clothes
3 May 09:59
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.14
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.95
Best date: 3 May 09:59
Average US: 14.8
Weighted average US: 14.800000000000002
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
COVID-19: How to wash your clothes
During these challenging times, we need to be extra careful with our daily cleaning habits. The good news is that clothes are not thought to be high-risk in comparison to other surfaces that are thought to directly threaten our health if contaminated with the virus, however it’s a sensible idea to change the way we used to wash our clothes in order to be 100% safe. Here are some tips to help keep your laundry virus free. Photos: Pinterest Read more about COVID-19 on Greek City Times:Australian lab will initiate covid 19 vaccine trial Spread the love
3 May 09:59 • Greek City Times • https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/05/03/covid-19-how-to-wash-your-clothes/Rating: 0.30
Israeli startup to purify hospital air from coronavirus
3 May 08:30
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.12
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.80
Best date: 3 May 08:30
Average US: 17.2
Weighted average US: 17.2
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 8.3
Weighted average IN: 8.3
Israeli startup to purify hospital air from coronavirus
Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, which has treated more than 300 Covid-19 patients, completed an initial month-long pilot of an air filtration and disinfection system from Israeli startup Aura Air. In previous lab experiments, the system demonstrated an average of 99 percent effectiveness against influenza viruses H1N1 and H5N1. “We started the collaborative work with Sheba in an effort to reduce contaminants in the hospital, and then the coronavirus arrived,” said Roy Friedberg, vice president of Aura Air. “Now, in the midst of testing, we are focusing on purifying and disinfecting the air from severe viruses, including the coronavirus,” he said. Phase two of the pilot has now begun at Sheba. The system will be installed in laboratories that diagnose the virus, medical staff rooms, operating rooms of patients diagnosed with the virus, and rooms of at-risk patients. Simultaneously, a clinical and microbiological trial will be conducted. “In addition, in light of the impressive performance and results that Aura Air has achieved on the antibacterial level, we are in the final stages of receiving EU funding,” said Friedberg. “The goal is to target solutions for closed space infections in general, and the coronavirus in particular.” The Sheba pilot joins others conducted by the company on similar viruses in collaboration with its strategic partner, Beth-El Industries, an Israeli company that makes advanced air filtration systems used by civilian and military sectors worldwide. Aura Air has completed three more pilots in the United States that have shown significant improvements in air quality — at a Hilton hotel, a conference room in a commercial building and a residential apartment. The company has received a $1.5 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority and is currently raising $ 5 million.
3 May 08:30 • Israel21c • https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-startup-to-purify-hospital-air-from-coronavirus/Rating: 0.30
Hildreth Walker, the man who helped measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon
3 May 08:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.11
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.71
Best date: 3 May 08:00
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Hildreth Walker, the man who helped measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon
Hildreth “Hal” Walker, Jr., in 1969, led a team that adapted a ruby laser for measuring the distance from the Earth to the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission while working for Union Carbide’s Laser Systems division. Walker was the man who fired the KORAD K-1500 Ruby Laser to the Moon successfully. He led the manufacturing, testing and operation of the KORAD K-1500 ruby laser system in 1969, playing a role in the Apollo Moon Landing. The Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment was the only interactive planetary experiment that took place for the first Moon Landing. However, Walker’s key role for KORAD contracted by NASA was discovered 25 years later. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1933, Walker grew at a time when African Americans were denied many opportunities and his family barred him from seeing his estranged father. However, Walker reportedly visited his father and on one occasion, he received a toy Buck Rogers ray gun as a present. He also worked as an informal apprentice at a white family’s vacuum cleaner repair shop. He gained the experience that would lead him to a career in technology. Walker’s family moved to Los Angeles and there he honed his skills in mechanics and electronics. After graduating, he pursued a career in the film industry but was rejected because he was African American. He only found work with the Navy, installing radar systems in fighter planes for four years until the Korean War ended in 1953. Later, RCA hired him to help develop the U.S. government’s Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, which was to warn the U.S. in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack. He subsequently directed other global telecommunications projects, including the first television broadcast transmitted from Earth to a satellite and back to Earth again in 1962, according to reports. What is probably his greatest achievement was leading the team that adapted a ruby laser for measuring the distance from the Earth to the Moon. His team recorded by far the most accurate measurement of the distance ever, exact to within 5 meters. The equipment used for the experiment is now on permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. “When America needed its best, they sought people like me out which is why I ended up working on the first ever science project in outer space. But ultimately it’s your inner space that defines everything,” Walker once said. Walker also worked with Hughes Aircraft, where he developed the first laser targeting systems for the U.S. Army in 1981. Retiring from Hughes, Walker founded his own international laser systems consulting firm, Tech Plus in 1990. He and his wife Bettye also founded the African American Male Achievers Network, Inc., or “A-MAN” in 1991, which supports boys and girls interested in math, science and business. “In the 21st Century, we must use technology as a solution and promote technologists,” Walker once said. Walker and his wife were in 1997 invited by South Africa’s then-President Nelson Mandela to establish and implement science and technology programs in townships and schools across the country. The two made history in 2019 when they opened the first chapter of the National Space Society on the African Continent, the Cape Town Space Society in Cape Town, South Africa. Today, Walker spends his time working for the non-profit organization and sharing his knowledge with the world.
3 May 08:00 • Face2Face Africa • https://face2faceafrica.com/article/hildreth-walker-the-man-who-helped-measure-the-distance-between-the-earth-and-the-moonRating: 0.30
Alabama school student names NASA’s first Mars helicopter, a 2-kg, solar-powered craft
3 May 04:34
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.07
Importance: 0.97
Age penalty: 0.07
Best date: 3 May 04:34
Average US: 3.5
Weighted average US: 3.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 89.8
Weighted average IN: 89.8
Alabama school student names NASA’s first Mars helicopter, a 2-kg, solar-powered craft
NASA’s Mars helicopter — destined to be the first aircraft to attempt powered flights on another planet — has been named ‘Ingenuity’. The name was picked during NASA’s “Name the Rover” essay contest. From among 28,000 submissions, the entry by Alabama high school student Vaneeza Rupani Alabama was selected. Ingenuity will ride to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which is preparing for launch in July or August this year. For several months following the rover’s landing, Ingenuity will remain encapsulated in a protective cover to shield it from debris during entry, descent and landing. When the timing in the rover mission is right, Ingenuity will be deployed to stand and operate on its own on the surface of the red planet. If the two kg, solar-powered craft — a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — survives the cold Martian nights during its pre-flight checkout, the team will proceed with testing. If successful during its experimental flight test window of 30 Mars days, the small craft will prove that powered flights can be achieved on Mars, enabling future missions to better utilise second-generation helicopters and add aerial dimension to explorations. More about it here. Also read: A trove of Viking-era artefacts and an ocean creature that may be the world’s largest animal Scientists have for the first time found evidence which shows that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the longest known predatory dinosaur, was an aquatic animal. Researchers have long opposed the idea that dinosaurs lived in aquatic habitats. A team from the University of Detroit has now found that the particular type of dinosaur used tail-propelled swimming locomotion to hunt for prey in massive river systems. It is the first time that such an adaptation has been reported in a dinosaur. The findings are based on the world’s only existing Spinosaurus skeleton, found in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The fossil unearthed is also the most complete skeleton of a cretaceous predatory dinosaur from mainland Africa. The skeleton was first uncovered in 2008. In a previous study, Spinosaurus were identified as fish-eating dinosaurs with adaptations for an amphibious lifestyle. However, suggestions that it may have been a truly water-dwelling dinosaur were met with considerable opposition by some researchers. Between 2015 and 2019, the team recovered many more fossils of the skeleton, including a remarkably complete, fin-like tail that is capable of extensive lateral movement and characterised by extremely long spines. Read more about it on the National Geographic. Researchers have recorded the highest ever level of microplastics on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in a thin layer covering just 1 square metre. Over 10 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. However, less than one per cent of this consists of plastic drinking straws and carrier bags. About 99 per cent ends up as tiny fragments and fibres deposited on the seafloor. Deep-sea ocean currents act as conveyor belts, concentrating microplastics within huge sediment accumulations, called ‘microplastic hotspots’. These hotspots appear to be the deep-sea equivalents of ‘garbage patches’ formed by currents on the ocean surface. Microplastics on the seafloor mainly comprises of textile fibres. These are not effectively filtered out in domestic waste water treatment plants, and easily enter rivers and oceans. More about it on CNN. A 4-8 metre sized asteroid, named 2020 HS7, recently flew past earth, passing close to satellites orbiting in the geostationary ring. The asteroid flew at a distance of about 42,735 km from the earth’s centre and only about 1,200 km from the nearest satellite. After the initial discovery, observers around the world rapidly set their eyes on the ‘new’ space rock, determining it would safely pass our planet in one of the closest flybys ever recorded. While the asteroid came close to the geostationary ring, it passed ‘under’ the nearest satellite and posed no major risk as their orbits did not intersect. Read more about it here. Permian Basin, the largest oil-producing area in the US, is spewing more than twice the amount of methane emissions into the atmosphere than previously assumed. A study by researchers at the Harvard University has revealed that the area wastes enough energy to power seven million households in Texas for a year. The Permian Basin accounts for over a third of the crude oil and 10 per cent of the natural gas in America. The study also found that the rate of methane gas leakage makes up 3.7 per cent of all the gas extracted in the basin, which is about 60 per cent higher than the national average leakage rate. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and since the Permian Basin is huge, this excess waste is a significant contribution to the already warming climate in earth. Read more about it here. ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
3 May 04:34 • ThePrint • https://theprint.in/scientifix/alabama-school-student-names-nasas-first-mars-helicopter-a-2-kg-solar-powered-craft/413337/Rating: 1.95
Madonna tests positive for coronavirus antibodies. Says, will breathe Covid-19 air
3 May 06:28
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.05
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.35
Best date: 3 May 06:28
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Madonna tests positive for coronavirus antibodies. Says, will breathe Covid-19 air
American singer and songwriter Madonna has revealed that she has tested positive for the Covid-19 antibodies. The singer shared the news in the 14th edition of her Quarantine Diary on Instagram. "Took a test the other day and I found out that I have the antibodies. So tomorrow, I am just going to go for a long drive in the car, and I'm gonna roll down the window and I'm gonna breathe in the Covid-19 air. Yup. I hope the sun is shining," Madonna said in the video. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US, antibody tests are used to determine whether or not a person has been exposed to Covid-19 by finding proteins the body produces to fight the virus However, the CDC is yet to confirm if the possession of antibodies is equal to immunity.
3 May 06:28 • India Today • https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/celebrity/story/madonna-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-antibodies-says-will-breathe-covid-19-air-1673864-2020-05-03Rating: 0.30
Trevor Hancock: Social tipping points, virtuous cascades
3 May 06:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.04
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.25
Best date: 3 May 06:00
Average US: 12.8
Weighted average US: 12.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Trevor Hancock: Social tipping points, virtuous cascades
In a December 2019 interview, Will Steffen, a leading Earth systems scientist and member of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, said: “We need to reach a social tipping point, before we reach a planetary one.” By “a planetary tipping point,” he was referring in particular to climate change, but more generally to the wide variety of massive and rapid global ecological changes we have created, conveniently referred to as the Anthtropocene. So what are tipping points and why do they matter? Tipping points are characteristic of complex dynamic systems such as our own bodies, financial markets, societal or climate systems. To paraphrase Timothy Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, you can hit a tipping point if you get a positive feedback loop going (e.g., if global heating melts Arctic permafrost which releases methane which further accelerates global heating and away it goes). Through this amplified feedback, small changes can trigger a big change, sending the system “into a qualitatively different future state,” Lenton writes. This shift from one stable state to another can occur quite suddenly and is known as non-linear change, or a discontinuity. Climate systems, like other Earth systems we depend upon for our lives and our health, can tip into a different state. And like the peak of a pandemic, you don’t know you are at a tipping point until you are past it. But it’s not just a single tipping point we need to be concerned about. In a 2018 article, Steffen and his colleagues identified 15 different “climate tipping elements” — the Arctic methane example above is one of them — which might then trigger another element to tip. This could result in “a domino-like cascade that could take the Earth System to even higher temperatures,” pushing it “irreversibly onto a Hothouse Earth pathway,” an alternative stable climate system that would be very dangerous for us. So much for the negative planetary tipping points and cascades in the Earth’s natural systems that are the focus of Steffen’s concern. But he is also pointing to the need to reach social tipping points — changes in our social and economic systems that can prevent us continuing on our present dangerous path. This will require “activating contagious and fast-spreading processes of social and technological change within the next few years,” noted a recent paper on stabilizing Earth’s climate in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. The idea of social tipping points has been around since the 1960s, but was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 book The Tipping Point. We can see recent examples of social tipping points in the fairly rapid shift in the 1980s from a smoking to a non-smoking culture, and in this century the quite rapid and widespread acceptance of gay rights and gay marriage after decades, indeed centuries, of resistance. While social tipping points have become a hot topic because of the link to climate change, we face multiple “severe global stresses-environmental, demographic, economic, political, and technological” in the decades to come, according to the newly launched Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University. (In the interests of transparency, I am a member of the Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board.) There is a danger that “these stresses will disrupt vital natural systems, cripple economies, deepen social divisions, and ultimately generate widespread violence and societal breakdown.” So the Institute will study these complex social, economic and ecological systems, looking to identify “a series of precisely targeted and timed interventions [that] could plausibly produce a virtuous cascade of change.” The Institute’s ambitious goal is “to trigger a fundamental, positive, and rapid change in humanity’s trajectory.” Headed up by Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon, as Jack Knox reported in his column on Tuesday, the new Cascade Institute puts Canada at the forefront of a fast-breaking global research program that includes major research centres in Potsdam, Germany and Oxford University, as well as Stockholm. It is my hope that we will be able to apply the learnings from the Institute right here, looking for ways to trigger such positive changes locally as we pursue the urgent work of becoming a One Planet Region, putting not only Royal Roads but the Capital Region on the map.
3 May 06:00 • Times Colonist • https://www.timescolonist.com/islander/trevor-hancock-social-tipping-points-virtuous-cascades-1.24128573Rating: 0.30
Aphantasia clears the way for a scientific career path
3 May 04:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.02
Importance: 0.51
Age penalty: 0.04
Best date: 3 May 04:00
Average US: 21.3
Weighted average US: 21.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 24.9
Weighted average IN: 24.9
Aphantasia clears the way for a scientific career path
People with low or no visual imagery are more likely to work in scientific and mathematical industries than creative sectors, according to new research. Aphantasia, the term describing a person's inability to visualise in the mind, has been shown to be more common in scientific and technical industries. The opposite phenomenon of particularly vivid mental imagery, known as hyperphantasia, has also been shown to be more common in creative professions. The research, led by the University of Exeter, asked 2,000 people with aphantasia and 200 with hyperphantasia about their career choices, amongst other topics. They also asked 200 control participants with mid-range imagery vividness who were recruited from the Exeter biobank 'EXTEND' study. They found that more than 20 percent of people who had no or little visual imagery worked in science, computing or mathematics; whilst more than 25 percent of people with extremely strong visual imagery worked in arts, design, entertainment and other creative industry. Professor of Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology, Adam Zeman, initially coined the phrase 'aphantasia' in 2015 and led this project through a grant to the 'Eye's Mind' team funded by the United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council. He said: "This discovery adds importantly to our understanding of aphantasia. Our research shows that aphantasia has certain benefits to people working in technical sectors while hyperphantasia predisposes people to work in the arts. While this is the overall trend, we know there are many exceptions - for example, we recently organised an exhibition of art created by aphantasic artists which went on show in Exeter and Glasgow in 2019. "At Exeter, we're right at the forefront of aphantasia research and it's exciting to work in such a developing area, continuing to discover more about something which was relatively unknown and unheard of until a few years ago." Professor Craig Venter is a world famous geneticist who led the team reporting the first draft sequence of the human genome. He had long realised he had aphantasia, but was gratified to find a term that mirrored his experience. Whilst some would see this as a disadvantage, he has drawn on the positives when it comes to his work. Craig said: "I have found as a scientific leader that aphantasia helps greatly to assimilate complex information into new ideas and approaches. By understanding concepts vs fact memorization I could lead complex, multidisciplinary teams without needing to know their level of detail." Recounting his discovery that he couldn't visualise, he said: "I discovered that I had it when I returned to college after getting out of Vietnam. My realization came from competing in classes with then my wife who had a perfect photographic memory. By comparison I discovered I had none." The project is led by the University of Exeter with collaborators from University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University. The full title of the paper, published in Cortex, is 'Phantasia - The psychological significance of lifelong visual imagery vividness extremes'.
3 May 04:00 • EurekAlert! • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/uoe-act043020.phpRating: 1.03
Scientists invented an aging vaccine
3 May 04:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.02
Importance: 0.51
Age penalty: 0.04
Best date: 3 May 04:00
Average US: 21.3
Weighted average US: 21.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 24.9
Weighted average IN: 24.9
Scientists invented an aging vaccine
Prof. Viktor Seledtsov, a senior researcher at the IKBFU Center of Medical Biotechnologies and Alexei von Delwig, a researcher at Innovita Res (Vilnius, Lithuania) have published an article in Expert Review of Vaccines scientific journal. A new way to prevent autoimmune diseases associated with aging like atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease was described in the article. Prof. Viktor Seledtsov said: "There are several biological mechanisms that limit a human being's life span. And the most important of them all is the immunological one. After time immune cells known as T-lymphocytes become more and more autoreactive. To put it simply, they become less aggressive towards foreign pathogens attacking instead of the body's own tissues. And those attacks are the main cause for autoimmune diseases, usually associated with aging". According to prof. Seledtsov, a person's immune system becomes hostile to the one it ought to protect, because of the logic shift, as it is now not aimed at keeping the "owner" alive but becomes aimed at the species survival, which means constant renewing, with the young replacing the old. Because renewing means adapting to changeable conditions. Thus these aging mechanisms keeps the human population safe by constantly stimulating adaptation. Can we lower the pathologic autoreactivity of the immune cells? Viktor Seledtsov and Alexei von Delwig have offered a method of lymphocytic vaccination to counter autoimmune diseases. This technology is aimed at the natural autoimmune mechanism's stimulation. The method proved to be clinically effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Prof. Seledtsov continued: "There is also an approach to counter the immunology aging, which is to create an immunology cell bank to keep immunocompetent cells extracted during a person's youth. When injected into an aging body, these cells are able to enhance immunological protection against infection, take control of "old" autoimmune cells and thus prolong a person's life. And a person's own cells are the best material for the injection. And to make this procedure possible, we need the immunology bank". Seledtsov believes that a young person may give his immune cells to the bank and later inject those cells back to him upon reaching the age of 65, for example. The technologies like this will not solve all human beings' health issues and will not grant immortality, but they may prolong life and improve living standards.
3 May 04:00 • EurekAlert! • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/ikbf-sia050320.phpRating: 1.03
Invasive Asian giant hornets found in U.S. for the first time
3 May 02:36
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.39
Age penalty: 0.01
Best date: 3 May 02:36
Average US: 31.3
Weighted average US: 31.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 27.3
Weighted average IN: 27.300000000000004
Invasive Asian giant hornets found in U.S. for the first time
The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), is also known as the "yak-killer hornet," or the "murder hornet," And it comes by these colloquial names honestly. It is the world's largest hornet, native to temperate and tropical Eastern Asia. The hornet is about the size of an adult's thumb, with a body length of 45 millimeters (1.8 inches), a wingspan around 75 millimeters (3.0 inches), and a stinger 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) long, which injects a large amount of potent venom. In Japan, these hornets kill about 50 people every year, according to The Guardian. And while they can kill people - and yaks, as an invasive species, they are a real threat to the European honeybee, which is defenseless in the face of the hornet’s spiky mandibles, long stinger, and potent venom. When they attack honeybee hives, the hornets literally decapitate the bees and take the hive as their own, using the thoraxes from the dead bees to feed their young. Four sightings in north-western Washington state The Washington State Department of Agricultural verified four reports of Asian giant hornets in two north-western cities in December. In a statement on April 6, the WSDA described the hornet in detail, asking the public's help in hunting down the bee-killers. “It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, WSU Extension entomologist, and invasive species specialist, in the statement. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.” “We need to teach people how to recognize and identify this hornet while populations are small,” he said, “so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance.” Rian Wojahn, the eradication coordinator for the WSDA, told TIME in an email. “Local beekeepers and other agencies are also helping get information out and using our trapping protocols to deploy traps.” In mid-September, 2017, a wheelchair-bound 87-year-old Japanese pensioner was attacked by giant hornets in and stung 150 times. Her helper called firefighters but they could not reach the woman immediately as the swarm around her was too thick and they had no protective equipment. After the ordeal, which lasted around 50 minutes, the woman was rushed to hospital but died the following day Hornets, famine, pestilence, and war The New York Times also published this story on Saturday, but it may have been a bit too, too much for many people, prompting a slew of comments on social media.
3 May 02:36 • Digital Journal • http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/invasive-asian-giant-hornets-found-in-usa-for-the-first-time/article/571113Rating: 0.78
Could Open-Source Medicine Prepare Us For The Next Pandemic?
3 May 01:34
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.89
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 01:34
Average US: 11.6
Weighted average US: 11.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 70.7
Weighted average IN: 70.7
Could Open-Source Medicine Prepare Us For The Next Pandemic?
"A new, Linux-like platform could transform the way medicine is developed — and energize the race against COVID-19," reports Fast Company, while arguing that the old drug discovery system "was built to benefit shareholders, not patients."Fast Company's technology editor harrymcc writes: Drug development in the U.S. has traditionally been cloistered and profit-motivated, which means that it has sometimes failed to tackle pressing needs. But an initiative called the Open Source Pharma Foundation hopes to apply some of the lessons of open-source software to the creation of new drugs — including ones that could help fight COVID-19. From the article: The response to COVID-19 has been more open-source than any drug effort in modern memory. On January 11, less than two weeks after the virus was reported to the World Health Organization, Chinese researchers published a draft of the virus's genetic sequence. The information enabled scientists across the globe to begin developing tests, treatments, and vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies searched their archives for drugs that might be repurposed as treatments for COVID-19 and formed consortiums to combine resources and expedite the process. These efforts have yielded some 90 vaccine candidates, seven of which are in Phase I trials and three of which are advancing to Phase II. There are nearly 1,000 clinical trials listed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to COVID-19.The gathering of resources and grassroots sharing of information aimed at combating the coronavirus has put open-source methods of drug development front and center. "It's our moment," said Bernard Munos, a former corporate strategist at pharma company Eli Lilly... Munos has been arguing for an open-source approach to developing drugs since 2006. "A lot is at stake because if it's successful, the open-source model can be replicated to address other challenges in biomedical research."So now the Open Source Pharma Foundation hopes to offer "a platform where scientists and researchers can freely access technological tools for researching disease, share their discoveries, launch investigations into molecules or potential drugs, and find entities to turn that research into medicine..." according to the article."If the platform succeeds, it would allow drugs to succeed on their merit and need, rather than their ability to be profitable."
3 May 01:34 • science.slashdot.org • https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/02/1840254/could-open-source-medicine-prepare-us-for-the-next-pandemic?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feedRating: 1.79
Creepy Monkey Spy Camera Befriends Curious Baby Macaque
3 May 01:28
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.60
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 01:28
Average US: 30.0
Weighted average US: 30.000000000000004
Average GB: 1.7
Weighted average GB: 1.7000000000000002
Average IN: 7.7
Weighted average IN: 7.7
Creepy Monkey Spy Camera Befriends Curious Baby Macaque
For the new PBS series Spy in The Wild 2 – The North, a wildlife documentary crew used a creepy-looking monkey spy camera to capture footage of Japanese macaques bathing in mountain hot springs. While on its mission, the robot monkey befriends a curious baby macaque for a brief time before its mother pulls it away from the stranger.The Spy in the Wild series has previously deployed a wide range of animal-lookalike cameras, including a hyena, gopher, and crocodile. (via Nature on PBS via Laughing Squid)
3 May 01:28 • Petapixel • https://petapixel.com/2020/05/02/creepy-monkey-spy-camera-befriends-curious-baby-macaque/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PetaPixel+%28PetaPixel%29&hl=enRating: 1.19
Can COVID-19 Coronavirus Live In Water? What About Drinking Water And Swimming
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.20
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 44.9
Weighted average US: 44.9
Average GB: 0.9
Weighted average GB: 0.9
Average IN: 14.7
Weighted average IN: 14.700000000000001
Can COVID-19 Coronavirus Live In Water? What About Drinking Water And Swimming
It looks like the COVID-19 coronavirus may be able to live in water for a few days, potentially even a few weeks. There is a big but, though. And you’ll like this big but. Just because a virus can survive in water doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s present in large enough concentrations to infect you. Is this situation a bit like a teenager pointing out a few hairs on his face and then claiming that it’s a beard? There actually has to be enough hairs to make it a beard. When you can still count the number of hairs, it’s not a beard, unless, of course, the hairs are really, really long and very, very curly. Similarly, consider what is known about the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in water. Indeed studies have suggested that the SARS-CoV2 could actually hang out in the wet stuff for a little while. For example, a study published in the journal Water Research in 2009 found that two viruses that have similarities to the original SARS virus, the transmissible gastroenteritis (TGEV) and mouse hepatitis (MHV) viruses, could survive up to days and even weeks in water. The University of North Carolina team (LisaCasanova, William A.Rutal, David J.Weber, and Mark D.Sobsey) that conducted the study concluded that “coronaviruses can remain infectious for long periods in water and pasteurized settled sewage, suggesting contaminated water is a potential vehicle for human exposure if aerosols are generated.” Then there was the poopy study described by a paper posted April 17 on medRxiv. For this study, the team sampled sewage (you know, the watery stuff in sewers) in the greater Paris, France, area for over a month. They found that concentrations of the SARS-CoV2 correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the region over time. In other words, when COVID-19 cases were rising, so did the concentrations of the SARS-CoV2 in the sewage. This seems like one more reason why splashing sewage or taking a deep breath near sewage is probably not a great idea. Take this second study with a grain of sewage though. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. That means real scientific experts haven’t had a chance to review the study for quality or accuracy. Telling people that you’ve posted something on medRxiv can be a bit like telling people that you’ve auditioned for America’s Got Talent. There’s no guarantee that this study will ever make it close to the final stage of getting published in a reputable peer-reviewed scientific journal. Regardless, the results from both studies do suggest that the virus can survive for a little while in water, which initially may cause you to wet yourself. Before you do, here’s the big but again. Neither study showed that you can actually get infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus from water under the conditions that you’d normally be exposed to water. That means via drinking (assuming that you aren’t drinking sewage or some other type of dirty water), showering, or swimming (assuming that you don’t swim in sewage.) In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID-19 coronavirus hasn’t even been found in drinking water. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that “the risk to water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.” Such a virus would have to get through all of the filtration and water treatments that drinking water typically goes through, and that can be harder than getting on to the red carpet at the Oscars. Moreover, the great thing about water is that it’s water. It tends to dilute things. Even if the COVID-19 coronavirus were to somehow make the epic journey of getting into your drinking water, it may not be at high enough concentrations to be of risk to you. This goes back to the whole beard thing. Every virus has a minimum infectious dose, the amount of virus that needs to be present to cause illness. Although it’s not completely clear yet what the minimum infectious dose for SARS-CoV-2 may be, dilution makes it less likely that what reaches you can surpass this threshold. The same probably goes for water in pools and hot tubs. The CDC indicates that “there is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas.” For these things, not only would the water dilute the virus, but also disinfection with chlorine and bromine would likely inactivate the virus. If you are actually thinking of swimming or soaking in a pool or tub that is not properly chlorinated or bromated, don’t. Just don’t. There’s a whole lot of other nasty, disease-causing microbes that could then be swimming or soaking along with you. The poop about many swimming pools and hot tubs is that’s what people may do in them. As I have described previously for Forbes, 24% of respondents to the 2019 Healthy Pools survey indicated that they would enter a swimming pool "within one hour of having diarrhea." Yes, diarrhea. Yes, within one hour of having it. And those are just the people who admitted to doing this. Still don’t want to social distance from others? As for the ocean, it is pretty big. Then there’s the motion of the ocean, so to speak. Both of these aspects can dilute and separate viruses fairly quickly. The salt in the water may decrease the survival of the virus as well. This doesn’t mean that you should rush to the beach to do what’s seen in this Reuters video: Sun of a beach. Does this look like social distancing to you? Is everyone in the video staying six feet away from each other? Six feet apart means roughly one Denzel Washington apart, since Washington is about six feet tall. See any people less than one Denzel apart? When it comes to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the riskiest thing at swimming pools, hot tubs, and oceans is not the water itself. No, it’s the coughing, sneezing, panting, face-rubbing, and diarrhea-ing things that are in or next to the water: people. It’s also the things that people touch frequently such as guard rails, chairs, towels, and thongs. So, the key once again will be doing what you should be doing on land: practicing good social distancing, good hand hygiene, good disinfecting (of objects), and good avoid-touching-your-enormous face. And if you see any random objects such as a sign post, a statue, or a thong, don’t touch it if you don’t have to do so. You don’t know where it has been. Actually, in the case of a thong, you know exactly where it’s been. That’s the problem. Also, wait until beaches, swimming pools, and other water areas are officially open before going to them. Yes, staying inside is not easy. Yes, there are only so many episodes of Breaking Bad that you can watch or mind games that you can play with your cat. But patience now will pay off later. Once such places are officially open, it won’t be the time to release the kraken, so to speak. Sure you may have stored up all this energy, all those ingenious pick-up lines that probably won’t work anyway, and all the urges to do what you have done before while cooped up inside. But (there’s that word again), try to remember that the virus is still circulating. It will be some time before it is water under the bridge.
3 May 00:00 • Forbes • https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/05/03/can-covid-19-coronavirus-live-in-water-what-about-drinking-water-and-swimming/Rating: 4.41
Lamprey Vs. Shark Seen Off Rhode Island In Rare Observation
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.20
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 44.9
Weighted average US: 44.9
Average GB: 0.9
Weighted average GB: 0.9
Average IN: 14.7
Weighted average IN: 14.700000000000001
Lamprey Vs. Shark Seen Off Rhode Island In Rare Observation
When one sees a shark, they usually do not see a lamprey attached to said shark. But that’s exactly what scientist Joshua Moyer, PhD Candidate at the University of Massachusetts, and others saw. “Once I recognized that it was a lamprey on the shark, my next thoughts were a series of questions: 'How often do those species interact,' 'How far can a Blue Shark carry a lamprey,' and 'Don't lampreys have a tough time hanging on to a shark covered in placoid scales?' When I turned to the literature, there were no concrete answers to any of those questions,” said Moyer. “The goal of the note we wrote is to use our observation to raise awareness of these questions in the hopes that future research may provide some answers.” Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are Agnathans, or fish who lack a jaw. Although they are classified in the subphylum Vertebrata, they actually lack a vertebrae and their entire skeleton is made out of cartilage- similar to the shark this lamprey was attached to! Native to the Atlantic Ocean, these animals prefer shallow coastal areas, but can be found at depths between 3 – 15 feet (1- 4.5 meters). Commonly known for their smooth, cylindrical bodies, they are often confused for eels. But just because this animal lacks a jaw doesn’t mean it’s a meek little thing. Sea lampreys are the largest and most aggressive species of lamprey and can get up to 3 ft (1 m) in length as adults, weighing up to 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg). This particular sea lamprey measured less than a foot long (0.24 m) and was attached to a blue shark (Prionace glauca) in pelagic waters off Rhode Island. Blue sharks are one of the most wide-ranging shark species, found from the tropics to cold temperate waters all around the world. They mainly dine on fish and cephalopods, reaching depths of 1,148 ft (350 m) to hunt for these delicacies. Blue sharks aren’t exactly small, growing to around 12.5 ft (3.8 m) in length, but the lamprey didn’t seem to take that into account as it latched on to this blue shark’s right clasper. “Our observation was occasioned by happenstance. We were in the right place at the right time,” explained Moyer. “We had gone out that day to study the feeding performances of Blue Sharks with the Atlantic Shark Institute. Although sharks with lampreys on them are not unheard of, when a Blue Shark showed up carrying a lamprey it took us a moment to recognize what we saw. You expect to see copepods and other small ectoparasites but typically don't associate lampreys with large pelagic sharks.” Sea lampreys live their adult life as parasitic organisms, and the specific behavioral patterns of this species is not well studied. Lamprey parasitism on sharks isn’t exactly new, as there have been previously published accounts, but they are quite rare. This observation, coupled with those that date back to 1993, suggests that when a sea lamprey does adhere to a shark, the cloaca and that surrounding region is a common point of attachment. Why? “This may be because the placoid scales of that region do not exhibit the same roughness as elsewhere on the body, as has been demonstrated in several shark species,” explains the article. Like sharks, they have an uphill climb when it comes to earning our affection. Lampreys are often the stuff of nightmares for some people, with movies of these blood suckers with “razor sharp teeth” being made into horror movies (i.e. look up ‘Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys’). Despite their unsavory looks, they are quite important in the ecosystems they inhabit. For example, their nests help create cleared habitat ideal for spawning fish like salmon and trout. Not to mention that larval lampreys, called ammocoetes, filter feed and improve their surrounding water quality similarly to mussels. Some lamprey species even have cultural value! Still not a fan? Well, don’t forget- we are all descended from fish similar to lampreys.
3 May 00:00 • Forbes • https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2020/05/03/lamprey-vs-shark-seen-off-rhode-island-in-rare-observation/Rating: 4.41
Does Stanford Owe Us an Apology for that COVID-19 Study?
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.23
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 45.5
Weighted average US: 45.5
Average GB: 1.0
Weighted average GB: 1.0
Average IN: 25.4
Weighted average IN: 25.4
Does Stanford Owe Us an Apology for that COVID-19 Study?
A team of researchers from Stanford recently posted a preprint of a manuscript on COVID-19 cases that was wrong. Based on their results, they suggested that many more people had already had the virus than we realized. The upshot was supposed to be that maybe it didn’t cause symptoms as often as we thought, or that maybe we’d get to “herd immunity” more quickly and less painfully than we thought. In a recent blog post, Columbia University statistician Andrew Gelman walks through problems with the analyses, and why they render the paper’s conclusions invalid. (Subsequent reporting brought to light other problems, such as the way participants were recruited and false promises made in recruitment.) Beyond just saying that the paper is flawed, though, Gelman writes that the authors of the paper “owe us all an apology. We wasted time and effort discussing this paper whose main selling point was some numbers that were essentially the product of a statistical error.” Gelman is a critic of poor statistics generally, and he has pointed out fundamental flaws with several prominent psychology studies, too. As someone interested in science reform, I think it’s worth asking: Do these researchers *really* owe us an apology? First, the criticisms. They’re technical statistical points, but I’ll outline three key ones so you can get the gist. All tests for diseases are less than 100% accurate, and so you need to account for these in your statistics. For example, sometimes you get a “false positive” where the test says “you have this disease” but in reality you don’t. Based on the false positive rates identified in earlier research, you would expect up to 10% of the people in the study to test positive for COVID-19, even though they didn’t have it. In the Stanford study, this would mean you’d expect up to 333 diagnoses, even if no one had it. They only saw 50 diagnoses in their study. So basically all of the cases they saw could just be false positives, and you could have just as easily written up the study saying “there are potentially zero true COVID-19 cases in our whole study”—which is the opposite of their conclusion. When you collect a sample, you don’t usually get the right proportions of people from each category. For example, only 5% of their sample was people over age 65, but in Santa Clara county, where they did the study, 13% of the people are over age 65. As Gelman writes, this is a “standard problem” and there are statistical adjustments that need to be made to account for them. The Stanford team didn’t adjust for age and they didn’t share the details of the adjustments they did make in a clear way. To make claims about how many people have it in the wider world, we need to take into account age. This is especially important with COVID-19, which might infect older people more. Also related to who ended up being in the study: the study was advertised as a way to get free tests (and, relatedly, one ad falsely claimed that taking it could tell you whether you were safe to go back to work). That would bias who participates. My intuition is that it would pull for people who had symptoms or exposure, but the Stanford folks point out that it could just as likely have pulled for people who were healthy enough to travel to a testing site. Gelman’s point is that they say they also collected info on other diseases and symptoms people were experiencing, and they could have done some statistical adjustments using that info—or even just described better the type of person who was seeking out the test. So it’s possible they were testing from people who were more likely to have COVID-19 than the general population, and this might have thrown their conclusions off. It’s worth going through these issues, because they highlight just how much underlying technical knowledge of statistics is needed to do a study like this correctly. Doing science well and rigorously requires a lot of coordinated parts. The Stanford team reacted very quickly to the crisis, collecting a lot of data on this new virus and writing up the results in a relatively short time window. This is good—we want scientists rushing out to collect data on new problems society is facing. The coordination needed to complete the study was impressive, even if they didn’t have the statistical chops to come to the right ultimate conclusion. But the Stanford team was also sloppy. They rushed to get their results out, but they released them into the world before they had been thoroughly vetted. The problem is related to the incentives in academic research. Getting a publication with flashy results out builds up the reputation of researchers and their institutions. The only way that a researcher can get and keep a job at Stanford is by repeatedly making bold, headline-grabbing findings. In informal discussion, a Stanford dean was reported to have said that “Stanford doesn’t give tenure for incremental research”—which means that you can’t have job security at Stanford if you’re doing careful, slow science that builds on what comes before. As psychologist Simine Vazire put it: “If you tell faculty they must focus on groundbreaking research, they might break a lot of other things besides new ground.” One positive in this story is that the authors released their study as a preprint. Preprints are not peer reviewed journal articles, they’re drafts of papers that other scientists can read and comment on before they submit or publish the final, “official” version in a journal. That means that the public commentary on the manuscript will likely prevent its conclusions from being treated as True and being used to create policy. But if this was released as just a draft, shouldn’t Gelman be a bit easier on these folks, as they never claimed this was the last word? Isn’t it ok to get things wrong in a draft? Ordinarily, I’d say that you should give people a pass on getting things wrong in their early drafts. But given that this research is being read by hundreds (maybe thousands) of people immediately to try to better understand what to do about COVID-19, it does seem troubling. For sensitive topics, I’d want researchers to be more careful. As Gelman notes, there are very good statisticians working at Stanford who they could have asked to read a draft. As Gelman also notes, this is one of a series of poorly done studies or misleading statements made by Stanford researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and each of these causes minor erosion to the institution’s reputation. So should the researchers apologize? Maybe. But the larger lesson for members of the public who read scientific research should be to take into account the incentives at Very Prestigious Universities. Research coming out of Stanford and published at top scientific journals is more likely to be speculative and razzle-dazzle than research at middle tier institutions and in middle tier journals, just because Stanford is only likely to hire and promote people who prioritize that type of work. Maybe next time, we should look towards the less surprising, world-changing claims, and trust more modest claims made with humility.
3 May 00:00 • Psychology Today • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202005/does-stanford-owe-us-apology-covid-19-studyRating: 2.47
Neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress found
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.94
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 42.6
Weighted average US: 42.6
Average GB: 4.0
Weighted average GB: 4.0
Average IN: 12.0
Weighted average IN: 12.0
Neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress found
Researchers at Nagoya University have discovered a neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress. The circuit begins in deep brain areas, called the dorsal peduncular cortex and the dorsal tenia tecta (DP/DTT), that send stress signals to the hypothalamus, a small region in the brain that controls the body's vital functions. The findings were recently published in the journal Science. Emotional stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which leads to physical responses, such as a rise in blood pressure and body temperature, and a faster heart rate. Such responses are thought to be coping mechanisms in humans and many other mammals to boost physical performance in fight-or-flight situations. But nowadays, when most people rarely encounter such situations, these responses could perhaps have an adverse effect on their health. Excessive stress may cause symptoms such as psychogenic fever, a condition of abnormally high body temperature. To develop strategies for treating stress-induced symptoms, the neural mechanism underlying physical responses to stress had first to be understood. To this end, a research team led by Professor Kazuhiro Nakamura and Designated Assistant Professor Naoya Kataoka, of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, conducted a study in which tracers were injected into the brains of a group of rats and the rats were subjected to a stressful event (rat bullying by a dominant rat). The tracers showed that specifically the DP/DTT brain areas were highly active when exposed to stress. To further examine the role these brain areas have in stress response, the researchers impaired the areas' connections to the hypothalamus and again exposed the rats to the same stress. Now the rats did not exhibit any stress-induced physical response, neither a rise in blood pressure nor body temperature, nor a faster heart rate. This study demonstrates that the DP/DTT areas together are responsible for sending stress signals to the hypothalamus, and thus that blocking the DP/DTT-to-hypothalamus circuit can result in a reduction of stress symptoms in rats. Professor Nakamura sums up the research result like this: "The DP/DTT are parts of the brain that are involved in processing emotion and stress. The DP/DTT-to-hypothalamus pathway we discovered, therefore, represents a brain mechanism for a 'mind-body connection,' which can be a potential target for treating stress-related disorders such as panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychogenic fever." make a difference: sponsored opportunity
3 May 00:00 • ScienceDaily • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200503092741.htmRating: 1.87
African Union urged to support Madagascar on its new found cure for Coronavirus
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.90
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 20.18
Weighted average US: 20.180000000000003
Average GB: 14.51
Weighted average GB: 14.51
Average IN: 0.13
Weighted average IN: 0.13
African Union urged to support Madagascar on its new found cure for Coronavirus
Click to read all about coronavirus → The Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute (KNII), has called on the African Union, to support Madagascar towards marketing its newly found cure for COVID-19. "We urge the African Union through its Commission on Continental Free Trade Area, to seize the golden opportunity and encourage all African countries to coordinate with the Madagascan government, to assess and order large quantities of the product, to treat the disease in their respective countries." A release issued by Dr. Benjamin Anyagre, Executive Director of the KNII and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said such a move was expected to increase Madagascan revenue from exports, improve the research capabilities of the drug company, and enhance the chances of Madagascar becoming a powerhouse of African traditional medicine with products that could rival similar ones elsewhere. "Most importantly, however, this initiative will set the ball rolling on Continental Free Trade, which could see other African products benefiting from it. This would improve the lives of Africans and make them understand and believe more deeply in the power of efforts made out of Unity," the release said. It also urged African governments, civil society, companies and capable individuals to join the crusade to make Madagascar the first beneficiary of a potential African economic renaissance. The release described the Madagascan innovation as a chance for Africans to show how much they believed in themselves. "Let us not miss it as a contribution to AGENDA 2063. A united Africa is our goal," the release said. A video conference meeting led by Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar, has been held among 10 African leaders to discuss the efficacy of the COVID Organics Medicine (CVO), which has been developed by Madagascar to treat COVID-19 patients. Send your news stories to and via WhatsApp on +233 55 2699 625.
3 May 00:00 • GhanaWeb • https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/African-Union-urged-to-support-Madagascar-on-its-new-found-cure-for-Coronavirus-941014Rating: 1.81
FDA cautions public over use of Naphthalene for COVlD-19 treatment
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.90
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 20.18
Weighted average US: 20.180000000000003
Average GB: 14.51
Weighted average GB: 14.51
Average IN: 0.13
Weighted average IN: 0.13
FDA cautions public over use of Naphthalene for COVlD-19 treatment
Click to read all about coronavirus → The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is raising an alert over the use of Naphthalene (commonly called Camphor of Mothbalts) for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. The Authority in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Delese A.A. Darko, said a viral audio on social media was suggesting the inhalation of vapour from Naphthalene for the prevention and treatment of Coronavirus. In the said audio, the speaker claimed he was speaking from Amponsah Herbal Centre in Holland and advises the listeners to inhale the vapour produced by camphor dissolved in hot water for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. “The FDA would like to inform Ghanaians that camphor is an insecticide and produces a toxic gas which repels and kills Insects.” The vapour produced by camphor in this way elicits a toxic gas which should not be inhaled under any circumstances, ” the statement said. Warning the public against its use, the FDA said when the vapour produced is inhaled, the body breaks it down into other chemicals that react with cells in the body and damage tissues. "This can cause skin and eye irritation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Other effects of inhalation of the vapour produced by camphor are confusion excitement, convulsions. severe anaemia and renal shutdown, “it warned. The FDA said there is no such proven treatment for Covid-19 and advised the public to stay calm and follow the measures announced by the Ministry of Health. The measures include frequent washing of hands with soap under running water, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, wearing of face or nose masks regularly and maintain social distancing while avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth. “Stay home and only go out if absolutely necessary,” the statement advised. Send your news stories to and via WhatsApp on +233 55 2699 625.
3 May 00:00 • GhanaWeb • https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/FDA-cautions-public-over-use-of-Naphthalene-for-COVlD-19-treatment-940525Rating: 1.81
Dr. Darria answers your COVID questions on CNN’s Newsroom with Ana Cabrera
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.85
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 28.8
Weighted average US: 28.8
Average GB: 1.1
Weighted average GB: 1.1
Average IN: 36.9
Weighted average IN: 36.9
Dr. Darria answers your COVID questions on CNN’s Newsroom with Ana Cabrera
May 2, 2020 – According to @who, there are 102 potential #COVID19 vaccines in the works worldwide. Will we have a vaccine soon?. Dr. William Schaffner, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and I weigh in on timelines and expectations on @cnn’s Newsroom with Ana Cabrera. Follow me on Instagram! www.instagram.com/drdarria#covidcure #coronaviruscure #covid19cure #coronavirus #covid19 #covid #americaworkstogether #quarentineandchill #wegotthis #yougotthis #doctor #medicine #flattenthecurve #drdarria #cnn — Published on May 3, 2020
3 May 00:00 • Thrive Global • https://thriveglobal.com/stories/dr-darria-answers-your-covid-questions-on-cnns-newsroom-with-ana-cabrera/Rating: 1.70
Scientists Find New Way to Inject Plants With Medicine, And It May Help Save Our Crops
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.75
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 37.4
Weighted average US: 37.4
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.4999999999999998
Average IN: 12.9
Weighted average IN: 12.9
Scientists Find New Way to Inject Plants With Medicine, And It May Help Save Our Crops
You may not think of plants as needing life-saving medicine, but that's sometimes the case when bugs and disease strike. Now, scientists have developed a super-accurate, highly delicate way of delivering drugs, and right where plants need them. At the moment, plants can be sprayed with pesticides, which doesn't really penetrate to the roots, or they can be treated with large needles that aren't particularly precise, and tend to cause damage to the plants. The new method makes use of microneedles or what the researchers are calling 'phytoinjectors', sitting on top of a silk-based biomaterial patch, which are able to hit a plant's circulatory system directly. Pesticides, in contrast, might travel between the root system and the leaves. As well as delivering medicine or nutrients to different parts of the plant, the new mechanism could also be used to take samples of a plant, which are then transferred to a lab for analysis, or even to edit DNA (something the team has successfully tried). "We wanted to solve the technical problem of how you can have a precise access to the plant vasculature," says mechanical engineer Yunteng Cao from MIT. "You can think about delivering micronutrients, or you can think about delivering genes, to change the gene expression of the plant or to basically engineer a plant." The motivation for the project came from the spread of the citrus greening disease across the US and other parts of the world, which threatens to flatten an industry worth $9 billion if a solution isn't found. Olives and bananas are other fruits under particular threat from disease across the world right now. Previous work looking at the use of microneedles to deliver human vaccines was used as a starting point, with silk kept as the basis of the material holding the microneedles. Silk is strong, doesn't cause a reaction in plants, and can be made degradable enough to get out of the way once the drugs have been delivered. However, a lot also had to change compared to microneedles used on humans: plants have far less water available than the human body does, so the design had to be adapted. The team of scientists was able to boost the silk's hydrophilicity (water-attracting capabilities), and come up with a new material more suited for plants. "We found that adaptations of a material designed for drug delivery in humans to plants was not straightforward, due to differences not only in tissue vasculature, but also in fluid composition," says biologist Eugene Lim. Tests of the material and its microneedled payload on tomato and tobacco plants showed that it could be successful as a drug delivery system. Fluorescent molecules were used to track the progress of the injection all the way from the roots to the leaves. The system should adapt to other plants fairly easily, the researchers say, though scaling it up is going to prove more challenging. The work should prove useful for future projects though, both in delivering life-saving drugs to save plants from disease, and in engineering them to avoid disease in the first place. "For the future, our research interests will go beyond antibiotic delivery to genetic engineering and point-of-care diagnostics based on metabolite sampling," says environmental engineer Benedetto Marelli. The research has been published in Advanced Science.
3 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-found-a-better-way-to-inject-plants-with-medicine-and-it-could-save-their-livesRating: 1.50
Eyes Clean Themselves in Much The Same Way Brains Do, Mouse Study Shows
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.75
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 37.4
Weighted average US: 37.4
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.4999999999999998
Average IN: 12.9
Weighted average IN: 12.9
Eyes Clean Themselves in Much The Same Way Brains Do, Mouse Study Shows
Scientists have discovered that eyes and brains in rodents seem to have uncannily similar drainage systems used for self cleaning, and there's reason to think this might apply to us, too. This sort of maintenance is necessary to wash away waste cells and fluids, and we know that brains make use of a tiny network of pipes known as the glymphatic system, similar to the lymphatic system that clears out rubbish from the rest of the body. New tests on mice and rats show that the structures at the back of their eyes - like the optic nerve and the retina - take a page or two from the glymphatic system playbook. In the absence of the standard lymphatic vessels, they funnel waste products through a network a lot like the one the brain uses. "Similar to the brain inside the cranial vault, the internal structures of the eye are contained within a confined space, necessitating tight control of fluid homeostasis," the researchers write in their paper. "Our analysis provides the evidence for the existence of a highly polarised ocular clearance system that might have implications for our understanding of eye health and disease." One of the key jobs of the brain's waste disposal system is to clear out the toxic amyloid beta proteins that have been associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. To see exactly how the eye disposes of similar waste, the researchers injected the eyes of lab mice with fluorescently labelled amyloid beta proteins. The subsequent tracing showed the shuttling of these proteins through specialised channels in the optic nerve, which is responsible for transmitting visual data back to the brain. A few hours after the injection, traces of the labelled proteins were found much further afield, carried from the eye into lymph nodes inside the animal's neck as part of the body's typical garbage disposal process. Again, this matches the way the brain links up with the rest of the body. While the brain's glymphatic system kicks in at night – which is why sleep is so important – the eye version of this cleaning system appears to be propelled into action when the iris moves in response to changing light. It's important to note that the new research is based on mice and rats rather than humans, but these animals do have similar ocular setups to us, albeit on a more simplified level. Furthermore, the discovery of the glymphatic system in the human brain was also inspired by experiments on rats - boosting the chances that yet again, this isn't just a rodent thing. As well as highlighting some interesting similarities between the way the eyes and the brain deal with waste, these findings could also help us understand more about eye diseases such as glaucoma. The researchers suggest that damage to the eye's waste clearance system could be one of the causes behind the disease, where excess fluid is allowed to build up. A closer look at this newly found network should be able to tell us for sure, and perhaps hint at more effective treatments too. "This represents only the starting point for further investigations on the impact of the ocular glymphatic system on the pathogenesis of several ocular diseases," physician Peter Wostyn from the Psychiatrisch Centrum Sint-Amandus in Belgium, who wasn't involved in the study, told Abby Olena at The Scientist. The research has been published in Science Translational Medicine.
3 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/eyes-have-a-special-self-cleaning-method-that-s-a-lot-like-the-one-that-brains-useRating: 1.50
NASA Has Translated a Hubble Photo Into Music, And It's Absolutely Chilling
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.75
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 37.4
Weighted average US: 37.4
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.4999999999999998
Average IN: 12.9
Weighted average IN: 12.9
NASA Has Translated a Hubble Photo Into Music, And It's Absolutely Chilling
The Universe is a wondrous place, full of vast numbers of planets to explore, unsolved mysteries, and even 'superbubbles' blown by black holes. But there's one thing that space really isn't: loud. Without Earth's air molecules to help you hear, out there in space you'd be listening to a whole lot of silence. Luckily, that didn't stop NASA from figuring out a way to produce sound in the soundlessness of space back in 2019 - by 'sonifying' the above image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Yep, move over music, podcasts, or audio-books - the new thing to listen to is Hubble images. The image NASA used for this project was taken by the Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide-Field Camera 3 back in August 2018. The guys working with Hubble call the image a 'galactic treasure chest' because of the number of galaxies splattered across it. "Each visible speck of a galaxy is home to countless stars," NASA explained about the image. "A few stars closer to home shine brightly in the foreground, while a massive galaxy cluster nestles at the very centre of the image; an immense collection of maybe thousands of galaxies, all held together by the relentless force of gravity." But as beautiful as this image already is, it just reached a new level, once transformed into a stunningly eerie musical composition. The team that created the sonified image explains that the different locations and elements of the image produce different sounds. Stars and compact galaxies are represented by short and clear sounds, while the spiralling galaxies emit more complex, longer notes. "Time flows left to right, and the frequency of sound changes from bottom to top, ranging from 30 to 1,000 hertz," NASA explained in comments accompanying the video. "Objects near the bottom of the image produce lower notes, while those near the top produce higher ones." And although it might sound a little eerie at first, the 'sounds' of this picture create a rather beautiful melody, especially near the middle, when the sound reaches a galaxy cluster called RXC J0142.9+4438. "The higher density of galaxies near the centre of the image," the team explained, "results in a swell of mid-range tones halfway through the video." So there you have it: an entirely new way to enjoy the Universe. A version of this article was first published in March 2019.
3 May 00:00 • ScienceAlert • https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-has-translated-a-hubble-photo-into-music-and-it-s-absolutely-chillingRating: 1.50
Meteor Showers peak early in the week
3 May 01:34
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 01:34
Average US: 79.6
Weighted average US: 79.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 4.8
Weighted average IN: 4.8
Meteor Showers peak early in the week
KNOXVILLE, Ten. (WVLT) -- This is the dawning of the Age of Aquari--- Okay, it's the wrong decade, but we're on the theme. The eta Aquariid meteor shower shines over the East Tennessee SE Kentucky skyline from May 5th-7th. At least that's when stargazing experts say the recurring meteor shower will be at its most intense. This star show is a little different. These space rock, ice, and dirt snapped off Halley's comets, scientists say, but that was hundreds of years ago. Here's what the American Meteor Society says: "May is the best spring month, in the northern hemisphere, to view meteor activity. The eta Aquariids are very active the first two weeks of the month then fade as the month progresses. These meteors are only visible in the few dark hours prior to dawn. The remainder of the night has low meteor rates." On a good night, you could see five shooting stars per hour. However, there are two obstacles in our region. First of all, the moon is getting brighter in the night sky. Full moon is right around the peak of the eta Aquariids. The second trouble spot: showers and cloudy skies may obscure some of the meteors. You have a better shot at seeing them late Monday night or Thursday early morning. The experts say " This area of the sky is located in northeastern Aquarius."
3 May 01:34 • WVLT • https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Meteor-Showers-peak-early-in-the-week-570147171.htmlRating: 0.30
Could Quantum Computing Help Reverse Climate Change?
3 May 01:29
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 01:29
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Could Quantum Computing Help Reverse Climate Change?
One of the possible solutions for the excess carbon in the atmosphere and to reach global climate goals is to suck it out. It sounds pretty easy, but, in fact, the technology to do so cheaply and easily isn’t quite here yet, according to Jeremy O’Brien Chief Executive Officer, PsiQuantum, a quantum computing startup. Currently, there is no way to simulate large complex molecules, like carbon dioxide. Current classical computers cannot simulate these types of molecules because the problem grows exponentially with the size or complexity of the simulated molecules, according to O’Brien, who wrote an article outlining the issue at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting held recently.“Crudely speaking, if simulating a molecule with 10 atoms takes a minute, a molecule with 11 takes two minutes, one with 12 atoms takes four minutes and so on,” he writes. “This exponential scaling quickly renders a traditional computer useless: simulating a molecule with just 70 atoms would take longer than the lifetime of the universe (13 billion years).”Quantum computers could come to our rescue, added O’Brien. As far back as 1981, Physicist Richard Feynman recognized that quantum computers could perform calculations that would be impossible for classical computers, particularly when it comes to simulating molecules. Microsoft and others have concrete recipes for performing these simulations.Although CO2 is captured naturally, by oceans and trees, CO2 production has exceeded these natural capture rates for many decades. A catalyst for scrubbing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere could be a powerful tool in tackling climate change. Creating those catalysts, though, requires a better understanding of materials science. Most known catalysts contain expensive precious metals or are difficult or expensive to produce and/or deploy.“While we can’t literally turn back time, [it] is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock,” according to Torben Daeneke at RMIT University. According to O’Brien, given the infinite number of chemical candidates that are available, experts are optimistic that there is a potential catalyst — or many potential catalysts — that will do the job cheaply and easily. Finding such a catalyst, however, is a daunting task without the ability to simulate the properties of candidate molecules. And that’s where quantum computing could help. Quantum Computers to the RescueA quantum computers’ ability to simulate molecular models makes it a natural tool for finding those catalysts. But, they’re not ready yet.“We can currently simulate small molecules on prototype quantum computers with up to a few dozen qubits (the quantum equivalent of classical computer bits),” he writes. “But scaling this to useful tasks, like discovering new CO2 catalysts, will require error correction and simulation to the order of 1 million qubits. It’s a challenge I have long believed will only be met on any human timescale — certainly by the 2030 target for the SDGs — if we use the existing manufacturing capability of the silicon chip industry.”O’Brien said that it’s not just chemicals in the atmosphere that quantum computers could help us unravel. We could use this power to simulate existing important molecules that we find and use in nature –- including within our own body -– and thereby understand their behavior. There is also an infinite number of new molecules that could be designed for new applications, O’Brien adds.“We might even find a cheap catalyst that enables efficient carbon dioxide recycling and produces useful by-products like hydrogen (a fuel) or carbon monoxide (a common source material in the chemical industry),” O’Brien writes. In fact, quantum simulation could be hugely valuable is in meeting many of the council’s SDGs — Sustainable Development Goals — not only in health, energy, industry, innovation and infrastructure but also in climate action, according to O’Brien. Examples include room-temperature superconductors (that could reduce the 10% of energy production lost in transmission), more efficient processes to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers that feed the world’s population and new, far more efficient batteries. One very powerful application of molecular simulation is in the design of new catalysts that speed up chemical reactions. It is estimated that 90% of all commercially produced chemical products involve catalysts, in living systems, they’re called enzymes. Next StepsAt a recent meeting of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils a team of experts from across industry, academia and beyond met to discuss how quantum computing can help address global challenges, as highlighted by the SDGs, and climate in particular. O’Brien said the meeting offered him hope and intriguing possibilities.“As co-chair of the Global Future Council on Quantum Computing, I was excited that we were unanimous in agreeing that the world should devote more resources, including in education, to developing the powerful quantum computing capability that could help tackle climate change, meet the SDGs more widely and much more,” he writes. “We enthusiastically called for more international cooperation to develop this important technology on the 2030 timescale to have an impact on delivering the SDGs, in particular climate. So the real question for me is: can we do it in time? Will we make sufficiently powerful quantum computers on that timeframe? I believe so. There are, of course, many other things we can and should do to tackle climate change, but developing large-scale, error-corrected quantum computers is a hedge we cannot afford to go without.”
3 May 01:29 • Habr • https://habr.com/en/post/500166/?utm_source=habrahabr&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=500166Rating: 0.30
Egypt announces new discoveries, studies at the Mummification Workshop Complex at Saqqara
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.34
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 13.62
Weighted average US: 13.62
Average GB: 6.11
Weighted average GB: 6.11
Average IN: 2.7
Weighted average IN: 2.7
Egypt announces new discoveries, studies at the Mummification Workshop Complex at Saqqara
CAIRO - 3 May 2020: During excavation work carried out by the Egyptian-German mission of the University of Tübingen, working at Saqqara, a new burial chamber was uncovered at the bottom of the communal burial shaft (30 m. deep) of the Mummification Workshop, discovered along with a large tomb complex with five burial chambers in 2018. After more than a year of excavation and documentation, the mission discovered the sixth burial chamber hidden behind a 2600 year old stone wall. Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced adding that the newly discovered chamber contained four wooden coffins in bad state of preservation. Dr. Ramadan Badri Hussein pointed out that one of the coffins belongs to a woman called Didibastett. She was buried with six canopic jars, which contradicts the costume in ancient Egypt to embalm the lungs, stomach, intestines, and the liver of the deceased, and then to store them in four jars under the protection of four gods, known as the Four Sons of Horus. The Mission examined the content of Didibastet’s two extra canopic jars using a computerized tomography (CT) scan, and the preliminary analysis of the images indicates that the two jars contain human tissue. Based on this result, there is a possibility that Didibastet had received a special form of mummification that preserved six organs of her body. The Mission’s radiologist is currently conducting a thorough study of the images in order to identify the two extra organs. After studying the texts on the coffins and sarcophagi in the burial chambers, the mission identified priests and priestesses of a mysterious snake goddess, known as Niut-shaes. Indications are that the priests of Niut-shaes were buried together, and that she became a prominent goddess during Dynasty 26. Perhaps, she had a major temple in Memphis, the administrative capital of ancient Egypt. A priestess and a priest of Niut-shaes, who were buried in the same burial chamber, were possibly Egyptianized immigrants. Their names, Ayput and Tjanimit, were common among the Libyan community who settled in Egypt from Dynasty 22 (ca. 943-716 BC) onward. Ancient Egypt was a multicultural society that received immigrants from different parts of the ancient world, including Greeks, Libyans, and Phoenicians among others. Dr. Ramadan Badri said that the Mission conducted non-invasive testing, called X-ray fluorescence, on the gilded silver mask, which was discovered on the face of the mummy of a priestess of the goddess Niut-shaes. This test determined the purity of the mask’s silver at 99.07%, higher than Sterling Silver at 92.5%. This gilded silver mask is the first in Egypt since 1939, and the third of such masks to ever be found in Egypt. An international team of archaeologists and chemists from the University of Tübingen, the University of Munich and the Egyptian National Research Centre in Cairo carried out chemical testing of the residue of oils and resins which were preserved in cups, bowls and pots found in the mummification workshop. Early results of these tests give a list of mummification substances, including bitumen (tar), cedar oil, cedar resin, pistachio resin, beeswax, animal fat, and possibly olive oil and juniper oil among others. The team is finalizing a report for scientific publication. "Mummification was essentially a business transaction between a person and an embalmer, in which the embalmer was a professional, a priest and a business person. We learn from several papyri that there was a class of priests and embalmers who were paid to arrange for the funeral of a deceased including the mummification of her/his body and the purchase of a grave or a coffin." said Dr. Ramadan Badry Hussein, the Director of the mission of the University of Tübingen at Saqqara. In July 2018, Dr. Khaled El Enany, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, announced to the world the unprecedented discovery of a mummification workshop complex at Saqqara from Dynasty 26 (ca. 664-525 BC). It included a mummification workshop, an Embalmer’s cachette of pottery, and a communal burial shaft. This shaft is 30 m. deep and has six tombs. The tombs contained ca. 54 mummies and skeletons, five large sarcophagi, a dozen of calcite (Egyptian alabaster) canopic jars, thousands of shawabtis figurines, and a very rare gilded silver mummy mask. This discovery was rated among the top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2018 by the Archaeology Magazine and Heritage Daily. The Mission of the University of Tübingen will resume its full investigation of Dynasty 26 cemetery at Saqqara in the winter of 2020.
3 May 00:00 • Egypt Today • https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/85371/Egypt-announces-new-discoveries-studies-at-the-Mummification-Workshop-ComplexRating: 0.67
‘River monster’: Huge African dinosaur Spinosaurus thrived in the water
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.33
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 7.5
Weighted average US: 7.5
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 8.6
Weighted average IN: 8.6
‘River monster’: Huge African dinosaur Spinosaurus thrived in the water
The huge African predator ?Spinosaurus spent much of its life in the water, propelled by a paddle-like tail while hunting large fish – a “river monster,” according to scientists, that showed that some dinosaurs invaded the aquatic realm. Scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of fossil bones from the tail of ?Spinosaurus in southeastern Morocco that provided a deeper understanding of the appearance, lifestyle and capabilities of the longest meat-eating dinosaur on record. “Spinosaurus had a highly specialized tail – a propulsive structure that would have allowed this river monster to actively pursue prey in the water column,” said University of Detroit Mercy paleontologist and anatomist Nizar Ibrahim, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature. Spinosaurus, which lived 95 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, was a highly unusual dinosaur, and not just because of its staggering dimensions – up to 50 feet (15 meters) long and seven tons. The anatomy of Spinosaurus had remained mysterious for decades after crucial fossils were destroyed during World War Two until the 2008 discovery of the Morocco skeleton, with the additional tail bones dug up since 2015. Its tail was flexible with a large surface area thanks to a series of tall neural spines – different from the stiff and tapering tails of other carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex – indicating Spinosaurus and its close relatives engaged in tail-propelled locomotion unlike any other dinosaurs. Laboratory experiments in which a plastic model of the Spinosaurus tail was attached to a robotic swimming device showed that the tail could move laterally to create thrust and power the animal through water like a crocodile, said Harvard University fish biologist and biomechanist George Lauder, a study co-author. This indicates Spinosaurus terrorized rivers and river banks as a semi-aquatic animal, not merely wading into the water waiting for fish to swim by. It may have eaten huge fish, including sharks. “This discovery overturns decades-old ideas that non-bird dinosaurs were restricted to terrestrial environments,” said Harvard University vertebrate paleontologist and biomechanist Stephanie Pierce, a study co-author. “So, yes, we believe that this discovery does indeed revolutionize our understanding of dinosaur biology.” Spinosaurus still was able to move on land and lay eggs there, perhaps walking on four legs rather than two like other meat-eating dinosaurs. “But it had so many adaptations to an aquatic existence – nostrils high on the skull and further back from the tip, flat bottomed-toe bones and claws, dense and thickened bone for buoyancy control, and this newly discovered tail form – that it would have been at least as aquatic as Nile Crocodiles,” University of Portsmouth paleontologist and study co-author David Martill said. “It just might topple T. rex,” Pierce said, “as the most famous and exciting meat-eating dinosaur.”
3 May 00:00 • Daily Times • https://dailytimes.com.pk/606650/river-monster-huge-african-dinosaur-spinosaurus-thrived-in-the-water/Rating: 0.65
Do you have white patches in your mouth?
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.23
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 34.5
Weighted average US: 34.50000000000001
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 4.9
Weighted average IN: 4.9
Do you have white patches in your mouth?
LEUKOPLAKIA is a condition in which thick, white patches or lesions appear within the mouth — typically on the gums or inside the cheeks — and is caused by excess cell growth. The sores can vary in appearance but are typically white or grey, and have thick, raised edges with a hard surface. These lesions usually appear in the mouth of smokers or users of smokeless tobacco, but they can also be a symptom of poorly fitted dentures or a sign that someone habitually chews on the inside of their cheek. Signs and symptoms of leukoplakia While not normally dangerous (most patches are considered benign), in a small percentage of leukoplakia instances there are early signs of mouth cancers appearing next to the growths. If you notice a sudden blossoming of these growths within your mouth, you should immediately contact your dentist for advice and treatment. Other symptoms include grey patches that cannot be wiped or scraped away, areas that are irregular or flat-textured (as well as those that may feel thickened or have hardened), or even the appearance of raised, red lesions (called erythroplakia), which are the most likely to indicate precancerous changes occurring in the mouth. Hairy leukoplakia There is another form called hairy leukoplakia that, like oral thrush, affects those with weakened immune systems more adversely. Hairy leukoplakia creates fuzzy, white patches that can be mistaken for oral thrush. Hairy leukoplakia is a result of infections stemming from the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which remains in the body for your lifetime. While normally dormant, the virus can be activated (or reactivated) due to the weakening of the immune system. Parts of the population living with HIV/AIDS are far more likely to develop this type of leukoplakia because of their immunity deficiencies. According to research, as many as 25 per cent of HIV-positive people are affected by hairy leukoplakia. Its appearance may mean one of two things — that the HIV is spreading within the body or that their antiretroviral therapy is losing its efficacy in fighting on behalf of the weakened immune system. While it's not painful and might not lead to cancer, hairy leukoplakia still may indicate an HIV infection or AIDS. Even if the patches of leukoplakia have been removed, there is still a risk of experiencing some type of oral cancer in the future, so it's best to remain vigilant about your mouth's environment until your dentist has given you the all-clear. Dr Sharon Robinson, DDS has offices at Dental Place Cosmetix Spa, located at shop #5, Winchester Business Centre, 15 Hope Road, Kingston 10. Dr Robinson is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Technology, Jamaica, School of Oral Health Sciences. She may be contacted at 630-4710. Like their Facebook page, Dental Place Cosmetix Spa.
3 May 00:00 • Jamaica Observer • http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/your-health-your-wealth/do-you-have_193363?profile=1470Rating: 0.46
Subset of Retinal Neurons Communicates Differently From the Rest of the Eye
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.19
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 43.0
Weighted average US: 43.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 23.6
Weighted average IN: 23.6
Subset of Retinal Neurons Communicates Differently From the Rest of the Eye
Pixabay Read Time: The eyes have a surprise.For decades, biology textbooks have stated that eyes communicate with the brain exclusively through one type of signaling pathway. But a new discovery shows that some retinal neurons take a road less traveled.New research, led by Northwestern University, has found that a subset of retinal neurons sends inhibitory signals to the brain. Before, researchers believed the eye only sends excitatory signals. (Simply put: Excitatory signaling makes neurons to fire more; inhibitory signaling makes neurons to fire less.)The Northwestern researchers also found that this subset of retinal neurons is involved in subconscious behaviors, such as synchronization of circadian rhythms to light/dark cycles and pupil constriction to intense bright lights. By better understanding how these neurons function, researchers can explore new pathways by which light influences our behavior."These inhibitory signals prevent our circadian clock from resetting to dim light and prevent pupil constriction in low light, both of which are adaptive for proper vision and daily function," said Northwestern's Tiffany Schmidt, who led the research. "We think that our results provide a mechanism for understanding why our eye is so exquisitely sensitive to light, but our subconscious behaviors are comparatively insensitive to light."The research will be published in the May 1 issue of the journal Science.Schmidt is an assistant professor of neurobiology at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Takuma Sonoda, a former Ph.D. student in the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience program, is the paper's first author.To conduct the study, Schmidt and her team blocked the retinal neurons responsible for inhibitory signaling in a mouse model. When this signal was blocked, dim light was more effective at shifting the mice's circadian rhythms."This suggests that there is a signal from the eye that actively inhibits circadian rhythms realignment when environmental light changes, which was unexpected," Schmidt said. "This makes some sense, however, because you do not want to adjust your body's entire clock for minor perturbations in the environmental light/dark cycle, you only want this massive adjustment to take place if the change in lighting is robust."Schmidt's team also found that, when the inhibitory signals from the eye were blocked, mice's pupils were much more sensitive to light."Our working hypothesis is that this mechanism keeps pupils from constricting in very low light," Sonoda said. "This increases the amount of light hitting your retina, and makes it easier to see in low light conditions. This mechanism explains, in least part, why your pupils avoid constricting until bright light intensifies."Reference: Takuma Sonoda, Jennifer Y. Li, Nikolas W. Hayes, Jonathan C. Chan, Yudai Okabe, Stephane Belin, Homaira Nawabi, Tiffany M. Schmidt. A non-canonical inhibitory circuit dampens behavioral sensitivity to light. Science, 2020 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay3152This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
3 May 00:00 • Technology Networks • https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/subset-of-retinal-neurons-communicates-differently-from-the-rest-of-the-eye-334258Rating: 0.37
A New Study Finds That Many Published Psychology Experiments Lack Evidence of Validity
3 May 00:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.19
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:00
Average US: 43.0
Weighted average US: 43.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 23.6
Weighted average IN: 23.6
A New Study Finds That Many Published Psychology Experiments Lack Evidence of Validity
Pixabay Read Time: An examination of nearly 350 published psychological experiments found that nearly half failed to show that they were based on a valid foundation of empirical evidence, suggesting that a wide swath of psychological science is based on an "untested foundation."The study -- conducted by David Chester, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Emily Lasko, a psychology doctoral student at VCU -- focuses on the practice of experimental manipulations, in which psychologists induce specific mental states, such as giving research participants insulting or complementary feedback to manipulate how angry they feel.To conduct these experimental manipulations in a scientifically valid way, researchers must first establish whether their manipulations actually affect the intended psychological variable (for example: make people feel angry) and not other closely related variables (for example: make people feel sad). However, the extent to which psychologists actually examine the validity of their manipulations remains unknown.Chester and Lasko investigated 348 psychological manipulations included in peer-reviewed studies. They found that roughly 42% of the experiments were paired with no validity evidence, and that the remaining psychological manipulations were validated in ways that were extremely limited."These findings call into question the accuracy of one of psychology's most common practices and suggest that the field needs to strongly improve its practices in this methodological domain," said Chester, an assistant professor in theDepartment of Psychologyin theCollege of Humanities and Sciences.The forthcoming study, "Construct Validation of Experimental Manipulations in Social Psychology: Current Practices and Recommendations for the Future," will be published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.The study is the first of its kind to systematically document the extent to which psychology's experiments are based on a valid foundation of empirical evidence.Importantly, Chester said, the study's findings do not suggest that the experimental psychologists' findings were necessarily wrong or invalid."We do not find such experiments are invalid, instead we simply don't have the evidence to know one way or another how valid they are," he said. "Almost all of the manipulations we examined failed to provide the necessary evidence that they were valid, which does not mean they are invalid -- their validity is just unknown."As a result, he said, the study suggests that "the findings of experimental psychology likely rest on an untested foundation.""This framework might be weak, it might be strong, it is more likely both of these things depending on many factors," he said. "We have outlined a prescribed series of recommendations for experimenters to ensure that this is not the case going forward -- that the validity of each experimental manipulation is tested in a systematic and accurate way."Chester added that he and Lasko hope their findings encourage experimental psychologists to include validity evidence in future research."We hope our paper makes experimenters aware of this untested aspect of their research, motivates them to change their practices, and provides a road map of precisely what to do to make such changes," he said.Reference: David S. Chester, Emily N. Lasko. Construct Validation of Experimental Manipulations in Social Psychology: Current Practices and Recommendations for the Future. Perspectives on Psychological Science (in press), 2020 DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/t7ev9This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
3 May 00:00 • Technology Networks • https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/a-new-study-finds-that-many-published-psychology-experiments-lack-evidence-of-validity-334262Rating: 0.37
VCO in-vitro test vs Covid-19 ‘hopeful;’ ‘lagundi,’ ‘tawa-tawa’ next in line | Lyn Resurreccion
3 May 00:06
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:06
Average US: 4.9
Weighted average US: 4.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 5.1
Weighted average IN: 5.1
VCO in-vitro test vs Covid-19 ‘hopeful;’ ‘lagundi,’ ‘tawa-tawa’ next in line | Lyn Resurreccion
HomeFeaturesScienceFeaturesScience By Lyn Resurreccion May 3, 2020 Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Linkedin ReddIt Email Print Tumblr Telegram Mix VK Digg LINE Viber The result of the in-vitro trial of virgin coconut oil (VCO) and its derivatives against the coronavirus at a laboratory in Singapore is “hopeful,” while its clinical tests are set to start in two Philippine hospitals. This came as Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña announced that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is also planning to have in-vitro tests of lagundi and tawa-tawa as cure against Covid-19. Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, the project leader in the VCO in-vitro test in Duke-National University (Duke-NUS) of Singapore, told the BusinessMirror that they are hopeful that the laboratory tests will result in VCO’s being effective against Covid-19. When asked if the research is on schedule, Dayrit said “barring serious disruptions” it could be “finished in about four weeks.” The samples were sent to Duke-NUS in late March. “Singapore has its own quarantine rules [because of Covid-19] so it is hard to expect the same pace of work,” Dayrit said through text message. He told the BusinessMirror in an interview in the third week of March that the laboratory test in Singapore is expected to be finished in two months. Dayrit had earlier researches on the safety and efficacy of VCO and its derivatives to both humans and animals. He said the research has to be done in Singapore because the Philippines has no laboratory for the purpose. De la Peña announced last week that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the holding of clinical trials of VCO on Covid-19 patients. They are set to be held at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila and Santa Rosa Community Hospital in Laguna. De la Peña told the BusinessMirror in an earlier interview that the clinical trials are set for one month and they have to test 45 patients from each hospitals. At the same time, de la Peña told the Interagency Task Force meeting with President Duterte this last week that the DOST will test tawa-tawa and lagundi against Covid-19. He explained to the BusinessMirror in a phone interview on Thursday that the two herbs will be subjected to in-vitro tests in Singapore. However, plans for the research are still being made by the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Lagundi has long been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is now a popular cough remedy, while tawa-tawa got the FDA nod as supplement against dengue last years. De la Peña said since lagundi is already being used against cough it could also help against Covid-19, but it still has to be tested against the coronavirus. The same with tawa-tawa, it also has to undergo a lab test to determine its efficacy against Covid-19. Lyn Resurreccion Science BusinessMirror - May 3, 2020 While the world’s and Philippines’ experts are in the midst of discovering the cure and eventually producing the vaccine to stem Covid-19, researchers from the National Research Council of the Philippines of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-NRCP) Researchers have discovered antibiotics from marine sediments that could... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - May 3, 2020 Responding to the need for more personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) produced bamboo-framed face shields for distribution to frontline services in Laguna. “Our team had to improvise with the materials... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - May 1, 2020 Ventilators, which are very much in-demand in the management of Covid-19 patients who have difficulty breathing, are currently being developed and mass produced in the country. Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña announced at the recent meeting of Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through its Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation (ATBI) Program, distributed vegetables as relief goods in Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao. Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 In support to the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts to conduct mass testing in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is mass producing sample collection booths (SCBs) as it passes validation tests from four hospitals. The SCBs were designed and fabricated by... Read moreScience Lyn Resurreccion - April 24, 2020 Scientific data showed that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and increase in health system capacity helped prevent the spread of Covid-19. “If there is no ECQ, Covid-19 cases will spread fast and it will have a high peak,” said Dr. Ma. Regina Justina E. Estuar,... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 24, 2020 'Bambuhay,’ a bamboo-based social enterprise which has won several international awards in the last two years, recently thanked the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) for its technical support to the company. The major producer of bamboo straws in... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 A lot has been said and written about the Philippine-made test kit—the first in the country—for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19). As soon as it was announced in March that a Covid-19 test kit is being developed and manufactured in the country, all the news... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 Nanocellulose face mask filter from waste materials? Yes, that’s possible as proven by the team of Dr. Rey Capangpangan from Caraga State University (CSU). The lack of effective face masks to address the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease motivated the team of Capangpangan... Read more
3 May 00:06 • BusinessMirror • https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/05/03/vco-in-vitro-test-vs-covid-19-hopeful-lagundi-tawa-tawa-next-in-line/Rating: 0.30
DOST-FPRDI produces bamboo-framed face shields | BusinessMirror
3 May 00:06
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:06
Average US: 4.9
Weighted average US: 4.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 5.1
Weighted average IN: 5.1
DOST-FPRDI produces bamboo-framed face shields | BusinessMirror
HomeFeaturesScienceFeaturesScience By BusinessMirror May 3, 2020 Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Linkedin ReddIt Email Print Tumblr Telegram Mix VK Digg LINE Viber Responding to the need for more personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) produced bamboo-framed face shields for distribution to frontline services in Laguna. “Our team had to improvise with the materials at hand because the enhanced community quarantine made it challenging to procure supplies,” explained DOST-FPRDI Director Romulo T. Aggangan. The frames of the face shields were made from bamboo (kauayan-tinik)—a perennial, woody-stemmed grass known for its versatile uses. Bamboo grows very well locally and is a favored raw material for handicraft and furniture production. According to Aggangan, at least 300 face shields were produced and turned over to the University of the Philippines Los Baños, some barangays in Los Baños, Laguna, and rural health units of LB and Bay, Laguna, among others. Another batch will be produced in the coming weeks. “The DOST-FPRDI is one with the science community in finding ways to protect our frontliners and the public from Covid-19. Currently, we are exploring other possible uses of forest products to help combat this global pandemic. The use of R&D and scientific facts is all the more needed to cope in these challenging times,” he said. Apple Jean C. Martin- de Leon/S&T News Service Image Credits: Audel V. Mosteiro, Muriel B. Dizon BusinessMirror Science BusinessMirror - May 3, 2020 While the world’s and Philippines’ experts are in the midst of discovering the cure and eventually producing the vaccine to stem Covid-19, researchers from the National Research Council of the Philippines of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-NRCP) Researchers have discovered antibiotics from marine sediments that could... Read moreScience Lyn Resurreccion - May 3, 2020 The result of the in-vitro trial of virgin coconut oil (VCO) and its derivatives against the coronavirus at a laboratory in Singapore is “hopeful,” while its clinical tests are set to start in two Philippine hospitals. This came as Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - May 1, 2020 Ventilators, which are very much in-demand in the management of Covid-19 patients who have difficulty breathing, are currently being developed and mass produced in the country. Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña announced at the recent meeting of Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through its Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation (ATBI) Program, distributed vegetables as relief goods in Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao. Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 In support to the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts to conduct mass testing in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is mass producing sample collection booths (SCBs) as it passes validation tests from four hospitals. The SCBs were designed and fabricated by... Read moreScience Lyn Resurreccion - April 24, 2020 Scientific data showed that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and increase in health system capacity helped prevent the spread of Covid-19. “If there is no ECQ, Covid-19 cases will spread fast and it will have a high peak,” said Dr. Ma. Regina Justina E. Estuar,... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 24, 2020 'Bambuhay,’ a bamboo-based social enterprise which has won several international awards in the last two years, recently thanked the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) for its technical support to the company. The major producer of bamboo straws in... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 A lot has been said and written about the Philippine-made test kit—the first in the country—for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19). As soon as it was announced in March that a Covid-19 test kit is being developed and manufactured in the country, all the news... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 Nanocellulose face mask filter from waste materials? Yes, that’s possible as proven by the team of Dr. Rey Capangpangan from Caraga State University (CSU). The lack of effective face masks to address the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease motivated the team of Capangpangan... Read more
3 May 00:06 • BusinessMirror • https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/05/03/dost-fprdi-produces-bamboo-framed-face-shields/Rating: 0.30
DOST-NRCP scientists discover antibiotics from marine sediments | BusinessMirror
3 May 00:05
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 3 May 00:05
Average US: 4.9
Weighted average US: 4.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 5.1
Weighted average IN: 5.1
DOST-NRCP scientists discover antibiotics from marine sediments | BusinessMirror
HomeFeaturesScienceFeaturesScience Effective against infections, including those caused by Covid-19 By BusinessMirror May 3, 2020 Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Linkedin ReddIt Email Print Tumblr Telegram Mix VK Digg LINE Viber While the world’s and Philippines’ experts are in the midst of discovering the cure and eventually producing the vaccine to stem Covid-19, researchers from the National Research Council of the Philippines of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-NRCP) Researchers have discovered antibiotics from marine sediments that could cure infections caused by the coronavirus. At the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, two DOST-NRCP Researchers—Dr. Doralyn S. Dalisay and Dr. Jonel P. Saludes—have discovered antibiotics from a bacteria thriving in marine sediments in the Philippines. The antibiotics are effective in killing the multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen or germ that causes a range of illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases, by breaking the protective membrane of the cell. “Findings from basic research lay the groundwork to establish validated data and information needed to prepare the country should there be an epidemic or a pandemic,” according to Dalisay, the lead author of the paper. While antibiotics are not directly effective against viral diseases, such as the coronavirus, antibiotics cure infections, which develop in Covid-19-infected people, Elena Talingdan, chief research specialist at DOST-NRCP’s Research Information and Dissemination Division, told the BusinessMirror. Talingdan explained that the marine-developed antibiotics are not yet available but they will be produced soon. Dalisay said the findings of the research provide evidence that these antibiotics potentially serve as leads to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The research work was reviewed by antibiotic experts from Italy and Russia and was published on April 24 in high impact international journal, Frontiers in Microbiology under the research topic “Marine Microbial-Derived Molecules and Their Potential Medical and Cosmetic Applications.” Frontiers in Microbiology, one of the most cited microbiology journals, has an Impact Factor of 4.259 and publishes rigorously peer-reviewed manuscripts across the entire spectrum of microbiology. In their paper published in Frontiers in Microbiology, the Filipino scientists said the rise in antibiotic resistance and the drying up of the pipeline for the development of new antibiotics demand an urgent search for new antibiotic leads. “While the majority of clinically available antibiotics were discovered from terrestrial Streptomyces, related species from marine sediments as a source of antibiotics remain underexplored,” they said. “We utilized culture-dependent isolation of 35 marine sediment-derived actinobacterial isolates followed by a screening of their antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant S. aureus ATCC BAA-44,” they explained. “Our results revealed that the crude extract of Streptomyces griseorubens strain DSD069 isolated from marine sediments collected in Romblon, Philippines, displays the highest antibacterial activity, with 96.4-percent growth inhibition.” The research was made possible through a grant-in-aid program awarded to University of San Agustin by the DOST-NRCP. This funding enabled the university to develop groundbreaking drug discovery research competencies in Western Visayas in particular, and the Philippines in general. Dalisay is a member of Division IV (Pharmaceutical Sciences) and currently the chairman of NRCP Visayas Chapter and the Director of the University of San Agustin Center for Chemical Biology and Biotechnology. Saludes is also an NRCP member of Division 10 (Chemical Sciences) and the associate vice president for Research and Global Relations also at the University of San Agustin. They are both DOST Balik Scientists. Maria Elena A. Talingdan and Dr. Doralyn S. Dalisay/S&T Media Service BusinessMirror Science BusinessMirror - May 3, 2020 Responding to the need for more personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) produced bamboo-framed face shields for distribution to frontline services in Laguna. “Our team had to improvise with the materials... Read moreScience Lyn Resurreccion - May 3, 2020 The result of the in-vitro trial of virgin coconut oil (VCO) and its derivatives against the coronavirus at a laboratory in Singapore is “hopeful,” while its clinical tests are set to start in two Philippine hospitals. This came as Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - May 1, 2020 Ventilators, which are very much in-demand in the management of Covid-19 patients who have difficulty breathing, are currently being developed and mass produced in the country. Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña announced at the recent meeting of Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through its Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation (ATBI) Program, distributed vegetables as relief goods in Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao. Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 26, 2020 In support to the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts to conduct mass testing in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is mass producing sample collection booths (SCBs) as it passes validation tests from four hospitals. The SCBs were designed and fabricated by... Read moreScience Lyn Resurreccion - April 24, 2020 Scientific data showed that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and increase in health system capacity helped prevent the spread of Covid-19. “If there is no ECQ, Covid-19 cases will spread fast and it will have a high peak,” said Dr. Ma. Regina Justina E. Estuar,... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 24, 2020 'Bambuhay,’ a bamboo-based social enterprise which has won several international awards in the last two years, recently thanked the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) for its technical support to the company. The major producer of bamboo straws in... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 A lot has been said and written about the Philippine-made test kit—the first in the country—for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19). As soon as it was announced in March that a Covid-19 test kit is being developed and manufactured in the country, all the news... Read moreScience BusinessMirror - April 19, 2020 Nanocellulose face mask filter from waste materials? Yes, that’s possible as proven by the team of Dr. Rey Capangpangan from Caraga State University (CSU). The lack of effective face masks to address the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease motivated the team of Capangpangan... Read more
3 May 00:05 • BusinessMirror • https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/05/03/dost-nrcp-scientists-discover-antibiotics-from-marine-sediments/Rating: 0.30
Pune: Sassoon Hospital gets ICMR nod for plasma therapy
2 May 23:58
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 23:58
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Pune: Sassoon Hospital gets ICMR nod for plasma therapy
Sassoon General Hospital authorities have received approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research to undertake convalescent plasma therapy, sources said. The district administration had procured a plasma separator two weeks ago and had urged the central government to approve their proposal for a clinical trial using plasma treatment for coronavirus patients. Of the 103 deaths, a total of 68 took place at Sassoon Hospital. When contacted, District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said that several approvals had been obtained and as per the protocol, a clinical trial will be undertaken. According to sources, a list of donors will be sought from the civic body of coronavirus patients who have recovered and are willing to donate plasma, which will then be tested by the National Institute of Virology for antibodies against the virus.
2 May 23:58 • The Indian Express • https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-sassoon-hospital-gets-icmr-nod-for-plasma-therapy-6391189/Rating: 0.30
Cats Are the First Pets to Test Positive For the Coronavirus in the US, So Now What?
2 May 21:25
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.95
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 21:25
Average US: 62.8
Weighted average US: 62.79999999999999
Average GB: 0.2
Weighted average GB: 0.2
Average IN: 8.1
Weighted average IN: 8.1
Cats Are the First Pets to Test Positive For the Coronavirus in the US, So Now What?
It was confirmed this week that two domesticated cats had been infected with the coronavirus in the United States. Following early news reports of lions and tigers showing COVID-19 symptoms at a New York zoo, this is the first case of household pets testing positive for the illness. And although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized that there is no evidence that companion animals play a role in spreading the coronavirus, the news can be alarming to pet owners — and those with cats at home, in particular. Preliminary research shows that cats are more prone to COVID-19 infection, whereas other animals such as dogs are far more resistant to the novel coronavirus. (That dog in Hong Kong that tested a "weak positive" was likely a passive carrier.) Although the reasons are still unclear, Dr. Zac Pilossoph, a veterinarian who consults with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, talked to POPSUGAR about what this means for those with feline family members. "We have no idea how successful this virus is at infecting cats and whether the infection is traveling from cat to human, human to cat, or both," Pilossoph said. However, if you were to test positive for COVID-19, human-to-cat transmission is now suspected to be possible, "but it's rare," he added. "Also, the virus appears to be less severe if a cat contracts COVID-19 from a human than in a human-to-human transmission," he said. "If infected, cats can then easily spread the virus to other cats the same way humans do, through respiratory droplets." In the reverse, it is likely also possible for a cat to spread COVID-19 to a human, although to what effect is still unclear. "If a cat may have been exposed to an infected human, take the precautions of quarantining them, not handling the cat, and washing hands frequently." At this point, it appears house cats with COVID-19 developed a mild to moderate cough, potentially accompanied by an increased breathing rate or effort, but thankfully, they have yet to show any significant signs of severe illness. However, if your cat is experiencing respiratory issues, it's highly likely these signs are due to one of the other primary reasons before COVID-19 that cats can develop respiratory system issues. If you suspect your cat may have COVID-19, do not do anything that would compromise the welfare of the animal. "It's important not to panic, be afraid, or get rid of them," Pilossoph said. "Instead, ask, 'Did my cat have an opportunity to be exposed to the coronavirus from other cats or humans?' For example, was it out on a porch where it could come across a neighborhood outdoor cat or a feral cat? If the answer to that is no, the chances of your cat having COVID-19 are very low due to the disease almost always spreading through respiratory droplets in close quarters with another infected individual, or cat in this case." If your cat is showing symptoms that are similar to the coronavirus, do not take them anywhere. Call your veterinarian or use a telehealth service to discuss these signs. "Contact a veterinarian, so that all parties can remain calm and the most logical decisions can be made based on factual information," he said. "Allow them to determine if your cat is actually showing signs and if they should be tested. In the very rare case the vet is concerned, they will take the appropriate steps, which can include informing state officials and consulting on the proper steps of how to have your cat tested." If your cat is acting normal and has no symptoms, you should treat them as you normally do. "This is the time to keep your cats closer than ever, not push them away," he said. If, however, symptoms do present themselves, your vet may advise following basic isolation protocol. "Essentially, the same quarantine measures humans have been advised to follow should be implemented for cats as well." The same distancing principles that humans follow should be applied to companion animals as well. "All of the protective measures we are practicing right now, other than wearing a mask, can and should be applied to our domestic cats as well," he said. He also advised: "Keep your pets away from animals or people outside of your home, keep an eye on your pet's behaviors, avoid any opportunities for exposure to respiratory secretions, and, if you suspect they're showing symptoms, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and talk with your veterinarian." POPSUGAR aims to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus, but details and recommendations about this pandemic may have changed since publication. For the latest information on COVID-19, please check out resources from the WHO, CDC, and local public health departments.
2 May 21:25 • POPSUGAR Pets • https://www.popsugar.com/pets/how-to-tell-if-your-cat-has-coronavirus-47419823Rating: 1.91
Saudi Arabia launches iftar projects worldwide
2 May 21:10
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.86
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 21:10
Average US: 5.7
Weighted average US: 5.7
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 8.7
Weighted average IN: 8.7
Saudi Arabia launches iftar projects worldwide
Yusuf Al-Turki has been the undersecretary for graduate studies and scientific research at King Abdul Aziz University (KAU), Jeddah, since November 2017. Born in Makkah in 1958, Al-Turki started his academic career as a demonstrator after he got his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the College of Engineering at KAU in 1980. In 1985, Al-Turki was awarded a doctorate in electrical power engineering from the University of Manchester, England. He was then appointed as an assistant professor at KAU, and in 1991 he was promoted to associate professor. In 1999, he became a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department, where he worked until appointed to his present job in 2017. Al-Turki enjoys extensive administrative experience. From 1991 to 1995, he worked at the director of studies and development office of KAU’s College of Engineering. From 1996 to 1997, he was the chairman of the electrical and computer engineering department, and from 1997 to 1999, he served as the vice dean for administrative and financial affairs at the College of Engineering. Two years later, Al-Turki became director of the development and studies unit at the Research and Consultations Institute of KAU, and in 2002, he became its vice dean. Four years later, he became the dean for scientific research. Recently, KAU announced the winners of a research initiative on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Forty-two research proposals have been selected out of the total 230. The selection committees focused on proposals that provided creative solutions. Al-Turki said the researchers were encouraged to analyze the available data, review theses, publications and scientific articles on the pandemic and suggest fast and effective methods to diagnose the disease.
2 May 21:10 • Arab News • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1668756/saudi-arabiaRating: 1.72
Coronavirus means science is suddenly being done differently – and so is politics
2 May 20:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.70
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:00
Average US: 27.0
Weighted average US: 27.0
Average GB: 8.7
Weighted average GB: 8.7
Average IN: 3.3
Weighted average IN: 3.3000000000000003
Coronavirus means science is suddenly being done differently – and so is politics
If we are to return to our normal lives, we need answers to many questions and they will only be delivered by science and medicine and their applications. In fact, the speed with which the virus has spread around the globe has been matched by the speed with which many scientists have mobilised themselves to take on this pandemic. The British science community has responded rapidly. The government’s funding agency, UK Research and Innovation-Medical Research Council (UKRI-MRC), has created new funding schemes, the Wellcome Trust has partnered with the Gates Foundation to speed up research and Cancer Research UK is supporting work into how Covid-19 is disrupting cancer treatment. In the last weeks, Oxford University and Imperial College London have reported on their plans for new vaccines and on more modelling of the impact of the virus. Companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Sanofi have put competition behind them and are working closer together to develop drugs and new vaccines. “Mega-labs” have been set up to undertake virus testing, supported by “small-boat” laboratories in research institutes and commercial testing facilities. Suddenly, science is being done differently. Scientists have made dramatic shifts in their research, often without the funding in place to support these new directions. Results are shared rapidly, with papers in research journals being published in days and weeks rather than months and years, and through informal channels not always peer reviewed, like the popular press and social media. Barriers have been broken down between different areas of science, blurring the boundaries between disciplines and the conventional separation of basic discovery research from research aimed at developing useful applications. The breakdown in barriers is very obvious at the Francis Crick Institute in central London, where I work. The institute was set up deliberately mixing research groups of all types together. Basic research biologists are cheek by jowl with clinical researchers and with translational scientists who work closely with industry. So when Covid-19 hit the UK it was easy for these scientists to shift from their established programmes to work together on the virus. They brought different skills and expertise to the endeavour, stimulating each other, driving new ideas, thinking “out of the box”. In less than three weeks, with no government support, working in close collaboration with UCL Hospitals Foundation Trust and the diagnostic company Health Services Laboratories, an accredited virus testing facility was put in place, testing NHS frontline workers and providing a new team that can help research into the virus. Being locally organised, the team was well placed to solve problems in all parts of the virus testing workflow, from sample collection to laboratory analysis, and to returning the information back to hospitals within 24 hours. This helps to keep patients and healthcare workers safe by tracing those who are infected, assisting hospitals to run securely and maintaining the trust of patients who are avoiding hospitals because they are worried about infection. These experiences gained locally will help the mega testing labs get their workflows operating effectively. The mega labs will encounter similar difficulties to those the Crick has faced, including issues that have arisen due to NHS guidelines that prevented frontline care workers being routinely tested when they do not have symptoms but may still be infectious. Problems such as these have contributed to the challenges of getting to the government’s target of 100,000 tests a day. A number of Covid-related research projects have also rapidly sprung up at the Crick. These include how the virus replicates in human cells, why for some people the disease is mild and for others it is deadly, how the virus gets into cells and is transferred from animals to humans, what happens to the human immune system after viral infection and how the treatment of cancer patients is affected by the virus. The projects addressing these questions range across scientific disciplines and ways of working and involve a wide spectrum of expertise from fundamental researchers to frontline healthcare workers. Science is crucial to developing sound public policy to manage the pandemic, but it is important to recognise that at this stage scientific knowledge of the virus is still tentative. Scientists can only give the best advice available at the time, but some of that advice will turn out to be incorrect. It is only through sustained quality research that clarity will emerge and advice will become increasingly reliable and that will take time. There has also been a sea change in the relationship between politicians and scientists. This is important because as well as high-quality scientists, we need high-quality political leadership to guide us through this pandemic. The political populists, so vocal at the election and before, have gone strangely silent. We are not hearing experts being scoffed at or simplistic soundbites such as “get Covid done”. These may win elections but if there is nothing beneath them they are useless to deal with complex political issues such as the present crisis. Perhaps this pandemic will lead to a more mature relationship between politicians and experts, which will help strengthen our country’s leadership at a time when we need it most. Maybe dealing with the current crisis will not only get rid of the coronavirus but also the virus of unsubstantiated populism. • Sir Paul Nurse is chief executive of the Francis Crick Institute and 2001 Nobel laureate, physiology or medicine
2 May 20:00 • the Guardian • https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/02/coronavirus-means-science-is-suddenly-being-done-differently-and-so-is-politicsRating: 5.39
DNA damage and inaccurate repair mechanisms jointly cause mutational signatures
2 May 20:48
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:48
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
DNA damage and inaccurate repair mechanisms jointly cause mutational signatures
Researchers at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the University of Dundee and the Wellcome Sanger Institute analyzed over 2700 genomes from C. elegans worms in order to better understand the causes of mutations. Their findings, published today in Nature Communications, characterize how DNA mutations result from the combined action of DNA damage and inaccurate DNA repair mechanisms. A cell's DNA is constantly exposed to physical and chemical stresses - or genotoxins - that can damage it and cause mutations. However, cells have a myriad of repair mechanisms to fix DNA lesions soon after they arise. Occasionally, the restorative repair process fails, either by making extra errors, or by failing to detect the DNA lesions altogether. This leads to mutations, which are the root cause of cancer. Many genotoxins, like those found in tobacco smoke, were thought to cause a unique suite of mutations in the genome, recognizable as a mutational signature. However, many mutational signatures observed in cancer genomes do not seem to relate to any single genotoxin and others appear to result from a combination of factors. To understand the origin of these signatures, Volkova and colleagues tested the effects of more than 150 combinations of twelve genotoxins on C. elegans worms whose DNA repair mechanisms were either unaltered or faulty. The scientists experimentally demonstrated that mutational signatures result from a combined action of DNA damage and specific repair mechanisms. "A lot of DNA alterations that we observed in our study occur in human cancer as well, but we found that mutational signatures are more variable than we previously thought," says Volkova. The scientists found that different types of DNA alterations induced by the same genotoxin are often fixed by different DNA repair pathways, some error-free, others error-prone. As a result, a single genotoxin may leave a variety of mutational signatures at various rates, depending on the repair process. While most DNA repair prevents mutations, it can also cause them. For example, Volkova and colleagues demonstrated that one particular mechanism, called translesion synthesis, is responsible for the majority of base mutations caused by genotoxin exposure as a trade-off for more severe and potentially more deleterious mutations. While many of these minor mutations may be harmless, in humans they can increase the probability of developing a tumour. "In cancer genomics, there is an implicit expectation that for every signature, one could find a single cause: our analysis challenges that expectation. Behind each pattern, there are at least two unknowns: the damage that occurs and the repair capacity of the cell," says Moritz Gerstung, Group Leader at EMBL-EBI. While the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair are very well-established, the exact types and frequency of mutations they can generate remained unclear until high-throughput sequencing entered the scene. This study combines whole genome sequencing with an experimental screen to better understand the causes of mutational signatures. The results have potential implications for cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. "Understanding the interplay between DNA damage and repair helps to better gauge the risk of cancer predisposition, and to understand the response to cancer treatment," says Bettina Meier, Senior Research Associate at the University of Dundee. Mutational signatures have become a pillar of cancer genome analysis because they may shed light on the carcinogens cancer cells have been exposed to, and the repair mechanisms that were perturbed. However, not all observed mutational signatures and their individual facets are fully understood. An experimental approach ensures that the observed patterns are the direct consequences of the conditions set by the scientists. It also helps understand how multiple DNA repair processes jointly shape mutational signatures. "It took years to generate all these repair defective C. elegans, to systematically expose them to a panel of genotoxins, and to prepare, sequence and analyze their DNA. It is great to see that experimental work on C. elegans is directly relevant for interpreting cancer genomes," says Anton Gartner, Group Leader at the University of Dundee, recently appointed Associate Director of the IBS Center for Genomic Integrity at UNIST Ulsan, South Korea. Source: European Molecular Biology Laboratory - European Bioinformatics Institute Journal reference: Volkova, N., et al. (2020) Mutational signatures are jointly shaped by DNA damage and repair. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15912-7.
2 May 20:48 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/DNA-damage-and-inaccurate-repair-mechanisms-jointly-cause-mutational-signatures.aspxRating: 0.76
Inside the extraordinary race to invent a coronavirus vaccine
2 May 19:08
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.57
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 19:08
Average US: 0.1
Weighted average US: 0.1
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.3
Weighted average IN: 0.3
Inside the extraordinary race to invent a coronavirus vaccine
Ian Haydon, a healthy 29-year-old, reported to a medical clinic in Seattle for a momentous blood draw last week. "Oh yeah," said the nurse taking his blood. "That is liquid gold." Haydon is an obscure but important participant in the most consequential race for a vaccine in medical history. In early April, he was among the first people in the United States to receive an experimental vaccine that could help end the coronavirus crisis. He volunteered to be a test subject while knowing about the risks and unknowns, but eager to do his part to help end the worst pandemic in a century. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, will study blood from Haydon and others for signs that the vaccine triggered an immune response to a pathogen they have never encountered. It would be the first, preliminary signal the vaccine could provide immunity to covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. A coronavirus vaccine has become the light at the end of a very long tunnel, the tool that will bring the virus to heel, allowing people to watch sports in stadiums, hug friends, celebrate weddings and grieve at funerals. The goal to deliver a vaccine in 12 to 18 months, often repeated by the nation's top infectious disease scientist, has become the one reassuring refrain during the crisis. The White House put together a task force called Operation Warp Speed to try to move even faster, making hundreds of millions of doses ready by January. With at least 115 vaccine projects in laboratories at companies and research labs, the science is hurtling forward so fast and bending so many rules about how the process usually works that even veteran vaccine developers don't know exactly what to expect. Scientific steps that typically take place sequentially over years - animal testing, toxicology studies, laboratory experiments, massive human trials, plans to ramp up production - are now moving in fast-forward and in parallel. Experts keep using the word "unprecedented." It's a thrilling time in vaccine science, but also an unnerving one. U.S. regulators are firm they won't sacrifice safety for speed, but some ethicists raise concerns about "pandemic research exceptionalism," in which the demand to speed a vaccine to market could come at the expense of evidence and end up fueling the powerful anti-vaccine lobby. "The 26 years it took us to make the rotavirus vaccine is pretty typical. If it's 12 to 18 months, you're skipping steps," said Paul Offit, who developed a vaccine for rotavirus, which causes deadly diarrhea in infants and children. "Is that a little risky? Yes it is, but so is getting infected with the virus." Designing a vaccine On a weekend in early January, scientists at Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company outside of Philadelphia, began designing a vaccine for a mysterious pneumonia that didn't even have a name. They, like other teams around the world, used the genetic blueprint of the novel coronavirus, shared online by Chinese scientists, as their guide. It took about three hours to design the vaccine, said Joseph Kim, chief executive of Inovio. Scientists at NIH had been in talks about partnering with a Massachusetts biotechnology company, Moderna, and immediately began designing another vaccine candidate. By the end of the month, it was in production in a factory filled with robots in a suburb south of Boston. With an array of promising vaccine technologies fueled by early scientific openness, dozens of vaccine efforts kicked off blindingly fast in dozens of countries. "Then, the tough work began," Kim said. Designing a promising vaccine is, in some ways, the easy part. Showing that it is safe and effective, and then scaling up production can takes years, or even decades. Researchers are now trying to compress that timeline in ways they never have before, against a type of virus they have never successfully quelled. In some cases, they are also harnessing technologies that have never been used in approved vaccines. In contrast, scientists develop a new flu vaccine each year, an effort that is more of a "plug and play" situation, where a time-tested basic platform can be redirected to fight new flu strains. "It's another reason for better preparedness," said Barney Graham, deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, pointing out that his lab had developed a vaccine for MERS, a related coronavirus, but only got it through mouse studies. "If we'd taken at least two to three vaccine concepts through early phase clinical trials on MERS, we might have a better idea on what to focus on for this SARS coronavirus - so instead of working with 115 different vaccine ideas, we might be working on five." Scientists at Oxford University have announced the most aggressive timeline, with plans to make their vaccine - which depends on a weakened cold virus that typically infects chimpanzees - available in the fall. Moderna and Inovio are developing vaccines that ferry two different types of genetic material into cells to train the immune system to recognize the distinctive "spike" protein on the surface of the coronavirus. A Beijing company is trying an inactivated virus. Giant pharmaceutical companies, flush with government funding, are turning their vaccine platforms toward coronavirus. Researchers at Texas A&M University are repurposing an existing tuberculosis vaccine to see if it can prevent deaths or severe illness. To make things more difficult, as the infection spread across the world, scientific teams have had to change how they work, practicing social distancing in their labs so the virus doesn't take out the effort to combat it. That happened at NIH, when one scientist became infected with covid-19 and two close colleagues on the effort had to quarantine for 14 days. Graham's Vaccine Research Center is working with only about 10% of its people coming in, and his laboratory - which usually houses 20 people - can only have two at any one time. Meanwhile, the difficult laboratory science, such as animal testing, is in many ways, being leapfrogged or running in tandem with testing in people. "This is unusual," Kim said. "It's really moving at lightning speed with the urgency to match it." Typical trials need time Many researchers can describe how vaccines are typically developed. But they can't say precisely how the coronavirus vaccines will come about. So much will depend not just on the science, but on how the outbreak evolves, how flexible regulators decide to be and what we continue to learn about the virus in real time. Philanthropist Bill Gates argues things can't really return to normal until the world's 7 billion people are vaccinated - a daunting scenario that could take years and create a new kind of public strife, as governments and individual people scramble for limited doses. More than one vaccine will likely be needed, because the first one may not be as effective as the follow-ons. The front-runner vaccines in the U.S. have never been made at an industrial scale, and some vaccines require two doses to be given, further complicating scale-up. "We really have never made those kinds of vaccines in large, large quantities. How quickly can that be done?" said Kathryn Edwards, a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "We're not going to be able to say in 18 months that we have enough for all the world's people to be immunized with two doses." Typically, human clinical trials occur after extensive animal testing. Then, a small number of human subjects receive the vaccine in a phase 1 trial intended to determine the safety and the right dosage. People are monitored for any side effects, as well as early hints that the vaccine works. After carefully analyzing that data, companies decide to proceed to a larger phase 2 trial in several hundred patients, which look for signs the vaccine is working. Then, they could proceed to a large phase 3 trial in which people are randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or a dummy shot - a definitive test of safety and effectiveness, which often take thousands of patients and several years. Offit, who is helping advise the U.S. vaccine effort, said the "large" trials being considered that he is aware of range from 1,000 to 6,000 people that would likely take place over months. In contrast, when he developed a vaccine against rotavirus, the pivotal trial included 70,000 healthy infants over four years. The human papilloma virus vaccine was tested in 30,000 people. "Those are typical trials," Offit said. "They tell you, pretty comfortably, that the vaccine is effective - and to some extent, that it doesn't have an uncommon side effect." No one is talking about that for coronavirus. Moderna, the company that manufactures the vaccine that Haydon received, plans to start its next larger trial in 500 to 600 people this spring, according to Stephane Bancel, chief executive officer. He said the company began planning the trial nearly a month ago, even though it was still giving shots to the first human subjects. "We said, 'We cannot wait,'" Bancel said. Instead of holding off until the subjects have signs in their blood that the vaccine works, they are going to proceed to the next trial as soon as it shows safety. Bancel said Moderna hopes to sign a contract soon with a government agency so that they can start manufacturing and stockpiling the vaccine before approval. They could have 100 million doses ready to go on day one, if it is approved in a year. Regulators insist that even under unprecedented urgency, products will be held to a high safety bar. "My motto is a woodworking one: Measure twice, cut once. Measure quickly twice, cut quickly once," said Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration. But vaccine experts point out that many rare safety problems can only be picked up in very large studies, or even through monitoring after a vaccine has deployed. They are most concerned about the risk the vaccines could actually make the disease worse in some people, as happened in some animal studies of vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), through a mechanism called antibody dependent enhancement. In 1966, for instance, an experimental vaccine for RSV, a common respiratory virus in children, backfired when some children developed more severe disease. Scientific debate is still raging about a dengue vaccine used in the Philippines in recent years that increased the risk of hospitalization for dengue in children who had not previously been infected. The public's health - and the trust in vaccines generally, considered one of the most successful public health interventions in human history - will be guarded by regulators, even as the political pressure intensifies to get a vaccine into broad use. "They're good at holding the line, and aren't going to do anything that's reckless, because if they did it could jeopardize the whole U.S. vaccine effort, especially with the anti-vaccine lobby," said Peter Jay Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Human trials One way to speed up vaccine development is "human challenge" experiments, in which people are intentionally infected with the virus after being vaccinated. While the idea has gained steam among some scientists, people working on vaccine trials said it is an ethically challenging approach they would be uncomfortable with unless an effective treatment is discovered. "Right now, I think it's a little premature. However, it's not off the table," said Wilbur Chen, chief of the adult clinical studies section in the University of Maryland's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health. "I think it could be something that could be done; it could help us to really evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine much more quickly." Volunteers for such a challenge effort have already flooded an online sign-up created by a grass roots group of researchers. Scientists are hopeful that enthusiasm will fill up all the trials necessary to prove the vaccines work. That will mean people willing to be test subjects for unproven vaccines with thinner-than-usual animal evidence behind them. It will mean people volunteering for trials in which half of them get a placebo. It may mean people weighing a vaccine whose benefits and risks aren't fully known against the risk of the virus. Haydon, who is due for his second shot of the vaccine next week, said he'd never participated in a research study but was eager to assist. "I'm incredibly hopeful we'll arrive at a vaccine," he said. "But in order to do that, we need clinical trials - and at some point, for each new vaccine and each new drug, that has to go into someone for the first time." Read MoreVaccines for 300 million people this year: The impossible dream? The key to all of these efforts is pretty much the same: Launch several processes in parallel rather than in sequence, even at the risk that its candidate may not prove effective. Read MorePfizer aims for 10-20 mln doses of coronavirus vaccine by end-2020 depending on trials Pfizer aims to make 10-20 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine it is developing with Germany's BioNtech by the end of 2020 for possible emergency use depending on trial results, the U.S. drugmaker's vaccines head said on Thursday. Read MoreAstraZeneca CEO says now is the time for taking COVID vaccine risk "We'll continue working with the Oxford Vaccine Unit to bring it to patients and to regulatory authorities first of all as soon as possible," he added.
2 May 19:08 • The Peninsula • https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/02/05/2020/Inside-the-extraordinary-race-to-invent-a-coronavirus-vaccineRating: 3.14
Children in rural communities more likely to undergo amputation after lawnmower injury
2 May 20:31
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:31
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Children in rural communities more likely to undergo amputation after lawnmower injury
Children in rural communities are 1.7 times more likely to undergo an amputation after a lawnmower injury than children in urban communities, according to a new study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The researchers also found that although lawnmower injuries are prevalent throughout the United States, children in Southern and Midwestern states account for more than 80% of pediatric lawnmower injuries. The findings were published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Approximately 9,400 pediatric lawnmower injuries occur each year, with a hospitalization rate two times higher than any other consumer product-related injury. The injuries often require lengthy inpatient stays and multiple surgeries due to their severity and involvement of bone and soft tissues. These injuries also carry a high economic burden, costing the healthcare system about $90 million a year. To assess the geographic distribution of these incidents, the research team used the Pediatric Health Information System, a unique, pediatric-specific database containing information from 49 not-for-profit hospitals across the United States. They analyzed data from children aged 0 to 18 between 2005 and 2017 and identified 1,302 patients who presented to a hospital with a lawnmower injury. Of those patients, more than half were between the ages of 1 and 5. In rural areas, more than 60% of lawnmower injuries occurred in this youngest group, versus 43.7% in urban areas. The incidence, severity, and complications of lawnmower injuries were all greater in rural communities than in urban ones, with children in rural communities more likely to require an inpatient stay and 1.7 more likely to require an amputation. The researchers also looked at injuries by geographic region and found that a combined 81.9% of all injuries occurred in the South and Midwest. The team attributes the high incidence in these regions to the warmer weather in the South, leading to more time spent mowing lawns, and the higher prevalence of ride-on mowers in the Midwest due to larger land areas. Although many lawnmowers come with safety features, such as ride-on lawnmowers whose blades do not operate when the mower is reversing, the authors note many of these features can be overridden by operators. "The safety features built into the lawnmower design can be improved by further scientific research, exploring risk stratification and design guidelines," Ganley said. "Regardless of the design, however, young children should be kept away from lawnmowers of any type, as the consequences of a lawnmower injury can be devastating and life-altering." Source: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Journal reference: Shah, R., et al. (2020) Lawnmower Injuries in Children: A National 13-Year Study of Urban Versus Rural Injuries. Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. doi.org/10.5435/JAAOS-D-19-00233.
2 May 20:31 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Children-in-rural-communities-more-likely-to-undergo-amputation-after-lawnmower-injury.aspxRating: 0.76
Robot 'spy' gorilla records wild Ugandan gorillas singing and farting
2 May 18:35
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.66
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:35
Average US: 82.8
Weighted average US: 82.80000000000001
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 1.0
Weighted average IN: 1.0
Robot 'spy' gorilla records wild Ugandan gorillas singing and farting
New footage from an undercover robot baby gorilla has given filmmakers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of a pack of UgandanSilverback Mountain gorillas. The gorillas were caught on camera as they sang during their dinner, a behavior that has never before been captured. However, after finishing their meal and their hummed arias, the video also revealed how gassy the gorillas became after eating, as clear evidence of flatulence could be heard in the video. Gorillas consume 40 pounds of sustenance per day. 2 YOUNG GORILLAS SEEN EMBRACING IN ADORABLE MOMENT The rare video of the gorilla choir is featured in a segment of the PBS series "Nature: Spy in the Wild 2," which trails animals in their natural habits by using robotic look-alikes of the animal being observed. Human camera operators typically must keep a safe distance from wild gorillas. According to the show's producer Matt Gordon, the team chose not to construct an adult gorilla spy because the pack might see it as a threat. Instead, the animatronic baby gorilla was designed to be able to move and close its eyes, as well as beat its chest. Wild gorillas are known to communicate with each other through eye contact. The young gorilla robot was also capable of averting his gaze when needed, to show respect to the real gorillas, as real young gorillas would do. Additionally, the PBS team devised the "spy gorilla" to portray a submissive disposition in the hope that the pack would warmly welcome it. They were also able to capture a rare moment of a baby gorilla running up to the robot and beating its chest. Such behavior would have been hard to observe using traditional methods, Gordon said. In 2016, researchers confirmed that gorillas sing to themselves while eating, recording audio of behavior that had long been anecdotal. The scientists observed western lowland gorillas in a protected forest in the Republic of Congo and published their findings in the journal PLOS ONE. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP The study's authors also learned that older gorillas performed mealtime humming and singing more than young gorillas, that males "sang" more often than females did, and that gorillas were more likely to sing while eating aquatic plants and seeds rather than insects. Other episodes in the new series feature a spy macaque taking a hot spring bath in Japan, a spy seal diving near South Africa, a spy polar bear bounding through sea ice near Norway, and a tiny spy hummingbird taking flight alongside thousands of butterflies in Mexico.
2 May 18:35 • Fox News • https://www.foxnews.com/science/robot-spy-gorilla-records-wild-ugandan-gorillas-singing-fartingRating: 3.32
AHA awards grants to 12 teams for fast-tracked heart and brain health research related to COVID-19
2 May 20:03
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:03
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
AHA awards grants to 12 teams for fast-tracked heart and brain health research related to COVID-19
Less than a month after issuing a rapid response call for scientific research proposals for fast-tracked studies of the effects of COVID-19 on the body's cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, the American Heart Association has awarded $1.2 million in grants to teams at 12 institutions across the U.S. to begin this unprecedented work. Additional funding for special research projects within each of the four new Health Technologies & Innovations Strategically Focused Research Centers brings the Association's COVID-19 related scientific research funding to $2 million. The COVID-19 and Its Cardiovascular Impact Rapid Response Grant initiative received an overwhelming response, with more than 750 proposals submitted, marking it as one of the Association's largest submissions to a single topic request for applications. Cleveland Clinic was selected to serve as the initiative's COVID-19 Coordinating Center. A team from this center, led by Mina K. Chung, M.D, Professor of Medicine, will collect results from the research projects and coordinate the dissemination of all study findings. The research projects include: "Several of these studies focus on disparity and underserved populations and many with pre-existing conditions and that's critical because we're seeing these people coming in sicker and getting sicker faster from the complications of COVID-19 and we need to understand what's causing that and how we can help them," Harrington said. "There's so much we don't know about this unique coronavirus and we continue to see emerging complications affecting both heart and brain health for which we desperately need answers and we need them quickly." The research projects are considered fast-tracked to report results as quickly as possible to address the COVID-19 crisis. Research will get underway as early as June 1, with findings expected in less than six to nine months for most of the studies. Several researchers aim to have actionable outcomes before a new anticipated wave of COVID-19 strikes in the winter. Along with these new rapid response research grants, the American Heart Association is also funding $800,000 in supplemental, short-term special projects for the four centers in its new Health Technologies & Innovation Strategically Focused Research Network. This funding is in addition to their original grants announced earlier this month and will focus on rapid technology solutions to address the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Those projects include: Source: American Heart Association
2 May 20:03 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/AHA-awards-grants-to-12-teams-for-fast-tracked-heart-and-brain-health-research-related-to-COVID-19.aspxRating: 0.76
WHO wants invite to China’s probe into virus origins
2 May 20:30
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.19
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 20:30
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.3
Weighted average IN: 2.3
WHO wants invite to China’s probe into virus origins
- Advertisement - The World Health Organization said Friday it hoped China would invite it to take part in its investigations into the animal origins of the novel coronavirus. “WHO would be keen to work with international partners and at the invitation of the Chinese government to participate in investigation around the animal origins,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email. He said the UN health agency understood there were a number of investigations under way in China “to better understand the source of the outbreak”, but added that “WHO is not currently involved in the studies in China.” Scientists believe the killer virus jumped from animals to humans, emerging in China late last year, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat. - Advertisement - But US President Donald Trump has fuelled speculation and rumours — generally rejected by experts — that the virus may have emerged in a top-secret Chinese lab. WHO has also faced scathing criticism from Trump, who earlier this month suspended Washington’s funding after accusing the WHO of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and of kowtowing to China. The UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did travel with a team to China in late January, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to learn more about the response. This paved the way, Tedros explained earlier this week, for an international team of scientists to travel there in February to investigate the situation, including experts from China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Singapore and the United States of America. But as investigations into the origins of the virus have picked up pace in China, the WHO has not been involved. The ongoing investigations are believed to be looking at “human cases with symptom onset in and around Wuhan in late 2019, environmental sampling from markets and farms in areas where the first human cases were identified, and detailed records on the source and type of wildlife species and farmed animals sold in these markets,” Jasarevic said. He stressed that the results from the virus origin studies were “essential to preventing further zoonotic introductions of the virus that causes COVID-19 into the human population.” “WHO continues to collaborate with animal health and human health experts, countries and other partners to identify gaps and research priorities for the control of COVID-19, including the eventual identification of the source of the virus in China,” he said. nl/rjm/lc © Agence France-Presse /AFP - Advertisement -
2 May 20:30 • The Independent • http://theindependent.sg/who-wants-invite-to-chinas-probe-into-virus-origins/Rating: 0.39
Lipo-ImmunoTech receives grant to develop novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer
2 May 19:05
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 19:05
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Lipo-ImmunoTech receives grant to develop novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer
Lipo-ImmunoTech, LLC, a startup based in Charleston, South Carolina, recently received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant of just over $224,000 to continue to develop its novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer. The startup is a joint venture involving Shikhar Mehrotra, Ph.D., an immunologist, and Besim Ogretmen, Ph.D., a sphingolipid expert, both of whom are Hollings Cancer Center researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. Lipo-ImmunoTech also executed an option agreement with the MUSC Foundation for Research Development, which gives it the rights to evaluate the technology further with an eye toward eventually licensing it for commercialization. Adoptive cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy in which a cancer patient's T cells, immune cells that can kill cancer cells, are removed and expanded in the laboratory. The expanded T cells are then infused back into the patient. While adoptive cell therapy is a rapidly growing field and an effective strategy for controlling tumor growth, it does present some challenges. Mehrotra and Ogretmen are working to address current challenges in adoptive cell therapy by enhancing the viability of expanded T cells and improving their functionality. Their approach is novel in that it factors in the role that lipids, or the molecules that make up cell membranes, play in suppressing the immune system. "Lipids have an important role, which is not well studied. They can prevent T cells and other immune cells from functioning properly," explained Mehrotra. "So, we thought that, with our collaboration, we could understand and address these issues to improve the immune response." Ogretmen explained further how better understanding the role of lipids could improve anti-cancer immunotherapy as well as treatments for other diseases. "We formed our small biotech company Lipo-ImmunoTech because mechanistic connections between lipids and immunity provide opportunities to develop novel therapeutic agents and strategies to treat various diseases with unmet clinical needs, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infections, including COVID-19," said Ogretmen. Mehrotra and Ogretmen are currently investigating the applicability of their new technology to different cancer types. They already have promising data from preclinical studies in prostate cancer, melanoma and lung cancer but are expanding their efforts to other cancers as well. They will use those data to apply for a larger STTR grant early next year. If the data continue to show promise, they hope to take the technology into clinical trial to see whether it outperforms standard immune cell therapies currently in the clinic. Source: Medical University of South Carolina
2 May 19:05 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Lipo-ImmunoTech-receives-grant-to-develop-novel-adoptive-cell-therapy-technology-for-cancer.aspxRating: 0.76
Researchers outline ways to manage life under COVID-19 pandemic
2 May 18:59
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:59
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Researchers outline ways to manage life under COVID-19 pandemic
An international team of researchers has outlined ways to manage different facets of life under the spread of the COVID-19 virus, ranging from how we can combat racially driven bias and fake news to how we can increase cooperation and better manage stress. Its work, which appears in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, considers research stretching over the past half century to offer insights about how to address current circumstances. "This interdisciplinary review points to several ways in which research can be immediately applied to optimize response to this pandemic, but also points to several important gaps that researchers should move quickly to fill in the coming weeks and months," adds Willer, a sociologist. The analysis, drawn from the expertise of over 40 researchers at more than 20 colleges and universities, focuses on phenomena linked to COVID-19, connecting existing scholarship to potential courses of action in several areas, including the following: "Group Threat," "Fake News and Misinformation," "Social Norms," and "Stress and Coping." The authors, referring to recent attacks on ethnic Asians in predominantly white countries, note that "Europe's most deadly disease, the bubonic plague of the 14th century, unleashed massive violence, including the murder of Catalans in Sicily, clerics and beggars in some locations, and pogroms against Jews, with over a thousand communities eradicated." However, they point to research that indicates pandemics may, in fact, present opportunities to reduce religious and ethnic prejudice: "coordinated efforts across individuals, communities, and governments to fight the spread of disease send strong signals of cooperation and shared values, which allow people to re-cast others who were previously considered out-group members as in-group members." The authors recount cooperative acts currently unfolding: More than 20 countries donated medical supplies to China in February, and China has reciprocated. "Government officials can highlight events like these to improve out-group attitudes," they write, adding that other studies have shown that making people feel safer can reduce prejudice. Fake news and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 have undoubtedly proliferated on social media, but new research has explored social-science based solutions to counter the spread of fake news. Fact-checking and correction offer potential remedies, as does source expertise, bipartisanship in messaging, and messages from "unlikely sources"--those who benefit from the original misinformation. But the researchers acknowledge that fact-checking and corrections may not keep up with the vast amount of false information produced in moments of crisis like a pandemic and that approaches beyond debunking are necessary. In response, they offer what scholars term a "pre-bunking approach," which centers on psychological inoculation. Studies have found that preemptively exposing people to small doses of misinformation techniques (including scenarios about COVID-19) can reduce susceptibility to fake news. Another preventative approach involves subtle prompts that emphasize accuracy (for instance, asking users to judge the veracity of a single neutral headline). Such prompts have been found in prior work to improve the quality of the content users share and could be easily implemented by social media platforms. "To effectively counter fake news about COVID-19 around the world, governments and social media companies must rigorously develop and test interventions in collaboration with independent behavioral scientists," the authors advocate. "This includes identifying treatments that effectively reduce belief in misinformation, while not undermining belief in accurate information--a particularly salient concern given evidence that most exposure to and sharing of fake news in the U.S. has been concentrated among relatively small sub-sections of the population." "How much people change will be influenced by aspects of the social and cultural context," the researchers write. "The fact that people tend to follow social norms and cultural mores can sometimes have undesirable consequences. For example, continuous exposure to news examples of people going out might explain why it was difficult to convince Italians to stay at home after the COVID-19 lockdown of March 11." But they also report that "understanding these features of the social environment, such as social norms, social inequality, culture, and polarization, can help identify risk factors and successful messages and interventions." Prior studies have found that our decisions are influenced by social norms--what we perceive others are doing or approve/disapprove of--and that "informational influence" occurs when people use others' behavior as input for reasonable interpretations and responses. Notably, this effect is stronger when people are uncertain and outcomes are important--as in during a pandemic. However, the authors caution that although we are influenced by perceptions of norms, research has shown that our estimates of behavior are frequently inaccurate. For example, people can underestimate the frequency others engage in health-promoting behaviors (e.g., hand washing) and overestimate their unhealthy ones (e.g., not properly covering one's mouth when coughing). In order to most effectively change behaviors by correcting misperceptions, the authors point to the importance of public messages that reinforce health-promoting norms (e.g., social distancing and hand-washing) and not highlighting extreme or uncommon behaviors, such as panic buying or young adults gathering. Public health experts have said that one of the most vital strategies for slowing the spread of COVID-19 is "social distancing"--a practice that, while beneficial, "clashes with the deep-seated human instinct to connect with others, especially during emotional times," the authors observe. Studies have shown social connection "helps people regulate affect, cope with stress, and remain resilient during difficult times" while other scholarship has revealed that "loneliness and social isolation worsen the burden of stress, and produce deleterious effects on mental, cardiovascular, and immune health." However, the researchers list ways we can diminish the ill effects of isolation. One, they advocate replacing the term "social distancing"--when possible--with "physical distancing." This change, they say, would "highlight the fact that deep social connection with a broader community is possible even when people are physically apart through the use of technology." Two, they cite the value of online forums, which have long served as hubs for mutual support--in particular, among individuals with rare illnesses--and psychological well-being. Other technologies, such as FaceTime and Zoom, have been found to be valuable in generating empathy and connection. Van Bavel and Willer recognize potential barriers to these tools for seniors. "Special attention should be placed on helping older adults--who might be less familiar with these technologies--to learn and acclimate to the potential richness of digital connections. COVID-19 will leave many of us confused, anxious, and lonely," they write. "Urgent action is needed to mitigate the potential devastation of COVID-19, and drawing from existing knowledge can help ensure we are taking constructive steps," Van Bavel says. "In addition, the lessons from past studies should be relevant to future pandemics and other public health crises. Whether policy makers are trying to increase vaccination rates or reduce the harm of climate change, they will be fundamentally facing many of the same issues in the future." "By applying the knowledge gained from earlier research, we hope that public health experts will be better equipped to communicate effectively and drive behavior change in a manner that yields global benefits," adds Willer. Source: New York University Journal reference: Bavel, J.J.V., et al. (2020) Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nature Human Behaviour. doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0884-z.
2 May 18:59 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Researchers-outline-ways-to-manage-life-under-COVID-19-pandemic.aspxRating: 0.76
Government Must Reject COVID-19 Vaccines That Use Aborted Baby Cell Lines
2 May 19:35
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 19:35
Average US: 10.4
Weighted average US: 10.4
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 8.8
Weighted average IN: 8.8
Government Must Reject COVID-19 Vaccines That Use Aborted Baby Cell Lines
The government has a moral obligation to refuse to fund research or purchase morally contentious vaccines to fight Coronavirus and other threats to life and health, that have been derived from cell lines of children who have been killed in abortion. It is abhorrent that vaccines developed from aborted cell lines contain the DNA of the children who were aborted. Right to Life is writing to the Minister of Health requesting that the government purchase only ethically produced vaccines to combat the coronavirus. The government has a duty to offer to the community vaccines that will not violate the conscience of those who are opposed to the killing of the innocent. We should not have to accept vaccines from aborted cell lines when other more morally acceptable alternatives exist. The Congregation for the Faith in Rome issued an instruction, Dignitas Personae in 2008. “The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a great “yes” to human life and must be at the centre of ethical reflection on biomedical research, which has an ever greater importance in today’s world.” Vaccines are developed on the cultures of human tissue of babies killed before birth, precisely because they are human. It would be hypocritical of the government to purchase these vaccines when it has just recently rushed the anti-life Abortion Legislation Act through parliament on the pretext that the unborn child is not a human being. Is the government now prepared to concede that the unborn child is a human being? There are two main aborted cell lines developed in 1964 and 1970 from healthy aborted children killed in the second trimester that are used to produce vaccines. There were hundreds of unborn babies killed before these cell lines were perfected. New cell lines continue to be developed from the human remains of babies killed before birth. French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur is hoping to have a morally acceptable vaccine ready for human testing later this year. Two American companies, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna expect to commence human testing, the former in July and the latter in September 2020. Both of these companies are using unethical aborted cell lines. The government should not purchase unethically produced vaccines from these companies. Governments should seek to fund research on, and purchase, morally uncontentious vaccines, both to reward morally uncontentious research and to provide more citizens with vaccines they can in conscience accept. Internationally, there are many vaccines that have been developed using aborted baby cell lines. It is very much to be hoped that morally un-contentious vaccines will be made widely available to all peoples of the world, both to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to combat other threats to life and health.” © Scoop Media
2 May 19:35 • SCOOP • https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2005/S00027/government-must-reject-covid-19-vaccines-that-use-aborted-baby-cell-lines.htmRating: 0.30
Dogs in Corsica in COVID-19 emergency service detection trials
2 May 17:05
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.52
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:05
Average US: 4.0
Weighted average US: 4.0
Average GB: 0.9
Weighted average GB: 0.9000000000000001
Average IN: 1.5
Weighted average IN: 1.5000000000000002
Dogs in Corsica in COVID-19 emergency service detection trials
euronews_icons_loading Dogs in Corsica are being trained by the emergency services to try to detect people who may be infected with coronavirus. Firefighters in Ajaccio are doing this by using sweat samples from COVID-19 patients who've agreed to be part of the trial. Corporal Mar Anto Costa, a firefighter based in Ajaccio, said: "Dogs are known for their capacity to recognise other diseases including cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers and even diabetes, although it has not been officially proven. "What remains to be proven is whether the COVID-19 molecule emits a particular odour." The samples are placed in particular places to see if the dogs can then detect them. Brice Leva, another Coriscan firefighter, said: "It's simply a plastic tube by which the smell is placed, leaving the smell-emitting molecules. And then, with these plastic tubes, we train the dogs." If this test is successful and the results are confirmed, it would allow rapid and massive screening of the population.
2 May 17:05 • euronews • https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/02/dogs-in-corsica-in-covid-19-emergency-service-detection-trialsRating: 3.04
Alternate light found to be five times better at detecting bruises on victims than white light
2 May 18:21
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:21
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Alternate light found to be five times better at detecting bruises on victims than white light
Bruise detection and diagnosis is currently conducted by sight, under regular light, and bruises are often difficult to see on victims of violence depending on their skin color and the age of their injury. As a result, individuals with dark skin tones are at a significant disadvantage in having their injuries properly identified and documented. This can have a significant impact on both medical and legal outcomes for victims of violence. For example, strangulation, a violent act often perpetrated during intimate partner violence, is now charged by many states as a felony. Detecting bruises associated with these dangerous offenses can provide important evidence towards prosecution. To address the challenges of detecting bruises, Scafide and colleagues conducted a randomized control trial with 157 participants to test the effectiveness of an alternate light source at detecting bruises compared to commonly used white light. They also assessed the impact of skin color, age, gender, localized fat, and mode of injury on bruise detection. They found that using alternate light was five times better at detecting bruises on victims across a variety of skin tones than white light. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Scafide cautions that alternate light can detect bruises but should not yet be used to diagnose bruises because other skin lesions (e.g., scars, hyperpigmentation) may appear similar when viewed using this technology. Alternate light should only be interpreted in conjunction with a history of injury and other physical assessment findings. Scafide will continue this work with a new grant from the National Institute of Justice that will allow her to develop and evaluate evidence-based guidelines for implementing alternate light in the clinical assessment of bruises. Source: George Mason University Journal reference: Scafide, K.N., et al. (2020) Detection of Inflicted Bruises by Alternate Light: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Forensic Sciences. doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14294.
2 May 18:21 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Alternate-light-found-to-be-five-times-better-at-detecting-bruises-on-victims-than-white-light.aspxRating: 0.76
UBC discovery could pave way for developing new anti-malarial drugs
2 May 17:43
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:43
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
UBC discovery could pave way for developing new anti-malarial drugs
For the first time, UBC researchers have shown a key difference in the three-dimensional structures of a key metabolic enzyme in the parasite that causes malaria compared to its human counterpart. The finding, recently published in the International Union of Crystallography Journal, brings researchers one step closer to developing new therapies to combat drug-resistant malaria. The structural differences of the metabolic enzyme, known as hexokinase, were captured using cryogenic electron microscopy or cryo-EM, whereby samples are cooled to cryogenic temperatures and examined at near-atomic resolution. The researchers found that the enzyme in the malaria-causing parasite, known as Plasmodium, adopts a shape that has four individual subunits, while the enzyme in humans adopts a shape with just two subunits. This difference provides a unique opportunity to design drugs that specifically target the Plasmodium enzyme, without affecting the human version. According to the World Health Organization, malaria, a mosquito-borne illness, affects more than 200 million individuals annually, resulting in the death of an estimated 400,000 each year. New treatments are in need, as resistance to the most common forms of anti-malarial drugs are on the rise, making the disease increasingly difficult to treat in some parts of the world. "With this discovery, a new avenue for combatting drug-resistant malaria has opened," says the study's first author Dr. Shanti Swaroop Srivastava, a UBC postdoctoral fellow in Subramaniam's lab, which is recognized for world-leading contributions in cryo-EM. "Now that we know the atomic structural information of this key metabolic enzyme, new drugs can be developed to block the parasite's ability to metabolize glucose and survive." Source: University of British Columbia Journal reference: Srivastava, S.S., et al. (2020) Plasmodium vivax and human hexokinases share similar active sites but display distinct quaternary architectures. International Union of Crystallography Journal. doi.org/10.1107/S2052252520002456.
2 May 17:43 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/UBC-discovery-could-pave-way-for-developing-new-anti-malarial-drugs.aspxRating: 0.76
A meteor shower is lighting up the night sky on Cinco de Mayo
2 May 18:36
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:36
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
A meteor shower is lighting up the night sky on Cinco de Mayo
Skywatchers can expect an exciting month of cosmic phenomena, starting with a meteor shower to mark a beautiful start to Cinco de Mayo. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of Tuesday, May 5. With most people stuck inside, isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic, May's celestial events present a much-needed opportunity to connect with nature. What are the Eta Aquarids? The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks each year during early May as Earth passes through the debris trail from Halley's Comet (1P/Halley). The Orionids meteor shower in October also originates from this comet. The famous Halley's Comet is visible from Earth about every 76 years. It was last seen in 1986 and won't be visible again until 2061. Each year, when Earth collides with the comet's orbit, vaporizing debris comes flying into our atmosphere at a whopping 148,000 miles per hour, according to NASA, making the meteors well known for their speed. Fast meteors tend to leave glowing dust "trains" behind them, producing magnificent "shooting stars." Under normal conditions, the annual meteor shower typically produces about 30 meteors per hour. It's named for its radiant, or direction of origin, which appears to come from the constellation Aquarius. The Eta Aquarids are one of the best meteor showers of the year for people in the Southern Hemisphere because Aquarius is higher up in the sky there. However, it is also visible in the northern hemisphere. An image of an Eta Aquarid meteor from the NASA All Sky Fireball Network station in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in May 2013. NASA When and where to watch the Eta Aquarids The shower is visible in both hemispheres, with the best viewing occurring just before dawn. Locating the radiant point is not necessary for viewing — all you need to do is look up. Viewing in the Southern Hemisphere is preferable but not necessary. From the northern hemisphere, the shooting stars often appear as "earth grazers" — long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth near the horizon. To view any meteor shower, it is always advised to escape harsh city lights and find an open area. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, allowing about 30 minutes in the dark for your eyes to adjust. Be patient, and don't forget a blanket! Unfortunately, the shower is peaking very close to a full moon, so only the brightest of shooting stars will be visible. On May 7, the "Super Flower Moon" arrives just in time for the spring flowers to bloom. It will be the fourth and final supermoon of 2020. NYPD officers will fan out across NYC this weekend to enforce social distancing Cuomo: Virus death toll has remained "obnoxiously and terrifyingly high" Saturday Sessions: M. Ward performs "Heaven's Nail and Hammer"
2 May 18:36 • Yahoo • https://news.yahoo.com/meteor-shower-lighting-night-sky-183640657.htmlRating: 0.30
Study finds potential new therapeutic targets for childhood brain tumors
2 May 17:36
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:36
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Study finds potential new therapeutic targets for childhood brain tumors
People with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are prone to developing tumors on nervous system tissue. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that the development and growth of such tumors are driven by nearby noncancerous neurons and immune cells. The findings point to potential new therapeutic targets for people with NF1. Children with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) can develop brain and nerve tumors. If a tumor develops within the optic nerve, which connects the eye and the brain, the child may lose his or her vision. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that the growth of these brain tumors is driven by nearby noncancerous neurons and immune cells, and that targeting immune cells slows tumor growth in mice. The findings, published May 1 in Nature Communications, point to new potential treatments for low-grade brain tumors in people with NF1. NF1 affects about one in every 3,000 people. It is caused by any one of a variety of mutations in the NF1 gene. While people with NF1 usually come to medical attention for birthmarks on their skin, nearly one in five children with NF1 will develop a brain tumor on the optic nerve, called an optic glioma. To better understand what drives the development and growth of these brain tumors in people with NF1, first author Xiaofan Guo, MD, a graduate student in Gutmann's research laboratory, and colleagues studied mice with NF1 mutations and optic gliomas. The team previously had discovered that the tumor cells in optic gliomas are interspersed with immune cells that help drive tumor formation and growth. But there is also another cell type in the vicinity of the tumor: neurons. Suspecting that neurons also might be contributing to tumor growth, the researchers examined human neurons with NF1 mutations that had been grown from stem cells. They discovered that the neurons release a protein that activates immune cells known as T cells, which then produce proteins that promote the growth of tumor cells. The findings jibe with data from people with low-grade gliomas. By analyzing two publicly available datasets, the researchers found that patients whose tumors had more of a kind of T cell known as CD8+ T cells had reduced overall survival. Disrupting the communication between neurons, T cells and tumor cells potentially could slow the growth of tumors, the researchers said. In the new study, they removed T cells from mice with optic gliomas, or prevented T cells from getting into the brains of such mice. In both scenarios, the researchers found that the optic gliomas grew more slowly in the absence of T cells. "What we have here is a new way of thinking about how neurons and immune cells interact to control tumor growth, adding important new insights to the emerging field of cancer neuroscience," Gutmann said. "We are excited about harnessing these critical interactions to develop new therapeutic strategies for childhood brain tumors." Source: Washington University School of Medicine Journal reference: Guo, X., et al. (2020) Midkine activation of CD8+ T cells establishes a neuron–immune–cancer axis responsible for low-grade glioma growth. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15770-3.
2 May 17:36 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Study-finds-potential-new-therapeutic-targets-for-childhood-brain-tumors.aspxRating: 0.76
Can antibody tests help tackle COVID-19?
2 May 18:32
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:32
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Can antibody tests help tackle COVID-19?
The story so far: In the COVID-19 fight, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had advised States to use antibody testing for surveillance and reiterated that the focus has always been on real time RT-PCR (or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests for diagnosis. The rapid testing kits that State governments had been using to detect antibodies to the novel coronavirus were throwing up unreliable results. In Rajasthan for example, rapid testing kits failed to detect antibodies even when the laboratories had confirmed patients to be COVID-19 positive. There are two ways to detect the presence of a virus, directly or indirectly. Antibody tests, also called serological tests, have usually been the time-tested approach to finding out the presence of a virus in the body. They do so by detecting the presence and quantity of antibodies that are produced by the immune system to battle an infection. It is an indirect test because it cannot find the virus, but it can determine if the immune system has encountered it. Antibodies can show up between nine to 28 days after an infection has set in; by that time, an infected person, if not isolated, can spread the disease. Sometimes the antibodies may be produced in response to a closely-related pathogen and sometimes they may not be the right kind to counter the infection. These are the factors that can make an antibody test erroneous. In an RT-PCR test, a nasal or throat swab is taken from a patient suspected of having the disease. The test involves extracting RNA or ribonucleic acid, the genetic material of the virus, and checking if it shares the same genetic sequence as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If it is a match, the sample is deemed positive. The only way such tests turn negative is if the actual sample does not have the virus or the swab was not properly administered and too little of the virus was gleaned. As the sequencing of genomes is now widespread and the technology well understood by experts in several countries, China, and subsequently others, were quickly able to determine the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and learn what differentiates it from related viruses. This is why it was possible to prepare accurate tests to detect the virus relatively quickly, almost in the middle of a pandemic, and the RT-PCR tests began to be followed as the ‘gold standard’ in detecting the virus. As not enough research hours have been spent studying the antibodies and the profile of recovered patients, the antibody tests we have for COVID-19 are imperfect. Antibody tests are fast and relatively inexpensive. The current RT-PCR technology requires RNA extracting machines, a specialised laboratory, and trained technicians. And at least a minimum of 30 samples are needed to make the process economically viable. The tests are done in batches and it can take up to four hours to confidently test for the presence of a virus from a batch. If one adds the time taken to isolate the RNA from swabs, this could again take a couple of hours. The scale of logistics involved can mean that it can practically take a day for results from a sample to be known. If one adds the cost of chemicals needed to perform these tests and the vagaries of importing practically every element of the paraphernalia involved, in the midst of a pandemic when demand far exceeds supply, it results in the test not being cheap. It can cost at least ₹4,500 depending on whether one is tested at a public or privately-run facility. Antibody tests are portable, can be administered on-site, conducted en masse and give quick answers. However, these answers are useful in-so-far as those who are using them are asking the right questions. Given that they are not useful for directly detecting the presence of the virus, antibody tests can be used to gauge the extent of infection in a community or a large group of people who may have had exposure to the virus. Much like pregnancy detection kits, rapid-test kits change colour when particular molecules are detected. Two kinds of antibodies result from an infection: Immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G (IgM and IgG). In response to an infection, the IgM is first produced within a week of infection. Two weeks later, the levels of IgM reduce and are replaced by IgG. The latter is a longer-lasting antibody and, depending on the infectious agent involved, can offer different durations of immunity. Antibodies to the chickenpox virus last for decades. Those to influenza viruses and even other coronaviruses (that cause the common cold) last no more than a year or two. This is why people need flu shots at regular intervals, and one of the reasons why it is practically pointless to have a vaccine for the common cold. It is too early in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine how long immunity lasts. Nevertheless the presence of IgM, IgG can in a sample of the population determine whether the virus is present in certain clusters. Ideally, this can help government authorities decide on what regions in a lockdown can be opened up if the aim is to get regular life back on track as soon as possible. This is what happened when infections had reached frightening proportions in the United States and Europe. It was apparent that the limitations of the RT-PCR combined with the virus’s ability to spread even through those who were not visibly sick would mean large numbers would be infected without being detected. Rapid antibody tests can also play a role in determining the degree of “herd immunity” in a population. That is, the true number who may have been infected; when a sizeable fraction of the population has been infected, the virus ceases its pace of spread. Current research expects herd immunity to have been achieved when 55% to 80% of the population has been infected — only careful serological surveys can establish that. Studies in India too have shown that for every symptomatic positive, there are two asymptomatic or presymptomatics (those who do not visibly manifest the disease). Thus, antibody tests could also be used for such estimates in India. The ICMR had laid out the strategy to use antibody tests to gauge the degree of COVID-19 presence in the country. The plan involved using a combination of both RT-PCR and antibody tests to establish infection levels. Two Chinese companies, Wondfo and Livzon, got licences to sell 500,000 rapid antibody kits to the ICMR. Several of these were to be given to States and some were for the ICMR’s own use. A first batch was deployed in some States and soon complaints began pouring in over inaccurate results. The ICMR then asked States to stop using these kits for two days. After two days, the ICMR advised States to stop using the kits altogether. The Health Ministry has cancelled the licences given to the companies that were importing these kits from China. So far, the ICMR has not clarified what was wrong with the kits. The Chinese companies have also claimed that the kits were validated by the ICMR’s expert body, the National Institute of Virology (NIV). However, the NIV only clears batches of kits that are submitted for testing. It is possible that even if a company’s kits get cleared, it ends up supplying kits on the field that are not up to the mark. Another feature of the kits is their sensitivity (in percentage terms, the times the tests correctly identify people as positive for an infection) and specificity (in percentage terms, the times the test correctly rules out those not carrying the virus). Specificity refers to its ability to accurately distinguish between the target virus and other viruses. It is a well-established feature of tests that in regions of low actual prevalence of a disease, they can, depending on the kit’s specificity and sensitivity, miscategorise vast numbers of those tested. It is not clear if these were factored in in tests using kits blamed as faulty by States. India is not the only place where complaints over Chinese kits have been raised. The United Kingdom and Spain have also raised such issues with these kits. In either event, there is no clarity if the ICMR has ordered more kits. The Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has said that by the end of May, the country will have kits that are made in India for antibody and RT-PCR tests.
2 May 18:32 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/can-antibody-tests-help-tackle-covid-19/article31490919.eceRating: 0.30
When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?
2 May 18:32
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:32
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?
The story so far: On April 23, Oxford University initiated a phase-1 human clinical trial of its vaccine — ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 — against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. A single dose of the candidate vaccine will be administered to 1,112 healthy volunteers to study the safety, ability to produce immune response and efficacy of the vaccine. Oxford University is optimistic of a positive outcome of the candidate vaccine and has planned to get millions of doses of the vaccine before the end of the year even as results of the final phase of the trial (phase-3) are awaited. The vaccine candidate was developed by the University’s Jenner Institute which began trials in humans on April 23 jointly with the University’s Oxford Vaccine Group. The vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, uses the common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees. The adenovirus has been genetically altered so that it does not grow once injected. The construct carries the genetic material of the novel coronavirus that makes the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus and plays a crucial role in binding to specific human receptors found on cell surfaces and entering the cells. By introducing the genetic material of the spike protein, the candidate vaccine will help the body recognise it and make antibodies against the spike protein. The antibodies produced will help mount an immune response and prevent the virus from entering the human cells and causing an infection. Oxford University has used vaccines made from the adenovirus construct to over 320 people and has found it to be safe and well tolerated. It does cause transient side effects such as a fever, headache or a sore arm but is otherwise safe. The adenovirus construct has been used by Oxford University researchers to test safety for both the 2002 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Once the safety of the MERS vaccine was proven in a trial carried out in the U.K., a trial began in December last year in Saudi Arabia, where MERS outbreaks occur frequently. The safety of the candidate vaccine was earlier tested on six rhesus macaque monkeys. A single dose protected all the six animals for nearly a month even when exposed to high levels of the virus, boosting the confidence of the researchers. Up to 1,112 healthy volunteers from Oxford, Southampton, London and Bristol have been recruited for the phase-1 trial. Volunteers, both male and female between 18-55 years, are being recruited for the trial. A single dose of the candidate vaccine will be administered to volunteers. The participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the candidate vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or a ‘control’, the MenACWY vaccine, for comparison. Oxford University is using the MenACWY vaccine — that protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria — rather than a saline control. The participants will not know if he or she received a candidate vaccine or not. The university researchers will also be testing two doses of the candidate vaccine given four weeks apart on a small group of 10 volunteers to assess the dosage and immune response. The MenACWY vaccine is a licensed vaccine given routinely to teenagers in the U.K. since 2015. The MenACWY vaccine is being used as an “active control” vaccine to help understand participants’ response to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. The reason for using this vaccine, rather than a saline control, is because researchers expect to see some minor side effects from the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine such as a sore arm, headache and fever. Saline does not cause any of these side effects. If participants were to receive only this vaccine or a saline control, and went on to develop side effects, they would be aware that they had received the new vaccine. It is critical for the study, says Oxford University, that participants remain blinded to whether or not they have received the vaccine, “as, if they knew, this could affect their health behaviour in the community following vaccination, and may lead to a bias in the results of the study”. While all participants will be told how to reduce infection risk, it is necessary that participants receiving both vaccines are exposed to the virus and some get infected. Only then will it become possible to understand if the vaccinated group remained protected or not compared with the control arm. For this purpose, keeping the participants in the dark about the vaccine received makes the trial robust. The phase-1 trial is expected to be completed in end-May if transmission remains high in the community. The phase-2 trial may be completed by August-September. According to Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., phase-2 and phase-3 trials may get combined if the phase-1 trial results are encouraging. According to Mr. Jadhav, the company will start manufacturing the vaccine the moment the phase-3 trial or the combined phase-2/phase-3 trial begins. If the last two stages of the trial are combined then it would start manufacturing the vaccine by end-June and be ready with millions of doses by the end of the year. The company is confident of manufacturing 60-70 million vaccine doses by the end of the year. He says, “Since we will begin manufacturing when the last phase of the trial is initiated, we will have millions of vaccine doses ready by the time the trial ends.” In a tweet on April 30, Oxford University said it is partnering with AstraZeneca to manufacture and distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible. It said the vaccine will be made available on a “not for profit basis for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic”.
2 May 18:32 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/when-will-a-covid-19-vaccine-be-ready/article31490925.eceRating: 0.30
TED Radio Hour: Inoculation
2 May 18:28
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:28
Average US: 24.9
Weighted average US: 24.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
TED Radio Hour: Inoculation
Can we protect ourselves from future outbreaks? COVID-19 isn't the first pandemic, and likely not the last. On this week's show, TED speakers share lessons from past pandemics and what they mean for our future A century after the 1918 flu, we see similar patterns in the ways we're responding to COVID-19. Laura Spinney reflects on the Spanish flu and how societies learn to move forward after pandemics. In 2003, polio reemerged in twenty countries that had long been declared polio-free. Anthropologist Heidi Larson says to stop the spread of disease, we need to first build trust in vaccines. MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19-the viruses that cause these diseases likely have the same patient zero: bats. For researcher Daniel Streicker, the key to preventing an outbreak is the bats themselves. Anupam Jena has made a practice of looking at big data and natural experiments to ask questions others overlook. He describes how the COVID-19 pandemic could have several unexpected consequences. Over the past weeks, all of us have adapted to a new normal. We reached out to a few TED speakers to ask how things have changed for them and what little things have brought them joy.
2 May 18:28 • Newstalk • https://www.newstalk.com/ted-radio-hour/ted-radio-hour-inoculation-1006915Rating: 0.30
An extended SAR analysis of lipophilic guanylhydrazone analogues as promising trypanocidal agents
2 May 17:31
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:31
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
An extended SAR analysis of lipophilic guanylhydrazone analogues as promising trypanocidal agents
Sleeping sickness and Chagas disease, caused by the tropical parasites Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi, constitute a significant socioeconomic burden in low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, respectively. Drug development for treating these diseases is underfunded. Moreover, current treatments are outdated and difficult to administer, while drug resistance is an emerging concern. In this report, a team of researchers lead by Dr. Grigoris Zoidis at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Athens, Greece), in collaboration with researchers at the Ruder Boskovic Institute (Zagreb (Croatia), and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (London, United Kingdom) have attempted to extend the structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of a number of lipophilic guanylhydrazone analogues with respect to in vitro growth inhibition of T. brucei and T. cruzi. The synthesis of adamantane-based compounds that have potential as antitrypanosomal agents has been extensively reviewed by the team. The researchers also investigated the critical role of the adamantane ring by synthesizing and testing a number of novel lipophilic guanylhydrazones. The introduction of hydrophobic bulky substituents onto the adamantane ring generated the most active analogues, illustrating the synergistic effect of the lipophilic character of the C1 side chain and guanylhydrazone moiety on trypanocidal activity. In their study, the n-decyl C1-substituted compound G8 proved to be the most potent adamantane derivative against T. brucei with activity in the nanomolar range (EC50=90 nM). Molecular simulations were also performed to better understand the structure-activity relationships between the studied guanylhydrazone analogues and their potential enzyme target. Source: Bentham Science Publishers Journal reference: Pardali, V., et al. (2020) Lipophilic Guanylhydrazone Analogues as Promising Trypanocidal Agents: An Extended SAR Study. Current Pharmaceutical Design. doi.org/10.2174/1381612826666200210150127.
2 May 17:31 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/An-extended-SAR-analysis-of-lipophilic-guanylhydrazone-analogues-as-promising-trypanocidal-agents.aspxRating: 0.76
Study shows no association between prices and clinical benefit of cancer drugs
2 May 17:22
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:22
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Study shows no association between prices and clinical benefit of cancer drugs
Do high prices of some cancer medicines have a higher benefit than those drugs with lower prices? An international UZH study has concluded that, in general, there is no correlation between costs of a cancer drugs and their clinical benefit. The researchers are therefore calling for the clinical benefit of drugs to be better reflected in pricing. A growing number of new cancer drugs have come on the market in recent years, yet the cost of therapies in Europe and the United States have risen. This is driving up healthcare costs, which poses a challenge not only for the Swiss social insurance system, but for patients all over the world. But are the high prices of cancer drugs justified? Does the cost correspond to the particular drug's effectiveness in combating the disease? An international research team from the University of Zurich and Harvard Medical School carried out a study to examine these questions. The scientists - led by Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, professor at UZH - analyzed the costs of cancer drugs in Switzerland, Germany, England, France and the United States. The prices of 65 new oncology drugs to treat solid tumors and various types of blood cancer were adjusted to calculate the monthly treatment costs for a standard patient. In a second stage, the researchers investigated whether there is a link between monthly treatment costs and the clinical benefit of cancer drugs for solid tumors. The effectiveness of the drugs, which had been approved by the US and European licensing authorities (the FDA and EMA, respectively), was calculated using two well-established systems for evaluating the clinical benefit of cancer therapies: the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework, and the European Society of Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale. Only for France a correlation could be found based on one of the clinical benefit assessment systems. "It's also clear that the prices of cancer drugs in the US are significantly higher than in the four European countries, with Americans paying on average approximately twice as much for the same drug." This is because drug pricing in the US is dictated by the free, unregulated market. In Europe, on the other hand, national authorities negotiate prices with manufacturers. From the European countries analyzed in the study, Switzerland has the second-highest prices after England, while the same drugs are cheaper in Germany and France. It must be kept in mind, however, that NHS England benefits from non-public discounts on certain drugs, so the actual prices may be lower than the official list prices. "The pricing of cancer drugs is only partially justified. Drugs that are less effective should be cheaper than those with high efficacy," the UZH professor says. "National authorities should take greater account of the clinical benefits of drugs when negotiating prices, and therapies that provide high clinical benefit should be prioritized in price negotiations." Vokinger firmly believes that this is crucial in order to guarantee patients access to key cancer drugs since countries have only limited financial resources. Source: University of Zurich Journal reference: Vokinger, K.N., et al. (2020) Prices and clinical benefit of cancer drugs in the USA and Europe: a cost–benefit analysis. The Lancet Oncology. doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30139-X.
2 May 17:22 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Study-shows-no-association-between-prices-and-clinical-benefit-of-cancer-drugs.aspxRating: 0.76
Man gets new lease of life after delicate bypass
2 May 18:06
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 18:06
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Man gets new lease of life after delicate bypass
A team of doctors headed by cardiothoracic surgeon Gunturu Varun gave a new lease of life to a 32-year-old man who lost a kidney and was on the verge of losing his other one because of an aneurysm in his abdominal aorta. The medical team saved the man’s life by performing a rare bypass surgery. The team of doctors belonging to Capital Hospitals diagnosed the patient, who complained of severe abdominal pain and numbness in both limbs, as suffering from a case of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) that was on the verge of rupture and turning into an infected Mycotic Aneurysm. The abdominal aorta cut off a little above the level of the right renal artery causing severe vascular compromise (shortage of blood) to the abdominal organs and lower limbs causing pain in the stomach and numbness to the limbs. An emergency surgery was taken up despite the COVID-19 crisis on April 18. The patient had only one partially functioning kidney. Salvaging it was a huge surgical challenge, Dr Varun told The Hindu. The life of the man could however be saved by performing a bypass to the AAA and the damaged kidney. The patient who was admitted on April 17 was discharged on May 1.
2 May 18:06 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/man-gets-new-lease-of-life-after-delicate-bypass/article31491831.eceRating: 0.30
How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future
2 May 15:20
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.20
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:20
Average US: 59.2
Weighted average US: 59.2
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.4
Average IN: 3.4
Weighted average IN: 3.4
How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future
Today's novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the globe. The pandemic has rapidly uprooted life as we know it and left countries across the world scrambling to contain the outbreaks. In just a few short months, billions of people have become jobless, ill, or had their lives significantly disrupted. But this might not be the only infectious disease we'll have to battle in our lifetimes. According to research from the World Health Organization, and other institutions, the threat of climate change could make outbreaks even worse in the coming decades. Researchers fear that as temperatures continue to rise, infectious-disease carrying animals could adapt to more widespread climates, pathogens could become stronger at surviving in hotter temperatures, and the human immune system could face greater difficulty in battling illness. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has not been linked to climate change, here's how rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in future infectious diseases. Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Source: WHO Sources: WHO, NOAA Source: Stanford University Source: Stanford University Source: WHO Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Columbia University Source: Scientific American Sources: Scientific American, Science Sources: Time Magazine, Scientific American LoadingSomething is loading. Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine Source: Time Magazine, Business Insider Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Time Magazine Source: Scientific American Source: Scientific American Source: Business Insider Sources: Time Magazine, Johns Hopkins Source: WHO Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
2 May 15:20 • Business Insider • https://www.businessinsider.com/how-climate-change-could-impact-the-future-of-infectious-diseases-2020-5Rating: 4.40
Antioxidant-rich foods can lower risk of infection in children with leukemia
2 May 16:41
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 16:41
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Antioxidant-rich foods can lower risk of infection in children with leukemia
While encouraging children to eat their fruits and veggies is a common refrain for most parents, new research led by a pediatric oncology expert from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center underscores that diets high in antioxidant-rich foods can have particular benefits for young cancer patients. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the cohort study involving more than 500 pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) showed that those who ate diets rich in vitamins A and C and carotenoids were less likely to develop bacterial infections or mucositis during the first phase of their treatment. Led by Kara Kelly, MD, the Waldemar J. Kaminski Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at Roswell Park and Chair of the Roswell Park Oishei Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Program, the study reports that children who ate plenty of antioxidant-rich foods both at the start of their treatment and at the end of their first month of treatment had a lower risk of infection or mucositis than those children who did not, or who only took dietary supplements. ALL is one of the more common childhood cancers. While it is a potentially curable disease, treatments are linked with high rates of infection and mucositis, an inflammation of the mucous membranes that line the digestive tract. Increased intake of beta carotene, carotenoids (beneficial pigments found in fruits and vegetables), vitamin A and alpha carotene led to lower risk of infection, while increased consumption of vitamin A, E, zinc and carotenoids led to a lower risk of developing mucositis. Of the 513 children involved in this study, 120 patients (23%) who completed a dietary intake survey at the time of their diagnosis developed a bacterial infection and 87 (4%) patients who submitted a dietary intake survey at the end of induction developed mucositis. The study was part of a larger phase III clinical trial conducted as part of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Consortium, involving nine facilities in North America, from Canada to Puerto Rico. The results of this study are noteworthy, as there has been some controversy around antioxidant intake during cancer treatment. Some previous work has suggested that antioxidants could negatively affect the impact of treatment. The team reports that consuming antioxidants through foods was neither beneficial nor harmful in terms of rates of high-end induction minimal residual disease or disease-free survival. "By eating a healthier diet, patients are not doing anything to risk a relapse," Dr. Kelly notes. It's okay for parents to put cheese or other ingredients on the vegetables to make them more palatable, she adds -; so long as the patients maintain a healthy weight. To build on this work, Dr. Kelly is leading a pilot study at Roswell Park examining a nutrition education intervention to help promote the adoption of a high-quality diet. Source: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Journal reference: Ladas, E.J., et al. (2020) Protective Effects of Dietary Intake of Antioxidants and Treatment-Related Toxicity in Childhood Leukemia: A Report From the DALLT Cohort. Journal of Clinical Oncology. doi.org/10.1200/JCO.19.02555.
2 May 16:41 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Antioxidant-rich-foods-can-lower-risk-of-infection-in-children-with-leukemia.aspxRating: 0.76
Developing Covid vaccine is like flying a plane while trying to build it: University of Georgia's Ted Ross
2 May 17:30
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 17:30
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Developing Covid vaccine is like flying a plane while trying to build it: University of Georgia's Ted Ross
Ted M Ross, director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology at the University of Georgia, US, heads two Covid-19 vaccine development projects. His life, he says, is now “one long Zoom call”, as he is in constant communication with his peers around the world on the advances in their research. Ross is working on a universal respiratory vaccine that offers protection against the flu and illnesses caused by different strains of coronavirus. In a Zoom interview with G Seetharaman, Ross discusses the challenges in developing a Covid-19 vaccine and the potential risks in racing against the clock at a time when some vaccine projects have already started clinical trials, and one of them, at the University of Oxford, is hopeful of having a vaccine as early as September. Edited excerpts: What are the biggest challenges in developing a Covid-19 vaccine? Usually, before people start developing a vaccine, they spend many years studying the pathogen. They have animal models to assess the protective effectiveness of a vaccine. They understand which parts of the virus need to be targeted to make an effective vaccine. We are currently lacking all of that information to make a vaccine. We are making some assumptions, based on SARS-1, that the outer spike protein, which is the receptor-binding protein of this virus, is what we should be targeting. But we have been fooled by other viruses; it doesn’t always turn out to be the most effective strategy. HIV is an example where we all targeted the receptorbinding protein and it has not turned out to be a very good target. So we don’t have enough basic information about the virus to make the best assumptions to make a vaccine or a drug. We are basing it upon SARS-1 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and hoping it has similarities. But honestly we are trying to fly and at the same trying to build the plane. Do you see the different vaccine projects as being part of a race or is it more of a coordinated effort? I think it’s a combination. Often, there is competition in science and medicine about bringing effective treatments or drugs to the market. Most companies don’t like to share their proprietary information with others. But in an emergency situation like this, it’s been quite refreshing that scientists seem to be putting out information in the public domain with not as much concern about economic issues at the moment. I’m not saying everyone is putting 100% of their knowledge out there — there are certain things companies want to keep proprietary — but there is definitely a very large openness to share right now without really worrying about where the credit is going. What do you think is a realistic timeline for the development of a vaccine? A vaccine takes 5-10 years to bring to market. Under the accelerated emergency-use authorisation, companies have been allowed to move faster, so a 12-18-month framework is considered to be the earliest possible timeline that a vaccine could be readied for the market. That’s if everything goes correctly. What we are really saying is that if it is an absolute perfect system and the very first time the vaccine is tested it’s 100% protective, then we could have it in 18 months. If you want a more realistic timeline, you are looking at 3-5 years before that vaccine is ready to be injected in someone’s arm. We have to be realistic about what we mean by the first vaccine versus the one that’s really readied to be marketed. We have had vaccines that have been worked on and that were in the pipeline and then got accelerated, and then were ready for the market in less than two years. But here you start with a situation where you had no information six months ago and you expect a vaccine in two years — that is not something we have ever experienced before. What are the potential downsides to fast-tracking a vaccine? The first vaccine that is ready may not be the most effective one. The easiest to make may not always be the best. If people think we start vaccinating and there are failures, it can turn off the public and government officials from continuing funding. That is always a concern about putting something in the public domain too fast. People always expect it to be successful. We know that only one out of 10 vaccines actually turns out to be very successful. Are there any particular challenges in creating a vaccine for different age groups? Young adults are generally the easiest to develop a vaccine for. They have the strongest immune system and are more resistant to infectious diseases than children and the elderly. Children have underdeveloped immune systems, and the elderly have the challenge that their immune system, like the rest of our body as we age, begins to decline and is not as responsive and effective. It’s possible — we have seen this with influenza — that we may have to design different vaccines for different populations. In flu, we give the elderly a higher dose of the same vaccine that we give young adults to give them the same immune response. Sometimes it is dosage, sometimes it’s these compounds — adjuvants — that can be added to the vaccine. Adjuvants are stimulators of immune system. What’s the status of your projects? I have been working on influenza for over 20 years. We are developing a universal flu vaccine… and I’m taking the same technology from flu to coronavirus. We look at the number of strains that circulate, and using an algorithm, we identify the most dominant regions of multiple strains of the virus and engineer that into a vaccine. So there is immune response against all versions of that pathogen. With the coronavirus (vaccine/project?), we want to do human seasonal coronavirus that people get as common colds, as well as SARS-1, SARS-2 (Covid) and MERS. We want to do them all. We want to pair our coronavirus vaccine with our universal flu vaccine and use them together in a universal respiratory vaccine and do our first trials in the summer of 2021. Once we have the first Covid vaccine, what happens to the other projects? They will continue. One reason is, like I said, the first one may not be the most effective. The other is, economics comes into play. So if I can design a vaccine that’s just as effective but is cheaper, I’ll be able to sell it better than the one that came first. For example, there are numerous flu vaccines made by multiple companies. I can easily imagine that to be the case with the coronavirus.
2 May 17:30 • The Economic Times • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/developing-covid-vaccine-is-like-flying-a-plane-while-trying-to-build-it-university-of-georgia-ted-ross/articleshow/75511025.cmsRating: 0.30
Pet dogs at risk from second-hand smoke during coronavirus lockdown
2 May 14:50
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.20
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:50
Average US: 19.1
Weighted average US: 19.1
Average GB: 15.5
Weighted average GB: 15.5
Average IN: 7.6
Weighted average IN: 7.599999999999999
Pet dogs at risk from second-hand smoke during coronavirus lockdown
Smokers are putting their pets’ lives at risk as they puff away while cooped up at home. Dogs living with smokers are 60% more likely to develop deadly cancers, with cats, budgies, rabbits and even fish getting sick too. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) vet Olivia Anderson-Nathan said: "Many pet owners are unaware of the risks that smoking can have on their pets. "Our vets and nurses regularly see the devastating impact smoking can have on pets, from asthma and chronic coughing through to fatal conditions. Cancers such as lymphoma are twice as likely in cats exposed to cigarette smoke." Inhaling smoke also makes conditions like bronchitis and asthma worse. The average dog-owning smoker exposes them to 3,285 cigs every year – a figure that will have shot up dramatically because of lockdown. Simply breathing in second-hand smoke is more unpleasant for pets, too. Dogs have a stronger sense of smell, with 300 million receptors in their nose compared to our six million. And cats have toxic smoke particles settle on their fur, which they can swallow while grooming. Pets also breathe in more smoke particles on clothes at close range. Birds have extremely sensitive respiratory tracts so find smoke distressing and toxins from cigarettes can even dissolve into fish tanks. Any animal living inside your home is vulnerable to second-hand smoke. If pet owners can’t quit smoking, they should do it outside to stop toxic particles collecting on carpets and furniture. During the lockdown, they should also clean carpets and sofas more regularly and open windows, even when they are not smoking.
2 May 14:50 • mirror • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pet-dogs-risk-second-hand-21963263Rating: 2.39
Adolescents’ sexual risk behaviour can be reduced through parent involvement
2 May 15:07
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.71
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:07
Average US: 6.1
Weighted average US: 6.1
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.6
Weighted average IN: 2.6
Adolescents’ sexual risk behaviour can be reduced through parent involvement
NEW YORK, May 2 — In a new study, American researchers have highlighted the crucial role played by parents in the sexual education of adolescents, notably with regard to encouraging them to behave responsibly and use condoms. A study by researchers at New York University has found that discussing sexuality with adolescents and raising their awareness of risky behaviors yields positive results. The randomised clinical trial involving 11 to 14 year olds was led by Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, a New York University professor specializing in adolescent sexual risk behaviours. Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study evaluated the effectiveness of the Families Talking Together (FTT) program. Highlighting the educational role of parents, FTT was designed to prevent and/or reduce sexual risk behavior among Latino and African-American adolescents in the US. A total of 900 families (mothers and adolescents) who were recruited from a pediatric clinic in the Bronx, New York, took part in the study. The FTT intervention consisted of a 45-minute session in which the mothers educated adolescents about the various risks associated with sexuality (unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, etc.). Health professionals subsequently evaluated the content of the intervention three months later, and a year later. The effectiveness of the program was tested by asking the adolescents questions, notably with regard to sexual intercourse and condom use. After 12 months, five per cent of adolescents in the intervention group reported having had sexual intercourse, compared with 18 per cent of adolescents in the control group who did not take part in the FTT program. In the intervention group, 74 per cent of sexually active adolescents reported using a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse and four per cent of adolescents reported having had sexual intercourse for the first time in the last 12 months, as opposed to 49 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, among adolescents who did not participate in the FTT intervention. “The research suggests that the s triadic intervention is efficacious in delaying sexual debut and reducing sexual risk behaviour among adolescents,” conclude the authors of the study. — AFP-Relaxnews pic
2 May 15:07 • Malaymail • https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2020/05/02/adolescents-sexual-risk-behaviour-can-be-reduced-through-parent-involvement/1862494Rating: 1.42
DARPA Research Lab Designing ‘Game Changer’ Rapid Coronavirus Blood Test Repurposed From BIOWEAPONS Detection Project
2 May 14:54
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.80
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:54
Average US: 72.6
Weighted average US: 72.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
DARPA Research Lab Designing ‘Game Changer’ Rapid Coronavirus Blood Test Repurposed From BIOWEAPONS Detection Project
Germ warfare researchers at the Pentagon’s shadowy advanced projects unit have developed a new coronavirus test that could spot infected patients before they become contagious, originally created to diagnose victims of bioweapons. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) says the new test may be capable of identifying infections within 24 hours, some four days prior to any of the test kits currently available, the Guardian reported on Friday. The rapid diagnosis could find carriers well before they show symptoms and become contagious, which typically occurs within two to 14 days after infection. Initially designed to detect poisoning from biological and chemical weapons, the tests were hastily repurposed after the health crisis erupted late last year. Since they already employed the same polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines used to check standard coronavirus nasal swabs, the tests needed only “a simple tweak” to refocus them to Covid-19, according to Dr Eric Van Gieson, who helped to create the original bioweapons test. Calling the project a potential “game changer” in combating the pandemic, the head of DARPA’s biological technologies office, Dr Brad Ringeisen, said the test could fill a “diagnostic gap worldwide” if it receives emergency approval from the FDA, which could happen as early as next week. The test will look at the body’s immune response, rather than for the virus itself, which the researchers hope will detect infection faster than the nasal swabs available now. “Because the immune response to infection develops immediately after infection, a Covid signature is expected to provide more sensitive Covid infection diagnosis earlier,” said Stuart Sealfon, who heads up a team of scientists at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. While the research – a collaboration between teams at Mount Sinai hospital, Princeton and Duke University – currently sits behind closed doors, it will eventually be published for review by other scientists. If the FDA grants the test emergency approval, it could be introduced in the US sometime later this month. “We are all extremely excited,” Van Gieson said. “We want to roll this test out as quickly as we can, but at the same time share with others who might want to implement in their own countries.” Known for its more bizarre and science fiction-like projects – such as those looking into mind control, telekinesis and weaponized insects (robotic and otherwise) – the secretive agency has turned its attention to the coronavirus pandemic in recent months. In addition to the new diagnostic test, DARPA scientists are also working toward antibody treatments for the deadly pathogen, which has infected some 3.3 million people – over 1.1 million in the US – killing in excess of 213,000 worldwide. Alex Jones breaks down the depopulation agenda being pushed by elitists bent on using bioweapons to subvert the population. Infowars' most powerful product is back in stock! Get DNA Force Plus up to 50% off now!
2 May 14:54 • Infowars • https://www.infowars.com/darpa-research-lab-designing-game-changer-rapid-coronavirus-blood-test-repurposed-from-bioweapons-detection-project/Rating: 1.61
NASA Recaptures Stunning Yet 'Chaotic Terrain' of Jupiter's Moon Europa
2 May 15:29
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.36
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:29
Average US: 42.3
Weighted average US: 42.3
Average GB: 1.3
Weighted average GB: 1.3
Average IN: 23.2
Weighted average IN: 23.2
NASA Recaptures Stunning Yet 'Chaotic Terrain' of Jupiter's Moon Europa
NASA has reprocessed photos of Jupiter's moon Europa that had been captured by its Galileo spacecraft back in the 1990s. The reprocessed versions of the pictures reveal the moon's surface in stunning detail, highlighting what NASA refers to as 'chaos terrain' and several data about the functions determined on the surface. The new variations of the pics are made feasible using modern-day photograph processing technologies. ALSO READ: Again? Researchers Say Jupiter's Mysterious Great Red Spot Is Shrinking Jupiter's funky moon Europa represents astronaut's exceptional pictures at finding life past Earth in our solar system. NASA can be sending a destiny challenge to take a look at icy Europa. Still, astronauts will lose found themselves improving new variations of old snapshots taken by the Galileo spacecraft. NASA released three newly reprocessed Galileo perspectives on Thursday, highlighting the moon's "chaos terrain," which looks as if a cross between ice crystals and frenzied scratch marks. The photograph information becomes firstly captured in the late 1990s, according to NASA, making them more than 20 years old. New photograph processing strategies have allowed the space corporation to revisit these old records and learn more from what it has to offer. Astronauts also wanted to discover the information of Europa's surface better, or at the least, how it existed a long time ago. Europa is known for its thick icy shell with dark tints in lots of areas. The surface functions massive, long grooves and etches that seem like thick scars across the body. NASA has captured many images of the moon, which are processed using diverse photograph techniques to highlight certain functions. NASA's reprocessed images show a 'crisscrossing bands,' as well as chaos terrain with blocks of cloth and ridges in which the crust has fractured. Each photo suggests a close-up look at these features, even though they're not quite as crisp as a few newer pictures we've seen. "Areas that appear light blue or white are made of relatively pure water ice, and reddish areas have more non-ice materials, such as salts," the agency said. NASA processed the photographs to enhance the color and make landscape features stand out. Scientists are curious approximately how Europa's pretty young surface formed. "Areas of so-called chaos terrain contain blocks that have moved sideways, turned around, or tilted before being refrozen into their new locations," said NASA. The new imagery was generated as part of NASA's coaching for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. Astronauts intend to flyby the moon frequently to gather records about the oceans it has hidden beneath a thick crust of ice. NASA has previously stated that Europa holds quite a few promises for discovering symptoms of existence past Earth because of those oceans. The Galileo mission ended in 2003, while the spacecraft dove into Jupiter's atmosphere. Europa Clipper will select up where Galileo left off. It'll also look for signs that Europa could be hosting some shape of life. There can be more than chaos lurking inside the moon's strange terrain. ALSO READ: Rings of Uranus Are Like Nothing Else in The Solar System, Scientists Claim
2 May 15:29 • Tech Times • https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249308/20200502/nasa-recaptures-stunning-yet-chaotic-terrain-of-jupiters-moon-europa.htmRating: 0.73
Study finds racial differences in time from diagnosis to definitive surgery for melanoma
2 May 14:48
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:48
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Study finds racial differences in time from diagnosis to definitive surgery for melanoma
Black patients with one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer are likely to experience a longer delay from diagnosis to surgery than non-Hispanic white (NHW) patients, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The time from diagnosis to definitive surgery (TTDS) for melanoma was 23.4 days on average for black patients, compared to 11.7 days for NHW patients. Black patients were twice as likely to have a TTDS of 41 to 60 days, three times as likely to have a TTDS of 61 to 90 days and five times as likely to have a TTDS of 91 days or longer. The study, led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH), was based on National Cancer Database statistics from 2004-15. It also found that the disparities persisted despite controlling for various demographic characteristics, including insurance type and income level. The study's principal investigator is Jeremy Bordeaux, director of the Multidisciplinary Melanoma Program at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and a professor of dermatology at the medical school. The study's co-authors represent several disciplines and are from the medical school, UH, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Minnesota Medical Center, the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The study builds on several research projects Bordeaux's team conducted in recent years involving different aspects of melanoma and racial disparities. The current study identified nearly 234,000 people with melanoma-;1,221 (0.52%) of whom were black. Tripathi said that that because the incidence of melanoma in black populations is relatively low, using large health-care databases and sample sizes allows researchers to include a sufficient number of black patients to investigate racial disparities in skin cancers. Patients with Medicaid had the longest TTDS (an average of 60.4 days), and those with private insurance had the shortest (44.6 days). Racial differences in TTDS persisted in each insurance group, suggesting that insurance status doesn't fully account for these disparities. The precise nature of the association between TTDS and race is not known, Tripathi said. However, black patients typically develop more aggressive melanomas and require more complex surgeries that can take longer to arrange, particularly if they involve coordination among several clinicians. In addition, he said, awareness about skin cancer among black Americans is often limited because it is relatively rare in that population. "Ultimately, we hope this study will draw attention to the importance of further understanding the various components of TTDS and worse outcomes for black melanoma patients," Tripathi said. "Additionally, this study suggests that targeted approaches to improve TTDS for black melanoma patients are integral in reducing racial disparities in melanoma outcomes." Source: Case Western Reserve University Journal reference: Tripathi, R., et al. (2020) Racial Differences in Time to Treatment for Melanoma. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.03.094.
2 May 14:48 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Study-finds-racial-differences-in-time-from-diagnosis-to-definitive-surgery-for-melanoma.aspxRating: 0.76
Do-it-yourself cheek swab tested as next best thing to detect coronavirus
2 May 14:39
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.38
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:39
Average US: 19.3
Weighted average US: 19.300000000000004
Average GB: 1.5
Weighted average GB: 1.5000000000000002
Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.600000000000001
Do-it-yourself cheek swab tested as next best thing to detect coronavirus
Coronavirus testing is commonly an unpleasant, even painful experience in which a health care provider pushes a torturously long swab up your nostril. President Donald Trump declared that submitting to the process was "a little bit difficult." Since late March, three Southern California jurisdictions - Los Angeles County, and the cities of L.A. and Long Beach - have offered a more palatable alternative to this nasopharyngeal sampling, whose very name poses a challenge. At 21 drive-thru sites, anyone can now provide a sample by swishing a cotton swab around their mouths, putting it in a tube and dropping it in a receptacle on their way out — all within the comfort of their cars. Some experts suggest this self-sampling approach may provide an easier way to ramp up massive testing in the U.S. "I strongly advocate for the oral self-swab," said Dr. Clayton Kazan, medical director for the L.A. County Fire Department, which is overseeing the county's drive-thru testing program. "It may or may not be inferior, depending on the study you read, but, logistically, there is no comparison." But many public health officials balk at relying on the simpler tests unless scientific data convincingly shows they work as well as the accepted methods. "I have real concerns about decisions that are made based on studies that have not been peer-reviewed," said Dr. Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "In the middle of this pandemic, we don't want to compromise, especially if people are going to use that information to decide if they're going to follow social distancing," said Dr. Adam Jarrett, chief medical officer at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. Nasopharyngeal samples have long been standard for diagnosing influenza and other respiratory infections because the pathogens are known to colonize the upper part of the throat behind the nose. In contrast, the simpler method being used in L.A. County — in which patients are asked to cough and then swab their cheeks and the back of their mouths — is based on a limited body of emerging research. The CDC currently calls nasopharyngeal swabs the "preferred choice" for coronavirus testing. It doesn't recommend self-collected oral fluids, and the number of jurisdictions pursuing this strategy remains limited. In early April, Middlesex County, New Jersey, also began to offer symptomatic individuals drive-thru tests using oral samples produced after a cough. On Monday, officials in New York City said they planned to begin offering testing using self-collected oral and nasal samples at public hospitals. Scientists and public health experts have promoted increased viral testing and surveillance as key to any strategy for safely loosening societal restrictions — and the need to collect nasopharyngeal samples by professionals dressed in protective gear represents a major obstacle. That's why interest is rising in the use of oral samples as well as nasal swabs that can be self-administered, said Lisa Barcellos, an epidemiologist at the University of California-Berkeley. "It's impossible to scale up anything that requires health professionals to do it, and with equipment that's hard to get," Barcellos said. The surge in demand for the specialized 6-inch swabs required for the nasopharyngeal procedure has led to critical shortages, she added. The L.A. County, Los Angeles and Long Beach drive-thru sites — designed for people experiencing symptoms — collectively process about 7,000 oral swab tests a day, with a positive rate of just over 7%, according to Curative, the diagnostics company that provides the tests. Curative is holding discussions with jurisdictions in other areas and last week announced an agreement to test Air Force personnel. Kazan acknowledged that nasopharyngeal sampling is considered the most trustworthy method but noted recent studies have reported promising results from oral samples. Moreover, he said, relying on self-administered techniques eliminates the danger to health care personnel and minimizes the need for personal protective equipment in short supply, like masks, face shields and protective suits. Kazan said people who receive the tests are relieved to find that collecting secretions from their mouths is relatively quick and easy. "I think that a lot of folks envision what they saw on YouTube, people in PPE that look like astronauts putting swabs way up people’s noses," he said. But to be useful, diagnostic tests must be accurate. A "false negative," in which the test fails to detect the coronavirus, could lead someone who is infected to think they are safe and pose no danger to others. Since the pandemic began, a growing body of research — some of which has not yet undergone peer review — has compared how accurately different sampling techniques detect the virus. "Everybody's looking for better ways to do this," said Barcellos, who is involved in a major study of the prevalence of coronavirus infection in the East Bay region. Both oral and nasal samples can be obtained in more and less invasive ways. Oropharyngeal swabs require the instrument to be inserted down the throat; like nasopharyngeal swabs, they are supposed to be performed by a trained provider because the procedure can be uncomfortable and tends to produce a gag reflex. And swabs of secretions gathered from just inside the nostril can be self-administered, unlike the nasopharyngeal swabs. A Seattle study of hundreds of coronavirus patients found that self-collected samples were almost as accurate as nasopharyngeal swabs in identifying viral infections. In March, Seattle public health agencies launched a home-testing surveillance project using the nasal self-swab, with local residents registering online. On April 21, the Food and Drug Administration awarded its first authorization for a nasal self-swab home test, made by LabCorp. The agency had previously issued warnings to consumers about "fraudulent" coronavirus home test kits being marketed online. The emerging research has also investigated oral fluid tests, like those being conducted in L.A. County, with subjects generally required to cough in order to bring up virus-rich saliva before they swab their mouth or spit into a container. A non-peer-reviewed study of 65 patients in China reported that the detection rate of the novel coronavirus was higher in saliva than in other respiratory samples. Other studies have found that oral fluid tests aren't as accurate when people are not reminded to cough beforehand. Carey-Ann Burnham, medical director of microbiology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, said the early research on oral fluids looks "remarkably promising." But "a nasopharyngeal swab is a standardized sampling technique that's been done for decades," said Burnham, who is also a professor of immunology and pathology at Washington University School of Medicine. "Saliva, oral secretions — that's not a standard way we've looked for respiratory viruses, and right now everyone's doing it a little bit differently." That makes it harder to compare studies and results, she said. The FDA's authorization for the Curative test recommends that the self-collection process be "observed by a trained healthcare worker." Kazan, the fire department medical director, said that trained staffers observe the oral self-swabbing. While acknowledging the limitations of the early data, Kazan insists that the needs of the moment are paramount. "This is the space between smart people reading medical literature and those of us who are tasked with operationalizing these recommendations," he said. This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.
2 May 14:39 • News-Medical.net • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200502/Do-it-yourself-cheek-swab-tested-as-next-best-thing-to-detect-coronavirus.aspxRating: 0.76
Yeast infection - Know how to deal with it | TheHealthSite.com
2 May 14:11
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.34
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:11
Average US: 6.0
Weighted average US: 6.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 75.3
Weighted average IN: 75.3
Yeast infection - Know how to deal with it | TheHealthSite.com
Yeast infection is a fungal infection that is very common among pregnant women. Almost three in four women will have at least one yeast infection in their lifetime and more that 45 per cent may suffer from two to three kinds of yeast infections in their lifetime. This is also known as candidiasis. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a yeast infection of the vulva and vagina, which is very common among pregnant women. This is a delicate situation and it needs prompt treatment. Otherwise, you may just pass on this infection to your child during delivery.Also Read - Vaginal inflammation and dryness can be painful: Deal with it naturally During pregnancy, disruptions in your hormones cause a change in the natural pH balance in the vagina. This creates a favourable environment for yeast to grow. Moreover, if you are pregnant, your immunity is already low. Your body is unable to fight off infections which makes things worse. This is why the risk of yeast infection is more in pregnant women. This is not a life-threatening condition. But if you have a compromised immune system because of conditions like HIV, it can be fatal. Otherwise, the only risk is that you may pass it on to your unborn child.Also Read - Psychiatric disorders after first childbirth reduce likelihood of subsequent children The first symptoms will be itching in your vagina and vulva. You may also experience a white vaginal discharge that look similar to cottage cheese. It is usually odourless. Sometimes, you may also experience soreness or pain in the vagina or vulva and a burning sensation while urinating. A rash on the vulva and the skin around it may also happen sometimes. The symptoms may last for a few hours, days, or even weeks.Also Read - 5 home remedies that will help you treat UTIs without antibiotics Most babies who develop this infection will have rashes in their mouths or diaper area. A baby’s immune system is not fully developed. Therefore, this infection can take on a serious turn at times and can affect breathing and heart rhythm. If your doctor suspects you of having this condition, he may ask you to go in for a physical examination after asking you about your symptoms. He may also take a sample of the vaginal discharge for further tests in a lab. If the condition is confirmed, he may recommend a topical anti-fungal cream or suppository that is safe for use in pregnancy. This may be enough to treat the condition within seven days. Oral drugs are not recommended because it may increase the risk of miscarriage and birth defects. If you have any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention. Call your doctor and describe the symptoms to home. Yeast infections may not cause serious complications for you, but it is not good for your baby. Follow your doctor’s recommendations diligently. Other than this, there are a few other things that you can do to bring down your risk of yeast infection. Just take care to keep your vaginal area dry and avoid fancy bubble baths, feminine hygiene sprays and douches. Switch to cotton underwear if you are into wearing synthetic or silk underwear. This will keep the area dry.
2 May 14:11 • Thehealthsite • https://www.thehealthsite.com/pregnancy/yeast-infections-during-pregnancy-may-be-dangerous-for-your-baby-know-how-to-deal-with-it-743280/Rating: 0.69
Ask Fuzzy: Why is rain better for the garden than town water - is it the nitrogen?
2 May 14:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.41
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 14:00
Average US: 4.6
Weighted average US: 4.6
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 4.1
Weighted average IN: 4.1
Ask Fuzzy: Why is rain better for the garden than town water - is it the nitrogen?
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Most of our atmosphere is composed of nitrogen but in a form that plants cannot suck directly from air. Scientist have reported that rainfalls directly following thunderstorms can be particularly nutritious for plants because lighting generates huge amounts of energy that allows atmospheric nitrogen to mix with water and oxygen into forms that plants can use. Water from other sources, such as your town supply, would not have this nitrogen boost. But not all storms have positive impacts on soil nutrients available to plants. Many studies have examined the consequences of sudden surges of storm water on flushing nutrients, including nitrogen, out off suddenly flooded soils into waterways (which they pollute, allowing algae to grow, which in turn can lead to the depletion of oxygen in water and subsequent fish deaths). In some locations, rain can bring other problems. When local air is highly polluted, rain may become too acidic and harm your plants and your soil. Then you would be better off with tap water. You might be right that there is something about rainwater composition that your garden likes more than your town water but scientists always like to think about alternative explanations for what they observe. The sudden reinvigoration of your garden might have been also related to water quantity. It's possible that the soil water content at the base of the plants' root zone was so low during the prolonged drought that although it seemed to you like you have watered your plants sufficiently on the surface, not enough moisture has percolated to the base of the root zone. In other words, the soil was too thirsty to let the water soak deep enough. The extremely heavy rains that some parts of the country received at the end of the drought would have fixed that. Moreover, plants generally do look much livelier after their leaves have been washed off after a good downpour. Who knows - the sad-looking plants could have been caused by a water quantity rather than a water quality problem. You could test your hunch about your plants craving nitrogen by enriching the water with a bit of urine and see how your garden reacts to that. If your plants like it, you might have found the problem as well as the solution. Mother Nature can sometimes have a strange sense of humour but it's always good to stop and check whether she's really joking or trying to tell us something deeper. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@Zoho.com Twitter @FuzzyLogicSci Podcast FuzzyLogicOn2xx.Podbean.com
2 May 14:00 • The Canberra Times • https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6741459/why-is-rain-better-for-the-garden-than-town-water-is-it-the-nitrogen/Rating: 0.81
BMC (Blender Motion Capture) v1.4 body motion capture stabilization
2 May 13:50
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.37
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:50
Average US: 16.8
Weighted average US: 16.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 11.9
Weighted average IN: 11.9
BMC (Blender Motion Capture) v1.4 body motion capture stabilization
pascalJardin writes:
2 May 13:50 • BlenderNation • https://www.blendernation.com/2020/05/02/bmc-blender-motion-capture-v1-4-body-motion-capture-stabilization/Rating: 0.73
Tapirs Help Reforestation Via Defecation
2 May 13:03
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.77
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:03
Average US: 43.4
Weighted average US: 43.4
Average GB: 2.1
Weighted average GB: 2.1
Average IN: 9.6
Weighted average IN: 9.6
Tapirs Help Reforestation Via Defecation
The large herbivores appear to prefer disturbed areas over more intact ones, and spread many more seeds in those places through their droppings. The Amazon rainforest is under threat. Fragmentation, fires, and climate change are just a few of the hazards. In natural, intact forests, animals that eat fruits help to keep the forest in a constant state of regeneration since they deposit seeds in their droppings as they travel. Could the same process help restore areas degraded by fire? "There are a lot of tapirs walking around the study area. And they of course poop a lot because they are huge herbivores." Lucas Paolucci from Brazil's Amazon Environmental Research Institute. "So our team asked whether they could be walking around and eventually helping to reforest this area through their poops and, of course, the seeds that are within it." Tapirs are the largest terrestrial mammals left in the Amazon rainforest. Imagine a 500-pound pig, but with a small elephant trunk on its face—that’s sort of what a lowland tapir looks like. The species is threatened with extinction, but certain areas still have quite a few tapirs roaming around. Using a combination of camera traps, aerial imagery, and field observations, the researchers measured the density and abundance of tapir droppings in three different parts of the rainforest over the course of seven years. One test plot was experimentally burned each year, one was burned every three years, and one was left completely intact. "We saw that tapirs were occurring two times more often in disturbed areas than the unburned plots, and also dispersing three times more seeds." That’s a lot of seeds. Extrapolating from the data, in intact forests, a single tapir deposits almost 3,000 seeds in a single hectare, or 10,000 square meters. But in burned areas, the animals drop nearly 10-thousand seeds. And while researchers don't know how many seeds can germinate after a trip through a tapir's digestive system, fewer than one percent of such seeds appeared damaged. But tapirs are just part of the equation. After they do a number two, dung beetles get to work forming the scat into balls before burying them, seeds included. Paolucci is now looking at whether dung beetles, like the tapir dung, are also more abundant in recently burned areas.[Lucas N. Paolucci, et al. Lowland tapirs facilitate seed dispersal in degraded Amazonian forests, in Biotropica] Putting tapirs to work doing what they already do best is perhaps the cheapest method for large-scale tropical forest restoration. Such renewal is critical for carbon sequestration, biodiversity preservation, and much more. Tapirs alone won’t do the job alone, their work would help lower the price tag. —Jason G. Goldman (The above text is a transcript of this podcast)
2 May 13:03 • Scientific American • https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/tapirs-help-reforestation-via-defecation/Rating: 1.53
While you were isolating, scientists were working on a hangover cure
2 May 12:41
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.09
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:41
Average US: 17.1
Weighted average US: 17.1
Average GB: 21.9
Weighted average GB: 21.9
Average IN: 9.5
Weighted average IN: 9.5
While you were isolating, scientists were working on a hangover cure
If you’ve been hitting the bottle a little harder than usual during lockdown, you’ve probably devoted some of your new-found free time to looking for a hangover cure. And the chances are, you’ve felt rubbish all day regardless of your findings. But now scientists believe that certain plant extracts may help to relieve throbbing heads and nausea. A new study on hangovers has concluded that feeling rough the day after the night before may not actually be down to a loss of electrolytes as previously thought. That means no amount of Barocca or Lucozade is going to save you after eight hours of tequila. Researchers at the British Medical Journal split 214 healthy adults into three groups and gave them a flavoured, water-soluble supplement 34 minutes before and immediately after giving them beer, white wine or a white wine spritzer. The first group were given a supplement contianing plant extracts, vitamins and minerals and antioxident compounds. The second group had a supplemt withtout the plant extracts and the third group were given a glucose placebo. The complete supplement included plant extracts like Barbados cherry, prickly pear, ginkgo bilboa, willow and ginger root, as well as vitamins and minerals like magnesium, potassium, sodium bicarbonate, zinc, riboflavin, thiamin and folic acid. Blood and urine samples were taken and measured, before the same samples were taken again 12 hours later. Participants were also asked to fill in questionnaires about their hangover symptoms. On the whole, people who took the plant extracts and vitamin supplements experienced significantly less severe symptoms than the group who had the placebo supplement or the supplement which didn’t have the plant extract – suggesting that the plants were the key. The average headache was 35% less instense, nausea was 42% less overwhelming and restlessness was down by 41%. The fact that vitamins and minerals alone didn’t seem to have a big impact suggests that perhaps hangovers aren’t caused by a drop in electrolytes and minerals. You can buy lots of plant extracts online but given that the supplement industry is notoriously under-regulated, it’s fair to say that what you buy may bear very little resemblance to what was consumed under test conditions. Let’s hope this research cracks on and they find a definitive cure once and for all.
2 May 12:41 • Metro • https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/02/isolating-scientists-working-hangover-cure-12644112/Rating: 2.18
Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CRVS) CEO Richard Miller on Q1 2020 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
2 May 13:58
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:58
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CRVS) CEO Richard Miller on Q1 2020 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRVS) Q1 2020 Earnings Conference Call April 30, 2020 4:30 PM ET Company Participants Zack Kubow - Investor Relations, Pure Communications Richard Miller - President & Chief Executive Officer Leiv Lea - Chief Financial Officer Mehrdad Mobasher - Chief Medical Officer Conference Call Participants Mara Goldstein - Mizuho Tony Butler - Roth Capital Swayampakula Ramakanth - H.C. Wainwright Gabriel Fung - Mizuho Securities Operator Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by and welcome to the Corvus Pharmaceuticals First Quarter 2020 Business Update and Financial Results Webcast. Please note, today's conference is being recorded. And at this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session and instructions will be given at that time. It is now my pleasure to turn the conference over to Zack Kubow of Pure Communications. Please go ahead, sir. Zack Kubow Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for joining us for the Corvus Pharmaceuticals first quarter 2020 business update and financial results conference call. On the call to discuss the results and business highlights for the first quarter 2020 are Richard Miller, Chief Executive Officer; Leiv Lea, Chief Financial Officer; and Mehrdad Mobasher, Chief Medical Officer. The executive team will open the call with some prepared remarks, followed by a question-and-answer period. I would like to remind everyone that comments made by management today and answers to questions will include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions as of today, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements, including the risks and uncertainties described in Corvus' quarterly report on Form 10-Q which was filed today with the SEC and other filings the company makes with the SEC from time to time. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by law. With that I'd like to turn the call over to Leiv Lea. Leiv? Leiv Lea Thank you, Zack. I will begin with a quick overview of our first quarter 2020 financials and then I'll turn the call over to Richard for a business update. At March 31, 2020 quarters had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $68.7 million as compared to $78 million at December 31, 2019. Research and development expenses in the first quarter of 2020 totaled $10.2 million compared to $9.4 million for the same period in 2019. The increase of $0.8 million was primarily due to a $1.3 million increase in CPI-006 clinical trial expenses, partially offset by $0.9 million reduction in CPI-818 drug manufacturing costs. The net loss for the first quarter of 2020 was $12.9 million compared to a net loss of $11.6 million for the same period in 2019. Total stock compensation expense for the first quarter of 2020 was $1.8 million compared to $2 million for the same period in 2019. I'd like to note that we continue to carefully manage our expenses, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment in our trials with our three programs has been strong, in some cases ahead of schedule. This allows us to focus on monitoring and follow-up that makes us less dependent on new patient enrollment which has been affected by COVID-19. As Richard will discuss, we believe the overall impact of this slowdown will have a minimal impact on our ability to continue advancing our lead program ciforadenant. Given the COVID-19 situation and our advancement of the ciforadenant program with over 300 patients enrolled to date, we intend to deepen our focus on our lead asset as we develop our registration strategy and head towards a planned pivotal trial. As a result, we now expect full year 2020 net cash used in operating activities to be between $29 million and $31 million. This is an approximate $10 million reduction compared to our previous expectations of net cash used in operating activities of between $39 million and $42 million. I'll now turn the call over to Richard. Richard Miller Thank you, Leiv, and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today for our first quarter 2020 business update. In the first quarter we continued to advance our pipeline of precisely targeted oncology therapies. Enrolling patients in our ongoing studies and presenting updated data on ciforadenant, Adenosine Gene Signature and CPI-818 at medical meetings. At the same time, COVID-19 due to global pandemic that changed the daily lives for most people healthcare providers, patients and businesses in the United States. At Corvus, the health and safety of our employees, clinical partners and the patients they serve is our highest priority. Accordingly, we have worked quickly to communicate and collaborate with our clinical trial sites to adapt our protocols to accommodate potential disruptions for patients enrolled in our studies. The updates we made were in line with FDA's guidance for conducting clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on ensuring patient safety and maintaining the integrity of the studies. In addition, we have been in regular communication with our manufacturing partners and there is currently no significant impact on our drug supply. I would like to thank our clinical trial sites for their partnership during this difficult period and I am pleased that there has been a minimal impact to our study so far. To date, we have not received any reports of major treatment or follow-up interruptions for patients already enrolled in our studies. Specifically, we have no instances of missed disease assessments and most significant variances in safety monitoring. There has been an impact on special studies, such as detailed pharmacokinetic assessments and on on-treatment tumor biopsies, as clinical sites shifted towards preparing and caring for the potential surge of COVID-19 patients. There has been an impact on enrollment of new patients in some of our studies. However, we believe the overall impact of COVID-19 on Corvus has not been significant to date. Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, we had very robust rates of enrollment in all of our trials, positioning us now to focus primarily on monitoring and planning for subsequent trials. CPI-006 is an excellent example. Following on the presentation of positive initial results from the study at ASCO last year, we saw an increase in interest and enrollments. As a result, we are tracking ahead of our internal enrollment plans for this program, having moved into the third and fourth arms of the study with CPI-006 in combination with pembrolizumab, which is now fully enrolled and triplet arm in combination with ciforadenant and pembrolizumab, both ahead of schedule. With ciforadenant, we have already completed enrollment of a 25-patient study designed to confirm activity in our biomarker-positive population. So overall, our current efforts are now focused on patient follow-up and on monitoring with the aim of collecting data analyzing results and designing follow-up studies. Of note, we will be analyzing our ciforadenant data in renal cell cancer in preparation for a meeting with FDA later this year to discuss our registration strategy and a pivotal trial. Turning to an update on our programs. Starting with ciforadenant, which is our small molecule inhibitor of the A2A receptor, we are now approaching a very exciting period for this program. We have a key abstract accepted for presentation at ASCO in late May. This data will provide an update on ciforadenant in combination with atezolizumab for the treatment of renal cell cancer and the role of the Adenosine Gene Signature as a potential predictive biomarker for patients most likely to respond to this therapy. Our confidence in the biomarker signature is enhanced by independent work from other groups that confirm its potential including an abstract that will be presented at ASCO from a leading academic institution. In that study, the prognostic value of Adenosine Signature in renal cell cancer is confirmed. We tried to meet with FDA in the third quarter to discuss the study design and plans for a ciforadenant randomized pivotal study in second third or later line renal cell cancer using the Adenosine Gene Signature biomarker. We will also be exploring the potential for a single-arm study based on the Adenosine Signature. As you recall, the signature identifies a very unfavorable group of patients, a new subset of renal cell cancer. And we believe positive biomarker-identified patients will do better with ciforadenant and do poorly with standard therapies. This provides a potential option in an area of unmet need. Moving to CPI-006, our B-cell activating anti-CD73 antibody. We continue to be enthusiastic about this novel immunomodulatory antibody, which has demonstrated dramatic effects on circulating immune cells with B-cell and T-cell mobilization and redistribution. We are not aware of any other agent antibody small molecule targeting CD73 or any other target that has exhibited these properties. As we have previously reported, CPI-006 has profound effects on B-cells leading to activation, transformation to plasmablast and secretion of IgM and IgG antibodies. In total, we have enrolled over 75 patients to date in our CPI-006 study, which is evaluating the antibody alone in combination with ciforadenant, in combination with pembrolizumab and a triplet combined with ciforadenant and pembrolizumab. We intend to present an update on this work at the SITC meeting in November later this year. One tantalizing new area is the potential to use CPI-006 as a therapy to enhance antibody responses. We have seen anti-tumor antibodies produced in some of our cancer patients treated with CPI-006. Last, on CPI-818 our ITK inhibitor, we have established its safety, pharmacokinetics receptor occupancy and optimal dose along with early signs of anti-tumor activity. Based on patient responses from the first portion of the Phase 1/1b study, we plan to move forward with the next portion of the study with an initial focus on cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. So far this trial has succeeded in providing important information about the dose, selectivity PK and target occupancy. This now positions us well for future studies not only in lymphoma but also in autoimmune diseases. In summary, we continue to make good progress with our pipeline. We have accomplished this with a very efficient use of capital across three programs in the clinic. Importantly, we have the potential to initiate a pivotal study of ciforadenant used with the Adenosine Gene Signature in renal cell cancer in early 2021. We'll make an important step towards this with the presentation of latest data on the program at ASCO. We look forward to providing an update at that time. I will now turn the call over to the operator for questions and answers. Operator? Question-and-Answer Session Operator Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Our first question today will come from Mara Goldstein with Mizuho. Richard Miller Okay. Mara? Operator Hi, your line is open. Sorry about that. Mara Goldstein Just a couple of questions and the first is just on the ITK inhibitor when you think about sort of advancing into next -- and the clinical path for that drug? What would be the most likely scenario in terms of clinical trial and understanding that you might not have a comparator, but how it fits in into the treatment paradigm? And then I'm just curious about in the triplet combination for CD73, ciforadenant and pembrolizumab. Is that one fully enrolled yet? Richard Miller Is that -- I didn't catch the end of that? Is it what? Mara Goldstein Is that the one fully enrolled yet? In that ciforadenant -- can you just kind of give us a sense of... Richard Miller Okay. The treatment is almost fully enrolled. I think, we still have one or two patients to go in it but they've all been identified. That will be fully enrolled and Mehrdad jump in here, if I'm missing something within the next week or 2. So the... Mehrdad Mobasher No you're accurate. Richard Miller Yes. So that's done. I think that we've done actually that. Did that -- that's been fully enrolled, now the question about ITK and how to think about it? So first of all the patient -- so the patients who has been enrolled in our study to date has been patients who failed everyone, every approved agent for those diseases. So any activity we see in the T-cell lymphoma patients and in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients in our studies is noteworthy because there are no other therapies for these patients. These patients are quite sick. Just to put that a little bit elaborate further. As you know there's a lot of therapies for lymphomas. Some have curative for these kinds of lymphomas, but they have some minimal activity. And it is recent patients coming on our trial with most of them. In fact with greater than five lines of prior therapy, so these patients are pretty deed up. So we think that activity – any activity in the patients that we've been treating is noteworthy. Of course the aim of our Phase I study of the portion of the trial we've done which is important to emphasize has been to determine dosing safety and target occupancy and effects on the immune system and things like that. And we've -- the trial has succeeded along these lines and I say every aspect. We've leaned the tremendous about this target and our drug. And in particular, there has never been to our knowledge a specific ITK inhibitor and we are learning on what the impact of very specifically blocking that target is. So that's what -- we're on that. Mara Goldstein Okay. And just to confirm you -- those selection of 450 full? Richard Miller So we're going forward with 600 milligrams... Mara Goldstein You are, okay. And just do you have a sense of the size of that kind trial given PTCL that patient population to begin with and the fact that you had -- these patients are going to have failed so many therapies around what size study you'll be looking for... Richard Miller So before we even try to -- well first of all we're still in the 1b part of this. So we're going to treat some more patients. We're going to get a feel for the activity and then we'll design the new trial and go from there. The nice thing about 818 is that, it's been very safe so far. And some patients have been on this treatment for every day for months now several months. And so it's very attractive now to think about this not only as a single agent. But as you know Mara most of our lymphoma therapies are combinations. And so we're also beginning to think now about what kind of therapies to put it together with how you move it up earlier in the treatment paradigm et cetera. Mara Goldstein Okay, all right. Thanks. Appreciate, I will hop off with somebody else back. Operator Your next question will come from Tony Butler with Roth Capital. Tony Butler Richard, a couple of questions as well. I want to go back to the CPI-006 study. And correct me if I'm wrong in clinical trials there were actually six cohorts. Is that correct? And within the presumption of 378 patients to be enrolled is that divided equally among those cohort 1a 2c and of course cohort 2a3c? So that's the first question. And then the second question again from the registration -- of the presumed registration trial for ciforadenant which you hope to start next year in second, third or fourth line RCC. So I'm curious how do you -- what form do you think that takes? Is it just previous failures as you know Atezo and/or a PD-1 have been -- or increasingly be used front-line. Will you simply use standard of care plus cifo, or would you throw Atezo in conjunction? I'm just curious how you think about that from both a control standpoint and also from a registration standpoint. And this is regardless of what you do with the single one trial. And obviously those patients will be all having Adenosine Signatures. Thanks very much. Richard Miller Okay. So Mehrdad, do you want to have actually both of those questions? Mehrdad Mobasher Sure. The second question in terms of the landscape, you're right. Almost all patients now do get immunotherapy in frontline PD-1s in front line. But remember what we have shown is the signature is that this signature identifies the patients who are not going to do well to the immunotherapy. So what we are doing is that we are giving them ciforadenant and the idea is that it will be in combination with the PD-1, PD-L1 given what we know also from the mode of action and resistance mechanism for those. And that's how these patients will be rescued. The study will be powered for signature-positive patients. Did I answer your second question? Tony Butler So maybe if… Leiv Lea Go ahead Richard. Richard Miller Go ahead [indiscernible] answers. Tony Butler No. No. Go ahead. I think you did answer. That's fine. Richard Miller I think we're [indiscernible] around positive. So the first question if I get -- because I can't remember everything that's up on clinical trials.gov. But basically Tony and we added some cohorts to this after it was started. So basically there were four cohorts. There are four cohorts in the study. 006 monotherapy, 006 together with ciforadenant the idea being that we brought two adenosines merge in the pathway. The third element was a doublet of 006 with pembro. And the fourth arm is all three together 006 cifo and pembro. We've enrolled all of those except for the final cohort now the triplet which is almost enrolled as we mentioned earlier. So after founding there were dose escalation in each of those cohorts because you have to establish safety in each of the monotherapy and the combinations although they were staggered a bit but we went from one milligram per kilogram up to 24 milligrams per kilogram. We found 18 milligrams per kilogram IV every few weeks to be the right dose for all across the board. So that's the base we're using for each of the four cohorts. Now within each of those cohorts they're -- there's the ability to extend to look at renal cell and lung and prostate and I think there's an other category. So there's sort of like four buckets for each of the four arms. And we have enrolled many of those. But as we've been conducting the trial we've tended to shift patients over, because that's one of the beauties of this trial is that we can find our patients over to maybe getting -- maybe looking more carefully at the combination versus the monotherapy. So, we're not going to show up every bucket of every four cohorts, because we don't think that's necessary and we've seen evidence that maybe some of the combinations are more important. Tony Butler Agreed. And if I may just continue on that theme. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it is actually the triplet which had demonstrated some of the better data that we've seen often in small population to-date. So I can understand why you shift patients, but I just want to confirm that that was what you were seeing as well. Richard Miller Well, the triplet is -- we don't have enough data yet. The triplet is the last of the cohorts that we've been enrolling. So that has the least mature data, and the least number of patients at this point in time, but that of course will mature as we go on. There are something like over 30 patients on this trial now. Still on active therapy. So this is a work in progress. And one of the things that Leiv emphasized in his introduction and I tried to emphasize is we've really -- because our enrollment and our execution has been so good over the past year or two. We've really now loaded -- stack the -- loaded the fuel tank and so now we can run and treat these patients and start to look at the safety and efficacy data and the biomarker data and start to make some decisions. And that's why I don't think this COVID pandemic has impacted us very much, because we have really gotten most of what we needed from enrollment unfortunately before that happens. And so now it's a matter of letting this data mature. We have a lot of patients on therapy now across our trials. Now it's a question of likely getting mature analyze it. And as I said, go to the next steps after we figure out the answers. Does that make sense? Tony Butler Yes, it did. Thank you very much Richard. I appreciate it. Mehrdad Richard Miller So if you ask me, which is -- so you ask me, which of the four cohorts is better yet? I mean, there's a suspicion that the combination to a better. But I wouldn't say there's proof of -- there's no proof of any of that. But one thing that is absolutely no question, no -- absolutely no question now is the impact on the immune system. We believe in a very positive way. The impact on B-cells on lymphocyte trafficking on humoral immunity is profound. It's really, really amazing. And that occurs even at a dose of one milligram per kilogram. There's new biology here that has never been described before and it's not about adenosine. I can't rule that out, but we see these effects in vitro even when we take adenosine out of the equation. This is not going to be seen. We have other antibodies to CD73 that also block adenosine production reacquisition episodes. It's not about that. Recent antibody 006 is reacting with a different part of the CD73 protein that has an immunostimulatory effect, which by the way was first described back in the 1990s. And we knew that. So we don't think anybody that to our knowledge, we don't think any small molecule or any other antibody that we've heard about or seen has this property. Tony Butler Richard, thank you very much. Appreciate the color. Operator [Operator Instructions] Our next question will come from Swayampakula Ramakanth with H.C. Wainwright. Swayampakula Ramakanth Thank you. Thank you, Richard. How are you doing this afternoon? I have couple of questions. Since I've been jumping between calls, you might have answered this, but nevertheless let me ask you this. So on the ciforadenant program in the Phase 1b/2 study, there was some data expected at ASCO. So what, sort of, data should we expect at that conference? And also what's the path forward beyond the Phase 1b/2 study that you're talking about? The second question is on the 818 of Phase 1b study. What's the time line for data there? And what is the expectations for the next -- for the development process from here? Richard Miller Okay. So let me start with the ciforadenant and then I might ask Mehrdad to comment as well. So recall that we published in January in cancer discovery Larry Fong from UCSF is the first author. He published data on 68 patients with advanced refractory mostly PD-1 failure renal cell cancer. And in that paper, we showed in patients who were Adenosine Signature positive there was a 17% response rate by resist criteria. There were also many patients who didn't quite use the criteria for PR that had substantial tumor regression. We also showed that there was a nice plateau, a long-lived plateau on the progression-free survival curve. And that was statistically significantly associated with Adenosine Signature and was not -- nobody responded, zero, in the Adenosine Signature-negative population. Well we, of course, we knew about this data before the publication in January. And we said, okay, let's prospectively this is an observation now, let's prospectively corroborate that. And so we set out to enroll approximately 25 patients. I think we've enrolled 26 or so. And those 26 additional patients are both Adenosine Signature-positive and negative. Plus again we have to confirm the data not only for the positives but for the negatives. And those additional patients with the follow-up that we have, again some of the follow-up are short on those additional 25, 26 patients. That is going to be the subject of our ASCO abstract. And I can -- I mean it's not going to be a surprise. The data is holding up. And we expected it to hold up. It's holding up very nicely. In addition at ASCO as I mentioned in my remarks there's very nice paper by workers at Sloan-Kettering I guess I can say the name in hundreds of patients where they basically looked at the Adenosine Signature independent of us and said what's the prognosis of these patients and they find exactly what we do. That if you're Adenosine Signature-positive, you have a very bad outcome. And if your -- and those -- of course the Sloan-Kettering patients are not treated with invention antagonists. That's they use standard therapy. So we feel pretty good about the signature now. Now in terms -- so that sets us up for a biomarker-defined trial. Now, I should say that, we've also found, in our initial work we found about 60% of patients with renal cell cancer are Adenosine Signature-positive. I think our most recent data is like 68%. So it's in the same neighborhood. So it's probably 60% or two-third or so of patients are signature-positive. So it's a substantial fraction of the patients. And they do very poorly our work Sloan-Kettering work and work of other companies that we've talked to. I don't think there's any question that we've identified frankly a new disease, because they do so poorly. And this is the population that our drug is active in. And this is – sets us up for a very nice trial, where we can – where we have some options now. We can take everybody, and do some sort of hierarchical analysis so we can just focus on the signature-positives. And those are the things that we'll be deciding in the coming months. But Dr. Mobasher is working with the experts top people in the field in renal cell cancer. They're well on the way. There's a protocol. There's – that would define and a pivotal randomized trial. So, I'll let him comment some more on that. Mehrdad do you want to then just talk about generally what our plans are on that. Mehrdad Mobasher Yeah. Yeah. As we mentioned, the plans based on the initial data that we have identified this COVID patient population that they actually need new treatments. And based on our data, we think these are the patients who would benefit from our treatment. So we have formed steering committee. We are working on our pivotal data that will be powered in signature patients. And that's the path that we think is a meaningful path. That will be discussed without the party. Swayampakula Ramakanth Thank you, Richard and thank you, Mehrdad. Richard Miller All right. Now on the – you also asked about 818 time line. So the 818 time line is we're going to enroll some more. We're following the patients that are on the study now. We're going to enroll some more patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma only, because we think that's a very appropriate disease for this drug, frankly, you could make an argument to enroll more patients with the other T-cell lymphomas as well, but we're trying to focus a little bit here. We're also getting very, very interested as other people are in some of the other immune disease applications. And we're starting to look at that. We think this might be a very interesting disease in other immunity. We don't work in that area, so much our self, but we've begun collaborating with certain people at NIH for example. So I think ASH meeting might be a good place for us to give an update on that, but we'll see how things go there. Swayampakula Ramakanth Great. Appreciate that, Richard. Thanks. Operator Thank you. Next, we'll hear from Gabriel Fung with Mizuho Securities. Gabriel Fung Hello, guys. Yeah. This is Gabriel from Mizuho Securities actually in addition to Mara. Congrats with team. It's good to hear a pivotal program around the corner. And just a follow-up on, what you said on the pivotal study. Do you think that will be required for a ciforadenant – sorry for outcome results to be compared directly to Adenosine Signature-selected arm? And how do you think that will change the market opportunity? I mean, you mentioned already that it will be 68%. Approximately 68% of the patients are adenosine-positive. How do you think this could actually maybe be used in earlier lines if that's the – given that this works Mehrdad. Richard Miller Thank you. So, Mehrdad, do you want to take that? . Mehrdad Mobasher Sure. In terms of whether the – a fairer study would be enrolling every one or would be enrolling just the signature-positive patients. All that data until now suggests that signature-positive patients are the ones who have objective responses. And as Richard mentioned earlier, they have actually pretty long duration of progression-free survival that has given us a tail in that curve. From the operational perspective, both are viable options. And that is what we are trying to actually fine-tune in cooperation with our steering committee and also with the health authority. I think that was the first part of your question. That's the way I answered it. And for the second part, we think this would be a perfect treatment in terms of treatment landscape for second-line and third-line patients, because these are the patients that are getting immuno-oncology treatment. And based on again mode of action, we believe these are the patients who would not respond and they will respond well to our treatment. But in oncology typically, you want to rescue patients in early on. There is a potential to move this treatment in combination with ciforadenant, whatever the background will be is frontline, as well, but that is not our focus now. But that's something we're looking into in the future. Richard Miller Yeah, that's a good point, Mehrdad. I would like to -- just to add to that. One of the nice things about ciforadenant and we now have data like over 350 patients. We have patients who've been taking this drug now for over a year. I think we have some over two years every day. Mehrdad Mobasher Three years. Richard Miller Three years – sorry, you're older than I thought Mehrdad. So this drug and we've already been asked about this would be very, very easy to combine from a safety standpoint with front line stuff. So there's no question there like many drugs we try to get approval in the late-line and then we move it up earlier. Now renal cell cancer is changing a lot. Obviously, the landscape is changing very quickly. Patients are living longer. They make it the second third, fourth, fifth lines of therapy. It's becoming somewhat like a chronic lymphomas in a sense. And that expands. Now you're in the point when you start to think about not entrance of the disease, but the prevalence, the prevalence is probably going to increase. And this is something we actually had predicted three or four years ago. Now in terms of the market, so I think the market for us for renal cell would be very, very good. Certainly as a small company, it's attractive. But don't forget the Adenosine Signatures in other tumors. And we've been looking at that. In fact, we have a paper that was just submitted for publication by Steven R. Hwang and Drew Hotson that is looking at -- that has looked at that and shows the distribution of the Adenosine Signature from TCGA data. And it is present in other tumors. So it leaves us to identify which tumors or drug will be applicable to the -- based on the use of that signature. So that's more work to be done in the future. But I wouldn't -- I think it would be wrong to just limit this or think of this, just as a renal cell cancer therapy. The biology is very, very similar very similar for all those. Mehrdad Mobasher Right. Richard Miller And one of the things you'll see on our abstract -- and it's in our abstract, I guess the abstracts haven't published yet. If Adenosine Signature is just related to other things and other cell infiltrates, myeloid cell infiltrates. Other people refer to this independently as myeloid signature. And we've identified those myeloid cells that's going to be in our ASCO presentation. So those myeloid cells are not just immuno-cell cancer there are many other cancers as well. So I would say the upside of this is the potential application in tumors outside of renal. But just to back up a second. Identifying a new subset of the disease based on a biomarker. It doesn't happen every day. And so I'm very proud of my team, scientific and clinical team and biometrics team identifying a new category of a disease is a big deal and that makes a career. In academic medicine that's a career-making move. And you think about that, you think about these other cancers and how we now talk about squamous versus non-squamous. Well there was a day when we could differentiate those were Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Again, there was a day when we didn't know what the difference was, were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma from follicular lymphoma. Again, it took real breakthroughs like this to determine to differentiate these diseases that we didn't guided the therapy that gave greater opportunity to develop drugs because then you know what the differences were in these diseases and what you're going to look for. Otherwise, you're treating a bunch of different things with different biological morphologic and clinical characteristics. So that's a big, big deal. Now we've got to try to make drugs that cure it. And that's what we're trying to do. Gabriel Fung Awesome. Actually that leads me to a really quick follow-up, because I know you have also programs they are not wrapped around cancer and prostate. What are your sense -- what are you [Indiscernible] from those? Richard Miller So well prostate, we just presented data on that a couple of months ago. We see activity in prostate. I think other people are reporting some activity in prostate. With that our patients on that trial, we're following them. We're looking -- we're interested in what the long-term outcome is on those patients. We'll probably do more work in that area, but I'm not sure what that is right now. Again, we're looking for prostate to competitive area. There's lots of good treatment. So it's not good enough to just be active. You have to have some advantage. So -- and on the lung cancer, we're following patients on the most of these program with Genentech. I think there's some plans to maybe present that data at ESMO. I'm not sure about that. It's a small number of patients, so I don't really know what to expect from that. Gabriel Fung Got it. Thank you. Richard Miller All right. Operator And at this time we have no further questions in our queue. I'll turn the conference back over to our speakers for any additional or closing remarks. Richard Miller Okay. Thank you, operator. First of all, thank you very much for joining us today. This is unusual time. We're happy that all of you could participate in this call. I enjoyed speaking with you and we look forward to giving future updates some very soon at ASCO and beyond that. Thank you very much. Operator Thank you. And that does conclude our conference for today. We thank you for your participation.
2 May 13:58 • Seeking Alpha • https://seekingalpha.com/article/4342299-corvus-pharmaceuticals-inc-crvs-ceo-richard-miller-on-q1-2020-results-earnings-call?source=feed_all_articlesRating: 0.30
What is ‘COVID toe’? Maybe a strange sign of coronavirus infection
2 May 11:35
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.42
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:35
Average US: 0.8
Weighted average US: 0.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 1.0
Weighted average IN: 1.0
What is ‘COVID toe’? Maybe a strange sign of coronavirus infection
Before the coronavirus outbreak, Dr Lindy Fox, a dermatologist in San Francisco, used to see four or five patients a year with chilblains — painful red or purple lesions that typically emerge on fingers or toes in the winter. Over the past few weeks, she has seen dozens. “All of a sudden, we are inundated with toes,” said Fox, who practices at the University of California, San Francisco. “I’ve got clinics filled with people coming in with new toe lesions. And it’s not people who had chilblains before — they’ve never had anything like this.” It’s also not the time of year for chilblains, which are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions. “Usually, we see it in the dead of winter,” Fox said. Fox is not the only one deluged with cases. In Boston, Dr. Esther Freeman, director of global health dermatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, said her telemedicine clinic is also “completely full of toes. I had to add extra clinical sessions, just to take care of toe consults. People are very concerned.” The lesions are emerging as yet another telltale symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. The most prominent signs are a dry cough and shortness of breath, but the virus has been linked to a string of unusual and diverse effects, like mental confusion and a diminished sense of smell. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called COVID toe should be sufficient grounds for testing. (COVID-19 is the name of the illness caused by the coronavirus.) Several medical papers from Spain, Belgium and Italy described a surge in complaints about painful lesions on patients’ toes, Achilles' heels and soles of the feet; whether the patients were infected was not always clear, because they were otherwise healthy and testing was limited. Most cases have been reported in children, teens and young adults, and some experts say they may reflect a healthy immune response to the virus. “The most important message to the public is not to panic — most of the patients we are seeing with these lesions are doing extremely well,” Freeman said. “They’re having what we call a benign clinical course. They’re staying home, they’re getting better, the toe lesions are going away.” Scientists are just beginning to study the phenomenon, but so far chilblain-like lesions appear to signal, curiously enough, a mild or even asymptomatic infection. They may also develop several weeks after the acute phase of an infection is over. Patients who develop swollen toes and red and purple lesions should consult their primary care doctor or a dermatologist to rule out other possible causes. But, experts said, they should not run to the emergency room, where they risk being exposed to the coronavirus or exposing others if they are infected. “The good news is that the chilblain-like lesions usually mean you’re going to be fine,” Fox said. “Usually it’s a good sign your body has seen COVID and is making a good immune reaction to it.” Patients who get the painful lesions are often alarmed. They appear most frequently on the toes, often affecting several toes on one or both feet, and the sores can be extremely painful, causing a burning or itching sensation. At first, the toes look swollen and take on a reddish tint; sometimes a part of the toe is swollen, and individual lesions or bumps can be seen. Over time, the lesions become purple in colour. Hannah Spitzer, 20, a sophomore at Lafayette College who is finishing the academic year remotely at her home in Westchester County, New York, has lesions on all 10 of her toes, so uncomfortable — painful during the day, and itchy at night — that she can’t put anything on her feet, not even socks. Walking is difficult, and she has trouble sleeping. “At first I thought it was my shoes, but it got worse and worse,” Spitzer said. “Most of my toes are red, swollen, almost shiny. It looks like frostbite.” She has used hydrocortisone and Benadryl to alleviate the discomfort, and said ice is also helpful. Doctors say the lesions disappear on their own within a few weeks. Adding to the mystery is that some teens and young adults with the lesions have tested negative for the coronavirus. Dr Amy Paller, chair of the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said one possible explanation is that these patients had such a mild disease and that viral replication was limited, making the virus undetectable. Another possibility, she said, is that the lesions are what is called an epiphenomenon — a symptom may accompany a disease without being causally related. For instance, perhaps more people are developing the lesions because they are staying inside and walking around barefoot more than usual. But she also dismissed that idea as highly unlikely. “I don’t think that’s it — I think it’s a mild inflammatory process manifesting in this way,” Paller said. “It’s a real phenomenon. We don’t really understand it at all.” Spitzer had a test shortly after developing the lesions, and the result was negative, but she is convinced the toe lesions are a delayed response to an earlier infection that was so mild she barely noticed it. “I’ve never had anything like this,” she said. “It’s completely new.” A recent paper by doctors in Spain, published in the International Journal of Dermatology, described six cases of patients with toe lesions and included pictures of the chilblain-like bumps that patients had emailed to their physicians. Most of the patients were teens or young adults, including one 15-year-old who found out he had COVID-19 pneumonia when he went to the emergency room seeking medical attention for his toes. Another patient was a 91-year-old man who had been hospitalized with the coronavirus three weeks earlier, and had recovered and returned home. While dermatologists say it’s not unusual for rashes to appear along with viral infections — like measles or chickenpox — the toe lesions surprised them. Other problems like hives have also been linked to the coronavirus, but COVID toes have been the most common and striking skin manifestation. Patients with viral infections often get a pink bumpy rash called morbilliform, or hives, Fox said, but added that the toe lesions were “unexpected.” The toe cases make up half of all reports filed by skin doctors around the world to a new international registry started by the American Academy of Dermatology, which is tracking the complications. No one knows exactly why the new coronavirus might cause chilblain-like lesions. One hypothesis is that they are caused by inflammation, a prominent feature of COVID-19. Inflammation also causes one of the most serious syndromes associated with the coronavirus, acute respiratory distress syndrome. Other hypotheses are that the lesions are caused by inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, or by small micro clots in the blood. (Clotting has been another feature of the disease.) The lesions seen in otherwise healthy people appear to be distinct from those that doctors are seeing in some critically ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care, who are prone to developing blood clots. Some of these clots may be very small and can block the tiny vessels in the extremities, causing rashes on the toes, said Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at the Cleveland Clinic. Some experts now believe COVID toe should be recognized as sufficient grounds for testing, even in the absence of other symptoms. “This should be a criteria for testing, just like loss of smell, and shortness of breath and chest pain,” Fox said. c.2020 The New York Times Company
2 May 11:35 • Bdnews24 • https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/05/02/what-is-covid-toe-maybe-a-strange-sign-of-coronavirus-infectionRating: 2.85
The Sun is less active than sibling stars, suggesting it’s entering old age
2 May 12:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.92
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:00
Average US: 22.5
Weighted average US: 22.5
Average GB: 0.9
Weighted average GB: 0.9
Average IN: 31.6
Weighted average IN: 31.6
The Sun is less active than sibling stars, suggesting it’s entering old age
All stars emit varying amounts of light over time – and the Sun is no exception. Such changes in starlight can help us understand how habitable any planets around other stars are – a very active star may bombard its planets with harmful radiation. Now a new study, published in Science, shows that the Sun is significantly less active than other, similar stars. In many stars, the observed variation in brightness is driven by their internal magnetic field. When parts of the magnetic field breaks out through a star’s surface, it can cause dark regions known as starspots or brighter regions (known as faculae) in the star’s atmosphere. As a star rotates on its axis, so the bright and dark regions pass across the face of the star from our viewpoint, causing a periodic change in brightness of the star as a result. Some of the most extreme examples of variable stars are eclipsing binary stars and pulsating stars. In the former, the light variation is due to an external effect: a pair of stars orbit around their common centre of mass, repeatedly blocking some of their partner’s light from our point of view. If the orbit is viewed edge-on, the brightness of the star will appear to decrease significantly at regular intervals. In a pulsating star, the light variation has an intrinsic cause: the star literally pulses in and out, becoming larger then smaller, brighter then fainter, with a regularly repeating pattern of changing brightness. Pulsating stars can change in brightness by a factor of ten or more with each cycle. Both of these classes of stars are favourite targets for astronomers, as their light variation may be used to probe the dynamics or structure of a stellar system. The stellar brightness variations due to bright and dark spots rotating across our line of sight are generally of much lower amplitude though. The Sun’s brightness only varies by a fraction of a percent as it rotates once every 24 days. Even such small changes can affect the Earth’s climate on timescales of decades or its atmospheric chemistry on timescales as short as months or days. We have records of sunspots dating back to 1610, and they show that the Sun regularly goes through a cycle every 11 years during which the number of sunspots alternately reach a maximum and then virtually disappear entirely. When sunspots are at their most prevalent, the Sun is particularly active – outbursts of light known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections are more common. These can have significant impact on our lives here on Earth. As well as causing the northern lights, they can also disrupt satellites and damage power lines. In the new study, researchers compared a detailed 140-year record of the Sun’s brightness with the light curves of a set of solar siblings observed by the Kepler satellite over the course of four years. They looked at stars whose temperature, mass, radius and age were all similar to the Sun, and selected 349 stars for which the rotation period could be measured as between 20 and 30 days. The astronomers measured a range of variability from 0 (no change in brightness) to 0.75%, with an average around 0.36%. By taking random four-year segments of the Sun’s light curve, they found the typical variability of the Sun’s brightness was only 0.07% – and even at its greatest was no more than 0.20%. They therefore concluded that most stars of the same type as the Sun are more active than the Sun. So does this mean that the Sun is genuinely different to other stars in the same class? Astronomers know that, as stars age, their rotation slows and they become less magnetically active. At some point they may transition to a new phase of very low activity – but we don’t know exactly when that transition occurs. Perhaps the Sun is approaching such a stage in its life. Alternatively, could it simply be that, in the 140 years of solar data used, we have only sampled a relatively quiet period of the Sun’s activity – might it have been more active at other times? This possibility is more worrying. It might suggest that the Sun could undergo periods when its variability is much higher, with a corresponding increase in magnetic activity and stronger outflows that could disrupt life here on Earth. Perhaps comfortingly, measurements of certain isotopes – variants of chemical elements with lighter or heavier nuclei – on Earth can be used to track solar activity over the last 9000 years. They reveal that the variation of the Sun’s brightness has not changed significantly on this timescale either. Understanding stellar variability is vital for assessing the habitability of exoplanets. In extreme cases, stellar flares may strip the atmosphere from an otherwise habitable exoplanet, rendering it unsuitable for life. The recently discovered planet orbiting the nearest star, Proxima b, for example, is in its star’s habitable zone, but Proxima Centauri itself is a very active star and the planet is most likely bathed in harmful radiation from stellar flares. This new study may indicate that only very inactive stars such as the Sun are likely to host habitable exoplanets. Perhaps we should be grateful that the Sun is among the more sedate of its siblings. This article is republished from The Conversation by Andrew Norton, Professor of Astrophysics Education, The Open University under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Read our daily coverage on how the tech industry is responding to the coronavirus and subscribe to our weekly newsletter Coronavirus in Context. For tips and tricks on working remotely, check out our Growth Quarters articles here or follow us on Twitter.
2 May 12:00 • The Next Web • https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/05/02/the-sun-is-less-active-than-sibling-stars-suggesting-its-entering-old-age/Rating: 1.84
Citizen Science During the Pandemic
2 May 13:31
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 13:31
Average US: 95.2
Weighted average US: 95.2
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Citizen Science During the Pandemic
By Chuck MacPuzl A citizen science activity that I enjoy is observing asteroid occultations for IOTA, the International Occultation and Timing Association. An occultation occurs when one object passes in front of another, like during a lunar or solar eclipse. In the case of asteroid occultations, an asteroid passes in front of a distant star, blocking the star's light for the time it takes the asteroid to transit. You might think the chance of that happening is pretty slim, but there are hundreds of thousands of cataloged asteroids with measured orbits, and millions of stars with measured positions. Even though the shadow path is essentially just the width of the asteroid as it sweeps across our planet, every month there are between a dozen and 30 such events for the Santa Barbara area. IOTA publishes lists of predicted events, giving the date and time, path, duration, brightness drop, and other particulars. Here's a sample path map for an occultation on the night of April 6, 2020 that was passing nearby. Not only was that night clear, even the asteroid's name, (709) Fringilla, made it an appealing target. It was discovered in 1911 by astronomer Joseph Helffrich at Königstuhl Observatory near Heidelberg, Germany. It is estimated to be about 61 miles across, and resides in the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, with an orbital period just less that 5 years. Virtually all asteroids are small enough that it's difficult to determine their size and shape with even large modern telescopes by direct imaging. Those parameters are estimated based on an assumed composition and reflectivity, mainly in infrared wavelengths, which are less affected by surface reflectivity. These shape and size measurements by direct imaging are subject to errors caused by variations in surface material and the changing angle of illumination as they orbit. But with careful observations of asteroid occultations, even amateurs may obtain very precise measurements of sizes and shapes, exceeding even the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. For star positions, the measurements can be so precise that even the tiny gravitational bending of light caused by the Sun's mass must be taken into account! Amateurs do this by recording a video of the disappearance and reappearance of the star along with precise timing and location data provided by GPS. Even a single observation provides information on the orbit of the asteroid and/or the position of the star, even if the occultation does not occur. Especially useful information is gathered when several observers distributed across the shadow path capture an occultation, because multiple chords can build up an image of the asteroid's shape. Here's the result for Fringilla. Unfortunately, I was the only observer for Fringilla, but here's the result from a February occultation where multiple observers were able to measure chords across the asteroid (451) Patientia. Some asteroids have conjectural shape models determined by changes in their reflectivity as the rotate, and multiple chord occultations may help in determining which shape models fit best. Some asteroids have even been found to be binary bodies, and the contact binary "snowman" shape of the Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth which was visited by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2019 was first hinted at in occultation data. Even fairly small amateur telescopes are capable of making these observations. My telescope has only five inches of aperture, but by recording video from a modified sensitive monochrome security camera to my laptop, with overlaid timing and location from a GPS-equipped VTI (Video Time Inserter), I can collect useful data, including a detection of Pluto's atmosphere during an occultation in August of 2018. The asymmetry in the light curve is because my chord across Pluto was not at a central angle, and passed through different depths of its atmosphere. If you have an interest in Nature, even an armchair interest, look around on the web to see whether you can combine having fun with advancing our knowledge of the Universe! Links for a Cloudy Evening Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - SBNature from Home Las Cumbres Observatory IOTA CosmoQuest Astronomy Homeschool Resources Astronomy in Isolation NASA at Home Gravity Spy LIGO E-lab Einstein@Home Space Warps Planet Hunters AstroQuest Planet Four - Terrains (INSERT HERE) Scope Globe at Night NASA Citizen Science projects Galaxy Cruise A number of online resources can help you refresh or extend your astronomy knowledge. Here are some that could be of use: “Astronomy”Free textbook aimed for introductory college-level astronomy. Senior authors include Andrew Fraknoi, David Morrison, and Sidney WolffMade in collaboration with the OpenStax Project at Rice University Cambridge University PressVarious higher education textbooksFree access online until the end of May 2020 Astronomy coursesMost courses are free college-level courses online Silicon Valley Astronomy LecturesWell-known scientists discuss astronomy in everyday language
2 May 13:31 • edhat santa barbara • https://www.edhat.com/news/citizen-science-during-the-pandemicRating: 0.30
Op-Ed: Where are we with the coronavirus vaccine?
2 May 12:30
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.39
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:30
Average US: 31.3
Weighted average US: 31.3
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 27.3
Weighted average IN: 27.300000000000004
Op-Ed: Where are we with the coronavirus vaccine?
In the first article we looked at face masks (when do you need to where one and why?); in the second we looked at disinfection (which disinfectants work best?); and the third topic was social distancing (why is 2 metres considered to be a safe distance?) The subject matter for the fourth article was the lockdown and whether the idea of an 'immunity passport' is a good idea (which is probably isn't). For the firth dive into COVID-19 subjects, we look at where we are with vaccine development, what the most promising antivirals are, and what do the different tests for coronavirus do and how do they vary? In this article, the topic is testing, vaccines and other efforts to help to combat the disease. With testing, there are three broad areas: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests Here samples are collected by swabbing the back of the patient's throat or nose using a long thin swab. Then the virus's ribonucleic acids are copied millions to billions of times to amplify the signal and detect the virus. These types of tests can take several hours to complete and there is concern over shortages of reagents needed to perform the tests. Antibody or serology tests With these types of tests, antibody tests are performed on the patient's blood, which can be obtained from a finger prick. The blood is the analysed for the presence of antibodies produced by the body to fight off SARS-CoV-2. While results can be provided in a matter of minutes; however, in recent days concerns have been raised regarding the reliability of these tests. Antigen tests For antigen tests the patient puts a sample, such as a throat swab, onto a special strip, the colour of the strip changes if SARS-CoV-2 is present. An antigen is a foreign substance present in the body. These forms of tests look for the corona spike proteins. Currently, these tests are less proven and unreliable and are not currently available to consumers. Vaccines As part of a major global effort thousands of researchers and clinicians worldwide areracing against time to develop cures, vaccines, and better diagnostic tests for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. To date, over 1,700 articles on COVID-19 are already listed in databases like Google Scholar, and these are being added to at a rapid rate. With vaccines, the most successful appear to be those that carry the Receptor Binding Domain (of the virus‘s S-protein), which allows the virus to bind to and fuse with host cells. Besides the traditional live attenuated, inactivated, and subunit-based vaccines, modern types such as DNA/RNA-based and nanoparticle- or viral vector-borne vaccines are also being considered. Vaccine development is a slow process. The development and testing of new vaccines takes one to several years, so other approaches are essential in the meantime. Antivirals In terms of combating the coronavirus in the shorter term, the research consensus at present points to the most promising approaches for fast progress are selected antivirals such as remdesivir (developed by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences). With broad-spectrum antivirals in general, most are nucleoside analogs. These drugs mimic the bases in the virus’s RNA genome and get mistakenly incorporated into nascent RNA chains, stalling the viral copy process. However, because coronaviruses have a so-called “proofreading” enzyme which can cut such mismatches out, most nucleoside analogs don’t work all that well. This is where remdesivir comes in, which works in a different way and it is a good candidate. Convalescent blood plasma This is plasma donated from patients who have recovered from coronavirus. Within a given window, the plasma will contain low levels of a set of antibodies that should work against the virus. Blood plasma is a yellowish liquid that makes up about half of the blood volume. After a virus, a person's plasma contains antibodies that are used to help fight infection. Alternatives An alternative to blood plasma are monoclonal antibodies, which can be isolated and the mass-produced through biotechnology. However, these types of products can take a long time to develop. Other things being worked on are fusion inhibitors, inhibitors of human proteases, and immune modulators such as corticosteroid hormones. There is also gene therapy, which is a potential alternative to be used until a vaccine is available. For example, there is a form of gene therapy delivered through the adeno-associated virus vector. This would entail the fast, targeted delivery of antibodies, immune-adhesins, antiviral peptides, and immune-modulators to the upper airways. Many scientists think this will provide short-term protection. The video below expands on some of the subjects covered in this article: As an example of how all of this research can be made sense of, the publicationFrontiers in Microbiology, has a useful article titled ‘The Current and Future State of Vaccines, Antivirals and Gene Therapies against Emerging Coronaviruses’, provides a good summary. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com
2 May 12:30 • Digital Journal • http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/op-ed-where-are-we-with-the-coronavirus-vaccine/article/571089Rating: 0.78
Covid-19 vaccine may be ready by early next year, says Chinese medical expert
2 May 11:53
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.71
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:53
Average US: 6.1
Weighted average US: 6.1
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 2.6
Weighted average IN: 2.6
Covid-19 vaccine may be ready by early next year, says Chinese medical expert
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — A vaccine for Covid-19 is expected to be ready by the end of this year or early next year if its ongoing development process in China runs smoothly, according to a medical expert from China. Doctor and postdoctoral researcher of Sun Yat-sen University in China, Sun Jiufeng, said the republic was currently developing two different vaccines, with both now in phase two of clinical trials which were expected to complete this May or June. He said once the phase-two results were ready, they would then move into phase three of clinical trials, which might take more time to complete and would involve more volunteers. “Currently, the whole world has been accelerating the development of vaccines. If everything goes smoothly, then maybe we can see the vaccine by the end of this year or at the beginning of next year. “However, for the actual application of this vaccine, because the need is really high, I think it’s safe to say that the vaccine will be used on patients definitely in the next year,” he said, speaking through a translator. He said this during an exclusive interview with Bernama and The Star at the Chinese embassy here today. Sun said his team had held discussions with Malaysia and it had shown high interest to participate in the development of the vaccine in China, especially in phase three of clinical trials. “If we actually cooperate on this, then it will no doubt accelerate the time for the vaccine development and also it would sooner bring a lot of benefit to Malaysia,” he added. Also present at the interview were the chief physician, professor and postgraduate supervisor of the Integrated Chinese and Western Emergency Medicine, Li Jun, and associate professor, postgraduate supervisor, associate chief physician of ICU, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Wen Miaoyun. Meanwhile, Li said there has been much debate on alternative treatments for Covid-19 which have shown no clinical proof of their effectiveness. However, he said, traditional Chinese medicine has been largely applied to treat Covid-19 patients in the country and has proven to be quite effective. “We have shared our experience on this effectiveness with our Malaysian colleagues. We also hope if the situation allows, Malaysia could introduce traditional Chinese medicine in treating Covid-19 as soon as possible to bring benefit to patients. “The specific medication is different depending on patients and situations. So we applied different medications for different patients and made sure they were suitable for those situations,” he added. The team of eight medical professionals from China arrived in Kuala Lumpur on April 18 and met local experts including Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah recently. Yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham reportedly said these medical experts from China lauded Malaysia for its quick and effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including by enforcing the movement control order. — Bernama
2 May 11:53 • Malaymail • https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/05/02/covid-19-vaccine-may-be-ready-by-early-next-year-says-chinese-medical-exper/1862448Rating: 1.42
Coronavirus: Use of sodium hypochlorite on people may have harmful effects
2 May 12:41
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:41
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Coronavirus: Use of sodium hypochlorite on people may have harmful effects
The use of sodium hypochlorite, which is sprayed on people when they walk through a disinfectant tunnel, may have a harmful effect on them even if there is a slight variation in its concentration, said Dr Amandeep Singh, a senior resident doctor at AIIMS-Delhi on Friday. “It has been seen that disinfectant tunnels have been installed at many places, and sodium hypochlorite solution is being used in the tunnel. Now sodium hypochlorite is a chlorine-based disinfectant, which is used on inanimate objects. Now for wound cleaning, we never use more than 0.5 per cent of its concentration,” Dr Singh told ANI. The tunnels through, which people walk while a mist of sodium hypochlorite solution, is sprayed on them to clear any viruses have been installed at various public places in the country. “Some of the tunnels are even using one per cent concentration of sodium hypochlorite. There is no study so far which says that it is effective in killing the virus, which might be present on clothes or the human body. Hence, there are more chances of having harmful effects if you spray sodium hypochlorite on the body,” added Dr Singh. He further elaborated as to what all harmful effects it may have and said, “If somebody’s eyes get exposed to it, they might experience irritation in the eyes. There can be skin irritation. If the mucus membrane is exposed to it, then people having chronic asthma and respiratory disorders, they may get bronchospasm.” He said that even a slight variation in the concentration of sodium hypochlorite may have harmful effects and people should instead take other preventive measures as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, to avoid contracting the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also advised that bleach and disinfectant should be used carefully to disinfect surfaces only. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already issued an advisory stating that spraying disinfectants like sodium hypochlorite is harmful. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. ) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter
2 May 12:41 • Hindustan Times • https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/coronavirus-use-of-sodium-hypochlorite-on-people-may-have-harmful-effects/story-4o7Pk6EsLNiTSXArq9KeuI.htmlRating: 0.30
This Juice May Be An Internet Fad, But Don't Drink It, Say MDs
2 May 11:22
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.45
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:22
Average US: 50.7
Weighted average US: 50.7
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 13.6
Weighted average IN: 13.6
This Juice May Be An Internet Fad, But Don't Drink It, Say MDs
In This Article At first glance, aloe vera juice might seem like that magical elixir we've all been waiting for. Besides, aloe vera gel is extremely therapeutic when applied on the skin—so consuming the popular juice must be just as great, right? Well, not necessarily. Though using aloe vera topically is considered safe, taking it internally is a different story. Here, learn about the benefits and risks of drinking aloe vera juice and what you should keep in mind. Aloe vera juice is a thick, semi-translucent liquid made from Aloe barbadensis, a tropical succulent. The plant has green, triangular leaves with serrated edges and a tough outer rind. Underneath the rind, there's a layer of yellow sap called latex, followed by a clear gel called inner fillet—this is what aloe vera juice is made of. Despite its potential health benefits, consuming aloe juice comes with serious risks: "One of the most common side effects is diarrhea, due to its laxative effects," says Jessica Cording, R.D. Basically, as the anthraquinones in aloe latex increase intestinal motility, stools could pass so quickly that it results in diarrhea. Aside from being downright unpleasant, this can lead to dehydration and "dangerously low levels of electrolytes like potassium and sodium," notes Cording. Electrolytes are necessary for balancing your body's fluids and maintaining the electrical charge of your cells. Diarrhea could lead to an electrolyte imbalance, making it difficult for your body to perform these basic functions. If you're taking prescription medications, drinking aloe may not be ideal. "Since aloe vera juice [is] a laxative, it may lower the amount of the drug that your body absorbs," explains Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, author of Eating in Color. It could also negatively interact with diuretics, which increase how much you pee. If you have diabetes and are taking medication to lower blood sugar, steer clear of drinking aloe. It "lowers blood sugar as well, so a person's blood sugar can potentially dip to dangerously low levels," says Largeman-Roth. The same goes for if you're taking blood thinners, including over-the-counter aspirin. "Aloe vera may decrease blood clotting," she adds, so the combo could lead to excessive bleeding. When a blood vessel breaks, you start to bleed. That's when platelets stick together and form a blood clot, which stops the bleeding. However, as mentioned earlier, aloe can slow down the formation of these blood clots. It does this by decreasing synthesis of prostaglandin, a hormone-like compound, which stops platelets from doing their thing. For some bleeding disorders, this could be helpful. But it may also increase the risk for serious bleeding issues, especially during surgery. Aloe vera has been known to interact with sevoflurane, a drug with antiplatelet effects that's used as a general anesthesia. When combined, the two can cause severe blood loss during surgery. So why all the hype online if there are so many side effects associated with drinking it? Well, for a long time it was thought to have the below benefits—but they just don't outweigh the potential risks. Since the aloe plant lives in areas with irregular or minimal rainfall, it's capable of storing a lot of H2O. (About 99% of the aloe's inner gel is made of water.) So, as a dietary supplement, its high water content can boost your fluid intake. This is critical for supplying your body with enough water to perform normal functions, like pumping blood and regulating your temperature. The plant is a natural source of vitamin C—along with folic acid, choline, and vitamins A, E, and B12. In the body, vitamin C is needed for a variety of basic biological functions, including synthesizing collagen, absorbing iron, and supporting the immune system. It's also an antioxidant, meaning it neutralizes harmful free radicals. Typically, 8 ounces of aloe vera juice contains about 9.4 milligrams of vitamin C. Some brands are also fortified with the nutrient, along with other vitamins and minerals. All in all, however, there are plenty of other ways to get vitamin C. Due to its fluid content, aloe juice has been traditionally used to ease constipation. Aloe vera juice with latex could help even further, as the latex has compounds called anthraquinones. These compounds stimulate movement and secretions in the large intestine. A few small studies have suggested that aloe vera juice may also soothe gastrointestinal issues, like IBS—but more research is needed, says Cording. The jury's still out on its safety, though. According to Largeman-Roth, "It used to be sold in over-the-counter [constipation] remedies but was taken off the market in 2002 after it was determined that the safety of aloe vera for this use couldn't be established." Generally, drinking aloe juice isn't really recommended for anyone. This is especially true if you have an underlying medical condition, including diabetes, bleeding disorders, kidney problems, or gastrointestinal issues like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Similarly, if you're taking prescription drugs, consuming aloe may not be safe. You should also avoid oral intake of aloe vera if you're pregnant. (It could stimulate the uterus and cause premature labor, but applying it topically is considered to be safe during pregnancy.) Regardless, even if you don't check any of these boxes, consume aloe vera with caution. Check with your doctor first. Though aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant, drinking its juice has many health concerns. Consider sticking to topical uses, which are associated with little to no side effects. When applied on the skin, aloe can help soothe sunburns, reduce acne, and moisturize the skin—making it a potentially safer addition to your beauty cabinet instead of your kitchen pantry.
2 May 11:22 • mindbodygreen • https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/aloe-vera-juice-is-it-worth-hypeRating: 0.91
A protocol for pooled RT-PCR testing of COVID-19
2 May 12:09
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:09
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
A protocol for pooled RT-PCR testing of COVID-19
IIT Bombay researchers have developed an algorithm which can be used to help conduct pooled testing of samples for COVID-19. In order to validate this protocol – known as Tapestry Pooling – in vitro experiments using synthetic RNA and DNA fragments have been carried out by NCBS and InSTEM, Bengaluru, and Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering, U.S. Further validation using clinical samples is under way. An important part of managing the COVID-19 pandemic is aggressive testing of people and quarantining those who test positive, to contain the spread. Until now, in India tests have been carried out only on people with travel history and their contacts, and on clusters that have known to be infected. This is due to the lack of sufficient testing kits to test a larger population. In this context, pooling of samples is one way of reducing the number of test kits used and increases testing capacity. Pooling of samples involves testing them in batches, and when pooled sample tests positive, then individual samples are assessed. Using combinatorics, an algorithm is found that unscrambles the test results and tells you which of the individuals in the pool are positive. In effect, the number of tests that need to be carried out is less than if there had to be test done for each individual. The Android application named BYOM Smart Testing, which was developed by Shop 101, guides the user on how to perform the test. The technician enters how many samples they want to test, and the prevalence rate. They are given a pooling matrix. “Samples are pooled according to this pooling matrix. Pools are tested and the quantitative reading from the tests is entered into our algorithm, which reconstructs the list of positives, negatives, and their viral loads,” says Manoj Gopalkrishnan, from IIT Bombay and corresponding author of the preprint posted in MedRxiv server. Preprints are yet to be peer-reviewed. The present version of the protocol has fixed numbers of samples. That is, for instance, 40 samples can be tested in 16 RT-PCR tests (up to 3 positives). This can go up to 961 samples that can be tested in 93 RT-PCR tests (up to 10 positives). “In version 2, the user will be able to tell how many samples they want tested, and we will give corresponding pooling instructions,” explains Dr Gopalkrishnan. Being a non-adaptive test, all the RT-PCR tests in Tapestry pooling are conducted at one go. This could take four hours to perform typically. An adaptive test which has two rounds of testing, can take twice the amount of time. The protocol also has a so-called graceful failure mode. “It estimates actual prevalence rate in the batch and if this is much higher than the projected prevalence so that the algorithm is not able to identify all positives exactly, it returns a list of suspected positives which includes all the positives, and possibly a few false positives which can be eliminated in round two of testing,” explains Dr Gopalkrishnan. The group is in the process of drafting and obtaining permissions for a clinical trial in collaboration with Tata Memorial Hospital, Kasturba Hospital and P.D. Hinduja Hospital, in Mumbai, Malabar Cancer Centre, in Thalassery, Kerala, and NCBS, Bengaluru.
2 May 12:09 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/a-protocol-for-pooled-rt-pcr-testing-of-covid-19/article31489428.eceRating: 0.30
Broad-spectrum antiviral inhibits novel coronavirus
2 May 12:06
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 12:06
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Broad-spectrum antiviral inhibits novel coronavirus
Broad-spectrum antivirals for emerging zoonotic infections become particularly important when specific interventions do not yet exist. Researchers have found that a ribonucleoside analogue (beta-D-N4-hydroxycytidine or NHC) that has previously shown to be effective against influenza and Ebola is also potent against coronaviruses, including the novel coronavirus that is currently causing the pandemic. The drug was found to be effective in both cell lines and primary human airway epithelial cultures against SARS, MERS and SARS-CoV-2. It was also effective against three closely-related bat coronaviruses that were capable of replicating in human cells without undergoing any adaptation, suggesting potential direct transmission from bats to humans. The NHC drug is highly active against all three coronaviruses — 2002 SARS, MERS and the novel coronavirus. While it was not toxic to human cells, there was a dose-dependent reduction in SARS, MERS and novel coronavirus infectious virus production in human airway epithelial cell cultures. The team led by researchers Timothy P. Sheahan and Ralph S. Baric from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a paper published in Science Translational Medicine found that the antiviral activity of NHC arises from increased mutation rate in viral genomic RNA. In the case of MERS, treatment with 1 microMolar of NHC resulted in three-fold increase in error rate and 138-fold decrease in virus titer. When the amount of NHC used was increased to 10 microMolar, the error rate increased sixfold and virus titer reduction increased 26,000-fold. Explaining the process that leads to increased mutation rates, the authors say that NHC gets incorporated during RNA synthesis and then subsequently misread leading to enhanced mutation. Encouraged by these results, the researchers tested an orally bioavailable prodrug of NHC designed for improved oral bioavailability in humans and non-human primates and better pharmacokinetics. The prodrug was tested in vitro using the 2002 SARS coronavirus. Lung haemorrhage was significantly reduced and there was a dose-dependent reduction in lung titer of SARS coronavirus. They found the prodrug given as a prophylactic was “robustly antiviral” and was able to prevent SARS coronavirus replication and disease. As in the case of the 2002 SARS coronavirus, in genetically modified mice, the prodrug protected from significant weight loss and lung haemorrhage due to MERS. Viral replication was not seen at all prophylactic doses (50, 150 and 500 mg per kg). But only treatment initiated before 12 after MERS infection prevented body weight loss. When treatment was initiated 24 or 48 hours after infection, it did not confer any protection. “Collectively, these data demonstrate that NHC prodrug robustly reduces MERS-CoV infectious titers, viral RNA, and pathogenesis under both prophylactic and early therapeutic conditions,” they write. “The data provided in this manuscript suggest that EIDD-2801 should be quickly evaluated in primate models of human disease using immediate models for MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis or newly described cynomolgus and rhesus macaque models for SARS-CoV-2,” the authors write. “Our data support the continued development of NHC prodrug as a potent broad-spectrum antiviral that could be useful in treating contemporary, newly emerged and emerging CoV infections of the future,” they note. The authors have not been able to test the efficacy of the drug against novel coronavirus using animals models. Also, it is known that disease severity increases with age, but the authors were not able to test the drug against coronavirus using aged mouse models.
2 May 12:06 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/broad-spectrum-antiviral-inhibits-novel-coronavirus/article31489418.eceRating: 0.30
WHO: Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of COVID-19 drug trials
2 May 11:58
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:58
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
WHO: Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of COVID-19 drug trials
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of the global solidarity drug trial to combat COVID-19. The WHO launched solidarity drug trials for these specific drugs — hydroxychloriquine, chloroquine phosphate, and remdesivir — in April. Speaking on Friday at the joint national briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19, Fiona Braka, officer in charge, WHO Nigeria, said efforts are underway to start the process in the country. She said more than 100 countries have joined the solidarity clinical trial, which was launched by WHO and some partners, to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19. She said over 1,200 patients have been randomised from the first five countries to evaluate the “safety and efficacy of drug combinations”. Braka also said a total of 89 vaccines are being developed globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials. She said the organisation is committed to ensuring that medicines and vaccines are shared equitably with all countries as they are being developed. “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria too,” Braka said. “Together with global health actors and partners, over the past week, WHO launched the access to COVID-19 tools ACT accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate development for equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. “We have a total of 89 vaccines that are in development globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics are in clinical trials. WHO is committed to ensuring that as medicines and vaccines are developed, they are shared equitably with all countries and people. “We do have the solidarity trial which is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the WHO and partners. More than 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial and to date, over 1,200 patients have been randomized from the first five countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of full drug and drug combinations.” As of Friday, 2,170 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Nigeria. There is no cure or vaccine yet for the disease.
2 May 11:58 • TheCable • https://www.thecable.ng/who-nigeria-has-expressed-interest-to-be-part-of-covid-19-drug-trialsRating: 0.30
Using human sweat as diagnostic tool and source of power
2 May 11:57
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.15
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:57
Average US: 0.0
Weighted average US: 0.0
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Using human sweat as diagnostic tool and source of power
Recall those early days when the family physician was called home to treat a patient. The first thing he’d do was to touch the skin on your face, temples and chest. This would let him diagnose quickly. If the skin feels hotter than usual, you have fever; if it is paler than the usual, you are dehydrated and must drink more water; if it has a bluish tinge, you need to breathe more oxygen; and if it feels wet, you need to exercise less or cut your physical stress and so on. Then you are given what he considers the appropriate medicine as pills or potion, or an injection. Alas, we have now replaced him with a doctor sitting in a clinic, who asks you to go to a commercial centre for diagnostics and prescribes the medicine based on the report. Skin-based diagnosis is a gone thing for general practitioners. These days, skin specialists do an interesting procedure, in which they attach a thin polymer-based sheet which contains the desired drug, stick it to the skin on your arm or chest and deliver the drug past the sweat fluid directly into the body, using a tiny electric current on the patch. This is thus a wearable technology for personalised medicine — no pills or potions. And with the advent of microelectronics and bio-compatible polymers, we now have ‘electronic skin’ (e-skin), and nanoscale wires that can be attached and an external electric power supply using micro-scale batteries. Notice in all this, the active body fluid, namely, the sweat, is ignored or treated as an inert carrier of no other value. The role of sweat fluid in our body and the chemicals it contains are becoming increasingly understood and utilised only recently. Sweat comes out of three types of glands distributed across all over our skin, secreting water and substances that help keep our body at the optimum temperature of 37 degrees C (or 98.4 degrees F). Our brain has temperature-sensitive nerve cells (neurons) which control the sweat glands in releasing the fluid depending on the temperature and physical and metabolic activity of the body. Sweat is thus our body’s thermo-regulator. What does sweat contain? It is 99% water containing sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride ions, ammonium ions, urea, lactic acid, glucose and other minor components. An analysis of the sweat fluid in a patient and how it compares with that of a ‘normal’ individual will thus be of diagnostic value (just as much as other body fluids do). For example, in the illness called cystic fibrosis, the ratio of the sodium to chloride ions in the sweat is different from that of a normal individual. Likewise, the amount of glucose in the sweat of a diabetic is higher than normal. But the problem is the amount of sweat available from the skin. It is here that modern-day technology has become of value. Now that microelectronics and e-skin patches are both available, scientists have been using them for real-time measurements of some chosen component in the sweat, using the appropriate probe (sensor) in the patch in order to detect and measure the level of the component. But would it not be much better if we can measure as many components as we desire if the e-skin patch be loaded with probes not for one but several components simultaneously? A breakthrough on this was made by a group of biologists, material scientists, computer experts and electrical engineers from California (Stanford and Berkeley), and was published with the title: “Fully integrated wearable sensor arrays for multiplexed in situ perspiration analysis” (Nature 2016 January 28; 529(7587): 509-514. doi:10.1038/nature16521. free access on the web).They put in not just one but six sensor probes — for Na, K, Cl ions, lactate, glucose and the temperature of the sweat — all six of them embedded on a e-skin patch, such that a stable sensor-skin contact is maintained. Signals coming from each sensor measuring the sweat component as a tiny electrical signal are then converted into a digital form, and sent to a micro-controller, and from there to a Bluetooth transceiver, which can be seen on a mobile phone or other screen, and passed on through SMS, email, or uploaded to the Cloud interface. The Californian Group followed it up with another paper in 2017 titled: “Autonomous sweat extraction and analysis applied to cystic fibrosis and glucose monitoring using a fully integrated wearable platform” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 114(18), 4525-4630; https://www.pnas.org/content/114/18/4625. Since the amount of sweat accessible in sedentary people is too low, the group resorted to what is called iontophoresis, wherein one can stimulate local secretion of sweat at chosen sites, thus getting enough of the fluid, analysing its relevant components in normal (control) individuals, and people with cystic fibrosis and also monitoring glucose levels in the sweat — all this in a similar integrated platform as was used in their Nature paper. In a control individual, they found 26.7 mM of Na ions and 21.2 mM of Cl ions (note that the Na level is higher than Cl level here), while in a CF patient, Na level was 2.3 mM and Cl level 95.7 mM (far higher than the Na level), in keeping with what CF specialists have found in their routine (“classical”) practice. The group further found that oral glucose consumption while fasting led to increased glucose levels in sweat and in blood. Note that in all these assays, the probes and sensors need to be powered externally using microbatteries. If these e-skin platforms are to be used in robotics and other devices, can we do away with this external, and have the material in the sweat itself be used as a biofuel generator of electric power? The group showed in their paper that just appeared 10 days ago in the journal Science Robotics (Yu et al., Sci. Robot. 5, eaaz7946(2020)). On a patch on the individual’s e-skin patch they added the enzyme Lox which would react with the lactate in the sweat and oxidise it to pyruvate in a bioanode, and reduce the oxygen into water in a biocathode, thus generating electrical energy that is sufficient to drive the patch with no external energy source — what a brilliant idea! Finally, in these COVID-19 days, it is good to know that sweat does not carry any pathogen (bacteria or virus); on the contrary it carries a germ-killer protein called dermcidin (Schittek et al, BMJ 2001, 323(7323);1206). One wonders if dermcidin or its modification can be anti-viral. dbala@lvpei.org
2 May 11:57 • The Hindu • https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/using-human-sweat-as-diagnostic-tool-and-source-of-power/article31489392.eceRating: 0.30
Antarctica vs. Science
2 May 09:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.69
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 09:00
Average US: 54.5
Weighted average US: 54.49999999999999
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.39999999999999997
Average IN: 2.5
Weighted average IN: 2.5
Antarctica vs. Science
At the start of January, the same month the world marked the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, scientists on snowmobiles were zipping across its diamantine ice, dragging a rig of metal detectors in their wake. Researchers were hoping to discover a hypothesized cache of iron-rich meteorites, the remnants of ancient asteroids and would-be planets, under the frozen wastes. But the unexpected roughness of the ice caused the rig to shake itself to pieces. Components were being shorn off, and the electronic circuitry quickly became unstable, with multiple points of failure. On the 18th day in Antarctica’s Outer Recovery Ice Fields, the device collapsed. All the backup metal detectors had been used in earlier repairs. No more repair jobs could resuscitate the unit. “It was death-by-vibration, but also death by a thousand cuts,” said Wouter van Verre, an electrical engineer from the University of Manchester in England who helped build the system. This is no isolated tale. The history of the scientific exploration of Antarctica is riddled with tales of woe, most often loss of life for the continent’s earlier explorers. And while major technological advancements and vastly improved safety regulations mean that the risk to Antarctic adventurers has been greatly reduced, equipment malfunctions that freeze scientific discovery persist there, said Daniella McCahey, a historian of Antarctica at the University of Idaho. When a vital piece of kit fails, the research often can only continue with MacGyveresque engineering solutions. Or projects end, leaving the prospects of additional discovery uncertain. The Snow Cruiser was an early example of an ill-fated piece of equipment. Weighing 37 tons and built with pride in Chicago in 1939, it was designed to glide across the perilous Antarctic terrain with ease, allowing its crew to make scientific observations wherever they wished. But once it arrived in Antarctica, its massive and far-too-smooth tires were unable to power the wheeled beast across much of the ice. Eventually, after a particularly heavy storm, it was abandoned to a snowy grave. But even far less complex technology can be vulnerable to Antarctica’s viciousness: During the 1957-1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the explorers’ wristwatches — vital for telling the time in a place with distinctly alien hours of light and darkness — simply didn’t work. “It’s remarkably easier to keep the human machine working than the physical machines,” said James Lloyd, an astronomer at Cornell University who spent two years at the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole in the mid-1990s. Preparation only gets you so far. You can test your technology as many times as you wish in the laboratory, or in Antarctic-like wildernesses. Those iron meteorite hunters did both, and even conducted a successful trial run on a sliver of Antarctica. But until you try it at your eventual research site, “you don’t know how it’s going to work,” Dr. McCahey said. “I promise you, there are no projects in Antarctica where the equipment works perfectly,” said Matthew Siegfried, a glaciologist at the Colorado School of Mines. There are no heavy-duty supply stops outfitted with abundances of gear at the icy end of the world, so expeditions bring as many spare parts as they can fly out, and hope for the best. “It’s only a very short step from what you can resource people with in space,” said Liam Marsh, an electrical engineer from the University of Manchester who helped build the meteorite detection system. Dr. Siegfried recalled a time he drove his snowmobile 45 miles from base to a remote GPS station, bringing along fuel canisters. When he stopped to refuel, he realized that the hand-pump pipe that fed gas to the snowmobile had vanished, forcing him to transmogrify other parts of his kit into a fairly messy — but ultimately effective — fuel transfer system. This sort of ad hoc repair work is rarely enjoyable, Mr. van Verre said. You quickly miss the luxury of tables and chairs. Gloves are removed when fiddling with small components, leaving hands exposed to a painfully violent chill. Such difficulty can result in moments of posterior-clenching horror. Nelia Dunbar, director of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, remembers bringing a snowmobile back to camp after its drive chain snapped. Mid-repair, the snowmobile suddenly roared to life and reversed in full throttle, narrowly missing tearing up her team’s tents. Even with perfectly functioning equipment, Antarctic malevolence can be remarkably inventive. Hank Statscewich, an oceanographer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, visited the continent in 2014 to study ocean currents near a biological hot spot. While there, an utter behemoth of an iceberg, pulverizing everything in its wake, improbably parked right on top of his small submerged scientific probe, severing its communication to the surface. Remarkably, months later, the probe’s mangled remains were found floating listlessly about, its violent encounter with the iceberg dutifully chronicled by its scientific instrumentation. Mr. Statscewich’s experience epitomizes the surprising reality about scientific expeditions to Antarctica: many manage to recover from seemingly terminal technological tribulations. This includes Manchester’s meteorite hunters, who managed to find more than 100 space rocks, including several iron-rich ones, on the surface during their Antarctic adventures. One meteorite was found while dragging the corpse of the detector rig back to camp. And, for 18 days, their bespoke rig gathered invaluable data. Like each troubled expedition before it, their quandaries serve as learning experiences that hopefully make the same setbacks less likely on future expeditions. But if the past is any indication, it will be a long time before Antarctica’s wanton destruction of scientific equipment comes to a close. “It’s a remorseless environment,” said Patrick Harkness, a space systems engineering expert at the University of Glasgow. “If you’ve made any mistakes in your preparation, it will find them out.”
2 May 09:00 • NY Times • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/science/antarctica-science-equipment.htmlRating: 5.38
‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet
2 May 09:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 2.69
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 09:00
Average US: 54.5
Weighted average US: 54.49999999999999
Average GB: 0.4
Weighted average GB: 0.39999999999999997
Average IN: 2.5
Weighted average IN: 2.5
‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet
BLAINE, Wash. — In his decades of beekeeping, Ted McFall had never seen anything like it. As he pulled his truck up to check on a group of hives near Custer, Wash., in November, he could spot from the window a mess of bee carcasses on the ground. As he looked closer, he saw a pile of dead members of the colony in front of a hive and more carnage inside — thousands and thousands of bees with their heads torn from their bodies and no sign of a culprit. “I couldn’t wrap my head around what could have done that,” Mr. McFall said. Only later did he come to suspect that the killer was what some researchers simply call the “murder hornet.” With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger — long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit — make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin. In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States. Mr. McFall still is not certain that Asian giant hornets were responsible for the plunder of his hive. But two of the predatory insects were discovered last fall in the northwest corner of Washington State, a few miles north of his property — the first sightings in the United States. Scientists have since embarked on a full-scale hunt for the hornets, worried that the invaders could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost. “This is our window to keep it from establishing,” said Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.” On a cold morning in early December, two and a half miles to the north of Mr. McFall’s property, Jeff Kornelis stepped on his front porch with his terrier-mix dog. He looked down to a jarring sight: “It was the biggest hornet I’d ever seen.” The insect was dead, and after inspecting it, Mr. Kornelis had a hunch that it might be an Asian giant hornet. It did not make much sense, given his location in the world, but he had seen an episode of the YouTube personality Coyote Peterson getting a brutal sting from one of the hornets. Beyond its size, the hornet has a distinctive look, with a cartoonishly fierce face featuring teardrop eyes like Spider-Man, orange and black stripes that extend down its body like a tiger, and broad, wispy wings like a small dragonfly. Mr. Kornelis contacted the state, which came out to confirm that it was indeed an Asian giant hornet. Soon after, they learned that a local beekeeper in the area had also found one of the hornets. Dr. Looney said it was immediately clear that the state faced a serious problem, but with only two insects in hand and winter coming on, it was nearly impossible to determine how much the hornet had already made itself at home. Over the winter, state agriculture biologists and local beekeepers got to work, preparing for the coming season. Ruthie Danielsen, a beekeeper who has helped organize her peers to combat the hornet, unfurled a map across the hood of her vehicle, noting the places across Whatcom County where beekeepers have placed traps. “Most people are scared to get stung by them,” Ms. Danielsen said. “We’re scared that they are going to totally destroy our hives.” Adding to the uncertainty — and mystery — were some other discoveries of the Asian giant hornet across the border in Canada. In November, a single hornet was seen in White Rock, British Columbia, perhaps 10 miles away from the discoveries in Washington State — likely too far for the hornets to be part of the same colony. Even earlier, there had been a hive discovered on Vancouver Island, across a strait that probably was too wide for a hornet to have crossed from the mainland. Crews were able to track down the hive on Vancouver Island. Conrad Bérubé, a beekeeper and entomologist in the town of Nanaimo, was assigned to exterminate it. He set out at night, when the hornets would be in their nest. He put on shorts and thick sweatpants, then his bee suit. He donned Kevlar braces on his ankles and wrists. But as he approached the hive, he said, the rustling of the brush and the shine of his flashlight awakened the colony. Before he had a chance to douse the nest with carbon dioxide, he felt the first searing stabs in his leg — through the bee suit and underlying sweatpants. “It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh,” he said. He ended up getting stung at least seven times, some of the stings drawing blood. Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan, said the species had earned the “murder hornet” nickname there because its aggressive group attacks can expose victims to doses of toxic venom equivalent to that of a venomous snake; a series of stings can be fatal. The night he got stung, Mr. Bérubé still managed to eliminate the nest and collect samples, but the next day, his legs were aching, as if he had the flu. Of the thousands of times he has been stung in his lifetime of work, he said, the Asian giant hornet stings were the most painful. After collecting the hornet in the Blaine area, state officials took off part of a leg and shipped it to an expert in Japan. A sample from the Nanaimo nest was sent as well. A genetic examination, concluded over the past few weeks, determined that the nest in Nanaimo and the hornet near Blaine were not connected, said Telissa Wilson, a state pest biologist, meaning there had probably been at least two different introductions in the region. Dr. Looney went out on a recent day in Blaine, carrying clear jugs that had been made into makeshift traps; typical wasp and bee traps available for purchase have holes too small for the Asian giant hornet. He filled some with orange juice mixed with rice wine, others had kefir mixed with water, and a third batch was filled with some experimental lures — all with the hope of catching a queen emerging to look for a place to build a nest. He hung them from trees, geo-tagging each location with his phone. In a region with extensive wooded habitats for hornets to establish homes, the task of finding and eliminating them is daunting. How to find dens that may be hidden underground? And where to look, given that one of the queens can fly many miles a day, at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour? The miles of wooded landscapes and mild, wet climate of western Washington State makes for an ideal location for the hornets to spread. In the coming months, Mr. Looney said, he and others plan to place hundreds more traps. State officials have mapped out the plan in a grid, starting in Blaine and moving outward. The buzz of activity inside a nest of Asian giant hornets can keep the inside temperature up to 86 degrees, so the trackers are also exploring using thermal imaging to examine the forest floors. Later, they may also try other advanced tools that could track the signature hum the hornets make in flight. If a hornet does get caught in a trap, Dr. Looney said, there are plans to possibly use radio-frequency identification tags to monitor where it goes — or simply attach a small streamer and then follow the hornet as it returns to its nest. While most bees would be unable to fly with a disruptive marker attached, that is not the case with the Asian giant hornet. It is big enough to handle the extra load.
2 May 09:00 • NY Times • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.htmlRating: 5.38
Cold facts: Humans are cooling - what does that mean for our health?
2 May 11:00
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.35
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 11:00
Average US: 8.8
Weighted average US: 8.8
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 3.1
Weighted average IN: 3.0999999999999996
Cold facts: Humans are cooling - what does that mean for our health?
Humans seem to have cooled over the past 150 years. What does that mean for us now, asks Kim Tingley. As public health officials struggle to contain the spread of the coronavirus, determining whether a person has a fever is now a high-stakes matter, and using temperature guns to screen people has become a visible strategy for detecting possible cases. “Any infectious disease — one of the cardinal signs of infection is raised body temperature,” says Waleed Javaid, the director of infection prevention and control for the Mount Sinai Downtown Network, in New York. But there’s a catch: “That means you know the body temperature before you raised it.” Body temperature varies considerably both among and within people, based on weight, height, physical activity, the weather, clothing. Older people tend to be cooler than younger people. A recent review suggests women might tend to be slightly warmer than men. Temperature also fluctuates with the sleep-wake cycle. Of course, public health officials can’t know each person’s usual thermal patterns, so their advice is based on population averages. Yet those numbers aren’t consistent, either, and most refer to oral temperature, which is considered more accurate than an infrared scan of the forehead. Before the current pandemic, hospitals would generally assess fever and act upon it differently in response to individual patients and diagnoses; schools have had various thresholds to determine when parents should keep their children home. Perhaps the most well-known benchmark is 98.8F (37C), which many people, including physicians and public health agencies, consider to be a baseline. “All of us think back to our mothers taking our temperature and saying: ‘It’s 98.6. You’re going to school’,” says Dr Julie Parsonnet, an infectious-diseases specialist at Stanford University. That number dates to 1851, when a German physician named Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich began taking what he purported were millions of temperature readings from 25,000 patients in Leipzig. Their average, he announced, was the Celsius equivalent of 98.6F. That figure, which he defined as “normal,” has persisted, despite numerous more recent studies that put the average closer to 97.88F or lower. A 1992 study in JAMA suggested that the discrepancy could be explained by Wunderlich’s primitive thermometer or other external variables. But Parsonnet wondered if our average body temperature might have decreased. Parsonnet and colleagues analysed the medical records of army veterans taken from 1862 until 1940 that contained 83,900 temperature readings. They found that average body temperature steadily decreased by about 0.02 degrees Celsius per decade; veterans born more recently were cooler. Natural Health: Every summer my athlete's foot returns. What can I do? These data were compared with data collected between 1971 and 1975 and between 2007 and 2017. Over all, a similar pattern emerged: The average temperature of men born between 1800 and 1997 decreased by about 0.03 degrees per birth decade. (Women born between 1890 and 1997 had a 0.029 per decade decrease but weren’t represented in the army data.) The most likely reason for such a change, Parsonnet and co-authors argue in a study published in January in eLife, a journal of biology and medicine, is that improvements in living standards, sanitation and medical care have reduced the number of cases of untreated chronic illness, including tuberculosis, syphilis and periodontitis. Fighting infection increases a person’s basal metabolic rate — the amount of energy needed at rest per unit of time — and that raises his or her temperature. A lower average temperature therefore suggests a lower average metabolic rate. And a lower metabolic rate tends to correlate with a greater body mass, at least in animals. So far, researchers can only speculate about possible connections between a lower average temperature and rising obesity rates in people. Such a substantial change in average temperature over a fairly short period of history could have other, unforeseeable impacts. Parsonnet points out that there are “more microbial organisms in us than there are human cells”, which creates a complex ecosystem. And like a human-size version of climate change, “we’re seeing probably a change in our ecosystem that’s associated with this drop in temperature”. Yet we’re only beginning to understand all the ways temperature influences that ecosystem to help determine how we function. Our body temperature is controlled by the hypothalamus, which acts as a thermostat, keeping the temperature of vital organs fairly constant. (It’s this core temperature that a thermometer approximates.) Temperature sensors in nerve endings, which produce the sensation of being hot or cold, prompt the hypothalamus to initiate adjustments like shivering to warm up or sweating to cool down. At any given time, your skin might be 10 degrees cooler or warmer than your core. And that difference — and thus how much energy the body has to expend to keep the core stable — seems to affect how the immune system functions. For instance, in 2013 Elizabeth Repasky of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-authors reported in PNAS that raising the room temperature improved the ability of laboratory mice to fight off cancer after they got it. Repasky and others are also experimenting with heating tumour cells to kill them or make them more susceptible to chemotherapy. Already, certain abdominal cancers are treated with “hot chemotherapy”, in which the drug is heated to 103 degrees, which has been shown to increase how much of it is absorbed by cancer cells. Separately, the heat from a fever may help fight infection, because, as Mark Dewhirst, an emeritus professor of radiation oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine, puts it: “A lot of bacteria and other pathogens don’t fare well at elevated temperatures.” A lower metabolic rate, and thus a lower temperature, has been linked to a longer life span in experimental settings with reduced calorie intake, when the body slows to conserve energy. But Bruno Conti, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, and colleagues have also found that mice genetically engineered to have a body temperature a half-degree lower than average lived longer than ordinary mice, even if they ate as much as they wanted. What other effects this has on an organism is unknown. “For instance,” he says, “a brain at a lower temperature might not function as well.” At the same time, other bodily systems might benefit from being cooler. H Craig Heller, a biology professor at Stanford, and colleagues have shown that muscle fatigue is caused by heat, which they believe triggers a temperature-sensitive enzyme that acts as a safety valve, stopping the production of chemicals that power muscle contractions in order to prevent the tissue from burning up. When Heller cools muscle during physical activity using special gloves that chill blood as it moves through the hands, the muscle “just keeps on going”. He says: “I’ve had freshmen doing more than 800 push-ups.” It’s unclear if or how the coronavirus might change the use of body temperature as a diagnostic tool. In the near term, Javaid says, knowing your own average temperature and how it fluctuates might help clinicians diagnose and treat some illnesses more accurately. He suggests taking it at set times for several weeks and giving that information to your doctor, if needed. “I think what we’ll end up concluding is, just like people know their blood pressure, they also should know what is their temperature when they are normal,” he says. But, Parsonnet adds, as a rule, it’s also important to keep in mind that number’s limitations: “If it’s normal and you feel sick, you’re still sick.” New York Times Magazine Yes, you can still experience burnout working from home
2 May 11:00 • Irishexaminer • https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/healthandlife/cold-facts-humans-are-cooling--what-does-that-mean-for-our-health-997133.htmlRating: 0.69
Venus Medtech and Opus Medical Therapies, LLC Announce Partnership for Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) and Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement (TTVR) in Greater China Market
2 May 10:35
•
1 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.47
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 10:35
Average US: 0.9
Weighted average US: 0.9
Average GB: 0.0
Weighted average GB: 0.0
Average IN: 0.0
Weighted average IN: 0.0
Venus Medtech and Opus Medical Therapies, LLC Announce Partnership for Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) and Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement (TTVR) in Greater China Market
HANGZHOU, China and ATLANTA, May 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Venus Medtech (Hangzhou) Inc. ("Venus Medtech" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group", stock code: 2500), the leading Chinese transcatheter heart valve company and Opus Medical Therapies, LLC, a medical device company focused on developing transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve replacement products for patients undergoing mitral and tricuspid valve disease, today announced a partnership agreement to develop, manufacture and sell these TMVR and TTVR products in Greater China. This agreement, covering the whole Greater China market, will allow physicians and patients in this region to benefit from transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve replacement. The combination is unavailable in any other market or from any other company. "It is utmost importance to us that our devices can save more patients and improve their quality of life. The cooperation with Opus Medical Therapies will enable Venus Medtech to achieve full coverage from functional mitral regurgitation to degenerative regurgitation on the basis of its own product line, and will greatly accelerate the clinical use of tricuspid valve replacement technology. No other company offers this all-valves solution in China and Asia," said Eric Zi, CEO of Venus Medtech. Mitral Regurgitation (MR) is the most common heart valve disease, which is caused by organic or functional changes to the mitral valve apparatus, including the mitral valve leaflets, valve annulus, papillary muscles and chordae tendinae. In China, the prevalence of MR above the age of 60 is 13.4%, and the number of patients requiring treatment (MR≥ grade 3) is 10 million. At present, for patients with significant mitral regurgitation, cardiac surgery is still the mainstream way of treatment, but the number of mitral valve surgeries in our country is not much more than 40,000 cases per year. In fact, at least 50% of the patients with mitral valve regurgitation are high risk because of advanced age, low ejection fraction, or because of other factors. Sadly, the vast majority of these patients do not receive treatment, and continue to suffer. In recent years, transcatheter mitral therapies have developed rapidly around the world, but due to the complexity of the mitral valve apparatus and the complexity of mitral valve lesions, the current products available in the international market are few and expensive, and they have significant limitations in clinical application. Because the research and development of transcatheter mitral valve therapies is technically challenging and requires large investments, development of mitral valve technology in China is seriously restricted. Also limited is the development of therapies for tricuspid regurgitation (TR), even though moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation is not uncommon in the population. Although patients with mild to moderate regurgitation might have few symptoms, patients with severe regurgitation can suffer from debilitating symptoms, and have a higher risk of dying. Indeed, although the tricuspid valve has long been the "forgotten valve", several long-term registries have shown that tricuspid regurgitation significantly impacts patients' survival and quality of life. Other registries have shown that these risks decrease with treatment, sometimes even in patients who have moderate TR complicated by significant annular dilatation. Despite these benefits, risks of surgery are high; patients undergoing surgical therapy can have an peri-operative mortality rate of up to 10%, with up to 25% mortality rate during follow-up at 32 months after surgery, and even as high as 35% and 56% during follow-up at 3 and 5 years, respectively, after treatment. Therefore, transcatheter therapy is desperately needed as a new option for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation who are at high risk and not suitable for surgery. "Venus has established a dominant position in the China TAVR market with its exceptionally safe and effective platform. Because of my co-founders, Jaime Sarabia and Yen Liao, and the rest of the Opus team, we have extensive pre-clinical and clinical experience in the TMVR and TTVR space. With the depth of our experience and Venus's support, we believe that this partnership will result in furtherance of Venus's pipelines, which have great potential market size globally," said Dr. Vivek Rajagopal, founder and CEO, Opus Medical Therapies. "This partnership also provides us the opportunity to make an impact in the fast growing structural heart space in an extraordinarily important geographic market. With Venus as our partner, we also hope to make an impact in the rest of the world." This impact will greatly ease the burden for the millions of patients with MR and TR who are too sick, too frail, or too old to undergo surgery safely. As physicians and others advance innovative technologies around the world, Venus MedTech will continue to lead the way in China as it continues its extensive basic, translational, and clinical research in transcatheter valvular therapies. Now, with the successful signing of the cooperation agreement with Opus Medical Therapies, Venus will lead China to the front and center stage of the world's TMVR and TTVR research field. About Venus Medtech (Hangzhou) Inc.Venus Medtech is the leading transcatheter heart valve medical device player in China in terms of implantation volume in 2018. The Company focuses on the design, development and commercialization of transcatheter heart valve products. According to Frost & Sullivan, the Company had a 79.3% market share in China by implantation volume of TAVR products in 2018. The Company's self-developed product, VenusA-Valve, is the first TAVR product approved by the NMPA and commercialized in China. As the pioneer in the transcatheter heart valve industry in China, the Company enjoys first mover advantages. The Company believes that its first mover advantages, together with its comprehensive product pipeline covering all four heart valves, robust intellectual property portfolio with 193 issued patents and 196 patent applications as of November 18, 2019, and visionary management team, will serve as high entry barriers and differentiate the Company from its peers. For more information, please visit: www.venusmedtech.com CONTACT: Christy Ng, Christy.ng@pordahavas.com, +852 3120-6515 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/venus-medtech-and-opus-medical-therapies-llc-announce-partnership-for-transcatheter-mitral-valve-replacement-tmvr-and-transcatheter-tricuspid-valve-replacement-ttvr-in-greater-china-market-301051385.html SOURCE Venus Medtech (Hangzhou) Inc.
2 May 10:35 • finanzen.ch • https://www.finanzen.ch/nachrichten/aktien/venus-medtech-and-opus-medical-therapies-llc-announce-partnership-for-transcatheter-mitral-valve-replacement-tmvr-and-transcatheter-tricuspid-valve-replacement-ttvr-in-greater-china-market-1029156553Rating: 0.95