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Can cats and dogs catch or spread COVID-19?

A recent report from Hong Kong that two dogs had tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had pet owners in a tizzy. This was compounded by news that a cat owned by a COVID-19 patient had developed symptoms of the illness in Belgium – such as breathing trouble and diarrhea – a week after the owner tested positive. The cat’s vomit and feces were subsequently found to be positive for the viral genome.

2 Apr 2020

MIT launches new technique to mass manufacture disposable face shields

The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to healthcare professionals has become increasingly problematic as Covid-19 cases continue to surge.

2 Apr 2020

Tulane University adds second avenue for COVID-19 testing

Tulane University has added a second avenue for COVID-19 testing, this one taking place at a Tulane School of Medicine repurposed research lab where results can be processed within a day.

2 Apr 2020

IMDEA Networks researcher launches study to estimate the actual incidence of pandemic

Antonio Fernández Anta, Research Professor at IMDEA Networks, has launched a study to estimate the actual incidence of the pandemic in eleven countries.

2 Apr 2020

Psychoactive ingredient in marijuana may impair ability to produce viable embryos

Female eggs exposed to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, have an impaired ability to produce viable embryos, and are significantly less likely to result in a viable pregnancy, according to an animal study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

2 Apr 2020

Global collaboration and commercialisation agreement with Axcend Corp

Microsaic Systems plc announces that it has signed integration with Axcend to integrate the compact Microsaic 4500 MiD MS with the portable Axcend Focus LC.

From Microsaic Systems 2 Apr 2020

Badges that help locate nurses repurposed to monitor patient mobility

By repurposing badges originally designed to locate nurses and other hospital staff, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they can precisely monitor how patients in the hospital are walking outside of their rooms, a well-known indicator and contributor to recovery after surgery.

2 Apr 2020

Breast density, microcalcifications, and masses are heritable features, analysis reveals

An analysis of a large Swedish cohort revealed that breast density, microcalcifications, and masses are heritable features, and that breast density and microcalcifications were positively associated with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer.

2 Apr 2020

How (easily) does the novel coronavirus spread?

Viruses are tiny bundles of DNA or RNA which have the ability to infect host cells, hijack the machinery of the host cell and then replicate. Once the host cell’s resources are exhausted, the viral particles are released to infect other cells. In this way, the viruses ensure their survival, often at the expense of the host.

1 Apr 2020

Hereditary genetic defect linked to medulloblastoma destabilizes protein regulation

The causes of 40 percent of all cases of certain medulloblastoma - dangerous brain tumors affecting children - are hereditary.

1 Apr 2020

AGA publishes new COVID-19 recommendations for PPE during gastrointestinal procedures

Today, the American Gastroenterological Association published new COVID-19 recommendations in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA: AGA Institute Rapid Recommendations for Gastrointestinal Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

1 Apr 2020

Putting an end to the pandemic

From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists.

1 Apr 2020

ECMO support in Shanghai provides guidance for managing COVID-19 patients worldwide

The initial experience of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Shanghai, China provides guidance for management of critically ill COVID-19 patients worldwide, reports a study in the ASAIO Journal.

1 Apr 2020

PREDICT receives extension to provide emergency support for COVID-19 outbreak response

PREDICT will provide emergency support to other countries for outbreak response including technical support for early detection of SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, through a six-month extension from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, effective April 1.

1 Apr 2020