Respiratory News and Research

RSS

Chaotic and incoherent: Damning study of over 500 U.S. campus COVID-19 reopening plans

Now, a new study by researchers at California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 shows that poorly planned and inadequate testing approaches to mitigate viral spread among the returning university students are likely to result in epidemics that will plague the country for a long time.

13 Aug 2020

New treatment regimens show early efficacy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

New treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have shown early effectiveness in 85 percent of patients in a cohort that included many people with serious comorbidities that would have excluded them from clinical trials, according to the results of a new international study.

13 Aug 2020

Cardiovascular disease in COVID-19

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a primarily respiratory illness, manifesting with severe hypoxia and often progressing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. However, it is also known to be linked to a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) manifestations that are associated with a very poor prognosis.

13 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 viral load predicts risk of death

As the coronavirus pandemic evolved, there have been many developments in testing for the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in patients. Now, a team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, has found that the SARS-CoV-2 viral load can predict mortality in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

13 Aug 2020

Why you should get your flu shots amid the coronavirus pandemic

Health experts from the National Public Health Organization, the Andreas Sygros Hospital, and the Kapodistrian University in Greece say that influenza shots to reduce the risk of flu are crucial, particularly this coming fall or winter when the flu season usually kick starts. Their work is published in the journal Vaccine.

12 Aug 2020

New robotic system can remotely operate ventilators in COVID-19 patient rooms

A new robotic system allows medical staff to remotely operate ventilators and other bedside machines from outside intensive care rooms of patients suffering from infectious diseases.

12 Aug 2020

Researchers recommend inclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women in COVID-19 vaccine trials

Researchers from the United Kingdom have published their views on the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials for vaccines against the novel coronavirus and the related challenges this presents. Their article titled, “Inclusion of pregnant women in COVID-19 vaccine development”, was published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

12 Aug 2020

FDA approves new treatment option for patients with rare Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Viltepso (viltolarsen) injection for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 53 skipping.

12 Aug 2020

A triplex SARS-CoV-2 assay based on nanopore sequencing is accurate, rapid and scalable

A novel breakthrough by a research group from Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a rapid way of testing and screening large numbers of samples for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

12 Aug 2020

Face mask insert could allow screening for disease biomarkers

Given current events, many people are wearing face masks to protect themselves and others. But that same face mask could someday also collect useful health information.

12 Aug 2020

Nurses and doctors sick with COVID feel pressured to get back to work

The first call in early April was from the testing center, informing the nurse she was positive for COVID-19 and should quarantine for two weeks.

12 Aug 2020

C-type lectin receptors play a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 confirms and extends earlier findings showing that a type of sugar-based receptor on innate immune cells promotes the entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into other cells that carry the viral receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

12 Aug 2020

Study: High blood sugar may trigger worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients

As COVID-19 continues to rage across the U.S., researchers are digging deeper into how the virus wreaks havoc on the body, especially for those with a pre-existing chronic illness.

12 Aug 2020

Two lipid-binding proteins in mitochondria control overall stability of protein complexes

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of cells which continuously convert energy from food into the chemical energy currency called ATP.

12 Aug 2020

Study reveals new clues about SARS-CoV-2 infection

Working together, researchers at McMaster University and the University of Waterloo are searching for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the lungs - and they're challenging what has become an accepted truth about the virus.

12 Aug 2020

Research looks at convalescent plasma use in COVID-19 mouse model

A new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the utility of a mouse model that recapitulates several aspects of human COVID-19 and can reflect the antiviral efficacy of new drugs as well.

12 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 a "swarm" of mutant viruses

In this new study, the virus was serially passaged in independent cell types in a controlled environment. The researchers found that the virus rapidly adapts to the changing conditions in culture by selecting for pre-existing species.

12 Aug 2020

Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted via feces?

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford and the Trip Medical Database and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 as part of the ongoing Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 reports the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in feces and the need for precautions to prevent orofecal spread in the surroundings of confirmed or suspected cases.

12 Aug 2020

WVU toxicologist wins NIH grant to study impact of air pollution on lung tissue regeneration

Each time we breathe in, we're not inhaling just one component that seeps into our lungs. It's a medley of gasses and particles - both natural and human-made - that can unleash unknown consequences on respiratory health.

11 Aug 2020

Smoking and vaping significantly increase risk of COVID-19 in teens and young adults

Now, a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that teens and young adults may have a heightened risk of COVID-19 if they vape or smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smokers are seven times more likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, people who vape are five times more likely to be diagnosed with the viral infection.

11 Aug 2020