The Role of Protein in Detecting the Common Cold Virus Revealed

In a recent study, a team of scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A * STAR) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, discovered the role of proteins in detecting the common cold virus and initiating immune responses against infection.

In a recent study published in Science, they showed that the NLRP1 protein found in the skin and respiratory tract is a sensor for detecting human rhinovirus (HRV). When NLRP1 breaks through the respiratory tract, it triggers an immune response that causes inflammation of the lungs and causes symptoms of the common cold.

HRV is a major cause of common colds and acute respiratory diseases in children and adults, and in severe cases leads to bronchitis and pneumonia.

The team stated that discovering the purpose of NLRP1 may lead to new treatments for common cold symptoms, an infection that affects millions of people each year. They plan to work with clinicians to develop drugs that “turn off” or block NLRP1 to reduce the severity of HRV related disease symptoms. However, the team pointed out that blocking NLRP1 protein in human lung cells did not increase viral load.

“Now, we know that NLRP1 is the ‘switch’ of inflammation after the detection of the common cold virus, and the next step is to figure out how to prevent its activation and minimize the triggered inflammatory response,” said assistant professor Fulin Zhong, author of the article.

Professor Zhong said their new insights into the function of the immune system could help scientists develop more effective therapies to treat other inflammatory diseases of the human respiratory tract.

“This work represents a major advance in our understanding of how the immune system uses specialized proteins to sense and defend against viral pathogens,” he said. “This knowledge will be useful in designing treatments for viral diseases including influenza and COVID-19.”

NLRP1 has been known to scientists for many years, but its exact purpose is unknown. It is a member of a family of proteins called “NLR” proteins that are sensors in the immune system that trigger the body’s response to invading pathogens.

When the team began their study in 2017, they hypothesized that NLRP1 could act as a sensor for viruses because it is highly abundant in human skin and lungs, which are usually exposed to surfaces of viral pathogens.

The team screened NLRP1 against several viruses to see if it would trigger activation of the protein. After months of testing, they observed that an enzyme produced by HRV called 3Cpro activated NLRP1 in human respiratory cells.

They found that the 3Cpro enzyme cleaves NLRP1 at specific points, triggering some form of inflammatory “cell death”, an important process for rapid clearance of pathogens such as HRV during infection.

Can Manhood Pain from Prostatitis Be Related to Androgen?

Prostatitis (and the manhood pain associated with it) is one of the most common male organ concerns that men face, and for many, the condition is unfortunately chronic. The results from a new study looking at chronic prostatitis now suggest that androgen levels may play a role in this painful condition — knowledge that may be useful for men as they plan their manhood care regimens.

About prostatitis
As might be guessed from the name, prostatitis affects the prostate, a gland that is a component of a man’s reproductive system. The prostate is found between the manhood and the bladder and is responsible for making fluid that is a key component of semen.

Prostatitis occurs when the prostate becomes infected or inflamed. The gland becomes quite tender in this state, and it can therefore create considerable discomfort in the lap area. If the infection spreads throughout the urinary tract, the pain can become even more intense. Men are most likely to experience this pain when urinating or experiencing an emission, but it may exist at lower levels all the time. Aside from the physical aspect of this condition, a man who has chronic prostatitis may also experience moodiness or feelings of depression.

Androgen
There can be numerous factors that may play a role in developing prostatitis, but a recent study in the peer-reviewed “Journal of Sensual Medicine” has found that a man’s androgen level may be an important factor that has not typically been associated with the condition.

In this study, scientists looked at 948 men who had low androgen levels (defined for this study as lower than 3.5) and at 4,740 men whose androgen was above 3.5. When they looked at cases of prostatitis (whether, mild, moderate or severe), the men with the lower androgen were more likely to have prostatitis than the men with the higher levels.

Factors
The scientists also tried to factor in other factors, such as age, weight, etc., but even taking these into account, there was enough evidence to suggest that androgen does play some role in prostatitis development. However, there need to be further studies to see if these results occur again, and also studies that are designed to look at some factors that this studyns did not cover, such as smoking or drinking.

Treatment
If future studies provide enough evidence of a androgen link, this may help doctors to better treat – or even prevent – prostatitis. Treatment typically depends upon the cause associated with an individual case. If a man is prone to developing prostatitis and androgen turns out to be a factor, therapy with the hormone may be beneficial. That, of course, will require further studies to determine in which cases it is beneficial and at what doses. So this study is a “baby step,’ but on which has the potential to bring about change down the road.

In the meantime, men with manhood pain – especially chronic manhood pain – need to consult their doctors. If the pain is due to prostatitis, the doctor can determine the cause and the best course of treatment – which may be antibiotics, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, prostate massage, dietary changes, etc.

While androgen may one day be proven as a link to prostatitis, men need to deal with manhood pain issues in the meantime. Keeping the manhood healthy can help, and premium manhood health is more easily obtained if a superior manhood health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) is included in one’s daily manhood care regimen. If the crème contains vitamin D, a man knows that his manhood is receiving a healthy dose of the “miracle vitamin,” which boasts proven benefits in fighting disease and in keeping cellular function healthy. The best crème will also include a potent antioxidant, preferably alpha lipoic acid. This antioxidant combats free radicals that cause cellular damage through oxidative stress. Keeping the free radicals at bay keeps manhood skin looking younger and healthier. A healthier manhood is in a better position to resists manhood pain.

Visit http://www.menshealthfirst.com for additional information on most common manhood health issues, tips on improving manhood sensitivity and what to do to maintain a healthy manhood. John Dugan is a professional writer who specializes in men’s health issues and is an ongoing contributing writer to numerous websites.

Dry Manhood Problems: The Athlete with the Chafed Manhood

Engaging in good manhood care is important for a man, and that can be especially true for athletes, who often find dry manhood skin to be a recurring issue. Running, biking and other activities can result in a chafed manhood, which can be both painful and unattractive. So what can an athletic man do to deal with dry manhood problems?

Why does he get it?
A dry manhood condition is hardly limited to men of an athletic nature. Even couch potatoes can come down with this affliction. But men who are on the move do seem to be more likely to develop an unfortunately chafed manhood.

What causes dry manhood skin? Basically the answer is friction. For many men, the cause of the dryness is related to sensual activity, in which a minimum degree of friction is necessary to bring about appropriate stimulation of the manhood. However, often men experience far more than the minimum amount of friction; this is especially true when there is an imbalance between the degree of friction applied and the degree of lubrication available.

With athletic men, the sheer amount of and intensity of movement recreates the friction situation that can occur during intimacy (although often without the accompanying arousal response). In addition, the lack of lubrication becomes a factor here. (Sweat, while wet, does not tend to provide much lubricating relief.)

Fabric
While sensual activity creates friction through the skin-on-skin contact, athletic-based friction is more typically the result of skin-on-fabric contact. This can create a dry manhood skin issue in two ways:

(1) First, the roughness of the fabric can play a big role in the amount of friction created. A coarse fabric will be more abrasive and more quickly bring about a roughening of the skin. Although underwear is often cotton-based, over time it can still become irritating. Moreover, often the manhood escapes from the folds of the underwear and comes into direct contact with the rougher fabric of the pants. Even when there is no direct contact, the thinness of most underwear means that the rougher pants fabric can often be felt through the underwear.

(2) Second, beyond the roughness of clothing fabric, there is the issue of reactions to cleaning products used in the fabric. Manhood skin is very thin and very sensitive and it can react strongly to fragrances or chemicals used in laundry detergents. This problem can be exacerbated when sweat is added into the equation.

Prevention
Athletes can take several steps to help lessen the likelihood of a chafed manhood, including:

• Staying hydrated. This can go a long way to keeping the skin all over the body from drying out.

• Avoiding a too-loose fit. When involved in athletics, clothing that is too loose can increase the likelihood of chafing. Very snug fitting bike shorts increase the contact with fabric, but do so in a manner that may decrease the actual chafing.

• Changing clothes. Getting out of sweaty gear and into fresh gear as often as possible will decrease the likelihood of irritation.

• Airing out. Giving the manhood time to air out is crucial, so a guy should build in some “alone time” when he can hang out unclothed for a decent period of time.

• Applying a crème. Dry manhood skin and a chafed manhood need proper care, and that care should include the use of a superior manhood health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil). That dry skin needs immediate relief, and this is best achieved by regular use of a crème that contains a powerful combination of moisturizers. Ideally, a man needs a crème with both a high end emollient (soothing shea butter is an excellent choice) and a natural hydrator (vitamin E is choice) so that a “moisture barrier” can be created that traps moisture into the dehydrated skin. While he’s at it, he should see that the crème also contains vitamin A; all that sweat tends to create a rank manhood odor, and vitamin A is supreme at fighting those odor-causing bacteria.

Visit http://www.menshealthfirst.com for additional information on most common manhood health issues, tips on improving manhood sensitivity and what to do to maintain a healthy manhood. John Dugan is a professional writer who specializes in men’s health issues and is an ongoing contributing writer to numerous websites.