University System News:
AllOnGeorgia
Kemp, UGA Partner to Prepare Small Businesses for Emergency Funding
Kemp and UGA have launched an informational web site and webinars to help small business owners in Georgia understand the funding available to them through the new COVID-19 Emergency Relief Package and how to apply for assistance.
Governor Brian Kemp and the University of Georgia have launched an informational web site and webinars to help small business owners in Georgia understand the funding available to them through the new COVID-19 Emergency Relief Package and how to apply for assistance. Congress approved the recent funding on December 21, but application information will not be available until January. There are steps that small businesses can take now to be prepared to apply, however. Informational webinars will be held on Tuesday, December 29, and Wednesday, December 30. The webinars are designed to help small businesses prepare for the application process. Once application instructions are provided, consultants in the UGA Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) 18 regional offices will be available to assist businesses with this process.
Health Europa
CBD reduces COVID-19 lung damage with protective peptides
In a new study, scientists have shown that one of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids in cannabis – CBD – reduces lung damage induced by cytokine storms caused by COVID-19 through enabling an increase in levels of a natural peptide. The scientists, from the Dental College of Georgia (DCG) and the Medical College of Georgia, demonstrated earlier this year that CBD has the ability to improve oxygen levels and reduce inflammation and physical lung damage related to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This new study has now shown the mechanisms behind these results, demonstrating that CBD normalises levels of a peptide named apelin, which is known to reduce inflammation. Levels of this peptide are low during a COVID-19 infection. While the researchers say the peptide clearly has an important role to play, they do not attribute all CBD’s benefits to apelin. The results have been published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
The Daily Mail
By Pat Hagan
…Scientists at Augusta University in Georgia, U.S., carried out one of the largest studies into the psychiatric side-effects of antibiotics such as doxycycline. They trawled through eight years’ worth of data from the U.S. Food and Drink Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System — a catalogue of potentially harmful drug reactions reported by doctors and patients. The researchers were looking for cases where the main side-effect was psychosis — defined as a ‘severe mental disorder where thoughts and emotions lose touch with reality’. For many, this means seeing things, hearing voices and losing control of their thoughts. The study found that of more than 6,000 reports of side-effects of all kinds from doxycycline, 91 involved psychosis or hallucinations. And doxycycline was not the only antibiotic linked with sudden and severe psychiatric problems: at least 14 others showed an increased risk of these.
Food World News
Well Known Baking Ingredient can Fight Inflammation, Study Suggests
By Josh Summers
When we think about inflammation various ingredients from the kitchen come to minds such as ginger, turmeric, and other fruits and vegetables. Who might have expected that a baking ingredient for making your favorite pastry rise or look puffy, can induce inflammation in your body? The versatility of the compound is used for cooking sweets, and even for cleaning certain parts of your humble home. According to The Spruce Eats, Baking soda is 100 percent bicarbonate of soda and is the prime ingredient in baking powder. However, the website stresses that baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable in any recipe. Knowing the primary use of the ingredient, it is blissful to discover that this leavening agent can also be effective against inflammation, which was done by researchers from Augusta University.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 28)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 9,719 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 546,859 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
GPB
Want A COVID-19 Vaccine? Georgians Can Call Hotline To Find Out When
By: Ellen Eldridge
A hotline now exists for Georgians with questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and the state’s distribution plan for them. Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey said those at the front of the vaccine line are residents and staff in long-term care facilities. While this population makes up only 5% of coronavirus cases in the state, residents in these facilities make up more than 37% of the deaths from COVID-19 in Georgia, Toomey said Monday during a news conference at PruittHealth in Gainesville. “We hope with these vaccines we will begin to change those statistics and save lives here, not just in this long-term care facility, but in all of those that are participating with us in this vaccine program,” Toomey said. …Anyone in the state who has questions about the vaccines or their eligibility to receive one can call 888-357-0169.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPINION: Recognize risks facing teachers from COVID-19
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
A Cobb graduate and a parent now in the district says she’s appalled at treatment of staff during pandemic
Charis Granger-Mbugua graduated Cobb County Schools, where her oldest child is now a student. A Spelman graduate and National Board Certified teacher who is now a stay-at-home parent, Granger-Mbugua voices concerns today about the safety of teachers in classrooms during this pandemic and the response of district leaders to the risks. She is especially concerned about the actions of her own Cobb County district where an elementary school teacher died of COVID-19 on Christmas and others are now hospitalized. You can read earlier AJC Get Schooled essays by Granger-Mbugua here and here. By Charis Granger-Mbugua