Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Researchers Identify A Dominant Disease-Causing Strain In Genome Study
Modern Healthcare: COVID Genome Study Reveals Dominant Strain
A study of the SARS-CoV-2 genome has found that the virus can be classified into six major types, which are characterized by 14 signature single nucleotide variations, and that one type in particular has evolved into the dominant, disease-causing strain. In a study published on Thursday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan said they used the complete sequences of 1,932 SARS-CoV-2 genomes to perform various clustering analyses, which consistently identified six types of the virus. They then identified 13 signature variations in the form of SNVs in protein-coding regions and one SNV in the 5' untranslated region (UTR), and then validated the six types and their underlying signatures in two subsequent analyses of 6,228 and 38,248 batches of SARS-CoV-2 genomes. (11/16)
CIDRAP: Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival Fell 17% Amid COVID-19
The outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were poorer in the United States during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic than before—even in counties with low case-fatality rates, according to a study published Nov 14 in JAMA Cardiology. (van Beusekom, 11/16)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 3-Month Follow-Up Shows Residual Lung Abnormalities
A 3-month follow-up study of 142 COVID-19 survivors in China showed that 85.9% of patients had abnormalities on computed tomography (CT) chest scans and 52 (36.6%) had chronic and fibrotic changes. According to the study, published Nov 14 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, higher CT scores (2.00 vs 0.00) and lower ground-glass opacity (GGO) absorption levels seemed to be associated with more severe COVID-19. (11/16)
In Alzheimer's news —
The Wall Street Journal: Alzheimer’s Research Looks At Hot Spots Across The U.S.
Where you live matters in terms of Alzheimer’s disease risk. Scientists and medical researchers know that advanced age and certain changes in the brain increase the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Now they are looking at what role location might play. (Ansberry, 11/16)
