Large international study reveals spectrum of COVID-19 brain complications
Meeting Announcement
The largest multi-institutional international study to date on brain complications of COVID-19 has found that approximately one in 100 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will likely develop complications of the central nervous system. These can include stroke, hemorrhage, and other potentially fatal complications. The study is being presented tomorrow at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
A small but significant percentage of college athletes with COVID-19 develop myocarditis, a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle, that can only be seen on cardiac MRI, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Cells from the immune system called Treg cells are responsible for tumor growth and spreading. The more Treg cells are inside a tumor, the worse the prognosis. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have identified a previously unknown mechanism through which tiny particles released from cells called extracellular vesicles can modulate the infiltration of Treg cells inside the tumor. These findings are important because they provide a promising way to target these molecules and stop tumors from growing.
During the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers did not find a significant difference in the number of new cancer diagnoses in Canadian children compared with before the pandemic, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.210659.
Researchers from Osaka University have found a novel mechanism linked to the aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death. The key protein that they identified is called ARL4C. When ARL4C levels are higher, cancer cells are more likely to metastasize to other tissues. Using a novel oligonucleotide therapy approach using antisense oligonucleotide, the investigators were able to inhibit ARL4C in mice, blocking the cancer metastasis.
Researchers from Kobe University’s Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation/ Graduate School of Medicine have succeeded in generating Leydig cells from human iPS cells. Leydig cells are responsible for producing the male hormone (testosterone), and it is hoped that Leydig cell transplants could serve as a treatment for late-onset hypogonadism in the future.
Quantities of naloxone and the number of pharmacies dispensing the prescription medication that reverses opioid overdoses both increased due to the statewide naloxone standing order (NSO) in Massachusetts, according to new research led by Boston Medical Center. Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the expansion of access to naloxone dispensing between 2014 and 2018 following the allowance of pharmacists to directly dispense the medication without a prescription has been a success for people that may not otherwise have access to it. However, disparities in access were still found in communities with greater percentages of people with Hispanic ethnicity and in rural communities.