Editor's Note This study from Stanford University tests five methods for disinfecting N95 masks and finds that heating them preserves their filtration efficiency for 50 cycles of disinfection. In the study, instead of analyzing N95 masks, which were needed by healthcare workers, the researchers examined pieces of the fabric used…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago are using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite the search for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines by shortening the expert review period. The AI tool prioritizes research that has the most potential to produce real solutions and ignores research that is unlikely to yield…

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Editor's Note Cornell University researchers studying the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have found a unique feature that could explain why it is so transmissible between humans. The researchers identified a structural loop in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (ie, the area of the virus that facilitates entry into a cell)…

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Editor's Note In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19, remdesivir was not associated with statistically significant clinical benefits. For the analysis, 237 patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment group with remdesivir (158 patients) or placebo (79 patients). Remdesivir use was not…

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Editor's Note Abbott’s new COVID-19 antibody test that has 99% sensitivity and specificity has been given CE Mark approval for use across Europe, the April 29 Mass Device reports. The test is 99% accurate in identifying the IgG protein in patients infected by COVID-19, 14 days after symptoms develop. Abbott…

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Editor's Note In this proof-of-concept study, a new lateral flow immunoassay developed by researchers from China can quickly detect antibodies against SARS-COV-2, which appear as a bright orange line when placed on a fluorescence reader. The test, which is based on a technique similar to what is used in home…

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Editor's Note: Epic’s deterioration index, an artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning-based system that can predict which patients with COVID-19 could become seriously ill, has been put into use at hospitals nationwide, the April 24 STAT reports. Though normally hospitals would take weeks or months to test a new tool on…

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Editor's Note In this study from Seoul, South Korea, both surgical and cotton masks were ineffective in preventing the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2, from coughs of patients with COVID-19 to the environment and external mask surface. For the study, four patients with COVID-19 were admitted to negative pressure isolation rooms and…

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Editor's Note This survey given via social media by researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and others found that respondents’ top concerns were getting sick because of COVID-19 (70.1%) and not being able to get medical care (46.3%). Of 8,982 respondents, 95.7% reported making changes to their lifestyle, with…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, in partnership with Wenzhou Central Hospital and Cangnan People’s Hospital in Wenzhou, China, developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that accurately predicted which patients newly infected with…

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