FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
A week of grim global COVID-19 milestones — except in Africa
November 25th, 2020 The past week saw the United States hit more than 12m COVID-19 infections, with a quarter of a million dead, while Europe was caught in a second wave that has new cases growing five-fold and deaths up four-and-a-half-fold to 5,000 per day....
Arthritis drug effective in most severely ill COVID-19 patients
November 25th, 2020 The rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab significantly improves outcomes in ICU patients with COVID-19, show early results from the Remap-Cap international platform trial. Previous studies produced mixed results. The findings have not been...CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH
AstraZeneca seeks WHO emergency approval for its up to 90% effective vaccine
AstraZeneca said Monday, 23 November, that trials showed its coronavirus vaccine AZD1222 was up to... November 25th, 2020Meta-analysis: COVID-19 associated with 74% increased risk of thrombo-embolism mortality
While respiratory issues continue to be the most common symptom of a COVID-19 infection, a... November 25th, 2020Guidelines on oxygen saturations as an admission criterion may be set too high — Large UK study
A UK study found that current NHS guidelines on blood oxygen levels, that between 94 and 98 per...
November 25th, 2020
FDA emergency authorisation for Regeneron's experimental antibody given to Trump
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for casirivimab... November 25th, 2020MMR vaccine may protect against COVID-19 — Analysis of mumps titres in 80 adults
A US study of 80 subjects found a statistically significant inverse correlation between mumps titre... November 25th, 2020Antidepressant drug repurposed for patients with coronavirus infection — JAMA
In a preliminary randomised clinical trial of COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate disease who... November 25th, 2020To turn COVID-19 tide, test sensitivity matters less than frequency and speed — Harvard/Colorado model
Testing half the population weekly with inexpensive, rapid-turnaround COVID-19 tests would drive... November 25th, 2020BREAKING NEWS
Eastern and Western Capes hit by strong resurgence of COVID-19
Although not yet defined by the Health minister as a second surge, COVID-19 cases in the Eastern... November 25th, 2020WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Sinopharm: A million vaccinations with no serious adverse reactions
Almost a million people have been given an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Sinopharm... November 25th, 2020Australian anti-COVID nasal spray gets state funding for human testing
A new nasal spray with the potential to fight COVID-19 and other respiratory viral infections will... November 25th, 2020Netcare: R3.7bn revenue loss due to pandemic but 'steady recovery' predicted
The coronavirus pandemic put Netcare’s profits under pressure in its year to end-September, when... November 25th, 2020NEWS RELEASES
ANTICOV clinical trial will be carried out at 19 sites in 13 African countries
Thirteen African countries and an international network of research institutions have joined forces... November 25th, 2020Solidarity: Junior doctors' internship placement system 'old-fashioned and impractical'
Solidarity highlighted the inefficient and harmful process by which junior health practitioners are... November 25th, 2020DA: Gauteng Health criticised for poor planning of Covid infrastructure
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is not surprised that the Health Portfolio... November 25th, 2020COHSASA: First Rwanda hospital achieves four-year accreditation
King Faisal Hospital Kigali has become the first hospital in Rwanda to receive a four-year... November 25th, 2020Local manufacturing of six-in-one paediatric vaccine
Cape Town based, biotech company, Biovac, has begun local manufacturing of global pharmaceutical... November 25th, 2020MEDICLINIC NEWCASTLE – Independent Doctor (Psychiatry)
Private Practice Opportunity
Organization: Mediclinic Newcastle
Position: Independent Doctor (Psychiatry)
Deadline: Open
Contact: japie.greyling@mediclinic.co.za
MEDICLINIC NEWCASTLE – Independent Doctor (Obstetrician & Gynaecologist)
Private Practice Opportunity
Organization: Mediclinic Newcastle
Position: Independent Doctor (Obstetrician & Gynaecologist)
Deadline: Open
Contact: japie.greyling@mediclinic.co.za
MEDICLINIC NEWCASTLE – Independent Doctor (General Surgery)
Private Practice Opportunity
Organization: Mediclinic Newcastle
Position: Independent Doctor (General Surgery)
Deadline: Open
Contact: japie.greyling@mediclinic.co.za
CARDIOLOGY
Healthy sleep habits linked to 42% lower risk of heart failure —UK Biobank data
Adults with the healthiest sleep patterns had a 42% lower risk of heart failure regardless of other risk factors compared to adults with unhealthy sleep patterns, according to a large observational study appearing in the American Heart Association's...
November 25th, 2020
DIETETICS
Older age no barrier to lifestyle management of obesity
Obese patients over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people using only lifestyle changes, according to a study from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust that...
November 25th, 2020
GERONTOLOGY
Hyperbaric oxygen: Clinical trial reverses 2 cellular processes linked to ageing
An Israeli study indicates that hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) in healthy ageing adults can stop the ageing of blood cells and reverse the shortening of chromal telomeres. In the biological sense, the adults' blood cells actually grow younger...
November 25th, 2020