🔥Wow!

A recent study identifies a gene that appears to reverse Parkinson's disease symptoms!

Researchers discovered that increasing the amount of the #Cdk8 gene (human counterpart CDK19) in flies with Parkinson's causes the disease's symptoms to reverse. 1/ With Parkinsonism, one of the big problems is a gene mutation that causes mitochondria to malfunction, and this can make cells sick or cause them to die. This contributes to a lot of the cognitive losses and other disease symptoms. 2/

SARS-CoV-2 triggers multiple cell death pathways that contribute to disease severity.
Researchers have now identified how the SARS2 causes death in the cells lining the human airways in Covid19 patients. 1/

Proposed mechanism of the cell death responses triggered by SARS2👇 Here, researchers characterized cell death mechanisms in ACE2-expressing cells and primary human airway epithelial (HAE) cell cultures during SARS-CoV-2 infection and in autopsied lungs from patients with COVID-19. 2/

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/

A NEW hope for extending human lifespan!

🔥 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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

Last year, in a groundbreaking study, researchers showed how SARS-CoV-2 disrupts mitochondrial function in multiple organs. They now demonstrate that mitochondrially-targeted antioxidants could reduce the effects of the virus while avoiding viral gene mutation resistance 1/

https://twitter.com/vipintukur/status/1690551329435856896

SARS-CoV-2 proteins can bind to mitochondrial proteins in host cells as well as inhibit the expression of mitochondrial genes. While the virus initially targets the lungs, eventually it can impact other organs, particularly the heart. 2/

THE INFLAMED BRAIN!

Autoimmune conditions underlie some cases of psychosis. Scientists are expanding their search for patients, who often benefit from treatment. 1/ Over the past 15 years, researchers have identified 18 different diseases, all triggered by an immune attack on the brain, that can lead to diverse neurological symptoms, and in some cases, psychosis. 2/

A new immunotherapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases!

A team of neuroscientists has developed a nasal therapy that cleared the brains of Alzheimer's mouse models of toxic tau proteins. 1/ They found a certain conformation-specific antibody that would bind to tau proteins, placed it inside of a shell that allowed it to travel through the blood brain barrier, and then tested it with mouse models. 2/

A promising way to block muscle fatigue seen in #LongCovid & other diseases

Infections & neurodegenerative diseases cause inflammation in the brain. But for unknown reasons, patients w/ brain inflammation often develop muscle problems that seem to be independent of the CNS. 1/ Now, researchers have revealed how brain inflammation releases a specific protein (cytokine) that travels from the brain to the muscles and causes a loss of muscle function. 2/

Viruses have evolved a variety of mechanisms to inhibit or modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses to establish productive infection and spread in the host, particularly under low virus input. 1/ Varicella zoster virus (VZV) can cause chickenpox, as well as shingles. When one comes into contact w/ VZV for the 1st time, the virus enters the body through airways, reaching mucous membranes in nasopharynx & adjacent lymphatic tissues, from where VZV infects T lymphocytes 2/

If the H5N1 bird-flu virus sparks a human pandemic, older people might be more protected because they were exposed to ‘matched’ flu strains during childhood. 1/ A person’s first bout of flu might have an outsized effect on their future immunity: a 2016 analysis showed that those born before 1968 have tended to escape H5N1’s ravages as they probably had their first flu infection at a time when the dominant flu virus matched H5N1. 2/

A NEW study shows that COVID-19 pandemic caused a 70.35% rise in Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases globally.

➡️ Low-income regions hit hardest.
➡️ Females & younger more badly affected
➡️ Vaccination key to reducing GBS burden. 1/ The burden of GBS significantly increased during the first 2 years of the pandemic, especially in those countries with low socio-demographic index (SDI) level. 2/

In a NEW study, researchers identify the targets in the human body to which pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, and other vectors bind. Their findings, they say, could help address the rising threat of vector-borne diseases, a leading cause of death worldwide. 1/ To better understand the precise mechanisms by which pathogens interact w/ humans to infect host & cause disease, they tested for interactions between thousands of human proteins & dozens of microbial pathogens, then examined importance of those identified 2/

A NEW paper shows the links between LongCOVID, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and COVID-19 post-vaccine syndromes. These diseases could have an autoimmune origin & 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 a 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞 1/ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞: Certain viruses & pathogens, and vaccines can affect the pituitary gland, interfering with cortisol production and triggering a cascade of complex symptoms. 2/

Researchers have found that some patients who develop #LongCOVID show signs of uncharacteristic immune cell activity in many of their organs and some have traces of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in their guts for up to two years after their initial infection. 1/ In this NEW study, the research team conducted full-body PET scans of 24 people who had survived a SARS-CoV-2 viral infection—such scans highlight metabolic or biochemical function in tissues and organs, helping to diagnose problems. 2/

Relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics during acute infection & development of #LongCOVID:

A NEW study finds that the longer the time from peak viral load to viral RNA clearance during acute COVID-19, the higher risk of developing #LongCOVID. 1/ Researchers analysed 7361 asymptomatic people between Oct’ 2021 and Feb’ 2022 who collected swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR every 24-48 hours for 10-14 days, regardless of symptom or infection status. 2/

Researchers discover new T cells and genes related to immune disorders!

➡️ Researchers from Japan & Italy have discovered several rare types of helper T cells that are associated with immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even asthma. 1/ This is made possible by a newly developed technology—#ReapTEC, which identified genetic enhancers in rare T cell subtypes that are linked to specific immune disorders. The new T cell atlas should help in the development of new drug therapies for immune-mediated diseases. 2/

A new approach to prevent irreversible organ damage in Covid19 & other infectious diseases

➡️ This work represents a new approach to preventing irreversible organ damage in infectious diseases like COVID-19 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). 1/ 12 years ago, researchers identified a molecule that helps cancer cells survive by shuttling damaging inflammatory cells into tumor tissue. They now show that same molecule does the same thing in lung tissue infected w/ COVID & that molecule can be suppressed w/ a new drug 2/