(2021-07-25). Keeping translational science on the fast track to curb COVID-19 pneumonia. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org At the beginning of the pandemic, experimental therapies were the only options available to help patients. Turning them into standard care required clinical and translational research. Experts in the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science helped make that happen. ____________________________________ "I think we've accomplished in this year what normally would take seven years," says Saad Kenderian, M.B., Ch.B., a Mayo Clinic cancer researcher. Claudia Lucchinetti, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Clinical and Translational Science,…
(2021-07-25). Monoclonal antibodies help COVID-19 patients avoid hospitalization. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï In a large observational study, Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that two monoclonal antibodies administered separately helped prevent hospitalization in high-risk patients who became infected with COVID-19. The study also showed more hospitalizations were observed among patients with more comorbidities. The findings appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. "The real-world data reported in this study confirm what has been seen in clinical trials involving a placebo," says Raymund Razonable, M.D., a…
(2021-07-25). Respiratory illnesses on the rise with symptoms similar to COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org A respiratory infection prevalent mostly in the winter has been increasing in parts of the U.S."Particularly in the South part of the U.S., we have seen an increase in what's called RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. It's a virus that causes a cold much like influenza causes a cold, though it can be severe in very young children and elderly adults," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at Mayo Clinic. Watch: …
(2021-07-25). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: On the verge of predicted surge with COVID-19 delta variant. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The delta variant is being blamed for hot spots in the U.S. where cases of COVID-19 are on the rise. These hot spots account for most cases in the U.S. They are also the geographical areas that tend to have the lowest vaccination rates. "It's no surprise that the two go together," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "This (delta variant) is the bad actor that…
(2021-07-25). Mayo research provides insights into high-risk younger demographics for severe COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï Using data from 9,859 COVID-19 infections, Mayo Clinic researchers have new insights into risk factors for younger populations, some of which differ significantly from their older counterparts. People younger than 45 had a greater than threefold increased risk of severe infection if they had cancer or heart disease, or blood, neurologic or endocrine disorders, the research found. These associations were weaker in older age groups. The study was published in Mayo Clinic…
(2021-07-25). Study may improve understanding of how disability develops in MS patients versus those with related diseases. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Did you know multiple sclerosis (MS) means multiple scars? New research shows that the brain and spinal cord scars in people with MS may offer clues to why they developprogressive disability but those with related diseases where the immune system attacks the central nervous system do not. In a study published in Neurology, Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues assessed if inflammation leads to permanent scarring in these three diseases: MS.Aquaporin-4 antibody positive…
(2021-07-24). China Has Every Right To Reject WHO's Embrace Of Lab Leak Theory. popularresistance.org Deputy of the National Health Commission Zeng Yixin asserted that China will not follow the World Health Organization's (WHO) suggested plan to focus second phase research into the origins of COVID-19 on the lab leak theory. The remarks came at a press briefing held on July 22. Outlets such as CNN and Reuters reported on the development with a strong negative bias. Each report appeared to conclude that China was shirking its commitments to the international effort to uncover COVID-19's origins.
(2021-07-24). Eyewitness Report From Havana: Cuba's Struggle Against US Imperialism. thealtworld.com Hear about the realities on the ground for people living in Cuba, and the destruction that the US blockade and Trump's 243 additional sanctions have wrought on the Cuban people. The goal of the US unilateral blockade (voted against at the UN annually) is to deprive Cubans of basic food and medicine — and it's working. | On-the-ground reporter, award-winning journalist & documentary filmmaker Reed Lindsay, who works with Belly of the Beast, an independent media outlet that covers Cuba and U.S.-Cuba relations, and Manolo De Los Santos, Co-Director of The People's Forum & Researcher with the Tricontinental Ins…
(2021-07-24). July 26th Became a Movement: The Cuban Masses Make History. libya360.wordpress.com Gregory E. Williams Members of Cuba's 26th of July Movement. Today the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba is a museum and a school—fitting, given the Cuban Revolution's well-known commitment to education. But this was the site of a battle that radically altered the course of history on the island. In the early morning hours…
(2021-07-24). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific. wsws.org GM Korea workers strike for higher pay; thousands of Sri Lankan teachers continue national walkout; Australian tugboat workers resume rolling strikes…
(2021-07-24). [Perspectives] Past and present women pioneers in biomedical science. thelancet.com COVID-19 has propelled a number of scientific breakthroughs that have only been possible because of unprecedented global research collaborations. These remarkable achievements will have profound implications for the future. Women have been front and centre in many of these developments, notably in the area of COVID-19 vaccines and sequencing of SARS-CoV-2. Yet in this pandemic women's position in biomedicine has not been helped by the fact that many women have been disproportionately affected by increased caring responsibilities during lockdowns, reducing the amount of time they have been able to devote to resear…
(2021-07-24). [Perspectives] Cheryl Moyer: egalitarian in global health research. thelancet.com When we meet on Zoom, Cheryl Moyer joins from her new office—the home gym above her garage in Ann Arbor, MI, USA. She is used to being on the road for much of the year for global health research, and she misses her African friends and colleagues. But she says that while the COVID-19 pandemic stopped her regular field trips to Ghana, it has empowered her local partners to "grab the ball and run with it. They may not need us high-income country partners after all", she laughs. "That's how it should be and I feel good about that."
(2021-07-24). [Editorial] A time of crisis for the opioid epidemic in the USA. thelancet.com As the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA has eased, the extent of devastation caused during this period by the opioid epidemic is no longer obscured. Data released by the National Center for Health Statistics on July 14 show a steep rise in overdose deaths. Between December, 2019, and December, 2020—the peak of the pandemic in the USA—more than 93‚Äà000 Americans died from drug overdoses, up 29 ∑4% over the previous 12 months. This figure equates to roughly 255 overdose deaths per day; national daily COVID-19 deaths currently hover at around the same number.
(2021-07-24). [Correspondence] Tocilizumab in COVID-19 therapy: who benefits, and how? thelancet.com The RECOVERY Collaborative Group reported statistically significant improvement in survival of patients with COVID-19 who were receiving tocilizumab interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitor, albeit with very modest reduction of mortality (31% vs 35% with usual care, p=0 ∑0028).1 This result adds to a number of studies with tocilizumab and other IL-6 antagonists, such as sarilumab, which showed only minor, or no, reduction in mortality.2 Given that IL-6 is associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality,3 the question arises as to why IL-6 antagonist therapy does not substantially improve survival.
(2021-07-24). Mass Shootings On Course For Record Year As US Transforms Into Violent Mess. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Originally published at To date, the number of mass shootings in the U.S. is 21% higher than the same period in 2020 (Jan.1 — July 20), which is 30% higher than the previous high, according to nonprofit research group GVA's data so far shows the U.S. has recorded 375 mass shootings in 41 di…
(2021-07-24). Coronavirus, Vaccines and the Gates Foundation. globalresearch.ca Important article first published by Global Research on March 20, 2020 | Arguably, no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. …
(2021-07-24). Video: The mRNA Vaccine Generates Microscopic Blood Clots: Dr. Charles Hoffe. globalresearch.ca . | Very important Interview …