Week of September 18, 2023
Having our older son home for a few days, a family gathering for the Jewish holiday, and a long-planned trip to Scotland have filled the last two weeks and offered numerous moments of gratitude. I also now believe in a "haggis and black pudding conspiracy." The Scots get you to visit for the whisky and the scenery but feed you atypical foods, including a substance that (in my mind) misappropriates the word "pudding." I am searching for the hidden video collection of Americans reacting to a Scottish breakfast.
As always, the internet validates.
The Scottish Breakfast
And, about the word "pudding:"
https://britishfoodhistory.com/2011/11/15/what-is-a-pudding/
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Hospitalizations are still rising (24% in the last 14 days), and wastewater RNA concentrations appear to be steady or falling. These data may imply that we have reached the peak of XBB.1.16 and EG.5.1 variant wave.
The N.Y. Times COVID Tracker reflects only CDC-gathered hospital data as a surrogate (lagging) indicator.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/covid-cases.html
Wastewater monitoring is more of a LEADING indicator - but reflects data from 10-14 days ago.
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COVID articles
BA.2.26 is a highly mutated variant with the potential to be highly transmissible and to bypass the immunity conferred by prior infections and vaccination. The Financial Times science writer offered a thoughtful review of emerging variants.
https://www.ft.com/content/0589e1b9-ab6d-42b2-ba1d-e52f84923afd
Last Monday, the C.D.C. approved the latest COVID boosters most effective against the X.B.B. variant. "The F.D.A. approved the new formulas for individuals 12 and older and authorized them to protect infants six months and older through age 11. The Pfizer shot was authorized in the European Union for ages 6 months and older on August 31." I will be getting these boosters in the next week or so.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/health/covid-vaccine-boosters-fda-pfizer-moderna.html
and
A loyal reader shared a brief Twitter thread from pediatrician Dr. Vipin Vashishtha describing recent research about how cells function when infected with viruses. He offers an understandable description of the cellular mechanisms that allow viruses to replicate in human cells and possible ways to target those mechanisms as a treatment. In this instance, the discovery of the intracellular proteins that "package" and move viral particles formed when SARS-CoV-2 invades a cell.
https://twitter.com/vipintukur/status/1702751362629640441
from
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/7/1600
Also, from a loyal reader, certain nasal sprays are associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19 infection. Here is a good data round-up- recognizing that these data cite articles depicting small case series, limited time frames, and other flaws. However, the risk of complications from these nasal sprays is low, and some have prior data demonstrating decreased infections or symptoms with other respiratory viruses. In the spirit of full transparency, I have been using a carrageenan nasal spray + masks on planes for the last year.
https://twitter.com/clean_air_club_/status/1685790242681331713
Background - In a 2010 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Carrageenan nasal spray reduced cold symptoms and viral load.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20696083/
Medical Trends and Technology
Stay active and engaged in life. "Adults aged 60 and older who spend more time engaging in sedentary behaviors like sitting while watching T.V. or driving may be at increased risk of developing dementia." Using activity monitors (like a FitBit) over six years, researchers found that ten or more sedentary hours per day increased the risk of dementia.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09-large-amounts-sedentary-linked-higher.html
and
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2809418
Dr. Jeremy Faust and Marta Wosińska, PhD, discuss drug shortages, pharma supply chains, and the government's ability to regulate a complex world of pharmaceutical manufacturing policy in a global economy.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faustfiles/106266
Infographics
Compound Interest offered a fantastic layman's infographic about the mechanisms of genetically modifying crops. The notion of "G.M.O." is broad and has been going on for centuries.
https://twitter.com/Salters_Inst/status/1701557312446452144/photo/1
produced for the Salter Institute https://saltersinstitute.org/
Things I learned this week
Bring a platypus to your next rave to wow your friends. I learned platypus (platypi?) fur glows green and blue under ultraviolet light. I see a vast market for sustainable platypus party paraphernalia. (I am open to co-investors in such a venture, including those willing to help shave and collect platypus fur). Flying squirrels may be another viable source of sustainable rave-wear (their hair glows pink in U.V. light!).
https://www.livescience.com/platypuses-glow-uv-light.html
and
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/100/1/21/5299493?login=false
and
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2020-0027/html
[In case you are wondering, the collective noun for platypi is a paddle, and the collective noun for (all types of) squirrels is a dray.]
The Wellcome Collection [a free museum and library in London] offers various fascinating medical history exhibits - including online articles. I came across a recent anecdote about toilet paper shortages during the Battle of Britain (see https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10527966-at-least-one-brand-of-toilet-paper-was-also-in) and found myself learning about the history of toilet paper in the U.K. https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XOsAeBEAAEMRUqpd
Living with A.I.
There is a rapidly expanding and evolving market for A.I.-monitored video feeds. Out of the box, A.I. can now identify and track a larger range of people, animals, and objects and quantify behaviors of interest. In the linked Twitter thread, A.I. algorithms tracked individual piglets on video without training. Older versions of similar A.I. tech can be applied to work environments (think productivity on an assembly line) or even customers (like tracking the spending and lingering habits of coffee shop customers)
https://twitter.com/_akhaliq/status/1700030823926280448
and
https://twitter.com/jowyang/status/1692590325330596301
And we are getting closer to real-time, voice-accurate language translation.
https://twitter.com/StuartJRitchie/status/1702305867993919664
And to think, science fiction author Douglas Adams envisioned this as the babel fish, a creature that lived in your ear to translate in real-time.
https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Babel_Fish
A.I. art of the week
"A glowing platypus wearing a kilt, playing the bagpipes. There is a pack of toilet paper at its feet. The background is highland Scotland on a sunny day, painting in the style of Charles Demuth."
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
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