Have we reached to the peak of 2nd #Covid wave in India? May be, yes! Its already 2.5 months in to it. Most badly affected countries peaked within 1.5-3 months of onset of a new surge. Is it too early to comment? 1/
More interesting would be to see which way our curve goes: the UK/Israel or the US way! While both UK/Israel took 1.5-2 months to flatten their curves w/ strict lockdowns & aggressive vaccination, US had a long plateau (>3.5 months) 2/
However, there is heterogeneity in caseloads: While states like MH, UP, CG, PB, DL are showing ⬇️ in case load, some southern & eastern states (KA, KL, AP, TN, WB, ) still reporting cases in high numbers! What is driving Covid in these states? 3/ indiatoday.in/coronavirus-ou…
Different variants (VOC) are circulating in diff states of India. While it is #B1617 is in MS & neighboring states, #B117 in PB, DL & northern states, Delhi & #B1618 in WB & eastern states outbreak.info/situation-repo… 4/
Now, a new variant having #N440K spike substitution is believed to be behind the sudden rise of cases in southern India, particularly in KA, KL, AL & Telangana. Some believe it is believed to be 15 times more lethal than the earlier ones 5/ biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
So, what lies in store for #India? The few key factors that may extend India's suffering for a prolonged period:
1-lack of strict #lockdowns: having halfway yo-yo lockdowns are not the answer!
2-sluggish #inoculation drive: still only 2% of the population received 2-doses! 6/
3-rampant circulation of #variants: not sure which one is the main driver!
4-limited #sequencing: only 1% of isolates sequenced!
5-modestly efficacious #vaccines: unlike the other 3 countries
6-lack of #effectiveness data on currently employed vaccines: so, driving blindly! 7/
What could be the saving grace? Hoping the rapid descent follows the explosive ascent! And the virus, mutating at a staggering pace, might be heading for an evolutionary cliff all on its own. Amen! 8/ bbc.com/future/article…
One interesting thing to note: All the three countries had 3 waves, the last surge the severest!
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SARS-CoV-2 evolution prompts the quest for other protective antibody mechanisms beyond neutralization
Recent studies show an important role for non-neutralizing anti-spike antibodies, including monoclonals (mAbs), in robustly protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection. 1/
These non-neutralising, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) use Fc-mediated functions such as complement activation (ADCA), phagocytosis (ADCP), and cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). 2/
Early in the pandemic, there was concern that antibodies with low neutralizing potential would enhance disease severity (ADE) caused by SARS-CoV-2 as seen with the original SARS-CoV-1 and Dengue virus. 3/
🔥 A protein that promotes inflammation could hold the key to a longer, healthier life. Blocking this protein, called IL-11, in middle-aged mice boosted metabolism, reduced frailty and increased lifespan by about 25%. 1/
Although a research team tested for these health effects only in mice, IL-11 also exists in humans. And drug candidates that block IL-11 are already in human trials against cancer & fibrosis, a condition associated with ageing in which scar tissue replaces healthy tissue. 2/
The new results suggest that those potential treatments might also have an impact on longevity, but separate clinical trials are needed to be certain. 3/
Researchers have identified unpredicted T-cell immune responses to the adenoviral (Oxford/AstraZeneca & Janssen) COVID-19 vaccines, but not to the mRNA vaccines. 1/
Using blood samples from healthy donors (HD) collected 10 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers investigated how T-cells in blood of HD responded to the different vaccine types. 2/
The researchers showed that between 90% and 95% of HDs participants unexpectedly produced strong T-cell responses following exposure to the adenoviral Covid vaccines. 3/
When the brain speaks, the heart feels it—the link between the brain's reward system & Acute Myocardial Infarction
An interesting research demonstrated that activation of the brain's *reward system* (the mesocorticolimbic circuit) could boost recovery from a heart attack. 1/
Researchers focused on the reward system, a brain network activated in positive emotional states & motivation and evaluated its potential in improving recovery from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (commonly known as a heart attack). 2/
What’s a Reward System?
➡️ The reward system (mesocorticolimbic circuit) is a group of neural structures responsible for incentive salience (i.e.wanting: desire or craving for a reward & motivation), associative learning (primarily positive reinforcement)& positive emotions 3/
Vaccination credited for 70% reduction in long COVID risk over course of pandemic
The risk of developing long COVID has decreased significantly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic 1/
Researchers attributed about 70% of the risk reduction to vaccination against COVID-19 and 30% to changes over time, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus's evolving characteristics and improved detection and management of COVID-19. 2/
People tend to think of SARS-CoV-2 as a homogeneous virus. But each variant has its own fingerprint. The original virus hit the respiratory system hard. Omicron targeted metabolic and GI issues. 3/
Sleep and wake: They're totally distinct states of being that define the boundaries of our daily lives. For years, experts have measured the difference between these instinctual brain processes by observing brain waves 1/
With sleep characteristically defined by slow, long-lasting waves measured in tenths of seconds that travel across the whole organ. 2/
For the first time, scientists have found that sleep can be detected by patterns of neuronal activity just milliseconds long, 1,000 times shorter than a second, revealing a new way to study and understand the basic brain wave patterns that govern consciousness. 3/