News by Subject Medicine & Health

DOAC (direct oral anticoagulant) pills are used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation by preventing blood clots. Even though blood clots are thought to contribute to complications from the new coronavirus infection, users of this class of drug do not seem to be protected against severe COVID-19, reports a large Swedish registry study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Journal of Internal Medicine.

Black and Hispanic populations in the US experiencing disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19.

A mass screening programme of 10 million Wuhan residents identified 300 asymptomatic cases in May, but none were infectious - according to a new study. They found no 'viable' virus in the asymptomatic cases and the close contacts of these positive asymptomatic cases did not test positive. But these findings do not show that the virus can't be passed on by asymptomatic carriers. Rather mask-wearing, hand washing, social distancing and lockdown have helped reduce Covid-19 virulence.

The distribution of race/ethnicity among cases of COVID-19]-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children reported to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is described in this observational study.

This observational study assessed whether receiving unemployment insurance is associated with lower health-related social needs, better health care access and better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Construction workers in Alberta, Canada who work with hazardous insulation materials are much more likely to be affected by repeated chest infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

It is largely unknown why influenza infections lead to an increased risk of bacterial pneumonia. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now described important findings leading to so-called superinfections, which claim many lives around the world every year. The study is published in the journal PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and can also contribute to research on COVID-19.

Lung tissue of patients who suffered severely from COVID-19 shows good recovery in most cases. This was revealed by a study carried out by the Radboud university medical center that has now been published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. A striking conclusion is that the group who was referred by a GP did not recover as well as patients who were admitted to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).