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The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, only a N95 or better mask would protect you from incoming, as opposed to outgoing, viruses, and these masks are both impractical for everyday wear and need to be conserved for public health users.

Also, you need to wear eye protection as well.

Which nobody does if she's not a healthcare worker.

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, only a N95 or better mask would protect you from incoming, as opposed to outgoing, viruses, and these masks are both impractical for everyday wear and need to be conserved for public health users.

I think that different sources are using different definitions of "effective" here. If a simple surgical mask cuts down transmission rates by 50% that isn't anywhere near good enough for health workers working with sick patients every day. But it might still make a significant improvement in your chances of getting infected and, combined with social distancing, might drop the R0 below 1. Hence why Chinese and Korean…

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Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#153
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It looks like CDC recommends to use them for ≤ 8 hours (continuous or intermittent) [0]. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hcwcontrols/recommendedguid...

Presumably their effectiveness is reduced then, rather than negated. Aren't they just close bound fibres that form a filter?

Yeah probably reduced, but it may be more to do with them becoming contaminated. The link points to a study saying

> One study found that nurses averaged 25 touches per shift to their face, eyes, or N95 respirator during extended use.

How problematic that touching is probably scales with how problematic your environment is. They're pretty sponge-like. Wearing a surgical mask over an N95 would help a lot.

In a controlled biosafety level 3 lab, "single use" things are definitely the most common, where everything exposed to the outside world is destroyed after you're done. What's worn underneath is washed and you're forced to take a shower. So that's what you do if you know you're in a contaminated environment – not sure what I'd do in a public place.

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#154
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that's your goal (and it is not an unreasonable one) you can achieve that with a bandanna. You don't need a surgical mask.

I'm enjoying the thought of software engineers everywhere coming into work with bandanas covering their faces.

Why would they not remote work?

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#155
post #26

I see a lot of "may", "possible", "if", ... Is this how people typically write a paper to Medical Virology?

> Is this how people typically write a paper to Medical Virology?

As with the other person, I'm not in the field so I can't actually answer.

My prior, though, would be that papers that come in the early period of a response to a global widespread disease are not representative of the typical status quo in the field.

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#156
post #18

Not a biologist, but reading the paper, the chain of reasoning appears to be summarized in this section: > Taken together, the neuroinvasive propensity has been demonstrated as a common feature of CoVs. In light of the high similarity between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2, it is quite likely that SARS-CoV-2 also possesses a similar potential. Based on an epidemiological survey on COVID-19, the median time from the first sym…

1. I am not familiar with coronavirus biology, however, as to the general question about nasal -> brain routes if infection: yes this is a risk if the virus is able to infect the olfactory nerves and travel retrograde through the cribriform plate into the olfactory bulb. It is a little peculiar that it would lead to medullary viral replication, as the medulla is a few steps back and distal from the olfactory bulb. Other infectious agents can travel into the CNS via the cribriform plate, most terrifying is naegleria fowleri but other terrible fungal infections like mucor and rhizopus can do it as well. They don’t tend to grow in neurons but rather eat through the tissues.

2. Upper versus lower: when people have a URI the upper airways meaning the nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and trachea are predominantly affected. The typical symptoms are runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat. However, SARS/COVID tends to cause a lower respiratory syndrome affecting the small airways deep in the lungs, namely the alveoli and small bronchioles. It is entirely consistent to hypothesize that infection through the upper airway mucosa is “worse” but the target cells that primarily cause disease are in the lower airway.

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#157
post #26

I see a lot of "may", "possible", "if", ... Is this how people typically write a paper to Medical Virology?

You actually see that a lot in scientific papers if the authors are trying to propose something that they have limited data on.

What goes wrong is articles are picked up by mass media and they drop the "may", "possible".

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#158
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cigar smokers FTW...they dont inhale ;)

In that case, it seems like an even weirder affect to take on - none of the nicotine, all of the bad breath and mouth cancer.

You absorb nicotine in the mouth. You dont get tar in your lungs.

No smoking is good for you but then again the leading cause of death is birth so enjoy the time you have. If cigars are your thing smoke it up

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#159
post #145
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is super scary. Before I read this I was happily thinking hey it's no worse than flu. Now... I'm wishing I didn't live in a huge city riding the subway daily.

I don't understand the worry. As of yesterday, China, a country of 1.4B, had 80,000 cases and 3,000 dead. Last year, the US had 36M infected with the flu and 34,000 died.[1] Are you panicking about the flu? [1] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html

The rates in China are dropping because they have some form of travel restrictions for 780m people. If those restrictions would be removed, the rates would go up immediately as seen before and now in other countries.

Edit: source added

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/china-coronavirus-covid-19-de...

Re: The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2

#160
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it easier to get to the brain from the nose compares to the mouth or eyes?

Very possibly because the olfactory bulb is basically a bit of the brain exposed to the atmosphere. See the illustration on the wikipedia page [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_bulb

The retina is basically an extension of the brain as well, no? If not, what is the key difference? Do you have a link talking about the atmosphere?
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