'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Scientists believe they have identified potential genetic risk factors that may explain why some people lose their sense of taste and smell when they have COVID-19.
In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics on Monday, researchers using online surveys collected self-reported data regarding COVID-19 related loss of smell or taste from more than one million 23andMe research participants, of whom 69,841 reported a positive COVID-19 test.
Their involvement is part of the wider 23andMe COVID-19 project, of which several members of the study team work directly with, for, or hold stocks in the company.
The study then contrasted COVID-19 positive participants who reported a loss of taste and smell with those who tested positive but did not report a loss of smell or taste.
The researchers note that because their survey question combined both loss of taste or smell, their results cannot be certain to relate to one symptom or the other.
Of the participants who self-reported a positive COVID-19 test, 68 per cent reported loss of smell or taste as a symptom, with women more likely at 72 per cent versus men at 61 per cent to list it as a symptom.
Loss of smell or taste was much more common among those with a positive COVID-19 test compared to those who self-reported cold or flu-like symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19, the study states.
The study also notes that people of East Asian or African American ancestry were less likely to report loss of smell or taste relative to people of European ancestry according to a logistic regression model, however that could be due to the limited reference data.
By comparing genetic differences between those who reported sensory loss and those who did not, the study found a fixed position of a gene (locus) on a chromosome, associated with olfactory neurons called UGT2A1 and UGT2A2, that appears to be the difference between participants with and without sensory loss as a symptom.
Both of the genes are found in nose tissue which metabolizes odours and involved in smelling.
The study was unable to pin down exactly how UGT2A1 and UGT2A2 are involved, but posit that their impairment from infected cells may lead to smell loss.
With loss of taste and smell a signature symptom for much of the pandemic, the study’s findings open up avenues to further investigate how the virus affects people differently and how to find treatments.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.