Big Pharma

New test to detect COVID-19 in the air Laboratorio Control - A Tentamus Company (PresseBox) ( Madrid, Spain, 21-02-24 ) As of today, Laboratorio Contol provides a new analysis (PCR) to detect SARS-CoV-2 in air samples to all its customers. This service is a powerful tool for the early detection of possible outbreaks of COVID-19 in the population. The laboratory started its research when the WHO (World Health Organization) updated the latest findings on infectious pathways with SARS-CoV-2 in July 2020. Through its infection prevention unit coordinator, Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO acknowledges evidence that the coronavirus remains airborne. These infectious...

Could mixing COVID vaccines boost immune response? Combining different coronavirus shots could speed immunization campaigns — and even boost immune response. Heidi Ledford A trial will test a two-shot vaccine regimen that uses two types of COVID vaccine.Credit: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Researchers in the United Kingdom have launched a study that will mix and match two COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to ease the daunting logistics of immunizing millions of people — and potentially boost immune responses in the process. Most coronavirus vaccines are given as two injections: an initial ‘prime’ dose followed by a ‘boost’ to stimulate the...

How epidemiology has shaped the COVID pandemic Nature’s third progress report, coming at the end of the pandemic’s first year, highlights key findings from epidemiology — from sounding the early alarm to following the impact of new variants. Measures such as mask-wearing have been used around the world to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.Credit: Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock Epidemiology is essential to the fight against any disease. The study of how diseases spread, and why, has loomed large in the struggle to understand, contain and respond to COVID-19. Analyses of data on infections and deaths, and projections from studies that...

New neural network enables easy screening of sleep apnoea in patients with cerebrovascular disease A new neural network developed by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital enables an easy and accurate assessment of sleep apnoea severity in patients with cerebrovascular disease. The assessment is automated and based on a simple nocturnal pulse oximetry, making it possible to easily screen for sleep apnoea in stroke units. Up to 90% of patients experiencing a stroke have sleep apnoea, according to earlier studies conducted at Kuopio University Hospital. If left untreated, sleep apnoea can reduce the quality of...

Naltrexone use decreases the risk of hospitalization in persons with alcohol use disorder Naltrexone, used either alone or together with disulfiram or acamprosate, is associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization due to alcohol use disorder (AUD) when compared with non-use of AUD drugs, a new register-based study shows. The same associations were noticed for hospitalization due to any cause. Disulfiram use and polytherapy with two or more drugs indicated for AUD was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization due to alcohol-related somatic causes. None of the studied medications were associated with mortality or work disability (sickness absence or...