Renin News and Research

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Renin, also known as angiotensinogenase, is an enzyme that participates in the body's renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that mediates extracellular volume (i.e., that of the blood plasma, lymph and interstitial fluid), and arterial vasoconstriction. Thus, it regulates the body's mean arterial blood pressure.

Oral antidiabetic medication provides kidney protection in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a rare form of kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis) in which the glomeruli become increasingly scarred (sclerotic), leading to progressive loss of kidney function.

7 Jun 2021

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server points to mast cells as major culprits in the etiology of severe and critical COVID-19. This could suggest suitable therapeutic and preventive interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this viral illness.

3 Jun 2021

Could semen quality indicate SARS-CoV-2 insult susceptibility in polluted areas?

In a recent review in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Italian researchers focused on “the evidence that correlates the degree and type of pollution with the increased susceptibility of many countries to this pandemic and proposes human semen as an early marker of the environmental health and the general health of individuals.” Their observations are based on a robust body of experimental evidence.

2 Jun 2021

Novel protein interactions with ACE2 disrupted by SARS-CoV-2, contributes to COVID-19 pathologies

A severe and often fatal immune response called a “cytokine storm” can occur following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some patients suffer from a range of complications several months after testing negative for SARS-CoV-2, and this is called ‘Long Haul’ or ‘Long’ COVID-19. The causes behind this phenomenon are not well understood.

31 May 2021

Neuropathology of COVID-19 patients caused by infection of brain pericytes

Recently, researchers from the UK and Sweden used highly sensitive multiplexed immunohistochemistry to study the brain tissue of COVID-19 patients and controls to analyze ACE2 expression in brain pericytes of patients with neurological symptoms. They also used spatial immunophenotyping to assess inflammation in brain tissue of COVID-19 patients.

31 May 2021

A study reports the first case of an upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) recurrence due to COVID-19 infection

Researchers have reported the first case of COVID-19 triggering a rare occurrence of potentially severe blood clots forming in the arms.

19 May 2021

Severe COVID-19 linked to genetic clotting predisposition

Thus, the need to stratify the risk of severe or critical disease in patients presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a crying necessity. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server discusses the relationship between severe disease and pre-existing susceptibility to clots and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

11 May 2021

Are infants at greater risk of COVID-19 than children?

The widely circulating SARS-CoV-2 has caused the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this infection varies significantly with age, sparing young children for the most part, though not completely. However, a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, shows that infants are not as resistant to the virus as children are. The researchers trace this to the expression of ACE2 to varying extents in different groups.

7 May 2021

Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2

The lack of new or repurposed drugs to treat patients with severe or critical COVID-19 has been one of the biggest hurdles to reducing mortality rates in the ongoing pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. A new study describes the potential for the use of the plant molecule isorhamnetin in the management of this virus.

19 Apr 2021

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Sweden has recently screened 8 million small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.

5 Apr 2021

Comorbidities lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19, research shows

Comorbidities such as heart disease, respiratory disease, renal disease and cancer lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19 according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

1 Apr 2021

Lupus patients with lower vitamin D levels more likely to have metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance

Patients with lupus are more likely to have metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance - both factors linked to heart disease - if they have lower vitamin D levels, a new study reveals.

26 Mar 2021

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Aarhus University, Denmark, found that high baseline levels of ACE2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients are tied to a worse outcome in hospitalized patients. The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that measuring ACE2 levels in serum can help determine patients at a higher risk of developing severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

14 Mar 2021

Genetic variation associated with COVID-19 outcome

Host genetics play a role in disease progression and prognosis. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Dubé et al. (1st March 2021) identifies several alleles associated with the gene natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) that may impact disease severity.

3 Mar 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 proteins affect vascular functionality

The study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, can pinpoint and isolate how each of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins independently affects the endothelial response and directly gauge endothelial functionality.

3 Mar 2021

New paper discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19 and the types of research that are needed to better understand the link between smoking and COVID-19 risk.

1 Mar 2021

Polyphenols may provide protective effect against COVID-19 disease

In the study published in the journal Integrative Physiology, the researchers found that a high intake of polyphenols may have a protective effect on patients with COVID-19 and prevent disease progression.

22 Feb 2021

Researchers survey repurposed drugs that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro

A new study by researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, reports on the compounds of interest that were identified as having potential for the treatment of COVID-19, from a library of almost 2,000 compounds from the APExBIO DiscoveryProbe library.

3 Feb 2021

Zinc supplementation bolsters repurposed antivirals against SARS-CoV-2

A new preprint reports the efficacy of two repurposed drugs that could be useful against SARS-CoV-2 when supplemented with zinc.

2 Feb 2021

ACE2 agonist C21 relieves respiratory difficulty in COVID-19

A new study describes a pilot study on the efficacy of a molecule called C21, which enhances the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host cell receptor that facilitates viral entry.

2 Feb 2021