* Tourism, travel, hospitality business hit the hardest by COVID

A European coalition is forming around an approach to using smartphone technology to trace coronavirus infections which, it's hoped, will enable borders to reopen. Joe Davies reports.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth honored those who died in World War Two on Friday, the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, and used the occasion to say she was proud of how people had responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 has led the ESC to transition its annual congress to a virtual format; ESC 2020 Congress 'Challenging Times, Infinite Possibilities' will run online from August 29 to September 1.

With the addition of several European sponsoring agencies, including the European Research Council, UKPMC was renamed Europe PMC as of November 1, 2012. Europe PMC is an outgrowth and expansion of UKPMC, which was first launched in January 2007 with sponsorship from the Wellcome Trust and several other funders of biomedical research in the UK. Europe PMC receives all of its final published articles directly from the U.S. PMC archive. It also accepts and processes author manuscripts of journal articles funded by the Europe PMC sponsoring agencies and makes them available to U.S. PMC and PMC Canada. For more information, see PMC International.

The past 20 years have seen major advances in the understanding and treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; group 1 of the pulmonary hypertension (PH) clinical classification) [1]. A strong basis of knowledge has been acquired in: 1) large randomised clinical trials for drug development; 2) national registries for epidemiology and outcome; and 3) smaller studies on the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. This knowledge has been reviewed at World Symposia on Pulmonary Hypertension (the most recent in 2018 [2]) and summarised in European Respiratory Society (ERS)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) clinical guidelines (the most recent in 2015 [3, 4]). We are, however, much less knowledgeable on specific aspects such as 1) the implementation of guidelines and access to therapies in different European countries; 2) the management of PH crises and progressive (acute on chronic) heart failure; and 3) other groups of PH, such as PH due to lung diseases. Therapeutic strategies also need to be optimised, in particular regarding the combination of drugs, the use of anticoagulants, the place for new medications targeting different pathophysiological pathways, etc.

Daniel P. Small, Piero Calosi, Samuel P. S. Rastrick, Lucy M. Turner, Stephen Widdicombe, and John I. Spicer

Regulation of extracellular acid–base balance, while maintaining energy metabolism, is recognised as an important aspect when defining an organism's sensitivity to environmental changes. This study investigated the haemolymph buffering capacity and energy metabolism (oxygen consumption, haemolymph [l-lactate] and [protein]) in early benthic juveniles (carapace length <40 mm) of the European lobster, Homarus gammarus, exposed to elevated temperature and P_CO2. At 13°C, H. gammarus juveniles were able to fully compensate for acid–base disturbances caused by the exposure to elevated seawater P_CO2 at levels associated with ocean acidification and carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) leakage scenarios, via haemolymph [HCO₃^–] regulation. However, metabolic rate remained constant and food consumption decreased under elevated P_CO2, indicating reduced energy availability. Juveniles at 17°C showed no ability to actively compensate haemolymph pH, resulting in decreased haemolymph pH particularly under CCS conditions. Early benthic juvenile lobsters at 17°C were not able to increase energy intake to offset increased energy demand and therefore appear to be unable to respond to acid–base disturbances due to increased P_CO2 at elevated temperature. Analysis of haemolymph metabolites suggests that, even under control conditions, juveniles were energetically limited. They exhibited high haemolymph [l-lactate], indicating recourse to anaerobic metabolism. Low haemolymph [protein] was linked to minimal non-bicarbonate buffering and reduced oxygen transport capacity. We discuss these results in the context of potential impacts of ongoing ocean change and CCS leakage scenarios on the development of juvenile H. gammarus and future lobster populations and stocks.

The Early Career Members Committee (ECMC) of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) consists of 14 members, one Early Career Member (ECM) representative per assembly. In September 2019, seven recently elected representatives joined the ECMC. An overview is given of the tasks performed by each representative within the ECMC (table 1). In addition, a short summary about the content of these tasks is provided.

Sleep and breathing disorders are highly prevalent, representing a growing subspecialty of respiratory medicine. The term sleep disordered breathing (SDB) encompasses a range of conditions characterised by abnormal breathing during sleep, from chronic or habitual snoring, to frank obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) or, in some cases, central sleep apnoea (CSA) and hypoventilation syndromes. OSA is the commonest form of SDB, leading to many potential consequences and adverse clinical outcomes, including excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired daytime function, metabolic dysfunction, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality [1]. The estimated reported prevalence of moderate-to-severe SDB (≥15 events·h^–1) was 23.4% in women and 49.7% in men, and the prevalence of symptomatic OSA was 9% and 13%, respectively [2]. However, in some populations, the prevalence of OSA is substantially higher, such as in patients been evaluated for bariatric surgery (estimated range 70–80%), in patients who have had a transient ischaemic attack or stroke (estimated range 60–70%) and in patients with cardiometabolic disease [3–6]. Limited data have been reported on CSA and non-obstructive sleep-related hypoventilation, which have received considerable interest in the sleep field within the past 10 years. Even if their prevalence was noted to be quite low relative to the prevalence of OSA [7], they are quite common in specific subpopulations [8–10].

Omadacycline is a broad-spectrum aminomethylcycline approved in October 2018 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and community-acquired pneumonia as both an oral and intravenous once-daily formulation. In this report, the activities of omadacycline and comparators were tested against 49,000 nonduplicate bacterial isolates collected prospectively during 2016 to 2018 from medical centers in Europe (24,500 isolates, 40 medical centers [19 countries]) and the United States (24,500 isolates, 33 medical centers [23 states and all 9 U.S. census divisions]). Omadacycline was tested by broth microdilution following the methods in Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document M07 (Methods for Dilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria That Grow Aerobically; Approved Standard, 11th ed., 2018). Omadacycline (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 mg/liter) inhibited 98.6% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates at ≤0.5 mg/liter, including 96.3% of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates and 99.8% of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates. Omadacycline potency was comparable for Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC_50/90, 0.06/0.12 mg/liter), viridans group streptococci (MIC_50/90, 0.06/0.12 mg/liter), and beta-hemolytic streptococci (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 mg/liter), regardless of species and susceptibility to penicillin, macrolides, or tetracycline. Omadacycline was active against all Enterobacterales tested (MIC_50/90, 1/8 mg/liter; 87.5% of isolates were inhibited at ≤4 mg/liter) except Proteus mirabilis (MIC_50/90, 16/>32 mg/liter) and indole-positive Proteus spp. (MIC_50/90, 8/32 mg/liter) and was most active against Escherichia coli (MIC_50/90, 0.5/2 mg/liter), Klebsiella oxytoca (MIC_50/90, 1/2 mg/liter), and Citrobacter spp. (MIC_50/90, 1/4 mg/liter). Omadacycline inhibited 92.4% of Enterobacter cloacae species complex and 88.5% of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates at ≤4 mg/liter. Omadacycline was active against Haemophilus influenzae (MIC_50/90, 0.5/1 mg/liter), regardless of β-lactamase status, and against Moraxella catarrhalis (MIC_50/90, ≤0.12/0.25 mg/liter). The potent activity of omadacycline against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria indicates that omadacycline merits further study in serious infections in which multidrug resistance and mixed Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infections may be a concern.

Nine hundred Haemophilus influenzae clinical isolates from 83 U.S. and European medical centers were tested for susceptibility by reference broth microdilution methods against ceftolozane-tazobactam and comparators. Results were stratified by β-lactamase production and infection type. Overall, ceftolozane-tazobactam MIC_50/90 values were 0.12/0.25 mg/liter, and 99.0% of isolates were inhibited at the susceptible breakpoint of ≤0.5 mg/liter; the highest MIC value was only 2 mg/liter. Our results support using ceftolozane-tazobactam to treat H. influenzae infections.

“The rapid & global spread of coronavirus is a devastating reminder of the consequences of global disorder”: Tharoor

The 36th edition of the European Athletics Indoor Championships is scheduled to take place from March 5 to 7 next year in Torun, Poland.

EU states should guarantee vouchers for travel cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic and start lifting internal border restrictions in a bid to salvage some of the summer tourism season, the bloc's executive will say next week.

“Thanks to future lunar inhabitants, the 1.5 liters of liquid waste a person generates each day could become a promising by-product for space exploration,” the ESA says

A new study investigates the impact of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the largest international cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions in the world, on power plant fuel efficiency.

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A potentially deadly disease affecting olive trees in Europe could take a huge economic toll in the next five decades, researchers have said.

Follow our live coronavirus updates here Coronavirus: the symptoms

2019 was the hottest year on record for Europe as global warming trends continue, major analysis has shown.

The drive to ease lockdowns across Europe intensified today as several countries set out blueprints for how to restore normality in everyday life.

The full impact of coronavirus on the UK is set to be revealed as the Government prepares to publish the country's death toll for care homes on a daily basis.

Europe has shown positive signs that it is passing the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

People in countries across Europe are gradually regaining some old freedoms as governments start to lift their coronavirus lockdowns after many weeks.

Italians were today enjoying the chance to exercise in parks for the first time in eight weeks as their country took its first significant steps out of its coronavirus lockdown.

A veteran of the Second World War who celebrated victory in Europe with a three-day party in Burma says the lockdown commemorations for the 75th anniversary will still be a "great tribute" to those who lost their lives.

The UK has fallen behind many other European countries in its response to coronavirus, a public health expert has said.

The coronavirus death toll in the UK has risen to more than 32,000 - and may now be the highest in Europe.

Boris Johnson will today come under fresh criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis as he faces Sir Keir Starmer for the first time during Prime Minister's Questions.

Public Health England medical director Professor Yvonne Doyle said it was "too early" to compare the UK statistics with that of other countries.

Second World War veteran and NHS fundraising champion Captain Tom Moore has recalled the day the "fearsome war in Europe" ended 75 years ago.

The Queen has addressed the nation to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, saying veterans would have recognised the "love and care" of people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Disease, spread by spittlebugs, capable of infecting over 300 plant species

At a time of crisis, people want answers — and 5G is a really simple answer

"Today, 75 years later, we are forced to commemorate alone, but we are not alone!" Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says, celebrating international unity in the post-war era.

To mark our 175th anniversary year, we feature a different front page each week from past editions of the Ottawa Citizen.

A European coalition is forming around an approach to using smartphone technology to trace coronavirus infections that, its backers hope, could help to reopen borders without unleashing a second wave of the pandemic.

The European Space Agency said Friday that human urine could one day become a useful ingredient in making concrete to build on the moon.

From Norwegian fjords to the sweeping coastal views of Montenegro, it's time to daydream about these lush European journeys

We've rounded up the most beautiful beaches on the continent to fuel your wanderlust

Visa-free entry for travellers from UK, Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden halted until further notice

Learning a language is good for brain-training so get out your smartphone and start downloading

Countries across Europe are gradually easing lockdown measures

The Government has faced pressure from airline bosses, tour firms and passengers to offer certainty around refunds for cancelled Easter and summer holidays.