Hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19 and lung involvement who received remdesivir recovered faster than similar patients who received placebo, according to a preliminary data analysis from a randomized, controlled trial involving 1063 patients, which began on February 21. The trial (known as the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial, or ACTT), sponsored by the National Institute of […]

(Newswise)–Millions of Americans are being impacted by the psychological fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic aftermath, and large numbers may experience emotional distress and be at increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, according to a new article published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.  The Perspective article, co-authored […]

(Newswise)–Clinical laboratory physicians and scientists at UC San Diego Health have launched a pair of serological tests that will look for novel coronavirus antibodies — evidence in persons tested that they have previously been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the viral cause of COVID-19, even if they never experienced tell-tale symptoms. The effort will be overseen by […]

(Newswise)–Most people’s blood pressure goes down during the night, which doctors call “dipping.” But for some people, especially those with high blood pressure, their nighttime pressure stays the same or even goes up, called “reverse dipping.” A new study shows that people with high blood pressure and reverse dipping may be more likely to have […]

LOS ANGELES–(Newswise)–In a small group of patients hospitalized with severe complications of COVID-19 and treated with the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, clinical improvement was observed in 68% of patients treated, according to an analysis co-authored by Jonathan Grein, MD, director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai. The experimental therapy was given to patients through a “compassionate […]

(Newswise)–Surgical masks may help prevent infected people from making others sick with seasonal viruses, including coronaviruses, according to new research that could help settle a fierce debate spanning clinical and cultural norms. In laboratory experiments, the masks significantly reduced the amounts of various airborne viruses coming from infected patients, measured using the breath-capturing “Gesundheit II […]

(Newswise)–Smoke a lot of weed as a teenager, and when you reach adulthood you’ll be more likely to have trouble falling or staying asleep, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study of more than 1,800 twins. The study, published in the journal Sleep, comes at a time when cannabis—in everything from THC-infused gummies to […]

(Newswise)–University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists announced a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.  When tested in mice, the vaccine, delivered through a fingertip-sized patch, produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 at quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralizing the virus.  The paper appeared today in EBioMedicine, which is published […]

(Newswise)–With the American Cancer Society estimating 1.76 million new cases and more than 600,000 deaths during 2019 in the U.S. alone, cancer remains a critical healthcare challenge.  In efforts to help mitigate these numbers, researchers at Rice University used the Comet supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) to evaluate their new molecular docking […]

(Newswise)–Large events are cancelled, restaurants and non-essential businesses are closed, and in many states, residents have been asked to shelter in place, all to limit the spread and impact of the COVID-19 virus.  But are strict and early isolation and other preventative mandates really effective in minimizing the spread and impact of a disease outbreak? […]