Research Letter December 30, 2021 Characteristics and Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients in South Africa During the COVID-19 Omicron Wave Compared With Previous Waves Caroline Maslo, Richard Friedland, Mande Toubkin, et al JAMA. Published online December 30, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.24868 On November 24, 2021, a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, Omicron (B.1.1.529), was identified in South Africa as responsible ...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Oral Nirmatrelvir for High-Risk, Nonhospitalized Adults with Covid-19 Jennifer Hammond, Heidi Leister-Tebbe, Annie Gardner, et al N Engl J Med February 16, 2022DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2118542 Abstract BACKGROUND Nirmatrelvir is an orally administered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitor with potent pan–human-coronavirus activity in vitro. METHODS We conducted a phase 2–3 double-blind, randomized...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Efficacy and Safety of NVX-CoV2373 in Adults in the United States and Mexico Lisa M. Dunkle, Karen L. Kotloff, Cynthia L. Gay, et al N Engl J Med 2022; 386:531-543DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2116185 Abstract BACKGROUND NVX-CoV2373 is an adjuvanted, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle vaccine that was shown to have clinical efficacy for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in phase 2b–3 trials in the United Kingdom and South Af...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 21 - Issue 4, 2021 Women in Critical Care An overview of gender inequity in critical care medicine, why there is limited progress towards gender equity in this particular specialty, barriers to women’s progress and possible solutions. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have delineated the difference between two entities - equality and equity as “Gender equality, does not mean that w...

Research Letter December 16, 2021 Antibody Response and Variant Cross-Neutralization After SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection Timothy A. Bates, Savannah K. McBride, Bradie Winders, et al JAMA. 2022;327(2):179-181. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.22898 Breakthrough infections after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 are increasingly reported, possibly due to waning of vaccine-induced antibody levels.1 Moreover, emerging variants of concern with diminished susceptibility ...

EDITORIAL Molnupiravir — A Step toward Orally Bioavailable Therapies for Covid-19 Richard Whitley N Engl J Med 2022; 386:592-593DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2117814 The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial global morbidity and mortality as well as disruption of the economies of virtually every country.1 Some of this tragedy could have been averted with the development of deliverable, orally bioavailable, direct-acting antiviral therapeutics. Molnupiravir, t...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 21 - Issue 4, 2021 Sex in the Intensive Care Change content default valueSex interplays with the development of several diseases and syndromes, impacting differently the need for intensive care unit admission between men and women. All in all, men are more prone to develop critical illness than women, which explains their over-representation in the intensive care unit. On the other hand, treatments differ between men and wo...

Original Investigation January 11, 2022 Effect of Anticoagulant Therapy for 6 Weeks vs 3 Months on Recurrence and Bleeding Events in Patients Younger Than 21 Years of Age With Provoked Venous Thromboembolism: The Kids-DOTT Randomized Clinical Trial Neil A. Goldenberg, John M. Kittelson, Thomas C. Abshire, et al JAMA. 2022;327(2):129-137. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23182 Abstract Importance  Among patients younger than 21 years of age,...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Molnupiravir for Oral Treatment of Covid-19 in Nonhospitalized Patients Angélica Jayk Bernal, Monica M. Gomes da Silva, Dany B. Musungaie, et al N Engl J Med 2022; 386:509-520DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2116044 Abstract BACKGROUND New treatments are needed to reduce the risk of progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Molnupiravir is an oral, small-molecule antiviral prodrug that is active against severe acute respiratory syndrome coro...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 21 - Issue 4, 2021 Male Sex - An Independent Risk Factor for Mortality in Very Old Intensive Care Patients Among 1,841 very old ICU patients with respiratory failure, although women had higher age and frailty, males had higher 30-day mortality assessed one month after ICU admission. Particularly in light of the ongoing pandemic, male patients appear to be at significantly higher risk for worse outcomes than females. Intr...