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 Coronavirus transforms pancreas cell function
When the coronavirus infects cells, it not only impairs their
activity but can also change their function, new findings suggest.
For example, when insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas
become infected with the virus, they not only produce much less
insulin than usual, but also start to produce glucose and digestive
enzymes, which is not their job, researchers found. "We call this a
change of cell fate," said study leader Dr. Shuibing Chen, who
described the work in a presentation on Tuesday at the annual
meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held
virtually this year. It is not clear whether the changes are
long-lasting, or if they might be reversible, the researchers noted
earlier in a report published in Cell Metabolism. Chen noted that
some COVID-19 survivors have developed diabetes shortly after
infection. "It is definitely worth investigating the rate of
new-onset diabetes patients in this COVID-19 pandemic," she said in
a statement. Her team has been experimenting with the coronavirus in
clusters of cells engineered to create mini-organs, or organoids,
that resemble the lungs, liver, intestines, heart and nervous
system. Their findings suggest loss of cell fate/function may be
happening in lung tissues as well, Chen, from Weill Cornell Medicine
in New York, told Reuters.
Certain genes may protect an infected patient's spouse
A study of couples in which both partners were exposed to the
coronavirus but only one person got infected is helping to shed
light on why some people may be naturally resistant to the virus.
The researchers had believed such cases were rare, but a call for
volunteers who fit that profile turned up roughly a thousand
couples. Ultimately, they took blood samples from 86 couples for
detailed analysis. The results suggest resistant partners more often
have genes that contribute to more efficient activation of so-called
natural killer (NK) cells, which are part of the immune system's
initial response to germs. When NKs are correctly activated, they
are able to recognize and destroy infected cells, preventing the
disease from developing, the researchers explained in a report
published on Tuesday in Frontiers in Immunology . "Our hypothesis is
that the genomic variants most frequently found in the susceptible
spouse lead to the production of molecules that inhibit activation
of NKs," study leader Mayana Zatz of the University of São Paulo,
Brazil, said in a statement.
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The current study cannot prove this is
happening, she added. Even if the findings are confirmed with more
research, the contributions of other immune mechanisms would also
need to be investigated, the researchers said. Experimental pill shows promise
against coronavirus variants
Laboratory studies show that Merck & Co's
experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug,
molnupiravir, is likely to be effective in
patients infected with any of the known variants
of the coronavirus, including the dominant,
highly transmissible Delta, researchers said on
Wednesday in a presentation during IDWeek 2021,
the virtual annual meeting of infectious disease
organizations. Molnupiravir does not target the
spike protein of the virus, which is the target
of all current COVID-19 vaccines. Instead, it
targets an enzyme the virus uses to make copies
of itself. It is designed to work by introducing
errors into the genetic code of the virus. Data
showed that the drug is most effective when
given early in the course of infection, Merck
said. The company is conducting two large
late-stage trials of the drug - one for
treatment of COVID-19 and another as a
preventive.
 Click for a Reuters graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl
on vaccines in development.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Deena Beasley;
Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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