COVID news & more, 6/15/24
KP.3 is now the most common variant causing infection in the United States, but newcomer LB.1 is also growing. KP.3 is causing COVID waves around the world as well.
From https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions
Walgreen’s COVID testing shows that positivity in their store testing sites is up 4.2% this week for the entire nation. Across the U.S., emergency department visits for COVID are up 16.2% for the most recent week reported, but E.R. test positivity is only at 4.5%.
The wastewater data from this week was a bit confusing because of some inconsistencies in reporting. The CDC reports that US wastewater is at the “LOW” level, but the West and the South are higher than the national average. National SARS-CoV-2 data from Sara Anne Willette shows that Hawaii wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2 is still “VERY HIGH”. Florida levels are “SUBSTANTIAL”, followed by California, Vermont, Alaska and Idaho which are right behind at a “MODERATE” level.
In his June 14 update, JP Weiland states that there is an “8% increase this week. Hawaii continues to be near their highest levels in over a year. Continental US at low levels [of COVID infections], but the West Coast and Florida are at medium” levels. Approximately 1 in every 155 people is currently infected with COVID on a national level.
From JP Weiland: https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1801711110636376494
Wastewater levels in different states:
From National SARS-CoV-2 data from Sara Anne Willette: https://iowacovid19tracker.org/
Wastewater SCAN reports that nationally there has been an upward trend over the last 21 days and that there is a medium concentration of SARS-CoV-2 at the national level. As of Friday 6/14/24, the highest SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels in the nation in PMMoV are:
Brunswick, ME at 2346 PMMoV
Honolulu at 2282 PMMoV
Concord NH at 1717 PMMoV
Oceanside, San Francisco, CA at 1715 PMMoV
San Rafael CA at 1482 PMMoV
Ithaca NY at 1402 PMMoV
South Parker CO at 1137 PMMoV
Boise ID at 1108 PMMoV
Novato CA at 1081 PMMoV
Orange Co FL at 1031 PMMoV
New Orleans at 837 PMMoV
In the Bay Area, Palo Alto, San Jose, and Sunnyvale wastewater sheds are at the “HIGH” level for COVID, and Gilroy is at the “MEDIUM” level according to the Santa Clara county website. However, looking at the California statewide view on Wastewater SCAN, we see that levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus in PMMoV are much lower in Palo Alto (368 PMMoV), San Jose (327 PMMoV), San Mateo county (290 PMMoV) than in other places like Oceanside, San Francisco (1715 PMMoV) or San Rafael (1482 PMMoV). Marin is at the MEDIUM level, but is increasing overall.
Variants
In Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Hawaii and Australia, KP.3 (the “FLuQE” variant) is driving a significant COVID wave. According to Kei Sato, deFLiRT variants LB.1 and KP.2.3 exhibited higher pseudovirus infectivity in the lab and more robust immune resistance than KP.2. But, pseudovirus studies do not always translate into real world findings, so we will have to wait to see if either of them will push out KP.3.
Vaccines
On Thursday, the FDA changed its recommendation to COVID vaccine manufacturers telling them to use KP.2 for the Fall 2024 vaccine formulas instead of JN.1 if possible. This makes a lot of sense since KP.2 [JN.1 + F456L + R346T mutations] is expected to protect better against all of the newer variants that contain F456L mutations. Basing the vaccines on an older variant (JN.1) would not be expected to protect against the newer variants as well. Moderna and Pfizer will be able to change their vaccine formula to use the KP.2 antigen because of the agility of mRNA vaccines.
Novavax will supply JN.1 protein-based vaccines because those take at least 6 months to make. Novavax put out a statement that they hope to have their JN.1 COVID vaccine available in pre-filled syringes for US distribution by mid-July. They also stated that in non-human primates, their JN.1 vaccine provided good protection against KP.2 and KP.3 in animals that had received the XBB.1.5 vaccine previously.
A new study shows that the more symptoms (chills, malaise and headache) that a person got after their second dose of the COVID vaccine, the more long-lasting neutralizing antibodies they produced. Increased heart rate and temperature after the vaccine was also associated with higher levels of neutralizing antibodies made.
The common cold is caused by endemic coronaviruses (eCoVs), including human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43). Researchers found that prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 protected against the OC43 virus infection, but that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination did not. Prior COVID infection caused CD8+ T cell responses against two eCoV proteins, nsp12 and nsp13. COVID vaccination did not produce these T cell responses. Other studies have shown the reverse- that high levels of HCoV-OC43-nucleocapsid antibodies from infection with the common cold coronavirus OC43 can provide some protection against SARS-CoV-2. These clues can give us insight into pancoronavirus vaccines.
Moderna is planning to offer a combination COVID and Flu vaccine in 2025. The combination vaccine was found to be more effective than existing standalone shots for those viruses in a late-stage clinical trial.
Masks
North Carolina’s House of Representatives passed a mask ban bill this week with a health exemption. According to the Herald Sun, “The bill arose out of Republican concerns over Black Lives Matter and pro-Palestinian protesters wearing masks during marches and demonstrations. Its justification is that restricting masks will make it easier for police to identify protesters who engage in obstructive, destructive or violent behavior.” The bill will now allow people to wear medical masks to prevent the spread of contagious disease, but added language stating that “on public or private properties, like at grocery stores or at a workplace, people can be required to remove masks if requested.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news conference that she is also considering a ban on masks in the NYC subway because of worries about crime. Dr. Stella Safo and Lucky Tran responded on Twitter that mask bans will not stop crime, but will put people at risk of airborne pathogens like COVID.
Pediatrics
In a study of 3,568 patients under age 18 from ten countries who were hospitalized with acute SARS-CoV-2 or with MIS-C, severe neurological manifestations like acute encephalopathy, seizures, and delirium were prevalent, leading to new neurocognitive impairments at hospital discharge. Although not as many children are hospitalized with COVID infections as adults, the rates of new onset severe neurological conditions were found to be 18.0% for children hospitalized with acute COVID infection and 24.8% for kids with MIS-C.
Paxlovid is approved for people age 12 and over, but it is not commonly prescribed in teenagers. In a target trial emulation study looking at 49,378 mostly vaccinated adolescents age 12 to 17, Paxlovid decreased all-cause hospitalization risk and no safety concerns were noted. The risk of hospitalization for 12 to 17 year olds was small, but it was statistically lower for the group that took Paxlovid (0.45%) as compared to controls (0.68%).
Long COVID
Last week, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a 250 page document for the Social Security Administration on long term health effects and disability caused by Long COVID. At the request of the White House, NASEM released a new document with a consensus definition of Long COVID. Until now, different government bodies (WHO, CDC, etc) had different definitions of Long COVID that varied in length of duration required and whether a positive COVID test was needed. The NASEM came up with 5 key elements on the definition of Long COVID which was summarized by Lisa McCorkell below.
“Long COVID is an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least 3 months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state that affects one or more organ systems.”
From Lisa McCorkell https://x.com/LisaAMcCorkell/status/1800578860670747045
On page 75 of the 2024 NASEM Long COVID Definition Implementation,Table 2 includes key considerations for clinicians on what should be evaluated in people with Long COVID.
Chief Data Scientist from the University of California healthcare system Atul Butte tweeted that researchers can now access deidentified data on 14,000 adults participating in Long COVID research through NIH RECOVER. The studies include data from 92,000 study visits at 79 locations throughout the United States in 2021 to 2023.
Post-viral syndromes, Long COVID & ME/CFS
This week, there was an excellent NEUROLOGY Podcast where Dr. Avindra Nath discussed Post-infectious Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (PI-ME/CFS), including Long COVID. He relayed that in PI-ME/CFS, there is a defect in B cells where they cannot switch from making IgM to IgG easily. This leads to problems with T cell maturation, so that T cells cannot respond to antigens well. The T cells become exhausted because of this. When cellular immunity (B cells and T cells) have issues, the innate immune system is triggered leading to release of cytokines and activation of macrophages. Dr. Nath spoke of possible treatments to assess in future clinical trials including checkpoint inhibitors to reverse T cell exhaustion and blocking specific cytokines that are elevated in PI-ME/CFS like TNF, IL-1 or IL-6.
Last week, there was an outstanding mega review of ME/CFS. The article reviews the probable predisposition and causes of ME/CFS, the complex pathophysiology of ME/CFS, Gut dysbiosis, Systemic inflammation, Redox imbalance and oxidative stress, Dysfunction of the vasculature, endothelium, and coagulation, Neuroinflammation, Impaired energy metabolism in ME/CFS, Hormonal alterations, Immune dysfunction, Autoimmunity, Management of ME/CFS, and future research recommendations.
H5N1 Avian Flu (HPAI)
This week, the USDA announced that more house mice and more cats have tested positive for H5N1. With the spread of bird flu H5N1 to more and more mammals, there are more chances for the virus to start infecting more humans as well. A new article in the NEJM shows that there is “ the potential for a relatively small but detectable quantity of HPAI A(H5N1) virus to remain infectious in milk after 15 seconds at 72°C if the initial titer is sufficiently high." Two weeks ago, it was reported in Science magazine that there are huge amounts of H5N1 influenza virus in raw milk. It is imperative that regulatory bodies test commercial milk to make sure that the pasteurization process is strong enough to kill off all H5N1 virus in milk. According to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, “Ultra-pasteurized means that the milk is heated to a minimum of 280°F for a minimum of 2 seconds. This temperature and time combination is much more lethal to bacteria, killing virtually all of concern. Ultra-pasteurized milk is also packaged under near sterile conditions.” Perhaps we should consider drinking ultra-pasteurized milk, although I could not find any studies on ultra-pasteurized milk and the H5N1 virus yet.
Other news
GLP-1 drug Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) was found to reduce Metabolic dysfunction–Associated SteatoHepatitis (MASH), also known as fatty liver, in a Phase 2 trial. A review of GLP-1 medications for obesity and for diabetes reported that GLP-1 drugs decrease major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart failure, kidney disease, and cardiovascular death and these drugs have been well studied in people with Type II diabetes showing that they are safe and effective.
The Supreme Court preserved access to Mifepristone pills for medical abortions this week. The state of Connecticut mandated that people be offered a chance to donate their endometriosis samples to a biorepository so that the disease can be better studied. An excellent review of mitochondrial function in health and in disease came out recently in Cell magazine.
People diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder were found to be 3-fold more likely to have Bartonella DNA in their blood. Bartonella is spread via fleas and ticks and animals that harbor them. Cat scratch disease is caused by Bartonella henselae. Eighteen types of Bartonella are known to infect humans. In this study of 116 people, they found Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, Bartonella quintana, Bartonella alsatica, and Bartonella rochalimae in some of the patients with psychosis.
A few weeks before her husband Robert died of a brain tumor, Karen Coffman won $1 Million on a scratcher. This was a great relief to Robert who had worried that she would not have enough money to live on after he was gone.
African elephants were discovered to call each other by unique names using low rumbling sounds that can be heard from a distance.
Lakota legend says that 2,000 years ago, a White Buffalo Calf Woman prophet brought the “Seven Sacred Rites” to the Lakota people. She told them that someday, when times are hard, prosperity shall return when a white buffalo calf with a black nose, black eyes, and black hooves appears. She also told them that they needed to take care of the earth. This week, a white buffalo calf, with a black nose, black eyes, and black hooves was born in Yellowstone National Park. An albino calf would have pink eyes, unlike this one. Photographer Erin Braaten was able to capture a photo of the white buffalo calf with its mother.
Photo by Erin Braaten
Have a good rest of your weekend,
Ruth Ann Crystal MD
COVID news notes:
US Variant tracker: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions
Variants around the world: https://outbreak.info/
World wastewater maps (reflects COVID cases): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/c778145ea5bb4daeb58d31afee389082
CDC COVID data tracker: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/index.html#datatracker-home
Walgreens positivity rate: https://www.walgreens.com/businesssolutions/covid-19-index.jsp
US Wastewater Monitoring:
CDC wastewater reporting: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html
CDC wastewater map: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html
National SARS-CoV-2 data from Sara Anne Willette: https://iowacovid19tracker.org/
Hawaii is still “VERY HIGH”. Florida is “SUBSTANTIAL”, followed by California, Vermont, Alaska and Idaho are right behind at “MODERATE”.
Wastewater SCAN on Twitter: https://x.com/WastewaterSCAN/status/1801390106609078652
Wastewater SCAN shows SARS-2 virus levels: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/
Brunswick, ME 2346 PMMoV
Honolulu 2282 PMMoV
Concord NH 1717 PMMoV
San Rafael CA 1482 PMMoV
Ithaca NY 1402 PMMoV
South Parker CO 1137 PMMoV
Boise ID 1108 PMMoV
Novato CA 1081 PMMoV
Orange Co FL 1031 PMMoV
New Orleans 837 PMMoV
Wastewater SCAN: California statewide view https://buff.ly/3YObiul
Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN) project by Stanford University:
Santa Clara County wastewater: https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboard-wastewater
Marin county: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/surveillance
CDC Forecasting of expected EPIDEMIC GROWTH of SARS-CoV-2: https://www.cdc.gov/forecast-outbreak-analytics/about/rt-estimates.html
JP Weiland:
6/14/24 JP Weiland Update https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1801711110636376494
June 14th update:
8% increases this week. Hawaii continues to be near their highest levels in over a year. Continental US at low levels, but west coast/Florida at medium.
~215,000 new infections/day
1 in every 155 people currently infected
2.4x lower than 12 month avg.
Variants: FLiRT for most of the US, KP.3* in Hawaii and possibly the west coast. Data is sparce these days.
Variants
6/9/24 Mike Honey: https://x.com/Mike_Honey_/status/1799799645641847161
It looks like "FLuQE" KP.3 is driving this wave in Spain. The same variant has been driving a sharp wave in Australia recently.
Madrid, Spain
6/11/24https://www.comunidad.madrid/sites/default/files/doc/sanidad/epid/informe_epidemiologico_semanal.pdf
Incidence of suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection per week and area of care. 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons in Madrid
Primary care (Atención primaria)
Hospital admissions (Ingresos hospitalarios)
In Madrid, Spain, hospitalizations for COVID now (red) have exceeded 2022-2023 hospitalizations (blue bars).
Portugal
6/12/24 https://x.com/RPLerias/status/1801002086793891927
KP.3 driving the recent large wave of COVID-19 in Portugal.
Taiwan
6/12/24 Taipei Times: Hospitalizations from COVID-19 rise 25% per the Taiwanese CDC https://buff.ly/4aYszFv
Thailand
6/10/24 Bangkok Times: Covid infections see sharp rise in Thailand https://buff.ly/4bUl5ot
Scotland, UK: https://x.com/Mike_Honey_/status/1801005708546072823
6/9/24 BioRxiV (Kei Sato lab): Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 KP.3, LB.1 and KP.2.3 variants https://buff.ly/3yVNHPs
LB.1 and KP.2.3 exhibited higher pseudovirus infectivity and more robust immune resistance than KP.2.
Pediatrics
6/10/24 JAMA: Severe Pediatric Neurological Manifestations With Acute SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalization and Morbidities https://buff.ly/3VCvj73
In a study of 3,568 patients under 18 hospitalized with acute SARS-CoV-2 or MIS-C across 10 countries, severe neurological manifestations like acute encephalopathy, seizures, and delirium were prevalent, leading to new neurocognitive or functional impairments at discharge. The rates of these new severe neurological conditions were found to be 18.0% for COVID-19 and 24.8% for MIS-C.
6/8/24 Nature (U of Hong Kong): Effectiveness of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in children and adolescents aged 12–17 years following SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection: A target trial emulation https://buff.ly/4bTxMQl
In a target trial emulation study looking at 49,378 mostly vaccinated adolescents age 12 to 17, Paxlovid decreased all-cause hospitalization risk and no safety concerns were noted. The risk of hospitalization for 12 to 17 year olds was statistically lower for the group that took Paxlovid (0.45%) vs controls (0.68%).
Hospitalization was lower for adolescents who took Paxlovid.
Vaccines
6/13/24 The FDA Updates Advice to Manufacturers of COVID-19 Vaccines (2024-2025 Formula):
If Feasible Use KP.2 Strain of JN.1-Lineage https://buff.ly/3KEBeCt
6/14/24 Novavax Submits Application to U.S. FDA for Updated Protein-based 2024-2025 Formula COVID-19 Vaccine https://buff.ly/45xxCvG
Novavax intends to have doses of its vaccine in pre-filled syringes in the U.S. for distribution by mid-July.
Novavax's updated JN.1 COVID-19 vaccine is active against current circulating strains, including KP.2 and KP.3.
Nonclinical data have demonstrated that Novavax's JN.1 vaccine induces broad neutralization responses to JN.1 lineage viruses including those containing the F456L and R346T mutations, and to "FLiRT" and "FLuQE" variants.2,4,5 Novavax's vaccine also produces conserved polyfunctional, Th1-biased CD4+ T cell responses to a range of JN.1 lineage variants.
Novavax data for FDA meeting 6/5/24: https://www.fda.gov/media/179143/download
Novavax in Non-Human Primates (monkeys):
6/12/24 Science: Heterotypic immunity from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection but not COVID-19 vaccination associates with lower endemic coronavirus incidence https://buff.ly/45DLc0F
Endemic coronaviruses (eCoVs), including HCoV-OC43, can cause the common cold. The authors found that prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 protected against the OC43 virus infection, but that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination did not. Looking further as to what was responsible for this, the authors found that prior COVID infection caused CD8+ T cell responses against two eCoV proteins, nsp12 and nsp13. COVID vaccination did not produce these T cell responses.
These data suggest that CD8+ T cell responses against conserved proteins may confer protection against a broad array of coronaviruses.
10/21/2022 iScience: Recent infection with HCoV-OC43 may be associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection https://buff.ly/3xrxMb5
Our results indicate that the high levels of HCoV-OC43-nucleocapsid antibodies, as an indicator of a recent infection, are associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection; this supports and informs efforts to develop pancoronavirus vaccines.
6/11/24 Annals of Internal Medicine: COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects and Long-Term Neutralizing Antibody Response: A Prospective Cohort Study https://buff.ly/3KImMck
In 2021, the more symptoms such as chills, malaise and headache that a person got after their second dose of the COVID vaccine, the more long-lasting neutralizing antibodies they produced. Increased heart rate and temperature after the vaccine was also associated with higher levels of neutralizing antibodies made.
“Chills, tiredness, feeling unwell, and headache after the second dose were each associated with 1.4 to 1.6 fold higher nAB at 1 and 6 months after vaccination.
Each 1 °C increase in skin temperature after dose 2 was associated with 1.8 fold higher nAB 1 month later and 3.1 fold higher nAB 6 months later.
Short-term systemic side effects of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination are associated with greater long-lasting nAB responses. This may be relevant in addressing negative attitudes toward vaccine side effects, which are a barrier to vaccine uptake.”
6/10/24 NBC: Moderna's combination Covid, flu vaccine is more effective than existing shots in late-stage trial https://buff.ly/4cxzmaD
Moderna said its combination vaccine targeting Covid and the flu was more effective than existing standalone shots for those viruses in a late-stage trial. The shots will not be available until 2025.
Antiviral treatments including Masks
6/12/24 NY Governor Kathy Hochul said on CNN last night that she is considering a ban on masks because of worries about crime.
6/14/24 https://x.com/AmmahStarr/status/1801639385957314930
6/13/24 https://x.com/luckytran/status/1801342664702628264
6/11/24 Mother Jones: North Carolina House passes revised mask ban https://buff.ly/3z0tFTU
"Last week, the House of Representatives modified the bill to allow “a medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease,” keeping some aspects of the health exemption for mask-wearing. But, on public or private properties, like at grocery stores or at a workplace, people can be required to remove masks if requested."
6/12/24 Herald Sun: Despite tweaks, NC’s mask bill could still limit infection protection https://buff.ly/3VpI9Ei
Dudek said: “This bill added language that gives anyone who is in the same space as me, whether it is in a public or private location, the right to request that I remove my mask to show them my face.”
Long COVID
Last week, the NASEM released a 250 page document for the Social Security Administration on long term health effects and disability caused by Long COVID.
NASEM: Long-Term Health Effects Stemming from COVID-19 and Implications for the Social Security Administration
This week, NASEM put out another document with a consensus definition for Long COVID.
6/11/24 @LisaAMcCorkell https://x.com/LisaAMcCorkell/status/1800578860670747045
Lisa McCorkell tweeted: 5 Key Elements of the New NASEM #LongCovid Definition More in the report here (definition on page 28):
P.29 NASEM 2024 Long COVID Definition
P. 75 Table 2, 2024 NASEM Long COVID Definition Implementation, Checklist for Clinicians
6/14/24 Atul Butte https://x.com/atulbutte/status/1801749710006276317
Researchers can now access data from @NIH RECOVER: secure data from 14000+ adults in Long COVID studies through @NIH_NHLBI BioData Catalyst. 92,000 study visits collected between Oct. 29, 2021-Sept. 15, 2023 at 79 locations throughout US. #opendata
NIH RECOVER makes long COVID data easier to access https://buff.ly/4b6aw1f
Deidentified data from thousands of adults with long COVID are now available to researchers.
Long COVID questionnaire https://mylongcovid.org.uk/my-long-covid-needs
6/7/24 International Journal of Obesity: Associations between obesity, a composite risk score for probable Long COVID, and sleep problems in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals https://buff.ly/4aX3FpE
6/7/24 JAMA: How Common Is Long COVID? https://buff.ly/3VceY7P
Evidence Mounts That About 7% of US Adults Have Had Long COVID
6/9/24 Ziyad Al-Aly
Residual risk of new health problems still remains 3 years after COVID infection
https://x.com/zalaly/status/1799918941785174173
Post-viral syndromes, Long COVID & ME/CFS
6/6/24 NEUROLOGY® PODCAST interviews Dr. Avindra Nath
on Post-infectious Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (PI-ME/CFS)
Excellent podcast. I highly recommend it.
https://x.com/bhanlon15/status/1800170832981090466
Open Medicine Foundation registry to recruit people with Chronic Complex Diseases like ME/CFS, Long COVID, Fibromyalgia, and other post-infection illnesses for clinical studies. https://studypages.com/s/the-omf-studyme-registry-207141/
6/2/2024 Frontiers in Immunology: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: the biology of a neglected disease https://buff.ly/3KryIPB
Amazing Mega Review of ME/CFS.
Gut Dysbiosis
Figure 5 The effects of the altered gut composition in ME/CFS
Neuroinflammation
Figure 10 Disruption of the blood-brain barrier, the translocation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and chronic activation of various non-neuronal cells contribute to neuroinflammatory mechanisms in ME/CFS (45, 47, 52, 201, 251, 354, 355).
Figure 13: Potential therapies that could be beneficial in the treatment of ME/CFS
H5N1
6/14/24 NEJM: Inactivation of Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Raw Milk at 63°C and 72°C https://buff.ly/3KKMXPI
"This finding indicates the potential for a relatively small but detectable quantity of HPAI A(H5N1) virus to remain infectious in milk after 15 seconds at 72°C if the initial titer is sufficiently high."
International Dairy Food Association: Pasteurization
https://www.idfa.org/pasteurization
“Pasteurization is a process, named after scientist Louis Pasteur, that applies heat to destroy pathogens in foods. For the dairy industry, the terms "pasteurization," "pasteurized" and similar terms mean the process of heating every particle of milk or milk product, in properly designed and operated equipment, to one of the temperatures given in the following chart and held continuously at or above that temperature for at least the corresponding specified time”:
Cornell CALS https://cals.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2023-04/pasteurization-fact-sheet-v1.pdf
“Ultra-pasteurized” means that the milk is heated to a minimum of 280°F for a minimum of 2 seconds. This temperature and time combination is much more lethal to bacteria, killing virtually all of concern. Ultra-pasteurized milk is also packaged under near sterile conditions, which makes recontamination of spoilage bacteria rare. While ultra-pasteurized milk is processed to be free of spoilage and harmful bacteria, it’s not considered sterile because it is not hermetically sealed (i.e. canned).
6/13/24 Wastewater SCAN H5N1: https://x.com/WastewaterSCAN/status/1801390110765683105
6/12/24 Michael Mina https://x.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1801027083289686487
Up to Date H5N1 data from Sara Anne Willette https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/sara.anne.willette/viz/USWastewaterSCANViralActivity/HPAIviaUSDA
Other news:
6/6/24 Diabetes Journal (Daniel Drucker): Efficacy and Safety of GLP-1 Medicines for Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity https://buff.ly/4ba8CLT
Review of GLP-1 medications
Figure 4: The future of GLP-1 medicines encompasses a multiagonist approach. Among the various receptors and pathways targeted by new emerging medicines (in combination with GLP-1RAs that target the GLP1R) are ACVR2 (activin receptor type 2A), the apelin receptor (APLNR), the amylin receptor (AMLNR), the glucagon receptor (GCGR), the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR), the glucagon-like peptide 2 receptor (GLP2R), and the neuropeptide Y2 receptor (NPY2R). The envisioned directional benefits of targeting these additional receptors for end organ pathophysiology are summarized in pictorial manner.
6/8/24 NEJM: Tirzepatide for Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatohepatitis with Liver Fibrosis https://buff.ly/4ezW8R1
Tirzepatide is an agonist of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1). Tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a progressive liver disease associated with liver-related complications and death.
In this phase 2 trial involving participants with MASH and moderate or severe fibrosis, treatment with tirzepatide for 52 weeks was more effective than placebo with respect to resolution of MASH without worsening of fibrosis.
6/10/24 Science: ‘A watershed moment’ for a shadow disease: first state-mandated endometriosis biorepository launches in Connecticut https://buff.ly/45meqkd
“It’s the first time that a governmental body in the U.S. has determined that endometriosis is a priority worth legislating around—a priority worth funding.”
Endometriosis affects roughly one in 10 women causing pain, scarring and infertility. Women can consent to donate endometriosis tissue if they choose.
6/13/24 AP: Unanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication Mifepristone https://buff.ly/3RrYFCz
6/7/24 Neuroscience News: Cat Scratch Bacteria Bartonella Linked to Psychosis https://buff.ly/4ck0x8H
People diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder are 3-fold more likely to have Bartonella DNA in their blood. Bartonella is spread via fleas and ticks and animals that harbor them. Cat scratch disease is caused by Bartonella henselae. Eighteen types of Bartonella are known to infect humans. In this study of 116 people, they found Bartonella henselae (11/18), Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (6/18), Bartonella quintana (2/18), Bartonella alsatica (1/18), and Bartonella rochalimae (1/18) in some patients with psychosis.
5/23/24 Cell: Mitochondria at the crossroads of health and disease https://buff.ly/4ccZuav
Fantastic review of mitochondria function and disease states.
Figure 2 Multifaceted mitochondrial contributions to cellular homeostasis
(A) Mitochondria produce cofactors and metabolites to cells and tissues, as well as releasing them as systemic signals to tune metabolism. Mitochondria are also a storage site for metals and contain high amounts of B-vitamin derivatives (folates, NAD-forms) and the redox-regulator glutathione.
(B) Mitochondrial-cytoplasmic folate- and one-carbon cycle. Mitochondria have an essential role in providing forms of folate for the major biosynthetic, anabolic pathways that provide growth components for the whole cell.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00463-X
6/14/24 AP: Her dying husband worried she'd have money troubles. Then she won the lottery https://buff.ly/4b5unwH
A few weeks before her husband died of a brain tumor, Karen Coffman won $1 Million on a scratcher.
6/11/24 AP: Reported birth of rare white buffalo calf in Yellowstone park fulfills Lakota prophecy https://buff.ly/3VEeN6q
“The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe who cautioned that it’s also a signal that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals.”
The calf is not albino as it does not have pink eyes.
"Lakota legend says about 2,000 years ago — when nothing was good, food was running out and bison were disappearing — White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared, presented a bowl pipe and a bundle to a tribal member, taught them how to pray and said that the pipe could be used to bring buffalo to the area for food. As she left, she turned into a white buffalo calf.
“And some day when the times are hard again,” Looking Horse said in relating the legend, “I shall return and stand upon the earth as a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves.”
Photo by Erin Braaten
6/10/24 AP: African elephants call each other by unique names, new study shows https://buff.ly/4aT08IZ
African elephants call each other by unique names using low rumbling sounds that can be heard at a distance.
“It’s extremely rare for wild animals to call each other by unique names. Humans have names, of course, and our dogs come when their names are called. Baby dolphins invent their own names, called signature whistles, and parrots may also use names.” African elephants make specific low rumblings for names that they can hear from a distance.
Photo by Clive Kim
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