Simple blood test could identify people at greater risk of developing cancer by detecting whether they have abnormally small red blood cells Microcytosis is linked to genetic conditions that impact blood’s haemoglobin It has also been linked to iron deficiency which is a feature of some cancers Experts examined anonymised patient records to see who … Read more
Scientists discover high levels of protein in the blood could predict which coronavirus patients will need to be put on ventilators The protein, known as suPAR, is a marker of disease severity and aggressiveness as well as activating of the immune system Patients without the virus typically had suPAR levels of five ng/mL or less, … Read more
Passengers on a Caribbean cruise may have saved a man’s life after they donated blood when he fell seriously ill on board. The American 68-year-old, who has not been identified, had to be evacuated by helicopter from the ship on New Year’s Day. When he became ill the captain of the ship put out a … Read more
Scientists discover high levels of protein in the blood could predict which coronavirus patients will need to be put on ventilators The protein, known as suPAR, is a marker of disease severity and aggressiveness as well as activating of the immune system Patients without the virus typically had suPAR levels of five ng/mL or less, … Read more
Scientists are in a race against time to test both existing drugs and experimental therapies in the hope one of them can slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Among those are medications used to treat cancer, high blood pressure, gout, heartburn and depression. Researchers believe the pills may help with a variety of conditions … Read more
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued emergency use approval to Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus. Roche, which also makes molecular tests to identify active COVID-19 infections, said its antibody test has a specificity rate of 99.8 … Read more
Common blood pressure medicines do not put people at a higher risk of severe or fatal coronavirus symptoms, three major studies have found. Doctors sounded the alarm in March about a possible link between the drugs – known as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) – and COVID-19. ACE inhibitors include the likes of ramipril, lisinopril … Read more
Convalescent plasma has been used to treat infections for at least a century, dating back to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. It was also trialed during the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic, 2003 SARS epidemic, and the 2012 MERS epidemic. Convalescent plasma was used as a last resort to improve the survival rate of patients … Read more
The only certainty is that the future of travel is uncertain. Some experts predict that things will not return to normal for two to three years, and that many companies will go out of business in the next six months. We hope this is not the case, but we’ll all have to get used to … Read more
Coronavirus may cause an increased risk of blood clots and blockages in the brain and could lead to a stroke, according to a new study by University College London. The small study focused on six patients with confirmed COVID-19 who had suffered a stroke caused by the sudden loss of blood circulation to the brain. … Read more