Increased emergency cardiovascular events among under-40 population in Israel during vaccine rollout and third COVID-19 wave [Scholarly Article - Nature, April 2022]

Title:

Increased emergency cardiovascular events among under-40 population in Israel during vaccine rollout and third COVID-19 wave

 

Authors:

Christopher L.F. Sun

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Healthcare Systems Engineering, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

 

Eli Jaffe

Israel National Emergency Medical Services (Magen David Adom), Tel Aviv-Jaffo, Israel

Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

 

& 

 

Retsef Levi 

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

 

Published:

Nature, Scientific Reports, 28 April 2022

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10928-z

 

Abstract:

Cardiovascular adverse conditions are caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and reported as side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. Enriching current vaccine safety surveillance systems with additional data sources may improve the understanding of COVID-19 vaccine safety. Using a unique dataset from Israel National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from 2019 to 2021, the study aims to evaluate the association between the volume of cardiac arrest and acute coronary syndrome EMS calls in the 16–39-year-old population with potential factors including COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates. An increase of over 25% was detected in both call types during January–May 2021, compared with the years 2019–2020. Using Negative Binomial regression models, the weekly emergency call counts were significantly associated with the rates of 1st and 2nd vaccine doses administered to this age group but were not with COVID-19 infection rates. While not establishing causal relationships, the findings raise concerns regarding vaccine-induced undetected severe cardiovascular side-effects and underscore the already established causal relationship between vaccines and myocarditis, a frequent cause of unexpected cardiac arrest in young individuals. Surveillance of potential vaccine side-effects and COVID-19 outcomes should incorporate EMS and other health data to identify public health trends (e.g., increased in EMS calls), and promptly investigate potential underlying causes.

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - New method for genetic analysis of resting human immune cells [Medical Xpress, December 2021]

Title:

New method for genetic analysis of resting human immune cells 

 

By: 

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

 

Published:

Medical Xpress, 28 December 2021

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-method-genetic-analysis-resting-human.html

 

From the article:

CD4+ T cells are important parts of the immune system and play a key role in defending the body against pathogens. As they possess a great variety of defense mechanisms against HIV in their resting state, they are infected only very rarely—but these few infected cells form a latent reservoir for HIV in the body that currently cannot be reached by antiviral drugs. Consequently, the virus can spread again from there after activation of the CD4+ T cells. Understanding how HIV interacts with resting CD4+ T cells is essential for finding new therapeutic approaches. Scientists led by Prof. Oliver T. Keppler from the Max von Pettenkofer Institute at LMU have now developed a method that for the first time allows these specific immune cells to be genetically manipulated under physiological conditions in an efficient and uncomplicated manner. As the authors report in the journal Nature Methods, this permits previously unobtainable insights into the biology of these cells.

Chewing Gum Developed That Could Reduce COVID Transmission – Laced With Protein That “Traps” the SARS-CoV-2 Virus [SciTechDaily, December 2021]

Title:

Chewing Gum Developed That Could Reduce COVID Transmission – Laced With Protein That “Traps” the SARS-CoV-2 Virus

 

By:

University of Pennsylvania, USA

 

Published:

SciTechDaily, 4 December 2021

https://scitechdaily.com/chewing-gum-developed-that-could-reduce-covid-transmission-laced-with-protein-that-traps-the-sars-cov-2-virus/

 

From the article:

A chewing gum laced with a plant-grown protein serves as a “trap” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing viral load in saliva and potentially tamping down transmission, according to a new study.

 

The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxford University, Diamond Light Source & Public Health England: Engineered Nanobodies – Derived From Llama Antibodies – Neutralize COVID-19 Virus

Title:
Engineered Nanobodies – Derived From Llama Antibodies – Neutralize COVID-19 Virus

By:
The Rosalind Franklin Institute

Published:
SciTecDaily, 14 July 2020
https://scitechdaily.com/engineered-nanobodies-derived-from-llama-antibodies-neutralize-covid-19-virus/

From the article:
Antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests, UK researchers announced today.
 
The team involves researchers from the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxford University, Diamond Light Source and Public Health England. They hope the antibodies – known as nanobodies due to their small size – could eventually be developed as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19. The peer-reviewed findings are published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

University of California, Davis - The link between virus spillover, wildlife extinction and the environment

Title:
The link between virus spillover, wildlife extinction and the environment

Author:
Kat Kerlin

Published:
Phys.org, 7 April 2020

From the article:
"As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, a common question is, can infectious diseases be connected to environmental change? Yes, indicates a study published today from the University of California, Davis' One Health Institute."

To read this article:
https://phys.org/news/2020-04-link-virus-spillover-wildlife-extinction.html

SingularityHub Article - How to Battle an Epidemic? Digitize Its DNA and Share It With the World (by Shelly Xuelai Fan, PhD) - Worth reading!

Title:
How to Battle an Epidemic? Digitize Its DNA and Share It With the World

Author:
Shelly Xuelai Fan, PhD

Published:
SingularityHub, 26 February 2020

From the article:
"A virus's genetic blueprint is the first clue to its origins and traints. The response to Covid-19 was extremely rapid. Within a month of the first identified case in Wuhan, Chinese scientists had deposited the virus's partial genetic blueprint into genBank, an online, widely-consulted database. 

Almost immediately, scientists from all sectors - academic, biotech, government - around the world began ordering parts of the virus genome online to study in their own labs."

To read this article:
https://singularityhub.com/2020/02/26/how-to-battle-an-epidemic-digitize-its-dna-and-share-it-with-the-world/