Long Covid Molecular

After infection with SARS-CoV-2, patients may present with one or more symptoms that appear or persist over time, including fatigue, respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological disorders. Neurological symptoms include anxiety, depression and impaired short-term memory. However, the exact underlying mechanisms of long Covid are not yet decrypted. Using the golden hamster as a model, we provide further evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is neuroinvasive and can persist in the central nervous system, as we found viral RNA and replicative virus in the brainstem after 80 days of infection. Infected hamsters presented a neurodegenerative signature in the brainstem, with overexpression of innate immunity genes, impacted dopaminergic and glutamatergic synapses, altered energy metabolism. Finally, the infected hamsters manifested persistent signs of depression and impaired short-term memory, as well as late-onset signs of anxiety, as a valuable model to study long Covid. Conclusively, we provide evidence that virus-related and neurodegenerative and immunometabolic mechanisms coexist in the brainstem of infected hamsters and contribute to the manifestation of neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Northumbria University academics are part of a research team looking into the effects of Long Covid which has won a global award from Nature.

To date, immunological markers that aid in classifying Long COVID-19 (LC) patients remain poorly defined in the literature, and no clinically reliable test c...

The study identifies gut microbiome signatures during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection as predictors of long COVID, enhancing understanding of symptom variability.

Background The relationship between COVID-19 infection and a possible increased likelihood of older adults developing new-onset dementia (NOD) remains elusive. Methods A thorough search was performed across several databases including MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, medRxiv, and PQDT Global for studies published in English from January 2020 to December 2023. Only original investigations exploring the link between COVID-19 infection and NOD were selected for inclusion. We assessed the risk of developing NOD, using Risk Ratio (RR) for measurement. Control groups were categorized as: (i) a non-COVID cohort with other respiratory infections [control group (C1)]; and (ii) a non-COVID cohort with otherwise unspecified health status [control group (C2)]. Follow-up periods were divided into intervals of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-COVID. Results 11 studies (involving 939,824 post-COVID-19 survivors and 6,765,117 controls) were included in the review. Across a median observation period of 12 months post-COVID, the overall incidence of NOD was about 1.82% in the COVID-infected group, compared to 0.35% in the non-COVID-infected group. The overall pooled meta-analysis showed a significantly increased NOD risk among COVID-19 older adult survivors compared to non-COVID-19 controls (RR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.21–2.08). Similar increased NOD risks were observed in subgroup analyses restricted to an observational period of 12 months (RR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.21–2.01), as well as in five studies that employed propensity score matching to sufficiently and effectively control for multiple confounding covariates (RR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.10–1.94). COVID-19 group and C1 group shared a comparably increased risk of developing NOD (overall RR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.92–1.38). Discussion Under normal circumstances, we believe that COVID-19 infection is likely to be a risk factor for developing NOD in older adults over time. While the increased NOD risk due to COVID-19 infection appears to be similar to that associated with other respiratory infections, it warrants and necessitates investigation with longer observations.

British Journal of Cancer - The long-lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on population-based cancer survival: what are the implications for data analysis?

Few pathogens have historically been subjected to as intense scientific and clinical scrutiny as SARS-CoV-2. The genetic, immunological, and environmental fa...

Europe has approved two drugs for preventing COVID-19 infection: a monoclonal antibody and a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine.

A new study sheds light on the subject by identifying what the researchers describe as an “immune system tuning dial,” which originated as a bug in the genetic code tens of millions of years ago.

Gastroenterologists say that since the start of the pandemic in 2020, they have noticed an uptick in IBS and other painful and often puzzling gut conditions.

Petrovax has announced positive results stemming from the Long-CoV-III-21 trial, which tested the efficacy of bovhyaluronidase azoximer (Longidaza) in patients with long-term COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae. The drug significantly reduced exertional desaturation by 62% and exertional dyspnea by 27%, with improvements lasting over 100 days. Subgroup analysis revealed benefits in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities and those infected with earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study, which was led by Dr. Sergey Avdeev, suggests Longidaza’s potential for treating post-COVID pulmonary issues and the benefits of repurposing existing drugs that are already successfully utilized in other capacities. The study also highlights the need for further research into hyaluronidase-based therapies for fibrotic conditions.

Conditions such as long COVID-19, Alzheimer’s disease and meningitis can damage the line of communication between your brain and your muscles.

New research suggests SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase the long-term risk of autoimmune or autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders.

Researchers identify four distinct post-COVID subtypes, reveal key risk factors, and emphasize the protective role of vaccination in mitigating long-term impacts.

Researchers have discovered a protein variant that serves as a knob for regulating the body's innate immune response. The findings could lead to new therapies for Long COVID, autoimmune disorders, and more.

The declaration provides immunity for certain claims, including loss caused by or related to administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats, or conditions.

Why does the COVID-19 virus make some people sicker than others?For years, scientists have looked to a critical piece of immune system machinery—known as the

Diarrhea, constipation, pain, bloating: We asked experts why the virus causes these issues and what to do about them.

New research shows that long COVID in children and teenagers can appear differently. Learn about the most common long COVID symptoms depending on your child’s age.

Long Covid, a group of Italian researchers have discovered the cause of lung disorders in patients suffering from this syndrome. The results of the study by Monzino and University of Milan, published...

Long COVID (LC), manifests in 10-30% of non-hospitalized individuals post-SARS-CoV-2 infection leading to significant morbidity. The predictive role of gut microbiome composition during acute infection in the development of LC is not well understood, partly due to the heterogeneous nature of disease. We conducted a longitudinal study of 799 outpatients tested for SARS-CoV-2 (380 positive, 419 negative) and found that individuals who later developed LC harbored distinct gut microbiome compositions during acute infection, compared with both SARS-CoV-positive individuals who did not develop LC and negative controls with similar symptomatology. However, the temporal changes in gut microbiome composition between the infectious (0-1 month) and post-infectious (1-2 months) phases was not different between study groups. Using machine learning, we showed that microbiome composition alone more accurately predicted LC than clinical variables. Including clinical data only marginally enhanced this prediction, suggesting that microbiome profiles during acute infection may reflect underlying health status and immune responses thus, help predicting individuals at risk for LC. Finally, we identified four LC symptom clusters, with gastrointestinal and fatigue-only groups most strongly linked to gut microbiome alterations. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

A large systematic review and meta-analysis found an increased risk of various autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders among patients who had COVID-19 infection. The analysis appears in .

A recent review in MedComm – Future Medicine examines long COVID across SARS-CoV-2 variants, focusing on variant-specific clinical features, pathogenesis, and implications for treatment. The study highlights that recent variants like Omicron are associated with lower incidence and milder symptoms, with vaccinations playing a substantial role in reducing long COVID's prevalence and severity. The research underscores the need for standardized diagnostic criteria and calls for more controlled studies, especially in unique populations, to uncover actionable insights into long COVID mechanisms and treatment options.

Introduction In the emergency department (ED), COVID-19 and influenza are two common viral diseases. They cause similar symptoms in the respiratory system, and most patients' symptoms are rel...

Scientists discovered that overactivation of immune genes and the RAAS system causes cytokine storms in severe COVID-19 cases. This leads to widespread inflammation and organ damage. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pi

Researchers have designed an inflammation-monitoring device that could provide a deeper insight into inflammation-associated diseases.

A longitudinal study in eBioMedicine found weeks-long blood plasma proteome shifts after SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with proteomic signatures that appeared to coincide with long Covid risk.

A study from the University of Iowa suggests that impaired pulmonary gas exchange is associated with cognitive dysfunction in long COVID patients, as well as changes in brain structure and blood flow. A study recently presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (R

According to Afshin Beheshti, PhD, President of the COVID-19 International Research Team and Professor of Surgery and Computational and Systems Biology, Director of the Space Biomedicine Program, and ...