2) The study evaluated 142 participants, including uninfected controls, acutely infected individuals, convalescent controls, and long COVID patients. Samples included PBMCs and plasma collected at various time points after infection.
3) Comprehensive immunological, virological, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to characterize the immune profiles in these groups.
4) Long COVID patients had persistent symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, etc. similar to prior reports.
No differences were found in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers between long COVID and convalescent controls, but higher spike-specific T cell responses ...
5) ...were observed in long COVID patients. No plasma SARS-CoV-2 was detected.
Transcriptomic analysis of PBMCs showed long COVID was characterized by upregulation of inflammatory markers, cytokines, complement and coagulation pathways compared to convalescent controls and ...
6) ... and uninfected controls.
Pathway analysis revealed persistent activation of IL-6, JAK-STAT, coagulation, complement, metabolism and T cell exhaustion pathways in long COVID.
7) Proteomic analysis of plasma showed similar differences, with increased immune cell signatures, cytokine signaling and complement/coagulation pathways in long COVID.
8) Early activation of IL-6 and complement pathways during acute infection correlated with subsequent development of long COVID.
Validation studies confirmed higher plasma IL-6R levels in long COVID patients compared to other groups
9) The study demonstrates long COVID is characterized by persistent chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, suggesting novel therapeutic targets.
2) Researchers studied the impact of repeated vaccination on the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 in older nursing home residents (NHR). The study examines the T cell responses in a cohort of NHR and healthcare workers (HCW) over a period of 2 years, using IFN-y ELIspot and flow ..
3) ...cytometry.
The results show that prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and female sex are associated with higher T cell responses in NHR but not in HCW.
2) The study analyzed plasma biomarker levels in 101 individuals with long COVID to identify different inflammatory profiles.
Unsupervised clustering revealed three inflammatory clusters: a limited immune activation cluster, an innate immune activation cluster, and ...
3) ...a systemic immune activation cluster.
The innate immune activation cluster was associated with older age and higher BMI. The systemic immune activation cluster was associated with older age and higher vaccination rates.
2) This case-control study investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal samples in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors with (n=57) and without (n=55) persistent post-COVID symptoms, on average 27 and 26 months ...
3) ...after infection respectively. No viral RNA was found in plasma, stool, or urine of those with ongoing issues. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 3/57 nasopharyngeal samples (5.25%) of the symptomatic group but none in the asymptomatic controls, implying potential reinfection ..
2) Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is an innate immune protein that is upregulated during viral infections and restricts a variety of enveloped viruses, including influenza virus.
3) There are common genetic variants in the human population that negatively impact IFITM3 expression and activity. These IFITM3 deficiencies have been linked to more severe influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans.
"The study only found strong support for human transmission of the virus when a single large cluster was included in the transmission model" journals.plos.org/plosone/articlโฆ
2) The study analyzed 177 cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection from 113 sporadic outbreaks and 26 cluster outbreaks in Indonesia between 2005-2009. It examined transmission patterns within households.
3) The overall household attack rate was 18.3% and secondary attack rate was 5.5%. Risk of infection was higher for those aged 5-17, those with direct zoonotic exposure, and those in smaller households.
2) Researchers from the Federal University of Sรฃo Paulo have discovered the oldest known human viruses in Neanderthal bones that are over 50,000 years old. The viruses found include adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus.
3) This finding suggests that Neanderthals could have been affected by the same viruses that affect humans today. While the viruses may not have directly caused the extinction of Neanderthals, it adds weight to the theory that viruses may have played a role in their extinction.