Category: Infectious Diseases
Newsworthy from the Department of Medicine, Week of October 29 – November 4
The below clickable headlines link directly to outside media outlets and feature UNC Department of Medicine faculty, starting Friday, November 4, 2021. What every parent should know about Halloween safety | Four 2 Five – Dr. Emily Sickbert-Bennett (MSN.com) Food Allergy Families Seek Out Hard-to-Find Immunotherapy – Dr. Edwin Kim (WebMD) Pandemic-related drinking causing spike in … Read more
Carolina Research Leads to Effective Experimental Pill to Treat COVID-19
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research set the stage to seek emergency authorization of the first oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19, a pill developed by the pharmaceutical companies Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. William Fischer, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine led pivotal clinical trials on the drug molnupiravir. Scientists at the University of North Ca … Read more
Department of Medicine Grants & Funding: September 1 – September 30, 2021
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD, received an NC TraCS pilot grant award. Division of Geriatric Medicine Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, received an NC TraCS pilot grant award. UNC’s Center for Aging and Health received a two-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services grant (with University o … Read more
6 Bedtower Earns Gold Beacon of Excellence
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has awarded 6 Bedtower (6BT) a gold-level “Beacon Award for Excellence” at UNC Medical Center. The Beacon application unfolds a story of a nursing unit’s continuous pursuit of excellence and often tells a story of resilience. Patient Services Manager Turkeisha Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC, says the three-year recognition represents … Read more
Medicine Researchers Receive NC TraCS Pilot Grant Awards
NC TraCS recently announced the recipients of new pilot grant awards, and five recipients are from the Department of Medicine. Following is a list of the recipients and their project titles. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD (Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology) Project Title: Safety, Tolerability, and Biosignature of Humanized Prebiotics in Healthy Adults J … Read more
Researchers Seek Suggestions for Improving HIV Research Participation Among Youth in Low and Middle-Income Countries
There are many social, ethical, and legal challenges associated with obtaining consent for young people to participate in HIV research studies. As a result, youth are often excluded from HIV research, resulting in data gaps. Suzanne Day, PhD, MA, and Joe Tucker, MD, from the division of infectious diseases, are seeking to address this gap and encourage participation in a crowdsou … Read more
Parr, Senior Author of Study That Shows Plasmodium Falciparum Evolving to Escape Malaria Rapid Diagnostics in Africa
A major tool against malaria in Africa has been the use of rapid diagnostic tests, which have been part of the “test-treat-track” strategy in Ethiopia, the second most-populated country in Africa. But researchers studying blood samples from more than 12,000 individuals in Ethiopia now estimate these tests missed nearly 10% of malaria cases caused by the parasite Plasmodium falcip … Read more
Weber Study of UV Disinfection Technologies Referenced in Market Research News
A study by David Weber, MD, MPH, which offers key insights on UV disinfection technologies, was referenced in a press release that recognizes the global UV disinfection equipment market is expected to reach $6.73 billion by 2025. Weber’s study considered the specifics of manual cleaning, disinfection, and polychromatic actions. Weber is professor of medicine in the division of i … Read more
COVID Vaccine Updates Feature David Wohl
David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, was featured in a number of COVID-19 articles the week of September 10-15. NC Reacts to COVID Vaccine Order – News & Observer (September 11, 2021) As political, medical and business leaders in North Carolina show mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 mandate, David Wohl, MD, told the … Read more
Durham School Board Will Collect Vaccination Data Before Deciding Whether to Mandate Vaccines for its Employees
Indyweek covered a recent Durham public school board meeting designed to weigh the pros and cons of requiring mandatory COVID vaccine shots for teachers and staff. The board members opted to develop a plan of action based on data that will indicate what percentage of school employees have already received the vaccine. David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of … Read more
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Governor Cooper Signs Executive Order Aimed to Expand Access to COVID-19 Antibody Treatment
Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order expanding access to monoclonal antibody treatments that have the potential to prevent people from dying of COVID-19. The emergency-use treatment is used on high-risk COVID-19 patients who experience symptoms within 10 days of testing positive. This treatment is reported to be similar to what was used on former President Donald Trump w … Read more
UNC Antibody Treatment Could Reduce COVID-19 Hospitalizations By Nearly 80%
Researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are looking into a new treatment for COVID-19. Vice chair of the study, Dr. David Wohl, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, says the monoclonal antibody cocktail is able to attach to the virus and prevent it from hurting people. Watch the report.