Expiratory Aerosol pH: The Overlooked Driver of Airborne Virus Inactivation - PubMed
Source : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36537693/
Respiratory viruses, including influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, are transmitted by the airborne route. Air filtration and ventilation mechanically reduce the concentration of airborne viruses and are necessary tools for disease...
Conclusions: We find that particles exhaled into indoor air (with relative humidity ≥ 50%) become mildly acidic (pH ∼ 4), rapidly inactivating IAV within minutes, whereas SARS-CoV-2 requires days. If indoor air is enriched with nonhazardous levels of nitric acid, aerosol pH drops by up to 2 units, decreasing 99%-inactivation times for both...
Antibody feedback regulates immune memory after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination - Nature
Source : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05609-w
Feedback inhibition of humoral immunity by antibodies was first documented in 19091. Subsequent work showed that, depending on the context, antibodies can enhance or inhibit immune responses2,3. However, little is...
Conclusions: Our results indicate that pre-existing high-affinity antibodies bias GC and memory B cell selection by two distinct mechanisms: (1) by lowering the activation threshold for B cells thereby permitting abundant lower-affinity clones to participate in the immune response, and (2) through direct masking of their cognate epitopes. This...
Regular physical activity may boost effectiveness of COVID-19 jab
Regular physical activity may boost the effectiveness of the COVID-19 jab, with the level of protection afforded against serious infection rising in tandem with the amount of physical activity done,...
Conclusions: Regular physical activity was associated with improved vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalisation, with higher levels of physical activity associated with greater vaccine effectiveness. Physical activity enhances vaccine effectiveness against severe COVID-19 outcomes and should be encouraged by greater public health...
Novel STAT1 Variants in Japanese Patients with Isolated Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Diseases - Journal of Clinical Immunology
Source : https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10875-022-01396-1
Purpose Heterozygous dominant-negative (DN) STAT1 variants are responsible for autosomal dominant (AD) Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD). In this paper, we describe eight MSMD cases from four kindreds in...
Conclusions: Conclusion: Four kindred MSMD subjects with 3 novel variants and 1 known variant in STAT1 were identified in this study. AD STAT1 deficiency might be prevalent in Japanese patients with BCG-associated MSMD.
Chemosensory deficits are best predictor of serologic response among individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2
Source : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274611
Objective Smell and taste alteration are closely linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and may be associated with a more indolent disease course. Serologic response rates among individuals with mild disease...
Conclusion: Subjective chemosensory dysfunction, as self-reported smell or taste deficiency, is highly predictive of serologic response following SARS-CoV-2 infection. This information may be useful for patient counseling. Additional longitudinal research should be performed to better understand the onset and duration of the serologic response...