EVERYTHING you’ve EVER WANTED to KNOW about our remarkable IMMUNE SYSTEM,
as it faces attacks from the virus SARS-CoV-2.
▶️ How many immune cells are present in our bodies?
▶️ In which organs are they primarily located?
▶️ Which types of immune cells are the most abundant?
2) This recent study provides a detailed picture of the immune cells in the human body. It estimates there are around 1.8 trillion immune cells, weighing 1.2 kg in a typical adult.
3) Most of them are found in the bone marrow and lymph nodes/spleen. These are the main places where immune cells are produced and stored.
Lymphocytes, which include T cells, B cells, and NK cells, make up 40% of the immune cells by number.
4) Neutrophils, another type of immune cell, account for a similar proportion.
Macrophages are fewer in number than lymphocytes and neutrophils, but they are much larger in size. This means that macrophages contribute almost 50% of the total mass of the immune cells ...
5) ...even though they only make up 10% of the total number.
The immune system changes as we get older. The bone marrow and thymus, which produce many immune cells, show declines in the number of immune cells as people age.
6) Conditions like obesity and infections can also affect the number and distribution of immune cells in the body.
The researchers used a variety of techniques, including imaging and genetic analysis, to get these detailed estimates.
7) This provides a comprehensive understanding of how the immune system is organized and can help develop better models of how it functions.
Overall, this study gives us a quantitative map of the immune cells in the human body.
8) In a previous thread, we tried to illustrate this wonderful immune system for the kids.
IS SARS-CoV-2 BECOMING "INVISIBLE"? The Hidden Truth Behind the Pandemic
As the world strives to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling narrative has emerged: the perception that SARS-CoV-2 is becoming "invisible."
2) Governments and communities are eager to return to normalcy, leading to a tendency to downplay the virus's severity. Reports of new infections and long COVID cases have been totally minimized, creating a false sense of security ...
3) ...that the virus is no longer a significant threat. However, this perception is not only a matter of public sentiment. The virus itself has evolved, most notably with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Recent research reveals that Omicron exhibits a remarkable ability ...
2) This research shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, stops infected cells from dying. Normally, when cells die, it helps stop viruses from spreading. By keeping these cells alive longer, SARS-CoV-2 allows itself to multiply and also helps other viruses ...
3) ... like influenza A, grow more easily.
When someone has both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, the two viruses can make a person much sicker. The immune system gets overwhelmed, leading to more inflammation and damage to the lungs.
ENTROPY UNLEASHED:
How Viral Protein Interactions Drive Coronavirus Adaptation in Bats and Humans
Entropy, in a general sense, refers to the level of disorder or randomness in a system. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) When we talk about protein interactions and viral behavior, entropy can be viewed as a measure of how complex and varied these interactions are.
In the context of the study about coronavirus interactions in bat and human cells, here's a simplified breakdown.
3) **Complex Interactions**: The study identifies how proteins from the coronavirus interact with host cells (both bats and humans). These interactions can be highly ordered (low entropy) or more chaotic (high entropy).
Patients care most about how COVID-19 affects their health and daily life, including for those with long COVID. Scientists focus on understanding the virus to find better treatments. Both views are important for dealing with the pandemic.
2) I'm bringing up this topic because, after talking so much about the disease, its long-term effects, treatments, and vaccines, many people have forgotten that we are dealing with the most dangerous virus humanity has ever faced.
Organelles provide the possibility for the virus to organize its RNA in PROTECTED structures, concentrate REPLICATION machinery ... nature.com/articles/s4146…
2) ...compartmentalize the replication process, and hide from immune detection.
Figure 1g - The large perinuclear clusters of viral RNA demonstrate how the viral RNA is organized into PROTECTED structures.
2) Figure 3d- The nanoscale puncta of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12) within and around the viral RNA clusters show the concentration of REPLICATION machinery.