Week of January 23. 2023
I am reminded of my snarky teenage wit when my kids describe how they are with word strings like "combobulated, chalant, and gruntled." Seeing the fine line between clever and annoying from this side of the child/parent relationship gives me admiration for my parents' patience.
You, too, can explore negative words without positive root words. But use them wisely and in moderation.
http://www.rinkworks.com/words/negatives.shtml
---
Case, hospitalization, and death rates have been falling over the last 14 days. However, on average, 500 people per day are dying in the U.S. from COVID.
N.Y. Times Tracker
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
------
Two articles on COVID caught my attention this week:
WebMD (registration required) published a thoughtful article on the debate regarding a second bivalent (or other) booster - a 5th shot for those who have received all available vaccines to date. At this time, there is no clear data - and the varying opinions expressed (from well-known physicians) highlight how nuanced these kinds of recommendations can get. For instance, might some age groups benefit more, or which vaccine might be a good choice for a 5th shot?
https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20230117/time-for-another-covid-booster
Thanks to a loyal reader, I was pointed to a work by a Cedars Sinai physician looking at observational data comparing the risk of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) across age groups before and since the pandemic. The research was published in a less popular journal in the fall of 2022. These data demonstrated an association between COVID-19 and heart attacks, most dramatically in younger adults aged 25-44. The data are correlative (not causal) but highlight the potential for systemic inflammatory responses, stress, and other non-traditional factors (like blood pressure or cholesterol) to drive cardiovascular disease. With this kind of observational association, I tuck the data away and look for patterns in the literature over time.
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/covid-19-surges-linked-to-spike-in-heart-attacks/
original article
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.28187
Medical Trends and Technology
What can I do with A.I. as a doctor? - a thoughtful thread from a neurologist who highlights the opportunities and perils of ChatGPT
https://twitter.com/rohitmarawar/status/1616784000709804033
Two topics on how biology is weird and wonderful
Brazilian doctors use sterilized tilapia fish skin as a "bandage" for severe burns. Yes, they put fish skin on top of burns - they require less frequent changing and promote healing compared to standard dressings.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/brazilian-city-uses-tilapia-fish-skin-treat-burn-victims
There are several medical journal articles with dozens of patients demonstrating good outcomes.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31900475/
and
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33890902/
Second: Now that you are totally comfortable with the role and function of mRNA (in the form of vaccines), learn about small interfering RNA (siRNA) - molecules that disrupt specific protein production in cells.
Layman's overview
https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-is-SiRNA.aspx
More scientific overview
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0207-x
Here is a report about a new therapeutic siRNA – zilebesiran. This drug (administered subcutaneously) prevents angiotensinogen synthesis, resulting in long-lasting blood pressure control.
Infographics
I missed National popcorn day on January 19.
You can celebrate by putting some 2,3-pentanedione on a freshly popped batch. Just don't inhale your faux butter.
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1616056762754285570/photo/1
Things I learned this week
Thanks to Atlas Obscura, I learned about Tom Brown, a retired chemical engineer who has scoured the Southeast U.S. for specimens of rare and heirloom apples. He has found hundreds of varieties, taking cuttings and cultivating them on his North Carolina orchard. This article mixes history, biology, and some damn fine conjugation of words for apple (pome, pomaceous, pomological).
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/heritage-appalachian-apples
Tom has a website that is worth exploring
https://www.applesearch.org/apples_found.html
Before GPS, using complex gyroscopes in inertial guidance systems was the tool by which navy vessels and NASA spacecraft could know their position on and off the earth. I had never explored Soviet spacecraft navigation but recently learned about the mechanical, gear-driven Globus INK from the 1960's Soyuz missions.
https://www.righto.com/2023/01/inside-globus-ink-mechanical-navigation.html
Topics from the newsletter through the "eyes" of our A.I. Overlords!
(What is this section? - https://openai.com/dall-e-2/)
"Two apples made of fish skin telling jokes to each other"
https://labs.openai.com/s/IhBm3FQeqOYvpCQOspfgeIWT
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Comments
Post a Comment