Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nbwuw_LkAmg

The much touted hydroxychloroquine or HCQ does not appear to reduce infection severity or save lives.  This according to a newly pre-published French study of 181 patients with CoVid19 pneumonia.

The data shows that 20% of HCQ-treated patients versus 22% of non-treated patients required ICU care or died with 7 days of admission. Twenty-seven percent of treated patients versus 24% of the untreated developed acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS.  Three percent of HCQ-treated patients versus 4% of untreated died.  Nearly 10% of HCQ-treated patients stopped the drug due to cardiac complications.

More data will be forthcoming.  Just know that HCQ appears not to be a silver bullet.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.10.20060699v1.full.pdf

#covid19 #coronavirus #hydroxychloroquine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6pHfLHXvumo

BCG is a well-behaved version of the tuberculosis bacterium that incites a vigorous immune response to itself and appears to activate the body’s immune system to other germs as well.  Studies have shown that BCG vaccination drives a 70% reduction in adult respiratory tract infections and a 30-50% reduction in childhood mortality.  

The evidence that this cross-protective immune function can fight coronavirus is thin but intriguing.  Dutch and Japanese investigations show that longer CoVid death toll doubling times are associated with BCG vaccination. 

Several BCG vaccination studies are now underway led by researchers in the Netherlands, Australia, and Germany.  The crystal ball remains cloudy!

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928303

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.06.20055251v1.full.pdf

#covid19 #coronavirus #bcg

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Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/eSuVw_PTIxg

Your olfactory sense departs with virus arrival in your body yet returns completely in some 74% as infection wanes.  UC San Diego researchers report these findings after studying 59 CoVid positive and 203 CoVid negative patients.

The majority of those reporting sensory changes with infection suffered a profound loss of smell and taste with onset of infection.  Those with olfactory sense losses in addition to fever and vague flu symptoms were almost 11 times more likely to test CoVid positive than those without sensory loss.

The study authors argue that loss of these senses should be added to fever and cough as indications for CoVid testing.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/alr.22579

#covid #coronavirus #smell #taste #olfactory

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/QpBicOoBuE4

Those with inflammatory bowel disease who become symptomatic and test positive for CoVid19 should speak with their doctors about discontinuing their specialized IBD medications.  The American Gastroenterological Association recommends this step in their just-released guidelines.

Many of the anti-inflammatory medications including steroids, salicylates, immunosuppressant drugs such as azathioprine, methotrexate, and cyclosporine, and biologics such as adalimumab, infliximab, and golimumab could adversely impact your host defenses to the virus.  They could also ramp up aspects of the cytokines storm that attacks vital organs.

These medications and IBD itself do not appear to increase a persons risk of contracting the virus.  Continue your medications until your doctor says otherwise.

https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(20)30482-0/pdf

#ibd #covid19 #coronavirus #ulcerativecolitis #crohns

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/m2bW6n7NBKs

To safely reopen society during the CoVid era, we must all accept that vaccination and viral treatments are safe and effective.  Psychologists at Texas Tech now report the reasons some deny such lifesaving medical interventions.

The researchers surveyed 158 participants with profound negative feelings about vaccines: so-called vaccine deniers.  These individuals as a group tended to always overestimate the dangers including injury or death associated with a variety of conditions and events including cancer, childbirth, fireworks, and flooding.

Levels of pessimism and fear showed no association with education level.   Treatment deniers tend to seek out sources of negative information, and bad news travels farther than good.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X20302644?via%3Dihub#!

#covid #coronavirus #deniers #vaccines #therapy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/B_IQ53RXBrY

The South Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report at least 124 relapsed cases of CoVid19.  These are patients who tested positive, clinically recovered from the disease, tested virus-negative several times, but then redeveloped symptoms and positive tests.

This represents 1.1% of the 10,591 cases to date and 1.6% of the recovered cases.  We don’t yet know if these recurrently positive cases represent reinfected individuals or those with reactivating of the virus.  We await more information about patient’s antibody status and viral genetic fingerprints.

We have to learn about this new coronavirus.  Until we do, the only safe place is away from all but your closest family members.

https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-pandemic-more-cases-of-virus-reactivation-being-reported-in-recovered-patients-in-south-korea

#covid19 #coronavirus #reactivation #latency #reinfection

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZR0e2YI_Ka0

Does tapping, humming, slurping, and loud chewing drive you nuts?  You may have misophonia that is a real disorder with real differences in your brain wiring.

For years, many professionals doubted  the existence of this problem.   Then, after study by groups in Australia and the UK over the past decade, the annoyance by repetitive sounds has been found to be associated with changes in heart rate, skin conductivity, and neuronal activity in the brain’s frontal lobe and anterior insular cortex.  A few with this problem even develop heightened anger and a propensity for violence.

There is no cure, but knowledge is power.  Mindfulness and self-hypnosis may help.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31530-5

#misophonia #repetitivenoise #tapping #humming #chewing

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/p6cyIpN1eVE

Obese persons are 7 times more likely to require intubation and mechanical ventilation for a CoVid infection.  French researchers now report these results following their study of 124 CoVid patients admitted to intensive care.

More than three-quarters of these patients were overweight or obese.  Their disease severity increased with increasing weight from 150 lbs for a 5.5 foot person up to and beyond 210 lbs for a person of the same height.  

The CoVid threat will be with us awhile so get to a healthy weight.  You’ll feel a whole lot better knowing you’re protecting yourself against not only the virus but also against heart attack and stroke.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32271993

#covid #coronavirus #overweight #obesity #ventilator

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/V0dacU6ES1I

The FDA and DSD Merchandisers Inc. of Livermore CA is recalling Roasted-Salted Deluxe Mixed Nuts 10 oz. size.  This product may contain undeclared peanuts, a risk for peanut-allergic individuals.  If you have this product, return it to the point of purchase.  For more info, reach the company at 1-925-449-2044.

https://bit.ly/3aaPVIA

#recall #nuts #peanut #dsdmerchanisers

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/0FUbP57rlco

The FDA announces 3 more Korean Enoki Mushroom recalls.  The producers involved: Sun Hong Foods of Montebello, CA;  Guan’s Mushroom Co. of Commerce, CA; H&C Food Inc. Of Brooklyn, NY.

Recall reason: contamination with Listeria.  Ingesting this organism triggers high fevers, severe headaches, stiffness, nauseas, abdominal pain and diarrhea.  Pregnant women may miscarry or have a stillborn baby.

Do not eat these mushrooms.  Throw them away and sanitize all surfaces they have touched.

Sun Hong: CA, TX, OR, WA, TX, IL, FL.  Company: 1-323-597-1112.

Guan’s: CA, NY, PA.  Company: 1-323-223-1188.

H&C Food Inc.   Company: 1-718-821-5188.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/sun-hong-foods-inc-recalls-enoki-mushroom-because-possible-health-risk

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/guans-mushroom-co-recalls-enoki-because-possible-health-risk

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/hc-food-inc-recalls-enoki-mushroom-because-possible-health-risk

#recall #mushrooms #enoki #listeria #sunhong #guans #handc