Pneumonia News and Research

Latest Pneumonia News and Research

Researchers investigate the health consequences of heavier smoking

Each cigarette smoked a day by heavier smokers increases the risk of contracting some diseases by more than 30 per cent, according to a new international study published today.

7 Aug 2020

Immune system derails during severe course of COVID-19

Contrary to what has been generally assumed so far, a severe course of COVID-19 does not solely result in a strong immune reaction - rather, the immune response is caught in a continuous loop of activation and inhibition.

6 Aug 2020

Five biomarkers in blood linked to higher odds of clinical deterioration, death in COVID-19 patients

George Washington University researchers found five biomarkers, medical indicators found in the blood, associated with higher odds of clinical deterioration and death in COVID-19 patients.

6 Aug 2020

COVID-19 in pregnancy - premature birth common

A new study conducted by researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea, suggests that while having coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy has little effect on fetal or neonatal mortality, it can be associated with premature birth and sometimes severe outcomes for mother and baby, including death.

6 Aug 2020

Synthetic peptide can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a synthetic peptide that can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again when used together with traditional antibiotics, offering hope for the prospect of a combination treatment strategy to tackle certain antibiotic-tolerant infections.

6 Aug 2020

Hospital mobility programs can improve outcomes in older patients

A paper published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported results of an initiative designed to enhance implementation of hospital mobility programs aimed at improving quality of care and outcomes for older patients.

6 Aug 2020

Photodynamic therapy can be used to fight secondary infections in COVID-19 patients

Photodynamic therapy can be an efficient ally to combat secondary infections in COVID-19 patients.

4 Aug 2020

Regeneron antibody cocktail shows promise as potential COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in the U.S. have shown both preventive and treatment effects of an antibody cocktail in animal models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Aug 2020

California GOP consultant rues ‘big mistake’ that led to family’s COVID infections

The tweet Richard Costigan posted July 23 was bluntly honest: "We tried our best to limit exposure to #COVID19 but we slipped up somewhere."

3 Aug 2020

Oxford University and ZOE join forces to widen access to COVID-19 treatment trials

Oxford University and the COVID Symptom Study app are joining forces to widen access to two clinical trials of potential treatments for COVID-19.

3 Aug 2020

Maternal vaccination could protect infants against RSV illness

Immunizing pregnant women with a potential vaccine against RSV could prevent the most common cause of pneumonia in their babies.

3 Aug 2020

Pre-COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies fail to neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in Austria have shown that antibodies with potent neutralizing activity against a well-established seasonal coronavirus had no neutralizing activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Aug 2020

Meta-analysis shows 57% mortality reduction with convalescent plasma in COVID-19

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 reports that an older treatment modality, namely, the use of convalescent antibody-rich plasma, brings down the mortality rate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients by an astonishing 57%. This adds evidence for the use of convalescent plasma in the treatment of high-risk patients.

1 Aug 2020

New article reviews poor life expectancy associated with treatment-resistant schizophrenia

The vast majority of reviews on psychotropic drugs is focused on the potential benefits that may have. However, the vulnerabilities induced by treatment need also to be considered.

31 Jul 2020

New simple way of detecting COVID-19 in blood plasma

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic claims increasing numbers of patients, testing numbers are rising in most nations at the leading edge. However, the current reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) testing is often unavailable and takes up to several days for results to arrive.

31 Jul 2020

Researchers report a liquid biopsy for COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 reports the potential of cell-free DNA as a marker of the severity of disease in COVID-19. This could help triage patients as well as provide a prognostic marker.

30 Jul 2020

Deep neural networks to identify pneumonia caused by COVID-19 in CT scans

As COVID-19 cases in the United States continue to surge, there is an ongoing search for quick and reliable testing.

30 Jul 2020

Scientists develop human lung organoids to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the development of a human distal lung culture system that can be functionally tested. This will help not only to understand how this infection produces disease but also to test the proliferative capacity of the stem cells in this part of the body.

30 Jul 2020

Relatives of SARS-CoV-2 may pose a health threat for years to come

Coronaviruses are zoonotic viruses that jump from animals to humans and cause infection. There are many types of common human coronaviruses, which usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of coronavirus types 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1 at some point in their lives.

29 Jul 2020

Analysis: When is a coronavirus test not a coronavirus test?

Desperate to continue the tradition of a family beach week, I hatched a plan that would allow some mask- and sanitizer-enhanced semblance of normality.

29 Jul 2020