Pneumonia News and Research

Latest Pneumonia News and Research

Researchers develop COVID-19 mortality risk calculator

A new study published in July 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv describes the use of machine learning to provide a better understanding of the risk factors in large and mixed groups. The use of algorithms can help objectively evaluate these factors and perhaps capture interactions that could be missed in a purely observational study.

13 Jul 2020

New clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma to prevent COVID-19

There is only one approved, specific treatment for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, albeit with modest efficacy.

10 Jul 2020

As winter comes other viruses will compete with SARS-CoV-2 for susceptible hosts

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 traces how COVID-19 became the predominant cause of respiratory infection in the period from early January until the present.

10 Jul 2020

Manifestations of COVID-19 in newborn babies

In a new study titled, “The clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 positive neonates,” Italian researchers led by Guiseppe De Bernado from Division of Pediatrics Neonatology and NICU, Ospedale Buon Consiglio Fatebenefratelli, Naples, explain the course of the infection among newborn babies.

9 Jul 2020

Shingles vaccination rate soars but leaves many behind

Worried about the high cost of the copayment for the shingles vaccine, Jacky Felder, a Medicare beneficiary, opted against getting immunized last year.

9 Jul 2020

New studies examine outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19

Two new studies examine the health and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 who have undergone kidney transplantation or are receiving hemodialysis. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.

7 Jul 2020

Research sheds light on mysterious COVID-19 related hyperinflammatory shock in children

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of human lives, besides more than 11 million cases. Caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease was initially thought to be more severe in the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. However, it started to manifest in children after the peak of the first wave.

7 Jul 2020

COVID catch-22: They got a big ER bill because hospitals couldn’t test for virus

Fresh off a Caribbean cruise in early March, John Campbell developed a cough and fever of 104 degrees. He went to his primary care physician and got a flu test, which came up negative.

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 detected in Santiago, Chile wastewater with very little loss of viral RNA

A preliminary report from Chile describes the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in sewage as a sensitive method to assess the circulation of viruses within a community.

7 Jul 2020

Viral and bacterial co-infections are pervasive in severe COVID-19 patients

A large group of researchers from China recently characterized microbial co-infections in the respiratory tract of hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and demonstrated a high prevalence of both viral and bacterial co-infections – particularly in individuals presenting with severe disease.

6 Jul 2020

Mongolia warns of suspected bubonic plague

Mongolia has issued a warning to residents in the western Khovd region after two people are suspected of having the bubonic plague. The National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) states that the disease is linked to the consumption of marmots, a relatively large ground squirrel.

6 Jul 2020

Easy-to-use software developed to identify drug-resistant genes in bacteria

Washington State University researchers have developed an easy-to-use software program to identify drug-resistant genes in bacteria.

6 Jul 2020

Researchers find possible cause for SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cells in uninfected individuals

The current pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) -2, leading to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and death in a sizable minority of cases. However, the most significant number are asymptomatic or have only mild infection from which they rapidly recover.

2 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

SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Brazil back in November 2019

The finding, published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020, shows that it has been causing infection in Brazil long before the first case was reported in the Americas, North and South, in January 2020, and certainly before the first case in this Brazilian region.

1 Jul 2020

Oral hygiene and severity of COVID-19 – the connection

Their study titled, “Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections?” was published in the latest issue of the journal British Dental Journal.

30 Jun 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

New web-based platform established for reporting vaccine target recommendations for COVID-19

As genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the novel pneumonia (COVID-19), are similar to those of the 2003 SARS virus, SARS-CoV, knowledge and data of SARS-CoV may be useful for finding ways to combat COVID-19.

30 Jun 2020

Essential worker shoulders $1,840 pandemic debt due to COVID cost loophole

Carmen Quintero works an early shift as a supervisor at a 3M distribution warehouse that ships N95 masks to a nation under siege from the coronavirus. On March 23, she had developed a severe cough, and her voice, usually quick and enthusiastic, was barely a whisper.

30 Jun 2020

Salk Institute expands research to find treatments and cures for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the Salk Institute joins in efforts to understand the fundamental science behind the novel coronavirus to pave the way to treatments and cures.

30 Jun 2020