Latest news with #February2022
Medscape
28-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
More Data Cement COVID's Impact on Patients With Cancer
TOPLINE: New data confirm the impact COVID infection can have on patients with cancer and identified several risk factors associated with hospitalization and death. Receipt of chemotherapy as well as a baseline history of stroke, atrial fibrillation, or pulmonary embolism were each associated with nearly double the risk for COVID-related hospitalization. Prior vaccination halved this risk. Older age and earlier hospitalization were associated with a greater risk for death. METHODOLOGY: Patients undergoing active cancer treatment are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 due to immunosuppression, but risk factors for hospitalization and death are not well-defined. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study involving 1572 patients with cancer (median age, 60 years; 53.4% women), enrolled within 14 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test; participants had received active treatment for cancer within 6 weeks before testing or had undergone prior stem cell transplant or CAR T-cell therapy. Patient screening and enrollment took place between May 2020 and February 2022. Treatments included chemotherapy (34.3%), targeted therapy (27.7%), and immunotherapy (10.6%). Breast (23.6%) and lung (13.9%) cancers were the most common cancer types. Overall, 64% of participants had metastatic disease, and at enrollment, 64% had not received a COVID vaccine. Study outcomes were COVID-related hospitalization or death. Risk factors for hospitalization and for death among hospitalized patients were evaluated separately. TAKEAWAY: At 90 days after an initial positive test, COVID-related mortality was 3% and remained stable at subsequent follow-ups. The highest incidence occurred in patients with lymphoma, followed by those with acute leukemia or lung cancer; the lowest incidence occurred in those with other types of solid tumors and blood cancers. Hospitalization for COVID-19 occurred in 18.4% of patients within 90 days of enrollment. The risk for hospitalization was elevated among patients who received chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR], 1.97) and those with a history of stroke, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary embolism (HR, 1.78). Vaccination prior to infection reduced the risk for hospitalization by nearly half (HR, 0.52). Hospitalization for COVID-19 within 30 days of infection was associated with an increased risk for death (HR, 14.6). Among patients hospitalized for COVID within 30 days, age 65 years or older was the only significant predictor of COVID-specific death (HR, 3.49). Over the 2-year follow-up, there were 1739 disruptions to cancer treatment; 50.7% of these were attributed to COVID-19, and most occurred within 30 days of a positive test. IN PRACTICE: 'The data from this prospective cohort study confirm and expand previous retrospective case series that have found factors, including hematologic cancers, chemotherapy receipt, and lung cancer, as associated with COVID-19 severity,' the authors of the study wrote, noting that the results 'showed that COVID-19 had a significant impact on patients with cancer, including hospitalization, treatment disruptions, and death.' SOURCE: This study, led by Brian I. Rini, MD, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, was published online in JAMA Oncology. LIMITATIONS: Information on specific strains was not available. This study lacked a control group of patients without COVID-19, which limited causal inference. Additionally, as participants were enrolled through the National Cancer Institute trial networks, generalizability to a broader population could be limited. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded in part by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Network, Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network, and Community Oncology Research Program grants via the U10 funding mechanism. Several authors declared receiving grants and/or personal fees and having other ties with various sources. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
RNZ News
30-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
New recycling rules one year on
It's now been more than a year since legislation aligned recycling rules for most of the country, how has that gone? The changes meant only plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5 would be collected by kerbside recyclers and that all lids would have to be removed and put in the rubbish. At the time of the change in February last year 16 per cent of items in recycling bins was typically not able to be recycled and were contaminating bins. The alignment was for all councils with kerbside recycling to follow the same rules, as previously they differed per region. So now that it has been more than a year since the changes, how have they gone, and how much of our plastic is still being bundled off to buyers overseas? The Ministry for the Environment's general manager of waste systems and operations Shaun Lewis. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
The Standard
22-06-2025
- Science
- The Standard
South Korea to raise concerns to US over potential curbs on chipmakers' China operations
Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo
The Standard
12-06-2025
- Climate
- The Standard
New Russian ambassador tells Trump he will work to restore relations
A pedestrian walks with an umbrella outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation, near the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Russian drone attack targets Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine
The Russian military launched a large-scale drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, authorities reported early on Friday. At least eight people were injured in the attack, including two teenagers, military governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram. The strike, which involved at least eight combat drones, targeted a "municipal enterprise," Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, without providing further details. He added that a major fire broke out on the company premises. The Russian military has been intensifying its attacks on major Ukrainian cities for several weeks, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence, which started in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
