Heart failure and edema: Treatment and life expectancy
Worst Bout Of Covid Ever? New Variant 'fuses To Lung Cells Faster – And May Be More Severe'
A HIGHLY mutated Covid variant could be the most severe strain yet, researchers suggest.
A study showed the BA.2.86 "Pirola" variant — which is closely related to the globally dominant JN.1 — can fuse to lung cells faster than other Omicron strains.
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The BA.2.86 variant could be the most severe strain yet, experts have suggestedCredit: GettyExperts said it may suggest that Omicron is evolving to be a more severe form of itself.
Dr Shan-Lu Liu, of Ohio State University, told Fortune: "We cannot ignore the evidence.
"Anything can happen. It's really hard to predict what's going to come next, but nature can do amazing things."
The JN.1 variant is currently the most prevalent strain of Covid around the world, accounting for around 65 per cent of cases in the UK.
Experts say the offshoot of Omicron strain could mean the latest wave of coronavirus in Britain is the "biggest yet".
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) has previously said the "growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems".
BA.2.86 is closely related to JN.1, with only one change in the spike protein.
It was actually spotted earlier than the currently dominant strain, according to the CDC. It was first detected in the UK in August 2022.
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I reunited with my childhood sweetheart after 12 miscarriages - then fell apartThe study, published in Cell, looked at how the variant responded to vaccines and affected the body when compared to other strains.
Researchers tested a lab-created version of BA.2.86 that is not infectious to see how well it fuses to human cells.
They found it binds more efficiently to cells in the lower lung — a trait that is more similar to more deadly strains that existed before Omicron.
Dr Liu said that while Omicron was typically considered more mild because it tended to affect the upper rather than lower airways, but BA.2.86 may reverse this trend.
Separate research, also published in Cell, came to a similar conclusion.
Professor Stefan Pohlmann, of Georg-August-University Gottingen in Germany, said: "BA.2.86 has regained a trait characteristic of early SARS-CoV-2 lineages: robust lung cell entry.
"It might constitute an elevated health threat as compared to previous Omicron sublineages."
What are the symptoms of Covid?
Covid-19 symptoms can include:
Source: The NHS
Healthy Omega-3 Fats May Delay Progression Of Deadly Pulmonary Fibrosis
UVA researchers have found in a new study that higher levels of omega-3 were associated with better lung function and longer transplant-free survival in pulmonary fibrosis patients.
Researchers conducted the study to find out whether healthy fats found in nuts and fish slow the progression of potentially deadly lung scarring known as pulmonary fibrosis and delay the need for lung transplants.
UVA pulmonary researchers looked at the association between blood-plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids-the heart-healthy fats found in foods such as salmon and flaxseeds-and the progression of pulmonary fibrosis, as well as how long patients could go without needing a transplant. The researchers found that higher levels of omega-3 were associated with better lung function and longer transplant-free survival.
While more research is needed, the researchers say their findings warrant clinical trials to determine if interventions that raise omega-3 levels could be a useful tool to improve outcomes for patients with pulmonary fibrosis and other chronic lung diseases.
"We found that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood, which reflects several weeks of dietary intake, were linked to better lung function and longer survival," said researcher John Kim, MD, a pulmonary and critical care expert at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Our findings suggest omega-3 fatty acids might be a targetable risk factor in pulmonary fibrosis."
Omega-3 and Pulmonary FibrosisOmega-3 fatty acids have already been linked to a host of health benefits. Studies have suggested, for example, that they may lower the risk of heart disease, stroke-causing blood clots, breast cancer and other cancers, Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Kim and his colleagues wanted to determine if omega-3s could play a protective role in interstitial lung disease, a group of chronic lung diseases that can lead to pulmonary fibrosis. A growing problem around the world, pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible condition that leaves the lungs unable to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide properly. This can cause patients to become short of breath, weak, unable to exercise and a host of other symptoms. Smoking is a major risk factor.
The researchers looked at anonymized data on patients with interstitial lung disease collected in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Registry, as well as information volunteered by patients at UVA Health and the University of Chicago.
In total, the scientists reviewed information on more than 300 people with interstitial lung disease. Most were men (pulmonary fibrosis is more common in men than women), and most suffered from "idiopathic" pulmonary fibrosis, one of the conditions that fall under the banner of interstitial lung disease.
The researchers found that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood plasma were associated with better ability to exchange carbon dioxide and longer survival without the need for a lung transplant. This did not vary much regardless of smoking history or whether the patients had cardiovascular disease.
"Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids were predictive of better clinical outcomes in pulmonary fibrosis," Kim said. "These findings were consistent whether you had a history of cardiovascular disease, which suggests this may be specific to pulmonary fibrosis."
The doctors say additional research is needed to understand just how omega-3s could be having this protective benefit. They are calling for clinical trials and more mechanistic studies to obtain additional insights and determine if omega-3 fatty acid drugs or dietary changes could improve patient outcomes.
"We need further research to determine if there are specific omega-3 fatty acids that may be beneficial and, if so, what are their underlying mechanisms," Kim said. "Similar to other chronic diseases, we hope to determine whether nutrition related interventions can have a positive impact on pulmonary fibrosis."
Reference:
John S. Kim, Shwu-Fan Ma, Jennie Z. Ma, Shrestha Ghosh, Krishnarao Maddipati, Imre Noth, Associations of Plasma Omega-3 Fatty Acids With Progression and Survival in Pulmonary Fibrosis, DOI:https://doi.Org/10.1016/j.Chest.2023.09.035.
How Robotic Technology Is Being Used In Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Prev NextWe have a health alert we want to bring you. We've done several reports about the dangers of lung cancer – which is the deadliest form of cancer in the United States. I spoke with a lung cancer survivor and her doctor about the technology that saved her life. Plus, I talked to her doctor about what you can do to prevent this deadly disease. "I got sick over New Year's and went to the emergency room and was in the hospital for six days with pneumonia," said Debra Haberstroh. While in the hospital, Haberstroh would receive a diagnosis that would change her life. "They found a spot on my lungs. Actually, they found several, but most of them were resolved except one," Haberstroh explained.
TAMPA, Fla. — We have a health alert we want to bring you. We've done several reports about the dangers of lung cancer – which is the deadliest form of cancer in the United States.
I spoke with a lung cancer survivor and her doctor about the technology that saved her life. Plus, I talked to her doctor about what you can do to prevent this deadly disease.
"I got sick over New Year's and went to the emergency room and was in the hospital for six days with pneumonia," said Debra Haberstroh. While in the hospital, Haberstroh would receive a diagnosis that would change her life. "They found a spot on my lungs. Actually, they found several, but most of them were resolved except one," Haberstroh explained.
Her doctors told her it was lung cancer. "They did a bronchoscopy before I left the hospital," said Haberstroh.
The only problem was they couldn't reach the area where the cancer was located, and to add insult to injury, lung cancer patients only have a 17% survival rate.
"So, later, my pulmonologist called me, and she said that they had a new machine at Cleveland Clinic and they could do a robotic bronchoscopy, which is how I met Dr. Marsh," said Haberstroh.
Dr. Michael Marsh is a pulmonologist with the Cleveland Clinic Florida. "So, we were able to get to her very quickly and very safely obtain a biopsy. And after resection, Debra's cured," said Dr. Marsh.
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa also has this robotic technology.
How can you help prevent the onset of lung cancer?
Dr. Marsh: "Quit smoking, or not to start smoking, to begin with. Other things we can do is avoid second-hand smoke exposure, whether that's from those around us smoking cigarettes or other things. Staying away from chronic exposure to campfires. Anything that we shouldn't be inhaling."
Are smokers the only ones at risk of getting lung cancer?
Dr. Marsh: "Non-smokers are still at risk for developing lung cancer. Around 15% to 20% of lung cancers that we diagnose today are never smokers."
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
Dr. Marsh: "That can be a little scary because, typically, especially in the early stages of lung cancer when it's most curable, we don't have any symptoms at all."
That's why pulmonologists recommend people between the ages of 50 and 80 who smoke or used to smoke get screened annually.
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