Cruisers Forum
 


 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 29-01-2022, 10:07   #256
cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 202
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Vaccinated people who get COVID-19 are less likely to report symptoms of long COVID, such as fatigue and shortness of breath, than are unvaccinated people, according to a new study [1]. The research included more than 3,000 people in Israel, and is one of the few studies, so far, to examine the effects of vaccination, on long COVID.


The results, which have not yet been peer reviewed, concur with a UK-based study [2] from September [Lancet], which found that vaccination halved the risk of long COVID.
I'm not sure if it's really worth citing non-peer-reviewed articles, as the chances of confirmation statistically is very low. While these can make wonderful click-bait in the media, I wonder if we have the time to be concerned about these thousands of offerings that will go nowhere.

For example: I have three close friends, who like me are fully boosted, etc. and who were infected by Omicron. All have had long term effects, including persistent upper respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue (long term seems to be defined as over a month). In all these cases they are going on two months.

I'd also point out that this non-reviewed report states that the findings are based on personal reporting of symptoms - which on its face is less than reliable (as opposed to a real managed, and double blind study), and is more like a survey. Compare to the database of self-reported reactions to vaccines.
Zippee is offline  
Old 29-01-2022, 11:10   #257
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: BC
Boat: O'Day 40
Posts: 1,084
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippee View Post
I'm not sure if it's really worth citing non-peer-reviewed articles, as the chances of confirmation statistically is very low. While these can make wonderful click-bait in the media, I wonder if we have the time to be concerned about these thousands of offerings that will go nowhere.

For example: I have three close friends, who like me are fully boosted, etc. and who were infected by Omicron. All have had long term effects, including persistent upper respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue (long term seems to be defined as over a month). In all these cases they are going on two months.

I'd also point out that this non-reviewed report states that the findings are based on personal reporting of symptoms - which on its face is less than reliable (as opposed to a real managed, and double blind study), and is more like a survey. Compare to the database of self-reported reactions to vaccines.
The reports clearly state that the vaccine reduces but doesn't eliminate the chance of long covid. Your 3 friends is a very small sample size.

How can you get long covid information other than by self reporting? There is no way yet to measure the effects other than by people telling you how they feel.
__________________
Trying to make new mistakes.
bcboomer is offline  
Old 02-02-2022, 11:06   #258
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: FL
Posts: 69
Send a message via Skype™ to leont
Re: A Little Good News

“Tens of Thousands of Tons of Medical Waste Produced During Covid-19 Pandemic Threatens Health: WHO”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/tens-o...heLibertyDaily

FTA: “The tens of thousands of tons of medical waste produced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to human and environmental health, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a report on Tuesday.”

“The extra waste is “threatening human and environmental health and exposing a dire need to improve waste management practices,” the United Nations health agency said.”

Plastic straws & plastic bags — swimming in the oceans — pale in comparison to the number of face masks & other medical waste.

Actions DO have consequences, and the irony of harm done to the environment, is quite extraordinary to behold.

Well, duh!

WHO didn’t see this coming?
leont is offline  
Old 04-02-2022, 13:01   #259
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Malaria bed nets help with long-term health

Children who sleep under bed nets, impregnated with insecticide, are less likely to die young from malaria — and the health benefits linger for decades. Some scientists have worried that babies who avoid malaria might not develop immunity, resulting in increased risk later. But an ambitious study [1], in Tanzania, found that people who slept under nets 20 years ago, as children, have a 40% survival advantage compared with those who did not.

More about ➥ https://www.science.org/content/arti...s-last-decades

[1] “Mosquito Net Use in Early Childhood and Survival to Adulthood in Tanzania” ~ by Günther Fink, Ph.D. et al
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2112524
Quote:
... Conclusions
In this long-term study of early-life malaria control in a high-transmission setting, the survival benefit from early-life use of treated nets persisted to adulthood...
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2112524
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 10-02-2022, 03:27   #260
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Hopeful signs from spinal-cord implant

Three people, once paralysed by complete spinal-cord injuries, can walk, swim, pedal a bicycle, and even paddle canoes, thanks to a device, that stimulates neurons, in their spinal cords.
It is the first implant, specifically designed to control movement, by mimicking the signals the lower body usually receives from the brain, and upper spinal cord.
Each participant recovered some level of movement, within one day of activating the implant, such as walking on a treadmill, while their weight was supported.

More about ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00367-1

“Activity-dependent spinal cord neuromodulation rapidly restores trunk and leg motor functions after complete paralysis” ~ by Andreas Rowald et al
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01663-5
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 11-02-2022, 11:23   #261
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Guinea worm disease nears eradication

Only 14 cases of infection with Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) were reported in people in 2021 [in Chad, South Sudan, Mali, and Ethiopia], raising hopes that it will soon be eradicated in humans.
The parasite, which causes painful skin lesions, infected 3.5 million people a year in the 1980s.
The reduction is all the more remarkable given that there is no recognized treatment or vaccine. Instead, eradication campaigns have focused on preventing transmission.
Unfortunately, the parasite can also infect animals, including cats, dogs and baboons, so wiping it out completely will be a challenge.
If it succeeds, the condition will join smallpox and rinderpest [a virus that mainly infected cattle and buffalo] as the only diseases to have been purposefully eradicated in human history.

More ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00385-z
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 04:57   #262
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Sunlight helps clean up oil spills in the ocean more than previously thought

Sunlight may have helped remove as much as 17 percent of the oil [photodissolution], slicking the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. That means that sunlight plays a bigger role in cleaning up such spills than previously thought, researchers suggest, February 16, in Science Advances [1].

The most important factors in photodissolution, the researchers found, were the thickness of the slick, and the wavelengths of light. Longer wavelengths (toward the red end of the spectrum) dissolved less oil, possibly because they are more easily scattered by water, than shorter wavelengths. How long the oil was exposed to light was not as important.

More about ➥ https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...test_Headlines

[1] “Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea” ~ by Danielle Haas Freeman and Collin P. Ward
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl7605
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 06:56   #263
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,814
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay View Post
Stem-cell promise for type 1 diabetes

A 64-year-old man, from the United States, might be the first person to be cured of type 1 diabetes, using stem cells.
In June, he was given an infusion of insulin-producing cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, as part of a clinical trial, by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. His body now automatically controls its insulin and blood sugar levels, though he does have to take drugs that suppress his immune system.

The study has not yet been peer reviewed, and it remains to be seen whether the result will be replicated, or whether there are any unanticipated adverse effects of the treatment.
Still, bottom line, it is an amazing result.

More about ➥ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/h...smid=url-share

Vertex Announces Positive Day 90 Data for the First Patient in the Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial Dosed With VX-880, a Novel Investigational Stem Cell-Derived Therapy for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
https://news.vrtx.com/press-release/...trial-dosed-vx
sO THE 'CURE' COMES FROM MURDERED BABIES. hOW NICE.
geoleo is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 07:20   #264
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,814
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay View Post
Sunlight helps clean up oil spills in the ocean more than previously thought

Sunlight may have helped remove as much as 17 percent of the oil [photodissolution], slicking the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. That means that sunlight plays a bigger role in cleaning up such spills than previously thought, researchers suggest, February 16, in Science Advances [1].

The most important factors in photodissolution, the researchers found, were the thickness of the slick, and the wavelengths of light. Longer wavelengths (toward the red end of the spectrum) dissolved less oil, possibly because they are more easily scattered by water, than shorter wavelengths. How long the oil was exposed to light was not as important.

More about ➥ https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...test_Headlines

[1] “Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea” ~ by Danielle Haas Freeman and Collin P. Ward
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl7605
See- the more global warming-the more sun- the more sun -the more cleaner oceans. However is may be a "endless loop" as the sun evaporated oil will just emit more CO2 and cause more sun causing(i must stop because I gave myself a headache).
geoleo is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 07:25   #265
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by geoleo View Post
sO THE 'CURE' COMES FROM MURDERED BABIES. hOW NICE.
It does NOT!
Embryonic stem cells only come from four to five day old blastocysts or younger embryos. These are eggs that have been fertilized in the laboratory, but have not been implanted in a womb.

Embryonic stem cell lines, used in research, do NOT come from aborted fetuses.

All the human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use come from four to five day-old embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. In IVF, researchers mix a man's sperm and a woman's eggs together, in a lab dish. Some of those eggs will become fertilized.

At about five days the egg has divided to become a hollow ball of roughly 100 cells, called a blastocyst, which is smaller than the size of the dot over an “i”. It is these very early embryos that are implanted into the woman, in the hopes that she becomes pregnant.

Each cycle of IVF can produce many blastocysts, some of which are implanted into the woman. The rest are stored in the IVF clinic freezer. After a successful implantation, they must decide what to do with any remaining embryos.
There are a few options:
Continue to paying to store the embryos.
Defrost the embryos, which destroys them.
Donate the embryos for adoption (this option is rarely taken).
Choose to donate the frozen embryos for research. These donated embryos are the source of human embryonic stem cell lines.

Some embryonic stem cell lines also come from embryos that a couple has chosen not to implant, because they carry harmful genetic mutations, like the ones that cause cystic fibrosis, or Tay Sachs disease.

Another method creates embryonic stem cell lines, without destroying the embryo.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 07:45   #266
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,814
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celestialsailor View Post
Thanx for doing this Gord. I pleased the ozone hole has closed. You rarely see mainstream media reporting this.
Oh yes I havent benn sleeping well for years worrying about that ozone hole. Now I can rest easy.
geoleo is offline  
Old 17-02-2022, 14:49   #267
cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 202
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by bcboomer View Post
The reports clearly state that the vaccine reduces but doesn't eliminate the chance of long covid. Your 3 friends is a very small sample size.

How can you get long covid information other than by self reporting? There is no way yet to measure the effects other than by people telling you how they feel.

With all due respect this unreviewed pre-print study "clearly" states nothing that can be trusted or acted upon. In fact, the study itself states:
Quote:
This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed [what does this mean?]. It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Are we clear now? Shall I submit completely anecdotal report of my three friends as a pre-print? Breathe...
Zippee is offline  
Old 18-02-2022, 10:48   #268
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Vaccination during pregnancy helps protect babies from COVID-19

Babies, whose mothers get vaccinated against Covid-19 during pregnancy, are less likely to be admitted to hospital for the disease, after they are born, a CDC study [1] suggests. The new findings are the first real-world evidence that pregnant women can not only protect themselves by getting vaccinated, but can also protect their newborn infants.

The chances that a baby 6 months old or younger is hospitalized, due to Covid, are 61 percent lower, if the mother received two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna [mRNA] vaccine, while pregnant. The results showed that 84 percent of the babies, hospitalized with Covid, had been born to unvaccinated mothers.

While previous research [2] showed that antibodies, spurred by COVID-19 vaccination, are conferred to fetuses, during pregnancy, this most recent study [1] indicated those antibodies are likely to prove protective after birth, according to the CDC.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier this month said authorization for children under 5 has been delayed as the agency seeks more data from Pfizer. While clinical vaccine trials are ongoing for babies 6 months and up as well as older toddlers, no COVID-19 vaccines are forthcoming for babies under 6 months.

This study didn’t examine the impact of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, or booster shots during pregnancy, due to a small sample size. Researchers, though, believe it’s likely booster shots will convey protection as well.

Vaccines for other illnesses have similarly been shown to safely cross the placenta, and give newborns protection, including the shots for flu and whooping cough.

CDC Media Telebriefing: COVID-19 Vaccination and Pregnancy

Transcript ➥ https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...pregnancy.html
Audio ➥ https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...f_02_15_22.mp3


The studies:

[1] “Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization in Infants Aged <6 Months — 17 States, July 2021–January 2022" ~ by Halasa NB, Olson SM, Staat MA, et al
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/...cid=mm7107e3_w


[2] “Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study” ~ by Kathryn J. Gray, MD, PhD et al
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9...187-3/fulltext
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
Old 19-02-2022, 07:11   #269
cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 202
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay View Post
Malaria bed nets help with long-term health

Children who sleep under bed nets, impregnated with insecticide, are less likely to die young from malaria — and the health benefits linger for decades. Some scientists have worried that babies who avoid malaria might not develop immunity, resulting in increased risk later. But an ambitious study [1], in Tanzania, found that people who slept under nets 20 years ago, as children, have a 40% survival advantage compared with those who did not.

More about ➥ https://www.science.org/content/arti...s-last-decades

[1] “Mosquito Net Use in Early Childhood and Survival to Adulthood in Tanzania” ~ by Günther Fink, Ph.D. et al
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2112524
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2112524

In view of this great thread dedicated to good news, this post is a welcome addition. However I do think the headlines can at times be overly stated. Many of the postings are pre-prints, or do not support the firm and definitive headlines.

For example the one actual study (not article) cited in support of the headline, was not nearly as definitive. The conclusions were only "suggestive", with study limitations stated, and which required further study to confirm.
Quote:
"Although there is robust evidence of survival gains from treated nets among children younger than 5 years of age, the long-term effects remain little studied, particularly in areas of high transmission....


Our study has certain limitations, which include a lack of individual follow-up between 2003 and 2019; no information on children who died before the first study visit, which means that cohort survival rates are not fully representative of all births in the same period; and the observational analysis. Even though our models included a substantial number of covariates, residual confounding cannot be ruled out....

Given these limitations, we suggest that further research is needed on the effect of consistent use of nets over time, as well as on the public health importance of untreated nets, particularly given current concerns about insecticide resistance."
So many times, we post overly conclusive headlines - which feel like real breakthroughs - only to actually read the study to find out it's just another pre-print, a suggestive (but not conclusive) study, an overview article by a non-scientist, etc. The result is a degree of disappointment.

There's a big difference between "New Treatment Cures Cancer" and "...May Cure Cancer". But do please keep up the good work...
Zippee is offline  
Old 19-02-2022, 10:01   #270
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 50,251
Images: 241
Re: A Little Good News

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippee View Post
In view of this great thread dedicated to good news, this post is a welcome addition. However I do think the headlines can at times be overly stated. Many of the postings are pre-prints, or do not support the firm and definitive headlines.

For example the one actual study (not article) cited in support of the headline, was not nearly as definitive. The conclusions were only "suggestive", with study limitations stated, and which required further study to confirm.
So many times, we post overly conclusive headlines - which feel like real breakthroughs - only to actually read the study to find out it's just another pre-print, a suggestive (but not conclusive) study, an overview article by a non-scientist, etc. The result is a degree of disappointment.

There's a big difference between "New Treatment Cures Cancer" and "...May Cure Cancer". But do please keep up the good work...
My headlines and brief summaries may not reflect your understanding of the studies, upon which I [& others] report.
So, all of your criticisms may be valid [at one time, or another - maybe always?], which is why I [almost] always post my primary sources of information, often scientific papers. I let the authors' speak, for themselves.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline  
 


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Good News / Bad News Alexei Monohull Sailboats 7 23-11-2009 02:09
good news/bad news in Bradenton Beach salty_dog_68 Product or Service Reviews & Evaluations 1 31-05-2008 22:01
A Little Good News: Safe From Pirates GordMay Health, Safety & Related Gear 0 20-04-2006 03:57

Advertise Here
  Vendor Spotlight
No Threads to Display.


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 16:40.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.