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<title>08 October, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
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<li><strong>Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein clusters and their impact on immunity of the population from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil</strong> -
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<div>
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SARS-CoV-2 genome underwent mutations since it started circulating intensively within the human populations. The aim of this study was to understand the fluctuation of the spike clusters concomitant to high rate of population immunity either due to natural infection and/or vaccination in a state of Brazil that had high rate of infection and vaccination coverage. A total of 1715 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, were retrieved from GISAID and subjected to cluster analysis. Immunoinformatics were used to predict T- and B-cell epitopes, followed by simulation to estimate either pro- or anti-inflammatory responses and correlate with circulating variants. From March 2020 to June 2022, Rio Grande do Norte reported 579,931 COVID-19 cases with a 1.4% fatality rate across three major waves: May-Sept 2020, Feb-Aug 2021, and Jan-Mar 2022. Cluster 0 variants (wild type strain, Zeta) were prevalent in the first wave and Delta in the latter half of 2021, featuring fewer unique epitopes. Cluster 1 (Gamma [P1]) dominated the first half of 2021. Late 2021 had Clusters 2 (Omicron) and 3 (Omicron sublineages) with the most unique epitopes, while Cluster 4 (Delta sublineages) emerged in the second half of 2021 with fewer unique epitopes. Cluster 1 epitopes showed a high pro-inflammatory propensity, while others exhibited a balanced cytokine induction. The clustering method effectively identified Spike groups that may contribute to immune evasion and clinical presentation, and explain in part the clinical outcome.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561101v1" target="_blank">Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein clusters and their impact on immunity of the population from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Protection of second booster vaccinations and prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK SIREN healthcare worker cohort</strong> -
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<div>
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<b>Background</b> <br /> 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. <br /> <b>Methods</b> <br /> 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. <br /> <b>Results</b> <br /> 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. <br /> <b>Conclusions</b> <br /> 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. <br /> <b>Funding</b> <br /> UK Health Security Agency, Medical Research Council, NIHR HPRU Oxford, and others.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.29.23296330v3" target="_blank">Protection of second booster vaccinations and prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK SIREN healthcare worker cohort</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Quantitatively assessing early detection strategies for mitigating COVID-19 and future pandemics</strong> -
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<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Researchers and policymakers have proposed systems to detect novel pathogens earlier than existing surveillance systems by monitoring samples from hospital patients, wastewater, and air travel, in order to mitigate future pandemics. How much benefit would such systems offer? We developed, empirically validated, and mathematically characterized a quantitative model that simulates disease spread and detection time for any given disease and detection system. We find that hospital monitoring could have detected COVID-19 in Wuhan 0.4 weeks earlier than it was actually discovered, at 2,300 cases (standard error: 76 cases) compared to 3,400 (standard error: 161 cases). Wastewater monitoring would not have accelerated COVID-19 detection in Wuhan, but provides benefit in smaller catchments and for asymptomatic or long-incubation diseases like polio or HIV/AIDS. Monitoring of air travel provides little benefit in most scenarios we evaluated. In sum, early detection systems can substantially mitigate some future pandemics, but would not have changed the course of COVID-19.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.08.23291050v2" target="_blank">Quantitatively assessing early detection strategies for mitigating COVID-19 and future pandemics</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Hill numbers at the edge of a pandemic: rapid SARS-COV2 surveillance using clinical, pooled, or wastewater sequence as a sensor for population change</strong> -
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<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of genomic surveillance for guiding policy and control strategies. Timeliness is key, but rapid deployment of existing surveillance is difficult because current approaches are based in sequence alignment and phylogeny. Millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been assembled, the largest collection of sequence data in history. Phylogenetic methods are ill equipped to handle this sheer scale. We introduce a pan-genomic measure that examines the information diversity of a k-mer library drawn from a country9s complete set of sequenced genomes. Quantifying diversity is central to ecology. Studies that measure the diversity of various environments increasingly use the concept of Hill numbers, or the effective number of species in a sample, to provide a simple metric for comparing species diversity across environments. The more diverse the sample, the higher the Hill number. We adopt this ecological approach and consider each k-mer an individual and each genome a transect in the pan-genome of the species. Applying Hill numbers in this way allows us to summarize the temporal trajectory of pandemic variants by collapsing each day9s assemblies into genomic equivalents. We do this quickly, without alignment or trees, using modern genome sketching techniques to accommodate millions of genomes in one condensed view of pandemic dynamics. Using data from the UK, USA, and South Africa, we trace the ascendence of new variants of concern as they emerge in local populations. This history of emerging variants uses all available data as it is sequenced, intimating variant sweeps to dominance or declines to extinction at the leading edge of the COVID19 pandemic. The surveillance technique we introduce in a SARS-CoV-2 context here can operate on genomic data generated over any pandemic time course and is organism agnostic.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.23.22276807v3" target="_blank">Hill numbers at the edge of a pandemic: rapid SARS-COV2 surveillance using clinical, pooled, or wastewater sequence as a sensor for population change</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Heterologous booster with a novel formulation containing glycosylated trimeric S protein is effective againstOmicron</strong> -
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<div>
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In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a heterologous three-dose vaccination schedule against the Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant infection using a mouse intranasal challenge model. The vaccination schedules tested in this study consisted of a primary series of 2 doses covered by two commercial vaccines: an mRNA-based vaccine (mRNA1273) or a non-replicative vector-based vaccine AZD1222/ChAdOx1, hereafter referred to as AZD1222). These were followed by a heterologous booster dose using one of the two vaccine candidates previously designed by us: one containing the glycosylated and trimeric spike protein (S) from the ancestral virus (SW-Vac 2 microg), and the other from the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (SD-Vac 2 microg), both formulated with Alhydrogel as an adjuvant. For comparison purposes, homologous three-dose schedules of the commercial vaccines were used. The mRNA-based vaccine, whether used in heterologous or homologous schedules, demonstrated the best performance, significantly increasing both humoral and cellular immune responses. In contrast, for the schedules that included the AZD1222 vaccine as the primary series, the heterologous schemes showed superior immunological outcomes compared to the homologous 3-dose AZD1222 regimen. For these schemes no differences were observed in the immune response obtained when SW-Vac 2microg or SD-Vac 2 microg were used as a booster dose. Neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron BA.1 were low, especially for the schedules using AZD1222. However, a robust Th1 profile, known to be crucial for protection, was observed, particularly for the heterologous schemes that included AZD1222. All the tested schedules were capable of inducing populations of CD4 T effector, memory, and follicular helper T lymphocytes. It is important to highlight that all the evaluated schedules demonstrated a satisfactory safety profile and induced multiple immunological markers of protection. Although the levels of these markers were different among the tested schedules, they appear to complement each other in conferring protection against intranasal challenge with Omicron BA.1 in K18-hACE2 mice. In summary, the results highlight the potential of using the S protein (either ancestral Wuhan or Delta variant)-based vaccine formulation as heterologous boosters in the management of COVID-19, particularly for certain commercial vaccines currently in use.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.557343v1" target="_blank">Heterologous booster with a novel formulation containing glycosylated trimeric S protein is effective againstOmicron</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Interventions used to improve air flow in hospitals - a rapid review</strong> -
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<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for improved air flow in hospitals, to reduce the transmission of airborne infections such as COVID-19. The aim of this review was to map the existing literature on intervention used to improve air flow in hospitals, understanding challenges in implementation and the findings of any evaluations. We reviewed peer-reviewed articles identified on three databases, MEDLINE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library with no restriction on date. 5846 articles were identified, 130 were reviewed and 18 were included: ten articles were from databases and eight articles were identified through hand searching. Results were discussed in terms of three categories: (i) concentration of aerosol particles, (ii) changes in/effect of air speed and ventilation and (iii) improvements or reduction in health conditions. Eight studies included an evaluation, the majority only had one comparator condition however three had multiple conditions. The most common device or method that was outlined by researchers was HEPA filters, which can remove particles with a size of 3 microns. Articles outline different interventions to improve air flow and some demonstrate their effectiveness in terms of improving health outcomes for patients, they also suggest either mechanical and natural ventilation are the best methods for dispersing particulate matter as well as perhaps two air cleaning units rather than one. With different methods comes different strengths and weaknesses however, the key finding is that air flow improvement measures reduce the likelihood of nosocomial infections.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.06.23296654v1" target="_blank">Interventions used to improve air flow in hospitals - a rapid review</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>A portable, easy-to-use paper-based biosensor for rapid in-field detection of fecal contamination on fresh produce farms</strong> -
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<div>
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Laboratory-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are highly sensitive and specific, but they require the transportation of samples to centralized testing facilities and have long turnaround times. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, substantial advancement has been achieved with the development of paper-based point-of-care (POC) NAATs, offering features such as low cost, being easy to use, and providing rapid sample-to-answer times. Although most of the POC NAATs innovations target clinical settings, we have developed a portable, paper-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) testing platform for on-farm applications, capable of detecting Bacteroidales as a fecal contamination biomarker. Our integrated platform includes a drop generator, a heating and imaging unit, and paper-based biosensors, providing sensitive results (limit of detection 3 copies of Bacteroidales per cm2) within an hour of sample collection. We evaluated this integrated platform on a commercial lettuce farm with a concordance of 100% when compared to lab-based tests. Our integrated paper-based LAMP testing platform holds great promise as a reliable and convenient tool for on-site NAATs. We expect that this innovation will encourage the fresh produce industry to adopt NAATs as a complementary tool for decision-making in growing and harvesting. We also hope that our work can stimulate further research in the development of on-farm diagnostic tools for other agricultural applications, leading to improved food safety and technology innovation.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.560915v1" target="_blank">A portable, easy-to-use paper-based biosensor for rapid in-field detection of fecal contamination on fresh produce farms</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>The more symptoms the better? Covid-19 vaccine side effects and long-term neutralizing antibody response</strong> -
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<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Protection against SARS-CoV-2 wanes over time, and booster uptake has been low, in part because of concern about side effects. We examined the relationships between local and systemic symptoms, biometric changes, and neutralizing antibodies (nAB) after mRNA vaccination. Data were collected from adults (n = 364) who received two doses of either BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. Serum nAB concentration was measured at 1 and 6 months post-vaccination. Daily symptom surveys were completed for six days starting on the day of each dose. Concurrently, objective biometric measurements, including skin temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate, were collected. We found that certain symptoms (chills, tiredness, feeling unwell, and headache) after the second dose were associated with increases in nAB at 1 and 6 months post-vaccination, to roughly 140-160% the level of individuals without each symptom. Each additional symptom predicted a 1.1-fold nAB increase. Greater increases in skin temperature and heart rate after the second dose predicted higher nAB levels at both time points, but skin temperature change was more predictive of durable (6 month) nAB response than of short-term (1 month) nAB response. In the context of low ongoing vaccine uptake, our convergent symptom and biometric findings suggest that public health messaging could seek to reframe systemic symptoms after vaccination as desirable.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.26.23296186v2" target="_blank">The more symptoms the better? Covid-19 vaccine side effects and long-term neutralizing antibody response</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia and defines a novel nosological entity for patients fulfilling both clinical criteria</strong> -
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<div>
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are chronic diseases with poorly understood pathophysiology and diagnosis based on clinical assessment of unspecific symptoms. The recent post-COVID-19 condition, which shares similarities with ME/CFS and FM, has raised concerns about viral-induced transcriptome changes in post-viral syndromes. Viral infections, and other types of stress, are known to unleash human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) repression that if maintained could lead to symptom chronicity. This study evaluated this possibility for ME/CFS and FM on a selected cohort of female patients complying with diagnosis criteria for ME/CFS, FM, or both, and matched healthy controls (n=43). The results show specific HERV fingerprints for each disease, confirming biological differences between ME/CFS and FM. Unexpectedly, HERV profiles segregated patients that met both ME/CFS and FM clinical criteria from patients complying only with ME or FM criteria, while clearly differentiating patients from healthy subjects, supporting that the highly prevalent comorbidity condition must constitute a different nosological entity. Moreover, HERV profiles exposed significant quantitative differences within the ME/CFS group that correlated with differences in immune gene expression and patient symptomatology, supporting ME/CFS patient subtyping and confirming immunological disturbances in this disease. Pending issues include validation of HERV profiles as disease biomarkers of post-viral syndromes and understanding the role of HERV during infection and beyond.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561025v1" target="_blank">HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia and defines a novel nosological entity for patients fulfilling both clinical criteria</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Who Saves the Saviours During a Pandemic? Career Calling Protects Healthcare Workers from Burnout and Resigning</strong> -
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<div>
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This study investigates whether career calling protects from the detrimental effects of fear of COVID-19 and job demand on burnout and turnover intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in a sample of 275 Italian healthcare workers in charge of COVID-19 patients. Direct, indirect, and conditional effects were tested using a path model. The results showed a significant sequential mediation effect: Demand partially mediates the relation between fear of COVID-19 and burnout; burnout completely mediates the impact of fear of COVID-19 on turnover intention. Career calling moderates the impact of fear of COVID-19 on demand and of burnout on turnover intentions. When calling is high, the effects of fear of COVID-19 on perceived job demand, and the effect of burnout on turnover intentions are null. This study supports the notion that career calling is a personal resource that protects people from the negative consequences of highly stressful work environments.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/snguz/" target="_blank">Who Saves the Saviours During a Pandemic? Career Calling Protects Healthcare Workers from Burnout and Resigning</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Relative Deprivation, Psychological Wellbeing, and Problematic Internet Use among Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)</strong> -
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<div>
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Individuals’ relative deprivation, psychological distress and addictive use of the internet are increasing concerns during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the related literature on these effects during the pandemic is lacking. We adopt social comparison theory as the framework to improve our understanding of the relationships between relative deprivation, psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use. In this study, young adult participants were recruited from one department of a university in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to explore the effects of relative deprivation evoked by social comparison on individuals’ psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use. Our results—obtained by adopting fsQCA—demonstrate that relative deprivation evoked by upward comparison is a key predictor of psychological distress, life dissatisfaction, and problematic Internet use during the campus lockdown. Also, psychological distress is linked to problematic Internet use. Our results provide novel insights into the phenomenon of relative deprivation during the COVID-19 crisis. We propose measures to improve individuals’ psychological wellbeing and reduce their problem behaviors, including: conducting psychological lectures emphasizing the danger of social comparisons; balancing the needs of faculty members and students, and epidemic control; avoiding inconsistent closed-off campus rules in campus management; and developing a counseling program addressing relative deprivation, psychological wellbeing, and problematic Internet use.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/6u8nf/" target="_blank">Relative Deprivation, Psychological Wellbeing, and Problematic Internet Use among Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</strong> -
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<div>
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Sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within cardiac myocytes, and the collective shortening of sarcomeres aligned along myofibrils generates the force driving the heartbeat. The alignment of the individual sarcomeres is important for proper force generation, and misaligned sarcomeres are associated with diseases including cardiomyopathies and COVID-19. The actin bundling protein, -actinin-2, localizes to the Z-Bodies of sarcomere precursors and the Z-Lines of sarcomeres, and has been used previously to assess sarcomere assembly and maintenance. Previous measurements of -actinin-2 organization have been largely accomplished manually, which is time-consuming and has hampered research progress. Here, we introduce sarcApp, an image analysis tool that quantifies several components of the cardiac sarcomere and their alignment in muscle cells and tissue. We first developed sarcApp to utilize deep learning- based segmentation and real space quantification to measure -actinin-2 structures and determine the organization of both precursors and sarcomeres/myofibrils. We then expanded sarcApp to analyze M-Lines using the localization of myomesin and a protein that connects the Z-Lines to the M-Line (titin). sarcApp produces 33 distinct measurements per cell and 24 per myofibril that allow for precise quantification of changes in sarcomeres, myofibrils, and their precursors. We validated this system with perturbations to sarcomere assembly. Surprisingly, we found perturbations that affected Z-Lines and M-Lines differently, suggesting that they may be regulated independently during sarcomere assembly.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.11.523681v3" target="_blank">Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Fourth dose of Microneedle Array Patch of SARS-CoV-2 S1 Protein Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Long-lasting Humoral Responses in mice</strong> -
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<div>
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The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the pressing need for safe and effective booster vaccines, particularly in considering the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and addressing vaccine distribution inequalities. Dissolving microneedle array patches (MAP) offer a promising delivery method, enhancing immunogenicity and improving accessibility through the skin’s immune potential. In this study, we evaluated a microneedle array patch-based S1 subunit protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which comprised a bivalent formulation targeting the Wuhan and Beta variant alongside a monovalent Delta variant spike proteins in a murine model. Notably, the second boost of homologous bivalent MAP-S1(WU+Beta) induced a 15.7-fold increase in IgG endpoint titer, while the third boost of heterologous MAP-S1RS09Delta yielded a more modest 1.6-fold increase. Importantly, this study demonstrated that the administration of four doses of the MAP vaccine induced robust and long-lasting immune responses, persisting for at least 80 weeks. These immune responses encompassed various IgG isotypes and remained statistically significant for one year. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants were generated, with comparable responses observed against the Omicron variant. Overall, these findings emphasize the potential of MAP-based vaccines as a promising strategy to combat the evolving landscape of COVID-19 and to deliver a safe and effective booster vaccine worldwide.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.05.561047v1" target="_blank">Fourth dose of Microneedle Array Patch of SARS-CoV-2 S1 Protein Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Long-lasting Humoral Responses in mice</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Unveiling the antiviral capabilities of targeting Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase against SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
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<div>
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The urgent need for effective treatments against emerging viral diseases, driven by drug-resistant strains and new viral variants, remains critical. We focus on inhibiting the human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (HsDHODH), one of the enzymes in charge of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. This strategy could impede viral replication without provoking resistance. We evaluated quinone-based compounds, discovering potent HsDHODH inhibition (low nanomolar IC50) and promising in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity (low micromolar EC50). These compounds exhibited low toxicity, indicating potential for further development. Additionally, we employed computational tools like molecular docking and QSAR models to analyse protein-ligand interactions. These findings represent a significant step forward in the search for effective antiviral treatments and have great potential to impact the development of new broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
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</div>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.560875v1" target="_blank">Unveiling the antiviral capabilities of targeting Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase against SARS-CoV-2</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>The Trajectory of Depression and Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents over Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
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Longitudinal research examining childrens mental health (MH) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. We examined trajectories of depression and anxiety over two pandemic years among children with and without MH disorders. Parents and children 2 to 18 years completed surveys at seven timepoints (April 2020 to June 2022). Parents completed validated measures of depression and anxiety for children 8to 18 years, and validated measures of emotional/behavioural symptoms for children 2 to 7 years old. Children 10 years and older completed validated measures of depression and anxiety. Latent growth curve analysis determined depression and anxiety trajectories, accounting for demographics, child and parent MH. Data were available on 1315 unique children (1259 parent-reports, 550 child-reports). Trajectories were stable across the study period, however individual variation in trajectories was statistically significant. Of included covariates, only initial symptom level predicted symptom trajectories. Among participants with pre-COVID data, a significant increase in depression symptoms relative to pre-pandemic levels was observed. Children and adolescents experienced elevated and sustained levels of depression and anxiety during the two-year period. Findings have direct policy implications in the prioritization and of maintenance of educational, recreational, and social activities with added MH supports in the face of future events.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.04.23296430v1" target="_blank">The Trajectory of Depression and Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents over Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
|
||||
</div></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of the Vector Vaccine GamCovidVac-M (Altered Antigenic Composition)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: GamCovidVac-M vector vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 with altered antigenic composition <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of the Vector Vaccine GamCovidVac for the Prevention of COVID-19 With Altered Antigenic Profile With Participation of Adult Volunteers</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: GamCovidVac vector vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 (with altered antigenic profile) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Exercise Interventions in Post-acute Sequelae of Covid-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Exercise <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Virginia <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effects of Cacao FLAvonoids in LOng Covid Patients (FLALOC)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long Covid19; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Dietary Supplement: Flavonoids <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Guillermo Ceballos Reyes; Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Efficacy of the 2023-2024 Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; SARS CoV 2 Infection; Upper Respiratory Tract Infection; Upper Respiratory Disease <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Novavax COVID-19 vaccine (2023-2024 formula XBB containing); Biological: Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (2023-2024 formula XBB containing) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Sarang K. Yoon, DO, MOH; Westat; Novavax <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Motivational Interviewing for Vaccine Uptake in Latinx Adults</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Vaccine Hesitancy <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: EHR alert; Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing; Behavioral: Warm hand off to nurse <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Boston College; East Boston Neighborhood Health Center; Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH); Boston Children’s Hospital; National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety of RQ-01 in SARS-CoV-2 Positive Subjects</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Infectious Disease; Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection Laboratory-Confirmed; SARS CoV 2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Combination Product: RQ-001; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Red Queen Therapeutics, Inc.; PPD <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of “Sputnik Lite” for the Prevention of COVID-19 With Altered Antigenic Composition.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: “Sputnik Lite” vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 with altered antigenic composition <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Health Ministry of the Russian Federation <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>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</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Biological: AZD3152; Biological: Biological: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: AstraZeneca <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Examining the Function of Cs4 on Post-COVID-19 Disorders</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Chinese medicine nutritional supplement Cs4 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: The University of Hong Kong <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amantadine Therapy for Cognitive Impairment in Long COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Post-COVID19 Condition; Post-Acute COVID19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Amantadine <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Ohio State University <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stellate Ganglion Block With Lidocaine for the Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Parosmia</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Parosmia <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Procedure: Stellate Ganglion Block; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Lawson Health Research Institute <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>CPAP Efficacy in Post-COVID Patients With Sleep Apnea</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Sleep Apnea <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Continuous positive airway pressure <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Pittsburgh <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cell Therapy With Treg Cells Obtained From Thymic Tissue (thyTreg) to Control the Immune Hyperactivation Associated With COVID-19 (THYTECH2)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 5.000.000; Biological: Allogeneic thyTreg 10.000.000 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon; Instituto de Salud Carlos III <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Monoclonal antibodies lock down SARS-CoV-2 spike</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 rapidly accumulated mutations in its immunodominant receptor-binding domain (RBD), rendering all clinically authorized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) ineffective. Liu et al. unveil potent human mAbs that neutralize all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants by locking the Spike protein RBD in a downward conformation, thus inhibiting receptor engagement.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PBPK Modeling of PAXLOVID<sup>TM</sup>: Incorporating Rotamer Conversion Kinetics to Advanced Dissolution and Absorption Model</strong> - PAXLOVID^(TM) is a combination medicine of nirmatrelvir tablets co-packaged with ritonavir tablets. Nirmatrelvir is a peptidomimetic inhibitor of SARS-CoV2 main protease (M^(pro)), developed for the treatment of COVID-19. Ritonavir is co-administered as a pharmacokinetics (PK) enhancer to inhibit CYP3A mediated metabolism increasing exposures of nirmatrelvir. In the solid form, nirmatrelvir exists in a stable single conformational state (ANTI form). However, nirmatrelvir exhibits atropisomerism…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Induction of antiviral gene expression by cyclosporine a, but not inhibition of cyclophilin a or B, contributes to its restriction of human coronavirus 229E infection in a lung epithelial cell line</strong> - The development of antivirals with an extended spectrum of activity is an attractive possibility to protect against future emerging coronaviruses (CoVs). Cyclosporine A (CsA), a clinically approved immunosuppressive drug, has established antiviral activity against diverse unrelated viruses, including several CoVs. However, its antiviral mechanisms of action against CoV infection have remained elusive, precluding the rational design of non-immunosuppressive derivatives with improved antiviral…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Repurposing Navitoclax to block SARS-CoV-2 fusion and entry by targeting heptapeptide repeat sequence 1 in S2 protein</strong> - Along with the long pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has come the dilemma of emerging viral variants of concern (VOC), particularly Omicron and its subvariants, able to deftly escape immune surveillance and the otherwise protective effect of current vaccines and antibody drugs. We previously identified a peptide-based pan-CoV fusion inhibitor, termed as EK1, able to bind the HR1 region in viral spike (S) protein S2 subunit. This…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Angiotensin-(1-7) attenuates SARS-CoV2 spike protein-induced interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 production in alveolar epithelial cells through activation of Mas receptor</strong> - BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins (SP) can bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (HPAEpiC) and trigger an inflammatory process. Angiotensin-(1-7) may have an anti-inflammatory effect through activation of Mas receptor. This study aims to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 SP can induce inflammation through ACE2 in the alveolar epithelial cells which can be modulated through angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antiviral opportunities of Mannich bases derived from triterpenic N-propargylated indoles</strong> - Oleanolic and glycyrrhetic acids alkyne derivatives were synthesized as a result of propargylation of the indole NH-group condensed with the triterpene A-ring, the following aminomethylation led to a series of Mannich bases. The synthesized compounds were tested for their potential inhibition of influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 (H1N1) virus in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell culture and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in baby hamster kidney-21-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (BHK-21-hACE2) cells….</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alisol B 23-acetate broadly inhibits coronavirus through blocking virus entry and suppresses proinflammatory T cells responses for the treatment of COVID-19</strong> - CONCLUSION: Alisol B 23-acetate could be a promising therapeutic agent for COVID-19 treatment and its underlying mechanisms might be attributed to viral entry inhibition and anti-inflammatory activities.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Universal features of Nsp1-mediated translational shutdown by coronaviruses</strong> - Nonstructural protein 1 (Nsp1) produced by coronaviruses inhibits host protein synthesis. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Nsp1 C-terminal domain was shown to bind the ribosomal mRNA channel to inhibit translation, but it is unclear whether this mechanism is broadly used by coronaviruses, whether the Nsp1 N-terminal domain binds the ribosome, or how Nsp1 allows viral RNAs to be translated. Here, we investigated Nsp1 from SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Broad antagonism of coronaviruses nsp5 to evade the host antiviral responses by cleaving POLDIP3</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a family of the largest RNA viruses that typically cause respiratory, enteric, and hepatic diseases in animals and humans, imposing great threats to the public safety and animal health. Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), a newly emerging enteropathogenic coronavirus, causes severe diarrhea in suckling piglets all over the world and poses potential risks of cross-species transmission. Here, we use PDCoV as a model of CoVs to illustrate the reciprocal regulation between…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Porphyrin-derived carbon dots for an enhanced antiviral activity targeting the CTD of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study comprehensively demonstrated the potential of porphyrin-derived carbon dots to be developed further as a promisingly safe and effective COVID-19 antiviral drug.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Durability of Antibody Responses of Two Doses of High-Dose Relative to Two Doses of Standard-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Two doses of HD-TIV were more immunogenic than SD-QIV, especially when administered ≥6 months post-HCT. Both groups maintained higher titers compared to baseline throughout the season.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD binding to ACE2 and its inhibition by fungal cohaerin C using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy</strong> - The structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD and human ACE2 as well as changes in the structure due to binding activities were analysed using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The inhibitor cohaerin C was applied to inhibit the binding between spike RBD and ACE2. Differences and changes in the Raman spectra were determined using deconvolution of the amide bands and principal component analysis. We thus demonstrate a fast and label-free analysis of the protein structures and the differentiation…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Novel designed analogues of quercetin against SARS-CoV2:an in-silico pharmacokinetic evaluation, molecular modeling, MD simulations based study</strong> - Here we present the design of the series of quercetin analogues and their molecular docking study involving the binding of quercetin and its analogues with SARS-CoV2 3CLpro. The scientific literature shows that quercetin compound has been successfully used against SARS-CoV by inhibiting the replication of virus in respiratory epithelial cell through the inhibition of the SARS-CoV main protease (3CLpro.) It was suggested that the modification at position 3 in quercetin structure may produce…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reply to: Targeted protein S-nitrosylation of ACE2 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - No abstract</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein peptides displayed in the Pyrococcus furiosus RAD system preserve epitopes antigenicity, immunogenicity, and virus-neutralizing activity of antibodies</strong> - Amongst the potential contribution of protein or peptide-display systems to study epitopes with relevant immunological features, the RAD display system stands out as a highly stable scaffold protein that allows the presentation of constrained target peptides. Here, we employed the RAD display system to present peptides derived from the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein as a tool to detect specific serum antibodies and to generate polyclonal antibodies capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in…</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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||||
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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||||
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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||||
</ul>
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||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How a New Approach to Public Defense Is Overcoming Mass Incarceration</strong> - Public defenders represent eighty per cent of all people charged with a crime in this country, and they typically work in offices that are underfunded and understaffed. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-a-new-approach-to-public-defense-is-overcoming-mass-incarceration">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>McCarthy’s Ouster Is Proof, Once Again, That Appeasement Doesn’t Work</strong> - The political-obituary writers will not be kind to one of the weakest House Speakers ever. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/mccarthys-ouster-is-proof-once-again-that-appeasement-doesnt-work">link</a></p></li>
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||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trump’s Bloody Campaign Promises</strong> - It’s tempting to ignore the former President’s expressions of rage, but the stakes for American democracy demand that attention be paid. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-bloody-campaign-promises">link</a></p></li>
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||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Waking to an Attack from Hamas</strong> - A state of war is declared in Israel, fifty years after the country was caught flat-footed in the Yom Kippur War. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/waking-to-an-attack-from-hamas">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ibram X. Kendi, Hasan Minhaj, and the Question of Selling Out</strong> - Is it possible to reap all the rewards of the mass market and still maintain a sense of political purpose? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/ibram-x-kendi-hasan-minhaj-and-the-question-of-selling-out">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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|
||||
<li><strong>An hour-by-hour guide to your bedtime routine</strong> -
|
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<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="An illustration of a man in purple pajamas leaning back with his eyes shut. A small table is on his lap, holding a cup of tea." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w5mYQf2xcf7uOKDyXe-27sBn6mw=/0x118:4700x3643/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72733688/GettyImages_97238984.0.jpg"/>
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Getty Images/CSA Images RF
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The best bedtime routine is one you enjoy.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cpuKf6">
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If you find yourself lying in bed scrolling through <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a> in the dark, wondering why sleep won’t come, you’re not alone: 14.5 percent of American adults <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db436.htm">reported having trouble falling asleep</a> most or every day over a 30-day period in 2020. People have difficulty falling and staying asleep for <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/what-causes-insomnia">a number of reasons</a>, ranging from stress and caffeine too late in the day to side effects from drugs and sleep apnea.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RkK0sM">
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However, sleep isn’t an on-off switch, but a ramp, says sleep psychologist <a href="https://drjadewu.com/">Jade Wu</a>, author of <a href="https://read.macmillan.com/lp/hello-sleep/"><em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em></a>. You can’t expect to fall into slumber the moment your head hits the pillow. In fact, your body needs some preparation and encouragement to head down that ramp. A bedtime routine will smooth that transition into sleep, signaling to your body it’s time to unwind. “Even when you’re still awake and puttering around, putting on pajamas,” Wu says, “your body is starting to go down that ramp.”
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|
||||
There’s no “perfect” bedtime routine. Rather, you’ll want to try soothing exercises and rituals that work for your timeframe and lifestyle. If you can dedicate an hour, that’s great; if all you have is 15 minutes, that works, too. What’s more important than the content or duration of your wind-down is to do it around the same time every day, experts say, to help keep your <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23628917/daylight-saving-time-change-sleep-advice">circadian rhythm regulated</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l0KrFK">
|
||||
Here are some suggestions for how to craft a bedtime routine, according to sleep experts.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="6vC2N4">
|
||||
Two to three hours before bed
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="srzkJO">
|
||||
While you definitely don’t need to devote a ton of time to a bedtime routine, you’ll want to set yourself up for success well before you hit the sheets. Avoid eating a heavy meal, consuming alcohol, and smoking within two hours of when you hope to be asleep, says <a href="https://indianasleepcenter.com/physicians/abhinav-singh/">Abhinav Singh</a>, a medical review expert at <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/">SleepFoundation.org</a> and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. Additionally, stay away from spicy foods and foods high in sugar about three hours before bed, says Shelby Harris, the director of sleep health with <a href="https://sleepopolis.com/">Sleepopolis</a>. Food and alcohol can keep your body temperature elevated and your metabolism active, Wu says, which aren’t amenable for sleep. You should avoid caffeine far before this point — eight hours prior to bedtime, Harris says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eCgTu6">
|
||||
If you hope to be asleep by 11 pm, curb your food and alcohol consumption between 8 pm and 9 pm. You can have a light snack closer to bed should you get hungry.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="kLNJWj">
|
||||
One hour before bed
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YxKOXz">
|
||||
Start to turn off or dim the lights in your house and bedroom about an hour before you want to get some shuteye, Singh says. Draw the blinds in your bedroom to keep out any light from the street or neighborhood. If your room is still bright, you may need blackout curtains, Wu says, or an eye mask for when you eventually fall asleep. Adjust the temperature in your room or home to a <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23366918/unconventional-sleep-advice">few degrees cooler</a>. “Your melatonin levels are shown to rise more efficiently when the environment is cooler,” Singh says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kipn0g">
|
||||
Power off as many devices as you can or put these electronics on Do Not Disturb to minimize arousing distractions and notifications. “Sometimes we have multiple devices going at a time: TV and your phone and your watch,” Wu says. “There’s always stimulation coming from all sides.” Turn <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23366918/unconventional-sleep-advice">down the screen brightness or turn on night mode</a> on any devices you might still be using. (Yes, you have permission to use tech before bed — sparingly — Wu and Singh say.) You can also dedicate a page or folder on your phone’s home screen to apps you only use at night, like a library app, white noise app, and a game app, “so you don’t end up going down a TikTok hole,” Wu says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RmaeQz">
|
||||
If you have the time and interest, Singh recommends a warm bath or shower around this time. Baths can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079218301552?via%3Dihub">help lower your body temperature</a> and encourage sleepiness. A foot bath can also be a soothing part of a nighttime routine, Wu says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="BM4XP4">
|
||||
15–30 minutes before bed
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vJmgZI">
|
||||
Now is when you’ll really want to start slowing down. Turn on your white noise machine or app if a noisy environment prevents you from falling or staying asleep. A small snack combining protein and a carbohydrate — like a banana with peanut butter, a whole wheat cracker with low-fat cheese, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, or cherries — can promote sleep, Harris says. Feel free to sip on a decaf cup of tea, Singh says. But he and Wu caution against relying on any of the teas that claim to promote drowsiness as a sleep aid. “The amount of substances that it contains that actually can help you sleep are low,” Singh says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lMhtew">
|
||||
Try a calming activity, like stretching, <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23718805/beginner-guide-meditation-mindfulness-how-to-meditate">meditation</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23820065/how-to-start-reading-books-habit-hobby-audiobook">reading</a>, listening to relaxing a podcast or music, crocheting, or doing your skincare routine. Avoid anything that is too goal-oriented causing you to delay sleep, like completing a work project or finishing a level in a video game. “If you know it’s going to take you a couple hours to feel satisfied, just be honest with yourself about what really jazzes you up,” Wu says. “Don’t get into something that’s going to be so stimulating or goal-oriented that just keeps you going.” Similarly, loud music, gripping TV, or a scary movie can be too energizing and won’t lull you to sleep, Singh says.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7TvSbI">
|
||||
To offload any lingering stress, try journaling for a few minutes, Wu says. Committing the details of your day to paper, or Google doc, can <a href="https://mental.jmir.org/2018/4/e11290/">improve mental health</a>. You can write your thoughts down on either your phone or with a pen and paper. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497621000655">Cuddling with your children, partner, or pets can also be calming</a>, she adds.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4wI1py">
|
||||
If you’d still like to utilize electronics, again, keep the brightness and volume low. Minimize your gaming, reading, and viewing to 10 to 20 minutes, Singh says, regardless of whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or <a href="https://www.vox.com/tv">television</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AKA2Rw">
|
||||
Keep in mind that you don’t have to perform your nighttime routine in bed, Wu says. If you start to doze off while reading on the couch or doing a puzzle at the dining room table, you won’t accidentally wake yourself up when you relocate to the bedroom. “You don’t need to treat sleep as if it’s fragile,” she says, “or if it’s going to run away from you.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eroBSe">
|
||||
It’s okay if you still aren’t <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23752433/sleepy-tired-fatigue-differences">feeling sleepy</a> by this point. However, don’t force yourself to stay in bed. Instead, move to another room to read a book or engage in another calming practice, Singh says. Then come back to bed only when you’re sleepy.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G3xDug">
|
||||
Don’t beat yourself up if your bedtime routine isn’t initially successful or if you can’t squeeze one in. Parents and caretakers may not have the time or flexibility to wind down at night. A roommate’s lifestyle could interfere with your desire to occupy the bathroom for 20 minutes. Make do with what you have, experts say. Maybe swap a bath for a guided meditation or opt for a book over a podcast. If all you have is 10 minutes, consider jotting down a few thoughts to help you unwind. Be flexible and don’t overthink a bedtime routine: Just do what you find enjoyable and relaxing.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fo0LPF">
|
||||
“This is not yet another chore or another thing you should feel guilty about if you don’t do [it],” Wu says. “Think of it more as you’re treating yourself. You’re giving yourself this last 20 minutes of the day to just have no obligations, no responsibilities.”
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>It’s clearer than ever that we’re pushing the Amazon rainforest to its dreaded demise</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g4cTmSiLDkW30aLQCuFlTTbSuM0=/136x0:3692x2667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72733518/GettyImages_1683862199.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A view from above of razed forest in the Brazilian Amazon, on September 22. | Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Human survival depends on this iconic ecosystem, and only one thing will save it.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W1bQyJ">
|
||||
No matter where you live on this planet, you need the Amazon rainforest.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PUvUIJ">
|
||||
The largest tropical forest on Earth, the Amazon stores <a href="https://research.noaa.gov/2021/07/14/deforestation-warming-flip-part-of-amazon-forest-from-carbon-sink-to-source/">more than 120 billion tons</a> of carbon, which — if unleashed into the atmosphere — would supercharge climate change. It’s also home to a mind-boggling number of plant and animal species, many of which have served as the basis for medicines to fight ailments like cancer and hypertension.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="upDlmy">
|
||||
That’s what makes this so alarming: The Amazon forest is dying. Decades of deforestation, wildfires, and rising temperatures are pushing the forest toward a critical threshold of destruction beyond which large parts of the rainforest will dry out and turn into a savanna, releasing massive quantities of carbon in the process.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LMqRlCHGIuy50__NMG7aBFEMJLU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24983259/GettyImages_1646876321.jpg"/> <cite>Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A fire burns through vegetation in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, on September 5.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1cuY5s">
|
||||
Scientists have warned of such a tipping point for more than a decade, but <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add9973#:~:text=Deforestation%20leads%20to%20a%20local,these%20parts%20of%20South%20America.">new research</a> adds a compelling line of evidence to this doomsday scenario. Most alarmingly, the study, published last week in the journal <em>Science Advances</em>, finds signals in real-world data that a tipping point may be approaching, due to a drop in rainfall, if high levels of deforestation continue.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YNV7PB">
|
||||
“The current system is approaching a critical transition,” the study’s lead author, Nils Bochow, a researcher at the Arctic University of Norway, told Vox, adding that he found the results a “bit shocking.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AsmGig">
|
||||
This dire transition might yet be avoidable, Bochow said, and it’s largely in our control. But time is running out.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="hG4xge">
|
||||
Why the Amazon is approaching a tipping point
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2wS5tj">
|
||||
In climate science, the term “tipping point” typically refers to a threshold of loss in some natural system beyond which a feedback loop is triggered. That system then “tips” into an entirely different state. Often this process is both caused by and fuels warming (or other climate impacts).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Cuq2Sc">
|
||||
A common example of a tipping point is the melting of Greenland’s enormous ice sheet. As global temperatures rise, the surface of the ice cap melts, revealing darker ice beneath it. In turn, darker ice absorbs more heat and melts faster. Melting also lowers the height of the ice sheet, so more of it is at a lower elevation, where it’s warmer and melts faster. The tipping point is the threshold beyond which accelerated melting is inevitable, leading to an <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/30/if-all-of-earths-ice-melts-and-flows-into-the-ocean-what-would-happen-to-the-planets-rotation/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20if%20the%20Greenland,today%2C%20by%20about%202%20milliseconds.">extraordinary amount</a> of sea level rise.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XFNEqv">
|
||||
A tipping point in the Amazon is a bit more complicated, in part because this system is alive and its health is determined by a large number of environmental variables. When scientists talk about a tipping point in this ecosystem, they’re referring to the threshold beyond which parts of the forest will start to turn into an entirely different environment, one that looks nothing like the Amazon forest.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UcLrga">
|
||||
On the ice sheet, the tipping point is fueled by heat and melting. In the forest, it has to do with rainfall, or the lack thereof. Critically, much of the water in the Amazon is recycled by trees, which you can think of as living water pumps. Their roots absorb water from rain, groundwater, and rivers, and their leaves spit it back out as vapor through tiny pores on their surfaces. That vapor condenses into clouds, and those clouds then release more rain.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zftRrm">
|
||||
But as miners and cattle ranchers continue to raze the forest, there are fewer and fewer trees to pump water back into the air. That results in less rainfall, which dehydrates and kills trees, which results (again) in less rainfall. The fear is that this cycle will repeat itself until large chunks of the forest dry out. Plus, the more trees that die, the more carbon that is emitted, fueling warming that makes <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/2023/6/8/23753980/canada-fires-smoke-climate-change-air-quality">tree-killing wildfires more severe</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EfvVEb">
|
||||
Reaching a tipping point in the Amazon would mean kick-starting this feedback cycle until large swaths of the forest are transformed into a savanna, a much drier ecosystem that’s a mix of grass and trees.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ej7CnG">
|
||||
A big question now is about the threshold of deforestation that would trigger this process, and on what timeframe. That’s where studies like this one come in.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="NKOEX7">
|
||||
A “shocking” warning sign
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="swVe3J">
|
||||
Humans and natural fires have already cleared nearly 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest. And there are already signs that this may be drying it out. In the last four decades, the region’s dry season has become longer and droughts have become more severe. Does that mean the forest is nearing the critical threshold described above?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4rU0sQ">
|
||||
To help address this question, Bochow and his co-author built a complex computer model showing how further deforestation would affect the region. Unlike past studies, their model accounts for a key interaction between the Amazon forest and the South American monsoon — a wind system that brings moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to the Amazon, where it condenses and falls as rain.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Gp-M-uB1bZ57JooVZ-4NqLP_06Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24983280/GettyImages_1292729371.jpg"/> <cite>Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Storm clouds over the Amazon rainforest in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lPgf1T">
|
||||
This interaction, it turns out, is critical to understanding a tipping point scenario because it impacts the amount of rain that falls in the forest.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DzIDsD">
|
||||
The explanation of why is a bit wonky, but here’s the gist: As vapor is released into the air by leaves in the Amazon, it condenses to form rain. This condensation process not only produces rain but also releases heat (because physics), causing the air above the forest canopy to warm. Critically, the nearby Atlantic Ocean is cooler, and the difference in temperature between the ocean and the forest is part of what drives the monsoon, i.e., the wet season rains (because, again, physics).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gv0iRi">
|
||||
Put more<em> </em>simply: Lots of trees help keep the monsoon rains stable. The forest can depend on these rains for even more water.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hQuj2a">
|
||||
The new study tries to understand what happens on the flip side, when there are fewer trees in the Amazon. The model found that if deforestation paces ahead, there will be a gradual decline in the amount of moisture in the atmosphere coming from the Atlantic Ocean, and thus less rainfall in the Amazon. Again, that’s what drives the so-called savannization of the forest.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3AV509">
|
||||
Then, once deforestation reaches a certain threshold — which the authors don’t define — rainfall could decline by as much as 50 percent over the course of several years or perhaps decades, the model shows. That threshold is the tipping point. (Past studies suggest the threshold might be between <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk5670">20 and 40 percent</a> of the Amazon deforested.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Wg-B8mC6z-ixnj3tx7I-8N6GCkQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24983270/GettyImages_1624038621.jpg"/> <cite>Evaristo SA/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A boy paddles down the Itacuruça River in Para State, Brazil, on August 4, 2023.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zcLLCC">
|
||||
While the authors didn’t lay out the exact threshold for deforestation, they did look for signs that the tipping point might be near. The model predicted that, as deforestation approaches the critical threshold, soil moisture declines and there’s a delayed start to the wet season. The researchers then compared these model results to real-world data — and found those same signals.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F9kKP1">
|
||||
The dry season is longer. The soil has less moisture. The researchers also identified statistical signals that the system is destabilizing.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DlMHLA">
|
||||
“It was a little bit shocking to see the model is so similar to the results we see in the observational data,” Bochow said. “The current system is approaching a critical transition.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y0yspF">
|
||||
That doesn’t mean the forest will reach the tipping point tomorrow, in a year, or even in a decade. The Amazon appears to be approaching the threshold faster than, say, the Greenland ice sheet, but the timeline is still not at all clear.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3r6rP2">
|
||||
Plus, there are a lot of unknowns, such as how exactly warming and rising carbon dioxide will worsen — or perhaps even buffer — the impact of less rainfall. Those variables were not factored into the study. (Trees, like all plants, need carbon dioxide to grow, and so more of it in the air helps fertilize them.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gTpMM5">
|
||||
If nothing else, the study amplifies an already-loud warning call that this iconic forest is fundamentally at risk, and its days may be limited. “It’s providing more evidence that the Amazon is losing resilience,” said Chris Boulton, a researcher at the University of Exeter who is not affiliated with the research.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bc3cxm">
|
||||
If there’s any good news here, it’s that this problem is made by humans, and so it can be corrected by us, too. Bochow put the solution plainly: “Stopping deforestation now is the only way.”
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>This Gaza war didn’t come out of nowhere</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="A truck is seen breaking through a fence. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hkey32cz1Yrl6MuhzHDKytRjnDk=/121x0:3772x2738/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72732844/1711523751.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Palestinians groups break over a fence with the help of a digger as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 7, 2023. | Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Everyone forgot about the Palestinians — conditions have been set for two decades, and Biden’s focus on Israel-Saudi talks may have lit a match.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aT1pT1">
|
||||
It took Hamas’s deadly attack today to remind <a href="https://www.vox.com/israel">Israel</a>, the United States, and the world that Palestine still matters.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wfkexJ">
|
||||
The militant group based in occupied Gaza launched aerial attacks and broke through the heavily secured fence into the State of Israel. Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, a <s></s>historic scale of violence for the country. The Israeli counterattack will inevitably lead to more death and destruction for Palestinians and a tightened occupation.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<aside id="VfzaX6">
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</aside>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lPihB7">
|
||||
It comes after nearly two decades of the US and world leaders overlooking the more than 2 million people living in Gaza who endure a humanitarian nightmare, with its airspace and borders and sea under Israeli control. The attack comes amid an ongoing failure to grapple with the dangerous situation for Palestinians in the West Bank where Israel’s extreme-right government over the past year has escalated the already <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/poc/5-18-september-2023">brutal daily pain of occupation</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NupXfC">
|
||||
Instances of Israeli security forces and Israeli settlers antagonizing Palestinians through violence are on the rise, from the pogrom on the city of <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/2/28/23617766/israeli-settler-rampage-palestine-violence-government">Huwara</a> to a new tempo of lethal raids on <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/7/6/23784923/israel-palestine-jenin-raid-news">Jenin</a>. Israeli government ministers have been pursuing <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/7/26/23807288/israel-judicial-overhaul-settler-agenda-netanyahu-smotrich">annexationist policies and sharing raging rhetoric</a>; both incite further violent response from Palestinians and appear at a time when <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2022/11/1/23434741/israel-election-palestine-under-siege-lions-den">new militant groups</a> have emerged that claim the mantle of the Palestinian cause. The now-regular presence of Israeli Jews praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites, have further pressurized the situation. A Hamas commander <a href="https://hamas.ps/en/post/4967/Statement-by-Hamas-s-Al-Qassam-Brigades-top-military-commander">cited</a> many of these factors in his statement.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WQbTUZ">
|
||||
But the ongoing reality of the occupation has not featured prominently in US or Arab leaders’ engagement with the region in recent years, even as circumstances for Palestinians worsened.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ymMs7">
|
||||
The question must thus be asked to the Israeli government, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">Biden administration</a>, and Arab leaders: How did they forget about Palestinians? How did they so brazenly ignore Gaza?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qOBUTw">
|
||||
President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/8/3/23817467/biden-israel-saudi-arabia-normalization-middle-east-policy">has not reversed</a> his predecessor <a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>’s policy of putting aside the question of Palestine and instead has exerted immense capital on the normalization of Israel’s relations with Arab states, no matter how extreme the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy">policies</a> of the Israeli government.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YXLcFS">
|
||||
In the current US-led diplomatic equation, there is no space for Palestinians, except for talk of minor concessions to ease daily humiliations. Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/09/20/remarks-by-president-biden-and-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-of-israel-before-bilateral-meeting-new-york-ny/">said</a> recently, as many of his surrogates often do, that the US remains intent on “preserving the path to a negotiated two-state solution.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FcuAZx">
|
||||
But negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization have been frozen since 2014 under President Barack Obama, and most Palestinian analysts at this point acknowledge that US administrations since President Bill Clinton have engaged in a <a href="https://orientxxi.info/magazine/archetype-of-a-failure,6713">failed, asymmetrical process</a> that never would have allowed for the conditions of an independent, sovereign state of Palestine.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xJv18B">
|
||||
And so the symbolism of Hamas breaking through Israeli security barriers and wreaking havoc on Israel — including the kidnapping of at least one Israeli soldier as well as civilians — will resonate across Palestine, the Arab world, and beyond.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="puz47E">
|
||||
Israel’s conflicts with Hamas, along with the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel conflict, have largely been rocket and artillery exchanges. Even in decades of large-scale Arab-Israeli wars, the battles were fought outside. “No Arab army has entered the territory of Israel since the 1948 war,” the preeminent Palestinian scholar Rashid Khalidi of Columbia University told me. “This is a huge strategic surprise.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="payI5A">
|
||||
Israel and the United States have wished away Palestinians. The terrible bloodshed of today’s attacks underscores the cost of doing so.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="qoaV2j">
|
||||
How Biden missed the plot on Gaza
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wR8Sny">
|
||||
I’ve been to several Mideast policy conferences this month and spend probably too much of my time interviewing Washington experts and attending lectures on Middle East history.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EyPe4u">
|
||||
Palestinians are hardly represented in panels and keynotes. The Biden administration’s key players bring up Palestine as <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1710036234188296542?s=20">a secondary issue</a>. Gaza does not come up anymore.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S1h3Rj">
|
||||
But it remains central to how Palestinians and Arabs see Israel-Palestine and the Middle East — and how many Arabs perceive the US role in the world.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZvTZkn">
|
||||
Trump exacerbated the hopelessness for Palestinian political rights by cutting the Palestinians entirely out of the process, and instead helped seal normalization deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. But the autocratic Arab leaders who made “peace” with Israel <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/01/19/surprise-arab-public-gives-abraham-accords-a-big-thumbs-down/">never represented their own citizens</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YSz1SK">
|
||||
With Biden’s Middle East team <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/8/3/23817467/biden-israel-saudi-arabia-normalization-middle-east-policy">prioritizing</a> a long-shot deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Biden’s inner circle has avoided talking about Gaza entirely. It’s all the more surprising because the two-week war between Israel and Hamas in <a href="https://prospect.org/world/israel-palestine-narrative-has-evolved/">May 2021</a> should have been an indication of Palestine’s enduring centrality to Middle East affairs. But as far as I can tell, there has been no policy reckoning in Washington about that war. No policy reviews.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PzV42B">
|
||||
There was complacency. “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades,” Biden’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/defense-and-security">national security</a> adviser Jake Sullivan <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/israel-war-middle-east-jake-sullivan/675580/">said</a> only last week.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CNATTQ">
|
||||
It’s not even the first time that someone like Sullivan, who also served as a senior official in the Obama administration, has worked with his Egyptian counterparts to negotiate an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, as he is likely doing now. But now it’s clear that he and others treated Gaza peacemaking as a sideshow. It is not integral to Biden’s approach.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A10Nst">
|
||||
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which Hamas administers some level of control over, remains as acute as ever. But because the US has long designated Hamas, the Palestinian militant political group with an Islamist worldview, as a terrorist organization, US officials can’t contact them and must work through third countries. It means that the US knowledge base and expertise on Gaza is not just low — it’s absent.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1NGDnf">
|
||||
The Palestine Liberation Organization’s leadership, with Chair Mahmoud Abbas still hanging on at 87 years old, lacks legitimacy among Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority, the body that exercises some administrative control over the occupied West Bank and that Abbas also runs, is seen by Palestinians as a collaboration arm of the Israeli occupation. A <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2022/11/1/23434741/israel-election-palestine-under-siege-lions-den">grassroots movement of Palestinian youth</a> who engage in violent resistance against the Israeli security state, against settlers, and against civilians has emerged.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4InOAS">
|
||||
Between the radical Israeli government and the sclerotic Palestinian leadership, the Biden administration chose to continue the path of <a href="https://prospect.org/world/dont-call-it-a-peace-plan-israel-palestine-trump/">Trump’s normalization deals</a>, with Saudi Arabia as the prize. Biden’s team still states an allegiance to the pursuit of a Palestinian state while doing little more, all which exposes the <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/6/23582048/blinken-biden-israel-palestine-two-state-solution">emptiness of the two-state solution</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="RinfLI">
|
||||
What this means for Palestinians
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B44Q2d">
|
||||
Early on Saturday, Hamas sent bulldozers through the barriers that have hemmed in Palestinians in Gaza from Israel and the rest of the world. That image of resistance to the occupation will be widely circulated in the Arab world, and will endure long beyond this war. Its symbolic power cannot be underestimated.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KDaueR">
|
||||
Gaza is in essence a refugee camp (about <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/15/nakba-mapping-palestinian-villages-destroyed-by-israel-in-1948">70 percent of those living in Gaza</a> come from families displaced from the 1948 war) and an open-air prison, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/14/gaza-israels-open-air-prison-15">according to human rights groups</a>. <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/page/gaza-strip-critical-humanitarian-indicators">The United Nations</a> describes the occupied territory as a “chronic humanitarian crisis.” Israel has <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/content/movement-and-out-gaza-update-covering-august-2023">blockaded</a> Gaza since Hamas assumed control of the territory in 2007, and neighboring Egypt to the south has also imposed severe restrictions on movement.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="01SyFP">
|
||||
Between them, Israel and Egypt monitor the entry and exit of all people, vehicles, and goods. They have not allowed enough construction materials and humanitarian items into the occupied Gaza Strip to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/10/year-on-war-gaza-frustrated-slow-reconstruction">enable the battered territory to rebuild</a> from recurring episodes of deadly Israeli bombardments that are allegedly meant to target Hamas, but that often include civilian death tolls in the very dense territory.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NuqrFO">
|
||||
The current Israeli government has aggravated these realities, Khalidi explained, by increasing pressure on the Palestinians on multiple fronts: in Jerusalem, squeezing Gaza, assaults on Palestinian villages by settlers, with settler-politicians leading ministries in the Israeli government; and with annexationist policies like the recent major policy change putting the Israeli civilian government (not the Israeli military) in charge of the occupied West Bank. Hamas’s attacks on Israel won’t change life for Palestinians, and Israel’s government will now use the full force of its advanced military in response. And given Israel’s state of emergency, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now in talks with the opposition parties to pull together a unity government for the country. But even if some of the most extreme settler voices currently in the Israeli cabinet are replaced by more mainstream Israeli voices, harsh policies against Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza will continue.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SYHQFo">
|
||||
“This pressure being put on Palestinians — it just assumes that they’re insignificant and they will tolerate any degree of humiliation, and that’s just not true,” Khalidi told me. “If you had lifted the siege of Gaza, you would not have had this happen.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vcb15I">
|
||||
Now Israelis are experiencing terrible loss and a tremendous sense of danger, and Palestinians living in Gaza will endure more violence, including Israeli troops entering the territories and the extensive bombardment of alleged military sites that typically have a significant civilian toll.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Aqf3Az">
|
||||
Global powers have been ignoring Gaza, but some in Israel haven’t forgotten.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r70tES">
|
||||
“The dread Israelis are feeling right now, myself included, is a sliver of what Palestinians have been feeling on a daily basis under the decades-long military regime in the West Bank, and under the siege and repeated assaults on Gaza,” writes the Israeli journalist Haggai Mattar in <a href="https://www.972mag.com/gaza-attack-context-israelis/">972 Magazine</a>. “The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a future based on justice and equality for all of us. It is not in spite of the horror that we have to change course — it is exactly because of it.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y8mnTa">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iV3B77">
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>GNSPF signs up Peter Sidi, hopes to produce Olympic medallists</strong> - HYDERABAD</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Supriya shines in Naval Tata Academy’s victory</strong> -</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Madras High Court played a role in selecting the Indian Men’s Bridge team that clinched silver in Asian Games 2023</strong> - On August 7, the HC dismissed a writ appeal filed by an Overseas Citizen of India seeking a direction to the Bridge Federation of India to let him represent it in international tournaments</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s time for India to bid for Olympics games, says Indian Olympic Association president P.T. Usha</strong> - In the Chinese city, India saw an increase of 37 medals from the previous best achieved in the 2018 edition.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India capable of winning Olympic gold in hockey, time for sport to be more appreciated: Naveen Patnaik</strong> - The last time India won an Olympic gold medal in hockey was in 1980.</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Youth held for ‘hurling’ detonator at former Minister Sankaranarayana’s convoy in Andhra Pradesh</strong> - The Penukonda MLA went to Gaddam Thanda hamlet in Gorantla mandal to participate in ‘Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam’ programme</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Renaming of districts, institutions without approval punishable: Manipur govt order</strong> - “It has come to the notice of the state government of Manipur that many civil society organisations, institutions, establishments and persons are deliberately renaming or trying to rename districts…”</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Toll rises to 32 in Sikkim flash flood, search on for those still missing</strong> - Search was underway for 122 people who are still missing. Seventy-eight people are missing in Pakyong district, 23 in Gangtok district, 15 in Mangan and six in Namchi</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Revised Draft Ordinance of Mangalore University on Indiscipline and Malpractice in Examinations imposes penalty for erratic evaluation, wrong entry of marks</strong> - If imposes a heavy penalty of ₹40,000 on principals of colleges if they fail to ensure that teachers appointed from the colleges do not report for evaluation work</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Madras High Court played a role in selecting the Indian Men’s Bridge team that clinched silver in Asian Games 2023</strong> - On August 7, the HC dismissed a writ appeal filed by an Overseas Citizen of India seeking a direction to the Bridge Federation of India to let him represent it in international tournaments</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bavaria election: Toxic campaign heralds big vote for Germany’s populists</strong> - Right-wing parties look set to make big gains in state elections in Germany’s wealthy south.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine dam: Rebuilding shattered lives after Ukraine’s dam collapse</strong> - Despite water shortages, losing loved ones, homes and crops, people affected by the collapse of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam are determined to rebuild.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Juan Carlos: Court throws out ex-lover’s €145m legal case</strong> - A court in London has thrown out a legal case brought by a former lover of the ex-king of Spain.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Every family in Hroza village affected by missile attack</strong> - At least 52 people, including a child, were killed in Thursday’s Russian missile strike, Ukraine says.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine cyber-conflict: Hacking gangs vow to de-escalate</strong> - Ukrainian and Russian hacktivists tell the BBC they will comply with newly-created cyber-war rules.</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lamplighters League is light stealth, heavy pulp style, and XCOM gun battles</strong> - There’s a lot to dig in this intriguing blend, especially the voice acting. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974242">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites add to astronomers’ light-pollution woes</strong> - Scientists search for solutions as Amazon plans to launch 3,200 satellites. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974159">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vaccine may save endangered California condors from succumbing to bird flu</strong> - Avian flu vaccines are being used on birds for the first time in the US. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974145">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Thousands of Android devices come with unkillable backdoor preinstalled</strong> - Somehow, advanced Triada malware was added to devices before reaching resellers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1974179">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US government considers protecting octopuses used in research</strong> - Prior to the pending rules, no invertebrates were subject to regulation. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1973497">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Jewelry Store</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
An older man walked into a jewelry store with a young woman. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring. The man said, “No, I’d like to see something more special.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. “Here’s a stunning ring at only $40,000,” the jeweler said. The lady’s eyes sparkled, and her whole body trembled with excitement.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Seeing this, the old man said, “We will take it.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The jeweler asked how payment would be made, and the man stated, “By check. I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I will write it now, and you can take it to the bank Monday to verify the funds. I will pick the ring up Monday afternoon.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
On Monday morning the jeweler angrily phoned the old man and said, “Sir, there’s no money in that account.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The old man said, “I know, but let me tell you what a weekend I had.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MergingConcepts"> /u/MergingConcepts </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172nrd3/the_jewelry_store/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172nrd3/the_jewelry_store/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>In your 20s, a woman looks at you because of your youth and vitality.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
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<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
In your 30s, a woman looks at you because of your poise and sophistication.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
In your 40s, a woman looks at you because of your maturity and wisdom.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
…At my age, when a woman looks at me, I check that I put my trousers on the right way round.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Gil-Gandel"> /u/Gil-Gandel </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172tm1f/in_your_20s_a_woman_looks_at_you_because_of_your/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172tm1f/in_your_20s_a_woman_looks_at_you_because_of_your/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s preferred seating in airplanes?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Aisle B, back
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/PluckPubes"> /u/PluckPubes </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172v5vx/what_is_arnold_schwarzeneggers_preferred_seating/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172v5vx/what_is_arnold_schwarzeneggers_preferred_seating/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Husband and wife</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Her: Have you ever seen Twenty Dollars all crumpled up?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Him: “No” said her husband.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She gave him a sexy little smile, unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse and slowly reached down in her cleavage created by a soft, silky push-up bra and pulled out a crumpled Twenty Dollar Bill. He took the crumpled Twenty Dollar bill from her and smiled approvingly.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She then asked “Have you ever seen Fifty Dollars all crumpled up?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“No I haven’t” he said with an anxious tone in his voice.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She gave him another sexy little smile pulled up her skirt, seductively reached into her tight, sheer panties and pulled out a crumpled Fifty Dollar bill.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He took the crumpled Fifty Dollar bill and started breathing a little quicker with anticipation.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Now” she said “Have you ever seen 50,000 Dollars all crumpled up?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“No way” he said, becoming even more aroused and excited to which she replied:
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Go look in the garage.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/brutustorente"> /u/brutustorente </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1728anz/husband_and_wife/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1728anz/husband_and_wife/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Little Bobby Joke</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
A group of newly-hatched kindergarteners were trying to become accustomed to the first grade.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The biggest hurdle they faced was the teacher insisted on no baby talk.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“You need to use big people words,” she’d always remind them.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She asked Chris what he had done over the weekend.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“I went to visit my Nana.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“No, you went to visit your Grandmother. Use big people words!”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She then asked Mitchell what he had done.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“I took a ride on a choo-choo.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“No, you took a ride on a train,” said the teacher. “Use big people words”.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She then asked Bobby what he had done.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“I read a book,” he replied.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“That’s wonderful!” the teacher said. “What book did you read?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Bobby thought about it, then puffed out his little chest with great pride and said, “Winnie the Shit.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/timnbit"> /u/timnbit </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172cmf0/a_little_bobby_joke/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/172cmf0/a_little_bobby_joke/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
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|
||||
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Reference in New Issue