eNoses Ingenious!

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Rapid diagnosis is key to curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic. One path to such rapid diagnosis may rely on identifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the infected body, or in other words, identifying the smell of the infection. Consistent with this rationale, dogs can use their nose to identify COVID-19 patients. Given the scale of the pandemic, however, animal deployment …

Brain Age

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

In a study published in SLEEP, EEGs were used to gather clinically relevant information for personalized patient health evaluations and a comprehensive assessment of sleep. In the study, a deep neural network (DNN) model was trained to predict the age of patients using raw EEG signals. The researchers found that DNNs can accurately predict the brain age of healthy patients. …

Regular and irregular heart beat graph

Atrial Fibrillation

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate. The heart has 4 chambers through which blood flows before being sent to the rest of the body to deliver oxygen and vital nutrients. The top 2 chambers are the atria and are important in helping blood reach the bottom 2 chambers, the ventricles. The right ventricle squeezes blood into …

Man wearing surgical mask

Aerosol Particle Escape

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

In a recent article published in Scientific Reports, there was a discussion regarding the use of surgical masks to reduce the emission of expiratory particles produced via breathing, talking, coughing, or sneezing. Two factors play a primary role in determining the overall particle reduction efficiency of a given mask type: the material filtering efficiency, which depends on the particle size, …

Severe COVID-19 Illness in Children

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Our understanding of COVID-19 illness in children is limited. To date, most children with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been asymptomatic or had mild COVID-19 symptoms, but some children have had severe illness. Prior literature identified risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness in children, including being younger than 1 year or having an underlying medical condition, such as congenital heart disease, asthma, …

Importance of Leisure Activities

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

We have all lived it, the Pandemic of 2020. Many of us have survived relatively unscathed, or so we think! In a recent study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, the researchers examined the association of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with job stress, burnout, and well-being among healthcare industry workers. What they found was that health care …

COVID virus attacking nerves

Alzheimer’s Disease and COVID-19

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Neurodegenerative disorders that cause dementia increase the risk of contracting severe COVID-19 and dying from the disease. For people with Alzheimer’s the risk is three times greater. It can be six times greater if they are over 80 years old according to a study conducted in Brazil by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and Butantan Institute in …

Reducing COVID-19 Deaths in Elderly

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

A preclinical study suggests a new approach to reduce COVID-19 death among the elderly. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School demonstrated that senolytic drugs significantly reduced mortality upon infection from a beta-coronavirus closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in older mice. The researchers found that older mice exposed for the first time to a mouse beta-coronavirus experienced nearly 100% mortality, …

Is Diabetes Winning?

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, trends in diabetic treatment and risk factor control were analyzed to assist in informing public health policy and planning. The study found that diabetes control improved from 1999 to the early 2010s among the participants but stalled and declined afterward. The study concluded that after more than a decade …

Monoclonal Antibodies

Bamlanivimab Alone or in Combination?

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

A phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities that demonstrated that bamlanivimab was effective in reducing the incidence of mild or worse COVID-19 in residents and participants at high risk of severe COVID-19. Bamlanivimab was also associated with lower rates of infection in residents and high-risk individuals. Participants in the prevention population who received …