By Bill Hathaway
May 25, 2021
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(Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein)
The primary function of the lung is to facilitate transfer of oxygen to the blood stream. Crucial to this lifegiving task are endothelial cells, which line blood vessels permeating the lung and through which gas exchange occurs.
Malfunction of these cells is implicated in a range of different diseases, including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension. And the COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions about these cells: Why are some endothelium cells, particularly in the elderly, more susceptible to injury from the disease?
A reference map of endothelial cells in the lungs was created to help researchers identify specific abnormalities that occur in a host of lung diseases
The UK variant of COVID-19 is now in Arizona, according to the Translational Genomics Institute. It’s found to be more transmissible than the original strain.
Arizona Public Health Association Director Will Humble says the variant, despite its name, wasn’t brought over from the UK, but rather mutated in Arizona.
“The more people that get infected with the virus, the more opportunities that the virus has to make genetic changes, and when those genetic changes are on the protein coat, that’s when it becomes problematic,” said Humble.
Humble also noted the vaccines currently being used in Arizona are effective against the strain, but he is still calling for more meaningful mitigation measures from the state.