Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
6% Of Children Show Covid Symptoms At 90 Days In Hospital Tests
CIDRAP: 6% Of Kids Tested For COVID At EDs Had Symptoms At 90 Days
Nearly 6% of children who visited emergency departments (EDs) for COVID-19 testing, including nearly 10% of those hospitalized and 5% of those released from the hospital, reported symptoms of long COVID 90 days later, finds an international study led by researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada and UC Davis Health. (Van Beusekom, 7/22)
NBC News: Scientists Are Narrowing In On Why Some People Keep Avoiding Covid. BA.5 Could End That Luck
Disease experts are homing in on a few predictive factors beyond individual behavior, including genetics, T cell immunity and the effects of inflammatory conditions like allergies and asthma. But even as experts learn more about the reasons people may be better equipped to avoid Covid, they caution that some of these defenses may not hold up against the latest version of omicron, BA.5, which is remarkably good at spreading and evading vaccine protection. (Bendix, 7/23)
In non-covid research —
CIDRAP: Rapid Susceptibility Test Shortens Time To Oral Antibiotics, Hospital Stay
A randomized clinical trial found that a rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility test for patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections decreased the time to oral antibiotics and the length of hospitalization, researchers reported today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (7/22)
Stat: Acne Bacteria Thrive As Skin Oil Disarms Immune Cells, Study Finds
A new study in Science Immunology gives clues as to why more than 45 million people have acne, a disease that has been shown to be psychologically and socially devastating for young people. Led by Robert Modlin, the Klein Professor of Dermatology at UCLA, a team of researchers found overzealous and underperforming immune cells. (Cueto, 7/22)
On brain-computer innovations —
Stat: 4 Brain-Computer Interface Companies To Watch (Other Than Neuralink)
The term “brain-computer interface,” or BCI, has been buzzing around Silicon Valley and the mainstream media for years, thanks in part to Elon Musk’s secretive, yet flashy company Neuralink, which launched in 2017 with the promise of brain enhancement, telepathy, and similar sci-fi dreams of brain control. Neuralink, though, is one of the youngest players in the BCI field. Outside the limelight, a handful of other companies have been gaining momentum — and money. (Welle, 7/25)
