(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines against COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Half a year later, patients with COVID-19 still show symptoms
Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have at least one symptom six months after falling ill, according to the findings of a study in Wuhan, China, where the new coronavirus first emerged in late 2019. Doctors did a follow-up of 1,733 patients who were diagnosed and hospitalized between January, 2020, and May. Six months later, 76% had at least one symptom, including fatigue or muscle weakness (observed in 63%), difficulty sleeping, and anxiety or depression. Most of those who had been seriously ill had ongoing lung problems and chest abnormalities that could indicate organ damage, while 13% of patients whose kidneys were functioning normally in the hospital developed kidney problems later, they reported. researchers Friday in The Lancet. “We are just beginning to understand” some of the long-term effects of COVID-19, co-author of the Bin Cao study at Beijing-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing said in a statement. “Our analysis indicates that most patients continue to experience at least some of the effects of the virus after leaving the hospital,” highlighting the need for post-discharge care. (bit.ly/39hUKS2)
Interferon increases proteins that deny entry to the coronavirus
An experimental inhaled form of interferon that is being tested to treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 may not have a limitation that researchers had feared. A potential problem with interferon is that it increases the levels of a protein called ACE2, which the new coronavirus uses as a gateway to cells. In test tube experiments, the researchers examined the cells that travel from the nose to the lungs and found that there are actually two forms of ACE2: the well-known and a short form that does not have the input it uses. the virus. Interferon increases the short form of ACE2, but not the longer form, they found, meaning it does not appear to increase virus entry points. “We were delighted to discover a new form of ACE2,” Dr Jane Lucas of the University of Southampton, who co-led the study published Monday in Nature Genetics, said in a statement. “We believe this may have important implications for the management of COVID-19 infection.” An inhaled interferon from Synairgen Plc is being tested in end-stage trials. (go.nature.com/3oBO9Z0)
Saliva viral load improves the prediction of COVID-19 severity
The amount of new coronavirus in saliva can help guide patient care by doctors, as it is a better predictor of the course of the disease than viral load in swab samples obtained from the nose and back of the throat, the researchers said. They studied 26 slightly ill COVID-19 patients, 154 hospitalized patients, including 63 who became critically ill and 23 who eventually died, and 108 uninfected people. Saliva viral load, but not nasopharyngeal viral load, was related to COVID-19 risk factors such as age and gender and to immune system responses. Saliva viral load was also higher than nasopharyngeal viral load in predicting critical illness and death, researchers told medRxiv on Wednesday before the peer review. Saliva contains inhaled germs that are removed from the lungs by the body’s protective mechanisms, co-author Akiko Iwasaki of Yale University said Sunday. Therefore, the viral load of saliva reflects how well the virus is making copies of itself through the airways, from the nose to the lungs, and not just to the nose and back of the throat, he said. Iwasaki. (bit.ly/3i1KpO9)
Open tmsnrt.rs/3a5EyDh in an external browser for a Reuters chart of vaccines and treatments under development.
Nancy Lapid Reports; Edited by Bill Berkrot