Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Covid; Antibiotic Use; Acute Stroke; More
Nature: Studying Severe Long COVID To Understand Post-Infectious Disorders Beyond COVID-19
As the COVID Human Genetic Effort consortium (https://www.covidhge.com/), we have studied genetic and immunological determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia1, multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)2, resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection3 and ‘COVID toes’4, and here we present our efforts to investigate post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, or ‘long COVID’. (Brodin, et al, 4/5)
CIDRAP: Study Highlights Economic Impact Of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use
An analysis of antibiotic use for upper respiratory infections (URIs) in Ghana reveals the considerable economic impact of inappropriate prescribing can have on low-resource settings, researchers reported last week in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control.Using data from the ABACUS (AntiBiotic ACcess and USe) project, conducted from 2016 to 2019 to explore community antibiotic access and consumption in Africa and Asia, researchers from Ghana and the Netherlands conducted an economic impact analysis focusing on inappropriate antibiotic use for URIs in Ghana, where self-medication with antibiotics is widespread. (4/5)
New England Journal of Medicine: Endovascular Therapy For Acute Stroke With A Large Ischemic Region
We conducted a multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial in Japan involving patients with occlusion of large cerebral vessels and sizable strokes on imaging, as indicated by an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomographic Score (ASPECTS) value of 3 to 5 (on a scale from 0 to 10, with lower values indicating larger infarction). Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive endovascular therapy with medical care or medical care alone within 6 hours after they were last known to be well or within 24 hours if there was no early change on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. (Yoshimura, M.D., Ph.D., et al, 4/7)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Integrating Pediatric Universal Behavioral Health Care At Federally Qualified Health Centers
Research supports integrated pediatric behavioral health (BH), but evidence gaps remain in ensuring equitable care for children of all ages. In response, an interdisciplinary team codeveloped a stepped care model that expands BH services at 3 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). (Sheldrick, Ph.D., et al, 3/29)
ScienceDaily: Abundant ‘Secret Doors’ On Human Proteins Could Reshape Drug Discovery
A groundbreaking new technique reveals the existence of a multitude of previously hidden therapeutic targets that control protein function and which could, in theory, be targeted to dramatically change the course of diseases as varied as dementia, cancer and infectious diseases. The approach, which finds that the 'secret doors' are abundant and identifiable, could be a game changer for drug discovery, leading to safer, smarter and more effective medicines. It enables research labs around the world to find and exploit vulnerabilities in any protein -- including those previously thought 'undruggable'. (Center for Genomic Regulation, 4/6)
