Cheap paper and pencil-based medical wearables could one day replace expensive health monitors.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,037
Singapore is on track to face its worst dengue outbreak in history
Singapore has just begun to get its second wave of coronavirus under control. Now, it’s on track to face its worst-ever outbreak of another viral infection: dengue.
More than 14,000 dengue cases have been reported in the city-state since the start of the year, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA). The total number for the whole year is expected to exceed the 22,170 cases reported in 2013 — the largest dengue outbreak in Singapore’s history, the agency said.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, the same insect responsible for spreading Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. It is commonly found in hot, wet regions of the tropics and subtropics during the rainy months.
Two Genetic Regions Linked with Severe COVID-19
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It’s not yet clear why some people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, get really sick, while others have only mild symptoms. There’s some evidence that chronic health conditions—such as hypertension and diabetes can play a role, and scientists know that people’s genes can influence how their bodies react to other viruses. In a preprint posted to medRxiv on June 2, researchers describe a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of from 1,610 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and 2,205 healthy controls. The authors identified variants in two regions—the locus that encodes blood type and a multi-gene cluster on chromosome 3—that were linked to respiratory failure during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In a genome-wide association study, variants in both the ABO blood group locus and a cluster of genes on human chromosome 3 are more common among COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure than in the general population.
Lab-grown sperm could let infertile men have gene-edited children
The first reliable way of isolating sperm stem cells from the testes and growing them outside the body could help infertile men have genetic children of their own.
A few teams have claimed to have isolated sperm stem cells before, but haven’t been able to repeat the results. “The general feeling is that there is no reliable method,” says Miles Wilkinson at the University of California, San Diego.
The Pandemic Has Accelerated Demands for a More Skilled Work Force
In the coronavirus economy, companies are adopting more automation, as they seek to cut costs and increase efficiency. There is debate about which jobs are most at risk and how soon. But climbing up the skills ladder is the best way to stay ahead of the automation wave.
Even groups that regularly disagree on labor issues said there should be significant public investment in programs that can upgrade the skills of American workers.
Regeneron Stock Hits Another Record High On Coronavirus Treatment Potential
Regeneron rose as much as 2.4% in the stock market today, touching a record high of 655.93. Shares seesawed in a small range Thursday before ending the day up a small fraction, at 640.63. The peak price topped Regeneron stock’s previous high of 653.53, touched on Tuesday. Regeneron is part of the IBD Biomed/Biotech group, which ranks No. 14 out of 197 industry groups tracked. The group is just off its all-time high, which it hit on June 23.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) jumped to an all-time high Thursday, its second of the week, as analysts remain bullish on Regeneron stock due to its coronavirus treatment and other businesses.