diff --git a/archive-covid-19/08 June, 2021.html b/archive-covid-19/08 June, 2021.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..920f0ca --- /dev/null +++ b/archive-covid-19/08 June, 2021.html @@ -0,0 +1,197 @@ + +
+ + + ++Background: Long-COVID is characterised by the emergence of multiple debilitating symptoms following SARS CoV2 infection. Its aetiology is unclear, and it often follows a mild acute illness. Anecdotal reports of gradual clinical responses to histamine receptor antagonists (HRA) suggest a histamine-dependent mechanism distinct from anaphylaxis. Histamine is a paracrine regulator of T-cells: although T-cell perturbations are reported in acute COVID-19, the T-cell landscape in recovered patients and its relationship to long-COVID remains under-explored. Objective: To survey T-cell populations in patients recovered from mild COVID-19, comparing those with long-COVID and asymptomatic individuals, and to analyse these data in light of symptoms and response to HRA. Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Setting: Single-site outpatient clinic Participants: 65 (87 to 408 days post mild COVID-19). None had sought treatment for acute COVID-19. 16 recovered uneventfully (asymptomatic group), 49 presented with long-COVID (symptomatic group), of whom 25 received HRA. Measurements: Structured long-COVID symptom questionnaire; quantification of T-cell subsets using a standard diagnostic assay. Results: HRA significantly reduced mean symptom burden. T-cell profiles distinguished asymptomatic and long-COVID groups, but did not predict response to HRA. Long-COVID patients had reduced CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory (EM) cells and increased PD-1 expression on central memory (CM) cells. Asymptomatic controls had reduced CD8+ EM cells and increased CD28 expression on CM cells. Conclusion: HRA reduce long-COVID symptoms. T-cell perturbations persist for up to 400 days following mild acute COVID-19 irrespective of long-COVID symptoms. Limitations: Preliminary, single health system study. +
++Background and Aims In patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) with or without cirrhosis, existing data on the risk of adverse outcomes with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been mixed or have limited generalizability. We used the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Data Enclave, a harmonized electronic health record (EHR) dataset of 5.9 million nationally-representative, diverse, and gender-balanced patients, to describe outcomes in patients with CLD and cirrhosis with SARS-CoV-2. Methods We identified all chronic liver diseases patients with and without cirrhosis who had SARS-CoV-2 testing documented in the N3C Data Enclave as of data release date 5/15/2021. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. Survival analysis methods were used to estimate cumulative incidences of death, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation, and to calculate the associations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, presence of cirrhosis, and demographic and clinical factors to 30-day mortality. Results We isolated 217,143 patients with CLD: 129,097 (59%) without cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 negative, 25,844 (12%) without cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 positive, 54,065 (25%) with cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 negative, and 8,137 (4%) with cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 positive. Among CLD patients without cirrhosis, 30-day all-cause mortality rates were 0.4% in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients and 1.8% in positive patients. Among CLD patients with cirrhosis, 30-day all-cause mortality rates were 4.0% in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients and 9.7% in positive patients. Compared to those who tested SARS-CoV-2 negative, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was associated with more than two-fold (aHR 2.43, 95% CI 2.23-2.64) hazard of death at 30 days among patients with cirrhosis. Compared to patients without cirrhosis, the presence of cirrhosis was associated with a three-fold (aHR 3.39, 95% CI 2.96-3.89) hazard of death at 30 days among patients who tested SARS-CoV-2 positive. Age (aHR 1.03 per year, 95% CI 1.03-1.04) was associated with death at 30 days among patients with cirrhosis who were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Conclusions In this study of nearly 220,000 CLD patients, we found SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with cirrhosis was associated with 2.43-times mortality hazard, and the presence of cirrhosis among CLD patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were associated with 3.39-times mortality hazard. Compared to previous studies, our use of a nationally-representative, diverse, and gender-balanced dataset enables wide generalizability of these findings. +
++Background and Aims: The reported case numbers of COVID-19 are often used to estimate the growth rate of infections. We use the excess mortality instead to show the effect of most restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (mrNPIs) as compared to less restrictive NPIs (lrNPIs) concerning growth rate and death counts. Methods: We estimate the COVID-19 growth rate for Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA from the excess mortality. We use the average growth rate obtained for Sweden and South Korea, the only countries with lrNPIs only, to estimate additional death numbers in the other countries, had mrNPIs not been applied. Results: The growth rate estimated from excess mortality decreased faster for countries with mrNPIs than for Sweden and South Korea, suggesting that the mrNPIs do have a non-negligible effect. Implementing lrNPIs instead of mrNPIs results in up to 3 times higher death numbers. This is not visible when the growth rate is calculated using the reported case numbers of COVID-19 instead of the excess mortality. Conclusion: The conclusion for the spreading of COVID-19 obtained from reported COVID-19 cases in previous studies are most likely biased. Using our method, a more realistic estimate of the growth rate is obtained. Conclusions made for the reproduction number derived from the reported case numbers, such as the apparent insignificance of mrNPIs (lockdowns), might therefore be wrong and will have to be reevaluated using the growth rates obtained with our method. +
++Emerging epidemics and local infection clusters are initially prone to stochastic effects that can substantially impact the epidemic trajectory, even in the long term. While numerous studies are devoted to the deterministic regime of an established epidemic, mathematical descriptions of the initial phase of epidemic growth are comparatively rarer. Here, we review existing mathematical results, and derive new results to elucidate the early dynamics of an infection cluster started by a single infected individual. We cover the probability of establishment of an epidemic as a function of the distribution of secondary infections, the expectation of epidemic size as a function of time, and the convergence to a deterministic exponential regime. Stochasticity systematically accelerates the initial growth of an epidemic, because epidemics that do not get extinct have faster initial growth on average. This also affects the long-term epidemic growth by increasing the cumulative size by a constant factor, the inverse of the establishment probability, when compared to the deterministic prediction. These results are critical to improve early cluster detection and control. We compute the probability distribution of the first detection time of an infected individual in an infection cluster depending on the testing effort (assumed to be constant in time), and estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 detected in September 2020 first appeared in the United Kingdom early August 2020. We estimate a minimal testing frequency to detect clusters before they exceed a certain threshold size, and we compute the detection rate of infected individuals during a single mass testing effort. For example, in a COVID-19-parameterized model with an effective reproduction number R=1.1, a fraction 1.3% of a population needs to be randomly tested each day for cluster size to not exceed 30 infected individuals. These results improve our theoretical understanding of early epidemics and will be useful for the study and control of local infectious disease clusters. +
+Study of Intravenous COVI-MSC for Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-MSC; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-MSC; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (US) - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-DROPS; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (UK) - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-DROPS; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Post COVID-19 “Long Haul” Pulmonary Compromise - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Biological: COVI-MSC
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Intramuscular VIR-7831 (Sotrovimab) for Mild/Moderate COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Biological: VIR-7831
Sponsors: Vir Biotechnology, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline
Not yet recruiting
CISCO-21 Prevent and Treat Long COVID-19. - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Other: Resistance Exercise
Sponsors: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; University of Glasgow; Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government
Not yet recruiting
Leronlimab in Moderatelly Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Leronlimab; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; CytoDyn, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Collecting Respiratory Sound Samples From Corona Patients to Extend the Diagnostic Capability of VOQX Electronic Stethoscope to Diagnose COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: Electronic stethoscope
Sponsor: Sanolla
Recruiting
To Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of TQ Formula in Covid-19 Participants - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Drug: Black Seed Oil Cap/Tab
Sponsor: Novatek Pharmaceuticals
Recruiting
Leronlimab in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) With Need for Mechanical Ventilation or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Leronlimab; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; CytoDyn, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Evaluation of the INDICAID™ COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Device: Rapid antigen testing and offsite PCR testing; Device: Rapid antigen testing and onsite PCR testing
Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles
Completed
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Coughed Droplets From Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Device: PneumoniaCheck
Sponsors: Emory University; Georgia Tech Foundation
Recruiting
Epidemiologic Intelligence Network (EpI-Net) to Promote COVID-19 Testing - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Other: Epi-Net Intervention
Sponsors: Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc.; Duke University; Harvard School of Public Health
Recruiting
Exploratory Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of RUTI® Against SARS-COV-2 Infection (COVID-19) in Healthcare Workers - Condition: Covid-19
Interventions: Biological: RUTI® vaccine; Biological: Placebo
Sponsor: RUTI Immunotherapeutics S.L.
Recruiting
SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and proteomic trajectories inform prognostication in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care - Prognostic characteristics inform risk stratification in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We obtained blood samples (n = 474) from hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n = 123), non-COVID-19 ICU sepsis patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 30). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA was detected in plasma or serum (RNAemia) of COVID-19 ICU patients when neutralizing antibody response was low. RNAemia is associated with higher…
Computational details of molecular structure, spectroscopic properties, topological studies and SARS-Cov-2 enzyme molecular docking simulation of substituted triazolo pyrimidine thione heterocycles - Investigation the molecular structure of the system requires a detailed experience in dealing with theoretical computational guides to highlight its important role. Molecular structure of three heterocyclic compounds 8,10-diphenylpyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (HL), 8-phenyl-10-(p-tolyl)pyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (CH(3)L) and10-(4-nitrophenyl)-8-phenylpyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (NO(2)L) was studied at…
Signal-regulatory protein alpha is an anti-viral entry factor targeting viruses using endocytic pathways - Signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA) is a well-known inhibitor of phagocytosis when it complexes with CD47 expressed on target cells. Here we show that SIRPA decreased in vitro infection by a number of pathogenic viruses, including New World and Old world arenaviruses, Zika virus, vesicular stomatitis virus and pseudoviruses bearing the Machupo virus, Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2 glycoproteins, but not HSV-1, MLV or mNoV. Moreover, mice with targeted mutation of the Sirpa gene that renders it…
Identification of novel drug candidates for the inhibition of catalytic cleavage activity of coronavirus 3CL-like protease enzyme - CONCLUSION: Thus, the present study offers two novel chemical entities against coronavirus infections, which can be validated through various biological assays.
Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitors Show Differential Efficacy and Interactions with Remdesivir for Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 in Vitro - Antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2 could improve treatment of COVID-19. We evaluated efficacy of clinically relevant hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitors (PI) against SARS-CoV-2 and their interactions with remdesivir, the only direct-acting antiviral approved for COVID-19 treatment. HCV PI showed differential potency in short-term treatment assays based on detection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in VeroE6 cells. Linear PI boceprevir, telaprevir and narlaprevir had 50% effective…
Nanobiocide Based-Silver Nanomaterials Upon Coronaviruses: Approaches for Preventing Viral Infections - The effectiveness of silver nanomaterials (AgNMs), as antiviral agents, has been confirmed in humans against many different types of viruses. Nanobiocides-based AgNMs can be effectively applied to eliminate coronaviruses (CoVs), as the cause of various diseases in animals and humans, particularly the fatal human respiratory infections. Mostly, these NMs act effectively against CoVs, thanks to the NMs’ fundamental anti-viral structures like reactive oxygen species (ROS), and photo-dynamic and…
Pathophysiology of Coagulopathy in Hematological Malignancies and in COVID-19 - Many severe illnesses with a systemic impact may cause activation of coagulation. While systemic activation of coagulation leads to a coagulopathy that follows many common activation pathways and failure of endogenous regulatory anticoagulant systems, underlying conditions may utilize distinctive pathogenetic routes and may vary in clinical manifestations of the coagulopathy. The coagulation derangement associated with hematological malignancies and the coagulopathy of coronavirus disease 2019…
Virtual Screening of Phytochemicals by Targeting HR1 Domain of SARS-CoV-2 S Protein: Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and DFT Studies - The recent COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly the whole world due to its high morbidity and mortality rate. Thus, scientists around the globe are working to find potent drugs and designing an effective vaccine against COVID-19. Phytochemicals from medicinal plants are known to have a long history for the treatment of various pathogens and infections; thus, keeping this in mind, this study was performed to explore the potential of different phytochemicals as candidate inhibitors of the HR1…
Encapsulated Food Products as a Strategy to Strengthen Immunity Against COVID-19 - In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-a novel coronavirus was identified which was quickly distributed to more than 100 countries around the world. There are currently no approved treatments available but only a few preventive measures are available. Among them, maintaining strong immunity through the intake of functional foods is a sustainable solution to resist the virus attack. For this, bioactive compounds (BACs) are delivered safely…
Multi-targeting of functional cysteines in multiple conserved SARS-CoV-2 domains by clinically safe Zn-ejectors - We present a near-term treatment strategy to tackle pandemic outbreaks of coronaviruses with no specific drugs/vaccines by combining evolutionary and physical principles to identify conserved viral domains containing druggable Zn-sites that can be targeted by clinically safe Zn-ejecting compounds. By applying this strategy to SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein-1ab, we predicted multiple labile Zn-sites in papain-like cysteine protease (PL^(pro)), nsp10 transcription factor, and nsp13 helicase. These are…
Potential role of Nigella sativa supplementation with physical activity in prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19: a contemporary review - The widespread prevalence and mortality of coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19) lead many researchers to study the SARS-CoV-s2 infection to find a treatment for this disease. Discovering the mechanisms of action of COVID-19 and coping at the cellular level with this disease can have better effects. Including the target tissues of this disease are the lungs and the immune system. It is stated that COVID-19 easily infiltrates into alveoli through its receptors and then starts to proliferate….
Can Resveratrol-Inhaled Formulations Be Considered Potential Adjunct Treatments for COVID-19? - The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an extraordinary threat to the global healthcare system. This infection disease, named COVID-19, is characterized by a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic or mild upper respiratory tract illness to severe viral pneumonia with fulminant cytokine storm, which leads to respiratory failure. To improve patient outcomes, both the inhibition of viral replication and of the unwarranted…
Global Trends in Research of Macrophages Associated With Acute Lung Injury Over Past 10 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis - Acute lung injury (ALI) is an intractable disorder associated with macrophages. This bibliometric analysis was applied to identify the characteristics of global scientific output, the hotspots, and frontiers about macrophages in ALI over the past 10 years. We retrieved publications published from 2011 to 2020 and their recorded information from Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-expanded) of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometrix package was used to analyze bibliometric…
Chemical profiling of Huashi Baidu prescription, an effective anti-COVID-19 TCM formula, by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS - Huashi Baidu prescription (HSBDF), recommended in the Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Pneumonia (On Trials, the Seventh Edition), was clinically used to treat severe corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with cough, blood-stained sputum, inhibited defecation, red tongue etc. symptoms. This study was aimed to elucidate and profile the knowledge on its chemical constituents and the potential anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. In the study, the chemical…
This Is Not a Pipe But how harmful is electronic cigarette smoke - This issue of the Biomedical Journal tells us about the risks of electronic cigarette smoking, variations of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2, and how COVID-19 affects the gastrointestinal system. Moreover, we learn that cancer immunotherapy seems to work well in elderly patients, how thyroid hormones regulate noncoding RNAs in a liver tumour context, and that G6PD is a double-edged sword of redox signalling. We also discover that Perilla leaf extract could inhibit SARS-CoV-2, that artificial neural networks…
폐마스크 밀봉 회수기 - 본 발명은 마스크 착용 후 버려지는 일회용 폐마스크를 비닐봉지에 넣은 후 밀봉하여 배출함으로써, 2차 감염을 예방하고 일반 생활폐기물과 선별 분리 배출하여 환경오염을 방지하는 데 그 목적이 있다. - link
COST EFFECTIVE PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR FOR COVID-19 - - link
METHOD OF IDENTIFYING SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONA VIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA) - - link
IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO PARTICLE, INCLUDING SARS-CoV-2, DETECTION AND METHODS THEREFOR - - link
DEEP LEARNING BASED SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF COVID-19 DISEASE OF PATIENT AT INFECTION RISK - The present invention relates to Deep learning based system for detection of covid-19 disease of patient at infection risk. The objective of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art related to technologies of detection of covid-19 disease using CT scan image processing. - link
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Wiederverwendbare Maske, mit einem Maskenkörper (100), einem Fixierband (300) zum Befestigen des Maskenkörpers (100) an einem menschlichen Gesicht, einer auswechselbaren Schicht (200), die zwischen dem menschlichen Gesicht und dem Maskenkörper (100) angeordnet ist, und einem Fixierteil (400) zum Fixieren der auswechselbaren Schicht auf dem Maskenkörper (100).
A COMPREHENSIVE DISINFECTION SYSTEM DURING PANDEMIC FOR PERSONAL ITEMS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE - The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous demand for gadgets / objects for personal protection. To prevent the spread of virus, it is important to disinfect commonly touched objects. One of the ways suggested is to use a personal UV-C disinfecting box that is “efficient and effective in deactivating the COVID-19 virus. The present model has implemented the use of a UV transparent material (fused silica quartz glass tubes) as the medium of support for the objects to be disinfected to increase the effectiveness of disinfection without compromising the load bearing capacity. Aluminum foil, a UV reflecting material, was used as the inner lining of the box for effective utilization of the UVC light emitted by the UVC lamps. Care has been taken to prevent leakage of UVC radiation out of the system. COVID-19 virus can be inactivated in 5 minutes by UVC irradiation in this disinfection box - link
UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MENTAL HEALTH MONITORING OF PERSON DURING THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 - - link
一种预判重症新冠肺炎(COVID-19)的标志物及其产品和用途 - 本发明提供了一种预判重症疾病的标志物,所述的预判重症疾病的标志物为S100A12,序列为SEQ ID NO.1,所述的重症疾病为重症新冠肺炎、重症感染中的一种。S100A12基因作为标志物,在预判重症疾病时对全血中的S100A12基因的表达水平进行检测即可,无需对白细胞进行分离,简化检测流程。S100A12的表达水平可以指导感染类疾病包括新冠肺炎重症的预判,从而及早施治,降低病死率,具有很好的临床应用前景。 - link
一种新型冠状病毒COVID-19-S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法 - 本发明属于生物技术领域,具体涉及一种新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法。本发明提供的方法,主要包括构建COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒、将COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒转化、培养表达COVID‑19‑S1蛋白、纯化COVID‑19‑S1蛋白等过程。本发明将能在293F细胞中高分泌表达蛋白的信号肽与Kozak区和编码人COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的基因进行重组,来提高目的蛋白的表达量和分泌量。采用本发明提供的方法,可以解决新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白分泌量低、纯度低的问题,为免疫学快速诊断、制备单抗、开展解析蛋白结构研究等提供物质基础。 - link
The Other Side of the May Jobs Report: Higher Wages - Many American workers are seeing the biggest pay gains in decades. - link
Is There Any Time Left for Maya Wiley? - The former City Hall lawyer, who has received the endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, considers herself the last progressive standing in New York’s mayoral race. - link
The Republicans’ Wild Assault on Voting Rights in Texas and Arizona - What began as thinly veiled attempts to keep Democrats from the polls has become a movement to undermine confidence in our democracy itself. - link
The Joy of Crossing Paths with Strangers - Now that the pandemic is winding down, there are a lot of plans to make. Still, it’s the unplanned encounters that I miss most. - link
Protests in Colombia, Elections in Peru, and Other Chaos in the Andes - Hopes for a sustained democratic rebirth in the seven Andean nations have waned, again. - link
+It’s easy to pretend like you’re in love when there’s clout on the line. +
++On a visit to a now-defunct TikToker content house in Los Angeles last February, I happened to meet two diminutive 20-somethings, both decked out in chunky streetwear and topped with matching neon-green hair. They were, unmistakably, a pair of TikTok stars, both of whom exhibited the same characteristic shyness I’ve come to expect of young influencers when the cameras are off. I asked them what kind of videos they made, and they told me “couple goals.” +
++“Couple goals” accounts are a crucial part of TikTok World: If the idea of a collab house is the joy of watching your favorite TikTokers hang out together, imagine the ecstasy of watching them kiss. The first few major TikTok couples — Charli D’Amelio and Chase Hudson, Addison Rae and Bryce Hall, Josh Richards and Nessa Barrett — were shining examples of the form, revealing just enough on-camera flirtation to make their followers root for the relationship, but keeping enough a mystery to drive speculation within the exploding influencer gossip industry. +
++No pair captivated TikTok more than Sienna Mae Gomez and Jack Wright. Gomez, a 17-year-old body positivity influencer, and Wright, an 18-year-old dancer and Hype House member, began posting videos of themselves hugging and kissing last October, but left their followers perpetually guessing whether they were officially dating or not. Both were beloved for their senses of humor, displaying the casual cool of the popular kids who you’d actually want to be friends with. When the gossip account TikTok Room held its first awards last year, Gomez and Wright won “Best Ship,” devoted to the couple audiences most wanted to get together. +
+ ++But after videos showing the two together began to slow down this spring, a friend of Wright’s made an explosive statement on Twitter: that Gomez had allegedly sexually and verbally assaulted Wright. The post, as well as several others made by Wright’s twin brother and his friends, were deleted, and Gomez repeatedly denied the accusations. I’m not going to linger more on what did or didn’t happen between the two of them; they’re teenagers, and I doubt one more person weighing in would be at all helpful, but one part of Gomez’s statement stood out. +
++In her video addressing the allegations, she painted a picture that redefined the golden-hour-on-the-beach portrait of her and Wright’s relationship. Essentially, she said that she’d felt used for content. “If I wasn’t around for the TikTok kiss or the TikTok video, I wasn’t important to him,” she said. “Two weeks ago I asked him to film a video with me for my mental health’s sake because I couldn’t move on with everyone thinking we were still together. He told me it wasn’t healthy for either of us because this would mean losing his online girlfriend.” +
++It’s almost verbatim what Trisha Paytas, the YouTuber who’d once been a part of David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, told me when I asked about her former relationship with fellow member Jason Nash. He’d use her in YouTube videos with “girlfriend” in the title, yet only show affection when they two were on camera. He broke up with her, she says, once he’d decided she was no longer “useful” for his content. +
++Celebrity PR relationships have existed since long before the internet, but there’s something deeply cynical and sad about newly microfamous teenagers orchestrating one themselves. Consider, for instance, the number of apparently straight teens on TikTok making content that many have considered queerbaiting (though could, on the other hand, be an earnest means of exploring their own sexualities). Even if you’ve never been in love before, it’s easy to mimic the outward appearance of a romantic relationship, and it’s even easier when both parties understand that doing so successfully will grow their following. +
++You tend to see this dynamic a lot with married couples on social media too, pairs who build giant audiences by posting “relatable” goofs with their spouse, airing petty annoyances and pulling pranks but assuring viewers that actually, being married rules. (Except, of course, when they break up, as was the case for TikTok’s most famous husband and wife duo, Mike and Kat.) There’s a discomfort in watching some of these types of videos; often you start to get the sense that these two people might actually hate each other yet both feel trapped, not only in the marriage but in the algorithm — the fear that if they no longer post content together, they won’t matter anymore. +
++All of this is to say: No one should compare their own relationship to those of influencers who bank on presenting the view that they are very much in love. Everyone likes to look at pretty people kissing, but perhaps that’s all “couple goals” accounts really need to provide. I can’t help but think of one comment I read on a TikTok video of two silhouettes slow dancing in an achingly beautiful aquarium, set to twinkly, misty jazz. It read something like, “ok whose friends actually take videos of them like this,” and I laughed because the answer is obviously “no one’s.” The couple clearly tilted their phone on the side of the wall and filmed it themselves because they knew it would look extremely cute and would get a lot of views from envious people. Which is sort of embarrassing, honestly! Like, imagine being in an actual aquarium and having to wait for all the parents and kids to leave the hallway before you can film your corny TikTok and act like some magical fly on the wall just happened to have a camera phone? +
++For what it’s worth, none of the couples mentioned in this column are still together. Well, except one: While the TikTok house they were part of ultimately broke up, the shy, neon-haired kids I met last year are happily still dating. According to their TikToks, they seem very much in love. +
++This column first published in The Goods newsletter. Sign up here so you don’t miss the next one, plus get newsletter exclusives. +
+Biden’s position toward Israel hasn’t changed, but the Democratic Party has. +
++The split in the Democratic Party on US policy toward Israel and Palestine isn’t just among politicians — it’s among their voters as well. +
++In a new poll with Vox and Data for Progress, Democratic voters are divided on whether President Joe Biden’s administration should be harsher toward the Israeli government. The poll, which had a 3 percent margin of error, was conducted from May 19 to 21 among 1,319 likely voters. In it, after being given a short summary of how Biden responded to the crisis last month, 32 percent of Democrats say they believe “the administration should condemn Israel’s actions.” Meanwhile, 39 percent agreed “the administration has the right approach to Israel.” Only 11 percent of Democrats believe that the administration should be more supportive of Israel. +
++By the time the poll was being fielded, the New York Times reported that more than 200 people had died in the latest round of fighting, “the vast majority of them Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.” The conflict heightened after Israel worked to evict Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. The Biden administration quietly advocated for a ceasefire, but not forcefully enough, some critics said; the White House condemned violence by Hamas but said it did not find Israel’s attacks disproportionate. +
++Republican responses to some of the questions are more uniform. For instance, more than 60 percent believe that “Biden is not supportive enough of Israel,” and 60 percent agree that the administration should condemn Hamas further. +
++As Vox’s Alex Ward has explained, there is a growing divide on US policy toward Israel within the Democratic Party that became more visible in the last month. That’s partly because former President Donald Trump’s posture toward Israel was remarkably conciliatory, which can help explain why a once bipartisan approach has become more complicated among Democrats: +
++++As president, Trump gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly everything he wanted, including recognition of Israeli sovereignty over disputed territory like the Golan Heights, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and a “peace plan” that fulfilled nearly all of the premier’s wish list. Meanwhile, Trump closed a Palestinian political office in Washington, DC, stopped aid to the West Bank and Gaza, and effectively cut ties with top Palestinian officials. +
+
+Some of the party’s younger, more diverse, and more progressive lawmakers have also elevated questions about support for Israel and pointed to the plight of the Palestinian people. +
++Biden, however, seems not to have moved along with his party. Just last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We have a long and abiding relationship — strategic relationship — with Israel, and that will continue to be the case no matter who is leading the country,” reported the Washington Post. +
++A plurality of Democratic voters, though, want that relationship to shift: The poll found 45 percent want the US to decrease the $3.8 billion in military aid it sends to Israel. +
+Much — but not all — of Justice Ginsburg’s women’s rights legacy is probably safe. +
++Justice Brett Kavanaugh just handed down a subtle but potentially very significant signal that he will protect at least some of the feminist victories won by Ruth Bader Ginsburg two decades before she joined the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh’s move does not mean that he is likely to tack left on questions like abortion, but it does suggest there are some limits to this Court’s willingness to toss out earlier victories by liberals. +
++In Reed v. Reed (1971), a case that Ginsburg helped litigate, the Supreme Court held for the first time that the Constitution limits the government’s ability to discriminate on the basis of gender. Over time, the Court gradually expanded this holding, eventually concluding that “a party seeking to uphold government action based on sex must establish an ‘exceedingly persuasive justification’ for the classification.” +
++Yet while these decisions are now firmaments of American constitutional law, they were controversial among conservatives for many years. As a young lawyer working in the Reagan Justice Department, for example, future Chief Justice John Roberts wrote several memos and other documents suggesting that these anti-gender-discrimination decisions represent “an unjustified intrusion into legislative affairs.” +
++The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority, Roberts is widely considered the most moderate member of that majority, and many of the conservative justices have shown a disregard for certain precedents — including Kavanaugh. So it was far from clear that at least five of the current justices would vote to uphold the Court’s gender equality decisions if confronted by a case challenging those decisions. Until today, there appeared to be a real risk that Ginsburg’s legacy could be overruled by a conservative bench. +
++But that risk now appears greatly diminished, thanks to a move by Justice Kavanaugh. +
++On Monday, the Supreme Court announced that it will not hear National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, a lawsuit challenging a federal law that requires men — and not women — to register for the draft when they turn 18. +
++That might seem like bad news to anyone hoping the court would apply gender nondiscrimination precedents to a new area. But the good news comes in a brief opinion that Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote. +
++In it, she suggests that she believes that gender discrimination in the selective service program is unconstitutional — the main reason she’s not interested in taking up the case, she seems to say, is that Congress is considering legislation that could expand selective service registration to women. +
++Kavanaugh joined the opinion in full. And that opinion begins with a quote summarizing many of the Court’s gender equality decisions — the Constitution “prohibits the Federal Government from discriminating on the basis of sex absent an ‘exceedingly persuasive justification,’” Justice Sotomayor wrote in her opinion — followed by a long list of citations to the Court’s gender equality decisions. +
++So, in joining this opinion, Kavanaugh signaled that he agrees with Sotomayor, and with the gender equality decisions that Sotomayor cites. +
++That does not mean that these decisions are completely safe — on a 6-3 Court, Kavanaugh could be outvoted by the other five Republican appointees — but it is a hopeful sign for feminism. Kavanaugh is the Court’s median vote in most contentious cases, so it is unlikely that the Court will overrule a major line of precedents without his approval. +
++As mentioned above, the Court did not hold that gender discrimination can violate the Constitution until the early 1970s. That’s likely because of a conflict between the 14th Amendment’s text and the historical context that led to the amendment’s ratification. +
++The 14th Amendment prohibits states from denying “to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” and, as the Court held in Bolling v. Sharpe (1954), the Fifth Amendment imposes these limitations on the federal government as well. This reference to the “equal protection of the laws” is quite expansive, and could potentially be read to prohibit many forms of discrimination. +
++But the 14th Amendment was also ratified in 1868, just a few years after the United States ended a civil war fought over slavery. The original purpose of this amendment was to ensure racial equality, especially for formerly enslaved people, not to protect women from discrimination. +
++The Supreme Court squared this circle by holding that the Constitution places fairly significant limits on the government’s ability to discriminate on the basis of gender, but that these limits are less strict than the limits imposed on race discrimination. +
++When the government engages in race discrimination, its actions must survive a test known as “strict scrutiny,” which, as its name implies, is very hard to overcome. To prevail in a race discrimination case, the government must show that such discrimination is “precisely tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest.” +
++Gender discrimination, meanwhile, is only subject to a test known as “intermediate scrutiny” — which, as its name implies, is less rigorous than strict scrutiny. The Court initially applied this somewhat weaker test to laws that engage in gender discrimination in Craig v. Boren (1976). Later decisions established that the government must have an “exceedingly persuasive justification” for gender discrimination — so laws that discriminate on the basis of gender are still treated with a fair amount of skepticism — but the Court has never applied strict scrutiny to gender discrimination cases. +
++Many conservatives resisted this compromise approach to gender discrimination cases, however. As recently as 2011, Justice Antonin Scalia argued that lawmakers may enact laws that treat men differently from women. “Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex,” the late justice said in a decade-old interview. “The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.” +
++In 1981, future Chief Justice Roberts penned a draft article explaining the conservative objection to cases such as Craig. “Classifications based on race are suspect and do merit careful scrutiny, in light of the historic purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Roberts wrote. But “extension of heightened scrutiny to other ‘insular and discrete’ groups … represents an unjustified intrusion into legislative affairs.” +
++Roberts, in other words, took the position that the 14th Amendment must be read exclusively in light of its narrow historical purpose — to protect against race discrimination — and that its equal protection guarantee should not be applied to gender (or any other form of) discrimination. +
++Roberts, it should be noted, wrote these words in a draft article prepared for publication by his boss, then-Attorney General William French Smith. So it’s unclear whether Roberts was expressing his personal views or the views of his superiors. But the young Roberts also wrote several other documents suggesting that he disagreed with decisions like Craig, and several women’s groups criticized his nomination to the Supreme Court, in part due to fears that he would overrule these decisions. +
++In any event, it now appears that at least one member of the Court’s six-justice conservative majority is unpersuaded by the conservative critique of decisions like Craig. Justice Kavanaugh’s decision to join Sotomayor’s opinion in the Selective Service case is significant because it signals that at least one Republican appointee to the Supreme Court will vote to strike down laws and policies that discriminate on the basis of gender. +
++If the Court does hear a case in the future asking it to overrule decisions like Craig, Kavanaugh’s vote is not enough to prevent that outcome. Though the Court’s three liberal members would undoubtedly reject an attack on Craig and similar cases, those three liberals plus Kavanaugh only add up to four of the Court’s nine votes. +
++But there’s also good reason to believe that at least one of the remaining five justices would reject an attempt to toss out decades of precedents establishing that the Constitution frowns upon gender discrimination. Although Roberts is very conservative, he’s also more cautious about overruling precedents than his other conservative colleagues. Indeed, last June, he broke with those colleagues and voted to strike down an anti-abortion law because the law was nearly identical to one that the Court had already declared unconstitutional. +
++Whatever Roberts may have thought about gender discrimination and the Constitution back in the Reagan years, he’s likely to be more cautious today about striking down a line of decisions that stretch back half a century. +
++As a law professor, Justice Amy Coney Barrett also warned that there are certain past precedents that “no serious person would propose to undo even if they are wrong,” and, in her brief time as a justice, Barrett has occasionally broken with the rightmost faction of her Court. So it’s also possible that she would vote to preserve the Court’s gender discrimination decisions. +
++This is not to say that feminists should heave a sigh of relief and expect the Court to preserve every past decision that advances women’s equality — if you expect Kavanaugh or Barrett to vote to uphold Roe v. Wade, or if you expect Roberts to cast another vote for abortion rights in the future, then you should be prepared to be gravely disappointed. +
++But, at the very least, Kavanaugh’s move in the Selective Service case suggests that some of the most important feminist victories of the past several decades will not be overruled. +
WTC Final: English umpires Illingworth and Gough to officiate in final - Former England opener Chris Broad will be the ICC match referee for the marquee game.
We’ll talk about my goals in 10 years’ time, says Chhetri after surpassing Messi - Instead of his goals, Chhetri focussed on the many lessons his team will take home from Monday’s game.
MCA Ombudsman to ‘look into’ Rajput’s complaints - On April 4, Rajput had appealed to Tahilramani to reinstate the erstwhile Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC), which was headed by him.
COVID-19 impact: CA adds six players to preliminary squad for upcoming tours of WI and Bangladesh - Australia will play five T20Is and three ODIs against the West Indies and is expected to travel to Bangladesh next for five more T20Is.
Ubaid likely to join Sreenidhi FC - It was his superb saves in the shootout in the semifinal against East Bengal that took the Kerala team to the final.
Kerala High Court observes that homeopathy physicians can prescribe medicines for COVID-19 - The court, however, says medicines should be used as adjuvant to standard management guidelines
Government places orders for 44 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin - These will be delivered by their makers between August and December 2021, the Union Health Ministry said.
Piramal Foundation, NITI Aayog unveil COVID home care drive - Initiative covers 112 districts and will reduce pressure on health system, says Ajay Piramal
YSRCP indulging in corruption in a legalised and centralised manner, alleges TDP - ‘Distribution of house site pattas to the poor was a big scam’
Distance education in universities in Kerala faces an uncertain test - Kerala and Calicut universities battle odds to continue ODL courses
Srebrenica massacre: Verdict due in Mladic genocide appeal - UN judges will rule on the Bosnian Serb ex-general’s appeal against his genocide conviction.
French academic Dardel charged in Paris donated bodies scandal - Frédéric Dardel ran a Paris university where corpses donated for research were left rotting.
Brexit: EU warns UK over Irish Sea border goods checks - Maros Sefcovic says the EU will react if the UK takes more unilateral action to delay inspections.
Covid: Portugal joins amber list after scramble to return - Holidaymakers are left frustrated and out of pocket as they dash back to the UK to avoid quarantine.
Will UK bands start touring in Liechtenstein? - The government strikes a deal to allow bands to tour Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein without visas.
Nvidia and Valve are bringing DLSS to Linux gaming… sort of - Nice, but we’d prefer significantly greater investment in native driver quality. - link
These forged 17th-century music books went undetected for a century - Penn State musicologist Marica Tacconi discovered the fakes on sabbatical in Venice. - link
US may miss July 4 vaccination target as number of daily doses plummets - Biden aimed to have 70% of adults immunized by July 4. The country may fall short. - link
US seizes $2.3 million Colonial Pipeline paid to ransomware attackers - Funds seized after Justice Department IDs Bitcoin wallet and obtains its private key. - link
18 months after launch, Google Stadia now supports Android TV - Google’s video game service finally works on Google’s TV platform. - link
+That evening he arrives at his new post; a run down mosque in the middle of nowhere. +
++As he switches over with the marine currently stationed there, he realises there is no bed, no clean water, no toilet, just him, his weapon and the dirt on the floor. +
++The next morning he wakes up to find a queue of naked men leading into the mosque. At the front, the mosque leader is in prayer with the man leading the line. +
++As the prayer finishes, he drops to his knees and swings his fist into the naked guys balls, flooring him! The naked guy slowly comes to his senses and crawls out of the mosque. +
++Confused, the marine asks the mosque leader what’s going on… +
++“These men are thieves, rapists and murderers from all over Afghanistan.” He says, “Instead of prison, their punishment is to walk through the desert in nothing but their sandals, receive Allah’s justice, then return home.” +
++The marine returns to his post and continues to watch these unusual punishments. +
++After 6 long months of no bed, no clean water, no toilet and witnessing this unusual justice system, his replacement arrives. +
++“Hey, my last post was in Korea, how is it here?” Asks the replacement. “And what’s with this queue of naked guys in the middle of nowhere!?” +
++“Well, I’ll be honest with you”, replies the marine, “this a shit post, and what you’re looking at here is a criminal punch line.” +
+ submitted by /u/ThatCalisthenicsDude
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+One of the hillbillies looks at her and says: “Kin ya swallar?”The woman shakes her head no. Then he asks: “Kin ya breathe?”The woman begins to turn blue and shakes her head no. +
++The hillbilly walks over to the woman, lifts up her dress, yanks down her drawers, and quickly gives her right butt cheek a lick with his tongue. +
++The woman is so shocked that she has a violent spasm, and the obstruction flies out of her mouth. As she begins to breathe again, the hillbilly walks slowly back to his table. +
++His partner says: “Ya know, I’d herd of that there ‘Hind Lick Maneuver’ but I never seed nobody done it.” +
+ submitted by /u/YZXFILE
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+A duck walks into a pub and orders a pint of beer and a ham sandwich. The barman looks at him and says, “Hang on! You’re a duck.” “I see your eyes are working,” replies the duck. “And you can talk!” exclaims the barman. “I see your ears are working, too,” says the duck. “Now if you don’t mind, can I have my beer and my sandwich please?” “Certainly, sorry about that,” says the barman as he pulls the duck’s pint. “It’s just we don’t get many ducks in this pub. What are you doing round this way?” “I’m working on the building site across the road,” explains the duck. “I’m a plasterer.” The flabbergasted barman cannot believe the duck and wants to learn more, but takes the hint when the duck pulls out a newspaper from his bag and proceeds to read it. So, the duck reads his paper, drinks his beer, eats his sandwich, bids the barman good day and leaves. The same thing happens for two weeks, then one day the circus comes to town. The ringmaster comes into the pub for a pint and the barman says to him, “You’re with the circus, aren’t you? Well, I know this duck that could be just brilliant in your circus. He talks, drinks beer, eats sandwiches, reads the newspaper and everything!” “Sounds marvelous,” says the ringmaster, handing over his business card. “Get him to give me a call.” So the next day when the duck comes into the pub the barman says, “Hey Mr. Duck, I reckon I can line you up with a top job, paying really good money.” “I’m always looking for the next job,” says the duck. “Where is it?” “At the circus,” says the barman. “The circus?” repeats the duck. “That’s right,” replies the barman. “The circus?” the duck asks again “with the big tent?” “Yeah,” the barman replies. “With all the animals who live in cages, and performers who live in caravans?” says the duck. “Of course,” the barman replies. “And the tent has canvas sides and a big canvas roof with a hole in the middle?” persists the duck. “That’s right!” says the barman. The duck shakes his head in amazement, and says, “What on earth would they want with a plasterer??!” +
+ submitted by /u/kickypie
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+A husband and wife had been arguing all day. They pass a herd of jackasses. The wife says “relatives of yours?” Husband says, “yep, in laws.” +
+ submitted by /u/CockyRoho
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+They loaded up their mini van and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they were caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door,if they could spend the night. +
++“I realize its terrible weather out there and I have this huge house to myself, but I’m recently widowed”.She explained " I’m afraid the neighbours will talk if I let you in". +
++“Don’t worry” John said. " We’ll be happy to sleep in the barn and if the weather breaks, we’ll be gone at first light". +
++The lady agreed, the 2 men slept in the barn and left at first light. They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing. +
++But about 9 months later, John got a letter from an attorney and it took him some time to figure it out. He determined it was from the attorney of the widow they met during their skiing trip. +
++He dropped in on his friend Jack. +
++John: Jack, do you remember that good looking widow that we met on that skiing weekend? +
++Jack: Yes I do. +
++John: Be honest with me Jack, did you pay her a visit at the middle of the night? +
++Jack( looks a bit embarrassed now) : Yes John, I did. +
++John: Now tell me this Jack, did you give her my name and address instead of yours? +
++Jack( his face now beet red with embarrassment) : I’m sorry buddy, I’m afraid I did. Why do you ask? +
++John: She just died and left me everything. +
+ submitted by /u/rhshi14
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