In a small trial, Mass General Brigham researchers found a drug designed to treat Celiac disease supported a more rapid return to normal activities for patients following COVID.

 

For most children, influenza (flu) usually means unpleasant symptoms like a fever, sore throat, and achy muscles. But for a small subset of kids, the flu can trigger a rare but serious complication called influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). This form of brain inflammation typically occurs in response to a virus — such as those that cause the flu — and can lead to lasting neurological problems and brain damage. Now, findings of a multicenter study, published today in JAMA, led by Molly Wilson-Murphy, MD, and Rachel Walsh, MD, in Boston Children’s Neuroimmunology Center suggest that ANE is often fatal in these children — despite intensive treatment.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors. The findings published today in Nature, obtained in mice, were supported by research showing increases in death and in metastatic lung disease among cancer survivors infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Researchers want doctors and parents to know about key treatment and preventive measures, including flu vaccines.

About The Study: In this case series of children with influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy from the 2 most recent influenza seasons in the U.S., the condition was associated with high morbidity and mortality in this cohort of predominantly young and previously healthy children. The findings emphasize the need for prevention, early recognition, intensive treatment, and standardized management protocols. 

The first UK study to monitor antimicrobial resistance and influenza viruses in water bodies has revealed that 92% of samples contained genes for resistance to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort.