Continuing to Learn About COVID-19

Viral ImmunologyVol. 36, No. 9 EditorialFree AccessContinuing to Learn About COVID-19Rodney S. RussellRodney S. RussellDr. Rodney S. Russell E-mail Address: [email protected]Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:14 Nov 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/vim.2023.0126.editorialAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Discussion and concern around severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have indeed been decreasing as the world moves back to a new normal that is starting to look a lot like the old normal. However, as many predicted, new normal will be very different for numerous individuals who live with underlying medical conditions or some form of a compromised immune system, and additionally, many immunocompetent individuals remain quite concerned about the potential for acquiring long COVID.Regardless of how society is dealing with SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, there are still many questions that need answers regarding the virus and the spectrum of disease it can cause. In this issue, we have one review and four articles dealing with specific aspects of COVID-19. The first, a review by Asghari et al., deals with immunosenescence and inflammaging. As the immune system undergoes aging, clear changes in immune function can be seen, including decreased numbers and function of immune cells. In their review, the authors describe some of the age-related abnormalities of innate and adaptive immune cells and discuss how hyperinflammatory immune responses contribute to the inflammaging process.Continuing with the topic of inflammatory responses in COVID-19, Bahgat et al. propose a relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles and post-COVID-19 sequela (PCS). The authors collected serum samples from 82 individuals with symptomatic, asymptomatic, or no SARS-CoV-2 infection and measured the levels of various cytokines alongside symptoms such as fever, fatigue, dyspnea, and chest wheezing. The authors identified associations between these symptoms and some of the cytokines analyzed, and concluded that elevated cytokine levels contributed to PCS, leading them to suggest that medical approaches targeting these cytokines can improve PCS symptoms.In an article that focused on the potential antiviral effect of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H), Roozbenhani et al. explore CH25H gene expression along with interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β and serum levels of 25HC in the serum of patients with mild or severe COVID-19. The study reports that CH25H expression and the levels of serum 25HC were higher in COVID-19 patients with severe disease. Based on these and other findings, the authors concluded that CH25H and 25HC are important in controlling COVID-19 disease progression.On the topic of adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2, Ji et al. analyzed antibody responses elicited by a third booster of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in healthy subjects. The authors performed a prospective study and found that neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels were higher after the third booster vaccination than they were after the second. They also reported that the NAb levels were maintained longer, even at 3 months postboosting. These results suggest that there might be additional benefits in successive boosting beyond just replenishing antibody levels. Interestingly, older women showed higher antibody levels than did older men.In the context of adenovirus-based vaccines, there is always the potential limitation associated with the possibility of preexisting antibodies against the adenovirus backbone of the vaccine. In an article by Zou et al., the authors set out to measure the levels of preexisting NAb recognizing the simian adenovirus type 23 (SAd23) and human adenovirus type 49 (HAd49) used to construct novel Zika virus and COVID-19 vaccines. The authors found that lower levels of preexisting immunity against HAd49 and SAd23 compared to that of HAd5, suggesting that the Ad49L and SAd23L vectors could be used in vaccine development for humans.Finally, in a review by Li et al., the group discusses the possibility of manipulating toll-like receptors (TLR) 7/8 in an immunotherapeutic strategy. In their review, the authors describe the potential for TLR7 and TLR8 agonists and antagonists to be used as immune stimulators in various immune-mediated disorders, as well as the molecular mechanisms and clinical implications of TLR7/8 in immune-mediated disease.In closing, we wish to thank all authors for their outstanding research contributions, all reviewers for volunteering their time to help ensure the quality of work published in our journal, funding sources for making the work possible, and of course to all study subjects for providing crucial samples that help us understand the immune responses against many viruses.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 36Issue 9Nov 2023 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Rodney S. Russell.Continuing to Learn About COVID-19.Viral Immunology.Nov 2023.563-563.http://doi.org/10.1089/vim.2023.0126.editorialPublished in Volume: 36 Issue 9: November 14, 2023PDF download