The Life Technology™ News Blog: 11/12/20

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Pfizer's COVID vaccine looks promising, but big hurdles remain

(HealthDay)—Early COVID-19 vaccine trial results announced by Pfizer this week caused hopes to soar for a swift end to the pandemic that has killed more than 242,000 and infected more than 10 million in the United States alone.

Cyprus locks down southwest over surge in coronavirus cases

Cyprus put its entire southwest under a strict 19-day lockdown Wednesday, banning any non-essential movement of people and shuttering bars and restaurants after a string of escalating restrictions failed to curb a sharp increase in coronavirus infections.

Sweden to ban sale of alcohol after 10pm to curb COVID-19

Sweden's prime minister said Wednesday his government will present a law proposal that would ban nationwide the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. in bars, restaurants and night clubs from Nov. 20 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Central Florida lands hub for Jetsons-like 'flying cars'

The nation's first regional hub for "flying cars" is being built in central Florida and once completed in five years, the vehicles will be able to take passengers from Orlando to Tampa in a half hour, officials said Wednesday.

US nuclear lab partnering with utility to produce hydrogen

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded just under $14 million for an attempt to build a hydrogen-energy production facility at a nuclear power plant in Minnesota with the help of a nuclear research lab in Idaho.

How to maximize the potential of marketing agility

Researchers from University of South Carolina, Singapore Management University, George Mason University, National University of Singapore, and University of Illinois—Chicago published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that combines the academic research and field interviews with managers to explicate the concept of marketing agility.

Is it safe yet to fly during the pandemic?

Novel population of neurons identified that control binocular eye movements in 3-D space

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have discovered a previously undescribed population of neurons that help control our eyes as they view in three-dimensional space.

Losing the American Dream

As many Americans struggle to pay their bills, keeping up with mortgage payments can be daunting with the risk of losing one's home. The challenges to retain a home are stratified along racial differences. Black homeowners are twice as likely to lose their homes and transition back to renting than white homeowners, according to a recent Dartmouth-led study published in Demography . African American owners exit their homes at a rate of 10 percent compared with whites' exit rate of five percent. These racial disparities in the loss of homeownership are due in part to Black homeowners having less access to wealth from extended family and higher rates of poverty across family networks.

Age gates on alcohol websites are ineffective, research shows

"Age gates" that aim to keep underage users off alcohol websites are mostly ineffective, a Texas A&M University alcohol researcher found.

Researchers find connection between household chemicals and gut microbiome

A team of researchers for the first time has found a correlation between the levels of bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract of children and the amount of common chemicals found in their home environment.

Virtual reality forests could help understanding of climate change

The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees.

Researchers develop framework to study brain connectivity in living organisms

Bramsh Chandio, a Ph.D. candidate in intelligent systems engineering, advised by Assistant Professor of Intelligent Systems Engineering Eleftherios Garyfallidis, published a paper in Nature Scientific Reports that lays out a large medical analytics framework that can be used in neuroscience and neurology to study brain connectivity in living organisms.

Personalized drug screens could guide treatment for children with brain cancer

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) have demonstrated that personalized drug screens can be used to identify new therapeutic candidates for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain cancer in children. The approach measures the effectiveness of therapeutics using tumor cells obtained from a biopsy and can be performed in a few days—making it one of the quickest sources of information used in clinical decision-making. Based on this proof-of-concept study, which was published in Cancer Research, a clinical trial using the approach is now planned.

Learning pathways could guide children who miss best start to improved literacy by age 11

The early talk and communication that children experience when very young, though essential in preparing them for school, has no direct impact on their reading and writing skills by age 11, new research shows.

Life after COVID hospitalization: Study shows major lasting effects on health, work and more

Surviving a case of COVID-19 that's bad enough to land you in the hospital is hard enough. But life after the hospital stay—and especially after an intensive care stay—is no bed of roses, either, according to a new study.

Accuracy of rapid COVID test may be lower than previously suggested

The accuracy of a rapid finger-prick antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection, may be considerably lower than previously suggested, finds a study published by The BMJ.

Use of some contraceptives may temporarily delay a woman's fertility from resuming

Women who stop using some forms of contraception may have to wait up to eight months before their fertility returns, suggests research published online in The BMJ.

Evolution favors new diseases of 'intermediate' severity

New epidemic diseases have an evolutionary advantage if they are of "intermediate" severity, research shows.

Routine testing for COVID-19 can make surgery safer: study

Routine testing patients for COVID-19 before major surgery could reduce the risk of respiratory complications and save lives, a new study reveals.

Increased early-stage cancer diagnoses tied to ACA's Medicaid expansion, study finds

In an analysis published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health demonstrate positive effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion on rates of early cancer diagnosis.