September 2020

University of Minnesota receives seed funding for clinical study of metformin to treat, prevent COVID-19

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- September 25, 2020 – University of Minnesota Medical School researchers received funding from the Parsemus Foundation to initiate research on the widely-used diabetes medication, metformin, available globally as an inexpensive generic drug for prevention and treatment for COVID-19. To prevent delay during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California-based Parsemus Foundation is funding the University…

Cocaine addiction: Impact of genetic mutations elucidated

Cocaine addiction is a chronic disorder with a high rate of relapse for which no effective treatment is currently available. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS, Inserm and the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) recently demonstrated that two gene mutations involved in the conformation of nicotinic receptors in the brain appear to play a…

Catalyzing an improved arterial bypass graft

PITTSBURGH (Sept. 24, 2020) … Just as a climbing plant needs the right trellis to thrive, a small-diameter tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) needs the right scaffold to transform seeded cells into a native-like artery that can save a life. A team led by the University of Pittsburgh’s David A. Vorp received a $1.1M award from…

Yale begins designating SalivaDirect COVID-19 test to external labs

New Haven, Conn. — Yale has designated three independent laboratories to perform the university-developed SalivaDirectTM COVID-19 test. Along with Yale Pathology Labs — the first to offer the test — Access Medical Laboratories, Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), and Mirimus, Inc., represent the initial wave of providers for the innovative testing method. They will make…

Study shows Massachusetts response to COVID-19 in nursing homes helped stem infection rate

A paper just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that adherence to infection control processes, especially proper wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cohorting strategies, such as grouping residents based on their risk of infection or whether they tested positive for COVID-19, was significantly associated with declines in weekly infection…

Anxious, moody older adults are vulnerable to worse cognitive function

Self-discipline, high achievement and diligence linked to better cognitive resilience People can function well in spite of neuropathology in brain Evidence shows path to optimize function in old age CHICAGO — Our aging brains collect tangles and sticky plaques that can interfere in our cognition and memory. But some older adults with…

Dealing with the global tsunami of mental health problems during and post COVID-19

In a special session addressing global mental health before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic held at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID) Professor Vikram Patel H(arvard Medical School, USA) will present a new review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global mental health. He will explain: “Mental health problems were already…

Shorter time from symptom onset to hospitalization is associated with worse outcome in patients with COVID-19

New research presented at this week’s ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID, held online) shows that a shorter time from symptom onset to hospitalisation is associated with more serious disease and death in patients with COVID-19. The study is by Dr Annie Wong-Beringer and colleagues, University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles,…

Contact tracing study results recommend consistent wearing of masks, handwashing, and social distancing in public to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection

A contact tracing study presented at this year’s ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID) confirms the effectiveness of wearing of masks in public, handwashing, and social distancing to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study is by Assistant Professor Direk Limmathurotsakul, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford,…

Study demonstrates SARS-CoV-2 emergence was associated with a large drop in the circulation of other respiratory viruses during the first wave

Analysis of samples taken to test for respiratory viruses over the past five years suggests that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 was associated with a large drop in circulation of other common respiratory viruses during the first wave. The study, presented at this week’s ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID), is by Dr Stephen Poole, BRC…