HEALTH BEAT.

• Position: COVID-19, cannabinoids, heart disease, and alcohol use disorders

Even if COVID-19 transitions from a pandemic to an endemic disease--where infections occur in seasonal or predictable cycles, like the flu--that does not necessarily mean we will be mask-free or that vaccinations no longer will be needed, suggests Ellie Murray, a Boston University School of Public Health assistant professor of epidemiology, who says that for the transition to take place, the world needs "to have some predictable sense of where that disease is going to go next."

Two compounds that may prevent the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 from infecting human cells have been identified by Richard van Bree-men, a researcher in Oregon State's Global Hemp Innovation Center. Using a mass spectrom-etry-based screening technique, a van Breemen-led team found that a pair of cannabinoids--cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)--bind to the coronavirus spike protein, blocking a critical step in the infection process.

Vulnerability to heart disease can be projected before symptoms occur, the Mayo Clinic discovered in a proof-of-con-cept study which revealed that heart muscle changes indicate who is vulnerable to disease later in life. These alterations can be detected from blood samples through comprehensive protein and metabolite profiling. Heart disease is a leading killer in the U.S., responsible for one of every four deaths.

A medication for heart problems and high blood pressure also may be effective for treating alcohol use disorder, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the School of Medicine at Yale University. The study presents converging evidence that the medication spironolactone may play a role in reducing alcohol consumption.

By combining traditional eye imaging techniques with adaptive optics...