UTHealth Houston researchers awarded $3.4M NIH grant to study pharmaceutical therapies to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome

A four-year, $3.4 million grant to investigate molecular mechanisms and therapeutic treatments for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been awarded to UTHealth Houston researchers by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Promising Gene-Based Approaches to Repair Lethal Lung Injury in the Elderly from COVID-19, Pneumonia, Flu, Sepsis

Discovery from the lab of Youyang Zhao, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago offers promising treatment approaches for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the elderly that can be caused by severe COVID-19, pneumonia, flu or sepsis.

Research reveals how a potentially fatal COVID-19 complication damages lung tissue

Mechanisms involved in the rapid, severe progression of fibrosis in the lung tissues of COVID-19 patients, a potentially fatal complication of the virus that damages and scars the lungs, have been uncovered by researchers led by UTHealth Houston.

Extracellular Vesicles in Lung Fluid May Point to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Severity

Article title: CD14-positive extracellular vesicles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a new biomarker of acute respiratory distress syndrome Authors: Rahul Y. Mahida, Joshua Price, Sebastian T. Lugg, Hui Li, Dhruv Parekh, Aaron Scott, Paul Harrison, Michael A. Matthay, David R.…

Lancet Respiratory Medicine study: Awake prone positioning can prevent intubation in covid-19 patients

A six country clinical study of more than 1,100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who required high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy suggests that prone positioning (rotating patients with severe breathing issues so they are face down) soon after admission can significantly reduce the need for mechanical ventilation.

Protecting lungs from ventilator-induced injury

An unfortunate truth about using mechanical ventilation to save lives is that the pressure can cause further lung damage. Scientists are working to boost a natural cellular process in pursuit of a therapy that could lower the chances for lung damage in patients on ventilators.

Unraveling the network of molecules that influence COVID-19 severity

Researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Albany Medical College have identified more than 200 molecular features that strongly correlate with COVID-19 severity, offering insight into potential treatment options for those with advanced disease.

Unconventional T cells in severe COVID-19 patients could predict disease outcome

Researchers in France have discovered that patients suffering from severe COVID-19 show changes in a class of immune cells known as unconventional T cells. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that monitoring the activity of these cells in the blood of patients could predict the severity and course of the disease.

Story Tips from Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, health care professionals are finding more patients who were diagnosed with the illness but still are dealing with symptoms long after the initial infection has gone. This condition is sometimes referred to as “long COVID.”

Nitric Oxide May Slow Progression of COVID-19

Researchers at the George Washington University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine published a review in the journal Nitric Oxide suggesting that nitric oxide treatment can be pivotal in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Children Not Immune to Coronavirus; New Study from Pandemic Epicenter Describes Severe COVID-19 Response in Children

While most children infected with the novel coronavirus have mild symptoms, a subset requires hospitalization and a small number require intensive care. A new report from pediatric anesthesiologists, infectious disease specialists and pediatricians at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, describes the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children hospitalized with COVID-19, during the early days of the pandemic.

BIDMC launches clinical trial to assess common anti-clotting medication for treatment of COVID-19-related respiratory failure

A team of physician-scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are now enrolling patients in a clinical trial to evaluate a common anti-clotting drug for the treatment of COVID-19-positive patients with ARDS. The newly launched trial follows a special report the team published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery that suggested the use of a drug called tPA could reduce deaths among patients with ARDS as a complication of COVID-19.