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Study suggests herd immunity to COVID-19 in New York City is low

Researchers in the United States have estimated that the proportion of people in New York City who developed antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is around one in eight.

9 Nov 2020

Federal restrictions on corneal donations prevent vision-restoring surgery

Some forms of blindness and visual impairment can be cured with a corneal transplant surgery using donated eye tissue. However, federal regulations in the United States and Canada severely restrict the ability of sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating their eye tissue.

24 Sep 2020

VUMC receives $34 million grant for nationwide convalescent plasma study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of "convalescent plasma" as a treatment for COVID-19.

21 Aug 2020

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among blood donors in China

Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports on the low seroprevalence of antibodies to the virus, now designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), among blood donors in Wuhan, the Chinese city it all started in, and two other equally large cities in China.

17 Jul 2020

Male COVID-19 patients produce more SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than women

Health officials in the United Kingdom urge male coronavirus survivors to donate blood, particularly its convalescent plasma component. This comes after a new study has found that men produce more antibodies, which could make their plasma a valuable treatment against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

23 Jun 2020

Convalescent plasma found to be safe for diverse patients with COVID-19

Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have found investigational convalescent plasma to be safe following transfusion in a diverse group of 20,000 patients. The findings -- from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Expanded Access Program for COVID-19 -- are reported in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

18 Jun 2020

CDC plans nationwide antibody study to determine the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to launch a nationwide study to track how the novel coronavirus is spreading across the country.

20 May 2020

Johns Hopkins experts create clinical guidebook for convalescent plasma therapy

A team of Johns Hopkins experts has created a clinical guidebook to help hospitals and medical centers rapidly scale up their ability to deliver so-called convalescent plasma therapy, which leverages immune system components found in the plasma portion of blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness.

14 Apr 2020

Blood centers will collect plasma from COVID-19 survivors in bid for treatment

Blood donation centers across the U.S. are ramping up efforts to collect plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 in hopes it could be used to save the lives of others infected with the pandemic disease.

1 Apr 2020

Houston Methodist receives FDA approval to transfuse donated plasma into a COVID-19 patient

Houston Methodist received FDA approval Saturday to become the first academic medical center in the nation to transfuse donated plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient into a critically ill patient.

30 Mar 2020

Red Cross makes plea for blood donations amid coronavirus health crisis

The United States Red Cross fears that the world’s blood bank supply is at risk amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, which has so far infected more than 417,500 people and killed more than 18,500 people.

24 Mar 2020

An innovative treatment for joint pain

Tired of living with painful arthritic knees, 54-year-old Deborah Brown's interest was piqued when she saw a recruitment flyer for a clinical trial on an innovative pain treatment at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

18 Dec 2019

Facebook takes social media into preventive health – but is it private?

Facebook’s (FB) new Preventive Health Tool has been set up to connect its users to resources and reminders for health assessments in three major areas – heart disease and stroke, cancer, and seasonal influenza – thus making it easier for FB fans to remember to look after their health as well.

29 Oct 2019

Using data science to make blood banks more efficient

The Sanquin blood bank gathers data on every donation. Around 720,000 donations are made every year. 'That generates a mountain of highly valuable data,' says Leiden PhD candidate Marieke Vinkenoog.

11 Sep 2019

Better education and communication critical for increasing blood donation among minorities

Better community education and communication are critical for increasing levels of blood donation among minorities, according to a study by researchers at Georgia State University and Georgia Southern University.

14 Jun 2019

Blood donations could hold clues to dangerous genetic cholesterol condition

What if your blood donation held clues to a dangerous genetic cholesterol condition that could also affect the health of your loved ones?

23 May 2019

HCA Healthcare UK introduces ground-breaking new blood cancer treatment

HCA Healthcare UK has announced the launch of CAR T-cell therapy - a ground-breaking new blood cancer treatment which will be available to eligible patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

3 Apr 2019

Blood donors' leftover immune cells provide crucial insights into antibody affinity

During some kinds of blood donations, you get most of your blood back. For example, platelet donation involves a procedure in which donor blood is filtered to harvest the platelets for medical use and the rest of the blood components are returned to the donor's body.

11 Mar 2019

Female adolescent blood donors more likely to have iron deficiency and related anemia

Female adolescent blood donors are more likely to have low iron stores and iron deficiency anemia than adult female blood donors and nondonors, which could have significant negative consequences on their developing brains, a new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

19 Feb 2019

Transfusions with older blood may increase risk of death, adverse events

After a serious injury, the leading cause of death is loss of blood. Major trauma victims who receive transfusions of packed blood 22 days old or older may face increased risk of death within 24 hours, according to a new study in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

28 Nov 2018