Analysis of many #SARS-CoV-2 virus genomes shows that some mutations are more likely in regions where #RNA is unpaired.
https://elifesciences.org/digests/98102/unbalanced-mutations?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

Fünf Jahre nach dem Ausbruch der #Corona-Pandemie sind wir mit dem Netzwerk #MONID (Modellierungsnetz für schwere Infektionskrankheiten) im Falle einer Pandemie künftig besser aufgestellt!
In Berlin treffen sich derzeit mehr als 180 Modelliererinnen und Modellierer. Ihr Ziel: die Kräfte zu bündeln für noch verlässlichere Prognosen.

Weitere Infos: https://monid.net

#Modellierung #Pandemie #SARS-CoV-2 #Infektionsforschung #Epidemiologie #Gesundheitsforschung #Infektionskrankheiten #RKI

CN #SARS #CovidIsNotOver #Corona #LongCovid #MECFS #Covid19

Da die offiziellen Zahlen zum aktuellen Infektionsgeschehen um Größenordnungen zu niedrig kommuniziert werden, habe ich für Deutschland und die einzelnen Bundesländer ein Dashboard mit einer Schätzung der realen Zahlen auf Basis der Hospitalisierungen und kalibriert mit Abwasserdaten entwickelt.

Die Daten werden täglich und automatisch aktualisiert.

Weitere Informationen unter:

https://covidisnotover.info/aktuelle-corona-infektionen/

"A French team has recently teased some brand new findings — as yet unpublished — saying they know where the virus has been hiding. ... have found #SARS-nCov-2 hiding in a special type of immune cell called #megakaryocytes. These cells produce the little clotting factors in blood called platelets and — can seed the virus into the platelets. If that leads to problems with blood flow, it could explain many of the problems in #LongCovid, including fatigue and brain fog."
https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/12/02/long-covid-symptoms-viruses-health-labour-australia/

Recently, I had conversations with 2 people who turned out to be vaccine skeptics. They stopped getting #COVID vaccines after their first jab or two. So, I told them about the 30+ year history behind mRNA vaccine development. That it has been (and continues to be) worked on for treating cancer as well as for other diseases. And that mRNA vaccines were part-way developed for #SARS during the 2002-2004 outbreak (but work stopped because the infection petered out for various reasons) and for Zika. And that when the pandemic came along, most of the pieces of for creating an #mRNA #vaccine for COVID were already in place -- which is why the the vaccines came out relatively quickly. And that they underwent clinical trials before they were approved for release.
Both conversations ended with "Wow, I didn't know any of that. You've given me something to think about."
I'll take it as a win.
Sometimes it's #history more than #science that can help get a message across.

Sources:
1.Timeline: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/decades-making-mrna-covid-19-vaccines
2. One of the best summaries of the mRNA vaccine and its history. https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-story-of-mrna-how-a-once-dismissed-idea-became-a-leading-technology-in-the-covid-vaccine-race/

#publichealth @medmastodon #medmastodon #IDmastodon

There is strong evidence of brain-related abnormalities in COVID-19.

However, it remains unknown whether the impact of #SARS-#CoV-2 infection can be detected in milder cases,
and whether this can reveal possible mechanisms contributing to brain #pathology.

Here we investigated #brain #changes in 785 participants of UK Biobank (aged 51–81 years) who were imaged twice using magnetic resonance imaging,

including 401 cases who tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2 between their two scans
—with 141 days on average separating their diagnosis and the second scan
—as well as 384 controls.

The availability of pre-infection imaging data reduces the likelihood of pre-existing risk factors being misinterpreted as disease effects.

We identified significant longitudinal effects when comparing the two groups, including

(1) a greater reduction in grey matter thickness and tissue contrast in the orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus;

(2) greater changes in markers of tissue damage in regions that are functionally connected to the primary olfactory cortex; and

(3) a greater reduction in global brain size in the SARS-CoV-2 cases.

The participants who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 also showed on average a greater cognitive decline between the two time points.

Importantly, these imaging and cognitive longitudinal effects were still observed after excluding the 15 patients who had been hospitalised.

These mainly limbic brain imaging results may be the in vivo hallmarks of a degenerative spread of the disease through olfactory pathways,
of neuroinflammatory events,
or of the loss of sensory input due to anosmia.

Whether this deleterious effect can be partially reversed, or whether these effects will persist in the long term, remains to be investigated with additional follow-up.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04569-5

Had a mild #COVID19 infection?
Doesn’t mean it’s mild.

#SARS-Cov-2 can behave like HIV or Polio. It can cause internal damage long after apparent recovery.

Mild initial infection does not = mild disease.

Multiple studies show this. #LongCovid
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-covid-even-mild-covid-linked-damage-brain-months-infection-rcna18959

#Scientists have discovered a #mutation in #SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes #COVID19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system. The findings may help #scientists understand its #neurological symptoms and the mystery of #longCOVID and they could one day even lead to specific treatments to protect and clear the virus from the #brain. #medicine #publichealth #covid #spikeprotein https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-spike-mutations-sars-cov-infect.html #vaccines #healthcare

Amid summer COVID surge, FDA reportedly poised to approve updated shots - Enlarge (credit: Getty | Thomas Trutschel)

With the country ex... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=2044101 #infectiousdisease #covid-19vaccine #testpositivity #sars-cov-2 #wastewater #covid-19 #science #vaccine #deaths #summer #cdc #fda

"What if the virus behind #COVID-19 did more than just infect cells, but also altered them in a way that could worsen heart disease? A recent study explores this question by investigating how the spike protein of #SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, contributes to heart failure through a process called cellular senescence (when cells lose the ability to replicate themselves). The study uncovers how this viral protein can provoke long-lasting changes in heart cells, even in the absence of active viral infection.
Scientists discovered that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, even without the presence of the virus itself, can cause heart cells to become superglued together into larger structures known as syncytia. These globs of cells go into a state of cellular senescence, where the cells stop dividing & begin to secrete inflammatory molecules. This senescent state is characterized by changes that can exacerbate heart failure."
The findings appear in the journal PLOS Pathogens https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012291

Interessiert euch, wie hoch euer Risiko für #LongCOVID ist? Die private Organisation Immunisation Coalition hat gemeinsam mit weiteren australischen Universitäten einen Kalkulator online gestellt. Hier könnt ihr euer individuelles #Risiko abschätzen:

https://corical.immunisationcoalition.org.au/longcovid

#SARS-CoV-2 #Post-COVID #PACS

I wonder if there were parallels to this pattern of wildlife infections by humans during past epidemics. The world is much more toxic, now, everything's immune system is depleted.
"The #covid_19 virus is widespread amongst wildlife in the United States.
The greatest exposure was found in animals near hiking trails and high-traffic public areas, suggesting that the virus passed from humans to wildlife. Genetic testing of wild animals confirmed both the presence of #SARS-CoV-2 and the existence of unique viral mutations with lineages that closely matched variants circulating in humans at the time, further supporting the idea of human-to-animal transmission.
Researchers identified the virus in deer mice, Virginia opossums, raccoons, groundhogs, Eastern cottontail rabbits, & Eastern red bats.
One possible COVID source is contaminated wastewater, but they think it’s more likely that trash bins & food waste are the main sources."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2024/07/29/covid-19-is-widespread-in-common-backyard-wildlife-in-us/?s=04

#Pfizer has reported a new SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor in J. Med. Chem. that improves on the design of nirmatrelvir. It is possible to optimise metabolic stability and improve overall pharmacokinetic properties by making small structural changes without affecting the overall conformation of the molecule and its antiviral potency.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02469

Long COVID rates have declined, especially among the vaccinated, study finds - Enlarge / Long covid activists attend the Senate Appropriations Subcomm... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=2038076 #covid-10vaccines #sars-cov-2 #vaccinated #longcovid #covid-19 #variants #science #omicron #health #delta

Anyone notice that some PDF attachments from #SARS #SouthAfrica are loading remote content inside the PDF?

New research reveals how genetic variability helps shape the biophysical properties of a key #SARS-CoV-2 protein. #COVID https://elifesciences.org/digests/94836/decoding-viral-diversity?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic