PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Discovery of a new population of macrophages promoting lung repair after viral infections

A population that participates in alveolar regeneration and could help reduce the complications associated with serious respiratory infections and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Discovery of a new population of macrophages promoting lung repair after viral infections
2024-08-02
(Press-News.org) Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have discovered a new population of macrophages, important innate immune cells that populate the lungs after injury caused by respiratory viruses. These macrophages are instrumental in repairing the pulmonary alveoli. This groundbreaking discovery promises to revolutionize our understanding of the post-infectious immune response and opens the door to new regenerative therapies.

Respiratory viruses, typically causing mild illness, can have more serious consequences, as shown during the Covid-19 pandemic, including severe cases requiring hospitalization and the chronic sequelae of "long Covid." These conditions often result in the destruction of large areas of the lungs, particularly the alveoli responsible for gas exchanges. Ineffective repair of these structures can lead to ARDS or a permanent reduction in the lungs' ability to oxygenate blood, causing chronic fatigue and exercise intolerance.

While the role of macrophages during the acute phase of respiratory viral infections is well known, their function in the post-inflammatory period has been largely unexplored. A study by the GIGA Institute at the University of Liège reveals that atypical macrophages, characterized by specific markers and transiently recruited during the early recovery phase, play a beneficial role in regenerating pulmonary alveoli.

Led by Dr. Coraline Radermecker and Prof. Thomas Marichal from the Immunophysiology Laboratory, the study was conducted by Dr. Cecilia Ruscitti and benefited from the ULiège's advanced technological platforms, including flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and single-cell RNA sequencing. "Our findings provide a novel and crucial mechanism for alveolar repair by these atypical macrophages," explains Coraline Radermecker. "We have detailed their characteristics, origin, location in the damaged lung, the signals they require to function, and their role in tissue regeneration, specifically acting on type 2 alveolar epithelial cells, the progenitors of alveolar cells." The scientific community had overlooked these macrophages because they express a marker previously thought to be specific for another immune cell population, the neutrophils, and because they appear only briefly during the repair phase before disappearing.

"Our study highlights the reparative role of these macrophages, countering the prevailing idea that macrophages following respiratory viral infections are pathogenic," adds Thomas Marichal. "By targeting the amplification of these macrophages or stimulating their repair functions, we could develop therapies to improve alveolar regeneration and reduce complications from serious respiratory infections and ARDS."

To illustrate, consider the lungs as a garden damaged by a storm (viral infection). These newly discovered macrophages act like specialized gardeners who clear debris and plant new seeds, enabling the garden to regrow and regain its vitality.

This scientific breakthrough underscores the importance of research at the University of Liège and opens new avenues for treating respiratory diseases.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Discovery of a new population of macrophages promoting lung repair after viral infections Discovery of a new population of macrophages promoting lung repair after viral infections 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists pin down the origins of the moon’s tenuous atmosphere

2024-08-02
While the moon lacks any breathable air, it does host a barely-there atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed a very thin layer of atoms bouncing over the moon’s surface. This delicate atmosphere — technically known as an “exosphere” — is likely a product of some kind of space weathering. But exactly what those processes might be has been difficult to pin down with any certainty. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Chicago say they have identified the main process that formed the moon’s atmosphere and continues to sustain ...

More than 1 in 5 Californians who are impacted by climate events report negative effects on their mental health

More than 1 in 5 Californians who are impacted by climate events report negative effects on their mental health
2024-08-02
More than 1 in 5 Californians who are impacted by climate events report negative effects on their mental health, with young, white women and those who’ve experienced property damage being especially affected.  #### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000387 Article Title: Exposure to climate events and mental health: Risk and protective factors from the California Health Interview Survey Author Countries: United States Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...

New compound effective against flesh-eating bacteria

New compound effective against flesh-eating bacteria
2024-08-02
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a novel compound that effectively clears bacterial infections in mice, including those that can result in rare but potentially fatal “flesh-eating” illnesses. The compound could be the first of an entirely new class of antibiotics, and a gift to clinicians seeking more effective treatments against bacteria that can’t be tamed easily with current antibiotics. The research is published Aug. 2 in Science Advances. The compound targets gram-positive bacteria, which can cause drug-resistant staph infections, toxic shock syndrome and ...

We should think twice before calling 911 for people experiencing a mental health crisis, advocated Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Rupinder Legha

2024-08-02
We should think twice before calling 911 for people experiencing a mental health crisis, advocated Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Rupinder Legha, who describes the potential risks of relying on emergency services in the US for mental health crisis management. ### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000084 Article Title: Reconsidering calling 911: Is it time to set a new standard for mental health crisis response? Author Countries: United States Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...

Coinfecting viruses impede each other’s ability to enter cells

Coinfecting viruses impede each other’s ability to enter cells
2024-08-02
The process by which phages—viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria—enter cells has been studied for over 50 years. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Texas A&M University have used cutting-edge techniques to look at this process at the level of a single cell. “The field of phage biology has seen an explosion over the last decade because more researchers are realizing the significance of phages in ecology, evolution, and biotechnology,” said Ido Golding (CAIM/IGOH), a professor of physics. “This work is unique ...

DART forward: Five papers shed new light on asteroids from world’s first planetary defense test

DART forward: Five papers shed new light on asteroids from world’s first planetary defense test
2024-08-02
In the months that followed NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which sent a spacecraft to intentionally collide with an asteroid moonlet, the science team verified that kinetic impact was a viable deflection technique, proving one effective method of preventing future asteroid strikes on Earth. Since then, researchers have continued studying data collected from the successful experiment, focusing specifically on surface features of the binary asteroid system, composed of moonlet Dimorphos and parent asteroid Didymos. In recently published papers in Nature Communications, the team explored the geology of the asteroid system encountered in 2022 to characterize its ...

Feeling judged by your doctor? You might be right

Feeling judged by your doctor? You might be right
2024-08-02
When an individual visits their doctor, they aren’t supposed to keep secrets. Unless patients are forthcoming about their symptoms, behaviors, and health-related beliefs, it’s hard for healthcare professionals to effectively diagnose and treat illnesses—or to advise and educate patients about how to take better care of themselves in the future.  There’s only one problem: new research from Stevens Institute of Technology shows that many people believe they may be judged if they share mistaken beliefs with their care team—and that doctors really do take strongly negative views of patients who disclose incorrect ...

nTIDE July 2024 Jobs Report: People with disabilities hold steady in labor market despite federal reserve's attempts to slow economy

nTIDE July 2024 Jobs Report: People with disabilities hold steady in labor market despite federal reserves attempts to slow economy
2024-08-02
East Hanover, NJ – August 2, 2024 – Following significant gains since the post-pandemic lockdown, employment rates for people with disabilities have plateaued, remaining near historic high levels over the past year despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to slow the economy, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – semi-monthly update (nTIDE) issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (comparing July 2023 to July 2024) Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ...

Dopamine physiology in the brain unveiled through cutting-edge brain engineering!

2024-08-02
□ DGIST (President Lee Kunwoo) Department of Brain Sciences Professor Lee Kwang and his team have discovered a new correlation between neural signaling in the brain and dopamine signaling in the striatum. The human brain requires fast neural signal processing in a short period of less than a second. Dopamine is known to have the strongest effect on brain neural signals, but the research team’s newly developed “optical neural chip-based multiple brain signal monitoring technology” shows that changes in dopamine signals within the physiological range do not affect brain neural signal ...

Precise package delivery in cells? Successful observation of endosome behavior provides new clues for disease treatment

2024-08-02
□ A team led by Professor Seo Dae-ha of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST (President Lee Kun-woo) has developed new real-time microscopy technology and successfully observed the behavior of “motor proteins”[1], which may hold the key to unraveling the efficient material transport strategy of cells. The research team used nanoparticle probe, high-resolution microscopy, and Fourier transform algorithm technologies to develop “Fourier transform-based plasmonic dark-field microscopy” (FT-pdf microscopy) with positional and angular accuracy comparable to electron microscopy, achieving the highest level of existing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

Self-reported screening helped reduce distressing symptoms for pediatric patients with cancer

Which risk factors are linked to having a severe stroke?

Opening borders for workers: Abe’s profound influence on Japan’s immigration regime

How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry

Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby

New model system for the development of potential active substances used in condensate modifying drugs

How to reduce social media stress by leaning in instead of logging off

Pioneering research shows sea life will struggle to survive future global warming

In 10 seconds, an AI model detects cancerous brain tumor often missed during surgery 

Burden of RSV–associated hospitalizations in US adults, October 2016 to September 2023

Repurposing semaglutide and liraglutide for alcohol use disorder

IPK-led research team provides insights into the pangenome of barley

New route to fluorochemicals: fluorspar activated in water under mild conditions

Microbial load can influence disease associations

Three galactic “red monsters” in the early Universe

First ever study finds sexual and gender minority physicians and residents have higher levels of burnout, lower professional fulfillment

Astronomers discover mysterious ‘Red Monster’ galaxies in the early Universe

The secrets of fossil teeth revealed by the synchrotron: a long childhood is the prelude to the evolution of a large brain

Obesity-fighting drugs may reduce alcohol consumption in individuals with alcohol use disorder

Does AI improve doctors’ diagnoses? Study puts it to the test

Extreme weather accelerates nitrate pollution in groundwater

Burden of liver cancer attributable to hepatitis B and alcohol globally, in China, and for five sociodemographic index regions from 1990 to 2021

Lehigh partners with North Carolina A&T to enhance flood damage mapping with AI and advanced radar

2024 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award winners named

Collaborative of prominent academic institutions launches groundbreaking healthcare AI challenge

American Federation for Aging Research announces 2024 AFAR grants for junior faculty

Potential single-dose smallpox and mpox vaccine moves forward

Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute names Spark Grant recipients

New discovery may lead to more effective treatment for cardiovascular disease

[Press-News.org] Discovery of a new population of macrophages promoting lung repair after viral infections
A population that participates in alveolar regeneration and could help reduce the complications associated with serious respiratory infections and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).