Neutrophils News and Research

RSS

Rapid CD169 assay for COVID-19 screening

Researchers in France have conducted a study demonstrating the sensitivity of a rapid flow cytometry assay that could be used to screen for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

27 Oct 2020

Lung biomarkers may predict severe COVID-19

Two University of New Mexico researchers postulate certain specific biomarkers' relevance in predicting the potential for progression to severe COVID-19 in a paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv*

27 Oct 2020

Anti-inflammatory mediator may play key role in wound healing

"Wound healing is one of the most complex biological processes," writes Professor Kazumitsu Sugiura and Dr. Kenta Saito from Fujita Health University, Japan, in their article recently published in Nature's Scientific Reports.

27 Oct 2020

Neutrophils have more functions in the body than previously thought

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares have discovered that neutrophils, the most abundant cells of the innate immune system, have many more functions in the body than previously thought.

23 Oct 2020

New therapeutic approach for treating patients with compromised immune systems

A young woman who had been hospitalized for three months straight due to debilitating, recurrent infections with no apparent underlying cause was finally able to go home thanks to a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) team who put their heads together, discovered a root of the problem, and developed a novel treatment strategy just for her.

23 Oct 2020

Vitamin C and COVID-19: A Review

In a recent review published in Preprints*, Patrick Holford et al. address vitamin C's role as adjunctive therapy for respiratory infection, sepsis, and COVID-19.

23 Oct 2020

Scientists discover mechanism linking gum disease to inflammatory conditions

The link between periodontal (gum) disease and other inflammatory conditions such as heart disease and diabetes has long been established, but the mechanism behind that association has, until now, remained a mystery.

20 Oct 2020

Androgen deprivation strategies could help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have noted that women are generally less severely affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This has led to the exploration into estrogen and androgens' role in the hyperinflammatory clinical phenotypes of COVID-19. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv shows that drugs targeting androgens and TMPRSS2 inhibitors may potentially combat the pandemic.

20 Oct 2020

The connection between severe COVID-19 and white blood cell counts

However, in other research, white blood cells' exact roles and subtypes in severe COVID-19 are still unclear. The team writes, "It is unknown if blood cell counts before infection are associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19." They explained that the numbers of these cell types could be influenced by several factors such as age, gender, disease status, and medications.

19 Oct 2020

Characterization of prognostic markers to predict COVID-19 severity

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has revealed that markers of endothelial cell injury are associated with severe and fatal outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

14 Oct 2020

Cancer-killing T cells release chemicals to direct swarms towards tumors

When immune system T cells find and recognise a target, they release chemicals to attract more T cells which then swarm to help subdue the threat, shows a new study published today in eLife.

13 Oct 2020

Are antibiotics being over prescribed in COVID-19?

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 shows that the baseline levels of inflammatory markers and C-reactive protein (CRP) in relation to antibiotic administration can rule out bacterial co-infections and help reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

13 Oct 2020

Researchers explore molecular factors that drive the severity of COVID-19

While most COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or mild, severe complications associated with acute respiratory distress have led to more than one million deaths worldwide in just several months.

13 Oct 2020

Pathways contributing to hypercoagulability in severe SARS‐CoV‐2 patients

In a study by researchers explored the possible mechanisms of the clotting disorder, focusing on the role of hypoxia-related activation of coagulation factors; cytokine storm, activation of neutrophils, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps.

11 Oct 2020

Study shows unique cardioprotective properties of an old drug

A drug costing less than 2 euros per dose could reduce the long term consequences of a heart attack, benefitting millions of patients. Metoprolol, a member of the beta-blocker class of drugs that has been in use for more than 40 years, has been found to have unique cardioprotective properties.

9 Oct 2020

Cats and dogs are low risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission to humans

Researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University studied the possible transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among domestic cats and dogs.

5 Oct 2020

Study reveals how immune cells sacrifice themselves to help fight off infections

Whether flu or coronavirus, it can take several days for the body to ramp up an effective response to a viral infection.

1 Oct 2020

Lung tissue in fatal COVID-19 shows broad cell tropism and extensive damage

In a recent preprint paper published on the medRxiv server, researchers demonstrated their investigation of fatal COVID-19 patients to assess infection in various cell types and the extent of damage it caused to the lung tissues.

30 Sep 2020

Maternal immune cells could bring SARS-CoV-2 to the placenta

Researchers from Canada and Brazil collaborated to explore the possibility of perinatal transmission of the virus from pregnant mothers to their babies and the risk of preterm birth.

30 Sep 2020

A study contradicting the phenotypical relationship between plasmablasts and developing neutrophils

A team of scientists from Australia challenges the findings of a recent study by Wilk et al. demonstrating that plasmablasts transdifferentiate into developing neutrophils in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Australian study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

29 Sep 2020