Researchers identify promising new compounds to potentially treat novel coronaviruses

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) have discovered new drug compounds to potentially treat the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The compounds disrupt the functioning of a protein complex inside human cells that the researchers discovered is critical for the replication and survival of coronaviruses. This finding could lead to the development of new broad-spectrum antiviral drugs that target viruses such as influenza, Ebola and coronaviruses, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

CCNY team in quantum algorithm breakthrough

Researchers led by City College of New York physicist Pouyan Ghaemi report the development of a quantum algorithm with the potential to study a class of many-electron quantums system using quantum computers. Their paper, entitled "Creating and Manipulating a Laughlin-Type ν=1/3 Fractional Quantum Hall State on a Quantum Computer with Linear Depth Circuits," appears in the December issue of PRX Quantum, a journal of the American Physical Society.

Inclusion of patient headshots in electronic health records decreases order errors

Each year, health care practitioners at Brigham and Women's Hospital place over a million orders through the electronic health records (EHR) system. Even though studies indicate that practitioners place more than 99.9 percent of orders for the correct patients, researchers at the Brigham analyzed that remaining 0.1 percent to determine and address the root causes of wrong-patient order errors. In an effort to improve patient safety, the Brigham required headshots for participating patients to be displayed in their EHR as part of a quality improvement program in the Emergency Department. Analysis of the millions of orders placed for participating patients over a two-year span showed the rate of wrong patient order entry to be 35 percent lower for patients whose photos were included in their EHR. Results are published in JAMA Network Open.

Minnesota cardiac arrest resuscitation treatment demonstrated 100% success rate in cannulation

Published today in the EClinicalMedicine Journal, a study from the University of Minnesota found that the first four months of the Minnesota Mobile Resuscitation Consortium (MMRC) was 100% effective in cannulation for out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests. Cannulation is when tubes are placed in large veins and arteries in the legs, neck or chest in a patient by a health care provider.

Parasitic worms offer 'the missing link' on the dual nature of a key immune regulator

De'Broski Herbert has a philosophy that's guided his career researching helminths, or parasitic worms, and their interaction with their hosts' immune systems: "Follow the worm."

New study confirms combo pill alone and with aspirin lowers heart disease risk

A single, daily pill combining blood pressure and cholesterol medications, along with the addition of a daily dose of aspirin, reduced cardiovascular disease events in people at risk for heart disease, according to late-breaking research presented today in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The manuscript of this study is simultaneously published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

New screening questionnaire can identify people at high risk of developing heart disease

More than 40% of middle-aged adults have silent coronary artery disease. Researchers have developed a new screening questionnaire to help identify individuals at the highest risk for coronary artery disease, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.

New medicine reduced risk for heart failure emergencies, hospital visits

Omecamtiv mecarbil, a new, investigational heart medication, reduced the risk of heart failure-related events in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The virtual meeting is Friday, November 13—Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The manuscript of this study is simultaneously published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Intravenous iron reduced rehospitalization risk in people with heart failure

Patients who were hospitalized with acute heart failure and had iron deficiency were less likely to return to the hospital if given intravenous iron replacement, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The virtual meeting is Friday, November 13—Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The manuscript of this study is simultaneously published today in The Lancet.

Fish oil and vitamin D supplements not effective for preventing atrial fibrillation

Taking omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 supplements does not neither increase nor decrease the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.

Baricitinib treatment linked to reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients

The rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib can block viral entry and reduce mortality in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, according to translational research by an international team coordinated by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, support the continuation of ongoing randomized clinical trials.

Best practices for mechanical ventilation in patients with ARDS, COVID-19

It's a decision being made thousands of times over inside hospitals all around the country: is it time to place a patient struggling to breathe on a ventilator? For all of the attention ventilators have received during the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding when to place patients on them—and when to take them off—is complex. Michigan Medicine researchers have been investigating best practices for mechanical ventilation for years, never knowing how applicable their work would become.

Plastic pollution is everywhere. Study reveals how it travels

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous today, with microplastic particles from disposable goods found in natural environments throughout the globe, including Antarctica. But how those particles move through and accumulate in the environment is poorly understood. Now a Princeton University study has revealed the mechanism by which microplastics, like Styrofoam, and particulate pollutants are carried long distances through soil and other porous media, with implications for preventing the spread and accumulation of contaminants in food and water sources.

Measuring the true cost of conservation

For decades, scientists have been warning about potential future effects of global climate change, including more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought, and sharp increases in the number, duration, and intensity of tropical storms. And since the start of 2020, we've seen natural disasters in record-breaking numbers, from the wildfires that ravaged California and Colorado, to most consecutive days with temperatures skyrocketing over 100 degrees in places like Arizona. Environmental concerns are continually creeping to a broader, national stage: issues of climate change and conservation received more attention during the first presidential debate on September 29, 2020 than in any other presidential debate in history.

How air pollution affects homeless populations

When air quality worsens, either from the smoke and ozone of summer or the inversion of winter, most of us stay indoors. But for individuals experiencing homelessness, that's not always an option. In a new study, researchers from the University of Utah document the effect of air pollution on people experiencing homelessness, finding that nearly all notice and are impacted by air pollution, whether or not they reside in shelters.

Diabetes drug can treat and reverse heart failure and reduce

Empagliflozin, a recently developed diabetes drug, can effectively treat and reverse heart failure in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

If babies and toddlers can detect race, why do so many parents avoid talking about it?

All too often, kids are given less information than they deserve when it comes to complex phenomena, like how a virus such as COVID-19 spreads, or how to confront deeply painful societal issues like racism. If you are a parent or adult who has struggled to talk about race with kids, you are certainly not alone.

Study of infants finds that sleep differences by race, income emerge early

As almost any new parent will attest, the issue of infant sleep can be a nightmare. But the challenges and consequential health effects of infant sleep problems may, like so many other health disparities, disproportionately affect families of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and household socioeconomic statuses. A new study led in part by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital takes a look at 24-hour sleep-wake cycles for infants across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic categories. The team found several distinct differences in sleep-wake patterns, largely explained by discrepancies in socioeconomic status. Findings are published in Sleep.

A cost-effective program to fight COVID-19 in resource-challenged countries

A public health strategy that combines contact tracing and community-based screening with isolation and quarantine centers can substantially reduce infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 while being cost-effective in low-and-middle-income countries like South Africa, a study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found. In a paper published in The Lancet Global Health, the research team reported that this battery of health interventions, implemented either fully or partially, could offer good value for the money and, in some scenarios, even reduce health care expenditures in South Africa.