Tag Archives: Health

Microbiology

Streptococcus pyogenes, which is often called group A Streptococcus, infects people around the world. While estimates vary, these …

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Streptococcus pyogenes, which is often called group A Streptococcus, infects people around the world. While estimates vary, these infections could be responsible for the deaths of over half a million individuals every year. The pathogen can also cause an illness known as scarlet fever, which usually occurs in kids between the ages of 5 and 15. Scarlet fever was once a major health threat for children, and there were infection rates as high as 20 percent in the early 20th century. The disease became less of a public health concern until its recent reemergence in the UK, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) bacteria (blue) and a human neutrophil (purple). Credit: NIAID

Isolates taken from patients have shown that S. pyogenes can carry resistance genes that shield it from the effects of antibiotics including tetracycline, erythromycin and clindamycin. These bacteria can also generate powerful toxins, like molecules called SSA and SpeC, known as superantigens, and an enzyme called Spd1.

While S. pyogenes infections are still rare, they can kill as many as 20 percent of people who are infected.

In 2019, a variant isolated in the UK, the so-called M1UK strep A variant, was shown to produce five times more strep A toxins compared to previous strains. The SpeA superantigen generated by this variant can short-circuit host immunity and was once known as the scarlet fever toxin. The M1UK variant also carried a few genetic mutations compared to previous strains, and one of those mutations was located close to the toxin gene. The findings have been reported in Nature Communications.

More research will be needed to know whether this variant has gotten better at moving from one person to another to cause infection.

Strep A is very rare, and the study authors noted that people should not be concerned about this novel variant at this time. Basic hygiene practices, like hand washing, can still protect us from dangerous germs like S. pyogenes. Strep A infections are spread through close contact with infected people, who may be coughing and sneezing. Other symptoms include a rash and fever.

The study authors also noted that these findings have highlighted the importance of developing a vaccine for Strep A infections.

An unrelated study reported in mBio has also revealed a different mutation that occurs in a Strep A variant that increases the production of a toxin called streptolysin O (SLO). SLO can help Strep A survive in the host, evade host immunity, and is destructive to host tissues. Variants that did not express SLO were not as virulent, noted the study authors.

Right now, scientists are working on a Strep A vaccine, as described in the video above.

Sources: Nature Communications, Griffith University, mBio


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

Infections with many different types of bacteria including Streptococcus pneumonia, Listeria monocytogens, and Neisseria mengitidis can cause bacterial …

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Infections with many different types of bacteria including Streptococcus pneumonia, Listeria monocytogens, and Neisseria mengitidis can cause bacterial meningitis. It’s estimated that every year over 1.2 million cases of bacterial meningitis happen around the world, and without treatment, this deadly disease is fatal to seven of ten people who are sickened by it. Even with antibiotic treatments, three of ten patients die. Survivors are left with issues like chronic headaches, seizures, loss of vision or hearing, and other neurological consequences. New research reported in Nature has revealed how bacteria are able to penetrate the meninges that surround and protect the brain to cause bacterial meningitis. The findings have shown that bacteria use neurons to evade immunity and infect the brain, and the work may aid in the creation of new therapeutics.

A digitally-colorized SEM image depicts of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria (lavender), as they were being attacked by a white blood cell (pink). / Credit: CDC/ Dr. Richard Facklam

Right now, antibiotics can help eliminate the bacterial pathogens that cause this illness. But steroids are also needed to control the dangerous inflammation that can occur along with the infection. However, reducing inflammation also weakens the immune response, making it harder to get rid of the infection.

In this research, the scientists used Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus agalactiae bacteria, which can both cause bacterial meningitis in humans. They determined that when these bacteria get to the meninges, they release a toxin, which activates neurons in the meninges that sense pain. This pain neuron activation could explain why bacterial meningitis patients get horrible headaches, noted the researchers.

The activated pain neurons then release a signaling molecule called CGRP, which binds to a receptor called RAMP1 on the surface of immune cells called macrophages. Once CGRP binds to RAMP1 on macrophages, the immune cells are basically disabled, and they stop responding to bacterial infections like they normally would.

The link between CGRP and RAMP1 on macrophages also stops them from signaling to other immune cells, which allows the bacterial infection to not only penetrate the meninges but to spread infection.

This work was confirmed with the use of a mouse model that lacked the pain neurons that are activated by bacteria. Compared to mice with those neurons, the engineered mice had less severe brain infections when they were exposed to bacteria that cause meningitis. There were also lower levels of CGRP in the engineered mice compared to normal mice. The normal mice, however, had higher levels of bacteria in the meninges.

Additional experiments also showed that when mice were treated with drugs that block RAMP1, the severity of the bacterial infection was reduced. Mice treated with RAMP1 blockers were able to clear their infections faster too.

It may be possible to help the immune system clear cases of bacterial meningitis with medications that block either CGRP or RAMP1, potentially in conjunction with antibiotics. There are already drugs that can do this, and they are generally used to treat migraine.

Sources: Harvard Medical School, Nature


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

In recent years, we have learned a lot about the crucial role gut microbes play in our health …

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In recent years, we have learned a lot about the crucial role gut microbes play in our health and well being. The extent of their influence can be surprising at times. Research has shown that gut microbes can impact the repair of tissue damage by fueling the production of a type of immune cell called Tregs, or regulatory T cells. These cells reside in various tissues and help regulate inflammation and immunity in different organs. But new work has shown that Tregs can also move around the body and respond when they are called to help fix injuries and tissue damage, such as in the muscles and liver. The findings, which used a mouse model and still have to be confirmed in humans, have been reported in the journal Immunity.

Image credit: Pixabay

There are Tregs that reside in the colon, and these cells are known to play an important role in the maintenance of gut health. The immune system in the gut has to protect us from infection while also ignoring the harmless or beneficial microbes in the gut microbiome. Gut microbes have also been known to affect Treg production. But colonic Tregs were thought to stay in the gut. In this study, the investigators found colonic Tregs among muscle cells.

First study author Bola Hanna, a research fellow in immunology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) noticed cells that looked like gut-derived Tregs among muscle tissue. The researchers wanted to known more about these mysterious cells. First, they confirmed the identity of the Tregs by analyzing gene expression and molecular characteristics. This indicated that these cells were just like colonic Tregs. Next, the investigators tagged those cells and watched as they moved around the bodies of a mouse model. The researchers assessed the antigens on these cells as well, confirming that they were equivalent to Tregs from the gut.

When a mouse model was created to lack these Tregs, and was then subjected to muscle injury, the mice had high levels of inflammation and difficulty healing. When healing did happen, it was accompanied by scarring.

In another experiment, mice were given antibiotics to reduce the levels of gut microbes. Once again, when muscle injury occurred, it took longer to heal. But if the gut microbiome was restored, normal healing commenced.

The colonic Tregs are promoting healing in muscles by reducing the levels of an inflammatory molecule called IL-17.

The investigators also found evidence of gut Tregs in different organs including the kidneys, liver, and spleen. In a mouse model of fatty liver disease, there were unusually high levels of colonic Tregs compared to healthy mice, suggesting that Tregs are influencing inflammation in a variety of tissues.

In the mouse model of fatty liver disease, symptoms got worse when the mice lacked Tregs, which also seems to confirm that colonic Tregs are playing an important role in countering the effects of inflammation due to fatty liver disease.

“Our observations indicate that gut microbes drive the production of a class of regulatory T cells that are constantly exiting the gut and act as sentries that sense damage at distant sites in the body and then act as emissaries to repair that damage,” explained senior study author Diane Mathis, a professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. This work may also help scientists create therapies for fatty liver disease.

Sources: Harvard Medical School, Immunity


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

The SARS-CoV-2 virus and the illness it causes, COVID-19, have made an indelible mark on our lives. It …

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus and the illness it causes, COVID-19, have made an indelible mark on our lives. It seems that is also true in more ways than one; new research has shown that when the virus infects cells, portions of the viral genome integrate into the genome of host cells in a phenomenon known as reverse transcription. While this is a relatively rare even for SARS-CoV-2, so many people have been infected with the virus that integration has probably happened many times. Scientists have now used several techniques to show that SARS-CoV-2 can integrate into a host cell genome, and the findings have been reported in the journal Viruses. This study is confirmation of previous work reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell (red) infected with the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (blue), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

This research may help explain why some people continue to test positive for the virus long after their infection has subsided and they have recovered. In reverse transcription, RNA molecules, in this case from SARS-CoV-2, are transcribed into cDNA, a flip of the typical process in which active genes are transcribed into RNA molecules. Those reverse-transcribed cDNA molecules are then stitched into the host cell genome. If some of those cells are captured during a COVID-19 test, PCR would recognize and amplify the viral DNA in the host cell, causing a positive test result.

This study has also shown that simply inserting viral RNA into cells is not enough to cause genomic integration, so it seems unlikely based on the evidence we have now that mRNA from the COVID-19 vaccines would cause integration into cells’ DNA.

“This paper puts our data on a very firm footing. Hopefully, it will clarify some of the issues raised in the discussion that followed the first paper, and provide some reassurance to people who were worried about the implications for the vaccine,” said corresponding study author Rudolf Jaenisch, a founding member of the Whitehead Institute.

Since the integration of the SARS-CoV-2 genome into cells’ DNA is unusual, the researchers had to use a very sensitive method called digital PCR, which detects very specific genetic sequences, to identify instances in which viral RNA had been integrated into the genome of a cell.

The digital PCR results found viral RNA that had been reverse-transcribed to cDNA in about 4 to 20 of every 1,000 cells, but this includes all molecules of the sort, whether they ended up being integrated into a genome or not. Thus, the researchers suggested that viral integration is even more rare than that.

Whole genome sequencing can be used to show when that integration also occurred, because those events are typically accompanied by a reverse transcription complex called LINE1. The LINE1 sequences act as an indicator of integration. However, WGS is usually only used on a handful of cells, so when other investigators looked for those sequences, they could not usually be found.

“Because the human cell genome coverage by whole genome sequencing is very limited, you would need to run the sequencing experiment many times in order to have a good chance of detecting one viral genome copy,” explained postdoctoral researcher and first study author Liguo Zhang.

In this study, the researchers created cells that would overexpress LINE1, and make viral integration more common artificially. This time, the digital PCR showed that viral cDNA appeared in fourteen to twenty of every 1,000 cells, and WGS identified instances of integration along with LINE1. Further work with a tool called TagMap confirmed viral integration without overexpressing LINE1.

“This is unambiguous proof of viral genomic integration,” Zhang said. When this approach was repeated with cells that were treated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, there was no evidence of integration.

“We need to do further testing, but our results are consistent with vaccine RNA not integrating,” Jaenisch said.

Sources: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Viruses


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare type of cancer that impacts T cells, a crucial immune cell …

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Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare type of cancer that impacts T cells, a crucial immune cell that plays an important role in fighting infection. ATLL tends to be aggressive, and can manifest in the blood as leukemia, in the lymph nodes as lymphoma, or other tissues like the skin. ATLL has been associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infections, although fewer than five percent of people with this virus end up developing ATLL. Right now, clinicians cannot predict which people with HTLV-1 infections will get ATLL. While some types of ATLL tumors can be surgically removed, survival prospects for these patients is not good.

Image credit: Pixabay

A recent article published in Genes & Cancer noted that even though a monoclonal antibody that can treat ATLL called mogamulizumab has recently been approved, the survival rate is still poor.

Viruses are known to change gene expression in host cells, and HTLV-1 is no different. Previous work reported in PLOS Pathogens showed that when HTLV-1 infects cells, it causes a huge number of genetic and epigenetic changes with viral proteins it generates called Tax and HBZ. These many genetic changes could be interfering with chemotherapeutics and may render them less effective, suggested researcher Tatsuro Jo of the Nagasaki Genbaku Hospital.

In the HTLV-1 genome, there is an opportunity, however. Its genome is completely different from the human genome, so the viral proteins generated during HTLV-1 infection are excellent therapeutic targets. ATLL survivors have been found to carry cytotoxic T lymphocytes that work against the HTLV-1 Tax protein. People who survive ATLL over the long term may have been able to activate strong antitumor mechanisms.

Jo added that some people who have lived for a long time after an ATLL diagnosis, and prior to the approval of mogamulizumab, had also developed herpesvirus infections. It’s been suggested that herpes infections can trigger powerful cellular immunity mechanisms.

“Although contracting herpes simplex or herpes zoster is unpleasant, the mechanism by which these herpesvirus infections can produce a therapeutic effect on refractory ATLL via the activation of the host’s cellular immunity is extremely interesting and worth further study,” said Jo.

Sources: Impact Journals LLC, Genes & Cancer


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert about a rise in extensively drug-resistant …

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert about a rise in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella infections (shigellosis). There has been a concerning increase in drug resistance among Shigella infections in the United States; they rose from zero in 2015 to 5 percent in 2022. There are few treatment options for these infections, the bacteria are easy to transmit from one person to another, and few microbes need to be transmitted for illness to occur. The microbes generally spread through the fecal-oral route, which means contaminated food and water can also cause the illness. The bacteria are also transmitted during sexual contact. The XDR strains of Shigella can also share those resistance genes with other bacteria. Therefore, the CDC is especially concerned about these infections, and is calling on health professionals to watch for cases of XDR shigellosis.

A medical illustration of drug-resistant, Shigella sp. bacteria / Credit: CDC/ Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit / Medical Illustrator: Stephanie Rossow

Shigella causes abdominal cramping and diarrhea that can be bloody; it may also cause fever or tenesmus, a feeling of flu bowels. Usually, these infections resolve on their own after a few days, and only supportive care, such as hydrating fluids, are needed. Antibiotics can shorten the duration of the illness, reduce the likelihood of transmission to others, and can also prevent complications.

Strains of XDR Shigella are resistant to many popular antibiotics that are usually used to treat shigellosis, including azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), and ampicillin. Right now, there is no consensus on the best way to eliminate XDR Shigella. Strains of resistant Shigella include Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri.

Shigella infections tend to impact certain populations, including children between the ages of 1 and 4. International travelers, and men who have sex with men are other groups who tend to have higher than usual rates of shigellosis.

There have been 232 confirmed cases that have occured in recent years that the CDC has information about, and of those cases, 82 percent were men, 13 percent were women and 5 percent were children. While only 41 of these individuals answered questions about sexual activity, 88 percent of them reported male-to-male sexual contact.

The CDC has noted that clinicians should consider shigellosis when patients, particularly young children, international travelers, or men who have sex with men present with acute diarrhea.

A diagnosis is usually confirmed with a stool sample, particularly for patients who will receive antibiotics. Tests can also be performed to determined whether Shigella strains are susceptible to antibiotics.

Source: CDC


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

A variety of studies have shown that when the air is drier, viral particles can linger there longer. …

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A variety of studies have shown that when the air is drier, viral particles can linger there longer. These findings have now been confirmed in an analysis of particles of a virus that is very similar to the one that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. Although previous work has shown that relative humidity levels affect the length of time of a virus stays infectious in the air, this is the first to factor in the effect of saliva, which helps shield viral particles. The data can help explain why people tend to get more sick during winter, when humidity levels drop significantly indoors. It also stresses the importance of good ventilation systems and other mitigation efforts for preventing the spread of illness. The work has been reported in PNAS Nexus.

Dr. Mark Hernandez, S. J. Archuleta Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and CU PhD graduate Marina Nieto-Caballero, now a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University, standing inside a bioaerosol chamber in the Environmental Engineering disinfection laboratory at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex (SEEC). Credit Patrick Campbell/University of Colorado

This study used a mammalian coronavirus that is very similar to SARS-CoV-2. Particles containing this virus remained infectious for twice as long when air was drier. These particles are normally expelled with saliva, which acts like a protective shield, particularly when humidity is low.

Although civil engineers typically design and maintain buildings so their indoor relative humidity will stay between 40 and 60 percent, the reality is a bit different, and varies widely depending on the climate of the region. The researchers suspected that these humidity levels were influencing the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

To test that theory, the investigators engineered airborne particles containing virus, with and without saliva. These were then released into large, sealed chambers with relative humidity levels of 25, 40, and 60 percent.

The saliva protected the virus at every humidity level, and at 40 and 60 percent relative humidity, half of the airborne viral particles were still infectious one hour after release. Half of the airborne particles were still infectious two hours after release at 25 percent humidity; as the relative humidity dropped, the virus was still pathogenic for much longer.

“It shows this virus can hang around for quite a while, hours even. It’s longer than a class, longer than the time you’re in a restaurant, longer than the time you take to hang out in the cafe. An occupant may come in, spread coronavirus in the air, and leave. Depending on architectural factors, then someone else could walk into that space with potent doses still hanging around,” said senior study author Mark Hernandez, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The virus is probably also contaminating air for longer than it takes typical ventilation systems to eliminate it. Thus, additional mitigation strategies like filtration could reduce transmission, suggested the study authors.

“I hope this paper has an engineering impact in our buildings, for example, in schools and hospitals, so that we can minimize the infectivity of these viruses in the air,” said lead study author Marina Nieto-Caballero, PhD.

Increasing indoor humidity levels could help reduce risk for people who live in naturally arid environments, but that can be inefficient and expensive, said Hernandez. We can use strategies that we already know about instead, like opening windows, using inexpensive air filters, and increasing ventilation rates to introduce more fresh air, Hernandez added.

Sources: University of Colorado at Boulder, PNAS Nexus


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

Long COVID still affects many people who had a case of COVID-19; even people who had mild cases …

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Long COVID still affects many people who had a case of COVID-19; even people who had mild cases and were not hospitalized are at risk for the chronic disorder. Scientists and clinicians are still learning about the illness, which causes a wide range of symptoms and happens for unknown reasons. There are several hypotheses, however, and the disorder may also arise in different people for different reasons. New research has suggested that long COVID happens because particles of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, hide away in parts of the body, and the immune system becomes overactivated trying to eliminate them. The study has been reported in PLOS Pathogens.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell (brown) infected with the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (purple), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

Symptoms of long COVID can include fatigue, brain fog, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, and these symptoms last more than four weeks after the acute phase of COVID-19. The illness is thought to impact about 20 percent of people who get COVID, noted Brent Palmer, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

In this study, the researchers followed forty COVID-19 patients; twenty of them totally eliminated the infection and twenty developed long COVID, also known as  post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC). The investigators used blood and stool samples from the study volunteers to identify T cells that were specific to COVID-19 and remained active after the initial infection was over.

These cells were then incubated with bits of the virus, and the scientists were able to see how frequently CD4 and CD8 T cells were reacting by generating cytokines. They found that long COVID patients carried levels of cytotoxic CD8 T cells that were as much as 100 times higher compared to people who cleared the infection.

Palmer also studies HIV infection, and he was astonished to find that about 50 percent of T cells were still directed against COVID-19 six months after their initial infection. “That’s an amazingly high frequency, much higher than we typically see in HIV, where you have ongoing viral replication all the time,” he added. “These responses were in most cases higher than what we see in HIV.”

CU pulmonologist Sarah Jolley, MD was a study co-author who obtained pulmonary data for the study volunteers. The researchers found that pulmonary function decreased as the level of COVID-19-specific T cells increased.

“That showed a really strong connection between these T cells that were potentially driving disease and an actual readout of disease, which was reduced pulmonary function. That was a critical discovery.”

The researchers have suggested that long COVID is drive by the immune system, which is increasing inflammation as it attempts to remove residual SARS-CoV-2 particles that cannot be detected with a nasal swab, but nonetheless remain. Palmer noted that some autopsies of COVID-19 patients have revealed the virus in many organs including the lungs, gut and kidney.

 

Additional work by Palmer and colleagues was reported in the journal Gut; this study indicated that the composition of the gut microbiomes of long COVID patients reflects an elevation of inflammatory markers. There may also be a link between the gut microbiome and the inflammation that is observed in long COVID, noted the researchers.

Palmer added that some studies have shown that antiviral medications like Paxlovid, or doses of vaccine may help relieve the symptoms of long COVID patients. This may happen because their immune systems are being given enough of a stimulatory bump to finally remove the infection, and it would show that a hidden reservoir of virus likely exists in these patients.

Sources: CU Anschutz Medical Campus, PLOS Pathogens, Gut


Carmen Leitch

Microbiology

Flu vaccination rate holds steady but misinformation about flu and COVID-19 persists

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Although the public had been alerted that this winter could be a potentially bad flu season, barely half of Americans said in January that they had received a flu shot, a vaccination level unchanged in a representative national panel from the comparable period last year, according to a new Annenberg Science Knowledge (ASK) survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

The panel survey, fielded with over 1,600 U.S. adults, finds that many have a base of knowledge about the flu but there is a reservoir of uncertainty about other consequential information about the flu, COVID-19, and vaccination. Among the findings of the ASK survey, which also inquired more broadly about attitudes toward mandates and the continuing “return to normal”:

“Although the CDC indicated that seasonal flu activity is now low nationally, the fact that the level of reported flu vaccination in our panel was roughly the same in January of this year as a year before is concerning,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “Because this has been a more severe flu season than the one a year ago, we expected an increase in the reported vaccination rate.”

The nationally representative panel of 1,657 U.S. adults surveyed by SSRS for the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania from January 10-16, 2023, was the tenth wave of an Annenberg Science Knowledge survey whose respondents were first empaneled in April 2021. The margin of sampling error (MOE) is ± 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See the Appendix and Methodology for question wording and additional information.

What the public knows: The flu and flu shot

The latest wave of the ASK survey finds that many people know the basics about the flu:

A majority of the public knows that the following claims are false:

But there are important claims about the flu that substantial parts of the public are confused about:

The ASK survey in January 2023 finds that 49% of respondents say they have had a seasonal flu shot, statistically unchanged from 47% in our January 2022 survey and 50% in April 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 46% of U.S. adults 18 and older had a as of December 31, 2022.

The CDC actively promoted flu vaccination amid concerns that the 2022-23 season would be severe.

When the 49% of survey respondents who said they got the flu vaccine were asked in January why they got the shot (multiple responses were permitted):

Worries about family members contracting flu, COVID, or RSV: About a third of those surveyed say they are somewhat or very worried about family members contracting COVID-19 (36%), the seasonal flu (35%), or RSV, respiratory syncytial virus (33%). Only 11% say they are somewhat/very worried about a family member contracting polio, which reemerged as a public health threat in July 2022 after a case was reported in New York State.

Myocarditis: Rare cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, have been reported among those who have had mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, particularly young males following a second vaccine dose. The connection between myocarditis and the vaccine has drawn attention on and in news media.

The survey found that over a third of respondents (37%) think that COVID-19 poses a higher risk for myocarditis than the vaccine against COVID-19. But 17% think that is false and nearly half of those surveyed (47%) are not sure which poses a higher risk.

Much of the public rejects the notion that Damar Hamlin’s collapse during an NFL game had anything to do with the vaccine against COVID-19. But the survey finds that many people are uncertain about the broader unsupported claim that more young athletes are dying of heart problems these days.

Hamlin, a safety on the Buffalo Bills, suffered a cardiac arrest during the Jan. 2, 2023, game against the Cincinnati Bengals, triggering a spate of unfounded, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on social media about the cause. The overwhelming majority of those in our survey (87%) said they had heard, read, or seen reports of his collapse.

But those respondents overwhelmingly reject the idea that a COVID-19 vaccine caused Hamlin’s injury. Only 10% of those who had heard of the incident attribute it to factors connected with the vaccine. Nearly half (49%) say that based on what they had heard of it, Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was most likely caused by being hit hard in the chest; 17% say an underlying heart condition; and 21% say they are not sure.

While social media posts with millions of views quickly associated Hamlin’s collapse with vaccination, mainstream media sources noted the lack of evidence for such claims or dismissed them as misinformation.

However, 26% of those surveyed say they think that the number of young athletes dying of heart problems increased over the past three years, and nearly half (49%) are not sure whether the number has increased or decreased. Only 23% say that the numbers of deaths have remained virtually unchanged.

Schools and military: The ASK survey finds stronger support for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the military than in public schools, with over half supporting a military mandate:

MMR vaccine: Asked their views on the childhood vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), 63% agree that healthy children should be required to get the MMR vaccine in order to attend public schools, while 22% say parents should be able to decide whether to vaccinate their children who attend public schools and 15% are not sure.

Getting back to ‘normal’

The return to normal: Asked when they expect to be able to return to “your normal, pre-COVID-19 life,” more than half of Americans (52%) say they already have—up from 47% in October 2022. More than 1 in 5 Americans (22%) continue to say “never,” which is statistically unchanged since July 2022.

Mask-wearing: Six in 10 people (61%) say they never or rarely wear masks, statistically unchanged from the 60% who said this in October 2022. And 18% say they always or often wear a mask, also statistically unchanged from the 17% who said so in October.

More information:
Survey site: www.annenbergpublicpolicycente … e-communication/ask/

Science X Network

Microbiology

Mushrooms are part of the world of fungi, and while they are often thought of as plants, they …

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Mushrooms are part of the world of fungi, and while they are often thought of as plants, they are in a class by themselves. Some mushrooms have more in common with animals than plants, such as a cholesterol-like molecule called ergosterol, and mushrooms have been called a “third food kingdom.” Edible fungi have been eaten in many cultures throughout history, which valued mushrooms for various reasons. Many edible mushrooms contain valuable nutrients including vitamin B6, selenium, potassium, and zinc. Other ‘poisonous’ mushrooms have psychoactive effects. Some studies have suggested that mushrooms have health benefits, like lowering high blood pressure, boosting immunity, keeping the heart healthy, and protecting the brain.

Researchers found lion's mane mushroom improved brain cell growth and memory in pre-clinical trials. Image credit: UQ

Now a study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience has identified a compound in a type of fungi called lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) that can promote nerve growth and may enhance memory.

While traditional Asian medicine has relied on lion’s mane mushroom extracts for centuries, noted Professor Frederic Meunier of the Queensland Brain Institute, the study authors wanted to use a scientific approach to examine the potential impact these extracts have on brain cells.

Pre-clinical tests have suggested that lion’s mane mushrooms can improve memory and brain cell growth significantly. This study used neurons growing in culture to assess the effects of compounds that were isolated from those mushrooms. Active compounds were found to promote the extension of neuronal projections, noted Meunier, the corresponding study author.

“Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones, which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain,” said Meunier.

The study authors were aiming to find bioactive compounds in nature that are able to reach the brain, a sensitive organ that is protected by the selective blood-brain barrier, and influence neuronal growth and memory formation. These findings potentially have applications for the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases that affect cognition and memory, like Alzheimer’s disease, added study co-author Dr. Ramon Martinez-Marmol of the University of Queensland.

Sources: University of Queensland, Journal of Neuroscience


Carmen Leitch