Brief update on Omicron, and its BA.1 and BA.2 lineages (sisters) 1. Origin—the 3 theories for how this hyper-mutated version of the virus evolved nature.com/articles/d4158…@nature
3. The BA.2 variant is spreading widely, throughout many countries in Europe and Asia, out-competing BA.1, indicating higher transmissibility. But the good news from yesterday's @UKHSA: vaccination + boost is holding up quite well; there's no indication of more immune evasion
4. Some countries where BA.2 (light purple) is making or has already made major inroads outcompeting BA.1 (purple) covariants.org
5. And there's a new thread from @trvrb covering these points and many others, with the conclusion that BA.2's impact of extending the length of time (longer tail) for the Omicron wave
7. A new BA.2 dedicated report today from @UKHSA
The secondary attack rate for BA.2 compared with BA.1 is roughly 30% increased, reflecting a transmission edge assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
And another invaluable @kallmemeg🧵takes you through the rest of it
Most people haven’t heard of this test, which is available in the US. It accurately predicts Alzheimer’s (not just if there’s a risk, but when). It is favorably affected by exercise and likely many other lifestyle factors.
Here’s (almost) everything we know about it. In Ground Truths (link in my profile d/t X-suppression)
A major @Nature paper this week found a significant decline in dementia after an outdated Shingles vaccine.
I've reviewed the study and many other relevant ones in a new Ground Truths (link in profile)
A Table from the post
The effect in the 2 natural experiments differed substantially by sex with the benefit predominant in women
The vaccine against Shingles helps protect against dementia, results of a natural experiment, adding to prior evidence
"implications are profound"
New @Nature nature.com/articles/s4158… nature.com/articles/d4158…
Of >105,000 participants with 30-year follow-up, only 9.3% achieved healthy aging (age 70, w/o any chronic diseases). Their diet was significantly associated with this outcome🧵 @NatureMedicine
These are the specific foods that were linked with healthy aging and other outcomes. Green-favorable; Red-unfavorable
Adherence to these diets (most to least in quintiles) linked to healthy aging
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