#Immunosuppression

[tumble-tv]

No one:

Me and my eight boxes of masks:

[inkintheinternet]

Humanity vs Bacteria and Viruses - We are Losing

By Arjuwan Lakkdawala 

Ink in the Internet 

Humans are on top of the food chain, but we are not apex predators, I used to be relieved at the thought that giant dinasaurs went extinct, because I can't imagine how humanity would have survived if those giants still walked the earth. So are we safe now. The answer is no.

Apparently the giants were never our predators, our species has been hunted for thousands of years by microscopic entities. It's the war on humans by Bacteria and Viruses.

We have some of them which are good for us, and many that are harmless in our environment and nature. But the so called "few" that cause mild to severe disease keep emerging.

When we are born and in the first years of our lives we aquire a number of good germs, which are a mixture of viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, collectively they are called microbiota. 

They stay with us throughout our lives forming a symbiotic relationship with the health of our bodies. 

We have no need to worry from them as long as our immune system is healthy, however, if it is compromised and interacts with any of these germs in a way which is inappropriate then any of these can turn into a disease causing pathogen.

So if we take care of our immune system we'll be okay? Yes, but unfortunately immunosuppression can happen in many ways, due to internal or external factors.

Some examples are surgery, antibiotics, antiviral drugs, genetics, and infections, all can result in compromise of the immune system.

1. Antibiotics can kill the germs of the microbiota when administered to kill infection causing germs.

2. During surgery germs of the microbiota may get removed.

3. Genetics could have defects that cause immune system compromise.

4. Antiviral drugs have shown in laboratory culture tests to cause inhibition of the immune system.

5. Infections like HIV and many others can cause weakening of the immune system.

Our only true defense against germs is the health of our immune system, therefore compromise of it is a possibly life threatening condition.

What about medical and technological advancement, and the assistance of artificial intelligence. What about the many methods of sterilisation, after all this is the 21st century.

Why does it feel like we are still in the middle ages when it comes to the fight against bacteria and viruses? Why haven't we eliminated the "few" disease causing germs. Why did we have a 3 year pandemic? Covid-19 is still causing thousands of deaths.

It's an extremely complex story to simplify but let us take the Streptococcus Pyogene, the bacteria that causes Strep A as a case study. 

Descriptions of it's symptoms can be found far back in 4th century writings. The bacteria's name is derived from Greek words meaning 'A Chain.' 

Outbreaks of Scarlet Fever, one of the diseases that Strep A can cause occurred throughout Europe and North America during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Another setback for humans is that there are thousands of strains of bacteria. 

Scientists have identified 8,000 strains of bacteria with information about their genetics and metabolism. 

However, there are few molecular studies about the age of bacterial pathogens that affected humans before the start of medical bacteriology.

Genetic studies of human skeletons and mummies have found Tuberculosis and Plagues dating back 5,000 and 6,000 years.

So why haven't modern science been able to eliminate these pathogens? And can it be predicted which bacteria or strain will turn pathogenic? 

The answer is yes and no. 

Mutations and evolution have been studied in laboratories, but these models cannot replicate natural settings with the limitless interactions of these microorganisms with nature. 

Therefore scientists have always been several steps behind. Our intelligence is the only weapon we have to keep ourselves on top of the food chain, because if nature keeps outsmarting us at this pace, as far as bacteria and viruses go that is serious bad news for mankind.

So is nature bad for us? No. We have tilted the balance of nature, and are suffering it's consequences.

According to an article in Nature.com that cites various studies, Climate Change has made many diseases worse, bringing people and disease causing microorganisms closer together.

Everything we have learned has been by observing it in nature first. If we can ever get ahead of viruses and bacteria or find stronger antibiotics or other methods of treatment it will only be found in nature. So we need to protect naturel habitats of all species from destruction, and not just the species themselves. The ecology holds the secrets of behaviors of microorganisms.

Scientists of the world and media need to talk sense into people that have projects damaging nature, and there needs to be trust between the public and health officials. 

Unfortunately after the many conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccines, much of the trust in the World Health Organisation was severely damaged in a section of the public. 

The rise in global stroke levels didn't help either as it cast suspicion on the vaccines which were known to cause blood clots in people susceptible to it.

In the Twitter WHO comments many tweets are there blaming vaccines for the recent surge in the deaths of children by iGAS, however in the UK 89.1% children under 12 were less likely to be vaccinated according to the UK Health Security Agency website.

Scientists are debating if lockdowns caused the children to not develope better immunity against the bacteria due to lack of exposure.

Matt Koci, virologist and immunologist warns in a NC State University article by Matt Shipman that humans are not apex predators and viruses and bacteria are around to show us whose boss. 

He explained how the genome of the 1918 virus that killed soldiers with pneumonia like symptoms was restored by extracting its RNA in the 1990s by Jeffrey K. Taubenbergen and a team from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology to study it.

It was done in hope of learning how to deal with an outbreak of the pathogen should it happen.

We must stay vigilant in the fight against Bacteria and Viruses because we are precariously close to losing.

Many articles on the web suggest having a pet can boost children's immune system. Parents who choose to get a pet please keep in mind to teach your children to be kind to pets, and they are a lifelong responsibility and should not be discarded like toys. Adopt pets don't buy.

Foods that boost immune system should also be a priority and avoidance as much as possible of foods that weaken the immune system.

Arjuwan Lakkdawala is an author and independent journalist. Her Twitter is @Spellrainia

Copyright ©️ Arjuwan Lakkdawala 2022

Sources:

The Royal Society Publishing - Mark Achtman

Nature.com - Heidi Ledford

National Library of Medicine - W Heagy et al, J Clin Invest 1991 Jun

BMC Biology - Liise-anne Pirofski, Arturo Casadevall

PMC - Immunity and immunopathology to viruses: what decides the outcome?

Barry T. Rouse and Sharvan Sehrawat

Wikipedia- Pathogenic Bacteria

NIH - History of Streptococcal Research

Ferretti J, Köhler W.

Nature.com - McKenzie Prillaman

Wikipedia - Strain (Biology)

[hilaris1]

Analytical and Clinical Validation of a Novel Blood- Based Biomarker of Liver Transplant Rejection

Weems JC, Pierry D, Holman J, Kandpal M, Kurian SM, Meintjes P, Beswick N, and Levitsky J. "Analytical and Clinical Validation of a Novel Blood-Based Biomarker of Liver Transplant Rejection." J Transplant Technol Res 11 (2021): 180.

Abstract Background: We have discovered and validated a microarray-based test that analyzes blood gene expression profiles (GEP) as an indicator of immune status in liver transplant recipients with stable liver function. Methods: Analytical performance studies to characterize stability of RNA in blood during collection and shipment, analytical sensitivity (input RNA concentration), analytical specificity (interfering substances) and assay performance (clinical validity, and intra-assay, inter-assay, inter- laboratory reproducibility). Results: Total RNA extracted from whole blood specimens collected in PAXgene Blood RNA tubes was stable up to 3 days at room temperature (stable RNA yield). Under routine ambient shipping conditions, storage and shipping temperatures did not affect results. However, specimen shipments exposed to temperatures >400°C or to ambient temperatures for >3 days were unacceptable for processing. Analytical sensitivity studies demonstrated tolerance to variation in RNA input (50 to 400 ng per 3’ IVT (in vitro transcript] labeling reaction). Specificity studies using genomic Jurkat DNA spiked into 3 ’IVT reactions at 10-20% demonstrated negligible assay interference. The test was reproducible across operators, runs, reagent lots, and laboratories. External validation demonstrated that the TruGraf Liver blood test accurately classified patients in 84% of 155 samples. Conclusions: The previously published biomarker is the first non-invasive test to be demonstrated to have clinical utility in assessing immune status of LT recipients with stable liver function and shows promise as a reasonable and necessary tool supporting personalizing immunosuppressive therapy.

Submit manuscript at https://www.scholarscentral.org/submissions/transplantation-technologies-research.html or  as an e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at transplantation@emedscience.org  

[inniave]

US Americans, please visit the link below to write your representatives & urge them to push back against mask bans!

We all deserve to have the basic freedom to protect ourselves from airborne diseases. If the government won't protect us, we must protect ourselves.

[noxious-fennec]

A redraw of an old thing because exam season is the only time i get creative energy ig

[qursidae]

I got pneumonia 😢 So I haven't had the energy/time for any art lately, therefore this years b-day piece is just gonna be a amelliana sketch (Cause I thought about them earlier and listened to their playlist)

[tumble-tv]

Where's the best place to get reusable face masks with vents/filters? I've been using disposables for a while, but I'd like to try out reusables to see if I like them more. I'd prefer to purchase from small businesses if possible, so if anyone has suggestions that would be fantastic!

[mrehkka]

Dib meets one of the tallest in person and uh... is actually rather awed. He kinda gets it now. Zim is like "see?! the tallest are great!"

The story that goes with this is that Dib becomes ill, but oddly, with a somewhat rare Irken disease (stemming from a long term complication from when Zim's PAK attached to him way back when, it messed with something internally in Dib's body). So Zim takes Dib along with him to meet Red, to get Dib some Irken medicine/cure. Red has a huge crush on Zim so he tends to give him whatever he asks for (or gives him SOMETHING anyway, if he can't give him what he wants), and Zim knows this, although maybe a little in denial about the actual crush part.

aka: the "Dib gets to visit Irk and experience a bunch of Irken Culture" fic :D

[bitchfitch]

So the thing about EDS is that the sorta unofficial mascot for the disorder is a zebra. Because there's this saying in medicine "if you hear hooves assume it's a horse before a zebra," and that's advice to disuade younger doctors from jumping to cool rarer diagnosis. Most coughs are just colds, that type of thing.

back when EDS was first being figured out by the medical community it was considered one of those rare and unique diseases it was considered a zebra not a horse, when it came to figuring out diagnosis.

because prior to genetic testing allowing for you to Actually confirm a patient has it, only the very worst cases were even being diagnosed, so milder (vastly more common) presentations were being missed and treated as if they were some other "more common" disease.

and it's a series of events thats had very frustrating results blah blah blah. The point is back when they couldn't figure out what was killing me, my medical care team did not know what EDS was. But they knew whatever the fuck was wrong with me, it wasn't a fuckin horse. (and because they didn't take my main complaint "everything hurts constantly not just my joints" into consideration, EDS probably wouldn't have been considered anyways.)

So I spent what, 9 years? getting constant medical scans and tests on a never ending cycle of medications because none of it worked. My doctor's were looking for rare types of brain lessions and immune disorders that had only ever been seen a handful of times. blood disorders I didn't even have the genetic markings for were being looked at. hell one of my docs liked to joke about what the novel immuno-nervous system disease I have would be called.

So it was a it like there being a hoof beast of some description loose in your local park, and everyones talking about how it can't be a horse there's so much evidence it Isn't a horse. and they're saying it's a gazelle or a giraffe or an extinct species of pronghorn, one guy thinks it's an honest to God unicorn, and you don't really care you just want it to stop shitting on your yard but everyone's really excited about it.

only to find out it was a fucking donkey.

[dmardsanddaisies]

💊Ya girl has been fatigued, bruising like a lil banana, on new meds, and now on medical leave while I try and get my physical health and mental health sorted. Arthritis requires 3 medications now to hopefully get back to being controlled, aaaand I'm havin' a blegh time! 💁🏻‍♀️💊

[froody]

interesting fact: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can trigger skin problems like cystic acne

[thedisablednaturalist]

Literally everyone but me in the office is some sort of sick. They say oh I need the money or I don't want to use up my sick days or its not that bad *cough hack sniff*. And then they refuse to at the very least wear a mask. Like no wonder everyone is getting sick!!! I can feel my body starting to feel icky and I feel like the last man standing in a zombie apocalypse

[spooniestrong]

[dudeshusband]

shippers with skin conditions: your f/os love you and are no less attracted to you due to your condition. they would never blame you for it and will do whatever they can to help.