Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA

Increased respiratory viral testing for COVID-19 and Influenza could have contributed to improved antibiotic prescribing for respiratory symptoms.

The course of COVID-19 illness was likely to be less severe than of influenza in a study of hospitalized children.

Investigators in Brazil attribute Trichosporon asahii fungemia in critically ill COVID-19 patients to “overexposure” to antibiotics and corticosteroids.

Five people in 4 US states in the 20-21 influenza season contracted influenza A virus variants commonly spread among pigs, but without person-to-person spread.

Pre-existing medical conditions as well as "medical complexity" increase risk for severe COVID-19 illness and hospitalization in children.

Rapid respiratory virus test results for children in an emergency department could be received too late to inform antibiotic prescribing.

A county-level study of COVID-19 vaccination rates by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals substantially lower rates in rural than in urban areas in the US.

Study of biomarkers of epigenetic aging in patients with HIV finds antiretroviral therapy partially reverses the accelerated aging associated with the infection.

As pre-existing conditions like diabetes are linked to more severe COVID-19, neurological symptoms could portend higher risk of in-hospital death.

Rifapentine-moxifloxacin based anti-tuberculosis regimen shortened the conventional six-month course of treatment to four.

Machine learning improves prediction of bacterial sepsis among immunocompromised recipients of stem cell transplant.

The 6th major component of the 1-year old ACTIV public-private initiative of the NIH will test candidate drugs to repurpose for COVID-19.

Severe blood clots reported with 2 COVID-19 vaccines are rare, but possible heightening of vaccine hesitancy would lower floodgates to pandemic waves

Pathologic antibodies to platelet factor 4 in patients who developed clots after the AstraZeneca vaccine indicates treatment include non-heparin anticoagulant.

Updated review and meta-analysis identifies the classes of antibiotics most strongly linked to healthcare facility-associated Clostridioides difficile infection.

Laboratory escape is described as an extremely unlikely source for SARS-CoV-2 in new WHO report, but questions posed to the researchers remain open.

Higher hitamin D levels could be needed in Black persons than in White persons to support immune system and reduce risk of COVID-19.

Serum neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from infection or vaccination were found to recognize and act against new variants of the virus.

Recruitment for a phase 2 trial of a novel antibiotic against Clostridium difficile (C diff) is proceeding after phase 1 demonstrated safety and tolerability.

Strong immunologic responses to vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 survivors suggest that first of 2-dose vaccination could suffice.

One month after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of monthly rilpivirine/cabotegravir (Cabenuva) for HIV, Janssen has submitted evidence of efficacy with dosing every 2 months.

A review of approximately 1000 children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) from SARS-Cov-2 finds low fatality with aggressive treatment.

An investigational HCV vaccine induced immunologic response and was well tolerated, but did not protect against infection.

HIV-associated wasting remains common complication despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy.

An orally administered adsorbent to prevent antibiotic disruption of intestinal flora enters phase 3 trial against clostridium difficile (C diff) in patients with hematologic malignancies.

A protein subunit vaccine candidate for COVID-19 demonstrated safety and immunogenicity in a phase 1, placebo-controlled, dose escalation trial.

In the most recent trials of tocilizumab for COVID-19, patients with moderate illness benefited but survival rate of severely ill did not improve or worsened.

Presence of GI symptoms with COVID-19 was associated with increased likelihood of severe illness.

“Federated learning,” a new machine learning technique, could improve prediction of COVID-19 outcomes and enhance patient triage and care.

Interest and evidence for "repurposing" antiparasitic invermectin for COVID-19 is increasing.