Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Translation of external news on disease/illness control and Taiwan
News (1) to (2) / Reporter : Lin Huiqin / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3628348, https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3628590
News (1)
Local +6, death +0, the confirmed diagnosis sees single digit again, Taiwan epidemic situation is relatively stable
The number of confirmed covid cases worldwide has exceeded 200 million. The epidemic situation in many countries continues to rise, while Taiwan is relatively stable. Chen Shizhong, commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, today reports 6 new local cases, 5 inbound cases, and 0 deaths.
Six new local cases (two of them were positive during home isolation or after expiration), four males and two females, aged in their 20s to 60s, with the date of onset between 23 July and 4 August. 4 cases in New Taipei, followed by 1 case each in Taipei and Taoyuan; 2 cases are known sources of infection, 3 cases are unknown, and 1 case is under investigation. Epidemic investigation will continue to clarify the infection source.
The command center pointed out that recently confirmed cases were released from quarantine. From 11 May to 3 August, a total of 14,522 confirmed cases have been released, 13001 have been released from quarantine, and the number of people who have been released from quarantine has reached 89.5% of the confirmed cases.
As for the 5 inbound cases, 4 males and 1 female, aged in their 20s to 60s, are from Nigeria (Case 15854), South Africa (Case 15855) and the United States (Cases 15858, 15859, 15860). Their entry dates are between 21 July and 3 August.
According to statistics from the command centre, up to now, a total of 15,753 cases have been confirmed in the country, including 1,280 overseas immigration, 14,420 local cases, 36 Dunmu fleet, 2 aircraft infections, 1 unknown case, and 14 cases under investigation; a total of 108 cases were removed. Of these, 791 cases died.
News (2)
5 cases of infected persons who have been transferred from abroad, 3 cases have received BNT vaccine
Image : Luo Yijun, deputy leader of the medical response group of the command centre. (Provided by the command centre)
Today, among 5 new inbound covid cases, 1 case received first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine/Comirnaty, and 2 cases received second doses of Comirnaty. Yet their nucleic acid test results are positive after they have arriving in Taiwan.
The 5 inbound cases include 4 men and 1 woman aged in their 20s to 60s, from Nigeria,, South Africa and the United States.
Luo Yijun, deputy leader of the medical response team of the command centre, said that three of them had received the vaccine. Case 15855 from South Africa is a South African man in his 30s. He had received a dose of Comirnaty in South Africa and entered Taiwan for inspection on 2 August. He was asymptomatic and went to the anti-epidemic hotel for quarantine. He had runny nose the next day and the test result was positive.
The 3 cases from the United States were all of their own nationality. 2 of them had received 2 doses of Comirnaty. They were all asymptomatic. They were women in their 60s and men in their 20s, on 3 August and in July. After entering the Chinese Republic on the 21st, he went to the epidemic prevention hotel for quarantine, and the result was positive. However, Luo Yijun mentioned that there has not been 14 days between the two doses of vaccines and their return to Taiwan, which is considered to be incomplete vaccination.
Chen Shizhong, the commander of the command centre, pointed out that at present, border control still focuses on home quarantine and inspection, and whether or not to get vaccinated is not a general consideration.
As for the status of 6 cases in Taiwan that were still infected after 2 doses of the vaccine, the command center spokesperson Zhuang Renxiang pointed out that there are currently 2 samples that cannot be sequenced because the Ct value is too high, and another sample is still being collected. The 3 cases collected were all infected with Alpha, not the Delta. As for whether the amount of virus is particularly high, it depends on whether it can be confirmed, but the possibility is not very high.
News (3)
Domestic vaccines like the "roller coaster" will not hinder entry. Huang Shanshan: Rare in the world
Editor : Cai Minggen
Controversy over domestic MVC COVID-19 Vaccine (MVC-COV1901) continues. Taipei Mayor Ke Wenzhe mentioned on 4 August that MVC-COV1901 was quickly incorporated into the public health vaccination plan. A few days later, the inspection and sealing operations were completed, he bluntly said that "it is a violation of medical ethics and common sense."
Huang Shanshan, the deputy mayor of Taipei, also said this morning that she believes that the people of Taiwan hope to support the local biotechnology industry, but the domestic vaccines are like riding a roller coaster, and the government responsible for gatekeeping becomes the biggest supporter. There is no obstacle in the process. This should be " Rare in the world."
Huang Shanshan pointed out in a Facebook post that the college entrance examination for a lawyer must first have a law school graduation certificate, or at least an equivalent education certificate, in order to register for the national examination. You must complete the pre-employment internship before you can officially obtain the qualification. This logic should be very clear. She believes that the same is true for domestic vaccines.
Even without a graduation certificate (Phase III clinical trial), vaccines can still take the exam with an equivalent education certificate (EUA). The official qualification will not be obtained until the list is released. However, MVC Vaccines has directly declared that MVC-COV1901 has obtained all the qualifications. For example, including publicly funded vaccinations and online appointments, which made her question "I don't understand medicine, but the basic logic should be very clear. It is not impossible to turn on the green light, but we should still pay attention to procedural justice." The post sparked heated discussion.
Huang Shanshan said that the government makes every effort to remove obstacles to the domestic vaccines. The purpose is to let the Taiwanese get the vaccine to produce protection quickly. It is admirable. If the epidemic is so severe that there is no cure for it, everyone should have no opinion on the need to use such an unconventional method but she emphasized that there are still other internationally certified vaccines available but they are out of stock in the most important August.
MVC-COV1901 has been listed on the appointment platform before they are produced. For the sake of MVC, regulations and procedures have become "documents". It means mere than formal words. In a democratic country like Taiwan under the rule of law, if the procedures are unjust, it is difficult to convince the people of the country no matter how legitimate the reasons are.
News (4)
Great Southern Ischemia! The blood banks in Tainan and Kaohsiung have only 3 days left
In southern Taiwan, the willingness to go out to donate blood has been reduced due to the continuous heavy rains in southern Taiwan. The blood donation centres in Kaohsiung and Tainan currently have only 3 days left in their blood stocks, setting a record for the lowest blood stocks since the outbreak of COVID-19 (covid).
In the beginning of July, the Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centre had only 3.2 days left in its blood inventory, a record low since the outbreak of the epidemic. Unexpectedly, the recent torrential rains in the south caused the "blood bank" to bottom out. The Kaohsiung Blood Donation Center said today that the heavy rains have reduced the willingness of people to go out to donate blood.
The blood donation centers in Tainan and Kaohsiung currently have only 3 days left in their blood stocks, and the situation is critical.
The Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centre said that since the outbreak of the covid epidemic, it is the darkest period of blood stock shortages, which has caused a considerable impact on the medical blood supply that has been fully restored. The Kaohsiung Blood Donation Center stated that after the epidemic slowed down and the alert was degraded, patients returned to the hospital for treatment, causing a surge in blood consumption for medical treatment.
At the level 3 alert, the hospital used an average of 7,000 to 7,500 bags of blood a week, and now an average of 8,000 to 8,500 bags a week. The amount of blood used in hospitals has increased, but the amount of blood donated has decreased.
The Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centre said that even though the epidemic alert has been reduced to level 2, the blood donation activities still cannot return to normal, and the blood bank has been in a downturn since mid-May. In the recent days of heavy rain, the blood donation center asked the enthusiastic people to "go out to donate blood even if it rains."
The Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centre said that because the blood volume is too small, it has begun to reduce the blood supply to the hospital. Today, there is a patient in Kaohsiung who needs a large amount of blood. Due to the insufficient blood volume, he urgently called to the north to overcome the difficulties.
To encourage people to donate blood, the Tainan and Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centres held a "Dad Qishen Teammate" event on Father's Day on the 8th. If you successfully donate blood at the Tainan and Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centers on the same day, you will have the opportunity to get a pair of online celebrity products "Holan Goggles" .
In addition, from now until 8 August, share your blood donation photos on the Facebook fan groups of Tainan and Kaohsiung Blood Donation Centres. 15 people will be selected to receive gifts such as black bear out-of-print souvenirs. (Central News Agency)
News (5)
Pottinger: The CCP is very serious about military reunification of Taiwan and must be taken seriously
Reporter : Chen Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/8/5/n13140018.htm
Image : Taiwan military information photo. (Provided by the Presidential Office of Taiwan)
In recent years, Beijing's military pressure on Taiwan has increased day by day. In his speech, the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping even referred to the reunification of Taiwan as a "historical mission." In this regard, former US White House official Matt Pottinger warned that Beijing is "very serious" about the use of force to reunify Taiwan, and that the Taiwanese government and people must face up to the CCP's threat.
The CCP has long declared that Taiwan is part of its territory. In recent years, the CCP has significantly increased its military activities in the Taiwan Strait. According to the records of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the CCP’s military aircraft invaded Taiwan’s air defense identification zone last year, accumulating more than 2,900 sorties (link). In terms of the number of days, in 2020, the CCP’s fighter planes will invade Taiwan’s air defense identification zone for 87 days, which is more than the sum of the previous five years. However, as of July this year, this number has been exceeded (link).
According to a report by the Voice of America, Pottinger, the former White House deputy national security adviser, pointed out in an interview that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is "increasingly dangerous" and that Beijing is "very serious" about the use of force to reunify Taiwan.
A few days ago, in the "Taiwan Security Review" podcast series of the Washington Think Tank Global Taiwan Studies Center, Pottinger responded to a question by the host and former White House National Security Council chief of staff Alexander Gray said that two former U.S. commanders in the two Indo-Pacific regions warned against this, and he called on the Taiwanese government and people to face this fact squarely.
Previously, the former U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Philip Davidson before leaving office in March, said in a congressional hearing that he was worried that the CCP might take military actions against Taiwan in the next six years. The succeeding Indo-Pacific Commander John Aquilino also said that he believes that the time for the CCP to attack Taiwan may be more urgent.
Pottinger said that the CCP’s recent spending on military equipment has increased significantly in order to invade Taiwan and try to prevent the United States, Japan and other countries from intervening.
He said, "This Beijing government is a government that launched an attack on the Indian border in 2020. It has destroyed Hong Kong's autonomy and is actively undermining the rule of law there, so Beijing (for its goals) is very serious."
Earlier this week, Taiwan’s former chief of staff Li Ximing also stated in an interview that the CCP is accelerating the deployment of its own weaknesses, including the continuous construction of the Type 071 integrated landing ship and the Type 075 amphibious landing ship, as well as the successive establishment of civil military regulations, A ro-ro freighter for amphibious troop carriers. By 2027, the People's Liberation Army will have the ability to attack Taiwan through cross-sea transportation.
Pottinger said that in the face of this threat, the only way to obtain sufficient power to prevent the attack from happening.
He emphasized that as citizens of a democratic society, the people of Taiwan must face up to the CCP’s coercion and make the best preparations for possible situations in order to reduce the possibility of actual war. He called on Taiwan to increase its defense expenditure as a percentage of GDP and increase investment in defense capabilities.
He also mentioned that the United States now treats Taiwan alone. Taiwan is not only an important trading partner, but also a key partner under the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. Washington believes that the people of Taiwan should have the right to decide their own destiny, rather than being coerced. Under circumstances accept the future they do not want.
Recently, Pottinger not only warned about this. In an interview with the Financial Times this week, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that the CCP’s military build-up is surrounding Taiwan, calling for international attention to prevent Taiwan’s invasion by the CCP.
On Tuesday, Kishi Nobuo also stated at a press conference in Tokyo that surface-to-air and surface-to-ship missile forces will be deployed on Ishigaki Island, 300 kilometers away from Taiwan. In addition, the Ministry of Defense is also discussing Yonaguni Island near Ishigaki Island to deploy electronic warfare units. The Japanese media stated that this is all in response to the increasing threat from the CCP.
Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso publicly stated at the beginning of last month that if the CCP invades Taiwan, Japan will regard it as an "immediate threat" because Okinawa will be the next target and Japan will exercise its right to self-defense and defend Taiwan together with the United States.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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News (6)
Frequently using keyboard and mouse, smoking, diabetes, wrong posture, not playing tennis, but also tennis elbow
Image: Tennis elbow. The strain of tendons and tendons causes lesions, with symptoms such as pain, inflammation and weakness, forming tennis elbow.
The medical name of tennis elbow is lateral elbow tendinopathy. To understand its causes, you must first have a basic understanding of the structure of the elbow.
Let's try it out together. Gently place the fingers of your right hand on the forearm of your left hand, and then stretch your left wrist upwards and make a fist. You will feel a muscle protruding from the left forearm in your right hand. It is the wrist extensor and is also related to tennis elbow. muscle.
The wrist extensors extend from the wrist to the outside of the elbow, which is the position of the lateral epicondyle of the humerus (see the perspective tennis elbow diagram). Tennis exercises often use wrist extensors, and many players suffer from elbow pain. Therefore, "external epicondyle tendinopathy" is also called "tennis elbow".
Tendon strain produces lesions
Why is there tennis elbow? Imagine a worker pulling a piece of cargo with a rope, as if muscles connect bones through tendons, so that we can easily move our joints.
When moving the wrist, the wrist extensor muscles contract, just like a worker has been pulling goods. If the cargo is light, it may still be able to cope, but when the cargo gradually gets heavier or after a long period of time, the rope will not be able to withstand the load and wear.
Tendons are also the same. Tendon strain will cause pathological changes, and symptoms such as pain, inflammation and weakness will appear, resulting in tennis elbow.
Extract heavy matter sour and weak
Clinical symptoms:
◆Pain on the outer side of the elbow, sometimes the pain will extend to the wrist extensor position.
◆ Stretching the wrist or fingers upward can cause elbow pain.
◆Daily activities such as opening the bottle lid, opening the door, cutting vegetables, picking up a water cup, using a mouse, etc. are all affected.
◆The elbows and wrists will be stiff.
High-risk groups: Chef, hair stylists
Who is the high-risk group?
◆40 to 60 years old.
◆Symptoms usually appear in the dominant hand.
◆People who need to use their wrists repeatedly at work; such as chefs, hair stylists, typists, housewives, etc.
◆Incorrect posture at work increases the risk of tennis elbow.
◆Some studies indicate that smokers and diabetic patients are at greater risk of illness.
High risk of wrong posture
People who posture incorrectly at work are more likely to develop tennis elbow.
Self-test
There are clinical tests to determine whether the elbow pain is due to tennis elbow.
Test one (Figure A):
1. Put the painful forearm on the table and keep it comfortable and relaxed
2. Relax your fingers and raise your wrist
3. Place the other hand on the back of the painful hand and try to prevent the painful wrist from upward
4. If the painful hand is contending with resistance and the outer side of the elbow is painful, it is possible to suffer from tennis elbow
Test two (Figure B):
1. Straighten the painful elbow and raise it forward
2. Make a firm fist
3. Flex the wrist downward
4. Hold the back of the painful hand with the other hand, and slowly pull the palm of the painful hand downward
5. If you feel pain on the outside of your elbow when you pull, you may get tennis elbow
Of course, the above are just simple tests and cannot be 100% diagnosed. Diagnosis requires the patient's detailed medical history and a series of examinations, and also to exclude other possible causes of elbow pain.
Therefore, if you have elbow pain, it is best to seek the most appropriate treatment from the medical staff.
News (7) to (9) / Reporter : Xing Yu / Publisher : China Science News / http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2021/8/462698.shtm
News (7)
Eating too many peanuts will speed up the spread of cancer cells
Research finds that frequent consumption of peanuts by cancer patients may increase the risk of cancer spread
Recently, researchers at the University of Liverpool found that frequent consumption of peanuts by cancer patients may increase the risk of cancer spread, which is related to the results of previous studies. Related research results were published in "Carcinogenesis".
Studies have found that after eating peanuts, peanut agglutinin (PNA, a carbohydrate-binding protein) quickly enters the blood circulation, interacts with blood vessel wall (endothelial) cells, and produces cytokines.
The cytokines discussed here are IL-6 and MCP-1, which are also well-known cancer metastasis-promoting factors. The increase in cytokines causes other endothelial cells to express more cell surface adhesion molecules, making them more attractive to circulating tumor cells, which may promote metastasis.
In an earlier study, the corresponding author of the study, Professor Yu Lugang of the University of Liverpool, and his colleagues reported that PNA entering the blood circulation will bind to a special sugar chain, and this process mainly occurs in precancerous cells and cancer cells. And interact with a larger protein expressed on the surface of tumor cells in the blood.
This interaction triggers changes in larger proteins, causing potential adhesion molecules on the surface of cancer cells to be exposed, making cancer cells more sticky and easier to attach to blood vessels. It also allows cancer cells to form small clumps, prolonging the survival time of cancer cells in circulation in the body. Many epithelial cancers spread through the bloodstream to other organs.
Yu Lugang said, "Although further studies and investigations are needed, these studies show that very frequent consumption of peanuts by cancer patients may increase the risk of metastasis and spread."
News (8)
Consumption of peanuts has no significant effect on cancer mortality
However, it is gratifying that a large study in the United States reported that the consumption of peanuts has no significant effect on cancer mortality. In another study, the intake of peanuts had no significant effect on the prognosis of prostate cancer patients. In previous studies of healthy volunteers, about one hour after ingesting a large dose (250 g) of peanuts, the large concentration of PNA in the blood was only temporary. Therefore, it may produce a "normal" dose of peanut intake with a lower PNA concentration. Entry is harmless.
News (9)
For cancer patients, avoid eating large amounts of peanuts frequently
"However, the risk of circulating PNA still exists. At least the relatively high levels of PNA found shortly after the ingestion of large doses of peanuts may have a significant biological impact on circulating tumor cells at that time and may increase the risk of metastasis. Therefore. It is best for cancer patients to avoid eating peanuts in large amounts or very frequently.” Yu Lugang said.
The researchers said that the possible impact of large amounts of peanuts consumed by cancer patients on survival needs to be investigated in further population-based epidemiological studies.
Translation of external news on Tokyo Olympics and Taiwan
News (10)
Wen Ziyun lost in the top 4 match against Ukrainian and won Taiwan's first Olympics karate bronze medal
Reporter : Lan Zongbiao, United Daily News / Image : Wen Ziyun (right) counterattacked (Photo by Yu Chenghan)
Wen Ziyun, the "Xiao Qing" of the Chinese Republic team, passed the Tokyo Olympic Karate Women's 55kg group stage today. In the evening, she continued to face the Ukrainian female player Anzhelika Terliuga in the quarter final. The two players held a stalemate until the end of the game. 4:4, Wen Ziyun was judged by 4 sideline referees to lose, missed the chance to enter the gold medal game, and finally won the bronze medal. The Chinese Republic team has accumulated 2 golds, 4 silvers and 6 bronzes.
Wen Ziyun lost to Bulgarian player Ivet Goranova at 2:5 in the group match in the afternoon. In the next two games, she defeated Iranian player Sara Bahmanyar by 5:1, and then by 5 : 4 defeated Turkish player Serap Ozcelik Arapoglu, with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, ranked second in the group, and successfully advanced to the top 4, and also ensured that the medals were in the pocket.
In the key 4 finals, Wen Ziyun and Triugga stalemate all the way. At 1 minute and 59 seconds, each of them was effective and tied with 1:1. However, at 2 minutes and 7 seconds, Triugga added a stage kick, won a book and went ahead 4:1. With only the last second of the game, Wen Ziyun also grabbed 3 points with a book. The two sides were tied again. Finally, the referee judged the winner and Triugga won.
Even though Wen Ziyun lost in the top 4, she still won another bronze medal for the Chinese Republic delegation. The whole group accumulated 2 golds, 4 silvers and 6 bronzes. The total number of medals reached 12, which once again set the record for the most medals won in a single Olympic Games.
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