The Lancet: Seroprevalence study from Wuhan suggests 6.9% of population had COVID-19 antibodies by April 2020 -- including 40% with neutralizing antibodies that lasted for at least 9 months.
The emergence of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to an unprecedented global public health crisis.
Almost 60% of confirmed cases in mainland China were from Wuhan, the early epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Through unprecedented lockdown action, which started on Jan 23 and ran until April 8, 2020, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan was rapidly contained. During lockdown, further action was taken to control the epidemic, including proactive case finding and isolation, tracing and quarantining of close contacts, traffic control and travel restrictions, physical distancing, closing of schools and factories, and home-based quarantine.
With the spreading of COVID-19 to other countries, the declaration of a global pandemic, and the development of vaccines, assessing the proportion of the population that have been infected and who are immune is of utmost importance for determining effective prevention and control strategies to reduce the likelihood of future resurgence of the pandemic.
thelancet.com/journals/lanc...
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Research reveals human immune system reduces potency of antibiotics.
Research from the School of Biosciences has revealed that a molecule produced by the human immune system can severely diminish the potency of certain antibiotics.
This may explain why antibiotics effective in laboratory settings can be less effective at clearing infections in humans.
The research findings, which have been published in the journal Archives of Microbiology, reveal that nitric oxide, a molecule produced by our immune systems, can render aminoglycoside antibiotics ineffective when used against E. coli strains isolated from human infections.
E. coli causes life-threatening infections including sepsis, bladder infections, kidney failure, and dysentery. Whilst the human immune system produces nitric oxide to kill invading bacteria, this study reports that nitric oxide can also undermine the function of antibiotics that are used as first-line agents to treat infections caused by drug-resistant E. coli.
It is expected that these findings will greatly influence the choice and dose of antibiotic treatments prescribed by medical professionals.
kent.ac.uk/news/science/281...
Archives of Microbiology. Study Paper:
link.springer.com/article/1...
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System detects errors when medication is self-administered.
From swallowing pills to injecting insulin, patients frequently administer their own medication. But they don’t always get it right. Improper adherence to doctors’ orders is commonplace, accounting for thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in medical costs annually. MIT researchers have developed a system to reduce those numbers for some types of medications.
The new technology pairs wireless sensing with artificial intelligence to determine when a patient is using an insulin pen or inhaler, and flags potential errors in the patient’s administration method. “Some past work reports that up to 70% of patients do not take their insulin as prescribed, and many patients do not use inhalers properly,” says Dina Katabi, the Andrew and Erna Viteri Professor at MIT, whose research group has developed the new solution. The researchers say the system, which can be installed in a home, could alert patients and caregivers to medication errors and potentially reduce unnecessary hospital visits.
news.mit.edu/2021/inhalers-...
Nature Medicine. Research Paper:
New Bronchiectasis diagnosis 
My new friend, The Nebuliser.
new to bronchiectasis follow up
New medication for COPD.
New research in China
