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A genetic study of patients infected by COVID-19, carried out with the Summit supercomputer, could mark a decisive step in understanding how the new coronavirus triggers the disease, announces romania-actualitati.ro.
Summit, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, analyzed 40,000 genes from 17,000 samples earlier this summer in an attempt to understand the mechanisms of the virus, explained artificial intelligence expert Thomas Smith in an article on the platform. Medium.
Thanks to the machine, the second fastest computer in the world, it was possible to analyze, in just over two weeks, 2.5 billion genetic combinations.
The results showed that bradykinin, a natural chemical that regulates blood pressure, could explain many facets of COVID-19 and some of its symptoms.
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The findings appear to shed light on why the virus causes vascular problems in some patients, from stroke to inflammation of the skin or toes, and point to possible new therapies to treat their worst symptoms.
Faced with a new virus and an unknown disease, health authorities and medical personnel were forced to move, in the eyes of the world, through trials.
At first, the virus appeared to manifest as a respiratory syndrome (its full scientific name is still Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2, SARS-CoV-2) with symptoms similar to a cold or flu, and the treatments reflect this. But very soon, front-line doctors began to report more serious symptoms: strokes, heart problems, skin conditions, and circulatory problems, especially in the legs. In some cases, hormonal problems were also detected.
Healthcare professionals have begun to realize that administering oxygen to seriously ill patients or intubating them, or activating the initial respiratory failure protocol, does not always lead to the desired results. Obviously, there is something else in the body of the patient.
Little by little, the signs began to indicate that the worst cases and deaths were due to the so-called “cytokine storms”, an excessive reaction of the immune system, capable of affecting vital organs.
The findings of the scientists who processed data from the supercomputer were published in the journal “eLife”: According to their findings, a “bradykinin storm”, a dysfunction of the vascular system that causes loss of blood vessels, could be the basis of problems of the cardiocirculatory system. However, the researchers added that it is in no way ruled out that the two “storms” are “intrinsically linked.”
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Thus, the hypothesis published in “eLife” suggests that there is a “bradykinin storm” at the root of many of the deadliest symptoms of COVID-19.
The theory is based on the commonly accepted notion that infection begins with the virus entering the body through ACE2 receptors, which are widely found in the nose, but also in the intestines, kidneys, and heart.
Summit’s computer showed the team that the effects of COVID-19 are not limited to those caused by colonization of ACE2 receptors: because the virus is also capable of manipulating them, causing the body to increase its receptor response.
Therefore, COVID-19 is not limited to infecting cells that already express many ACE2 receptors, but actively bypasses body systems, which is then induced to regulate them in organs where they are generally expressed at low or medium levels, including lungs. Smith said.
SARS-CoV-2, the researchers wrote, increases ACE2 levels, which lowers blood pressure in the human body and acts against another enzyme known as ACE (which has the opposite effect), leaving the door open for bradykinin. .
This, uncontrolled, causes vascular permeability and dilation, as well as hypotension, the scientists added. Once the blood pressure is not controlled and the blood vessels increase their permeability, the body opens up to dysfunction in most of the body and the doors remain open.
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Patients who experience a bradykinin storm “drown” because their lung alveoli are covered with a gelatinous substance.
Many healthcare workers have reported damage to the blood vessels of the respiratory system and other organs.
This would explain why, in some cases, it was not necessary to administer oxygen or connect patients to the respiratory tract.
Another COVID-19 mystery is why some patients have experienced more severe symptoms than others, although risk factors such as age, being overweight, and diabetes are known. Initially, the cause was discovered in genetic factors, problems with the intestinal microbiota or even the blood group. The bradykinin hypothesis could now help understand who is most at risk of being severely affected by the virus.
For example, it is becoming clear that women are less likely to die from COVID-19.
Researchers believe that the presence of a protein (thymosin beta-4), which is twice as present in women as in men, could protect them from some of the worst symptoms of the new coronavirus.
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The researchers suggested that efforts to find a treatment for symptoms should focus on limiting “bradykinin storms.”
A possible next step would be to conduct clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of these drugs in treating COVID-19 patients.
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