Proteins that prevent Covid-19 transmission through placenta identifiedSeptember 4, 2020 - 10:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Researchers from Boston Medical Center's Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases have identified properties in placenta tissue that may play an important role in preventing the transmission of Covid-19 from a mother with the virus to her fetus, Science Daily reports. The study results demonstrate that the Covid-19 virus universally invades the placenta in cases with and without evidence of fetal infection, highlighting the protection that the placenta may offer against Covid-19 infection as current data indicates a less than five percent Covid-19 transmission rate in newborns from their mothers. Published in Placenta, these results underscore the importance of using placenta tissue in Covid-19 research studies aimed at developing novel ways to diagnose, treat and prevent Covid-19 virus transmission. For this study, the researchers examined placental tissue, which shares many developmental and physiological similarities with the lung and the immune response of the small and large intestine, making it a key source of human tissue that can be used for ongoing Covid-19 research. It also contains a unique expression pattern of Covid-19 receptors that are different from other organs, which could be helpful in the development of Covid-19 treatments. "The results of this study provide evidence for ongoing research of Covid-19 infection at the maternal-fetal interface as means to better understand virus transmission and infection in other human tissues," said Elisha Wachman, MD, a neonatologist at Boston Medical Center, associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, and principal investigator of this study. "Previous research has shown that the placenta protects the fetus from various types of infection, and exploring the particular ways in which it protects the fetus from Covid-19 transmission may help identify new targets of Covid-19 prevention and treatment." Throughout April and May 2020, samples from 15 Covid-19 positive maternal-fetal dyads were collected for this study; five cases had evidence of fetal transmission. The placental tissue of the positive cases was analyzed and compared with ten Covid-19 negative controls. The researchers found that the Covid-19 virus was present in the placental tissues in cases with and without evidence of fetal infection. They also found that the placenta contains a unique pattern of cell surface proteins (TMPRSS2 and ACE2) that are important for Covid-19 viral entry, which is different from other cell types. The demographics of mother-baby dyads were also studied and no differences were found to be significant, showing the fetal transmission does not discriminate. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |