Johan Van Weyenbergh @johanvawe Twitter profile

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

4 years

My personal update on #COVID19 research: no scientific breakthroughs yet... but a revolution in #sciencecommunication as journalists finally accept "We don't know yet" as a valid answer

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

#LongCovid is complex to diagnose and treat, so we need #biomarkers ! 1. to confirm viral persistence, and 2. to map the failing/overactive immune response. So we tried to hit two birds with one stone using digital transcriptomics 👇👇 (1/n)

Blood transcriptomic analyses reveal persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA and candidate biomarkers in post-C...

With an estimated 65 million individuals affected by post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID),1 non-invasive biomarkers are direly needed to guide clinical management. To address this...

www.thelancet.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

14 days

#UniteToFight #LongCOVID #MECFS #stigma "It's not in your head"

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@laurenancona Actually, the Bomsel lab in Paris found direct evidence of infectious SARSCoV2 in #LongCovid patients' blood, inside their platelets (poster at Madrid conference) =the real smoking gun

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

6 months

Absolutely loved this #LongCovid conference: great science, impeccable organisation AND extensive patient participation (at all levels)!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

What did we find? 1. viral RNAs were higher in #LongCovid : Nucleocapsid, ORF7a, ORF3a, Mpro (=Paxlovid target), and antisense ORF1ab RNA. Of note, presence of antisense RNA suggests ongoing viral replication 2. #SARSCoV2 -related host RNAs ACE2/TMPRSS2, DPP4/FURIN also higher!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@laurenancona Hi Lauren, we found small genetic fragments of the virus, which could be dead virus or "leftovers" BUT antisense RNA is only found inside a cell when the virus makes copies (thousands) of itself =circumstantial evidence if this would go to court

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

We believe clinically useful #biomarkers should be non-invasive: while it is interesting to know what happens with #SARSCoV2 in muscle or colon/gut, these biopsies are too painful and laborious to integrate in daily care for #LongCOVID patients. Hence a blood test!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@laurenancona Platelets are responsible for coagulation, also incriminated in the Science paper from @carlo_cervia and the #microclots from the Pretorius lab. So all evidence worldwide seems to point at a central role for platelets and blood clotting

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

Looking at viral RNAs above cutoff (red line below) comparing patients and controls: antisense (65% vs 25%), ORF7a (60% vs 25%), Nucleocapsid (50% vs 8%), total blood viral load (60% vs 8%). Remarkably, Spike RNA was low in all cases =infection not vaccine-derived

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

4. Yes we can! Viral antisense RNA is a "decent" diagnostic biomarker for #LongCovid but together with immune marker FYN it's even better: 4.1. multivariate logistic regression (corrected for age and sex, table below) 4.2. identify Long COVID with >90% sensitivity and specificity

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

3. Looking at the immune response in #LongCovid : memory B-cell genes up (in green below) include IgE (resonates with new onset allergies in patients) and platelets genes up (salmon colored) -> hypercoagulative state @resiapretorius or viral reservoir =Bomsel lab @UParisDescarte

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

@resiapretorius Immune status in #LongCovid is neither hyperinflammation nor immunodepression BUT we find lower lymphocyte activation (yellow dots above) and lower #immunometabolism (blue dots) =similar to findings @RobWust team (but we find lower IDO1 not higher IDO2)

Prolonged indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-2 activity and associated cellular stress in post-acute...

None.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

It's a short paper so details are in the Appendix 🤓 Look below at the very homogeneous controls (green) and the wild variation among #LongCovid patients: some are similar to controls but half are "deficient" in lymphocyte activation and immunometabolism -> higher viral load!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

This is a real-world #LongCovid cohort, based on general practice of Marc @jamoulle who has become a beacon of hope for patients in Belgium & beyond. From his practice 48 patients and 12 controls were carefully matched for age, sex, time since COVID, vaccination and comorbidities

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

First in-human study to image #HIV replication using a new scanning technique that combines #MRI and antibodies. Viral reservoirs were identified not only in the gut and lymph nodes, but also the nose and bone marrow!

MRI imaging used to find areas of active HIV replication in the body

A research team led by Dr Denis Beckford-Vera of the University of San Francisco, California, have undertaken a first in-human study to identify areas of HIV replication using a new scanning techni...

www.aidsmap.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

5. High or low blood viral load in LongCovid does not depend on age or sex. BUT every comorbidity increases the odds of high viral load with 61% AND every #vaccine dose lowers it with 64%, confirming protective effect of vaccination on LongCOVID found in large studies worldwide

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

@EricTopol @NatureAging @ElsKeyaerts Thanks Eric for highlighting our study! I was planning a thread on new mucosal immune signatures to predict fatal COVID19 outcome, and its relevance for new nasal vaccines... but the aerosol detection seems to steal the Twitter spotlight! 🤓

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

@jamoulle In short, significant associations between persistent viral RNA, immunometabolism, and patient-reported outcomes provide mechanistic insights for addressing the challenges posed by #LongCOVID =>speed up diagnosis and treatment (target virus & restore #metabolism )

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Speed up relief for #LongCovid through grassroots clinical trials @jamoulle @ElenaLouazon @TomasoAntonacci A long 🧵 for a very short paper👇 1/n

Speed up relief for long COVID through grassroots clinical trials

Nature - Letter to the Editor

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

What we don't know (yet): viral RNA in blood originates from reservoir in platelets/megakaryocytes, bone marrow, gut...? are these transcriptomic biomarkers related (upstream/downstream?) to other #LongCOVID biomarkers cortisol, serotonin, complement activation, coagulation...?

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

Interessante data ivm #Wintermanifest : grootschalige studie uit Engeland toont met #COVID maatregelen (maskers, lockdown etc) hospitaalopname van kinderen voor griep/longonsteking met 80-94% daalde! Kunnen we dat ook meerekenen?

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

What I do know: this study would not have been possible without Marc @Jamoulle taking such excellent care of all patients (and controls), raising the bar for all general practitioners dealing with #LongCovid

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

So now some statistics to answer the following: 4. can we use persistent RNA in blood (+/- 2 years after acute COVID in this cohort) as a diagnostic biomarker for #LongCovid ? 5. what predicts high vs. low blood viral load in #LongCovid ?

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

And of course patients have the last word: 6. Higher antisense viral RNA and lower immunometabolism score in patients reporting worse anxiety and depression (group 4-5 👇) #MentalHealth Patient-Reported Outcome Measures #PROMs are crucial and @Jamoulle used COOP charts for this

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Following a deadly #COVID19 footprint in frail elderly: does the secret to new vaccines lie in the nose? A 🧵on our nation-wide study, with 3 exceptionally deadly outbreaks in which >20% of infected nursing home residents died, now out @NatureAging :

Immunovirological and environmental screening reveals actionable risk factors for fatal COVID-19...

Nature Aging - Although vaccination drops COVID-19 mortality in older adults, post-vaccine fatal COVID-19 in nursing home outbreaks was linked to Delta, Gamma and Mu variants, persistently detected...

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

How to summarize #LongCovid in a cartoon? 👇

Tracy Kay

@TrishyLiz74

1 year

@TheVertlartnic Indeed.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

New therapy for #HTV -1-associated #leukemia and #neuroinflammation ? #neglected #NTDs

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

@EricTopol @LancetMicrobe @jamoulle @KU_Leuven @leuvenresearch Thanks Eric for highlighting our study! Now we need to validate in independent cohorts (so collaborations are very welcome 🙏)

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

Really proud of this amazing team effort, finally online as #preprint on @researchsquare : "Comprehensive immunovirological and environmental screening reveals risk factors for fatal #COVID19 during post-vaccination nursing home outbreaks." #aging #vaccine

Comprehensive immunovirological and environmental screening reveals risk factors for fatal COVID-19...

COVID-19 vaccination has resulted in excellent protection against fatal disease, including in the elderly. However, risk factors for post-vaccination fatal COVID-19 are largely unknown. We comprehe...

www.researchsquare.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

Thanks to our #nCounter wizard @SorayaMMenezes , Maria Paula Carletto, Leen Moens, @IsabelleMeyts @MaesPiet for making this happen; @nanostringtech (for allowing femtomolar detection); and especially the continued support from all #LongCOVID patients and advocates!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

The Coronavirus Attacks Fat Tissue, Scientists Find #COVID19

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Once more for the people in the back: it's the virus not the lockdown or pandemic panic 👇 #LongCovid #mentalhealth #brain #neuroinflammation

Emmanuel

@ejustin46

3 months

SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION and MENTAL HEALTH We observed an association of a past SARS-CoV-2 infection on deteriorated mental health related symptoms, whereas no association or interaction with burden of the pandemic occurred.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

27 days

@DaniBeckman Thanks Dani for highlighting this! I do hope the link between viral persistence and anxiety/depression will help diminish the #stigma that Long Covid patients frequently report #MentalHealthAwareness

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 years

@HudsonLabRIT Without even the slightest exaggeration: a life-changing book, not just for me but for the whole molecular biology field! This democratized #DNA , #RNA research for tens of thousands students young researchers. #Maniatisforever

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 years

Happy to be a tiny part of a nice story on how #IFN swings both ways in #SARSCoV2 infection: STAT2 signaling restricts viral dissemination but drives severe pneumonia in SARS-CoV-2 infected hamsters @NeytsVirology @NatureComms

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

14 days

This seems extremely relevant to #coagulation and clotting in #LongCovid patients 👇👇👇

Ivan Zanoni

@Lo_Zanzi

15 days

#LiveForever ! @DPoscablo @Forsberg_Lab &co show @CellCellPress that #aging leads to a shortcut to produce more & more active #platelets based on the emergence of a new megakaryocyte precursor! Age-enriched platelets exacerbate clots & are prothrombotic!!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 months

Investing in Long Covid research is cost-effective: "The #LongCOVID group costs approximately 2,500 pounds per person per year, and the comparator group costs 1,500 pounds." #healthcare #EconTwitter

Healthcare utilisation in people with long COVID: an OpenSAFELY cohort study

Background Long COVID, characterised by various symptoms and complications, potentially increases healthcare utilisation and costs. However, its impact on the NHS remains to be determined. Objective...

www.medrxiv.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

Good cop AND bad cop? Interferons work in #COVID19 clinical trials, but how, when and for who exactly? IFN-beta but not -alpha or -lambda in nasal mucosa predict clinical outcome in critical COVID-19 patients independent of viral load. #IFN

Endogenous interferon-beta but not interferon-alpha or interferon-lambda levels in nasal mucosa...

Although the subject of intensive preclinical and clinical research, controversy on the protective vs. deleterious effect of interferon (IFN) in COVID-19 remains. Some apparently conflicting results...

www.medrxiv.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

@JoshuaPribanic Antisense RNA is only found inside a cell with replicating virus, so yes

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

What if, on top of ending up in the ICU with #COVID19 or #flu , you also get #aspergillosis ? Bad news: it doubles your risk of dying! Good news: we found how your immune system fails, revealing clues for faster and probably more effective treatment. 🧵👇

Lung epithelial and myeloid innate immunity in influenza-associated or COVID-19-associated pulmon...

Our results reveal a three-level breach in antifungal immunity in IAPA and CAPA, affecting the integrity of the epithelial barrier, the capacity to phagocytise and kill Aspergillus spores, and the...

www.thelancet.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

Nice to see our small piece of the #IFN puzzle in #COVID19 out in @LancetMicrobe ! Thanks to Soraya Maria and Joost Wauters (not on twitter) @mbrazuefs @VeroLlorens , to @UZLeuven and @KU_Leuven for funding, and to #nCounter technology for doing miracles in nasal swabs!

The Lancet Microbe

@LancetMicrobe

3 years

New correspondence> Endogenous IFNβ expression predicts outcome in critical patients with #COVID19

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Diagnostic #biomarkers and effective therapies are urgently needed for the millions of people currently living with #LongCovid . But the administrative burden for designing and conducting clinical trials is too high: currently only large, well-funded academic centers can do this

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

This Correspondence @Nature is <200 words but it tells a bigger story, mainly based on the experience of our team of clinicians, researchers and patients over the last years... but also inspired by the pioneers among patients and researchers @elisaperego78 @amyproal 2/n

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 months

Congrats @RobWust and (twitterless?) Brent Appelman! Spectacular data on viral persistence in #LongCovid 👇👇

Rob Wüst

@RobWust

5 months

After a long wait, our longitudinal long COVID study is finally published in @NatureComms : . We find a skeletal muscle alterations in patients with #longcovid , which worsen with exercise. 1/n

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Massive #Measles outbreak threatens India’s goal to eliminate disease by 2023

Massive measles outbreak threatens India’s goal to eliminate disease by 2023

Nature - Many children missed routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and pockets of the country are still struggling to boost immunization rates.

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

So what do we mean by 'grassroots' clinical trials? Actually building on existing pragmatic, #realword trials and emulated trials based on #bigdata ... but taking it a bit further, and by moving faster!

Using Big Data to Emulate a Target Trial When a Randomized Trial Is Not Available

Ideally, questions about comparative effectiveness or safety would be answered using an appropriately designed and conducted randomized experiment. When we cannot conduct a randomized experiment, we...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

@Nature @elisaperego78 @AmyProal Taking a patient-centered approach "standing on the shoulders of giants" @EricTopol @VirusesImmunity

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Does #ME /CFS look like #LongCOVID ? "Immune profiling suggested chronic antigenic stimulation with increase in naïve and decrease in switched memory B-cells. "

Deep phenotyping of post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

Nature Communications - Post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (PI-ME/CFS) is a disabling disorder, yet the clinical phenotype is poorly defined and the pathophysiology...

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

@financejonE @EricTopol @NatureAging @ElsKeyaerts Important question indeed! It is important to emphasize that each nursing home followed strict pandemic procedures, including isolation and ventilation measures. Still, SARSCoV2 was detected in aerosol of common spaces (used by either residents or staff) >50 d after 1st case

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

14 days

@BlackCa92876007 Sure! @LancetMicrobe open access :-)

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

A single–cell type transcriptomics map of human tissues

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Shocking and saddening news... children should be in school, not doing child labour! @EduCannotWait

The Lancet

@TheLancet

1 year

Despite a UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, child labour is increasing globally for the first time in two decades. Our latest Editorial:

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Great news for #Covid and especially #LongCovid research: we can speed up by working in level 2 instead of level 3 #biosafety labs! 👇👇👇

Marc Veldhoen

@Marc_Veld

3 months

SARS-CoV-2 was classified at a biological safety level 3, due to the absence of a vaccine, treatment and its causing of a pandemic. We have good working vaccines and the pandemic risk has passed. Hence, the WHO has classified SARS-CoV-2 at BSL-2.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 months

Thanks Marco @U2Fight_World for the warm invitation!

UniteToFight2024

@U2Fight_World

2 months

📣 Speaker announcement 📣 A warm welcome for our next speaker! Johan Van Weyenbergh ( @johanvawe ) joins #UniteToFight2024 ! We are very happy to have you with us on this journey! 🙏 #longcovid #mecfs

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Using #crowdsourcing and online interactive reviewing (similar to TRiP peer review or Wikipedia), we believe both clinical trial size and scientific rigor will increase. How? A two-way interaction between the clinician-patient pair and researchers through online matchmaking

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

Utterly shocked by @jclinicalinvest to allow a visual abstract wrongfully depicting a human body and a human protocol including #leukapheresis which was nowhere in the paper, as all experiments were done in murine models. #justsayinmice

CFCD

@_cfcd

5 years

In @jclinicalinvest vaccination with antigen (Ag)-loaded monocytes is more efficient than vaccination with Ag-loaded DCs in inducing anti-tumor immunity. However, Ag loaded monocyte vaccination efficacy is dependent on the Ag transfert to endogenous cDC1.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

Let's eliminate #HTLV , the silent killer virus! #WorldHTLVDay

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 months

#LongCovid in Nursing Home Residents Manifests as Functional Decline #brain #cognition

Long COVID in Nursing Home Residents Manifests as Functional Decline

People living in nursing homes tended to need more help with activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, for months following infection with SARS-CoV-2 compared with their peers who...

jamanetwork.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

6 months

#LongCovid patient representatives Chantal and Pauline on the front stage! @ChantalBritt @Food_reward

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Why is the clinician-patient pair crucial? In our experience, it is a matter of basic #trust . Who do you trust with your body and your #data ? =also why we anticipate a crucial role for general practitioners in this process... @jamoulle takes 2-3 hours for a #LongCOVID consult!

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

Impact of #COVID19 during #pregnancy : changes in immune system of babies from infected mothers

The legacy of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the immunology of the neonate

Nature Immunology - Many babies have now been born to mothers who were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 during their pregnancy. Here the authors look at the effect of this exposure on the immunology of human...

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

Finally out in @eLife ... Thanks to all our wonderful collaborators, especially from #Brazil #UFSC ! A story on how #evolution from chicken to #Neanderthal shaped #monocyte expansion and #tuberculosis severity in humans @DelgoboMurilo @AndreBafica @Mansurds

An evolutionary recent IFN/IL-6/CEBP axis is linked to monocyte expansion and tuberculosis severity...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis exploits an IFN/IL6/CEBP axis linked to monocyte expansion in humans.

elifesciences.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

16 days

"...substantial unmet clinical need, in keeping with reports from individuals with #LongCOVID of difficulties accessing #healthcare and suboptimal recognition... when they do. Our data also suggest that unmet needs could be higher among individuals of non-White ethnicity"👇👇👇

The Lancet

@TheLancet

16 days

"Striking discrepancy" between occurrence of #longCOVID as perceived & reported by participants in longitudinal population-based studies vs evidence of long COVID recorded in their electronic health records, suggests new research letter 🔽

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@LongCovidComms @laurenancona Using a combo of 2 biomarkers, viral and immune RNA, we show the combo is high in 92% of the patients and in only 8% of the carefully matched controls (same age, sex, and time since Covid)

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

29 days

First scientist to publish #COVID sequence in China protests over lab ‘eviction’

First scientist to publish Covid sequence in China protests over lab ‘eviction’

Zhang Yongzhen stages sit-in protest, as government attempts to avoid scrutiny over handling of outbreak

www.theguardian.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

NIH study of #MECFS points to immune dysfunction and brain abnormalities at core of long-dismissed disease via @statnews

NIH study of ME/CFS points to immune dysfunction and brain abnormalities at core of long-dismissed...

A NIH study of myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, points to immune dysfunction and brain abnormalities at the core of a long-dismissed disease.

www.statnews.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Congrats @keithdurkin and team! Viral persistence for over a year in immunosuppressed individuals underscores its importance in #LongCovid

keith durkin

@keithdurkin

3 months

Our preprint on a recent SARS-CoV-2 prolonged infection. We infer it lasted over a year and see divergent lineages in the upper and lower respiratory tract, that acquired over 20 intrahost SNVs unique to each.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@laurenancona @RecoveringRacc Very important question (=we don't know yet) My guess: 1. Could be a risk for vulnerable (immunodepressed, cancer) patients or those receiving high quantities of platelets. 2. However, Long Covid patients are in bad shape so probably not donating blood

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

Never again insult a gene by calling it #housekeeping !!! #cancer #metabolism

Jean-Ehrland Ricci

@jer_06200

5 years

🤩exited to share our new publication in @Cell_Metabolism Incredible collaboration between researcher & clinician, RT GAPDH Expression Predicts the Response to R-CHOP, the Tumor Metabolic Status, and the Response of DLBCL Patients to Metabolic Inhibitors

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

One of the very few positive side effects of the pandemic: "COVID’s #preprint bump set to have lasting effect on research publishing" Let's keep sharing #LongCovid research findings as fast as possible 👇👇

COVID’s preprint bump set to have lasting effect on research publishing

Nature - Many researchers published their first preprint in the pandemic — and they liked it. Their experience could prompt further integration of the practice.

www.nature.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

Great collaboration and a cool story on how bacteria causing #tuberculosis hijack #stemcells to proliferate and cause severe disease, taking advantage of recent human #evolution (yes, including #Neandertal admixture!) #preprint #genomics #transcriptomics

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

@jamoulle @eLife @EricTopol Finally, an idea that did not end up in the paper: with the considerable unemployment among LC patients, hiring of patient experts as (remote) clinical data coaches in this new model would be an economical win-win situation! @patientled

Association of Post–COVID-19 Condition Symptoms and Employment Status

This survey study evaluates the association of post–COVID-19 condition symptoms with employment status.

jamanetwork.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

Recovery from #LongCovid : "Significant risk factors for cognitive non-recovery were male sex, older age and <12 years of school education. Importantly, #SARSCoV2 reinfection had no significant impact on recovery from #fatigue or cognitive deficits." #brain

Predictors of non-recovery from fatigue and cognitive deficits after COVID-19: a prospective,...

Fatigue and cognitive deficits are common sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These syndromes improved over time and about half of the patients recovered within two years. The identified risk...

www.thelancet.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

New study of #LongCovid shows persistent inflammation at 8 months after infection, with IFN-beta as best biomarker! #IFN @Natimm

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

28 days

How I feel today 👇👇👇

Massimo

@Rainmaker1973

29 days

«One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions» — Grace Hopper

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

Patients with #COVID19 may have an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases, increasing with severity of infection and reinfection. At 24-months follow-up, the risk of #asthma and bronchiectasis continued to increase. #LongCOVID

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

#WorldHTLVDay in #Leuven !

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 months

21st century has arrived: patients at the center of biomedical research! @patientled

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 months

Excellent review on cardiovascular aspects of #LongCovid 👇

Nature Portfolio

@NaturePortfolio

5 months

A Review in @NatRevCardiol defines the major forms of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction (CVAD) that are encountered in long COVID and discusses how CVAD, as a component of long COVID, can be diagnosed and managed.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 months

Most spectacular finding of this trial IMHO: 0% myalgia and 0% cognitive symptoms at 3 months vs. >90% in standard care. Also, these are cheap and safe (repurposed) drugs... but can we trial them after acute Covid to treat #LongCovid ?

Farid Jalali, MD

@farid__jalali

3 months

Lastly, in terms of PASC ( #LongCovid ): The percentage of participants reporting any PASC symptoms was significantly higher in the standard care arm relative to those in the treatment arms.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Flu still remains a killer... but can we predict #ICU mortality in virus-associated #aspergillosis ? Yes, with #nCounter profiling: another nice collaboration with the #IAPA dreamteam @s_feys @carvalho_ago Joost Wauters' team @UZLeuven ! @nanostringtech

A signature of differential gene expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid predicts mortality in...

Intensive Care Medicine -

link.springer.com

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@doc4care @LongCovidComms @laurenancona Hi John, that is indeed the million dollar (or rather million patient?) question in #LongCovid 👍👍

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@PatientPersists @EricTopol @ahandvanish @LC_ontheshort @Daltmann10 @VirusesImmunity @AnilvanderZee @LongCovidWeekly Thanks Siebe! We're busy replicating right now in national and international cohorts 🤓

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

If it's true for #Zika , it could be for #SARSCoV2 : "Immune Response May Cause Virus-Induced Neurologic Damage" #LongCovid #brain

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 months

@PatientPersists @laurenancona The paper clearly demonstrates the virus in platelets is infectious: "plasma containing SARSCoV2 -positive platelets added to macrophages resulted in the production of infectious viral particles, using Vero reporter cells" Vero cells are gold standard to detect infectious virus

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 month

@Opinions_Survey Very relevant question Tom! I'm working on a detailed reply in the long thread 🧐🤓

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 years

A battlefield of a few millions years: #retroviruses vs. #antiviral proteins! #ERVs #paleovirology

Retroviruses drive the rapid evolution of mammalian APOBEC3 genes | Proceedings of the National...

APOBEC3 (A3) genes are members of the AID/APOBEC gene family that are found exclusively in mammals. A3 genes encode antiviral proteins that restric...

www.pnas.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

5 years

Another #neglected tropical disease: visceral #leishmaniasis , can we put it on the radar in #2019 ? #NTDs

MSF International

@MSF

5 years

Have you ever heard of #KalaAzar ? This neglected disease cannot be eliminated without addressing its co-infection with #HIV . What you need to know today:

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

4 years

Maybe there is mathematical evidence for group immunity, but as as an immunologist I must say: all available data point to the contrary: more antibodies means more severe disease, including ICU and fatal cases.

houter

@houterkabouter

4 years

Zoomed in version (as PDF: ). The effect of group immunity is hopelessly entangled with measures taken in October, and it is not (yet) possible to estimate the relative contribution of either.

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

6 years

Finally out: In situ immune signatures and microbial load at the nasopharyngeal interface in #children with Acute #Respiratory Infection. #virus #pathogens #pediatrics #mucosal #systems #immunology

Frontiers | In situ Immune Signatures and Microbial Load at the Nasopharyngeal Interface in...

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is the most frequent cause for hospitalization in infants and young children. Using multiplexed nCounter technology to digi...

www.frontiersin.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

@jamoulle @eLife @EricTopol 4. After treatment, we advocate for an open data policy accessible to all ethically compliant researchers, through the same online peer review system. We are hopeful 'grassroots' trials will resolve the current bottlenecks of all clinical trials, not just Long COVID trials 👇

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 months

@jamoulle @eLife @EricTopol General practitioners should be playing a crucial role in this new paradigm. Access to electronic health records and established patient rapport provides an untapped source of accurate data (pre-existing comorbidities, over-the-counter treatments,...)

Follow-Up of a Cohort of Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in a Belgian Family Practice

Fifty-five patients who suffered from COVID-19, who were still very ill after several months, with extreme fatigue, effort exhaustion, brain fog, anomia, memory disorder, anosmia, dysgeusia, and...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

6 months

Really nice to get our #LongCovid research mentioned, thanks Tomaso and Elena for drawing media attention for this #neglected disease!

Tomaso Antonacci

@TomasoAntonacci

6 months

#Apr èsj20 @jamoulle @johanvawe @ElenaLouazon

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

6 months

Nice to see this comprehensive 'mouse to man' effort out: "Tumor endothelial cell #autophagy is a key vascular‐immune checkpoint in #melanoma " ...and to have played a tiny role by employing #nCounter Pancancer profiling @nanostringtech @EmboMolMed

Tumor endothelial cell autophagy is a key vascular‐immune checkpoint in melanoma | EMBO Molecular...

image image Tumor endothelial cell (EC)‐autophagy was identified as a major barrier to anti‐tumor immune responses against melanoma. Endothelial cell‐specific knockout of autophagy promoted the...

www.embopress.org

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

7 days

Intriguing findings: the major #IFN producing cells make mice more susceptible to #SARSCOV2 ... not sure how to rhyme this with extremely susceptible TLR7-deficienct humans? As @Lo_Zanzi would say #FriendOrFoe is hard to say in the IFN world! @casanova_lab

bioRxiv Immunology

@biorxiv_immuno

7 days

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are dispensable or detrimental in murine systemic or respiratory viral infections #biorxiv_immuno

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

3 years

Finally out: XPO1 inhibitors as a novel therapeutic option in Adult T-cell #Leukemia , looking forward to clinical trials! #HTLV @HTLVnet @Karyopharm @krkksub @ricardo_khouri

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Fan picture: hats off to Living Legend and #Ebola pioneer @JeanMuyembe ! Thanks @MaesPiet and fresh PhD @TonyWawina for the invitation

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

1 year

Using digital transcriptome technology #nCounter @nanostringtech , we mapped the local immune response in nasal mucosa (swabs in stead of blood samples) and found a new 'fatal' immune and viral footprint in residents who later died

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Johan Van Weyenbergh

@johanvawe

2 years

Viruses can change your scent to make you more attractive to mosquitoes, new research in mice finds. #Dengue #Zika via @ConversationUS

Viruses can change your scent to make you more attractive to mosquitoes, new research in mice finds

Certain viruses like dengue and Zika can make their hosts smell tastier to mosquitoes. Luckily, vitamin A and its derivatives may help combat these odor changes.

theconversation.com

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