(Press-News.org) Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization in young children due to respiratory complications such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Yet little is understood about why some children develop only mild symptoms while others develop severe disease. To better understand what happens in these cases, clinician-scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Boston Children’s Hospital analyzed samples from patients’ airways and blood, finding distinct changes in children with severe cases of RSV, including an increase in the number of natural killer (NK) cells in their airways. The descriptive study, which focuses on understanding the underpinnings of severe disease, may help to lay groundwork for identifying new targets for future treatments. Results are published in Science Translational Medicine.
“As a physician, I help to care for children who have the most severe symptoms, and as a researcher, I’m driven to understand why they become so sick,” said corresponding author Melody G. Duvall, MD, PhD, of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and the Division of Critical Care Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. “NK cells are important first responders during viral infection – but they can also contribute to lung inflammation. Interestingly, our findings fit with data from some studies in COVID-19, which reported that patients with the most severe symptoms also had increased NK cells in their airways. Together with previous studies, our data link NK cells with serious viral illness, suggesting that these cellular pathways merit additional investigation.”
Duvall and colleagues, including lead author Roisin B. Reilly of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at BWH, looked at samples from 47 children critically ill with RSV, analyzing immune cells found in their airways and peripheral blood. Compared to uninfected children, those with severe illness had elevated levels of NK cells in their airways and decreased NK cells in their blood. In addition, they found that the cells themselves were altered, both in appearance and in their ability to perform their immunological function of killing diseased cells.
Duvall and co-authors have previously described a post-pandemic surge in pediatric RSV infections. While clinicians can only provide supportive care to the most severely sick children, vaccines to prevent RSV are now available for children 19 months and younger, adults 60 years and over, and people who are pregnant.
Authorship: In addition to Duvall and Reilly, authors include Saïsha K. Ramdour (BWH), Mary E. Fuhlbrigge (BWH), Luciana P. Tavares (BWH), Steven J. Staffa (BCH), Jocelyn M. Booth (BCH), Nandini Krishnamoorthy (BWH), and Bruce D. Levy (BWH).
Funding: This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL171279, R01 HL122531, K08 HL145098, and K12 HD047349.
Paper cited: Reilly RB et al. “An altered natural killer cell immunophenotype characterizes clinically severe pediatric RSV infection” Science Translational Medicine DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ado6606
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About Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic health care system, uniting great minds to solve the hardest problems in medicine for our communities and the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a nonprofit organization committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations with several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals. For more information, please visit massgeneralbrigham.org.
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SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 11, 2024 – David Gius, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and assistant dean of research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), was named this year’s recipient of the prestigious American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Career Recognition Mentorship Award.
Gius is associate cancer center director for translational research at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. He is among three awardees receiving this recognition. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to mentorship ...
Hitting the bull’s eye to target ‘undruggable’ diseases – researchers reveal new levels of detail in targeted protein degradation
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Researchers have developed and demonstrated a technique that allows them to engineer a class of materials called layered hybrid perovskites (LHPs) down to the atomic level, which dictates precisely how the materials convert electrical charge into light. The technique opens the door to engineering materials tailored for use in next-generation printed LEDs and lasers – and holds promise for engineering other materials for use in photovoltaic devices.
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East Hanover, NJ – October 11, 2024 – A new Kessler Foundation survey of supervisors in the hospitality industry – focused on restaurant and traveler accommodations – has revealed critical insights into the recruitment, support, and accommodation of workers with disabilities. The findings, released today in a special live Zoom webinar, offer actionable takeaways for employers looking to diversify their workforce and enhance workplace inclusion. Key points revealed that proactive recruitment, effective partnerships, and ...
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In a new study, UCLA Health researchers have found that motor delay and low muscle tone were common signs of an underlying genetic diagnosis in children with neurodevelopment disorders.
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About The Study: In a nationwide randomized clinical implementation trial, electronically delivered letter-based nudges markedly increased influenza vaccination compared with usual care among young and middle-aged patients with chronic diseases. The results of this study suggest that simple, scalable, and cost-efficient electronic letter strategies may have substantial public health implications.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Tor Biering-Sorensen, MD, MSc, MPH, PhD, email tor.biering@gmail.com.
To access the embargoed ...
Plants form new leaves, flowers and roots at the tips of shoots and roots, in specific growth regions known as meristems. These meristems contain stem cells that divide as needed and form new cells that develop into specialised tissue. Using the example of plant roots, researchers from Freiburg have now been able to decipher which regulatory mechanisms ensure that growth in the meristem occurs in a controlled manner. The results have been published in the journal Nature Plants.
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