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By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
COVID-19 attacks the pancreas
The new coronavirus directly targets the pancreas, infecting and damaging its insulin-producing cells, according to a new study. The results may help explain why blood sugar problems develop in many patients with COVID-19 and why cases of diabetes develop as a result of the virus. The pancreas has two functions: the production of enzymes important for digestion, and the creation and release of the hormones insulin and glucagon which regulate blood sugar. In an article published Wednesday in Nature Metabolism, researchers report that laboratory and autopsy studies show that the new coronavirus infects pancreatic cells involved in these processes and changes their shape, disrupts their genes and impairs their function. The new data “identifies the human pancreas as a target for SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggests that beta cell infection may contribute to the metabolic deregulation seen in patients with COVID-19,” the authors conclude. authors. (https://go.nature.com/36Cmtfy)
One dose of vaccine could be enough for COVID-19 survivors
COVID-19 survivors may only need the new vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer / BioNTech all at once, instead of the usual two doses, because their immune systems have taken a head start in learning to recognize virus, according to two separate reports published this week on medRxiv ahead of peer review. In a study of 59 healthcare workers who recovered from COVID-19 and received one of the vaccines, antibody levels after the first vaccine were higher than levels usually seen after two doses in people with no history of COVID-19. In a separate study, researchers found that 41 COVID-19 survivors had developed “elevated antibody titers within days of vaccination,” and these levels were 10 to 20 times higher than in uninfected volunteers and unvaccinated after a single dose of vaccine. “The antibody response to the first dose of vaccine in individuals with pre-existing immunity is equal to or even exceeds” the levels found in uninfected individuals after the second dose of vaccine, said the authors of this article. “Changing the policy to give these people only one dose of vaccine would not negatively impact their antibody titers, save them unnecessary pain and release many urgently needed doses of vaccine,” they declared. (https://bit.ly/3je4Zv4; https://bit.ly/2YG0EYf)
Gout drug shows promise for mildly ill COVID-19 patients
Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat gout and other rheumatic diseases, has reduced hospitalizations and deaths by more than 20% in patients with COVID-19 in a large international trial. COVID-19 patients with mild illness and at least one condition that puts them at high risk for complications, such as diabetes or heart disease, were given colchicine or a placebo for 30 days. Overall, the risk of hospitalization or death was statistically similar in the two groups. But among the 4,159 patients whose coronavirus infections were diagnosed with a baseline PCR test, death or hospitalization occurred in 4.6% of those on colchicine versus 60% of those who received a placebo. After taking into account the patients’ other risk factors, colchicine was associated with a statistically significant risk reduction of 25%, the researchers reported on medRxiv prior to the peer review. Patients taking colchicine also had fewer cases of pneumonia. “Because colchicine is inexpensive, taken orally, was generally safe in this study and does not generally require laboratory monitoring during use, it is shown to be the first oral drug to treat COVID-19 in outpatient, ”the researchers said. . (https://bit.ly/3oDSDgY)
Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine may work best with doses several months apart
Among the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine recipients, extending the interval between the first and second dose led to better results, the researchers said in an article published Monday before the peer reviewed by The Lancet on its pre-print site. For volunteers aged 18 to 55, vaccine efficacy was 82.4% with 12 or more weeks between doses, compared to 54.9% when the booster was given within 6 weeks of the first dose. The longest interval between doses given to older volunteers was 8 weeks, so there was no data on the effectiveness of a 12-week dosage gap in this group. The European medicines regulator said there was not enough data to determine how well the vaccine will work in people over 55. Based on their findings, the authors state that “a second dose given after a period of three months is an effective strategy … and may be the optimal solution for pandemic vaccine deployment when stocks are limited. short term. (https://bit.ly/3apMSyt)
Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Alistair Smout; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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