@SimonoffBob @Hawknest24 Hey! Check this out 👉 This paper proposes mechanisms by which #PMS may be part of a broader set of #infectious illnesses that are exacerbated by cyclic changes in immunosuppression, which are induced by cyclic changes in estrogen and progesterone: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17468…
@SimonoffBob @Hawknest24 Our own team’s work has focused greatly on how nuclear receptors that control #hormone expression (like alpha-thyroid, VDR etc) also express key genes associated with the human immune response + innate immunity towards infection: microbeminded.com/wp-content/upl…
@SimonoffBob @Hawknest24 Here we show that VDR receptor expression changes during the #menstrual cycle - especially in the cycling endometrium 👉 That, in turn, alters how innate immune peptides under VDR control allow a woman’s body to manage infection/microbiome dysbiosis: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19758…
@SimonoffBob @Hawknest24 All of the above (and similar trends) cld be impacted by traumatic #brain injury 👉 b/c it is well known that trauma to the brain can dysregulate the gut microbiome (via the gut-brain axis): frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…
If you are a patient that meets #ME/CFS and #PEM criteria, info on the specific #infections or exposures that led to onset or exacerbation of your symptoms is of major importance. That info will help you pursue personalized treatment.
2/ That is because many of the infections you've sustained may still be #persisting in your body - in your tissue or nerves. These persistent infections can cause PEM symptoms by driving #mitochondrial dysfunction, blood vessel/perfusion issues, or #vagus nerve dysfunction
3/ If your symptoms started - or were exacerbated - by a #herpesvirus infection, such viruses persist in your system for life. Thus, treatment with herpesvirus #antivirals (e.g. the Pridgen Protocol which uses valacyclovir and Celebrex) has helped certain ME/CFS patients improve
Jawdropping data here showing dozens of #viruses - many rarely even discussed or tested for on a regular basis - in sewage collected from wastewater in multiple USA cities. The viruses are identified via unbiased sequencing that can identify any viral genome in the samples.
2/ Because the viruses are being identified in wastewater it's possible that some viruses are harbored by animals - for example cattle or birds - whose feces end up in the wastewater
3/ However, it's likely that most of the viruses being shed into wastewater come from infected humans. Viruses like the enteroviruses A, B, C, D68, Rhinoviruses A, B, C, Rotaviruses, Noroviruses, Rotaviruses, Mastadenoviruses, Adenoviruses, Rhinoviruses, Influenza viruses, etc.
Glad to have contributed to this new preprint. We found that some PVS participants had higher levels of circulating spike protein compared to controls.
This parallels #LongCovid where persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 #virus in patient tissue may also cause spike to periodically leak into blood
2/ For example, this study found #SARS-CoV-2 proteins including spike up to 1 year post-COVID in up to 25% of people tested. But identified spike was not a result of the COVID vaccine, since nearly all study participants had not received the vaccine: thelancet.com/journals/lanin…
3/ The same team also found SARS-CoV-2 spike protein encoding double-stranded RNA in LongCovid #gut tissue almost 2 years post-#infection. Such RNA is produced during active viral replication and thus wld not be vaccine derived: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
Today I write for the @latimes: Long COVID is solvable, but we need more clinical trials.
These include trials of drugs to clear #SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs: small pockets of the virus - or parts of the virus - that can persist long-term in people’s bodies.
2/ We are living in an epidemic of chronic #disease, with a growing number of pesticides, chemicals and food additives implicated in the declining health of Americans.
3/ Since 2019, another factor has been at play as well: The #SARS-CoV-2 virus has driven a huge increase in chronic #health consequences, broadly referred to as long COVID.
Our new Viewpoint is out! We draw from treatment strategies in HIV, Hep C & other infections, to detail key considerations for #LongCovid clinical trials targeting persistent #SARS-CoV-2. These include combination trials of drugs that target both the virus and the immune system: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kayZ5E-UogX…
2/ To maximize these trials, we must develop validated #biomarkers to detect persistent virus or protein in accessible fluids like blood & saliva. Such biomarkers will allow targeted recruitment of participants w/ viral persistence into trials - helping trials to meet endpoints
3/ This persistence biomarker development - and the #LongCovid trials of immunotherapies, monoclonals, antivirals and other drugs delineated in our Viewpoint - are huge opportunities for the #biotech space. Agile, action-oriented agencies like @ARPA_H should also rapidly engage
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF That is not correct. We are working very hard on ME/CFS projects in addition to LC, and almost every day we work with teams to determine how more of our LC projects can be pivoted to ME/CFS in the future
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 2/ ME/CFS projects include this collaborative study determining immune activity, microclotting and other infectious parameters in ME/CFS patients with peripheral neuropathy: polybio.org/projects/immun…
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 3/ This study of neuroinflammation via PET imaging and imaging to document changes in cognitive control (brain fog) in ME/CFS: polybio.org/projects/5272/