NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
A small preliminary study by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that people who develop severe COVID-19 have noticeably blunted antiviral responses in the nose and throat, where the body first encounters the virus.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Cell, suggests that the body’s initial response in the nasopharynx – referred to by researchers as a key “battleground” located in the nose and throat – will help determine who develops severe disease and who will get through with mild illness.
"Why some people get more sick than others has been one of the most puzzling aspects of this virus from the beginning," Jose Ordovas-Montanes, co-senior investigator on the study, said in a press release.
"Many studies looking for risk predictors have looked for signatures in the blood, but blood may not really be the right place to look."
Researchers obtained nasal swabs from 35 adults with COVID-19 between April to September 2020, ranging from mildly symptomatic to critically ill.
They also obtained swabs from 17 control subjects and six patients who were intubated due to other illnesses. None of these subjects tested positive for COVID-19.
To get a detailed picture of what happens in the nasopharynx, researchers sequenced the Ribonucleic acid (RNA) in each cell from each sample, collecting an average of 562 cells per patient.
The RNA data allowed researchers to pinpoint which cells were present in the body, which contained RNA originating from the virus as an indication of infection, and which genes the cells were turning on and off in response.
Although the study’s sample size is limited, the data shows that the epithelial cells lining the nose and throat undergo major changes in the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
In people with mild or moderate COVID-19, epithelial cells showed increased activation of genes involved with antiviral responses, particularly those stimulated by type one interferon, which acts as an alarm to the body’s broader immune system.
But, in patients who developed severe COVID-19, antiviral responses were noticeably blunted. Most importantly, their epithelial cells had a “muted response” to interferon.
At the same time, their swabs had increased numbers of other immune cells that boost inflammatory responses.
In other words, their body’s early warning system wasn’t as sharp.
"Everyone with severe COVID-19 had a blunted interferon response early on in their epithelial cells, and were never able to ramp up a defence," said Ordovas-Montanes.
"Having the right amount of interferon at the right time could be at the crux of dealing with SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses."
Next, the researchers plan to investigate what is causing the muted interferon response in the nose and throat.
Although the results are preliminary, researchers say there may be a possibility of strengthening the interferon response in people with early COVID-19 infections, perhaps with a nasal spray or drops.
"It's likely that, regardless of the reason, people with a muted interferon response will be susceptible to future infections beyond COVID-19," Ordovas-Montanes said. "The question is, 'How do you make these cells more responsive?'"
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.