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Research Roundup: Even Mild Covid-19 Induces Lasting Antibody Protection and More

A study out of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that months after recovering from mild Covid-19, patients maintained antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Researchers believe that the specific cells that produce the antibodie

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Research Roundup: Even Mild COVID-19 Induces Lasting Antibody Protection and More

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Even Mild COVID-19 Induces Lasting Antibody Protection

A study out of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that months after recovering from mild COVID-19, patients maintained antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And they believe that the specific cells that produce the antibodies should persist for a lifetime. They published their research in the journal Nature.

“Last fall, there were reports that antibodies wane quickly after infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, and mainstream media interpreted that to mean that immunity was not love-lived,” said senior author Ali Ellebedy, associate professor of pathology & immunology, of medicine and of molecular microbiology. “But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero; they plateau. Here, we found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives. That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity.”

Source: BioSpace

Their research project track antibody levels in blood samples from COVID-19 survivors. They enrolled 77 participants who gave blood at three-month intervals beginning approximately a month after their initial infection. Only six of the patients had been hospitalized, with the rest having mild cases. They obtained bone marrow from 18 of the participants seven or eight months after the initial infections. Five returned four months later to provide a second bone marrow sample. They also collected bone marrow from 11 people who never had COVID-19. They found that blood antibody levels dropped quickly after infection and leveled off, although some antibodies were detectable 11 months post-infection. Of the 19 bone marrow samples in infected people, 15 contained antibody-producing cells that targeted the virus. They were still identified four months later in the five people who provided a second bone-marrow sample.

Why Our Skin Isn’t Constantly Inflamed

Our skin is constantly exposed to environmental factors like bacteria, viruses and fungi, but our skin is not constantly inflamed. Researchers out of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine identified two enzymes that protect our skin and body’s overall health from these pathogens, while not triggering a constant immune and inflammatory response. The enzymes are called histone deacetylases (HDACs), and they inhibit the inflammatory response in the skin. The enzymes act on the chromosomes of specific skin cells that provide immune tolerance for the skin. Otherwise, said Richard Gallo, the Ima Gigli Distinguished Professor of Dermatology and chair of the Department of Dermatology at UCSD School of Medicine, “we’d have a constant rash on our skin.”

Women with Osteoporosis and Low Bone Density at Increased Risk of Hearing Loss

Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed data from almost 144,000 women that they followed for up to 34 years as part of the Conservation of Hearing Study (CHEARS). They found that the risk of moderate or worse hearing loss was up to 40% in participants with osteoporosis or low bone density (LBD). They analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHS II, which were established in 1976 and 1989, respectively. The mechanisms are not clear, but they suggest that abnormal bone remodeling and changes in the pathways that maintain bone homeostasis might influence the bone that protects the nerves and hearing infrastructure or possibly change ion and fluid metabolism in the cochlea, the primary structure involved in hearing.

Smartwatch Data Might Predict Clinical Blood Tests

Smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin, are capable of collecting a lot of information, including pulse, activity, sleep, oxygen levels, etc. Researchers at Duke University and the Stanford University School of Medicine published a study that used machine learning and data collected on smartwatches on 54 patients over three years and compared the data to traditional measurements collected during clinic visits, including heart rate, temperature, red and white blood cell count, glucose levels, and iron levels. They demonstrated there were multiple connections between the smartwatch data and clinical blood tests. Currently the smartwatch data isn’t specific enough to accurately predict the precise number of blood cells, but they found enough correlations to act as proof-of-concept that physicians might someday be able to use wearable data to immediately get a picture of a patient’s overall health even before the clinical lab results are returned.

A Small Molecule to Rejuvenate the Alzheimer’s Brain

Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) believe they have identified a small molecule that can rejuvenate the brain and fight memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients. Recent research identified adult-born cells in the hippocampus of elderly people. This suggested, broadly, that adult neurogenesis—the creation of new brain cells in adults—continues through life. Adult neurogenesis sharply decreases in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients; but higher levels of adult neurogenesis was associated with better cognitive performance. They published their research in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

“Seven years ago, while studying a small RNA molecule that is expressed in our brain, called microRNA-132, we came across a rather unexpected observation,” said Evginia Salt, group leader at the NIN. “This molecule, which we had previously found to be decreased in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, seemed to regulate homeostasis of neural stem cells in the central nervous system.”

At that point, it was thought that Alzheimer’s only affected mature neuronal cells, so the finding did not seem to have a role at that time in Alzheimer’s progression. They worked to determine if the microRNA-132 could regulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis in healthy and Alzheimer’s brain, working with mouse models, cultured human neural stem cells and postmortem human brain tissue. They discovered that the microRNA-132 was necessary for neurogenic processes in the adult hippocampus. What this means is it is a proof-of-concept for the therapeutic potential for adult neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s. Their next step is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of targeting microRNA-132 as a therapy for Alzheimer’s.

 

BioSpace source:

https://www.biospace.com/article/research-roundup-even-mild-covid-19-induces-lasting-antibody-protection-and-more

 

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The Realpolitik Grand Divergence

The diverging relationship between economic performance and political success in the U.S. highlights a shift from the past, where a strong economy positively…

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The diverging relationship between economic performance and political success in the U.S. highlights a shift from the past, where a strong economy positively impacted incumbent approval ratings. President Biden’s approval ratings remain unaffected despite recent economic improvements, suggesting a decoupling of economic sentiment and political fortunes. This phenomenon, which contrasts with stable economic-political linkages in Europe, is attributed to the U.S.’s heightened partisan divide, where political allegiance increasingly dictates economic perception, challenging the traditional belief that “It’s the economy, stupid” in American politics.

Key Points:

  • President Clinton’s political advisor, James Carville, highlighted the economy’s role in political success during 1992 presidential campaign with assertion, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
  • Voter sentiment has traditionally linked to economic performance, affecting incumbent party success.
  • Recent trends show a disconnect between the U.S. economy’s health and President Biden’s approval ratings.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and inflation crisis may have influenced this anomaly, yet the shift predates these events.
  • Research indicates a decoupling of economic sentiment and presidential approval in the U.S. since Obama’s tenure.
  • This phenomenon seems unique to the U.S., with European governments’ popularity still tied to economic conditions.
  • U.S. political polarization may explain the decoupling, with partisan views influencing economic perceptions.
  • Studies suggest that political biases skew individual economic assessments (confirmation bias) impacting presidential approval.
  • The current U.S. political climate suggests economic policy impact on electoral decisions is diminishing.
  • Contrasts with Europe, where economic sentiment is more uniform across political lines, suggesting a more rational political-economic relationship.

Source: Financial Times

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International

The Grand Realpolitik Divergence

The diverging relationship between economic performance and political success in the U.S. highlights a shift from the past, where a strong economy positively…

Published

on

The diverging relationship between economic performance and political success in the U.S. highlights a shift from the past, where a strong economy positively impacted incumbent approval ratings. President Biden’s approval ratings remain unaffected despite recent economic improvements, suggesting a decoupling of economic sentiment and political fortunes. This phenomenon, which contrasts with stable economic-political linkages in Europe, is attributed to the U.S.’s heightened partisan divide, where political allegiance increasingly dictates economic perception, challenging the traditional belief that “it’s the economy, stupid” in American politics.

Key Points:

  • President Clinton’s political advisor, James Carville, highlighted the economy’s role in political success during 1992 presidential campaign with assertion, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
  • Voter sentiment has traditionally linked to economic performance, affecting incumbent party success.
  • Recent trends show a disconnect between the U.S. economy’s health and President Biden’s approval ratings.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and inflation crisis may have influenced this anomaly, yet the shift predates these events.
  • Research indicates a decoupling of economic sentiment and presidential approval in the U.S. since Obama’s tenure.
  • This phenomenon seems unique to the U.S., with European governments’ popularity still tied to economic conditions.
  • S. political polarization may explain the decoupling, with partisan views influencing economic perceptions.
  • Studies suggest that political biases skew individual economic assessments, impacting presidential approval.
  • The current U.S. political climate suggests economic policy impact on electoral decisions is diminishing.
  • Contrasts with Europe, where economic sentiment is more uniform across political lines, suggesting a more rational political-economic relationship.

Source: Financial Times

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Spread & Containment

Wake-Up Call

Wake-Up Call

Authored by James Howard Kunstler via Kunstler.com,

“Those who organized the disaster will take advantage of the inevitable…

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Wake-Up Call

Authored by James Howard Kunstler via Kunstler.com,

“Those who organized the disaster will take advantage of the inevitable discontent arising from efforts to overcome it, for if there is one thing that they are skilled in, it is demagoguery.”

- Theodore Dalrymple

Can you feel it? The tension rising to the red-line? It runs clear through all of Western Civ. We are ruled by governments of fiends. But now, the sun rides higher in the sky. The sap is rising in the northern forests. The earth heaves. The buds swell and blush. Something is in the air. The animals are waking from their long winter sleep. The natives are restless.

The two traditional political divisions, liberal and conservative died with Covid. Now there are simply the sane versus the insane. The sane have had enough of being pushed around by the insane. The insane don’t register much of what reality tries to tell them. They have a body of insane ideas to comfort and protect them from the reality’s rigors. To call that body of ideas an “ideology” is way too polite.That the insane call themselves “progressive,” is a signature of their insanity.

Progress toward what better state of things? Toward a supremacy of fiends, sadists, degenerates, and morons seizing riches and power by every dishonest means possible outside the rule of law and common decency? It’s not even suitable to call them “communists.” They lack the necessary idealism for that.

They don’t expect to put their shoulders to the wheel with their fellow man. They just want to grab your stuff and then kill you so they don’t have to hear any complaints.

The insane do not believe any of the theoretical bullshit they want to force you to swallow. They don’t care about climate change. It’s just a cudgel they use to beat everyone over the head so they can steal your stuff. They don’t care about “democracy.” It’s just a line of bullshit to cover up their election-stealing. Do you suppose that sane people would keep using electronic vote-tabulating machines that were demonstrably connected to the Internet, and thus hackable, if they cared about election integrity? Of course not. They would arrange p.d.q. to junk them and use paper ballots, and only in person at polling places, with “absentee” exceptions only for people out of the country.

The insane do not care about public health. Everything that is known about the Covid-19 vaccinations tells you that they are unsafe and don’t prevent infection or transmission of a flu-like illness that might not even be what it was officially labeled as. Our public health officials in the FDA, the CDC, and in other corners of the Department of health and Human Services, lie about everything they’re responsible for. This week, the CDC (under Director Mandy Cohen) released a 148-page study on myocarditis reactions to mRNA shots. Every word on every page of the document was redacted. The CDC printed countless copies of the report with 148 utterly blank pages, and then proffered them to the news media. How is that not insane?

The insane do not care about the rule of law. The conduct of “Lawfare” is the subversion of the law by dishonest means. It is a species of racketeering. And that is why Lawfare rogues such Marc Elias, Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, Mary McCord, Lisa Monaco, Matthew Graves, and Merrick Garland, should be charged under the federal RICO statutes for conspiring to deprive sane citizens of their rights and property in the many cases related to the 1/6/21 riot at the US Capitol.

It is, so far, an abiding mystery of contemporary history as to how New York Attorney General Letitia James managed to get away with prosecuting a real estate case against Donald Trump that was no more than victimless business-as-usual between a borrower and his lenders. Ms. James ran for that elected office promising to “get” Mr. Trump on something, anything. That is not how the rule of law works. Under the rule of law, first you determine that there is a crime and then look for who did the crime.

Letitia James must be insane and/or pretty stupid. The short-term gain of stealing Mr. Trump’s property under a false color-of-law and creating impediments to his election campaign, will, sooner or later, blow back at her as a matter of malicious prosecution and, plausibly, racketeering as well. (With whom did she conspire to bring this case? We shall find out.) She will eventually be disgraced publicly as her teammate Fani Willis has already been disgraced in Fulton County, Georgia. I’ll tell you something that all sane people now know but won’t talk about for fear of being crushed by the levers of Lawfare: this looks like a concerted effort by people-of-color to railroad people of non-color. If you think that is a good thing for race relations in our country, then you are insane.

Here are a bunch of other things that are insane: Re-litigating the first amendment is insane. It means what it says, and states it plainly. The open border is insane. No credible sovereign polity would allow it. It would be opposed with force, if necessary. Turning children into transsexuals on a wholesale basis is insane, and fiendishly so. Everybody knows that it is not good for the children or for our society as a whole. But fiends got to fiend, and if you try to deprive them of being fiends then you are guilty of “hate.”

The war in Ukraine is insane. We certainly didn’t ignite it in the service of “democracy.” Our pawn there, Mr. Zelensky, canceled the national elections last year. The war was arguably an effort by our CIA to deprive Russia of its market for natgas in Europe, and thus deprive Russia of a great deal of money, that is, of prosperity. The project failed. Russia overcame NATO’s proxy army and found other markets for its gas. Blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines only served to impoverish and weaken our NATO allies, who no longer have affordable gas to run their industries. The leaders of those allies were too insane to recognize that the Nord Stream op was an act-of-war against them. They were also busy destroying themselves, like the USA, with open borders. They will end up in a new medievalism, ruled by savages. You’d have to be insane to arrange that for yourself.

What’s most obviously insane in our country is that the insane party is pretending to nominate the mentally unfit White House place-keeper, “Joe Biden,” for reelection. You would think that if this party wanted to retain power, they would run a candidate who, though insane, was not also visibly senile. But the rank and file of this party are too insane to see that this dodge is not working. They are pretending with all their might that this is okay, that the growing faction of the sane don’t notice.

Sensing the growing impatience with insanity among the voters, the insane party has reached its point of terminal desperation. What will they try next? Murder? Why not? Nothing else seemed to work. They are too far gone in their insanity to understand that winter is over. We’ve entered the season of rebirth and renewal, starting with a renewed appreciation for being sane and for that indispensable ingredient that makes liberty in a free society possible: good faith. Really, the only question left is: how rough do they intend to play to prevent the return of sanity and good faith?

*  *  *

Support his blog by visiting Jim’s Patreon Page or Substack

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/22/2024 - 16:25

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