3 shocking Covid-19 Research that will blow your mind
If you think the Covid-19 is just a respiratory disease, think again. Time and again, research has proved that the novel Coronavirus does not only affect your respiratory system, but also different organs of your body. The unpredictable behavior of the virus has led scientists to explore different effects of the novel virus. Here are three Covid-19 pieces of research that will blow your mind.
COVID triggers a range of neurological problems
According to a new study conducted by Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Covid-19 likely does not directly infect the brain cells but still inflict significant neurological damage.
The study suggests that the neurological changes often noted in these patients are a result of inflammation triggered by the virus in other parts of the body or in the brain’s blood vessels.
Examining the brains of 41 Covid-19 patients who died during hospitalization, the researchers found no evidence of the virus in the patients’ brain cells but a significant amount of brain pathology was observed.
Source: Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Indian Express
Dominant coronavirus strain binds to host cell, more infectious
The dominant ‘G’ variant of the Covid-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2), is more infectious, claims a new study published in Science Advances.
Its greater ability to readily bind to its target host receptor in the body has been cited as key reason.
The research conducted with the help of large-scale supercomputer simulations at the atomic level provides molecular-level detail about the behavior of this variant’s spike protein.
G variant, also known as D614G, is more infectious. Simulations, requiring about 24 million CPU hours of supercomputer time, demonstrated that dominant G variation of SARS-CoV-2 mutated that allows it to more easily attach to host receptors, while also being more susceptible to antibodies than the original ‘D’ form.
— Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, and Indian Express
Antipsychotic drugs may act as a protective layer against COVID-19
While studying the effect of antipsychotic drugs on Covid-19 patients, a group of researchers from the Mental Health Unit of the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in Seville, Spain found that antipsychotic drugs could act as a shield against COVID-19.
The study suggests that individuals using these drugs are more likely to experience a milder form of COVID-19 if they come in contact with the virus.
Antipsychotic drugs may reduce the activation of genes involved in inflammatory and immunological pathways associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infections.
“These are very interesting findings that reflect a clinical reality where we see few patients with severe COVID-19, despite the presence of various risk factors,” says Manuel Canal Rivero, a clinical psychologist and lead author of one of the two papers.
Source: Schizophrenia Research by Mental Health Unit of the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, Spain and Medical News Today
