Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Covid; Diabetes; Neonate Thrombosis
Nature Medicine: Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes Of COVID-19
The cardiovascular complications of acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are well described, but the post-acute cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 have not yet been comprehensively characterized. Here we used national healthcare databases from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to build a cohort of 153,760 individuals with COVID-19, as well as two sets of control cohorts with 5,637,647 (contemporary controls) and 5,859,411 (historical controls) individuals, to estimate risks and 1-year burdens of a set of pre-specified incident cardiovascular outcomes. (Xie, et al, 2/7)
The Lancet: Data-Driven Subgroups Of Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Response, And Renal Risk Profile After Bariatric Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
A novel data-driven classification of type 2 diabetes has been proposed to personalise anti-diabetic treatment according to phenotype. One subgroup, severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), is characterised by mild hyperglycaemia but marked hyperinsulinaemia, and presents an increased risk of diabetic nephropathy. We hypothesised that patients with SIRD could particularly benefit from metabolic surgery. (Raverdy, M.D., 2/8)
The Lancet: Risk Factors Associated With Venous And Arterial Neonatal Thrombosis In The Intensive Care Unit: A Multicentre Case-Control Study
Critically ill infants are susceptible to thrombosis due to several risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with venous and arterial thrombosis in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to identify differences in risk factors for venous versus arterial thrombosis. (Bhat, M.D., et al, 2/8)
Nature Medicine: Activity-Dependent Spinal Cord Neuromodulation Rapidly Restores Trunk And Leg Motor Functions After Complete Paralysis
Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) targeting the dorsal roots of lumbosacral segments restores walking in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, EES is delivered with multielectrode paddle leads that were originally designed to target the dorsal column of the spinal cord. Here, we hypothesized that an arrangement of electrodes targeting the ensemble of dorsal roots involved in leg and trunk movements would result in superior efficacy, restoring more diverse motor activities after the most severe SCI. To test this hypothesis, we established a computational framework that informed the optimal arrangement of electrodes on a new paddle lead and guided its neurosurgical positioning. (Rowald, et al, 2/7)
ScienceDaily: A New Multipurpose On-Off Switch For Inhibiting Bacterial Growth
Researchers have discovered an antitoxin mechanism that seems to be able to neutralize hundreds of different toxins and may protect bacteria against virus attacks. The mechanism has been named Panacea, after the Greek goddess of medicine whose name has become synonymous with universal cure. The understanding of bacterial toxin and antitoxin mechanisms will be crucial for the future success of so-called phage therapy for the treatment of antibiotic resistance infections, the researchers say. (Lund University, 2/8)
Nature Medicine: Time To Make Rare Disease Diagnosis Accessible To All
Studies have demonstrated the value of genomic analysis for the diagnosis of rare diseases, but accessibility is still in its infancy; global data sharing is needed to further advance our knowledge of all causes of rare disease. (Rehm, 2/7)
ScienceDaily: Genetically Informed Atlases Reveal New Landscapes In Brain Structure
An international team of scientists has used atlases of the human brain informed by genetics to identify hundreds of genomic loci. Loci is plural for locus, and in genetics indicates the physical location of a gene or variant on a chromosome. (University of California - San Diego, 2/7)
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ScienceDaily: Important Step Towards Fasting-Based Therapies
Voluntary fasting, for example interval fasting, is beneficial to health for many people, depending on their individual condition. For example, controlled periods of starvation can prevent and improve diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Researchers have now found that the immune system plays an important role in ensuring the positive effects of fasting on our bodies. The new findings will help develop more effective therapies based on fasting. (Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen - German Research Center For Environmental Health, 2/8)
