StemCell Therapy

Theres still a lot we dont know about the novel coronavirus thats already sickened more than 75,000 people worldwide, with more than 2,000 deaths reported.

But one thing thats clear is that in serious cases, the virus can have a devastating effect on the body and not just on the lungs.

Heres what we know so far about how the new coronavirus now dubbed COVID-19 affects the different systems in the body.

As with other coronavirus illnesses including SARS, MERS, and the common cold COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, so the lungs are usually affected first.

Early symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These appear as soon as 2 days, or as long as 14 days, after exposure to the virus.

The severity of COVID-19 varies from mild or no symptoms to severe or sometimes fatal illness. Data on more than 17,000 reported cases in China found that almost 81 percent of cases were mild. The rest were severe or critical.

Older people and those with chronic medical conditions appear to have a higher risk for developing severe illness.

This variability also shows up in how COVID-19 affects the lungs.

Some people may only have minor respiratory symptoms, while others develop non-life-threatening pneumonia. But theres a subset of people who develop severe lung damage.

What were frequently seeing in patients who are severely ill with [COVID-19] is a condition that we call acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, said Dr. Laura E. Evans, a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Leadership Council and an associate professor of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

ARDS doesnt happen just with COVID-19. A number of events can trigger it, including infection, trauma, and sepsis.

These cause damage to the lungs, which leads to fluid leaking from small blood vessels in the lungs. The fluid collects in the lungs air sacs, or alveoli. This makes it difficult for the lungs to transfer oxygen from the air to the blood.

While theres a shortage of information on the type of damage that occurs in the lungs during COVID-19, a recent report suggests its similar to the damage caused by SARS and MERS.

One recent study of 138 people hospitalized for COVID-19 found that on average, people started having difficulty breathing 5 days after showing symptoms. ARDS developed on average 8 days after symptoms.

Treatment for ARDS involves supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation, with the goal of getting more oxygen into the blood.

There isnt a specific treatment for ARDS, Evans said. We just support the person through this process as best we can, allowing their bodies to heal and their immune system to address the underlying events.

The lungs are the main organs affected by COVID-19. But in serious cases, the rest of the body can also be affected.

In patients who become severely ill, a good proportion of those patients also develop dysfunction in other organ systems, Evans said.

However, she says this can happen with any severe infection.

This damage to the organs isnt always directly caused by the infection, but can result from the bodys response to infection.

Some people with COVID-19 have reported gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea or diarrhea, although these symptoms are much less common than problems with the lungs.

While coronaviruses seem to have an easier time entering the body through the lungs, the intestines arent out of reach for these viruses.

Earlier reports identified the viruses that cause SARS and MERS in intestinal tissue biopsies and stool samples.

Two recent studies one in the New England Journal of Medicine and a preprint on medRxiv report that stool samples of some people with COVID-19 tested positive for the virus.

However, researchers dont know yet whether fecal transmission of this virus can occur.

Evans says COVID-19 can also affect the heart and blood vessels. This may show up as irregular heart rhythms, not enough blood getting to the tissues, or blood pressure low enough that it requires medications.

So far, though, theres no indication that the virus directly damages the heart.

When liver cells are inflamed or damaged, they can leak higher than normal amounts of enzymes into the bloodstream.

Elevated liver enzymes arent always a sign of a serious problem, but this laboratory finding was seen in people with SARS or MERS.

One recent report found signs of liver damage in a person with COVID-19. Doctors says its not clear, though, if the virus or the drugs being used to treat the person caused the damage.

Some people hospitalized with COVID-19 have also had acute kidney damage, sometimes requiring a kidney transplant. This also occurred with SARS and MERS.

During the SARS outbreak, scientists even found the virus that causes this illness in the tubules of the kidneys.

Theres little evidence, though, to show that the virus directly caused the kidney injury, according to a World Health Organization report.

Dr. James Cherry, a research professor of pediatrics in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says the kidney damage may be due to other changes that happen during coronavirus infection.

When you have pneumonia, you have less oxygen circulating, he said, and that can damage the kidneys.

With any infection, the bodys immune system responds by attacking the foreign virus or bacteria. While this immune response can rid the body of the infection, it can also sometimes cause collateral damage in the body.

This can come in the form of an intense inflammatory response, sometimes called a cytokine storm. The immune cells produce cytokines to fight infection, but if too many are released, it can cause problems in the body.

A lot of [the damage in the body during COVID-19] is due to what we would call a sepsis syndrome, which is due to complex immune reactions, Evans said. The infection itself can generate an intense inflammatory response in the body that can affect the function of multiple organ systems.

Another thing about the immune system is that, so far, there are almost no cases of COVID-19 in children under 9 years old. Scientists arent sure whether young children arent getting infected or their symptoms are so mild that no one notices it.

Cherry says children also have a less severe illness than adults during other kinds of infections, including measles and pneumococcal infections.

He says this may be because children have a straightforward immune response, whereas older people can sometimes have an over-response. Its this excess immune response that causes some of the damage during infections.

There was evidence of this happening during SARS, Cherry said, and I suspect it could also be playing out here [with COVID-19].

See the rest here:
Here's What Happens to the Body After Contracting the Coronavirus - Healthline

What's the estimated effectiveness of this season's flu vaccine so far? (Photo: Getty)

How is 45? Well, that depends on what you are talking about, of course. Eating 45 doughnuts in one sitting is probably not so good. Batting .450 in a Major League Baseball season? Thats good. All-time best good. A flu vaccine thats 45% effective? Thats certainly not the all-time best. But its still better than it was measured to be this time last year: 29%.

The 45% number came from a report released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This report indicated that so far the flu vaccine has been an estimated 45% effective in preventing influenza-associated medically attended acute respiratory illness. Ummm, what the who attending a cute illness what? This may seem like a jumble of words if you dont speak medical-ese.

Lets break it down a bit. Influenza-associated means the result of the flu. Medically attended says that you sought medical care for the problem. Acute respiratory illness stands for a disease affecting your respiratory tract that is new and not something that has been going on for a while already.

Thus, the flu vaccine is estimated to have been 45% effective at preventing flu-associated respiratory illnesses that resulted in doctors visits. Not 45% effective in preventing the flu in general. Not flu in which you melt into your bed and dont go anywhere for several days. But flu that gets you to go to the doctors office. The number was even higher for those 6 months to 17 years of age. Kids and adolescents had 55% for this type of vaccine effectiveness.

So, back to the original question: how is 45? In general, when the influenza virus strains in the vaccine match the strains that are circulating the population, such effectiveness tends to be between 40% and 60%. Of course, in years that the strains dont match, vaccine effectiveness can be lower. So 45% is kind of like sushi in a food court. Not the best that it could be. But it does its job.

Where did the CDC get these vaccine effectiveness numbers? Well they came from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network, which conducted studies from October 23, 2019 to January 25, 2020. During that time period, five study locations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin enrolled 4,112 patients, all 6 months of age and older, who had visited clinics for acute respiratory illness accompanied by cough when the flu virus was known to already be circulating in the area.

The researchers asked each patient whether he or she had received the flu vaccine at least 14 days earlier this season and tested their noses or mouths for presence of the flu virus. Ultimately, 1,060 (26%) of the study participants ended up testing positive for the influenza virus. The percentage of participants in each site who had received the flu vaccine ranged from 38% to 61%.

From the results, they calculated an odds ratio. Not an odd ratio as in a weird ratio but an odds ratio calculated as such: the odds that a person who tested positive for the flu also had been vaccinated earlier in the season divided by the odds that a person who tested negative for the flu had been vaccinated. The following formula then calculated the estimated vaccine effectiveness: 100% x (1- odds ratio).

Counting the number of clinic visits underestimates the number of people who get the flu in a season ... [+] as many people suffer without seeking medical care. (Photo: Getty)

So this is a somewhat indirect method of evaluating the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. It is also from a specific sample of 4,112 patients. If you think political polls dont really represent what people think, you can imagine that numbers from a sample of people from particular locations may not really represent what is occurring throughout the country. Plus, numbers for particular parts of the flu season may not end up holding throughout the entire flu season. This flu season is far from over, and vaccine effectiveness can change over time as different strains become more or less prominent.

Oh, and remember this is vaccine effectiveness in preventing influenza-associated medically attended acute respiratory illness. Not the flu in general.

Moreover, dont go around saying, Im 45. Im 45. That may not be your specific number. The flu vaccine probably offers different levels of protection to different people. Remember, you are a snowflake and so is your immune system. This isnt a statement about your toughness. This is just a reminder that no two people and no two immune systems are identical. A vaccine basically presents inactivated or weakened versions of the viruses to your immune system and says, hey watch out for these. Its up to your immune system to respond. Therefore, the protection that you get depends on how your immune system reacts.

Regardless of your specific number, as they say with the flu, sword fighting, and sex (not that the three are related), some protection is better than no protection. Nothing else even comes close to the vaccine in protecting against the flu. Taking supplements is not going to do it. Neither is a special diet, getting chiropractic treatments, douching your nose, or drinking whiskey. The CDC has estimated that the flu has already caused 12 to 17 million medical visits, 250,000 to 440,000 hospitalizations, and 14,000 to 36,000 deaths this season as of February 8, 2020. Those are not inconsequential numbers, and they will continue to grow. They are still much, much, much higher than what the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has caused in this country as I have explained previously for Forbes. If you havent yet gotten the flu vaccine, it is still worth getting.

Here is the original post:
This Years Flu Vaccine: CDC Says How Effective It Is - Forbes

There are nearly 35,000 organ transplants done in the U.S. every year. Once patients receive their transplant, they face a lifetime of medications that keep their body from rejecting the new organ, but those medications can cause serious side effects.

Now, a groundbreaking procedure has successfully changed that for one woman.

Having breakfast together was nearly impossible for Barb Okey and her husband after her kidney transplant. The 24 pills she took before breakfast ruined her appetite, and the side effects left her tired. But that's all in the past now.

In 27 years doing transplants, Dr. Dixon Kaufman has never done one like Barb's. Her sister's kidney was a perfect match, but then both women took part in a second pioneering transplant to give Barb her sister's immune system.

"We had the transplant and the next day I started radiation. I had to do radiation for 10 days," Barb recalled. "That was to suppress my immune system. After the 10th day, they gave me my sister's stem cells."

"The immune cells start to multiply, so she has not only the kidney from her sister but a little bit of her sister's immune system, and we call that phenomenon chimerism a,nd that's where you have a dual immune system," Kaufman said.

The immunity accepted the new kidney and left Barb drug-free.

"It's the start of hopefully a long progression of trials that will allow more and more people to, if not completely eliminate the medicines, significantly reduce them," Kaufman said.

"I feel very, very lucky. Very lucky," Barb said.

Barb is just the second person in the U.S. to take part in the national trial pioneering the duel transplant. The hope is that the procedure will one day be available to transplant recipients who are not perfect matches with their donors, and possibly even to those who have had transplants in the past.

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHSRESEARCH SUMMARYTOPIC: TRANSPLANTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: EASIER ON PATIENTS?REPORT: MB #4700

BACKGROUND: Organ transplantation is sometimes necessary when one of a patient's organs has failed. This can happen because of injury or illness. The organ may come from a living donor or one who has died. Transplants can include heart, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, or pancreas. Often patients must wait a long time for an organ transplant and doctors must match donors to recipients to reduce the risk of transplant rejection. (Source: https://medlineplus.gov/organtransplantation.html)

REJECTION RISK: The immune system usually protects you from substances that may be harmful, but it can also simply attack anything that enters the body, which the immune system detects as "foreign", and this includes transplanted organs. When a person receives an organ in transplant surgery, their immune system may recognize that it is foreign if the cells of the organ are different or "not matched". Mismatched organs can trigger a blood transfusion reaction or transplant rejection. To help prevent this rejection, doctors try their best to match similar proteins known as antigens between the donor and recipient. Tissue typing ensures the organ or tissue is as similar as possible to the recipient's tissue. The match is usually not perfect, as only identical twins have identical tissue antigens. Doctors use medicines to suppress the recipient's immune system with the goal of preventing it from attacking the newly transplanted organ. If these medicines are not used, the body will almost always launch an immune response and destroy the foreign tissue. Some exceptions include cornea transplants, because the cornea has no blood supply. Also, transplants from one identical twin to another are almost never rejected. (Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000815.htm)

NEW RESEARCH: Medeor Therapeutics is now developing cell-based therapy to reprogram an organ recipient's immune system to accept the transplanted kidney without the need for long-term use of immune system suppressing drugs. The study is in Phase 3 and is working to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of how transplanting some of the stem cells from the organ donor into the organ recipient after transplant surgery could cause an immune tolerance; preserving the organ donation and preventing kidney transplant rejection. It would also eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of the patient's life. (Source: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT03363945?show_locs=Y#locn)

See the article here:
Transplanting the immune system: Easier on patients than medication? - WNDU-TV

A study in mice has shown that a change in diet may slow diseases that involve the activation of the immune system, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Could the findings lead to improved treatments in humans?

In the United States, nearly 1 million people over the age of 18 are living with a diagnosis of MS, according to estimates.

MS is the most common of the inflammatory disorders with an autoimmune component, which refers to the immune system attacking and damaging healthy tissue.

In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that protect the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting nerves messages to and from the brain.

The result can involve muscle weakness, numbness, trouble with balance and coordination, and cognitive decline, all of which get worse over time.

Doctors most frequently diagnose MS in young adults, although the diagnosis can be made at any age.

At present, no medical treatment can prevent or slow MS without greatly increasing the risk of infection or cancer. But what if dietary changes could delay the diseases onset and progression in high risk individuals?

Researchers have recently explored the role of methionine, an amino acid, in the overactive inflammatory response of conditions such as MS.

The teams results now appear in the journal Cell Metabolism.

While methionine is essential to a healthy immune system, it has an adverse effect on people at risk of autoimmune disease.

Russell Jones, Ph.D., of the Van Andel Institute, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the studys senior author. He comments on the findings, explaining:

Our results suggest [that] for people predisposed to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, reducing methionine intake can actually dampen the immune cells that cause disease, leading to better outcomes.

Many types of cell throughout the body produce methionine, a building block of protein and a form of fuel.

Defensive immune cells that respond to threats called T cells do not produce their own methionine and instead rely on dietary sources.

Certain animal products, such as meat and eggs, have especially high amounts of methionine.

One of the ways that the body defends itself against threats such as pathogens, or germs, is by flooding the affected area with T cells.

The researchers found that ingested methionine added fuel to this process by helping the T cells replicate and branch into specialized subtypes quicker.

However, once boosted by methionine, some of these reprogrammed T cells caused inflammation or swelling.

This is usually a healthy immune response, but if the swelling persists, it can cause damage such as that which characterizes MS.

The scientists found that dramatically lowering the amount of methionine in the diet of mice with induced MS changed the reprogramming of their T cells and limited the cells ability to cause swelling in the brain and spinal cord.

This, in turn, slowed the diseases progression.

These findings provide further basis for dietary interventions as future treatments for these disorders, Jones notes.

By restricting methionine in the diet, youre essentially removing the fuel for this overactive inflammatory response without compromising the rest of the immune system. Russell Jones, Ph.D.

However, before dietary guidelines can be established, researchers must prove that humans also experience these effects.

At present, there is no comprehensive understanding of the cause of MS, although genes related to the immune system play a role, as do environmental and metabolic factors, such as obesity.

The fact that metabolic factors like obesity increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis makes the idea of dietary intervention to calm down the immune system particularly appealing, says co-author Catherine Larochelle, Ph.D., of the University of Montreal, in Canada.

The researchers will also investigate the possibility of creating new medications to target methionine metabolism.

The present study is only the latest to explore the role of dietary methionine limitation in disease treatment.

In 2019, a study from the Locasale Lab, at Duke University, in Durham, NC, showed that the cancer-fighting effects of chemotherapy and radiation could be improved by reducing methionine intake.

Link:
MS: Dietary interventions may calm down the immune system - Medical News Today

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. E-cigarettes are often portrayed as safer than cigarettes. But a new study indicates the use of e-cigarettes, or vaping, makes it harder to fight infections whether or not the e-cigarette contains nicotine.

Vaping weakens cells in the body that are crucial to the fight against infections, according to the laboratory study by researchers at Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California San Diego, published earlier this month in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology.

The negative effect on the cells known as neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, was similar to that experienced when they are exposed to environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke, the researchers found in the study conducted on both humans and mice.

The study adds to the body of research showing that vaping's reputation as a safer alternative to smoking may be less true than many believe. Based on the findings, Dr. Laura E. Crotty Alexander of VA San Diego and University of California San Diego and the corresponding author on the paper, cautioned against using e-cigarettes.

We recommend that vaping be avoided in general, as our data and other findings demonstrate multiple possible adverse health effects caused by the use of e-cigarette and vaping devices," she said.

The research was conducted by exposing human neutrophil cells to e-cigarette vapor, a practice later confirmed on mice. It shows vaping limited neutrophils ability to get to the site of an infection, fight it once they arrived and produce compounds that fight bacteria.

Crotty Alexander said that based on the lab findings, it appears that the key chemicals that immune cells are exposed to during vaping cause dysfunction and thus weaken the immune system.

Further work by the researchers will focus on how the amount or style of vaping affects the immune system.

About 3% of American adults, approximately 7 million people, use e-cigarettes, according to a 2017 study. But youth and young adults are taking up the practice at a much higher rate, according to a 2016 U.S. Surgeon General report.

The emergence last year of a vaping related respiratory illness that sickened thousands and killed dozens drew a harsh spotlight to the potential risks of vaping.

Federal and state officials continue to investigate the illness, tentatively linked to the inclusion of vitamin E acetate within some e-cigarette fluids. Partly in response to the wave of illnesses, the Trump administration banned a range of vape liquid flavors and speedily approved legislation that raised the age of those allowed to buy both tobacco and vaping products that contain nicotine from 18 to 21.

Read more here:
New research: Vaping weakens fight against infections - Grand Forks Herald

Chiropractic Economics February 12, 2020

Health care experts in the wellness field are scrambling to keep patients well during a hard-hitting flu season and additional worries about a new coronavirus.

Keeping patients immune system in top shape with the signs of a strong immune system, experts say, is a way to combat both.

More than 12,000 adults and 78 children have died during this flu season according to the weekly flu report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the coronavirus has dominated the headlines, the flu is much more likely to impact Americans and should be the main concern saysLibby Richards, an associate professor of nursing in PurduesSchool of Nursing.

Its important to keep in mind that while we currently do not have a vaccine for coronavirus, we do have a safe and effective vaccine for the flu, and its not too late to get one, Richards says. We are still in the peak of flu season, so vaccination is important to protect you and those around you. The flu vaccine helps protect not only you from influenza but can also lessen your chance of flu-related complications.

According to Purdue University doctors, adults and children need to be fever-free for 24 hours without the assistance of over-the-counter or prescription medications before they can return to work or school. Its also never too late to get a flu shot.

Eating right, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and getting enough sleep are some of the primary drivers of and signs of a strong immune system.

This season the CDC estimates that 9.7 million cases of the flu have been thus far diagnosed.

Also along the lines of creating or maintaining a healthy immune system for patients includes maintaining a healthy weight, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of fluids, meeting physical activity guidelines, not smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption and stress.

Seven to nine hours of sleep is recommended when you are feeling sick, as well as when you are healthy, Richards said. In addition to getting adequate sleep when ill, it is also important to rest during the day and try to avoid overexertion.

If you have a productive cough, do everyone a favor and avoid the gym. Staying home is a perfect way to not spread germs. If you have mild cold symptoms and you feel you have the energy to exercise, go for it as exercise might help you feel better, but consider reducing the duration or intensity of your exercise. If you are having fatigue, body aches, stomach issues, you should stay home and rest as exercise could increase your chance of an injury.

When it comes to children, Richards says, keep washing everyones hands.

Kids touch everything, which is one big way germs are spread, she says. Kids also tend not to understand or value what personal space is and can be in each others faces all the time. Parents, teachers and caregivers can demonstrate proper hand-washing and cough hygiene all year long not just during flu season[And] as much as we love to show affection with kisses, its possible to spread the flu one to three days prior to the start of symptoms.

The human immune system fights off infection, disease, viruses and more. But if the immune system protects you, why do you get sick?

The immune system (tonsils, lymph nodes, lymph vessels, thymus gland and bone marrow) consists of the lymphatic system, and your skin and mucus membranes act as the first line of defense, according to Roswell Park, the U.S.s first cancer center. The skin presents the physical barrier, while the mucus membranes that line your bodys openings make and release substances that repel invaders.

Vaccines work with your bodys natural defenses to create immunity to a specific disease, writes Roswell Park. Long ago, people realized that survivors of a disease didnt get that disease again. A British doctor is often credited with the first vaccine (for smallpox) in the 1790s, but a Chinese emperor who was a smallpox survivor himself started an inoculation program against the disease in the mid-1600s.

When someone with the flu coughs or sneezes, flu germs enter the air and are breathed in by other potential carriers. Will they get sick? What are their signs of a strong immune system? It depends on:

There still remains a common mis-perception among patients that they can get the flu by getting a flu shot. This myth leads to the spreading of the flu by un-vaccinated individuals.

The flu vaccine contains an inactive virus and gives the body a preview of what to look for and how to fight it off. Sometimes individuals can feel effects after a flu shot due to the body creating an immune response, as it should. Headaches or low-grade fevers are not out of the ordinary and are sometimes mistaken for the flu but are just natural responses from the body.

The flu season can go well into May, and individuals age 6 and up should get the flu shot which traditionally protects against influenza A (H1N1) and (H3N2), and the influenza B virus. For additional flu info from the CDC go to cdc.gov/flu/index.htm.

Read more from the original source:
Patient health, flu myths, and signs of a strong immune system - Chiropractic Economics

A doctor wearing a face mask looks at a CT image of a lung of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan, China. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A doctor wearing a face mask looks at a CT image of a lung of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan, China.

More than 1,300 people, almost all in China, have now died from COVID-19 the newly minted name for the coronavirus disease first identified in Wuhan, China, that has infected more than 55,000 people.

Yet according to the World Health Organization, the disease is relatively mild in about 80% of cases, based on preliminary data from China.

What does mild mean?

And how does this disease turn fatal?

The first symptoms of COVID-19 are pretty common with respiratory illnesses fever, a dry cough and shortness of breath, says Dr. Carlos del Rio, a professor of medicine and global health at Emory University who has consulted with colleagues treating coronavirus patients in China and Germany. "Some people also get a headache, sore throat," he says. Fatigue has also been reported and less commonly, diarrhea. It may feel as if you have a cold. Or you may feel that flu-like feeling of being hit by a train.

Doctors say these patients with milder symptoms should check in with their physician to make sure their symptoms don't progress to something more serious, but they don't require major medical intervention.

But the new coronavirus attacks the lungs, and in about 20% of patients, infections can get more serious. As the virus enters lung cells, it starts to replicate, destroying the cells, explains Dr. Yoko Furuya, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

"Because our body senses all of those viruses as basically foreign invaders, that triggers our immune system to sweep in and try to contain and control the virus and stop it from making more and more copies of itself," she says.

But Furuya says that this immune system response to this invader can also destroy lung tissue and cause inflammation. The end result can be pneumonia. That means the air sacs in the lungs become inflamed and filled with fluid, making it harder to breathe.

Del Rio says that these symptoms can also make it harder for the lungs to get oxygen to your blood, potentially triggering a cascade of problems. "The lack of oxygen leads to more inflammation, more problems in the body. Organs need oxygen to function, right? So when you don't have oxygen there, then your liver dies and your kidney dies," he says.

That's what seems to be happening in the most severe cases. About 3% to 5% of patients end up in intensive care, according to the WHO. And many hospitalized patients require supplemental oxygen. In extreme cases, they need mechanical ventilation including the use of a sophisticated technology known as ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which basically acts as the patient's lungs, adding oxygen to their blood and removing carbon dioxide. The technology "allows us to save more severe patients," Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of the WHO's pandemic and epidemic diseases department, said at a press conference Monday.

Many of the more serious cases have been in people who are middle-aged and elderly Furuya notes that our immune system gets weaker as we age. She says for long-term smokers, it could be even worse because their airways and lungs are more vulnerable. People with other underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or chronic lung disease, have also proved most vulnerable. Furuya says those kinds of conditions can make it harder for the body to recover from infections.

"Of course, you have outliers people who are young and otherwise previously healthy who are dying," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently told NPR's 1A show. "But if you look at the vast majority of the people who have serious disease and who will ultimately die, they are in that group that are either elderly and/or have underlying conditions."

The WHO has said most deaths so far appear to be from multi-organ failure and has calculated the case fatality rate at about 2% or less, based on earlier data from China. However, infectious disease experts note that it's hard to know the true numbers at this point in the epidemic.

But del Rio notes that it's not just COVID-19 that can bring on multi-organ failure. Just last month, he saw the same thing in a previously healthy flu patient in the U.S. who had not gotten a flu shot.

"He went in to a doctor. They said, 'You have the flu don't worry.' He went home. Two days later, he was in the ER. Five days later, he was very sick and in the ICU" with organ failure, del Rio says. While it's possible for patients who reach this stage to survive, recovery can take many weeks or months.

In fact, many infectious disease experts have been making comparisons between this new coronavirus and the flu and common cold, because it appears to be highly transmissible.

"What this is acting like it's spreading much more rapidly than SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome], the other coronavirus, but the fatality rate is much less," Fauci told 1A. "It's acting much more like a really bad influenza."

What experts fear is that, like the flu, COVID-19 will keep coming back year after year.

Originally posted here:
How Patients Die After Contracting COVID-19, The New Coronavirus Disease : Goats and Soda - NPR

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Many people are fighting the flu with a cocktail.

The Myers Cocktail is an unconventional way to boost your immune system and it's becoming more popular in Las Vegas.

The cocktail consists of a combination of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, vitamins B and C, and then it is slowly pushed into your body by an IV.

RELATED: What to know about the 2019-2020 flu season

This season, Las Vegas Dr. Julio Garcia says they've seen an uptick in the number of patients asking for a Myers Cocktail versus the flu shot because it works faster.

Garcia says the cocktail isn't the answer for every sickness and you should still go see a doctor regularly.

Here's more about the Myer's Cocktail from Trim Body M.D.

MYERS COCKTAIL1. An excellent option for IV hydration2. Contains IV fluid, glutathione, Vitamin C, Magnesium, 6 different B vitamins3. Helps energize the body4. Fights infection, cold, flu and fatigue

The Myers cocktail is a vitamin and mineral cocktail invented by Dr. John Myers, a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, who pioneered the use of intravenous vitamins and minerals as part of the overall treatment of various medical problems. Dr. Myers formula contains the following nutrients: magnesium, calcium B12, B6, B5, B complex and vitamin C. We have found it effective in relieving acute asthmatic attacks, migraines, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, cardiovascular diseases (angina and arrythmias), hay fever symptoms, cold and flu and even narcotic withdrawal. It is administered intravenously and promoted as an alternative treatment for a broad range of conditions. The Cocktail is given by a slow IV push or slow infusion to achieve concentrations of nutrients that are not obtainable with oral administration.

The Myers cocktail, along with IV fluids, is a very fast way to get critical vitamins, minerals, and hydration into your body. Many people live hectic, busy lives and have difficulty getting enough vitamins in their diet. There is no better way to replenish your vitamin stores than the intravenous route.

View post:
Fight the cold with immunity-boosting cocktail - KTNV Las Vegas

Over the past few decades, allergies and asthma have become common childhood diseases, especially in developed countries. Almost 20 percent of Australians experience some kind of allergy, whether it's to food, pollen, dust, housemites, mould or animals.

When people suffer from food allergies, hay fever or asthma, their immune system incorrectly believes the trigger substances are harmful and mounts a defence.

The response can range from mild symptoms, such as sneezing and a blocked nose (in the case of hay fever), to anaphylaxis (from severe food allergies or bee stings) and asthma attacks.

We used to think the rise in allergic conditions was because we weren't exposed to as many early infections as previous generations. But the science suggests that's not the case.

However it seems being out in nature, and exposed to diverse (but not disease-causing) bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms may help protect against asthma and allergies.

In 1989, researcher David Strachan examined allergy patterns in more than 17,000 children in England. He noticed young siblings in large families were less likely to have hay fever than older siblings or children from small families.

He proposed that these younger siblings were exposed to more childhood illness at a younger age, as more bugs were circulating in these large families and the younger children were less likely to wash their hands and practise good hygiene.

Greater exposure to these childhood infections helped "train" their immune systems not to overreact to harmless things like pollen.

Strachan coined the term "hygiene hypothesis" to explain this phenomenon, and the idea has been appealing to our dirty side ever since.

Strachan wasn't the first to notice exposure to "dirty environments" seemed to prevent allergic disease. A century earlier, in 1873, Charles Blackley noted hay fever was a disease of the "educated class", and rarely occurred in farmers or people living in less sanitary conditions.

However, Blackley and Strachan were wrong about one important thing: the association between sanitation and allergies is not due to reduced exposure to early childhood infections (or "pathogens").

Large studies from Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom have found no association between the number of viral infections during childhood and allergic disease. In other words, exposure to disease-causing pathogens doesn't appear to prevent allergies.

In fact, exposure to childhood viral infections, in addition to making a child sick, may contribute to the development of asthma in predisposed children.

Many researchers now argue the term "hygiene hypothesis" is not only inaccurate but potentially dangerous, because it suggests avoiding infection is a bad thing. It's not.

Good hygiene practices, such as hand washing, are critical for reducing the spread of infectious and potentially deadly diseases such as influenza and the Wuhan coronavirus.

For healthy immune function, we need exposure to a diverse range of bacteria, fungi and other bugs known as microbes in the environment that don't make us sick.

Within urban environments, recent research shows people who live closer to green, biodiverse ecosystems tend to be healthier, with less high blood pressure and lower rates of diabetes and premature death, among other things.

More specifically, research has found growing up on a farm or near forests, with exposure to more biodiverse ecosystems, reduces the likelihood of developing asthma and other allergies.

This is potentially because exposure to a diversity of organisms, with a lower proportion of human pathogens, has "trained" the immune system not to overreact to harmless proteins in pollen, peanuts and other allergy triggers.

We can try to expose children to environments more like the ones in which humans, and our immune systems, evolved.

Most obviously, children need to have exposure to green space. Playing outdoors, having a garden, or living near green space (especially near a diverse range of native flowering plants) is likely to expose them to more diverse microbes and provide greater protection from allergic diseases.

Infants who are breastfed tend to have more diverse gut microbiomes (a larger variety of bacteria, fungi and other microscopic organisms that live in the gut), which makes them less likely to develop allergic diseases in childhood.

Having a varied diet that includes fresh and fermented foods can help cultivate a healthy gut microbiome and reduce allergic disease. As can using antibiotics only when necessary, as they kill off good bacteria as well as the bad.

So keep washing your hands, especially in cities and airports, but don't be afraid of getting a little dirty in biodiverse environments.

This article was co-authored by Chris Skelly, International Programme Director, Healthy Urban Microbiomes Initiative and Head of Programmes (Research and Intelligence), Public Health Dorset.

Emily Johnston Flies, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (U.Tasmania), University of Tasmania and Philip Weinstein, Professorial Research Fellow, University of Adelaide.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read more here:
Early Infections Don't Seem to Prevent Allergies - But Getting Dirty in Nature Might - ScienceAlert

During this time of year, we get our flu shots, but we also look for ways to improve our immune system. A healthy, natural option to improve your immune system are elderberries.

Valrico resident and mom of two little girls Laura DiSalvo believes in the health benefits of elderberries so much that she created a line of organic elderberry syrups and gummies.

I have a degree in biology and a Master in Biotechnology Business Management, DiSalvo said. In the beginning of my working years, before I stopped to stay at home with my girls, I worked in a military lab, working on various contracts. Ive been making elderberry syrup and gummies for over four years now after trying the store-made ones from different stores. We were hooked on elderberries, but the price for such a small bottle for all of us and how thick it was, I found myself looking for other options. I found a few people who sold it homemade, but I was not impressed. One was either too watery or another didnt taste right, so I decided I was going to make my own, and here we are.

And so, Lauras Organic Elderberry and Gummies was born.

According to WebMD, The berries and flowers of elderberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. They can help tame inflammation, lessen stress and help protect your heart too. They can also be a treatment for constipation, joint and muscle aches, headaches, kidney problems, minor skin conditions, stress and fevers.

What makes DiSalvos elderberry syrup and gummies different from store-bought versions is that she makes each batch small enough that she can monitor the temperature so she never overcooks or de-natures her berries.

The inside of the berries is the true medicine, DiSalvo said. If youre getting elderberry from someone and they are not squishing the berries after cooking, youre not getting the true benefit. Its a long process, time-consuming and messy, so most other makers may skip this part. I love it, though. I strain two times with cheesecloths to ensure it is smooth. I add local raw honey only when it is cooled down to ensure I will not denature my honey. I also only use organic, pesticide-free elderberry.

Her local raw honey comes from Andersens Apiary in Riverview.

To learn more about Lauras Organic Elderberry and Gummies, visit http://www.facebook.com/LaurasElderberry or email lauraselderberry@yahoo.com. Her elderberry syrup costs $20 for a 12 oz. jar and her gummies cost $20 for 120 gummies.

Link:
Laura's Organic Elderberry And Gummies Are A Natural Way To Improve Health - Osprey Observer

News Release

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Findings suggest drugs targeting immune cells may help treat deadly disease mainly affecting children.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found evidence that specific immune cells may play a key role in the devastating effects of cerebral malaria, a severe form of malaria that mainly affects young children. The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that drugs targeting T cells may be effective in treating the disease. The study was supported by the NIH Intramural Research Program.

This is the first study showing that T cells target blood vessels in brains of children with cerebral malaria, said Dorian McGavern, Ph.D., chief of the Viral Immunology and Intravital Imaging Section at the NIHs National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) who co-directed the study with Susan Pierce, Ph.D., chief of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). These findings build a bridge between mouse and human cerebral malaria studies by implicating T cells in the development of disease pathology in children. It is well established that T cells cause the brain vasculature injury associated with cerebral malaria in mice, but this was not known in humans.

More than 200 million people worldwide are infected annually with mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria. In a subset of those patients, mainly young children, the parasites accumulate in brain blood vessels causing cerebral malaria, which leads to increased brain pressure from swelling. Even with available treatment, cerebral malaria still kills up to 25% of those affected resulting in nearly 400,000 deaths annually. Children who survive the infection will often have long-lasting neurological problems such as cognitive impairment.

The researchers, led by Drs. Pierce and McGavern, examined brain tissue from 23 children who died of cerebral malaria and 11 children who died from other causes. The scientists used state-of-the-art microscopy to explore the presence of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) in the brain tissue samples. CTLs are a type of T cell in our immune system that is responsible for controlling infections throughout the body.

Current treatment strategies for cerebral malaria focus on red blood cells, which are thought to clog blood vessels and create potentially fatal blockages leading to extreme pressure in the brain. However, findings in the mouse model demonstrated that CTLs damage blood vessels, leading to brain swelling and death. The role of CTLs in cerebral malaria in children hasnt been thoroughly investigated prior to this study.

The results of the current study demonstrate an increased accumulation of CTLs along the walls of brain blood vessel in the cerebral malaria tissue samples compared to non-cerebral malaria cases. In addition, the CTLs were shown to contain and release effector molecules, which damage cells, suggesting that CTLs play a critical role in cerebral malaria by damaging the walls of brain blood vessels.

The disease appears to be an immunological accident in which the CTLs are trying to control a parasitic infection but end up injuring brain blood vessels in the process, said Dr. McGavern.

In separate studies we discovered that treatment of mice with a drug that targets T cells rescued over 60% of otherwise fatal cases of experimental cerebral malaria, said Dr. Pierce. Given our findings of T cells in the brain vasculature of children who died of the disease, we are excited by the possibility that this drug may be the first therapy for cerebral malaria.

The impact of HIV coinfection on the risk of developing cerebral malaria is not known. The NIH researchers compared CTL patterns in the cerebral malaria cases that were co-infected with HIV and those that were HIV negative. In the HIV-negative cases, the CTLs were seen lining up against the inside wall of brain blood vessels. In the HIV-positive cases, the CTLs had migrated across the surface to the outside of the vessels. There were also significantly more CTLs present in the HIV-positive cases.

Together these findings suggest that CTLs may play an important role in cerebral malaria and that HIV infection may worsen the disease.

Additional research is needed to uncover the role of T cells in human cerebral malaria. Future studies will also investigate how targeting T cells may help treat the disease. Plans for a clinical trial are underway to test the effects of a specific T cell blocker in cerebral malaria patients in Malawi.

The NINDSis the nations leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system.The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Riggle et al. CD8+T cells target cerebrovasculature in children with cerebral malaria. Journal of Clinical Investigation.

###

Follow this link:
NIH study supports new approach for treating cerebral malaria - National Institutes of Health

If you deal with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), youre not alone. This common condition causes bloating, gas, stomach pain, constipation, and diarrhea.

To manage IBS, your healthcare provider may recommend that you change your diet, improve your lifestyle quality, and limit your intake of certain fermentable carbs called FODMAPs.

You may have also heard that the high fat, very low carb ketogenic helps treat IBS symptoms.

Yet, you may wonder whether this claim is backed by scientific evidence and whether you should try out keto if you have IBS.

This article examines how the keto diet affects IBS symptoms.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 14% percent of the worlds population. Its symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea (1, 2).

Theres no one identifiable cause of IBS. Instead, it likely involves a number of processes that may be unique to each individual (1).

Possible causes include increased digestive sensitivity, chemical signals from your gut to your nervous system, psychological and social stress, immune system activity, changes in your gut bacteria, genetics, diet, infections, certain drugs, and antibiotic use (1, 3).

IBS treatment focuses on managing symptoms via medications, diet, and lifestyle adjustments (1, 4).

Many individuals find that food is a trigger for specific symptoms, so 7090% of people with IBS limit certain foods to try to decrease negative effects (1, 5).

Experts often recommend a diet that includes regular meals, as well as adequate fiber and fluids. You should limit alcohol, caffeine, and spicy or fatty foods if they trigger symptoms (5).

Currently, a common treatment for IBS is a low FODMAP diet, which limits short-chain, fermentable carbs that are poorly absorbed by your body. FODMAPs are found in wheat, onions, some dairy, and some fruits and vegetables (1, 6).

These carbs cause increased water secretion and fermentation in your gut, which produces gas. Although this doesnt negatively affect healthy people, it may trigger symptoms in people with IBS (1).

Diets low in FODMAPs have been shown to reduce the severity of IBS symptoms, particularly pain and bloating (2, 5, 7).

Very low carb, gluten-free, paleo, and immune-modulating diets are likewise used to treat IBS, though evidence on their effectiveness is mixed (2).

IBS is a chronic condition characterized by stomach pain, bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea. Its commonly treated by restricting certain foods, eating a low FODMAP diet, and adopting other dietary and lifestyle changes.

The ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb eating pattern thats similar to the Atkins diet. Originally developed in the 1920s to treat children with severe epilepsy, its commonly used for weight loss and other health conditions like blood sugar control (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

Its exact macronutrient ratio may differ based on individual needs, but its usually 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs (6, 13).

Keto limits bread, pasta, grains, beans, legumes, alcohol, sugar, and starchy fruits and vegetables while increasing your intake of high fat foods like nuts, seeds, oils, cream, cheese, meat, fatty fish, eggs, and avocados (6).

By restricting carbs to 50 grams or fewer per day, you enter a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs. This is known as ketosis (13, 14).

The keto diet is a low carb, high fat eating pattern that shifts your bodys metabolism away from carbs. Its long been used to treat epilepsy and other ailments.

Despite ketos popularity, very few studies investigate its effectiveness for treating IBS.

A 4-week study in 13 people with diarrhea-predominant IBS found that the keto diet helped reduce pain and improve the frequency and consistency of stools (15).

This may be due to the diets influences on your gut microbiome, or the collection of bacteria in your gut. Interestingly, people with IBS often have an imbalance in their types and numbers of gut bacteria, which may contribute to symptoms (16, 17).

Furthermore, animal and human studies reveal that very low carb diets deplete the bacteria in your gut that produce energy from carbs while boosting the number of beneficial bacteria (16, 18).

However, some research also suggests that low carb diets like keto decrease the overall diversity of gut bacteria and increase the number of inflammatory bacteria, which may have negative effects (18).

Currently, theres not enough information to conclude whether the keto diet can benefit people with IBS. Further studies are necessary.

Some research indicates that the keto diet may reduce symptoms of diarrhea-predominant IBS and improve aspects of your gut microbiome. Still, results are mixed and more research is needed.

Despite some promising results, evidence for using keto to treat IBS remains limited.

Its unclear whether positive effects can be attributed to the diet itself or rather the incidental elimination of trigger foods, such as FODMAPs or gluten (19).

Therefore, people with IBS shouldnt use the keto diet as a primary treatment for IBS.

Many people may find keto too restrictive in nature, as it eliminates food groups like grains, beans, and legumes.

That said, if this diet can fit into your lifestyle, and you are interested in how it could change your symptoms, please talk to a medical professional to learn more.

The keto diet isnt currently recommended as a standard treatment for IBS due to a lack of scientific evidence. Yet, if it fits your lifestyle, it may reduce some symptoms and provide other benefits. Speak to a medical professional if you want to learn more.

Its important to remember that the keto diet may have a few downsides.

For example, fatty foods trigger symptoms in some people with IBS. Because the keto diet is very high in fat, it may worsen symptoms instead of improving them (5).

Furthermore, the keto diet can be low in soluble fiber, a nutrient that may alleviate some IBS symptoms (20).

Thus, its important to eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and seeds to boost your intake of soluble fiber if you have IBS and decide to try keto. Alternatively, you can take a fiber supplement (5).

Finally, people with diabetes should consult a health professional before starting keto, as the low carb intake could cause dangerously low blood sugar levels (13).

The keto diets high fat levels may trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Furthermore, this eating pattern can be low in soluble fiber, a nutrient that may ease IBS-related complaints.

Studies on the ketogenic diet and IBS are limited and provide mixed results.

On the one hand, research demonstrates an improvement in diarrhea symptoms in people with IBS, as well as some positive changes to the gut microbiome.

On the other hand, keto may have several negative effects on your gut microbiome and is more restrictive than other dietary treatments.

Although the keto diet isnt currently recommended to treat IBS, some people may find it advantageous for symptom management or other benefits, such as weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

If youre curious about trying keto to help treat your IBS symptoms, its best to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider first.

View original post here:
Keto Diet and IBS: Can This Diet Help Treat Symptoms? - Healthline

It is largely accepted that the dinosaurs were killed off due to an asteroid impact on the planets surface that created a chain reaction of climactic calamities at least, thats the primary theory. And while all that is left of dinosaurs are their bones, those fossilized pieces can still provide us with important scientific resources, including perhaps a key to at least one rare disease.

Researchers have discovered the remains of a dinosaur from what is now modern Alberta, Canada that contains evidence of having suffered a condition similar to a rare cancer of the bone marrow. In bone remains from a hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur, researchers found lesions in tail vertebrae bones that are similar to the rare disease Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow. Details of the study were published in Nature.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, LCH, previously known as histiocytosis X, is characterized by abnormal increases in white blood cells called histiocytes. The histiocyte cells help the bodys immune system fight infection and destroy foreign materials. The extra immune cells produced by this condition may form tumors, which can affect parts of the body like the bones and possibly spread to other areas, the clinic said on its website. It typically affects children between the ages of five and 10 years. There are less than 200,000 diagnoses annually. The most common form of LCH is eosinophilic granuloma. Most patients afflicted with LCH tend to recover, but the condition can cause pain and swelling.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis historically was thought of as a cancer-like condition, but more recently researchers have begun to consider it an autoimmune phenomenon in which immune cells begin to overproduce and attack the body instead of fighting infection. In most cases it is not known why the disorder appears, although there may be a genetic link, the Cleveland Clinic said on its website.

Reimar / Shutterstock

Because of the different ways in which LCH can affect the body, there are different treatment options for people diagnosed with the disorder. In addition to steroid treatments, surgery and anti-inflammatory treatments can be recommended. Radiation treatment and chemotherapy can be used in some patients, the Histiocytosis Association noted on its website.

After a detailed study of the lesions in the hadrosaurs bones, the researchers confirmed that the issue afflicting the dinosaur was LCH. The researchers confirmed the diagnosis through macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the hadrosaur vertebrae and then compared to human LCH, as well as other pathologies. The hadrosaur pathology findings were indistinguishable from those of humans with LCH, supporting that diagnosis, the researchers said in their study abstract. The disease has been found in other animals, but this was the first time it was seen in a creature that died out millions of years ago.

Knowing that the disease has been discovered in dinosaurs could help lead to breakthroughs in potential treatments for the disease. Israel Hershkovitz, a palaeopathologist from Tel Aviv University who assisted in the study, told Science Alert that the goal of these kinds of studies, looking at disease states in long-dead creatures, could lead to an understanding of the causes of LCH and other diseases.

Ultimately, the goal of such studies is to understand the real cause of these illnesses and what evolutionary mechanisms allowed them to develop and survive, Hershkovitz told the publication. Perhaps if we understand a diseases underlying mechanisms we can treat its causes more effectively, instead of focusing on the symptoms, as modern medicine tends to do.

Continue reading here:
A Rare Human Disease Has Been Found in Dinosaur Bones, Could it Lead to a Treatment? - PharmaLive

Feb. 18, 2020 19:00 UTC

- First results from ocular injury program to treat damage from sulfur mustard gas -

- Announces $1 million funding from the National Eye Institute for continuation of program development -

CLAREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synedgen, a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system, today announced a poster presentation at the upcoming National Institutes of Health (NIH)-organized scientific meeting, Developing Medical Countermeasures To Treat the Acute and Chronic Effects of Ocular Chemical Toxicity. The meeting will take place in Rockville, Maryland, on February 25-26, 2020.

Poster Presentation:

Title: Improving Corneal Wound Healing After Chemical Injury With Novel Therapeutic Glycopolymers

Presenter: Shenda Baker, Ph.D.

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET

Location: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH) Conference Center, 5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852

Were excited to share this promising data from Synedgens ophthalmic glycopolymer candidates, given the lack of effective drugs for this type of damage to the eye, said Dr. Brian Gilger, study lead and Professor of Ophthalmology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Importantly, the new molecules from Synedgens glycopolymer platform have the potential not only to provide a powerful countermeasures solution, but also to be applied in the civilian market where corneal damage is a frequent cause of vision loss.

Sulfur Mustard (SM) is employed as a chemical weapon, and its increasing production and use in unstable regions throughout the world heightens the risk that it could be used in a terrorist attack against U.S. civilians or armed forces, potentially causing severe burns to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. The ocular surface is uniquely susceptible to SM, resulting in corneal lesions, edema, ulceration, neovascularization and vision loss. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs for SM-induced ocular injuries to improve healing and reduce vision loss.

Synedgen has developed a class of glycopolymers with the ability to suppress inflammation, reduce infection, and improve healing at mucosal surfaces. One such glycopolymer reduces epithelial damage and inflammation in an animal model of potassium hydroxide (KOH)-induced ocular injury. This glycopolymer was well-tolerated, with reduced initial ocular inflammation (measured by Hackett-McDonald ocular scores) at 12 hours, and lower subsequent cumulative ocular inflammation. Furthermore, relative to control, the treatment prevented significant secondary ulceration, improved the healing rate and reduced corneal fibrosis. Given these results, preliminary optimization of five related compounds has been initiated in order to optimize the therapeutic efficacy of lead molecules against SM burns. This program is being funded by a three-year $970,000 award from the National Eye Institute (NEI/NIH) and the NIH Office of the Director (OD). The award is specifically earmarked for the Identification of lead compounds to topically treat sulfur mustard injury to reduce ocular damage and improve vision.

About Award

Research reported was supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI/NIH) and the NIH Office of the Director (OD) under Award Number U01EY030406. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About Synedgen

Synedgen is a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system. The companys lead development candidate is SYGN305 for gastrointestinal mucositis, where a large unmet need exists to prevent intestinal radiation injury, the single most important dose-limiting factor in cancer radiotherapy. Synedgens glycochemistry platform has already generated five FDA 510(k)-cleared therapeutics, one OTC drug, one veterinary indexed drug, and an out-licensed Phase 2 program, to Synspira, for the potential treatment of pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis. Synedgen has research and manufacturing facilities in Claremont, California. For more information please visit http://www.synedgen.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005740/en/

Original post:
Synedgen to Present Data on Therapeutic for Ocular Mustard Gas Injury at NIH-Organized Medical Countermeasures Meeting - BioSpace

MADISON, Wis. (AP) A bipartisan, $10 million package of more than a dozen bills designed to combat groundwater contamination in Wisconsin is slated for approval in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

The bills contain the recommendations from a water quality task force called by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to address growing concerns about groundwater contamination in the state. There is increased tension between environmentalists and farmers over the contamination of wells, the spreading of manure, the growth of large animal confinement facilities and the use of fertilizers.

The measures up for approval Tuesday tackle the issue from several angles, including expanding conservation efforts, bolstering research and education efforts, and improving state laws and regulations.

Democrats generally support the plan, but argue Republicans arent doing enough to stop the groundwater pollution. More needs to be done to prevent contamination as well as cleaning up pollution, said Democratic state Rep. Chris Taylor, of Madison, during debate of the bills in the Legislatures budget committee last week.

We have got to be much more aggressive, Taylor said. Weve got to stop the manure from running into peoples water in the first place and that is where (Republicans) have failed.

She called the proposals little baby steps.

Republican Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, of Clinton, said the bills are a good start and more would be coming.

The proposals would create a new water policy office; increase the number of county conservation workers; increase grants for owners of wells contaminated with manure or fertilizer to rebuild or replace them; increase money to study water quality issues; add a state agriculture staff member focused on grazing techniques for livestock to allow grasses to replenish; and make grants available for farmers who grow crops that require less fertilizer.

Once approved by the Assembly, the bills will go to the Senate where its unclear how much support there is. Time is running out for the Senate to act. It was expected to be in session Wednesday and then just one day in March before adjourning for the session.

Any measures that pass both houses must be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has made improving water quality a priority.

Under Evers, the state Department of Natural Resources has started studying water quality in southwestern Wisconsin, educating residents about the dangers of lead poisoning, creating restrictions on manure and fertilizer in areas prone to groundwater pollution and is developing standards for pollutants found in industrial products known as PFAS.

They are also known as forever chemicals because they dont break down naturally and can accumulate in the body. Studies have shown the chemicals can increase the risk of cancer, weaken the immune system and affect cholesterol levels, childhood behavior and the ability to get pregnant.

One bill up for passage creates a state-run program to more quickly collect and dispose of firefighting foam, one of the sources of PFAS.

Excerpt from:
Wisconsin Assembly to vote on bills fighting water pollution - WSAW

Despite public mistrust, most scientists claim that people's refusal to be vaccinated or have their children vaccinated poses an increasing threat to the population's resistance to disease.

Speaking on anti-vaccination tendencies, Infectious Diseases Association Chairman Mehmet Ceyhan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that "vaccine hesitancy" reluctance or refusal to use vaccinations is on the increase around the world and in Turkey.

Vaccine hesitant individuals hold varying degrees of indecision about specific vaccines or vaccinations in general.

Vaccine hesitancy is influenced by several factors, mainly from social pressure from society, which includes the spread of misinformation on social media, influential leaders' discourses on vaccine doubt and competence of health professionals and services, social groups and others, Ceyhan said. Anti-vaccination is one of the many factors causing vaccine hesitancy, he said, adding that vaccine rejection is among the consequences of vaccine hesitancy.

Vaccine hesitancy in Turkey

Commenting on increasing vaccine hesitancy in Turkey, Ceyhan said some people claim the substances in vaccines can lead to autism and infertility or cause permanent damage to the body.

Vaccines are much more reliable than medications, he said, noting that vaccines do not cause autism, nor have an impact on children's ability to walk.

The doctor underlined that vaccines cause "no serious" side effects.

Touching on substances like aluminum or mercury in vaccines, he said: "A sum of mercury compounds used to be added to the vaccines to ensure that vaccines were free from bacterial contamination when vaccines were produced in multi-dose bottles."

"But, nowadays, no vaccine contains mercury. Since all vaccines are now in single-dose packages, it is no longer necessary to add a mercury compound," he stressed.

On the other hand, speaking on the allegation that flu vaccines contain aluminum, which causes Alzheimer's, he said: "Aluminum in the vaccine is thousands of times less than the risk level."

He said aluminum in vaccines is low and not hazardous, adding that the total amount of aluminum in all the vaccinations is 5 milligrams.

"However, with drinking water, people consume hundreds of times more aluminum than that," he said. Although vaccination is not compulsory in Turkey, the need for it is strong he added.

Herd immunity

To maintain herd protection against disease within a population, 95% of people must be vaccinated. Turkey's rate of vaccination in 2018 was 96%, while it rose to 98% in 2019, according to Turkey's health ministry.

"No vaccine alone provides a person with full protection from the disease. However, if the majority of society is vaccinated, the vaccine prevents the spreading of diseases," the doctor said.

In this case, he said, the risk of transmission of the disease to the 1-3% of unvaccinated people will be eliminated.

Ceyhan went on to say that once herd immunity is achieved, infection risk is greatly reduced.

"However, if more than 5% of children are not vaccinated, the proportion of unprotected people reaches 6-8%, together with 1-3% of unvaccinated people. In this case, unvaccinated children would be at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases."

For this reason, many countries had to enact laws on vaccination to prevent measles outbreaks, he underlined.

Vaccine rejection threatens public health

The vaccination resistance poses an "increasing threat" in terms of public health, and families should be informed and conscious about this issue, Emine elik, a pediatrician at a training and research hospital in Ankara, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"Unfortunately, some families do not want to get vaccinated due to hearsay information and thoughts that do not have a scientific basis," she said.

elik feels sorry that some of her colleagues "misled society" with uncertain information.

"Because, if families realize the importance of vaccination for their children, this negative situation will disappear by itself," she underlined.

The pediatrician stressed that vaccination resistance has become a "serious problem" not only in Turkey but all over the globe, noting that an increase in measles cases in the U.S., European countries and Turkey last year was a result of avoiding vaccination.

"Although adverse outcomes that may occur as a result of vaccination are very rare, they are at a level that should be ignored besides the benefits of vaccination," she warned.

Importance of child vaccination

In the past, when people were not vaccinated, there were mass child deaths, and society struggled with outbreaks, the doctor said.

elik highlighted that common childhood diseases in unvaccinated societies have mostly resulted in deaths or severe sequelae and disabilities.

She underlined that the frequency of many diseases can be reduced by vaccinating children.

With vaccinations, she said, it can be ensured that permanent or temporary additional disease complications would occur less frequently.

elik said even if vaccinated children get a disease, the vaccination helps to overcome illness in a more "smooth" way.

Noting that vaccinations do not contain substances harmful to children's health, elik said: "On the contrary, vaccines are made to strengthen the immune system and to increase the body's resistance to common and serious diseases."

The doctor urged that the vaccinated child develops immunity during a certain period and after encountering the disease factor, "gives a quick and strong response" and gets rid of being sick or suffering from the disease.

"We also question (parents) whether the child's vaccinations are complete while prescribing some treatments, and unfortunately, we have to apply heavier treatments to unvaccinated children while we can treat the vaccinated children more moderately."

Additionally, stressing the necessity and importance of following the immunization or vaccination schedule, elik said the schedules are being prepared specifically for each community in line with statistical data and by considering diseases that are common in that community.

She noted that the schedule is subject to changes in line with the needs and scientific data of the society over time.

Modern medicine's greatest success stories

The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to immunization as "one of modern medicine's greatest success stories" and a process whereby a person is made "immune or resistant" to an infectious disease, typically by the use of a vaccine.

The U.N. agency estimated around 19.4 million children globally under the age of 1 did not receive basic vaccines as of December.

"Vaccines stimulate the body's immune system to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease," it says.

The WHO said immunization is a "proven tool" for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases, while the organization estimates immunization is estimated to avert between 2 million and 3 million deaths each year, adding that vaccines have prevented at least 10 million deaths between 2010 and 2015.

"It is one of the most cost-effective health investments, with proven strategies that make it accessible to even the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations," it said.

Besides preventing sickness and death associated with infectious diseases such as diarrhea, measles, pneumonia, polio and whooping cough, vaccinations hold up broader gains in education and economic development, according to the WHO.

"An additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided, however, if global vaccination coverage improves," it said.

See the original post:
Vaccine hesitancy in Turkey: An increasing threat to herd immunity - Daily Sabah

MEN are more likely to catch coronavirus because they may have a weaker immune response, experts fear.

Scientists found men made up 68 per cent of patients with the deadly illness at Wuhan University hospital last month.

4

4

The figures from a Lancet paper are based on the details of the 99 coronavirus patients admitted to the hospital in January.

They also revealed that the average age of patients was 55.5 years, including 67 men and 32 women.

Science writer Anjana Ahuja, in her column for the Financial Times, said: It is an eye-catching discrepancy.

A picture is emerging of 2019-nCoV [now COVID-19] as a novel pathogen that disproportionately affects older men, particularly those with existing illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

She said possible reasons for the differences between men and women could be smoking, a variation of hospital treatment and hormonal differences which could impact males immune system response.

Women are prone to autoimmune diseases, which causes parts of their immune system to become stronger to compensate, resulting in a possible stronger response to the coronavirus.

Also, females routinely outlive men by six to eight years and are more likely to reach their first birthday, according to the World Health Organization.

Stanley Perlman, an immunologist at the University of Iowa and his colleagues suggested that hormones, including Oestrogen, could be a possible defence against the virus.

Prof Perlman studied how SARS a sister disease of the new coronavirus called Covid-19 impacts male and female mice.

4

What to do if you're worried you've got coronavirus

BRITISH health chiefs have raised the coronavirus risk to the public from low to moderate.

Health professionals are working to contact anyone who has been in close contact with people who have coronavirus.

The majority of those who have been infected with the virus so far have either visited China or been in close contact with someone who has.

But if you are concerned known the signs is one of the best ways to protect yourself from 2019-nCoV.

Symptoms usually include:

In most cases, you won't know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus.

But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.

It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes.

The best way to prevent catching any form of coronavirus is to practice good hygiene.

If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with others.

You should also cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze then throw it away and wash your hands.

Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces which you may have touched is also important.

If you have returned from Wuhan in the last 14 days:

If you are in Northern Ireland, call your GP.

Please follow this advice even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.

Meanwhile, leading symptom-checking provider to the NHS Doctorlink has been updated to help identify patients' risk of having coronavirus.

Source: NHS

He concluded that male mice were affected in greater number, while adding that his study was consistent across coronaviruses as well.

Two studies on SARS and MERS patients found that males had a higher death rate for both diseases.

One study showed that out of 1,800 SARS patients men had a nine per cent higher date rate.

Some scientists are now convinced that these sex differences in clinical data reflect a genuine male vulnerability to coronavirus

A 2019 study of 229 Mers patients showed found that males had a six per cent higher death rate over females.

Anjana said:Some scientists are now convinced that these sex differences in clinical data reflect a genuine male vulnerability to coronavirus, rather than a bias in exposure.

The observations add to growing evidence that immunologically speaking, men are the weaker sex.

Thekiller bughas now claimed at least 1,367 lives and infected more than 60,000 people worldwide since the outbreak began two months ago.

Nine people have been confirmed as having the bug in the UK, while 14 people have tested positive in the US.

It comes as a new diagnostic method has led the Chinese province at the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak to report a record rise in deaths and thousands more cases today.

The central province of Hubei had previously only allowed infections to be confirmed by RNA tests, which can take days to process.

4

BALD TRUTHTearful nurses 'forced' to shave their heads before going to virus epicentre

Live Blog

KILLER VIRUSHotel near London's Heathrow CLOSED and designated as quarantine centre

DARTH VIRUSCoronavirus cleaner in 'Star Wars stormtrooper' mask disinfects GP surgery

VIRUS HATE5 racist attacks linked to coronavirus as student told 'go back to your country'

seasickBrits trapped on cruise test positive for coronavirus & husband can't stop vomiting

PLAGUE-BUSTER TANKRemote-controlled mini-tank used to disinfect areas hit by coronavirus

VIRUS FEARSLuxury mall loved by Chinese tourists is deserted after coronavirus outbreak

APPLE CRUMBLESApple hit by coronavirus as disease sparks iPhone shortages and low revenues

PLAGUE PROVINCEChina puts 58m in lockdown indefinitely as towns and villages 'sealed shut'

FACE UNLOCKSurgical masks that look like your face target coronavirus-fearing phone owners

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, carries genetic information that enables identification of organisms such as viruses.

But it has begun using quicker computerised tomography (CT) scans, which reveal lung infections, to confirm virus cases, health officials said.

Meanwhile, top officials in Hubei province - where the outbreak began in the capital city of Wuhan - were replaced.

Former Shanghai mayor Ying Yong is to replace Jiang Chaoliang as party chief in central Hubei, while two other senior officials have been removed.

Continued here:
Coronavirus Men more likely to catch deadly bug thanks to weaker immune systems, experts fear - The Sun

How hard the flu hits us has a lot to do with our first experience of the disease, a new paper reports.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Arizona may finally have an explanation as to why different people seem to have such different reactions to the flu. And, to a large extent, they report, it has to do with your childhood.

Our immune system often struggles to recognize and defend against closely related strains of seasonal flu, even though these are essentially the genetic sisters and brothers of strains that circulated just a few years ago, said lead author Katelyn Gostic, currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago.

This is perplexing because our research on bird flu shows that deep in our immune memory, we have some ability to recognize and defend against the distantly related, genetic third cousins of the strains we saw as children.

An individuals ability to fight off the flu is related to the number of different flu strains they contracted during their lifetime and the order in which they did so. Prior exposure to a pathogen, be it in the wild or controlled (in a vaccine) is known as immunological imprinting.

For the study, the team set out to determine whether immunological imprinting could explain differences in how people respond to the flu. They used health records from the rizona Department of Health Services to track how different varieties of the virus affect people at various ages, focusing on the H3N2 and H1N1 strains. These strains were selected as both have led to seasonal outbreaks over the past few decades, so there was enough data on them to work from.

In very broad lines, H3N2 is more closely associated with severe flu cases in elderly people and causes the majority of flu-related deaths. H1N1 seems more partial to children and young adults and is far less deadly.

The data showed that people who were first exposed to H1N1 during childhood were less likely to require hospitalization if they re-encountered the strain later on in life compared to those who were first infected with H3N2. Similarly, this latter group would be more resistant to subsequent reinfections of H3N2.

The team looked at the evolutionary relationship between the two strains and report that they belong to two different branches of the influenza family. Further research revealed that while infection with any of the strains does somewhat boost resistance against any other, the best effects are seen with strains from the same family that an individual has battled before. Furthermore, your first exposure seems to grant you extra protection against related strains in the future: people who had their first run-in with flu as children in 1955 (N1H1 strain) were significantly more likely to be hospitalized with an H3N2 infection than an H1N1 infection when both strains were circulating.

However, the team also found that people whose first childhood exposure was to H2N2 did not have better protection when they later encountered H1N1 (although the two strains are closely related). They are still unsure as to why this is.

We hope that by studying differences in immunity against bird flus where our immune system shows a natural ability to deploy broadly effective protection and against seasonal flus where our immune system seems to have bigger blind spots we can uncover clues useful to universal influenza vaccine development.

The paper Childhood immune imprinting to influenza A shapes birth year-specific risk during seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 epidemics has been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

See original here:
Your resistance to flu is shaped by previous flus, and their type - ZME Science

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (February 4, 2020)Researchers led by biologists at Tufts University have discovered that the brains of developing embryos provide signals to a nascent immune system that help it ward off infections and significantly improve the embryos ability to survive a bacterial challenge. Using frog embryos, which continue to develop with their brains removed, the researchers found that embryos without a brain are not able to marshall the forces of immune cells to an injury or infection site, leading the embryo to succumb to an infection more quickly. By contrast, the presence of a brain crucially helps direct immune cells to the site of injury to overcome the bacterial threat. The study was published today in NPJ Regenerative Medicine.

In a developing embryo, both brain and immune system are not fully formed. The immune system, for its part, consists mostly of an innate system of cells that respond immediately to infection and do not require training or produce antibodies. Nevertheless, these cells require signals that prompt them to move toward an infection site and trigger a response.

The research team found that the brain appears to contribute to the signals that guide the nascent immune system. When brainless frog embryos were infected with E. coli, only about 16% of embryos survived, while the presence of a brain protected more than 50% from the infection. By following markers of immune cells, researchers confirmed that the effect is not due to the missing brain somehow hampering immune system development because the composition of the immune cells remained the same with or without a brain. Instead, they found that the effect was due to the brain sending signals to the immune cells to move toward the site of an infection.

We found that macrophages innate immune system cells that can swallow up bacteria and destroy them to reduce the burden of an infection do not migrate appropriately without the presence of the brain said Michael Levin, Vannevar Bush Professor of Biology at Tufts Universitys School or Arts and Sciences and Associate Faculty at Harvards Wyss Institute, director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts and corresponding author of the study. Without the brain and its neurotransmitter signals, gene expression and innate immune system activity go awry, resulting in increased susceptibility to bacterial pathogens.

Other roles for the embryonic brain signaling during infection may include inducing cellular responses, for example preventing cell death or reducing inflammation, that help protect against the harmful effects of the infection.

Immune system abberations were also observed in brainless embryos that were further developed. When the researchers tracked myeloid cells, a class of immune cells that includes macrophages, neutrophils and others, after an injury, they found that the myeloid cells in brainless embryos gathered in locations far from the injury site. By contrast, myeloid cells in normal embryos with intact brains would pile up at the injury site to assist in healing. In fact, in the brainless embryo, the myeloid cells tended to cluster around abnormal, disorganized peripheral nerve networks, also a by-product of brain absence, as demonstrated in earlier studies.

An examination of aberrations in genetic expression in brainless embryos also pointed to the reduction of the neurotransmitter dopamine (a signaling chemical used in the brain for learning and motivation), and that dopamine may play a role in activating immune cells to migrate in the early stages of an infection. The absence of an immune cell quorum at the infection site leads the brainless embryos to become more susectible to its lethal effects.

Our results demonstrate the deep interconnections within the bacteria-brain-body axis: the early brain is able to sense the pathogenic bacteria and to elaborate a response targeted to fight against the cellular and molecular consequences of the infection, said Celia Herrera Rincon, Research Scientist II at the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts, and first author of the study.

Other authors of this study include: Jean-Francois Par, Christina Harrison, Alina Fischer, and Sophia Jannetty at the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts; Christopher Martyniuk, associate professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences at University of Florida; and Alexandre Dinis and Vishal Keshari, graduate students, and Richard Novak, senior staff engineer at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Universiy.

This research was supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation Independent Research Fellowship (TWCF0241) and the Allen Discovery Center program through The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (12171), as well as The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA, W911NF-16-C-0050), and the National Institutes of Health (AR055993, AR061988). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Herrera-Rincon, C., Par, J-F, Martyniuk, C.J., Jannetty, S.K., Harrison, C., Fischer, A., Dinis, A., Keshari, V., Novak, R., and Levin, M. An in vivo brainbacteria interface:

the developing brain as a key regulator of innate immunity. NPJ Regenerative Medicine (31 Jan 2020) DOI: 10.1038/s41536-020-0087-2

###

About Tufts University

Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.

View post:
Brain links to embryonic immunity, guiding response of the troops that battle infections - Tufts Now

A panel of Yale experts did their best to explain the current threat and future direction of the novel coronavirus epidemic during a forum Thursday hosted by the Yale School of Public Health. But they frequently cautioned the standing-room-only crowd that there is much about the mysterious illness that simply remains unknown.

Preliminary indications are that the virus is not as contagious as measles, is comparable in many ways to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome that resulted in 774 deaths worldwide in 2003) and is worse than the flu. But even these assessments could change as new data emerges, said moderator Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health and Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

You shouldnt be walking around in a spacesuit on College Street, its reasonable to say that, Omer told the gathering of some 120 students and faculty in Winslow Auditorium. On the other hand, we dont know the future risks of this outbreak.

More than 30,000 people have been sickened since the virus first appeared last December and more than 600 people have died. The respiratory illness has appeared in 28 countries but is most prevalent in China. While patients with the virus have been reported in the United States, there have been no reported infections in Connecticut.

In response to the outbreak, stockpiles of protective masks have sold out in parts of China. Panelist Lisa Sanders, an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine, said there is no evidence that wearing a face mask offers protection.

The best way to prevent getting the virus, Sanders said, is to adopt the same precautions used for avoiding the flucough into your elbow, avoid people who have an obvious infection, self-quarantine if you have symptoms, and wash your handsthoroughly and often.

If people just washed their hands a little bit more that would go a long way, said Sanders, who is also an Emmy-award winning television producer and writes the Diagnosis column for the New York Times.

Given the similarity of coronavirus to the flu, some have questioned why this particular respiratory illness is raising so much concern. Ellen Foxman, assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, explained that it is new to humans.

When our body fights a virus, it activates an immune response to block it and that response can be called on again should the virus return, Foxman said. Without that pre-existing defense, it is easier for a new virus to spread from person to person.

Thats why a new virus is always cause to be alert, to be vigilant, Foxman said. Just because its new doesnt mean its worse than other viruses, but there is that potential and thats why there is reason to be vigilant about it.

With so many uncertainties surrounding the virus, the panelists said it is vital for officials to be clear about what is known and unknown when publicly sharing information. Scientists have been quick to share information about the virus as it becomes available to aid in the international response. But that process can be problematic, particularly when findings are released before vetting.

When you have an emerging outbreak there is uncertainty and we should acknowledge that uncertainty, said Omer. We certainly know a lot more about this outbreak than before, but we owe it to the public to convey what we dont know.

In order to avoid misinformation during an outbreak, Omer said a rapid peer review system needs to be created so that other scientists can quickly evaluate information before it is released publicly. He said universities could play an important role.

One thing that is certain is that the virus was not released from a Chinese laboratory, despite such rumors circulating on social media, said Nathan Grubaugh, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health. Coronavirus most likely originated in bats. While the virus also appears to be mutating over time, that is part of its natural evolution and does not necessarily mean it is becoming more deadly, he said.

Whether this is going to be SARS or the common old, we just cant look at the virus genome and determine that, said Grubaugh. We dont have enough data right now to say how bad it is going to be.

Uncertainties surrounding transmission of the virus have led to drastic action in some areas. It was reported Thursday that a Chinese health official had ordered the city of Wuhan, where the virus first appeared, to place all infected residents in mass quarantine camps.

Yale Nursing Professor David Vlahov, who has a joint appointment in epidemiology and public health, voiced his concern that such quarantines could hinder public health efforts and have a stigmatizing effect, forcing people underground.

Gregg Gonsalves, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and co-director of Yales Global Health Justice Partnership, said he is particularly concerned about human rights issues as the virus spreads.

When considering quarantines, officials must use the least restrictive measures possible and not overreact, said Gonsalves, an adjunct associate professor at Yale Law School. Gonsalves is part of a legal team that is suing Connecticut for quarantines during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

Were thinking about risks to the United States, but think about the thousands of Chinese patients with coronavirus whose health status is going to be put into a precarious position if they are isolated into these facilities, said Gonsalves.

Should the virus establish a stronger foothold in the United States, Omer said he hopes the greater Yale community will respond appropriately.

Outbreaks can bring out the best and the worst in people, Omer said. It is extremely important that we treat each other with dignity, respect and compassion.

When asked what the latest scientific estimates were for the virus to peak and eventually end, the panelists said it is simply still too early to tell. Professor Albert Ko, chair of the Yale School of Public Healths Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, said the epidemic is still growing in its exponential phase. Ko said he is concerned about vulnerable populations in countries that dont have significant health care resources.

On a more positive note, Vlahov said the current crisis could be an impetus for more public health funding. But Yale School of Public Health Dean Sten Vermund said funding support for public health is always a challenge.

Its hard to convince policymakers to pay you to do something to prevent something from happening, Vermund said. Its much more intuitive to invest in hospitals to care for the ill, then it is to invest in public health infrastructure to prevent the illness to begin with.

A recording of Thursdays forum can be viewed here.

View post:
Communication, Caution Urged in Response to Coronavirus at YSPH Forum - Yale News