When COVID-19 attacks, the immune system produces a cytokine, or protein, called Interleukin-6 (IL-6), whose concentrations can offer vital information about a patient’s level and stage of infection. But measuring the critical marker has been extremely challenging, given its nearly undetectable presence in the biological stew that makes up human blood. Existing technology has not...
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD,Oct 28 2020 A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 suggests that arguments in favor of herd immunity are weakened by the fact that the steep increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths as a result of being exposed to the virus many times instead of once...
NYU LANGONE HEALTH / NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Fewer New Yorkers are dying from the coronavirus than health experts had anticipated, a new study shows. Regional death rates have dropped from the highs seen at the start of the outbreak, partially due to a shift in the population contracting the disease toward those who are...
by Vienna University of Technology Droplets with a viral load. Wear a mask, keep your distance, avoid crowds—these are the common recommendations to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the scientific foundations on which these recommendations are based are decades old and no longer reflect the current state of knowledge. To change this, several research groups from the field...
by University of Montreal A colorized scanning electron micrograph of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When a person is infected by SARS-CoV-2, the number of antibodies able to neutralize the virus rapidly increases. Once the person recovers, their level decreases. In a study last month, researchers led by Université de Montréal professor Andrés Finzi, holder of a Canada Research Chair in Retroviral...
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM IMAGE: AN ARTIST’S RENDERING OF THE DEXAMETHASONE DISCOVERY, BY MARCIN MINOR.v A new discovery about how the body transports dexamethasone, a drug that can increase the survival chances of patients with severe COVID-19, suggests diabetes and other factors may reduce its potentially lifesaving effectiveness. Based on their findings, the researchers say doctors may...
Christie Aschwanden A New Jersey campaign rally for US President Donald Trump, who has espoused herd immunity as a strategy to deal with the pandemic. In May, the Brazilian city of Manaus was devastated by a large outbreak of COVID-19. Hospitals were overwhelmed and the city was digging new grave sites in the surrounding forest....
by NYU Langone Health Without directly invading the brain or nerves, the virus responsible for COVID-19 causes potentially damaging neurological injuries in about one in seven infected, a new study shows. These injuries range from temporary confusion due to low body-oxygen levels, to stroke and seizures in the most serious cases, say the study authors. Led...
CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER IMAGE: THE ENTRANCE TO CEDARS-SINAI’S RUTH AND HARRY ROMAN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.v LOS ANGELES (Oct. 12, 2020) — A new study shows that the vast majority of patients who visited the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai with suspected COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) symptoms, and who were treated and sent home to recuperate, recovered within...
“OUR FINDINGS SIGNAL THAT A PREVIOUS INFECTION MAY NOT NECESSARILY PROTECT AGAINST FUTURE INFECTION.” BY DAN ROBITZSKI A new case report of a Nevada man catching COVID-19 a second time, after he had already recovered, highlights how little we understand about resistance and immunity to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The 25-year-old man first caught...
