COVID-19 can cause loss of brain tissue.Delta variants are spurring a surge in infections in the UK

(Reuters)-The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for the virus-induced disease COVID-19.

Survivors of COVID-19 may have lost brain tissue

Even mild cases of COVID-19 can lead to loss of brain tissue, according to the results of a long-term study of 782 volunteers. As part of an ongoing UK Biobank study, participants underwent a brain scan prior to the pandemic. For a front-to-back comparison, the researchers returned for a follow-up scan of 394 COVID-19 survivors and invited 388 healthy volunteers. Most of the survivors of COVID-19 had only mild to moderate symptoms or no symptoms at all, but 15 were hospitalized. Among the survivors of COVID-19, researchers have seen a “significant” loss of gray matter in the areas of the brain associated with the sense of smell and taste (parahippocampal gyrus, left orbitofrontal cortex, left island). It was. Some of the affected brain regions are also involved in memory of experiences that provoke emotional responses, researchers noted in a report posted to medRxiv on Tuesday prior to peer review. .. No change was seen in the uninfected group. The authors said further research is needed to determine if COVID-19 survivors have long-term problems with their ability to remember emotional events. They also do not yet know whether the loss of gray matter is the result of the virus spreading to the brain or other effects of the disease. ((().

Delta Variant Helps England’s COVID-19 Infection Rate Soar

The rapid spread of the highly contagious deltacoronavirus variant, first identified in India, has caused a 50% increase in COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom since May, researchers at Imperial College London said Wednesday. The survey described in the latest report from REACT-1 prevalence. The prevalence of COVID-19 is “exponentially increasing driven by younger ages … and seems to be doubling every 11 days. Obviously, that’s bad news,” the report said. Stephen Riley, the lead author of the book, told reporters. Researchers estimated that at the beginning of May, about 60% of positive COVID-19 swab tests were due to delta mutations. By June 7, it had risen to about 90%. Early evidence has shown that delta mutants significantly reduce the effectiveness of a single dose of the vaccine against mild infections, but double doses provide excellent protection against severe disease. .. On Friday, the World Health Organization said the Delta mutant is becoming the world’s predominant variant of the disease. (((; reut.rs/3gBBp2V).

Researchers want to block the cell’s response to the virus

Instead of targeting the coronavirus with drugs, British researchers are trying new approaches. They are targeting infected cells to repair the damage caused by the virus and prevent the virus from spreading. Nerea Irigoien of the University of Cambridge activates a cellular response, called the “endoplasmic reticulum stress response,” in order for the virus to make or replicate itself in infected cells. In laboratory experiments, researchers used drugs to block the activation of this cellular response. As a result, virus replication was blocked, according to a report published Thursday at PLoS Pathogens. The endoplasmic reticulum stress response in infected cells “may be at least to some extent” a cause of some COVID-19-related complications, including dyspnea and lung tissue thickening and scarring, Irigoyen said. It was. This approach should be tested on animals and humans. However, the researchers hope that drugs that block the endoplasmic reticulum stress response not only reduce the viral load in patients, but also alleviate some of the symptoms associated with infection. “This means that patients can get better results and recover in less time,” Irigoyen said. ((().

Organ recipients may benefit from additional vaccination

Organ transplant recipients may not respond appropriately to a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but researchers say a third dose may be attractive. The antibody response after two doses of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines is generally better, but the transplant recipient’s response is “significantly” reduced, according to a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday. There is a possibility. At Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, researchers received two standard doses of the vaccine and then a third dose to 30 organ transplant patients with little or no antibody. The third shot was provided by another vaccine manufacturer, often 67 days after the second shot, on average. Two weeks after the third dose, 6 patients went from low antibody levels to high levels, another 6 went from no detectable antibody to high levels, and 2 went from no antibody to low levels. Now, 16 had no evidence yet. Response to the vaccine. “This prepares us for larger studies and gives us a better understanding of which patients respond better to this approach and who needs another approach. Also, B cells and T cells. The study gives us an idea of ​​what’s happening deeper than we can measure. Antibodies, “said co-author Dr. Dolly Segev. ((().

Open tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl In an external browser with Reuters graphics on vaccines under development.