Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Lung Transplants; Ebola; Gut Bacteria; Aging; Covid
Stat: Storing Donor Lungs At Warmer Temperatures Keeps Them Viable Longer
Storing donor lungs at a slightly warmer temperature — 10 degrees Celsius instead of 4 degrees — can make the organs viable for six times as long as traditional preservation methods for transplants, a new study found. For decades, cold organ storage has relied on a simple ice cooler and a gold standard of 4 degrees. The new paper, published in Science Translational Medicine, may eventually change that practice and help erase some of the limitations that make it difficult for patients to receive successful and timely organ transplants, senior author Marcelo Cypel, surgical director of the transplant program at University Health Network in Toronto, told STAT. (Cueto, 9/15)
CIDRAP: Two-Dose J&J Ebola Vaccine Gives Strong Immune Response
Johnson & Johnson's two-dose vaccine regimen against Ebola is safe and produces a strong immune response in people 1 year old and older, according to two studies published this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The studies detailed the results of phase 2 randomized, controlled trials in Sierra Leone, which is one of the three countries that was hit hard during the massive 2014-16 West African Ebola outbreak. (McLernon, 9/15)
ScienceDaily: Gut Bacteria Influence Brain Development
Extremely premature infants are at a high risk for brain damage. Researchers have now found possible targets for the early treatment of such damage outside the brain: Bacteria in the gut of premature infants may play a key role. The research team found that the overgrowth of the gastrointestinal tract with the bacterium Klebsiella is associated with an increased presence of certain immune cells and the development of neurological damage in premature babies. (University of Vienna, 9/3)
ScienceDaily: Study Shows Protein That Reverses Aging Of Skeletal Muscle
A University at Buffalo-led research team has shown that a protein named for the mythical land of youth in Irish folklore is effective at reversing aging in skeletal muscle cells. Published Sept. 3 in Science Advances, the study centers on the protein NANOG, which is derived from Tír na nÓg, a place in Irish lore renowned for everlasting youth, beauty and health. (University at Buffalo, 9/14)
And in covid research —
CIDRAP: Study: Farmworkers At 4 Times Risk Of COVID-19
A study today in JAMA Network Open that found quadruple the risk of COVID-19 in California farmworkers reveals risk factors for current or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in the group, including outdoor work exposures, crowded living conditions, and high body mass index (BMI). (Van Beusekom, 9/15)
CIDRAP: Breakthrough COVID-19 Affected 19% Of Residents At A Nursing Home
A COVID-19 outbreak in a French nursing home—where 95% of residents but only a third of healthcare workers were fully vaccinated— infected nearly a quarter of residents and 12% of staff, finds a study today in JAMA Network Open. Nursing home residents may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infections and complications owing to impaired immune function tied to advanced age, congregate living, exposure to rotating unvaccinated healthcare personnel, weaker antibody response to vaccination, and underlying medical conditions such as malnutrition, diabetes, and cancer, the study authors noted. (Van Beusekom, 9/13)
CIDRAP: Decarceration Linked To 2% Less Daily COVID-19 Cases
If jails "decarcerated," or released, 80% of their inmates—an amount the researchers say is often proportionate to people detained for nonviolent crimes—daily COVID-19 case growth rates in the community would drop 2%, according to a modeling study yesterday in JAMA Network Open. The researchers say if such a strategy had been implemented nationally at the beginning of the pandemic, millions of cases could have been prevented. The researchers looked at 165 US counties, which encompassed 51% of all counties, 72% of the US population, and 60% of the US jail population. The average prison population was 283.4 people, and the average county density was 315.2 people per square mile. (9/3)
CIDRAP: Remdesivir Did Not Improve COVID-19 Death Rate, Outcomes In Trial
Remdesivir treatment did not significantly affect mortality, clinical outcomes, or time to improvement in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases yesterday. The data included results from the DisCoVeRy trial, which the researchers say is the fifth large, randomized, controlled trial to include remdesivir thus far. The cohort was recruited from 48 sites in Europe, with 39 sites in France. Exclusion criteria included elevated liver enzymes, severe chronic kidney disease, and pregnancy. (9/15)
