Mar 27th, 2023 - The consequences of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can range from asymptomatic to fatal disease. Variations in epithelial susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection depend on the anatomical location from the proximal to distal respiratory tract. However, the cellular biology underlying these variations is not completely understood. Thus, air-liquid inter...

Mar 27th, 2023 - Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous virus but can lead to deleterious clinical manifestations due to its predilection for the pediatric central nervous system. Despite significant literature describing its common clinical course, it is rarely considered as a causative agent in CSF pleocytosis in the setting of craniotomy and external ventricular drainage device. Identification of a pri...

Mar 24th, 2023 - To assess dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Greater Accra Region, Ghana, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from persons in the community and returning from international travel. The Accra Metropolitan District was a major origin of virus spread to other districts and should be a primary focus for interventions against future infectious disease outbreaks.

Mar 24th, 2023 - Incidence of reported tuberculosis (TB) decreased gradually in the United States during 1993-2019, reaching 2.7 cases per 100,000 persons in 2019. Incidence substantially declined in 2020 to 2.2, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic (1). Proposed explanations for the decline include delayed or missed TB diagnoses, changes in migration and travel, and mortality among persons susceptible to TB r...

Mar 23rd, 2023 - Viral metagenomics has been extensively applied for the identification of emerging or poorly characterized viruses. In this study, we applied metagenomics for the identification of viral infections among pediatric patients with acute respiratory disease but who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Twelve pools composed of 8 nasopharyngeal specimens were submitted to viral metagenomics. Surprisingly,...

Mar 21st, 2023 - Note that some links may require subscriptions. President Joe Biden signed a bill requiring the declassification of information related to the origins of the COVID-19. (Reuters) The DEA issued an alert regarding the widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine. The world's top climate scientists have issued "a survival guide for humanity". (CNBC) Current and for...

Mar 21st, 2023 - Information on vaccine effectiveness in a context of novel variants of concern (VOC) emergence is of key importance to inform public health policies. This study aimed to estimate a measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness between Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2 and sub-lineages) VOC according to vaccination exposure (primary or booster). We developed a case-case study using data on RT-P...

Mar 17th, 2023 - Note that some links may require subscriptions. A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the origin of COVID-19 to raccoon dogs. (The Atlantic) What's a raccoon dog, anyhow? (Wikipedia) After a 2-year pandemic spike, maternal deaths in 2022 appear to have returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to preliminary data from the CDC. (AP) Another tickborne illness, babesiosis, ...

Mar 17th, 2023 - This study explored the specialty preferences of China-educated international medical students (IMSs), who are mainly from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and constitute a potential medical workforce both for their home countries and foreign countries, and the influence of migration intentions on their specialty preferences. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted a...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Maternal mortality in the U.S. significantly increased in 2021 compared with the previous year, the CDC reported Thursday. A total of 1,205 women died of maternal causes in 2021, compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019, according to the report from Donna Hoyert, PhD, of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. The maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live birth...

Mar 16th, 2023 - SPL UNCLASSIFIED SECTION HIGHLIGHTS OF EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION (EUA) These highlights of the EUA do not include all the information needed to use SOTROVIMAB under the EUA. See the FULL FACT SHEET FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS for SOTROVIMAB. SOTROVIMAB injection, for intravenous use Original EUA Authorized Date: 05/2021 ---------------------------- RECENT MAJOR CHANGES --------------------------...

Mar 14th, 2023 - This study examines how access to COVID-19 information and adherence to preventive measures varies by sociodemographic characteristics, and whether the associations differ among the migrant origin and the general Finnish population. Additionally, the association of perceived access to information with adherence to preventive measures is examined. Cross-sectional, population-based random sample....

Mar 13th, 2023 - Note that some links may require subscriptions. The takeaway of a recent Cochrane review that masks don't work is an "inaccurate and misleading interpretation," the editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library said in a statement. A bill to declassify information on the origins of COVID passed the House and is headed to President Biden's desk. (Politico) And the World Health Organization's director-...

Mar 11th, 2023 - When humans experience a new, devastating viral infection such as SARS-CoV-2, significant challenges arise. How should individuals as well as societies respond to the situation? One of the primary questions concerns the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that infected and was transmitted efficiently among humans resulting in a pandemic. At first glance, the question appears straightforward to answe...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Although biomedical preprint servers have grown rapidly over the past several years, the harm to patient health and safety remains a major concern among several scientific communities. Despite previous studies examining the role of preprints during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, there is limited information characterizing their impact on scientific communication in orthopaedic surgery. (1) What a...

Mar 9th, 2023 - A majority of Republicans and others at a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing supported the lab-leak hypothesis as the origin of COVID-19, with some citing "new evidence" of a potential cover-up. While there is "no smoking gun" to prove a laboratory leak hypothesis, "the growing body of circumstantial evidence suggests a gun that is at the very least warm to the touch,...

Mar 9th, 2023 - ABSTRACTScant studies have explored COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among refugees. However, contexts of forced migration may elevate COVID-19 vulnerabilities, and suboptimal refugee immunisation rates are reported for other vaccine-preventable diseases. We conducted a multi-methods study to describe COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This study uses cro...

Mar 8th, 2023 - The GsGd lineage (A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996) H5N1 virus was introduced to Canada in 2021/2022 through the Atlantic and East Asia-Australasia/Pacific flyways by migratory birds. This was followed by unprecedented outbreaks affecting domestic and wild birds, with spillover into other animals. Here, we report sporadic cases of H5N1 in 40 free-living mesocarnivore species such as red foxes, striped ...

Mar 7th, 2023 - Bats are reservoirs for diverse coronaviruses, including swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV). SADS-CoV has been reported to have broad cell tropism and inherent potential to cross host species barriers for dissemination. We rescued synthetic wild-type SADS-CoV using one-step assembly of a viral cDNA clone by homologous recombination in yeast. Furthermore, we characterized SADS-...

Mar 7th, 2023 - We sequenced 54 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genomes collected during 2021-22 and 2022-23 outbreaks in Washington, USA, to determine the origin of increased RSV cases. Detected RSV strains have been spreading for >10 years, suggesting a role for diminished population immunity from low RSV exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.