Posted on 12/12/2022 2:07:40 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Chilly weather and common respiratory infections often go hand in hand.
Now, a new study details a previously unknown way that the immune system attacks viral intruders inside the nose—and finds it works better when it's warm.
The starting point was previous research which found that nasal cells released "extracellular vesicles" (EVs)—a spray of tiny sacs that swarmed and destroyed bacteria upon inhalation.
"The best analogy that we have is a hornet's nest," said Amiji. Like hornets defending a nest from attack, EVs swarm, bind to, and kill invaders.
For the new research, the team set out to answer two questions: are EVs also secreted in the nose in the presence of viral infections? And, if they are, is the strength of their response linked to temperature?
To answer the first question, they used a test substance which mimics a viral infection to stimulate nasal mucosa that was taken from volunteers.
They found it did in fact produce EVs that target viruses.
In order to tackle the second question, they divided the nasal cell samples into two groups and cultured them in a lab, subjecting one set of samples to 37 degrees Celsius, and the other to 32C.
These temperatures were chosen based on a separate test that found the temperature inside the nose falls by about 5C when outside air drops from 23C to 4C.
Under regular body heat conditions, the EVs were successfully able to fight off viruses, by presenting them with "decoy" targets that they latch on to instead of the receptors they would otherwise target on cells.
But under the reduced temperatures, fewer EVs were produced, and those that were made packed less punch against the invaders tested: two rhinoviruses and a non-COVID coronavirus, which are typically found in winter cold season.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Warmer noses are better? Sounds like Covidian pro-mask propaganda.
Great, I’ll stick my nose up...
Or maybe I’ll just use a heating pad.
I have an amazing immune system and hardly ever get really sick in my 50+ years of living. Never had the flu and never caught Covid.
I sleep so hot, I wake up with my sheets and pillow soaked through. Could my super immune system simply be a result of running hotter than other people? Could it really be that simple?
Warmer noses are better at fighting colds.
No wonder D.C. has so many colds
I was "hot" when I was young...now...not so much. lol
Me, three. I’ll be 80 in under a month.
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