AI and quantitative mass spectrometry predict COVID-19 patient outcomes

Researchers from Skoltech and McGill University and their colleagues have trained a machine learning algorithm to predict the survival rate of patients admitted to intensive care with COVID-19 using blood test results. Based on the levels of 15 biomolecules measured with a technique called targeted mass spectrometry, the algorithm could predict patient survival with 92% accuracy.

Risk simulation calls for more regular antigen testing to reduce isolation periods for COVID-19

Around the world, many people infected with COVID-19 have been made to completely isolate from others in order to avoid passing on the infection. Some countries still recommend minimum isolation periods for as long as 10 days from when patients start to develop COVID-19 symptoms.

Gut bacteria may contribute to susceptibility to HIV infection, research suggests

New UCLA-led research suggests certain gut bacteria—including one that is essential for a healthy gut microbiome—differ between people who go on to acquire HIV infection compared to those who have not become infected.

Reversing lung fibrosis in scleroderma requires an increase in antifibrotic proteins

Much of the research on scleroderma, a connective tissue disease that causes scarring, or fibrosis, has focused on the increased number of proteins promoting fibrosis in these patients. A Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) research team took a different tact and measured the levels of an antifibrotic protein, Cathepsin L, in these patients. They report in Rheumatology that patients with scleroderma had reduced levels of this antifibrotic protein, and the Cathepsin L that they did have was packaged in an inactive state that deprived it of its antifibrotic function. The team was led by Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Ph.D., the Kitty Trask Holt Endowed Chair for Scleroderma Research, and M.D.-Ph.D. student Joe Mouawad, a National Scleroderma Foundation predoctoral fellowship awardee.

Ensuring diverse participation in Alzheimer's clinical trial participants

Enrolling representative populations in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease is critical for finding treatments that will be safe and effective for all patients. African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by this disease yet are substantially underrepresented in trials of promising therapies. For example, an analysis of data from more than 100 clinical trials testing new treatments for Alzheimer's disease found that only 12% of participants were of any non-White race or Hispanic ethnicity.

Race and ethnicity influence end-of-life care for Medicare patients with dementia

Researchers have known that race and ethnicity play a role in the intensity of medical care at the end of life, but the difference is more pronounced among individuals with dementia, the researchers found.

Researchers create new method to more accurately measure cancer lesions response to treatment

Researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus have created a new way of measuring cancer lesions response to treatment that could better inform the development of new cancer drugs.