What is coronavirus?Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause respiratory infections in humans. The infections can range from mild (common cold) to severe (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)).
Importantly, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe, highly infectious disease caused by very recently identified coronavirus namely severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2).
How coronavirus is detected in COVID-19 patients?Presently, two types of viral tests are approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA): molecular test and antigen test.
In molecular tests, the viral genetic material is detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The test is done using biological fluid collected from nasal or throat swab or using saliva. Some at-home test kits, such as nasal swab kit and saliva kit, are also effective in detecting coronavirus.    

​The belief that lifting with a straight back minimises the risk of injury may be busted with new research out of Curtin University.

The research paper, ‘To flex or not to flex? Is there a relationship between lumbar spine flexion during lifting and low back pain? A systematic review with meta-analysis’, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, suggests that neither lifting with a straight nor a rounded back results in a higher chance of back pain.

The study reviewed all the available research, which included 12 articles involving 697 participants, to investigate whether lifting with a rounded back was a risk factor for back pain compared to lifting with a straight back.

Professor Peter O’Sullivan, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science at Curtin University, said lifting remained a significant risk factor for low back pain and there was still a strong belief that lifting with a rounded back could increase this risk.
“Workplace health and safety representatives, healthcare practitioners, as well as gym instructors, advise that lifting with a rounded back should be avoided and instead insist that the safest way to lift is with a straight back,” said Professor O’Sullivan, who co-led the study.

Researchers at Osaka University in Japan have made an important discovery about a class of cells involved in rheumatoid arthritis that could pave the way for new treatments.
The team has discovered a previously unknown type of osteoclast within affected joints affected that could one day provide a target for new therapies.

Arthritis is a common chronic conditionArthritis refers to a group of more than 100 chronic diseases characterized by inflammation in the joints that can eventually lead to irreparable damage and debilitating pain and stiffness. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune form of the disease, where immune cells mistakenly target tissue that lines the joints, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness. Over time, this can damage the joints, cartilage, and surrounding bone.

There is currently no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, and treatment approaches are limited to drugs to alleviate symptoms, supportive treatments such as physiotherapy, and, in some cases, surgery to correct joint problems.
Since these approaches only relieve symptoms or at best delay disease progression, scientists are researching the condition in efforts to find potential new treatment targets.
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Two main types of cell contribute to disease progressionIn rheumatoid arthritis, two main types of cell contribute to the progression of the disease. Firstly, immune cells release inflammatory cytokines that aggravate tissue lining the joints. Secondly, specialized cells called osteoclasts secrete enzymes and acids that "dissolve" bone. In a healthy, non-disease state, osteoclasts remodel the bone, but in rheumatoid arthritis, their ability to breakdown bone is ramped up, which damages joints instead.