A critical reexamination of recovered SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data -
+
+SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic are valuable because they could help understand how the virus entered the human population. In 2021, Jesse Bloom reported on the recovery of a sequencing dataset that had been removed from the NCBI SRA database at the request of the data generators, a scientific team at Wuhan University. Bloom suggested that the data may have been removed in order to obfuscate the origin of SARS-CoV-2, questioning the generating authors' statements that the samples had been collected on and after January 30, 2020. Here, we show that sample collection dates were published in 2020 together with the sequencing data, and match the dates given by the authors in 2021. We examine mutations in these sequences and confirm that they are entirely consistent with the previously known genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 of late January 2020. Finally, we explain how an apparent phylogenetic rooting paradox described by Bloom was resolved by subsequent analysis. Our reanalysis demonstrates that allegations of cover-up or metadata manipulation were unwarranted.
+
Robust Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Including JN.1 and BA.2.87.1 by Trivalent XBB Vaccine-Induced Antibodies -
+
+Newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants like JN.1, and more recently, the hypermutated BA.2.87.1, have raised global concern. We recruited two groups of participants who had BA.5/BF.7 breakthrough infection post three doses of inactivated vaccines: one group experienced subsequent XBB reinfection, while the other received the XBB-containing trivalent WSK-V102C vaccine. Our comparative analysis of their serum neutralization activities revealed that the WSK-V102C vaccine induced stronger antibody responses against a wide range of variants, notably including JN.1 and the highly escaped BA.2.87.1. Furthermore, our investigation into specific mutations revealed that fragment deletions in NTD significantly contribute to the immune evasion of the BA.2.87.1 variant. Our findings emphasize the necessity for ongoing vaccine development and adaptation to address the dynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
+
MobileLAMP: A portable, low-cost, open-source device for isothermal nucleic acid amplification -
+
+Isothermal amplification-based methods for pathogen DNA or RNA detection offer high sensitivity, rapid detection, and the potential for deployment in remote fields and home testing. Consequently, they are emerging as alternatives to PCR and saw a surge in research activity and deployment for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The most common isothermal DNA detection methods rely on minimal reagents for DNA amplification and simple hardware that can maintain isothermal conditions and read-out a fluorescent or colorimetric signal. Many researchers globally are working on improving these components based on diverse end-user needs. In this work, we have recognized the need for an open-source hardware device for isothermal amplification, composed of off-the-shelf components that are easily accessible in any part of the world, is easily manufacturable in a distributed and scalable way using 3D printing, and that can be powered using a wide diversity of batteries and power sources. We demonstrate the easy assembly of our device design and demonstrate its efficacy using colorimetric LAMP for both RNA and DNA targets.
+
Disaster, Facial Recognition Technology, and the Problem of the Corpse -
+
+The overlapping disasters of the Australian 2019-2020 bushfire season and the COVID-19 pandemic, figured alongside the imaginary of projected future disasters, have provided a space of legitimation to experiment with controversial facial recognition technologies (FRTs). Drawing upon interviews conducted with senior Australian government administrators and researchers, I argue that FRTs are being used to respond to the trauma of disaster through its novel mediation and refiguration, tied to discourses of resilience which have been used to justify the expansion of FRT as a means for relief and the provision of aid. This legitimation however is challenged by the difficulty FRT encounters in capturing the face in its vital and its mortal malleability. What I term āthe problem of the corpseā serves to bring to light the āparanoidā gaze of the biometric apparatus, disrupting the aim of using biometric infrastructure to produce a ānew normalā in the ongoing aftermath of disaster.
+
+Manuscript of editorās introduction to forthcoming special issue for New Media & Society on legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic for automated decision-making.
+
UBA1-CDK16: A Sex-Specific Chimeric RNA and Its Role in Immune Sexual Dimorphism -
+
+RNA processing mechanisms, such as alternative splicing and RNA editing, have been recognized as critical means to expand the transcriptome. Chimeric RNAs formed by intergenic splicing provide another potential layer of RNA diversification. By analyzing a large set of RNA-Seq data and validating results in over 1,200 blood samples, we identified UBA1-CDK16, a female-specific chimeric transcript. Intriguingly, both parental genes, are expressed in males and females. Mechanistically, UBA1-CDK16 is produced by cis-splicing between the two adjacent X-linked genes, originating from the inactive X chromosome. A female-specific chromatin loop, formed between the junction sites, facilitates the alternative splicing of its readthrough precursor. This unique chimeric transcript exhibits evolutionary conservation, evolving to be female-specific from non-human primates to humans. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that UBA1-CDK16 is enriched in the myeloid lineage and plays a regulatory role in myeloid differentiation. Notably, female COVID-19 patients who tested negative for this chimeric transcript displayed higher counts of neutrophils, highlighting its potential role in disease pathogenesis. These findings support the notion that chimeric RNAs represent a new repertoire of transcripts that can be regulated independently from the parental genes, and a new class of RNA variance with potential implications in sexual dimorphism and immune responses.
+
SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey of healthy, privately owned cats presenting to a New York City animal hospital in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) -
+
+Both domestic and non-domestic cats are now established to be susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While serious disease in cats may occur in some instances, the majority of infections appear to be subclinical. Differing prevalence data for SARS-CoV-2 infection of cats have been reported, and are highly context-dependent. Here, we report a retrospective serological survey of cats presented to an animal practice in New York City, located in close proximity to a large medical center that treated the first wave of COVID-19 patients in the US in the Spring of 2020. We sampled 79, mostly indoor, cats between June 2020 to May 2021, the early part of which time the community was under a strict public health lock-down. Using a highly sensitive and specific fluorescent bead-based multiplex assay, we found an overall prevalence of 13/79 (16%) serologically-positive animals for the study period; however, cats sampled in the Fall of 2020 had a confirmed positive prevalence of 44%. For SARS-CoV-2 seropositive cats, we performed viral neutralization test with live SARS-CoV-2 to additionally confirm presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. Of the thirteen seropositive cats, 7/13 (54%) were also positive by virus neutralization, and 2 of seropositive cats had previously documented respiratory signs, with high neutralization titers of 1:1024 and 1:4096; overall however, there was no statistically significant association of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity with respiratory signs, or with breed, sex or age of the animals. Follow up sampling of cats, while limited in scope, showed that positive serological titers were maintained over time. In comparison, we found an overall confirmed positive prevalence of 51% for feline coronavirus (FCoV), an endemic virus of cats, with 30% confirmed negative for FCoV. We demonstrate the impact of SARS-CoV in a defined feline population during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection of humans, and suggest that human-cat transmission was substantial in our study group. Our data provide a new context for SARS-CoV-2 transmission events across species.
+
A single-dose MCMV-based vaccine elicits long-lasting immune protection in mice against distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants -
+
+Current vaccines against COVID-19 elicit immune responses that are overall strong but wane rapidly. As a consequence, the necessary booster shots have led to vaccine fatigue. Hence, vaccines that would provide lasting protection against COVID-19 are needed, but are still unavailable. Cytomegaloviruses (CMV) elicit lasting and uniquely strong immune responses. Used as vaccine vectors, they may be attractive tools that obviate the need for boosters. Therefore, we tested the murine CMV (MCMV) as a vaccine vector against COVID-19 in relevant preclinical models of immunization and challenge. We have previously developed a recombinant murine CMV (MCMV) vaccine vector expressing the spike protein of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (MCMVS). In this study, we show that the MCMVS elicits a robust and lasting protection in young and aged mice. Notably, S-specific humoral and cellular immunity was not only maintained but even increased over a period of at least 6 months. During that time, antibody avidity continuously increased and expanded in breadth, resulting in neutralization of genetically distant variants, like Omicron BA.1. A single dose of MCMVS conferred rapid virus clearance upon challenge. Moreover, MCMVS vaccination controlled two immune-evading variants of concern (VoCs), the Beta (B.1.135) and the Omicron (BA.1) variants. Thus, CMV vectors provide unique advantages over other vaccine technologies, eliciting broadly reactive and long-lasting immune responses against COVID-19.
+
Infer metabolic directions and magnitudes from moment differences of mass-weighted intensity distributions -
+
+Metabolic pathways are fundamental maps in biochemistry that detail how molecules are transformed through various reactions. Metabolomics refers to the large-scale study of small molecules. High-throughput, untargeted, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics experiments typically depend on libraries for structural annotation, which is necessary for pathway analysis. However, only a small fraction of spectra can be matched to known structures in these libraries and only a portion of annotated metabolites can be associated with specific pathways, considering that numerous pathways are yet to be discovered. The complexity of metabolic pathways, where a single compound can play a part in multiple pathways, poses an additional challenge. This study introduces a different concept: mass spectra distribution, which is the empirical distribution of the intensities times their associated m/z values. Analysis of COVID-19 and mouse brain datasets shows that by estimating the differences of the point estimations of these distributions, it becomes possible to infer the metabolic directions and magnitudes without requiring knowledge of the exact chemical structures of these compounds and their related pathways. The overall metabolic momentum map, named as momentome, has the potential to bypass the current bottleneck and provide fresh insights into metabolomics studies. This brief report thus provides a mathematical framing for a classic biological concept.
+
āSome distance between us:ā a mixed methods study exploring experiences of remote care for eating disorders during COIVD-19 -
+
+Introduction: COVID-19 necessitated a rapid move from face-to-face services to remote care for eating disorders/eating distress (EDs). This study explores the advantages and challenges of remote care, identifying future implications for service provision. Methods: Using a mixed methods approach, data were collected from 211 people with lived experience (PWLE); 27 participating in semi-structured interviews/workshops and 184 via an online survey. Participants reported on their ED status; the impact of the pandemic on symptoms; benefits and challenges of remote care (and type of support accessed); any reasons for not accessing support; and future recommendations. Participation was open to PWLE with and without formal diagnosis. Results: ED symptoms were reported as worsening during the pandemic with contributing factors including isolation, lack of routine, negative emotions, and feeling like the external situation was outside of oneās control. Exercise was reported as a coping mechanism (although it is noted that responses did not allow for clarifications of respondentsā understanding of what constitutes healthy or unhealthy exercise). Remote care was positively attributed to increased flexibility and facilitation of social connection. However, identified barriers to access included a lack of awareness about support availability, digital access and/or literacy, and competing commitments (e.g., childcare). Further challenges included approaches being perceived as too clinical; uncertainty around remote care quality, and concerns that remote platforms may facilitate masking of symptoms. Participants also reflected heavily upon distress caused by default self-view during video calls. Participants expressed a need for more holistic approaches including āreal storiesā of recovery, and hybrid (online and offline) options for greater flexibility and widening of access choices; complimented by appropriate training to mitigate digital literacy barriers. Discussion: Future recommendations emphasise user-centered holistic, hybrid approaches to ED remote support, supported by training to address digital literacy barriers and facilitate user control of platform functionalities (e.g., self-view). The study underscores the need for continued remote care with a focus on inclusivity and user empowerment.
+
A Broad-Spectrum Multi-Antigen mRNA/LNP-Based Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Induced Potent Cross-Protective Immunity Against Infection and Disease Caused by Highly Pathogenic and Heavily Spike-Mutated SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in the Syrian Hamster Model -
+
+The first-generation Spike-alone-based COVID-19 vaccines have successfully contributed to reducing the risk of hospitalization, serious illness, and death caused by SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, waning immunity induced by these vaccines failed to prevent immune escape by many variants of concern (VOCs) that emerged from 2020 to 2024, resulting in a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesize that a next-generation Coronavirus (CoV) vaccine incorporating highly conserved non-Spike SARS-CoV-2 antigens would confer stronger and broader cross-protective immunity against multiple VOCs. In the present study, we identified ten non-Spike antigens that are highly conserved in 8.7 million SARS-CoV-2 strains, twenty-one VOCs, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Common Cold CoVs, and animal CoVs. Seven of the 10 antigens were preferentially recognized by CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells from unvaccinated asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, irrespective of VOC infection. Three out of the seven conserved non-Spike T cell antigens belong to the early expressed Replication and Transcription Complex (RTC) region, when administered to the golden Syrian hamsters, in combination with Spike, as nucleoside-modified mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) (i.e., combined mRNA/LNP-based pan-CoV vaccine): (i) Induced high frequencies of lung-resident antigen-specific CXCR5+CD4+ T follicular helper (TFH) cells, GzmB+CD4+ and GzmB+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (TCYT), and CD69+IFN-g+TNF-a+CD4+ and CD69+IFN-g+TNFa+CD8+ effector T cells (TEFF); and (ii) Reduced viral load and COVID-19-like symptoms caused by various VOCs, including the highly pathogenic B.1.617.2 Delta variant and the highly transmittable heavily Spike-mutated XBB1.5 Omicron sub-variant. The combined mRNA/LNP-based pan-CoV vaccine could be rapidly adapted for clinical use to confer broader cross-protective immunity against emerging highly mutated and pathogenic VOCs.
+
Probability Discounting and Adherence to Preventive Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic -
+
+This brief communication reports preliminary findings of a study conducted to investigate the relationship between probability discounting and peopleās adherence to preventive behaviors recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 112 adults living in Brazil completed an online survey composed of a Probability Discounting Questionnaire (PDQ) and a 10-item assessment of how often they complied with the health authoritiesā recommendations (e.g., wash the hands frequently, practice social distancing, stay at home as much as possible, wear a mask when in public). Data analysis included the participants who showed higher (n = 40) and lower (n = 40) adherence to preventive behaviors. Results revealed that probability discounting measures are related to peopleās preventive actions. Participants in the higher adherence group present significantly larger risk aversion indices (i.e., larger h values) than participants in the lower adherence group. Also, participants who showed lower adherence to preventive behaviors were more likely to perform risky choices in the PDQ than participants who demonstrated higher compliance with health authoritiesā recommendations. These preliminary results suggest that probability discounting can play an essential role in peopleās self-protective decisions during a global health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
+
Pooled PPIseq: screening the SARS-CoV-2 and human interface with a scalable multiplexed protein-protein interaction assay platform -
+
+Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) are a key interface between virus and host, and these interactions are important to both viral reprogramming of the host and to host restriction of viral infection. In particular, viral-host PPI networks can be used to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tissue specificity, host range, and virulence. At higher scales, viral-host PPI screening could also be used to screen for small-molecule antivirals that interfere with essential viral-host interactions, or to explore how the PPI networks between interacting viral and host genomes co-evolve. Current high-throughput PPI assays have screened entire viral-host PPI networks. However, these studies are time consuming, often require specialized equipment, and are difficult to further scale. Here, we develop methods that make larger-scale viral-host PPI screening more accessible. This approach combines the mDHFR split-tag reporter with the iSeq2 interaction-barcoding system to permit massively-multiplexed PPI quantification by simple pooled engineering of barcoded constructs, integration of these constructs into budding yeast, and fitness measurements by pooled cell competitions and barcode-sequencing. We applied this method to screen for PPIs between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human proteins, screening in triplicate >180,000 ORF-ORF combinations represented by >1,000,000 barcoded lineages. Our results complement previous screens by identifying 74 putative PPIs, including interactions between ORF7A with the taste receptors TAS2R41 and TAS2R7, and between NSP4 with the transmembrane KDELR2 and KDELR3. We show that this PPI screening method is highly scalable, enabling larger studies aimed at generating a broad understanding of how viral effector proteins converge on cellular targets to effect replication.
+
Single-cell Masked Autoencoder: An Accurate and Interpretable Automated Immunophenotyper -
+
+High-throughput single-cell cytometry data are crucial for understanding immune system's involvement in diseases and responses to treatment. Traditional methods for annotating cytometry data, specifically manual gating and clustering, face challenges in scalability, robustness, and accuracy. In this study, we propose a single-cell masked autoencoder (scMAE), which offers an automated solution for immunophenotyping tasks including cell type annotation. The scMAE model is designed to uphold user-defined cell type definitions, thereby facilitating easier interpretation and cross-study comparisons. The scMAE model operates on a pre-train and fine-tune approach. In the pre-training phase, scMAE employs Masked Single-cell Modelling (MScM) to learn relationships between protein markers in immune cells solely based on protein expression, without relying on prior information such as cell identity and cell type-specific marker proteins. Subsequently, the pre-trained scMAE is fine-tuned on multiple specialized tasks via task-specific supervised learning. The pre-trained scMAE addresses the shortcomings of manual gating and clustering methods by providing accurate and interpretable predictions. Through validation across multiple cohorts, we demonstrate that scMAE effectively identifies co-occurrence patterns of bound labeled antibodies, delivers accurate and interpretable cellular immunophenotyping, and improves the prediction of subject metadata status. Specifically, we evaluated scMAE for cell type annotation and imputation at the cellular-level and SARS-CoV-2 infection prediction, secondary immune response prediction against COVID-19, and prediction the infection stage in the COVID-19 progression at the subject-level. The introduction of scMAE marks a significant step forward in immunology research, particularly in large-scale and high-throughput human immune profiling. It offers new possibilities for predicting and interpretating cellular-level and subject-level phenotypes in both health and disease.
+
A spring-loaded and leakage-tolerant synthetic gene switch for in-vitro detection of DNA and RNA -
+
+Nucleic acid tests (NATs) are essential for biomedical diagnostics. Traditional NATs, often complex and expensive, have prompted the exploration of Toehold-Mediated Strand Displacement (TMSD) circuits as an economical alternative. However, the wide application of TMSD-based reactions is limited by leakage-the spurious activation of the reaction leading to high background signals and false positives. Here we introduce a new TMSD cascade that recognizes a custom nucleic acid input and generates an amplified output. The system is based on a pair of thermodynamically spring-loaded DNA modules. The binding of a predefined nucleic acid target triggers an intermolecular reaction that activates a T7 promoter, leading to the perpetual transcription of a fluorescent aptamer that can be detected by a smartphone camera. The system is designed to permit the selective depletion of leakage byproducts to achieve high sensitivity and zero-background signal in the absence of the correct trigger. Using Zika virus (ZIKV)- and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-derived nucleic acid sequences, we show that the assay generates a reliable target-specific readout. Native RNA can be directly detected under isothermal conditions, without requiring reverse transcription, with a sensitivity as low as 200 attomole. The modularity of the assay allows easy re-programming for the detection of other targets by exchanging a single sequence domain. This work provides a low-complexity and high-fidelity synthetic biology tool for point-of-care diagnostics and for the construction of more complex biomolecular computations.
+
Correlation of Antibody Response to COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant Woman and Transplacental Passage Into Cord Blood. - Conditions: Covid-19 Interventions: Diagnostic Test: COVID-19 Spike Protein IgG Quantitative Antibody (CMIA) Sponsors: Vachira Phuket Hospital Recruiting
+
UNAIR Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine as Homologue Booster (Immunobridging Study) - Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccines; COVID-19 Virus Disease Interventions: Biological: INAVAC (Vaksin Merah Putih - UA- SARS CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 Ī¼g Sponsors: Dr.Ā Soetomo General Hospital; Universitas Airlangga; Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia; Indonesia-MoH Recruiting
+
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Sub-unit Protein CD40.RBDv Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted or Not, as a Booster in Volunteers. - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: CD40.RBDv vaccin (SARS-Cov2 Vaccin) Sponsors: ANRS, Emerging Infectious Diseases; LinKinVax; Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), France Not yet recruiting
+
High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Ctimulation and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk - Conditions: Cardiovascular Diseases; Long Covid19 Interventions: Other: High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Dietary Supplement: Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Sponsors: Federal University of ParaĆba; City University of New York Recruiting
+
SGB for COVID-induced Parosmia - Conditions: COVID-19-Induced Parosmia Interventions: Drug: Stellate Ganglion Block; Drug: Placebo Sham Injection Sponsors: Washington University School of Medicine Recruiting
+
Effects of Physiotherapy Via Video Calls in Patients With COVID-19 - Conditions: COVID-19; Long COVID-19; Cardiopulmonary Function; Physical Function Interventions: Behavioral: Exercise training Sponsors: Chulabhorn Hospital Active, not recruiting
+
Investigating the Effectiveness of Vimida - Conditions: Long COVID; Post COVID-19 Condition Interventions: Behavioral: vimida Sponsors: Gaia AG; Medical School Hamburg; Institut Long-Covid Rostock Not yet recruiting
+
Acute Cardiovascular Responses to a Single Exercise Session in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Syndrome - Conditions: Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Interventions: Behavioral: Exercise session; Behavioral: Control session Sponsors: University of Nove de Julho Not yet recruiting
+
Reducing Respiratory Virus Transmission in Bangladeshi Classrooms - Conditions: SARS-CoV2 Infection; Influenza Viral Infections; Respiratory Viral Infection Interventions: Device: Box Fan; Device: UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Unit; Device: Combined: Box Fan and UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Units Sponsors: Stanford University; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh Not yet recruiting
+
SMILE: Clinical Trial to Evaluate Mindfulness as Intervention for Racial and Ethnic Populations During COVID-19 - Conditions: Anxiety; COVID-19 Pandemic Interventions: Behavioral: Mindfulness Sponsors: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD); RTI International Not yet recruiting
+
+
From PubMed
+
+
How can we promote vaccination of the mass population?-Lessons from the COVID-19 vaccination defaults - While vaccines are pivotal in combating COVID-19, concerns about side effects and complex procedures have hindered complete vaccination. Prior studies suggest that individuals defaulted to opt-out exhibit higher COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to those in opt-in systems. However, these studies were conducted in countries with a tolerant attitude towards vaccination and default changes, targeting specific age groups, and did not address potential deterrents like the increase in cancellationā¦
+
Nanobody engineering for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization and detection - In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the quest for coronavirus inhibitors has inspired research on a variety of small proteins beyond conventional antibodies, including robust single-domain antibody fragments, i.e., ānanobodies.ā Here, we explore the potential of nanobody engineering in the development of antivirals and diagnostic tools. Through fusion of nanobody domains that target distinct binding sites, we engineered multimodular nanobody constructs that neutralize wild-typeā¦
+
Effect of rifampicin administration on CYP induction in a dermatomyositis patient with vasospastic angina attributable to nilmatrelvir/ritonavir-induced blood tacrolimus elevation: A case report - Ritonavir (RTV), which is used in combination with nilmatrelvir (NMV) to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, thereby increasing blood tacrolimus (TAC) levels through a drug-drug interaction (DDI). We experienced a case in which a DDI between the two drugs led to markedly increased blood TAC levels, resulting in vasospastic angina (VSA) and acute kidney injury (AKI). Rifampicin (RFP) was administered to induce CYP3A and promote TAC metabolism. Aā¦
+
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain promotes IL-6 and IL-8 release via ATP/P2Y2 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in human bronchial epithelia - The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 as well as its receptor binding domain (RBD) has been demonstrated to be capable of activating the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in endothelial cells and immune cells such as monocytes. However, the effects of spike protein or its RBD on airway epithelial cells and mechanisms underlying these effects have not been adequately characterized. Here, we show that the RBD of spike protein alone can induce bronchial epithelial inflammation in a manner ofā¦
+
Targeting mevalonate pathway by zoledronate ameliorated pulmonary fibrosis in a rat model: Promising therapy against post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis - CONCLUSION: ZA in a dose-dependent manner prevented the pathological effect of CCl4 in the lung by targeting mevalonate pathway. It could be promising therapy against PCPF.
+
Methotrexate Inhibits the Binding of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Receptor Binding Domain to the Host-Cell Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE-2) Receptor - As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus mutates, finding effective drugs becomes more challenging. In this study, we use ultrasensitive frequency locked microtoroid optical resonators in combination with in silico screening to search for COVID-19 drugs that can stop the virus from attaching to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor in the lungs. We found 29 promising candidates that could block the binding site and selected four of them thatā¦
+
Evaluating NSAIDs in SARS-CoV-2: Immunomodulatory mechanisms and future therapeutic strategies - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely recognized for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Amidst the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the role of NSAIDs in modulating viral and bacterial infections has become a critical area of research, sparking debates and necessitating a thorough review. This review examines the multifaceted interactions between NSAIDs, immune responses, and infections. Focusing on the immunomodulatory mechanisms of NSAIDs in SARS-CoV-2 and theirā¦
+
Molecular docking of bioactive compounds extracted and purified from selected medicinal plant species against covid-19 proteins and in vitro evaluation - Bioactive compounds are secondary metabolites of plants. They offer diverse pharmacological properties. Peganum harmala is reported to have pharmaceutical effects like insecticidal, antitumor, curing malaria, anti-spasmodic, vasorelaxant, antihistaminic effect. Rosa brunonii has medicinal importance in its flower and fruits effective against different diseases and juice of leaf is reported to be applied externally to cure wounds and cuts. Dryopteris ramosa aqueous leaf extract is used to treatā¦
+
Asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 promotes SARS-CoV-2 infection of human normal hepatocytes - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes multi-organ damage, which includes hepatic dysfunction, as observed in over 50% of COVID-19 patients. Angiotensin I converting enzyme (peptidyl-dipeptidase A) 2 (ACE2) is the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells, and studies have shown the presence of intracellular virus particles in human hepatocytes that express ACE2, but at extremely low levels. Consequently, we asked if hepatocytes might express receptorsā¦
+
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-ACE2 interaction increases carbohydrate sulfotransferases and reduces N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase by p38 MAPK - Immunostaining in lungs of patients who died with COVID-19 infection showed increased intensity and distribution of chondroitin sulfate and decline in N-acetylgalactostamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB). To explain these findings, human small airway epithelial cells were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (SPRBD) and transcriptional mechanisms were investigated. Phospho-p38 MAPK and phospho-SMAD3 increased following exposure to the SPRBD, and their inhibitionā¦
+
Investigating vulnerability of the conserved SARS-CoV-2 spikeās heptad repeat 2 as target for fusion inhibitors using chimeric miniproteins - Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion is a highly desired target to combat COVID-19. The interaction between the spikeās heptad repeat (HR) regions 1 (HR1) and 2 (HR2) is a crucial step during the fusion process and these highly conserved HR regions constitute attractive targets for fusion inhibitors. However, the relative importance of each subregion of the long HR1-HR2 interface for viral inhibition remains unclear. Here, we designed, produced, and characterized a series of chimericā¦
+
TYPE I INTERFERON PATHWAY GENETIC VARIANTS IN SEVERE COVID-19 - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been over 760 million reported cases and over 6 million deaths caused by this disease worldwide. The severity of COVID-19 is based on symptoms presented by the patient and is divided as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, and critical. The manifestations are interconnected with genetic variations. The innate immunity is the quickest response mechanismā¦
+
Inhibition of CD40L with Frexalimab in Multiple Sclerosis - CONCLUSIONS: In a phase 2 trial involving participants with multiple sclerosis, inhibition of CD40L with frexalimab had an effect that generally favored a greater reduction in the number of new gadolinium-enhancing T1-weighted lesions at week 12 as compared with placebo. Larger and longer trials are needed to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of frexalimab in persons with multiple sclerosis. (Funded by Sanofi; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04879628.).
+
Hyperacetylated microtubules assist porcine deltacoronavirus nsp8 to degrade MDA5 via SQSTM1/p62-dependent selective autophagy - The microtubule (MT) is a highly dynamic polymer that functions in various cellular processes through MT hyperacetylation. Thus, many viruses have evolved mechanisms to hijack the MT network of the cytoskeleton to allow intracellular replication of viral genomic material. Coronavirus non-structural protein 8 (nsp8), a component of the viral replication transcriptional complex, is essential for viral survival. Here, we found that nsp8 of porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), an emergingā¦
+
An isothermal calorimetry assay for determining steady state kinetic and enzyme inhibition parameters for SARS-CoV-2 3CL-protease - This manuscript describes the application of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) to characterize the kinetics of 3CL ^(pro) from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its inhibition by Ensitrelvir, a known non-covalent inhibitor. 3CL ^(pro) is the main protease that plays a crucial role of producing the whole array of proteins necessary for the viral infection that caused the spread of COVID-19, responsible for millions of deaths worldwide as well as globalā¦
+
+
From Patent Search
+
+
+
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/archive-daily-dose/17 February, 2024.html b/archive-daily-dose/17 February, 2024.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5ed748
--- /dev/null
+++ b/archive-daily-dose/17 February, 2024.html
@@ -0,0 +1,485 @@
+
+
+
+
+
+ 17 February, 2024
+
+Daily-Dose
+
+
The Trials of Alejandro Mayorkas - The Secretary of Homeland Security has been forced to respond to an unprecedented flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Why are Republicans in Congress impeaching him for it? - link
+
Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event? - Ads are scarce, search and social traffic is dying, and readers are burned out. The future will require fundamentally rethinking the pressās relationship to its audience. - link
+
The Friendship Challenge - How envy destroyed the perfect connection between two teen-age girls. - link
+
The Art World Before and After Thelma Golden, by Calvin Tomkins - When Golden was a young curator in the nineties, her shows, centering Black artists, were unprecedented. Today, those artists are the stars of the art market. - link
+
A Teenās Fatal Plunge Into the London Underworld - After Zac Brettler mysteriously plummeted into the Thames, his grieving parents were shocked to learn that heād been posing as an oligarchās son. Would the police help them solve the puzzle of his death? - link
+The bonkers, star-studded musical-biopic-fantasia-mess proves Jennifer Lopez can do whatever she wants.
+
+
+Throughout her career but particularly over the last decade, Jennifer Lopez has earned the title of one of the busiest people in the entertainment industry. From performing at the Super Bowl halftime show to churning out rom-com after rom-com to repurposing āLetās Get Loudā at a presidential inauguration and headlining a Las Vegas residency, the multihyphenate is truly everything everywhere.
+
+
+It only makes sense that she would tax herself with a superfluous three-part project revamping one of her highest-performing albums, 2002ās This Is Meā¦ Then ā not even during its anniversary, by the way ā all of which essentially serves to emphasize her persisting dominance in pop culture. (And oh yeah, her current state of bliss with her husband, Ben Affleck.)
+
+This Is Meā¦ Now is a messy, green-screen fantasia ā but to what end?
+
+
+From the moment the movie trailer dropped on social media, This Is Meā¦ Now seemed primed for jokes about Lopezās theater-kid-level earnestness and whatever Oscar-winner Ben Affleck planned on doing in the film. (Heās almost unrecognizable as a rambunctious news anchor, in addition to a few other cameos.)
+
+
+On one hand, it is obvious meme material. Weāre talking about Lopez here, who has largely opted for maximalism over subtlety as a performer. (This is a woman who inserted a pole-dancing routine from her role in Hustlers into a Super Bowl halftime show, after all.) And as the star of a slew of romantic comedies (Maid in Manhattan, The Wedding Planner, Second Act, Marry Me), sheās no stranger to reveling in cheesiness.
+
+
+That being said, the semi-autobiographical movie relies a lot on big metaphors and unsubtle imagery. For example, in a dream sequence, Lopezās heart is represented by a giant, combustible apparatus operated by dancing factory workers and fueled by rose petals. But it somehow feels right from the brain of such an iconic Leo, known for wearing her heart on her sleeve.
+
+
+The hour-long movie opens with Lopez reciting the Puerto Rican myth of Alida and Taroo, two star-crossed lovers from rival tribes. After Alidaās father forbids their romance, Alida prays to the gods for help, who then turn her into a red flower. When Taroo asks the gods to help him find Alida, he is transformed into a hummingbird, leading him on a continual search for his one true love. If youāre fluent in the history of Bennifer and all the tabloid scrutiny that followed the first round of their relationship, youāll see where all this allegory is going.
+
+
+But before Lopez can reunite with her Prince Charming, weāre taken on a fantastical musical odyssey through her tumultuous, star-studded romantic history. Directed by notable music video director Dave Meyers, the film is admittedly reminiscent of some of his later, less visually appealing work ā from the overly glossy, video-game-like sheen to the depressingly gray-and-amber Zack Snyder look of the film. The constantly rotating, borderline nauseating camera angles brought to mind his unfortunate collaborations with Ariana Grande.
+
+
+ Courtesy of Prime Video
+
+Jennifer Lopez holding flowers in This Is Meā¦ Now: A Love Story.
+
+
+
+In slightly more grounded momentsā if you could describe any part of this film as grounded ā Lopez is able to overcome a vexing amount of green screen to convey something real and exciting. In one particularly fun number where she reimagines her three ill-fated marriages, she adds new life to the otherwise middling single āCanāt Get Enough.ā In arguably the movieās most powerful scene, she makes amends with her younger self for putting men before her personal happiness. This is also where she performs the title track āThis Is Meā¦ Now,ā a standout on an album that doesnāt seem to be brimming with hits.
+
+
+Of course, Lopezās penchant for astrology is included throughout the film. One of the funniest and most enjoyable aspects is the Zodiac Love Council, who struggle to match Lopez with her one true love. The astrological gods are played by a random but somehow pitch-perfect ensemble of celebrities including Lopezās Monster-In-Law co-star Jane Fonda, rapper-singer Post Malone, actress Sofia Vergara, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Americaās sweetheart Keke Palmer, comedian Trevor Noah, screen legend Jennifer Lewis, and hyper-pop singer Kim Petras.
+
+
+Oddly enough, these supporting characters have more chemistry than you might expect and are as committed to the bit as Lopez is ā and really, isnāt commitment the most you can ask for from an overstuffed vanity project?
+
+
+The movie isnāt as confessional as you may think
+
+
+This Is Meā¦ Now is more disorienting than revelatory. The fast-paced, CGI-on-steroids element feels like a purposeful distraction from the fact that viewers will not learn anything about Lopezās love life and psyche that she hasnāt been open about before. If you havenāt noticed, she and Affleck have been extremely public about their rekindling. Since reuniting in April 2021, the two have posed on numerous red carpets together, gushed over each other in interviews, starred in Dunkinā commercials, and even recreated a moment from the āJenny From the Blockā music video on a yacht for paparazzi.
+
+
+The therapy scenes between Lopez and fellow Bronxite Fat Joe are almost entirely played for laughs, revealing nothing novel, despite a perfect opportunity in the film for deeper introspection. Plus, the narrative explored in This Is Meā¦ Now feels similar to many of her albums exploring her mishaps in love, including Love?, her 2011 comeback album.
+
+
+In her 2014 memoir True Love, she takes readers on the same self-love journey, investigating her regrettable approaches to her past relationships and what she describes as a tendency to mistake passion for genuine love. Even a striking sequence in the film where Lopez dances with a volatile partner inside a glass house isnāt particularly shocking, given that in her book, she writes about being āmentally, emotionally, verballyā abused by an unnamed ex.
+
+
+A raw, more transparent piece of art would likely confront the publicās treatment of her love life, given that the mediaās ridicule and other external pressures, according to Lopez, were such a huge part of her and Affleckās initial estrangement. It could at least include a few fun, lighthearted Easter eggs. Perhaps sheās saving more personal anecdotes for her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, out February 27, but This Is Meā¦ Now seems like a prime vehicle for some juicy details about her past.
+
+
+This Is Meā¦ Now is more about J. Loās power as a celebrity than an artist
+
+
+Itās a bit ironic that the thing Lopezās character overcomes in this film ā a need for external validation ā is what seems to be driving its existence. Itās hard not to view the movie within the larger context of Hollywood failing to take her seriously as an actress, despite being one of the most bankable movie stars and turning over some genuinely good performances throughout her career.
+
+
+For example, Lopez has been open about the disappointment that was her failed Oscars campaign for the 2019 movie Hustlers, even capturing her tears during nominations morning in her Netflix documentary Jennifer Lopez:Halftime. While the actress earned other big awards nominations that year, including for the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes ā she already has a Golden Globe nomination for the 1997 film Selena ā the Hollywood establishment seems hesitant to see her as much more than a commercial star. Such treatment has presumably caused her to feel like an āoutsiderā in Hollywood.
+
+
+Regardless, itās hard to point to a moment in time since her breakthrough in the late ā90s when Lopezās name has not been in the public conversation, whether for her personal life or professional ventures.
+
+
+Even initially questionable film and television roles, like starring in the NBC cop show Shades of Blue or lending her voice to the Ice Age franchise, now feel like necessary stepping stones in her trajectory. For instance, despite having a spotty, often poorly reviewed filmography, her choices in projects ā particularly rom-coms and two-handers ā have at least contributed to her specific brand as a movie star. Fans know what to expect from a classic J. Lo movie. Itās why she can star in a chaotic, objectively bad rom-com, like 2022ās Shotgun Wedding, without any expectations beyond being generally entertaining and delivering nostalgia.
+
+
+The same resilience and ingenuity can be seen in her bumpy music career, which saw a downturn in 2007 following the release of her Spanish-language album Como Ama una Mujer and her return-to-pop-R&B album Brave. Her decision to judge American Idol in 2011 ā a surprising gig for a pop star at her level of fame ā gave her a platform to regain the countryās interest as well as advertise new music. Plus, her Las Vegas residency, All I Have, from 2016 to 2018 would also set the stage for a revival of her musical catalog.
+
+
+All in all, Lopezās career has demonstrated reinvention and, more importantly, redemption that not many can emulate. Her determination is, of course, the result of a celebrity culture that enjoys building women up until theyāre deemed past their prime. For women of color, this cycle can be more brutal. Nevertheless, itās historically resulted in some of our most fascinating divas and pop cultural stories.
+
+
+This Is Meā¦ Now is a statement of Lopezās cultural resilience, if not just her ability to rebound from a bad relationship and find herself in another attention-grabbing power couple. Sheās the kind of celebrity who can make sense out of any creative decision, including funding a self-important long-form music video based on her therapy sessions. Thereās a level of shamelessness (and megalomania) required in crafting a movie like this, but itās the sort of unabashed confidence that makes our celebrity ecosystem go round.
+
+
How to handle the winter blues, no matter where you live -
+
+
+
+Chasing the light isnāt the only way to enjoy winter. Cecilia Blomdahl documents her life on Svalbard, a Norwegian island close to the North Pole. | Photo courtesy of Cecilia Blomdahl
+
+
+
+What seasonal affective disorder can tell us about ourselves.
+
+
+āI get emotionally down with the short days and feel like hibernating,ā says Annabel Lagasse. So she gets on her bicycle and heads up the hill to Londonās Hampstead Heath, where the Winter Swimmers Club meets by a natural pond, come rain or shine; when we spoke in December the water, was 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Lagasse describes swimming in near-freezing water as visceral and sensual: āItās an exciting shock. Afterward, you feel that calm, and a greater alertness too.ā
+
+
+Thereās nothing like the dim light in the depths of winter to make us feel like weāre really just plants: We seek out the sun and wither without it. At its most serious, that moody winter tiredness is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists as āMajor Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern.ā The symptoms are similar to regular depression: sadness, loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, and hopelessness. But SAD has a few unique features too: an extreme desire for sleep, strong cravings for carbohydrates, and itās strictly seasonal: SAD disappears entirely in spring. According to the American Psychiatry Association, up to 5 percent of people experience clinical SAD, which lasts about 40 percent of the year. Additionally, 10 percent to 20 percent get a milder version more fitting of the term āwinter blues,ā called subsyndromal SAD.
+
+
+Lagasseās pond mornings have become a beloved ritual: āWhen itās cold, dark, and wet, you think you donāt want to go, but often itās worse in your head than it actually is.ā This is why experts recommend pushing yourself out the door in winter, to get the benefits of bright morning light. A course of SAD-specific cognitive behavioral therapy can also be very effective. You should always see a doctor if youāre struggling ā SAD responds to antidepressants and can be every bit as serious as any mental health condition.
+
+
+Scientists are still uncovering how SAD works, but the key is light. āSAD has been linked to the shortage of daylight,ā says Timo Partonen, research professor at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. In addition to sunlight, bright artificial light can be used for treatment ā Partonen explains that you might be able to lessen the symptoms of SAD if you start using a light box omitting at least 10,000 lux a couple of weeks before symptoms tend to start. Just make sure to get in front of it before 10 am: āIt should be at least five mornings a week, up to one hour each time,ā says Partonen. Eight out of 10 people who have SAD see good results from light therapy, which has been found to reduce the amount of melatonin secreted into the bloodstream.
+
+Light is crucial because of how it impacts the body clock. Your circadian rhythm doesnāt just impact alertness, but everything from blood pressure and glucose release to memory consolidation at night ā all things that could impact your mental state.
+
+
+Russell Foster, head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford, says we still donāt understand the fundamental causes of SAD. āIn harsh winter conditions, we want to snuggle in, we want to conserve energy,ā he says, ābut is that driven by biology, or is it a social phenomenon?ā
+
+
+While SAD makes you tired, extra sleep isnāt restorative because what you really need is light. Foster, also the author of Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep, explains that weāre most sensitive to light at dusk and dawn ā while light at lunchtime is nice, it hardly does anything to ground your body clock. āDog owners are supposed to have lower rates of depression,ā says Foster, who thinks the reason is clear: āYou have to get out of bed and take them for a walk, and you get the morning light!ā
+
+
+Attitude matters too when it comes to SAD. āDeveloping new thought patterns can change the wiring in your brain,ā says Kathryn Roecklein, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. While trauma can cause depression in part because it changes our physiology, it works both ways: Positive habits can change our physiology as well.
+
+
+
+ Photo courtesy of Cecilia Blomdahl
+
+Cecilia Blomdahl documents her life on Svalbard, a Norwegian island close to the North Pole.
+
+
+
+
+Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for SAD might work for up to 70 percent of people, says Roecklein. While general CBT aims to change unhelpful thinking about the self, SAD CBT focuses on thoughts and behaviors unique to winter. āA lot of people with winter depression have summer, spring, and fall activities they really enjoy [and miss]. One approach is to [find] winter activities that are similarly enjoyable, social, and maybe include physical activity,ā says Roecklein. So if you canāt go cycling in winter, you could snowboard instead, and if you miss the heat, you could go to a steam room. Any CBT-trained therapist can create a SAD program; Roecklein recommends Kelly Rohanās guide and workbook.
+
+
+Even if the arrival alongside the November gloom is a dead giveaway that itās SAD, depression rarely exists in a vacuum. āIf there are parts of your life that particularly bother you [when you have SAD] ā¦ you might want to do some thinking, feeling, reconsidering,ā says Jennifer Griesbach, a therapist in New York City and teacher at Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy.
+
+
+While no one actually wants to be moody and Netflix-bound for months every year, self-care for SAD can start to feel like going against nature. After all, seasonality is only natural, and bears in hibernation donāt drag themselves to spin class.
+
+
+āThis is a problem not just with SAD, but of living in the 21st century,ā says Griesbach. āHow do we work with the difference between what society wants for us and what our bodies want?ā Griesbach recommends experimentation and paying close attention to how we feel afterward: āSometimes you need to go to bed early, and sometimes you need to go out. Itās hard to tell the difference, but we can get better at it.ā
+
+
+
+
+
+Chasing the light isnāt the only way to enjoy winter. Darkness is truly magical for Cecilia Blomdahl, whose YouTube channel documents her life on Svalbard, a Norwegian island close to the North Pole that experiences two and a half months of darkness during polar night. āI look forward to polar night like a kid looks forward to Christmas,ā says Blomdahl, who left her native Sweden eight years ago. āI see this as a season to slow down and appreciate the serenity the darkness brings. Thereās so much beauty in the darkness.ā
+
+
+
+ Photo courtesy of Cecilia Blomdahl
+
+Try a different approach ā āfeeling like itā isnāt required to enjoy winter.
+
+
+
+
+Blomdahl admits polar night comes with challenges: āThereās nothing telling your body to wake up, so naturally, all I want to do is sleep!ā A wake-up light helps, as does sticking to healthy routines. Blomdahl learned that in 2021, during one particularly tough polar night: āIād just started my own business and was very stressed, and didnāt have a good routine at all. That really showed me the importance of a good sleep schedule and prioritizing things that make me feel good, like exercise and being outdoors.ā
+
+
+If the idea of strong-arming yourself to be active when your body just wants to cosplay as a couch cushion still just feels plain wrong, you might be intrigued to learn that even for people who donāt have SAD, āfeeling like itā isnāt required to enjoy winter. āLast night I went outside at 6 pm and it was 14Ā°F. You do have to force yourself,ā says Trude Witzell, a photographer living in Trondheim, Norway. āOf course, after dinner, you just want to go to bed when itās cold and dark like this!ā (This interview was conducted in Norwegian and has been translated into English by the author.)
+
+
+Hibernation isnāt the solution; researchers were confident about this, as weāre creatures driven by light. Winter requires many of us to work a little harder, though. SAD can make it difficult to tell whether we should be pushing ourselves out the door for a bundled-up morning walk across a frosty park, or if this is the night for lighting a candle while reading under a blanket. But we can use this slightly more difficult season to learn how to listen to ourselves and do what will truly make us feel good.
+
+
+Most evenings, Witzell heads down to the fjord for a swim, often in the dark because at midwinter, the sun sets at 2:30 pm: āItās incredible to lie back and look at the dark sky.ā Norwegians have a saying, dĆørstokkmila, meaning the doorstep mile, that is especially relevant this time of year: āThe hardest step to take is the one out your front door.ā
+
+
+
+ Photo courtesy of Trude Witzell
+
+Trude Witzell heads down to the fjord for a swim in Trondheim, Norway.
+
+
+
+
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalnyās death, explained -
+
+
+
+A vigil for Alexei Navalny in Krakow, Poland, on February 16, 2024. | Omar Marques/Anadolu/Getty Images
+
+
+
+Navalnyās death is the end of an era for Russia ā and cements Putinās grip on power.
+
+
+Alexei Navalny, Russiaās most famous opposition figure and President Vladimir Putinās most effective rival, has been reported dead.
+
+
+Russian state media ā which is loath to even say Navalnyās name ā reported the death on Friday. Prison authorities say Navalny fell unconscious and died after taking a walk in the prison complex where he has been held since December. Though itās difficult to verify information coming from the Russian state apparatus, Navalnyās team indicated they believe the reports to be true due to unusual conditions around the prison camp close to the Arctic Circle where Navalny was being held, namely that they could not make contact with the prison. Navalnyās lawyers are headed to the prison to investigate his death, according to his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh.
+
+
+Navalnyās partner, Yulia Navalnaya, appeared at the Munich Security Conference Friday and warned that Putinās regime is not to be trusted but, should the reports of Navalnyās death be true, āI would like Putin and all his staff, everybody around him, his government, his friends, I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband.ā
+
+
+Whether the Putin regime directly assassinated Navalny or his death was the result of grueling conditions ā including being poisoned in 2020, being held in Russian penal colonies, and going on a hunger strike in 2021 ā it will be understood by many as a signal about Russiaās future.
+
+
+US President Joe Biden, for example, said the US did not know details of what happened but told reporters Friday: āMake no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalnyās death.ā
+
+
+Navalnyās reported death comes right before the countryās March elections, in which he was attempting from jail to persuade fellow Russians to reject Putin, who is essentially guaranteed a fifth term.
+
+
+āThe war against liberalism that we have seen in Russia, taking place at the same time as the war against Ukraine, [the Kremlin] is doubling down on that,ā Graeme Robertson, director of the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Vox in an interview. āTheir sense of their ability to act with impunity is really just, itās really off the charts.ā
+
+
+That impunity also signals to Russians in the country and the diaspora that thereās no Russia without Putin.
+
+
+Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner
+
+
+During the late 2000s, Navalny made his name as an anti-corruption blogger, Voxās Alex Ward wrote in 2021. But it was during the wave of anti-government protests, or the so-called Snow Revolution, starting in 2011, that Navalny first came to national prominence. At the time, he was one of the many voices denouncing the Putin regime after Putin announced his return to the presidency and his United Russia party was caught rigging a legislative election.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Navalny ran on a highly nationalistic platform for mayor of Moscow in 2013, losing to Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin. And though his platform was alienating to many young urban people who might have otherwise been interested in an opposition candidate, his impressive showing paved the way for him to stay in the political spotlight ā and seek more power.
+
+
+Over time, Navalny realized that his nationalistic and Islamophobic message wasnāt going to appeal to a broad swath of Russians and instead focused on corruption, something he thought people could see made their everyday lives more difficult.
+
+āMillions of people saw [Navalnyās] videos,ā Robertson said. āMillions of people are very aware of how corrupt their system is. But on a certain level, it doesnāt attach itself to Putin, it doesnāt attach itself to the higher levels of the Russian state, in part because people see it as inevitable ā theyāre criminals, but theyāre our criminals.ā
+
+
+Navalny announced in 2016 that he would run for president against Putin in the elections two years later. Though that campaign was likely largely symbolic ā given both the doubts about how free or fair those elections were and Navalnyās low levels of support among Russians ā his international support picked up over time, as he became one of the only vocal dissidents within Russia.
+
+What does his death mean to the Kremlin, to Russians, and to the world?
+
+
+Navalny has been imprisoned several times; in 2014 he was put under house arrest for embezzlement charges that critics say were meant to discredit him, and he was detained in 2019 for what authorities claimed was an unauthorized protest.
+
+
+In August 2020, Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok while on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow; he spent several months in Germany recovering from the near-fatal poisoning. When he returned to Russia in January 2021, he was almost immediately detained and imprisoned until at least 2031 for various charges, including extremism.
+
+
+āWeāre in this perpetual state of being shocked but not surprisedā about Navalnyās death, Sam Greene, director for democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told Vox in an interview. āThereās no question about whoās culpable, but how that culpability is structured is a question to which weāll probably never know the answer. The fundamental truth is that the Kremlin killed its most potent opponent.ā
+
+
+That is how Navalnyās death is being processed among Russian dissident expatriates.
+
+
+āThis is not death, this is a brutal murder,ā Russian dissident and member of the artist collective Pussy Riot Nadya Tolokonnikova wrote on her Instagram Friday. āNavalny is the soul of free Russia and I, like you all, was sure that he is immortal as a soul.ā
+
+
+Navalnyās probable death strengthens a reality Putin has been building in Russia for a while ā that there is no alternative to Putin, and that there is no hope and no room for dissent.
+
+
+āNow, thereās not even the slightest public wiggle room when it comes to opposition,ā Eliot Borenstein, interim vice chancellor and vice provost for Global Programs at New York University, told Vox in an interview.
+
+āThatās been the goal for years ā to make post-Putin Russia, Russia without Putin, unimaginable,ā Borenstein said.
+
+
From The Hindu: Sports
+
+
El Asesino, Amazing Ruler, Blue God, Inspire, Aldgate, and Helios impress -
+
Jade excelles -
+
Jyothi Yarraji rewrites own record to win 60m hurdles gold at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships - The 24-year-old athlete topped her heat with a timing of 8:22s and in the final she did better to finish ahead of Japanās Asuka Tereda
+
Indian womenās badminton side enter maiden Asian final after beating Japan - The womenās team defeated former champions Japan 3-2 in the semifinal
+
Ind vs Eng 3rd Test | Yashasvi rocks England with ton as India take 322-run lead on Day 3 - The overall lead swelled to 322 by stumps, after Indian bowlers made a splendid comeback, getting last five England wickets for only 29 runs with visitors being bowled out for 319.
+
+
From The Hindu: National News
+
+
Kerala CM reviews Wayanad situation, orders more expansive camera network to monitor wildlife movement near human habitations - Pinarayi Vijayan convenes emergency meeting of top forest and police officials in the wake of violent protests in Wayanad following fatal wild elephant attack on a man on Friday
+
T.N. CM Stalin announces permanent minority status certificates for minority educational institutions - The CM also made a slew of other announcements, including extension of the flagship breakfast scheme for students at government-aided minority schools and educational loans of ā¹5 lakh to students of minority communities
+
Gulzar, Sanskrit scholar Rambhadracharya selected for Jnanpith Award -
+
Cabinet Ministers in Champai Soren government assume office - With the exception of a few, most Ministers retained the portfolios they were assigned during the previous Hemant Soren government.
+
BJP winning 370 seats will be true tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee: PM Modi - Mookerjee was a strident opponent of Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special rights. The Modi government scrapped the article in August 2019
+
+
From BBC: Europe
+
+
Ukraine troops pull out of key eastern town Avdiivka - President Volodymyr Zelensky says the decision was taken to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
+
Putin critic Navalny dies in Arctic Circle jail, says Russia - Jailed Russian politician Alexei Navalny has died in a penal colony, the countryās prison service says.
+
Navalny was often asked: āDo you fear for your life?ā - Sarah Rainsford on how Putinās opponent never abandoned his belief in āthe beautiful Russia of the futureā.
+
Navalnyās life in āPolar Wolfā remote penal colony - Only those accused of the very worst crimes are sent to IK-3, the strictest penal colony imaginable.
+
Alexei Navalny: What we know about his death - Many believe the opposition leader paid the ultimate price for opposing Putin - what do we know?
+
+
From Ars Technica
+
+
New FDA-approved drug makes severe food allergies less life-threatening - Injections over several months allowed people to tolerate larger doses of trigger foods. - link
+
Elon Muskās X allows China-based propaganda banned on other platforms - X accused of overlooking propaganda flagged by Meta and criminal prosecutors. - link
+
Microsoft fixes problem that let Edge replicate Chrome tabs without permission - Edge update is first proof that this was definitely a glitch. - link
+
Wyze outage leaves customers without camera coverage overnight - Company points to āAWS partnerā for cameras disappearing from usersā apps. - link
+
Android 15 Developer Preview 1 is out for the Pixel 6 and up - Low-level developer features include fs-verify support, more screen-sharing modes. - link
+
+
From Jokes Subreddit
+
+
Scientists removed the left half of a manās brain and asked him to count to 10. He said, ā2, 4, 6, 8, 10.ā -
+
+
+Then they put it back, and removed the right half of his brain and asked him to count to 10. He said, ā1, 3, 5, 7, 9.ā
+
+
+Finally they removed his entire brain and asked him to count to 10. He said, āOh I can count to 10. Believe me. People are saying I can count to 10 better than anyone in the history of our country. If you ask me to count to 10, I will count to 10 the likes of which no one has ever seen before.ā
+
Bob was excited about his new rifle and decided to try bear hunting. -
+
+
+He traveled up to Alaska, spotted a small brown bear and shot it. Soon after there was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to see a big black bear.
+
+
+The black bear said, āThat was a very bad mistake. That bear was my cousin, Iām going to give you two choices. Either I maul you to death or we have sex.ā
+
+
+After considering briefly, Bob decided to accept the latter option. So the black bear had his way with Bob.
+
+
+Even though he was sore for two weeks, Bob soon recovered and vowed revenge. He headed out on another trip to Alaska where he found the black bear and shot it dead. Right after, there was another tap on his shoulder. This time, a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him.
+
+
+The grizzly said, āThat was a big mistake. That bear was my cousin and now youāve got two choices - either I maul you to death or we have sex.ā
+
+
+Again, Bob thought it was better to co-operate with the grizzly bear than be mauled to death. So the grizzly bear had his way with Bob.
+
+
+Although he survived, it took several months before Bob fully recovered. Now Bob was completely outraged, so he headed back to Alaska and managed to track down the grizzly bear and shot it. Once again, moments later, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find an enormous polar bear standing there.
+
+
+The polar bear looked at him and said, āAdmit it, Bob, you donāt come here just for the hunting, do you?ā
+
+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25290009/Screen_Shot_2024_02_16_at_2.32.14_PM.png)
Courtesy of Prime Video
+
+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25288461/Cecilia_Blomdahl_5.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Cecilia Blomdahl
+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25288453/Cecilia_Blomdahl_3.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Cecilia Blomdahl
+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25288441/Trude_Witzell_2.png)
Photo courtesy of Trude Witzell
+
+