#Moderna says its vaccine shows durable 93% efficacy through 6 months.
Final analysis (median follow-up 5.3 mo):
-Against COVID19: 93.2%
-Against severe COVID19: 98.2%
-Against death: 100%
(Note: All data prior delta) 1/
Further break down of #Moderna efficacy by 2-month segments post 2nd dose; at month 4+, efficacy is 92.4%
#Pfizer vax (by months 4-6) efficacy is 84% - though against severe disease maintains 97%. 2/
Yet it expects antibody levels will start to wane, and with #delta there will be an increase in #breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated; it sees need for #boosters 3/
#Moderna says lab studies show a booster with half the dose of its #covid19 vaccine increases antibody levels against #delta by 42-fold. 4
#Moderna reports top-line findings from phase 2 study of #booster shot, noting neutralizing antibody titers had waned significantly by 6 months; Safety profile of dose 3 was similar to that of dose 2. 5/
The @WHO yesterday called for a moratorium on #boosters until September to enable countries that haven't had vaccine access to be able to administer first shots. 6/
A NEW study has found that higher scores on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) are associated with an increased incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Diets that correlate with low DII scores may prevent late-life dementia. 1/
Diet has been identified as a potential avenue for reducing dementia risk. Previous observational studies have linked anti-inflammatory diets, such as the Mediterranean, with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk. 2/
The DII is a standardized tool that quantifies the inflammatory potential of diets by analyzing nutrients, bioactive compounds, and food components. 3/
The FDA halted enrollment of young children in RSV vaccine trials after 5 infants developed severe RSV infections who received one of Moderna’s mRNA vaccines for RSV during a phase 1 trial. 1/
In recent clinical trials, two experimental RSV vaccines for babies may not only have failed to protect them, but actually made some of them sicker when they got RSV or another respiratory virus. 2/
One vaccine targeted RSV alone, whereas the second added in an mRNA designed to protect against human metapneumovirus (hMPV), which is in the same family as RSV and causes similar symptoms. 3/
A new study provides a novel insight into the host’s first sense of SARS-CoV-2 infection to trigger the early antiviral defense. The study reveals ‘endosomes’ as signaling platforms for RIG-I activation & antiviral immunity. 1/
Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) is a cytosolic viral RNA sensor critical for host antiviral defense against RNA virus infection, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. 2/
RIG-I sensing of viral infection mainly occurs in the cytoplasm after virus invasion and replication within a cell. 3/
Most young people who were confirmed to have #LongCOVID 3 months after a positive PCR test had recovered within 24 months finds CLoCK study—the world's largest longitudinal cohort study on long COVID in children. 1/
Researchers used data from the Long COVID in Children and Young People (CloCk) study to describe symptoms and how much they impact children and young people’s lives 24-months post-infection. 2/
They found that 7.2% of children and young people consistently meet the ‘Long COVID’ research definition at 3-, 6-, 12- and 24-months post-infection. These children and young people reported around 5-to-6 symptoms at each time-point. 3/
A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes vascular dysfunction due to the modification of endothelial cell elasticity.
The results for the first time show that SARS-CoV-2 infection directly changes endothelial elasticity and causes endothelial dysfunction. 1/
Researchers used human pulmonary endothelial cells (HPAECs) expressing the ACE2 receptor as a model of the endothelium. This system mimics in vivo conditions, as it allows virus entry but not replication. 2/
As a reference, they used A549 epithelial cells, a well-described model that supports productive replication of SARS-CoV-2. 3/
According to a NEW study, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein persists in the skull-meninges-brain axis in COVID-19 patients. Spike protein enhances brain vulnerability and exacerbates neurological damage. 1/
The researchers conclude that spike protein is sufficient to induce brain pathological and behavioral changes in mice.
Further, they find that mRNA vaccines reduce, but do not eliminate, the spike burden. 2/
Mice vaccinated w/ mRNA vaccine showed lower levels of spike protein in both brain tissue and the skull's bone marrow compared to unvaccinated mice. However, the reduction was only around 50%, leaving residual spike protein that continues to pose a toxic risk to the brain. 3/