Covid Might Be Spread By Lung Protein Mechanism, Researchers Find
Lungs have been found to release protein particles that the covid virus needs to enter healthy cells. Those particles move throughout the body, expanding the number of cells the virus can infect and causing immune and blood vessel cells to become vulnerable. This discovery of cell-to-cell communication might lead to better treatment for infections.
The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 may spread through the lungs by turning previously resistant cells into targets for infection, a finding that helps explain the widespread inflammation and organ damage seen in severe cases and points to a potential new treatment. (Gale, 4/13)
New findings from researchers at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have identified a potential association between COVID-19 and increased lung cancer risk, driven by underlying biological mechanisms in the lung. (4/11)
A diagnosis of long COVID is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and coronary artery disease, even among patients who were not hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a new prospective cohort study published in eClinicalMedicine. (Bergeson, 4/10)
On the measles and flu —
The US measles case count grew by 43 cases this past week, reaching 1,714, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. The increase is much smaller than the 96-case jump last week, and more than half of the new cases are in Utah. (Wappes, 4/10)
Measles is best known for causing a full-body rash with red spots. But those spots aren’t the only symptom. Early measles symptoms can resemble the flu, and infected people are contagious for four days before the tell-tale rash appears, experts say. People with measles are also contagious for four days after the rash begins. (Szabo, 4/10)
Even as the US respiratory illness season continues to ebb, it remains deadly, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documenting 12 more pediatric deaths in its FluView update today. So far this season, 139 children have died from the virus, and about 85% with a known vaccination status were unvaccinated. While the CDC has classified this flu season as moderate for adults, it’s been high-severity for children. (Van Beusekom, 4/10)
