StemCell Therapy

TORONTO: Women face less severe complications and a lower risk of dying from COVID-19 than men due to the presence of hormones and chromosomes that contribute to a stronger immune response in female patients, according to a study.

The research, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, highlights how the sex differences in COVID-19 are linked to ACE2, an enzyme that acts as the receptor allowing SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter the body.

ACE2 is also key in protecting against cardiovascular, lung and kidney diseases, the researchers said.

"Because of their chromosomes, women have two copies of the ACE2 gene and men have only one copy," said senior study author Gavin Oudit, professor at the University of Alberta in Canada.

"This does not seem to make women more susceptible to COVID-19 infection, but it does protect them from the complications associated with the virus," Oudit said.

ACE2 is an X chromosome-linked gene, Oudit explained.

This means women have twice as many active genetic instructions to make ACE2, he said. Another gene that is twice as strong in women due to this X-inactivation escape is called Toll-like receptor seven, a key part of the innate immune system.

"The stronger presence of Toll-like receptor seven in women explains why women's immune systems are stronger than men's and can tolerate virus infection better, including the common cold," said Oudit, adding "the man-cold phenomenon is real."

The study found that men face more severe illness and poorer outcomes around the world, even when women likely face more exposure to SARS-CoV-2 than men.

"Due to gender issues, women face more risk, so it's reassuring to know that their outcomes are not any worse; in fact they are clearly better than men's," Oudit said.

The researchers said they are trying to understand how manipulating ACE2 levels might help COVID-19 patients, to prevent infection by blocking the enzyme or to protect the cardiovascular system, lungs and kidneys by enhancing it.

"We need to look at the factors that are responsible for better outcomes for everyone, taking sex differences into consideration when we test new therapies and provide COVID-19 care," Oudit said.

Whether the pandemic ends within a month or two or stretches into the long-term, business owners need to be ready to adapt and make changes to their business strategy in order to weather the storm and beyond. Here are a few tips to start implementing and planning form the CEOs.

- Absorb and accept technology in your organization to take your product to the customers

- Take initiative and bring smarter consumer propositions to take care of worries of a consumer while buying property

- Reskill your teams for the new scenarios

- Mitigate risk and judicious cash management. Most importantly stay positive during this time.

- There needs to be a diligent revision of sales, revenue goals and product timelines along with a new operating plan in place. Companies should strategize and communicate transparently with the stakeholders and customers to understand their perception of the products/services being offered.

- Also, to avoid bitterness with the contracted parties, companies should give sufficient notice to the vendors, suppliers and landlords in case of any delay in the payments.

- When it comes to the capital, companies should stay patient with fundraising. Considering the criticality of the situation, investors may take longer than usual to make funding decisions after following stringent diligence procedures.

Contingency Planning: Planning always saves you from the worst case scenarios. Always have Plan B and if possible Plan C also so that if something goes sideways, your company will not be hit hard as it will be saved by your contingency plans.

Quick Decision Making: Never delay in making decisive decisions in times of trouble. And never be shy about seeking help from outside.

Communicate with Customers: Try to communicate with customers and let them know that they and their reviews on your products matter. Improve and do the changes accordingly, if needed.

Internet: Go online as much as possible because it always helps to reach customers who we cannot tap through offline or other forms of marketing.

Keep Striving: Keep striving to come on top of the industry of which your company is a part of.

Marketing approach: This is an excellent time to relook at the channel marketing approach. Maximizing free channels like SEO and owned media like website and social media to communicate and engage with the customers. And build further marketing efficiency while starting the channels that require spend

Originally posted here:
Sex hormones, chromosomes might play a role in better Covid outcomes in women than men, says study - Economic Times

This entry was posted on December 26, 2020 at 1:55 pm and is filed under Immune System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |