Archives: 2020-04-25

A real-time dashboard of clinical trials for COVID-19

In response to the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency, clinical trial research assessing the efficacy and safety of clinical candidate interventions to treat COVID-19 are emerging at an unprecedented rate. As of April 21, 2020, well over 500 clinical trials have been registered at the various international and national clinical trial registry sites.  Most

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Convalescent plasma for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Why to use and When ?

Data from rigorously controlled clinical trials of convalescent plasma are few, underscoring the need to evaluate its use objectively for a range of indications (e.g., prevention vs treatment) and patient populations (e.g., age, comorbid disease). An overview of convalescent plasma, from evidence of benefit, regulatory considerations, logistical work flow and proposed clinical trials have been

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Impact of Covid-19 containment measures in Italy: 200,000 hospitalizations avoided in March

Since the beginning of the epidemic until March 25, the mobility restrictions implemented by the Italian government have avoided at least 200,000 hospitalizations and reduced the contagion transmission by 45% according to a study accepted for publication in PNAS, coauthored by a group of Italian scientists belonging to Politecnico di Milano, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, University

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Are critical or very severe cases of COVID-19 are due to the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET)?

While the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating many regions, the world over, a new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in April 2020 describes the possibility that the critical or very severe cases of COVID-19 are due to the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19? The disease caused

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Global NETwork studies role of immune cells in COVID-19 deaths

New publication links neutrophil infiltration in the lungs of patients to COVID-19 symptoms In the urgent battle to treat COVID-19 patients, a group of eleven international medical research organizations is investigating whether overactive immune cells that produce Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) cause the most severe cases. The consortium, called the NETwork, includes Cold Spring Harbor

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DARPA-funded microchip technology optimizes convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients

A consortium of California scientists from government, academia and business today published an initial manuscript describing a novel approach to prepare convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients in BioRxiv. In the paper, senior author Saahir Khan, MD, PhD, from the University of California, Irvine Department of Medicine, reports the use of a new and more accurate way

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Covid-19: European Commission issues questions and answers to help increase production of safe medical supplies through 3D printing

Today, the Commission is making available guidance to assist manufacturers in ramping up production of essential medical equipment and material in three areas: the production of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), leave-on hand cleaners and hand disinfectants and 3D printing in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. A guidance on medical devices will also be made available within the

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