The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study from the Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, on February 3, 2022. The research answered the question. How long do naturally acquired antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus last? Specifically, they focused on antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARs-CoV-2,…
A recent study, Zero-COVID Policies: Melbourne’s 112-Day Hard Lockdown Experiment Harmed Mostly Mothers looked at what population group is most affected by the 112-day lockdown in Melbourne. Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia and the capital of Victoria state. The lockdown is part of the Zero-COVID strategy to achieve zero infections. The stay-at-home orders and…
New developments in cardiovascular risk factors concerning cholesterol show that small dense low-density lipoprotein (sd-LDL) is a most potent inductor of atherogenesis and is a better predictor than LDL.[1][2]. LDL consists of several subclasses of particles with different sizes and densities like the large buoyant “fluffy” LDL, mid-band LDL, and small dense LDL. In contrast…
The Canadian study Clinical manifestations and disease severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection among infants in Canada focused on infants who get COVID-19. They want to know their symptoms, how many are hospitalized, and the risk factors for severe COVID-19 among babies. The study is from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, in collaboration with…
A meta-analysis of 24 papers showed that lockdowns did not significantly decrease the number of COVID-19 deaths. The paper, A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality, was published by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Global Enterprise in January 2022. The study…
The clinical impact of maternal COVID-19 on mothers, their infants, and placentas with an analysis of vertical transfer of maternal SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies is a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is a preprint at medRxiv that came out yesterday. The research included 115 pregnant mothers with COVID-19 from December…
This article is about the efficacy of Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) in killing SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The research, Virucidal activity, and mechanism of action of cetylpyridinium chloride against SARS-CoV-2  is from The University of Miyazaki in Japan and is a preprint at medRxiv. The authors tested the antiviral activity of cetylpyridinium chloride or CPC against SARS-CoV-2. CPC…
The COVID-19 virus attacks protective airway cells and how mouthwashes can stop it This article talks about a preprint study that came out yesterday at medRxiv. The first is from Yale University shows how the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 infects the ciliated cells of the respiratory tract. Greaney and colleagues from Yale found that…
Moderna’s study shows the ineffectiveness of their shots against the Omicron and why they recommend a booster Moderna scientists published a study Serum Neutralizing Activity of mRNA-1273 Against the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant: A Preliminary Report that came out yesterday as a preprint in medRxiv. They took blood samples from participants in their phase 2…
Viral respiratory infections start at the nose. The nasal cavity lining is rich in ACE2 receptors, where the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of COVID-19, can attach to enter the cells and begin viral replication. The article, Nasal rinse and deep gargle stop viral respiratory infections in their tracts, talks about using saline solutions, diluted povidone-iodine,…
This article highlights a peer-reviewed study from the Imperial College of London. [1] The research answers the question, Why is it that not all people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 develop the disease? Is it possible that a previous illness from another coronavirus can protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus? Is there a better alternative to spike-based vaccines?…
The MERS was an epidemic in 2012 caused by a coronavirus. MERS stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome and affects the lungs. Most MERS cases emerge from the Arabian peninsula (84%) and spread to 27 countries. According to the European CDC, the total number of MERS cases is 2,543, with 886 deaths. MERS is a…
The CDC has a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report released on January 19, 2021. COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations by COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Previous COVID-19 Diagnosis — California and New York, May–November 2021. The table below shows the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among the Vaccinated and Unvaccinated in California. The table…
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful molecules and infections. COVID-19 and the Long COVID syndrome have neurologic and psychiatric effects. This article presents three studies that show evidence that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can cross the BBB and wreak havoc by itself. Endothelial cells line the inside of the BBB, and…
A study in Italy compared two groups of people. Both groups have recovered from COVID-19. One group (n=21) was vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-Biontech COVID vaccine, and the other group (n=19) did not. Backgrounder: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has several proteins, including the spike and nucleocapsid protein (NCP). After a COVID-19 infection, antibodies (IgG)…
Do you know that there are viral genes in all humans? They are called Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERV). HERVs are nucleotide sequences from viral infections that infected our ancestors millions of years ago. HERVs comprise ∼5-8% of the human genome, with over 22 HERV families.[1] Nucleotides are instructions to make amino acids which are the…
Why do some people have persistent symptoms after COVID-19? Did something change in the infected person’s body? This is the question answered by a study made with the collaboration of several medical schools in New York. They used golden hamsters that were inoculated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The best animal model that mimics the human…
How long does the Omicron variant stay alive on plastic surfaces and the skin? And what does it take to disinfect, and in what concentration? Those are the questions answered in the study from the Kyoto Prefectural, University of Medicine. It came out yesterday and is a preprint available at medRxiv. The authors tested the…
How can a microscopic, inorganic substance be identified? Before, they are ground up and examined by chemical analysis. Now, they use a technique called RAMAN infrared spectroscopy. It has been around since 1928 and is named after Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, who won a Nobel Prize in PHysics in 1930 for his discovery. RAMAN spectroscopy focuses…
This article shows graphs made from data from Alberta, Canada. The graphs say a lot, and they show that people who get COVID shots are prone to get sick, hospitalized, or die from COVID-19 weeks or months after the shot. It has to do with the vaccine, antibody-dependent enhancement, and immune deficiency. Why is that?…
