from the no-pain-does-not-mean-you-are-not-ill dept.
Pain Relief Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Infection May Help Explain COVID-19 Spread:
The finding may explain why nearly half of all people who get COVID-19 experience few or no symptoms, even though they are able to spread the disease, according to the study's corresponding author Rajesh Khanna, PhD, a professor in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson's Department of Pharmacology.
[...] View an animated video of how SARS-CoV-2 reduces pain, and a video of Dr. Rajesh Khanna explaining how his team identified the phenomenon.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated data Sept. 10 estimating that 50% of COVID-19 transmission occurs prior to the onset of symptoms and 40% of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic.
[...] Many biological pathways signal the body to feel pain. One is through a protein named vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), which plays an essential role in blood vessel growth but also has been linked to diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and, most recently, COVID-19.
Like a key in a lock, when VEGF-A binds to the receptor neuropilin, it initiates a cascade of events resulting in the hyperexcitability of neurons, which leads to pain. Dr. Khanna and his research team found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds to neuropilin in exactly the same location as VEGF-A.
"The spike protein completely reversed the VEGF-induced pain signaling," Dr. Khanna said. "It didn't matter if we used very high doses of spike or extremely low doses – it reversed the pain completely."
They are also investigating neuropilin inhibitors as pain relievers.
Journal Reference:
Aubin Moutal, Laurent F. Martin, Lisa Boinon, et al. SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein co-opts VEGF-A/Neuropilin-1 receptor signaling to induce analgesia [open], PAIN (DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002097)
(Score: 2, Disagree) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday October 05 2020, @01:13PM (26 children)
TFA's author needs fired and never hired to report on medicine or science ever again. That's some of the worst logic-ing I've ever seen. Pain relief would not even slightly explain someone being asymptomatic through the whole course of the disease. Hell, it wouldn't do anything at all to the majority of the symptoms the disease comes with.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @01:30PM (2 children)
It reduces the mental anguish people must feel when not wearing a mask, this allowing them to proceed with their psychotic behaviors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @02:34PM
The disease also causes a tunnel-vision obsession with masks, causing them to ignore other sanitary precautions, enabling spread through other means. :P
Yesterday there was some footage on the "news" of some political event where everyone was sitting right up next to each other, with at least half a dozen other things they were doing wrong. But almost the only thing the news could mention was masks, masks, masks, masks.
Would masks have helped? Probably. Would that guarantee no one else got sick? Given everything else they were doing wrong, NO.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @06:26PM
Apparently logic and reason have abandoned Soylent News in favor of tribal politics. Every day I understand more about my dive into toxic behavior.
I hope everyone here has a chance to reflect and imorove themselves one day. Especially the spammer, real troubles that one has.
apk
(Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Monday October 05 2020, @02:17PM (21 children)
40% of COVID19 infections are asymptomatic with 50% of transmission occurring prior to symptom onset: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html#table-1 [cdc.gov]
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(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @02:23PM
82% of covid deaths are in those aged 65 or older:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm [cdc.gov]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday October 05 2020, @02:25PM (19 children)
Irrelevant. Pain relief has nothing to do with symptoms other than pain showing up or not.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 5, Informative) by ikanreed on Monday October 05 2020, @03:02PM (8 children)
Yeah, but if you read the paper, (apparently "Open access" for journal of pain means download rate like a 56k modem, though), and get down to the discussion section(usually I'm always on about methodology, but discussion is what matters for your concern), they note that the reduction is in pronociceptive signaling, which communicates pain and the broader sensation of inflammation.
Inflammation is the source of a lot of the "sick" feeling people have. Given that covid is a lower respritory illness first and foremost, and you don't get runny noses like a flu early on, the inflmation of the throat and lungs are the most detectable early symptoms.
It isn't actually the main point of the paper, either, that's just what the media ran with. The take away they have is that you could maybe find new pain reducing drugs by attacking the same pathways as COVID-19.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday October 05 2020, @04:48PM (7 children)
You'd think the shortness of breath, chills, sore throat, and runny nose (Yes, that is an early symptom. Look it up.) might be a clue even if all pain were completely negated. Hell, let's even scratch the sore throat, even though it's not something that'd get blocked since it's more than just pain nerves getting triggered.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 05 2020, @05:20PM (2 children)
Don't skip over fever. People have become very much aware that a low grade fever is an early indicator for COVID. Almost everywhere I go, there is someone waiting at the door with a digital infrared thermometer who wants to scan your forehead. I suspect that today, a lot of people check their own temperature as part of their morning routine, and maybe a lot of them check their temps again at some point before they go to bed. ANYONE today who runs a fever is going to be aware, alert, and more observant than ever before in history, and paying attention to any other potential symptoms.
As you're suggesting, asymptomatic is asymptomatic, with or without any suspected masking of pain.
From my point of view, this study should be followed up by more study, but as it stands, it isn't worth a lot.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Monday October 05 2020, @06:12PM (1 child)
I feel like asymptomatic doesn't necessarily mean "has no symptoms at all", outside of medical reports. For most people, it's "Doesn't notice the symptoms".
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @11:19PM
Symptoms are the experience of a person. If you don't "feel" a symptom then you don't have it. This is often the case for things that come on gradually or are periodic. I've had multiple people tell me to my face that they aren't experiencing coughing despite doing it every few minutes. More often, the signs are present and maybe even noticed as a symptom but not iatrotropic. For example, it isn't uncommon for patients to have neurological signs of impairment but ignore the symptoms due to gradual onset allowing coping to occur. People also commonly ignore coughing, rhinorrhea, or dyspnea because they don't occur regularly enough or in unusual circumstances.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Tork on Monday October 05 2020, @07:34PM (3 children)
It is not a written rule that all of those symptoms happen. Many of those, like runny nose, have other explanations that might distract you from looking further. 🙄
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 06 2020, @10:40AM (2 children)
Its October and people on soylent still believe the myth the fake news created that runny nose is a symptom of covid even though it is less common than in the general population. This is what you get after 8 months of downvoting science for political reasons.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Tuesday October 06 2020, @01:34PM (1 child)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 06 2020, @03:01PM
Runny nose isnt a distraction, it is protective against covid.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by RamiK on Monday October 05 2020, @03:42PM (9 children)
If your back is a little iffy and you mostly don't feel pain, you assume you just lifted something wrong or slept on the wrong side...
If you have a runny nose but no pain otherwise, you're not going to the doctor and probably won't even bother taking your temperature...
If your stomach is giving you trouble but nothing' hurting, it's probably those late night microwave enchiladas...
If you have a little headache, you've probably been staring at the screen for too long...
Point is, pain is often the only symptom that gets people to notice the other symptoms unless it's uncommon symptoms like respiratory issues, severe fever or loss of taste.
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(Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday October 05 2020, @04:42PM (7 children)
Dude, it's either terrible and we're all gonna die or nobody's even going to notice having it. You don't get to have it two contradictory ways.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @06:25PM
Fallacy of Excluded Middle
Every single one of your posts seems to contain one, usually more, logical fallacies or other errors of argument.
HAND
(Score: 2) by sjames on Monday October 05 2020, @07:23PM
Consider, a gunshot is just an extreme puncture wound. A pinprick is a particularly mild puncture wound. There is a considerable difference in prognosis between the two extremes of puncture wound.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RamiK on Monday October 05 2020, @07:24PM (1 child)
The statistical model I've linked earlier examines 4 different age groups versus 3 different (fairly low and safe) virus reproduction rates and roughly splits the trend line to 4 (again, low and safe) different scenarios. The current estimate is between scenario #1 and #2 and predicts the "Infection Fatality Ratios" as:
0-19 years: 0.00003
20-49 years: 0.0002
50-69 years: 0.005
70+ years: 0.054
the "Percent of infections that are asymptomatic" being 40%, the "Infectiousness of asymptomatic individuals relative to symptomatic" as 75% and the "Percentage of transmission occurring prior to symptom onset" as 50%.
So, going by the numbers:
1. High pre/asymptomatic infection rates with low fatality is an observed fact and isn't contradictory to the model or the paper.
2. Provided you keep the infection rates as is, only 5.4% of the 70+ and 0.5% of the 50+ will die while everyone else will probably live through it give or take a few thousands. If you know your flu numbers, that's barely noticeable.
3. Go over 4 reproduction rate (exceeding scenario #4) and those pre/asymptomatic infection rates require long quarantines WHILE hospitals hit overcapacity turning most serious infections into fatalities... I guess that's pretty noticeable.
Anywho, it's still too early to talk about reinfection rates and seasonal strains so that's off the table for now. There's also "collateral damage" as the flu season kicks in risking hospital overcapacity at lower reproduction rates...
Exciting time!
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @08:09PM
old people always felt more fragil to me, even pre-covid.
what we dont have too much numbers about, bbut has been mentioned, is the "long haulers", that is people that are generally healthy but seem to have more trouble completly winning against the virus ...
if we combine "possible scaring leftover" after infection and clearing, with "immunity doesn't last long" we might be looking at a particle that slowly whitles you down ... over years?
anyways, we should assume that the numbers are in a stream ... that is that we cannot definitly plant a flag-pole on a certain date (say 21st december 2019 at 9:38 am china time) as day zero.
rather we can plant a flag pole on the day that we had a confirmed working test for covid ...
before that is speculation like i speculate that this bug was flying under the radar for over a year before the flag pole date ... *shrug*
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2020, @07:50PM
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday October 06 2020, @10:34PM (1 child)
Radiation poisoning is apparently like that (section starting "We fled like frightened children with brave faces" [rifters.com]):
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 07 2020, @02:21AM
There is a reason that those in the latent period of Acute Radiation Syndrome used to be referred to as "walking dead" until that show started. Other than the cutaneous radiation injuries, people often report feeling fine once the initial symptoms subside.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 05 2020, @05:23PM
A year ago, I would readily have agreed with you. But, see my response to Buzzard above - https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=39896&page=1&cid=1061007#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
Times have changed, and today, people are taking potential health issues a lot more seriously.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday October 05 2020, @07:28PM
And let's see what the article says....
I'm not really sure why this doesn't make sense to you, perhaps some clarification is needed on my part... but you, sir, have directed your pitchfork at the wrong individual.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday October 05 2020, @05:27PM (1 child)
Maybe this research could lead to the development of a new drug for pain.
Opposite of a narcotic, it increases pain, and reduces drowsiness. Even inhibiting sleep.
Like a narcotic, it should be highly addictive.
It should have a sweet, not bitter taste.
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by istartedi on Monday October 05 2020, @06:01PM
We already have Starbucks.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday October 06 2020, @01:18PM (2 children)
In general I don't think the reported "no symptoms" spreaders of the COVID-19 actually have no symptoms. Modern workers are trained to do their job when they don't feel good. During your typical flu season, the office was full of sick people who just took some pain and nasal pressure relive medications every two hours. If a person with COVID has them reduced to a similar levels, she would report no symptoms.
Another observation. When I ski I always have a running nose and a sore throat by the end of the day; sometimes an elevated temperature. I typically recover by the morning. Most people are the same and ski areas have tissue dispensaries at ski lift lines. It's normal for a person under a little stress to have mild cold symptoms. If COVID suppress early symptoms to such levels, they would be reported as no symptoms at all.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 06 2020, @05:51PM (1 child)
Isn't the runny nose and sore throat from skiing due to the dry air and breathing copious amounts of it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 07 2020, @09:44AM
The cold, dry air by itself can damage your lungs and the epithelial lining of your respiratory system. Therefore, your body reacts by increasing the mucosal production of your epithelium. This warms the air and increases its humidity to do less damage to your lungs and nasopharyngeal passages. The downside is that it can cause gastrointestinal issues, malaise, and throat soreness due to clearing attempts aggravating the damaged tissue. This can be further complicated by EIR causing an additional increase in mucus production beyond what the cold alone would cause.