'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.
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?'"
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.