Study: Risk Of Long Covid Is High For Pregnant Women Infected With Virus
The findings said nearly 1 in 10 pregnant women who caught covid went on to develop long covid. Meanwhile, a separate study found that long covid was more likely to occur after a first infection compared to a reinfection.
The Washington Post:
1 In 10 People Infected During Pregnancy Develop Long Covid, Study Finds
Nearly 1 in 10 people infected with the coronavirus during pregnancy developed long covid, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Thursday’s study, which highlights the consequences of the virus during pregnancy, suggests long covid is more prevalent among people infected while pregnant than in the population overall. (Malhi, 7/11)
CIDRAP:
Study: Initial COVID-19 Infection Severity Predicts Reinfection Severity
A new study that used health data from 212,984 Americans who experienced COVID-19 reinfections found that severe SARS-CoV-2 infections tended to foreshadow similar severity of subsequent infections. The researchers also found that long COVID was more likely to occur after a first infection compared to a reinfection. The findings were published today in Communications Medicine. (Soucheray, 7/11)
In other science and research news —
The Hill:
Cancer Cases In US Linked To Modifiable Risk Factors
Four in 10 cancer cases and about half of cancer deaths among U.S. adults 30 years old and older in 2019 were linked to “modifiable” risk factors like smoking, drinking, poor diet and not getting vaccinated, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. Lead author of the study Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society, explained that modifiable risk factors are typically behavioral. (O’Connell-Domenech, 7/11)
CNN:
Secondhand E-Cigarette Aerosols Expose Kids To Less Nicotine Than Cigarettes, Study Finds, But Can Still Be Risky
Children who live in homes where adults use e-cigarettes are exposed to significantly less nicotine through secondhand aerosols than children in homes where adults use traditional cigarettes, a new study shows. But vaping still exposes kids to nicotine and may present other risks, too. To keep children completely nicotine-free, according to the researchers, people shouldn’t smoke or vape around kids at all. (Christensen, 7/11)
Stat:
CAR-T Therapy’s Risks And Benefits Are Becoming Clearer
Researchers were perplexed when the Food and Drug Administration announced it was investigating whether CAR-T therapy, one of the most effective treatments for blood cancers, could cause lymphoma. This was always a theoretical risk of genetically engineered therapies like CAR-T, but it never materialized in the decades after the technology’s birth. So, when the agency pointed late last year to a couple dozen cases of T cell lymphoma in patients who had previously been treated with CAR-T cells, it felt like an old question had been reignited. (Sajani and Chen, 7/12)
CIDRAP:
RSV Monoclonal Antibody Nirsevimab 83% Effective In Babies
The New England Journal of Medicine has published results of a randomized controlled trial showing an estimated effectiveness of nirsevimab (Beyfortus) against hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated bronchiolitis in babies of 83%. Nirsevimab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2023, and little real-world data on efficacy are available. The study aimed to establish efficacy rates during the most recent RSV season at six hospitals in France. (7/11)
The Washington Post:
Report: NIH, Federal Agencies Should Boost Research On Women’s Health
Research into chronic conditions affecting women is significantly lacking, and the National Institutes of Health and other agencies should do more to investigate issues that lead to worse medical treatment for women, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says. Women are disproportionately affected by chronic illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression, according to the study requested by NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health and published Wednesday. (Malhi, 7/11)
Also —
Reuters:
Musk's Neuralink Says Tiny Wires Of Brain Chip In First Patient Now Stable
The tiny wires of Neuralink's brain chip implant used in the first participant in a trial run by Elon Musk's company have become "more or less very stable", a company executive said on Wednesday. The company had in May said that a number of tiny wires inside the brain of Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a 2016 diving accident, had pulled out of position. (Leo and Roy, 7/11)
The New York Times:
Can Narcissism Go Away?
If you’re hoping that the narcissist in your life will change, a new study suggests that you may have to wait a very long time. And even then, you might see only a small difference. The research, which was published in the journal Psychological Bulletin on Thursday, analyzed 51 studies with more than 37,000 participants — mostly from North America, Europe and New Zealand — to explore how narcissism changes over a person’s life span. (Caron, 7/11)
