Have you ever heard of microRNAs?
They are very, very tiny particles that help control our genes. Genes are like instruction manuals that our bodies use to work properly.
How are microRNAs and COVID-19 Connected?
Some scientists from NYU Abu Dhabi, led by a professor named Youssef Idaghdour, were curious about something.
They wanted to know if there was a link between these microRNAs and how sick people get from COVID-19. They worked with doctors from several hospitals in Abu Dhabi to find out.
The Study and Its Findings
The team studied 259 people who had COVID-19 but hadn’t had the vaccine. They were all from Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
These are regions where scientists usually don’t have much information about the genes of the people who live there.
What the scientists found out was pretty interesting. They noticed that changes in microRNAs at the start of a COVID-19 infection could make the immune system weaker.
The immune system is like our body’s superhero, fighting off germs and keeping us healthy. If it’s weakened, the COVID-19 virus can spread more easily in our bodies.
The scientists also found out that the genes of a person can affect how the immune system works and how severe the COVID-19 disease can be.
This information is really helpful because it can help doctors understand better how to treat patients and predict how their disease may progress.
Why is This Study Important?
This study is really important because it can help about 30% of the people in the world who live in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia regions.
The results of this study can be applied to these people, helping doctors treat their COVID-19 better.
What’s Next?
Professor Idaghdour said that understanding why some people handle COVID-19 better than others can help them find better ways to treat the disease.
This study shows that microRNAs can be a good sign (or biomarker) of how severe a disease might be.
The techniques they used in this study can also be used to study other diseases and how they might affect different groups of people.
So, next time you hear about microRNAs, remember, even though they are tiny, they can make a big difference in how we understand and treat diseases like COVID-19!
If you care about Covid-19, please read studies about new ways to prevent the common cold (and maybe COVID-19), and common diabetes drugs linked to less severe COVID-19.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about COVID infection and vaccination linked to heart disease, and results showing extracts from two wild plants can inhibit the COVID-19 virus.
The study was published in Human Genomics.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
