Infectious Diseases (all articles)
Studies elucidate poorly understood long COVID.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:42h | UTCStudies elucidate poorly understood long COVID – CIDRAP
Long Covid: fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive dysfunction are the most common symptoms, according to an international survey.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:44h | UTCCommentaries: Identification of over 200 long COVID symptoms prompts call for UK screening programme – University College London AND A survey of long-haulers found 66 symptoms that lasted more than 6 months. Tiredness and brain fog were most common. – Insider AND Long Covid has more than 200 symptoms, study finds – The Guardian
CDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – “CDC is looking into ongoing research exploring the possibility that immunocompromised could benefit from an additional dose”.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:38h | UTCCDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – CNN
Fauci says natural origins theory of coronavirus is still the most likely.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:40h | UTCFauci says natural origins theory of coronavirus is still the most likely – CNN
Related article (preprint): The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review – Zenodo
See also: A Group of Scientists Presses a Case Against the Lab Leak Theory of Covid – The New York Times (a few articles per month are free) AND Leading scientists push back against Wuhan lab leak theory – The Age
Related: Opinion | The Covid-19 lab leak theory is a tale of weaponized uncertainty.
WHO publishes new Consolidated HIV guidelines for prevention, treatment, service delivery & monitoring.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:22h | UTC
Study: Pooled saliva analysis is a low-cost and effective strategy for surveillance of Covid-19 in schools and universities and allows to rapidly assess transmission and adjust prevention protocols.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:37h | UTCRelated: Pooling of Samples for Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic People AND Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 2–October 11, 2020 – CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Perspective | Averting Future Vaccine Injustice.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:04h | UTCAverting Future Vaccine Injustice – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
As high-income countries have secured much of the #Covid19vaccine supply, many low-income countries have barely begun the immunization process. We need political courage to end vaccine injustice now and political vision to negotiate rules for averting future inequities.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 15, 2021
Why was a major study on ivermectin for covid-19 just retracted?
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:11h | UTCWhy Was a Major Study on Ivermectin for COVID-19 Just Retracted? – Grifter Analysis and Review
See also: Huge study supporting ivermectin as Covid treatment withdrawn over ethical concerns – The Guardian AND Some problems in the dataset of a large study of Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19 – Nick Brown’s Blog AND Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research? – Gideon M-K; Health Nerd
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
So, one of the biggest studies to date on ivermectin for COVID-19 has issues significant enough that, if not fraud, are so serious that it invalidates the study without further explanation
I promised a thread
Here we go 1/n https://t.co/L9QOChmGtA
— Health Nerd (@GidMK) July 16, 2021
Long-term Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents – “This study found a low prevalence of symptoms compatible with long COVID in a randomly selected cohort of children assessed 6 months after serologic testing”.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:06h | UTCLong-term Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents – JAMA
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and Moderna Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:02h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
Health care workers who had received a dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were offered either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or mRNA-1273 9 to 12 weeks later. Levels of S-specific and RBD-specific IgG increased by a factor of 5 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and by a factor of 115 to 125 after mRNA-1273.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 14, 2021
Short review: The gut in COVID-19.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:54h | UTCThe gut in COVID-19 – Intensive Care Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
Gut & #COVID19, main findings
➡️clinical GI features
➡️pathophysiology: cytotoxic enterocyte injury, microvascular injury/thromboinfammation, non‑specifc critical illness‑related dysfunction
➡️GI dysfunction in severe #SARSCoV2 vs other critical illnesseshttps://t.co/wzzTNldInN pic.twitter.com/DnHLMsSu6v— Intensive Care Medicine (@yourICM) July 9, 2021
Donuts, drugs, booze, and guns: what governments are offering people to take covid-19 vaccines – “Incentive programs do not target the trust relationship between the public and the providers”.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:56h | UTC
Deaths from COVID ‘incredibly rare’ among children.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:58h | UTCDeaths from COVID ‘incredibly rare’ among children – Nature
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:00h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1415297187718696964
AAFP Guideline: Pharmacologic Management of COPD Exacerbations.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:51h | UTC
Beyond coronavirus: the virus discoveries transforming biology – “SARS-CoV-2 is just one of nonillions of viruses on our planet, and scientists are rapidly identifying legions of new species”.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:35h | UTCBeyond coronavirus: the virus discoveries transforming biology – Nature
Commentary on Twitter
.@Nature reports how over the past 10 years, the number of known and named viruses has exploded, owing to advances in the technology for finding them, plus a recent change to the rules for identifying new species. https://t.co/lGqrpOWBsB
— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) July 3, 2021
RCT: Bamlanivimab plus Etesevimab reduce mortality and hospitalization in ambulatory patients with early Covid-19 (within 3 days of a positive test) who are at risk for clinical deterioration (i.e., older people, obese, diabetics, immunocompromised, with CV disease).
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:26h | UTCBamlanivimab plus Etesevimab in Mild or Moderate Covid-19 – New England Journal of Medicine
Long COVID and kids: scientists race to find answers – “Children get long COVID too, but researchers are still working to determine how frequently and how severely”.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:23h | UTCLong COVID and kids: scientists race to find answers – Nature
Millions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:24h | UTCMillions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests – CNN
Invited Commentary: Disruptions to childhood immunisation due to the COVID-19 pandemic – The Lancet
COVID and the brain: researchers zero in on how damage occurs.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:18h | UTCCOVID and the brain: researchers zero in on how damage occurs – Nature
Study shows the viral loads in the Delta infections are ~1000 times higher than those in the earlier strain infections on the day when viruses are firstly detected.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:20h | UTCCommentary: The Delta Variant Isn’t Just Hyper-Contagious. It Also Grows More Rapidly Inside You – NPR
Related: WHO: Delta variant is ‘most transmissible’ identified so far. AND Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern – “Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)”.
Commentary on Twitter
Part of the challenge that Delta presents may be tied to this finding
The variant's viral load ~1,000X higher than previous strains (reflected by low CTs), more infectious in the early stages of the illnesshttps://t.co/09CDQFwCSV pic.twitter.com/mjIfcNTYlO— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 9, 2021
[Preprint] Brain imaging before and after COVID-19 in UK Biobank.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:17h | UTCBrain imaging before and after COVID-19 in UK Biobank – medRxiv
Commentaries: COVID linked to loss of brain tissue: but correlation doesn’t prove causation – The Conversation AND COVID-19 survivors may suffer from a loss of gray matter and other brain tissue over time, a long-term study suggests – Business Insider
WHO releases first-ever global guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis B and C elimination.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:16h | UTCSee guidance: Interim guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis elimination – World Health Organization
Diagnosis and clinical management of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: A scoping review of the literature.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:02h | UTC
RCT: Lopinavir-ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine worsened outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:25h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Results of @remap_cap #Covid_19 #Antiviral Domain released Online First @yourICM: Among critically ill patients with COVID-19, #lopinavir-ritonavir, #HydroxyChloroquine, or combination therapy worsened outcomes compared to no antiviral therapy
— remap-cap (@remap_cap) July 13, 2021