10 November 2020 — AstraZeneca and Amgen today announced positive results from the NAVIGATOR Phase III trial for the potential new medicine tezepelumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma. NAVIGATOR met the primary endpoint with tezepelumab added to standard of care (SoC) demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically — meaningful1 reduction in the annualised asthma […]
Congenital heart defects may not increase the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms
Adults and children born with heart defects had a lower-than-expected risk of developing moderate or severe COVID-19 symptoms, finds a study of more than 7,000 patients from the congenital heart disease center at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Throughout the course of the pandemic, evidence has shown that individuals with heart disease […]
DNA test identifies genetic causes of severe fetal and newborn illness
A new study by University of California researchers shows the promise of high-throughput DNA-sequencing technologies to improve prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes for women who have experienced an abnormal prenatal ultrasound. In the UCSF-led study, scientists used a technique called exome sequencing to identify genetic diseases as the underlying cause in 37 of 127 cases […]
Many school employees at increased risk for severe COVID-19
(HealthDay)—Nearly half of all school employees meet the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition for increased or potentially increased risk for severe COVID-19, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in Health Affairs. Thomas M. Seldon, Ph.D., from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues used prepandemic […]
Johnson & Johnson's vaccine prevents severe illness in hamsters
Johnson & Johnson reveals its coronavirus shot prevents severe illness in hamsters as the drug giant says human trials will start this month Johnson & Johnson tested its coronavirus vaccine candidate, called Ad26-S.PP, on Syrian golden hamsters Vaccinated hamsters lost less weight and had less virus in their lungs and other organs than unvaccinated hamsters […]
How chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19
Nearly a year before the novel coronavirus emerged, Dr. Leonardo Trasande published “Sicker, Fatter, Poorer,” a book about connections between environmental pollutants and many of the most common chronic illnesses. The book describes decades of scientific research showing how endocrine-disrupting chemicals, present in our daily lives and now found in nearly all people, interfere with […]
Woman who accidentally fell asleep on campfire suffers severe facial burns
When Halie Tennant went on a spontaneous camping trip with her friend, she was hoping for an enjoyable night away. But that night, the 29-year-old, from Victoria, Australia, fell head first into the campfire while asleep. Her friend who had joined her on the trip woke up to a strange noise and was shocked to […]
Approved drug reduces ventilator time for patients with severe COVID-19
The drug tocilizumab, which is used in the treatment of various forms of arthritis, can greatly shorten the time on ventilation and shorten hospital stays for patients with severe COVID-19, a new study from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital published in The Journal of Internal Medicine reports. “The report is, as far as we […]
Ancient part of immune system may underpin severe COVID-19
One of the immune system’s oldest branches, called complement, may be influencing the severity of COVID-19 disease, according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Among other findings linking complement to COVID, the researchers found that people with age-related macular degeneration—a disorder caused by overactive complement—are at greater risk of […]
Ebola survivors present severe immune system abnormalities two years after recovery
In the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, more than 28,000 people were infected, causing over 11,000 deaths. While the long-term health impacts on survivors are still poorly understood, an increasing number of studies describe persistent clinical after-effects in these patients, such as generalized fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and eye disorders. To pinpoint these health problems, […]