Category Archives: Immunology

Immunology

WATCH: E.R. Doctors Urge A Reopening: Lockdown Creating Public Health Crisis, Doctors ‘Pressured’ To Add COVID To Death Reports, Quarantining Healthy…

During a press conference on Wednesday, California emergency room doctors Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi of Accelerated Urgent Care told reporters that nationwide lockdown policies are not an appropriate reaction to what current data shows about the China-originated novel coronavirus but are instead causing measurable public health issues, like spikes in domestic violence, sexual abuse, depression, and spreading fear to non-COVID-19 related would-be patients that are skipping out on vital health care.

We understand microbiology, we understand immunology, and we want strong immune systems, Dr. Erickson told reporters, rebuffing inconsistent shelter-in-place orders . I dont want to stay in my home and develop a weak immune system, and then come out and get a disease.

Erickson noted that quarantining the healthy is like nothing hes seen before.We decided to keep people at home and isolate them, even though everything weve studied about quarantine, typically you quarantine the sick, he explained. When someone has measles you quarantine them. Weve never seen the healthy, where you take those without disease and without symptoms and lock them in your home. So, some of these things from what weve studied from immunology and microbiology arent really meshing with what we know as people of scientific minds who read this stuff.

E.R. doctors across the nation, from California, to Wisconsin, to New York, said Erickson, are seeing folks avoid critical lifesaving care out of fear.

When I talk to E.R. physicians around the country, whats happening? he said. Well, because COVID has become the focus, people with heart disease, people with cancer, hypertension, and various things that are critical are choosing not to come in based on fear. So what thats doing is forcing the health care system to focus on COVID and not focus on a myriad of other things that are critical because we dont have the staff there and the major complaint is fear.

Meanwhile, he claimed, the fatality rate for COVID-19, which he said might be more contagious than the flu, is on-par with flu fatality rates, if not lower.

In Kern County, weve tested 5,213 people and we have 340 positive COVID cases. Well, thats 6.5 percent of the population. Which would indicate a widespread viral infection similar to the flu, the doctor said. So if you look at California, these numbers are from yesterday, we have 33,865 COVID cases out of a total of 280,900 total tested, thats 12 percent of Californians were positive for COVID.

Well, we have 39.5 million people, if we just take a basic calculation and extrapolate that out, that equates to about 4.7 million cases throughout the state of California. Which means this thing is widespread, thats the good news. Weve seen 1,227 deaths in the state of California with a possible prevalence of 4.7 million. That means you have a 0.03 chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of California, he continued, adding, 96% of people in California who get COVID recover.

Dr. Massihi said the initial reaction to apply shelter-in-place two months ago, when all we could rely on was theoretical data, was likely the right call, but now that there is available real data, lockdown orders could create additional harm outside of COVID-19.

Dr. Erickson repeatedly called the initial models, which projected millions of COVID-19 deaths, woefully inaccurate. What they are seeing across the nation, and even in the rest of the world, however, is millions of cases, small amount of death, he reiterated multiple times.

This holds true even in New York, he argued. There are 19,410 deathsout of 19 million people which is a 0.1% chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of New York, and they have a 92% recovery rate if you are diagnosed with COVID, Dr. Erickson said.

Asked by a reporter if social distancing was key to dropping our deaths relative to model predictions, Dr. Erickson highlighted Sweden and Norway: both Scandinavian countries, Norway with lockdown and Sweden without. There is no real difference between their death rates to indicate lockdown is warranted, he argued.

Lockdown orders have resulted in, for one thing, a community spike in child molestation, the doctor noted.Molestation is increasing at a severe rate. We could go over multiple cases of children who have been molested due to angry family members who are intoxicated, who are home who have no paycheck, he said. These things last a lifetime these are things that will follow these people and affect them in a negative fashion for their life and these are secondary effects from COVID.

Spousal abuse,alcoholism, anxiety, depression, and suicide have also spiked in their community, Dr. Erickson said. Education has dropped off, economic collapse, medical industry, he added, were all suffering because our staff isnt here and we have no volume. These are all real things that Im seeing every day. I dont read about this stuff; Im seeing it in my clinics. We have clinics from Fresno to San Diego and these things are spiking in our community. These things will affect people for a lifetime, not for a season. So lets lets make sure were clear on that.

Dr. Erickson also noted that doctors across the country have felt pressured to include COVID on death reports.Its interesting, when Im writing up my death report, Im being pressured to add COVID, Dr. Erickson said hes heard doctors tell him. Why is that? Why are we being pressured to add COVID? To maybe increase the numbers and make it look a little bit worse than it is? I think so.

So this is what Im hearing from physicians I talked to in Wisconsin, New York, and everywhere, he said.

Lockdown measures are wildly inconsistent, favoring big businesses, Dr. Erickson added.So big businesses are open, little businesses are not? Theres no science behind that. As weve gone over, that is not science, theres other factors in play that we dont have time to go into, but its not science. I want to make that clear.

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WATCH: E.R. Doctors Urge A Reopening: Lockdown Creating Public Health Crisis, Doctors 'Pressured' To Add COVID To Death Reports, Quarantining Healthy...

Immunology

Afraid of bringing coronavirus home? Experts have answers – Yahoo Singapore News

Even as millions of Americans remain isolated at home, they're still left wondering if they're bringing the virus into their house when they go to the market, walk the dog or take a run.

We posed these questions and others to epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Morse and virologist Dr. Vincent Racaniello- both from Columbia University.

Beginning with - what should you do immediately when you get home?

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. STEPHEN MORSE, PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, SAYING:

"If I'm wearing a raincoat or something like that over a light jacket, then I can put that away in the closet and after a few days, I won't have to worry about that/"Then I would go and wash my hands and I'd probably wash my face too, just as a precaution."

But if you were around many people - for example - on a crowded subway car? Then Dr. Racaniello says you might want to change your clothes.

What about your shoes?

Dr. Racaniello says it's best to leave them outside or by the entrance of your home.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VINCENT RACANIELLO, HIGGINS PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SAYING:

"The virus is not going to rise off, that's the thing, once the virus is settled on any object, it's just staying there. So if you don't touch it, you know, if you have shoelaces, you're going to come in and wash your hands anyway, that'll take care of that. Then the next morning, you put your shoes on. You go wherever you're going, and at some point, wash your hands. Just make sure you're not touching your face. I don't think you need to Lysol your shoes. No."

As for handling mail and groceries?

The doctors said it was fine to discard or recycle the outer packages and to put the inner items away without individually washing them. But it was essential to always wash your hands after.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VINCENT RACANIELLO, HIGGINS PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SAYING:

"Contaminated packages, I haven't seen anything that would suggest that that's a major way of transmission. So I think what we do now is we put everything away and we wash our hands."

The doctor said it was important to be careful of high-touch surfaces like car doors, elevator buttons, key pads and credit cards.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VINCENT RACANIELLO, HIGGINS PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SAYING:"The guy gives it back and that could be contaminated, the credit card, so you have to make sure you wash your hands. And the other place that's a high risk I think is in the store, any store where you put your card in, you punch a number in, those pads are high risk because hundreds of people are going through a day with dirty hands."

Morse said it was a good idea to wipe your phone down too.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. STEPHEN MORSE, PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, ON WIPING DOWN A PHONE, SAYING:"

"Phones are often neglected, and you use them a lot and very often you hold them up to your face and you touch them. "

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds and disinfection of surfaces with an alcohol-based cleaner as methods of prevention

The CDC also recommends all Americans wear face masks in public settings when social distancing is impossible.

Does that include while jogging?

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VINCENT RACANIELLO, HIGGINS PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SAYING:

"You dont need to wear a mask. If you can stay six feet away..Some countries have banned jogging, which I think is completely unnecessary because you're not usually jogging next to someone. If you pass someone, just make sure you stay away from them, and I think it's fine. I think it's good. I think people need to do certain things, otherwise we're all going to go crazy. It's a balance between being very careful and maintaining your sanity."

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Afraid of bringing coronavirus home? Experts have answers - Yahoo Singapore News

Immunology

This CU Professor’s Research Could Hold a Clue to Treating COVID-19 – 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Dr. Mercedes Rincon's dining room home office. Rincon is a professor of Immunology & Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. She hopes her research on the molecule frequently produced in inflammation could shed light on possible treatments for COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Dr. Mercedes Rincon

Dr. Mercedes Rincon has studied a relatively obscure molecule that's often present in the lungs of COVID-19 patients for nearly three decades.

By the time Dr. Mercedes Rincon sits down at her computer at 11:30 p.m., shes already counseled her 93-year-old father, who lives alone in Madrid, about how to stay safe and stave off loneliness amidst the lockdown. Shes already met remotely with graduate students and lab techs overseeing a number of projects at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. And shes already participated in a virtual conference about arthritis research.

Her real work, though, has not yet begun.

Rincon, a Spanish-born professor in CUs Department of Immunology and Microbiology, has been studying a relatively obscure molecule known as interleukin-6 (IL-6) since 1994. Typically the concern of arthritis and cancer researchers, IL-6which is commonly produced in inflammationhas never been the sexiest subject. During the nearly 30 years shes been studying it, Rincons endured plenty of ribbing from colleagues about the somewhat unimpressive molecule.

Nobody is laughing now, though.

When the novel coronavirus began wreaking havoc on human lungs, Rincon saw a familiar microscopic face in the mix: IL-6 is consistently present in the lungs of the most severely affected patients. Whether IL-6 is a cause or a consequence of the novel coronavirus, Rincon isnt sure, but she hypothesizes that drugs like tocilizumab (traditionally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis), could possibly target IL-6 and prevent it from producing more damaging inflammatory molecules. Early results from studies in China, as well as research in Europe and at the University of Vermont, show some promise.

We cant conclude anything yet, Rincon cautions. We have to be careful. We need more data.

Which is why she s working into the small hours of Friday morning. Rincon wants the University of Colorado to be at the forefront of this research, so she spends the night writing a grant proposal. With a little funding and a little luck, Rincon and her ridiculed molecule might just provide Coloradansand the rest of the worldwith a reason to hope.

This story is powered by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative. 5280 joined this historic collaboration with more than 20 other newsrooms across Colorado to better serve the public.

Jay edits and writes stories for 5280.com and assists the magazine with overall digital strategy.

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This CU Professor's Research Could Hold a Clue to Treating COVID-19 - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Immunology

sup> Virtual Summit on Cancer and Immunology Research 2020 on SelectScience – SelectScience

Reserve your place today for the inaugural SelectScience Virtual Summit on Cancer and Immunology Research 2020, which runs from May 11-13, 2020.

As an entirely digital event, this new Summit is designed to ensure that knowledge share, effective communication and collaboration in this critical field is not only continued but flourishes at this challenging time.

Register to attend presentations by world-leading scientists and technology innovators, workshops, video interviews, virtual resource hubs, the latest product and application news, as well as networking and live-chat opportunities.

Why attend?

Headline topics include CAR T-cell therapy, immunotherapy, genetics and CRISPR, the microbiome and cancer, liquid biopsies, drug delivery mechanisms and much more.

Register today to keep up with advances in cancer and immunology research and technologies further details to follow soon

Start communicating: #CancerImmunologySummit

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sup> Virtual Summit on Cancer and Immunology Research 2020 on SelectScience - SelectScience

Immunology

Verastem Oncology Appoints John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors – Business Wire

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing new medicines for patients battling cancer, today announced that it has appointed John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors. Mr. Johnsons career covers multiple executive management roles at leading global corporations where he was responsible for overseeing oncology and immunology drug development initiatives and commercialization. Mr. Johnson will serve on the Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees.

We are pleased to welcome John to the Verastem Oncology Board. His deep background in oncology and immunology at Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly will be helpful as the Company advances its new strategic approach to prioritize the clinical development of VS-6766, its RAF/MEK inhibitor, in combination with defactinib, its FAK inhibitor, for the treatment of KRAS mutant solid tumors, said Michael Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D., Lead Director of the Verastem Oncology Board. His seasoned experience as a senior biotechnology executive and breadth of knowledge in the oncology space will provide key insights to further unlock the value of the Companys clinical pipeline.

I am very excited to support Verastem Oncology on their mission to develop targeted therapeutics to treat areas of unmet need in cancer, said Mr. Johnson. I feel that my experience will be beneficial in advancing the Companys pipeline through this next stage of growth and late-stage development. I look forward to collaborating with the Board of Directors and management team on these initiatives.

Mr. Johnson is a recognized leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with more than three decades of experience. He served as the Company Group Chairman of Biopharmaceuticals within Johnson & Johnson, responsible for the Biotechnology, Immunology and Oncology commercial businesses. Previously, Mr. Johnson served as president of Eli Lilly & Company's Worldwide Oncology Unit, following the company's 2008 acquisition of ImClone Systems, Inc., where he served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of ImClones Board of Directors. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and as a member of the Health Section Governing Board of Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Mr. Johnson also served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dendreon Corporation and has held other executive roles within the biotech industry. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Strongbridge Biopharma plc (SBBP), BioAgilytix (private) and Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (PTLA).

About Verastem Oncology

Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM) is a commercial biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new medicines to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer. Our pipeline is focused on novel small molecule drugs that inhibit critical signaling pathways in cancer that promote cancer cell survival and tumor growth, including phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and RAF/MEK inhibition.

Our first FDA approved product is available for the treatment of patients with certain types of indolent non-Hodgkins lymphoma (iNHL).

For more information, please visit http://www.verastem.com.

Forward looking statements notice

This press release includes forward-looking statements about Verastem Oncologys strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements related to the opportunity to rapidly advance the development of clinical programs through Verastem Oncologys expanded development pipeline and strengthened balance sheet, the timing of top-line results for clinical trials, anticipated reductions in operating expenses from Verastem Oncologys strategic realignment, the timing of commencing a registration-directed trial for CH5126766 (VS-6766) and financial guidance estimates. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement.

Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include the risks and uncertainties, among other things, regarding: the success in the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates, including defactinib in combination with CH5126766 (VS-6766); the occurrence of adverse safety events and/or unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data or analysis or result in unmanageable safety profiles as compared to their levels of efficacy; our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for our product candidates; the scope, timing, and outcome of any legal proceedings; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of our product candidates; whether preclinical testing of our product candidates and preliminary or interim data from clinical trials will be predictive of the results or success of ongoing or later clinical trials; that the timing, scope and rate of reimbursement for our product candidates is uncertain; that third-party payors (including government agencies) may not reimburse; that there may be competitive developments affecting our product candidates; that data may not be available when expected; that enrollment of clinical trials may take longer than expected; that our product candidates will experience manufacturing or supply interruptions or failures; that we will be unable to successfully initiate or complete the clinical development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates; that the development and commercialization of our product candidates will take longer or cost more than planned; that we or Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. will fail to fully perform under the CH5126766 (VS-6766) license agreement; that we may not have sufficient cash to fund our contemplated operations; that we may be unable to make additional draws under our debt facility or obtain adequate financing in the future through product licensing, co-promotional arrangements, public or private equity, debt financing or otherwise; that we will be unable to execute on our partnering strategies for defactinib in combination with CH5126766 (VS-6766); that we will not pursue or submit regulatory filings for our product candidates, and that our product candidates will not receive regulatory approval, become commercially successful products, or result in new treatment options being offered to patients.

Other risks and uncertainties include those identified under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 11, 2020 and in any subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Verastem Oncologys views as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Verastem Oncology Appoints John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors - Business Wire

Immunology

Johnson Earns Alumni Association Teaching Award – UMM News, Sports & Events

University of Minnesota Morris Assistant Professor of Biology Rachel Johnson has earned the 2020 UMN Morris Alumni Association Teaching Award. Johnson stands out among peers for her commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning. An immunologist, Johnson is a particularly appropriate choice this year.

"Given our current state of affairs, it is hard to overestimate the impact Dr. Johnson's course development on vaccines, epidemics and now pandemics has had," nominators write. "The particularly wonderful aspect of these courses is that they are for all our liberal arts studentsnot just science students. The need could not be greater, given Dr. Johnson's emphasis on critical thinking and communication skills development."

"Rachel has made extraordinary contributions to her students and the campus, providing an exemplary model of liberal arts learning both within and well beyond the study of biology," adds Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean Janet Schrunk Ericksen.

Johnson is an assistant professor of biology and a member of the Masonic Cancer Center. She holds a PhD in immunology from the Mayo Graduate School and a BA in biochemistry and molecular biology from Boston University. Her areas of expertise include immunology, cancer biology, and molecular biology.

The University of Minnesota Morris Alumni Association established the UMMAA Teaching Award in 1997 to honor individual faculty members for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. Learn more at alumni.morris.umn.edu

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Johnson Earns Alumni Association Teaching Award - UMM News, Sports & Events

Immunology

COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why – Science News

With more men than women developingsevere illness and dying from COVID-19, sex differences that influence theimmune system may offer answers.

The bias in COVID-19 deaths appearedin the first reports out of China and has also been revealed in countries thatbreak down their mortality data by sex. Of Italys 21,551 deaths recorded as ofApril 20, 64 percent were men. In Spain, 59 percent of the 12,634 deaths as of April 21 occurred in men. Germany had recorded 4,598deaths by April 21, with 58 percent in men.

The United States does notseparate out national COVID-19 mortality by sex, but some states do. New York hasthe highest number COVID-19 deaths in the country, and as of April 21, 60 percent of 15,302 deaths were in men.

Some of that discrepancycould be because men are more likely than women to have other health problems,such as hypertension and diabetes. These are among the underlying conditionsthat raise the risk for severe COVID-19 disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionreported April 3.

Another possible culprit isthe immune system itself. The many proteins that work together to defend thebody against viruses do not operate exactly the same way in males and females. Thosebiological differences, driven by sex hormones and genes, may be guarding somewomen from the deadliest complications of COVID-19.

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In general, females mount astronger immune response than males, studies have found. This makes womenoverall less susceptible to viral infections than men, although how each individualfares is another matter. A stronger immune response also means females are morelikely to develop autoimmune diseases, when the immune system attacks ones owntissue; conversely, a toned down immune response makes males more prone tohaving a host of malignant cancers.

The sources of the stronger femaleimmune response can be found in both the innate and adaptive immune systems,says Sabra Klein, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Schoolof Public Health. The innate system provides the first response against a virus,while the adaptive systems contribution is slightly delayed by the time neededto ramp up antibody production against a new intruder.

One component of the innateimmune system is called toll-like receptor 7. This protein can recognizemolecules found on viruses, thereby outing the pathogens as foreign. The genefor toll-like receptor 7 resides on the X chromosome. Because females have twocopies of the X, the body silences one (SN: 4/8/03),allowing for the right dose of X chromosome genes. But some genes escape the shutdown, and there is evidence that this is true for the gene for toll-likereceptor 7, researchers reported in Science Immunology in 2018. That canlead to more of the protein being made, giving females more guards looking outfor intruders.

Having more toll-likereceptor 7 can help jump start and enhance the next steps of the innate immune system.You want fast recognition, you want fast responses, Klein says. This is howyou start to activate the army of immune responses that are going to be neededto clear an infection. One of those steps is the release of interferons,proteins that direct major factions of the bodys immune response. In studiesthat measure levels of interferons in blood or in cells grown in a dish, researchersoverall see greater production of these interferons in females as comparedwith males, says Klein.

As the adaptive immunesystem gears up, women can get a boost over men again. The amount of antibodyproduced, as well as the quality of those antibodies, or the strength withwhich they bind to the virus, tends to be greater in females compared withmales, Klein says. Female mice produced more neutralizing antibodies the type which stop an infection by preventing thevirus from entering cells and more total antibodies against influenza A virus after infection comparedwith males, Klein and colleagues reported in Vaccine in 2011.

The female hormone estrogenalso influences the innate and adaptive immune systems. The hormone can regulatea variety of different genes for immune system proteins. For example, estrogen canstimulate the production of interferons, says Klein. And some of the genes thatare associated with directing the response of B cells, which make antibodies,are regulated by estrogen.

All of these findings comefrom research with other viruses, and havent yet been studied in the contextof COVID-19, Klein says, but they provide us with some clues. At this point,some of the best clues as to why there are discrepancies in how men and womenfare with COVID-19 may come from a study of the disease SARS in mice. The virus that causes SARS shares similarities with the culprit behind COVID-19,SARS-CoV-2 (SN: 2/3/20). And there isevidence that during the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003, which had close to 800deaths, men had a higher case fatality rate than women.

Its helpful to study sexdifferences in mice because it takes behavioral influences out of the equation,says Stanley Perlman, a virologist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Forexample, as reports from China indicated that more men than women were havingsevere cases of COVID-19, some also noted this could be due to the fact thatmore Chinese men than women smoke. China was also among the five countries thatSARS cases were concentrated in.

Perlmans team compared how male and female mice did when infected with a mouse-adapted version of SARS-CoV,the virus that causes SARS, and reported the results in the Journal of Immunology in 2017. Among middle-agedmice, those 8 to 9 months old, all of the males died within eight days of beinginfected, but only 10 percent of the females did by day 12. Males had higheramounts of the virus in their lungs than females did, suggesting the maleswerent clearing the virus effectively. The males also had a prolonged,unhelpful inflammatory response.

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When the research teamremoved the ovaries from 12 female mice to prevent estrogen from being made, about85 percent of the mice died after infection, compared with close to 20 percentof 12 females with their ovaries. Without estrogen, the female mice were nowas sensitive to the infection as male mice, Perlman says. While I wouldntclaim its the whole story, estrogen is a big part of the story.

Klein and Perlman both haveplans to study differences in the male and female response to COVID-19. In caseswhen the bodys own immune response contributes to a viral disease, it might beexpected women would fare worse, Klein says, because a strong immune responsecan lead to too much damaging inflammation. And with COVID-19, theres a lot ofconcern about the detrimental effect of increased inflammation in the lungs.

But what happens during COVID-19might be different. This aberrant inflammation might be higher in males thanfemales, Klein says.

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COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why - Science News

Immunology

Sallie Permar: Who Are Your Trusted Sources on COVID-19? – Duke Today

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the question of where to turn for solid information has never been more important.

Many Duke experts are being approached now for their expertise and insight. But where do they turn for guidance and the latest information? In this ongoing series, Duke Today asks Duke experts to share their preferred sources.

Dr. Sallie Permar is a physician scientist who focuses on prevention and treatment of neonatal viral infections. A professor of immunology, pathology, pediatrics, molecular genetics and microbiology and associate dean for physician-scientist development, she recently wrote about the effect of the pandemic on medical research.

To stay abreast of how the infectious diseases field is responding to the novel coronavirus, she consults a mix of websites, podcasts and social media.

This Week in Virology, hosted by Vincent Racaniello and fellow virologists, has featured recent guest hosts who are stars of COVID-19 research, such as Drs. Daniel Griffin, Ralph Baric, Mark Denison, Stanley Perlman and Christian Drosten.

Immune, hosted by immunologists Cindy Leifer, Stephanie Langel, Vincent Racaniello, carried a recent two-part series on COVID-19 immunology with Dr. Brianne Barker that was especially compelling.

I also listen to COVID-19: Commonsense Conversations on the Coronavirus Pandemic, with host Dr. Ted OConnell, a family physician and writer.

For the latest on numbers by region, I check Johns Hopkins Universitys COVID-19 map.

COVID-19 guidelines can be found on the Centers for Disease Control website.

For the latest on viral sequence dynamics, I check gisaid.org.

For recent COVID-19 research reports, I consult bioxiv.org and medrxiv.org. The Twitter sources below provide real-time critical reviews of the newly posted manuscripts.

For the latest on epidemiology and case series reports, I consult: - the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and - World Health Organization situation reports.

And for compilations of the latest research I check: - Duke Pharmacist Elizabeth Dodds-Ashleys Daily Digest. - The American Association of Medical Colleges Novel Coronavirus Update by chief scientific officer and former Duke faculty member Dr. Ross McKinney. - Publons compilation of latest research manuscripts, which includes some crowd-sourced reviews.

Finally, great sources to follow on Twitter include:@NIAIDNews; @CEPIvaccines;NIH Vaccine Research Center scientist Kizzmekia Corbett (@KizzyPhD);The laboratory of UNC-Chapel Hills Dr. Ralph Baric (@Baric_Lab);The laboratory of Vanderbilt Universitys Dr. Mark Denison (@Denisonlab);Florian Krammer, an immunologist who is developing antibody assays (@florian_krammer); Virologists Dr. Benhur Lee (@VirusWhisperer) and Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen);COVID-19 drug developer Timothy Sheahan (@timothysheahan);David Martinez, a former Ph.D. student who is now testing vaccine and therapeutic antibodies in the lab of Ralph Baric (@David_RMartinez).

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Sallie Permar: Who Are Your Trusted Sources on COVID-19? - Duke Today

Immunology

How To Check Your Fever Without A Thermometer, According To Doctors – Women’s Health

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Whether youre dealing with a sudden wave of chills and aches and pains, or you just feel *a little* hotter than usual, the desire to know if you have a fever ASAP is understandable. After all, a fever tends to serve as an indicator that your body is fending something off (like a virus or a bacterial infection) and trying to return to its normal, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But if you dont have a thermometer laying around, or the only one you could find was buried deep in some bathroom drawer and youre not sure just how long its been in there, you might be wondering: Is there any legit (or at least somewhat legit) way to gauge whether your temperature is above normal without a thermometer?

Read on to learn what to do if youre feeling feverish, no matter your thermometer situation, with insight from immunology docs.

The only way to know for sure that you have a fever (meaning a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) is by taking your temperature with a thermometer, confirms David Erstein, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York.

Unfortunately, your chances of accurately guessing whether or not you have a fever without a thermometer are fair at best, he says. Case in point: Patients who self-reported feeling feverish at a rural teaching hospital in India had a 58 percent chance of *actually* having a fever, according to a study in Tropical Medicine and International Health.

If youve managed to dig up an old thermometer, digital and old-school glass thermometers alike should do the trick (as long as theyre not damaged or out of juice), says Robert Eitches, MD, an allergist-immunologist and fellow of the American Board of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. But if theres any indication that your old-school thermometer is cracked or broken, wrap it up in a Ziploc bag and throw it away. Mercury (a silvery white liquid still present in some household thermometers) could leak out, and its toxic.

Of course, before you pop a thermometer under your tongue, youll want to clean it. Here's how to clean a thermometer properly: Lather up some soap and water in your hands, scrub down the part of the thermometer you put in your mouth for 20 seconds, and rinse it off. After that, if you have rubbing alcohol on hand, wipe down the thermometer applicator with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to sanitize it, then rinse it off again to remove the alcohol, advises Dr. Erstein. If you dont have any rubbing alcohol at home, no worrieswashing it off with soap and water is absolutely fine (as soap alone can break down and remove bacteria and viruses, including the novel coronavirus), he says.

If you dont have immediate access to a thermometer but youre feeling, well, warm and icky, there are a few ways you can make an educated guess as to whether or not you actually have a fever.

Both digital and old-school glass thermometers are fine to use to measure fever.

Again, though, the only way to be totally sure your temperatures off the charts is to use a thermometer.

If you feel ill and youve got a moderately high fever (think: above 102 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.9 degrees Celsius), thats your cue to call a doctor to figure out next steps, says Dr. Eitches. Otherwise? In general, if youre experiencing fever associated with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, a rash, or confusion, its probably best to seek medical attention, he says.

Link:
How To Check Your Fever Without A Thermometer, According To Doctors - Women's Health

Immunology

22/04/2020 Could your sex hold the secret to finding a Covid-19 vaccine? – FRANCE 24

Issued on: 22/04/2020 - 11:33

Immunologists racing to find a vaccine are looking at which immune responses are most successful in protecting against disease from the novel coronavirus. Philip Goulder, professor of immunology, Oxford University, says differences in mortality between the sexes, age, and people with pre-existing health conditions, all provide clues.

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22/04/2020 Could your sex hold the secret to finding a Covid-19 vaccine? - FRANCE 24