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Tag: research

Topic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests

What are the most reliable rapid antigen tests?

Published May 6, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: newsGP
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By Michelle Wisbey

A new study has analysed 26 RATs from Australia and Canada, finding only six could effectively detect the lowest concentrations of COVID-19.

Patients across the globe have come to rely on rapid antigen tests (RATs) to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis, but a new Australian study has revealed most are not producing accurate results.

Researchers from James Cook University (JCU) say they were left ‘shocked’ after an analysis of 26 RATs from Australia and Canada found just six were effective at detecting the lowest concentration of COVID-19.

One Canadian test failed to detect the COVID-19 protein entirely at any level of concentration.

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Topic: metforminView all posts for the topic: metformin

Common diabetes drug lowers SARS-CoV-2 levels, clinical trial finds

Published May 3, 2024

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Stephanie Soucheray

Today, researchers from the University of Minnesota published evidence that the common diabetes drug metformin decreases the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the body and helps reduce the risk of rebound symptoms if given early in the course of non-severe illness.

The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggests metformin may also help prevent long COVID.

The researchers tested metformin against a placebo in 999 adults infected with COVID-19. More than 50% of the study enrollees were vaccinated, and treatment took place when the Omicron variant was the most dominant strain in the United States.

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Topic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests

International study highlights best RATs

Published May 2, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: James Cook University
Published on:

A ground-breaking study by James Cook University researchers has produced damning findings on several COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) available in Australia and overseas.

The new joint study by JCU and National Research Council Canada analysed 16 RATs approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and 10 by Health Canada, using a JCU-developed COVID-19 protein and its Canadian counterpart as reference materials.

Out of the total 26 RATs compared, only six were found to be effective at detecting the lowest concentration of the COVID-19 reference proteins in the dilution series used for benchmarking.

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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

What we’re starting to learn about H5N1 in cows, and the risk to people

Published April 30, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: STAT
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By Helen Branswell, Megan Molteni

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been around for decades, and the damage it wreaks on chickens and other poultry is well documented. But the recent discovery that the virus has jumped into dairy cattle — whose udders seem to be where the virus either infects or migrates to — has dumbfounded scientists and agricultural authorities.

Questions for which there are pretty clear answers when it comes to birds are suddenly unsettled science in cows. How are they getting infected? Are they transmitting the virus cow to cow, or are human actions — activities that are part of the day-to-day of farming — serving as an unrecognized amplifier of viral transmission? In the interface between infected cows and humans, how might people be at risk? Does consuming milk laced with live H5 virus pose a hazard?

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Topic: researchView all posts for the topic: research

Scientists discover higher levels of CO2 increase survival of viruses in the air and transmission risk

Published April 26, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: University of Bristol
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A new study has revealed for the first time the vital role carbon dioxide (CO2) plays in determining the lifespan of airborne viruses – namely SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

It clearly showed keeping CO2 levels in check helps to reduce virus survival, and therefore the risk of infection.

The research, led by the University of Bristol and published today in Nature Communications, shows how CO2 is a major factor in prolonging the life of SARS-CoV-2 variants present in tiny droplets circulating in the atmosphere.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Video | Akiko Iwasaki on what causes long COVID, brain fog, the Yale Paxlovid study and long COVID treatments

Published April 26, 2024

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Published by: American Medical Association (AMA)
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What causes long COVID? Is long COVID dangerous? Who is most likely to get long COVID? Any pediatric long COVID news? What can be done for long term COVID?

Our guest is Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University. AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger hosts.

Continue readingVideo | Akiko Iwasaki on what causes long COVID, brain fog, the Yale Paxlovid study and long COVID treatments
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Covid-19 Found in People’s Blood Months After Infection

Published April 26, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Psychology Today
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By Alison Escalante, M.D.

Key points

  • A quarter of people had Covid-19 viral proteins in their blood up to 14 months after infection.
  • These proteins in the blood indicate that SARS-CoV-2 keeps living in tissue reservoirs.
  • The study used a research-grade test that is not available outside of research labs.
  • The strongest evidence to date that Covid-19 persists in the body provides an important clue to Long Covid.
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Topic: researchView all posts for the topic: research

COVID-19 virus disrupts protein production, study finds

Published April 23, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: University of Toronto
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By Jenni Bozec

When SARS-CoV-2 enters our cells, it disrupts the process of making proteins, which are essential for our cells to work correctly. A particular SARS-CoV-2 protein called Nsp1 has a crucial role in this process. It stops ribosomes, the machinery that makes proteins, from doing their job effectively. The virus is like a clever saboteur inside our cells, making sure its own needs are met while disrupting our cells’ ability to defend themselves.

— Talya Yerlici, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine
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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

Scientists say USDA is sharing too little data too slowly on H5N1 flu

Published April 23, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CNN
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By Brenda Goodman

When the US Department of Agriculture announced late Sunday that it had publicly posted new data from its investigation into a bird flu outbreak in cattle, scientists eagerly searched a well-known platform used globally to share the genetic sequences of viruses.

The sequences weren’t there. As of Tuesday morning, they still aren’t.

Researchers looking to track the evolution and spread of H5N1 say the information that was posted — raw data on a US server — isn’t very useful and is anything but transparent. They also say the government’s release of information in the outbreak, which was confirmed in cattle almost a month ago, has been painfully slow.

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Topic: The NetherlandsView all posts for the topic: The Netherlands

COVID Patient’s Infection Lasts Record 613 Days—and Accumulated Over 50 Mutations

Published April 18, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Time
Published on:
By Jason Gale / Bloomberg

A Covid-19 patient with a weakened immune system incubated a highly mutated novel strain over 613 days before succumbing to an underlying illness, researchers in the Netherlands found.

The patient, a 72-year-old man with a blood disorder, failed to mount a strong immune response to multiple Covid shots before catching the omicron variant in February 2022. Detailed analysis of specimens collected from more than two dozen nose and throat swabs found the coronavirus developed resistance to sotrovimab, a Covid antibody treatment, within a few weeks, scientists at the University of Amsterdam’s Centre for Experimental and Molecular Medicine said. It later acquired over 50 mutations, including some that suggested an enhanced ability to evade immune defenses, they said.

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Topic: antiviral drugsView all posts for the topic: antiviral drugs

Remdesivir tied to 25% lower risk of in-hospital death in adults with COVID and no added oxygen

Published April 17, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CIDRAP
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By Mary Van Beusekom

The antiviral drug remdesivir cut death rates 17% to 25% in adults hospitalized for COVID-19 who didn’t require supplemental oxygen at admission, suggests a large US study published yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

The study, led by researchers from remdesivir (Veklury) developer Gilead Sciences, used a multicenter US hospital billing database to compare rates of in-hospital death among 58,188 patients on room air who received at least one dose of remdesivir within the first 2 days of hospital admission and 17,574 matched patients not given the drug. The drug is most effective when given early in infection, when viral replication is most active.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Video | Study finds no link between COVID vaccines and fatal heart problems in young people

Published April 12, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there is no evidence to suggest COVID vaccines cause sudden cardiac death or other fatal heart problems in young people.

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Topic: cognitive issuesView all posts for the topic: cognitive issues

Radio | COVID infections are causing drops in IQ and years of brain aging, studies suggest

Published April 12, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CBC Radio | Quirks and Quarks
Published on:
By Amanda Buckiewicz

When COVID-19 first reared its head back in 2019, it brought with it a slew of strange symptoms beyond just respiratory problems. One of the most puzzling symptoms in those early days was something called “brain fog” — cognitive issues like confusion, forgetfulness, and trouble focusing.

And while other symptoms have changed as the virus mutated, brain fog is still a common complaint of COVID sufferers not only during the initial illness, but extending for months or even years afterwards. Several recent studies have been trying to understand exactly what this virus is doing to our brains — and how to stop it.

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Feds launch indoor air quality research programHVAC system at a library, with a pipe extending down from a ceiling. Photo by: Michael Casey. Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.
Topic: indoor air qualityView all posts for the topic: indoor air quality

Feds launch indoor air quality research program

Published April 12, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CIDRAP
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By Lisa Schnirring

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) this week announced the launch of the Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) program, which is a platform with a goal of improving indoor air quality across the country.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Three studies spotlight long-term burden of COVID in US adults

Published April 10, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on:
By Mary Van Beusekom

Three new studies shed new light on long COVID in the United States, with one finding that two thirds of severely ill patients reported persistent impairments for up to 1 year, another showing that US veterans were at three times the risk of preventable hospitalization in the month after infection, and the last revealing that one third of COVID-19 survivors had lingering symptoms at one time.

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Topic: POTSView all posts for the topic: POTS

They’re young and athletic. They’re also ill with a condition called POTS.

Published April 10, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Washington Post
Published on:
By Ariana Eunjung Cha

Kaleigh Levine was running drills in the gym with her lacrosse team at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, when everything turned black.

“The coach wanted me to get back in the line, but I couldn’t see,” she remembered.

Her vision returned after a few minutes, but several months and a half-dozen medical specialists later, the 20-year-old goalie was diagnosed with a mysterious condition known as POTS.

Continue readingThey’re young and athletic. They’re also ill with a condition called POTS.
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