Lungs News and Research

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New method to control inflammatory response induced by COVID-19

Severe COVID-19 illness can result in excessive inflammation throughout the body, including the lungs, heart and brain. University of Minnesota Twin Cities student Molly Gilligan recently published an article in the journal Cancer & Metastasis Reviews that studied the human body's robust inflammatory response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is now recognized as a hallmark symptom.

13 May 2020

Organ transplantations plummet amid coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus disease has spread rapidly across nearly all countries across the globe, with more than 4.25 million people infected. The pandemic has taken a toll on the lives of people, especially those in locked down nations. Aside from the negative impact on economic and social aspects, patients who are sick with other diseases may also suffer from the effects of the pandemic.

12 May 2020

Could JAK blockers help treat COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal Science Immunology in May 2020 reports that compounds that safely inhibit the JAK protein could be useful in treating COVID-19.

12 May 2020

Clinical trial to test the efficacy of defibrotide medicine for reducing COVID-19 death rate

The Neurosciences Institute, mixed centre of the Spanish National Research Council and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, have collaborated on the first clinical trial conducted in the world to test whether the defibrotide medicine, which has already been authorized to treat a severe obstruction of the hepatic sinusoidal veins of people who have undergone a bone marrow transplant, can be used as therapy against COVID-19.

12 May 2020

Clinical trial to evaluate two-drug immunotherapy combination in cancer patients with COVID-19

A unique two-drug immunotherapy combination first evaluated at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as an approach for treating some cancers will soon be available to cancer patients with COVID-19 through a clinical trial at Roswell Park.

12 May 2020

Potential for COVID-19 transmission from human eye

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in May 2020 reports the presence of ACE2 receptors in the eye at high concentrations. These molecules are the entry points for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May 2020

Global air quality has significantly improved due to COVID-19 lockdowns

Levels of two major air pollutants have been drastically reduced since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant - ground-level ozone - has increased in China, according to new research.

11 May 2020

Study finds bowel abnormalities in patients with COVID-19

Patients with COVID-19 can have bowel abnormalities, including ischemia, according to a new study published today in the journal Radiology.

11 May 2020

Analysis: We knew the coronavirus was coming, yet we failed 5 critical tests

The arrival of COVID-19 has provided a nuclear-level stress test to the American health care system, and our grade isn't pretty: at least 73,000 dead, 1.2 million infected and 30 million unemployed; nursing homes, prisons and meatpacking plants that have become hotbeds of infection.

11 May 2020

COVID survivors’ blood plasma is a sought-after new commodity

Diana Berrent learned she had tested positive for COVID-19 on a Wednesday in mid-March. Within a day, she had received 30 emails from people urging her to donate blood.

11 May 2020

COVID-19 could accelerate activation of dormant tuberculosis (TB)

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has thrown much of the world into disarray, with over 4 million people reported infected and well over 282,000 deaths. A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 suggests that the long-term impact of the virus could include activation of dormant bacterial infections like tuberculosis (TB).

10 May 2020

ACE inhibitors should not be discontinued over fears about COVID-19, say researchers

Researchers in Europe have found no evidence to support previous reports that the use of drugs that target the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) increases susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The research is published in the European Heart Journal.

10 May 2020

UOC develops new method to improve quality of CT scan imagery

Computerized tomography (CT) is one of the most effective medical tests for analyzing the effects of many illnesses, including COVID-19, on the lungs.

9 May 2020

NIH clinical trial evaluates antiviral plus anti-inflammatory drug for COVID-19

A randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a treatment regimen of the investigational antiviral remdesivir plus the anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun.

8 May 2020

New guidelines to keep stroke patients and health-care providers safe from COVID-19

To keep patients and health-care providers safe from COVID-19, while providing urgent treatment to stroke patients, extra precautions must be taken, according to new guidelines published in the journal Stroke.

8 May 2020

HMGB1 protein may play a key role in pulmonary inflammation, tissue damage in severe COVID-19 cases

In severe cases of COVID-19, a massive release of the endogenous protein HMGB1 in the lungs may contribute to pulmonary inflammation and tissue damage, according to a review article published today in the scientific journal Molecular Medicine.

8 May 2020

Repurposing existing drugs is a more rapid alternative than developing COVID-19 vaccine

Repurposing existing medicines focused on known drug targets is likely to offer a more rapid hope of tackling COVID-19 than developing and manufacturing a vaccine, argue an international team of scientists in the British Journal of Pharmacology today.

8 May 2020

Modified dialysis device treats COVID-19

As part of a randomized controlled trial, a team from Lawson Health Research Institute is the first in the world to treat a patient with COVID-19 using a modified dialysis device.

7 May 2020

Antibiotic combined with measurement technology may save time and money in developing new active ingredients

A minimal – and therefore innocuous – dose of an antibiotic coupled with highly sensitive measurement technology could save time and money in the development of new active ingredients.

7 May 2020

Air pollution associated with greater virulence of COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in April 2020 provides convincing evidence that air pollution contributes to greater severity of COVID-19. The researchers say, “This suggests the detrimental impact climate change will have on the trajectory of future respiratory epidemics.”

6 May 2020