New study says flushing urinals can also release clouds of coronavirus-laden aerosols

From why older adults are more susceptible to coronavirus to a novel decoy protein that can neutralise SARS-CoV-2, ThePrint brings you the latest on Covid-19.

Representational image of a public toilet | Commons

New Delhi: The availability for a Covid-19 vaccine has become a race against time and researchers around the world continue to discover new ways of understanding the novel coronavirus.

Here are some of the latest scientific studies that shed more light on Covid-19.

Why you need to keep masks on inside public restrooms

Researchers have recommended keeping masks on while using a public restroom, after computer simulations reveal that flushing both toilets and urinals can release clouds of virus-laden aerosols that may be potentially inhaled.

A team of scientists had earlier found that flushing toilets emits an aerosol cloud. After running additional computer simulations, they have now found that flushing urinals also produces a similar effect.

The study shows public restrooms can increase the risk of becoming infected from a virus. Other similar works have shown that both feces- and urine-based virus transmission is possible.

“…we used a method of computational fluid dynamics to model the particle movement that occurs with the act of flushing,” said Xiangdong Liu. “The specific models are the volume of fluids model and discrete phase model.”

Flushing a urinal, much like flushing a toilet, involves an interaction between gas and liquid interfaces. The result of the flushing causes a large spread of aerosol particles to be released from the urinal, which the researchers simulated and tracked.

Urinals are used more frequently within densely-populated areas, and the researchers have pointed out that particles will travel faster and farther, which poses a serious public health challenge.

This research underscores the need to keep masks on inside public restrooms.

Study reveals why older adults are more susceptible to Covid

The genes that play an important role in allowing SARS-CoV-2 to invade heart cells become more active with age, according to a study that may explain why older adults are at an increased risk of contracting Covid-19.

The study, published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, also explains why the disease can cause heart complications in severe cases, including heart failure and its inflammation.

The researchers examined cells known as cardiomyocytes to see how susceptible these were to infection by the coronavirus. Heart muscles are made up of cardiomyocytes which can contract and relax, enabling the organ to pump blood around the body. Damage to these cells can affect the ability of the heart muscles to perform, leading to heart failure.

The researchers compared cardiomyocytes from five young (19-25 years old) and five older (63-78 years old) males. Genes that give the human body instructions to make proteins which facilitate the entry of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly more active in cardiomyocytes from older males.

Novel ‘decoy’ protein can neutralise SARS-CoV-2 virus

Scientists have designed a novel protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering cells, a development that may pave the way for treating Covid-19.

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers have described the protein that is engineered to mimic another protein called ACE2, which is naturally found on various cell surfaces throughout the human body. SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to this ACE2 to gain entry inside cells.

By creating a ‘decoy’ protein that can bind to the virus before it can latch onto ACE2 at the cell surface, researchers hope to develop therapeutic candidates for fighting the virus.

The decoy protein not only neutralises SARS-CoV-2, but also works at inactivating the SARS-CoV-1, a closely-related virus that uses the same cellular receptor. Additional research is required to determine whether the decoy protein can be used to effectively treat or prevent Covid-19, researchers have said.

Rare Covid-related illness alters immune system in children

A rare Covid-19-related illness in children, which causes severe inflammation in blood vessels and can lead to heart damage, temporarily alters the immune system, a new study has found.

The rare paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS) has emerged in a small number of children.

Researchers from the Evelina London Children’s Hospital and King’s College London analysed blood samples from 25 children who had PIMS-TS and compared these to healthy children.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, showed that in the acute stage of PIMS-TS, children have raised levels of molecules called cytokines, and reduced levels of white blood cells called lymphocytes.

By the time the children recovered, their immune system changes had gradually returned to normal. This research helps understand the immune system changes underlying this new condition.