Increased risk of mortality in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/1

Increased risk of mortality in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/1

We started estimating the SARS-CoV-2 reproduction number in the UK using Public Health England data in March 2020, contributing to the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling subgroup (SPI-M) weekly consensus estimates. In... read more

The Influence of Airflow Via High-Flow Nasal Cannula on Duration of Laryngeal Vestibule Closure

The Influence of Airflow Via High-Flow Nasal Cannula on Duration of Laryngeal Vestibule Closure

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the influence of airflow via high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) on the duration of laryngeal vestibule closure (dLVC) and Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) scores. 29... read more

Long-Term Survival Following Sepsis

Long-Term Survival Following Sepsis

The nearly 75% mortality four years after diagnosis indicates that changes are needed both in the acute treatment of patients with sepsis and in their multi-sector long-term care. The applicability of these findings may be... read more

Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis Pneumonia in non‐HIV Immunocompromised Patients

Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis Pneumonia in non‐HIV Immunocompromised Patients

Our review shows that TMP/SMX prophylaxis is highly effective for prevention of Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP) in patients with hematological malignancies, bone marrow transplantation and solid organ transplantation,... read more

Convalescent Plasma Doesn’t Prevent Further COVID-19 Progression in At-Risk Patients

Convalescent Plasma Doesn’t Prevent Further COVID-19 Progression in At-Risk Patients

Convalescent plasma (CP) from recovered patients with COVID-19 doesn't prevent further COVID-19 progression in at-risk people who visit the emergency room (ER). Early this week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)... read more

Cerecor Significantly Reduced Respiratory Failure and Mortality in Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 ARDS

Cerecor Significantly Reduced Respiratory Failure and Mortality in Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 ARDS

Final analysis inclusive of the 60-day safety update in the randomized placebo-controlled study demonstrated CERC-002 was statistically significant in reducing respiratory failure and mortality at Day 28 in patients hospitalized... read more

Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine for Treating or Preventing COVID-19 Infection

Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine for Treating or Preventing COVID-19 Infection

When given along with azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of any unwanted effects, but made no difference to the risk of serious unwanted effects (1 study; 444 people). Compared with lopinavir plus ritonavir,... read more

The Association of Platelet Decrease Following CRRT Initiation and Increased Rates of Secondary Infections

The Association of Platelet Decrease Following CRRT Initiation and Increased Rates of Secondary Infections

Platelet count drop by greater than 40% following continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) initiation is associated with an increased risk of secondary infection, particularly in patients with thrombocytopenia at the time... read more

Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

In critically ill patients with COVID-19 receiving organ support in ICUs, treatment with the interleukin-6 receptor antagonists tocilizumab and sarilumab improved outcomes, including survival. Both tocilizumab and sarilumab... read more

Learning From Doctors with Long COVID-19

Learning From Doctors with Long COVID-19

When Sarah Burns and Sue Warren started a support group for doctors with long covid, they found a number of people struggling with new experiences, losses, and vulnerabilities Long covid has emerged as a serious, yet poorly... read more

Testing Asymptomatic Patients for COVID-19 – Known Unknowns

Testing Asymptomatic Patients for COVID-19 – Known Unknowns

How common is asymptomatic COVID-19? How infectious is it? And how much does it actually contribute to overall transmission? Nicola Low spoke on behalf of herself and Muge Cevik to outline the role of asymptomatic transmission.... read more

The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease

The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease

For four thousand years, the size and vitality of cities, economies, and empires were heavily determined by infection. Striking humanity in waves, the cycle of plagues set the tempo of civilizational growth and decline, since... read more

Early Intervention for the Treatment of Acute Laryngeal Injury After Intubation

Early Intervention for the Treatment of Acute Laryngeal Injury After Intubation

This study suggests that early intervention for patients with postintubation laryngeal injury was associated with a decreased duration of tracheostomy dependence, a higher rate of decannulation, and fewer surgical procedures... read more

The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread – And Why They Stop

The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread – And Why They Stop

From ideas and infections to financial crises and fake news, an "utterly timely" look at why the science of outbreaks is the science of modern life These days, whenever anything spreads, whether it's a YouTube fad or a... read more

Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities

Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences. Their findings, published... read more

Human ACE2 peptide-mimics block SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary cells infection

Human ACE2 peptide-mimics block SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary cells infection

The current pandemic originated by SARS-CoV-2 causes an unprecedented health crisis. The medical world has found itself helpless in the face of this virus, having to deal with the absence of specific effective treatment.... read more

Is chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine useful in treating people with COVID-19, or in preventing infection in people who have been exposed to the virus?

Is chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine useful in treating people with COVID-19, or in preventing infection in people who have been exposed to the virus?

COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. If the infection becomes severe, people may need intensive care and support in hospital, including mechanical ventilation. Drugs... read more