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<title>04 September, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune disorders: A scoping review protocol</strong> -
<div>
Background Two years into the global vaccination program, important questions about the association between COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune diseases have arisen. A growing number of reports have documented associations between COVID-19 vaccination and autoimmunity, suggesting, for example, a causal link between vaccination and new-onset and/or relapsing autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Graves disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. These autoimmune phenomena have occurred with various COVID-19 vaccines and research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and causal directions, for example, whether persons with no history of autoimmune disorders may experience them upon vaccination or persons with autoimmune disorders may experience exacerbation or new adverse events post-vaccination. Methods and analysis Specific objectives of this scoping review will address the following questions: Can COVID-19 vaccination trigger and/or exacerbate autoimmune disorders? Are persons with autoimmune disorders at higher risk of experiencing additional autoimmune disorders? What are the mechanisms connecting autoimmune disorders with COVID-19 vaccination? Can COVID-19 vaccination interact with immunosuppressive therapy in persons with autoimmune disorders? Does the risk of autoimmune disorders following COVID-19 vaccination differ by vaccine type, age, gender, or other still unidentified characteristics (e.g., SES)? What is the consensus of care concerning COVID-19 vaccination in persons with autoimmune disorders and what evidence informs it? Our review will follow Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, enhanced by Levac et al.’s team-based approach (2010), and adhering to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. To capture the broadest range of perspectives on the phenomenon of interest, data will be synthesized through numerical summaries describing general characteristics of included studies and thematic analysis. Subgroup analysis of primary outcomes will be performed to compare findings according to 1) the previous existence of autoimmune disorder, 2) the presence of relevant co-morbidities, 3) vaccine type; and other relevant factors that we may encounter as the research proceeds. Significance COVID-19 has triggered the largest vaccination campaign in history, targeting literally the global human community. Drug safety is a crucial aspect of any medical intervention, critical to a proper assessment of the balance of risks and benefits. Our investigation should yield information useful to improve medical and public health practice in multiple ways, including assisting in clinical decision-making, policy development, and ethical medical practice.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/kc4be/" target="_blank">COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune disorders: A scoping review protocol</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Live virus neutralizing antibodies against pre and post Omicron strains in food and retail workers in Quebec, Canada.</strong> -
<div>
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Objectives. To assess the neutralization activity pre and post Omicron BA.1 emergence in a unique cohort of 280 vaccinated restaurant/bar, grocery and hardware store workers in Quebec, Canada. Methods. Participants were recruited during the emergence of Omicron BA.1 variant. The neutralizing activity of participant sera was assessed by microneutralization assay. Results. Serum neutralizing antibody (NtAb) titers of all participants against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain was comparable with the response against Delta variant, however, their response was significantly reduced against Omicron BA.1, BA2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5. The neutralizing response of each group of workers was similar. Individuals who received 2 doses of vaccine had significantly reduced NtAb titers against all SARS-CoV-2 strains compared to those infected and then vaccinated (≥ 1 dose), vaccinated (≥ 2 doses) and then infected, or those who received 3 doses of vaccine. Participants vaccinated with 2 or 3 doses of vaccine and then infected had the highest NtAb titers against all SARS-CoV-2 strains tested. Conclusion. We assessed for the first time the NtAb response in food and retail workers. Individuals infected after ≥ 2 doses of vaccine had the highest levels of NtAbs against Omicron BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 variants and might be better protected against reinfection.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.03.23294976v1" target="_blank">Live virus neutralizing antibodies against pre and post Omicron strains in food and retail workers in Quebec, Canada.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Integrated antigenic and nucleic acid detection in single virions and virion-infected host-derived extracellular vesicles</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) led to the rapid development of novel assays to improve sensitivities for detecting the virion responsible for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite that, there have been over 767 million reported cases and over 6.9 million deaths worldwide. Therefore, tunable, sensitive, and high-throughput assays are warranted to control future outbreaks. Herein, we developed a tunable in situ assay to selectively sort virions and infected host-derived extracellular vesicles (IHD-EVs) and simultaneously detect their antigens and nucleic acid cargo at a single-particle resolution. The Biochip Antigen and RNA Assay (BARA<sup>TM</sup>) integrates positive immunoselection and infection dynamics to sort particles, immunofluorescence to detect antigens, and fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect nucleic acids. BARATM enhanced sensitivities by detecting biomolecular signatures at the single-particle level, enabling the detection of virions in asymptomatic patients, and genetic mutations in single SARS-CoV-2 virions. Furthermore, BARA<sup>TM</sup> revealed the continued long-term expression of virion-RNA in the IHD-EVs of post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) patients. BARATM was validated on saliva (30 healthy donors and 33 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic patients) and nasopharyngeal swabs (19 healthy donors and 40 patients), revealing a highly accurate diagnosis by simultaneously detecting the spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid-encoding RNA on single SARS-CoV-2 virions with sensitivities of 100 % and 95 %, respectively, and specificities of 100 % for both biofluids. Altogether, the single-particle detection of antigens and virion-RNA provides a tunable framework for the diagnosis, monitoring, and mutation screening of current and future outbreaks.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.31.23292825v1" target="_blank">Integrated antigenic and nucleic acid detection in single virions and virion-infected host-derived extracellular vesicles</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Pulmonary function and survival one year after dupilumab treatment of acute moderate to severe COVID-19: A follow up study from a Phase IIa trial</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: We previously conducted a Phase IIa randomized placebo-controlled trial of 40 subjects to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab use in those hospitalized with COVID-19 (NCT04920916). Based on our pre-clinical data suggesting downstream pulmonary dysfunction with COVID-19 induced type 2 inflammation, we contacted patients from our Phase IIa study at 1 year for assessment of Post Covid-19 Conditions (PCC). Methods: Subjects at 1 year after treatment underwent pulmonary function testing (PFTs), high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging, symptom questionnaires, neurocognitive assessments, and serum immune biomarker analysis, with subject survival also monitored. The primary outcome was the proportion of abnormal PFTs, defined as an abnormal diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) or 6-minute walk testing (6MWT) at the 1-year visit. Results: Sixteen of the 29 one-year survivors consented to the follow up visit. We found that subjects who had originally received dupilumab were less likely to have abnormal PFTs compared to those who received placebo (Fishers exact p=0.011, adjusted p=0.058). We additionally found that 3 out of 19 subjects (16%) in the dupilumab group died by 1 year compared to 8 out of 21 subjects (38%) in the placebo group (log rank p=0.12). We did not find significant differences in neurocognitive testing, symptoms or CT chest imaging between treatment groups but observed evidence of reduced type 2 inflammation in those who received dupilumab. Conclusions: We observed evidence of reduced long-term morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 with dupilumab treatment during acute hospitalization when added to standard of care regimens.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.01.23293947v1" target="_blank">Pulmonary function and survival one year after dupilumab treatment of acute moderate to severe COVID-19: A follow up study from a Phase IIa trial</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Toward an Online System to Generate Tailored Infographics: Supporting the Health Information Sharing Needs of Community-Based Organizations</strong> -
<div>
Infographics are an engaging way to share health information with the public, but their relevance and appeal can be improved if they can be tailored to the language, culture, and information needs of their target audience. Digital tools are needed to make such tailoring feasible at scale, and to meet the needs of the community-based organizations (CBOs) that are well-situated to share health information with the public. Here, we describe our progress toward the development of the TailorVis Toolbox, an online system that facilitates infographic tailoring at the level of the CBO and the individual viewer. Incorporated within this project was the participatory design of infographics related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. The system will be extended to numerous health topics in the future.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/8r2cm/" target="_blank">Toward an Online System to Generate Tailored Infographics: Supporting the Health Information Sharing Needs of Community-Based Organizations</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Therapeutic mitigation of measles-like immune amnesia and exacerbated disease after prior respiratory virus infections in ferrets</strong> -
<div>
After years of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 40 million children worldwide are at risk of measles due to delayed vaccination and temporary SARS-CoV-2 viral dominance. Acute measles has a case-fatality rate of ~1%, but most morbidity and mortality arise post-measles due to destruction of pre-existing immune memory by lymphotropic measles virus (MeV), a paramyxovirus of the Morbillivirus genus. MeV-induced immune amnesia is not mitigated by post-exposure vaccination and the impact of unrelated respiratory virus disease history on measles severity has not been defined. We used a lethal canine distemper virus (CDV)-ferret model as surrogate for human morbillivirus disease and employed the orally efficacious broad-spectrum paramyxovirus polymerase inhibitor GHP-88309 to establish measles treatment paradigms. Applying a receptor tropism-intact recombinant CDV with low lethality, we provide in vivo confirmation of the morbillivirus immune amnesia hypothesis and reveal an 8-day advantage of antiviral treatment versus therapeutic vaccination in preserving immune memory. Infection of ferrets with non-lethal influenza A virus (IAV) A/CA/07/2009 (H1N1) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) four weeks prior to CDV caused exacerbated CDV disease that rapidly advanced to fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia associated with lung onslaught by commensal bacteria. RNAseq of BAL samples and lung tissue identified CDV-induced expression of trefoil factor (TFF) peptides, which was absent in animals pre-infected with IAV, thus highlighting that immune priming by unrelated respiratory viruses influences morbillivirus infection outcome. Non-invasive pulmonary ferret MRI revealed that severe outcomes of consecutive IAV/CDV infections were prevented by oral GHP-88309 treatment even when initiated after peak clinical signs of CDV. These findings validate the morbillivirus immune amnesia hypothesis, define treatment paradigms for measles, identify prior disease history as risk factor for exacerbated morbillivirus disease, and demonstrate that treating morbillivirus infection with direct-acting oral antivirals provides therapeutic benefit regardless of whether the time window to mitigate primary clinical signs of infection has closed.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.01.555992v1" target="_blank">Therapeutic mitigation of measles-like immune amnesia and exacerbated disease after prior respiratory virus infections in ferrets</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A response playbook for early detection and population surveillance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in a regional public health laboratory</strong> -
<div>
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Background: Timely genomic surveillance is required to inform public health responses to new SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, the processes involved in local genomic surveillance introduce inherent time constraints. The Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory in Chicago developed and employed a genomic surveillance response playbook for the early detection and surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: The playbook outlines modifications to sampling strategies, laboratory workflows, and communication processes based on the emerging variant9s predicted viral characteristics, observed public health impact in other jurisdictions and local community risk level. The playbook outlines procedures for implementing and reporting enhanced and accelerated genomic surveillance, including supplementing whole genome sequencing (WGS) with variant screening by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results: The ability of the playbook to improve the response to an emerging variant was tested for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1. Increased submission of clinical remnant samples from local hospital laboratories enabled detection of a new variant at 1% prevalence with 95% confidence rather than 2% at baseline. Genotyping qPCR concurred with WGS lineage assignments in 99.9% of 1541 samples with results by both methods, and was more sensitive, providing lineage results in 90.4% of 1833 samples rather than 85.1% for WGS, while reducing the time to lineage result from 27 to 7 days. Conclusions: The genomic surveillance response playbook provides a structured, stepwise, and data-driven approach to responding to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. These pre-defined processes can streamline workflows and expedite the detection and public health response to emerging variants. Based on the processes piloted during the Omicron BA.1 response, this method has been applied to subsequent Omicron subvariants and can be readily applied to future SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants and other public health surveillance activities.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.01.23293209v1" target="_blank">A response playbook for early detection and population surveillance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in a regional public health laboratory</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Application of MALDI-MS and Machine Learning to Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Infections.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) could aid the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections (ARI) owing to its affordability and high-throughput capacity. MALDI-MS has been proposed for use on commonly available respiratory samples, without specialized sample preparation, making this technology especially attractive for implementation in low-resource regions. Here, we assessed the utility of MALDI-MS in differentiating SARS-CoV-2 versus non-COVID acute respiratory infections (NCARI) in a clinical lab setting of Kazakhstan. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from in- and outpatients with respiratory symptoms and from asymptomatic controls (AC) in 2020-2022. PCR was used to differentiate SARS-CoV-2+ and NCARI cases. MALDI-MS spectra were obtained for a total of 252 samples (115 SARS-CoV-2+, 98 NCARI and 39 AC) without specialized sample preparation. In our first sub-analysis, we followed a published protocol for peak preprocessing and Machine Learning (ML), trained on publicly available spectra from South American SARS-CoV-2+ and NCARI samples. In our second sub-analysis, we trained ML models on a peak intensity matrix representative of both South American (SA) and Kazakhstan (Kaz) samples. Results: Applying the established MALDI-MS pipeline “as is” resulted in a high detection rate for SARS-CoV-2+ samples (91.0%), but low accuracy for NCARI (48.0%) and AC (67.0%) by the top-performing random forest model. After re-training of the ML algorithms on the SA-Kaz peak intensity matrix, the accuracy of detection by the top-performing Support Vector Machine with radial basis function kernel model was at 88.0, 95.0 and 78% for the Kazakhstan SARS-CoV-2+, NCARI, and AC subjects, respectively with a SARS-CoV-2 vs. rest ROC AUC of 0.983 [0.958, 0.987]; a high differentiation accuracy was maintained for the South American SARS-CoV-2 and NCARI. Conclusions: MALDI-MS/ML is a feasible approach for the differentiation of ARI without a specialized sample preparation. The implementation of MALDI-MS/ML in a real clinical lab setting will necessitate continuous optimization to keep up with the rapidly evolving landscape of ARI.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.31.23294891v1" target="_blank">Application of MALDI-MS and Machine Learning to Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Infections.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A mathematical model for multiple COVID-19 waves applied to Kenya</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019, prompted governments to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to curb its spread. Despite these efforts and the discovery of vaccines and treatments, the disease continued to circulate globally, evolving into multiple waves, largely driven by emerging COVID-19 variants. Mathematical models have been very useful in understanding the dynamics of the pandemic. Mainly, their focus has been limited to individual waves without easy adaptability to multiple waves. In this study, we propose a compartmental model that can accommodate multiple waves, built on three fundamental concepts. Firstly, we consider the collective impact of all factors affecting COVID-19 and express their influence on the transmission rate through piecewise exponential-cum-constant functions of time. Secondly, we introduce techniques to model the fore sections of observed waves, that change infection curves with negative gradients to those with positive gradients, hence, generating new waves. Lastly, we implement a jump mechanism in the susceptible fraction, enabling further adjustments to align the model with observed infection curve. By applying this model to the Kenyan context, we successfully replicate all COVID-19 waves from March 2020 to January 2023. The identified change points align closely with the emergence of dominant COVID-19 variants, affirming their pivotal role in driving the waves. Furthermore, this adaptable approach can be extended to investigate any new COVID-19 variant or any other periodic infectious diseases, including influenza. Keywords: Mathematical model, COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions, delay functions, multiple waves
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.01.23294943v1" target="_blank">A mathematical model for multiple COVID-19 waves applied to Kenya</a>
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<li><strong>Characteristics of the sexual networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver: implications for the transmission and control of mpox in Canada</strong> -
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Background: The 2022-2023 global mpox outbreak disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). In Canada, &gt;70% of cases thus far have been among GBM in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. We examined how the distributions of sexual partners 1) varied by city and over time related to the COVID-19 pandemic and 2) were associated with mpox transmission. Methods: The <i>Engage Cohort Study</i> (2017-2023) recruited GBM via respondent-driven sampling in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver (n=2,449). We compared numbers of sexual partners in the past 6 months across cities and three time periods: pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019), pandemic (2020-2021), and post-restrictions (2021-2023). We modeled the distribution of sexual partner numbers using Bayesian negative binomial regressions and post-stratification, adjusting for sampling design and attrition. We estimated the basic reproduction number (<i>R<sub>0</sub></i>), secondary attack rate (SAR), and cumulative incidence proportion of mpox using the fitted distributions and case timeseries. Results: The pre-COVID-19 pandemic distribution of sexual partner numbers was similar across cities: participants9 mean number of partners was 10.3 (95%CrI: 9.3-11.3) in Montréal, 12.8 (11.1-14.7) in Toronto, and 10.6 (9.41-11.9) in Vancouver. Partner numbers decreased during the pandemic in all cities. Post-restrictions, sexual activity increased but remained well below pre-pandemic levels. Based on reported cases and post-restrictions distributions, the estimated <i>R<sub>0</sub></i> (2.4-2.6) and cumulative incidences (0.6-0.9%) were similar across cities. The estimated average SAR across cities was 79%. Conclusion: GBM sexual activity after restrictions were lifted remained below pre-pandemic levels. Comparable sexual partner distributions across cities may explain similarities in mpox <i>R<sub>0</sub></i> and cumulative incidence across cities. Public health authorities should consider the risk of mpox resurgence for future vaccination and surveillance strategies as sexual activity is expected to recover.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.31.23294912v1" target="_blank">Characteristics of the sexual networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver: implications for the transmission and control of mpox in Canada</a>
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<li><strong>Symptom experience before vs. after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection: a population and case control study using prospectively recorded symptom data.</strong> -
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Background: Some individuals experience prolonged illness after acute COVID-19. We assessed whether pre-infection symptoms affected post-COVID illness duration. Methods Survival analysis was performed in adults (n=23,452) with community-managed SARC-CoV-2 infection prospectively self-logging data through the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, at least weekly, from 8 weeks before to 12 weeks after COVID-19 onset, conditioned on presence vs. absence of baseline symptoms (4-8 weeks before COVID-19). A case-control study was performed in 1350 individuals with long illness (≥8 weeks, 906 [67.1%] with illness ≥12 weeks), matched 1:1 (for age, sex, body mass index, testing week, prior infection, vaccination, smoking, index of multiple deprivation) with 1350 individuals with short illness (&lt;4 weeks). Baseline symptoms were compared between the two groups; and against post-COVID symptoms. Findings: Individuals reporting baseline symptoms had longer post-COVID symptom duration (from 10 to 15 days) with baseline fatigue nearly doubling duration. Two-thirds (910 of 1350 [67.4%]) of individuals with long illness were asymptomatic beforehand. However, 440 (32.6%) had baseline symptoms, vs. 255 (18.9%) of 1350 individuals with short illness (p&lt;0.0001). Baseline symptoms increased the odds ratio for long illness (2.14 [CI: 1.78; 2.57]). Prior comorbidities were more common in individuals with long vs. short illness. In individuals with long illness, baseline symptomatic (vs. asymptomatic) individuals were more likely to be female, younger, and have prior comorbidities; and baseline and post-acute symptoms and symptom burden correlated strongly. Interpretation: Individuals experiencing symptoms before COVID-19 have longer illness duration and increased odds of long illness. However, many individuals with long illness are well before SARS-CoV-2 infection.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.30.23294821v1" target="_blank">Symptom experience before vs. after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection: a population and case control study using prospectively recorded symptom data.</a>
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<li><strong>Observational Study of Repeat Immunoadsorption (RIA) in Post-COVID ME/CFS Patients with Elevated Beta-2-Adrenergic Receptor Autoantibodies</strong> -
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There is increasing evidence for an autoimmune aetiology in post-infectious Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). SARS-CoV-2 has now become the main trigger for ME/CFS. We have already conducted two small proof-of-concept studies of IgG depletion by immunoadsorption (IA) in post-infectious ME/CFS, which showed efficacy in most patients. This observational study aims to evaluate the efficacy of IA in patients with post-COVID-19 ME/CFS. The primary objective is to assess the improvement in functional ability. Due to the urgency of finding therapies for post-Covid-Syndrome (PCS), we report here the interim results of the first ten patients with seven responders defined by an increase of between 10 and 35 points in the Short-Form 36 Physical Function (SF36-PF) at week four after IA. The results of this observational study will provide the basis for patient selection for a randomised controlled trial (RTC) including sham apheresis and for a RTC combining IA with B-cell depletion therapy.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.31.23294813v1" target="_blank">Observational Study of Repeat Immunoadsorption (RIA) in Post-COVID ME/CFS Patients with Elevated Beta-2-Adrenergic Receptor Autoantibodies</a>
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<li><strong>Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2023): Insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands</strong> -
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Background The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected child and adolescent mental health and at the end of the pandemic (April 2022) child mental health had not returned to pre‐pandemic levels. We investigated whether this observed increase in mental health problems has continued, halted, or reversed after the end of the pandemic in children from the general population and in children in psychiatric care. Methods We collected parent-reported and child-reported data at two additional post-pandemic time points (November/December 2022 and March/April 2023) in children (8-18 years) from two general population samples (N=818-1056 per measurement) and one clinical sample receiving psychiatric care (N=320-370) and compared these with data from before the pandemic. We collected parent‐reported data on internalizing and externalizing problems with the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) and self‐reported data on Anxiety, Depressive symptoms, Sleep‐related impairments, Anger, Global health, and Peer relations with the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Results In the general population, parents reported no changes in externalizing problems but did report higher internalizing problems post-pandemic than pre-pandemic. Children also reported increased mental health problems post-pandemic, especially in anxiety and depression, to a lesser extent in sleep-related impairment and global health, and least in anger. In the clinical sample, parents reported higher internalizing, but not externalizing problems post-pandemic compared to the start of the pandemic. Children reported greatest increases in problems in anxiety, depression, and global health, to a lesser extent on sleep-related impairment, and least on anger. Conclusions Child mental health problems in the general population are substantially higher post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic measurements. In children in psychiatric care mental health problems have increased during the pandemic and are substantially higher post-pandemic than at the start of the pandemic. Longitudinal and comparative studies are needed to assess what the most important drivers of these changes are.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.29.23294764v1" target="_blank">Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2023): Insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands</a>
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<li><strong>ISARIC COVID-19 Clinical Data Report: 10 January 2023</strong> -
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ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium) partnerships and outbreak preparedness initiatives enabled the rapid launch of standardised clinical data collection on COVID-19 in Jan 2020. Extensive global participation has resulted in a large, standardised collection of comprehensive clinical data from hundreds of sites across dozens of countries. Data are analysed regularly and reported publicly to inform patient care and public health response. This report, our 18th and final report, is a part of a series published over 3 years. Data have been entered for 945,317 individuals from 1807 partner institutions and networks across 76 countries. The comprehensive analyses detailed in this report includes hospitalised individuals of all ages for whom data collection occurred between 30 January 2020 and up to and including 10 January 2023, AND who have laboratory-confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection or clinically diagnosed COVID-19. For the 845,291 cases who meet eligibility criteria for this report, selected findings include: o Median age of 57 years, with an approximately equal (50/50) male:female sex distribution o 29% of the cohort are at least 70 years of age, whereas 6% are 0-19 years of age o The most common symptom combination in this hospitalised cohort is shortness of breath, cough, and history of fever, which has remained constant over time o The five most common symptoms at admission were shortness of breath, cough, history of fever, fatigue/malaise, and altered consciousness/confusion, which is unchanged from the previous reports o Age-associated differences in symptoms are evident, including the frequency of altered consciousness increasing with age, and fever, respiratory and constitutional symptoms being present mostly in those 40 years and above o 15% of patients with relevant data available (845,291) were admitted at some point during their illness into an intensive care unit (ICU), which has decreased from 19% during the 3 years of ISARIC reporting o Antibiotic agents were used in 37% of patients for whom relevant data are available (802,241), a significant reduction from our previous reports (80%) which reflects a shifting proportion of data contributed by different institutions; in ICU/HDU admitted patients with data available (64,669), 90% received antibiotics o Use of corticosteroids was reported in 25% of all patients for whom data were available (809,043); in ICU/HDU admitted patients with data available (64,713), 71% received corticosteroids o Outcomes are known for 762,728 patients and the overall estimated case fatality ratio (CFR) is 22% (95%CI 21.9-22), rising to 36% (95%CI 35.6-36.1) for patients who were admitted to ICU/HDU, demonstrating worse outcomes in those with the most severe disease We thank all the data contributors for their ongoing support.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.17.20155218v16" target="_blank">ISARIC COVID-19 Clinical Data Report: 10 January 2023</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Can long-term COVID-19 vaccination be improved by serological surveillance?: a modeling study for Mozambique</strong> -
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Seroprevalence provides an estimate of the population-level susceptibility to infection. In this study, we used a transmission model to examine the potential of using serological surveillance to inform the timing of COVID-19 boosters in Mozambique. We simulated using population-level seroprevalence thresholds as an estimate of the risk of outbreaks to trigger the timing of re-vaccination campaigns among older adults. We compare this approach to a strategy of re-vaccination at fixed time intervals. Vaccinating older adults each time the seroprevalence among older adults falls below 50% and 80% resulted in medians of 20% and 71% reduction in deaths, respectively, and number-needed-to-vaccinate to avert one death (NNT) of 1,499 (2.5th-97.5th centile:1,252-1,905) and 3,151 (2,943-3,429), respectively. In comparison, biennial and annual re-vaccination of older adults resulted in medians of 35% and 52% deaths averted, respectively, and NNTs of 1,443 (1,223-1,733) and 1,941 (1,805-2,112), respectively. We conducted sensitivity analysis over a range of antibody waning rates and epidemic scenarios and found that re-vaccination trigger thresholds of 50-60% seroprevalence are most likely to be efficient compared to fixed-time strategies. However, given marginal gains in efficiency even in the best-case scenarios, our results favor the use of simpler fixed-time strategies for long-term control of SARS-CoV-2.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.29.23294793v1" target="_blank">Can long-term COVID-19 vaccination be improved by serological surveillance?: a modeling study for Mozambique</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>THE EFFECT OF ARGININE AND GLUTAMINE ON COVID-19 PATIENTS OUTCOME: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Neomune<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Universitas Sriwijaya;   M. Djamil General Hospital<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>KAND567 Versus Placebo in Subjects Hospitalized With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: KAND567;   Drug: Microcrystalline cellulose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Kancera AB<br/><b>Terminated</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase 2/3 2nd Generation E1/E2B/E3-Deleted Adenoviral COVID-19 Vaccine: The TCELLVACCINE TRIAL</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: hAd5-S-Fusion+N-ETSD;   Biological: Placebo (0.9% (w/v) saline)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   ImmunityBio, Inc.<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Aerobic Training for Rehabilitation of Patients With Post Covid-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Long-COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise Training<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Witten/Herdecke;   Institut für Rehabilitationsforschung Norderney<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Digital Health Literacy on COVID-19 for All: Co-creation and Evaluation of Interventions for Ethnic Minorities and Chinese People With Chronic Illnesses in Hong Kong</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Digital Health Literacy;   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Digital health literacy intervention<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   The Hong Kong Polytechnic University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Pilot Clinical Evaluation of Astepro® Nasal Spray for Management of Early SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Experimental: Primary Cohort;   Other: Placebo Comparator: Primary Cohort - Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Chicago<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Sickle Cell Disease;   COVID-19 Vaccine;   Vaccine Hesitancy<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: SCD-specific COVID-19 vaccination information (SCVI) video<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Duke University;   American Society of Hematology<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Comparative Immunogenicity of Concomitant vs Sequential mRNA COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Influenza;   COVID-19;   Influenza Immunogencity;   COVID-19 Immunogenicity<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Simultaneous Vaccination (Influenza Vaccine and mRNA COVID booster);   Biological: Sequential Vaccination (Influenza vaccine then mRNA COVID booster);   Biological: Sequential Vaccination (mRNA COVID booster then Influenza vaccine)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Duke University;   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;   Arizona State University;   University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center;   University of Pittsburgh;   Washington University School of Medicine;   Valleywise Health;   VA Northeast Ohio Health Care;   Senders Pediatrics<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Among Post-COVID-19 Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Pulmonary Pathology<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Pulmonary Rehabilitation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Recovered From COVID-19 Pneumonia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Bronchoalveolar Lavage<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Bronchoalveolar Lavage<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Mohamed Abd Elmoniem Mohamed;   Marwa Salah Abdelrazek Ghanem;   Mohammad Khairy El-Badrawy;   Tamer Ali Elhadidy;   Dalia Abdellateif Abdelghany<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of the Efficacy and Safety of Tianeptine in the Treatment of Covid Fog Symptoms in Patients After COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Nervous System Diseases<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Tianeptine;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Military Institute od Medicine National Research Institute;   ABM Industries<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effects of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Nurses With Post Covid-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Cognitive Behavioral Therapy<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: cognitive behavioral therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Tri-Service General Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Effectiveness of Natural Resources for Reducing Stress</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Distress, Emotional;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Combination Product: Balneotherapy plus complex;   Combination Product: Combined nature resources treatment;   Other: Nature therapy procedure<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Klaipėda University;   Research Council of Lithuania<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of LAU-7b for the Treatment of Long COVID in Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: LAU-7b for 3 cycles;   Drug: LAU-7b for 1 cycle, then placebo;   Other: Placebo for 3 cycles<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Complementary and Integrative Medicine as an Online Intervention in Patients With Post-covid Syndrome After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-COVID Syndrome<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Complementary and Integrative Medicine online intervention, routine care and book;   Behavioral: Routine care and book<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Charite University, Berlin, Germany<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>High-CBD cannabis extracts inhibit the expression of proinflammatory factors via miRNA-mediated silencing in human small intestinal epithelial cells</strong> - The incidence of chronic inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases is rapidly growing. To date, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has killed over 6,209,000 people globally, while no drug has been proven effective for the disease. Screening natural anti-inflammatory compounds for clinical application has drawn much attention. In this study, we showed that high-CBD cannabis extracts #1, #5, #7, #169, and #317 suppressed the levels of expression of proinflammatory cyclooxygenase 2…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Plant flavonoid inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and viral replication</strong> - Plant-based flavonoids have been evaluated as inhibitors of β-coronavirus replication and as therapies for COVID-19 on the basis of their safety profile and widespread availability. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) has been implicated as a target for flavonoids in silico. Yet no comprehensive in vitro testing of flavonoid activity against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro has heretofore been performed. We screened 1,019 diverse flavonoids for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Multiple…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Combating pan-coronavirus infection by indomethacin through simultaneously inhibiting viral replication and inflammatory response</strong> - Severe infections with coronaviruses are often accompanied with hyperinflammation, requiring therapeutic strategies to simultaneously tackle the virus and inflammation. By screening a safe-in-human broad-spectrum antiviral agents library, we identified that indomethacin can inhibit pan-coronavirus infection in human cell and airway organoids models. Combining indomethacin with oral antiviral drugs authorized for treating COVID-19 results in synergistic anti-coronavirus activity. Coincidentally,…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Assessing the outcomes of prescribing angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers for COVID-19 patients</strong> - CONCLUSION: Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system had no effect on the mortality of patients with COVID-19 and on their overall disease progression. However, it may be beneficial not to stop these medications as they decrease inflammation in the body and the levels of troponin, which are related to increased stress on the heart.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Deadly interactions: synergistic manipulations of concurrent pathogen infections potentially enabling future pandemics</strong> - Certain monoinfections of influenza viruses and novel coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are significant threats to human health. Concurrent infections by influenza viruses and coronaviruses increases their threat. Influenza viruses have eight manipulations capable of assisting SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, and several of these manipulations, which are not specific to viruses, can also directly or indirectly boost dangerous secondary…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An evolutionarily conserved strategy for ribosome binding and host translation inhibition by β-coronavirus non-structural protein 1</strong> - An important pathogenicity factor of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses is Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1), which suppresses host gene expression and stunts antiviral signaling. SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 binds the ribosome to inhibit translation through mRNA displacement and induces degradation of host mRNAs. Here we show that Nsp1-dependent host shutoff is conserved in diverse coronaviruses, but only Nsp1 from β-Coronaviruses (β-CoV) inhibits translation through ribosome binding. The C-terminal domain…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein induces necroptosis and mediates inflammatory response in lung and colon cells through receptor interacting protein kinase 1</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 Envelope protein (E) is one of the crucial components in virus assembly and pathogenesis. The current study investigated its role in the SARS-CoV-2-mediated cell death and inflammation in lung and gastrointestinal epithelium and its effect on the gastrointestinal-lung axis. We observed that transfection of E protein increases the lysosomal pH and induces inflammation in the cell. The study utilizing Ethidium bromide/Acridine orange and Hoechst/Propidium iodide staining demonstrated…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Structure and function of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases and their inhibition: A comprehensive review</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) identified in 2003 infected ∼8000 people in 26 countries with 800 deaths, which was soon contained and eradicated by syndromic surveillance and enhanced quarantine. A closely related coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 identified in 2019, has been dramatically more contagious and catastrophic. It has infected and caused various flu-like symptoms of billions of people in &gt;200 countries, including &gt;6 million…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antimicrobial effect of oral care gel containing hinokitiol and 4-isopropyl-3-methylphenol against intraoral pathogenic microorganisms</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that oral care gel-containing hinokitiol and IPMP has strong biofilm formation inhibitory activity, as well as antifungal and antimicrobial effects against Candida fungi and multiple intraoral pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, it may be a promising treatment option for oral infections.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inhibition of the Cellular Deubiquitinase UCHL1 Suppresses SARS-CoV-2 Replication</strong> - No abstract</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hybrid molecules based on an emodin scaffold. Synthesis and activity against SARS-CoV-2 and <em>Plasmodium</em></strong> - Since the Covid-19 epidemic, it has been clear that the availability of small and affordable drugs that are able to efficiently control viral infections in humans is still a challenge in medicinal chemistry. The synthesis and biological activities of a series of hybrid molecules that combine an emodin moiety and other structural moieties expected to act as possible synergistic pharmacophores in a single molecule were studied. Emodin has been reported to block the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The molecular mechanism of non-covalent inhibitor WU-04 targeting SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and computational evaluation of its effectiveness against mainstream coronaviruses</strong> - There is an urgent need for highly effective therapeutic agents to interrupt the continued spread of SARS-CoV-2. As a pivotal protease in the replication process of coronaviruses, the 3CLpro protein is considered as a potential target of drug development to stop the spread and infection of the virus. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to elucidate the molecular mechanism of a novel and highly effective non-covalent inhibitor, WU-04, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The use of <em>Ephedra</em> herbs in the treatment of COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: Some plants used in traditional medicine, including the Ephedra herbs, with their active compounds, can be considered a candidate with high potential for the control and prevention of COVID-19.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Integrated network pharmacology analysis and in vitro validation revealed the underlying mechanism of Xiyanping injection in treating coronavirus disease 2019</strong> - CONCLUSION: Through effective network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking, this study suggests that XYP contains many effective compounds that may target COVID-19 related signaling pathways. Moreover, the in vitro experiment confirmed that XYP could inhibit the cytokine storm by regulating genes or proteins related to immune and inflammatory responses.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Engineered clinical-grade mesenchymal stromal cells combating SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants by secreting effective neutralizing antibodies</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that engineered clinical-grade MSCs secreting effective neutralizing antibodies as cellular production machines had the potential to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection, which provided a new avenue for effectively treating the older and immunocompromised COVID-19 patients.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Virtual-Reality School as the Ultimate School Choice</strong> - The conservative education activist Erika Donalds envisions a world where parents unsatisfied with their public schools can opt out by putting their kids in a headset. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/virtual-reality-school-as-the-ultimate-school-choice">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Twilight of Mitch McConnell and the Spectre of 2024</strong> - On the dangerous reign of the octogenarians. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/the-twilight-of-mitch-mcconnell-and-the-spectre-of-2024">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Texas’s Dying Swimming Holes</strong> - Taking a dip in the summer was as central to the state’s identity as barbecue and Willie Nelson. Then came a population boom and climate change. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-southwest/texass-dying-swimming-holes">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mark Thompson, CNN’s New White Knight</strong> - After a turbulent year under new ownership, the cable news network is hoping that Mark Thompson, a veteran of the Times and the BBC, can turn things around. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/cnns-new-white-knight-mark-thompson">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hurricane Idalia’s Explosive Power Comes from Abnormally Hot Oceans</strong> - By burning fossil fuels, humans force the oceans to soak up the heat equivalent of a Hiroshima-size bomb, over and over again. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/hurricane-idalias-explosive-power-comes-from-abnormally-hot-oceans">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Will I just keep spending more and more money forever?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A small figure holds up a huge collection of oversize belongings." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vuPEQL4SHQAzBA_lJxjQiJZgVIk=/240x0:1680x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72609296/OnTheMoney_8_31.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Paige Vickers/Vox
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How to cope with both inflation and lifestyle creep.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IBtRo9">
<em>On the Money is a new monthly advice column written by Nicole Dieker, a </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/personal-finance"><em><strong>personal finance</strong></em></a><em> expert who’s been writing about money for over a decade. For Vox’s Money Talks interview column, she’s written stories about couples who run </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23569412/money-talk-small-business-six-kids"><em><strong>small businesses</strong></em></a><em>, navigate </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22722672/money-talks-couple-different-backgrounds"><em><strong>different relationships with spending</strong></em></a><em>, handle </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/10/21003110/money-talks-health-insurance-self-employment"><em><strong>health insurance</strong></em></a><em>, and more. If you want advice on spending, saving, or investing — or any of the complicated emotions that may come up as you prepare to make big financial decisions — you can </em><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXuTsmpi2VQ6ZoRVEeHrgBSpkPkWSRWDH4zeY_TMBtPAhc4w/viewform"><em><strong>submit your question on this form</strong></em></a><em>. Here, we answer two questions asked by Vox readers, which have been edited and condensed.</em>
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<strong>I’m a single man in my late 20s. Every month, I rent one room of a shared house in a high-cost-of-living city for $1,050, have a $72 commuting-to-work expense (covered by my employer), spend about $60 on games and a gaming PC, $300 on food, $300 on going out (dancing and the like), $200 on travel (averaged out, very spiky) and $250 on other incidentals (health care costs after employer-provided insurance, clothing, presents, and gifts, etc.). That’s about $2,250, and from my perspective, I live an indulgent and sybaritic lifestyle that still allows me to pay my taxes, donate 10 percent of my income, and save aggressively.</strong>
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<strong>I know that some of my peers have to pay off </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/student-loan-debt"><strong>student loans</strong></a><strong>, but for many of them, it seems to be more than that. I’m worried that lifestyle creep, or whatever it is that happens to them, will affect me as well. How can I watch out for it? Where is it most likely to come from? </strong>
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I don’t know if you will ever become the type of person who spends more than he earns. It looks like you’ve already identified your key financial values — saving aggressively for the future, donating money so other people can have a better future as well — and those are the kinds of behaviors that tend to stick over the course of a lifetime.
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That said, I can almost guarantee that you will spend more in the future than you are spending right now.
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Why? Because someday you’re going to decide you’re tired of living with a rotating cast of roommates, or you’re going to make the kind of career move that requires you to spend more than $50 per month on clothing, or you’re going to meet the kind of person who becomes an integral part of your life and connects you to all kinds of new family members who all require gifts, travel, food, going out, and so on.
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Lifestyle creep happens when we change the way we live — and even if you plan on living like a single 20-something man for the rest of your life, spending your sybaritic, indulgent days gaming and dancing, that’s probably not going to happen.
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So start asking yourself where you want to be in five years, and then ask yourself what’s likely to happen to your friends and family during the same time period. Do you have a sibling who is likely to have a child, for example? Bump up your travel and gift budget. Start setting aside cash for your friends’ weddings — because they’re going to happen, and some of them will be destination weddings, and many of them will take place <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23410669/wedding-guest-etiquette-empathy-afford-money-time">during the same year</a> — and if there’s any possibility that you might end up planning a wedding of your own, ask yourself how much you might want to spend on the celebration.
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Next, take a look at where you are in your career and where you might need to move (literally and figuratively) to achieve your five-year career goals. I suspect you value work-life balance as much as you value a balanced budget, so I’m going to let you know something in advance: At a certain point, you’ll probably end up with the kind of work-life balance that is incompatible with a room in a shared house. First because you’ll need the stability that comes with having a space of your own, and second because you may want to use your living space for entertaining family, friends, and colleagues. You’re the kind of person who will probably <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23436672/how-to-start-cooking-beginner-guide">get into cooking</a>, since it’s a great way to save money, and you could end up being the star of your office’s annual potluck.
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If that’s the kind of life you’re likely to have, it might mean setting aside money for a down payment. Furniture. A new HVAC unit, sometime in the next five years. Maybe a car, if you don’t already have one, which means insurance and tires and oil changes and paying to keep the thing clean enough to drive it into the office parking lot without having your employer wonder whether the amount of bird shit on your car suggests that you don’t have your shit together.
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That, by the way, is why people spend so much. The amount of money it takes to keep our shit together goes up as we get older — even if you successfully maintain the kind of lifestyle that is built around saving, donating to charity, enjoying the occasional indulgence, and acquiring as few unnecessary possessions as possible.
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And yes, it will happen to you.
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Get ready.
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<strong>How are other millennials coping with the cost-of-living crisis?</strong>
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I’m going to assume that by “millennials,” you mean “people my age.” You probably aren’t the 20-something in the shared house from the previous letter; you’re the 30-something or 40-something who is trying to maintain a home (whether you’re buying or renting) while skipping vacations, <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23465536/cooking-food-inflation-grocery-prices">spending as little as you can on groceries</a>, and trying to figure out if there’s an even cheaper phone plan out there somewhere.
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The 20-something who wrote the first letter might not yet understand what it’s like to be financially responsible for sewer backups and school lunches and making sure you’re dressed for the job you want, even if you only wear the top half of your outfit during Zoom calls. Twenty-somethings, even the ones who save aggressively and donate 10 percent of their income to charity, haven’t been budgeting long enough to notice that we’re all spending a lot more than we used to — and <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23529587/consumer-goods-quality-fast-fashion-technology">getting a lot less</a>.
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On the one hand, that lack of comparative knowledge could be a plus. Imagine if you never did any of your own shopping until you became an adult, and then you went to the grocery store for the first time and <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2022/3/2/22956966/inflation-explained-by-eggs">a dozen eggs cost $3.50</a>. “This must be what eggs cost,” you’d think. Then you’d figure out how to include eggs in your budget.
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That is, unfortunately, the same advice I have for you and for all millennials. The way we cope with the cost-of-living crisis is by looking it in the face and accepting it as reality.
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This is what things cost right now.
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If you are in a situation where things — eggs, houses, Zoom-appropriate workwear — cost more than you can afford to pay, here are your options:
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<strong>Earn more.</strong> Easier said than done, but very worth doing.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NBCtNT">
<strong>Spend less.</strong> A little easier to do (since there’s always at least one subscription service to cut), but saving $10 or $20 or even $100 every month probably won’t solve the bigger problem.
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<strong>Move to a lower-cost-of-living area.</strong> <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/26/18255131/moving-midwest-cedar-rapids">That’s what I did back in 2017</a>, and I moved to an even lower-cost-of-living area in 2020. Bought a house at 2 percent interest; bought a car with cash. (I know this won’t work for everybody, especially if your family or your career ties you to a specific part of the country, but at least one of the millennials reading this column should seriously consider it.)
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<strong>Practice aggressive debt management.</strong> Accept that you’re going to go into consumer debt. Build a sterling credit score (on-time payments will get you most of the way there). Get very good at shuffling your balances between 0 percent intro APR cards. If you can snag a personal loan at 6 percent interest, use it to pay off your cards in full. Rinse, lather, never miss a payment.
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<strong>Share the cost of living with others.</strong> <a href="https://www.vox.com/ad/22336923/multigenerational-living-home-buying-realtor">Multigenerational housing</a> is a thing! So are roommates, carpools, and community gardens. Even simple day-to-day activities like trading child care or casseroles or Zoom-appropriate workwear with a friend or neighbor can help mitigate some of the rising costs of living.
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<strong>Start preparing for where you want to be in five years.</strong> Hey, it’s the same advice I gave the first letter-writer! Figure out where you might want to go in your career, especially if you can position yourself toward a higher-paying job, and figure out what you need to do to get there. Ask yourself what milestones your loved ones are likely to experience, and start setting aside the money you’ll need to cover them. Cut another subscription. Get off social media. <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/2023/8/10/23824235/how-to-invest-money-stock-market-investing-retirement-advice">Invest in what matters</a>, and try to choose the kinds of investments — family, career, community — that offer the biggest returns.
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And remember: If eggs get too expensive, you can always substitute unsweetened applesauce.
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<li><strong>Johannesburg’s deadly apartment fire, explained</strong> -
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<img alt="Several people in black uniforms and three leashed German Shepherds approach a burned out apartment building, stained black by smoke." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iNNTQFndr8bgKM5870XbTUpVLAA=/198x0:3347x2362/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72608325/1637075645.0.jpg"/>
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South African Police Service’s K-9 unit arrives at the entrance of a burned apartment block in Johannesburg on September 1, 2023. | Luca Sola/AFP via Getty Images
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Chaos, poverty, and unemployment on a national scale set the stage for Thursday’s fire.
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An apartment fire in the South African city of Johannesburg has killed at least 76 people, including 12 children,<strong> </strong>and highlighted the city’s housing crisis, which has led to terrible conditions in unregulated dwellings run by criminal gangs.
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The fire — the worst in South Africa’s history — broke out Thursday night, quickly engulfing the five-story building in Johannesburg’s central business district. Around <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/world/africa/south-africa-fire-cause.html">600 people</a> were estimated to be living in the building, although officials couldn’t say how many were present when the fire started. People desperate to escape the fire threw their children out of windows or jumped themselves, since the building did not have proper escape routes.
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“This has given us a wake-up call, and I have said that our cities and municipalities must now pay attention to how people live,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-ramaphosa-urges-enforcement-laws-over-hijacked-buildings-2023-09-02/">said Saturday</a> at an event for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party. As Ramaphosa indicated, the lack of enforcement of existing laws against such dangerous and exploitative living situations certainly led to Thursday’s fire, but there are deeper social problems underlying the housing crisis.
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So-called “hijacked” buildings are not a new phenomenon in Johannesburg; gangs take over abandoned buildings in the city center and charge people with no other options rent to essentially squat there. Though the city is the wealthiest in South Africa, there is a huge gulf between those with resources — many of whom live in the suburbs — and those without.
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In this particular building people lived in squalid conditions and even squatted in the below-ground parking garage, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fire-johannesburg-south-africa-dead-a365fc66541584e61ec5cd3e7b375e67">Associated Press.</a> Many of the people who lived in the now-destroyed building were not South African citizens, city officials told the AP, and may have been in the country illegally. That could make identifying victims and notifying their families challenging if not impossible.
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It’s not yet known what caused the fire, though some early reports indicated a candle may have been the initial spark; many residents lit and heated their homes using fires and candles, Mgcini Tshwaku, a local government official told the AP. Residents had also set up makeshift homes in the building, using flammable materials like cardboard and textiles as walls; garbage was piled in and around the building, and the locked security gates prevented many people from escaping.
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Whatever the initial source of the fire, the real causes are far deeper and more complex, and they put hundreds — perhaps even thousands — more people at risk in dangerous living conditions. Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela, police commissioner of the Gauteng province, said at the scene that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fire-johannesburg-south-africa-dead-a365fc66541584e61ec5cd3e7b375e67">there were approximately 700 similar buildings in central Johannesburg</a>, and a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/world/africa/johannesburg-fire-vulnerabilities.html">New York Times</a> report indicates that many of them suffer from conditions similar to the destroyed building.
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Social problems like poverty and inequality are at the root of the Johannesburg fire
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There are laws in South Africa to keep people from illegally occupying buildings like the one destroyed on Thursday, but they aren’t well-enforced and courts often halt evictions, even if the buildings are illegally occupied and unsafe. The Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE), passed in 1998 to undo apartheid-era legislation that allowed the white government to <a href="https://ejournals.library.vanderbilt.edu/index.php/ameriquests/article/download/4451/2386?inline=1#ftnt1">evict Black South Africans and destroy their residences</a>, makes granting an eviction difficult.
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The people who live in the city’s abandoned buildings are among the poorest of Johannesburg’s poor and have nowhere else to go. “No one chooses to live in a hijacked building,” Brian McKechnie, an architect and heritage expert in Johannesburg <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/world/africa/south-africa-fire-cause.html">told the Times</a>. “They were only there because they were desperate.”
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Ramaphosa and others have blamed city officials for the fire, and they certainly deserve at least some of that blame; residents pleaded for help from the police and fire services, and inspections dating back at least to 2019 show how desperately bad and dangerous living conditions were. That year, after city inspectors’ reports, police raided the building and arrested 140 people for illegally charging rent — but city officials haven’t been in since, even though it’s a municipally owned building.
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As <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/world/africa/south-africa-fire-cause.html">the New York Times reported Saturday</a>, there were multiple indications that the building was, in the words of former Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse, “quite frankly, not habitable.” Phalatse visited the building in January 2019 and described its squalid and dangerous conditions to the Times after the fire. At the time Phalatse visited the building, she saw open sewage and unaccompanied children wandering the halls of the building in dirty clothes; a later report noted blown-out electrical outlets and melted wires in the rooms.
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But the problem is much more widespread and complex than just poor conditions in one building — political conditions in Johannesburg and high poverty and inequality in the nation overall set the stage for Thursday’s horrific fire.
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Johannesburg <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/world/africa/south-africa-johannesburg-mayor.html">has been in a state of chaos over the past few years</a>. As the ANC has lost its dominance in municipal politics throughout the country, smaller parties have led Johannesburg’s city council in coalition — only to throw the body into disarray when those coalitions break. That has meant more than six mayors have led the city in the past two years, making it difficult to enact any one political platform, or any real change for Johannesburg’s residents.
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South Africa is Africa’s most industrialized economy, yet has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates — <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-unemployment-rate-down-slightly-326-q2-2023-08-15/">officially about 33 percent</a>, though it is likely higher. The country also suffers from an <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/life-inside-hijacked-johannesburg-building-where-scores-burned-alive-2023-09-02/">affordable housing crisis</a>, exacerbated by conflict and poverty in other African nations which have pushed hundreds of thousands of migrants to the country since the end of apartheid. Widespread poverty in South Africa further aggravates an already strained country: According to an <a href="https://databankfiles.worldbank.org/public/ddpext_download/poverty/987B9C90-CB9F-4D93-AE8C-750588BF00QA/current/Global_POVEQ_ZAF.pdf">an April World Bank</a> report, 55 percent of South Africans lived at or below the national poverty line in 2014.
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It’s also one of the most unequal countries in the world, due in part to “structurally high inequality of opportunity,” according to the World Bank. That high inequality of opportunity is part of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid that persists in South Africa, despite <a href="https://www.britannica.com/question/How-did-apartheid-end">the end of apartheid in the early 1990s</a> and the election of Nelson Mandela as the country’s first Black and democratically elected president.
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Johannesburg is a prime example of that inequality and of the legacy of apartheid, as the Times noted in a recent report. While illegally run, dangerous, and shoddy housing proliferates in the city center, and services like garbage collection and policing are hard to obtain, glitzy malls and stately homes fill the suburbs and trendier parts of the city.
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The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/life-inside-hijacked-johannesburg-building-where-scores-burned-alive-2023-09-02/">now-destroyed building itself was a ghost of the country’s apartheid past</a>. During the era of white rule, Black South Africans were forced to carry papers, called a “dompas,” allowing them to work in white areas of the city — which were distributed from that same building.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Burning Man’s climate protesters have a point</strong> -
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<img alt="A fire at the Burning Man festival" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5c8g--BO-93O2fZWMfo7_6YK7QM=/0x0:3264x2448/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72593975/GettyImages_1239673779.0.jpg"/>
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The weeklong festival in the Black Rock Desert produces about 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. | Jordan England-Nelson/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
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Building a temporary city of 80,000 people in the desert is actually bad for the planet.
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<em><strong>Update, September 3, 8:45 am ET:</strong></em><em> This story was originally published on August 30 and has been updated to include the following new information.</em> <em>After a series of storms rolled through the Black Rock Desert Friday and Saturday evening, approximately 70,000 Burning Man attendees have been left stranded as conditions in and around the festival </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/us/burning-man-storm-flood-mud.html"><em>have deteriorated</em></a><em>, turning the dry lake bed into thick mud. Organizers have asked festival-goers to shelter in place, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said on X, formerly Twitter, that “the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event.” There were also reports of a death at the festival which is under investigation; as of this update, no cause of death has been released. </em>
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Sunday was not a fun day for the thousands of people on their way to Burning Man. In the days leading up to the bacchanal, traffic is typically a nightmare on the two-lane highway that leads to the barren former lake bed in the Black Rock Desert, a national conservation area that, for a week every year, becomes known as Black Rock City, population 80,000.
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But this year, a small group of climate protesters <a href="https://twitter.com/michellelhooq/status/1695937392157626448?s=46">parked a 28-foot trailer across the road</a>, causing <a href="https://twitter.com/FreedomNTV/status/1695945731876762056">miles of gridlock</a>. Seven Circles, a coalition of organizations that includes Extinction Rebellion and Rave Revolution, made some simple demands of the Burning Man Organization, which hosts the annual desert party: “Ban private jets, single-use plastics, unnecessary propane burning, and unlimited generator use per capita at the nine day event in Black Rock City, Nevada.” There were also calls for the organization to mobilize its members “to initiate systemic change.” But the ban on private jets — that seems pretty straightforward.
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“Burning Man should aim to have the same type of political impact that Woodstock had on counterculture,” Mun Chong, an organizer with Extinction Rebellion, said in a statement. “If we are honest about system change, it needs to start at ‘home.’ Ban the lowest-hanging fruit immediately: private jets.”
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The protesters, it deserves to be said, had a point: Burning Man is <a href="https://grist.org/article/hey-burning-man-your-desert-party-sucks-for-the-rest-of-us/'">famously</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/14/737708644/federal-clampdown-on-burning-man-imperils-festivals-free-spirit-ethos-say-burner">bad</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/07/burning-man-nevada-trash">for the planet</a>.
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</aside>
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The many tens of thousands of people the event attracts must travel through some of the most remote parts of the country to a destination where there are few natural resources, where everything gets trucked in, and where vast structures are lit ablaze on the last night of the festival, pumping carbon-filled smoke into the atmosphere. But over 90 percent of the event’s carbon footprint comes not from the fires themselves but from travel to and from Black Rock City, according to <a href="https://medium.com/beyond-burning-man/burning-man-project-2020-environmental-sustainability-report-df757260c9c5">a 2020 environmental sustainability report from the Burning Man Organization</a>. Another 5 percent comes from gas- and diesel-burning generators that keep lights and air conditioners on during the festival.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mb7V9M">
All things told, each Burning Man generates about 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. That’s more than <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results">about 22,000 gas-powered cars</a> produce in a year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mAmwxc">
But while the protesters had the moral high ground, the protest did not go well. After an hour-long standoff, trucks from the Pyramid Lake Ranger Station, a tribal law enforcement agency, showed up and <a href="https://twitter.com/FreedomNTV/status/1695976656106905623">promptly drove through the barricade</a>. The officer who destroyed the barricade then yelled over a loudspeaker, “I’m going to take all of you out, you better move,” before exiting the vehicle, drawing his weapon, and then handcuffing protesters who said they were not armed. At least one protester left with a bleeding head.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z5mdcx">
After it was all done, Burning Man attendees, also known as Burners, got back in their cars and RVs, stepped on the gas, and headed to the festival gate.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DIoBUs">
“Non-violent climate protesters are ordinary people exercising a basic democratic right, in an attempt to protect us all from catastrophe,” said <a href="https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/margaret-klein-salamon">Margaret Klein Salamon</a>, executive director for the Climate Emergency Fund, which has funded some of the groups involved in the Burning Man protest. “They deserve our respect and support, but instead, they were met with violence and repression.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OCFEGb">
At a time when climate protests are becoming increasingly stunt-based and even aggressive, this one feels a little different. Groups like Extinction Rebellion are known for unexpected protests, like gluing themselves to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/activists-glue-themselves-goya-paintings-spanish-climate-protest-2022-11-05/">famous paintings</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59969309">planes</a>, or <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/extinction-rebellion-protesters-superglue-themselves-around-speakers-chair-in-commons-12687662">historic buildings</a>. This action, however, set out to disrupt what was once a mecca of progressive art and creativity. You might even argue that the typical Burner — say, someone from the Bay Area who works in tech and enjoys feeling free spirited — would be quick to stand up for climate change in normal circumstances. But these days, Burning Man couldn’t be further from normal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4rLyb4">
The explosive growth and popularity of the festival <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/style/burning-man-sex-tech.html">in the past three decades</a> mirrors an entire history of humans favoring their own version of progress <a href="https://medium.com/beyond-burning-man/climate-change-is-an-existential-threat-to-black-rock-city-de473ab7a01">over the consequences it produces</a>. What started out as a gathering on a beach in San Francisco has grown into a destination for celebrities and the ultra rich, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/fashion/at-burning-man-the-tech-elite-one-up-one-another.html">especially tech billionaires</a>. That’s why private jets <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-one-percent-ultra-wealthy-private-jet-personal-chef-2019-8">have become an issue</a>. There are now <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/8/29/11630400/k-street-black-rock-burning-mans-billionaires-row">fancy camps</a>, meals prepared by private chefs, and VIP parties. Bear in mind, all of this is built just for the weeklong festival at the end of the summer, and it all has to be disassembled and taken away after. One of the founding principles of Burning Man is “leave no trace,” but even the event’s organizers <a href="https://journal.burningman.org/2023/03/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/2022-moop-maps/">were stunned</a> by how much trash got left behind in the desert last year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jDbItX">
Burning Man 2022 was also a telling reminder of how our warming world is changing. The weekend of the event, a string of wildfires <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Wildfire-starts-in-northern-Nevada-17402122.php">burned just north of Black Rock City</a>. Meanwhile, in the desert, temperatures veered into the triple digits, causing Burners to retreat to air conditioned tents and RVs powered by gas-burning generators. Solar setups could be found sporadically in different parts of the festival, and at least one — but maybe only one — camp <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/burning-man-climate-death-spiral/">was completely run on solar power</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tDw8kP">
The Burning Man Organization <a href="https://burningman.medium.com/burning-man-project-2030-environmental-sustainability-roadmap-c79657e18146">has committed</a> to becoming carbon negative by 2030, but it’s very unclear how this can happen without completely rethinking the concept. That solar-powered camp required $200,000 worth of equipment to keep the lights on. And because the event takes place about three hours from a major city, all of this infrastructure needs to be hauled in by gas-powered trucks. Even if electric trucks were available, there would be no way for them to charge up for the drive back.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0C1xfA">
“Despite all the green technology being discussed, Burning Man will get dirtier before it gets cleaner — and will miss its own goal of being net negative on emissions by 2030 — unless the Org makes big changes,” Alden Wicker <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/burning-man-climate-death-spiral/">reported last year</a> in Wired, referring to the Burning Man Organization.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ic6zJO">
So you can see how the climate protesters arrived at their list of demands. For Burning Man to exist in its current form and radically reduce its carbon footprint, major changes need to happen, and it’s not clear if or how the event’s organizers will meet their own environmental sustainability goals. And again, the protest itself did not go well for anyone. Thousands of cars idling in the middle of the desert didn’t exactly improve the greenhouse gas emissions situation. People got hurt. But the festival did go on, and those air conditioners and their generators will keep rumbling until September 4, when they burn it all down again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rIqNkL">
<em>A version of this story was also published in the Vox Technology newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em><strong>Sign up here</strong></em></a><em> so you don’t miss the next one!</em>
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Indian men’s team enters semifinals</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s My Time, Arc De Triomphe and Raffaello catch the eye</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Indian men’s TT team assured of bronze medal at Asian Championships</strong> - The opening singles between veteran Sharath Kamal and Izaac Quek went down to the wire with the 41-year-old Indian prevailing 11-1, 10-12, 11-8, 11-13, 14-12</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Muhseer fires in seven goals in Kasargod’s big win</strong> - The second match between Thrissur and Malappuram, also in Group A, saw 20 goals being scored but the game ended in a draw</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Iga Swiatek’s U.S. Open title defence ends with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the 4th round</strong> - Iga Swiatek will lose top rank as a result as Jelena Ostapenko advances to take on Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India’s power consumption grows by over 16% to 151.66 billion units in August</strong> - The Power Ministry had estimated the country’s electricity demand to touch 229 GW during the summer season</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Epigraphists to help study inscriptions on stone slabs at historic Udayamperoor synod church</strong> - Stone slabs were recently spotted during works to shift granite cross in front of church closer to church building</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Man slits throats of three daughters, hangs himself</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Two companies quote ₹6.88 per unit for medium-term contracts for power supply</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Himanta discusses with Shah complete withdrawal of AFSPA from Assam</strong> - Since the beginning of its application in Assam more than three decades ago, the extension of the AFSPA was recommended 62 times, CM Sarma said</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov dismissed</strong> - Ukraine’s president dismisses Oleksii Reznikov, saying “new approaches” are needed.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rustem Umerov: Who is Ukraine’s next defence minister?</strong> - The man due to take over from Oleksii Reznikov is a leading member of the Crimean Tatar community.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine War: Counter-offensive troops punch through Russia line, generals claim</strong> - Kyiv says its troops are gaining momentum in what continues to be a lengthy and bloody counter-offensive.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Threats, insults, and Kremlin ‘robots’: How Russian diplomacy died under Putin</strong> - Russian diplomacy is no longer about co-operation but “putting Westerners in their place”, say ex-Kremlin insiders.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Torrential rain in Spain causes major flooding</strong> - A football match between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla was called off as a red alert was issued in the capital.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reddit faces content quality concerns after its Great Mod Purge</strong> - Concerns of Redditor safety, jeopardized research amid new mods and API rules. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1961446">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A look into the REM dreams of the animal kingdom</strong> - Animals’ “active” sleep phases look very much like REM. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1964996">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple details reasons to abandon CSAM-scanning tool, more controversy ensues</strong> - Safety groups remain concerned about child sexual abuse material scanning and user reporting. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1964978">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>BMW’s Neue Klasse points to a radical reinvention for future sedans</strong> - Innovations making it to production include a full-screen heads-up display and e-ink. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1965050">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Two book readers recap a very non-book-ish Wheel of Time season 2 premiere</strong> - The Wheel turns, and new seasons come and pass, leaving reviews that become legend. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1965179">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man sees a sign outside a house: ‘Talking greyhound For Sale’</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He rings the bell, the owner appears and tells him the dog can be viewed in the back garden. The man sees a very nice looking greyhound sitting there.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Do you really talk?” he asks the greyhound.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh yes,” the greyhound replies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After recovering from the shock of hearing the greyhound talk, the man asks, “So, tell me your story.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The greyhound looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I joined the SAS, I thought they’d have me fighting, but turned out I was more useful as a spy, so the transferred me to MI5 - they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with world leaders and that , because no one imagined that a greyhound would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Eventually though, the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at Heathrow to do some undercover security work, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded several medals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Did that for a few years, but recently I got married, had a few puppies, and I’ve made a bit of cash over the years, so now I’ve just retired."
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man is amazed. He goes back into the house and asks the owner how much he wants for the greyhound.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Ten quid,” the owner says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“£10!!? But this greyhound is absolutely amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheaply?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Because he’s a lying bastard. He’s never been out of the garden!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/iamdecal"> /u/iamdecal </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169ef90/a_man_sees_a_sign_outside_a_house_talking/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169ef90/a_man_sees_a_sign_outside_a_house_talking/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man goes home to his wife, after being fired from his job at a chips factory..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The wife acts surprised, because the man has been employee of the month for 13 months in a row. She asks “What happened?” “I got fired for putting my penis in the potato cutter. It’s been a dream of mine, and I couldn’t resist it anymore”, the man replied. The wife, even more surprised after hearing what happened, asked if everything is okay with his penis. “Yes everything is fine with the penis”, he replied. “What about the potato cutter?”, she asked. A bit ashamed, he replied “she got fired as well !!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/whyamihere999"> /u/whyamihere999 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169m5ky/a_man_goes_home_to_his_wife_after_being_fired/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169m5ky/a_man_goes_home_to_his_wife_after_being_fired/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Putin decreed that all time zones in Russia be unified.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After this had occurred, the Prime Minister approached him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>“Dearest Putin, I had a problem. I called my relatives in the east to wish them good night, and they told me they were on the beach enjoying the sun.”</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>“And then I called my family in Kaliningrad to wish them a happy holiday, and they said the holiday was already over.”</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>“And then I called Xi Jinping to wish him a happy new year, and he said ‘what, it’s still the old year’.”</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Putin nodded his head sympatheticly, saying:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
<em>“I, too, have had these kinds of problems. I called Prigozhin’s family to offer them condolences, but it turned out we hadn’t even killed him yet.”</em>
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/form_d_k"> /u/form_d_k </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169npzo/putin_decreed_that_all_time_zones_in_russia_be/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/169npzo/putin_decreed_that_all_time_zones_in_russia_be/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My wife called me at the bar. Said if I was not home in ten minutes, she was feeding my dinner to the dog</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I was home in five. I love that dog too much to see harm come to him.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Bidi_Baba"> /u/Bidi_Baba </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16997fj/my_wife_called_me_at_the_bar_said_if_i_was_not/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16997fj/my_wife_called_me_at_the_bar_said_if_i_was_not/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The gambler calls his tax attorney, and they go to see the IRS agent</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
As they are waiting in the office, the IRS agent looks over his paperwork and says:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“The reason for your audit is that you have a relatively lavish lifestyle but not much income to justify it. Can you tell me what you do for a living?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The gambler says, “I am a professional gambler.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“A gambler?” said the IRS agent with a slightly puzzled and surprised look on his face.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yes, I make my money by betting, would you like a demonstration?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sure,” said the IRS agent, “let’s have a demonstration.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I will bet you $1,000; that I can bite my eye,” said the gambler.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“OK, you have a bet,” replied the IRS agent with a smirk on his face. The gambler pops out his glass eye and bites it. IRS agent is shocked as he did not see that coming, and he did agree to a $1,000 bet from of gambler’s attorney.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“All right, all right, this was not really fair” said the gambler. “I will give you a chance to win your money back. I will bet you another $1,000 that I can bite my other eye.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
IRS agent looks over the guys paperwork and see that he is not legally blind and takes the bet. The gambler takes out his dentures and bites his other eye. The IRS agent is now visibly stressed and sweating from being on the hook for $2,000.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I tell you what. Double or nothing, I will stand on the edge of your desk, close my eyes and piss into the garbage can on the other side of the room without spilling a drop, what do you say?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The IRS agent is a little perplexed but does not see how that would be possible and takes the bet. The gambler stands on the agent<code>s desk, unzips his pants, closes his eyes, and pisses all over the agent</code>s desk.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“YES!!!” exclaimed the IRS agent knowing he won the bet and does not owe the gambler any money.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Ahh, shiiiit” said the attorney.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“What’s the matter?” asked the IRS agent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well, he bet me $20,000 that he will come to your office today, piss all over your desk, and you would be happy about it.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Snowandicefan"> /u/Snowandicefan </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16912rp/the_gambler_calls_his_tax_attorney_and_they_go_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16912rp/the_gambler_calls_his_tax_attorney_and_they_go_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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