(Press-News.org) CLEVELAND—Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to global public health, infecting millions and claiming numerous lives. While widespread vaccination efforts have alleviated the immediate threat, lingering questions persist about the long-term effects of the virus on those infected.
An interdisciplinary team of scientists has made a significant breakthrough to understand how the body adapts to COVID-19 infection, potentially offering crucial insights into managing the complex disease. Led by Christopher Wilson, professor of medicine at Loma Linda University, the collaborative effort involved researchers from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
One puzzling phenomenon observed during the pandemic is the occurrence of “silent hypoxemia,” in which COVID-19 patients have dangerously low oxygen levels in their bloodstream without experiencing the typical symptoms of oxygen deprivation. This paradoxical effect, also known as "happy hypoxia," prompted researchers to investigate further.
By leveraging a mathematical model of breathing dynamics, developed in collaboration with Peter Thomas, professor of mathematics in CWRU’s College of Arts and Sciences, researchers simulated the conditions leading to silent hypoxemia.
Their findings, published in the journal Biological Cybernetics, suggest a potential link between elevated levels of hemoglobin in the bloodstream and the body's response to COVID-19 infection.
“I'm intrigued by the potential of this research to shed light on the enigmatic phenomenon of silent hypoxemia in COVID-19 patients,” Thomas said. “This research underscores the critical role of mathematical modeling in uncovering novel insights that could ultimately inform clinical practice and improve patient outcomes.”
The key research finding in the model was that one could produce sustained hypoxia without otherwise compromising breathing by increasing the parameter representing the hematocrit—the concentration of hemoglobin in the bloodstream.
Hemoglobin is a special molecule that helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. In communities living at high altitudes—such as the Tibetan Plateau or the Andes Mountains—many people have higher-than-average hemoglobin levels in their blood.
Although COVID-19 can affect many parts of the body, it mainly attacks the respiratory system, making it difficult to breathe and causing blood clots in the lung.
“In our research endeavors, we've unearthed a pivotal insight: the imperative for critical care physicians to vigilantly track hemoglobin levels in COVID-19 patients,” Thomas said. “This underscores the necessity to disseminate such crucial data within the research community—an action presently overlooked.”
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Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.
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Study Title: Radiation Therapy for HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline
Publication: Practical Radiation Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute author: Danielle Margalit, MD, MPH
Summary: A multi-disciplinary task force convened by the American Society for Radiation Oncology has issued new guidelines for radiation therapy for HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The expert task force recommends optimal dosing regimens for radiation therapy when used alone or after surgery, incorporating the latest data on minimizing doses to areas that may affect patient quality of life such as swallowing. ...
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Now, using the treatment of digestive diseases as a case study, an international study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that doctors in the gastroenterology practice generally trust and accept AI medical tools.
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Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Silvia Perez-Vilar, Ph.D., Pharm.D., email silvia.perezvilar@fda.hhs.gov
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...
About The Study: In this study of 450 community outpatient mental health treatment facilities in 20 high-burden states, approximately one-third offered medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). These results suggest that further study is needed to report MOUD uptake, either through increased prescribing at all clinics or through effective referral models.
Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Jonathan Cantor, Ph.D., email jcantor@rand.org.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...
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Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Adrian Diaz, M.D., M.P.H., email adrian.diaz@osumc.edu.
To access the embargoed ...
Sepsis patients could be treated based on their immune system’s response to infection, not their symptoms.
New research uncovers how different people respond to sepsis based on their genetic makeup, which could help identify who would benefit from certain treatments and lead to the development of targeted therapies.
The team, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford, and collaborators, built on their previous work that identified different subgroups of patients with sepsis. They aimed to understand more about why sepsis response varies between patients and the different underlying immune response pathways.
The new study, published today (18 June) in Cell Genomics, ...
The migratory locust Locusta migratoria is an economically important crop pest that is said to have come to Egypt in the Old Testament as the eighth of the ten biblical plagues, "to devour all that plants that grow". The migratory locust is rarely found in Europe, but in Africa and Asia it not only causes millions of dollars’ worth of damage but also has a deadly impact on local people, threatening their food and their very existence. The locusts occur in two phases: as solitary animals and in swarms. The insects are most feared when they ...
