Disparities in travel time to COVID-19 testing sites may bias case estimates
As the U.S. economy begins to reopen after two months of lockdown, states and counties are using local data on COVID-19 incidence to inform their plans. But a new analysis highlights an inconvenient truth. Geographic access to COVID-19 testing sites is as uneven as access to health care overall, meaning that local estimates of COVID-19 ... Read More about Disparities in travel time to COVID-19 testing sites may bias case estimates
Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A new mouse model allows scientists to track every cell in the body — from the embryo stage until adulthood. The system is the first of its kind and should yield a greater understanding of development, aging, and disease. Scientists described it last week in the journal Cell. “The dream of many developmental biologists for ... Read More about Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A snapshot of COVID-19 in children admitted to the PICU
Experts have recently warned of cases of serious inflammatory illness in children possibly related to COVID-19. But a report in JAMA Pediatrics this week reinforces the fact that serious complications have been rare in children with the new coronavirus, especially if they have no underlying health conditions. The new study represents the first cross-sectional, multi-hospital ... Read More about A snapshot of COVID-19 in children admitted to the PICU
Disulfiram inhibits inflammatory gatekeeper protein: Could it be helpful in COVID-19?
Inflammation is the alarm system by which cells first respond to potential danger. But in excess, inflammation can be deadly. In new research from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCCM) at Boston Children’s Hospital, scientists discovered that disulfiram, an FDA-approved drug commonly used for treating alcoholism, blocks a key gatekeeper protein involved in ... Read More about Disulfiram inhibits inflammatory gatekeeper protein: Could it be helpful in COVID-19?
Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
We know that the consequences of COVID-19 disease start by infection from a virus. But how does the body react to that viral invasion? To answer that question, Boston Children’s Hospital will play key roles in a nationwide study designed to learn how the immune systems of people hospitalized with COVID-19 respond to the disease ... Read More about Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
Adults with cancer appear more vulnerable to COVID-19
Cancer, particularly metastatic cancer, can be added to the list of medical conditions that pose a significant risk of worse COVID-19 outcomes , suggests a new study. Led by Boston Children’s Hospital and Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, it represents the first large cohort study to examine COVID-19 outcomes in cancer patients. Findings were published ... Read More about Adults with cancer appear more vulnerable to COVID-19
How the new coronavirus gets into respiratory tissue — and may exploit one of our defenses
What makes SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, such a threat? A new study, led by Jose Ordovas-Montanes, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital and Alex K. Shalek, PhD, at MIT, pinpoints the likely cell types the virus infects. Unexpectedly, it also shows that one of the body’s main defenses against viral infections may actually help the ... Read More about How the new coronavirus gets into respiratory tissue — and may exploit one of our defenses
A drug treatment for telomere diseases?
For years, Donna Martin carried a piece of scrap paper with the words “dyskeratosis congenita,” which she believed might explain her son Brad’s sudden, mysterious affliction. A routine blood test had revealed Brad’s bone marrow was failing, unable to keep up with his need for healthy blood cells. His condition, Donna knew, would worsen over ... Read More about A drug treatment for telomere diseases?
Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: What we know so far
Despite the current hype, infectious disease experts and others are cautious about using chloroquine drugs in the current COVID-19 pandemic. While the urgent need for COVID-19 treatments justifies the rapid pace of trials, several concerns have been raised related to the limitations of studies published so far. Kristin Moffitt, MD The drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine ... Read More about Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: What we know so far
Could plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients help others?
As new cases of COVID-19 mount daily, treatment revolves around supportive therapy to reduce symptoms, meaning there are no treatments shown to slow down or kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One new idea actually isn’t so new: transfusing blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients into patients currently sick with the disease. Last week, the Food and Drug ... Read More about Could plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients help others?