Physiology

Nitric Oxide Industry Outlook to 2028 – Pathways, Physiology, Disease, Pharmacology, Therapeutic Applications, Drugs, Therapy Markets, Companies – P&T…

DUBLIN, March 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Nitric Oxide - Therapeutics, Markets and Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Share of drugs where NO is involved in the mechanism of action is analyzed in the worldwide pharmaceutical market for 2018 and is projected to 2023 and 2028 as new drugs with NO-based mechanisms are introduced into the market. Various strategies for developing such drugs are discussed.

Several companies have a product or products involving NO and free radicals. The report includes profiles of 35 companies involved in this area of which 9 have a significant interest in NO-based therapeutics. Other players are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as suppliers of products for NO research. Unfulfilled needs in the development of NO-based therapeutics are identified. Important 18 collaborations in this area are tabulated.

There are numerous publications relevant to NO. Selected 500 references are included in the bibliography. The text is supplemented with 26 tables and 30 figures. It is concluded that the future prospects for NO-based therapies are bright and fit in with biotechnology-based approaches to modern drug discovery and development. It is anticipated that some of these products will help in meeting the unfulfilled needs in human therapeutics.

The report contains information on the following:

The report describes the latest concepts of the role of nitric oxide (NO) in health and disease as a basis for therapeutics and development of new drugs. Major segments of the market for nitric oxide-based drugs are described as well as the companies involved in developing them.

Nitric oxide (NO) can generate free radicals as well as scavenge them. It also functions as a signaling molecule and has an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases. A major focus is delivery of NO by various technologies. Another approach is modulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which converts L-arginine to NO. NOS can be stimulated as well as inhibited by pharmacological and gene therapy approaches.

Important therapeutic areas for NO-based therapies are inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular diseases, erectile dysfunction, inflammation, pain and neuroprotection. The first therapeutic use of NO was by inhaltion for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). NO-donors, NO-mimics and NOS modulators are described and compared along with developmental status. NO-related mechanisms of action in existing drugs are identified.

Various pharmacological approaches are described along with their therapeutic relevance. Various approaches are compared using SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. NO-based therapies are compared with conventional approaches and opportunities for combination with modern biotechnology approaches are described.

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Physiology

Coronavirus: Why an Outright Ban of Wildlife Trade Could Be Counterproductive – The National Interest

The wildlife trade has long been closely linked to disease outbreaks. It has been implicated in the SARS epidemic of 2002, Ebola in 2013 and now in the COVID-19 coronavirus.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, China has tentatively banned the farming of many wildlife species. The move has been celebrated by many in the international community.

But our work in Asia over the past ten years tells a different story. Banning legitimate snake farms might prove counterproductive to disease suppression.

Though snakes were early suspects as the source of the Wuhan coronavirus, reptiles have never been linked to any of the World Health Organisations top ten infectious diseases which pose the greatest threat of epidemics.

Snakes are different

One reason is straightforward. Snakes are cold-blooded (more correctly ectothermic) and have a very different physiology to humans. Viruses co-evolve highly specialised relationships with their hosts and are often species-specific.

Occasionally, a chance mutation might allow a virus to infect another species, but the more different the new and old hosts are to each other, the less likely that is.

Compared with transmission between mammals, or even from birds to mammals, the probability of a virus crossing from a cold-blooded reptile to a warm-blooded human is remote.

In parts of Asia where H5N1-type viral outbreaks such as bird and swine flu are now endemic, hundreds of snake farmers rely on waste protein such as pork and poultry by-products as feed.

Disease outbreaks regularly wreak havoc with conventional livestock industries but never, to our knowledge, with snake farming.

In this context, reptiles represent a natural biological barrier to viral diseases.

They enable farmers to build financial resilience through diversity, dampening the many risks associated with livestock monocultures.

And the benefits dont end there.

Theyre tailor-made for sustainability

Commercial snake farming has developed rapidly in China. The first experimental farms were set up in 2007; by 2019 the industry was producing large-scale high-quality protein.

Some snakes have highly desirable agricultural traits including rapid growth, early maturation and rapid reproduction. They are comparatively simple cognitively, and do not suffer the complex behavioural stresses seen in many caged birds and mammals.

Many are semi-arboreal, spending time in trees, allowing farms to maximise available space.

They do require a high-protein diet but, since their cold-blooded metabolic demands are very low (less than 10% of similar-sized mammals), food can be more directly channelled to growth.

The energy efficiency is achieved mainly by employing solar energy (e.g., basking) to drive metabolic processes, and by powerful digestive systems capable of breaking down even bone.

It means they produce low volumes of biological waste and greenhouse gases, and require minimal fresh water.

Chinese snake farms rely on two principal sources of feed inputs: waste protein from agricultural food chains, and natural prey such as harvested rodents.

This means they both recycle agricultural waste and control economically important rodent pests.

Their cold-blooded physiology allows them to survive for considerable time without food and water far longer than similarly-sized warm blooded animals.

This allows farmers to effectively exploit seasonal abundances during times of plenty, and downscale inputs during times of famine.

Snake farming therefore provides a resilient livelihood in the face of economic volatility and the extremes of Climate Change.

It would be a shame if concern about coronavirus snuffed out an industry that is unlikely to be the problem, but could very well be a solution.

Daniel Natusch, Honorary Research Fellow, Macquarie University; Graham Alexander, Professor of Herpetology, Environmental Physiology and Physiology, Ecology and Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand; Ngo Van Tri, Conservation biologist, Institute of Tropical Biology, and Patrick Aust, Research Associate, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image: Reuters

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Coronavirus: Why an Outright Ban of Wildlife Trade Could Be Counterproductive - The National Interest

Physiology

Student Coronavirus Tracking Website Tops Nearly 1.4 Million Views From 193 Countries – UVA Today

Find the latest information on the Universitys response to the coronavirus here.

TrackCorona, a COVID-19 tracking website developed by two University of Virginia students, James Yun and Soukarya Ghosh, and friends at Virginia Tech and Stanford University, is proving to be a valuable public service for anyone who wants to know more about the development of the pandemic. The website went live in early February with only a smattering of clicks by people who already knew about the site. Now, more than 300,000 people in 193 countries have visited the website about 1.4 million times.Were averaging more than 40,000 users per day for the last week, with a record 50,000 users on March 12, said Ghosh, a third-year computer science and mathematics major who helped lead development of the site. Were on trajectory for 50,000 more on the 16th.

TrackCorona provides up-to-date information about the spread of the virus, including infection and mortality rates, recovery rates and locations by country, with links to the latest news and accurate information. The student team uses data from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and other infectious disease information sources. The data is made visual with a near-real-time map that displays the growth of the pandemic.

The students have consulted with several UVA faculty members in the development of their site, seeking to optimize the quality of the data and information.

Dr. Christopher Holstege, director of UVA Student Health, is serving as a contact to the students for medical questions. Wladek Minor, a professor of molecular physiology and biology physics, has offered the students an opportunity to co-write a research paper analyzing the spread of COVID-19. David Leblang, a professor of politics and public policy, has proposed a research role for the students in a study on the cascading effects of the pandemic. And Bryan Lewis, an epidemiologist at UVAs Biocomplexity Institute, has offered advice and a summer internship.

Fellow students also have proposed ideas to Yun and Ghosh and suggested sources for reliable information about the virus and its spread.

Its not every day that you get to work on something with this large of an audience and potentially save lives, Yun, a fourth-year computer science major, said. Being part of this startup-like journey has taught me how to manage exponential user growth, seek funding and deal with the occasional cyberattack.

This summer Yun will begin work as a software engineer at Capital One, where he says he will use the skills hes picked up along the way, in his classes and through development of the website.

TrackCorona is a visually compelling website, well designed, user-friendly, full of relevant information, epidemiologist Bryan Lewis said. The team has done a nice job of creating this, especially considering their busy schedules as students. It is a form of citizen science that is valuable to the community.

TrackCorona is a nominee for the Social Good of the Year award by the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council; as well as for Innovator of the Year; and Student Entrepreneurs of the Year awards. The students are seeking funding to keep the site operating, as costs for cloud computing and other resources are running about $350 per day.

Doing this work has been very fulfilling, Ghosh said. I already had a strong urge to do work that would benefit the welfare of the public, and this experience has further engrained and confirmed that for me. I hope to continue to do similar work in my career after UVA, using the skills I have learned here to make an even bigger impact.

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Student Coronavirus Tracking Website Tops Nearly 1.4 Million Views From 193 Countries - UVA Today

Physiology

How light, other sensory pollution impacts animal… – ScienceBlog.com

A new paper including research from a Utah State University scientist provides a framework for understanding how light and noise pollution affects wildlife. The framework is the product of an effort among worldwide experts in ecology and physiology and reveals the presence of sensory danger zones, or areas where sensory pollutants influences animal activity. The study is published in the journalNature Ecology and Evolution. The paper is a collaborative work with principal investigator Neil Carter, assistant professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability. From a conservation biology point of view, we dont know how to mitigate the effects of sensory pollution if we dont know what the pathway of harm is, said Carter.

Although these results have consequences for imperiled species of conservation concern, they also suggest ways by which we may use light and sound for managing urban wildlife, mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions, or preventing agricultural damage. said David Stoner, a research assistant professor in the Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU.

In their study, the authors give an example of New York Citys annual 9/11 memorial tribute. The tribute coincides with birds annual migration from northern regions to wintering grounds in Latin America. Because birds use celestial cues during their migration, the 44 spotlights that form two pillars of light can attract up to 15,000 birds in a single night.

(The birds) will fly in circles inside the beams until morning, often dying from exhaustion and collisions with artificially lit structures, according to Carter and co-lead authors Davide Dominoni, a researcher of biodiversity, animal health and comparative medicine at the University of Glasgow; and Wouter Halfwerk, assistant professor in the Department of Ecological Science at VU Amsterdam University.

Both light pollution and traffic noise can mimic natural stimuli. For example, artificial lights cover the glow of the moon, preventing birds or insects from detecting it, or traffic noise can mask the audio spectral frequency of bird song, the researchers say.

These pollutants can also redirect an animals attention away from its task: a cougar hunting deer can be distracted by headlights or road noise.

If we understand the mechanism at play, perhaps we can devise specific interventions and solutions to adopt to minimize the effect of anthropogenic impacts, Dominoni said. For instance, light has a lot of properties. By changing some of these properties, we might very well minimize the impact light pollution has on wildlife.

Night lighting and anthropogenic sound are not localized to certain habitats and certain countries. Its a global phenomenon, he said. Clarifying these mechanisms can help develop solutions to biodiversity loss and anthropogenic impacts worldwide.

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How light, other sensory pollution impacts animal... - ScienceBlog.com

Physiology

Coronavirus: sequencing the DNA of patients screened for coronavirus might save lives – The Conversation UK

Scientists should start sequencing the genomes of coronavirus patients. We should look for DNA differences between patients who are severely affected and those with mild symptoms. This could allow us to predict who else would be vulnerable and advise them to take precautions. We may be able to use this knowledge against the coronavirus epidemic before a vaccine is widely available.

In particular, it would be valuable to know if key DNA variations are shared by those rare people who are young and appeared to be healthy but developed severe symptoms from the coronavirus. We might then be able to predict which doctors and nurses are most at risk and remove them from the front line.

Of course, we dont yet know if accurate predictions will be possible. We dont even know if someones chances of severe symptoms from the coronavirus are affected by their genes. We could, however, answer these questions relatively cheaply and rapidly by using commonplace DNA sequencing technology.

Read more: Will warmer weather stop the spread of coronavirus?

We would need to sequence the whole genomes of coronavirus victims who need intensive care and compare them with the genomes of people who have only mild symptoms. With only a few thousand genomes from each category, we could quickly find out if there is mileage in this approach.

It may be that just one or two genes are involved. Perhaps broken genes involved in the immune system or lung cell surfaces. If so, we could quickly discover them using a method called genome-wide association study. If just a couple of broken genes make all the difference, a genetic test for coronavirus susceptibility could be simple to make, cheap and accurate.

It may be that there are thousands of genes involved. Perhaps a complex mix of genes involved in lung physiology, upper respiratory tract shape, and many other things we have never even thought of. If this is the case, working out exactly what is going on could take decades. But we need answers within weeks or months.

Here we can draw on an unexpected source of inspiration: we can use a method called genomic prediction, which has been used successfully for decades by plant and animal breeders, but is seldom used in medicine. It enables the prediction of complex traits from whole-genome sequences, even when we do not understand what any of the genes are doing.

With this approach, we do not need to spend several years working out what exactly is going on. We can construct a score from a persons whole-genome sequence that predicts their susceptibility. These scores could be obtained at the cost of (we estimate) only a few hundred pounds per person.

We took a genomic prediction approach last year for ash trees, which are dying from a fungal epidemic. By comparing the genomes of healthy versus dying trees, we discovered over 3,000 points in their genomes that contribute to susceptibility. Some of these were in genes that had known functions in host defences, but for many others, we had no idea what they did. Yet we did not need that knowledge to predict the susceptibility of other ash trees with a useful level of accuracy.

Read more: Ash dieback: one of the worst tree disease epidemics could kill 95% of UKs ash trees

We should do similar studies on humans and coronavirus. Of course, there would be more complex issues of privacy and consent than we had to deal with for ash trees. But tens of thousands of human genomes have already been sequenced around the world, so the issues around consent have been well explored. For some coronavirus patients, their genome will already be in a database.

Should we find that we can make accurate predictions, the moral and psychological challenges would be severe. Where should tests be deployed? Will people respond appropriately if they are predicted to be at risk (or not)? How would it affect health insurance? But difficult challenges are faced in every decision that we have to make in our battle against the virus.

Read more: Homemade hand sanitiser recipes that could help protect against coronavirus

Research on the genetic basis of susceptibility to the coronavirus could be done quickly and without diverting resources from research on treatments and vaccines. It might show that predictions are impossible. It might show that accurate predictions can be made. We dont know. But we need to find out. If it worked, it might protect thousands of lives before a vaccine is widely available.

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Coronavirus: sequencing the DNA of patients screened for coronavirus might save lives - The Conversation UK

Cell Biology

High Content Screening Market Trends and Growth Factors Analysis to 2025 – BioSpace

High-content screening (HCS) refers to a technique used in biological research and drug discovery to discover substances such as peptides, small molecules, or RNAi that change the phenotype of a cell as desired. Phenotypic changes may include increase or decrease in the production of cellular components such as protein and/or alterations in the visual appearance of the cell.

High-content screening merges the molecular tools of cell biology with automated robotic handling, high-resolution microscopy, and automated analysis.

Global High Content Screening Market: Key Trends

The high-content screening market is driven by increasing funding and venture capital investments for cellular research, technological developments in HCS solutions, and cost containment in pharma R&D. However, factors such as high cost of HCS equipment and lack of expert and skilled personnel for operation of equipment are posing a challenge to the markets growth. In addition, inadequate research infrastructure and insufficient funding for R&D in emerging nations is limiting this markets growth.

The high-content screening market is segmented in terms of product, application, end user, and region. In terms of product, instruments, software, consumables, services, and accessories are the segments of this market. The segment of instrument held the leading share of the market in the recent past. The cell imaging and analysis segment held the leading share of the instrument segment of the HCS market. The instrument segment holds the leading share due to advances in instrumentation and automation techniques.

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On the basis of application, target identification and validation, toxicity studies, primary and secondary screening, compound profiling, and others are the segments of the HCS market. The segment of primary and secondary screening dominated the market in the recent past. The dominance of this segment is due to its large-scale usage in qualitative assays for lead specificity, evaluation of bioavailability, and exclusion of compounds with unintended modes of action.

In terms of end user, the HCS market is segmented into academic and government institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and contract research organizations. The segment of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies held the leading share of the global HCS market in the recent past. The dominance of this segment is owing to the extensive usage of HCS in preclinical and clinical studies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Global High Content Screening Market: Market Potential

Beyond its conventional application in biological resaerch, high-content screening is being used in studying fat accumulation in cells. Researchers at the Department of Environmental Science at University of Georgia College of Public Health carried out studies to determine how exposure to phthalates in the form of nail polish or soap is related to the amount of fat stored in our bodies.

High-content screening employs image processing algorithms and computer machine language to measure multiple parameters objectively in no time.

Global High Content Screening Market: Regional Outlook

North America is the leading market for high-content screening trailed by the regions of Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. High research and development expenditures, government support for research initiatives, and the presence of leading lifescience market players are attributed to the dominance of North America high content screening market.

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Global High Content Screening Market: Competitive Landscape

The key players in the global high content screening market include GE Healthcare, PerkinElmer Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Danaher Corporation, and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Some other players in the market include BioTek Instruments Inc., Tecan Group Ltd., Merck Millipore, Bio-rad Laboratories Inc, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation.

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High Content Screening Market Trends and Growth Factors Analysis to 2025 - BioSpace

Cell Biology

New Research On Brain Structure Highlights Cells Linked To Alzheimer’s And Autism – BioSpace

New insights into the architecture of the brain have been revealed by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and their collaborators. The researchers discovered that cells in the cerebral cortex of mice, called astrocytes, are more diverse than previously thought, with distinct layers of astrocytes across the cerebral cortex that provide the strongest evidence to date of their specialization across the brain.

Published today (16 March) in Nature Neuroscience, the most in-depth study of its kind is set to change the way we think about the brain and the role of cells such as astrocytes. This knowledge will have with implications for the study of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and autism.

In the past 20 years, research has shown glial cells to be key players in brain development and function, as well as promising targets for better understanding neurological disorders. Alzheimers causes around two thirds of dementia cases in the UK, which affects around 850,000 individuals at present*. MS is a neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system and impacts around 100,000 people in the UK**. Autism affects around one in every hundred people in the UK***.

Glial comes from the Greek word for glue or putty. At one time, glial cells were thought of as 'brain putty' functionally similar, passive cells whose only function was to fill the space around the all important neurons. However, new studies are showing their critical importance in regulating neuron functions^. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell, so called because of their star-shaped structure^^.

Despite the wealth of knowledge on neuronal function and the organisation of neurons into layers, prior to this study there had been little investigation into whether glial cells across different layers showed different cellular properties. To answer this question, the researchers developed a new methodological approach to provide a more detailed view of the organisation of astrocytes than ever before.

Nucleic acid imaging was carried out on mouse and human brain samples at the University of Cambridge to map how new genes are expressed within tissue. These maps were combined with single cell genomic data at the Wellcome Sanger Institute to extend the molecular description of astrocytes. These data sets were then combined to create a three-dimensional, high-resolution picture of astrocytes in the cerebral cortex.

The team discovered that astrocytes are not uniform as previously thought, but take distinct molecular forms depending on their location in the cerebral cortex. They found that astrocytes are also organised into multiple layers, but that the boundaries of astrocyte layers are not identical to the neuronal layers. Instead, astrocyte layers have less sharply defined edges and overlap the neuronal layers.

Dr Omer Bayraktar, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: The discovery that astrocytes are organised into layers that are similar, but not identical to, neuronal layers redefines our view of the structure of the mammalian brain. The structure of the cerebral cortex can no longer simply be seen as the structure of neurons. If you want to properly understand how our brains work, you have to consider how astrocytes are organised and what role they play.

As well as increasing our understanding of brain biology, the findings will have implications for the study and treatment of human neurological disorders. Over the past decade glial cells, rather than neurons, have been heavily implicated in diseases such as Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis.

Professor David Rowitch, senior author of the study and Head of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge, said: This study shows that the cortical architecture is more complex than previously thought. It provides a basis to begin to understand the precise roles played by astrocytes, and how they are involved in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

ENDS

Contact details:Dr Matthew MidgleyPress OfficeWellcome Sanger InstituteCambridge, CB10 1SAPhone: 01223 494856Email: press.office@sanger.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

In the cerebral cortex of the mammalian brain, neurons are the cells responsible for transmitting information throughout the body. It has long been recognised that the 10-14 billion neurons of the human cerebral cortex are organised into six layers, with distinct populations of neurons in each layer that correspond to their function https://www.dartmouth.edu/~rswenson/NeuroSci/chapter_11.html

* More information on Alzheimers disease can be found here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/about-dementia/types-of-dementia/alzheimers-disease/about/

**More information about MS can be found here: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/what-is-ms

*** More Information on autism is available from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx

^ An overview of the changing status of glial cells is available at: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/know-your-neurons-meet-the-glia/

^^ Only half of the cells in the human cerebral cortex are neurons, the other half are glial cells, of which astrocytes are a type. The molecular signals that astrocytes provide are essential for forming synapses between neurons. They regulate synapse formation in the developing brain, as well as refining synapses in the maturing brain 'pruning' extra synapses to sculpt neuronal networks.

Publication:

Omer Ali Bayraktar, Theresa Bartels and Staffan Holmqvist et al. (2020). Astrocyte layers in the mammalian cerebral cortex revealed by a single-cell in situ transcriptomic map. Nature Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-020-0602-1

Funding:

The study was supported by the Dr Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation, National Institute of Health (1R01 MH109912; P01NS08351), NINDS Informatics Center for Neurogenetics and Neurogenomics (P30 NS062691), Wellcome and the European Research Council (281961).

Selected websites:

Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell InstituteThe Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is a world-leading centre for stem cell research with a mission to transform human health through a deep understanding of normal and pathological stem cell behaviour. Bringing together biological, clinical and physical scientists operating across a range of tissue types and at multiple scales, we explore the commonalities and differences in stem cell biology in a cohesive and inter-disciplinary manner. In 2019, we relocated to a new purpose-built home on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Housing over 350 researchers, including a critical mass of clinician scientists, the Institute integrates with neighbouring disease-focused research institutes and also serves as a hub for the wider stem cell community in Cambridge. https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/

About the University of Cambridge

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 107 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize.

Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America.

The University sits at the heart of the Cambridge cluster, which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of 12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www.cam.ac.uk

The Wellcome Sanger InstituteThe Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog.

About WellcomeWellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. https://wellcome.ac.uk

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New Research On Brain Structure Highlights Cells Linked To Alzheimer's And Autism - BioSpace

Cell Biology

There’s mixed evidence on whether people with Covid-19 should avoid ibuprofen – Full Fact

#COVID-19 The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctors advice.

Olivier Vran, 14 March 2020 [in French]

French health minister Olivier Vran warned on Twitter that people suffering from Covid-19 should avoid taking anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or cortisone. The comments made by Mr Vran, who is a qualified doctor and neurologist, have been widely reported in the British press.

Some health professionals have warned that paracetamol is preferable to ibuprofen, as it is less likely to cause side effects in people with underlying health issues, who are also more susceptible to Covid-19. (Cortisone is not commonly used in the UK to relieve symptoms like fever.)

Until March 16, when this article was first published, NHS advice for people self-isolating because of the new coronavirus recommended drinking lots of water and taking everyday painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, to help with your symptoms.

However, the NHS has now changed this guidance. Although it says there is currently no strong evidence that ibuprofen can make coronavirus (Covid-19) worse, it recommends using paracetamol to treat the symptoms until we have more information. The exception to this is if a doctor has told you not to use paracetamol.

It adds that, if you are taking ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID) on the advice of a doctor, you should not stop doing so without checking first.

Dr Charlotte Warren-Gash, associate professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that NSAIDs like ibuprofen should be prescribed with caution for people who have underlying health conditions.

For Covid-19, research is needed into the effects of specific NSAIDs among people with different underlying health conditions, which takes into account the severity of infection. In the meantime, for treating symptoms such as fever and sore throat, it seems sensible to stick to paracetamol as first choice.

Dr Rupert Beale, group leader in cell biology of infection at The Francis Crick Institute, said: There is good reason to avoid ibuprofen as it may exacerbate acute kidney injury brought on by any severe illness, including severe Covid-19 disease.

There isnt yet any widely accepted additional reason to avoid it for Covid-19.

Professor Paul Little, professor of primary care research at the University of Southampton, said there was sizeable literature from case control studies in several countries that the complications of respiratory infections - whether respiratory, septic or cardiovascular complications - can be more common when NSAIDs are used.

He added that using paracetamol was less likely to result in complications.

On 16 March, Public Health England confirmed there is not enough information on ibuprofen use and Covid-19 to advise people to stop using ibuprofen, and said there is no published scientific evidence that ibuprofen increases the risk of catching Covid-19 or makes the illness worse.

Full Fact contacted PHE for more information about the decision to change the NHS guidance the next day, but has not yet received a response.

Asked by the governments health and science committee about the concerns over taking ibuprofen on 17 March, government chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the warnings may or may not be right, I dont know. But the sensible thing to do I think would be to say well dont take it at the moment. Take something else, paracetamol or something.

If taking any painkillers, you should always follow the instructions on the label and make sure you do not exceed the stated dose.

Patients prescribed NSAIDs for long-term health problems should take them as directed by a healthcare professional.

Update 17 March 2020

This piece was updated following changes to the NHS guidance for people with Covid-19 symptoms.

Update 17 March 2020

This piece was updated following changes to the NHS guidance for people with Covid-19 symptoms.

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There's mixed evidence on whether people with Covid-19 should avoid ibuprofen - Full Fact

Cell Biology

Stem cells to help the heart – Science Magazine

Shinya Yamanaka's 2006 discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ignited a revolution in the field of stem cell biology (1). For the first time, nearly all human somatic tissues could be produced from iPSCs reprogrammed from blood or skin cells, in a process that took only weeks. This advance was particularly crucial for obtaining surrogate tissues from cell types that are otherwise difficult to procure and do not readily expand in vitro, such as cardiac or neural cells. Additionally, many ethical concerns are avoided, because this technology uses a patient's own genetic material to create iPSCs rather than relying on embryonic stem cells. In the aftermath of Yamanaka's discovery, entire biomedical industries have developed around the promise of using human iPSCs (hiPSCs) and their derivatives for in vitro disease modeling, drug screening, and cell therapy (2).

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Stem cells to help the heart - Science Magazine

Cell Biology

China reports new progress in drug, therapies against Covid-19 – The Star Online

BEIJING: China has completed the clinical research of Favipiravir, an antiviral drug that has shown good clinical efficacy against the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, according to an official on Tuesday (March 17).

Favipiravir, the influenza drug which was approved for clinical use in Japan in 2014, has shown no obvious adverse reactions in the clinical trial, said Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, at a press conference.

More than 80 patients have participated in the clinical trial in The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, including 35 patients taking Favipiravir and 45 patients on a control group.

Results showed that patients receiving Favipiravir treatment turned negative for the virus in a shorter time compared with patients in the control group.

A multi-centred randomised clinical study led by the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University also suggested that the therapeutic effect of Favipiravir is much better than that of the control group.

Favipiravir has been recommended to medical treatment teams and should be included in the diagnosis and treatment plan for Covid-19 as soon as possible, Zhang said.

A Chinese pharmaceutical company has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration to mass-produce the drug and ensure stable supply, Zhang added.

China is also pushing forward the utilization of some advanced technologies such as stem cell and artificial liver and blood purification in the treatment of severe cases.

Zhang said stem cell therapy proves effective in reducing severe inflammatory reactions caused by Covid-19, as well as reducing lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis in patients.

China has initiated several clinical research programs on stem cell therapy against Covid-19, including a stem cell drug that has been approved for clinical trial and a mesenchymal stem cell therapy.

Stem cell therapy has been used to treat 64 patients in severe and critical condition. Those patients' breathing difficulties were gradually relieved and they were generally cured in eight to 10 days.

The therapy also showed advantages in preventing pulmonary fibrosis and improving the long-term prognosis for patients.

The Chinese Society for Cell Biology and the Chinese Medical Association have jointly issued a guideline to standardize the clinical research and application of stem cell therapy against Covid-19.

Zhang said China is trying to use artificial liver and blood purification technology to treat critically ill patients. Patients receiving this treatment have seen reduced levels of inflammatory factors and improvement in chest imaging.

Their time on ventilator support has been decreased by an average of 7.7 days and the required ICU monitoring time has been shortened. - Xinhua/Asian News Network

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China reports new progress in drug, therapies against Covid-19 - The Star Online