Is innate immunity our best weapon for flattening the curve?
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Angka L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7410037 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Is innate immunity our best weapon for flattening the curve?
Angka Leonard L Market Marisa M Ardolino Michele M Auer Rebecca C RC
The Journal of clinical investigation 20200801 8
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Project description:The immune system is one of the most important adaptations that has evolved to protect animals from a wide range of pathogens they encounter from early life onwards. During the early developmental period this is particularly true for the innate immunity, as other components of the immune system are, as yet, poorly developed. But innate immunity may not only be crucial for early life survival, but may also have long-lasting effects, for example if early life immunity reflects the functioning of the immune system as a whole. For this reason, we investigated the importance of four constitutive innate immune parameters (natural antibodies, complement activity, concentrations of haptoglobin, and concentrations of nitric oxide) for recruitment in free-living great tits. We compared nestling immunity of recruits with nestling immunity of their nonrecruited siblings. We also investigated within individual consistency of these innate immune parameters for those individuals that recruited, which may be taken as a measure of immune capacity. In accordance with previous studies, we found a clear effect of tarsus length and a trend for body mass on the likelihood to recruit. Nevertheless, we found no evidence that higher levels of constitutive innate immunity as a nestling facilitated local recruitment. Furthermore, individual innate immunity was not consistent across life stages, that is to say, nestling immune parameters did not determine, or respectively, reflect adult innate immune parameters. This plasticity in innate immune components may explain why we did not find long-lasting survival benefits.
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Project description:PurposeWe examined multidimensional, heterogeneous reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated measures to provide further insights into the developmental processes of risk and adaptation.MethodWe used three-wave questionnaire data from 8156 individuals participating in the Norwegian County Public Health Survey assessed 1-5 months before and three (June 2020) and nine (December 2020) months after the outbreak. Latent profile and latent transition analyses were used to identify latent quality of life (QoL) classes and multiform changes, their probabilities, and predictors.ResultsWe identified five distinct QoL classes of varying proportions, namely Flourishing (i.e. 24-40%), Content (31-46%), Content-Symptomatic (8-10%), Languishing (14-20%), and Troubled (2-5%). Despite higher levels of negative affect and lower levels of life satisfaction and positive emotions, most individuals remained in their pre-pandemic QoL profiles. Yet, changes occurred for a meaningful proportion, with transition to a less favourable class more common than to a favourable. Between time 1 and 3, the flourishing and troubled groups decreased by 40% and 60%, while the content and languishing groups increased by 48% and 43%, respectively. Favourable pre-pandemic relational (marital status, support, interpersonal trust, and belonging), health, and economy-related status predicted significantly lower odds of belonging to the high-risk groups both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic.ConclusionsOverall, this study shows lower levels of QoL amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but substantial stability in the QoL distribution, and an overall levelling of the QoL distribution. Our findings also underscore the importance of financial, health-related, and social capital to QoL.
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Project description:Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the innate immune system. Questions about how the innate immune system senses infection and empowers a protective immune response are being answered at the molecular level. These basic science discoveries are being translated into a more complete understanding of the central role innate immunity plays in the pathogenesis of many human infectious and inflammatory diseases. It is particularly exciting that we are already seeing a return on these scientific investments with the emergence of novel therapies to harness the power of the innate immune system. In this review we explore the defining characteristics of the innate immune system, and through more detailed examples, we highlight recent breakthroughs that have advanced our understanding of the role of innate immunity in human health and disease.
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