More Than Results: The Clinical and Research Relationship in the Evolving Detection and Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) became an essential tool for laboratories to provide high-sensitivity qualitative diagnostic testing for patients and real-time data to public health officials. Here we explore the predictive value of quantitative data from RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values in epidemiological measures, symptom presentation, and variant transition.

Methods: To examine the association with hospitalizations and deaths, data from 74,479 patients referred to the Avera Institute for Human Genetics (AIHG) for COVID-19 testing in 2020 were matched by calendar week to epidemiological data reported by the South Dakota Department of Health.

Lipid-lowering effect of berberine in human subjects and rats.

Due to serious adverse effects and the limited effectiveness of currently available pharmacological therapies for obesity, many research efforts have focused on the development of drugs from natural products. Our previous studies demonstrated that berberine, an alkaloid originally isolated from traditional Chinese herbs, prevented fat accumulation in vitro and in vivo. In this pilot study, obese human subjects (Caucasian) were given 500 mg berberine orally three times a day for twelve weeks.