New research: Red wine could stave off covi, which affects the brain

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on disease control, Myanmar

News (1) to (3) / Source : Daily Mail

News (1)

New research: Red wine could ward off covi

Red wine could help stave off SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus, covi), according to new research.

People who drink more than five glasses a week had a 17 per cent lower risk of catching the virus. 

News (2)

Polyphenol in red wine inhibits infections of viruses

Experts believe this is due to the polyphenol content, which can inhibit the effect of viruses such as flu and respiratory tract-related infections. 

White wine drinkers who consume between one to four glasses a week had an eight per cent lower risk of catching covi compared with non-drinkers.

News (3)

Beer and cider drinkers catch covid easier 

Beer and cider drinkers had a nearly 28 per cent higher chance of getting covid, regardless of how much they consumed.

Figures from British database UK Biobank were analysed at China’s Shenzhen Kangning Hospital.

News (4)

No PCR testing required on Vietnam non-lockdown domestic routes

Source : VOV.VN

Passengers, including children, wishing to fly on domestic routes are no longer required to undergo a COVID-19 test at the airport even when they have not received a single vaccine dose.

Passengers on domestic air routes no longer need a COVID-19 test at the airport under new rules by the Ministry of Transport.

The new rule laid down by the Ministry of Transport took effect as of January 22 which helps ease travel restrictions for passengers on domestic air routes.

The rule does not apply to passengers coming from the red zones or lockdown areas which are at a high risk of virus infection. Passengers coming from these areas are still required to undergo COVID-19 testing with the result coming back negative 72 hours before their departure.

For children living in the red zones or lockdown areas and wishing to fly on domestic routes, the Ministry of Transport has requested the Ministry of Health to give detailed guidance.

Under the new rule, the Ministry of Transport also no longer requires COVID-19 testing for domestic flight crew every seven days.

However, all passengers are still required to make a medical declaration on the PC-COVID application before their trip, and are responsible for their declared information.

Passengers are not allowed to board the plane when they have symptoms of a cough, a fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, a sore throat, or loss of taste.

News (5)

Israel sets new covid record

Reporter : Lawrence Duchamps, The Epoch Times PREMIUM

The Israeli Ministry of Health announced this week that more than 72,000 people tested positive for covid, the largest rise in infections since the start of the pandemic.

Total active cases in the country rose to nearly 400,000 people, of whom 533 are currently hospitalized in critical condition, according to a Jan. 19 statement posted by the country’s health ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned this month that covid cases are expected to increase rapidly amid the spread of the Omicron variant, as he presented government data that indicates two to four million Israelis are predicted to be infected with COVID-19 during the current outbreak.

“Information presented at a cabinet meeting indicates that in Israel, overall 2–4 million citizens will be infected in the current wave,” Bennett’s statement reads.

Israel, which has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world with already nearly half of its citizens having received three shots, is leading the world in new daily cases per capita, according to Jan. 20 data.

Eran Segal, a biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, verified this data, explaining that after comparing the numbers of each country’s seven-day running average, Israel is at the top, The Times of Israel reported.

The country’s health ministry announced last week it started administering second boosters to the most vulnerable group of people and already 500,000 people have received the fourth shot. In total, nearly 73 percent of Israeli’s have received at least one dose while roughly 66 percent are fully vaccinated, according to government data.

Israel was among the first countries to roll out vaccines a year ago and began widely offering third doses last summer in a bid to contain the Delta variant. Authorities have said they hope the fourth shot will blunt a wave of infections driven by Omicron.

An Israeli researcher said on 17 January 2022 a second booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine does induce antibodies, but likely not at a level high enough to protect recipients against infection from Omicron. Much of Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination program uses the Pfizer jab.

“Two weeks after administering the fourth vaccine, we see a good increase in the antibodies, higher than after the third dose, but not high enough against Omicron,” lead researcher Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay told reporters in an online briefing.

Omicron has proven better at evading antibodies induced by covi vaccines than earlier strains and has infected millions of vaccinated people around the world in recent weeks, sparking a renewed effort to get people boosted.

On Tuesday, Bennett again encouraged Israelis to get jabbed. The leader promoted earlier preliminary results from a Sheba Medical Center study that showed a high level of antibodies a week after workers received the fourth dose, touting “a five-fold increase in the number of antibodies” in the recipient of the vaccine.

The early data indeed indicated that the booster restored some of the lost protection against infection, but that the protection again dropped after just a few weeks. Similar results have come in for the second booster, according to preliminary results from the Sheba study, which have not yet been published.

News (6)

Israeli study finds 4 doses of vaccine more protective over 60 years old 

The Israeli Ministry of Health said today that the the elderly over the age of 60 who received the fourth dose of the covi vaccine had more than three times higher protection against severe disease than those who received only three doses of the same age. 

The Israeli Ministry of Health also pointed out that a fourth dose of the vaccine, or a second booster dose, can produce twice as much immunity in people over the age of 60 compared to three doses of the same age. 

A preliminary study published by the Sheba Medical Center in Israel on the 17th showed that the antibody produced by the fourth dose of the vaccine was even higher than that of the third dose, but for the highly infectious mutant Omicron, "probably" has not yet reached degree of complete resistance. 

As the Omicron-related outbreak ravages Israel, the Middle Eastern country started earlier this month vaccinating people over the age of 60 with Comirnaty. The Omicron variant has contributed to a rise in the number of confirmed cases in Israel, but no deaths have been reported from the virus. (Central News Agency)

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1698861

News (7)

BMJ demands immediate release of all covi vaccine treatment data

Reporter : Katabella Roberts, The Epoch Times PREMIUM

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has demanded the full and immediate release of all data related to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, saying it is in the public’s interest to do so.

BMJ, a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal published by the trade union the British Medical Association, called for the release of the data in an editorial published on Wednesday.

“Today, despite the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, the anonymized participant-level data underlying the trials for these new products remain inaccessible to doctors, researchers, and the public—and are likely to remain that way for years to come,” BMJ said. “This is morally indefensible for all trials, but especially for those involving major public health interventions.”

BMJ also accused pharmaceutical companies of “reaping vast profits without adequate independent scrutiny of their scientific claims,” pointing to Pfizer, whose COVID vaccine trial was “funded by the company and designed, run, analyzed, and authored by Pfizer employees.”

New York-headquartered Pfizer still holds that trial data and has indicated that it won’t begin considering requests for such data until May 2025—24 months after the primary study completion date of May 15, 2023, which is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Meanwhile, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had asked a judge to give it 75 years to produce all the data concerning the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.

However, a judge earlier this month ordered that the FDA make public 12,000 pages of the data it used to make decisions regarding approvals for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month. The FDA must also release Pfizer’s vaccine data at a rate of 55,000 pages a month until all of the requested pages are public.

BMJ also noted that AstraZeneca has indicated that it may be ready to entertain requests for data from a number of its phase III trials. However, the Cambridge-headquartered company says that the timeline for such data can “vary per request and can take up to a year upon full submission of the request for analysis, decision, anonymization, and sharing of the requested data or documents.”

The Epoch Times has contacted spokespersons for Pfizer and AstraZeneca for comment.

“We are left with publications but no access to the underlying data on reasonable request,” BMJ said. “This is worrying for trial participants, researchers, clinicians, journal editors, policymakers, and the public. The journals that have published these primary studies may argue that they faced an awkward dilemma, caught between making the summary findings available quickly and upholding the best ethical values that support timely access to underlying data. In our view, there is no dilemma; the anonymized individual participant data from clinical trials must be made available for independent scrutiny.”

BMJ added that regulators are not there to “dance to the tune of rich global corporations and enrich them further” but to protect the general public’s health and for that reason, they said, we need “complete data transparency for all studies, we need it in the public interest, and we need it now.”

In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was also sued by the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) over claims that it is improperly withholding COVID-19 vaccine safety data from the American public.

ICAN is asking the CDC to provide de-identified post-licensure safety data for the COVID-19 vaccines in the CDC’s v-safe system so as to assure transparency with the general public regarding claims by both the CDC and the Biden administration that COVID-19 vaccines are “safe and effective.”

The British Medical Journal is one of the world’s oldest general medical journals, having been founded in 1840, and has editorial freedom from the British Medical Association.

News (8)

Expert: Vaccines failed in stopping covid and mandates have to be dropped

Reporters : Harry Lee and Steve Lance, The Epoch Times PREMIUM 

The covi vaccines have largely failed in stopping the transmission of covi, especially for the most recent Omicron variant, so the vaccine mandate should be thrown away, according to Dr. Peter McCullough.

“The vaccines themselves have basically now become obsolete as the virus has continued to mutate,” McCullough told NTD’s “Capitol Report” in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. “So at this point of time, the vaccine mandates have to be dropped across the board.”

McCullough said some recent studies have shown the effectiveness of the covi vaccines dropped significantly with the new variants.

“There’s a paper by Young-Xu in JAMA, the prior Delta strain that was only about 20 percent covered by the vaccines. Vaccines were very ineffective against Delta,” McCullough said.

The study, which is peer-reviewed and published on the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) last month, found that during the high-Delta period, the estimated vaccine effectiveness was 62.0 percent in the first month and decreased to 57.8 percent by month three. The decrease in vaccine effectiveness accelerated after month four, reaching a low of approximately 20 percent in months five through seven.

“And now a paper from Hansen from Denmark, and from the UK public health security report indicated, against Omicron the vaccines are basically ineffective,” McCullough continued.

The Danish study, a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed, found that vaccine effectiveness against Omicron was initially 55.2 percent and 36.7 percent for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, respectively, but waned rapidly over time. By comparison, vaccine effectiveness against Delta was significantly higher and better preserved over the same period.

The vaccine effectiveness is re-established to 54.6 percent upon revaccination—a booster—of a Pfizer vaccine, the study claimed.

The UK Health Security Agency report released on Dec. 31 also found that vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron variant is significantly lower than compared to the Delta variant and wanes rapidly.

“Among those who had received 2 doses of AstraZeneca, there was no effect against Omicron from 20 weeks after the second dose. Among those who had received 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna, effectiveness dropped from around 65 to 70 percent down to around 10 percent by 20 weeks after the second dose,” the report (pdf) states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been saying the covi vaccines are “safe and effective,” and serious adverse events are rare.

“The only thing the vaccines could have done is reduce the chances of getting COVID-19. … So many millions of Americans who have taken the vaccines have been disappointed to find out they contracted COVID-19 anyway,” McCullough continued.

On Wednesday, the CDC published a study showing protection from prior infection, or so-called natural immunity, was better than the protection from COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant.

McCullough also said the vaccine mandates lack the ethical or legal standing in the first place because the COVID-19 vaccines are “investigational.”

“All the vaccines are still investigational and in research. Mandates had no ethical or moral or legal standing from that perspective. No one can be forced into research against their will or be coerced into it.”

A spokesperson from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), didn’t answer directly whether covi vaccines are investigational, but told The Epoch Times that “all of the vaccines are under an EUA except for Comirnaty, which is fully approved.”

In a guidance (pdf) issued last year, FDA said emergency use authorizations (EUAs) are issued for investigational vaccines to prevent covid.

“We can’t have Americans have fear about losing their job or school or travel related to a failed vaccine,” McCullough said. “But even more so we need to re-examine what we’ve done with respect to our public health priorities and COVID-19.”

McCullough said that in March and April 2020 America should have had large randomized trials and moved very quickly into studying multi-drug treatment. However, the federal authorities refused to do so and made a big push for vaccines.

McCullough also shared the treatment for covid patients with the Omicron variant.

“Fortunately with the Omicron variants very mild, the main treatment is oral nasal virucidal washes with dilute povidone-iodine or hydrogen peroxide 12. Clinical trials show the biggest benefit of that is more than any other form of treatment,” McCullough said.

Occasionally patients may need additional oral drugs and Pfizer and Merck pills could be featured, the renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist added.

“And for severe cases we can use Sotrovimab, which is the GSK monoclonal antibody, may be in a high-risk senior or special case,” McCullough said.

“The vaccines aren’t treatment, they offered no hope of treating a patient once they contracted covid and we knew with respiratory virus they were very unlikely to be effective,” said the doctor.

The CDC has been saying that the covi vaccines could reduce severe illness and death, and vaccinated people should get a booster to keep up the protection.

News (9) to (11) / Editors : Zeng Jinyue, Chen Bo'an / news.tvbs.com.tw/life/1698824

News (9)

Stroke and myocardial infarction are the most prone to "3 timings". Doctors exposed the three key points of daily maintenance

Image : In winters, it is easy to cause myocardial infarction if you do not pay attention to keeping warm when you get up in winter. (Schematic diagram/shutterstock Dazhi image)

During winter, if you do not pay attention to cardiovascular health in daily life, when you encounter a sudden drop in temperature, it may cause cardiovascular constriction and blood pressure rise due to the large temperature difference. There is chance of disease. 

Cardiologist Shi Yizhong not only reminded to keep warm, but also shared his daily cardiovascular maintenance methods.

Image : Physicians call for regular cardiac and cardiovascular-related examinations. (Photo/TVBS data photo) 

News (10)

Stroke and heart disease are the most common occurrences in winter

Shi Yizhong, director of the Cardiology Department of Lian An Clinic, pointed out that the most common occurrences of myocardial infarction and acute stroke in winter are the sudden drop in temperature and the hasty waking up in the morning or blowing cold air after taking a hot shower.

To prevent cardiovascular disease, in addition to keeping warm, Shi Yizhong believes that keeping blood vessels open is a very important thing. Although the current medical technology, there is indeed a chance to clear the blocked blood vessels, if you can take good care of it from your daily life, you will have healthy blood vessels, so that your body can respond to different seasonal changes and conditions and prevent disease.

Image : Eating more fruits and vegetables can help maintain cardiovascular health. (Schematic diagram/shutterstock Dazhi image) 

News (11)

3 main points of daily cardiovascular maintenance

1 . Less oil and more fruits and vegetables 

Minimize the intake of animal fats, such as lard, butter and other saturated fats, and eat more colorful fresh vegetables and fruits. 

2. Regular exercise

 In terms of exercise recommendations, it is best to follow the "531" exercise points, that is, exercise 5 times a week, 30 minutes each time, and each heartbeat is easy to reach 110 beats. 

3. Regular cardiac and cardiovascular related examinations 

There are now advanced atherosclerosis analysis and examinations. Shi Yizhong believes that the above three methods are important steps for people to avoid vascular blockage. ◎ Consultant / Physician Shi Yizhong 

For the original text, please see: New Year's "Heart" Hope! Physicians revealed the three most prone to stroke and myocardial infarction, and the three main points of daily cardiovascular maintenance [For more exciting content, please go to the official website of "Health 2.0".] 

News (12) to (15) / Narrated by : Dong Yuhong (European virology expert, chief scientist of a biotechnology company) / Compiled by : Li Xingzhi / Editor : Li Xiaomei / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/01/24/a103328881.html

News (12)

Is there an end to the epidemic? Expert: Invisible things or the key to epidemic prevention

Image : Epidemic prevention cannot be limited to visible physical space, and people's thoughts and mental states are equally important. (Shutterstock)

The Omicron variant virus (Covi29) spreads rapidly around the world. Despite the measures taken by people such as physical isolation, blockade, vaccines, and drugs, the spread of the epidemic has not yet been stopped. There have been six waves of the global epidemic so far, and the number of confirmed cases in the sixth wave far exceeds the previous five waves, while the number of daily deaths has not declined significantly so far.

Many people are constantly thinking. How can we end this epidemic?

Modern science is based on the theoretical basis of the material world with images. However, some things that are invisible and intangible, but exist and can directly affect human health, such as spiritual things, may also be the key to the trend of the epidemic and are worthy of our attention.

News (13)

Invisible things can affect immunity

Physicist Einstein's mass-energy equation tells us that all matter with mass in the universe has energy. Although our naked eyes cannot see energy, spirit, thoughts, etc., they are actually a manifestation of matter and can also affect the material world.

For example, although people's spirit and thoughts are invisible, they can affect people's immunity. For example, a person who is honest and good at forgiving others has a low cortisol response in his body and a high relative immunity. This is the evidence that the spirit is embodied in the material level.

In 2003, at the University of California, Los Angeles, psychoneuroimmunologist Dr. Juliene E. Bower published an interesting research report in the medical journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine: he put 43 Women are divided into two groups, one group is people who value the search for the meaning of life and thinking about the value of life, and the other group is less important. The results of the study show that women who value the search for meaning in life have natural killer cells in their bodies that have very strong antiviral abilities.

From this, it can be seen that improving immunity can not only rely on drugs and vaccines, but also changing one's own mental state may achieve the same effect.

Image : People who value the meaning of life, the natural killer cells in the body have powerful antiviral ability. (Health 1+1 cartography)

News (14)

Spirit and energy are closely related to depression and anxiety reduces immunity

The human spirit not only affects immunity, but also has energy.

The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of physical, mental and social well-being". Nowadays, many people have a misunderstanding about epidemic prevention: They focus on physical health, but often ignore the psychological and spiritual aspects of a complete person.

Dr. David R. Hawkins, an American psychiatrist and psychologist, has conducted a study for more than ten years. He has interviewed different people around the world and used the energy measurement method approved by scientists to study. The energy levels of people in different emotional and psychological states. He found that negative emotions and thoughts, such as despair, pessimism, and anxiety, can lead to low energy states; on the contrary, having positive thoughts, such as being able to trust others, being brave, peaceful, and being considerate of others, leads to higher energy levels. The higher the age, the function of his immune cells will also develop in a positive direction.

Image : Different emotional and psychological states have different energy levels. (Health 1+1 cartography)

After the epidemic began, we have experienced a long-term blockade and isolation. Many people have accumulated a lot of pressure because they cannot meet and interact with their family members and friends. Many people even have mental problems of depression and anxiety.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau survey results, during the peak of the epidemic from April to May 2020, about one-third of American adults suffered from anxiety or depression. Compared with 2019, the probability of suffering has increased by 2 times. 

A large number of psychoneuroimmunological studies have shown that when people are in a negative mental state, the functional state of the immune system will also decline.

For example, an article published in the medical journal Brain, Behavior, Immunity, co-authored by the University of California, Los Angeles, and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, summarizes the past 20 years. Research data on depression. They found that in depressed people, the proliferation and response of lymphocytes in the body decreased, the immunity of T cells to viruses was weakened, and the activity of natural killer cells decreased. Generally speaking, it is the decline of the body's resistance, which makes them susceptible to viruses and bacteria.

Image : Depression reduces resistance, leading to susceptibility to viruses and bacteria. (Health 1+1 cartography)

Therefore, these research results bring us a reflection, that is, the impact of long-term closure and social isolation on human immunity may have negative effects instead.

News (15)

Invisible positive thoughts can help you out of the epidemic

In 2021, Dr. George M Slavich from the Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, and Professor Jamil Zaki from the Department of Psychology, Stanford University, etc., in the journal "Anxiety Stress and Coping" Published an article on , proposing 3 anti-epidemic strategies in addition to physical blockade and isolation:

1. Cultivate a sense of belonging in society.

2. Practice compassion.

3. Do good deeds.

These three points are psychologists and social scientists, based on the evidence of empirical medicine, to propose methods that can reduce people's stress and depression, and help people get out of the epidemic more quickly.

Also, there are some interesting studies and examples.

Harvard psychologist David David did an interesting study that when the "Mother Teresa" movie was shown to help the sick and dying poor Calcuttas, the audience's immune function increased and remained high an hour later. This effect even happens to those who dislike Mother Teresa, their brains subconsciously resonating with her kind, loving power.

I recently read a report that Helen Schmidt from Nevada went to watch the performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts on February 28 last year. Originally, she took an oxygen bottle to watch the performance, but after watching it, she took off the oxygen bottle and talked with others while being able to breathe naturally.

Shen Yun's performances are mainly based on traditional Chinese stories, and the content of the stories is mostly about conveying optimism and kindness, which is good for improving human immunity. That's why Smit has made such a big change.

This case can bring some enlightenment to scientists and the public: Although the spiritual phenomenon cannot be seen, it has great power. Therefore, epidemic prevention measures cannot be limited to the physical space visible to the naked eye. People's own thoughts and mental states are equally important.

In the current situation that the epidemic has not yet been resolved, people need to tear down the wall of thinking, which is limited to vaccines and blockade measures, so that all human forces can be mobilized in order to get out of this epidemic as soon as possible.

News (16)

Xi'an fully unblocked after 32 days

Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor: Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/01/24/a103328928.html

Image : On 11 January 2022, anti-epidemic personnel in Xi'an prepare for disinfection. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

On 24 January 2022, Xi'an, Shaanxi, which had been under lockdown for 32 days, announced the lifting of the lockdown. During Xi'an's closure period, serious secondary disasters were triggered, public grievances were boiling, and some foreign companies were also in trouble.

Xi'an officially announced on 24 January 2022 that the city has been reduced to a low-risk area, and normal travel will resume from now on. You only need a "green code" of one-yard pass to leave Xi'an, and no certificate of leaving the city is required. This means that Xi'an, which has been closed for 32 days, announced the lifting of the blockade.

According to the new regulations of the authorities, those who enter Xi'an from other places must have a 48-hour nucleic acid test negative certificate, and Xi'an One-Code Pass must be converted to a "green code". However, entering Xi'an from medium and high-risk areas must be centralized and isolated at their own expense.

As the Chinese New Year approaches and the mobility of people increases, Xi'an authorities have asked citizens not to go to medium- and high-risk areas unless it is necessary.

Although the unblocking was announced, Xi'an continued to implement strict epidemic prevention and control measures. The existing blockade and control areas were still under blockade and control before the control was lifted.

At the same time, the Xi'an authorities strictly controlled the number of people at meetings and gatherings, requiring no more than 10 people at family dinners and gatherings.

Xi'an, an important northwestern city with a population of 13 million, suddenly announced the lockdown of the city on 22 December 2021. Xi'an is considered to be the reappearance of the tragedy of Wuhan's lcokdown, and the secondary disaster caused by it even exceeds that of Wuhan.

It was previously disclosed on the Internet that during the lockdown of Xi'an, the material supply was insufficient, and a large number of citizens called for help on the Internet, such as "starving to death" and "difficult to buy vegetables". Some netizens bluntly said, "This is not an epidemic but a famine."

In addition, during the closure of the city, many pregnant women in Xi'an were rejected by the hospital due to waiting for nucleic acid testing, resulting in miscarriage. There are also many patients with heart disease and sudden diseases who were also rejected by the hospital and died due to delayed treatment. The tragic closure of the city has aroused public anger.

In addition to causing panic among the local people, the closure of Xi'an has also affected local foreign companies. Xi'an is an important center of China's semiconductor (mainly memory) and automobile industries. The lockdown of the city has put the production of foreign-funded enterprises based there in difficulties.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has stated that the local factory has entered a state of emergency operation and is maximizing the use of personnel living in the staff dormitory to ensure the normal operation of the production line.

In addition to Samsung Electronics, there are also automobile manufacturing, high-end equipment, aerospace, new materials and new energy, biomedicine and other industries in Xi'an. Many Taiwanese businessmen also invest and set up factories here. The market is worried that if the city is closed for a long time, it may once again trigger a supply chain crisis such as the global chip and automobile industries.

News (17) to (19) / Reporter : Li Yan / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/1/11/n13497668.htm

News (17)

Study: Mild covi infection can also have lasting effects on the brain

According to a new preprint study released Monday (10 January 2022), even mildly infected with covid can also cause "profound" cellular effects in the brain, with long-term effects on memory and executive function.

The authors of the study from Stanford University, Yale University and Mount Sinai in New York found that people infected with covid often experience neurological effects similar to those experienced by those who have received cancer treatment, known as Cancer Related treatment Cognitive Impairment (CRCI) or "chemo brain".

The study has not been peer-reviewed.

"The findings here illustrate striking similarities in neuropathophysiology after cancer treatment and infection with SARS-CoV-2," the authors wrote. Symptomatic cellular defects—possibly even after mild infection with SARS-CoV-2."

News (18)

Covi affects the brain

Using infected mice as a reference, the researchers found a "significant reduction" in the number of newly produced neurons in the brain's hippocampus within a week of infection, and determined that this continued for at least seven weeks.

The researchers say the brain's hippocampal neuron production "is thought to support healthy memory function."

The hippocampus of the brain, is an area of ​​the brain that helps process long-term learning and memory events such as sound, light, taste, and orientation. 

Researchers examined brain tissue from covid deaths in early 2020 and found a "surge" in inflammatory markers in their brains, even in those with mild or no symptoms.

In addition, they divided people who had been infected with COVID for a long time into two groups, one with cognitively affected people, and the other group of people with no cognitively affected people. Most of them had only mild infections and were not hospitalized.

The authors report that the results found elevated levels of inflammation-related proteins in the plasma of people whose cognition was affected.

News (19)

Brain fog caused by covid remains to be studied

"Taken together, the findings here highlight that even mild respiratory SARS-CoV-2 infections [can] cause profound multicellular dysregulation in the brain," the researchers concluded in their discussion.

Much of the data in the study came early in the pandemic, and scientists say it is unclear what long-term effects later variants, such as Omicron, will have on infected people.

"The incidence and severity of post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment caused by newer SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as the Omicron variant, or due to breakthrough infection in vaccine recipients, remains to be seen," they noted. Sure."

The study adds more evidence to the so-called "COVID brain fog" claim, which scientists are still working to fully understand, particularly the question of how long these symptoms may last in those who have recovered.

Professional publications such as Neurology Clinical Practice and the Journal of Infection have previously reported that patients with COVID-19 are free from typical infection symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath ), experienced persistent mental fogginess—loss of memory, difficulty finding words to express, difficulty concentrating, and being overwhelmed by simple tasks.

Responsible editor: Lin Yan#

News (20)

NUG to report Myanmar Junta military atrocities in Chin State to international courts

Report : Khin Yi Yi Zaw, Myanmar Now

Two ministers from Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG) said in a press conference on Thursday that their administration was gathering information on crimes committed by the junta in Chin State to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

 

Dr Sasa, the Minister of International Cooperation, said that the NUG is working collaboratively on the process with the Independent Investigative Mechanism Myanmar (IIMM) to share their documentation with the courts.

 

“We are doing all of these procedures along with the IIMM. We are also going to submit the evidence gathered by us and the IIMM to not only the ICC and the ICJ but also to other places such as Brazil, Australia and Germany where we can get international jurisdiction,” he explained. 

 

Minister of Human Rights Aung Myo Min said that the violations would also be reported to the UN Security Council with the aim of convincing the body to approve sanctions on arms exports to the Myanmar junta. 

 

“The NUG is filing reports and trying to bring about stronger action [against the junta], such as preventing airstrikes and stopping the imports of weapons and airplane fuel,” he said.

 

Among the crimes being investigated by the NUG is the massacre of 10 civilians in southern Chin State’s Matupi Township earlier this month after they were used as human shields by the military.

 

Relatives of two of the victims spoke at Thursday’s press conference, explaining how their loved ones were tortured and killed by Myanmar army troops, and cited eyewitness reports from those who recovered their bodies on 8 and 9 January 2022. 

 

They said that the deceased were found blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs and with knife wounds to their necks and bodies. 

 

“How could they be that cruel? They weren’t even resistance fighters. They were just innocent civilians. How will I ever be able to cope with this?” Thidar Htwe, whose husband Paw Va Htoo was among those murdered, said. 

 

The youngest of the victims was La Nang, a 13-year-old boy. He was abducted and later killed while accompanying his brother on an errand to buy fuel, according to his father, Joseph. 

 

“We waited three days for his return, because we hoped he would be spared as he was just a child. It is heartbreaking. I don’t think I will be able to withstand this pain,” Joseph said. 

 

The military sent massive troop reinforcements to Matupi Township in early January, and serious clashes have been taking place between the military and the Chinland Defence Force across the state.

 

Similarly, the entire population of the Chin State town of Thantlang was displaced due to a military offensive and occupation of the area last year. Some 700 houses and seven religious buildings were destroyed over a three-month period ending in December.

 

Minister Aung Myo Min said that these acts were clearly war crimes, and that investigators had gathered sufficient evidence implicating both the military leaders who ordered the attacks and the troops who carried them out. 

Citing figures compiled by the Chin Human Rights Organisation, the NUG stated that some 892 people had been arrested and 182 people killed in Chin State from the period following the February 1 coup until the end of 2021. 

 

Some 50,000 Chin State residents were also displaced from their homes last year, and around 30 senior citizens died as a result of the forced relocation. 

 

Similar rights violations have taken place in neighbouring Sagaing Region, where the military burned 11 civilians to death in Salingyi Township’s Done Taw village in December 2021. 

The NUG is also planning to bring an international legal case against the Myanmar army for the Christmas Eve massacre of more than 30 people outside Moso village, in Karenni State’s Hpruso Township. The troops set fire to the victims’ bodies and the crime scene. 

Ref: https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/nug-to-report-myanmar-military-atrocities-in-chin-state-to-international-courts