'Blood test may tell if you are at risk of severe COVID-19 infection'

AUG 11, 2020 LONDON: A simple blood test may predict the risk of severe COVID-19 infection, say scientists who have identified a particular molecular signature in the blood that increases the chances of hospitalisation by 5 to 10 times in people infected by the novel coronavirus. The test can be used to identify people who''ll need special precautions to avoid infection and prioritise those in most need of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the scientists at Nightingale Health, a biotechnology company in Helsinki, Finland. Identification of healthy people at high risk for severe COVID-19 is a global health priority, they said. The researchers investigated whether blood biomarkers measured by high-throughput metabolomics could be predictive of severe pneumonia and COVID-19 hospitalisation years after the blood sampling. The researchers analysed over 100,000 blood samples from the UK Biobank, and identified a particular molecular signature in the blood that is common among people who get severe symptoms if infected by the coronavirus. Those with this molecular signature are five to 10 times more likely to be hospitalised, they said. These findings are novel, as the blood biomarkers in the molecular signature have not been previously known as risk markers in healthy people for developing severe forms of COVID-19, according to the researchers. The company is launching a blood test that can predict if a person will develop mild symptoms or become severely ill due to COVID-19, the researchers noted in their yet-to-be published findings that appear on preprint server medRxiv. "The best way to detect those at high risk is by looking at a molecular signature of multiple biomarkers," said Peter Wurtz, lead scientist of the study and Scientific Director of Nightingale Health. "It is striking that the risk identification works well even when focusing on a subset of biomarkers in Nightingale''s blood test that can be captured by self-collection through a finger-prick blood sample," said Wurtz. Copyright © Jammu Links News', Source: Jammu Links News

Read More........→August 12, 2020

Indian researchers show how COVID-19 PPE can be converted to biofuel

Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can and should be transformed into renewable liquid fuels, according to Indian researchers. The study, published in the journal Biofuels, suggested a strategy that could help to mitigate the problem of dumped PPE - currently being disposed of at unprecedented levels due to the current COVID-19 pandemic - becoming a significant threat to the environment.

The research from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) in Uttarakhand shows how billions of items of disposable PPE can be converted from its polypropylene (plastic) state into biofuels - which is known to be at par with standard fossil fuels. "The transformation into biocrude, a type of synthetic fuel, will not just prevent the severe aftereffects to humankind and the environment but also produce a source of energy," said study lead author Dr Sapna Jain from UPES.

There is high production and utilisation of PPE to protect the community of health workers and other frontline workers of COVID-19. The disposal of PPE is a concern owing to its material i.e. non-woven polypropylene. "The proposed strategy is a suggestive measure addressing the anticipated problem of disposal of PPE," Jain said.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic specifically, PPE is being designed for single-use followed by disposal. Once these plastic materials are discharged into the environment they end up in landfills or oceans, as their natural degradation is difficult at ambient temperature. They need decades to decompose.

Recycling these polymers requires both physical methods and chemical methods. Reduction, reuse and recycling are the three pillars of sustainable development that can help to prevent the disposal of plastic in the environment. The research team reviewed many related research articles as they looked to explore the current policies around PPE disposal, the polypropylene content in PPE, and the feasibility of converting PPE into biofuel.

In particular, they focused on the structure of polypropylene, its suitability for PPE, why it poses an environmental threat and methods of recycling this polymer. Their conclusive findings call for the PPE waste to be converted into fuel using pyrolysis. This a chemical process for breaking down the plastic at high temperature - between 300-400 degrees centigrade for an hour - without oxygen.

According to the researchers, this process is among the most promising and sustainable methods of recycling compared with incineration and landfill.

"Pyrolysis is the most commonly used chemical method whose benefits include the ability to produce high quantities of bio-oil which is easily biodegradable," said study co-author Bhawna Yadav Lamba.

"There is always a need for alternative fuels or energy resources to meet our energy demands. The pyrolysis of plastics is one of the methods to mitigate our energy crisis," she noted.(IANS)

Source: https://southasiamonitor.org

Read More........→August 09, 2020