Friday, June 26, 2020

ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION

From Jekyll to Hyde: New study pinpoints mutation that makes E. coli deadlier

Scientists identify an important protein that increases "bacterial virulence," when mutated, changing harmless bacteria to harmful ones

OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY

IMAGE: SILKWORMS ARE USED IN INFECTION EXPERIMENTS TO PERFORM EXPERIMENTAL EVOLUTION OF PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. view more

CREDIT: CHIKARA KAITO

As far as humans are concerned, bacteria can be classified as either harmful, pathogenic bacteria and harmless or beneficial non-pathogenic bacteria. To develop better treatments for diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, we need to have a good grasp on the mechanisms that cause some bacteria to be virulent. Scientists have identified genes that cause virulence, or capability to cause disease, but they do not fully know how bacteria evolve to become pathogenic.

To find out, Professor Chikara Kaito and his team of scientists from Okayama University, Japan, used a process called experimental evolution to identify molecular mechanisms that cells develop to gain useful traits, and published their findings in PLoS Pathogens. "We're excited by this research because no one has ever looked at virulence evolution of bacteria in an animal; studies before us looked at the evolution in cells," said Prof Kaito.

The scientists decided to start with a non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (or E. coli for short) and repeatedly mutate it and use it to infect silkworms, an insect that is often used as a model for infectious diseases, and then test whether it will cause death in silkworms.

Through this experiment, the scientists created E. coli strains with a 500-fold increased virulence compared to the original bacterial strain and found that mutations in the gene that code for one specific protein, the "lipopolysaccharide transporter (LPS) transporter," was one of the reasons for the increased virulence. This protein forms a part of the bacterial cell membrane and protects the bacteria from harm. Because of this, the LPS transporter is necessary for E. coli to grow.

The mutations that increased bacterial deadliness appeared to give E. coli resistance against some antibiotics, as well as some antibacterial substances from the silkworms. The reason for this is likely a corresponding increase in the concentration of structures called outer membrane vesicles, which the bacteria release to absorb harmful compounds to prevent them from entering the bacteria and harming them.

Researchers also identified the characteristics of substances that pathogenic strains were resistant to, showing that they were "hydrophobic" (or water-repelling) and positively charged. This fit with the increased amount of outer membrane vesicles, which are hydrophobic and negatively charged, allowing them to hold onto those substances (because, of course, opposite forces attract). The scientists also showed that the mutations occurred in parts of LPS transporter that are directly on the outside of the bacterial membrane. The scientists suspect that this is because these areas are more exposed to the environment, thereby experience more natural selection, and are thereby more susceptible to mutation.

"What we've done here is identify several things about pathogenic bacteria," explains Prof Kaito. "We showed for the first time that mutations to LPS transporter can increase virulence, and we provided evidence for how that virulence actually happens--the mutant bacteria make more outer membrane vesicles." And that's not all, the team also pinpointed specific structural changes to mutated LPS transporter that could explain why virulence is different across bacteria--because each species might have a different structure.

When asked about how his work contributes to scientific understanding and to medicine, Prof Kaito elaborates, "Before our study, it wasn't very clear how bacteria actually evolved properties that made them more harmful, so our study helps clarify this. An understanding of this process means the possibility of creating drugs or other therapy that can keep bacteria from becoming pathogenic, especially if we find more proteins like LPS transporter, where mutations can have such a big effect."

Of course, further studies are needed to explore whether the mutations observed in this study will also increase virulence when the bacteria infect animals bigger than silkworms, like mammals. But this study is definitely the first step toward unraveling the mystery of differences between dangerous and harmless bacteria.

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DEPARTMENT OF DUH OH

Children of academics exhibit more stress

RUHR-UNIVERSITY BOCHUM

Starting university is an exciting phase for everyone. However, children from academic households exhibit significantly more stress during this period than those from non-academic families. A Swiss-German research team has found this out by analysing the hair of female first-year students. Study authors Professor Alex Bertrams from the University of Bern and Dr. Nina Minkley from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have concluded that students may be stressed by the fear of jeopardising the social status of their families if they fail their degrees. They published their report in Frontiers of Psychiatry on 5 June 2020.

Stress hormone accumulates in the hair

In stressful situations, the body releases an increased amount of the hormone cortisol, which also reaches growing hair and is stored there if the levels remain high over a lengthy period of time. By analysing the hair, researchers can identify the phases when a person had more stress.

In order to find out whether the stress levels of young people from different family backgrounds differ when they're starting university, the research team recruited a total of 71 test persons. "The only inclusion criteria were that they started their first semester and that they had sufficiently long hair," explains Nina Minkley from the Behavioural Biology and Didactics of Biology research group at RUB. "In the end, this meant that we recruited almost only women, and we decided not to include the few eligible men to avoid falsifying the results."

Strands of hair and questionnaires

The participants supplied the research team with three thin strands of hair each, which were cut off near the scalp. Since a hair grows about one centimetre per month, the researchers examined the latest one and a half centimetres that had grown in the six weeks since the beginning of the semester. In addition, the participants filled out questionnaires in which they provided information about their parents' educational background. They were also asked about the stress they subjectively perceived.

It emerged that first-year students from academic households where at least one parent had a university degree exhibit higher stress levels than those from non-academic households, even though they didn't differ in other respects. The subjectively perceived stress levels, for example, were the same.

Stress due to impending loss of status

The research team interprets this result as an indication of female students from academic households being under greater pressure, because failing their study would result in a loss of status for them and their families. This is in line with findings in sociological studies, which have shown that children of academics tend to go to university even if their academic performance isn't expected to be successful, based on their school grades. "Children of non-academics, on the other hand, can only win and are therefore probably less stressed," concludes Minkley.

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Original publication

Alex Bertrams, Nina Minkley: Preliminary indications that first semester students from academic households exhibit higher hair cortisol concentrations than their peers from non-academic households, in: Frontiers in Psychiatry 2020, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00580

Trapping the Sun: New thin-film technology uses sustainable components for solar panels

Scientists identify a novel method to create efficient alloy-based solar panels free of toxic metals

DGIST (DAEGU GYEONGBUK INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)

IMAGE: IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OUR HOMES AND LIVES, SOLAR PANELS ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT WHEN THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE AND NON-TOXIC. THE DGIST TEAM PREPARED LAB-SCALE CZTSSE SOLAR CELLS, AND ONE... view more

CREDIT: DGIST

Commercialized thin-film solar panels on the market consist of rare-earth elements like indium and gallium, or highly toxic metals like cadmium. Both of these thin-film solar panel types have their own problems, such as high-cost and problems in use in living places.

A team of scientists from DGIST, led by Dr Jin-Kyu Kang and Dr Dae-Hwan Kim, has been experimenting with solar panels made from cheaper and more abundant elements. Now, they have published the findings of their latest study in Advanced Energy Materials. Dr Kang elaborates on the reasons based on which they chose their materials for the study: "Thin-film solar cells using bronze (Cu-Sn) and brass (Cu-Zn) as base materials are composed of non-toxic earth-abundant materials, and have been studied worldwide because of their low cost, high durability, and sustainability."

However, using these alloys in thin film technology has its own drawbacks. While the theoretical efficiency of these panels matches the efficiencies of top market products, in practice, they tend to underperform drastically. This is because of the formation of various defects in the materials, such as "point" defect, "surface" defect, and "volume" defect, during "annealing" (or the process of heating and cooling to make a CZTSSe film). These defects undermine the current flow, resulting in loss of electricity generated.

Therefore, the scientists wanted to find a way to synthesize the best quality CZTSSe (copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, and selenium) thin films. They played around with the annealing profile, which has a strong effect on the grain size of CZTSSe thin film: the longer the annealing time and higher annealing temperature, the larger the grains, and the lesser the electricity loss.

However, as the annealing temperature and time increase, there is a change in the properties of the CZTSSe thin film due to decomposition. To bypass this issue, the team used a special "liquid-assisted method," which allowed the grains of CZTSSe to grow at a faster rate. This meant that the grains could grow large even at low temperatures, preventing the change in the properties of the CZTSSe thin film.

With this new observation, a significant hurdle has been overcome in the search for low-cost environment-friendly solar energy. Dr Kim concludes, "Our technology has diverse applications, including in electronic devices, household goods, buildings, and vehicles. The best part is that CZTS solar cells are free of the current drawbacks of toxic and rare metals. We can install everywhere we want!"

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Reference

Authors: Se-Yun Kim1, Dae-Ho Son1,2, Seung-Hyun Kim1, Young-Ill Kim1, Sammi Kim1, Kwangseok Ahn1, Kee-Jeong Yang1,2, Jin-Kyu Kang1,2 and Dae-Hwan Kim1,2

Title of original paper: Effect of Cu-Sn-Se Liquid Phase on Grain Growth and Efficiency of CZTSSe Solar Cells

Journal: Advanced Energy Materials

DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201903173

Affiliations: 1Research Center for Thin Film Solar Cells, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea

2Division of Energy Technology, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea

*Corresponding author's email: apollon@dgist.ac.kr; monolith@dgist.ac.kr

About Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) is a well-known and respected research institute located in Daegu, Republic of Korea. Established in 2004 by the Korean Government, the main aim of DGIST is to promote national science and technology, as well as to boost the local economy.

With a vision of "Changing the world through convergence", DGIST has undertaken a wide range of research in various fields of science and technology. DGIST has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive studies in some of today's most vital fields. DGIST also has state-of-the-art-infrastructure to enable cutting-edge research in materials science, robotics, cognitive sciences, and communication engineering.

Website: https://www.dgist.ac.kr/en/html/sub01/010204.html

CAPTION

The DGIST team led by Dr Jin-Kyu Kang (front right) and Dr Dae-Hwan Kim (front left) developed a method for producing low cost eco-friendly solar panels with competitive efficiency

About the authors

Dr Jin-Kyu Kang is a principal researcher at the DGIST, Korea since 2005. He received his PhD degree in chemical engineering from POSTECH in 2000. He joined Samsung Electronics, and led the research about low-temperature poly-Si TFT- LCD. His research is focused on developing and characterizing for thin-film solar cells (CIGS, CZTS, DSSC).

Dr Dae-Hwan Kim is a researcher at DGIST and has been a part of the institution since 2005. He received his PhD degree from Department of Chemical Engineering, POSTECH, KOREA in 2002. From 2002, he worked at Samsung Electronics' Semiconductor R&D Business and invented the lean-free MESH capacitor process for 80nm or less scale DRAM. His research interests include oxide thin-film transistors and thin-film solar cells.

Electricity price more volatile during uncertainty periods in renewable energy regulation

A study by the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country analyses the evolution in the price of electricity over a 16-year-period to establish the factors that affect volatility

UNIVERSITY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

IMAGE: THIS IS AITOR CIARRETA-ANTUÑANO, LEAD RESEARCHER IN THE BIRTE RESEARCH GROUP. view more

CREDIT: UPV/EHU

Three members of the BiRTE research group at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Economics and Business have published an analysis of the evolution in electricity prices during a 16-year period (2002 to 2017); the article appears in Energy Economics, a journal positioned in the first decile in the field of Economics. The study set out to see how various factors linked to renewable energy affect the price of electricity. As a starting point, "the incorporating of this energy is known to exert a dual effect: firstly, it lowers the price, in other words, the energy that is transacted is cheaper, because renewable energy has a unit cost of production very close to zero. Secondly, however, it increases price volatility, fluctuations that occur in the price, because as it is an intermittent energy, availability and therefore generation cannot always be guaranteed", explained Aitor Ciarreta-Antuñano, lead researcher in the BiRTE research group and co-author of this publication.

However, the authors wanted to go one step further in the analysis of volatility and incorporate into the analysis the influence exerted by the regulatory framework, the policies that govern the setting up of renewable energy plants and the grants used to provide them with incentives. "The regulatory framework is crucial in the electricity market and, what is more, is greatly influenced by European directives. We wanted to see whether the periods in which there was uncertainty in this aspect have influenced the volatility of the price of electricity," said Ciarreta. To do this "we built a statistical model with the data on the electricity prices of the Spanish market that included the data on a 16-year period", to be able to see on the basis of which indicators volatility varied.

Increased volatility associated with regulatory uncertainty

The statistical analysis of the data revealed "a grouping or cluster of volatility in the specific period in which there was uncertainty in the regulatory framework in Spain". In the period analysed, from 2002 to 2017, the researcher highlights the differentiation of "phases in which there is a very stable regulatory framework, such as that which occurred between 2007 and 2012, when direct grants were awarded to generate renewable electrical power. However, in 2012, there was a change in the regulations which did not settle down until 2014 and these two years of regulatory uncertainty coincide with the period that saw the highest level of volatility in electricity prices, which has nothing to do with the fact that renewable energies lead to a certain volatility owing to their intermittent nature. Economic players are disrupted most by the uncertainty associated with regulatory policies", stressed the PhD-holder in Economics.

The period of regulatory uncertainty described was caused by various factors, as Ciarreta described. "From 2010 onwards the economic crisis also reached the electricity market and this crisis was accentuated by the high deficit growth occurring during the previous period, in which the degree of funding of renewables was regulated so that it ended up accounting for nearly 3% of GDP. The European Union was also putting pressure on Spain to control that deficit."

Faced with this situation, the government tried to put together a new system designed to promote renewable energies because Spain also had to meet the aims on reducing CO2 emissions. It took the country two years to establish the new system and when it was implemented uncertainty returned to the markets. "The rate of return offered by the new regulatory system was lower, and one may more or less agree with what had been established, but we can see that this did not affect the volatility of the price of electricity, uncertainty affects it much more. Investors derive more security from knowing what they have to comply with," said the researcher. And at the end of the day, citizens, too, are affected, because most of us are paying rates that depend on the daily market price", he added.

The researcher believes that the results obtained in this analysis should serve "as a wake-up call for regulators, so that they do not adopt measures to change regulations hastily, and that regulation should be kept as stable as possible. And if they make any changes, they should allow the players to react in such a way that uncertainty is not incorporated in electricity markets".

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Additional information

Aitor Ciarreta-Antuñano is a member of the Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Economics and Business. He is the lead researcher in the BiRTE research group that pursues a line of research devoted to energy markets and electricity markets in particular. The other two co-authors of the research work published in the journal Energy Economics are Cristina Pizarro (Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II and BC3) and Ainhoa Zarraga, from the Department of Applied Economics III (Econometrics and Statistics).

3D printed insoles offers new hope for patients with diabetes

Scientists from Staffordshire University claim that new 3D printed insoles can significantly improve the foot health of people suffering with diabetes.

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY

Scientists from Staffordshire University claim that new 3D printed insoles can significantly improve the foot health of people suffering with diabetes.

This study offers hope for millions of patients with diabetes who are at risk of developing foot ulcers, which in many cases end up in amputation. It presents the first quantitative evidence in support of optimised cushioning in diabetic footwear as part of standard clinical practice.

In their latest paper ['Optimised cushioning in diabetic footwear can significantly enhance their capacity to reduce plantar pressure'] published in Gait and Posture, researchers conclude that selecting the correct cushioning stiffness in footwear can significantly reduce pressures experienced on the feet which can lead to ulcers and other painful complications.

In the study carried out in Malta, 15 participants with diabetic foot disease were asked to walk in footwear fitted with made to measure 3D-printed insoles designed by the Centre for Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Technologies (CBRT) at Staffordshire University. These footbeds were used to change the stiffness of the entire sole across a spectrum of very soft to very stiff.

Dr Chatzistergos, Associate Professor at CBRT and the lead author of ths study said: "The optimum stiffness is clearly related to the patient's body mass index (BMI). This study adds to our earlier findings and concludes that stiffer materials are needed for people with a higher BMI."

Collaborators Dr Alfred Gatt and Dr Cynthia Formosa from the University of Malta and Visiting Fellows at CBRT provided clinical support for this study and led the experiments in Malta. Dr Gatt noted: "We hope that the results reported within this study will generate interest amongst all professionals managing this debilitating condition."

Further work is now underway to develop a method to help professionals identify the optimum cushioning stiffness on a patient-specific basis. Professor Nachi Chockalingam, Director of CBRT and a co-inventor of the technology said "With numerous patients losing their limbs to diabetic foot disease, our research will help clinicians effectively manage this disease."

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Self-compacting concrete becomes more sustainable thanks to using granite residue

UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA

IMAGE: A UCO STUDY PROVES THE FEASIBILITY OF SUBSTITUTING UP TO 40% OF CONVENTIONAL AGGREGATES OF SELF-COMPACTING MORTAR FOR GRANITE SLUDGE, THUS REDUCING THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR'S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT view more

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA

The basis of the construction industry clashes head-on with environmental sustainability. Extracting raw materials and turning them into building materials has high energetic costs. Granite production, totaling 614,000 tons in Spain in 2013, leaves behind it a series of residues that are difficult to manage. This is the case of granite sludge, the material that results from the mixture of dust particles given off during the cutting process and the water used to cool the blade. When granite sludge is dumped at a landfill and the water evaporates, the silicon dust ends up going into the atmosphere and can be inhaled, with negative health consequences. It can also interfere with normal soil mechanics.

Aiming to properly manage these residues and in doing so prevent health and environmental problems, three University of Cordoba research groups have joined forces to analyze the feasibility of using granite sludge to substitute conventional aggregates in self-compacting mortar.

In this vein, "it is possible to substitute up to 40% of conventional aggregates for granite sludge while still maintaining the mortar's qualities of durability, strength and compaction" according to the lead researcher working on the study, Angélica Lozano, from the the Construction Engineering group at UCO. Thus, granite sludge becomes a sustainable alternative to using conventional aggregates.

Working in synergy with each other are the groups of "Construction Engineering", "Materials and Applications" and "Plasma Physics: Characterization, Models and Applications", led by Professors José Ramón Jiménez, José María Fernández and Antonio Rodero respectively. Two aims are accomplished: managing a residue that is bad for our health, and the environmental sustainability of self-compacting concrete, currently one of the most sought-after materials in the building industry since it can be compacted without having to apply compaction energy. Despite the advantages of this new material, the need for a high percentage of aggregates to be extracted is not environmentally sustainable. However, using granite sludge will greatly help solve the problem of this lack of sustainability.

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Lozano-Lunar, A., Dubchenko, I., Bashynskyi, S., Rodero A., Fernández J.M., Jiménez, J.R. (2020 Performance of self-compacting mortars with granite sludge as aggregate. Construction and Building Materials. Volume 251, 118998, ISSN 0950-0618 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118998

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekA

Early childhood vaccinations might protect children from COVID-19

A group of Lithuanian and Kurdish scientists have raised a hypothesis that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine could protect children from COVID-19.

KAUNAS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

IMAGE: "WE ARE THE FIRST GROUP TO PROPOSE CHILDREN PROTECTION THROUGH MMR VACCINE AND TO SUPPORT THE CLAIM BY SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY BETWEEN SARS-COV-2 WITH MEASLES AND RUBELLA VIRUSES ", SAYS PROF KODZIUS.... view more

CREDIT: KTU

A group of Lithuanian and Kurdish scientists have raised a hypothesis that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine could protect children from COVID-19. The hypothesis is based on the discovered sequence similarity of the 30 amino acid residues between glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2, measles and rubella viruses. An experimental analysis is required in order to support the hypothesis.

An ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID?19) has claimed more than 450 thousand lives already; globally, more than 9 million cases of COVID?19 infection have been confirmed.

According to detailed data of COVID-19-infected patients from China, Italy, and South Korea, the disease is less common and milder in children younger than 10 years of age.

The reasons why children are less susceptible to COVID-19 remain unclear. However, the research carried out at Charmo University in Iraq and at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania, provided evidence that MMR vaccination might be a reason why children have protection against the disease.

The hypothesis is backed up by the sequence similarity data between the SARS-CoV-2 with both measles and rubella viruses.

"The antibodies produced in children due to the MMR vaccine could recognize some protein parts (epitopes) on the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. These antibodies, particularly in the epithelial layer of respiratory airways, block binding, and entering the virus into the cells", explains Prof Rimantas Kodzius from KTU Panevezys Faculty of Technology and Business.

SARS-CoV-2 is a single- strand, positive-sense RNA virus. S protein is a key immunogenic protein of SARS-CoV-2 that induces the host immune system; the latter fights off the foreign particles that enter the human body by producing antibodies. Humans are routinely immunized against several viral diseases in early childhood, which usually induces broad immunity against the viral particles.

Immunological principle based on the antibody cross-reaction recognizing antigens in two different microbes inspired the group of scientists lead by Prof Kodzius of KTU, to look for homology sequence searching in SARS-CoV-2 and the viruses that commonly are prevented by vaccination during childhood. It was discovered that 30 amino acid residues share similarities between the Spike (S) glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Fusion glycoprotein of Measles virus as well as with the envelope glycoprotein of the Rubella virus.

"We are the first group to propose children protection through MMR vaccine and to support the claim by sequence homology between SARS-CoV-2 with measles and rubella viruses", says Prof Kodzius.

Prof Rimantas Kodzius, KTU and Prof Dana Khdr Sabir, Charmo University, Iraq

According to scientists, recent studies show that the levels of antibodies against MMR vaccination may persist for 15-20 years. Therefore, the protection against COVID-19 could last up to 15-20 years. However, experimental research including testing purified spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 against the polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies of measles and rubella viruses in vivo and in vitro is required in order to support the hypothesis.

Prof Rimantas Kodzius spent a year teaching and researching at The American University of Iraq Sulaimani (AUIS) in Iraq, Kurdistan region, Sulaimani city. That is how his cooperation with the local researchers began.

"In uncertain times like the COVID-19 pandemic, the collaboration yields results. The phone connection, the internet is available, and the work is possible even without travel", says Prof Kodzius, who has joined KTU in 2018.

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New research confirms higher rates of new coronavirus in Latinx populations

A study of testing results across Johns Hopkins Medicine testing sites highlights coronavirus racial disparities in the Baltimore-Washington area

JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE

In a new analysis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, test results for nearly 38,000 people has found a positivity rate among LATINX populations about three times higher than for any other racial and ethnic group. The findings, published June 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), add to evidence that there are much higher COVID-19 infection rates among U.S. minorities, particularly in Latinx communities.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Data Science in Emergency Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases collaborated on the study.

"We suspected socially and economically marginalized groups were being heavily impacted by COVID-19," says Diego A. Martinez, Ph.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and one of the study report's authors. "Our study is believed to be among the first in measuring such differences in a diverse region."

The researchers concluded that crowded living conditions and continuous working at jobs due to economic necessity and essential worker status contributed to the higher rate of positive tests in the Latinx community.

"It is clear that the systematic exclusion of this population from health care services has contributed to the disparities we see today," says Kathleen R. Page, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a study member, who also cared for many of the patients. "This pandemic has taught us that we are all interconnected. At the very least, we must engage with communities early and provide language and culturally appropriate information and services, removing as many barriers to care as possible."

The investigators analyzed results of diagnostic tests performed between March 11 and May 25 across five Johns Hopkins Health System hospitals, including emergency departments and 30 outpatient clinics in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Out of 37,727 adults and children tested, 6,162 tests came back positive. Of those tests, the positivity rate for Latinx was 42.6%, significantly higher than those who identified as Black (17.6%); Other (17.2%); or white (8.8%). Overall, about half of those Latinx who tested positive were women and half were men, and most (61.5%) were between the ages of 18 and 44.

The study also found that the number of positive cases in each group peaked at different times: Latinx patient cases peaked later in the study period, on May 10 at 53.4%, compared with Black patients, among whom cases peaked on April 19 (29.6%), and white patients, on April 16 (16.1%). Researchers say that as testing volume in Maryland increased for all racial and ethnic groups, positivity rates declined.

Among those who tested positive, 2,212 were admitted to a Johns Hopkins Health System hospital. The study data show that Latinx patients were less likely to be admitted to the hospital (29.1%) compared with Black (41.7%) and white (40.1%) patients. Of the patients who were hospitalized, Latinx patients were younger (18 to 44 years); more likely to be male (64.9%); and had much lower rates of comorbidities, such as hypertension (44.8%), congestive heart failure (41.1%), pulmonary disease (20.7%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (19.2%) than Black or white patients. Eighty-two percent of Black patients and 70.4% of white patients had hypertension; 56.1% of Black patients and 56.6% of white patients had congestive heart failure; 32.9% of Black patients and 33.9% of white patients had pulmonary disease; and 27.9% of Black patients and 30% of white patients had COPD. However, more Black patients had diabetes (52.8%), compared with Latinx (32.8%) and white (29.6%) patients.

Page calls the findings "staggering." She says that a majority of the Latinx patients are often immigrants with limited English proficiency who work in low-wage, essential jobs, such as construction and cleaning. "Many of these patients tell me they delayed coming to the hospital until absolutely necessary because they were worried about medical bills, and were not sure if they could receive care because of their immigration status," she says. "Most of the patients I've met are not eligible for benefits, have no health insurance, and rent rooms in crowded houses. The need to work, lack of occupational protections and crowded living conditions have led to high transmission in this community."

While the Baltimore-Washington area represents a small subsection of the Latinx community, researchers suspect similar health disparities will be found elsewhere around the nation, but their degree and causes might differ -- depending on the region. "Knowing what is driving these health disparities in each region is much-needed evidence to develop tailored policies and interventions to better serve all of our people," Martinez says.

The researchers say their data are already informing practices and planning across the Johns Hopkins Health System, and they hope their findings lead to changes elsewhere to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in minority populations. "Protecting Latinx individuals, building trust and reducing barriers to engagement in public health initiatives, such as providing equal protection for workers; reducing the threat of deportation; and performing charity care for those unable to afford health care and, should be essential as our nation grapples with strategies to contain the impact of COVID-19," Martinez says. He adds that local health officials will likely see higher success by engaging community-based organizations, such as churches, which have experience addressing concerns of the vulnerable Latinx population.

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Other researchers who worked on this study include Jeremiah S. Hinson, M.D., Ph.D., Eili Y. Klein, Ph.D., Nathan A. Irvin, M.D., Mustapha Saheed, M.D., and Scott R. Levin, Ph.D.

Martinez reported support from the Johns Hopkins Health System. Martinez, Hinson, Klein and Levin reported receiving grant support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

USA

Nearly 70% of patients make personal or financial sacrifices to afford medications

The 2020 Medication Access Report uncovers the impact of common medication access challenges, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

COVERMYMEDS

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 23, 2020 -- Nearly 70 percent of patients have made personal or financial sacrifices to afford prescribed medications1 according to new research released by CoverMyMeds, highlighting the impact of one of the most common medication access challenges. The 2020 Medication Access Report, and corresponding Prescription Decision Support, Electronic Prior Authorization, Specialty Patient Support and COVID-19 sub-reports, investigate healthcare barriers that impede access to prescriptions, contribute to increased provider burden and motivate patient consumerism. The report also examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare and assesses how the market is responding to these challenges with tools that inform medication decisions, streamline administrative tasks and support remote healthcare. Click here to access the full report.

"Navigating the patient journey can be complex, especially for patients who encounter significant barriers--such as medication cost, clinical requirements and enrollment processes--to obtain their prescription," said Eric Weidmann, MD. Chief Medical Officer of eMDs. "The complexity of obtaining access to medications can also take a toll on providers who are faced with increasingly burdensome administrative tasks, especially during the pandemic. As a practicing physician, I appreciate the benefits of technology to help streamline many traditionally-manual processes, inform my conversations with patients and support my prescribing decisions."

Key takeaways from the 2020 Medication Access Report include:

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of Americans to face healthcare insecurity:
- As of June 5, 2020, 44 million people -- over a quarter of the U.S. workforce -- had filed for first-time unemployment benefits since March 2020, when much of the U.S. economy began to shut down in response to the pandemic. This is six times the number of claims during the peak of the Great Recession.2
- When asked what medication barriers their patients are experiencing due to COVID-19, 30 percent of providers said their patients are unable to pay for prescriptions.3
- Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 20 percent of patients said they've used a cash price program to help afford medications.4

The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked adoption of many healthcare technologies, but there is still room for growth.
- Prior to COVID-19, only 11 percent of patients used telehealth services.5 Now, 67 percent say they are more likely to use telehealth services moving forward.4
- Despite increased utilization, over 30 percent of providers said lack of integration within EHR and privacy concerns were challenges they faced with telemedicine.3
- 80 percent of providers surveyed listed patients' lack of technology skills as a telemedicine challenge.3

Many Americans face medication access challenges, such as affordability barriers and manual processes that can delay care:
- When patients cannot afford their prescriptions, 29 percent admit to abandoning their medications while 52 percent seek affordability options through their physician, a labor-intensive process which creates additional work for the provider and can delay the patient's time to therapy.1
- 55 percent of patients reported delays in time to therapy due to a prescribed medication requiring prior authorization.1
- 82 percent of patients say they spent at least one hour or more making multiple phone calls to track down needed information to begin specialty therapies.1 As a result of this time-consuming administrative work, nearly one in 10 patients reported waiting eight weeks or more to receive their first dose of therapy.1

"The 2020 Medication Access Report uses industry statistics, market research and new survey data to highlight critical barriers that can limit patients' access to medications," said Miranda Gill MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Director, Provider Services and Operations at CoverMyMeds. "The report also highlights important strides in creating innovative solutions that help patients overcome many of these disruptive obstacles. However, there needs to be more widespread adoption and collaboration across the healthcare industry to see the true benefits of these solutions: streamlining inefficiencies which can help improve patients' health outcomes."

The 2020 Medication Access Report is published by CoverMyMeds, part of McKesson Prescription Technology Solutions, with an advisory board of leaders from BestRx, Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina, Cerner Corporation, eMDs, Express Scripts, Horizon Government Affairs, Humana, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, National Patient Advocate Foundation, OptumRx, Orsini Healthcare, RelayHealth Pharmacy Solutions, RxCrossroads and University of Virginia Health System.

To view the full 2020 Medication Access Report, click here.

Sources

1 - CoverMyMeds Patient and Provider Surveys, 2020
Survey based on responses from 1,000 patients and 400 providers.

2 - Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims, Department of Labor, 2020

3 - CoverMyMeds Provider COVID-19 Survey, 2020
Survey based on responses from 3,000 providers.

4 - CoverMyMeds Patient COVID-19 Survey, 2020
Survey based on responses from 500 patients.

5 - Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality?, McKinsey & Company, 2020

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About CoverMyMeds

CoverMyMeds, part of McKesson Prescription Technology Solutions, is a fast-growing healthcare technology company that has been recognized as a "Best Place to Work" by Glassdoor and a "Best Company to Work For" by FORTUNE. CoverMyMeds' solutions help patients get the medications they need to live healthy lives by seamlessly connecting the healthcare network to improve medication access; thereby increasing speed to therapy and reducing prescription abandonment. CoverMyMeds' network includes 75 percent of electronic health record systems (EHRs), 96 percent of pharmacies, 700,000 providers and most health plans and PBMs. By facilitating appropriate access to medications, the company can help its customers avoid millions of dollars each year in administrative waste and avoidable medical spending caused by prescription abandonment. Visit https://www.covermymeds.com/main/ for more information.

Exciting new developments for polymers made from waste sulfur

Significant progress made in the development of new sulfur polymers that provide an environmentally friendly alternative to some traditional petrochemical based plastics

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL

Researchers at the University of Liverpool are making significant progress in the quest to develop new sulfur polymers that provide an environmentally friendly alternative to some traditional petrochemical based plastics.

University of Liverpool chemist and Royal Society Research Fellow, Dr Tom Hasell and his team, have published two papers which demonstrate practical and exciting developments for sulfur polymer technologies and application.

This new research builds on their game changing discovery in 2019 when they reported a new catalytic process to make polymers out of sulfur.

Sulfur is a waste product from many industrial processes and in recent years a growing number of materials scientists have become interested in using it as an environmentally alternative to oil from which to manufacture plastics. As well as being in plentiful supply, sulfur also has the added advantage of leading to more easily recyclable polymers.

In a paper published in Angewandte Chemie, Dr Hasell and colleagues make an exciting discovery that addresses the weakness of sulfur polymers, a factor that has limited its application.

Led by PhD student Peiyao Yan, the paper demonstrates that adding a second type of bonding, urethane bonds, to the materials increases the strength of sulfur polymers by up to 135 times. The way this second type of bonding is introduced means that its amount can be controlled, and in turn controls the physical properties of the polymers.

The strengthened sulfur polymers were found to have shape-memory effects - they can be set in one shape, before being temporarily deformed into another. When heated a little, they 'remember' the previous shape and go back to it. This setting process and temporary deformation can be repeated multiple times.

This is a first for sulfur polymers, and despite these unusual properties, the sulfur bonds of the polymers mean they are still easy to recycle and opens up potential applications in areas such as soft robotics, medicine, and self-repairing objects.

In a second paper, published in Chemical Science, Dr Hasell's group teamed up with researchers at Flinders University in Australia to show that sulfur polymers could form rubber like materials that could be easily self-repaired to their original strength within minutes, just by applying an amine catalyst that helps the bonds in the broken surfaces heal back together.

This new kind of rubber and catalyst can be used with low energy consumption to make flexible, repairable, sustainable objects - providing a very real and useful application for these new sulfur polymers.

Dr Tom Hasell said: "Both of these papers really show the potential of polymers made from waste sulfur to be a viable replacement material for some traditional petrochemical based plastics.

"Not only as a substitute material, but as one that is easier to recycle, and has exciting new properties for materials chemists to explore.

"We are excited to see what ideas researchers have for using these new findings, in particular the memory shape and "re-programming" properties."

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The collaborative research between the two research groups in Liverpool and at Flinders was made possible by support from the Royal Society and the Australian Research Council which supported visits and student exchanges. Peiyao Yan was supported through the Chinese Scholarship Council.

The research has benefited from new research facilities at the University of Liverpool, the Stephenson institute for Renewable Energy, and the Materials Innovation Factory.

The paper `Inverse Vulcanized Polymers with Shape Memory, Enhanced Mechanical Properties, and Vitrimer Behavior' (doi.org/10.1002/anie.202004311) is published in Angewandte Chemie.

The paper `Chemically induced repair, adhesion, and recycling of polymers made by inverse vulcanization' (doi.org/10.1039/D0SC00855A) is published in Chemical Science.

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