Lifeboat Foundation

The recent infective outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), now officially defined as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has already affected over 1million people from nearly all countries worldwide, causing approximately 66,000 deaths. 1 The clinical characteristics of this pandemic disease may be complicated by the onset of a severe form of intestinal pneumonia in 10–15% of infected patients, which may then progress toward acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and eventually in multi-organ failure (MOF) and death. 2 Since laboratory hematology is a mainstay for screening, diagnosis, but also for prognostication and therapeutic monitoring of a kaleidoscope of human disorders, 3 the aim of this article was to investigate whether or not hemoglobin values may be a predictive factor of worse clinical progression in patients with COVID-19.

We performed an electronic search in Medline, Web of Science and Scopus, using the keywords “laboratory” OR “hemoglobin” AND “coronavirus 2019” OR “2019-nCoV” OR “SARS-CoV-2”, between 2019 and the present time (i.e., March 4, 2020), with no language restriction. The title, abstract and full text of documents identified according to these search criteria were analyzed and those reporting information on the hemoglobin values in COVID-19 patients with or without severe disease (i.e., those needing mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission or those who died), were meta-analyzed. The reference list of all documents was examined to identify additional eligible studies. The final meta-analysis entailed the estimation of the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of hemoglobin values between subjects with or without severe disease. The statistical analysis was performed with the MetaXL software, Version 5.3 (EpiGear International Pty Ltd.

The movie Avatar evoked an imaginary world of lush bioluminescent jungles. Now the popular fascination for sustainably glowing foliage is being realized through advances in designer genetics. This week in Nature Biotechnology, scientists have announced the feasibility of creating plants that produce their own visible luminescence.

The scientists revealed that bioluminescence found in some mushrooms is metabolically similar to the natural processes common among plants. By inserting DNA obtained from the mushroom, the scientists were able to create plants that glow much brighter than previously possible.

This biological light can be used by scientists for observing the inner workings of plants. In contrast to other commonly used forms of bioluminescence, such as from fireflies, unique chemical reagents are not necessary for sustaining mushroom bioluminescence. Plants containing the mushroom DNA glow continuously throughout their lifecycle, from seedling to maturity.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 has been observed to cause a higher incidence and greater severity of disease in males, as seen in multiple cohorts across the globe. The reasons for gender disparity in disease severity is unclear and can be due to host factors. To determine whether males have delayed viral clearance after infection, we evaluated the time to clearance in symptomatic patients tested by serial oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs followed by RT-PCR at a reference lab in Mumbai, India. A total of 68 subjects with median age of 37 years (3−75 range) were examined and included 48 (71%) males and 20 (29%) females. We observed that females were able to achieve viral clearance significantly earlier than males, with a median difference of 2 days in achieving a negative PCR result (P value = 0.038). Furthermore, examination of 3 families with both male and female patients followed serially, demonstrated that female members of the same household cleared the SARS-CoV2 infection earlier in each family. To determine reasons for delayed clearance in males, we examined the expression patterns of the SARS-CoV2 receptor, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), in tissue specific repositories. We observed that the testes was one of the highest sites of ACE2 expression in 3 independent RNA expression databases (Human Protein Atlas, FAMTOM5 and GETx). ACE2 was also determined to be highly expressed in testicular cells at the protein levels. Interestingly, very little expression of ACE2 was seen in ovarian tissue. Taken together, these observations demonstrate for the first time that male subjects have delayed viral clearance of SARS-CoV2. High expression of ACE2 in testes raises the possibility that testicular viral reservoirs may play a role in viral persistence in males and should be further investigated.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Patent describes system that rewards users with digital currency every time they view an advertisement or use a certain internet service.

Provention Bio is on track to complete submission of a BLA for its T1D drug Teplizumab by the end of 2020.

This will revolutionise treatment of at-risk T1D patients. The company received the Breakthrough Therapy Designation from FDA.

The company is significantly undervalued on this indication alone — but has enormous potential in other indications.

Scientists typically use a method known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but it requires bulky and expensive equipment and considerable expertise to perform correctly. That means DNA samples collected in the field normally have to be sent to dedicated laboratories for testing, which makes it hard to detect diseases or harmful pathogens quickly.

A new testing system developed by researchers at the Army Medical University in China may help to fill that gap by allowing on-the-spot DNA tests in as quick as 80 minutes. According to the researchers, their test achieves 97 percent accuracy using simple 3D printed parts that attach to a standard smartphone and weigh less than 100 g rams (0.22 pounds).

At the heart of the system is an “i-chip” just four centimeters long that includes integrated sample preparation, DNA amplification, and signal detection modules. The various reagents required to carry out the test can be pre-loaded in the device, and the researchers showed that these could be kept for up to ten weeks at room temperature without loss of performance.

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An exhibition at the Science Gallery Dublin explores how humans are preparing to live in the harsh conditions of outer space — and how microorganisms might help us do so.

Space traveling is closer than many of us think. NASA has plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s, and Elon Musk seems to have taken on a personal challenge of establishing a city on the red planet. He says the Martian city should reach a million inhabitants within 40 to 100 years.

However, the human body is not adapted to life in space. In zero gravity, muscles lose force, bones lose density, vision becomes blurry, and the immune system grows weaker. A study that sent astronaut Scott Kelly to space for a year showed that the regulation of his DNA — but not its actual sequence — changed as compared to his twin brother, who stayed on Earth.

It sounds like magic, but Bar-Ilan University researchers say the environmentally friendly disinfectant may be used daily to kill bacteria and viruses on all kinds of surfaces.