Debunking the notion that boosters don't reduce Omicron symptomatic infections. Another new study from Qatar shows they are halved medrxiv.org/content/10.110… matched >400,000 people with mRNA vaccines 2 vs 3-dose
Booster vaccine effectiveness vs Omicron infections 62% (2 dose 32%) @UKHSA in people without Prior Covid assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
and higher with Prior Covid, hybrid immunity, as seen in all studies
Since the booster protection vs Delta symptomatic infections was 95% and vs Omicron it is ~50%, that is a 10-fold increase in breakthroughs
Which is why there is the misperception that there is no booster protection from infections or transmission w/ Omicron
*when there is*
They are cut in half; 90% vs hospitalizations
I watched @billmaher and @bariweiss last night @RealTimers and it is so obvious they are not in touch with the data and, unfortunately, propagating misinformation
Adding this important study, the largest household (~12,000) contact study for Omicron and Delta infections and *impact of booster* (3rd) dose vaccination:
Infections were reduced OR 0.54, CI 0.40-0.71)
Transmission risk reduced OR: 0.72, CI: 0.56-0.92) medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
First post of this thread, Figure label correction by authors (Moderna, panel B, not Pfizer in both panels)
And full discussion of these findings erictopol.substack.com/p/where-do-we-…
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A paper on microplastics accumulating in the brain was just published @NatureMedicine, open-access
I review the background and major implications in a new Ground Truths edition (link in my profile)nature.com/articles/s4159…
The human brain:
—had 7-30 times more accumulation of microparticles (MPs) than the liver or kidney (organs with previously documented high propensity)
—from people with dementia had 5X accumulation of MPs compared with non-dementia
—there was a marked increase of accumulation over recent years
Three new @NEJM reports on #H5N1 today 1. An overview by @MichaelGIsonMD and @DrJeanneM
"urgent need for vigilant surveillance of emerging mutations and assessment of the threat of human-to-human transmission"
2. Report of the 13-year-old Canadian girl who developed acute respiratory failure. Sequence of her H5N1 revealed 3 mutations that may be linked to higher virulence and adaptation to human cell binding
3. Review of 46 cases of mild H5N1 illness by CDC in 2024
We're learning how to control the immune response, like a rheostat, even in the brain. Implications for understanding the basis and potential treatment of autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis, #LongCovid, #MECFS, and brain cancer.
A brief review of 6 recent, important reports
in the new Ground Truths, open-access
Such as Programming T cells with brain-specific proteins and payloads
@ScienceMagazine science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
Or peptide fragments of myelin basic protein that suppress the immune response @Nature nature.com/articles/s4158…
New @NEJM
A whopping (~90%) reduction of progression to Type 2 diabetes with tirzepatide (GLP-1 drug, dual receptor) vs placebo in a randomized trial of >2,500 participants with obesity, absolute reduction of 10/100 treated
In other GLP-1 new publications today
—Country-wide Sweden reduced hospitalizations for alcohol or substance abuse with these drugs jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap… @JAMAPsych
—Concerns about discontinuation jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/… @JAMA_current
Other new anti-obesity drugs in the pipeline, one that also increases energy expenditure
@NatureNV nature.com/articles/d4158…
A dedicated issue of @ScienceTM on #LongCovid
—Sex-specific differences, with perspective by @VirusesImmunity and @SilvaJ_C
—Insights for therapies @AndreaCoxMDPhD
—Deconvoluting "Osler's Web" @MichaelPelusoMD @DeeksSteven @DrMaureenHanson @SaydahSharon
—+RECOVER Trial, Lyme disease
An elegant @Nature study by @AkassoglouLab has illuminated our understanding of the role of fibrin (component of blood clots), #SARSCoV2, and brain inflammation in Covid and #LongCovid.
This discovery and more in the new Ground Truths podcast, with transcript, key figures (such as as the one below) and citations. Open-access. Link in my profile.
A clip from our conversation. Unknowingly, @AkassoglouLab was gearing up for understanding this complex pathophysiology for many years before Covid hit
For treatment, it's not just as simple as preventing fibrin clots. It's isolating the pro-inflammatory action of fibrin, targeted by the antibody