Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Yesterday I learned a few things:
1) You can break titanium screws for a dental implant on a pretzel. I am not sure how strong my jaw is, but the pretzel appeared to be standard flour, water, etc.
2) The dental implant market is plagued by brand-specific hardware. Each implant has a specific screw and thread type, made only by the implant manufacturer. I am now fully bought into dental hardware conspiracy theories - big fake tooth‽
3) Dentists are magicians working in small spaces. Still, I'm not fond of dental things. I will stick to kidneys and their functions.
Bite carefully, friends.
-----Latest Data---
CDC National Hospitalization trend data
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#hospitalizations
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=casesf
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
Vaccine Tracker
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends
-----
The AZ vaccine has had a mix of medical events and bad press in the last few weeks. Yesterday, they released data (via press release) on their U.S. trial, which was comforting - 100% protection from severe disease and hospitalization; 79% efficacy against mild disease; no observed side effects.
https://www.ft.com/content/7aa7f2cc-01ae-48c3-b3bf-6dee68f4d3e6
This morning, I found this NIH comment about AZ data's currency in the press release cited above. I have never seen or heard of NIH releasing any statement like this. It is part of the U.S. Government commenting. Very atypical.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/niaid-statement-astrazeneca-vaccine
There is rarely drama in clinical trials like this. The fact that this drama has to do with a COVID vaccine is unfortunate. Prepare for more Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD).
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/22/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases
Nature published a review of Transmissibility and Transmission of Respiratory Viruses.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6
Check out the graphics
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/figures/1
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/figures/2
and this table of known data about a range of viri you do not want to become infected by:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/tables/1
And the best available evidence for non-pharmaceutical interventions to minimize spread:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/tables/2
Here is some Twitter discussion by Eric Topol on Wave 4 in MI driven by the B.1.1.7 variant. We shall see if the vaccinations we have administered up to two weeks ago are enough to mitigate another significant spike in hospitalizations and deaths. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1374187165932871680
Sinovac presented Phase 1 and 2 study data using their COVID vaccine in children aged 3-17. It is not yet peer-reviewed, but the company commented that the vaccine elicited a robust immune response, and a small group of patients experienced post-vaccination fevers. More to come, I'm sure
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-appears-safe-triggers-antibodies-in-trial-in-children
Infographic of the day - Don't Eat that Frog (even with perfect teeth)!
Or lick it. In case you were thinking about that kind of thing. Not only does the frog probably not want to be eaten or licked (I mean, how do you get consent?), but it may be secreting batrachotoxin or Pumiltoxin 251D. And happy belated World Frog Day.
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1374244018754891782/photo/1
From
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1374244018754891782
----Bonus Round - Not so long ago
More medical history today. I was reading about John Tyndall in the last few days. He was a physicist who first described the temperature impact of rising CO2 levels (greenhouse effect) and, in researching light and dust, demonstrated the possibility of airborne infectious diseases. Up through the late 1800s, there was a debate about the origins observed microscopic organisms causing infection. Some scientists believed in spontaneous generation (the sudden appearance of microbes generating from non-living materials). Germ theory, the notion that bacteria were living and could transmit via surface and air, was the competing theory. Tyndall demonstrated that dust was likely organic and that the air could be purified. He paved the way for thinking about masks, sterile environments, and broader acceptance of germ theory.
https://theconversation.com/how-a-150-year-old-experiment-with-a-beam-of-light-showed-germs-exist-and-that-a-face-mask-can-help-filter-them-out-136391
and
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1011865426287
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyndall
These events were around 1870. That means physicians who provided care for my immigrant tailor great-grandfather (born around 1879) could have believed in spontaneous generation or, if they were up on the latest healthcare trends, marveled over the innovation of germ theory. 150 years ago.
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Yesterday I learned a few things:
1) You can break titanium screws for a dental implant on a pretzel. I am not sure how strong my jaw is, but the pretzel appeared to be standard flour, water, etc.
2) The dental implant market is plagued by brand-specific hardware. Each implant has a specific screw and thread type, made only by the implant manufacturer. I am now fully bought into dental hardware conspiracy theories - big fake tooth‽
3) Dentists are magicians working in small spaces. Still, I'm not fond of dental things. I will stick to kidneys and their functions.
Bite carefully, friends.
-----Latest Data---
CDC National Hospitalization trend data
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#hospitalizations
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=casesf
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
Vaccine Tracker
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends
-----
The AZ vaccine has had a mix of medical events and bad press in the last few weeks. Yesterday, they released data (via press release) on their U.S. trial, which was comforting - 100% protection from severe disease and hospitalization; 79% efficacy against mild disease; no observed side effects.
https://www.ft.com/content/7aa7f2cc-01ae-48c3-b3bf-6dee68f4d3e6
This morning, I found this NIH comment about AZ data's currency in the press release cited above. I have never seen or heard of NIH releasing any statement like this. It is part of the U.S. Government commenting. Very atypical.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/niaid-statement-astrazeneca-vaccine
There is rarely drama in clinical trials like this. The fact that this drama has to do with a COVID vaccine is unfortunate. Prepare for more Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD).
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/22/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases
Nature published a review of Transmissibility and Transmission of Respiratory Viruses.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6
Check out the graphics
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/figures/1
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/figures/2
and this table of known data about a range of viri you do not want to become infected by:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/tables/1
And the best available evidence for non-pharmaceutical interventions to minimize spread:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00535-6/tables/2
Here is some Twitter discussion by Eric Topol on Wave 4 in MI driven by the B.1.1.7 variant. We shall see if the vaccinations we have administered up to two weeks ago are enough to mitigate another significant spike in hospitalizations and deaths. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1374187165932871680
Sinovac presented Phase 1 and 2 study data using their COVID vaccine in children aged 3-17. It is not yet peer-reviewed, but the company commented that the vaccine elicited a robust immune response, and a small group of patients experienced post-vaccination fevers. More to come, I'm sure
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-appears-safe-triggers-antibodies-in-trial-in-children
Infographic of the day - Don't Eat that Frog (even with perfect teeth)!
Or lick it. In case you were thinking about that kind of thing. Not only does the frog probably not want to be eaten or licked (I mean, how do you get consent?), but it may be secreting batrachotoxin or Pumiltoxin 251D. And happy belated World Frog Day.
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1374244018754891782/photo/1
From
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1374244018754891782
----Bonus Round - Not so long ago
More medical history today. I was reading about John Tyndall in the last few days. He was a physicist who first described the temperature impact of rising CO2 levels (greenhouse effect) and, in researching light and dust, demonstrated the possibility of airborne infectious diseases. Up through the late 1800s, there was a debate about the origins observed microscopic organisms causing infection. Some scientists believed in spontaneous generation (the sudden appearance of microbes generating from non-living materials). Germ theory, the notion that bacteria were living and could transmit via surface and air, was the competing theory. Tyndall demonstrated that dust was likely organic and that the air could be purified. He paved the way for thinking about masks, sterile environments, and broader acceptance of germ theory.
https://theconversation.com/how-a-150-year-old-experiment-with-a-beam-of-light-showed-germs-exist-and-that-a-face-mask-can-help-filter-them-out-136391
and
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1011865426287
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyndall
These events were around 1870. That means physicians who provided care for my immigrant tailor great-grandfather (born around 1879) could have believed in spontaneous generation or, if they were up on the latest healthcare trends, marveled over the innovation of germ theory. 150 years ago.
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
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