A new study published in mBio details the vulnerability of coronaviruses to inhibitors of a small protein domain called Mac1, or the “macrodomain,” found in all coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. The findings point toward potential antiviral therapies to combat future coronavirus pandemics and confirm the importance of Mac1 to the viability of the virus.

A newly published ESC Clinical Consensus Statement describes the pivotal role of vaccination in the prevention of cardiovascular events. 

Infections such as pneumonia, influenza and SARS-CoV-2, among others, exacerbate heart failure and increase the risk of major cardiovascular events. In addition to preventing infections, vaccination can reduce cardiovascular complications, particularly in at-risk patients with existing cardiovascular disease.  

The new document concludes that vaccination should be considered as a foundational pillar for cardiovascular prevention alongside other established measures. 

Prior studies have shown veterans are particularly at risk of dying by opioid overdose and the possibility of that occurring has been rising steadily over the past two decades. From 2010-2019, there was a 61.2% increase in risk of overdose death among male veterans. Interestingly, this increased risk was not observed among female veterans, despite rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) rising more quickly among women than men in the general population. Racial disparities in opioid overdose deaths are also prominent with a significant increase in death due to opioids among all racial and ethnic minority veterans, except American Indian or Alaskan Native veterans.

Given increases in opioid overdose rates and policy changes expanding access to medications for OUD during the COVID-19 pandemic, BU and VA researchers sought to understand how the opioid overdose epidemic impacted veterans with opioid use disorder. In their new study, they found female veterans and veterans from racial and ethnic minority groups were at higher risk of dying from an opioid overdose than other veterans.