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Peer-reviewed Research

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jan-2026 09:11 ET (9-Jan-2026 14:11 GMT/UTC)

Pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization trends by race and ethnicity, 2020-2023

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This study found that among pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19, Black and Hispanic children were disproportionately more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and experience severe disease compared with white and Asian or Pacific Islander children. A higher proportion of hospitalized Black children had underlying medical conditions. This study underlines the need for targeted interventions, particularly for children with underlying medical conditions, and the need for equitable access and use of vaccines and therapeutics for disproportionately affected populations.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

What cats may teach us about Long COVID

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UC Davis researchers find cats could help us learn about long COVID. They've found a new cell therapy boosts immune systems in cats with severe coronavirus.

Journal: Stem Cells Translational Medicine
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

Novel open-source diagnostic tool offers affordable, reliable pathogen detection for resource-limited settings

Rockefeller University Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have developed an open-source molecular diagnostic assay for pathogen detection, successfully tested for COVID-19. The innovative RT-LAMP method is heat-stable, uses only non-proprietary reagents, and eliminates the need for expensive commercial kits and cold chain storage. Demonstrating performance in both Vienna and Ghana, the low-cost solution has potential for enhancing quick and equitable testing capabilities in resource-limited areas worldwide.

Journal: Life Science Alliance
Funder: European Research Council, Science for Africa Foundation (SFA)/Wellcome, Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, Volkswagen Foundation, Vienna Science and Technology Fund

Obesity rates in Canada increased after start of COVID-19 pandemic

Canadian Medical Association Journal
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect obesity rates in Canada? A new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241421 found obesity rates based on body mass index (BMI) increased faster in the 4 years after the start of the pandemic than in the previous 11 years, especially in younger adults.

Journal: Canadian Medical Association Journal
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Omicron strain BA.2.86 emergence defies natural explanation

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A researcher at University of Tsukuba investigated the origin of the Omicron BA.2.86 lineage of SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in the summer of 2023. He found that the strain had been sporadically detected in multiple, geographically distant locations worldwide. Moreover, the genetic mutations observed in this lineage diverged significantly from those typically seen in humans, making it difficult to account for through natural evolution.

Journal: JMA Journal

The failure of life expectancy to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This study found that California life expectancy remained lower in 2024 than in 2019, due primarily to non–COVID-19 causes. COVID-19 accounted for 12.8% of the deficit in 2024. Although a prior analysis of California data reported that the life expectancy–income gradient increased during 2020-2021, by 2024 the gap between Q1 and Q4 returned to pre-pandemic levels. Life expectancy in the Black population was much lower than in other racial and ethnic populations, and Black and Hispanic populations experienced the largest deficits.

Journal: JAMA

BMI in children before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This cross-sectional study including 426,000 children in Denmark found that body mass index (BMI) outcomes of COVID-19 pandemic–related control policies and restrictions were not exclusively observed among children with obesity, which suggests that pandemic-related mitigation policies targeting children and adolescents in all BMI categories are warranted. The findings of this study highlight differences among children of varying ages and BMI classes.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute for Biological Research develop an mRNA-based vaccine against a deadly bacterium

Tel-Aviv University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona have used the platform developed for COVID-19 vaccines to create the world’s first mRNA-based vaccine against a deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium. In this groundbreaking study, the researchers tested the vaccine’s resistance to the virulent pathogen that causes the disease and were able to demonstrate 100% protection against infection in animal models. The researchers now hope that this technology can be used to combat other lethal bacteria as well.

Journal: Advanced Science

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