Infection and Immunity nieuws
Feb 1: COVID-19 vaccination study in Down syndrome started
After the first vaccinations for care workers, the vaccination of residents of nursing homes and institutions for the disabled has now also started. On a visit to such an institution, Minister Hugo de Jonge spontaneously received a big hug from grateful resident Fred, a man with Down syndrome. “That hug shows exactly why it is important to vaccinate this group quickly,” says pediatric infectiologist Louis Bont at UMC Utrecht.
Read moreJan 27: Clonal dissemination is a major driver of VRE resistance
Clonal dissemination appears to be the major driver of the spread of one type of vancomycin resistance in Dutch hospitals, followed by horizontal plasmid-mediated dissemination. This study by investigators at UMC Utrecht demonstrates the feasibility of distinguishing between modes of dissemination with short-read data and provides a novel assessment method to estimate the relative contribution of nested genomic elements in the dissemination of vancomycin resistance.
Read moreJan 22: Full-dose blood thinners improved outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Three clinical trial platforms spanning five continents in over 300 hospitals, have been working together since May 2020 to urgently test whether there is a greater benefit of full doses of heparin (blood thinners) to treat adults hospitalized for non-critical COVID-19 illness compared to the lower dose typically administered to prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
Read moreJan 18: Tuberculosis vaccine does not protect vulnerable elderly against COVID-19
The BCG vaccine does not offer vulnerable elderly people protection against the symptoms of COVID-19. These are the initial results of the BCG-PRIME study among 6,132 vulnerable patients aged 60 and over. Research into the existing tuberculosis vaccine started in September 2020 and was carried out in 20 Dutch hospitals, including all UMCs and the Santeon top clinical hospitals.
Read moreInternational Trial of SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Plasma Pauses Enrollment of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
The REMAP-CAP trial, which is testing the effects of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe illness has paused enrollment for severely ill COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support.
Read moreReduced mortality for sickest COVID-19 patients
Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with drugs typically used for arthritis may significantly improve survival, a landmark study has found. The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, come from the REMAP-CAP trial, which evaluates the effect of treatments on a combination of survival and length of time patients need support in an intensive care unit (ICU).
Read moreDec 22: International Trials of Blood Thinners Pause Enrollment of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Three clinical trial platforms working together to test the effects of full doses of anticoagulants (blood thinners) in COVID-19 patients have paused enrollment for one group of patients. Among critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support, therapeutic anticoagulation drugs did not improve outcomes. Enrollment continues for moderately ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the trials.
Read moreDec 21: UMC Utrecht starts clinical trial with COVID-19 vaccine
UMC Utrecht will start a study with the COVID-19 candidate vaccine from CureVac on 28 December. A total of approximately 2,000 volunteers in the Netherlands will be recruited to participate in this study. The availability of multiple vaccines against corona is crucial to slow down and, if possible, stop the pandemic. Volunteers who want to participate in this study can register via www.vaccinatiestudie.nl.
Read moreDec 15: Value of immune monitoring after stem cell transplantation in children
Immune monitoring of children after hematopoietic stem cell therapy may provide useful information to improve efficacy of treatment and reduce the occurrence of complications. In addition, immune monitoring may in the future be used for a personalized treatment in children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Read moreDec 12: Solution for chronic pain one step closer
Important steps have been taken at UMC Utrecht in understanding the cause of chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis and inflammation. This could also lead to new effective treatments in the future. More than 20 percent of the Dutch suffer from chronic pain. About 40 percent of this group has osteoarthritis. This type of chronic pain has been difficult to treat so far. Ramin Raoof obtained his PhD on 11 December for research into this.
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