Page 2 - Plasma Cells News Today

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke scientists have identified a previously unknown barrier that separates the bloodstream from smelling cells in the upper airway of mice, likely as a way to protect the brain. But

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits variable immunity responses among hosts based on symptom severity. Whether immunity in recovered individuals is effective for avoiding reinfection is poorly understood. Determination of immune memory status against SARS-CoV-2 helps identify reinfection risk and vaccine efficacy. Hence, after recovery from COVID-19, evaluation of protective effectiveness and durable immunity of prior disease could be significant. Recent reports...

A longtime volunteer of the Occidental Fire Department has died. 68 year old John Gonella, who served for over 50 years as a volunteer firefighter, died on

But that didnt stop several people from turning this into an argument to show why the vaccine isnt effective, even though in my mind this shows precisely why we all need to get vaccinated, to protect those around us who are perhaps immunocompromised and cant mount an effective response to these vaccines. >> your point is spot on. its really unfortunate, despicable and disgraceful that we have anti-science opportunists looking to scapegoat a brave man, and to scapegoat what we know is otherwise f...

Hes an nbc news medical contributor. thank you for being on this morning. we do have a couple of covid questions for you. specific to this story, we had heard that general powell died of covid related complications and we heard that he had other diagnoses that he was dealing with. can you explain the booster and the vaccines efficacy. what do you think may have happened here? >> what we know of multiple -- its a cancer of the cells that produce antibodies. these plasma cells and your

Prone to infection and would even actually compromise the ability of vaccines to work. so he had multiple myeloma, which is a cancer of the plasma cells. the plasma cells are the cells that actually produce antibodies, so he had a disease that impaired his immunity, and the treatment he received for that disease also impaired his immunity. when i think about general powell, he is sort of the index case for why we need to vaccinate the public and why young people need to be vaccinated. because it...

Party affiliation, the former four-star general and secretary of state paved the way for so many like secretary of defense lloyd austin. >> the world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed. she lost a great husband and the family lost a tremendous father. and i lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor. >> reporter: at 84 years old, powell was among the most vulnerable to the pandemic ravaging the planet. he had been vaccinated but he was also suffering from parkinsons d...

It makings a real difference. >> good day, jim. >> great to have that perspective. also joining us now, cnn medical analyst dr. jonathan reiner. what we learned from colin powells family in their statement that he was fully vaccinated but had died from complications of covid-19. weve now learned that he had multiple myeloma according to a source familiar with the matter. this is a cancer of the plasma cells. it can suppress your immune system. its important to put this in context. >> right. mult...

Mentioned persons with this rare albeit blood cancer are less likely to mount an appropriate immune response to vaccinations. their plasma cells responsible for creating antibodies are impacted by this type of cancer. >> and so your message be for people who say well, see, he got vaccinated and it didnt help him. isnt it the case getting the vaccine was the best chance he had of fighting covid but as you said, his body was not as able to respond to the vaccine the way that somebody who didnt hav...

He was 84 years old. this, if anything, reaffirms the need for people to get vaccinated to protect people like general powell. >> when we talk about herd immunity, just sort of philosophically it means enough people get vaccinated that you protect the most vulnerable among us. people who cant get vaccinated or are vulnerable because of age, because of talking about his multiple myeloma which is a difficult cancer when it comes to immunity. this is cancer of the very cells that produce the antibo...