In the Press

Tomorrow's VRBPAC (Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee) meeting will consider Pfizer/BioNTech's application for a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signaled in a new report today that booster doses, though effective, are not indicated at this time for most Americans.

The origin of SARS-CoV-2, as its mode of introduction into the human population, is currently unknown.

Coronavirus control measures remain a central concern for workplaces, especially with more employers encouraging a return to office (or some form of hybrid working). This article looks at the indoor climatic conditions most conducive to coronavirus survival and, based on these risk factors, considers the optimal mitigation measures that can be considered for lowering viral transmission. Not every mitigation measure will be practicable, and the balance is towards the use of portable HEPA filtered units.

SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology implicates airborne transmission; aerosol infectiousness and impacts of masks and variants on aerosol shedding are not well understood.

Importance As of May 2021, more than 32 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the United States, resulting in more than 615 000 deaths. Anaphylactic reactions associated with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been reported.

Although hospital wastewater was identified as a potential nosocomial source for antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria in the 1970s [3], it has been increasingly implicated in outbreaks with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs) and may act as a reservoir that amplifies resistance [4, 5].

Listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K448) for at least 30 seconds may be associated with less frequent spikes of epilepsy-associated electrical activity in the brain in people with medication-resistant epilepsy. The findings, which also suggest that positive emotional responses to K448 may contribute to its therapeutic effects, are published in Scientific Reports.

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed a new approach to address cardiac disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Background: The role of the operating room's ventilation system in the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs) is widely discussed, and existing guidelines do not reflect current evidence. In this context, laminar airflow ventilation was compared with conventional ventilation to assess their effectiveness in reducing the risk of SSIs.

A recent study by researchers from Monash University emphasizes how critical it is for survivors of first-time stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) to take medications on an ongoing basis, with this new data highlighting long-term links with survival.