, joined the MJH Life Sciences team in November 2020. He graduated from William Paterson University with a degree in liberal studies, and concentrations in history and psychology. He enjoys film, reading, and pretending he is a good cook. Follow him on Twitter 

Killian Meara

A recent study conducted by investigators from the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine have found that individuals living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are at a higher risk of contracting and dying from 

Results from the study were published in the journal 

"Previous studies were inconclusive on whether or not HIV is a risk factor for susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and poor outcomes in populations with COVID-19," Paddy Ssentongo, lead researcher and assistant professor at the Penn State Center for Neural Engineering said. "This is because a vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS are on ART, some of which have been used experimentally to treat COVID-19."

For the study, the investigators assessed data from 22 studies that were previously conducted and included roughly 21 million participants who lived in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

Of the participants, 66% were male with a median age of 56 years old. Comorbidities included hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease. Additionally, 96% of the participants were on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

The goal of the study was to determine how susceptible people who are living with HIV or AIDS are to an infection with SARS-CoV-2 or dying from COVID-19.

Findings from the study showed that those living with HIV had a 24% higher risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as a 78% higher risk of death from COVID-19. The investigators believe that this is because pre-existing conditions are common among those living with HIV and AIDS.

"As the pandemic has evolved, we've obtained sufficient information to characterize the epidemiology of HIV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection, which could not be done at the beginning of the pandemic due to scarcity of data," Vernon Chinchilli, a co-author on the study said. "Our findings support the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to prioritize persons living with HIV to receive a COVID-19 vaccine."

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People living with HIV/AIDS were found to have 24% higher risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Those Living With HIV at Higher Risk of Infection and Mortality From COVID-19

A recent study conducted by investigators from Georgia State University, in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, has discovered that patients infected with 

 who experienced a fever or received oxygen therapy show reduced gray matter volume in the frontal-temporal network of their brain.

"Science has shown that the brain's structure affects its function, and abnormal brain imaging has emerged as a major feature of Covid-19," Kuaikuai Duan, first author on the study said. "Previous studies have examined how the brain is affected by Covid-19 using a univariate approach, but ours is the first to use a multivariate, data-driven approach to link these changes to specific Covid-19 characteristics (for example fever and lack of oxygen) and outcome (disability level)."

For the study, the team of investigators analyzed computed tomography scans of 120 neurological patients. Of those patients, 58 had a confirmed infection with COVID-19 and 62 did not.

The team employed the use of source-based morphometry analysis, which boosts the statistical power in studies who do not have a large enough sample size.

Findings from the study showed that patients who had higher levels of disability had lower volumes of gray matter in the superior, medial and middle frontal gyri when they were discharged from the hospital and at 6 months follow up.

Additionally, patients who had a fever had significantly reduced gray matter volume in the inferior and middle temporal gyri and the fusiform gyrus in comparison to those who did not develop a fever.

"Neurological complications are increasingly documented for patients with Covid-19," Vince Calhoun, a senior author on the study said. "A reduction of gray matter has also been shown to be present in other mood disorders such as schizophrenia and is likely related to the way that gray matter influences neuron function.”

Patients who developed a fever showed reduced volumes of gray matter compared to those who did not.

Gray Matter Volume in Brain May be Altered by COVID-19

A recent study conducted by investigators from the Mayo Clinic has discovered that patients who have been diagnosed with post-

 syndrome, otherwise known as COVID-19 long-haul syndrome, can experience cognitive impairment, fatigue and mood disorders which could impact returning to work or taking part in normal activities.

"Most patients in the study had no preexisting comorbidities prior to COVID-19 infection, and many did not experience symptoms related to COVID-19 that were severe enough to require hospitalization," Greg Vanichkachorn, first author on the study said. "Most of the patients had normal or nondiagnostic lab and imaging results, despite having debilitating symptoms. That's among the challenges of diagnosing PCS in a timely way and then responding effectively."

For the study, the investigators followed the first 100 patients to take part in the Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Activity Rehabilitation program (CARP), a multidisciplinary program which is aiming to evaluate and treat patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.

The participants were 68% female with a mean age of 45, and were evaluated a mean of 93 days after their infection with COVID-19.

Results from the study showed that the most common symptom reported was fatigue, with around 80% of the participants experiencing it. Respiratory complaints were seen in 59% of the patients, with a similar amount reporting neurologic complaints.

One of the most distressing findings showed that more than 1/3 of the participants said that they had trouble performing basic activities of daily living.

"While many patients had fatigue, more than half also reported troubles with thinking, commonly known as 'brain fog.' And more than one-third of patients had trouble with basic activities of life. Many could not resume their normal work life for at least several months." Vanichkachorn said. "As the pandemic continues, we expect to see more patients who experience symptoms long after infection, and health care providers need to prepare for this, know what to look for, and know how to best provide for their patients' needs."

One-third of the participants reported that they had trouble performing basic, daily living activities.

Mood Disorders Associated in Patients With COVID-19 Long-Haul Syndrome

A recent study conducted by investigators from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has found that pregnant women who are hospitalized due to 

 and viral pneumonia are less likely to die from the infections than non-pregnant women.

"At the start of the pandemic, the existing data showed that pregnant women would face severe complications if they contracted the virus," Jacqueline Parchem, a co-author on the study. said "While pregnant women are certainly susceptible to severe complications of COVID-19 including death, we view these data has reassuring that the absolute risk of death is low."

For the study, the team of investigators examined the medical records of roughly 1,100 patients who were pregnant and 9,800 who were not. All of the patients were between the ages of 15-45 and were hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Results from the study showed that less than 1% of the pregnant patients died, compared to 3.5% of the non-pregnant patients.

The investigators believe that this may be because the pregnant patients were more likely to be younger with fewer underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, chronic lung disease or diabetes.

However, they stressed that because of the small numbers of deaths in the study, they could not determine if the conditions have any significant impact on the risk of mortality.

"We had expected to confirm the results of the CDC and other U.S. researchers showing that pregnancy increases the risk for dying from COVID-19,” Beth Pineles, first author on the study said. “However, once we compared our results to data from the UK and reviewed the CDC reports more carefully, we found confirmation that our results were likely to represent the true risks of COVID-19 in these populations, despite the limitation of pregnant women being younger and healthier than non-pregnant women."

Less than 1% of the pregnant women died during the study period, compared to 3.5% of the non-pregnant patients.