All posts by PIER MARIA FORNASARI

PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-27

A systematic review on Blockchain applications in health care for COVID-19 and beyond published on The Lancet Digital Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial and global impact on health care and has greatly accelerated the adoption of digital technology. One of these emerging digital technologies, blockchain, has unique characteristics (eg, immutability, decentralisation, and transparency) that can be useful in multiple domains (eg, management of electronic medical records and access rights, and mobile

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No Comments InDIGITAL HEALTH
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-27

Scientific analysis of COVID death data incorrectly manipulated to demonstrate vaccines are ineffective or worse: that’s not the reality

Social media posts commenting on data from the UK, Israel and South Africa, among others, claim deaths from COVID (or all deaths) are now higher in vaccinated than unvaccinated citizens. Others make the more moderate claim vaccines do nothing to prevent death from COVID. These reports appear intimidating, because they usually utilise real data or statistics. Many of the raw numbers presented are

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-27

Nearly half a million lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination only among people over 60 in less than a year in Europe following a WHO/ECDC study

A new study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published in Eurosurveillance estimates that 470,000 lives have been saved among those aged 60 years and over since the start of COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in 33 countries across the WHO European Region. This estimate does not

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-25

A small cluster of SARS_CoV-2 B.1.1.529 new variant with 32 spike protein mutations identified in Botswana and in Gauteng Province in South Africa

A new variant of COVID-19 identified in Botswana and Nigeria with dozens of mutations is being watched closely, amid fears it could be resistant to the effect of currently-used vaccines. The B.1.1.529 variant has more mutations affecting the spike protein targeted by vaccines than any other strain identified to date, although it’s not yet clear

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2 comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-20

Review on Covid-19 Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia published in The Lancet Haematology

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 were developed, tested, and introduced at a remarkable speed. Although the vaccine introduction had a major impact on the evolution of COVID-19, some potential rare side-effects of the vaccines were observed. Within a short period, three scientific groups from Norway, Germany, and the UK reported cerebral

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-20

Harms Linked to Unapproved Stem Cell Interventions Highlight Need for Greater FDA Enforcement

Unproven regenerative medical products have led to infections, disabilities, and deaths Stem cell products and other regenerative therapies have significant potential to treat traumatic injuries and serious diseases. Although some have earned approval from the Food and Drug Administration, most have not, and many of these unapproved interventions have led to life-threatening infections, chronic pain,

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No Comments InUNPROVEN THERAPIES
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-20

UCalgary study shows how desamethasone, used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, modulates immature neutrophils and interferon programming and why drug may only benefit males

Research into the way our immune systems respond to COVID-19 reveals the sex of a patient may affect how well drugs work Anew study from the University of Calgary shows how dexamethasone, the main treatment for severe COVID-19 lung infections, alters how immune cells work, which may help male patients, but has little to no benefit for

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-19

New analysis predicts how well vaccines will work against COVID-19 strains

Vaccines are less effective against some COVID-19 variants and boosting may be required within one year to maintain efficacy above 50 per cent, according to a new study. The researchers from the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney’s Kirby Institute and the University of Melbourne’s Doherty Institute have conducted an analysis

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-18

Early Convalescent Plasma for High-Risk Outpatients with Covid-19: results of a new trial published in NEJM confirm failure

The object of the study was to verify if early administration of convalescent plasma obtained from blood donors who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) could prevent disease progression in acutely ill, high-risk patients with Covid-19. In this randomized, multicenter, single-blind trial, we assigned patients who were being treated in an emergency department for

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No Comments InCovid-19
PIER MARIA FORNASARI
2021-11-18

Gene therapy effective in children with severe Hurler’s syndrome: the treatment, developed by SR-Tiget in Milan published in NEJM

The first tests on eight children show favorable preliminary results, with an adjustment of motor and cognitive skills and improvements in some brain and joint parameters Gene therapy takes steps forward in the fight against rare diseases. Eight children with severe Hurler’s syndrome, a disease associated with reduced life expectancy, benefited from this therapy. The

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No Comments InGENE THERAPY RARE DISEASES