Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
People With Type O Or B Blood May Have Advantage Against COVID
Science Alert: We Just Got More Evidence Your Blood Type May Change COVID-19 Risk And Severity
Research is coalescing around the idea that people with Type O blood may have a slight advantage during this pandemic. Two studies published this week suggest that people with Type O have a lower risk of getting the coronavirus, as well as a reduced likelihood of getting severely sick if they do get infected. One of the new studies specifically found that COVID-19 patients with Type O or B blood spent less time in an intensive-care unit than their counterparts with Type A or AB. They were also less likely to require ventilation and less likely to experience kidney failure. (Woodward, 10/16)
CIDRAP: More Evidence Of COVID-19 Protection For People With Type O Blood
A second study of 95 critically ill COVID-19 patients in a Vancouver, Canada, hospital found that—after adjusting for sex, age, and comorbidities—patients with blood types A or AB were more likely to require mechanical ventilation than patients with types O or B (84% vs 61%, P = 0.02), indicating higher rates of lung damage. Patients with blood types A and AB also had higher rates of dialysis for kidney failure, suggesting increased organ dysfunction or failure due to COVID-19 (32% vs 95%, P = 0.004). Patients with blood types A and AB did not have longer hospital stays than those with types O or B, but they did experience longer intensive care unit stays, which may signal greater COVID-19 severity.
In other scientific developments —
The New York Times: Scientists Synthesize Jawbones From Pig Fat
In patients with congenital defects or who have suffered accidental injuries, the jawbone is nearly impossible to replace. Curved and complex, the bone ends with a joint covered with a layer of cartilage. Both parts must withstand enormous pressures as people chew. “It is one of the most loaded bones in the human body,” said Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, a professor of biomedical engineering, medicine and dental medicine at Columbia University in New York. In a paper published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday, she and her colleagues reported a surprising success: They managed to grow replacement bones, along with their joints, from the stem cells of pigs. A clinical trial will soon begin in patients with severe birth defects. (Kolata, 10/14)
NPR: Brain Cells That Regulate Thirst Also Influence What Type Of Drink We Crave
Researchers appear to have shown how the brain creates two different kinds of thirst. The process involves two types of brain cells, one that responds to a decline in fluid in our bodies, while the other monitors levels of salt and other minerals, a team reports in the journal Nature. Together, these specialized thirst cells seem to determine whether animals and people crave pure water or something like a sports drink, which contains salt and other minerals. (Hamilton, 10/14)
Stat: New Research Maps Out The Nutrients That Fuel A Beating Heart
The heart needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to keep beating — but the type of nutrients it relies on most depends on how healthy the heart is, according to new research. In a study published Thursday in Science, researchers mapped the uptake and release of 277 metabolites by comparing blood circulating through the hearts and legs of 110 participants with and without heart failure. That revealed that relatively healthy hearts leaned heavily on fat, proteins, and ketones as a food source, while failing hearts relied far more on proteins and ketones to continue pumping. (Runwal, 10/15)
