Added daily report
This commit is contained in:
Navan Chauhan
parent
752109d8d0
commit
43ac505eba
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
|
|||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
|
||||
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
|
||||
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
|
||||
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
|
||||
<title>02 April, 2023</title>
|
||||
<style>
|
||||
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||||
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||||
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
|
||||
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
|
||||
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
|
||||
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
|
||||
</style>
|
||||
<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>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<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>A high-throughput multiplex array for antigen-specific serology with automated analysis.</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
The utility of high-throughput systems to evaluate antigen-specific Ab has been highlighted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Pathogen specific antibody levels are often used to assess protection following vaccination and, in the case of novel pathogens, an indication of prior exposure. Several platforms exist to visualize antigen-specific Ab, however most are not quantitative and difficult to scale for population levels studies. Additionally, the sensitivity across platforms differs making direct comparisons between studies difficult. Cytometric Bead Arrays are an attractive platform for antigen-specific Ab measurements as they allow antibodies reactive against several antigens and of several isotypes to be performed simultaneously. Additionally, cytometric arrays exhibit a high sensitivity and can be designed to provide quantitative measurements. Using commercially available particles, a biotin-Streptavidin loading strategy, and the inclusion of indirect standards, we describe here a flexible system that can be modified to include a variety of antigens. We generated two arrays, one focused on b-Coronavirus antigens and one focused on Influenza. To support the high throughput capacity of this system, we developed a suit of automated tools to process raw data into antigen-reactive IgM, IgA, and IgG. We describe quality control requirements, assay performance, and normalizations to accurately quantitate antigen specific Ig.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.29.534777v1" target="_blank">A high-throughput multiplex array for antigen-specific serology with automated analysis.</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Robust immunogenicity of a third BNT162b2 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a naive New Zealand cohort</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The ability of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to stimulate immune responses against subvariants, including Omicron BA.1, has not been assessed in New Zealand populations. Unlike many overseas populations, New Zealanders were largely infection naive at the time they were boosted. This adult cohort of 298 participants, oversampled for at-risk populations, was composed of 29% Māori and 28% Pacific peoples, with 40% of the population aged 55+. A significant proportion of the cohort was obese and presented with at least one comorbidity. Sera were collected 28 days and 6 months post second vaccination and 28 days post third vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres and neutralising capacity using surrogate viral neutralisation assays against variants of concern, including Omicron BA.1, were investigated. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, within our cohort, prior to third vaccination was very low (<6%). This study found a third vaccine significantly increased the mean SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres, for every demographic subgroup, by a minimum of 1.5-fold compared to titres after two doses. Diabetic participants experienced a greater increase (~4-fold) in antibody titres after their third vaccination, compared to non-diabetics (increase of ~2-fold). This corrected for the deficiency in antibody titres within diabetic participants which was observed following two doses. A third dose also induced a neutralising response against Omicron variant BA.1, which was absent after two doses. This neutralising response improved regardless of age, BMI, ethnicity, or diabetes status. Participants aged >75 years consistently had the lowest SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres at each timepoint, however experienced the greatest improvement after three doses compared to younger participants. This study shows that in the absence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, a third Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine enhances immunogenicity, including against Omicron BA.1, in a cohort representative of at-risk groups in the adult New Zealand population.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.23287981v1" target="_blank">Robust immunogenicity of a third BNT162b2 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a naive New Zealand cohort</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Blood biomarkers-defined subgroups show heterogeneity in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a rationale for precision medicine.</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Acute COVID-19 can cause a post-infectious syndrome in a significant percentage of patients, with multifacted and long lasting symptoms. We hypothesized that this Post-Acute COVID syndrome (PASC) could result from various underlying causes, which may compromise the demonstration of efficacy for treatments evaluated on cohorts of heterogeneous patients. To assess the feasibility of stratifying or characterizing subgroups of post-COVID-19 patients consistent with different indications in a precision medicine perspective, we tested serum biomarkers in a pilot cross-sectional study of patients with neuro-cognitive symptoms from the Northwestern University post-COVID-19 clinic (Chicago,USA). Patient health status was evaluated with the use of standardized PROMIS questionnaires and underwent validated cognitive tests with the NIH Toolbox. Serum biomarkers were chosen as proteins known to be involved in the pathogenic features of a neuro-inflammatory disease, i.e., multiple sclerosis, with a final selection of the most discriminant ones. A multi-isotypes serology against SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid antigens was performed to allow detailed analyses of the humoral immune status. Despite the limited numbers of this feasibility study, results showed that clinical data could not differentiate PASC patients with persisting neuro-cognitive impairment, while three major PASC subgroups were identified with serum biomarkers according to the presence or absence of the HERV-W ENV soluble protein combined with neurofilaments light chains and, to a lesser extent, with elevated levels of IL-6. SARS-CoV-2 serological results in PASC compared to healthy controls also revealed a significant increase of anti-Spike and/or Nucleocapsid IgM, IgA and, unexpectedly, IgE. For IgG, a significant difference was observed with Nucleocapsid only since anti-Spike IgG titers were normally elevated in vaccinated controls. This multi-Ig isotypes serology may provide additional information on the infectious and immunological status of individual patients and should be considered in face of a potential viral persistence in some individuals. Altogether the results show the feasibility of using serum biomarkers to discriminate relevant subgroups or individual patients for precision medicine indications in post-COVID syndromes. This pilot study paves the way to further exploring biological assays for the definition of subtypes of PASC, also called long COVID, useful for the choice of relevant therapeutic strategies.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.31.23288003v1" target="_blank">Blood biomarkers-defined subgroups show heterogeneity in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a rationale for precision medicine.</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Covid-19 and post-acute sick leave: a hybrid register and questionnaire study in the adult Danish population</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Long covid follows 10-20% of first-time SARS-CoV-2 infections, but the societal burden of long covid and risk factors for the condition are not well-understood. Here, we report findings about self-reported sick leave and risk factors thereof from a hybrid survey and register study, which included 37,482 RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases and 51,336 test-negative controls who were tested during the index and alpha waves. An additional 33 individuals per 1000 took substantial sick leave following acute infection compared to persons with no known history of infection, where substantial sick leave was defined as >1 month of sick leave within the period 1-9 months after the RT-PCR test date. Being female, ≥50 years, and having certain pre-existing conditions such as fibromyalgia increased risks for taking substantial sick leave. Further research exploring this heterogeneity is urgently needed and may provide important evidence for more targeted preventative strategies.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.31.23288004v1" target="_blank">Covid-19 and post-acute sick leave: a hybrid register and questionnaire study in the adult Danish population</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>miRNA binding pressure channels evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genomes</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
In somatic cells, microRNAs (miRNAs) bind to the genomes of RNA viruses and influence their translation and replication. Here we demonstrate that a significant number of miRNA binding sites locate in the NSP4 region of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, and the intestinal human miRNAs exert evolutionary pressure on this region. Notably, in infected cells, NSP4 promotes the formation of double-membrane vesicles, which serve as the scaffolds for replication-transcriptional complexes and protect viral RNA from intracellular destruction. In three years of selection, the loss of many miRNA binding sites, in particular, those within the NSP4, has shaped the SARS-CoV-2 genomes to promote the descendants of the BA.2 variants as the dominant strains and define current momentum of the pandemics.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.31.535057v1" target="_blank">miRNA binding pressure channels evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genomes</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Mechanistic investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike mutants via full quantum mechanical modeling</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
Ab initio quantum mechanical models can characterize and predict intermolecular binding, but only recently have models including more than a few hundred atoms gained traction. Here, we simulate ~13,000 atoms to predict and characterize binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants to the human receptor ACE2 (hACE2). We compare four spike variants in our analysis: Wuhan, Omicron, and two Omicron-based variants. To assess binding, we mechanistically characterize the energetic contribution of each amino acid involved, and predict the effect of select single point mutations. We validate our computational predictions experimentally by comparing binding efficacy of spike variants to cells expressing hACE2. We argue that this computational model, QM-CR, can identify mutations critical for intermolecular interactions and inform the engineering of high-specificity interactors.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.01.470748v2" target="_blank">Mechanistic investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike mutants via full quantum mechanical modeling</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Trends in serotype distribution and disease severity in adults hospitalised with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in Bristol and Bath: a retrospective cohort study, 2006-2022</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
<b>Background</b> Paediatric pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) has reduced adult PCV-serotype disease: PCV7 has greater indirect effects than PCV13. Ongoing surveillance is required to evaluate current vaccine usage and inform future vaccine deployment, particularly with respiratory infection epidemiology changing following SARS-CoV-2 emergence. <b>Methods and Findings</b> A retrospective cohort study, all adults >16 years admitted to three UK hospitals, 2006-2022, with pneumococcal disease. Medical records were reviewed for each clinical episode and serotype data were obtained from the UK Health Security Agency national reference laboratory. We identified 1,501 (40.3%) cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) with known serotype, 134 (3.6%) IPD cases without serotype data, and 2,084 (56.0%) non-IPD cases, which are typically missed in national surveillance. Disease incidence increased progressively from 2006-2020, followed by a sudden decline after COVID-19 emergence and then a gradual increase to pre-pandemic levels. Paediatric PCV7 introduction reduced adult PCV7 serotype IPD from 29.4% [24.1-35.4] of IPD in 2006-09 to 7.0% [3.7-12.7] in 2021-22. PCV13 introduction also decreased adult vaccine serotype IPD, but considerable residual adult disease remains, causing 34.3% [28.6-40.4] of IPD in 2006-09 and 21.7% [15.5-29.6] 9 in 2021-22, respectively. Serotype replacement diminished the benefits of PCV introduction: PCV20-13 and non-PCV serotypes represented 27.0% [21.9-32.9] and 9.3% [6.3-13.5] of disease in 2006-2009, and 39.5% [31.5-48.2] and 31.8% [24.4-40.2] in 2021-2022, respectively. Serotype shifts have resulted in increasing disease caused by serotype 3 and 8, and the re-emergence of serotype 19F and 19A. These serotype shifts occurred as clinical disease severity changed, and whilst the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted disease severity trends, these have now largely reverted to previous trajectories. Patient age trended upwards and although CURB65 severity decreased there were increased ICU admission rates. Overall, inpatient mortality decreased and hospitalisation duration remained stable. <b>Conclusions</b> After 17 years of PCV use, residual pneumococcal disease due to the vaccine serotypes among hospitalised adults remains. The sharp decline in pneumococcal disease during the COVID-19 pandemic has now reversed, with increasing cases due to vaccine serotypes, especially serotype 3. Around 68.2% of cases in 2022 were potentially covered by the recently licensed 20-valent PCV.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.23287917v1" target="_blank">Trends in serotype distribution and disease severity in adults hospitalised with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in Bristol and Bath: a retrospective cohort study, 2006-2022</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>The Unexpected Protective Role of Thrombosis in Sepsis-Induced Inflammatory Lung Injury Via Endothelial Alox15</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Background. Patients with sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) commonly suffer from severe pulmonary thrombosis, but clinical trials of anti-coagulant therapies in sepsis and ARDS patients have failed. ARDS patients with thrombocytopenia also exhibit increased mortality, and widespread pulmonary thrombosis is often seen in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ARDS patients. Methods. Employing different amounts of microbeads to induce various levels of pulmonary thrombosis. Acute lung injury was induced by either lipopolysaccharide i.p. or cecal ligation and puncture. Endothelial cell (EC)-targeted nanoparticle coupled with CDH5 promoter was employed to delivery plasmid DNA expressing the CRISPR/Cas9 system for EC-specific gene knockout or expressing Alox15 for EC-specific overexpression. Additionally, thrombocytopenia was induced by genetic depletion of platelets using DTRPf4Cre mice by breeding Pf4Cre mice into the genetic background of DTR mice. Results. We show that while severe pulmonary thrombosis or thrombocytopenia augments sepsis-induced ALI, the induction of mild pulmonary thrombosis conversely reduces endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis, ALI, and mortality via sustained expression of endothelial arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (Alox15). Endothelial Alox15 knockout via EC-targeted nanoparticle delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid DNA in adult mice abolished the protective impact of mild lung thrombosis. Conversely, overexpression of endothelial Alox15 inhibited the increases in ALI caused by severe pulmonary thrombosis. The clinical relevance of the findings was validated by the observation of reduced ALOX15-expressing ECs in lung autopsy samples of ARDS patients. Additionally, restoration of pulmonary thrombosis in thrombocytopenic mice also normalized endotoxemia-induced ALI. Conclusion. We have demonstrated that moderate levels of thrombosis protect against sepsis-induced inflammatory lung injury via endothelial Alox15. Overexpression of Alox5 inhibits severe pulmonary thrombosis-induced increase of ALI. Thus, activation of ALOX15 signaling represents a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of ARDS, especially in sub-populations of patients with thrombocytopenia and/or severe pulmonary thrombosis.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.29.23287934v1" target="_blank">The Unexpected Protective Role of Thrombosis in Sepsis-Induced Inflammatory Lung Injury Via Endothelial Alox15</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Disparities in Mortality Associated with Acute Myocardial Infarction and COVID-19 in the United States: A Nationwide Analysis</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on potential racial disparities in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) management and outcomes is unclear. We examined AMI patient management and outcomes during the pandemic9s initial nine months, comparing COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases. Methods: We identified all patients hospitalized for AMI in 2020 using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), identifying those with or without concurrent COVID-19. Logistic and linear regression was used for analyses of associations, with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Patients with both AMI and COVID-19 had higher in-hospital mortality rates (aOR 3.19, 95% CI 2.63-3.88), mechanical ventilation (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.54-2.33), and hemodialysis (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05-1.89) compared to those without COVID-19. Black and Asian/Pacific Islander patients had higher in-hospital mortality than White patients, (aOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.35-3.59) and (aOR 3.41, 95% CI 1.5-8.37). Moreover, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander patients had higher odds of initiating hemodialysis, (aOR 5.48, 95% CI 2.13-14.1), (aOR 2.99, 95% CI 1.13-7.97), and (aOR 7.84, 95% CI 1.55-39.5) and were less likely to receive PCI for AMI, (aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.74), (aOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.77-0.86), and (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75-0.90). Additionally, Black patients had a lower likelihood of undergoing CABG surgery for AMI (aOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.49-0.61). Conclusion: Our study revealed increased mortality and complications in COVID-19 patients with AMI, highlighting significant racial disparities. Urgent measures addressing healthcare disparities, such as enhancing access and promoting culturally sensitive care, are needed to improve health equity.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.23287987v1" target="_blank">Disparities in Mortality Associated with Acute Myocardial Infarction and COVID-19 in the United States: A Nationwide Analysis</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>The Breadth of the Neutralizing Antibody Response to Original SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Linked to the Presence of Long COVID Symptoms</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Background: The associations between longitudinal dynamics and the breadth of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody response with various Long COVID (LC) phenotypes prior to vaccination are not known. The capacity of antibodies to cross neutralize a variety of viral variants may be associated with ongoing pathology and persistent symptoms. Methods: We measured longitudinal neutralizing and cross-neutralizing antibody responses to pre- and post-SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants in participants infected during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, prior to wide-spread rollout of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Cross sectional regression models adjusted for various clinical covariates and longitudinal mixed effects models were used to determine the impact of the breadth and rate of decay of neutralizing responses on the development of Long COVID symptoms in general, as well as LC phenotypes. Results: We identified several novel relationships between SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralization and the presence of LC symptoms. Specifically, we show that, although neutralizing antibody responses to the original, infecting strain of SARS-CoV-2 were not associated with LC in cross-sectional analyses, cross-neutralization ID50 levels to the Omicron BA.5 variant approximately 4 months following acute infection was independently and significantly associated with greater odds of LC and with persistent gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms. Longitudinal modeling demonstrated significant associations in the overall levels and rates of decay of neutralization capacity with LC phenotypes. A higher proportion of participants had antibodies capable of neutralizing Omicron BA.5 compared with BA.1 or XBB.1.5 variants. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that relationships between various immune responses and LC are likely complex but may involve the breadth of antibody neutralization responses.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.23287923v1" target="_blank">The Breadth of the Neutralizing Antibody Response to Original SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Linked to the Presence of Long COVID Symptoms</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>S:D614G and S:H655Y are gateway mutations that act epistatically to promote SARS-CoV-2 variant fitness</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
SARS-CoV-2 variants bearing complex combinations of mutations have been associated with increased transmissibility, COVID-19 severity, and immune escape. S:D614G may have facilitated emergence of such variants since they appeared after S:D614G had gone to fixation. To test this hypothesis, Spike sequences from an immunocompromised individual with prolonged infection, and from the major SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, were reverted to the ancestral S:D614. In all cases, infectivity of the revertants was compromised. Rare SARS-CoV-2 lineages that lack S:D614G were identified and the infectivity of these was dependent upon S:Q613H or S:H655Y. Notably, Gamma and Omicron variants possess both S:D614G and S:H655Y, each of which contributed to infectivity of these variants. All three mutations, S:Q613H, S:D614G, and S:H655Y, stabilized Spike on virions, consistent with selection of these mutations by a common molecular mechanism. Among sarbecoviruses, S:Q613H, S:D614G, and S:H655Y are only detected in SARS-CoV-2, which uniquely possesses a polybasic S1/S2 cleavage site. Results of genetic and biochemical experiments here demonstrated that S:D614G and S:H655Y are likely adaptations to the cleavage site. CryoEM revealed that both mutations shift the Spike receptor binding domain towards the open conformation required for ACE2-binding and Spikes bearing either S:D614G or S:H655Y spontaneously mimic the smFRET signal that ACE2 induces in the parental molecule. Data from these orthogonal experiments demonstrate that S:D614G and S:H655Y are convergent adaptations to the polybasic S1/S2 cleavage site, which stabilize S1 on the virion in the open RBD conformation that is on-pathway for target cell fusion, and thereby act epistatically to promote the fitness of variants bearing complex combinations of clinically significant mutations.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.535005v1" target="_blank">S:D614G and S:H655Y are gateway mutations that act epistatically to promote SARS-CoV-2 variant fitness</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Determinants of species-specific utilization of ACE2 by human and animal coronaviruses</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
Utilization of human ACE2 allowed several bat coronaviruses (CoVs), including the causative agent of COVID-19, to infect humans either directly or via intermediate hosts. Here, we analyzed the ability of Spike proteins from 24 human or animal CoVs to use ACE2 receptors across nine reservoir, potential intermediate and human hosts. We show that overall SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants evolved more efficient ACE2 usage but mutation of R493Q in BA.5 Spike disrupts utilization of ACE2 from Greater horseshoe bats. Spikes from most CoVs showed species-specific differences in ACE2 usage, partly due to variations in ACE2 residues 31, 41 or 354. Mutation of T403R allowed the RaTG13 bat CoV Spike to use all ACE2 orthologs analysed for viral entry. Sera from COVID-19 vaccinated individuals neutralized the Spike proteins of a range of bat Sarbecoviruses. Our results define determinants of ACE2 receptor usage of diverse CoVs and suggest that COVID-19 vaccination may protect against future zoonoses of SARS-CoV-related bat viruses.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.31.535059v1" target="_blank">Determinants of species-specific utilization of ACE2 by human and animal coronaviruses</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Spatiotemporally organized immunomodulatory response to SARS-CoV-2 virus in primary human broncho-alveolar epithelia</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a health crisis with major unmet medical needs. The early responses from airway epithelial cells, the first target of the virus regulating the progression towards severe disease, are not fully understood. Primary human air-liquid interface cultures representing the broncho-alveolar epithelia were used to study the kinetics and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants infection. The infection measured by nucleoprotein expression, was a late event appearing between day 4-6 post infection for Wuhan-like virus. Other variants demonstrated increasingly accelerated timelines of infection. All variants triggered similar transcriptional signatures, an early inflammatory/immune signature preceding a late type I/III IFN, but differences in the quality and kinetics were found, consistent with the timing of nucleoprotein expression. Response to virus was spatially organized: CSF3 expression in basal cells and CCL20 in apical cells. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 virus triggers specific responses modulated over time to engage different arms of immune response.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.30.534980v1" target="_blank">Spatiotemporally organized immunomodulatory response to SARS-CoV-2 virus in primary human broncho-alveolar epithelia</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Explicit Modelling of Antibody Levels for Infectious Disease Simulations in the Context of SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
Measurable levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies develop after infections with and vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2. These antibodies are temporarily dynamic; due to waning, antibody levels will drop below detection thresholds over time. As a result, epidemiological studies could underestimate population protection, given that antibodies are a marker for protective immunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple models predicting infection dynamics were used by policymakers to plan public health policies. Explicitly integrating antibody and waning effects into the models is crucial for reliable calculations of individual infection risk. However, only few approaches have been suggested that explicitly treat these effects. This paper presents a methodology that explicitly models antibody levels and the resulting protection against infection for individuals within an agent-based model. This approach can be integrated in general frameworks, allowing complex population studies with explicit antibody and waning effects. We demonstrate the usefulness of our model in two use cases.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.31.535072v1" target="_blank">Explicit Modelling of Antibody Levels for Infectious Disease Simulations in the Context of SARS-CoV-2</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Risk averse reproduction numbers improve resurgence detection</strong> -
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The effective reproduction number R is a prominent statistic for inferring the transmissibility of infectious diseases and effectiveness of interventions. R purportedly provides an easy-to-interpret threshold for deducing whether an epidemic will grow (R>1) or decline (R<1). We posit that this interpretation can be misleading and statistically overconfident when applied to infections accumulated from groups featuring heterogeneous dynamics. These groups may be delineated by geography, infectiousness or sociodemographic factors. In these settings, R implicitly weights the dynamics of the groups by their number of circulating infections. We find that this weighting can cause delayed detection of outbreak resurgence and premature signalling of epidemic control because it underrepresents the risks from highly transmissible groups. Applying E-optimal experimental design theory, we develop a weighting algorithm to minimise these issues, yielding the risk averse reproduction number E. Using simulations, analytic approaches and real-world COVID-19 data stratified at the city and district level, we show that E meaningfully summarises transmission dynamics across groups, balancing bias from the averaging underlying R with variance from directly using local group estimates. An E>1generates timely resurgence signals (upweighting risky groups), while an E<1ensures local outbreaks are under control. We propose E as an alternative to R for informing policy and assessing transmissibility at large scales (e.g., state-wide or nationally), where R is commonly computed but well-mixed or homogeneity assumptions break down.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.31.22279450v3" target="_blank">Risk averse reproduction numbers improve resurgence detection</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>Evaluation of Safety & Efficacy of MIR 19 ® Inhalation Solution in Patients With Mild COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: MIR 19 ®; Combination Product: Standard therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: National Research Center - Institute of Immunology Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia<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>LACTYFERRIN™ Forte and ZINC Defense™ and Standard of Care (SOC) vs SOC in the Treatment of Non-hospitalized Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Sesderma LACTYFERRIN™ Forte and Sesderma ZINC Defense™; Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Jose David Suarez, MD; Sesderma S.L.; Westchester General Hospital Inc. DBA Keralty Hospital Miami; MGM Technology Corp<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>MP0420 for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: MP0420; Drug: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); Molecular Partners AG; University of Minnesota<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>AZD7442 for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: AZD7442; Biological: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); AstraZeneca; University of Minnesota<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>PF-07304814 for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: PF-07304814; Drug: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); Pfizer; University of Minnesota<br/><b>Suspended</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>VIR-7831 for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: VIR-7831; Biological: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); Vir Biotechnology, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; University of Minnesota<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>BRII-196/BRII-198 for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: BRII-196; Biological: BRII-198; Biological: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); Brii Biosciences Limited; University of Minnesota<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>LY3819253 (LY-CoV555) for Inpatients With COVID-19 (An ACTIV-3/TICO Treatment Trial)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: LY3819253; Biological: Placebo; Biological: Remdesivir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT); University of Copenhagen; Medical Research Council; Kirby Institute; Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AIDS Clinical Trials Group; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); US Department of Veterans Affairs; Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL); Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN); Eli Lilly and Company; University of Minnesota<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>Effect of a Health Pathway for People With Persistent Symptoms Covid-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: usual care and follow-up by a nurse; Other: Personalized Multifactorial Intervention (IMP)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne<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>RCT for Yinqiaosan-Maxingganshitang in the Treatment of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Chinese Herb; Diagnostic Test: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Chinese University of Hong Kong<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 Clinical Study on Safety and Effectiveness of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes for the Treatment of COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Biological: Extracellular Vesicles from Mesenchymal Stem Cells<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University<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>Study of the Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of NP-101 in Treating High Risk Participants Who Are Covid-19 Positive.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: NP-101; Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Novatek Pharmaceuticals<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>Teletechnology-assisted Home-based Exercise Program for Severe COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Telerehabilitation<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Behavioral: Teletechnology-assisted home-based pulmonary rehabilitation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: National Taiwan University 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>Cluster-Randomized Trial of Air Filtration and Ventilation to Reduce Covid19 Spread in Homes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Filtration Fan; Behavioral: Safe-home pamphlet; Behavioral: Mid-week phone call<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Stanford University<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</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>Zinc Supplementation Impact in Acute COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Zinc Deficiency; Sars-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Dietary Supplement: Zinc Acetate<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Parc de Salut Mar; Universitat Pompeu Fabra<br/><b>Completed</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>Management of patients with advanced prostate cancer-metastatic and/or castration-resistant prostate cancer: report of the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) 2022</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These voting results in four specific areas from a panel of experts in advanced prostate cancer can help clinicians and patients navigate controversial areas of management for which high-level evidence is scant or conflicting and can help research funders and policy makers identify information gaps and consider what areas to explore further. However, diagnostic and treatment decisions always have to be individualised based on patient characteristics, including the extent and…</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>Potential medicinal plants to combat viral infections: A way forward to environmental biotechnology</strong> - The viral diseases encouraged scientific community to evaluate the natural antiviral bioactive components rather than protease inhibitors, harmful organic molecules or nucleic acid analogues. For this purpose, medicinal plants have been gaining tremendous importance in the field of attenuating the various kinds of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Most of the commonly used medicines contains the bioactive components/phytoconstituents that are generally extracted from medicinal plants….</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>Defibrotide mitigates endothelial cell injury induced by plasmas from patients with COVID-19 and related vasculopathies</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our data, in the context of a recent clinical trial in severe COVID-19, suggest benefits to further exploration of defibrotide and these pathways in COVID-19 and related endotheliopathies.</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>Efficacy and Safety of Garadacimab in Combination with Standard of Care Treatment in Patients with Severe COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: In patients with severe COVID-19, garadacimab did not confer a clinical benefit over placebo. Transient aPTT prolongation and suppressed FXIIa-mKA showed target engagement of garadacimab that was not associated with bleeding events even with concomitant anticoagulant use. The safety profile of garadacimab was consistent with previous studies in patients with hereditary angioedema.</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 Potential Effect of Dapsone on the Inflammatory Reactions in Covid-19: Staggering view</strong> - Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked with an overstated immune response with the succeeding release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and progression of the cytokine storm. In addition, severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with the development of oxidative stress and coagulopathy. Dapsone (DPS) is a bacteriostatic antibiotic that has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. Thus, this mini-review aimed to elucidate the potential role of DPS in mitigating inflammatory disorders in Covid-19 patients….</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>Hyper-inflammation and complement in COVID-19</strong> - COVID-19 is a complex disease manifesting in a broad severity spectrum and involving distinct organs and systems. Hyperinflammation, including complement over-activation, has a pivotal role in severe COVID-19 pathobiology, stimulating the inflammatory response, causing microangiopathy, platelet-neutrophil activation, and hypercoagulability. SARS-CoV-2 can directly activate the complement system by the classic, alternative, and lectin pathways, and infected cells can produce intracellular…</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>Susceptibility of SARS COV-2 nucleocapsid and spike proteins to reactive oxygen species and role in inflammation</strong> - Chemiluminescence was used to test the susceptibility of the SARS-CoV-2 N and S proteins to oxidation by reactive oxygen species (ROS) at pH7.4 and pH8.5. The Fenton’s system generates various ROS (H(2)O(2), ·OH, -OH, ·OOH). All proteins were found to significantly suppress oxidation (the viral proteins exhibited 25-60% effect compared to albumin). In the second system, H(2)O(2)was used both as a strong oxidant and as a ROS. A similar effect was observed (30-70%); N protein approached the effect…</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>Antimycotic effect of 3-phenyllactic acid produced by probiotic bacterial isolates against Covid-19 associated mucormycosis causing fungi</strong> - The Covid-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM) is an emerging disease affecting immunocompromised patients. Prevention of such infections using probiotics and their metabolites persist as effective therapeutic agents. Therefore, the present study emphasizes on assessment of their efficacy and safety. Samples from different sources like human milk, honey bee intestine, toddy, and dairy milk were collected, screened and characterized for potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their…</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 Resveratrol Oligomers Inhibit Cathepsin L Activity to Suppress SARS-CoV-2 Entry</strong> - Cell entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) depends on specific host cell proteases, which are the key targets for preventing and treating viral infections. Herein, we describe miyabenol C and trans-ε-viniferin, two resveratrol oligomers that specifically inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry by targeting host protease cathepsin L. Several cell-based assays were used to demonstrate the effect of resveratrol oligomers, and their target was identified via screening of antiviral…</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>Amuvatinib Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Infection at the Entry Step of the Viral Life Cycle</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 propagation is mediated by the protein interaction between viral proteins and host cells. Tyrosine kinase has been implicated in viral replication, and hence, it has become a target for developing antiviral drugs. We have previously reported that receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor blocks the replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the present study, we…</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>Investigating the potential of natural compounds as novel inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 RdRP using computational approaches</strong> - COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Currently, no vaccines or antiviral treatments are available to combat this deadly virus; however, precautions and some repurposed medicines are available to contain COVID-19. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) plays an important role in the replication or transcription of viral mechanisms. Approved antiviral drug such as Remdesivir has shown inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 RdRP. The purpose of this study was to carry out a…</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>Multifaceted involvements of Paneth cells in various diseases within intestine and systemically</strong> - Serving as the guardians of small intestine, Paneth cells (PCs) play an important role in intestinal homeostasis maintenance. Although PCs uniquely exist in intestine under homeostasis, the dysfunction of PCs is involved in various diseases not only in intestine but also in extraintestinal organs, suggesting the systemic importance of PCs. The mechanisms under the participation of PCs in these diseases are multiple as well. The involvements of PCs are mostly characterized by limiting intestinal…</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>Synthesis, molecular docking, and binding Gibbs free energy calculation of β-nitrostyrene derivatives: Potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease</strong> - The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has had a significant impact on human health and the economic development. SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease (3CLpro) is highly conserved and plays a key role in mediating the transcription of virus replication. It is an ideal target for the design and screening of anti-coronavirus drugs. In this work, seven β-nitrostyrene derivatives were synthesized by Henry reaction and β-dehydration reaction, and…</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>Engineering Nanomolar Potent Protein-based Inhibitors for Papain-like Protease Guided by Residue Correlation Network</strong> - We developed a rational protocol with a minimal number of mutated residues to create highly potent and selective protein-based inhibitors. Guided by an interaction and dihedral correlation network of ubiquitin (Ub) and MERS coronaviral papain-like protease (PLpro) complex, our designed ubiquitin variant (UbV) with 3 mutated residues (A46F, K48E, and E64Y) resulted in a ~3,500-fold increase in functional inhibition as compared with the wildtype Ub (wtUb). Further optimization with C-terminal R74N…</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>Development of monoclonal antibody-based blocking ELISA for detecting SARS-CoV-2 exposure in animals</strong> - The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a significant threat to public health. Besides humans, SARS-CoV-2 can infect several animal species. Highly sensitive and specific diagnostic reagents and assays are urgently needed for rapid detection and implementation of strategies for prevention and control of the infection in animals. In this study, we initially developed a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N)…</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,425 @@
|
|||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
|
||||
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
|
||||
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
|
||||
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
|
||||
<title>02 April, 2023</title>
|
||||
<style>
|
||||
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||||
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||||
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
|
||||
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
|
||||
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
|
||||
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
|
||||
</style>
|
||||
<title>Daily-Dose</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"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><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>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<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>Donald Trump Is Indicted and Threatens the Rule of Law: An American Tragedy, Act III</strong> - The indictment of the former President by a Manhattan grand jury begins a perilous new phase in the Trump saga. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/an-american-tragedy-act-iii">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Unimaginable Horror of Evan Gershkovich’s Arrest in Moscow</strong> - It’s painful and surreal to write these words: Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is being held by Russian authorities on espionage charges. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-unimaginable-horror-of-a-friends-arrest-in-moscow">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Wait for the Trump Indictment Is Finally Over</strong> - A press stakeout of Manhattan’s Criminal Courthouse dwindled down to a single cameraman. Then the news that a grand jury had voted to indict the former President arrived. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-wait-for-the-trump-indictment-is-finally-over">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Paul Vallas’s Cops-and-Crime Campaign to Run Chicago</strong> - In a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of the city’s residents reported feeling unsafe. The mayoral runoff presents two starkly different visions for how to move forward. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/paul-vallas-brandon-johnson-chicago-mayoral-runoff">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s the Point of Reading Writing by Humans?</strong> - Maybe one day journalism could be replaced with an immense surveillance state with a GPT-4 plug-in. Why would we want that? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/whats-the-point-of-reading-writing-by-humans">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>9 easy ways to make your life a little better</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="A collage-style image with a black-and-white photograph of a thumbs up surrounded by geometric shapes, like a grid, black and yellow triangles, pink and yellow circles, and black and white stripes." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AIQNk3RwJIJXO71k9g7onLJigeA=/324x0:5657x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72139665/GettyImages_1420621627.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Getty Images/iStockphoto
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Treat sleep like it’s a friend, make a single-item to-do list, and other unexpected ways to improve your life.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AmR6lZ">
|
||||
Unless you live a charmed life, chances are there are aspects of it you’d like to improve. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning, to find time for family and friends, to tackle that to-do list of mundane tasks, to get the printer to actually work.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7j5Lvw">
|
||||
Out of these everyday difficulties, a <a href="https://psmag.com/economics/the-secret-history-of-life-hacking-self-optimization-78748">market for life</a> <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/06/life-hacking-productivity-tech-silicon-valley-hacking-life-book-review.html">hacks was born</a>: seemingly simple ways to optimize and streamline life. Some of these tips proved useful — <a href="https://www.purewow.com/tech/how-to-find-your-car-by-dropping-a-pin">dropping a pin in Maps</a> where I parked my car has prevented many panicked searches — others, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9Piqp9g5Pk">not so much</a>. Oftentimes, however, the most effective step toward self-improvement is the most straightforward. Small and accessible shifts can manifest the most change without totally upending our established routines.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7ccFMg">
|
||||
Experts, ranging from authors to academics, offer their bite-size, low-lift advice on how to live a better life. While these tips are meant to be easily implemented, by no means should you attempt them all — just try what speaks to you and your circumstances.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O2tMYs">
|
||||
Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="2Qzug3">
|
||||
Try to get natural light every day (and treat sleep like your friend)
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H5IUKf">
|
||||
“Number one in my mind is having light during the day, particularly in the morning. Sunlight is free. Even if it’s overcast, there’s still lots of bright light outdoors. It’s a triple whammy of being good because you get light, you get fresh air, you get to move your body. Going outside during the day is such a good thing for your sleep and overall mental and physical health.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3MsC0t">
|
||||
My number two is to treat your sleep as you would treat your friend. This means prioritizing them and making sure you have time and space for them, but also not being overbearing and chasing them down and forcing sleep to happen. If you strike that balance between being there and holding space for your friend, sleep, but also being chill about it and not being too overbearing, then you’re going to have an easier time having the sleep health that you need.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aMwczH">
|
||||
—<a href="https://drjadewu.com/">Jade Wu,</a> author of<em> </em><a href="https://read.macmillan.com/lp/hello-sleep/"><em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em></a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5Pvm0k">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="8tlKMr">
|
||||
Outsource help with dating, work, or whatever else is on your mind
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HXKMcj">
|
||||
“Weekly, share one of your hopes, dreams, goals, or dating and relationship needs with a new person. This will increase the amount of people who are willing to help you reach your goals.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e8B2D1">
|
||||
—<a href="https://twitter.com/GayDatingCoach">Lamont White</a>, dating coach, television personality, and founder of <a href="https://betterwaytomeet.com/">Better Way to Meet</a> matchmaking services
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LjTN21">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="IX8V3d">
|
||||
Start a (small) to-do list
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AxBkuJ">
|
||||
“The simple hack that has transformed my life is putting absolutely everything I want to do for myself, my family, and my work on a <a href="https://todoist.com/">digital</a> <a href="https://trello.com/">to-do</a> <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/desktop-app-for-google-ta/lpofefdiokgmcdnnaigddelnfamkkghi?hl=en">list</a> that I can check off every day. It seems so simple, but something about seeing those small tasks and checking them off daily has allowed it to become a permanent pattern for me. I recommend that people start doing this with one small task and slowly build up competence before they add more. Every time you check it off, you get the rush of having completed a task and you’re building a consistent habit.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eLnCyG">
|
||||
—<a href="https://sitwithwhit.com/">Whitney Goodman</a>, psychotherapist and author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673005/toxic-positivity-by-whitney-goodman/"><em>Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy</em></a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gdI396">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="Rt5F7f">
|
||||
Cut through the chaos with meaningful rituals
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RTca4F">
|
||||
“I think it’s important to <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23144784/why-rituals-not-routine">create your own rituals</a>. I’ve found that my own personal rituals help keep my work-life harmony in check. Whether it’s my monthly supper club or my morning ritual of preparing a hot beverage, I find that these things ground me in even the busiest of times.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dD4S7Y">
|
||||
—Tina Wells, business strategist, advisor, and author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720347/the-elevation-approach-by-tina-wells-with-stephanie-smith/"><em>The Elevation Approach: Harness The Power of Work-Life Harmony to Unlock Your Creativity, Cultivate Joy, And Reach Your Biggest Goals</em></a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fT8pFu">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="RYwqF7">
|
||||
Take a breather before dealing with your finances
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cyuV8E">
|
||||
“Before you look at your finances, give yourself a two-minute transition exercise.<strong> </strong>For many of us, money is a serious stressor. We may not notice that we’re experiencing a fight-flight-or-freeze response as we sit down to go over accounts, but our body knows it. Set a timer for 120 seconds and do some deep breathing, make a list of three things you’re grateful for or appreciate about yourself, or simply journal for a page or two. Suppressing emotions and telling ourselves our anxieties are stupid or wrong leads to negative coping mechanisms like avoidance, while learning to self-regulate as a part of money management facilitates acceptance and presence of mind.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K49QOw">
|
||||
—<a href="https://amandaclayman.com/">Amanda Clayman</a>, financial therapist
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qqi83R">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="bXn5LR">
|
||||
Say hi to your neighbors
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lFzlA6">
|
||||
“My tip is to acknowledge the people I pass on the street: a smile, a nod, or a hello. I live in a small-ish town and while I know this can be a safety issue for some, I have found in my little community that I feel more a part of it, and feel like I’m contributing, even if it’s this very small acknowledgment on daily walks. My goal is to not be rushing around with blinders on all the time, just going about my business, but to actively work at noticing the people around me. I find I say things like, ‘Please go ahead’ now more than, ‘Oh I’m so sorry’ after having bumped into someone or cut them off. The small reminder to just pick your head up, make eye contact if you can, and offer a smile, nod, or even a hello has been a very worthwhile one.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iHLLuz">
|
||||
—<a href="https://emilypost.com/author/lizzie-post">Lizzie Post</a>, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and author of<em> </em><a href="https://emilypost.com/shop/books/emily-posts-etiquette-the-centennial-edition"><em>Emily Post’s Etiquette, The Centennial Edition</em></a> and <a href="https://emilypost.com/shop/books/higher-etiquette"><em>Higher Etiquette: A Guide To The World of Cannabis, From Dispensaries to Dinner Parties</em></a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7WbX1G">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="5J2TTq">
|
||||
Prioritize the people who prioritize you
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f2ok5t">
|
||||
“Choose people who choose you back. This was something I realized on my own that changed so much about my relationships. We should be choosing the people in our lives who are actively choosing relationships with us as well, and anything less isn’t a relationship we have to accept.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nzGiS8">
|
||||
—Lane Moore, author of<em> </em><a href="https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/you-will-find-your-people_9781419762567/"><em>You Will Find Your People: How To Make Meaningful Friendships As An Adult</em></a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YNJNca">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="qsC7G6">
|
||||
Reach out to that friend you’re thinking about right now
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CztyoW">
|
||||
“If a friend comes to mind, contact them. It could be a text, a DM, a meme, or even an email. If all you say is, ‘Thinking of you. I just wanted to say hi,’ that is good. Even better: if you reminisce about a specific memory of the two of you together. Share something they’d find interesting — like a meme, news story, mutual interest — laugh again with them about a joke you once shared, or, if you can, honestly say, ‘I miss you.’ If they respond, plan to connect again — to talk on the phone, make a Zoom call, or get together in person. Get it on the calendar and make it happen. And if they don’t respond, give them the grace. People are busy, texts get lost, and even when we appreciate being contacted, we don’t always know what to say.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jCs5lb">
|
||||
—<a href="https://coms.ku.edu/people/jeffrey-hall">Jeffrey Hall</a>, professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1UMspK">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="XxItqa">
|
||||
Make out with your partner… every day
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fw6S7p">
|
||||
“One small thing you can do to live better is make out with your partner every night before bed. Over time, couples in long-term relationships stop touching and kissing throughout the day. For many couples, the only physical contact they have is when they’re having sex or trying to initiate it. But if this is the only time you’re touching or kissing, that starts to create pressure. If your partner tries to touch you, you might find yourself pulling away because you don’t want it to ‘lead to more.’ Or you might start avoiding physical contact altogether. Instead, if you make the conscious intention to make out every night, you’ll start to break that connection between touch and sex. You’ll stop being so on guard around your partner, and you’ll be able to relax into the contact. Making out every night will help you feel closer to your partner, and you may even get those butterfly feelings from the beginning of your relationship back.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GpkCtr">
|
||||
—<a href="https://vmtherapy.com/">Vanessa Marin</a>, sex therapist, <a href="https://vmtherapy.com/">and Xander Marin</a>, authors of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sex-Talks/Vanessa-Marin/9781668000014"><em>Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life</em></a>
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>The thread that ties the recent chemical spills together</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="A jumble of train cars in a wreck, seen from above." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MorBuhnfOogNCJV29TJyjjhB0uI=/424x0:2957x1900/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72139588/GettyImages_1247183181.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Several of the derailed train cars in East Palestine, Ohio, in February were carrying petrochemicals derived from oil and gas. | Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The growing oil and gas industry means more incidents like East Palestine.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="au0nwp">
|
||||
There’s a common thread linking many of the high-profile chemical spills that have made headlines across the country lately: the oil and gas industry.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EInBco">
|
||||
Philadelphia residents were on <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/3/27/23658812/philadelphia-drinking-water-chemical-spill-delaware-river">high alert</a> after the Trinseo latex plant 20 miles from the city released at least 8,100 gallons of acrylic polymers into a tributary for the Delaware River<strong> </strong>on March 24. Those acrylic polymers were made up of compounds known as butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate; all are produced from fossil fuels.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lT9tsl">
|
||||
Last month, East Palestine, Ohio, <a href="https://www.vox.com/science/23624376/east-palestine-derailment-air-quality-safety">faced</a> a Norfolk Southern train derailment with highly volatile toxic chemicals, including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride — which is also derived from oil. On March 28, 10 barges, including one containing 1,400 metric tons of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/29/1166743814/louisville-barge-methanol-ohio-river">methanol</a> — yup, you guessed it, made from oil or gas — broke loose in the Ohio River in Kentucky.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HZAYem">
|
||||
Many other incidents don’t make national news: The Guardian reported that the US has averaged a chemical accident <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/25/revealed-us-chemical-accidents-one-every-two-days-average">every two days</a> so far in 2023. Every year, there’s an average of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-02/2023-01_0.pdf">202 accidental chemical releases</a> at facilities, according to EPA data.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JuOeGW">
|
||||
This adds up to a major threat to water quality. “In the US, chemical exposure probably is the biggest threat to water quality, particularly drinking water quality, whether that is direct chemical exposure from facilities like what happened in Philadelphia or chemical exposure from products,” said Joel Tickner, who is a professor of public health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and leads the nonprofit Green Chemistry & Commerce Council.<strong> </strong>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SxQAPD">
|
||||
All these events are usually lumped together in the vague category of a chemical spill, but it’s important to get more specific than that. Petrochemicals — as this class of compounds are known — are ubiquitous today, used to make some form of the plastic found in detergents, cosmetics, clothing, packaging, and more. (The Trinseo plant near Philadelphia, for instance, was basically making paint.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pcTyZU">
|
||||
There’s a reason plastics and petrochemicals are in nearly everything. They’re dirt cheap — and useful. The industry has become extremely efficient at converting fossil fuels into sets of materials that are lighter in weight and pliable, making them as adaptable for medical equipment as they are for lip balm, nail polish, clothing, and single-use coffee cups.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mqbXWC">
|
||||
But the adaptability comes at a cost. These chemicals can conceivably be produced and transported safely — at least on paper. But the volume of accidents shows how often they aren’t. In 2022, according to federal data, there were more than <a href="https://www.bts.gov/content/hazardous-materials-fatalities-injuries-accidents-and-property-damage-data">20,000 recorded times</a> hazardous materials caused injury, accidents, or death while in transit. “It’s a very risky chain every step of the way,” said Judith Enck, a former regional EPA administrator and president of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6daVLS">
|
||||
Those risks aren’t going away anytime soon. Petrochemical production in the US is booming, derived from the larger boom in US oil and gas supply. And the industry’s broadening footprint means more communities are coming in direct contact with carcinogens and endocrine-disruptors that affect humans and animals in ways scientists still don’t fully understand. Most of the time, people aren’t coming into contact with petrochemicals through <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/2023/3/30/23663182/minnesota-train-derailment-east-palestine-hazardous-chemicals">train derailments</a>, but in more mundane ways.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="BhaKSb">
|
||||
From fossil fuels to plastics: The full life cycle of petrochemicals takes a dangerous toll
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x1TZ87">
|
||||
The final form of plastic you buy at the store may be relatively harmless, but the building blocks it’s made up of are often hazardous to human and animal health. “Oil and gas is the basis of most of our chemistry,” Tickner said. “We built most of our modern chemistry on these seven fairly toxic, challenging chemicals and then you essentially iterate off of those.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LcZN5f">
|
||||
Those <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00139157.2021.1979857">seven basic chemicals</a> are methanol, ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, and xylene, and they can pose a variety of risks. Benzene, for instance, is a <a href="https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp">known carcinogen</a>. Eventually, benzene may be transformed into something as benign as food packaging, but “that plastic that you have bought has a history somewhere else,” Tickner said. The manufacturing “might go back to a community in Louisiana that is highly exposed to benzene or ethylene oxide or some other material.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qPmR0r">
|
||||
There are more than 11,000 facilities that store, use, or handle hazardous materials in the US, according to the <a href="http://gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104494.pdf">Government Accountability Office</a>. But they tend to be concentrated in a few parts of the country, often in or near communities of color. Louisiana, the Ohio River Valley, and Texas have all seen expansion of petrochemical plants. The map below from <a href="https://oilandgaswatch.org/">Oil and Gas Watch</a> shows the zoomed-out landscape for proposed and operating petrochemical facilities (yellow dots) and their pipelines (yellow lines) across the US:
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fDKIPTWTULnTpdFlW1DxNCtC7S8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24548000/operating_petrochemical_facilities.png"/> <cite>Oil Watch, Environmental Integrity Project</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A map maintained by the Envronmental Integrity Project shows operating petrochemical plants throughout the US.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QiKSCn">
|
||||
It’s cheap oil and gas that has helped fuel the rise in chemicals manufacturing. Traditionally, most plastics have come from imported petroleum, but fracking and expanded drilling have given rise to a domestic petrochemicals industry. The 2010s were a decade of historically <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-markets-decade-energy/u-s-energy-shareholders-seek-to-leave-behind-a-lost-decade-idUSKBN1YV0CM">low natural gas prices</a>, and the cheap fuel made plastics an <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/03/your-plastic-addiction-is-bankrolling-big-oil/">even more attractive proposition</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zgd9QA">
|
||||
These chemicals are produced in a variety of ways, but today the biggest proposed expansion in the US is in <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2022-3-fall/feature/these-are-new-titans-plastic-shell-pennsylvania-fracking">ethane cracker plants</a>. These are facilities that use high heat capable of breaking (or “cracking”) the bonds in natural gas’s methane to produce ethane. That ethane is then used to create a huge array of plastics.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O9ZGKW">
|
||||
One of the products that come from cracking ethylene is vinyl chloride, the same chemical that the derailed train carried in East Palestine. It’s transported as a chilled liquid, but when exposed to the outdoors it becomes a highly explosive gas. The risk of an uncontrolled explosion <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23597778/ohio-train-east-palestine-trainwreck-accident-chemical-norfolk">led responders</a> in East Palestine to vent the vinyl chloride and burn it, producing a black cloud of smoke over the town of 4,700. Residents now <a href="https://www.vox.com/science/23612128/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-chemical-spill-cleanup-norfolk-southern">worry</a> that the fallout from the smoke will lead to contaminated groundwater in the years to come.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dkFPrW">
|
||||
Carnegie Mellon professor of green chemistry Terry Collins noted that the steady rise in petrochemicals nationwide is making it increasingly difficult to keep drinking water safe. Some plastics and petrochemicals mimic hormone molecules found in our bodies and can therefore interrupt growth and development, especially in children. “We’ve got this going on galore,” Collins said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="atXqcj">
|
||||
Everyday exposure to petrochemicals production is a reality for many
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WsmHDO">
|
||||
As the East Palestine incident highlighted, there’s no completely foolproof way to process and transport these highly flammable and corrosive chemicals. Trains can derail, and pipelines can rupture.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L8lkqr">
|
||||
But controlled burns, like the one in East Palestine, happen <a href="https://www.wtae.com/article/shell-cracker-plant-beaver-county-flaring-march-25/43420872">regularly</a> at petrochemicals plants.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8I8fBj">
|
||||
Rachel Meyer, an Ohio River Valley field coordinator for the environmental advocacy group Moms Clean Air Force, has seen just how common it is for a facility to flare its chemicals to avoid any fires or explosions. She lives at the center of fracking operations and petrochemical plants in southwestern Pennsylvania. She is 20 miles from the Norfolk Southern derailment but also a few miles from a giant new plastics plant, Shell’s Monaca facility in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g_3tvhQ3vKiRWYr6o1Z7i6OTaWw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24551005/monaca.jpeg"/> <cite>Andie Grey, Eyes on Shell</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A flare from Shell’s petrochemical plant in Monaca Pennsylvania lit up the night sky shortly after midnight on January 7, 2023, a period when the plant was experiencing equipment malfunctions. Shell has already exceeded its annual state permit for volatile organic chemicals in less than six months of operation.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hWOEo3">
|
||||
The giant Shell Monaca plant is less than six months old and, last month, the plant responded to malfunctioning equipment by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/shell-beaver-county-cracker-plant-flaring/">flaring gas</a> to avoid explosion. “It was so bright at nighttime,” Meyer said. “It was this reddish orange color. And I could see that on clouds all the way out where I am.” Residents have seen that glow from <a href="https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/opening-of-new-plastics-plant-brings-glowing-orange-clouds-and-repeated-pollution-violations">17 miles away</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uiEU6E">
|
||||
Environmental Integrity Project, a watchdog environmental group, <a href="https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/opening-of-new-plastics-plant-brings-glowing-orange-clouds-and-repeated-pollution-violations">notes</a> the facility has already had 14 records of violations and 34 malfunctions from its construction and operating phase, and the plant already exceeded its annual limits<strong> </strong>for smog-forming air pollutants within its first few months of operation.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t8VndN">
|
||||
The Shell Monaca plant is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-pittsburgh-pennsylvania-climate-and-environment-10b988d28f368d116e681836ee0cb283">one of the largest</a> ethane plants yet to open in the US. Smaller incidents tend to be self-reported by companies, often with a lag time so residents don’t immediately know the reason why the air may smell or there’s an orange nighttime sky.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RP0ppE">
|
||||
There are many paths to protecting the public from petrochemicals’ harms. Of course, more work can be done <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23597778/ohio-train-east-palestine-trainwreck-accident-chemical-norfolk">to prevent accidents</a> and promote train safety, while also taking risk management seriously. But safety also starts with rethinking our petrochemicals reliance entirely.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OrSy39">
|
||||
Train derailments, routine flaring, and equipment failures show a far darker side than the oil and gas industry usually lets on. From the industry’s view, plastics and petrochemicals will ensure demand for oil and gas for decades, even as the US transitions away from gasoline-powered transportation.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HKxhNY">
|
||||
All these incidents showcase how the impacts from plastics seep into our lives long before they’re tossed into the trash.
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Taiwan’s president is in the Americas — and China’s not happy</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen Visits Guatemala" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LGsOvvrNuVHH4_nEsE598oqPPko=/313x0:3977x2748/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72138125/1478607994.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Josue Decavele/Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
President Tsai Ing-Wen is shoring up allies, but a meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy is drawing threats from Beijing
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pkZpWw">
|
||||
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen is in the midst of a 10-day trip to the Americas, with stops in Belize, Guatemala, and the US as the island faces an increasingly belligerent Beijing. Tsai’s trip underscores Taiwan’s vulnerable position as its international allies face a pressure campaign from the People’s Republic of China to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to the mainland.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wUSc2M">
|
||||
Beijing has threatened conflict over Taiwan, which according to its “one China principle” is part of the mainland, to some extent for decades. The tension most recently reached a fever pitch when <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/8/6/23294700/us-china-taiwan-pelosi-visit-protest">former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August of last year</a>. At the time, Beijing retaliated by sanctioning Pelosi and firing ballistic missiles toward Taiwan, as well as announcing it would extend planned military drills. Now, with Tsai headed to the Americas to shore up support for Taiwan, Beijing has threatened “resolute countermeasures” should Tsai meet with current Speaker Kevin McCarthy next week, as she’s tentatively planned to do.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nkLcW1">
|
||||
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-tsai-us-visit-china-warnings-updates-652813f8ce4d9804f372fd05ccaab435">Just as existential for Tsai</a>, though, may be her scheduled visits to Belize and Guatemala, particularly given the fact Honduras, a former diplomatic partner, recently changed its allegiance to Beijing. Though the US is Taiwan’s most powerful friend and security partner, the US government walks a fine line where the island is concerned. Officially, the US recognizes the People’s Republic of China and respects what it calls the “one China policy,” but practices strategic ambiguity where the two are concerned.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vhd9vR">
|
||||
Taiwan itself is in a difficult position, too, as its official number of diplomatic partners dwindles <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/29/honduras-taiwan-china-allies-relations/">from 14 to 13</a>. Tsai’s visit to Belize and Guatemala will reinforce those countries’ commercial, diplomatic, and military commitments to Taiwan. But China has a tactic of using its relative economic might as a cudgel, typically by <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/7/9/23201747/protests-sri-lanka-leaders-president-prime-minister-resign-rajapaksa">persuading poorer nations</a> into infrastructure and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/business/china-loans-coronavirus-belt-road.html">lending deals </a>that later make those nations economically beholden to Beijing. Honduras’s decision to switch allegiance may have had an economic payoff for the Central American nation, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/29/taiwan-president-tsai-us-trip-china/">Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu alleged</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="inZPjC">
|
||||
Five Central American and Caribbean nations have switched their diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing since Tsai took power, and it isn’t clear that diplomacy can stanch the bleeding. And in regard to Tsai’s US visit, Beijing has warned that it’s watching the situation closely should Tsai meet with US officials.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="5G7MUj">
|
||||
What Tsai’s Central American visit can do for Taiwan
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2xtE1E">
|
||||
Though Tsai will bookend her trip with stops in the US — she started off in New York and plans to visit McCarthy in his California district before heading back to Taiwan — her Central American stops are critical too, Kitsch Liao, assistant director of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub told Vox in an interview.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NgtVbl">
|
||||
Much of Taiwan’s national security is connected to the threat from China, which can be dealt with in two different ways — cross-strait relations or international diplomatic relations. “Cross-strait doesn’t work if China doesn’t want to play with you,” Liao said, and China is not particularly disposed to work with Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Therefore, international support and diplomatic engagement, whether with official partners like Belize and Guatemala or powerful security partners like the US, does play an important security and intermediary role for Taiwan.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mjfAV7">
|
||||
From a purely military perspective, Taiwan’s allegiances aren’t terribly strategic, but Taiwan does have priorities other than defense, like trade. Taiwan has a strong trade relationship with Guatemala, and has invested millions in the Central American country’s agricultural, manufacturing and tech industries, and Taiwan’s ties with <a href="https://eng.coa.gov.tw/theme_data.php?theme=eng_news&id=464">the Marshall Islands</a> in the Pacific are crucial for its fishing industry.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RQTjkO">
|
||||
Of course, there’s also the symbolic importance of having official diplomatic relationships — they give credence to Taiwan’s sovereignty, a threatening concept for Beijing. That’s why, since Tsai became president in 2016, Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador in Central America, Sao Tome and Principe and Burkina Faso in Africa, the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, and the Solomon Islands and Kiribati in Oceania, have all broken ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing, many citing economic concerns for the switch, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/29/honduras-taiwan-china-allies-relations/">the Washington Post reported Wednesday</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wjeH8K">
|
||||
Honduras, the most recent country to shift its allegiance to China, has been dealing with economic insecurity, including $600 million the country reportedly owed to Taiwan. China has made a concerted effort to isolate Taiwan, relying on the economic coercion it practices elsewhere — providing loans or support for infrastructure projects, only to exert more influence or take over those projects when the recipients of its largesse can’t pay China back or complete the planned construction.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XUv2ES">
|
||||
“I expect that to continue,” Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the RAND corporation, said of China’s campaign to peel off Taiwan’s allies.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oTJ31Z">
|
||||
Another method of influence is the so-called “golden passport” programs in certain Caribbean nations, according to the research of Leland Lazarus, associate director of the national security policy program at Florida International University’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. <a href="https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=jgi_research">In a recent report</a>, Lazarus found that some Caribbean nations’ citizenship programs for foreign investors see a large percentage of Chinese applicants, who then wield political influence in those countries. In St. Kitts and Nevis, a diplomatic partner of Taiwan, an estimated 60 percent of applicants to the citizenship program were from China.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eDgDOz">
|
||||
Since Honduras’ defection, Taiwan’s three Latin American partners — <a href="https://twitter.com/mreparaguay/status/1640038462949605376?s=20">Paraguay</a>, <a href="https://www.minex.gob.gt/Noticias/Noticia.aspx?ID=30847">Guatemala</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/MFABelize/status/1636100530047950851?s=20">Belize</a> — have all reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, touting shared democratic ideals. Guatemala and Belize both reaffirmed their position that Taiwan is a sovereign nation.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vnErxD">
|
||||
Of course, there is an argument that Taiwan should work on cultivating relationships with powerful security partners like the US, according Grossman. “Taiwan shouldn’t worry about the Hondurases of the world,” Grossman told Vox in an interview, but rather “focus on powers including Australia, <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/25/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-taiwan-china-lai-ching-te-military-dialogue/">Japan</a>, even the Philippines,” nearby nations that could provide military support in the case of an attack by China, especially if for some reason the US weren’t in a position to or were unwilling to come to Taiwan’s aid.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dFwB7G">
|
||||
“Time is not on Taiwan’s side here,” Grossman said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="LmeVkX">
|
||||
China is unpredictable, but the context of Tsai’s visit is important
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="54lucK">
|
||||
The US plays a peculiar role in Taiwan’s existence; though Washington officially recognizes Beijing, the US is also Taiwan’s most important security partner. In many senses, it plays both sides, but perhaps most importantly, Liao told Vox, the US not only engages in deterrence against China, but it also must keep Taiwan from formally declaring sovereignty and igniting a major conflict.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FCsgoq">
|
||||
Taiwan’s internal politics and public opinion currently favor independence, as does Tsai and her DPP. But that’s not always been the case, and the rival Kuomin Tang, or KMT, party favors more conciliatory relations with China. Taiwan will hold elections next year, and as of now the DPP and KMT are in a dead heat in opinion polls, <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2023/03/06/taiwanese-politics-faces-a-crucial-election-in-early-2024">according to the Economist</a>. Still, 61 percent of people polled consider themselves Taiwanese — not Taiwanese and Chinese. That’s a sentiment the DPP must harness in order to remain in power next year.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DcTIQE">
|
||||
A visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California is on the schedule for April 5 — Tsai will meet McCarthy there, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/29/kevin-mccarthy-taiwan-tsai-ing-wen/">according to the Washington Post</a>. She reportedly met top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during her visit to New York, <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1641852244541702166">Punchbowl news reported at the time</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aaAFrC">
|
||||
The fact that the visits are occurring on US soil as opposed to in Taiwan is relevant; McCarthy reportedly initially planned to travel to Taiwan to meet Tsai, as his predecessor Pelosi had done to China’s great chagrin. Tsai isn’t traveling to Washington, DC, and her visit isn’t an official state visit. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/29/taiwan-president-tsai-us-trip-china/">From Washington’s perspective</a>, she’s transiting through the US as she’s done before during international travel.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VZbsbw">
|
||||
China has vowed retaliation should Tsai and McCarthy follow through on their meeting, although it’s not clear what that retaliation would look like should it occur. For their part, neither Grossman nor Liao is convinced that Beijing will launch an all-out attack on Taiwan, or even respond as strongly as it did after Pelosi’s visit. Still, it’s impossible to know what the calculus is in Beijing, especially when factoring in internal jockeying for influence and power, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/04/business/new-world-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-social-media.html">as well as public opinion</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nj2FgX">
|
||||
China, Grossman told Vox, continues its belligerent behavior “because they think they can,” without considering whether it makes sense. “They operate on a hair trigger,” he acknowledged, but “I don’t think this is the moment” for a major offensive, primarily because the People’s Liberation Army isn’t prepared for an amphibious assault on Taiwan.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qXz5BH">
|
||||
Beijing subscribes to an “escalate to de-escalate” strategy, increasingly showing its might in hopes that it can force an adversary to back down or at least engage in negotiation. But with US-China relations at an historic low, particularly in the military arena, there’s no path for de-escalation — increasing, as Liao said, “the chance for miscalculation and miscommunication.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="En7YuU">
|
||||
</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>IPL Ticket Advisory: No CAA/NRC protest banners allowed during matches</strong> - It is understood that the advisory has been issued by the franchises, that manage the ticketing business of their respective home matches</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>Mayers – grabbing the opportunity to showcase his skills</strong> - I got stuck in, faced a few balls and then just executed my plans, says the West Indian with a double century on Test debut</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>Verstappen wins in wild finish to F1 Australian Grand Prix</strong> - Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who drove superbly in his Mercedes, finished second, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso filled the third spot on the podium</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>IPL 2023: CSK vs LSG | Back in their den, Chennai eyes first win against Lucknow</strong> - When M.S. Dhoni leads his team in Chennai, the champion side will receive a rapturous welcome as they return after four years.</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>Salim Durani: Big-hearted Afghan who played for love of game</strong> - Durani was the ‘people’s man’, whose impact can never be quantified by the 29 Test matches that he played over 13 years</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>Pralhad Joshi says Siddaramaiah is not confident of winning from any seat leave alone Varuna</strong> - Union Minister criticises Congress saying its workers are speaking as if Mr. Siddaramaiah’s son is sacrificing his seat for his father but that is not true</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>Kapil Mishra targets Rahul Gandhi over surname, Savarkar remark</strong> - He was speaking at a session on Sanatan Sanskriti and Hindutva organised by Navonmesh Foundation in Jaipur.</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>India’s foreign trade set to cross $1.6 trillion mark this fiscal: Report</strong> - The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the $1.6 trillion would be about 48 per cent of India’s nominal GDP of $3.4 trillion for the fiscal year ending March 2023.</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>Khalistani outfit threatens Assam CM</strong> - A person claiming to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of Sikh for Justice outfit advises Himanta Biswa Sarma to stay out of the fight between pro-Khalistan Sikhs and Indian government</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>Modi’s visit to election-bound Karnataka for govt programme requires ECI nod, says Siddaramaiah</strong> - PM Modi is scheduled to participate in a programme to commemorate 50 years of Project Tiger at Mysuru on April 9</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>Finland election: Three-way race as Sanna Marin fights for survival</strong> - A tight race sees right-wing populists and conservatives vying for power with the PM’s centre left.</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>Pope Francis to lead Palm Sunday services day after leaving hospital</strong> - The 86-year-old, who was diagnosed with bronchitis, is back to work a day after being discharged.</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: Where are Russia’s opposition leaders now?</strong> - President Putin rules virtually unchallenged, with opponents forced to leave Russia - or worse.</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: Russian strike on eastern city Kostyantynivka ‘kills six’</strong> - Ukraine says six civilians died when Russian missiles crashed into homes in Kostyantynivka.</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>Russia assumes UN Security Council presidency despite Ukrainian anger</strong> - Ukraine’s foreign minister said Russia leading the UN Security Council is “the worst joke ever”.</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>Space archaeologists are charting humanity’s furthest frontier</strong> - An innovative research project delivers new evidence about how people live on the ISS. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1928443">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SpaceX moves Starship to launch site, and liftoff could be just days away</strong> - No fooling—Starship rolled back to the launch pad on April 1. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1928548">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>When innovation goes south: The tech that never quite worked out</strong> - We don’t need new gadgets; we need to use antibiotics more sparingly. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1928303">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Screen Time: A ridiculous April 1 rhyme</strong> - It’s April Fools’ Day, which means… a long, ludicrous poem about screens! - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1928084">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Nvidia’s GameStream is dead. Sunshine and Moonlight are great replacements.</strong> - What started as a hackathon project is now a full-fledged streaming platform. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1906410">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>The police just pulled me over, and the officer came up to my window and said “papers?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
I said “scissors, I win!” and drove off. He’s been chasing me for 45 minutes now, I think he wants a rematch.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Stationary-Event"> /u/Stationary-Event </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1298kvr/the_police_just_pulled_me_over_and_the_officer/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1298kvr/the_police_just_pulled_me_over_and_the_officer/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What do you call a group of people with something in common, but hate each other?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
drivers
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Qvacy"> /u/Qvacy </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/12953fw/what_do_you_call_a_group_of_people_with_something/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/12953fw/what_do_you_call_a_group_of_people_with_something/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I’ve managed 434 days, 12 hours, 47 minutes and 17 seconds of sobriety.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
I’m so glad alcohol doesn’t dictate my life any more.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/incredibleinkpen"> /u/incredibleinkpen </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/128wuar/ive_managed_434_days_12_hours_47_minutes_and_17/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/128wuar/ive_managed_434_days_12_hours_47_minutes_and_17/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My Ex reminds me of a boxing ring.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
It’s not unusual to find three men inside her.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Fordemups"> /u/Fordemups </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/12902s7/my_ex_reminds_me_of_a_boxing_ring/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/12902s7/my_ex_reminds_me_of_a_boxing_ring/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Doctor: I’m sorry, but I had to remove your colon.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me Why?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/madazzahatter"> /u/madazzahatter </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/128hxf0/doctor_im_sorry_but_i_had_to_remove_your_colon/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/128hxf0/doctor_im_sorry_but_i_had_to_remove_your_colon/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>
|
||||
File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long
Loading…
Reference in New Issue