Stop The Ban On Blood Donation Of Gay Men

Women in STEM are just witches in white lab coats instead of black robes

art source: abigaillarson-Poisonous Plants irenhorrors-Drawlloween Laboratory

How SARS-CoV-2 Hijacks Human Cells to Evade Immune System

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered one way in which SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, hijacks human cell machinery to blunt the immune response, allowing it to establish infection, replicate and cause disease.

In short, the virus’ genome gets tagged with a special marker by a human enzyme that tells the immune system to stand down, while at the same time ramping up production of the surface proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses as a “doorknob” to enter cells.

The study, published April 22, 2021 in Cell Reports, helps lay the groundwork for new anti-viral immunotherapies — treatments that work by boosting a patient’s immune system, rather than directly killing the virus.

“It’s very smart of this virus to use host machinery to simultaneously go into stealth mode and get inside more cells,” said Tariq Rana, PhD, professor and chief of the Division of Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center. “The more we know about how the virus establishes itself in the body, the better equipped we are to disrupt it.”

In human cells, genes (DNA) are transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into proteins, the molecules that make up the majority of cells. But it’s not always so straightforward. Cells can chemically modify RNA to influence protein production. One of these modifications is the addition of methyl groups to adenosine, one of the building blocks that make up RNA. Known as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), this modification is common in humans and other organisms, including viruses.

In contrast to humans, the entire genomes of some viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are made up of RNA instead of DNA. And rather than carry around the machinery to translate that into proteins, the coronavirus gets human cells to do the work.

Rana and his team previously discovered that m6A plays an important role in HIV and Zika virus infections. In their latest study, the researchers discovered that the human enzyme METTL3 adds methyl groups to introduce m6A in SARS-CoV-2’s RNA. That modification prevents the virus’ RNA from triggering inflammatory molecules known as cytokines. To the team’s surprise, METTL3’s activity also led to increased expression of pro-viral genes — those that encode proteins needed for SARS-CoV-2 replication and survival, such as ACE2, the cell surface receptor that the virus uses to enter human cells.

“It remains to be seen why our cells help the virus out like this,” Rana said.

“How SARS-CoV-2 Hijacks Human Cells to Evade Immune System“

ScienceAlert

Man Bitten by Stray Cat Contracts Infection Unknown to Science

The bite of a fluffy cat on the street can be more dangerous than you might think.

In the United Kingdom, a 48-year-old who was bit by a stray feline ended up contracting a species of bacterium that scientists have never seen before. His immune response to the foreign microorganism was a doozy. Just eight hours after receiving multiple bites, the man's hands had swollen to such a great extent that he took himself to the emergency department. His puncture wounds were cleaned and dressed and he was given a tetanus shot before being sent on his way with antibiotics. A day later, he was back at the hospital. His pinky and middle fingers on his left hand were painfully enlarged and both his forearms were red and swollen. Doctors had to surgically remove the damaged tissue around his wounds. He was also given three different antibiotics intravenously and was sent home with oral antibiotics. This time, thankfully, the treatment worked and he made a full recovery. Back at the hospital, however, doctors were busy trying to figure out what had happened. When they analyzed the microorganisms present in samples from his wounds, they found an unrecognizable Streptococcus-like organism.

Continue Reading

I know it’s a little late, but happy Valentine’s Day from the tardigang! 💧 🐻❤️

The public paid for "Moderna's" vaccine, and now we're going to pay again (and again and again)

Moderna is quadrupling the cost of covid vaccines, from $26/dose to $110–130. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel calls the price hike “consistent with the value” of the mRNA vaccines. Moderna’s manufacturing costs are $2.85/dose, for a 4,460% markup on every dose:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/moderna-may-match-pfizers-400-price-hike-on-covid-vaccines-report-says/

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/24/nationalize-moderna/#herd-immunity

Keep reading

Remember, folks, never pay to access a scientific article. Use a site like Sci-Hub, or failing that, e-mail the authors and request the data you need. Elsevier and their ilk are hoarders and thieves of knowledge, and they don’t deserve one cent more. Poach and pirate away; it is entirely justified.

Study discovers that mitochondria transmit signals in the immune and nervous systems

The new study has revealed that mitochondria play a crucial role in the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Mitochondria are primarily known as the powerhouse of the cell. However, these cellular organelles are required not only for providing energy: Professor Konstanze Winklhofer and her group at the Faculty of Medicine at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, recently discovered that mitochondria play an important role in signal transduction in innate immune pathways.

They regulate a signaling pathway that helps to eliminate pathogens, but can cause damage through inflammation upon overactivation. The research team published their findings in the EMBO Journal.

Continue Reading.

One of the funniest posts by a catholic on here I've ever seen

just learned that humans might have evolved smaller pupils and irises/more whites of our eyes so that it's easier for other humans to tell where we're looking as a way of communicating sudden threats. and now i'm thinking of every time i have been frantically giving my friend a Look to get out of an uncomfortable situation (or been on the receiving end). still using it to communicate sudden threats only this time his name is kyle