Research Roundup: Covid; Fish Consumption; Staph Vaccine

CIDRAP: US COVID-19 Hospital Death Rate Declined Markedly Last Year
US in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 was almost 14% overall but decreased 15 percentage points from March to August 2020, with higher rates in older patients, according to a research letter published in JAMA Network Open late last week. The researchers used data from 555 US medical centers via the Vizient clinical database on 192,550 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 across the 6 months. In-hospital mortality was 13.6%, which rose to 16.6% when the researchers included those discharged to hospice. In-hospital mortality (not including hospice), however, declined dramatically over the study period, from 22.1% in March to 6.5% in August. The biggest 1-month drop was from April to May, going from 18.1% to 12.0%. (3/8)

CIDRAP: Lung Aspergillosis In Severe COVID-19 Linked To Worse Outcomes
Aspergillosis, a fungal infection that commonly affects the lungs, is associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes, including longer hospital stay and oxygen therapy, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers looked at a retrospective cohort of COVID-19 patients who needed mechanical ventilation in five Johns Hopkins hospitals from March to August 2020. Of the 396 patients, 9.8% people had probable (20) and possible (19) COVID-19–associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA). CAPA patients were more likely to have health conditions such as pulmonary vascular disease (41.0% vs 26.1%), coagulopathy (51.3% vs 33.1%), solid tumors (35.6% vs 10.9%), and corticosteroid treatment during initial admission (66.7% vs 42.6%). (3/10)

CIDRAP: UK Trial Finds Azithromycin Doesn't Reduce Time To Recovery From COVID
Treatment with azithromycin had little effect on reducing the time to recovery or risk of hospitalization in patients with suspected COVID-19, according to a randomized clinical trial published yesterday in The Lancet. In the UK-based PRINCIPLE trial, which is investigating interventions against COVID-19 in those at risk of adverse outcomes, investigators randomly assigned people 65 years and older, or 50 and older with at least one comorbidity, who had been feeling unwell with suspected COVID-19 for 14 days to receive usual care plus azithromycin for 3 days, usual care plus other interventions, or usual care alone. (3/5)

Nature: Pregnancy And COVID: What The Data Say
More than a year into the pandemic, research from groups around the world has shown that pregnant women with COVID-19 are at higher risk of hospitalization and severe disease than are women of the same age who are not pregnant. The rates of severe illness and death are also higher in pregnant women from certain minority racial and ethnic groups than in those in non-minority groups, mirroring the situation in the wider population. The good news is that babies are mostly spared a severe respiratory infection, and do not often get sick. Samples from the placenta, the umbilical cord and blood from mothers and infants indicate that the virus rarely crosses from mother to fetus. However, some preliminary data suggest that infection with the virus can damage the placenta, possibly causing injury to the baby. (Subbaraman, 3/9)

CIDRAP: Minorities Bore Brunt Of COVID Among Young Americans Early In Pandemic
Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection rates were significant among Americans younger than 25 years early in the pandemic, particularly for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic people, according to a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments analyzed data from 689,672 young COVID-19 patients in 15 states and Washington, DC, by age and sex during three pandemic periods. (3/10)

Also —

JAMA Network: Associations Of Fish Consumption With Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease And Mortality Among Individuals With Or Without Vascular Disease From 58 Countries 
Is there a difference in the association of fish consumption with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or of mortality between individuals with and individuals without vascular disease? Findings  In this analysis of 4 international cohort studies of 191 558 people from 58 countries on 6 continents, a lower risk of major CVD and total mortality was associated with higher fish intake of at least 175 g (2 servings) weekly among high-risk individuals or patients with vascular disease, but not in general populations without vascular disease; a similar pattern of results was observed for sudden cardiac death. Oily fish but not other types of fish were associated with greater benefits. (Mohan, 3/7)

CIDRAP: CARB-X To Fund Development Of Staphylococcus Aureus Vaccine
CARB-X today awarded up to $3.5 million to biotechnology company Affinivax, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for preclinical development of a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus infections. The vaccine being developed by Affinivax, using its Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) technology, will include multiple staphylococcal protein antigens designed to elicit B cell antibody and Th17 and Th1 cell-mediated immune responses. It offers the potential for protection against mucosal colonization and invasive staphylococcal infections. Company leaders believe this approach could help them overcome hurdles that have thwarted other attempts at developing an S aureus vaccine. (3/9)