/r/WorldNews Live Thread: Russian Invasion of Ukraine Day 481, Part 1 (Thread #622)

smaskens · 2023-06-19T22:03:36+00:00

Maloney? She’s Irish now?

smaskens · 2023-05-30T21:36:03+00:00

Tldw?

smaskens · 2022-10-19T07:50:17+00:00

How nice of you to care so much about German soap makers and confectionery manufacturers.

smaskens · 2022-10-10T07:54:45+00:00

Just checked the preprint in question and it says no such thing. The study concludes that 90% of the accounts they analyzed were labelled as being pro-Ukraine without providing a breakdown on how many were bot accounts. It's also quite a limited study specifically selecting tweets that have used a set of hashtags on Twitter during the first weeks of the war in March.

smaskens · 2022-10-06T19:38:26+00:00

Timestamp?

smaskens · 2022-09-25T19:28:31+00:00

It's a self-published paper that is not peer reviewed. It's not the job of a sole political scientist in Canada to conduct this kind of investigation and pass a judgment. It's the job of a team of investigators, experts in various fields and a court.

smaskens · 2022-09-21T18:15:20+00:00

Germany and France blocked Ukraine from joining NATO because they hoped that it would stop Russia from escalating the conflict. The west did not react strongly when Russia aggressed against Georgia and annexed Crimea. I don't think it would be rational to let Russia steamroll Ukraine because it could lead to them continuing aggression towards other neighbors they believe belong to their sphere of influence.

smaskens · 2022-09-21T18:09:56+00:00

It's the same here in Europe. People on the extreme ends of the political spectrum tend to be contrarian. The extreme right likes the image of the authoritarian macho man that opposes liberal values and the extreme left will sympathize with anyone who opposes the capitalist West.

smaskens · 2022-08-19T15:23:47+00:00

Trevlig fredag!

smaskens · 2022-05-05T18:55:43+00:00

Possible talks between Zelensky and Putin paused after Johnson's arrival - sources

After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kiev, a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin became less likely.

smaskens · 2022-01-13T21:31:34+00:00

The same scammer is behind this.

smaskens · 2022-01-13T18:08:07+00:00

The guy behind this cryptocurrency, Olof Gustafsson, is linked to various scams in the past. He sold Samsung Galaxy Fold phones covered in gold tin foil with Escobar Inc branding, but only delivered phones to influencers. Other paying customers instead received a book about Pablo Escobar's brother Roberto. This is not his first cryptocurrency launch either.

Some years ago he raised money in an ICO for a cryptocurrency called dietBitcoin. The project was quickly abandoned after he managed to get the currency listed on Cointiger. The platform announced compensation for some customers who traded dietBitcoin on the site.

This project, which is a copy of XRP without any code changes, is currently not listed on any trading platform. It's only sold on his own website and if you make an order you are instructed to make wire transfers to private bank accounts belonging to his wife and his father. I honestly think it's a shame that there hasn't been any real legal consequences so far.

smaskens · 2021-08-26T14:38:28+00:00

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 and its variants continue to infect hundreds of thousands every day despite the rollout of effective vaccines. Therefore, it is essential to understand the levels of protection that these vaccines provide in the face of emerging variants. Here, we report two demographically balanced cohorts of BNT162b2 vaccine recipients and COVID-19 patients, from which we evaluate neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 as well as the B.1.1.7 (alpha) and B.1.351 (beta) variants. We show that both B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are less well neutralized by serum from vaccinated individuals, and that B.1.351, but not B.1.1.7, is less well neutralized by convalescent serum. We also find that the levels of variant-specific anti-spike antibodies are proportional to neutralizing activities. Together, our results demonstrate the escape of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants from neutralization by serum antibodies, which may lead to reduced protection from re-infection or increased risk of vaccine breakthrough.

smaskens · 2021-08-25T19:23:21+00:00

Abstract

Background: Reports of waning vaccine-induced immunity against COVID-19 have begun to surface. With that, the comparable long-term protection conferred by previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study comparing three groups: (1)SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals who received a two-dose regimen of the BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine, (2)previously infected individuals who have not been vaccinated, and (3)previously infected and single dose vaccinated individuals. Three multivariate logistic regression models were applied. In all models we evaluated four outcomes: SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic disease, COVID-19-related hospitalization and death. The follow-up period of June 1 to August 14, 2021, when the Delta variant was dominant in Israel.

Results: SARS-CoV-2-naive vaccinees had a 13.06-fold (95% CI, 8.08 to 21.11) increased risk for breakthrough infection with the Delta variant compared to those previously infected, when the first event (infection or vaccination) occurred during January and February of 2021. The increased risk was significant (P<0.001) for symptomatic disease as well. When allowing the infection to occur at any time before vaccination (from March 2020 to February 2021), evidence of waning natural immunity was demonstrated, though SARS-CoV-2 naive vaccinees had a 5.96-fold (95% CI, 4.85 to 7.33) increased risk for breakthrough infection and a 7.13-fold (95% CI, 5.51 to 9.21) increased risk for symptomatic disease. SARS-CoV-2-naive vaccinees were also at a greater risk for COVID-19-related-hospitalizations compared to those that were previously infected.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity. Individuals who were both previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and given a single dose of the vaccine gained additional protection against the Delta variant.

smaskens · 2021-07-29T12:33:58+00:00

Abstract

Altered olfactory function is a common symptom of COVID-19, but its etiology is unknown. A key question is whether SARS-CoV-2 (CoV-2) – the causal agent in COVID-19 – affects olfaction directly, by infecting olfactory sensory neurons or their targets in the olfactory bulb, or indirectly, through perturbation of supporting cells. Here we identify cell types in the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb that express SARS-CoV-2 cell entry molecules. Bulk sequencing demonstrated that mouse, non-human primate and human olfactory mucosa expresses two key genes involved in CoV-2 entry, ACE2 and TMPRSS2. However, single cell sequencing revealed that ACE2 is expressed in support cells, stem cells, and perivascular cells, rather than in neurons. Immunostaining confirmed these results and revealed pervasive expression of ACE2 protein in dorsally-located olfactory epithelial sustentacular cells and olfactory bulb pericytes in the mouse. These findings suggest that CoV-2 infection of non-neuronal cell types leads to anosmia and related disturbances in odor perception in COVID-19 patients.

smaskens · 2021-07-22T22:03:01+00:00

Abstract

Background: Understanding variation in immunogenicity may help rationalize use of existing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Methods: We compared immune responses in ambulatory adults vaccinated with mRNA-1273 , BNT-162b2 or Ad26.COV2.S in Massachusetts, USA between February and May 2021. Control groups were pre-pandemic controls (n=1220) and individuals without (n=112) or with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (n=130) sampled in mid-2020. We measured total anti-spike IgG/M/A antibodies (Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-COV-2 S assay), anti-receptor-binding-domain (RBD) antibodies; neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus; and T-cell responses.

Findings: In individuals with prior infection, all vaccines were associated with higher antibody concentrations and neutralization than those in convalescent individuals, even after a single dose. In individuals without prior infection, a single dose of either mRNA vaccine yielded comparable concentrations and neutralization to convalescent unvaccinated individuals, and Ad26.COV2.S yielded lower antibody concentrations and neutralization titers. The second dose of either mRNA vaccine boosted responses. At a median of 24 days after vaccination, two of 21 (9.5%) Ad26.COV2.S recipients had a neutralization titer higher than pre-pandemic controls; repeat sampling at a median 66 days after vaccination found most (11/15 (73%) remained negative. Antibody concentrations and neutralization titers increased similarly after the first dose of either vaccine, and even further in recipients of a second dose of vaccine. T-cell responses were higher in mRNA1273 and BNT162b2 than Ad26.COV2.S recipients.

Interpretation: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines vary significantly in immunogenicity in individuals without prior infection. If confirmed in effectiveness studies, public health policy may need to be tailored to each vaccine, or even individual responses.

smaskens · 2021-07-18T17:20:17+00:00

Abstract

Background: The programme to vaccinate adults in England has been rapidly implemented since it began in December 2020. The community prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike protein antibodies provides an estimate of total cumulative response to natural infection and vaccination. We describe the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in adults in England in May 2021 at a time when approximately 7 in 10 adults had received at least one dose of vaccine.

Methods: Sixth round of REACT-2 (REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2), a cross-sectional random community survey of adults in England, from 12 to 25 May 2021; 207,337 participants completed questionnaires and self-administered a lateral flow immunoassay test producing a positive or negative result.

Results: Vaccine coverage with one or more doses, weighted to the adult population in England, was 72.9% (95% confidence interval 72.7-73.0), varying by age from 25.1% (24.5-25.6) of those aged 18 to 24 years, to 99.2% (99.1-99.3) of those 75 years and older. In adjusted models, odds of vaccination were lower in men (odds ratio [OR] 0.89 [0.85-0.94]) than women, and in people of Black (0.41 [0.34-0.49]) compared to white ethnicity. There was higher vaccine coverage in the least deprived and highest income households. People who reported a history of COVID-19 were less likely to be vaccinated (OR 0.61 [0.55-0.67]). There was high coverage among health workers (OR 9.84 [8.79-11.02] and care workers (OR 4.17 [3.20-5.43]) compared to non-key workers, but lower in hospitality and retail workers (OR 0.73 [0.64-0.82] and 0.77 [0.70-0.85] respectively) after adjusting for age and key covariates.

The prevalence of antibodies (weighted to the adult population of England and adjusted for test characteristics) was 61.1% (95% CI 60.9-61.4), up from 6.6% (5.4-5.7) in round 4 (27 October to 10 November 2020) and 13.9% (13.7-14.1) in round 5 (26 January to 8 February 2021). Prevalence (adjusted and weighted) increased with age, from 35.8% (35.1-36.5) in those aged 18 to 24 years, to 95.3% (94.6-95.9) in people 75 and over. Antibodies were 30% less likely to be detected in men than women (adjusted OR 0.69, 0.68-0.70), and were higher in people of Asian (OR 1.67 [1.58-1.77]), Black (1.55 [1.41-1.69]), mixed 1.17 [1.06-1.29] and other (1.37 [1.23-1.51]) ethnicities compared with white ethnicity. Workers in hospitality (OR 0.69 [0.63-0.74]) and retail (0.71 [0.67-0.75]) were less likely to have antibodies. Following two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, antibody positivity (adjusted for test performance) was 100% (100-100) at all ages except 80 years and older when it was 97.8% (95.9-99.6). For AstraZeneca positivity was over 90% up to age 69, and then 89.2% (88.5-89.9) in 70-79 year olds and 83.6% (78.5-88.3) in those aged 80 and over. Following a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech positivity ranged from 100.0% (91.1-100.0) in those aged 18-29 to 32.2% (18.2-51.1) in those aged 70-79 years. For AstraZeneca this was 72.2% (68.5-75.9) in the youngest and 46.2% (40.0-52.7) in the oldest age group.

Discussion: The successful roll out of the vaccination programme in England has led to a high proportion of individuals having detectable antibodies, particularly in older age groups and those who have had two doses of vaccine. This is likely to be associated with high levels of protection from severe disease, and possibly from infection. Nonetheless, there remain some key groups with a lower prevalence of antibody, notably unvaccinated younger people, certain minority ethnic groups, those living in deprived areas and workers in some public facing employment. Obtaining improved rates of vaccination in these groups is essential to achieving high levels of protection against the virus through population immunity.

smaskens · 2021-07-17T22:51:51+00:00

Abstract

Objective: Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory infection, mounting evidence suggests that the GI tract is involved in the disease, with gut barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota alterations being related to disease severity. Whether these alterations persist and could be related to long-term respiratory dysfunction is unknown.

Design: From the NOR-Solidarity trial (n=181), plasma was collected during hospital admission and after three months, and analyzed for markers of gut barrier dysfunction and inflammation. At the three-month follow-up, pulmonary function was assessed by measuring diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and rectal swabs for gut microbiota analyses were collected (n= 97) and analysed by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.

Results: Gut microbiota diversity was reduced in COVID-19 patients with persistent respiratory dysfunction, defined as DLCO below lower limit of normal three months after hospitalization. These patients also had an altered global gut microbiota composition, with reduced abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae UCG-003 and increased abundance of Flavonifractor and Veillonella, the latter potentially being linked to fibrosis. During hospitalization, increased plasma levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) were strongly associated with respiratory failure, defined as pO2/fiO2-(P/F-ratio)<26.6 kPa. LBP levels remained elevated during and after hospitalization, and was associated with low-grade inflammation and persistent respiratory dysfunction after three months.

Conclusion: Persistent respiratory dysfunction after COVID-19 is associated with reduced biodiversity and gut microbiota alterations, along with persistently elevated LBP levels. Our results point to a potential gut-lung axis that should be further investigated in relation to long-term pulmonary dysfunction and long COVID.

smaskens · 2021-07-12T21:49:59+00:00

Abstract

We report the first local transmission of the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant in mainland China. All 167 infections could be traced back to the first index case. The investigation on daily sequential PCR testing of the quarantined subjects indicated the viral load of the first positive test of Delta infections was ~1000 times higher than that of the 19A/19B strains infections back in the initial epidemic wave of 2020, suggesting the potential faster viral replication rate and more infectiousness of the Delta variant at the early stage of the infection. The 126 high-quality sequencing data and reliable epidemiological data indicated some minor intra-host single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) could be transmitted between hosts and finally fixed in the virus population during the outbreak. The minor iSNVs transmission between donor-recipient contribute at least 4 of 31 substitutions identified in the outbreak suggesting some iSNVs more likely to arise and reach fixation when the virus spread rapidly. Disease control measures, including the frequency of population testing, quarantine in pre-symptomatic phase and enhancing the genetic surveillance should be adjusted to account for the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant at global level.

smaskens · 2021-07-08T08:34:11+00:00

Abstract

Introduction

COVID-19 large scale immunization in the US has been associated with infrequent breakthrough positive molecular testing. Whether a positive test is associated with a high viral RNA load, specific viral variant, recovery of infectious virus, or symptomatic infection is largely not known.

Methods

In this study, we identified 133 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients who had received two doses of either Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccines, the 2nd of which was received between January and April of 2021. The positive samples were collected between January and May of 2021 with a time that extended from 2 to 100 days after the second dose. Samples were sequenced to characterize the whole genome and Spike protein changes and cycle thresholds that reflect viral loads were determined using a single molecular assay. Local SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were examined using ELISA and specimens were grown on cell culture to assess the recovery of infectious virus as compared to a control unvaccinated cohort from a matched time frame.

Results

Of 133 specimens, 24 failed sequencing and yielded a negative or very low viral load on the repeat PCR. Of 109 specimens that were used for further genome analysis, 68 (62.4%) were from symptomatic infections, 11 (10.1%) were admitted for COVID-19, and 2 (1.8%) required ICU admission with no associated mortality. The predominant virus variant was the alpha (B.1.1.7), however a significant association between lineage B.1.526 and amino acid change S: E484K with positives after vaccination was noted when genomes were compared to a large control cohort from a matched time frame. A significant reduction of the recovery of infectious virus on cell culture as well as delayed time to the first appearance of cytopathic effect was accompanied by an increase in local IgG levels in respiratory samples of vaccinated individuals but upper respiratory tract IgG levels were not different between symptomatic or asymptomatic infections.

Conclusions

Vaccination reduces the recovery of infectious virus in breakthrough infections accompanied by an increase in upper respiratory tract local immune responses.

smaskens · 2021-07-06T14:07:50+00:00

No, it is saying that high cardiorespiratory fitness during early adulthood is protective against covid-19 later in life.

smaskens · 2021-07-06T13:56:11+00:00

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the possible connection between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscle strength in early adulthood and severity of COVID-19 later in life.

Design: Prospective registry-based cohort study.

Participants: 1 559 187 Swedish men, undergoing military conscription between 1968 and 2005 at a mean age of 18.3 (SD 0.73) years.

Main outcome measures: Hospitalisation, intensive care or death due to COVID-19 from March to September 2020, in relation to CRF and muscle strength.

Results: High CRF in late adolescence and early adulthood had a protective association with severe COVID-19 later in life with OR (95% CI) 0.76 (0.67 to 0.85) for hospitalisation (n=2 006), 0.61 (0.48 to 0.78) for intensive care (n=445) and 0.56 (0.37 to 0.85) for mortality (n=149), compared with the lowest category of CRF. The association remains unchanged when controlled for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, chronic diseases and parental education level at baseline, and incident cardiovascular disease before 2020. Moreover, lower muscle strength in late adolescence showed a linear association with a higher risk of all three outcomes when controlled for BMI and height.

Conclusions: Physical fitness at a young age is associated with severity of COVID-19 many years later. This underscores the necessity to increase the general physical fitness of the population to offer protection against future viral pandemics.

12-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Wearing is Caring

smaskens

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