Welcome to the July 2020 Edition of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s (BIDMC) Research & Health News Digest.
Breaking news: Single-shot COVID-19 vaccine protects non-human primates
This morning, a group of scientists, led by BIDMC’s Dan H. Barouch, MD, PhD, reported in Nature that a leading candidate COVID-19 vaccine developed at BIDMC in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson raised neutralizing antibodies and robustly protected non-human primates against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Read more, here:
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/covid-19-vaccine-protects-non-human-primates
Additional stories in this edition include:
- Study: Delaying surgery associated with increased risk in some gastrointestinal malignancies
- Respirators may be disinfected up to 20 times without loss of fit or filtration
- National survey on COVID-19 pandemic shows significant mental health impact
- Physicians provide first comprehensive review of COVID-19’s effects beyond the lungs
- Study finds significant decline in emergent medical, surgical and obstetric hospitalizations during early phase of COVID-19 public health emergency at BIDMC
- Mask-related acne tips from a dermatologist
- Study reveals increasing rates of preventable hospitalizations among older adults with dementia
- Researchers work to better measure delirium severity in older patients
- Researchers find end-of-life practices vary widely by region
- Heat-related injuries and how to stay cool
- Screening for Hepatitis C: Not just for baby boomers
- Dealing with Crohn's Disease during pregnancy
Study: Delaying surgery associated with increased risk in some gastrointestinal malignancies
In a study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, a team of investigators led by Scott Fligor, MD, (General Surgery, BIDMC) examined the effects of delaying surgery for gastrointestinal cancers and found that the delays may be associated with shorter survival times.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/surgical-delay
Respirators may be disinfected up to 20 times without loss of fit or filtration
As infection rates begin to spike in some regions around the country, a team of microbiologists led by James E. Kirby, MD, (Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, BIDMC), identified an efficient, low-cost method of disinfecting N95 respirators for re-use up to 20 times. Their findings, which could help alleviate shortages among health care providers, are published online in mBio.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/respirators-disinfected
National survey on COVID-19 pandemic shows significant mental health impact
The findings of a nationwide survey deployed by Sarah Ballou, PhD (Gastroenterology, BIDMC) and colleagues show 90 percent of survey respondents reported experiencing emotional distress related to the pandemic.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/covid-19-mental-health
Physicians provide first comprehensive review of COVID-19’s effects beyond the lungs
Researcher-clinicians, including Kartik Sehgal, MD, (Cancer Center, BIDMC), conducted an extensive review of the latest findings on COVID-19’s effect on organ systems outside the lungs. Their review, published in Nature Medicine, also summarized proposed mechanisms behind these wide-ranging systemic effects and provided clinical guidance for physicians.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/covid-19-effects-beyond-the-lungs
Study finds significant decline in emergent medical, surgical and obstetric hospitalizations during early phase of COVID-19 public health emergency at BIDMC
In a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Timothy Anderson, MD, (General Medicine, BIDMC) and colleagues report on the decline of emergent medical, surgical and obstetric hospitalizations at the medical center during the six-week period following the week of the declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency in Boston in mid-March 2020.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/covid-hospital-declines
Mask-related acne tips from a dermatologist
With the CDC’s recommendation to wear cloth face coverings in public to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, people may find themselves facing new or increased skin complaints. Rachel Reynolds, MD, (Dermatology, BIDMC) shares what concerns she is hearing most often from patients, and steps you can take to soothe your skin.
Study reveals increasing rates of preventable hospitalizations among older adults with dementia
Older adults with dementia tend to be hospitalized more often than those without cognitive impairment. Timothy Anderson, MD (Medicine, BIDMC) and colleagues have found that in recent years, increasing numbers of these hospitalizations were for conditions for which hospitalization can often be avoided with improvements in outpatient care. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, point to the need for improved strategies to safeguard the health of individuals in the community who have dementia, to avoid the need for hospitalized care.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/preventable-hospitalizations-senior-adults-dementia
Researchers work to better measure delirium severity in older patients
In a study published in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, a team of researchers led by Sarinnapha Vasunilashorn, PhD, (General Medicine, BIDMC) reported on their effort to improve and validate tools used to assess the severity of delirium. The aim was to more accurately define methods for detecting and measuring delirium symptom severity, which could in turn lead to improved prevention and treatment for patients at risk.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/delirium-severity
Researchers find end-of-life practices vary widely by region
Researchers including Jason H. Maley, MD, (Center for Healthcare Delivery Science, BIDMC) examined regional variation in site of death for older adults with chronic diseases from 2010 to 2016. The findings — which were published in JAMA Network Open — reveal that where chronically ill patients live may be an important determinant of whether their end-of-life care takes place in the hospital, ICU or hospice.
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2020/07/end-of-life-practices-vary-by-region
Heat-related injuries and how to stay cool
It's important to know the signs of heat-related injuries and how to stay cool when the temperatures soar. Laura Burke, MD, (Emergency Medicine, BIDMC) shares the signs of heat exhaustion and how to protect yourself in high temperatures.
Screening for hepatitis C: Not just for baby boomers
Hepatitis C is a liver disease linked to more deaths in the United States than the next reportable 60 infectious diseases combined — including HIV and tuberculosis. While screening guidelines for hepatitis C previously targeted baby boomers, experts, including Camilla Graham, MD, MPH, (Infectious Diseases, BIDMC), say more universal testing guidelines should be followed for early detection and better outcomes.
Dealing with Crohn's disease during pregnancy
Most women know it’s best to be in good physical health before getting pregnant. For women with Crohn's disease, that means more than eating right and exercising. Jacqueline Wolf, MD, (Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, BIDMC), shares what women with Crohn’s disease, and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease, should know before getting pregnant.
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Nature; Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery; mBio; Nature Medicine; Journal of General Internal Medicine; Journal of the American Geriatric Society; Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders; JAMA Network Open
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