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Scientists identify drug to treat serious Covid complications in kids

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

In comparison to Moderna, people who received the Janssen vaccination had a greater risk of developing a serious breakthrough infection.

The researchers looked at data from roughly 50,000 hospital admissions between April and November of 2021 for the study.

MIS-C leads to high fevers and a hyperinflammatory response that can affect multiple organs, including the heart, brain and gastrointestinal organs, they said.

A previous study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in the US showed that in cases of MIS-C, the SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain in the gut for weeks to months after the infection.

When SARS-CoV-2 is present in the gut, an impaired mucosal barrier can allow small viral particles, such as the spike protein, to enter the bloodstream, leading to infections such as COVID-19 and in rare cases, the hyperinflammatory response that triggers MIS-C.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the spike protein to enter and infect the cells.

“Working collaboratively, we have been able to demonstrate that viral particles that remain in the gut long after COVID-19 infection can instigate MIS-C,” said David Walt, senior author of the study published in the journal Critical Care Explorations.

“Building on this important discovery, we wanted to see if treatment with a drug developed for another condition — celiac disease — could help resolve symptoms in children experiencing MIS-C, said Walt.

The team administered the drug larazotide acetate to four extremely ill children ages 3 to 17 being treated for MIS-C.

The study shows that larazotide decreases the release of zonulin, a molecule that can lead to increased gut permeability and an impaired mucosal barrier, a layer of thick mucus in the gut.

The researchers compared the clinical outcomes of the four children who received larazotide plus steroids and intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) to 22 children who received only steroids and IVIG.

The children who received four daily oral doses of larazotide acetate had a significantly faster resolution of gastrointestinal symptoms and a slightly shorter hospital stay, they said.

The study also found that serum levels of the spike protein dropped much more quickly in children treated with larazotide, clearing from the blood within one day, versus 10 days for children not treated with the drug.

“These findings suggest that larazotide may provide a safe and beneficial adjuvant therapy for the treatment of MIS-C,” the researchers said.

“Expansion of clinical trials is urgently needed to ascertain the clinical impact of larazotide on MIS-C,” they added.

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Approved
KidsUncategorized

Moderna’s Covid Jab Gets EU Approval For Kids Aged 6-11

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

Moderna’s anti-Covid vaccination was authorised by the European Union’s medicines authority on Thursday for children aged six to eleven, making it the second vaccine to be licenced for younger children in the 27-member bloc.

“The EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended granting an extension of indication for the Covid-19 vaccine Spikevax to include use in children aged 6 to 11,” the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency said in a statement.

The jab, developed by US-based pharmaceutical company Moderna, has already been approved for adults and children aged 12 and above.

“As in the older age group, the vaccine is given as two injections in the muscles of the upper arm, four weeks apart,” the EMA said.

Pfizer/BioNTech’s anti-Covid shot called Comirnaty was greenlit for children aged five to 11 in November.

The regulator has so far approved five vaccines for use in the EU: Pfizer and Moderna, which use messenger RNA technology, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which use viral vector technology, and Novavax, which is based on a spike protein produced in a laboratory.

 

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heart
KidsUncategorized

Infant suffers cardiac arrest, post-Covid multi-organ failure; dialysis, CPR saves life

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

Rahul (name changed) was two years old when he developed a high fever and breathing problems. His parents had no idea how serious the situation was. The baby was transported to a hospital in New Delhi, but he went into cardiac arrest minutes later and could only be revived after 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Rahul (name changed) was two years old when he developed a high fever and breathing problems. His parents had no idea how serious the situation was. The baby was transported to a hospital in New Delhi, but he went into cardiac arrest minutes later and could only be revived after 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

“Within minutes of arriving at the hospital, the child suffered a cardiac arrest. It was especially disturbing for me as a doctor because he is just two years old. Examinations revealed that he had developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare disorder in which his own body was trying to kill multiple organs. As a result, the lungs, heart, brain and kidneys had suffered considerable damage,” said Dr Sayed Mustafa Hasan, a senior doctor at the hospital.

“The baby was unable to pass even urine, resulting in a severe condition. He was also experiencing speech difficulty and loss of eye contact with others as a result of the post-Covid effects. We immediately began Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) after reviving him with CPR. The CRRT removed all waste from his body. The therapy continued non-stop for 60 hours. To eliminate infections, we employed the cytosorb dialysis filter. We also worked to normalise his blood pressure,” he added.

Rahul spent 15-16 days on a ventilator in the ICU. During this time, a team of specialists attempted to restore his kidneys, heart and lungs to normal function. Along with CRRT, he was also given hemodialysis and perinoteal dialysis to remove the infection. His condition improved over time, and he was eventually discharged from the hospital.

“Rahul’s heart, lungs and kidneys were not functioning when he was brought to us. It took a massive effort by several paediatric specialities across the hospital to save the child’s life. We used a variety of technologies to keep track of the health of various organs,” said Neha Bhandari, a senior paediatrician at the hospital.

“It was a very rare case and less than 1% of kids suffer from such severe infection, leading to multiple organ dysfunction. Finally, he is rid of all infections and he can resume his normal life,” she said.

A sudden cardiac arrest is rare in children, but the possibility exists. Hence, all children need regular medical check-ups. These can help identify risks that may develop into life-threatening situations. Major hospitals in India have seen cases when children, who had healed from Covid, developed life-threatening post-Covid complications,” said Dr Sameer Punia, another senior doctor at the hospital.

“We lost all hope when we learned that Rahul had suffered a cardiac arrest. I urge other parents to go for regular check-ups of their kids to avoid such situations,” Rahul’s mother said.

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vaccine
KidsUncategorized

Pfizer asks FDA to allow Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

Pfizer asked the US on Wednesday to approve extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of five, potentially paving the way for vaccinations to begin as early as March.

The Food and Drug Administration had asked Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to submit their applications earlier than expected in an unusual step.

The country’s 19 million youngsters under the age of five are the only ones who have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Many parents have advocated for expanding vaccinations to toddlers and preschoolers, particularly since the omicron wave sent a record number of children to the hospital.

If the FDA agrees, Pfizer shots containing just one-tenth of the dose given to adults could be dispensed to children as young as 6 months. Pfizer said Wednesday it had started submitting its data to the FDA and expects to complete the process in a few days.

An open question is how many shots those youngsters will need. Pfizer is testing three shots after two of the extra-low doses turned out to be strong enough for babies but not for preschoolers, and the final data from the study isn’t expected until late March.

That means the FDA may consider whether to authorize two shots for now, with potentially a third shot being cleared later if the study supports it.

The FDA said Tuesday it will convene a panel of independent researchers and physicians in mid-February to help review the Pfizer data. The agency isn’t required to follow the panelists’ advice but their input is a key step in publicly vetting vaccine safety and effectiveness.

The FDA’s ultimate decision could come within the month but that isn’t the only hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has to sign off.

The Biden administration has been trying to speed the authorization of COVID-19 shots for children, contending vaccinations are critical for opening schools and day care centers and keeping them open, and for freeing up parents from child care duties so they can go back to work.

Yet vaccination rates have been lower among children than in other age groups. As of last week, just 20 per cent of kids ages 5 to 11 and just over half of 12- to 17-year-olds were fully vaccinated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nearly three-quarters of adults are fully vaccinated.

While young children are far less likely than adults to get severely ill from the coronavirus, it can happen, and pediatric COVID-19 infections are higher than at any other point in the pandemic.

What we’re seeing right now is still a lot of hospitalizations and unfortunately some deaths in this age group, said DrS ean O’Leary of the University of Colorado, who is on the AAP’s infectious disease committee. If the FDA clears vaccinations for these youngsters, that’s going to be really important because all of those hospitalizations and deaths essentially are preventable.

For kids under 5, Pfizer’s study is giving participants two shots three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least two months later. The company is testing whether the youngsters produce antibody levels similar to those known to protect teens and young adults.

In December, Pfizer announced that children under 2 looked to be protected but that the antibody response was too low in 2- to 4-year-olds. It’s not clear why, but one possibility is that the extra-low dose was a little too low for the preschoolers.

Since the preliminary results showed the shots were safe, Pfizer added a third dose to the testing in hopes of improving protection.

Given how well boosters are working for older age groups, it makes some sense that younger children could benefit from a third shot, O’Leary said.

I certainly can understand where both the company and the FDA are coming from in terms of wanting to move this along, anticipating that there’s going to be a third dose down the line.

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KidsUncategorized

Familial Cancer: A Relatively Less Discussed Burning Issue

by Dr Dodul Mondal
written by Dr Dodul Mondal

By: Dr Dodul Mondal, Associate Director, Radiation Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Speciality Hospital

Cancer is considered as a modern day epidemic. its incidence and prevalence are increasing slowly but steadily over the years across the globe. As per recent GLOBOCAN 2020 data, almost 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, and 10 million people died of this disease. The cancer incidence has been projected to be almost 30 million in next two decades. There have been spectacular developments in many aspects of cancer. These include but essentially not limited to screening, early diagnosis, treatment, complication prevention etc. Still there are many things to achieve and there are some areas where progress has been limited over decades. Familial cancer is one such area.

What is familial cancer syndrome? It’s a genetic problem where a person harbors a specific or multiple genetic alteration which makes him/her predisposed to have one or multiple cancer and the problem runs in the family.

Am I at increased risk of having cancer? A very common question we often encounter. “Doc, my mom had breast cancer, am I at risk?” or, “Doc, will my kids be affected with similar cancer in future?” are some of the questions. Familial cancers are associated with higher risk of transmission in the family.

What are different types of genetic mutations? There are two basic types, germline and somatic mutations. Almost 5-10% of all cancers are supposedly caused by inherited genetic mutations. A gene can be considered as a basic unit of hereditary information of a person. A mutation is alteration or change in that genetic information. When a mutation comes from a defective sperm or egg at the time of conception, such mutations can be incorporated into the DNA of every cell of the offspring and is known as germline mutation. That means, the child is born with such genetic defect from mother’s womb. And only such germline mutations can be transferred to an offspring. So, in essence, this type of mutations can be considered hereditary or familial as they have the risk of running in the family. The other type of mutation can happen after conception and can involve any cells of the body other than the germ cells (sperm or egg) and known as somatic mutation. Such mutations can not pass on from one person to the children.

It has to be remembered that all cancers are genetic (they happen because of some alteration in the gene) but not all cancers are familial (ability to transfer in the family).

So, cancers which are results of germline mutation, can affect same family members who are blood related. Cancers which are result of somatic mutation, cannot affect other family members.

What are the cancers which can run in family? Many cancers can be associated with high risk of running in family. A very common mutation is TP53 gene mutation. Normally this gene prevents occurrence of cancer by suppressing the growth of tumor. There are some other genes which normally repair a damaged DNA and thus prevents cancer. Mutation of such repairing gene can also lead to formation of cancer. Sometimes multiple cancers happen due to mutation of such genes, and they are known as Familial Cancer Syndrome. Few such syndromes are Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, hereditary breast and ovary cancer syndrome, hereditary non-polyposis cancer syndrome etc. The list is longer. One of such syndromes which is mostly discussed is hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome. This is associated with mutation of BRCA1and/or BRCA2 genes. Almost 7-10% of breast cancers are associated with gene mutations. Among such cases, almost 80% are related to BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation. This gene mutation is associated most commonly with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, colorectal cancer, uterine cancer, male breast cancer and prostate cancer. Similarly, some blood cancers, colorectal cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, kidney cancers, brain tumors, nerve fiber tumors, skin cancers etc. can also be associated with hereditary cancer syndromes.

How can familial/hereditary cancers be suspected? A suspicious mind is the first requirement to suspect and evaluate such situations. Detailed family history along with family tree can be of great use to suspect familial cancers. Most of the people give a positive cancer history among the blood related family members. Once suspected, genetic screening and testing can be advised along with counseling of the affected person and family.

What are typical features of familial cancers? Other than being associated with family history, these cancers have a tendency to occur at a relatively young age. Sometimes they are associated with multiple cancers. Also, they have a tendency to be more aggressive compared to non-familial counterpart.

Should genetic testing be advised for all? Certainly not. Indiscriminate genetic testing will increase confusion and fear. It is indeed a job of an expert who understands the associated confusions and uncertainties. Given the context of our country,  its socioeconomic and cultural practice, advising genetic tests may be difficult for many reasons and needs extreme caution to avoid unnecessary complications in life.

Having a mutated gene synonymous of having a cancer? Essentially No. It only means a higher risk of having certain cancers. People having certain genetic mutations need to be cautious and consult an expert. They should also follow a surveillance program to detect any cancer at the earliest possible time.

Is radiation more harmful when used in such patients? Not necessarily. It needs understanding of the current cancer problem, risk and life threat associated with the already diagnosed cancer and the relative risk of radiation causing any additional harm. Sometimes, radiation treatment is a life saving measure and the patient can die out of the already diagnosed cancer if not treated properly, well before the projected timeline when he/she could develop radiation induced second cancer causing any harm. So, avoiding radiation only because someone has a mutation can be dangerous.

What should I do? If you think you can have a higher risk of having cancer for some reason, you should talk to an expert. If you have strong family history of cancer or multiple cancers or cancers at very young age, you should seek help from an expert at the earliest possible time. And, last but not the least, Do not do random genetic testing.

 

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covid
KidsUncategorized

If Omicron replaces Delta, Covid will become endemic by March 11: ICMR Chief Scientist

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

Covid will become endemic by March 11, according to Samiran Panda, head of the Epidemiological Department of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

“If we don’t let our guards down and no new variant emerges, Covid will be endemic by March 11,” he said. “If Omicron replaces Delta it will become endemic. If there is no new variant catching up, there is a possibility that Covid may become endemic,” he added.

Our mathematical projection shows the Omicron wave will last three months starting December 11.

“From March 11, we will see some respite. We need to wait two more weeks to say if Delhi and Mumbai have reached their peaks of Covid cases and if the worst is over. We can’t establish a trend like that in a few days,” he said.

“We can’t say that right now even with the decline in cases and positivity [in Delhi and Mumbai],” he said.

Panda added Delhi and Mumbai have a roughly 80:20 ratio for Omicron and Delta variants of coronavirus.

Different states are in different stages of the pandemic and the ICMR has also changed its testing strategy because of the epidemiological variations in the virus and the pandemic changing its course.

“We never asked states not to reduce testing. We asked for more directed and purposive testing. The pandemic has also changed its character and, hence, the testing and management strategies will change. Making guidelines available in local languages on home testing etc will send out the right message,” Samiran Panda said.

Speaking about the genomic sequencing, he said: “Genomic sequencing is a dynamic phenomenon. But genomic sequencing on a dead body to understand if he had Omicron is a simplistic argument. Many patients die of underlying conditions. Yes, we are studying infections in hospitals to understand the severity.”

Dismissing, speculation of a disconnect between ICMR and DCGI over Molnupiravir’s exclusion from the government’s Covid guidelines, he said: “Molnupiravir can be given to unvaccinated patients, but there is no guideline to administer it to pregnant women, lactating women, and kids. That’s why it is not in the protocol.”

 

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KidsUncategorized

Incidence of Autism on the rise post-pandemic according to experts!

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic – a specialized centre for people with Hearing, speech and language disorders; hosted a unique workshop, Let’s Talk, for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), kids suffering from ASD and Medical Professionals dealing with the special kids, from across the state.

Autism Is a disorder associated with sensory processing leading to difficulties in organising and responding to information received from the sensory organs. These kids are often misunderstood by the society and face immense challenges impacting their physical and mental wellbeing and growth.There are indications of rise in ASD cases in the last one year with most therapists seeing more cases than normal. Pandemic impacted ASD children the most, the change in their daily routine and that of their families, in addition to minimal social exposure led to greater stress amongst them. These kids require regular therapy sessions to improve their abilities, especially during the crucial ages of 2 to 6 years, when maximum brain development takes place in the infant. But pandemic put a break on these sessions, the children were deprived of the therapy and lost unrecoverable precious years.

 

 

 

The ‘Let’s Talk’ workshop was packed with interesting knowledge sharing sessions and activities to help cope with these special kids and mould them into near normal individuals. There were four activities for kids and two hands on training for parents to demonstrate behavioural issues and ways to handle them.Therapists pretended like children with Autism spectrum disorder and parents were asked to react on how they handle the situation. Parents were advised and guided on conducive practices to address the issues and were able to see live the encouraging response from the kids.

 

 

 

Let’s Talk was a much awaited opportunity for parents and professionals alike to share insights, practices, outcomes, mock sessions, all of which helped to unlearn and learn the best practices which made ASD kids feel comfortable and can enable them to develop their sensory organs. This session seemed essential, as there is a sea change in the post-pandemic scenario related to ASD kids and their behaviour, the brainstorming of all stakeholders helped to asses, tweak, develop protocols afresh and hopefully these make a difference to the ASD children, says Dr. Garima Vegivada, Clinical Director- Speech Language Pathology, Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic, Secunderabad.

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KidsUncategorized

Switzerland approves Covid jab for kids aged 5 to 11 years

by Medically Speaking
written by Medically Speaking

Swissmedic authorised the immunisation of children aged five to eleven years old with Pfizer-Comirnaty Biontech’s vaccine on Friday.

“Clinical trial results show that the vaccine is safe and effective in this age group,” it said in a statement.

The Comirnaty vaccine is administered in two doses of ten microgrammes three weeks apart.

An ongoing clinical trial of more than 1,500 people “shows that the Covid-19 vaccine offers almost complete protection against serious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 5 to 11-year-olds”, it said.

“Side effects tended to occur less frequently than in adolescents or adults. They included pain at the injection site and tiredness, or less frequently headache, aching limbs or fever,” the agency added.

The vaccinations were until now limited to children aged 12 or older.

Switzerland is currently experiencing a strong fifth wave of the virus.

Only the Comirnaty and Moderna vaccine are authorised in Switzerland.

The country joins Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain in Europe in giving the green light to the vaccination of children in this age group.

Canada and the United States as well as Israel and Chile have also authorised the vaccination of children of a similar age.

In France, vaccination has only been approved for young children at risk of developing serious illness but the government has said it is considering extending it to all children on a voluntary basis.

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KidsUncategorized

Parents guide to survive the demanding teen years of their kids

by Dr. Anuja kapur
written by Dr. Anuja kapur

By: Article written by Mrs. Anuja Kapur (Psychologist)

Teenage is such an age where your babbler son now answers your questions with a moody “yes” or “no.” Your charming daughter won’t go to the store with you at all anymore. They must be teenagers. Don’t despair. It’s natural — and important — for kids to break away from their parents at this age. This emotional separation allows them to become well-adjusted adults. However, it is all the more important to keep a check at this age as it decides what and where your children plan to lead their life towards. You may not feel like you have much influence on your child these days, but teens’ behavior is highly correlated with the strength of their bonds with their parents. Below mentioned are a few tips to help the parents overcome some obstacles with their teenagers:-

  1. It is time to offer your kids some space-Giving teens a chance to establish their own identity, giving them more independence, is essential to helping them establish their place in the world. But if it means they are mingling in a bad company then it is time for parents to come into action.
  2. Choose your battles wisely-Doing themselves harm or doing something that could be permanent (like a tattoo), those things matter however purple hair, a messy room — those don’t matter. Don’t nitpick. It is just a phase that will eventually pass.
  3. Invite their friends over-It helps to meet kids you have questions about. You’re not flat-out rejecting them, you’re at least making an overture. When kids see them, see how their friends act with their parents, they can get a better sense of those friends. It’s the old adage, you catch more bears with honey than vinegar. If you flatly say, you can’t go out with those kids, it often can backfire — it just increases the antagonism.
  4. Decide rules and discipline in advance-If it’s a two-parent family, parents need to have their private discussion, so they can come to some kind of agreement, so parents are on the same page. Whether you ban them from driving for a week or a month, whether you ground them for a week, cut back on their allowance, or Internet use — whatever — set it in advance. If the kid says it isn’t fair, then you have to agree on what is a fair punishment. Then, follow through with the consequences.
  5. Discuss ‘checking in-Give teens age-appropriate curfews, especially if they behave appropriately. Although you need to know where they are as that is part of responsible parenting. If it feels necessary, require them to call you during the evening, to check-in. But that depends on the teen, how responsible they have been.
  6. Talk to teens about risks-Whether it’s drugs, driving, or premarital sex, your kids need to know the worst that could happen.
  7. Provide the teens with a last resort- Tell them: If the only option is getting into a car with a drunk driver, call me — I don’t care if it’s 3 in the morning. Or make sure they have cab fare. Help them figure out how to handle a potentially unsafe situation, yet save face. Brainstorm with them. Come up with a solution that feels comfortable for that child.
  8. A safe haven to discuss without judgement- Don’t interrogate, but act interested. Share a few tidbits about your day; ask about theirs. How was the concert? How was the date? How was your day? Another good line: You may not feel like talking about what happened right now. I know what that’s like. But if you feel like talking about it later, you come to me. You have to be their safe space.
  9. A little guilt can work wonders-I think too much is made about self-esteem. Feeling good about yourself is healthy. But people should feel bad if they have hurt someone or done something wrong. Kids need to feel bad sometimes. Guilt is a healthy emotion. When kids have done something wrong, we hope they feel bad, we hope they feel guilty and learn from their mistakes. A sour lesson learned.
  10. Be what you want your young ones to be-. Lead with an example. Your actions — even more than your words — are critical in helping teens adopt good moral and ethical standards. If they have a good role model from early on, they will be less likely to make bad decisions in their rebellious teen years.

 

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bacteria
KidsUncategorized

Researchers find surprising benefit to the immune system following infection

by Medically Speaking
written by Medically Speaking

The immune system uses T cells, white blood cells that defend against pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites, to fight infection. Prior research by Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, professor and head of the UArizona College of Medicine — Tucson’s Department of Immunobiology, found that both the number and function of naïve T cells — those that have never responded to an infection before — were negatively affected by aging.

“The main population of cells that we lose in the process of aging are naïve T cells,” Dr. Nikolich-Žugich said. “This study showed that both the maintenance of naïve T cells over time and their function were improved by the presence of an infection, which aligns somewhat with the hygiene hypothesis that basically says if you allow your kids to be exposed to everyday germs, it’s going to be better for them.”

Previously, it was thought infections primarily affected the creation of memory T cells. When exposed to a pathogen, some naïve T cells learn and remember, becoming memory T cells that prevent re-infection when they encounter the same pathogen again.

The recent UArizona Health Sciences study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found a mechanism by which an infection has the potential to strengthen the immune system against not only future attacks by the same pathogen, but against different ones as well.

One of the ways the body regulates cell growth is through interleukins, naturally occurring proteins that mediate communication between cells. Interleukin 7 (IL-7), specifically, plays an important role in naïve T cell development and maintenance.

When the body detects a foreign invader, naïve T cells are put into action by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, a group of genes on the surface of cells. MHC molecules take a portion of the pathogen and display it on the cell surface for recognition by the appropriate T cells. But in the absence of infection, MHC molecules also provide subtle “tickling” signals to naïve T cells to keep them alive and able to receive IL-7 signals that keep their metabolism optimally tuned. The infected cells also secrete interferon type 1 molecules, which signal additional immune responses.

“Now we know that when you have these fairly substantial infections, interferon type 1 molecules are making the MHC and Interleukin 7 signals stronger, more abundant and more available to naïve T cells. It has never been shown that an infection can do something like this,” Dr. Nikolich-Žugich said. “This study showed that an infection not only better maintained the number of naïve T cells, but it put them on a slightly higher state of alertness.”

That means when the immune system encounters a new infection, such as SARS-CoV-2 or a new strain of influenza, naïve T cells would be able to respond faster and provide better protection.

Moving forward, Dr. Nikolich-Žugich hopes to be able to determine how long the infection-mediated naïve T cell response lasts, and if that depends on the presence of multiple or persistent infections.

Eventually, the UArizona Health Sciences research team wants to develop therapies that boost the immune system to fight disease by using naïve T cells that are in a heightened state of alertness, to target things like cancerous tumors. They also hope to examine the feasibility of using the mechanism that maintains naïve T cell production to strengthen the aging immune system.

Source: University of Arizona Health Sciences

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