Incidence and risk factors of omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection among vaccinated and boosted individuals. -
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+Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective against infection and severe COVID-19 disease worldwide. Certain co-morbid conditions cause immune dysfunction and may reduce immune response to vaccination. In contrast, those with co-morbidities may practice infection prevention strategies. Thus, the real-world clinical impact of co-morbidities on SARS-CoV-2 infection in the recent post-vaccination period is not well established. We performed this study to understand the epidemiology of Omicron breakthrough infection and evaluate associations with number of comorbidities in a vaccinated and boosted population. Methods and Findings: We performed a retrospective clinical cohort study utilizing the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse. Our study population was identified as fully vaccinated adults with at least one booster. The primary risk factor of interest was the number of co-morbidities. Our primary outcome was incidence and time to first positive SARS-CoV-2 molecular test in the Omicron predominant era. We performed multivariable analyses stratified by calendar time using Cox modeling to determine hazard of SARS-CoV-2. In total, 133,191 patients were analyzed. Having 3+ comorbidities was associated with increased hazard for breakthrough (HR=1.2 CI 1.2-1.6). During the second half of the study, having 2 comorbidities (HR= 1.1 95% CI 1.02-1.2) and having 3+ comorbidities (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5-1.9) were associated with increased hazard for Omicron breakthrough. Older age was associated with decreased hazard in the first 6 months of follow-up. Interaction terms for calendar time indicated significant changes in hazard for many factors between the first and second halves of the follow-up period. Conclusions: Omicron breakthrough is common with significantly higher risk for our most vulnerable patients with multiple co-morbidities. Age related behavioral factors play an important role in breakthrough infection with the highest incidence among young adults. Our findings reflect real-world differences in immunity and exposure risk behaviors for populations vulnerable to COVID-19.
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The Constructive and Destructive Power of Social Norms in the Presence of Authoritative Influence -
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+A randomized survey experiment (N=2,868) was conducted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to examine the effects of information provision on individuals’ cooperation with social distancing measures. Employing a 2 × 2 factorial design, the study examined the influence of social comparison and a powerful messenger. Using an online sample of approximately 3,000 Japanese respondents, it was found that participants demonstrated greater cooperation with social distancing measures when they perceived that they had spent a relatively long time outside the home compared with prevailing social norms in the previous week. Conversely, individuals who spent a relatively short time outside the home, exhibited the opposite effect. However, these results were observed solely in conjunction with the influence of a powerful messenger. The study also explored heterogeneous responses based on personality traits. In conclusion, the results highlight the challenges of changing behavior through informational interventions, emphasizing the role of both the characteristics of the sender and recipient of the information.
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Distinct Type 1 Immune Networks Underlie the Severity of Restrictive Lung Disease after COVID-19 -
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+The variable etiology of persistent breathlessness after COVID-19 have confounded efforts to decipher the immunopathology of lung sequelae. Here, we analyzed hundreds of cellular and molecular features in the context of discrete pulmonary phenotypes to define the systemic immune landscape of post-COVID lung disease. Cluster analysis of lung physiology measures highlighted two phenotypes of restrictive lung disease that differed by their impaired diffusion and severity of fibrosis. Machine learning revealed marked CCR5+CD95+ CD8+ T-cell perturbations in mild-to-moderate lung disease, but attenuated T-cell responses hallmarked by elevated CXCL13 in more severe disease. Distinct sets of cells, mediators, and autoantibodies distinguished each restrictive phenotype, and differed from those of patients without significant lung involvement. These differences were reflected in divergent T-cell-based type 1 networks according to severity of lung disease. Our findings, which provide an immunological basis for active lung injury versus advanced disease after COVID-19, might offer new targets for treatment.
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Within-host genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 across animal species -
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+Infectious disease transmission to different host species makes eradication very challenging and expands the diversity of evolutionary trajectories taken by the pathogen. Since the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has been transmitted from humans to many different animal species, and viral variants of concern could potentially evolve in a non-human animal. Previously, using available whole genome consensus sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from four commonly sampled animals (mink, deer, cat, and dog) we inferred similar numbers of transmission events from humans to each animal species but a relatively high number of transmission events from mink back to humans (Naderi et al., 2023). Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified 26 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) that tend to occur in deer – more than any other animal – suggesting a high rate of viral adaptation to deer. Here we quantify intra-host SARS-CoV-2 across animal species and show that deer harbor more intra-host SNVs (iSNVs) than other animals, providing a larger pool of genetic diversity for natural selection to act upon. Within-host diversity is particularly high in deer lymph nodes compared to nasopharyngeal samples, suggesting tissue-specific differences in viral population sizes or selective pressures. Neither mixed infections involving more than one viral lineage nor large changes in the strength of selection are likely to explain the higher intra-host diversity within deer. Rather, deer are more likely to contain larger viral population sizes, to be infected for longer periods of time, or to be systematically sampled at later stages of infections. Combined with extensive deer-to-deer transmission, the high levels of within-deer viral diversity help explain the apparent rapid adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to deer.
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Exploration of the link between COVID-19 and gastric cancer from the perspective of bioinformatics and systems biology -
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+Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic. Gastric cancer (GC) poses a great threat to people's health, which is a high-risk factor for COVID-19. Previous studies have found some associations between GC and COVID-19, whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Methods: We used a bioinformatics and systems biology approach to investigate the relationship between GC and COVID-19. The gene expression profiles of COVID-19 (GSE196822) and GC (GSE179252) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. After identifying the shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for GC and COVID-19, functional annotation, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, hub genes, transcriptional regulatory networks and candidate drugs were analyzed. Results: A total of 209 shared DEGs were identified to explore the linkages between COVID-19 and GC. Functional analyses showed that Immune-related pathway collectively participated in the development and progression of COVID-19 and GC. In addition, there are selected 10 hub genes including CDK1, KIF20A, TPX2, UBE2C, HJURP, CENPA, PLK1, MKI67, IFI6, and IFIT2. The transcription factor/gene and miRNA/gene interaction networks identified 38 transcription factors (TFs) and 234 miRNAs. More importantly, we identified ten potential therapeutic agents, including ciclopirox, resveratrol, etoposide, methotrexate, trifluridine, enterolactone, troglitazone, calcitriol, dasatinib and deferoxamine, some of which have been reported to improve and treat GC and COVID-19. This study also provides insight into the diseases most associated with mutual DEGs, which may provide new ideas for research on the treatment of COVID-19. Conclusions: This research has the possibility to be contributed to effective therapeutic in COVID-19 and GC.
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Discovery of orally bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitor as a potential treatment for COVID-19 -
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+The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), 3C-like protease (3CLpro), and papain-like protease (PLpro) are pivotal components in the viral life cycle of SARS-CoV-2, presenting as promising therapeutic targets. Currently, all FDA-approved antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 are RdRp or 3CLpro inhibitors. However, the mutations causing drug resistance have been observed in RdRp and 3CLpro from SARS-CoV-2, which makes it necessary to develop antivirals with novel mechanisms. Through the application of a structure-based drug design (SBDD) approach, we discovered a series of novel potent non-covalent PLpro inhibitors with remarkable in vitro potency and in vivo PK properties. The co-crystal structures of PLpro with leads revealed that the residues E164 and Q269 around the S2 site are critical for improving the inhibitor's potency. The lead compound GZNL-P36 not only inhibited SARS-CoV-2 and its variants at the cellular level with EC50 ranging from 58.2 nM to 306.2 nM, but also inhibited HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E with EC50 of 81.6 nM and 2.66 M, respectively. Oral administration of the compound resulted in significantly improved survival and notable reductions in lung viral loads and lesions in SARS-CoV-2 infection mouse model, consistent with RNA-seq data analysis. Our results indicate that PLpro inhibitor is a promising SARS-CoV-2 therapy.
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Comparative analysis of serological assays and sero-surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 exposure in US cattle -
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+Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to pose a significant threat to public health globally. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates a unique capacity to infect various non-human animal species, documented in captive and free-living animals. However, experimental studies revealed low susceptibility of domestic cattle (Bos taurus) to ancestral B.1 lineage SARS-CoV-2 infection, with limited viral replication and seroconversion. Despite the emergence of viral variants with potentially altered host tropism, recent experimental findings indicate greater permissiveness of cattle to SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection compared to other variants, though with limited seroconversion and no clear evidence of transmission. While some studies detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in cattle in Italy and Germany, there is no evidence of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in cattle from the United States or elsewhere. Since serological tests have inherent problems of false positives and negatives, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of multiple serological assays on over 600 cattle serum samples, including pre-pandemic and pandemic cattle sera. We found that SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralization assays with a luciferase reporter system can produce false positive results, and care must be taken to interpret serological diagnosis using these assays. We found no serological evidence of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection or transmission among cattle in the USA. Hence, it is critical to develop more reliable serological assays tailored to accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in cattle populations and rigorously evaluate diagnostic tools. This study underscores the importance of robust evaluation when employing serological assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection in cattle populations.
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Visualization Guardrails: Designing Interventions Against Cherry-Picking in Interactive Data Explorers -
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+The growing popularity of interactive time series exploration platforms has made visualizing data of public interest more accessible to general audiences. At the same time, the democratized access to professional-looking explorers with preloaded data enables the creation of convincing visualizations with carefully cherry-picked items. Prior research shows that people use data explorers to create and share charts that support their potentially biased or misleading views on public health or economic policy and that such charts have, for example, contributed to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Interventions against misinformation have focused on post hoc approaches such as fact-checking or removing misleading content, which are known to be challenging to execute. In this work, we explore whether we can use visualization design to impede cherry-picking—one of the most common methods employed by deceptive charts created on data exploration platforms. We describe a design space of guardrails—interventions against cherry-picking in time series explorers. Using our design space, we create a prototype data explorer with four types of guardrails and conduct two crowd-sourced experiments. In the first experiment, we challenge participants to create cherry-picked charts. We then use these charts in a second experiment to evaluate the guardrails’ impact on the perception of cherry-picking. We find evidence that guardrails—particularly superimposing relevant primary data—are successful at encouraging skepticism in a subset of experimental conditions but come with limitations. Based on our findings, we propose recommendations for developing effective guardrails for visualizations.
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Misleading Beyond Visual Tricks: How People Actually Lie with Charts -
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+Data visualizations can empower an audience to make informed decisions. At the same time, deceptive representations of data can lead to inaccurate interpretations while still providing an illusion of data-driven insights. Existing research on misleading visualizations primarily focuses on examples of charts and techniques previously reported to be deceptive. These approaches do not necessarily describe how charts mislead the general population in practice. We instead present an analysis of data visualizations found in a real-world discourse of a significant global event—Twitter posts with visualizations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, violations of visualization design guidelines are not the dominant way people mislead with charts. Specifically, they do not disproportionately lead to reasoning errors in posters’ arguments. Through a series of examples, we present common reasoning errors and discuss how even faithfully plotted data visualizations can be used to support misinformation online.
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Multi-ancestry GWAS of diarrhea during acute SARS-CoV2 infection identifies multiple novel loci and contrasting etiological roles of irritable bowel syndrome subtypes -
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+A substantial proportion of acute SARSCoV2 infection cases exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms, yet the genetic determinants of these extrapulmonary manifestations are poorly understood. Using survey data from 239,866 individuals who tested positively for SARSCoV2, we conducted a multi-ancestry GWAS of 80,289 cases of diarrhea occurring during acute COVID19 infection (33.5%). Six loci (CYP7A1, LZFTl1/CCR9, TEME182, NALCN, LFNG, GCKR) met genomewide significance in a trans-ancestral analysis. The top significant GWAS hit mapped to the CYP7A1 locus, which plays an etiologic role in bile acid metabolism and is in high LD (r2= 0.93) with the SDCBP gene, which was previously implicated in antigen processing and presentation in the COVID-19 context. Another association was observed with variants in the LZTFL1/CCR9 region, which is a known locus for COVID19 susceptibility and severity. PheWAS showed a shared association across three of the six SNPs with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and its subtypes. Mendelian randomization showed that genetic liability to IBS-diarrhea increased (OR=1.40,95%,CI[1.33,1.47]), and liability to IBS-constipation decreased (OR=0.86, 95%CI[0.79,0.94]) the relative odds of experiencing COVID19+ diarrhea. Our genetic findings provide etiological insights into the extrapulmonary manifestations of acute SARSCoV2 infection.
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Ready-To-Use Investigational Stem Cells, MiSaver, in Patients with Recent Acute Myocardial Infarction, 1 year follow up from a Phase 1 Safety Study -
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+Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of MiSaver stem cells in enhancing left ventricular ejection function and functional activity among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, with heart attacks and strokes accounting for a significant portion of deaths. Recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) post-myocardial infarction (MI) is crucial for prognosis, as patients with poor LVEF recovery face increased risks of sudden cardiac arrest events and mortality. Stem cell therapy offers regenerative potential for cardiovascular diseases, yet accessibility remains limited. This study investigates the safety and efficacy of MiSaver, a prefabricated stem cell investigational product, in recent AMI patients, aiming to enhance accessibility and patient outcomes. Methods: Patients who were admitted for AMI within 7 days and had reduced LVEF (≤45%) were eligible for the study. MiSaver were matched for blood group and administered in participants in cohorts of five, each receiving escalating dosages (0.5x10^7, 1.6x10^7, and 5.0x10^7 cells/kg, respectively). Patients were assessed for symptoms of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and treatment-related adverse events (AE). LVEF measured by echocardiographic on admission, at 6 months, and at 12 months after treatment. Patients functional activity status evalution ( using the New York Heart Association (NYHA) and Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) classification systems. Results: Out of the initially planned 15 participants, eleven were enrolled in the study. The trial was halted prematurely due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and impractical transportation logistics. During the 12-month follow-up period, no study-related adverse events or signs of graft-versus-host disease were reported. At 12 months post-treatment, both the low and middle dose groups, as well as participant 11, showed improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), accompanied by enhanced Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class grades compared to baseline. Conclusion: Intravenous infusion of MiSaver stem cells in AMI patients demonstrated safety and tolerability for low and middle dosage groups, suggesting potential for improving left ventricular function following AMI. However, further research with larger cohorts and controlled placebos is necessary to confirm these findings and address trial limitations encountered.
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Effect of Paxlovid Treatment During Acute COVID-19 on Long COVID Onset: An EHR-Based Target Trial Emulation from the N3C and RECOVER Consortia -
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+Preventing and treating post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), commonly known as Long COVID, has become a public health priority. In this study, we examined whether treatment with Paxlovid in the acute phase of COVID-19 helps prevent the onset of PASC. We used electronic health records from the National Covid Cohort Collaborative (N3C) to define a cohort of 426,352 patients who had COVID-19 since April 1, 2022, and were eligible for Paxlovid treatment due to risk for progression to severe COVID-19. We used the target trial emulation (TTE) framework to estimate the effect of Paxlovid treatment on PASC incidence. We estimated overall PASC incidence using a computable phenotype. We also measured the onset of novel cognitive, fatigue, and respiratory symptoms in the post-acute period. Paxlovid treatment did not have a significant effect on overall PASC incidence (relative risk [RR] = 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-1.01). However, it had a protective effect on cognitive (RR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.96) and fatigue (RR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.98) symptom clusters, which suggests that the etiology of these symptoms may be more closely related to viral load than that of respiratory symptoms.
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Ready-To-Use Investigational Stem Cells, MiSaver, in Patients with Recent Acute Myocardial Infarction, 1 year follow up from a Phase 1 Safety Study -
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+Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of MiSaver stem cells in enhancing left ventricular ejection function and functional activity among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, with heart attacks and strokes accounting for a significant portion of deaths. Recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) post-myocardial infarction (MI) is crucial for prognosis, as patients with poor LVEF recovery face increased risks of sudden cardiac arrest events and mortality. Stem cell therapy offers regenerative potential for cardiovascular diseases, yet accessibility remains limited. This study investigates the safety and efficacy of MiSaver, a prefabricated stem cell investigational product, in recent AMI patients, aiming to enhance accessibility and patient outcomes. Methods: Patients admitted for AMI with reduced LVEF (≤45%) were eligible. MiSaver stem cells, matched for blood group, were administered to participants in cohorts of five, with escalating dosages (0.5x10^7, 1.6x10^7, and 5.0x10^7 cells/kg) 2-5 days post-AMI onset. Echocardiographic assessments were conducted upon admission, at 6 months, and at 12 months post-treatment. Results: Out of the initially planned 15 participants, eleven were enrolled in the study. The trial was halted prematurely due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and impractical transportation logistics. During the 12-month follow-up period, no study-related adverse events or signs of graft-versus-host disease were reported. At 12 months post-treatment, both the low and middle dose groups, as well as participant 11, showed improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), accompanied by enhanced Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class grades compared to baseline. Conclusion: Intravenous infusion of MiSaver stem cells in AMI patients demonstrated safety and tolerability for low and middle dosage groups, suggesting potential for improving left ventricular function following AMI. However, further research with larger cohorts and controlled placebos is necessary to confirm these findings and address trial limitations encountered.
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Disease diagnostics using machine learning of immune receptors -
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+Clinical diagnosis typically incorporates physical examination, patient history, and various laboratory tests and imaging studies, but makes limited use of the human system’s own record of antigen exposures encoded by receptors on B cells and T cells. We analyzed immune receptor datasets from 593 individuals to develop MAchine Learning for Immunological Diagnosis (Mal-ID), an interpretive framework to screen for multiple illnesses simultaneously or precisely test for one condition. This approach detects specific infections, autoimmune disorders, vaccine responses, and disease severity differences. Human-interpretable features of the model recapitulate known immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and HIV, highlight antigen-specific receptors, and reveal distinct characteristics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Type-1 Diabetes autoreactivity. This analysis framework has broad potential for scientific and clinical interpretation of human immune responses.
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How Long is the Worst Part of the COVID-19 Mortality Surge? -
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+Objectives: Define and quantify the critical surge period of existing on-line COVID-19 mortality data; this could be instrumental to decision makers to determine how long health controls should be in place, and how long to expect the public health system to be in great stress. Create and share on-line, open-source software to continuously monitor critical surge periods in various communities as the data set grows. Test the critical surge period computational method on hierarchical data sets of various communities: a) globally; b) countrywide (states in the US); and c) statewide (counties/towns in the US states). Study Design: This was an open-source, on-line, COVID-19 data analytics development with support for web-browsers on any current mobile device. Methods: On-line, timely data for COVID-19 mortality was automatically retrieved by a developed application using the programming Python language and Jupyter electronic notebooks. An on-line, version-controlled code repository was created for the application and also used for providing an open execution environment for the research community. The data was fitted to a modified sigmoid function via an automated non- linear least-squares method. Three optimal parameters were computed and the critical times for the maximum and minimum curvatures of the function were used to obtain the critical surge period. The goodness of the fit was measured by a standard coefficient of determination, and alternatively, by direct pointwise relative error. Results: The software developed (a Python package) is called covid-surge (repository URL: htttps://github.com/dpploy/covid-surge) and available for download from PyPI on-line (URL: https://pypi.org/project/covid-surge/). Using covid-surge, the critical surge period was computed for the communities with the most evolved COVID-19 outbreak. At the time of this writing, the critical surge period was calculated for all countries with fully evolved mortality (12 out of 188) and found to be in average 23 days with 3 days of standard deviation. Similarly, for all states/districts in the US (20 out of 56), the computed average was 25 days with 3 days of standard deviation. Likewise, for the same states in the US, counties/towns that had fully evolved mortality surge (91 total out of 981 that had death cases) had the overall average of the surge period equal to 23 days with a standard deviation of 3 days. The accuracy of these results can be reproduced on-line using the software provided. In addition, forward results using newer data can also be generated by the research community using covid-surge. Conclusions: The surge period for hierarchical data including 12 countries, 20 US states, and 91 US counties/towns is remarkably similar: a 24-day period with 3-day standard deviation for all communities across many countries and the US. All of these communities were under similar COVID-19 controls, including social distancing, improved hygiene, and isolation which helps explain the constancy of the surge period. That is, these communities experienced nearly the same amount of time during the most stressful period of the mortality surge. Although the extent to which epidemic controls are applied can vary from community to community, this study shows that the variability of the surge period is small. As the COVID-19 sweeps over the continents, additional data will be available for fully-evolved communities and a later comparison can be made with covid-surge on-line. This study suggests that communities not yet fully affected by the COVID-19 mortality may expect a period of high stress on their public health system of about 30 days (lower bound). That is, health care organizations should plan to operate at full capacity for a minimum of 30 days.
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Effect of Probiotic Strain Lactobacillus Paracasei PS23 on Brain Fog in People With Long COVID - Conditions: Long COVID; Brain Fog; Cognitive Change Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Lactobacillus paracasei PS23; Dietary Supplement: microcrystalline cellulose Sponsors: Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan Not yet recruiting
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Fascial Tissue Response To Manual Therapy: Implications In Long Covid Rehabilitation - Conditions: COVID-19 Interventions: Other: Guidebook; Other: Guidebook and Myofascial Reorganization® (RMF). Sponsors: University of the State of Santa Catarina; Larissa Sinhorim Recruiting
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Evaluation of the Impact of Rehabilitation Strategies and Early Discharge After Respiratory Failure - Conditions: Acute Respiratory Failure Interventions: Behavioral: Standard of Care; Behavioral: Rehabilitation Sponsors: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein Not yet recruiting
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Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises for Post-COVID-19 Diaphragmatic Dysfunction (DD) - Conditions: Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Interventions: Other: Usual care of traditional treatment; Other: Specific DB program/Diaphragmatic manipulation program Sponsors: University of Minnesota Recruiting
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From PubMed
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SARS-CoV-2 and the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Receptor: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor/Angiotensin 2 Receptor Blocker Utilization and a Shift Towards the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Classical Pathway - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, uses the surface angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor as the site of entry into host cardiac, respiratory, intestinal, renal, and nervous system cells. Predisposing risk factors such as cardiovascular disease increase the risk of developing severe disease. Hypertension is characterized by the stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system…
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Ipsilateral and contralateral coadministration of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines produce similar antibody responses - BACKGROUND: World Health Organisation (WHO) and USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) recommendations now allow simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and other vaccines. We compared antibody responses after coadministration of influenza and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in the same (ipsilateral) arm vs. different (contralateral) arms.
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Inhibition of the RLR signaling pathway by SARS-CoV-2 ORF7b is mediated by MAVS and abrogated by ORF7b-homologous interfering peptide - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and characterized by dysregulated immune response. Studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF7b induces host cell apoptosis through the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) pathway and blocks the production of interferon beta (IFN-β). The underlying mechanism remains to be investigated. In this study, we found that ORF7b facilitated viral infection and…
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TRAIL and IP-10 dynamics in pregnant women post COVID-19 vaccination: associations with neutralizing antibody potency - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to investigate changes in TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and gamma interferon-induced protein 10 (IP-10) after COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women and to explore their association with neutralizing antibody (Nab) inhibition.
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Assessment of the activity of the immune system in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and asymptomatic COVID-19 - CONCLUSIONS: The increased concentration of IL-2 may result from its regulatory role in inhibiting excessive activation of the immune system; however, considering the studies of patients with severe COVID-19, its role in the initial phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection requires further research.
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Quercetin inhibition of porcine intestinal alpha coronavirus in vitro and in vivo - CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study provides compelling evidence that quercetin has great potential and promising applications for anti- SADS-CoV action.
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Immunogenicity and efficacy of VLA2001 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection in male cynomolgus macaques - CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that the VLA2001 adjuvanted vaccine is immunogenic both in mouse and NHP models and prevent cynomolgus macaques from the viruses responsible of COVID-19.
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A rigorous theoretical and numerical analysis of a nonlinear reaction-diffusion epidemic model pertaining dynamics of COVID-19 - The spatial movement of the human population from one region to another and the existence of super-spreaders are the main factors that enhanced the disease incidence. Super-spreaders refer to the individuals having transmitting ability to multiple pathogens. In this article, an epidemic model with spatial and temporal effects is formulated to analyze the impact of some preventing measures of COVID-19. The model is developed using six nonlinear partial differential equations. The infectious…
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A randomized trial to assess the acceleration of viral clearance by the combination Favipiravir/Ivermectin/Niclosamide in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 adult patients (FINCOV) - CONCLUSION: Viral clearance rates did not differ significantly between the FPV/IVM/NCL combination therapy and FPV-alone groups of individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, although the combined regimen demonstrated a synergistic effect in vitro. No discernible clinical benefit was observed. Further research is required to explore the potential benefits of FVP beyond its antiviral effects.
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SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 endoribonuclease antagonizes dsRNA-induced antiviral signaling - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 has caused millions of deaths since its emergence in 2019. Innate immune antagonism by lethal CoVs such as SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for optimal replication and pathogenesis. The conserved nonstructural protein 15 (nsp15) endoribonuclease (EndoU) limits activation of double-stranded (ds)RNA-induced pathways, including interferon (IFN) signaling, protein kinase R (PKR), and oligoadenylate synthetase/ribonuclease L (OAS/RNase L) during diverse…
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Why have SGLT2 Inhibitors Failed to Achieve the Desired Success in COVID-19? - The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged towards the end of 2019 and caused a major worldwide pandemic lasting at least 2 years, causing a disease called COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 caused a severe infection with direct cellular toxicity, stimulation of cytokine release, increased oxidative stress, disruption of endothelial structure, and thromboinflammation, as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) down-regulation-mediated renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation. In addition to glucosuria and…
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In vitro suppression of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus by Panax notoginseng saponins: assessing antiviral potential - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes severe diarrhea and high mortality in neonatal suckling piglets, leading to significant economic losses to the swine industry. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are bioactive extracts derived from the P. notoginseng plant. In this study, we investigated the anti-PEDV effect of PNS by employing various methodologies to assess their impact on PEDV in Vero cells. Using a CCK-8 (Cell Counting Kit-8) assay, we found that PNS had no significant cytotoxicity…
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The death domain-associated protein suppresses porcine epidemic diarrhea virus replication by interacting with signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and inducing downstream ISG15 expression - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an enteric coronavirus that causes acute enteric disease in piglets and severely threatens the pig industry all over the world. Death domain-associated protein (DAXX) is a classical chaperone protein involved in multiple biological processes, such as cell apoptosis, transcriptional regulation, DNA damage repair, and host innate immunity. However, whether DAXX functions in the anti-PEDV innate immune responses remains unclear. In this study, we found that…
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Quantitating SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies from Human Dried Blood Spots - CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titers can be derived with confidence from DBS eluates, thereby opening the door to the use of these biospecimens for the analysis of vulnerable populations and normally hard to reach communities.
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Lipid Nanoparticle-Based Inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Host Cell Infection - CONCLUSION: Both LNP-Trap and LNP-Trim formulations were able to safely and effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviral infection in airway epithelial cells. These studies provide proof-of-principle for a localized treatment approach for SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airway.
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From Patent Search
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How Chinese Students Experience America - COVID, guns, anti-Asian violence, and diplomatic relations have complicated the ambitions of the some three hundred thousand college students who come to the U.S. each year. - link
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The Hottest Restaurant in France Is an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet - Les Grands Buffets features a seven-tiered lobster tower, a chocolate fountain, and only what it considers traditional French food. Gourmands are willing to wait months for a table. - link
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So You Think You’ve Been Gaslit - What happens when a niche clinical concept becomes a ubiquitous cultural diagnosis. - link
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The Brazilian Special-Forces Unit Fighting to Save the Amazon - As miners ravage Yanomami lands, combat-trained environmentalists work to root them out. - link
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Is the Fight Against Climate Change Losing Momentum? - Some financial institutions are backing away from emission pledges. - link
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From Vox
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How the war in Gaza has gone differently than expected — and how it hasn’t -
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+A man pushes a bicycle along as he walks amid building rubble in the devastated area around Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital on April 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group. | AFP via Getty Images
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+
+
+Six months in.
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+
+Just a few days after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took place six months ago this week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli troops, “What was in Gaza, will be no more.”
+
+
+On that pledge at least, Israel has followed through — and then some. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 31,000 people have been killed in the territory, around 1.4 percent of the population. Gaza is facing a crisis level of hunger, a situation that will worsen after several aid organizations have scaled back their activities following an Israeli airstrike that killed seven aid workers this week. The Gaza Strip has been pulverized, with about 35 percent of its buildings destroyed, according to the United Nations. And around 85 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced.
+
+
+In many respects, however, the war has confounded expectations. In the early days following the Hamas attacks, Israel called up some 360,000 reservists, the largest military mobilization in the country’s history. While the actual numbers deployed into Gaza have not been revealed, estimates put the number at just about 30,000 troops as of the end of last year, and many of those have now been withdrawn.
+
+
+When Israel launched its ground operations in late October, Israeli commanders predicted it would take around three months, before transitioning to a new phase involving stamping out last pockets of resistance and setting up a new governance structure for Gaza.
+
+
+Today, that timeline looks extremely optimistic at best.
+
+
+In late January, US intelligence agencies estimated that only about 20 to 30 percent of Hamas’s fighters had been killed and that the group still had enough munitions for months worth of strikes. Six months in, there’s still no end in sight, and the Israeli government’s post-war plans still look exceedingly vague.
+
+
+A mixed regional picture
+
+
+Beyond Gaza itself, there were widely held concerns in the days following October 7 that the conflict would spill over into a regional war. Preventing this from happening was one of the primary — if not the primary — US goals in the early days of the conflict. It’s why the Pentagon deployed assets including aircraft carrier groups to the region and issued warnings to Iran and its proxy groups not to join the conflict.
+
+
+Six months later, the regional picture is mixed. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continues to exchange fire with the Israeli military over the border between the two countries. But despite some periodic threats, neither side appears interested in escalating the conflict to an all-out war.
+
+
+In the weeks following the start of the conflict, Iran-backed militant groups launched more than 170 attacks on US troops in the Middle East, culminating in a strike that killed three US troops in Jordan on January 28. But since the aggressive American response to that strike, these attacks have virtually stopped. It remains to be seen, however, whether this “pause” could end following a surprise Israeli strike that killed a senior Iranian military commander in Damascus, Syria, earlier this week.
+
+
+
+Apart from some isolated attacks — and despite Hamas’s hopes — there have been few signs of a wider uprising among Palestinians in the West Bank, or inter-communal tensions within Israel itself. The biggest threat to political stability in Israel today comes not from the West Bank but from protests by Israelis against Netanyahu’s rule and an ongoing political controversy involving the role of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the country’s military.
+
+Beyond the Middle East, the world’s patience with Israel is running out. Global sympathy for Israel was hardly universal in the days following the Hamas attacks, but today feels a long way from those moments when the Brandenburg Gate, 10 Downing Street, and the Sydney Opera House were all lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag.
+
+
+As for Israel’s most important global ally, things are also shifting — but more slowly.
+
+
+A relationship nearing the breaking point
+
+
+In the early days of the conflict, President Joe Biden made a remarkable wartime visit to Israel, while part of the administration pursued what was called a “bear hug” strategy — publicly expressing solidarity while privately shaping Israel’s response.
+
+
+These days, the hug is looking a lot less friendly. Officials including the president himself have expressed frustration with the high toll of civilian casualties from Israel’s airstrikes and the disruptions to aid efforts in Gaza. The administration has taken a number of steps that would have been very unlikely in the early days of the war, including slapping sanctions on some Israeli settlers and allowing a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to pass, after vetoing several previous motions.
+
+But that could be changing. On Thursday, White House spokesperson John Kirby said there would be changes to the US policy on Gaza if it did not see concrete steps from Israel to protect civilians and aid workers and allow in more aid in the coming “hours and days.” What steps by Israel would satisfy that demand and what changes the US might consider if they do not are still not clear.
+
+
+And bigger shifts are taking place elsewhere in the US. A majority of Americans now oppose Israel’s military actions, with support dropping from 50 percent to 36 percent between November and March.
+
+
+The drop is most pronounced among Democrats, but even Donald Trump, who rarely missed an opportunity to tout his pro-Israel bona fides and back Netanyahu while he was president, now says it’s time for the war to end.
+
+
+Whatever the next six months bring, there has likely been a permanent and long-lasting shift in the US-Israel relationship.
+
The solar eclipse is a critical test for the US power grid -
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+
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+US solar power has more than doubled since the last solar eclipse. | Getty Images
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+US solar power has more than doubled since the last eclipse. What will happen during this one?
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+
+As the moon passes in front of the sun on April 8, its shadow will knock down solar power production in a sweeping band across the United States from Texas to Maine, home to more than 31 million people.
+
+
+The United States currently has more than 139 gigawatts of solar electricity generation capacity. That’s more than two and a half times the amount of solar that was on the grid during the last total eclipse in 2017. The upcoming eclipse will also shade a path twice as wide as the last one. Though much of the country will see some decline in solar power production, the biggest decrease will be directly under the moon’s shadow.
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+For the most part, power grid operators aren’t too worried about outages or major problems during the eclipse. In fact, unlike disruptions like clouds, the moon passing between the Earth and the sun is easily predictable up to 1,000 years in advance. But behind the scenes, it will require a carefully choreographed series of energy transactions to precisely ramp up electricity from a handful of generators and route it across hundreds of miles of transmission lines to millions of customers to precisely match the needs of every monitor, air conditioner, and light bulb the instant they turn on.
+
+
+So grid operators are preparing for the totality, and the lessons they learn will prove useful as even more intermittent power sources connect to the grid and as power generators and transmission systems face even more severe stresses from rising energy demand and threats like wildfires, drought, and storms, many worsened by climate change.
+
+
+Texas is a case in point. It has the second-largest solar capacity in the US and the path of totality cuts straight through it. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US will see a nearly 60 gigawatt drop in solar power production when the moon blocks out the lone star in the sky above the Lone Star State.
+
+
+The Texas grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has been running simulations and modeling how the eclipse will affect the state’s power network, which, unlike the rest of the continental US, has few connections to other states. That means it can’t easily buy or sell electricity across state lines if it has too much or too little power. Hail storms last month also caused major damage to some solar installations in the state. For power grids like ERCOT’s, the biggest challenge is how quickly solar power will fall off and bounce back up. The eclipse will cause solar power generation to fall and rise at a faster rate than a typical sunset and sunrise.
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+
+
+“ERCOT has analyzed the ramping challenges posed by the eclipse and will continue to monitor this aspect of the eclipse as updated weather forecasts are received,” said a spokesperson for ERCOT in an email.
+
+
+Farther north, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which runs power transmission across much of the Midwest, is also bracing for a sudden drop and spike in solar energy production, which could cause congestion, a situation in which more electricity is available than can be delivered.
+
+
+Operators also anticipate that temperatures will drop somewhat during the eclipse, which could lower cooling demand but increase the need for lighting. In response, operators are bringing more reserve power online and coordinating electricity deliveries with neighboring grids.
+
+
+ MISO
+
+A slide from a MISO planning document showing how the grid is preparing for the solar eclipse.
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+
+
+Why is it so tricky to keep the lights on when it gets dark during the day?
+
+
+The main issue is that electricity generation has to closely match demand for it. If there’s too little power, that can lead to brownouts and blackouts. If there’s more electricity than anyone can easily use, it means the utility is wasting money. Excess power can also lead to equipment failures or destabilize the network.
+
+
+“If there’s a change on either side — the generation or on the load side — some control actions are needed to balance it, and it has to be done quite quickly,” said Adam Birchfield, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Texas A&M University who studies the power grid. “Typically, that is some kind of traditional generator, whether it’s natural gas, coal, or hydro, that can adjust its output slightly to make up for that difference.”
+
+
+One way to do this is with “spinning reserve.” That’s where a power generator is already spinning and synchronized with the power grid, but not connected until it is needed. Another way is with dedicated power plants that spool up to meet demand spikes. These are called peaking power plants and they are usually powered by natural gas. Energy storage with pumped hydropower or grid batteries can also kick in, but there aren’t that many of these storage systems right now, certainly not on the scales needed to balance the entire power grid.
+
+
+Like airline tickets, the longer you wait to book your electricity, the more expensive it gets. And if you’re too late, there may not be enough power to go around. Grid operators and utilities thus try to buy power as far ahead as possible to get the best rates and carefully match it to electricity demand.
+
+
+A particular concern with solar power on the grid is that it’s not just large utility-scale fields of photovoltaic (PV) panels that feed power into the grid; there’s also solar power generated on rooftops. “A lot of utilities don’t have accurate data for how much PV has been installed on their grid,” said Jin Tan, a principal engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, during a webinar. That makes it harder to anticipate power spikes and drops.
+
+
+Still, for ordinary power users, it’s unlikely that they’ll notice anything about their electricity during the eclipse. Some utilities might have to scramble to secure extra power but that won’t manifest at the outlet.
+
+
+The bigger worry for everyone counting on keeping their phones, computers, and electric cars charged up is what’s over the horizon. Last year, the US set an electricity demand record under intense heat that stressed power production. The grid largely avoided blackouts, due to a combination of planning to have extra power as well as luck that demand didn’t get any higher. Grid operators also issued emergency conservation alerts to their customers, and fortunately, enough power users complied to keep the lights on.
+
+
+But overall energy demand in the US is growing. The amount of electricity devoured by data centers alone is poised to double by 2026, driven by digital industries like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are already providing the most new capacity additions to the grid and are projected to grow further in the coming years. And the US’s aging power lines and transformers are vulnerable to extreme weather and in some cases, can trigger their own disasters. Power lines likely ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history earlier this year.
+
+
+So, the US’s growing appetite for energy will be fed with a larger portion of some of the most capricious generators across a fragile delivery system, leaving grid operators to walk an even thinner, higher wire as they balance the power they have with the people who need it. It will take careful preparation now to ensure the grid stays balanced in the light and does not tumble into darkness.
+
+
+
+
+
+
Vox podcasts tackle the Israel-Hamas war -
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+
+
+Israeli forces’ flares light up the night sky in Gaza City on November 6, 2023. | Abed Khaled/AP
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+
+
+Looking to understand the Israel-Hamas war? Start with these Vox podcast episodes.
+
+
+The Israel-Palestine conflict goes back decades, but this latest war has taken an unprecedented toll in terms of the number of people killed, and represents a significant step back from any hopes of securing a two-state solution and a permanent peace. Vox podcasts are covering the conflict in depth, offering our listeners context and clarity about the history of the conflict, a deeper understanding of the players in Israel and Palestine and on the world stage, and the toll of Hamas’s attack and Israel’s retaliation on the people in the region.
+
+
+Today, Explained,Vox’s daily news explainer podcast, has been covering the conflict since it began,with an episode posted right after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that took the lives of around 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of an estimated 240 hostages. The show has since continued to cover many threads in this story, fromwhere Hamas comes from tohow false information about the conflict has spread on social media and how information warfare is used in the Middle East. Vox podcasts The Weeds and The Gray Area have also been covering the unfolding crisis, its stakes, and its impact.
+
+
+You can find those and all our other episodes on the topic below; we’ll continue to add more as new episodes are published.
+
+
+
+Israel’s attack on World Central Kitchen
+
+
+April 4, 2024 | The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Kalin explains what happened, and Refugees International president Jeremy Konyndyk lays out what this means for Gazans.
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+
+
+
+
+How Israel is upending Democratic races
+
+
+March 5, 2024 | Super Tuesday is the biggest day of the presidential primary campaign, but the biggest race in the biggest state isn’t about Biden or Trump. Instead, the leading candidates for California’s open Senate seat — three Democrats and a Republican — are finding themselves talking a lot about Israel, Palestine, and the war in Gaza.
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+
+
+
+The protest vote against Biden
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+
+February 27, 2024 | Michigan’s primary today will test President Biden’s viability with Muslim voters amid the war in Gaza. One Arab American leader says the community is abandoning Biden and looking for alternatives — Donald Trump might be one of them.
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+
+
+
+
+Rafah, the last “safe” zone
+
+
+February 15, 2024 | Palestinians are trapped in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where about 1.5 million people have sought refuge. After Israel bombed Rafah this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening a ground invasion. Palestinian journalist Aseel Mousa takes us inside Rafah, and the Economist’s Anton La Guardia explains why diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have stalled.
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+
+
+
+
+Iran and the Axis of Resistance
+
+
+January 31, 2024 | Iran-backed militias use drones, missiles, and even TikTok dances to antagonize the United States and Israel. The International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez explains how the war in Gaza has energized the self-described Axis of Resistance.
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+
+
+
+
+Israel at the International Court of Justice
+
+
+January 29, 2024 | South Africa took Israel to court over claims of genocide. Courthouse News reporter Molly Quell and the International Crisis Group’s Robert Blecher explain what happened next.
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+
+
+
+
+How the war in Gaza ends
+
+
+January 18, 2024 | Israel’s war against Hamas has now been raging for over 100 days. According to Ian Lustick, professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, history tells us what it will take to end it.
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+
+
+
+
+Israel’s next move
+
+
+January 3, 2023 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces trouble at home and abroad. AP correspondent Tia Goldenberg and scholar Hussein Ibish explain the significance of a high-profile killing in Lebanon.
+
+
+
+
+
+The fight over campus antisemitism
+
+
+December 12, 2023 | Three elite university presidents walk into Congress for a hearing on antisemitism. Only two still have their jobs. New York magazine reporter Nia Prater tells us what happened, and a Harvard professor of Jewish history explains why he thinks resignations won’t make campuses safer.
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+
+
+
+
+How Palestine went global
+
+
+December 4, 2023 | People with no direct connection to the Middle East have taken to seeing the Palestinian cause as an anti-colonial struggle connected to their own experience. Columbia historian Rashid Khalidi explains why “decolonization” is resonating worldwide.
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+
+
+
+
+The American politics of Israel
+
+
+November 29, 2023 | The Israel-Hamas war is dividing the previously united Democrats and uniting the recently fractured Republican Party. Semafor’s David Weigel explains what that means going into 2024.
+
+
+
+
+
+The hostage deal (brought to you by Qatar)
+
+
+November 27, 2023 | After 50 days of the Israel-Hamas war, both sides took a breather to save lives. And it couldn’t have happened without Qatar.
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+
+
+
+
+Inside the occupied West Bank
+
+
+November 20, 2023 | With the world focused on Gaza, Israeli settlers and soldiers are increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Writer Nathan Thrall and journalist Dalia Hatuqa explain the decades of tension that shape life in the West Bank.
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+
+
+
+
+A call from Gaza
+
+
+November 14, 2023 | People are desperately trying to escape Gaza as the siege on the strip continues. Mohammed Ghalaieny, a Palestinian British man, tells us why he is choosing to stay, even as other foreign nationals escape through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
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+
+
+
+
+A Jew and a Muslim get honest about Israel and Gaza
+
+
+November 13, 2023 | Zack Beauchamp, a Vox senior correspondent who writes about democracy and Israel, speaks with Shadi Hamid, a columnist at the Washington Post, research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary, and author of The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. They discuss the October 7 attack, the subsequent war in Gaza, what it means for Israelis and Palestinians, and how Jews and Muslims in the United States can find common ground amid their communities’ grief. This conversation was recorded on November 2, 2023.
+
+
+
+
+
+BDS and the history of the boycott
+
+
+November 8, 2023 | If you turn on the news or scroll through your social media feed of choice, there’s a good chance you’ll see the latest on the Israel-Hamas war — and the reaction to it. But there’s one call to action making its way down social media feeds that feels different from all these other responses. It’s called BDS, short for boycott, divest, and sanction. And like just about everything related to this conflict, it’s complicated and controversial. The Weeds host Jonquilyn Hill sits down with Vox senior reporter Whizy Kim to explain the controversial movement, and with Cornell professor and author of Buying Power: A History of Consumer Activism in America Lawrence B. Glickman to discuss the history of boycotts and whether they even work.
+
+
+
+
+
+Ceasefire?
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+
+November 8, 2023 | Protesters, politicians, and the pope are calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, but the US and Israeli governments remain opposed. Vox’s Jonathan Guyer and Jon B. Alterman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies explain what happens next.
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+
+
+
+
+The view from Israel
+
+
+November 2, 2023 | Israelis overwhelmingly disapprove of their government’s handling of the October 7 attacks, but their desire for unity keeps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power. Michael Koplow of the Israel Policy Forum explains what Israel’s government should do next, and professor Noah Efron of Bar-Ilan University describes the mood among Israelis.
+
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+
+
+Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
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+
+October 30, 2023 | Cut off from water and power and recovering from a communications blackout, Gaza is plunged deeper into crisis. It’s not just a humanitarian problem, says leading human rights attorney Kenneth Roth — it’s a violation of international law.
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+
+
+Why does the US always side with Israel?
+
+
+October 25, 2023 | This was the top question we got when we asked Today, Explained listeners hat they wanted to know about this conflict. Joel Beinin, Middle East history professor emeritus at Stanford, has answers.
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+
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+Hearts, minds, and likes
+
+
+October 23, 2023 | False information about what is happening in Israel and Gaza is taking over social media faster than journalists like BBC Verify’s Shayan Sardarizadeh can check it. That’s exactly how digital propagandists want it, says professor and social media expert Marc Owen Jones.
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+Biden goes to Israel
+
+
+October 18, 2023 | It’s been 11 days since Hamas attacked Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages. Israel’s retaliation has killed hundreds of Palestinians and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment Aaron David Miller and Middle East analyst Michael Wahid Hanna explain what role diplomacy will play in the coming days.
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+
+How Palestinians view Hamas
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+October 16, 2023 | The US along with Israel and many of its allies have long considered Hamas a terrorist group. Khaled Al-Hroub, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, explains how its reputation is a lot murkier among Palestinians, who elected the group to political power in 2006.
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+Israel, Hamas, and how we got here
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+
+October 10, 2023 | This Israel-Hamas war is unlike the ones that came before it, says Haaretz’s Allison Kaplan Sommer. But it was years in the making, says Vox’s Zack Beauchamp.
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From The Hindu: Sports
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Feud in IOA continues, 9 EC members ask “unauthorised persons” not to enter headquarters - IOA president PT Usha and most members of the executive council have been at loggerheads since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO on January 6
+
IPL-17: Mumbai Indians get Suryakumar Yadav boost ahead of clash against Delhi Capitals - Suryakumar Yadav was the first to arrive for the training session at the Wankhede Stadium, more than an hour before his teammates came for the afternoon session.
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IPL-17: Delhi Capitals’ Kuldeep Yadav advised rest as precautionary measure for groin niggle - The 29-year-old left-arm spinner picked up the niggle after Delhi Capital’s second game of the season against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, which the team lost.
+
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad backs Ben Stokes decision to skip Twenty20 World Cup - The former England fast bowler has expressed concerns about Jofra Archer’s never-ending injury woes.
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Hockey | India ready for Australia challenge ahead of Paris Olympics - The India vs Australia hockey series offers India a chance to gauge their strengths and capabilities ahead of the Paris Olympics.
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+
From The Hindu: National News
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+
Spur debate among people on broken promises of Congress: Harish Rao - He asks party ranks and leaders to highlight difference between BRS, Congress rule
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Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh joins BJP in Karnataka - Film producer and distributor ‘Rockline’ Venkatesh too joined the saffron party
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9,900 sensitive polling stations identified in Telangana - Three options to ensure smooth conduct of polling in these booths being contemplated, says CEO Vikas Raj
+
Sikkim Chief Minister P.S. Tamang releases Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’s manifesto, guarantees social uplift - The 56-page manifesto titled “9 Guarantees of P S Tamang” was unveiled in the presence of senior party leaders and party supporters
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Chhattisgarh: Massive fire breaks out at power distribution company in Raipur’s Kota - No deaths or casualties were reported in the incident.
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+
From BBC: Europe
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Six Russian planes destroyed by drones - Ukraine - Security sources tell the BBC another eight bombers were badly damaged in the attack.
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Man sentenced to 30 years for aiding France attacker - Audrey Mondjehi was convicted of obtaining a gun used in a 2018 attack on a Strasbourg Christmas market.
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Two brothers, one club and a 40-year wait - Inaki and Nico Williams’ parents travelled to Bilbao from Ghana hoping the city would change their sons’ lives. Their sons, in turn, have changed the city.
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Moment diver slips during Olympic pool inauguration - Alexis Jandard laughs off the incident on social media, posting, “My back is fine, but my ego…”.
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Irish man among three killed in Swiss helicopter crash - The helicopter was taking visitors to a drop-off point for skiers when the crash happened on Tuesday.
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From Ars Technica
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The Maven: A user-friendly, $2K Cargo e-bike perfect for families on the go - The $2K bike is aimed at smaller riders who want a manageable cargo e-bike. It delivers. - link
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Rocket Report: Blue Origin to resume human flights; progress for Polaris Dawn - “The pacing item in our supply chain is the BE-4.” - link
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Hong Kong monkey encounter lands man in ICU with rare, deadly virus - The man had recently visited a country park known for its macaque monkeys. - link
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It could well be a blockbuster hurricane season, and that’s not a good thing - Although not quite literally, the Atlantic Ocean is on fire right now. - link
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Elon Musk shares “extremely false” allegation of voting fraud by “illegals” - On X, Musk shared false claim that is easily disproven by voter registration data. - link
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+
From Jokes Subreddit
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My blind girlfriend cheated on me -
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+Joke’s on me, I never thought she’d be seeing anyone else.
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+We had a brief conversation. Clever and humorous, so I proposed a date. Yes, she replied.
+
+
+I was guessing she’ll be 400 pounds. However, it was she who answered the door—this little strawberry blonde with a lustrous head and well formed curves everywhere. After exchanging our true names, I asked her what does she do for work. “Sunday school teacher,” she says. I’m taking her to the second-best restaurant I can think of even though I’ve never had a Christian girl.
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+
+I ask her if she’s hungry as I take out a joint of my finest cannabis. She responds, “Heavens no, what would i tell my sunday school children?” . Well, some people smoke, and some people don’t, so I didn’t give it much attention.
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+When we get to the restaurant, she orders the lobster while I get a steak. I choose the second-most costly bottle of wine available. However, when the waitress brings it she says she doesn’t drink. Im mindblown. “You don’t drink?”
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+
+“Heavens no. How would I explain this to my Sunday school students?”
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+
+We laugh at one other’s jokes and have a nice time, but when I sip from that expensive bottle by myself, I realize this is a disaster.
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+
+As I’m driving her home i pass a cheap hotel and figuring i got nothing to lose ask her :“want to get a room and knock boots?”
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+
+She says “I thought you’d never ask.”
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+
+I’m like really?!? “what will you tell your sunday school children?”
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+
+She said: the same thing i tell them every week
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+
+“You don’t have to drink and smoke to have a good time”
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+“I heard y’all Irishmen really like your Guiness, you know what, I’m gonna give 500 American dollars to the guy who can drink 10 pints of Guiness in a go. Does anybody accept?”
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+
+The pub falls dead silent and one gentleman even gets up and leaves. Said gentleman returns 10 minutes later and asks the Texan “Hey, is your bet still standing?” “Yes”, replies the Texan.
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+
+The gentleman then tells the bartender to pour him 10 pints of Guiness and to the bewilderment of everyone including the Texan, finishes it in one go.
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+
+The Texan then asks him “Don’t mind me asking, but where were you those 10 minutes ?”. The man replies, “Well, I went to the pub across the street. I had to know if I could actually do it”.
+
Here is a joke that made my 7 year old twins laugh like hyenas. -
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+On a flight, the passengers suddenly hear: “Here is your pilot. Today is my 10.000th flight. I would like to do something special. Would you like to experience a loop? Then applaud.” The excited passengers applaud. The pilot says, “ok, fasten your seatbelts”, and a few moments later he does a perfectly executed loop. Everyone is laughing and applauding. “Would you like to experience a corkscrew roll?” More applause and the pilot does the manoeuvre to loud acclaim. “Ok, this was it, enjoy the rest of your flight.” At that moment, the toilet opens, and a wet and soiled man shuffles out and shouts, “Do you think that’s funny?!”
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+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25370977/Screenshot_2024_04_04_at_11.55.50_AM.png)
MISO
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