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Flexible Skin Sensor to Help ALS Patients Communicate

December 17, 2020 Canan Dagdeviren, the Lead Researcher on the project, and who has been previously interviewed by Medgadget, became inspired to develop technology to assist those with ALS to communicate after meeting Professor Stephen Hawking in 2016, and noting that the technology he used to communicate was not optimal.  Hawking, who passed away in … Read more

European Medicines Agency (EMA) hit by cyberattack, Pfizer-BioNTech documents accessed

December 15, 2020 “It is important to note that no BioNTech or Pfizer systems have been breached in connection with this incident and we are unaware that any study participants have been identified through the data being accessed.  At this time, we await further information about EMA’s investigation and will respond appropriately and in accordance … Read more

New Leak-Proof Mask for Use with Ordinary CPAP Machines Provides Ventilator Alternative for COVID-19 Patients

December 10, 2020 A group of six (6) third-year undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University (JHU; Baltimore, MD, USA) has designed the leak-proof mask that could be used with common CPAP machines to support the treatment of COVID-19 patients.  In order to combat the shortage of ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients, the students began researching … Read more

Johns Hopkins develops saliva-based test to detect Covid-19 antibodies

December 08, 2020 According to the researchers, the results can be obtained in hours from small samples of saliva.  The saliva-based test serves as a potential substitute to blood-sample antibody tests for research and clinical use. Based on antigens from SARS-CoV-2, mostly from its outer spike and nucleocapsid proteins, the test analyses saliva sample collected … Read more

Now the U.S. Has Lots of Ventilators, but Too Few Specialists to Operate Them

December 03, 2020 As record numbers of coronavirus cases overwhelm hospitals across the United States (US), there is something strikingly different from the surge that inundated cities in the spring of 2020:  No one is clamoring for ventilators. The sophisticated breathing machines, used to sustain the most critically ill patients, are far more plentiful than … Read more

Hypertension, Diabetes Increase Risk of COVID-19 Neurological Complications

December 02, 2020 Based on CT and MRI images, investigators from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania determined that these chronic conditions could play a role in which patients are impacted by more than just the hallmark lung inflammation that comes with viral infection.  “COVID-19’s effects extend far beyond the chest,” … Read more

FDA clarifies EUAs for COVID multi-analyte respiratory panels

The Agency added a new item to its questions and answers (Q&As) for laboratories and manufacturers of tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  The new Q&A cites “the overlap in signs and symptoms between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viral infections, including influenza.”  Multi-analyte panels for respiratory infections, noted the Agency, “are useful when … Read more

Drugmakers, FDA try to build public confidence in COVID vaccine decisions

November 17, 2020 The CEOs, who head vaccine front-runners AstraZeneca, Moderna and partners Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Merck, Novavax and Sanofi, also say they will put patient safety first and will “adhere to high scientific and ethical standards regarding the conduct of clinical trials and the rigor of … Read more

How Biden plans to change the US pandemic response

November 13, 2020 “The pandemic is getting significantly more worrisome all across the country,” Biden said on Friday.  “I want everyone to know on day one, we’re going to put our plan to control this virus into action.” There were dauntingly high new case numbers last week, and by the time Biden takes office January … Read more