Research Roundup: Covid; Hospital Infections; Vitamin D; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
CIDRAP:
Study Finds Measurable Drop In Lung Volume After Mild COVID Infection
Nonhospitalized patients who recovered from asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 can experience small but measurable drops in dynamic lung volume, Danish researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. They note that lower lung function, even within the normal ranges, is a risk factor for higher respiratory morbidity and mortality. Their prospective matched cohort study involved adult participants in an ongoing general population study in Copenhagen who had undergone prepandemic spirometry assessments. Researchers identified 107 people who had tested positive by PCR on average 5 months earlier, then asked them to repeat spirometry testing, fill out a questionnaire about their symptoms, and undergo a diffusing capacity test for carbon monoxide. They compared the findings with 499 age-matched controls who hadn't tested positive for COVID-19. (1/4)
CIDRAP:
Study Finds No Link Between Flu Vaccination And COVID-19 Risk
A large Danish study of more than 46,000 health workers found that flu vaccination didn't affect COVID-19 hospitalization or influence the development of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. A team based at the University of Copenhagen detailed their findings today in the Journal of Infection. Researchers said they explored the links, due to speculation that flu vaccination might afford some protection against COVID-19, given that the two viruses produce similar host immune response. Also, some wondered whether flu vaccination might influence the risk of COVID-19 infection. (1/5)
CIDRAP:
Large Study Supports Safety Of COVID-19 Vaccination In Pregnant Women
A large multistate cohort study of more than 40,000 pregnant women and their nonpregnant peers found no link between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and preterm or small-for-gestational-age births. Authors from Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) sites and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported their findings yesterday in an early edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). (1/5)
In other research —
ScienceDaily:
A Novel Compound Might Defeat Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Common In Hospitals
Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens. (Rockefeller University, 1/5)
CIDRAP:
Doubling Preventive Antibiotics Not Always Tied To Fewer Surgical Infections
In another study published this week in JAMA Network Open, Swiss researchers reported that a double dose of cefuroxime administered prior to surgery was not consistently associated with a lower rate of surgical site infections (SSIs).The cohort study involved 37,640 patients weighing at least 80 kilograms (kg) (about 176 pounds) who received surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) with cefuroxime prior to surgery at 142 Swiss hospitals from January 2015 through December 2019. The researchers were trying to determine whether national guidelines introduced in 2015 to lower SSI rates—which advocated for an optional increase of the standard SAP dose in patients weighing at least 80 kg—were associated with a reduction in SSIs. (12/17)
ScienceDaily:
Taking High-Dose Vitamin D Supplements For Five Years Did Not Affect The Incidence Of Cardiovascular Disease Or Cancer
A trial found that taking a much higher dose of vitamin D than recommended for five years did not affect total mortality or the incidence of cardiovascular disease or cancer in older men and women. (University of Eastern Finland, 1/5)
ScienceDaily:
Timing Of Brain Injury In Pregnancy, Birth May Impact Motor And Language Outcomes
A new study that mapped the neural connections of newborns with two different kinds of brain injuries found the maps looked very different -- and were linked to significantly different developmental outcomes years later. (University of California-San Francisco, 1/5)
