Data from rigorously controlled clinical trials of convalescent plasma are few, underscoring the need to evaluate its use objectively for a range of indications (e.g., prevention vs treatment) and patient populations (e.g., age, comorbid disease). An overview of convalescent plasma, from evidence of benefit, regulatory considerations, logistical work flow and proposed clinical trials have been
Since the beginning of the epidemic until March 25, the mobility restrictions implemented by the Italian government have avoided at least 200,000 hospitalizations and reduced the contagion transmission by 45% according to a study accepted for publication in PNAS, coauthored by a group of Italian scientists belonging to Politecnico di Milano, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, University
While the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating many regions, the world over, a new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in April 2020 describes the possibility that the critical or very severe cases of COVID-19 are due to the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19? The disease caused
New publication links neutrophil infiltration in the lungs of patients to COVID-19 symptoms In the urgent battle to treat COVID-19 patients, a group of eleven international medical research organizations is investigating whether overactive immune cells that produce Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) cause the most severe cases. The consortium, called the NETwork, includes Cold Spring Harbor
Unless you are sick, a health care worker, or caring for someone who has COVID-19, medical masks (including surgical face masks and N95s) are not recommended. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can be transmitted via respiratory droplets. Why Should I Consider Wearing a Face Mask? Recent studies suggest that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may
A consortium of California scientists from government, academia and business today published an initial manuscript describing a novel approach to prepare convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients in BioRxiv. In the paper, senior author Saahir Khan, MD, PhD, from the University of California, Irvine Department of Medicine, reports the use of a new and more accurate way
Today, the Commission is making available guidance to assist manufacturers in ramping up production of essential medical equipment and material in three areas: the production of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), leave-on hand cleaners and hand disinfectants and 3D printing in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. A guidance on medical devices will also be made available within the
A new study argues that city subways and buses were a “major disseminator” of the coronavirus in the Big Apple. The paper, by MIT economics professor and physician Jeffrey Harris, points to a parallel between high ridership “and the rapid, exponential surge in infections” in the first two weeks of March — when the subways were still
A machine learning algorithm combines data on the disease’s spread with a neural network, to help predict when infections will slow down in each country. The research described in this article has been published on a preprint server but has not yet been peer-reviewed by scientific or medical experts. Every day for the past few
Over the past several weeks, a mind-boggling array of possible therapies have been considered. None have yet been proven to be effective in rigorously controlled trials, but for one of them, it’s been a busy week. Source NIH So let’s focus on an experimental anti-viral drug, called remdesivir, that was originally developed for the deadly
