Tag: 15/3/21

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

Have COVID Restrictions Eroded The Right to Dissent?

On By ModernMedia
Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay

An article in The Guardian explores how the COVID pandemic and its restrictions have also may have caused an erosion in the institutions of democracy around the world.

On Saturday, a vigil at Clapham Common in the UK for Sarah Everard, a woman believed to have been murdered by a police officer, was broken up by police in a heavy-handed manner which drew widespread criticism.
Defending the Metropolitan police’s handling of the situation, assistant commissioner Helen Ball argued the force had to act “because of the overriding need to protect people’s safety” from COVID. In 2020, Black Lives Matter protestors were criticised for their actions in the first waves of the pandemic, but their actions did not cause a spike in infections. Indeed, the protests may have helped deter the spread of COVID due to their deterring people from going to restaurants and other forms of social gatherings.

While the Clapham Common event was not on the same scale, it is possible that even very large and boisterous protests are not ‘super-spreader’ events. And, according to the human rights organisation Liberty, they can be performed safely. For example a socially distanced rally was held in Tel Aviv in April last year against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, where thousands of people,   each in their own space, separated by two metres, were able to shout and wave banners.

“Protest is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy, and it’s critical that we can all stand up to those in power, and make our voices heard,” said Lana Adamou, a lawyer at Liberty. “Safe, socially distanced demonstrations are perfectly possible, and it is the duty of the police to facilitate them, not block them. The current restrictions should be interpreted compatibly with our rights enshrined in the Human Rights Act.”

However a report published by Carnegie Europe in January observed that human rights are being eroded in the name of public health, with many governments using the pandemic as a pretext to crack down on dissent.

“While governments have claimed that they were imposing measures to tackle the pandemic, these measures often have been contradictory and have excessively restricted the right to peaceful assembly,” the report said, saying that while economic activities were enabled, large protests were still prohibited. In Sweden large groups were allowed to congregate in restaurants and at sporting events, but public gatherings and protests involving more than eight people were banned. It also noted that police used tactics such as kettling, a controversial tactic where police corral protestors into tight groups before arresting them, which can increase the spread of infection.

These restrictions have forced some campaigners to become creative in their protests. In the Netherlands, climate activists filled a square in front of the Dutch parliament in the Hague with 1000 shoes from all over the country. In Croatia, a civil society movement staged balcony protests against the governance of the mayor of Zagreb.

What campaigners in some countries will be asking is whether or not the pandemic has eroded the right to dissent, and to what extent will mass public protests be allowed to return once the COVID threat has passed.

Source: The Guardian

Categories : COVID TransplantsTags :

COVID Vaccination in Immunosuppressed Patients Produces Weak Response

On By ModernMedia

An article by Dorry Segev, MD, PhD for MedPage Today reveals poor results for COVID vaccination in immunosuppressed patients, with concerning implications. 

Dr Segev professor of surgery and epidemiology and associate vice chair of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr Segev and colleagues launched a national study of vaccine immune responses in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant recipients. Among 436 COVID-naïve participants who received their first mRNA vaccine dose, only 17% of them mounted detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.  The researchers also found that those taking anti-metabolites (eg, mycophenolate or azathioprine) were less likely to develop antibody responses, with 8.75% with detectable antibody found in those taking anti-metabolites versus 41.4% in those not taking them.

“Naturally, we were disappointed to see these findings, as we were hoping to be able to tell our immunosuppressed patients that the vaccines seemed to work well for them. Given this observation, the CDC should update their new guidelines for vaccinated individuals to warn immunosuppressed people that they still may be susceptible to COVID-19 after vaccination,
Dr Segev wrote. 

The current CDC guidelines are worded in a way that suggests vaccination translates into immunity, Dr Segev pointed out, but the study demonstrates that for most transplant recipients, as well as other immunosuppressed patients that the vaccine does not automatically confer immunity. This could also be a concern for the some 37.9 million people around the world living with HIV, although the effects of achieving viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy have so far not been well investigated in relation to COVID. Vaccine trials so far have not had sufficient numbers of participants living with HIV to draw any conclusions.

Notably, their previous research did show that rates of COVID infection and mortality were not greater for immunosuppressed transplant patients. 
Dr Segev noted that there are some implications for immunosuppressed patients; firstly, that they should at the very least receive the second dose of their vaccination (the current research is only on the effects of the first dose), and secondly, immunosuppressed patients should be aware that they may not necessarily be immunised after receiving a vaccination. They should speak to their provider about an antibody test to determine if the immunisation has been achieved.

The researchers are continuing to investigate other aspects of immune response besides antibodies, such as T and B cells, and are also looking at other vulnerable populations.

Source: MedPage Today

Categories : COVIDTags :

‘3 Feet’ Social Distancing Rule Being Considered by US

On By ModernMedia

Data that suggest a ‘three feet’ social distancing rule is under consideration, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, the foremost infectious disease expert in the US.

To control COVID transmission, the World Health Organization recommends social distancing at one metre (3.3 feet), and a three feet distance used in some schools in the US is based on this. When asked about the new report on a CNN programme on Sunday, Dr Fauci agreed the data appeared to indicate that three feet is sufficient.   

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not currently recommend a rule change, Dr Fauci said that the report is being reviewed by them.

“What the CDC wants to do is accumulate data, and when data shows ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly,” Dr Fauci said, adding that its director, Dr Rochelle Walensky, was aware of the new research, with the CDC also conducting its own studies. “I don’t want to get ahead of official guidelines,” he added.

The researchers, who controlled for community rates of coronavirus in their analysis, concluded that lower physical distancing policies can safely be adopted in school settings, as long as other measures like universal masking are in place.

The study compared COVID infection rates among staff and students across 242 school districts in the state of Massachusetts, and found that schools with a three feet social distancing rule did not have a significantly different rate of transmission compared to those with the standard six feet rule.

However, there is a limitation to COVID monitoring in school-aged populations. While children may be infected as readily from COVID, they are less likely to develop illness from COVID, and so they are also less likely to get tested.

Source: NY Times

Categories : CancerTags :

Natural ‘Brake’ Keeps Neuroblastomas Benign

On By ModernMedia

Researchers have found that a signal molecule produced by Schwann cells found in benign neuroblastomas acts as a natural ‘brake’ keeping them benign and preventing their uncontrolled growth. This also works on malignant neuroblastoma cultures. 

While energising a tumour with a growth factor to halt it does not sound logical, with neuroblastomas the Schwann cells trigger the maturation of nerve cells and bring the growth to a halt.

Schwann cells produce a signalling molecule called epidermal growth factor like 8 (EGFL8). The researchers showed that EGFL8 stimulates the differentiation, or maturation, of neuroblastoma cells. “Until recently, we only knew that this protein existed, but its function was not known. We now for the first time know where EGFL8 is produced and how it acts,” explained study author Sabine Taschner-Mandl, PhD, head of the Tumor Biology Group at St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute. The study results also showed that high levels of EGFL8 were linked to improved survival rates in neuroblastoma patients.

“In cell cultures, we have demonstrated that Schwann cells as well as their secreted signaling molecules exert anti-tumour effects, even in aggressive neuroblastoma cells. Thus, we are able to exploit a process that occurs naturally in benign neuroblastomas to stop the malignant ones,” Sabine Taschner-Mandl and her colleague Tamara Weiss, PhD, from the Medical University of Vienna, explained. 

However, there is still much to be discovered about how the interplay of Schwann cells with the rest of the body; currently the researchers are examining how they interact with immune cells.

The study also uncovered a significant finding: that Schwann cells in benign neuroblastomas have a similar cellular status to those that support healing in injured peripheral nerves. Schwann cells in the tumour were found to express repair-associated genes and demonstrated repair functions. “It is amazing that we have discovered a signalling molecule that plays a role in both tumour development of benign neuroblastomas and regeneration of injured nerves. Since EGFL8 stimulates the formation of nerve cell extensions, it could be of great importance for the treatment of injured nerve fibers”, said Tamara Weiss.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Schwann cell plasticity regulates neuroblastic tumor cell differentiation via epidermal growth factor like protein 8, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21859-0

Categories : COVIDTags :

Netherlands and Ireland Suspend AstraZeneca Vaccine Over Blood Clots

On By ModernMedia

In the wake of reports from Norway of blood clots in people shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Netherlands and Ireland have suspended its use.

The Dutch Health ministry on Sunday said that there was still no evidence of a direct link between the vaccine and possible adverse effects from Norway and Denmark, and there were no reported cases in the Netherlands.

“We can’t allow any doubts about the vaccine,” Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said. “We have to make sure everything is right, so it is wise to pause for now.”

Earlier on Sunday Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said that deployment of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which makes up 20% of the country’s 570 000 doses given so far, should be “temporarily deferred” with immediate effect as recommended by the country’s National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). However, he emphasised that there was no proof that blood clots had been caused by the vaccine.

The first blood clots were reported in Austria, and prompted a wave of concern, with Denmark suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine, along with the north of Italy. These latest cases in Norway resulted in three hospitalisations and one death.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency said the four people who had the AstraZeneca injection all had reduced numbers of blood platelets. It added: “People under the age of 50 who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine and feel increasingly unwell more than three days after vaccination, and who notice larger or smaller blue spots in the skin (skin haemorrhages) must consult a doctor or out-of-hours medical service as soon as possible.

“Similar incidents have been reported in other European countries, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is considering whether there may be an association with the coronavirus vaccines. So far, no conclusion has been reached.”

Professor Karina Butler, head of NIAC, said it was acting out of an abundance of caution but wanted a better understanding of this unanticipated cluster of “very serious” clotting events in younger people.

There were similarities to other cases reported elsewhere in Europe, she added. It was necessary to know “was there a possibility of a relationship with the vaccine, something which was rare but very serious and could have significant outcomes”, she said to Virgin Media News.

The agency did not yet know whether more blood clots were happening than expected in the population generally. “But they do seem to have clustered together at a level and in younger people – I mean less than 65 – where we wouldn’t necessarily have expected them to happen and thus the question was should we just pause until we get that information, because above all we want to maintain confidence in the vaccine programme so that people can feel that what they are getting is safe, that any serious safety signal is being thoroughly investigated,” she said. 

In a statement, Dr Glynn said: “It has not been concluded that there is any link between the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases. However, acting on the precautionary principle, and pending receipt of further information, the NIAC has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland.”

Source: The Guardian

Categories : Cancer Environmental EffectsTags :

Brominated Flame Retardants May Raise Breast Cancer Risk

On By ModernMedia

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are present in a wide variety of household fixtures and furniture, and particles of this may increase the risk of breast cancer through prolonged exposure at critical times in a woman’s life.

BFRs are endocrine disruptors, and since they are not tightly bound to the substances they are included into, they are able to escape into the household environment. Endocrine disruptors can be problematic to protect against since they can exert harmful effects even at low doses. Exposure to endocrine disruptors is most disruptive in the foetal stage and during infancy; these compounds also easily cross the placental boundary and are found in breast milk. At high exposures, cells have a toxic response, but at a low dose, similar to the levels of naturally occurring hormones, endocrine dysregulation is the outcome.

Exposure to these compounds can cause problems for organs such as mammary glands, which are sensitive to hormones, which BFRs can mimic. “BFRs pose a significant risk, particularly during sensitive periods, from intrauterine life to puberty and during pregnancy,” said Professor Plante, co-director of the Intersectoral Centre for Endocrine Disruptor Analysis and environmental toxicologist.

The researchers exposed female rodents to a mixture of BFRs, similar to that found in house dust, prior to mating, during gestation and during lactation. Biologists were able to observe the effects on the offspring at two stages of development and on the mothers.

Early development of mammary glands was seen in prepubertal rats. For pubescent rats, the results, published in 2019, showed a deregulation of intercellular communication. Similar effects were observed in female genitors in a 2017 study. All of these effects are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

In the early 2000s, observation showed that human exposure to BFRs peaked, Professor Isabelle Plante pointed out. “Young women exposed to BFRs in utero and through breastfeeding are now in the early stages of fertility. Their mothers are in their fifties, a period of increased risk for breast cancer,” said Prof Plante. This is why the team is currently studying endocrine disruptors related to a predisposition to breast cancer, funded by the Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Research Society.

In all three studies, most of the effects were observed at a low dose, raising questions about the current legislation for endocrine disruptors. “To evaluate the ‘safe’ dose, experts give an increasing dose and then, when they observe an effect, identify it as the maximum dose. With endocrine disruptors, the long-term consequences would be caused by lower doses,” reported Prof Plante.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Rita-Josiane Gouesse et al, In Utero and Lactational Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Mixture of Brominated Flame Retardants Induces a Premature Development of the Mammary Glands, Toxicological Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfaa176