This is huge! 👉 Team identifies perivascular lymphocyte cuffs – an accumulation of immune cells surrounding blood vessels - in autopsied #autism brains☝️these cuffs were made up of killer T-cells that target damaged + infected cells: neurosciencenews.com/immune-cells-a…
2/2 Team lead says 👉 “Either the T-cells are reacting normally to a #pathogen such as a #virus, or they are reacting abnormally to normal tissue – the definition of an autoimmune disorder”☝️IMO it’s not “autoimmunity” - listen here to understand why: anchor.fm/adam-rinde/epi…
3/3 In fact, these findings strongly suggest that #autism should be studied in concert w/ other conditions like Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s...that are increasingly being tied to pathogen activity in brain tissue 👉 Examples of such research here: microbeminded.com/2018/12/30/myf…
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2/ Consider for example this study. The team identified dozens of viral proteins that distort human pathway signaling controlling #aging-associated processes such as senescence and apoptosis: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36649176/
3/ Or this study - which found that human herpesvirus 6 can directly integrate into host telomeres. Telomeres carrying an integrated copy of the virus were shorter and more unstable: academic.oup.com/nar/article/42…
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