Research Roundup: Covid; How The Brain Works; CWD; Mechanical Ventilation; MERS

ScienceDaily: COVID-19: Scientists Identify Human Genes That Fight Infection
Scientists have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers' understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body's frontline virus fighters. (4/16)

CIDRAP: Some Dietary Supplements May Cut Risk Of COVID-19 Infection
Use of certain dietary supplements may reduce the risk of testing positive for COVID-19, according to a large observational study of people in the United Kingdom who used a COVID-19 symptom tracking app. UK-based researchers detailed their findings in the latest issue of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health. Supplements associated with risk reduction included multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics, and vitamin D. Dietary supplements have the potential to support the immune system, but it's not known which ones are associated with a lower risk of getting sick with COVID-19. Sales of supplements rose steeply during earlier pandemic months. (4/21)

CIDRAP: More Evidence That Overweight, Obesity Is Tied To Severe COVID-19
Overweight and obese people are more likely to suffer severe symptoms of COVID-19 and require supplementary oxygen and invasive mechanical ventilation than healthy-weight peers, according to a new study in Diabetes Care that further spotlights these key risk factors. But according to the study—based on 7,244 COVID-19 patients from 18 hospitals in 11 countries—being overweight or obese was not associated with an increased risk of death. (4/20)

CIDRAP: Study: ICU ECMO Experience A Factor In COVID-19 Patient Survival
An analysis of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use at 17 intensive care units (ICUs) in the greater Paris area during France's first COVID-19 wave reveal that 90-day survival was strongly linked to a hospital's earlier experience with the procedure. Investigators from France detailed their findings yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. During France's first surge, clinicians in Paris organized ECMO indications and pooled resources, which consisted of six mobile ECMO teams to cover the region. For the study, the group looked at the outcomes of all 302 COVID-19 patients who received ECMO from Mar 8 through Jun 3, 2020, finding a survival rate of 46%. (4/20)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine May Trigger Less Immune Response In Blood Cancer Patients
mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may not fully protect people with the blood cancers chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM), according to two studies released late last week in Blood. The first study found that only 39.5% of 167 Israelis studied who had CLL had a positive antibody-mediated response to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 100% of 53 controls. (4/19)

Also —

ScienceDaily: Joyful Screams Perceived More Strongly Than Screams Of Fear Or Anger
The human scream signals more than fear of imminent danger or entanglement in social conflicts. Screaming can also express joy or excitement. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that non-alarming screams are even perceived and processed by the brain more efficiently than their alarming counterparts. (4/13)

CIDRAP: University Of Minnesota Researchers Deploy Novel Field Test For CWD
Researchers with the University of Minnesota have successfully deployed a novel, nanotechnology-based approach to field testing chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to a university press release. The approach developed by the Minnesota Center for Prion Research (MNPRO) uses a technique known as RT-QuIC (real-time quaking-induced conversion) to identify CWD prions in deer tissue samples. The test, named MN-QuIC, generates a color change of red for positive CWD result and blue for negative, and uses field deployable equipment to garner results within 24 hours. (4/20)

New England Journal of Medicine: Dexmedetomidine Or Propofol For Sedation In Mechanically Ventilated Adults With Sepsis 
Guidelines currently recommend targeting light sedation with dexmedetomidine or propofol for adults receiving mechanical ventilation. Differences exist between these sedatives in arousability, immunity, and inflammation. Whether they affect outcomes differentially in mechanically ventilated adults with sepsis undergoing light sedation is unknown. (Hughes et al, 4/15)

CIDRAP: Study: MERS Antibodies Persist Up To 6 Years
A study of antibodies in 48 people in Saudi Arabia who survived their MERS-CoV infections found that some neutralizing antibodies persisted 6 years, a Saudi-led team reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Scientists are closely watching for new information about the durability of antibody response to coronavirus infections, given that three diseases involving them have emerged in humans over the past couple decades: SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and now SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. (4/15)