Covid-19 News

Long covid

The effect of SARS-COV-2 Infections on Amyloid Formation of Serum Amyloid A

https://www.biorxiv.org/conten…/2021.05.18.444723v1.full

Abstract

A marker for the severeness and disease progress of COVID-19 is overexpression of serum amyloid A (SAA) to levels that in other diseases are associated with a risk for SAA amyloidosis. This secondary illness is characterized by formation and deposition of SAA amyloids in blood vessels, causing inflammation, thrombosis and sometimes organ failure, with symptoms resembling the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) observed in some COVID-19 survivors. Hence, in order to understand better the danger of SAA amyloidosis in the context of COVID-19 we have used molecular dynamic simulations to study the effect of a SARS-COV-2 protein segment on SAA amyloid formation. We find that presence of the nine-residue segment SK9, located on the Envelope protein, increases the propensity for SAA fibril formation by three mechanisms: it reduces the stability of the lipid-transporting hexamer shifting the equilibrium toward monomers, it increases the frequency of aggregation-prone configurations in the resulting chains, and it raises the stability of SAA fibrils. Our results therefore suggest that SAA amyloidosis-related pathologies are a long-term risk of SARS-COV-2 infections.

Conclusions

The concentration of Human Serum Amyloid A (SAA) in acute COVID-19 patients can grow to levels that in patients with certain cancers or inflammatory diseases may cause systemic amyloidosis as a secondary illness. Hence, SARS-COV-2 infections may also increase the risk for SAA amyloid formation and subsequent pathologies. However, overexpression of SAA does not always lead to systemic amyloidosis, and mechanisms exist for downregulating SAA concentration and minimizing the risk for amyloidosis. In the present paper we use molecular dynamics to study how presence of SARS-COV-2 proteins may interfere with these protection mechanisms by changing the propensity for forming SAA amyloids. In order to reduce computational cost, we have restricted ourselves the nine-residue-segment S55FYVYSRVK63 (SK9) on the C-terminal tail of the SARS-COV2-Envelope protein whose location makes it likely to interact with SAA proteins.

Our simulations show that SARS-COV-2 proteins can increase the risk for SAA fibril formation by three mechanism. First, binding of the SK9 reduces the stability of the biologically active SAA hexamer in which SAA transports lipids during inflammation, shifting the equilibrium toward monomers. As monomers are SAA proteins subject to enzymatic cleavage into smaller fragments, and only these fragments are found in SAA fibrils. Hence, by shifting the equilibrium toward the monomers, presence of the viral protein segment SK9 increases the risk for fibril formation. This risk is further enhanced by the interaction of SK9 with the SAA fragments, which increase the frequency of the aggregation prone form (called by us helix-weakened) and for this motif raises the propensity to form β-strands, especially for the first eleven residues known to be crucial for fibril formation. Finally, presence of the amyloidogenic segment SK9 also stabilizes SAA fibrils, moving further the equilibrium toward the fibril, and therefore enhancing the probability for amyloid formation. Hence, our simulations strengthen our hypothesis that SARSCOV-2 infections raise the risk for SAA amyloidosis during or after COVID-19. As SAA amyloidosis is characterized by formation and deposition of SAA amyloids in the blood vessels, causing inflammation and thrombosis, it may be behind the broad spectrum of severe and at times lifethreatening cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and neurological symptoms, commonly summarized as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MISC) sometimes observed in COVID-19 survivors11.

It is interesting to speculate why amyloidogenic regions such as SK9 on SARS-COV-2 proteins seem to have such a pronounced effect on SAA amyloid formation. One possibility would be that fibril formation is part of the immune response and serves as a way to entrap and neutralize the virus. Such a microbial protection hypothesis37,38 has been suggest in context of Herpes Simplex I infections and the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. Amyloid formation by SAA may serve a similar role, with SAA amyloidosis would be a consequence of this mechanism becoming overwhelmed. Further work will be needed to test this hypothesis.

Early CDC Coronavirus Test Came With Inconsistent Instructions And Cost The U.S. Weeks

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21…structions-cost-u-s-weeks

A flawed coronavirus test distributed by government scientists early in the pandemic was poorly designed and came with erroneous instructions that made it doubly difficult for labs to rely on the test's results, new records show. The shortcomings of the test kits cost the nation precious weeks as officials sought to detect virus hot spots and manage the outbreak.

The new details are in an internal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that explored why the agency's original coronavirus test kit failed. Some of the initial tests sent to the nation's labs back in February 2020 delivered "inconclusive" readings — further delaying the ability for the nation to identify COVID-19 cases. The kits were developed so states could conduct their own testing and get test results faster than shipping samples to the CDC in Atlanta.

NPR obtained a copy of the report after suing the CDC under the Freedom of Information Act. The initial review, known as a "root-cause analysis," was conducted by the agency in March 2020 to determine why an early coronavirus test didn't work properly. The review was updated in October with new details of what the investigation found.

The fundamental problem with the test, the report said, was "inadequate document control." What that means is there were various versions of instructions and protocols circulating around the lab that developed the test kits so there was an inconsistency in the way they performed. "In particular, the absence or ineffectiveness of good document control resulted in multiple different versions of quality control (QC) procedures being applied," the report said.

The review bears out reporting from NPR in November that revealed a small infectious disease lab at the CDC was aware the coronavirus test kit it had developed could fail 33% of the time but released it anyway. Under normal circumstances, that kind of failure rate would stop a test in its tracks.

The October report also indicates that in addition to ignoring the test could fail a third of the time, the instructions that the nation's public laboratories were supposed to follow to replicate the test in their own labs was problematic.

A chart in the report shows that concentrations of various chemicals used in building the test were inconsistent. And while the differences indicated in a table in the report are minor enough that they wouldn't necessarily affect the overall performance of the test, lab officials told NPR they are an indication of a more fundamental problem: Outdated procedures for running tests were floating around the lab.

The inconsistency laid out in the report is much like using slightly less flour in a recipe for a cake, except in this case it was part of a very sensitive test. "If you have different copies of the recipe, you're performing slightly different versions of the protocol, and that's not what we want," said one lab official who had seen the table in the report.

Quote from Fm1

The U.S. has had around 33 million total confirmed Covid cases, but Gottlieb has repeatedly said the official tally is an undercount.

Normally you have to multiply the certified infections by a factor of 4 to get the real number. Several studies here (Germany,CH) indicated this. But there are other places (parts of India) where the factor is 10 or larger.

Warning: News papers actually attack the brains of parents by comparing CoV-19 with measles. CoV-19 does not kill your child but measles might do it...

Further stay away from the Pfizer vaccine . 30% of what you get with the shot is unknown dirt RNA. They inject your child unknown/untested RNA of unknown concentration. It is 100% sure that there will be some very unlucky and much more damage than from real measles ....

Thousands in Andhra Pradesh seek Ayurvedic medicine touted as miracle cure for Covid-19The CM asked health officials to gather scientific evidence about the Krishnapatnam cure in coordination with Ayush, ICMR, other central government bodies

https://www.deccanherald.com/a…-for-covid-19-988451.html

Amid a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines and high-end medicines like Remdesivir and the fleecing by private hospitals, thousands in Andhra Pradesh are seeking an alternative, folk medicine remedy for the deadly coronavirus.

Krishnapatnam village near Nellore, which is otherwise known for its sea-port, is nowadays thronged by many, especially from the neighbouring regions and some reportedly from Telangana and other states, for a spoonful of a “miracle Covid-19 medicine,” being distributed for free.

The concoction made by a local “Ayurveda” practitioner Borigi Anandaiah, from some herbs and regular household ingredients like black pepper, cumin, honey, turmeric, neem, camphor is said to be preventing Covid-19, and also curing the infection in patients providing better relief than the allopathy treatment.

Anandaiah, who previously served as the village sarpanch, says he has been offering the Covid-19 cure for about a month now and that the stream of seekers has gone up from a trickle to thousands now.

The melee over the past few days for free sachets of the medicine has prompted the AP Lokayukta to initiate a probe.

A committee formed by the Nellore district collector comprising revenue, health officials and Ayurveda experts, visited the village earlier this week and found that Anandaiah, with help of aides, was preparing four different pastes with varied ingredients for consumption by Covid-19 positive, negative individuals and both and also eye-drops meant for those with low oxygen levels.

Also read: J&K reports first death due to 'black fungus'

Meat consumption is prohibited for the users, who have to take the medicine for two-three days. Anandaiah says that his medicine is not meant for pregnant and menstruating women.

In their report, the committee noted that Anandaiah is not a qualified Ayurveda professional, who gained the folk medicine knowledge from his gurus, and that his formula is not confirming with standard recipes. Preparation methods, dosages prescribed are stated as sub-standard.

“We opine that the formulation is not suitable for Covid-19 treatment. It is harmless but also useless,” Dr Ganta Gangadharam, Nellore district Ayurveda Medical Officer and committee member told DH.

The samples were sent to the Ayurveda labs in Vijayawada to scientifically test for any Covid-19 curative properties.

However, the Krishnapatnam medicine has drawn a lot of attention in the two Telugu states, especially on social media with several posts supportive of Anandaiah's “philanthropic” preparation.

In one such video post, a retired headmaster said that he came to Krishnapatnam, after being admitted to a hospital for a week, made to pay hefty bills and then told to go to a better facility. “Here, they have put some drops in my eyes and within two minutes I was feeling alright.”

The man said he needed oxygen support before.

While admitting that no one has complained of any adverse effect, the probe committee stated that they too interacted with a patient whose O2 levels went up from 83 to 95 after he was administered the eye drops.

Doctors are of opinion that the relief felt by the patients could be psychological, a placebo effect.

The committee said that the ingredients in the eye drops could be harmful to eyesight in the long run.

Ayurveda experts on the committee, however, opined that the medicine might be allowed for a fair clinical trial in Covid-19 quarantines, care centres for 2-3 weeks, without other forms of medicines given at the same time.

Regardless of the scientific basis, the Krishnapatnam medicine is receiving public endorsement and political support including that of TDP, Left leaders.

“At a time when the Covid-19 treatment methods are being constantly revised by WHO, ICMR, what is the harm in trying a formulation made of ordinary herbs. About 70,000 people took the medicine till now and are all fine,” said Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, a former TDP minister from Nellore.

Though officials are sceptical about allowing the large public gathering, worried about the medicine dispersion becoming a super spreader event, the distribution, suspended following the collector orders, resumed for a few hours on Friday under the monitoring of the local YSRCP MLA Kakani Govardhan Reddy.

Meanwhile, CMO officials told DH that Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has directed health officials to gather scientific evidence about the Krishnapatnam cure in coordination with Ayush, ICMR etc central government bodies.

Interesting to look at Israel now : https://datadashboard.health.gov.il/COVID-19/general in Hebrew

Cases/day stop at 30- R value goes now up to again. See bottom right. This is a good number for contact tracing but 3/4 of the cases usually are hidden. Death rate/cases still is to high what points to a data mismatch or bad treatment.

[I do not trust data from Zimbabwe.]

Quote from RobertBryant

Georgia-centricity

I do not trust the data from Georgia either!

Several states have announced they will stop publishing COVID stats on weekends. Weekend results have always been undercounted anyway, so I do not think this is important. The 7-day average is what you want to look at.

Ohio announced they have found many unreported cases. They will add them in. They want to improve the quality of the data, so they will now report twice a week, giving them more time to check the numbers. Again, that seems okay to me.

CDC studying reports of heart inflammation in young Covid vaccine recipients

https://amp.theguardian.com/wo…-covid-vaccine-recipients

Some teenagers and young adults who received Covid-19 vaccines have experienced heart inflammation, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group said, recommending further study of the rare condition.

In a statement dated 17 May, the CDC’s advisory committee on immunisation practices said it had looked into reports that a few young vaccine recipients, predominantly male adolescents and young adults, developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

The condition often goes away without complications and can be caused by a variety of viruses, the CDC group said.

CDC monitoring systems had not found more cases than would be expected in the population, but members of the committee on vaccinations felt that healthcare providers should be made aware of the reports of the “potential adverse event”, the committee said in the statement.

It did not say how many people had been affected and recommended further investigation.

Dr Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said vaccines are known to cause myocarditis and would be important to monitor to see if it was causally related to the vaccine.

It is important to look at the risk-benefit ratio, he added. “Vaccines are going to unequivocally be much more beneficial outweighing this very low, if conclusively established, risk.”

The CDC said the cases typically occurred within four days after receiving mRNA vaccines. It did not specify which vaccines. The US has given emergency authorisation to two mRNA vaccines, from Moderna Inc and Pfizer/BioNTech.

Israel’s health ministry in April said it was examining a small number of cases of heart inflammation in people who had received Pfizer’s vaccine, though it had not yet drawn any conclusions. Most of the cases in Israel were reported among people up to age 30.

Pfizer at the time said it had not observed a higher rate of the condition than would normally be the case in the general population and that a causal link to the vaccine had not been established.

Pfizer and Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

The CDC in late April, after news of the Israeli investigation, said it did not see a link between the two.

Earlier this month US regulators expanded authorisation of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 12 to 15.

The New York Times earlier reported on the CDC statement.

The ‘Wuhan lab leak’ theory looks more credible then ever

https://nypost.com/2021/05/22/…e-credible-then-ever/amp/

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee just released a report citing “significant circumstantial evidence” that COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, and that Washington “may have funded or collaborated” in research leading to the outbreak — suspicions that in recent weeks have become pretty mainstream.

So two points: 1) Why didn’t Democrats sign on? 2) How foolish Facebook now looks for blocking The Post’s February 2020 column that first raised the Wuhan-lab-leak possibility.

The turn began when 18 top world scientists challenged the World Health Organization’s superficial investigation that called the lab-leak scenario “extremely unlikely.” They called for “a proper investigation,” noting that zero evidence supports the theory that the virus simply jumped from bats.

Then came the landmark essay by ex-New York Times science reporter Nicholas Wade, detailing the science that makes the lab-leak theory more credible and flagging the real possibility that the NYC-based EcoHealth Alliance may have used federal funding to pay for coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Peter Daszak, EcoHealth’s president, has been a prime force seeking to discredit the lab-leak theory, organizing a Lancet letter that attacked it and even serving on the WHO team “investigating” in Wuhan.

Notably, Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control chief Rochelle Walensky have now both conceded that the pandemic might’ve started in that lab.

Meanwhile, China absolutely refuses to allow independent access to the lab or its records — which means it’s hiding something (if only other biowarfare research that it insists it’s not doing).

“Jumps” across species require time for a virus to adapt, and it would likely infect at least one intermediate species before transmission to humans. But tests of 80,000 animal samples in the first infected areas of China all came back negative for COVID-19. And the bat species most likely to carry coronaviruses dwells 1,000 miles away from Wuhan and would have been in hibernation when the first cases appeared.

That this particular coronavirus showed up seemingly out of nowhere, perfectly suited to attack humans, would be quite the mystery if it hadn’t first popped up in a city with two virology institutes that were studying bat coronaviruses.

Beyond routine observations, those studies amounted to what the House Republicans called “dangerous research” conducted without “necessary safety protocols.”

This is where it gets really messy.

MIT identified work by Shi Zhengli, a top scientist in the Wuhan lab, as an example of “gain of function” research, a method of developing vaccines by first making a virus more potent and tailored to attack human cells. She did much of her work in a room with only the same level of sanitary and safety measures as a US dentist’s office.

And she told Scientific American that on hearing of the first cases in Wuhan, her first thought was to wonder if her lab was the source.

China in general has a history of research leaks resulting in infections, and the State Department issued warnings about these specific experiments and the lack of trained personnel involved as early as 2017. Oh, and Chinese media were discussing improper waste disposal at the Wuhan Institute, and employees selling lab animals on the black market, before the outbreak.

Several of the institute’s researchers exhibited COVID-like symptoms in fall 2019. Cell-phone use in the facility stopped for three weeks in October, suggesting a work halt, perhaps for evacuation or decontamination.

In short, China has a lot of explaining to do — as does the Fauci-led National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Newsweek reports put millions into Wuhan coronavirus research.

The House Republicans want a full release of all federal information on the pandemic’s origins. That would be at least a start on clearing up the mysteries.

Canadian official, Pallister, response to Q about ivermectin.

Something of a non sequitur..

Q. What about ivermectin?

A. We're pursuing ... VACCINE......

TM 1.02

Quote from RobertBryant

Canadian official, Pallister, response to Q about ivermectin.

Something of a non sequitur..

Q. What about ivermectin?

A. We're pursuing ... VACCINE......

TM 1.02

External Content youtu.be

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Display all external content

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

Display More

Sketchy response, when he said local drug manufacturing it sounds like ivermectin works to well at a reletively low cost for their margins. How about letting the Manitoban doctors and patients choose their option after seeing the stats/evidence.

Quote from Fm1

In a statement dated 17 May, the CDC’s advisory committee on immunisation practices said it had looked into reports that a few young vaccine recipients, predominantly male adolescents and young adults, developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

The same has been seen in Israel. The case number is very high compared to background. But CDC will as usual will forget that 4 days after vaccination means you have to divide yearly case numbers by 365 and then multiply by 4...

This happens if you inject crap RNA into your body. >=30% crap for Pfizer.

Today NYtimes posted that about 300 young children in USA died of CoV-19. Here we have "0" = zero. Would be interesting to see how many hospitals failed to shield children in ICU from CoV-19 patients. At least 15% of all Hospital CoV-19 cases are hospital infections and should be counted as hospital failure induced death!

Quote from RobertBryant

Canadian official, Pallister, response to Q about ivermectin.

Something of a non sequitur..

Q. What about ivermectin?

A. We're pursuing ... VACCINE......

TM 1.02

Pallister is Premier of Manitoba, a province in Canada bordering Ontario. (I have a sister living there.) Manitoba is currently the Covid case hotspot of Canada. They are asking for doctors and nurses to come in from other provinces now. They have clamped down on stay at home orders, which doesn't sit well with many residents considering this is the famous May 24 long weekend in Canada.

Not sure, but Pallister may not have the knowledge to differentiate a drug like ivermectin from a vaccine. They are all just 'drugs' to him, in which case his non answer may make a little more sense.

What is very odd to me is what Pallister said in that clip about rain. It seems that Manitoba recently received some much needed rain, a great help to reduce fire risk and help their agricultural sector. But he said this during the clip : "Thanks to all concerning the rain. ... I want to thank the people in charge for making that rain available." Either he's 'losing it' or I'm missing some context!

Quote from Fm1

So two points: 1) Why didn’t Democrats sign on? 2) How foolish Facebook now looks for blocking The Post’s February 2020 column that first raised the Wuhan-lab-leak possibility.

The New York Post published that column on February 22 2020, well before Covid was an issue in the US. At that time Covid was only an issue in China. So why was Facebook so quick to censor the Post's column about a lab leak?

From

https://cntechpost.com/2020/08…book-has-made-from-china/

"Although Facebook does not have a direct presence in China, it generates 10% of its total advertising revenue through its China advertising agency, making China one of the social media giant's largest sources of revenue."

Quote from Alan Smith

Worse Than the Disease? Reviewing Some Possible Unintended Consequences of the mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19

Stephanie Seneff1and Greg Nigh21Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge MA, 02139, USA, E-mail: [email protected] 2Naturopathic Oncology, Immersion Health, Portland, OR 97214, USA

ABSTRACT

Operation Warp Speed brought to market in the United States two mRNA vaccines, produced by Pfizer and Moderna. Interim data suggested high efficacy for both of these vaccines, which helped legitimize Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the FDA. However, the exceptionally rapid movement of these vaccines through controlled trials and into mass deployment raises multiple safety concerns. In this review we first describe the technology underlying these vaccines in detail. We then review both components of and the intended biological response to these vaccines, including production of the spike protein itself, and their potential relationship to a wide range of both acute and long-term induced pathologies, such as blood disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. Among these potential induced pathologies, we discuss the relevance of prion-protein-related amino acid sequences within the spike protein. We also present a brief review of studies supporting the potential for spike protein “shedding”, transmission of the protein from a vaccinated to an unvaccinated person, resulting in symptoms induced in the latter.We finish by addressing a common point of debate, namely, whether or not these vaccines could modify the DNA of those receiving the vaccination. While there are no studies demonstrating definitively that this is happening, we provide a plausible scenario, supported by previously established pathways for transformation and transport of genetic material, whereby injected mRNA could ultimately be incorporated into germ cell DNA for trans-generational transmission. We conclude with our recommendations regarding surveillance that will help to clarify the long-term effects of these experimental drugs and allow us to better assess the true risk/benefit ratio of these novel technologies

https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/23/36

Display More

The spike proteins effects do remind me of prions in many ways, seems prions are a part of the spikes structure? A biological puzzle. Can anyone in good conscience recommend the mRNA based vaccines for those under 35, pregnant, with current cardiovascular conditions or breastfeeding? Not in my understanding based on the information shown. There are somewhat less risky vaccines (Janssen?) and even better there are the combined approaches of diet/lifestyle, vitamin supplements and Ivermectin. The Ayurvedic dude in India's herbal suggestion might be placebo but would help solely because they had to eat more plant-based, due to reduced inflammation.

Quote from Mark U

What is very odd to me is what Pallister said in that clip about rain. It seems that Manitoba recently received some much needed rain, a great help to reduce fire risk and help their agricultural sector. But he said this during the clip : "Thanks to all concerning the rain. ... I want to thank the people in charge for making that rain available." Either he's 'losing it' or I'm missing some context!

He should give thanks for the Blizzard.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/fr…fferent-weather-1.5434876

Quote from Alan Smith

It's a form of humuor called Irony. Not commonly used in the Americas.

Indeed. I haven't heard him speak before, but this extract from Canada's McLean's magazine about Pallister supports your view :

"At times, he is self-effacing and dry-witted, at others, assured of his own righteousness."

Very dry. I couldn't tell by his intonation, but on closer inspection I did notice a little glimmer in his eyes when he said it.