Trends in Healthcare Service Disruptions and Associations with COVID-19 Outcomes among Patients with SMI vs. Non-SMI during COVID-19 -
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+Abstract Objective: The study aims to quantify differential changes in outpatient mental health service utilization among 3,724,348 individuals, contrasting those with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) to those without, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design & Setting: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, utilizing data from Healthix, the second-largest health information exchange in the U.S. Participants: The study population included 3,134,959 Non-SMI patients (84.2%), 355,397 SMI patients (9.5%), and 149,345 Recurrent SMI Patients (4.0%). Exposures: The primary exposure was the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on its impact on outpatient mental health services. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the rate of utilization of outpatient mental health services. Secondary outcomes included COVID-19 infection rates and vaccination rates among the study cohorts. Results: Among the non-SMI patients, there was a 30% decline in emergency visits from 650,000 pre-COVID to 455,000 post-COVID (OR=0.70, p < 0.001), and outpatient visits decreased by 50% from 1.2 million to 600,000 (OR=0.50, p = 0.002). In contrast, the SMI group witnessed a 20% reduction in outpatient visits from 120,000 to 96,000 (OR=0.80, p = 0.015) and a 40% decrease in inpatient visits from 50,000 to 30,000 (OR=0.60, p = 0.008). Recurrent SMI patients exhibited a 25% decline in emergency visits from 32,000 to 24,000 (OR=0.75, p = 0.03) and a 35% drop in outpatient visits from 40,000 to 26,000 (OR=0.65, p = 0.009). The pandemic influenced the type of disorders diagnosed. Non-SMI patients experienced a 23% rise in anxiety-related disorders (n=80,000, OR=1.23, p = 0.01) and an 18% increase in stress-related disorders (n=70,000, OR=1.18, p = 0.04). SMI patients had a 15% surge in severe anxiety disorders (n=9,000, OR=1.15, p = 0.02) and a 12% uptick in substance-related disorders (n=7,200, OR=1.12, p = 0.05). Recurrent SMI patients showed a 20% increase in anxiety and adjustment disorders (n=6,400, OR=1.20, p = 0.03). SMI patients were more adversely affected by COVID-19, with a higher infection rate of 7.8% (n=45,972) compared to 4.2% (n=131,669) in non-SMI patients (OR=1.88, p < 0.001). Hospitalization rates also followed this trend, with 5.2% (n=30,648) of SMI patients being hospitalized compared to 3.7% (n=115,995) among non-SMI patients (OR=1.41, p = 0.007). Moreover, SMI patients had lower vaccination rates of 45.6% (n=268,888) versus 58.9% (n=1,844,261) among non-SMI patients (OR=0.77, p = 0.019). Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings reveal significant disparities in healthcare service utilization between individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and those without. Notably, the SMI cohort experienced greater disruptions in service continuity, with a more pronounced decline in both outpatient and inpatient visits. Furthermore, the types of disorders diagnosed among this group also saw a shift, emphasizing the need for specialized care and attention during times of crisis. The higher rates of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization among SMI patients compared to non-SMI patients underscore the urgency of targeted public health interventions for this vulnerable group. The lower vaccination rates in the SMI cohort highlight another layer of healthcare disparity that needs to be urgently addressed. These findings suggest that the pandemic has amplified pre-existing inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes for individuals with SMI, calling for immediate, evidence-based interventions to mitigate these effects and ensure equitable healthcare service provision.
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Dynamic Contact Networks of Residents of an Urban Jail in the Era of SARS-CoV-2 -
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+BACKGROUND. In custodial settings such as jails and prisons, infectious disease transmission is heightened by factors such as overcrowding and limited healthcare access. Specific features of social contact networks within these settings have not been sufficiently characterized, especially in the context of a large-scale respiratory infectious disease outbreak. The study aims to quantify contact network dynamics within the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, to improve our understanding respiratory disease spread to informs public health interventions. METHODS. As part of the Surveillance by Wastewater and Nasal Self-collection of Specimens (SWANSS) study, jail roster data were utilized to construct social contact networks. Rosters included resident details, cell locations, and demographic information. This analysis involved 6,702 residents over 140,901 person days. Network statistics, including degree, mixing, and turnover rates, were assessed across age groups, race/ethnicities, and jail floors. We compared outcomes for two distinct periods (January 2022 and April 2022) to understand potential responses in network structures during and after the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant peak. RESULTS. We found high cross-sectional network degree at both cell and block levels, indicative of substantial daily contacts. While mean degree increased with age, older residents exhibited lower degree during the Omicron peak, suggesting potential quarantine measures. Block-level networks demonstrated higher mean degrees than cell-level networks. Cumulative degree distributions for both levels increased from January to April, indicating heightened contacts after the outbreak. Assortative age mixing was strong, especially for residents aged 20-29. Dynamic network statistics illustrated increased degrees over time, emphasizing the potential for disease spread, albeit with a lower growth rate during the Omicron peak. CONCLUSIONS. The contact networks within the Fulton County Jail presented ideal conditions for infectious disease transmission. Despite some reduction in network characteristics during the Omicron peak, the potential for disease spread remained high. Age-specific mixing patterns suggested unintentional age segregation, potentially limiting disease spread to older residents. The study underscores the need for ongoing monitoring of contact networks in carceral settings and provides valuable insights for epidemic modeling and intervention strategies, including quarantine, depopulation, and vaccination. This network analysis offers a foundation for understanding disease dynamics in carceral environments.
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The role of socio-economic disparities in the relative success of SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City in early 2021 -
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+Background: Socio-economic disparities were associated with disproportionate viral incidence between neighborhoods of New York City (NYC) during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2. We investigated how these disparities affected the co-circulation SARS-CoV-2 variants during the second wave in NYC. Methods: We tested for correlation between the prevalence, in late 2020/early 2021, of Alpha, Iota, Iota with E484K mutation (Iota-E484K), and B.1-like genomes and pre-existing immunity (seropositivity) in NYC neighborhoods. In the context of varying seroprevalence we described socio-economic profiles of neighborhoods and performed migration and lineage persistence analyses using a Bayesian phylogeographical framework. Findings: Seropositivity was greater in areas with high poverty and a larger proportion of Black and Hispanic or Latino residents. Seropositivity was positively correlated with the proportion of Iota-E484K and Iota genomes, and negatively correlated with the proportion of Alpha and B.1-like genomes. The proportion of persisting Alpha lineages declined over time in locations with high seroprevalence, whereas the proportion of persisting Iota-E484K lineages remained the same in high seroprevalence areas. Interpretation: During the second wave, the geographic variation of standing immunity, due to disproportionate disease burden during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in NYC, allowed for the immune evasive Iota-E484K variant, but not the more transmissible Alpha variant, to circulate in locations with high pre-existing immunity. Funding: We acknowledge funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Exploring the Correlation Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Increased Daily Cigarette Consumption in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A Machine Learning Approach -
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+Abstract Objective Smoking is very common in Indonesia: among adults, around 66% of males and 7% of females are smokers. Smoking is not only harmful for people who smoke but also for people who are exposed to second-hand smoke on a regular basis. Previous research in various countries has shown a changing trend in smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the high prevalence of smoking in Indonesia and the shifting trend during COVID-19, no studies have utilized machine learning to investigate the potential increase in daily cigarette consumption during the pandemic. This study aimed to predict the increase in daily cigarette consumption among smokers during the pandemic, focused on smokers selected from vaccination registrants in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Design Five machine learning algorithms were developed and tested to assess their performance: decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), logistic regression (LoR), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and naive Bayes (NB). The results showed a significant difference in the number of cigarettes consumed daily before and during the pandemic (statistic=2.8, p=0.004). Setting This study is believed to be the first study prediction model to predict the increase of cigarette consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Results The study found that both DT and LoR algorithms were effective in predicting increased daily cigarette consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. They outperformed the other three algorithms in terms of precision, recall, accuracy, F1-score, sensitivity, and AUC (area under the curve operating characteristic curve). LoR showed a precision of 92%, recall of 99%, accuracy of 93%, F1-score of 96%, sensitivity of 91% and AUC of 78%, DT showed a precision of 88%, recall of 91%, accuracy of 81%, F1-score of 89%, sensitivity of 95% and AUC of 98%. Conclusion We recommend using the DT and LoR algorithms, as they demonstrated better prediction performance. This study can be used as a pilot study for predicting smokers continuing behaviour status and the possibility of smoking cessation promotion among smokers, this study is a short report, and we suggested expanding with more factors and a larger dataset to provide more informative and reliable results, The recommendations based on the current findings can serve as a starting point for initial actions and can be further validated and refined with larger-scale studies in the future.
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Suppressed IgG4 class switching in dupilumab- and TNF inhibitor-treated patients after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination -
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+Background Repeated mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to induce class switching to IgG4, a non-inflammatory human antibody subclass linked to tolerance. Although poorly understood, prolonged antigenic stimulation and IL-4 signalling may be instrumental in IgG4 switching. We and others have previously shown that widely used immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate (MTX) and TNF inhibitors (TNFi) have a minor inhibitory impact on humoral SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination responses. However, the impact of such immunosuppressive drugs on IgG4 switching is unknown. Aim To study the impact of widely used immunosuppressive drugs (TNFi, MTX, or the IL-4 receptor-blocking antibody dupilumab on IgG4 skewing upon repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. Methods Antibody responses to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein upon repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination were measured in 604 individuals including patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases treated with TNFi and/or MTX, or dupilumab, as well as healthy controls and untreated patients. Results We observed a substantial increase in the proportion of RBD-specific IgG4 antibodies (median 21%) in healthy/untreated controls after a third mRNA vaccination. This IgG4 skewing was absent when primary vaccination was adenoviral vector-based and was profoundly reduced in both dupilumab- and TNFi-treated patients (<1%), but only moderately in patients treated with MTX (7%). Conclusion Our results imply a major role for both IL-4/IL-13 as well as TNF in IgG4 class switching. These novel findings advance our understanding of IgG4 class switch dynamics, and may benefit future mRNA vaccine strategies, humoral tolerance induction, as well as treatment of IgG4 pathologies.
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Protection of second booster vaccinations and prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK SIREN healthcare worker cohort -
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+Background The protection of fourth dose mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is relevant to current global policy decisions regarding ongoing booster roll-out. We estimate the effect of fourth dose vaccination, prior infection, and duration of PCR positivity in a highly-vaccinated and largely prior-COVID-19 infected cohort of UK healthcare workers. Methods Participants underwent fortnightly PCR and regular antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 and completed symptoms questionnaires. A multi-state model was used to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection from a fourth dose compared to a waned third dose, with protection from prior infection and duration of PCR positivity jointly estimated. Results 1,298 infections were detected among 9,560 individuals under active follow-up between September 2022 and March 2023. Compared to a waned third dose, fourth dose VE was 13.1% (95%CI 0.9 to 23.8) overall; 24.0% (95%CI 8.5 to 36.8) in the first two months post-vaccination, reducing to 10.3% (95%CI -11.4 to 27.8) and 1.7% (95%CI -17.0 to 17.4) at 2-4 and 4-6 months, respectively. Relative to an infection >2 years ago and controlling for vaccination, 63.6% (95%CI 46.9 to 75.0) and 29.1% (95%CI 3.8 to 43.1) greater protection against infection was estimated for an infection within the past 0-6, and 6-12 months, respectively. A fourth dose was associated with greater protection against asymptomatic infection than symptomatic infection, whilst prior infection independently provided more protection against symptomatic infection, particularly if the infection had occurred within the previous 6 months. Duration of PCR positivity was significantly lower for asymptomatic compared to symptomatic infection. Conclusions Despite rapid waning of protection, vaccine boosters remain an important tool in responding to the dynamic COVID-19 landscape; boosting population immunity in advance of periods of anticipated pressure, such as surging infection rates or emerging variants of concern. Funding UK Health Security Agency, Medical Research Council, NIHR HPRU Oxford, and others.
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Simulation of COVID-19 Epidemic from Potential Viral Loads in Saudi Arabian Wastewater Treatment Plants -
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+SARS-CoV-2 is a contagious respiratory virus that has been discovered in sewage, human waste, and wastewater treatment facilities. Wastewater surveillance has been considered one of the lowest-cost means of testing for tracking the COVID-19 outbreak in communities. This paper highlights the dynamics of the virus9s infection, persistence, and occurrence in wastewater treatment plants. Our aim is to develop and implement a mathematical model to infer the epidemic dynamics from the possible density of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater. We present a long-normal model and fractional order of susceptible-exposed-infected-recovery (SEIR) epidemic model for predicting the spread of the COVID-19 disease from the wastewater data. We study the dynamic properties of the fractional order SEIR model with respect to the fractional ordered values. The model is used to comprehend how the coronavirus spreads through wastewater treatment plants in Saudi Arabia. Our modeling approach can help with wastewater surveillance for early prediction and cost-effective monitoring of the epidemic outbreak in a situation of low testing capacity.
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The TMPRSS2 non-protease domains regulating SARS-CoV-2 Spike in mediated virus entry -
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+The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters cells by binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor. This process is aided by the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), which enhances entry efficiency and infectiousness by cleaving the SARS-CoV-2 surface glycoprotein (Spike). The cleavage primes the Spike protein, promoting membrane fusion instead of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Despite the pivotal role played by TMPRSS2, our understanding of its non-protease distinct domains remains limited. In this report, we present evidence indicating the potential phosphorylation of a minimum of six tyrosine residues within the cytosolic tail (CT) of TMPRSS2. Through the use of TMPRSS2 CT phospho-mimetic mutants, we observed a reduction in TMPRSS2 protease activity, accompanied by a decrease in SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection, which was found to occur mainly via the endosomal pathway. We expanded our investigation beyond TMPRSS2 CT and discovered the involvement of other non-protease domains in regulating infection. Our co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated a strong interaction between TMPRSS2 and Spike. We revealed a 21 amino acid long TMPRSS2-Spike-binding region (TSBR) within the TMPRSS2 scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain that contributes to this interaction. Our study sheds light on novel functionalities associated with TMPRSS2's cytosolic tail and SRCR region. Both of these regions have the capability to regulate SARS-CoV-2 entry pathways. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between viral entry and host factors, opening new avenues for potential therapeutic interventions.
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Synthesis, Insertion and Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Membrane Protein Within Lipid Bilayers -
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+The membrane protein (M) is the most abundant structural protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus and functions exclusively as a membrane-embedded homodimer. M protein is required for the formation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus particle and has been shown to interact with the Spike and Envelope proteins, as well as the RNA-packaging Nucleocapsid protein. Our knowledge of M protein is very limited due to its small size and challenges in expressing enough protein for use in structural and biophysical experiments. We report the successful development of a SUMO tag-based expression system to produce and purify significant quantities of M protein, and a method to insert the synthesized dimers into a suspended lipid membrane in a homogeneous orientation. We used AFM and Cryo-EM to image individual membrane-bound M protein dimers and characterize the configurations that they can assume. Our experimental results are in agreement with our molecular dynamics simulations which predict thinning of the membrane around the M protein and a propensity to induce local membrane curvature. Taken together, our results shed new light on M protein properties within the lipid bilayer and suggest mechanisms that could contribute to viral assembly and budding.
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Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants BA.2.86 and EG.5.1 by antibodies induced by earlier infection or vaccination -
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+Highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.2.86 emerged in July 2023. We investigated the neutralisation of isolated virus by antibodies induced by earlier infection or vaccination. The neutralisation titres for BA.2.86 were comparable to those for XBB.1 and EG.5.1, by antibodies induced by XBB.1.5 or BA.4/5 breakthrough infection or BA.4/5 vaccination.
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+Objective: We aimed to test the efficacy of a theory-based intervention to promote the avoidance of touching one’s face with unwashed hands to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Methods: We tested effects of an intervention employing imagery, persuasive communication, and planning techniques in two pre-registered studies adopting randomized controlled designs in samples of Australian (N=254; Study 1) and US (N=245; Study 2) residents. Participants were randomly assigned to theory-based intervention or education-only conditions (Study 1), or to theory-based intervention, education-only, and no-intervention control conditions (Study 2). The intervention was delivered online and participants completed measures of behavior and theory-based social cognition constructs pre-intervention and one-week post-intervention. Results: Mixed-model ANOVAs revealed a significant increase in avoidance of touching the face with unwashed hands from pre-intervention to follow-up irrespective of intervention condition in both studies, but no significant condition effects. Exploratory analyses revealed significant effects of the theory-based intervention on behavior at follow-up in individuals with low pre-intervention risk perceptions in Study 2. Conclusions: Results indicate high adoption of avoiding touching one’s face with unwashed hands, with behavior increasing over time independent of the intervention. Future research should confirm risk perceptions as a moderator of the effect theory-based interventions on infection-prevention behaviors.
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Face-touching behavior as a possible correlate of mask-wearing: A video observational study of public place incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic -
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+Most countries in the world have recommended or mandated face masks in some or all public places during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, mask-wearing has been thought to increase people’s face-touching frequency and, thus, the risk of self-inoculation. Across two studies, we video observed the face-touching behavior of members of the public in Amsterdam and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) during the first wave of the pandemic. Study 1 (n = 383) yielded evidence in favor of the absence of an association between mask-wearing and face-touching (defined as touches of face or mask), and Study 2 (n = 421) replicated this result. Secondary outcome analysis of the two studies—separately and with pooled datasets—found a robust negative association between mask-wearing and hand contacts with the face and t-zone (i.e., eyes, nose, and mouth). Our results alleviate the concern that mask-wearing has an adverse face-touching effect.
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A psychological exploration into collecting behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic -
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+Over a third of Americans collect at least one type of item, with similar proportions found in other Western cultures. Despite the large size of the global population of collectors, little has been investigated in terms of collecting behaviors and their relationship with identity, compulsive buying, shopping addiction, mood modification, interpersonal relationships, spiritual aspects to collecting, and the differences between collectors. Cross-cultural research was used to investigate the aforementioned relationships and build a groundwork for future research. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on collecting behaviors was examined, with a focus on exploring the differences between people that greatly increased collection spending during the pandemic compared to those that did not or moderately increased their spending. High salience in collector identity was associated with higher levels of excessive buying, shopping addiction, mood modification, communal support for collecting, competitive collecting, relatedness with other collectors, viewing collecting as sacred/spiritual, and lower levels of doubt about collecting. Young and single collectors most drastically increased their spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to higher levels of doubt, guilt, disgust, fear, loneliness, relationship strain, higher levels of dependence on collecting to modify mood, and higher levels of withdrawal symptoms consistent with addiction.
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Self-reported energy use in UK homes during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A survey study -
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+To contain the spread of COVID-19, governments across the world imposed partial or complete lockdowns. National energy demand decreased in periods of lockdowns; however, as people spent more time at home, residential energy use likely increased. This paper reports results of a survey study with N = 1016 participants in the UK about their energy use practices during the first lockdown in March 2020. Results indicated that self-reported heating behaviours did not substantially change during lockdown. Regarding appliance use, in particular the duration of usage for TVs and computing equipment has increased and has spread out more over the day. Being less able to manage financially was correlated with greater usage of the smart-meter in-home-display and greater attempt to save energy was positively correlated with greater usage of the in-home display though correlations were small. In summary, the results indicate that home energy use behaviours, in particular around heating, did not change as much as might have been expected, which might at least partly be explained by the comparatively warm weather during the first lockdown. Corroborating the survey findings with actual energy data is the next essential step to understand findings in more detail.
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Mask-wearing and social distancing: Evidence from a video-observational and natural-experimental study of public space behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic -
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+Background: Face masks have been widely employed as a personal protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, concerns remain that masks create a false sense of security that reduces adherence to other public health measures, including social distancing. Purpose: This paper tested whether mask-wearing was negatively associated with social distancing compliance. Methods: In two studies, we combined video-observational records of public mask-wearing in two Dutch cities with a natural-experimental approach to evaluate the effect of an area-based mask mandate. Results: We found no observational evidence of an association between mask-wearing and social distancing (Study 1: p = .398; Study 2: p = .511), but found a positive link between crowding and social distancing violations (Study 1: p < .001; Study 2: p < .001). Our natural-experimental analysis showed that an area-based mask mandate did not significantly affect social distancing or crowding levels (Study 2: p = .781 and p = .126, respectively). Conclusions: Our results alleviate the concern that mask use reduces social distancing compliance or increases crowding levels. On the other hand, crowding reduction may be a viable strategy to mitigate social distancing violations.
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Motivational Interviewing for Vaccine Uptake in Latinx Adults - Conditions: Vaccine Hesitancy Interventions: Other: EHR alert; Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing; Behavioral: Warm hand off to nurse Sponsors: Boston College; East Boston Neighborhood Health Center; Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH); Boston Children’s Hospital; National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Not yet recruiting
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Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety of RQ-01 in SARS-CoV-2 Positive Subjects - Conditions: COVID-19; Infectious Disease; Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection Laboratory-Confirmed; SARS CoV 2 Infection Interventions: Combination Product: RQ-001; Other: Placebo Sponsors: Red Queen Therapeutics, Inc.; PPD Recruiting
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Study of “Sputnik Lite” for the Prevention of COVID-19 With Altered Antigenic Composition. - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Biological: “Sputnik Lite” vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 with altered antigenic composition Sponsors: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation Not yet recruiting
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Study Will Assess the Safety, Neutralizing Activity and Efficacy of AZD3152 in Adults With Conditions Increasing Risk of Inadequate Protective Immune Response After Vaccination and Thus Are at High Risk of Developing Severe COVID-19 - Conditions: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 Interventions: Biological: Biological: AZD3152; Biological: Biological: Placebo Sponsors: AstraZeneca Not yet recruiting
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Amantadine Therapy for Cognitive Impairment in Long COVID - Conditions: Long COVID; Post-COVID19 Condition; Post-Acute COVID19 Syndrome Interventions: Drug: Amantadine Sponsors: Ohio State University Not yet recruiting
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Examining the Function of Cs4 on Post-COVID-19 Disorders - Conditions: Long COVID Interventions: Other: Chinese medicine nutritional supplement Cs4 Sponsors: The University of Hong Kong Recruiting
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Stellate Ganglion Block With Lidocaine for the Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Parosmia - Conditions: Parosmia Interventions: Procedure: Stellate Ganglion Block; Other: Placebo Sponsors: Lawson Health Research Institute Not yet recruiting
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CPAP Efficacy in Post-COVID Patients With Sleep Apnea - Conditions: COVID-19; Sleep Apnea Interventions: Device: Continuous positive airway pressure Sponsors: University of Pittsburgh Not yet recruiting
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Cell Therapy With Treg Cells Obtained From Thymic Tissue (thyTreg) to Control the Immune Hyperactivation Associated With COVID-19 (THYTECH2) - Conditions: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Interventions: Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 5.000.000; Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 10.000.000 Sponsors: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon; Instituto de Salud Carlos III Recruiting
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SA55 Injection: a Potential Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: SA55 Injection; Other: Placebo for SA55 injection Sponsors: Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. Recruiting
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SA55 Novel Coronavirus Broad-spectrum Neutralizing Antibody Nasal Spray in Health People - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: SA55 nasal spray Sponsors: Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. Recruiting
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Psychosomatic, Physical Activity or Both for Post-covid19 Syndrom - Conditions: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Interventions: Behavioral: Exercise Therapy; Behavioral: Psychotherapy Sponsors: Hannover Medical School; Health Insurance Audi BKK; occupational health service Volkswagen AG; Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Not yet recruiting
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A Bioequivalence Trial of Fasting Single Oral STI-1558 Capsule in Healthy Chinese Subjects - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: STI-1558 Sponsors: Zhejiang ACEA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Not yet recruiting
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Mind Body Intervention for Long COVID - Conditions: Long COVID; Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19; COVID Long-Haul Interventions: Behavioral: Mind Body Intervention #1 Sponsors: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Not yet recruiting
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Omicron BA.4/5-Delta COVID-19 Vaccine Phase I Clinical Trial - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Biological: Omicron BA.4/5-Delta strain recombinant novel coronavirus protein vaccine (CHO cells); Biological: Placebo Sponsors: Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.; Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention Not yet recruiting
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From PubMed
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A First-In-Human Phase 1 Study of Simnotrelvir, a 3CL-like Protease Inhibitor for Treatment of COVID-19, in Healthy Adult Subjects - Safe and efficacious antiviral therapeutics are in urgent need for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. Simnotrelvir is a selective 3C-like protease inhibitor that can effectively inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of dose escalations of simnotrelvir alone or with ritonavir (simnotrelvir or simnotrelvir/ritonavir) in healthy subjects, as well as the food effect (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:…
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An in-vitro evaluation of antifungal, anti-lungcancer (A549), and anti-hyperglycemic activities potential of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) flower extract - The medical plant research has received more attention among researchers especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. This research performed to evaluate the antifungal, anti-lung cancer (A549), and anti-hyperglycemic activities of aqueous extract of Andrographis paniculata flower. Interestingly, A. paniculata flower aqueous extract contains pharmaceutically valuable phytochemicals such as alkaloid, phenolics, terpenoids, tannins, flavonoids, and protein. It also showed fine antifungal activity…
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Development in biomarkers of breast cancer: a bibliometric analysis from 2011 to 2020 - CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, most research has focused on basic and clinical studies, of which microRNAs (miRNAs) and circulating tumor DNAs (ctDNAs) associated with the inhibition and attenuation of BC have become the focus of recent research.
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The effect of loneliness on depression in young people: a multiple mediated effects model - CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the inability to alleviate negative emotions through socialization and interpersonal companionship during COVID-19 contributed to increased loneliness and subsequent depression. Reduced resilience due to loneliness may lead individuals to project unfavorable interpersonal experiences onto other aspects of life and believe they are incapable of overcoming challenges, thereby deteriorating depression conditions. Enhancing an individual’s resilience may help…
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Virus on surfaces: Chemical mechanism, influence factors, disinfection strategies, and implications for virus repelling surface design - While SARS-CoV-2 is generally under control, the question of variants and infections still persists. Fundamental information on how the virus interacts with inanimate surfaces commonly found in our daily life and when in contact with the skin will be helpful in developing strategies to inhibit the spread of the virus. Here in, a critically important review of current understanding of the interaction between virus and surface is summarized from chemistry point-of-view. The…
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The role of cross-reactive immunity to emerging coronaviruses: Implications for novel universal mucosal vaccine design - Host immune response to coronaviruses and the role of cross-reactivity immunity among different coronaviruses are crucial for understanding and combating the continuing COVID-19 outbreak and potential subsequent pandemics. This review paper explores how previous exposure to common cold coronaviruses and more pathogenic coronaviruses may elicit a protective immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection, and discusses the challenges posed by some variants of concern that may escape current…
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Multi-structural molecular docking (MOD) combined with molecular dynamics reveal the structural requirements of designing broad-spectrum inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry to host cells - New variants of SARS-CoV-2 that can escape immune response continue to emerge. Consequently, there is an urgent demand to design small molecule therapeutics inhibiting viral entry to host cells to reduce infectivity rate. Despite numerous in silico and in situ studies, the structural requirement of designing viral-entry inhibitors effective against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be described. Here we systematically screened the binding of various natural products (NPs) to six…
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Effect of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines on viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and several DNA viruses in patients with long-COVID syndrome - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation may be involved in long-COVID symptoms, but reactivation of other viruses as a factor has received less attention. Here we evaluated the reactivation of parvovirus-B19 and several members of the Herpesviridae family (DNA viruses) in patients with long-COVID syndrome. We hypothesized that monovalent COVID-19 vaccines inhibit viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and several DNA viruses in patients with long-COVID syndrome, thereby reducing clinical symptoms….
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Antibacterial and anti-corona virus (229E) activity of Nigella sativa oil combined with photodynamic therapy based on methylene blue in wound infection: in vitro and in vivo study - Microbial skin infections, antibiotic resistance, and poor wound healing are major problems, and new treatments are needed. Our study targeted solving this problem with Nigella sativa (NS) oil and photodynamic therapy based on methylene blue (MB-PDT). Antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were determined via agar well diffusion assay and broth microdilution, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) proved deformations in Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538….
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N-linked glycoproteins and host proteases are involved in swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus entry - Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) is highly pathogenic to piglets and poses a major threat to the swine industry. SADS-CoV has a wide cell tropism and pathogenic potential in younger animals. Therefore, understanding how SADS-CoV enters cells is essential for curbing its re-emergence and spread. Here, we report that tunicamycin, an N-linked glycoprotein inhibitor, inhibited the attachment of SADS-CoV to host cells, suggesting that the SADS-CoV receptor may be an N-linked…
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EGR1 functions as a new host restriction factor for SARS-CoV-2 to inhibit virus replication through the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH8 - Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to an unprecedented public health crisis worldwide. Though the host produces interferons (IFNs) and restriction factors to suppress virus infection, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved multiple strategies to inhibit the antiviral responses. Understanding host restriction factors and viral escape mechanisms is conducive to developing effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Here, we constructed SARS-CoV-2…
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In-silico investigation of 4-nitro-N-1H-pyrazol-3-ylbenzamide towards its potential use against SARS-CoV-2: a DFT, molecular docking and molecular dynamics study - In the present research work, we report the synthesis and characterization of novel pyrazole derivative obtained by the condensation reaction of 4-nitro benzaldehyde group with one equivalent of the 2-amino pyrazole yielding 4-nitro-N-1H-pyrazol-3-ylbenzamide with high yield. The two symmetry-independent molecules (molecule A and molecule B) differ about the central C-N bond, with the dihedral angles between the pyrazole ring system and the nitrobenzene ring being 13.90° and 18.64°,…
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Dimeric ACE2-FC Is Equivalent to Monomeric ACE2 in the Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test - Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the main cellular receptor for the dangerous sarbecoviruses SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Its recombinant extracellular domain is used to monitor the level of protective humoral immune response to a viral infection or vaccine using the surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). Soluble ACE2 is also considered as an option for antiviral therapy potentially insensitive to the changes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Extensive testing of the samples of…
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Ancestral, Delta, and Omicron (BA.1) SARS-CoV-2 strains are dependent on serine proteases for entry throughout the human respiratory tract - CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that entry of Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 is dependent on serine proteases for entry throughout the respiratory tract.
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DETECTION OF SARS-COV-2 NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES IN RETROPHARYNGEAL LYMPH NODE EXUDATES OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) FROM NEBRASKA, USA - Disease surveillance testing for emerging zoonotic pathogens in wildlife is a key component in understanding the epidemiology of these agents and potential risk to human populations. Recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, and subsequent detection of this virus in wildlife, highlights the need for developing new One Health surveillance strategies. We used lymph node exudate, a sample type that is routinely collected in hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus) for…
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From Patent Search
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+Daily-Dose
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The Powerful New York Law That Finally Brought Trump to Book - In investigating the former President, New York’s attorney general relied on legislation passed at the behest of one of her Republican predecessors, Jacob Javits. - link
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The Worrying Democratic Erosions in South Korea - In recent months, authorities have raided offices of press outlets publishing critical reports on President Yoon Suk-yeol. - link
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The Violent End of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Fight for Independence - In less than a day, indiscriminate shelling in the region killed hundreds, displaced tens of thousands, and wiped out a thirty-five-year battle for political autonomy. - link
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Should the West Threaten the Putin Regime Over Ukraine? - The historian Stephen Kotkin on the state of the war and the dangers of a Russian Tet Offensive. - link
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The Trump Legal Show Might Be in Town Until Christmas - On Monday, the former President appeared at the first day of his three-month civil trial in Manhattan, determined to exploit the case for his political ends. - link
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From Vox
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Tracking the biggest cases the Supreme Court will hear in 2023-2024 term -
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+The US Supreme Court building seen in Washington, DC, on September 28, 2023. | Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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+The US Supreme Court convened for a new term on October 2 and will begin hearing a growing list of cases that could transform the scope of the federal government, voting rights,and the rights to free speech and public safety.
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+We’ll track the biggest cases and explain what’s at stake here. Follow along.
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Two right-wing judges seem to be trying to rig a US House race -
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+Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) celebrates with the gavel after being elected as speaker in the House Chamber on January 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. | Win McNamee/Getty Images
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+Once again, the Supreme Court must deal with judicial arsonists on the Fifth Circuit.
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+Two of the most partisan judges in the country handed down an order last week that is hard to explain as anything other than an attempt to preserve Republican control of the US House of Representatives. The voting rights plaintiffs in this case, known as In re: Jeff Landry, already filed an emergency application in the Supreme Court asking the justices to lift this order.
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+It’s the latest effort by several of the most radical judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, an increasingly rogue court dominated by Republican appointees, to manipulate the law in ways that benefit the Republican Party. The Supreme Court already plans to hear several cases this term where it is likely to reverse the Fifth Circuit, including a case where the Fifth Circuit declared an entire federal agency unconstitutional.
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+The Fifth Circuit’sorder, handed down by Judges Edith Jones and James Ho, concerns a long-running lawsuit alleging that Louisiana’s congressional maps are an illegal racial gerrymander. In June 2022, a federal trial court agreed with the plaintiffs in this case, then known as Robinson v. Ardoin, and concluded that “the appropriate remedy in this context is a remedial congressional redistricting plan that includes an additional majority-Black congressional district” — one which would likely elect a Democrat to Congress.
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+Before that trial court’s order could take effect, however, the Supreme Court stepped in and temporarily blocked it — essentially putting the case on hold until the justices resolved a different racial gerrymandering suit, known as Allen v. Milligan, which challenged racially gerrymandered maps in Alabama. The Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 that Alabama’s maps are, indeed, illegal, and ordered that state to draw new maps that include a second Black congressional district.
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+Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court lifted its hold on the Robinson litigation. Then the trial judge in that case scheduled a new hearing for Tuesday, October 3, which would have likely ended in the trial judge ordering Louisiana to either redraw its maps or accept court-drawn maps.
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+Now here’s the part where things take a weird turn: Last week, Jones and Ho abruptly ordered the trial judge to cancel the October 3 hearing. Their decision relies on a rarely used process known as a “writ of mandamus” which, under well-established legal rules, cannot even arguably be applied to this particular case.
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+This decision most likely won’t prevent the courts from ordering Louisiana to draw new maps at some point in the future, but it could delay the case long enough to leave the current, GOP-friendly maps in place during the 2024 election cycle.
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+Worse, Jones and Ho stepped in despite the fact that a different panel of three Fifth Circuit judges was already scheduled to hear the Robinson case on Friday, October 6 (this Friday hearing concerns whether the trial court’s June 2022 order was correctly decided). Notably, the Friday panel is significantly more moderate than Jones or Ho — it includes Judge Carolyn King, a Carter appointee, and Judge Leslie Southwick, a center-right Bush appointee who sometimes disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s MAGA faction. (The third judge on this Friday panel, Jennifer Elrod, is a hardliner similar to Jones or Ho.)
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+So Jones and Ho didn’t simply issue a legally inexplicable order sabotaging a court proceeding that was likely to cost the Republican Party a seat in the US House, they also did so despite the fact that a different, more moderate panel of their own Fifth Circuit colleagues already had jurisdiction over the same case.
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+Writs of mandamus, briefly explained
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+A “writ of mandamus” is a highly unusual court order that appellate courts may hand down to block truly egregious errors by a lower court. As the Supreme Court held in Will v. United States (1967), “only exceptional circumstances amounting to a judicial ‘usurpation of power’ will justify the invocation of this extraordinary remedy.”
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+Indeed, the Supreme Court has warned that a writ of mandamus may issue only if the party seeking it has “no other adequate means to attain the relief he desires,” and only if that party has a “clear and indisputable” right to such extraordinary relief.
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+Nevertheless, Jones and Ho invoked mandamus to block one of the most routine orders that a trial judge may hand down: A decision scheduling a hearing in a long-running lawsuit that has been on that judge’s docket for more than a year.
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+To justify this relief, the two MAGA judges essentially accused the trial judge of rushing this case — either by not giving the state legislature enough time to attempt to redraw its maps on its own, or by not giving the state’s lawyers enough time to prepare for the October 3 hearing.
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+But neither of these allegations are plausible. The trial judge initially ruled in June 2022 that Louisiana’s maps are legally suspect and should be redrawn — so the state legislature has had nearly 16 months to redraw the maps if it wanted to do so. Similarly, while the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily pause this case gave the state’s lawyers a brief reprieve from litigating it, the justices ended that pause in June 2023. So the state has known for more than three months that it needed to prepare for an eventual hearing in this case.
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+Moreover, even if the trial judge had actually rushed this case, that still would not justify mandamus relief. Again, a writ of mandamus may only issue if the party seeking it has “no other adequate means to attain the relief” they seek. To the extent that Louisiana believes that the trial judge erred in her initial decision concluding that the maps should be redrawn, the state can present those arguments to the more moderate panel that will hear the Robinson case on Friday. Additionally, if the state disagrees with whatever the trial judge orders it to do after the October 3 hearing, it can also appeal that decision to the Fifth Circuit.
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+There is, to put it simply, no justification whatsoever for Jones and Ho getting involved in this lawsuit.
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+So what’s really at stake in this case?
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+In the long term, Jones and Ho’s attempt to insert themselves into a lawsuit that they have no business hearing is unlikely to matter. If the Supreme Court invalidates their mandamus order, the October 3 hearing will proceed (possibly at a later date if the Court does not move very quickly), and the litigation will advance as it normally would through appeals courts.
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+Alternatively, if the Supreme Court backs Jones and Ho’s attempt to sabotage the case, Louisiana’s appeal before the King/Southwick panel will still proceed, and the trial court will most likely be able to reschedule the October 3 hearing at some future date — though that may be weeks or months from now.
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+It’s unclear how the Court will react to this case. Although Jones and Ho’s decision is clearly erroneous, the Supreme Court is dominated by Republican appointees. And some of the justices have expressed concerns that the Court is too willing to grant relief on its “shadow docket,” an expedited process that allows the Court to weigh into cases that have not received full briefing or oral argument. Jones and Ho’s order is currently before the justices on the shadow docket.
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+In any event, while the long-term implications of this case are minimal, the potential consequences for the 2024 election are enormous. The Supreme Court has held that lower court judges should not hand down decisions enjoining a state’s election laws as an election draws close — and some justices have even suggested that lower courts may not issue such injunctions as much as nine months prior to an election.
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+So the Robinson plaintiffs need to secure a court order imposing new maps on Louisiana soon, or there is a high risk that they will have to wait until after the 2024 election before those maps go into effect. If they do not get such a court order soon, a US House seat that should have gone to a Black Democrat will likely go to a white Republican, at least for two years.
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+The most likely explanation for their mandamus decision, in other words, is that Jones and Ho want the Republican Party to control the US House of Representatives. And they are willing to ignore well-established constraints on their own power in order to maximize the likelihood of a Republican Congress.
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Five years after Khashoggi, the Saudis won -
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+President Joe Biden is welcomed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. | Royal Court of Saudi Arabia / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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+Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah.” What happened?
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+Five years after a Saudi hit squad murdered, dismembered, and disappeared the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia has won.
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+On the campaign trail, candidate Biden had pledged to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to account, saying he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah.” Initially, Biden held a hard line, but within a year that evaporated. He traveled to the kingdom in summer 2022 in an about-face visit that resulted in an unforgettable fist bump.
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+Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and even nonprofits have been all too willing to rehabilitate MBS’s image, in large part thanks to Saudi Arabia’s economic largesse. Media organizations and think tanks, too, have taken on Saudi funding and hosted the kingdom’s officials at public events. It’s MBS’s world: Can I interest you in a round of Saudi-run golf? Saudi-funded tech products? A quick trip to an art fair and tango workshop in the once ultra-conservative kingdom?
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+But what’s new today, on the fifth anniversary of Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never being seen again, is that Saudi Arabia is no longer on its back foot in Washington. MBS has achieved a hearty welcome back into the good graces of the once outspokenly critical Biden and his administration.
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+How else can we read the unfolding dynamic in which the crown prince has Washington reportedly considering an unprecedented array of inducements — a potential security pact and a nuclear program — in exchange for the kingdom signing a diplomatic agreement with Israel?
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+Even now, MBS fashions himself a reformist, a line repeated by retired officials from Democratic and Republican administrations, and by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair whose institute receives funds to advise Saudi Arabia. Yet political rights in his country remain as elusive as ever.
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+As Khashoggi wrote in the Washington Post in November 2017 amid a violent crackdown of royals and businesspeople, “As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin.” And he continues to, with far fewer consequences for his actions than the Russian autocrat.
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+MBS has won over Washington
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+Washington and world capitals are abuzz about the idea of the kingdom establishing diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.
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+US officials are briefing journalists about variations of a security guarantee and a civilian nuclear program that would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. They have floated a defense accord that could be similar to arrangements the US has with South Korea or Japan, or by designating Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally.
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+The Biden administration regularly asserts that Saudi Arabia and Israel establishing diplomatic relations is “a declared national security interest of the United States.” But MBS’s track record of destructive military adventurism in Yemen, where MBS led a 2015 military operation that expanded into a vicious yearslong war with a massive humanitarian toll, would make security pacts significantly risky for the US. And political observers question whether the Senate would sign off on such a treaty with Saudi Arabia, which already benefits from the robust US military presence in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, nuclear experts are flummoxed, pointing to the significant risks of giving MBS nuclear technology.
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+I reached out to the White House because I wanted to ask Brett McGurk, Biden’s Middle East coordinator, how such an agreement would square with the president’s initial pledge to put human rights at the center of the administration’s foreign policy. My requests were not returned.
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+“The question of values and human rights is at the table when we are having discussions about our national security interest in this region,” McGurk said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last year. “That alone is unique, and that is how American diplomats wear our values on our sleeve. Does that mean that human rights and values overtake every other issue? No, but it’s a part of the conversation.”
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+A more complete answer might be that great power competition — that is, the Biden administration’s focus on countering China as an organizing principle of its worldview — means that human rights are not a top priority. The Biden administration does not see itself having the luxury of holding a country like Saudi Arabia to account when it wants the oil-rich country, and broader region, aligned with the US economically and politically.
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+Trump may bear responsibility for shrugging off Khashoggi’s killing in 2018, but Biden’s administration hasn’t done much to hold MBS to account.
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+When Biden’s closest advisers visit Saudi Arabia, human rights don’t always figure into the White House’s news releases. And those statements matter; they are markers for activists, and set the tone for how we talk about the country.
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+And the impunity for the killing of Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, can now be felt worldwide: as India reportedly assassinated activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, as Egypt targetsdissidents abroad, and as Israel has not faced sanctions for the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
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+But the situation in Saudi Arabia and for Saudis abroad facing translational oppression goes far beyond Khashoggi. “The lack of accountability has just generated worse scenarios for Saudis,” Hala Aldosari, a human rights activist living in exile in the United States, told me. “We are seeing life sentences and death sentences for people expressing opinions.”
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+There have been 100 executions this year so far. “This is something that has been very rare but now is happening on a massive scale inside Saudi Arabia which is very disheartening. It tells you how one act goes unpunished and unaccounted for could escalate very severely and could impact thousands of lives,” Aldosari explained.
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+It makes it all the more stark that the Biden administration still doesn’t have a political appointee in place for the important role of assistant secretary of state for democracy, rights, and labor, but has appointed former Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro as point-person on Israel-Arab normalization.
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+How Saudi Arabia shapes the stories we tell
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+MBS sent the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, to the United Nations annual summit two weeks ago. In his speech to the general assembly, he emphasized the importance of human rights, and in private conversations with prominent policy thinkers across New York, he was very much in listening mode.
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+Instead of the UN lectern, the crown prince chose Fox News to convey his message; the medium suggested he wanted to reach Americans, not the world — and, in particular, Republicans. The setting was Sindalah, a Red Sea island that Saudi Arabia hopes will become a tourist destination.
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+MBS immediately deflected when asked about the Khashoggi killing. He said his country had pursued an investigation like the US did after the failures of its Iraq invasion, and that the country’s security services had been reformed.
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+In the friendly conversation with anchor Brett Baier, the crown prince presented himself as a reformer fighting against the traditionalist Saudi system. “It was a mistake, it was painful, and we are trying our best to make sure we reform our system to work by the book,” the crown prince said of Khashoggi’s death. But the Fox News follow-up questions didn’t reckon with the fact that it was US intelligence agencies that had determined with a high degree of certainty that MBS himself had ordered the assassination.
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+And while not everyone is giving MBS that kind of platform, other American institutions are engaging with Saudi Arabia. For a short while after Khashoggi’s murder, US institutions avoided the public shame associated with the acceptance of Saudi money, but those days are gone. The MBS information campaign for rehabilitation post-Khashoggi extends to influential think tanks that depend on Gulf funding, though researchers and experts testifying to Congresssometimesdon’tdisclose it. Former US military leaders earn lucrative contracts from the kingdom. Even media organizations benefit, which may explain why Vice buried a critical documentary on Saudi Arabia. (The money is so ubiquitous that even Vox is touched by it. Penske Media Corporation received in 2018 a $200 million investment from the Saudi Research and Media Group, which is closely linked to MBS. Penske became a minority shareholder in Vox Media, this site’s parent company, earlier this year.)
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+The Fox interview is a prime example of how adept Saudi Arabia has been at shaping conversations in Washington five years after Khashoggi’s death.
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+MBS knows his audience and what he can get away with.
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From The Hindu: Sports
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Miss Allure, Annexed, Supreme Grandeur and Royal Nobility please -
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Asian Games | Parul Chaudhary wins gold in women’s 5000m -
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Ahead Of My Time, Successor and Waikiki show out -
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Ruling Goddess, Russian Romance and Foi shine -
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India’s Vithya Ramraj wins bronze in women’s 400m hurdles - The Indian had equalled P.T. Usha’s 400m hurdle national record, which was set in 1984
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From The Hindu: National News
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Nanded hospital deaths | There was no lack of medicines, staff, says CM Shinde - As many as 31 deaths were recorded at the Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded in central Maharashtra in 48 hours since September 30
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Strike by part-time government school teachers in Tamil Nadu enters ninth day - K. Sesuraja, State President, Tamil Nadu Part-time Special Teachers Association, said that six rounds of talks have taken place with officials in the School Education Department
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Vijayanagara | Gram Panchayat Members’ Union writes to CM over absenteeism among school teachers in the district - The Union is demanding for biometric attendance system to be made mandatory for teachers in government schools
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Over 1,000 held in second phase of crackdown against child marriage in Assam - Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had announced that the government would launch a ‘State Mission’ for ₹200 crore to completely eliminate child marriage by 2026.
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Telangana Assembly Election | CEC Rajiv Kumar-led team in Hyderabad to access poll preparedness - During the three-day visit, the 17-member delegation will also hold a crucial meeting with the Chief Secretary and the DGP to align their efforts with State administration and security agencies
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From BBC: Europe
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Greenland women seek compensation over involuntary birth control - Some 4,500 women were fitted with coils as part of attempts to limit the territory’s population.
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Pope suggests Catholic Church could bless same-sex couples - The pontiff says any request for such a blessing should be treated with ‘pastoral charity’.
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Ukraine war: Burger King still open in Russia despite pledge to exit - The owner of the fast-food brand says there are “no new updates” on its pledge to leave Russia.
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The lives upended by colonial rule in the Middle East - British and French control of the region a century ago came at a cost which is felt until this day.
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Electoral politics begin to bite into Ukraine support - On both sides of the Atlantic, cracks are beginning to form in Western nations’ support for Ukraine.
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From Ars Technica
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Shift Happens is a beautifully designed history of how keyboards got this way - Marcin Wichary on his long quest to capture everything that shaped modern type. - link
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College student sues Musk for falsely calling him a “psyop” in neo-Nazi brawl - “Yet another one of Elon Musk’s reckless smears.” - link
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Psychedelics plus psychotherapy can trigger rapid changes in the brain - Research delves into how the brain facilitates accelerated change. - link
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Judge upholds Tesla arbitration agreement that drivers called “unconscionable” - Lawsuit said Tesla and Elon Musk falsely marketed cars as self-driving. - link
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Dead grandma locket request tricks Bing Chat’s AI into solving security puzzle - “I’m sure it’s a special love code that only you and your grandma know.” - link
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From Jokes Subreddit
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A woman comes home early, and finds her husband in bed with a girl. -
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She is furious, threatens to kill them both… the husband says:
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Believe me, darling, this is just a misunderstanding. I was driving home, and saw this young lady trying to catch a ride. So I decided to give her a lift. I ask her where she needs to go, and she tells me she wants to visit some relatives, but isn’t sure about their address. So, I took her home so she could check our phonebook.
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Once there, I saw her dress is pretty ragged, so I decided to give her your old dress. Nearly two years that it’s been hanging in the closet, and you never wore it.
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Then, I saw her shoes are also about to fall apart, so I gave her your old shoes, which have been doing nothing but collecting dust for three years. Of course, she said thanks, and then asked:
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+“Excuse me sir, but is there anything else in this house your wife never uses?”
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