Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ktohxp3nfBc

The CPSC and Commencal now recall Commencal Ramones 14-Inch Bicycles.  These bikes are equipped with only handbrakes while federal regulations require that any children’s bicycles of 25 inch or lower height be equipped with both footbrakes and handbrakes.  Kids may not have sufficient strength to stop the bike with the handbrakes alone leading to crash and injury hazards.  About 925 bicycles were sold online at commencalusa.com.  Stop your children from using these bikes and contact Commencal Corp. 1-844-884-9085 to receive a free repair kit.  Presumably the company will pay for the cost of brake installation at your bicycle shop.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Commencal-Recalls-Ramones-14-Inch-Kids-Bicycles-Due-to-Crash-Hazard-Recall-Alert

#commencal #ramones #children #bicycles #brakes #crash #injury #recall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Nfsh2b3JvSw

The CPSC and tonies are recalling tonies wooden blocks with internal  magnets.  If accidentally swallowed, two of the magnetic blocks could attract to one another leading to intestinal perforations, obstruction, twisting, infection, and possible death.  About 4200 of these blocks were sold online at ponies.com.  Immediately take these blocks away from your children.  Contact tonies by phone at 1-877-397-7898 or via email at [email protected] or online at tonies.happyreturns.com to request a prepaid mailer to return the product for a refund and an additional $14.99 coupon for use on the tonies web store.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Boxine-U-S-Recalls-tonies-Blocks-Due-to-Magnet-Ingestion-Hazard-Sold-Exclusively-at-tonies-com-Recall-Alert

#tonies #magnet #sblocks #gastrointestinal #perforation #obstruction #recall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/U17wLGctSQE

Short Shorts are cutting edge medical and healthcare discoveries not quite ready for the clinic.  They’re worth knowing about now during the 5th week of March, 2022.

Alpacas produce unique antibody fragments known as nanobodies that capably neutralize a wider variety of CoVid variants than the antibodies triggered by our current vaccines.  Microbiologists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute show that these nanobodies are not only potent but are easily produced in large quantities.  This makes them very promising therapeutic candidates for squelching CoVid variants as they pop up in a biological whack-a-mole fashion.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27610-z

The artificial sweeteners aspartame, better known as NutraSweet and Equal, and acesulfame-K, marketed as Sweet One and Sunett, are associated with a 13% increased risk of cancer in general and a 22% increased risk of breast cancer in particular.  Check which artificial sweeteners are in the foods you eat and avoid these.

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003950

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic have developed a new and better method for cryopreserving pancreatic islet cells for later transplantation into diabetics.  Traditional cooling and storage requires use of these cells within 2 to 3 days making it difficult to pool the cells from multiple donors necessary for a successful transplant.  The novel cryomesh system strains out excess fluids prior to rapid freezing yielding 87-90% survival rates following thawing, even after up to 8 months of storage.  These cells pool well.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01718-1

An experimental treatment that harnesses immunity to tetanus helps kill pancreatic cancer cells and stops them from metastasizing.  These cancer cells are normally adept at hiding from the immune system.  Immunologists at New York’s Albert Einstein Cancer Center now show that a listeria bacterial vector can transfer the tetanus toxoid gene into pancreatic cancer cells.  Once the cancer cells begin expressing tetanus antigens, already existing and relatively ferocious killer T cells directed against tetanus begin attacking and killing them.  This works in mice and will be undergoing human trials.  The tetanus trick may also help kill other difficult-to-treat neoplasms such as ovarian cancer.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abc1600

#alpacas #antibodies #nanobodies #aspartame #acesulfameK #cancer #breastcancer  #diabetes #isletcells #cryopreservation #tetanus #immunotherapy #pancreatic #breast #cancer

alpacas, antibodies, nanobodies, aspartame, acesulfameK, cancer, breastcancer , diabetes, isletcells, cryopreservation, tetanus, immunotherapy, pancreatic, breast, cancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/IbK5Zir0XuE

Verapamil, prescribed as the generic and the branded drugs Calan, Isoptin,and Verelan, reduces a diabetic’s daily need for insulin by diminishing the autoimmunity that damages insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells.  Endocrinologists at the University of Alabama-Birmingham had conducted a small phase 2 study of verapamil in type 1 diabetics and found that daily verapamil therapy for 1 or 2 years lowers the requirement for injected insulin.

They report that verapamil works by reducing the production of chromogranin A, CHGA for short, that serves to drive up the proinflammatory molecules which damage islet cells and reduce their ability to produce insulin.  The continued use of  verapamil drives the levels of CHGA down to those seen in non-diabetic controls.  Once the verapamil is discontinued, though, levels of CHGA increase once again with reduced islet cell function and the need for additional injectable insulin.  The studies also show that verapamil diminishes destructive cell-mediated autoimmune reactions.

The investigators look to the future for larger and longer-term controlled trials of verapamil as an agent that not only reduces the need for insulin injections but also stops the progression of diabetes or prevents it entirely.  More good news: even though the treated diabetics had normal blood pressure, the verapamil did not depress their blood pressures unduly.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28826-3

#verapamil #diabetes #chga #autoimmunity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ehgO02UzQL8

Those CoVid-infected patients with blood group O were more than 4 times more likely than non-Group O patients to develop symptoms of long CoVid.  Spanish investigators report this finding after analyzing 121 subjects who suffered mild CoVid infections.  Of the total, 36 had developed post-CoVid syndrome.  The study period covered April to September, 2020 when the original CoVid strain was predominant.

The group studied had a mean age of 45.7 years and 56.2% of them were women.  Those with blood group O represented 43.3% of the total.  The prevalence of long CoVid by blood group was: 43.2% -O; 25% -A; 25% - B; and 16.7% - AB.   Blood group O patients were 4.2 times more likely to have long CoVid compared with non-O patients, suffered a larger number of symptoms particularly muscle pain, had more inflammatory markers, and had lower levels of protective antibodies.

This result is somewhat surprising, since other studies have shown that Group O persons are less likely to contract CoVid.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.10.22272197v3.full.pdf+html

#CoVid #ABOgroups #groupO #longCovid #pcs

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/4g52McjiHqk

Drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, fewer dangerous heart rhythms, and more healthy years of life.  These conclusions come from a series of studies to be presented at the upcoming American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions.

Two to three cups of coffee a day were the sweet spot of consumption for a 10-15% lower risk of developing coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrthymias, and death.  Coffee drinking even helps those who already have heart disease with a lower risk of dying. Then too, coffee drinkers with atrial fibrillation did not experience coffee-driven exacerbations of that problem with a daily cup of coffee but rather a 20% lower risk of death.  The benefits of coffee were associated with consumption of either brewed or instant coffee.

These studies show that heart benefits have a U-shaped relationship to coffee drinking.  This emphasizes that, as with most interventions, moderation is the best policy.

https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2022/03/25/17/36/Coffee-a-Day-May-Benefit-the-Heart-acc-2022

#coffee #heartdisease #atrialfibrillation #death

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/EgasQoFohj4

A 4th shot of Pfizer vaccine versus only 3 shots improves your protection against a breakthrough infection by up to 64% and your protection against a severe or deadly infection by about 73%.  Israeli investigators report these results after analyzing the effect of vaccination and boosts in 97,499 persons over the age of 60 from January 10th to March 13th, 2022 while Omicron was in predominance.

Looking at the additional protective effect against a breakthrough infection of the 2nd booster compared with only vaccination and one booster, it peaks during the 3rd week following inoculation at 64% but then declines from the 4th to the 9th week to an additional protective effect of 29%.  The 4th shot protection was better in both degree and longevity against a severe or deadly infection peaking at 86% by 6 weeks after the shot and persisting at or above that level through the 9th week post-inoculation.

The 4th shot is a must for older persons and those with complicating medical problems.  Now that the FDA has now given final approval for the 4th shot of Pfizer or Moderna for anyone over 50 years and for the immune compromised 12 years and above, if you qualify be certain to get this booster if its been more than 4 to 5 months since your 3rd or 2nd shot.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.24.22272835v1.full.pdf+html

#CoVid #pfizer #vaccination #boosters #fourthshot 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/WcL5hqXlq-Q

Short Shorts are cutting edge medical and healthcare discoveries not quite ready for the clinic.  They’re worth knowing about now during the 4th week of March, 2022.

The FDA and Pfizer have just issued a flash recall for the blood pressure drug Accuretic, the brand for a quinapril/hydrochlorthazide combo.  The drug contains unacceptable levels of a nitrosamine which may be carcinogenic.  If you take this drug, call your pharmacy to see if your lot is affected and to get a replacement.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USFDA/bulletins/31018cd

Hope for an anti-CoVid antibody that capably neutralizes past and future variants and sub-variants is increased by two teams of researchers.  One team in Alabama and Texas, and the other in Switzerland, France, and Belgium.   Both teams identified antibodies from recovered CoVid patients directed against the a part of the coronavirus spike that rarely varies yet is critical for viral replication.  While the usual antibodies are directed against the mutating receptor binding domain at the spike head, these new antibodies are directed against a site on the stalk of the spike that varies little.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.05.483133v1

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.18.484873v1.full.pdf+html

From Canada’s University of Waterloo comes a novel form of MRI imaging that lights up cancerous tissues to differentiate them from normal, healthy tissue.  Called synthetic correlated diffusion imaging, it allows cancers to light up because water molecules within cancer cells move differently than they do in normal cells.  The technique successfully identified cancerous prostate tumors.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06872-7

CoVid vaccination does not adversely affect the results of IVF.  An Israeli study compared 200 vaccinated women with 200 controls and found no differences in the number of eggs retrieved per cycle and fertilization rates.  Comparing 128 vaccinated women with 133 untaxed, the pregnancy rates were almost identical at 32.8% vs 33.1%.

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(22)00144-3/pdf

Triple negative breast cancer spreads rapidly, kills many younger women, and is difficult to conquer with usually successful immunotherapy.  These cancer cells wipe themselves clean of the antigens the immune system needs to recognize and kill them.  Spanish oncologists now show that gene therapy using mRNA turns on production of the so-called LCOR that facilitates tumor antigen expression on the cell surface.  This technique opens the door for more effective breast cancer i

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/B1f61kbDUtk

Moderna now announces that two 25 ug doses of its mRNA vaccine triggers a robust anti-CoVid antibody response in children 6 months to 6 years of age without creating significant side effects including the worrisome myocarditis.  Comparing the antibody levels induced with those measured in Moderna-vaccinated young adults, they were the same for children 2 to 6 years and 30% greater for children 6 months to 2 years.

The vaccine efficiency for preventing any CoVid infection, mainly Omicron, was 44% for the infant-toddler group and 38% for the 2 to 6 year olds.  hese are similar to the infection-prevention stats for older subjects.  Since all infections that occurred were mild, no vaccine efficiencies for prevention of serious or deadly CoVid could be calculated.

Moderna plans to ramp up its vaccine availability for American children and teens by obtaining Emergency Use Authorizations for all ages 6 months to 18 years.  Children would be able to receive both primary vaccinations and boosters of its current vaccine against the original CoVid and a new vaccine that immunizes against the original CoVid and Omicron.  Dosing will vary by age group: 25 ug for the youngest, 50 ug for the 6 to 12 year olds, and 100 ug for 12 years and older.  Boosters will contain less.

The Moderna vaccine is already approved for children 6 to 18 years in Australia, Canada and the EU and also for those 12 to 18 in the UK, Switzerland, and other countries.

https://investors.modernatx.com/news/news-details/2022/Moderna-Announces-its-COVID-19-Vaccine-Phase-23-Study-in-Children-6-Months-to-Under-6-Years-Has-Successfully-Met-Its-Primary-Endpoint/default.aspx

#moderna #CoVid #vaccination #booster #infants #toddlers #children #teens

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/dup-6K7RxQ4

Taking a daily cocoa supplement may reduce your chance of dying from cardiovascular disease by 27%.  Preventive medicine investigators at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study in which 420 persons took a commercially available cocoa extract supplement each day for 3.6 years.  Each of the Mars Edge CocoaVia capsules contained 500 mg of flavanols.  A control group of 456 consumed a multivitamin on a daily basis.

Besides having a reduced risk of death, those taking the Mars CocoaVia supplement had a 13% lower risk of heart attacks, a 9% lower risk of stroke, and overall a 10% lower risk of all cardiovascular events.  Only the reduced risk of death was statistically significant.

The researchers stop short of making a blanket recommendation to use the supplement citing the need for more work.  If you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, there is nothing wrong with using this supplement.  It’s not cheap, though, as a one month supply is about $40.

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqac055/6548186

https://amzn.to/35aNcmc

#cocoa #cardiovasculardisease #stroke #mars #cocoavia