Grrr.
Yep.
18 April 2023:
From:
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Interesting how this flew under the radar, while the press was distracted 
:
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Also still updating is the Scotland and international COVID tracker that I was using
Itâs down to weekly updates now, but this is a good effort from a citizen science project
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No paywall: https://archive.ph/o1fNg
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Another wastewater tracking site. Continental US-only, and monitoring locations are limited, but nice UI.
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WhoaâLewy bodies?!?!
I note the cautious deployment of the word âmayâ in this article.
Still: oh shit.
Specifically, amyloids occur when proteins misfold into twisted clumps and form long fibers, hindering cellular function. These so-called clumps can start stacking excessively, creating harmful deposits in the body â sort of like cholesterol in the bloodstream but at the cellular level. When misfolding of a protein named âalpha-synucleinâ in the nervous system occurs, the amyloid buildup this causes in a neuron can lead to the formation of what is known as a âLewy body,â which is resistant to breakdown and clearance. Think of it as plaque buildup in the nervous system. Lewy bodies spread as pieces of these amyloids break away and seed the formation of new Lewy bodies in neighboring neurons.
The scariest thing about this? Misfolded alpha-synuclein is a hallmark of Parkinsonâs disease, Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure â all neurodegenerative diseases collectively known as synucleinopathies. And what can cause alpha-synuclein misfolding? Genetic mutations, exposure to certain toxins, and infections. COVID-19 may be one such infection â and that means long COVID symptoms may be a reflection of a developing neurological disorder.
There are a lot of people who survived COVID infections.
Some, multiple infections.
Some donât have Long COVID right now.
Some may never experience any other physical detriments post-infection.
But.
My dad died of Parkinsons. It is a hard way to go. Yikes.
Also: I expect more and escalated problems in the so-called âsystemâ that U.S. elderly end up relying on [or at the mercy of], when they are unable to care for themselves, including health insurance, nursing homes, and HCW and related staff.
I used to say âwant job security? work in datasec, infosecâ when asked about a white collar job future. My guess is that COVID will be one of those lingering post-cataclysm (just as the digital landscape was once free of malware and hackers but no more) âjob creatorsâ⊠should the U.S. economic system and its late stage capitalist dominant culture pivot, choosing to do the right thing, and take care of its own.
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Agreed, shitshitshit⊠I will stand by my âletâs not hang too much on one study,â but that is not encouraging. At all. Damn.
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For those who really want to get into the weeds on this:
Sowing SARS-CoV-2 to reap neurodegeneration: A hamster study - eBioMedicine (thelancet.com)
A case series of cutaneous phosphorylated α-synuclein in Long-COVID POTS | SpringerLink
None of this is conclusive, but certainly indicates need for larger and more conclusive studies to be undertaken. It does make me wonder what the hell is coming down the pike for us.
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Yeah, I hear you on the one-study-does-not-an-ironclad-syndrome-make, but dang if whatever is coming down the pike is gonna be a painful learning curve for all of us. Thereâs too much unnavigated, unmapped post-COVID terrain⊠this unknown-unknowns scenario is parallel to how the U.S. government is addressing climate change: not seriously, not effectively, and not proactively. Too big? Too scary? Too politically-hot to handle?
I expect the learning curve to be even more painful in places where the health care system is at the mercy of private equity and hedge funders running hospitals to maximize profit,
insurance companies paying bonuses and bounties to their employees who deny legit claims,
Tricks of the Trade: How Insurance Companies Deny, Delay, Confuse and Refuse
(fascinating reading btw)
and cynical pols toying with public health during a pandemic by playing favorites and using the medical supply chain to punish their perceived enemies.
A macaque, a hamster, and 5 young human patients with Long-COVID POTS walk into a bar. No, no they donât. Theyâre in the weeds. We all are.
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