plasma

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You Might Catch Some Cool Aurora Action Monday

Geomagnetic storm watch due to solar flare could also interfere with radio transmissions, per NOAA

(Newser) - Space weather forecasters have issued a geomagnetic storm watch through Monday, saying an outburst of plasma from a solar flare could interfere with radio transmissions on Earth. It could also make for great aurora viewing. There's no reason for the public to be concerned, according to the alert issued...

For Some COVID Patients, This Is Liquid Gold
For Some 
COVID Patients,
This Is Liquid Gold
NEW STUDY

For Some COVID Patients, This Is Liquid Gold

Convalescent plasma reduces risk of severe illness in small study

(Newser) - The FDA gave "investigational" approval for COVID-19 patients to receive blood plasma from recovered patients in the spring, then expanded that approval in the summer. Now results from a clinical trial are in, and they "conclusively point toward … beneficial effects" if administered early on, reports the New ...

PR Shakeup Follows Plasma Exaggeration

FDA removes Emily Miller as spokeswoman after 11 days

(Newser) - Commissioner Stephen Hahn fired the Food and Drug Administration's spokeswoman on Friday, after a bungled announcement of a blood plasma treatment for COVID-19. Emily Miller had been on the job 11 days, the New York Times reports. The contract of a public relations consultant, who had urged Hahn to...

FDA Chief: I Made a Mistake on Plasma Stat

Stephen Hahn overstated effectiveness of coronavirus treatment

(Newser) - Last weekend, FDA chief Stephen Hahn stood with President Trump and extolled the use of plasma as a coronavirus treatment. Trump said convalescent plasma "has proven to reduce mortality by 35%," and Hahn, while qualifying things a bit more, echoed the point. "What that means is—and...

Another Big Star Had COVID, Donates 'Liquid Gold'

Bryan Cranston of 'Breaking Bad' offers up his plasma to help virus patients fight the disease

(Newser) - He became famous for Breaking Bad, but don't expect Bryan Cranston to be breaking social-distancing protocol anytime soon. That's because the 64-year-old actor knows all too well how easy it is to contract COVID-19: He's what Rolling Stone calls one of the "lucky celebrities" who've...

Scientists Test New Way Blood May Help Fight COVID

They're trying to figure out if plasma from recovered patients can prevent the disease

(Newser) - Survivors of COVID-19 are donating their blood plasma in droves in hopes it helps other patients recover from the coronavirus. And while the jury’s still out, now scientists are testing if the donations might also prevent infection in the first place, per the AP . Thousands of coronavirus patients in...

Red Cross Move on Virus 'Completely Changes the Landscape'

Antibody test showing who's had COVID-19 could pinpoint potential plasma donors

(Newser) - The American Red Cross plans to begin offering antibody tests to potential donors who suspect they've recovered from the coronavirus, reports ABC News . The hope is that blood from people who've already recovered could be used to treat sick patients. Scientists don't know whether such blood actually...

Promising Virus Treatment Involves Blood Donors

Plasma from people who have recovered from COVID might help

(Newser) - The process is known as convalescent plasma, but the principle is simpler to state: Give blood from recovered coronavirus patients to those who are sick. The FDA is allowing such treatments to take place under "investigational" approval, and the numbers are growing, along with optimism, reports ABC News . So...

Coronavirus Fix Helped 'Critically Ill Patients' in China

New York's Mount Sinai Hospital leads the charge in America

(Newser) - A new study supports the notion that blood from recovered coronavirus patients can help others battle the disease, Fox News reports. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , it found positive results among five "critically ill" patients in China who received an experimental plasma transfusion. Four of...

FDA: Beware of Young Blood Transfusions

They're 'potentially harmful,' and claims aren't proven

(Newser) - The FDA has come down hard on young blood transfusions, touted by startups in several states as an anti-aging "cure" that can improve strength, memory, and even reverse the effects of Alzheimer's. Infusions of blood plasma from young donors into older patients "should not be assumed to...

Schizophrenic Donor Can Take Plasma Center to Court for Discrimination

Octapharma in Salt Lake City refused to let Brent Levorsen donate

(Newser) - A man with schizophrenia will be able to take a plasma-donation company to court for discrimination following a ruling this week, Courthouse News Service reports. Octapharma Plasma in Salt Lake City told Brent Levorsen he couldn't donate out of fear he would have a schizophrenic episode during the process....

Vast Solar Storm Flings Plasma Toward Earth

Some flights grounded as a precaution

(Newser) - A stream of charged plasma is headed toward Earth today, thanks to the biggest solar storm since 2005. The storm poses a small, manageable threat to satellites, power grids, and other high-tech hardware, and could cause some spectacular displays of light and color, the LA Times reports. The National Oceanic...

Docs Alarmed after Mad Cow Linked to Plasma Transfusion

Risk of infection with fatal disease was previously said be very low

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the first case of mad cow caused by tainted blood plasma, the Telegraph reports. The elderly British man, who died from other causes, received blood transfusions years before doctors imposed restrictions to halt the spread of the fatal disease. Scientists had previously insisted the 4,000 people...

In Need of a Buck, Many Donate Plasma

Donors seek 'a little extra gas money'

(Newser) - With unemployment and costs of living up, blood plasma donations are an increasingly popular option for those in need of a little extra cash, the Chicago Tribune reports. Donors compensated with $20 to $45 are an invaluable part of a $10 billion dollar industry that supplies drugs to fight hemophilia...

Top 10 HDTVs—Starting at $1K
Top 10 HDTVs—Starting at $1K

Top 10 HDTVs—Starting at $1K

Forbes picks the top 10, and busts a high-res myth

(Newser) - Forbes cuts through the confusion surrounding high-res flat-screens, picking 10 HDTVs that will give you a fab picture and a price tag to make you weep—with joy:
  1. Sharp AQUOS 37" LCD LC-37D43U, $1,000
  2. Olevia 42" LCD 342i, $1,000
  3. Philips 42" Plasma 42PF7321D, $1,000

15 Stories