- A large electronic health records study found SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with elevated risks of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer. The study included data from nearly 5 million participants, over 1.2 million of whom had a documented SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020. Over a three-year follow-up period, researchers found that the participants who’d had COVID-19 were more likely to develop new HPV-related cancers, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and oropharyngeal (a specific part of the throat) cancers. The study, published in Discover Oncology, adds to a growing body of research that suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to an increased risk of various cancers.
- A small study in the Journal of Translation Medicine found a potential blood test for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Researchers assessed the blood of 47 people with ME, compared to 61 controls. Using a specific test of gene expression changes (epigenetics) that the researchers had previously developed, called EpiSwitch, they were able to identify the disease with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 98%. Still, some outside researchers said the results are “premature” and need to be validated in larger independent studies.
- Researchers have developed a device that may be able to accurately measure fibrinaloid microclots in children. In the study, shared in a preprint, researchers used the device to test the blood of 45 children with Long COVID, comparing them to 14 healthy controls. “We estimated a 94% accuracy for the microclot count using the devices,” the authors wrote, stating that they also found the highest microclot counts in samples from patients who also had SARS-CoV-2 spike protein present in their blood samples. Researchers have long theorized that microclots may drive some Long COVID symptoms. The study’s authors stated their results will need to be validated in larger and more diverse populations, and that the test could be used as a biomarker.
