(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease that caused the virus.
Half a year later, COVID-19 patients still have symptoms
Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have at least one symptom six months after becoming ill, according to results from a study in Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus first appeared in late 2019. Doctors were there monitoring 1,733 diagnosed and hospitalized patients between January, 2020 and May. At six months, 76% had at least one symptom including muscle weakness or weakness (seen in 63%), sleep problems and anxiety or depression. Most of those who had been severely ill had chronic lung problems and chest congestion that could indicate organ damage, while 13% of patients who had the kidneys work normally in the hospital going forward to develop kidney problems later on, researchers said Friday in The Lancet. “We are just beginning to understand” some of the long-term effects of COVID-19, coauthor Bin Cao’s study from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing said in a statement. “Our analysis shows that most patients live with at least some of the effects of the virus after they leave hospital,” highlighting the need for post-hospital care. release. (bit.ly/39hUKS2)
Interferon stimulates proteins that deny access to coronavirus
An experimental inhaled form of interferon being tested for the hospital treatment of COVID-19 patients may not have been a limitation that researchers feared. A potential problem with interferon is that it increases levels of a protein called ACE2, which the new coronavirus uses as a gateway into cells. In test tube tests, researchers looked at cells that stretch the pathway from the nose into the lungs and found that there are two types of ACE2 – the well-known one and the short form one. in which the entrance used by the virus is not. Interferon increases the short form of ACE2 but not the longer form, they found, which means that it does not appear to stimulate entry points for the virus. “We were thrilled to discover a new form of ACE2,” Dr. Jane Lucas of the University of Southampton, who co-directed the study reported Monday in Nature Genetics, said in a statement. “We believe this could have a significant impact on the management of COVID-19 infection.” Inhaled interferon from Synairgen Plc is being tested in end-of-term trials. (go.nature.com/3oBO9Z0)
Viral saliva loads improve COVID-19 depth prediction
The content of the new coronavirus in saliva may help guide physician care for patients as it is a better predictor of the course of disease than viral loads in swab samples obtained from the nose and back of the nose. neck, researchers said. They studied 26 patients with moderately ill COVID-19, 154 hospitalized patients – including 63 who became seriously ill and 23 who eventually died – and 108 unprotected individuals. Viral saliva loading, but not nasopharyngeal viral loads, was associated with COVID-19 risk factors such as age and sex, and with immune system responses. Viral saliva loading was also better than nasopharyngeal viral loads at predicting critical illness and death, the researchers reported on Wednesday on medRxiv ahead of a peer review. Saliva contains implanted germs that are cleared from the lungs by the body ‘s protective mechanisms, coauthor Akiko Iwasaki of Yale University explained in a tweet on Sunday. Thus the viral saliva load reflects how well the virus replicates itself through the respiratory tract, from the nose to the lungs, and not just in nose and back of neck, Iwasaki said. (bit.ly/3i1KpO9)
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Reciting with Nancy Lapid; Edited by Bill Berkrot