By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) -The following is a summary of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Physical inactivity linked to higher COVID-19 risks
Patients with COVID-19 who were constantly physically inactive had a significantly higher risk of serious outcomes than patients who had at least a little exercise or regularly met physical activity guidelines before the disease. Among the 48,440 patients in their study, 14.4% were consistently inactive in the two years before their COVID-19 diagnosis, 79.1% had some activity and 6.4% consistently adhered to the recommended physical activity guidelines of meet at least 150 minutes per week. Compared to those who consistently adhered to the guidelines for activities, people who were constantly inactive were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized and die from the virus, according to a report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Consistently inactive patients also had worse outcomes than patients who received exercise without meeting the minimum recommended guidelines. “It is well known that immune function improves with regular physical activity, and that those who are regularly active have a lower incidence, intensity of symptoms and death due to viral infections,” said co-author, dr. Robert Sallis, of the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center in California said. . “Regular physical activity is associated with improved lung capacity and cardiovascular and muscle functioning that can reduce the negative effects of COVID-19 if contracted,” he added. (https://bit.ly/3wVU8wx)
New trial attempts to reinfect COVID-19 survivors
British scientists on Monday launched a trial that will deliberately re-expose COVID-19 survivors to the coronavirus to examine their immune responses and see if they become infected again. The information from the so-called challenge trial “will enable us to design better vaccinations and treatments, and also to understand whether people are protected after having COVID, and for how long”, said study leader Helen McShane of the University of Oxford said. In the first phase of the trial, an attempt is made to determine the lowest dose of coronavirus required to be repeated in about 50% of the volunteers, while producing little or no symptoms. A second phase will infect different volunteers with the standard dose. All will be quarantined for at least 17 days, and anyone who develops symptoms will receive a monoclonal antibody treatment prescribed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. be manufactured. Researchers conducting a separate study in the UK are reporting the virus to volunteers who have not been infected before. “These challenging studies. Medical School in the UK, said in a statement. (https://reut.rs/2RCBVnl)
Low interferon levels cause a poor response to the virus
People who become critically ill with COVID-19 appear to have lower than average levels of inflammatory proteins called interferons, and a new study helps explain why low interferon levels would matter. Researchers have identified 65 genes that cause action by interferons – including some that inhibit the virus ‘ability to penetrate cells and others that suppress the production of the virus’ genetic material or the ability to block itself – part of the virus replication process. Eight of the “interferon-stimulated genes” act not only against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, but also against the SARS-CoV-1 virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003, reported the researchers in Molecular Cell. “The interferon response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is based on a limited subset … genes that control a variety of cellular functions,” the researchers said. “We wanted to gain a better understanding of the cellular response to SARS-CoV-2, including what drives a strong or weak response to infection,” said co-author Sumit Chanda of Sanford Burnham Prebys in La Jolla, California. a statement said. “We have gained new insights into how the virus exploits the human cells that enter it, but we are still searching for the Achilles’ heel.” (https://bit.ly/2P8gV7i)
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(Reporting by Nancy Lapid, Lisa Rapaport and Alistair Smout; Edited by Bill Berkrot)