Don't Get Sick!
29 621 participants A higher cumulative morbidity burden in older adulthood was observed among those who were overweight (7.22 morbidity-years) and those with classes I and II obesity (9.80) compared with those with a normal BMI (6.10) in midlife (P < .001). Mean age at death was similar between those who were overweight (82.1 years…
A new study using Mendelian Randomization (MR) challenges previous recommendations that light alcohol consumption is good for the heart. The peer-reviewed study was published in the March 25 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Mendelian Randomization is a relatively new research tool that uses genes to establish cause and effect. Knowing what causes any condition like…
The study Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank shows that one unit of alcohol drunk a day can lead to loss of gray and white matter in the brain. It was published in Nature Communications in March 2022.[1] The research involved 36,678 generally healthy, middle-aged adults from the…
The data for this article is taken from the Pfizer document, 5.3.6 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021. The pdf link is embedded in the title. In it are the adverse events that are listed in The Complete List of the Pfizer Adverse Events of Special Interest that…
I went to the CDC Wonder website to see if excess deaths are still present in 2022. February 2022 is still incomplete, so I compared only the month of January for each year from 2018 to 2022. Using the same month from 2018 to 2022 removes the seasonal variations in deaths. 2018 and 2019 are…
You may have heard that the famous movie star Bruse Willis has aphasia, and he will step away from making movies. I have seen a lot of aphasia. I worked in a comprehensive stroke center for many, many years in Buffalo, New York. What is aphasia? Aphasia is a neurologic deficit! That means a part…
Anyone who had a blood test called a lipid profile has probably heard of triglycerides and HDL. HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein, commonly called the “good cholesterol.” HDL is a lipoprotein carrier and cleans up the arteries of atherosclerosis. Metabolic Syndrome Triglycerides are also good, but they are bad for the body in excess. A…
Microplastics can be found in different body organs and affect human health. Microplastics in the placenta A study published in the journal Environmental International detected microplastics in the human placenta. Raman Microspectroscopy was used to examine six human placentas to evaluate microplastics. Twelve microplastic fragments (ranging from 5 to 10 μm in size) were found…
A newly released study, Autoantibodies linked to autoimmune diseases associate with COVID-19 outcomes, discovered elevated autoantibodies in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 infections.[1] The study included 248 adults from five states of the USA. One hundred seventy-one of them had COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR testing. Seventy-seven are healthy controls. The…
July 10, 2022 update. This paper is now peer-reviewed and published in the BMJ Prevention and Health. A new study showed that regular fasting people have better COVID-19 outcomes. The study was made in Utah by the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute. Mormons comprise 62% of the residents in Utah, and they observe fasting. Beliefnet…
A study headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has detected nine SARS-CoV-2 viruses with genetic information from the Delta (AY.119.2) and Omicron (BA.1.1) variants in several mid-Atlantic states of the US. The states where the recombinants were detected are New Jersey, Tennesse, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. RNA viruses like the…
This article talks about tinnitus and other hearing complications after receiving COVID-19 injections. What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is a sound that you hear, not from an external source. It can happen to one or both ears and be continuous or intermittent. The sound can be buzzing, roaring, clicking, hissing, or humming. It can be loud…
I initially posted on August 15, 2020. This article is updated with more information. This article shows several studies that show that minor improvements in the level of physical activities can make a difference in life expectancy no matter what age or gender. Highlights Exercise lowers the risk of dying early from all causes. “All…
This article was initially published on May 16, 2019. It has been updated. What is Cytokine? Cytokines are signaling proteins. Think of cytokines as text messages from one organ to another organ. The signal may be a ‘yes,’ “no,’ ‘make some more” (positive feedback loop), or that’s enough (negative feedback loop). The signals may be…
This post was initially released on October 25, 2020. It has been updated. Intermittent fasting has many benefits for diabetics. It reduces blood sugar, lowers weight, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, and decreases medication need. However, people with Type 2 diabetes or adult-onset diabetes who would like to practice intermittent fasting should avoid complications. Possible Complications…
This article is based on the research, MSH3 Homology and Potential Recombination Link to SARS-CoV-2 Furin Cleavage Site published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Virology. Briefly, it talks about the genetic sequence present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic to be similar to a nucleotide sequence patented by Moderna in 2016….
Genetic recombination is when gene sequences from two organisms combine. It is common among RNA viruses like coronaviruses. Recombination can happen when infected with two distinct mutants or variants. Two pandemic variants, Delta and Omicron 21K succeeded in southern France but co-circulated for several weeks. That explains why three people in southern France got infected…
This article explains the Pfizer Adverse Events of Special Interest and lists all the potential adverse events that may or may not happen after the Pfizer mRNA shot for COVID-19.
The study, Comparison of the immunogenicity of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Respirology. The two injections are different. The Pfizer BNT162b2 uses the modified RNA technology enclosed in a lipid nanoparticle. In contrast, the Coronavac uses an old vaccine technology using inactivated viruses that cannot replicate…
Decisions about taking medications, including vaccines, should include a risk-benefit analysis. Will I have more significant benefits from getting the vaccine (prevent death from COVID-19), or will I die from it? Death is the most significant endpoint, and it is not easily confounded by bias. Vaccine studies usually use other endpoints like “preventing severe disease”…