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New tool to increase accessibility for COVID-19 testing

A research group from the University of California Santa Barbara recently demonstrated a cost-effective, simple, and much less toxic method to isolate host and pathogen nucleic acids and proteins in order to streamline the detection of DNA and RNA viruses – including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

1 Jul 2020

More than one-third of excess deaths in pandemic's early months linked to other causes

Since COVID-19's spread to the United States earlier this year, death rates in the U.S. have risen significantly. But deaths attributed to COVID-19 only account for about two-thirds of the increase in March and April, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Jul 2020

Women with breast cancer diagnosed at earlier stage in states with expanded Medicaid coverage

In a new study by Yale Cancer Center, researchers have demonstrated that in states with expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act a higher percentage of women with breast cancer had their disease diagnosed at an early stage.

1 Jul 2020

Study: East Germany has more hospitalizations for heart failure compared to West Germany

East Germany has many more hospitalisations for heart failure compared to West Germany despite a nationwide healthcare system, according to research presented today on HFA Discoveries, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

1 Jul 2020

Air pollution may lead to interstitial lung diseases

More research must be done to investigate the role of air pollution on the epigenome in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), in order to develop strategies that minimize the effects of these pollutants, according to a new article published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

1 Jul 2020

Study identifies the cause of blood clotting in Covid-19 patients

One of the major mysteries in treating patients with Covid-19 is the frequent development of blood clots that can subsequently damage their organs and sometimes be fatal.

1 Jul 2020

BMI should be assessed in management of COVID-19 patients

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 reports that obesity is a risk factor of composite poor outcome of COVID-19 disease. On the other hand, COVID-19 patients with 'composite poor outcome' have higher BMI. Therefore, BMI should be assessed in the management of COVID-19 patients, and special attention should be given to patients with obesity.

1 Jul 2020

Specific SARS-CoV-2 genetic elements found in different insect species

In a recent bioRxiv paper, researchers from Norway and the US demonstrate the presence of a highly conserved, mobile genetic element (thus far with unknown function) in genomes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a large number of insects – opening the door for hitherto unexplored treatment opportunities.

30 Jun 2020

A potential treatment for cardiac regeneration

New research gives information in order to understand safety, efficacy and mechanisms of action of a new cardiac therapy.

30 Jun 2020

Spike protein and human ACE2 binding ability shows SARS-CoV-2 viral adaptation

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports some important findings that could shed light on this question. As the pandemic marches on, having claimed over 500,000 lives and caused well over 10 million infections to date, the task of defining and predicting factors that predispose to infectivity across species becomes ever more critical.

30 Jun 2020

Air pollution associated with infant mortality finds study

A new study from Stanford researchers shows that a rise in air pollution is associated with increased mortality rates among infants. This new article and its results were published today in the latest issue of the journal Nature Sustainability.

29 Jun 2020

New agreements to increase access to cancer medicines and save countless lives

The American Cancer Society and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) today announced agreements with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Novartis, and Mylan to expand access to 20 lifesaving cancer treatments in 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Purchasers are expected to save an average of 59 percent for medicines procured through the agreements.

29 Jun 2020

Cerclage can benefit women with at-risk twin pregnancies

Women carrying twins are at higher risk for premature birth and miscarriage - those whose cervix dilates before 24 weeks are at highest risk - and yet one common treatment is not recommended for this population.

29 Jun 2020

Fecal microbial transplantation more effective, cost-efficient treatment than antibiotics

An innovative treatment for patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) which uses transplanted gut bacteria to treat the infection, is a more effective and more cost-efficient treatment than using antibiotics, a new UK study has found.

29 Jun 2020

Study shows connection between blood pressure and eye health in young children

Young children with narrow retinal artery diameters were more likely to develop higher blood pressure, and children with higher blood pressure levels were more likely to develop retinal microvascular impairment during early childhood, according to a new study published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

29 Jun 2020

Virus re-emergence after lockdown ends

A new report in the journal Nature Human Behaviour in June 2020 reports predictions as to the effects of removing lockdown restrictions on the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and suggests that individual responsibility concerning social distancing and other precautions could avoid the need for lockdowns.

28 Jun 2020

Long-term exposure to fine atmospheric particles can lead to increased mortality rates among the elderly

A new analysis of 16 years of publicly accessible health data on 68.5 million Medicare enrollees provides broad evidence that long-term exposure to fine particles in the air - even at levels below current EPA standards - leads to increased mortality rates among the elderly.

27 Jun 2020

Live attenuated vaccines may prevent lung inflammation and sepsis associated with COVID-19

A paper published by Paul Fidel, Jr., PhD, Professor and Director of the Center of Excellence in Oral and Craniofacial Biology and Associate Dean for Research at LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry, and Mairi Noverr, PhD, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, suggests that live attenuated vaccines such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) may prevent the severe lung inflammation and sepsis associated with COVID-19 infection.

26 Jun 2020

Study reveals colorectal cancer hotspots in the United States

Over the last three decades, colorectal cancer survival in the United States has improved significantly. But in young people--particularly men diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50--incidence and mortality due to colorectal cancer are on the rise.

26 Jun 2020

Study provides more evidence of causal link between air pollution and premature death

Strengthening U.S. air quality standards for fine particulate pollution to be in compliance with current World Health Association (WHO) guidelines could save more than 140,000 lives over the course of a decade, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

26 Jun 2020