New Research Shows Exhaled Respiratory Droplets Increase With Onset Of COVID-19, Age And Body Mass Index
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvard University, Tulane University and Massachusetts General Hospital today announced new research published, "Exhaled Aerosol Increases With COVID-19 Infection, Age And Obesity," in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Harvard's Dr. David Edwards, founder of Sensory Cloud, a health technology start-up spun out of Harvard University and maker of FEND, co-authored the article, which explores the causes of super emissions of exhaled aerosols and the role of key biological factors including age, BMI, and lung infection. The study involved 194 healthy human volunteers ranging from ages 19 to 66 years old, and the experimental infection study examined eight nonhuman primates, infected by aerosol containing SARS-CoV-2. The findings show that while exhaled aerosol particles vary between the subjects, respiratory droplets did increase with the onset of COVID-19, heightened age and body mass index (BMI). These biological factors, age and heavier weight, are also associated with more severe COVID-19 symptoms. The research also found from the 194 participants, that a strong minority 18% (35 people) of "super emitting" human subjects accounted for 80% of the exhaled particles of the group. This distribution mirrors the phenomenon of "super spreading", which is observed in outbreaks of airborne infectious disease, where 20% of infected individuals can be traced to 80% of infections. "While we are working toward a widely disseminated COVID-19 vaccine, this research shows the value in daily cleansing of our upper airways to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets emitted," said Dr. David Edwards of Harvard University. He continues, "The role that airway hygiene plays in controlling the transmission and infection of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases including Tuberculosis and Influenza, is becoming clearer." This new research, coupled with recently published peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of airway hygiene to remove respiratory droplets with non-drug physiological salts, points to the potential value today of daily FEND airway hygiene for reducing the risk of exposure of respiratory droplets in the upper airways and surrounding air. For more information on FEND, please visit www.hellofend.com. About Sensory Cloud: Sensory Cloud is a Cambridge-based technology startup company that designs solutions to problems of human wellbeing and healthcare through pioneering discoveries at the frontiers of olfaction and respiratory biology. Sensory Cloud is developing a proprietary line of consumer products based on its proprietary olfaction and calcium-salt platforms for human health and wellbeing. The Company launched its new hygienic product FEND (helloFEND.com) in October 2020. FEND was recently selected as a Time Magazine Best Invention of 2020.
SOURCE Sensory Cloud |
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