In a large meta-analysis, circulating protein levels of severe COVID patients along with many thousands of genomic datasets leads to an exciting discovery: a mutation in a gene called FAS that turns it into a non-membrane-bound, soluble form, interrupting normal immune function. In addition, an on-market chemotherapeutic drug has been shown to lower soluble FAS, … Read more
Research from a Washington State skilled nursing facility confirms over half did not show symptoms but are infecting others with SARS-CoV-2 In early March, this report in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) was the first outside-of-China, peer-reviewed publication that documents asymptomatic spread. In brief: an otherwise healthy Shanghai businesswoman visited Germany for company … Read more
Thorough research on nine infected individuals in Germany shows important details on the natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, infectivity from an infected individual, and ability to detect the RNA via rRT-PCR, live virus assay, and neutralizing antibody testing It was about five years ago, starting at a new employer SeraCare Life Sciences, that I first … Read more
You will need to wear a mask for a while In this current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the US Nursing Home Association has rightly called the SARS-CoV-2 virus ‘almost the perfect killing machine‘ for elderly patients. Compared to SARS-CoV (aka ‘SARS Classic’ circa 2003), it is clear that SARS spread at the same … Read more
An organized resource list to check out Keeping track of the outbreak Coronavirus Tracked by the Financial Times. The source of those cool ‘Number of days since 10th death’ by country (to get a comparative picture of doubling rates, points at which lockdowns were initiated) as well as a table of charts detailing countries from … Read more
If the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin is confirmed by larger studies this actually could be “one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine” During this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, now that states such as California and New York have enacted ‘stay at home’ orders, universities and many school systems have closed, and many … Read more