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U.S. Science Embrace of Wuhan “Gain-Of-Function” Viral Research Proved A Slippery Slope
By MIKE MAGEE The truth hurts. Eighteen months into a disaster that has claimed 3.5 million lives around the globe, the truth is seeping out. Human error likely caused the Covid pandemic, and America’s Medical-Industrial Complex was right in the middle of it. Signs of a “great awakening” have emerged from various corners in the month of May. On May 14, UNC’s top virologist, Ralph Baric, who worked closely with Wuhan chief virologist and batwoman extraordinare, Shi Zhengli, signed on with 17 other scientists to a Science editorial that demanded a reexamination of Covid’s causality writing “theorie...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 4, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy Mike Magee Wuhan Source Type: blogs

June 2021: Mounting Evidence Supports Ivermectin for COVID-19
Ivermectin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 based on in vitro studies. It is currently FDA-approved for treating parasites (intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis) but not approved for COVID-19, though a large body of evidence supports its use in inpatients and outpatients. (Antiviral Res. 2020;178:104787; https://bit.ly/3bpeTrm.)Mechanism of ActionIvermectin is an antiparasitic agent that binds directly and has high affinity to the glutamate-gated chloride ion channels in invertebrate muscle and nerve cells of microfilaria. This causes the cell membrane to have increased permeability to chl...
Source: The Tox Cave - June 1, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

Tackling Health Disparities in Louisiana
“If you bring a public health program to people where they live, you can get amazing results,” says Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D., a professor of pediatric obesity and diabetes at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University. Specifically, bringing health programs into underserved communities can lead to strong engagement and positive changes in people’s health. Dr. Katzmarzyk is part of the NIGMS-funded Louisiana Clinical & Translational Science Center (LA CaTS), a collaboration between 10 academic, research, and health care delivery institutions that focuses on reducing health disparities in Loui...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 26, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness Source Type: blogs

Epistemology V: Clinical research
The science most people probably care about the most is the endeavor to promote human health and longevity. That ' s why the biggest part of the federal scientific enterprise is the National Institutes of Health, with additional money going to research sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the EPA, and others.Human health research is difficult, however. Obviously, there are stringent ethical limitations on experimenting on humans. Formally, the requirement is that there be " equipoise " -- that you sincerely don ' t know, or even have compelling reason ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - May 15, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

Science Snippet: Learn About the Cytoskeleton
A cow cell showing actin filaments (red) and microtubules (green). Credit: Tina Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa. The cytoskeleton is a collection of fibers that gives shape and support to cells, like the skeleton does for our bodies. It also allows movement within the cell and, in some cases, by the entire cell. Three different types of fibers make up the cytoskeleton: actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Powering Muscles Actin filaments contract or lengthen to give cells the flexibility to move and change shape. Along with the protein myosin, they’re responsible for muscl...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 12, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Source Type: blogs

A couple of recommended reads and critical thinking lesson #79
First, I commend to your attentionJohnathan Gruber and Simon Johnson on infrastructure. You may have noticed that the Republican response to the administration ' s infrastructure proposal is that " infrastructure " only means roads and bridges and therefore the rest of it is unworthy of federal support. That ' s an example of argument by vocabulary, a type of fallacy that I ' ve noted before. e.g.:" Organic " means carbon compounds.All food consists of carbon compounds.Ergo the concept of organic food is meaningless.QEDIf I need to explain to you what ' s wrong with that, you probably should give someone your power of atto...
Source: Stayin' Alive - April 30, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

VITAL trial on vitamin D
Role of vitamin D in cardiovascular disease has been suggested by observational studies. Low blood levels of vitamin D was found to be associated with higher risks of heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes mellitus [1]. But the 2011 Institute of Medicine (United States) guidance concluded that the evidence is inconsistent and inconclusive, not meeting the criteria for a cause effect relationship [2]. VITAL study was a randomized placebo controlled trial of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) at a dose of 2000 IU per day and omega-3 fatty acids at a dose of 1 g per day for prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseas...
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 18, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs

Advance Care Planning? Meh. - Part 1
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle) (no degrees)Several years ago I was giving a talk in front of a mostly palliative care audience and asked, "How often do you find yourself, in the care of your patients, saying to yourself something like ' Thank the stars this patient has a healthcare directive (HCD) ' ? " The overwhelming answer was a bunch of shrugs and people agreeing occasionally (but not routinely) HCDs are helpful.For something that seems so central to our work, why is it that so many of my colleagues that day were lukewarm about their utility?It ' s fair to say that the last few months have been a controversial one in t...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - March 29, 2021 Category: Palliative Care Tags: advance care planning rosielle Source Type: blogs

Racial disparities and early-onset colorectal cancer: A call to action
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the US. Thanks in large part to increased screening of those over age 50 in last decade, overall CRC rates have been falling among the general population. However, the incidence of CRC among younger individuals in the US is rising at an alarming rate. Over the past 20 years, the rate of CRC has increased by 2.2% per year in people under age 50. Hidden within these statistics are the significant disparities in CRC incidence and outcomes that exist for African Americans. Compared to whites, African Americans have a 20% higher in...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrew Chan, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Digestive Disorders Health care disparities Source Type: blogs

8 Foods I ’ve Added to My Diet to Enhance My Health
Some nutritionists believe that food is medicine. I’m not sure if I want to go through life taking nothing but chicken soup every time I get sick, but I pay attention to what I put in my mouth and its effects on my body. As a result, I’ve eliminated many products from my meals over the years, but what I gave up, I made up for in healthier additions. Here are eight foods I’ve added to my diet to enhance my health and why. 1. Beets Your thoughts might not turn to this root vegetable until it’s time to make red beet eggs for your next picnic. However, including more of them in your weekly diet could help your...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - March 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kara Reynolds Tags: diet featured health and fitness self-improvement food mental health pickthebrain Source Type: blogs

Trial By Error: National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins on Plans for Long COVID Research
By David Tuller, DrPH The US government seems to be taking Long COVID seriously. In December, Congress allocated $1.15 billion over four years for research into the issue. This week, Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, announced the agency’s plans for that funding. (I’ve posted his announcement in full below.) In a […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 24, 2021 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized body politic Francis Collins Long Covid NIH Source Type: blogs

Science
Back in the time of Archimedes, and right through Galileo, Benjamin Franklin, Isaac Newton, and Darwin, it was possible for a lone investigator to make important scientific discoveries with easily affordable apparatus, or just by thinking. Scientists were mostly people of means, who had the leisure to pursue science essentially as a hobby, and perhaps spend small sums on experimental gadgetry. We still think of Albert Einstein as the archetypal scientists, a lone genius who developed profound insights while working at a fairly menial job. The only reward for these intellectual pioneers was fame, and in Einstein ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - February 20, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

Can biofeedback-based videogames help children better manage stress? Magellan Health and Mightier secure $2 million NIMH grant to investigate
This study’s goal is to validate that digital tools like Mightier can improve health outcomes, lower the cost of care and increase access to mental healthcare” said Matthew Miller, senior vice president, behavioral health, Magellan Healthcare. About the grant: The research is supported by the National Institute Of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44MH124574. The NIMH supports scientists, clinicians, and research personnel at universities, medical schools, hospitals, small businesses, and other institutions via grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Researchers at NIMH-suppo...
Source: SharpBrains - February 10, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation Behavioral Health biofeedback biofeedback video game heart rate-monitor Magellan Health mental health disorders Mightier NIMH regulate stress video-games videogame wearable Source Type: blogs

COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Trials ACTIV-ate in West Virginia
ACTIV clinical trials will evaluate the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. Credit: iStock. Since the virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2, was first reported in late 2019, scientists have launched hundreds of studies on strategies for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. To prioritize the most promising vaccine and therapeutics candidates, streamline clinical trials, and coordinate regulatory processes, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Foundation for the NIH have established the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) partnership. ACTIV brings t...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 3, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness COVID-19 Infectious Diseases Medicines Scientific Process Source Type: blogs

Cool Images: Bewitching Bacteria
Some bacteria benefit us as part of our microbiome—the vast collection of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies—while others can make us sick. Whether helpful or dangerous, bacteria can appear colorful and striking under a microscope. These photos provide just a small peek into the incredible diversity of these microbes. Credit: Liyang Xiong and Lev Tsimring, BioCircuits Institute, UCSD. This floral pattern emerged when a researcher grew two strains of bacteria—Acinetobacter baylyi (red) and Escherichia coli (green)—together for 2 days in a petri dish. A. baylyi are found in soil and typically do...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 27, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Bacteria Cool Images Infectious Diseases Microbes Source Type: blogs