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Australia by The Shins [P.P.] | The Playlist
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Pairing: College!Peter x Cheerleader!College!Female!Reader
Word count: 5.7k
Summary: How do you say hello when you've already said goodbye?
Content: Swearing, Near-death Experiences, Alcohol Consumption (legal age), happy ending
( Chapter List | Playlist )
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A/N: A little angst, a little heartbreak, a little healing. Is it really a Peter Parker Angst story without falling from the clock tower?
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(Born to) Born to multiply
What a silly thought, that we were only meant to repopulate. 
Born to gaze into night skies
Why not, instead, are we made to gaze at the stars? It was in these stars that Peter found himself spiralling down another existential crisis. 
All you want's one more Saturday
The monotony of life was beginning to bog him down. Today was Saturday. He only had three more hours of Saturday left. Then it would be Sunday, and then Monday, until he was here again. Laying on his roof staring down Orion. Daring him to come down and slay Peter himself, instead of playing phycological warfare. 
Well, look here until then
He continued to stare, to paint the map of the stars in his mind. 
They gonna buy your life's time
So keep your wick in the air and your feet in the fetters
Till the day
He would eventually pull himself away. He would crawl back through his window, and slip into bed. Then he would rise in the morning and fight off the persistent thoughts of tedium. 
We come in doing cartwheels
The Friday Pep Rally. Peter sat in the front row taking pictures of the Basketball team as they ran in circles, high-fiving and chest bumping. They had run into the gym through a paper banner. The panther surrounded by navy and gold bubbly font is torn to shreds. He felt bad for whoever had made it, knowing the craftsmanship was never truly appreciated. 
That was when the cheerleaders came in. Peter was not immune to their charm, as much as he pretend he was above such clichés. What can he say, he likes skirts. They ran in behind the team, doing flips and cartwheels. Your high pony bobbed as you came out of your cartwheel to do a round-off, then a back handspring before throwing up your hands and waving to the crowd. 
He understood why you were on the team. You had a natural grace that many had to work at. Your smile was infectious, Peter couldn’t fight off the one he felt tugging at his lips as he hid behind his viewfinder. 
You (and the rest of the cheer squad) were twirling and jumping. He felt stupid when his stomach swirled, all because you had waved at him. It was a small wave, your hand not far from your hip, but it was definitely for him. As was the small giggle you let out when he dumbly pointed to his chest, nodding your head. 
We all crawl out by ourselves
And your shape on a dance floor
Will have me thinking such filth to gouge my eyes
As the squad fell into formation you began your cheers, straight arms and high kicks. Peter was knelt on the gym floor and almost got a flash of your panties. Well not really, the skirts had a built-in cover but that’s not the point. He ripped his gaze away before standing awkwardly to take more pictures of everything going on. 
You'll be damned to be one of us girl
He sat outside on one of the benches for lunch. He had a book propped in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He could no longer focus on the teachings of Nietzsche, your laughter filling the air. 
“You’re telling me that you’ve never been bored of your life?” You asked your friends. 
They giggled before someone else spoke up, (Peter didn’t care who and he wasn’t about to look up to find out) “I think it’s because you’re smart.” 
Peter’s head raised from his book, looking straight ahead as if deep in thought. “Studies show that smarter people are more depressed because like, they understand how fucked up everything is.” 
You snorted and Peter thought the small noise was hilarious. “I’m not that smart you guys.” 
“Modesty, how nice,” Peter thought.
You gasped and Peter looked up to see a fry hit your face. “Okay Miss valedictorian, straight A’s, AP class load, Harvard Shoo-in.” 
You pouted slightly at your friends, “You guys are smart too.” You seemed genuinely upset that they didn’t believe that and Peter’s heart swelled. 
“No, not really,” a different girl spoke up, “You'll be damned to be one of us girl. You’re going places.”
Faced with the dodo's conundrum
I felt like I could just fly
But nothing happened every time I try, ooh-ooh!
Peter thought about your friends’ words more as he stared at his book. It was senior year so he had been applying to a lot of places, but he couldn’t bring himself to try for the ivy leagues. He had applied to NYU and Empire State and a few other schools around, but nothing like Harvard. Were they just saying that or had you already gotten in? Or were you so smart that they just knew you would get in? He thought for a moment about applying. What if you both had gotten in? Would you be excited to see another friendly face, or weirded out? No. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t. He imagined the looks on May and Ben’s faces if he didn’t get in. The sorrow they would hold in their eyes for him. 
A duotone on the wall
Selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all
Peter had been spider-man for a few weeks now. He was just trying to keep the city safe (and also find Ben’s killer but that’s kinda the same thing). He could handle muggers and car thieves but a giant lizard throwing cars off bridges was a little much. He couldn’t not help though, especially when he felt responsible for the mental deterioration of his scientific mentor. 
His chest was bleeding, he was getting woozy. As he swung around the city trying to get home his thoughts carried to you. He knew you lived over here. He had overheard you talking about your creepy doorman before with your friends. Gwen had added her own anecdotes to back up your claim as you had lived in the same building. 
He had been to Gwen’s just yesterday. She had not so smoothly invited him over to dinner and he had not so smoothly accepted. Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Peter hadn’t exactly been fond of cops before but he definitely wasn’t now. On that rooftop, Peter almost told her who he was but something stopped him. It wasn’t long until Mrs Stacy came to collect her daughter, saving Peter from the scolding he was receiving. He wasn’t sure why he had come this way. He couldn’t go to Gwen’s, that was a terrible idea.
It all became clear when he saw you. Your bedroom lamp was on, painting your room in a carnelian glow. He watched, mesmerised, as you twirled and jumped, a hairbrush held firmly in your grasp. 
Then he was knocking on your window. He didn’t remember swinging to your fire escape, nor raising his hand. You jumped at the sound. Running over to your phone you paused the music and went to check your door, assuming that was the origin of the noise. As you reached for the handle the sound rang through again, you turned your head and gasped. Spiderman was at your window and he was waving. 
You rushed over to unlock it and he helped you push it up. He made a move as if to step in before stopping himself. 
“Uh…hi” You stared at what you assumed were his eyes. 
“Uh...yeah, hi, Spider-Man. Can I- can I help you?” You began to look him over and realised he was wounded. 
Your hands pulled to your face to cover a gasp. You ushered him in and he remained silent. Peter was beating himself up. What was he thinking? You didn’t know who he was, even outside of the mask. And now he was bleeding on your carpet in your very nice room. He wondered what your parents did for a living to afford this place. He took in his surrounding trying to ignore the dull ache in his bones. He heard the sound of running water, cabinets opening and closing, and then, finally, your footsteps entering the room. 
Never dreamt of such sterile hands
You keep 'em folded in your lap
You sat down beside him opening up the first aid kit you had under your sink. You thumbed through the wraps and sterile wipes before pulling your hands into your lap. Peter watched as you refused to make eye contact with him. 
“Hey, I’m sorry. I- I can go if you want.” You blinked a few times before processing what he said. He began to get up, groaning as he did so. You pushed your hands out to him, just shy of grabbing his shoulders. 
“No, No, you’re hurt. It’s okay I just…was lost in thought. I’m sorry…” There was a pain in your eyes Peter didn’t quite understand but he sat back down. You looked at his chest and sighed. 
“Your chest looks really bad…is there anyway…your suit it’s…it’s kinda in the way.” You looked down at your hands again. Peter’s hands shook as he went to pull his top off. You looked away trying to be respectful. He stopped moving and you couldn’t help but stare when you turned.
Spider-Man had only been around for a few days but had already created quite the frenzy online. Your friends had sent you videos of him and pictures of webbed-up criminals and gushed about the man they believed to be helping clean up the streets. You also watched on the news as he saved all those people on the bridge just last night. He was brave. 
You moved forward and began to clean his wounds with alcohol spray and a cotton pad. “This may hurt.” You tentatively mumbled as you began to wipe along the edges. He winced and you pulled back. 
“It’s cold.” If you weren’t so anxious you might have laughed. Peter watched as your face twisted, glaring at the blood collecting on the cotton pad as if it had personally offended you. You were aware of his gaze on you while you worked. You wondered what he was thinking. 
“What-” You began to ask a question but stopped yourself. Peter quirked his brow but you couldn’t see it. 
“What happened?” Peter let out a long sigh at your question, you mistook it for pain, stopping again. 
“The lizard, we fought in the sewers. He got me pretty bad.” You nodded your head, grabbing some gauze from your kit. 
Or raise them up to beg for scraps
He raised his hand out to you and you looked at him confused. “I’m Spider-Man, by the way.” 
You almost laughed. Peter beamed feeling proud of himself when the corners of your mouth tugged up. 
“Y/n”, you grasped his hand and shook it. He repeated the name, playing with the feeling of it rolling off his tongue. 
You know he's holding you down with the tips of his fingers
Just the same
His grip was firm, his hands warm. Your stomach swirled with butterflies and you jumped around with a net, trying to catch them all. 
Will you be pulled from the ocean
A-just a minute too late?
Peter had stopped you in the hall to talk to you about yearbook photos. He showed you the pictures he had taken from the rally and was asking which ones you wanted to be used. Then you heard the screaming, people running. Peter’s eyes grew wide as he told you to run. You took a few steps but stopped when you saw he wasn’t coming. You froze at the sight of the giant lizard in front of you. Swarms of people were pushing past you. Everyone was screaming, it was too loud. You covered your ears as you were pushed behind a doorframe. 
You heard the monster groan in pain as it hit the floor. You leaned your head around the corner and saw Peter Parker jump on its back just to be thrown to the ground. The monster ripped off his backpack and pushed him against the lockers before throwing him into a trophy case and through the wall. You froze, hand covering your mouth, holding back silent tears. You watched as the creature walked through the crater it had formed, paralyzed by fear. 
You heard its nauseating voice, “There’s nowhere to hide, Peter.” taunting him. You thought you might throw up. Peter couldn’t fight this thing off. He was going to die- if he hadn’t already. Your feet took unsteady steps towards the rubble. You weren’t sure what you were going to do but you had to do something. 
You heard a thip and saw Peter’s backpack fly into the room. Your brain barely processed what it had seen before you heard another crash. The monster started mixing things he found on the table before throwing them into what used to be a supply closet. You knew in your gut that Peter was there. You felt your heart in your throat. 
“All these souls, lost and alone- I can save them. I can-”
“Hey!” The creature slowly turned its head. It chuckled deeply as it took in your shaking hands and teary eyes. 
“Leave- Leave him alone!” You weren’t sure if there was anything else to leave alone. The thought of you being too late smothered any other thought. He gazed at you, his twisted smile sickening and eyes yellowed with decay. You felt more than heard the monster take slow calculated steps toward you. 
Your heart was too strong. You felt as its beating cut out the air in your throat. You felt pure fear, unsure if your shaking was from the terror or the chill you felt deep in your bones. He was closer now, if he stepped any closer he would be able to grab you. You thought of how cold his hands would feel, the scales rough against your skin. Then a shoe bounced off his head. 
The creature reared his head back and let out an animalistic growl. You watched as Spider-man stuck webs to the overhead lights knocking the creature’s head and distracting it. He climbed to the ceiling and the creature forgot about you completely. He leapt onto his back and began webbing the creature’s hands, “Leave her alone, Doc. You’re not thinking straight.”
They stumbled through the doorway and you finally found the strength to move. Spider-Man was here. Everything would be okay. You ran to the supply closet falling to your knees. You felt concrete cutting the gentle skin of your knees, felt it crumble under your palms. 
“Peter?” You whispered hoarsely. You were afraid to be much louder not wanting to alert the creature or risk your voice wavering. You didn’t see any movement, but you pushed your hands forward, sifting through jagged rocks and broken glass. 
“Peter!” You tried again. Your breathing was becoming erratic and your cheeks felt itchy from crying. Your hand brushed across some canvas and you clung to it. Peter’s backpack. You pulled it to your chest as a shoe fell out. You looked closer at your surroundings and saw clothes. In a moment of mock, temporary safety your brain was slowly able to piece together all of the signs. Signs that led to the revelation that Peter was Spider-Man. Peter Parker was Spider-Man. And the Lizard knew too. Why else attack the school, attack Peter? 
You heard doors slam and a shout. Your brain was still screaming at you to save Peter. You knew rationally that he had this covered but the image of him bleeding out on your rug came to mind and you couldn’t stop yourself. You stuffed his clothes in the bag, being sure to collect his stray shoe as you entered the destroyed hallway. You looked to your left as the monster stomped over to the swinging metal doors and for a brief moment you saw Peter sliding across the floor. 
You looked for anything you could pick up, anything with weight. You slung his bag over your back when your eyes locked onto a trophy fallen to the floor. You recognised it as an award from winning state last year. You grimaced slightly picking it up, hoping the team would forgive you. You ran, hiking it over your shoulder. As the doors opened you saw the creature had pinned Peter against, a now, cracked window, who was clawing helplessly against it. 
You swung with all of your might, cracking the creature across the back of his head. You went to raise the trophy again frowning as you realised you now only held flimsy plastic in your sweaty palm. The monster turned to you and once again you felt a chill as he locked eyes with you again. You began backing away when his voice called out to you again, “Hello, pet.” 
He raised his claws ready to strike, but before you could do anything Peter snagged it with a web, immediately wrapping him in a cocoon. You watched as he crawled around the creature before securing it to the hallway. You felt a web hit your waist pulling you to the vigilante. He picked up the base of the trophy and threw it through the window, you flinched at the sound of it shattering. 
“I have your stuff.” You said quickly into his chest. He rubbed your arms in an attempt to comfort you. 
“Thank you. I’m going to throw you out the window now.” You gaped at him pulling yourself away. 
“What?!” His hands gripped your waist and before you knew it you were flying. Then you were falling. You screamed as the fear of hitting the concrete became very real to you. You felt a web hit you again and you gripped onto it as it jerked you forward. You hung there swinging, your mind racing with the many events that had just unfolded. 
Or changed by a potion
To find a handsome young mate for you to love?
Peter had seen you after all the commotion. He said told you he needed to get into Oscorp and your friend Gwen was the only person you could think of. You gave him your number and made your way to Oscorp with her immediately. She agreed to help the vigilante after seeing the creature in front of her, seeing the real danger he was. That wasn’t someone she wanted her dad trying to take on. 
Peter called you on your way there to explain who that creature was and how to stop him. You put it on speaker for Gwen to hear knowing she would know better what to do with the information. 
You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes
You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe
Well, do it now or grow old
Peter’s call had scared you, but you felt a certain resolve. You had to get everyone out. You jumped on a desk looking for a fire alarm. 
“I need to get everyone out!” Gwen pulled a face before running to a panel on the wall. Soon you heard an alarm go off and you watched as everyone began running in the halls. You rushed her out with them telling her you would be fine. She hugged you tightly before running off. You checked the timer on the machine. 
Preparing Reptilian
Time Remaining: 07:43. 
You made your way to the windowed wall, looking out to the city. You could leave. You considered it, seeing the cop cars barreling through the streets and helicopters in the air, people running frantically for safety. You could leave now, tell Peter this was too much, become an ordinary Joe, but you couldn’t, you knew you couldn’t.
Your nightmares only need a year or two to unfold
It wasn't long before Peter asked you out. He had nearly lost his mind when he realised how much danger you had put yourself in. You argued that he had put himself in just as much danger if not more. When he refused to listen you began scribbling in your notebook, showing him an equation you had created to measure peril. He couldn't oppose the math.
You and Peter had become inseparable. Something about mutual trauma. You spent many nights together after his patrol. He would come in your window, usually fine, but sometimes pretty wounded. You would patch him up and comfort him. You would learn to let him comfort you too. Your parents told you that he was dangerous, they assumed he picked a lot of fights (which wasn’t entirely untrue). You didn’t care though. 
You loved the boy. You knew you always would, even when you felt that all too familiar feeling of falling. Even as cogs and various metal debris fell around you, you knew. Because even then all you could think about was him. The whites of his mask stared dead ahead and you wanted nothing more than for him to rip it off. For you to look into his kind, amber eyes one last time. 
Peter felt everything and nothing all at the same time. There was a numbness brought on by disbelief. This couldn’t be happening, it was impossible. But he also felt anger, at harry, and fear, for you. You were always okay. He made sure you were always okay. How did he get to this moment? What could he have done differently to ensure that this never happened? He couldn’t concern himself with those thoughts now. He had to catch you. 
Been alone since you were twenty-one
You haven't laughed since January
Peter broke up with you a week later. After everything, he had left. It hurt to look at you, because now when he saw you all he could see that small smile on your face as you fell. You had accepted your fate well before he had a chance to even try to save you. He had done that to you. He had put you in danger. He had made you okay with your mortality. He couldn’t do that again. He had to leave, to keep you safe. He couldn’t lose you. Not like Ben. Not like Harry. Not again. 
You try and make like this is so much fun
But we know it to be quite contrary
He became colder. May was frightened for him but only brought it up one time. Peter had exploded, taking out his anger on May. He came back a few days later with flowers begging forgiveness. After that, he tried to put on a front for his adored aunt. Romanticizing his job as the best he could hope for. He told her about how exciting his classes were. 
He played it up, anything to relieve her worry. Because if she worried she would pry. And if Peter didn’t answer she would go looking for answers. And then she might find them. And then he would lose her too. 
May knew he was lying. She pretended for the sake of Peter, thinking he was trying to convince himself more than her that he was happy. She could tell though. His eyes seemed hollow; the once beautiful golden tones rusted. 
Dare to be one of us, girl
Facing the android's conundrum
I felt like I should just cry
But nothing happens every time I take one on the chin
The people of New York noticed a change in their beloved vigilante as well. Sometimes pretty crimes would be very quickly squashed as he now displayed an amount of violence previously believed to be incomprehensible. Sometimes they dragged out and Spider-Man let himself get hit. It took practise fighting his spidey-sense. He would just stand there as his assailant would land blow after blow, taunt after taunt. He just wanted to feel something, anything, other than the void left in his soul. 
You Himmler in your coat, you don't know how long I've been
Watching the lantern dim
Starved of oxygen
The bell of the door alerted Delmar to Peter’s arrival. Of course, he didn’t know that it was Peter. He knew him as Spider-Man, the man who found his dear cat and returned it to him. The man who sometimes came in limping or clutching his side. The man who had seen more than anyone in this pitiful city had. He sighed as he rang up the hero’s usual order: Gushers, Chex Mix, Zig-Zags, and a Handle of Vodka. 
“You know this is supposed to last a man a month at least. You go through these in half that.” The man warned. Peter just shrugged. 
“Yeah, well, a normal man doesn’t have my metabolism. My body heals really fast so…it’s harder to get drunk.” Peter wasn’t interested in explaining the science so he left it there. 
The older gentleman seemed to nod, thinking over his answer. He bagged everything and Peter pulled out his wallet knowing the total by heart at this point. 
“I won’t pretend to know what you go through.” Peter went rigid at the kind man’s words. “I can’t imagine what you had to go through to even consider putting on that suit. Or what it took for you to keep it on. But I do know I’m worried about you, all of New York is. I do know that trying to forget… it won’t work. Take it from me.” 
Peter watched as the man took a gold coin out of his pocket, it read: 
To thine own self be true 
unity, service, recovery,
VII
Peter gave Delamar a soft ‘thank you’ and a nod before gathering his things and petting Murph on his way out. 
As the alcohol swam through his veins he couldn’t get the old man’s words out of his head. This is how he found himself going through the box. The one he swore he’d never touch again. The one he kept buried in the back of his closet.
He sifted through pictures of the two of you smiling. Pictures of you on the field, cheering your heart out.  Receipts from pizza dates at the arcade. A Scoops Ahoy rewards card missing only two punches before he could get a free cone. A red and blue friendship bracelet you had made him. Signed cards and notes you had written him. 
He sniffled as he let it all wash over him. He’d be lying if he said he had kept his distance. He tried to, at first, but eventually the urge to be near you won. He told himself it was to keep you safe as he watched you walk home from classes, from work. He told himself it was to make sure another Harry didn’t find you, as he watched you lay on your couch for hours, sometimes sobbing into the shirt peter had given you. 
He realised he couldn’t breathe. In his mind, you had died that night in the clock tower. You were so ready to. But you didn’t. He died, and he had been living as a husk for 3 years. Going through the motions, looking for trouble. You didn’t seem much better. He had seen the heavy bags under your eyes. He had seen your matted hair when you walked around campus. He had killed you. He had done this, to both of you. He picked himself off the ground. He had broken it, but he could fix it. He could try. 
You sat at your desk twirling your pencil trying to make sense of the equation in front of you. Your mind wandered to Peter again. How he would softly coach you through it, gently guide you to the right answer. How he would pepper your face in kisses when you finally got it right. 
You hated that after three years nothing had changed. You were less devastated, you showered more regularly, and had gotten better at taking care of yourself, but Peter still ran circles around your subconscious. So deeply ingrained that when he left he took pieces of you with him. Pieces you missed. 
You turned on the news to see if there was anything about him on there. Your heart broke at the idea of him losing himself but refused to pity him. He was hurting, but so were you. Only one of you left that day and it wasn’t you. They reran a story of Spider-Man saving tenants from an apartment fire and you turned the tv back off, upset that you got no new insight into his life. 
You sat back down, pulling out your textbook, hoping to find more understanding of differential geometry. You were about ready to give up when you heard a knock on your door. You paused for a moment, assuming it was someone knocking on your neighbour’s door. 
Peter stood outside your door for thirty minutes, tightly gripping a bouquet of your favourite flowers. He went to four florists to find them in the right colour. He knew this wasn’t enough. Nothing would be enough to make up for what he did. He steeled himself as he finally brought his knuckles to your door. He waited patiently but didn’t hear any shuffling, so he took a deep breath, knocking again. 
That was definitely your door. You racked your brain for who it could be. Your only visitor was the pizza delivery guy but you definitely didn’t order any. You tentatively shuffled to the door looking through the peephole to see who it was. You looked three times unsure if your eyes were playing a trick on you, pinching yourself between the second and third time to make sure you weren’t dreaming. 
You undid the deadbolt before slowly opening the door. You peeked your head out and sure enough there he was, Peter Parker. The boy who had single-handedly broken your heart, made you reevaluate your entire future, and question your value as a human being. You hated that he had the power to do that. 
When he saw your face he lost his breath. You were so beautiful. Photos and long-distance stalking surveying didn’t do you justice. He could only see your eyes really, but that was enough. It was enough to throw him back through time, back to when he was seventeen, back to when he could read every thought crossing your mind through just your gaze.
It pained him when he realised he didn’t have clue as to what you thought now. That these many years apart created such a distance between you two. He wasn't sure if he would be able to cross this cavern. 
“What?” it sounded cold, and he winced. You used to bring him a warmth that could challenge the sun but now you spoke to him with such frigidness. He couldn’t be upset though. 
“I, um…I wanted to talk.” You examined him and he felt uneasy under your critical gaze. You huffed and slammed the door. Peter stood frozen trying to figure out what to do next. He heard a chain rattling and you opened the door fully, stepping to the side and sweeping your hand across your body, ushering him in. 
He stepped in through the threshold, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself. Should he take off his shoes, or sit on the couch? You were not helpful, just standing by the door, eyeing him as if he were a threat. He couldn’t blame you. He shifted on his feet before remembering how much that used to bug you. 
“These are for you.” He pushed the flowers out, you took them in your hands before shifting them around, looking for anything suspicious. 
“Why did you bring me flowers?” Nothing he was doing was warming you up to him. If anything it made you angerier. How dare he walk in here three years later, like nothing happened. 
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.” You scoffed.
“Sorry? You want to say you’re sorry?” Your chest burned with all the stars he promised you. The ones he pointed to that night on his roof and said he hung for you. 
“You’re well past ‘sorry’, Peter! You left! You left me and you never explained why, just listing off some bullshit reasons about you being too stressed out, you being too busy for me. And then you were gone.” You threw the flowers at his chest, mildly surprised when he didn’t catch them. 
“If you think you just show up with some flowers and call it day you’re sorely mistaken.” Peter sniffled and you froze. Peter had only cried infront of you one time. He sobbed as he held you in his arms, your body still adjusting to leaving free fall. 
“I know…I just…It’s so stupid!” He seemed frustrated, but not at you. 
“I felt like if I didn’t leave, right then, that you might end up falling from a clock tower again, or worse. What if- What if someone grabbed you and killed you before I could get to you? What if someone broke in and I found you dead? I just…I didn’t want to risk it and the only thing I could think of to do was leave. I know it was stupid. I know it was immuture. I should have just talked to you and we could have made a decision together but instead, I tried to make you hate me so I didn’t have to be strong enough to stay away. Because- because if you hated me you would stay away, you would be safe.”
You soaked in his words, truly dissecting them in your mind, tearing them apart looking for anything to help you cling onto this burning rage within you. You found nothing. You wanted to kick yourself, you swore never again but here you were ready to jump back in. He seemed just as miserable as you were. You huffed, crossing the floor to pick up the now broken flowers. 
“It’s not a perfect apology, and I’m not saying that I forgive you.” Peter’s shoulders slumped as he hastily wiped tears from his face, willing them not to fall. 
“But…if there’s a chance that you’ll be in my life again. If you promise, and I mean really promise, not to cut me out like that again. Then maybe, just maybe, I might be open to starting a friendship with you.” Before you were able to blink Peter was lifting you in the air, face tucked in the side of your neck, with a string of ‘thank you’s leaving his mouth. 
He set you back down and you bit your lip, fighting off the smile threatening to pull at your cheeks. “It’s gonna take time to trust you again.” 
Peter nodded his head before walking over to your window. You looked at him confused as he opened it, peeking his head out before bringing it back in. “Can we start now?”
You nodded and then you felt that familiar tug at your waist bringing you to him. 
So give me your hand and let's jump out the window
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sublimeshadyness · 2 years
Text
It still feels good to see some have had the blinders removed. Some though will never see past the propaganda they were subjected to.
Lest we forget.
An opinion piece from a vaccinated Australian writer:
“If Covid was a battlefield it would still be warm with the bodies of the unvaccinated. Thankfully the mandates are letting up and both sides of the war stumble back to the new normal.
The unvaccinated are the heroes of the last two years as they allowed us all to have a control group in the great experiment and highlight the shortcoming of the Covid vaccines.
The unvaccinated carry many battle scars and injuries as they are the people we tried to mentally break, yet no one wants to talk about what we did to them and what they forced “The Science“ to unveil.
We knew that the waning immunity of the fully vaccinated had the same risk profile as others within society as the minority of the unvaccinated, yet we marked them for special persecution.
You see we said they had not “done the right thing for the greater good” by handing their bodies and medical autonomy over to the State.
Many of the so-called health experts and political leaders in Australia admitted the goal was to make life almost unlivable for the unvaccinated, which was multiplied many times by the collective mob, with the fight taken into workplaces, friendships, and family gatherings.
Today the hard truth is none of it was justified as we took a quick slide from righteousness to absolute cruelty. We might lay the blame on our leaders and health experts for the push but each individual within society must be held accountable for stepping into the well-laid-out trap.
We did this despite knowing full well that principled opposition is priceless when it comes to what goes inside our bodies and we let ourselves be tricked into believing that going into another ineffective lockdown would be the fault of the unvaccinated and not the fault of the toxic policy of ineffective vaccines.
We took pleasure in scapegoating the unvaccinated because after months of engineered lockdowns by political leaders blinded by power, having someone to blame and to burn at the stake felt good.
We believed we had logic, love, and truth on our side so it was easy to wish death upon the unvaccinated.
Those of us who ridiculed and mocked the non-compliant did it because we were embarrassed by their courage and principles and didn’t think the unvaccinated would make it through unbroken and we turned the holdouts into punching bags. Lambie, Carr, Chant, Andrews, McGowan, Gunner, and the other cast of hundreds in prominent roles need to be held to account for vilifying the unvaccinated in public and fueling angry social media mobs.
The mobs, the mask Nazis, and the vaccine disciples have been embarrassed by “betting against” the unvaccinated because mandates only had the power we gave them.
It was not compliance that ended domination by Big Pharma Companies, Bill Gates and his many organizations, and the World Economic Forum… It was THANKS to the people we tried to embarrass, ridicule, mock and tear down.
We should all try and find some inner gratitude for the unvaccinated as we took the bait by hating them because their perseverance and courage bought us the time to see we were wrong.
So if mandates ever return for Covid or any other disease or virus, hopefully, more of us will be awake and see the rising authoritarianism that has no concern for our well-being and is more about power and control. The War on the Unvaccinated was lost and we should all be very thankful for that.”
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conspiracyme · 2 years
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“If Covid was a battlefield it would still be warm with the bodies of the unvaccinated.
Thankfully the mandates are letting up and both sides of the war stumble back to the new normal.
The unvaccinated are the heroes of the last two years as they allowed us all to have a control group in the great experiment and highlight the shortcoming of the Covid vaccines.
The unvaccinated carry many battle scars and injuries as they are the brave people we tried to mentally break, yet no one wants to talk about what we did to them and what they forced “The Science“ to unveil.
We knew that the waning immunity of the fully vaccinated had the same risk profile as others within society as the minority of the unvaccinated,
yet we marked the unvaccinated for special persecution.
You see we said they had not “done the right thing for the greater good” by handing their bodies and medical autonomy over to the State.
Many of the so-called health experts and political leaders in Australia admitted the goal was to make life almost unliveable for the unvaccinated,
which was multiplied many times by the collective mob, with the fight taken into workplaces, friendships, and family gatherings.
Today the hard truth is none of it was justified as we took a quick slide from righteousness to absolute cruelty.
We might lay the blame on our leaders and health experts for the push but each individual within society must be held accountable for stepping into the well-laid-out trap.
We did this despite knowing full well that principled opposition is priceless when it comes to what goes inside our bodies and we let ourselves be tricked into believing that going into another ineffective lockdown would be the fault of the unvaccinated and not the fault of the toxic policy of ineffective vaccines and deadly lockdowns.
We took pleasure in scapegoating the unvaccinated because after months of engineered lockdowns by political leaders blinded by power, having someone to blame and to burn at the stake felt good.
We believed we had logic, love, and truth on our side so it was easy to wish death upon the unvaccinated which is ironic because most of the people dying are the vaccinated which is conveniently and quietly being covered up.
Those of us who ridiculed and mocked the non-compliant did it because we were embarrassed by their courage and principles and didn’t think the unvaccinated would make it through unbroken and we turned the holdouts into punching bags.
Lambie, Carr, Chant, Andrews, McGowan, Gunner, and the other cast of hundreds in prominent roles need to be held to account for vilifying the unvaccinated in public and fueling and encouraging angry social media mobs.
The mobs, the mask Nazis, and the vaccine disciples have been embarrassed by “betting against” the unvaccinated because mandates only had the power we gave them.
It was not compliance that ended domination by Big Pharma Companies, Bill Gates and his many organizations, and the World Economic Forum…
It was THANKS to the people we tried to embarrass, ridicule, mock and tear down.
We should all try and find some inner gratitude for the unvaccinated as we took the bait by hating them because their perseverance and courage bought us the time to see we were wrong.
So if mandates ever return for Covid or any other disease or virus, hopefully, more of us will be awake and see the rising authoritarianism that has no concern for our well-being and is more about power and control.
The War on the Unvaccinated was lost and we should all be very thankful for 👏
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trinklied · 3 years
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Rich countries, including Canada, have bought too many COVID-19 vaccines: Amnesty
"Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in ten people against COVID-19 next year unless urgent action is taken," Amnesty International said, based on recent calculations.
"Updated data shows that rich nations representing just 14 per cent of the world's population have bought up 53 per cent of all the most promising vaccines so far," it said.
Amnesty said Canada was the country that had bought the most shots when considering the size of its population with enough doses to vaccinate every Canadian five times.’
(source)
All of this is pretty upsetting, but I’m really just losing my mind over that last paragraph.
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musicpeanut21 · 3 years
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Imaginative Peptides
Sarms Save
Content
Nootropic Impacts.
The Function Of Sarms?
Digestive Tract Health.
Could Sarms Be The Brand-new Steroids
Background Of Solid Stage Peptide Synthesis (spps).
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Since the use of pharmaceuticals containing synthetic testosterone has not been proven to have any adverse effects on humans or animals, pharmaceuticals with natural testosterone like compound called muira puama is being used by many athletes around the world as a replacement for traditional anabolic substances. This natural substance is believed to have much fewer risks than those of synthetic hormones. Although, this remains to be proven, and thus it is recommended that you consult with your physician before taking any supplements. Some doctors may even recommend the natural muira puama extract without the added synthetic testosterone for cancer patients or anyone else who suffers from unwanted side effects associated with testosterone, particularly anabolic steroids.
All the proof that Dr. Katz needed to develop GenFx came from his years as a medical researcher and practitioner. He performed research using human cells in culture, and when the cells started to multiply he saw what he calls "a silent warning sign". These cells showed signs of spontaneous tumors, immune suppression and autoimmune response. Since Sarms and other pharmaceuticals can have some serious side effects, Dr. Katz developed a system called "selective cell suspension" that makes use of only the most effective and selective androgens and estrogens and uses a delivery system to make it compatible with the body.
Nootropic Effects.
What's more, Exogen is a combination of amino acids and natural plant enzymes. how a Austria bpc157 how does it work can help means that taking too small a dose can lead to side effects that occur within hours of beginning use. This is a concern because some of these effects can be fatal in some cases. For example, some studies have shown that Exogen can increase the rate of fat formation in the liver, which can lead to liver failure. So, if you do decide to take Exogen sarms, make sure you don't do it too often or in huge dosages.
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Exogen is available in several forms. It can be taken as a pill, a tablet, or even a powder. Both pills and powders contain a combination of ingredients that work synergistically to promote the growth of healthy hair, nails, skin, and muscle tissue. This makes Exogen sarm products ideal for both men and women. However, there are https://peptides-uk.com/bpc157/united-states/ to the product.
The Function Of Sarms?
Sarms have been used for decades in Chinese traditional medicine to treat patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, excess facial or trunk hair, excess body fat and many other conditions. The active component in Sarms is Li-Chien. In recent years, the role of Li-Chien in sarmolite has not been well understood.
Are SARMs Safe to Use? - MedShadow
Are SARMs Safe to Use?.
Posted: Thu, 15 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
While Saw Palmetto is a proven DHT inhibitor, Exogen is not. So, it may not be appropriate for those with hormone-receptor-related side effects such as osteoporosis. Some consumers who have used Exogen have complained of nosebleeds, headaches, and muscle and joint pain. Some have even reported experiencing liver problems. So, if you suffer from one of these side effects, or other adverse reactions, Exogen may not be a wise choice for you.
Digestive Tract Health And Wellness.
Some studies have shown that there is a high potential for long-term health risks associated with the use of these anabolic substances by athletes, bodybuilders, and other sportsmen and women who use them for muscle building. Some studies have indicated that the use of sarms by athletes may result in the formation of blood clots, which can potentially result in stroke or heart attack. Some studies have also indicated that athletes using these medications may experience cataract, diabetes, osteoporosis, and kidney failure.
5 Ways SARMs Promote Wellness as You Age - Science World Report
5 Ways SARMs Promote Wellness as You Age.
Posted: Thu, 17 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]
One of the most common uses of sarms is to produce testosterone and build muscle. Testosterone is needed for the development of male characteristics such as voice, body building, hair growth, muscle mass and strength, and sexual function. As a side effect, anabolic steroids tend to increase the rate of bone mineralization and shorten the muscle fiber cords.
Could Sarms Be The New Steroids
If you're a man in your late twenties or early thirties, you may have already tried using Exogen sarms. If so, you probably know by now that the high doses can cause liver damage and problems. You may also be aware that high doses of anabolic steroids cause changes in blood cells called microangiopathic effects. Exogen has similar properties when it comes to causing microangiopathic effects. In short, Exogen can cause serious health problems if taken at doses higher than what your body can tolerate.
Why do I have 3 balls?
Polyorchidism is a very rare condition. Men with this condition are born with more than two testes, also known as testicles or gonads. There are only about 200 known reported cases. In the vast majority of cases, the individuals have three testes.
Testosterone is primarily made in the testes, which are located on top of the uterus. There, androgens are produced from high levels of naturally occurring oestrogens by converting into an amino acid called testosterone. The testes also produce estrogen, which is responsible for female characteristics such as breasts, hair growth, and the ability to menstruate. The androgens and estrogens synthesize their respective hormones in the gonads, which are the remaining part of the body where the production of testosterone and estrogen is done.
Selective androgen receptor modulators or SARMs are basically a new class of steroid hormones that act on androgen receptors and stimulate them to reduce unwanted side effects in patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, excess facial or trunk hair, excess body fat and many other conditions. These hormones can help reduce swelling of blood vessels in the face, neck and armpit areas and help the skin retain moisture. They also improve skin quality by reducing wrinkles. As an effector tissue, the hormone helps the body recover faster from injuries.
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The dangers of sarms are therefore that they may lead to increased levels of oestrogens in the body, as well as a reduction in the production of testosterone. This may lead to the development of several types of reproductive cancers. The effects of long-term use of sarms can also produce changes in the functioning of the pituitary gland. This gland controls the production of human hormones such as luteinizing hormone (LH), human growth hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone. When a person uses anabolic steroids pharmaceuticals for muscle building or weight loss, the pituitary gland releases extra LH along with other anabolic hormones.
Sarms have a long history as one of the most effective and safest hair growth supplements for both men and women. The active ingredient, DHT is responsible for many of the symptoms of menopause. DHT has been shown to contribute to breast cancer and prostate cancer. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in the use of herbal hair loss supplements that have natural DHT inhibitors and stimulate new growth.
' The unfortunate fact is that some nutritional supplement makers illegally placed ostarine and also other SARMs in their products, and also some leave out ostarine from the tag totally or utilize deceptive names to puzzle consumers', writes UFC/USADA.
He sent out 20 items in to be examined and also every one returned adverse for ostarine.
" One is rather a well-known competitor, as well as he vouched on his children life that he had not taken ostarine.
' You need to look out for ostarine's many synonyms, consisting of MK-2866, enobasarm, -3-( 4-cyanophenoxy)- N- [4-cyano-3-phenyl] -2- hydroxy-2-methylpropanamide, and also GTx-024 on supplement labels'.
I am thinking that also if it was that product or a contaminated supplement, or a polluted batch, then the probabilities are low of it coming back favorable.
But what are the health risks of using these hormones? On the whole, studies have shown positive results but there are some important issues. First, long-term use of SARMs can cause cataracts and hypothyroidism. Second, many of the adverse side effects produced by regular use of these hormones might be permanent and irreversible. And third, despite the beneficial results from early trials of selective androgen, current data do not support the use of these substances in the treatment of hypothyroidism or hypertension. This is largely because of the severe adverse side effects produced by regular use of SARMs in these conditions.
A few companies have designed two different lines of sarm products marketed under the brand names Exogen and GenF20. Both products are dietary supplements intended to be taken orally once or twice per day. One line is targeted at men while the other is targeted at women. Exogen and GenF20 both contain an ingredient called Saw Palmetto, which has been shown to inhibit DHT.
Can you still buy SARMs in Australia?
In Australia, SARMs are a prescription-only medicine, and can only be imported with a permit. Tim does not have a prescription or permit, and is breaking the law.
GenFx was founded by Dr. Harold Katz, a world-recognized expert in the area of sexual disorders. Dr. Katz discovered that natural compounds called androgens and estrogens can cause changes in the body. If there are too many androgens or estrogens in the blood, the result can be the development of male characteristics like enlarged prostate, breast enlargement and hair loss. If there are too few androgens or estrogens, men can develop symptoms like irritability, shrinking testicles or prostate enlargement. It's a simple concept: if you can block the production of testosterone, you can block the formation of other harmful androgens.
Not only do ostarine and sarmebium act as hormones, they are also sold under the names Actonel, Adderall and Acomplia. The ingredients in these dietary supplements aren't regulated. No clinical studies have been done on their safety in treating overweight or obesity, or their ability to improve a person's cholesterol. There is some evidence, however, that they might be effective for other conditions like low testosterone or erectile dysfunction. The best way to buy Sarms and other products without risking your health is to buy them from a reputable company. One type of company that has a good reputation for conducting studies on all of their products is GenFx.
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wisdomrays · 3 years
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TAFAKKUR: Part 133
Embryonic Stem Cells: What Do They Hold in Store?: Part 1
Embryonic stem cells are cells in the early stages of embryonic development when a fertilized egg cell is divided first into two cells and then into four, eight, and sixteen. Each grows into a brand new cell type and multiplies as per the codes present in its DNA program as tissues form and organization starts.
After twenty years of research and accompanying debates on the human embryo, we are finally on the threshold of both reshaping our present concepts in biology and moving on to clinical case studies. The first human embryonic stem cells were produced in 1998. Studies researching the question, “Can we treat diabetes by reprogramming the DNA in these cells at the beginning of life?” switched first to how human genes worked and which genes are responsible for the development of particular tissues and then to the embryonic stem cells for these areas and ultimately to replacing or reprogramming a “faulty or deficient” gene.
The most controversial topics in genetics and embryonic studies are related to bioethics. Many scientists are grappling with questions like whether is it ethically correct to intervene with the genetic programming of a fertilized human egg (zygote)? If so, what should be the limits? Are we trespassing a divine domain?
Embryonic stem cells have been an excellent source of information that we lacked throughout history about how living organisms started to develop. Like astronomers who trace their knowledge to the Big Bang in order to obtain fundamental information about the origin of the universe, biologists have been researching how the molecules in a single cell went through sequential and planned changes, how they transformed and acquired new functions that triggered the mind-blowing developments in diverse, miraculous living organisms. Scientists have found out how primordial embryonic cells transformed into more than 200 cell types that constitute various tissues and organs. The number of studies has skyrocketed about which molecule types can be used to regenerate the damaged tissue, say, after a traffic accident. Embryonic studies that focus on the regeneration or reparation of medulla cells (spinal cord) have been a source of hope for some patients with permanent paralysis because of a broken back injury or severed spine in a traffic accident or those who are still stranded in wheelchairs. Similarly, the preliminary findings of research into Parkinson’s and diabetes are extremely promising, and a new study reports of two blind people with macular degeneration (which causes blindness) who have been treated.
Initial studies
In 1981 researchers successfully obtained stem cells from a rat embryo culture. They soon realized that the cells held a secret potential: they could grow into 200 different types of cells. Later Wisconsin-Madison University biologist James Thomson derived stem cells from primates for the first time. Three years afterwards, Thomson derived the first human embryonic stem cells from donated but unused embryos.
The increasing number of research studies into embryonic stem cells sparked off intense debate both in religious circles and among the science community that care passionately about the sanctity of humans. Allegedly, lab studies were conducted on human embryos without restrictions, which were grown until tissues and organs formed but were then killed. In 2001, the US president George W. Bush slashed federal funds, stating that stem cell research was not strictly ethical. Deriving embryonic cells was banned in many countries including Germany and Italy. In other countries, however, studies went full speed ahead. Indeed, reports flooded in about stem cells grown by researchers in Australia, Singapore, Israel, Canada and the USA into nerve cells, immune system cells, and heart cells.
Before long, a new idea emerged about transferring new cells into the egg cell – like nuclei of body cells used in cloning Dolly the sheep – to produce various tailor-made, fully DNA-compatible tissues and organs, as they had the same genome as the donor’s. It became a topic of everyday conversations that spare organs could be cultivated for the human body just like spare parts of cars or other machinery were produced to replace a faulty or damaged part. In fact, if it were not for claims such as “creating a new human” there would be no objections against producing a kidney, lung, or heart from the DNA of a patient and thus overcome the major problem of tissue rejection in transplantation of organs.
If faulty or defective genes could be removed and replaced by healthy genes in the DNA of stem cells, many incurable genetic diseases could easily be fixed and many prospective parents who avoid having a child because of a defective gene they carry would welcome the development enthusiastically.
We are on the threshold of reshaping our present concepts in biology and moving on to clinical case studies. Embryonic studies have been a source of hope for even patients with diseases like paralysis and blindness.
Just in time and in the right amount
Embryonic stem cells are cells in the early stages of embryonic development when a fertilized egg cell is divided first into two cells and then into four, eight, and sixteen. Each grows into a brand new cell type and multiplies as per the codes present in its DNA program as tissues form and organization starts. It is most mysterious and miraculous that the molecules that lead a stem cell to transform into a new type of cell are synthesized at exactly the right moment and in the precise amount. Scientists are currently trying to figure out which molecule leads a cell to become a nerve, muscle, or bone cell when attached to it. They are likely to decode the molecules by monitoring the tissues that remain undeveloped because of missing genes resulting from DNA mutations observed in certain genetic diseases.
The new field that has developed in the last two decades called regenerative medicine is predicated on tapping into the potential of stem cells by repairing missing or faulty tissues, or completing a link in the chain necessary for the functioning of a dysfunctional metabolic process. In 2006, stem cell biologist Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan successfully transformed adult rat cells into an embryonic state. The following year, human body cells were transformed into embryonic stem cells. The ensuing research has led to the acknowledgement that it was theoretically possible to transform stem cells into any cell type, a promising cure for diseased embryos that have genetically missing parts.
The major problem, however, is keeping these delicate cells alive in a culture medium. In 2007, Yoshiki Sasai discovered a molecule called rock inhibitor that nourished the cell colonies he grew. The success rate in generating new cell colonies rose to 27%. Parmar from Swedish Lund University heralded “a new golden era” by producing new neurons from embryonic stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson’s.
As new techniques were developed for producing cells fast and reliably, these cells turned out to involve a very low risk of developing cancer. “We don’t yet know how this hidden power and balance that can be transformed into any cell type is controlled,” states Hiromitsu Nakauchi, a stem cell biologist at Tokyo University who researches making blood platelets out of stem cells derived from the embryo or somatic cells.
Experiments are underway that aim to treat disorders by activating stem cells stored in the body that have not yet differentiated through the help of proper stimulating molecules.
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kathleenseiber · 4 years
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More on the language of immunity
This continues the process from last week (the I essay) of introducing terms that will be encountered as we engage with the complexities of immunity. I’ve bolded a few words and phrases that, while some may be commonplace, will be used in an unfamiliar context. Repertoire is in that category.
Repertoire is mainly ‘owned’ by the entertainment and performance cultures. The repertoires of: an opera singer or solo instrumentalist; amazing strokes from a top tennis player; tricky moves by a spin bowler; and the playlist that defines the repertoires of both actors and a theatrical company like Bell Shakespeare or the fictional  ‘Good Companions’ in JB Priestley’s novel. What we’re discussing here is a diversity of ‘selected repertoires’, with that selection being made first by the performers on the basis of their specific abilities and interests, then by those who care to engage by listening, buying tickets and attending an event as part of their ‘target’ audience. The ‘audience’ for, say, the latest Opera Australia production of ‘Don Giovanni’ at Sydney Opera House will, though there may be some crossover, be largely different from that enjoying live music at a King’s Cross night club.
Immunologists use ‘repertoire’ in discussing the extraordinary diversity of the ‘adaptive’ immune system (See Immuno and the Red and the white essays) that has evolved to limit the damage caused by pathogens as different as measles virus and malaria. When it comes to any individual infection, what we are talking about is, in fact, three quite distinct repertoires that incorporate a diversity of highly specific recognition molecules, or receptors, expressed on three very distinct categories of immune white blood cells (WBCs) that do very different jobs in protecting us. Each cell, or lymphocyte (the terms are interchangeable here), within these populations of immune ‘performers’ expresses only one highly specific receptor that, with its ‘feet’ anchored firmly in the outer membrane of the cell, is made up of two protein chains. At the outer tip of these molecules, we find individually unique but enormously varied structural ‘motifs’ (styles?) that bind to one or other ‘target’ induced by the infectious process, in this case by SARS-CoV-2.
Taking the ‘human performer’ analogy, it is these targets (we call them antigens in immunology) that are the ‘audience’ selecting a high-performance repertoire from the enormous pool of possible ‘candidates’ that live within each and every one of us, just as the nine billion or so human beings on our planet are the ‘precursor’ pool for the top musicians and sports people selected by ‘target audiences’. Fans pay money to see them because they have great regard, or ‘affinity’ for what they do. The central principle of specific immunity is that high affinity binding of an individual cell surface receptor to a particular target antigen leads to its incorporation in a selected response repertoire.
The three categories of immune lymphocytes that concern us here are the B cells, the CD4+ ‘helper’ T cells and the CD8+ ‘killer’ T cells. The B refers to a weird organ in birds called the ‘Bursa of Fabricius’ where naïve, or precursor, B cells first develop and start to express their surface receptors, the B cell receptors (BCRs). Mammals like us don’t have that ‘bursa’ (which has nothing to do with ‘bursitis’,) but we think that the same type of process goes on in our bone marrow (BM).
The T refers to the thymus, the organ in the neck that is large in children and gets smaller (involutes) as we age. BM ‘stem cells’ travel to the thymus via the blood, where they multiply, differentiate and express the T cell receptors (TCRs) that ‘direct’ the attention of the CD4+ ‘T helpers’ and CD8+ ‘T killers’. After exiting the thymus into the blood, these naïve T cell pools provide the narrow, antigen-selected repertoires that coalesce after infection or vaccination.
The ‘CD’ of CD4 and CD8 is short for ‘cluster of differentiation’ and is just part of a classification scheme for molecules on the surface of immune cells. Currently, there are 371 members in this molecular ‘club’ some of which are differentially expressed on the surface of antigen-selected immune T cells (and B cells) as they multiply, then go down different functional pathways. These CD activation markers allow us to characterise distinct CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets.
The BCRs on naive B cells are an early form of the immunoglobulin (Ig), or antibody molecules that we met last week. By the time the Igs are being secreted by the B cell descendants, the large ‘protein factory’ plasma cells, the BCRs will have been refined and changed by a process called ‘affinity maturation’ that is unique for the B cell/plasma cell lineage and does not happen for the T cells. More of that later.
The CD4+ T helpers are, if you use the performer analogy, the agents and promotors of immunity. The CD8+ T killers are the ‘assassins’, the ‘killers within’ – that sounds a bit dangerous, but they are very important. Enough for now!
This article is the latest in the Setting it Straight series written by Laureate Professor Peter Doherty from Australia’s University of Melbourne and Doherty Institute to explain aspects of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. You can read them all here.
More on the language of immunity published first on https://triviaqaweb.weebly.com/
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After famine, humanity’s second great enemy was plagues and infectious diseases. Bustling cities linked by a ceaseless stream of merchants, officials and pilgrims were both the bedrock of human civilisation and an ideal breeding ground for pathogens. People consequently lived their lives in ancient Athens or medieval Florence knowing that they might fall ill and die next week, or that an epidemic might suddenly erupt and destroy their entire family in one swoop.
The most famous such outbreak, the so-called Black Death, began in the 1330s, somewhere in east or central Asia, when the flea-dwelling bacterium Yersinia pestis started infecting humans bitten by the fleas. From there, riding on an army of rats and fleas, the plague quickly spread all over Asia, Europe and North Africa, taking less than twenty years to reach the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Between 75 million and 200 million people died – more than a quarter of the population of Eurasia. In England, four out of ten people died, and the population dropped from a pre-plague high of 3.7 million people to a post-plague low of 2.2 million. The city of Florence lost 50,000 of its 100,000 inhabitants.
The authorities were completely helpless in the face of the calamity. Except for organising mass prayers and processions, they had no idea how to stop the spread of the epidemic – let alone cure it. Until the modern era, humans blamed diseases on bad air, malicious demons and angry gods, and did not suspect the existence of bacteria and viruses. People readily believed in angels and fairies, but they could not imagine that a tiny flea or a single drop of water might contain an entire armada of deadly predators.
The Black Death was not a singular event, nor even the worst plague in history. More disastrous epidemics struck America, Australia and the Pacific Islands following the arrival of the first Europeans. Unbeknown to the explorers and settlers, they brought with them new infectious diseases against which the natives had no immunity. Up to 90 percent of the local populations died as a result.
On 5 March 1520 a small Spanish flotilla left the island of Cuba on its way to Mexico. The ships carried 900 Spanish soldiers along with horses, firearms and a few African slaves. One of the slaves, Francisco de Eguía, carried on his person a far deadlier cargo. Francisco didn’t know it, but somewhere among his trillions of cells a biological time bomb was ticking: the smallpox virus. After Francisco landed in Mexico the virus began to multiply exponentially within his body, eventually bursting out all over his skin in a terrible rash. The feverish Francisco was taken to bed in the house of a Native American family in the town of Cempoallan. He infected the family members, who infected the neighbours. Within ten days Cempoallan became a graveyard. Refugees spread the disease from Cempoallan to the nearby towns. As town after town succumbed to the plague, new waves of terrified refugees carried the disease throughout Mexico and beyond.
The Mayas in the Yucatán Peninsula believed that three evil gods – Ekpetz, Uzannkak and Sojakak – were flying from village to village at night, infecting people with the disease. The Aztecs blamed it on the gods Tezcatlipoca and Xipe, or perhaps on the black magic of the white people. Priests and doctors were consulted. They advised prayers, cold baths, rubbing the body with bitumen and smearing squashed black beetles on the sores. Nothing helped. Tens of thousands of corpses lay rotting in the streets, without anyone daring to approach and bury them. Entire families perished within a few days, and the authorities ordered that the houses were to be collapsed on top of the bodies. In some settlements half the population died.
In September 1520 the plague had reached the Valley of Mexico, and in October it entered the gates of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan – a magnificent metropolis of 250,000 people. Within two months at least a third of the population perished, including the Aztec emperor Cuitláhuac. Whereas in March 1520, when the Spanish fleet arrived, Mexico was home to 22 million people, by December only 14 million were still alive. Smallpox was only the first blow. While the new Spanish masters were busy enriching themselves and exploiting the natives, deadly waves of flu, measles and other infectious diseases struck Mexico one after the other, until in 1580 its population was down to less than 2 million.
Two centuries later, on 18 January 1778, the British explorer Captain James Cook reached Hawaii. The Hawaiian islands were densely populated by half a million people, who lived in complete isolation from both Europe and America, and consequently had never been exposed to European and American diseases. Captain Cook and his men introduced the first flu, tuberculosis and syphilis pathogens to Hawaii. Subsequent European visitors added typhoid and smallpox. By 1853, only 70,000 survivors remained in Hawaii.
Epidemics continued to kill tens of millions of people well into the twentieth century. In January 1918 soldiers in the trenches of northern France began dying in their thousands from a particularly virulent strain of flu, nicknamed ‘the Spanish Flu’. The front line was the end point of the most efficient global supply network the world had hitherto seen. Men and munitions were pouring in from Britain, the USA, India and Australia. Oil was sent from the Middle East, grain and beef from Argentina, rubber from Malaya and copper from Congo. In exchange, they all got Spanish Flu. Within a few months, about half a billion people – a third of the global population – came down with the virus. In India it killed 5 percent of the population (15 million people). On the island of Tahiti, 14 percent died. On Samoa, 20 percent. In the copper mines of the Congo one out of five labourers perished. Altogether the pandemic killed between 50 million and 100 million people in less than a year. The First World War killed 40 million from 1914 to 1918.
Alongside such epidemical tsunamis that struck humankind every few decades, people also faced smaller but more regular waves of infectious diseases, which killed millions every year. Children who lacked immunity were particularly susceptible to them, hence they are often called ‘childhood diseases’. Until the early twentieth century, about a third of children died before reaching adulthood from a combination of malnutrition and disease.
During the last century humankind became ever more vulnerable to epidemics, due to a combination of growing populations and better transport. A modern metropolis such as Tokyo or Kinshasa offers pathogens far richer hunting grounds than medieval Florence or 1520 Tenochtitlan, and the global transport network is today even more efficient than in 1918. A Spanish virus can make its way to Congo or Tahiti in less than twenty-four hours. We should therefore have expected to live in an epidemiological hell, with one deadly plague after another.
However, both the incidence and impact of epidemics have gone down dramatically in the last few decades. In particular, global child mortality is at an all-time low: less than 5 per cent of children die before reaching adulthood. In the developed world the rate is less than 1 per cent.11 This miracle is due to the unprecedented achievements of twentieth-century medicine, which has provided us with vaccinations, antibiotics, improved hygiene and a much better medical infrastructure.
For example, a global campaign of smallpox vaccination was so successful that in 1979 the World Health Organization declared that humanity had won, and that smallpox had been completely eradicated. It was the first epidemic humans had ever managed to wipe off the face of the earth. In 1967 smallpox had still infected 15 million people and killed 2 million of them, but in 2014 not a single person was either infected or killed by smallpox. The victory has been so complete that today the WHO has stopped vaccinating humans against smallpox.
Every few years we are alarmed by the outbreak of some potential new plague, such as SARS in 2002/3, bird flu in 2005, swine flu in 2009/10 and Ebola in 2014. Yet thanks to efficient counter-measures these incidents have so far resulted in a comparatively small number of victims. SARS, for example, initially raised fears of a new Black Death, but eventually ended with the death of less than 1,000 people worldwide. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa seemed at first to spiral out of control, and on 26 September 2014 the WHO described it as ‘the most severe public health emergency seen in modern times’. Nevertheless, by early 2015 the epidemic had been reined in, and in January 2016 the WHO declared it over. It infected 30,000 people (killing 11,000 of them), caused massive economic damage throughout West Africa, and sent shockwaves of anxiety across the world; but it did not spread beyond West Africa, and its death toll was nowhere near the scale of the Spanish Flu or the Mexican smallpox epidemic.
Even the tragedy of AIDS, seemingly the greatest medical failure of the last few decades, can be seen as a sign of progress. Since its first major outbreak in the early 1980s, more than 30 million people have died of AIDS, and tens of millions more have suffered debilitating physical and psychological damage. It was hard to understand and treat the new epidemic, because AIDS is a uniquely devious disease. Whereas a human infected with the smallpox virus dies within a few days, an HIV-positive patient may seem perfectly healthy for weeks and months, yet go on infecting others unknowingly. In addition, the HIV virus itself does not kill. Rather, it destroys the immune system, thereby exposing the patient to numerous other diseases. It is these secondary diseases that actually kill AIDS victims. Consequently, when AIDS began to spread, it was especially difficult to understand what was happening. When two patients were admitted to a New York hospital in 1981, one ostensibly dying from pneumonia and the other from cancer, it was not at all evident that both were in fact victims of the HIV virus, which may have infected them months or even years previously.
However, despite these difficulties, after the medical community became aware of the mysterious new plague, it took scientists just two years to identify it, understand how the virus spreads and suggest effective ways to slow down the epidemic. Within another ten years new medicines turned AIDS from a death sentence into a chronic condition (at least for those wealthy enough to afford the treatment). Just think what would have happened if AIDS had erupted in 1581 rather than 1981. In all likelihood, nobody back then would have figured out what caused the epidemic, how it moved from person to person, or how it could be halted (let alone cured). Under such conditions, AIDS might have killed a much larger proportion of the human race, equalling and perhaps even surpassing the Black Death.
Despite the horrendous toll AIDS has taken, and despite the millions killed each year by long-established infectious diseases such as malaria, epidemics are a far smaller threat to human health today than in previous millennia. The vast majority of people die from non-infectious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, or simply from old age. (Incidentally cancer and heart disease are of course not new illnesses – they go back to antiquity. In previous eras, however, relatively few people lived long enough to die from them.)
Many fear that this is only a temporary victory, and that some unknown cousin of the Black Death is waiting just around the corner. No one can guarantee that plagues won’t make a comeback, but there are good reasons to think that in the arms race between doctors and germs, doctors run faster. New infectious diseases appear mainly as a result of chance mutations in pathogen genomes. These mutations allow the pathogens to jump from animals to humans, to overcome the human immune system, or to resist medicines such as antibiotics. Today such mutations probably occur and disseminate faster than in the past, due to human impact on the environment. Yet in the race against medicine, pathogens ultimately depend on the blind hand of fortune.
Doctors, in contrast, count on more than mere luck. Though science owes a huge debt to serendipity, doctors don’t just throw different chemicals into test tubes, hoping to chance upon some new medicine. With each passing year doctors accumulate more and better knowledge, which they use in order to design more effective medicines and treatments. Consequently, though in 2050 we will undoubtedly face much more resilient germs, medicine in 2050 will likely be able to deal with them more efficiently than today.
In 2015 doctors announced the discovery of a completely new type of antibiotic – teixobactin – to which bacteria have no resistance as yet. Some scholars believe teixobactin may prove to be a game-changer in the fight against highly resistant germs. Scientists are also developing revolutionary new treatments that work in radically different ways to any previous medicine. For example, some research labs are already home to nano-robots, that may one day navigate through our bloodstream, identify illnesses and kill pathogens and cancerous cells. Microorganisms may have 4 billion years of cumulative experience fighting organic enemies, but they have exactly zero experience fighting bionic predators, and would therefore find it doubly difficult to evolve effective defences.
So while we cannot be certain that some new Ebola outbreak or an unknown flu strain won’t sweep across the globe and kill millions, we will not regard it as an inevitable natural calamity. Rather, we will see it as an inexcusable human failure and demand the heads of those responsible. When in late summer 2014 it seemed for a few terrifying weeks that Ebola was gaining the upper hand over the global health authorities, investigative committees were hastily set up. An initial report published on 18 October 2014 criticised the World Health Organization for its unsatisfactory reaction to the outbreak, blaming the epidemic on corruption and inefficiency in the WHO’s African branch. Further criticism was levelled at the international community as a whole for not responding quickly and forcefully enough. Such criticism assumes that humankind has the knowledge and tools to prevent plagues, and if an epidemic nevertheless gets out of control, it is due to human incompetence rather than divine anger.
So in the struggle against natural calamities such as AIDS and Ebola, the scales are tipping in humanity’s favour. But what about the dangers inherent in human nature itself? Biotechnology enables us to defeat bacteria and viruses, but it simultaneously turns humans themselves into an unprecedented threat. The same tools that enable doctors to quickly identify and cure new illnesses may also enable armies and terrorists to engineer even more terrible diseases and doomsday pathogens. It is therefore likely that major epidemics will continue to endanger humankind in the future only if humankind itself creates them, in the service of some ruthless ideology. The era when humankind stood helpless before natural epidemics is probably over. But we may come to miss it.
-  Yuval Noah Harari, Invisible Armadas in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
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fiadhaisteach · 4 years
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New York Times: text under cut
What Lockdown 2.0 Looks Like: Harsher Rules, Deeper Confusion    
By Damien Cave
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Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, is becoming a case study in handling a second wave of infections. There are lots of unanswered questions.
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Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, is grappling with a spiraling coronavirus outbreak that has led to a lockdown with some of the toughest restrictions in the world — offering a preview of what many urban dwellers elsewhere could confront in coming weeks and months.
The new lockdown is the product of early success; the country thought it had the virus beat in June. But there was a breakdown in the quarantine program for hotels. Returning travelers passed the virus to hotel security guards in Melbourne, who carried the contagion home.
Even after masks became mandatory in the city two weeks ago, the spread continued. And now, as officials try to break the chain of infections, Melbourne is being reshaped by sweeping enforcement and fine print. A confounding matrix of hefty fines for disobedience to the lockdown and minor exceptions for everything from romantic partners to home building has led to silenced streets and endless versions of the question: So, wait, can I ____?
Restaurant owners are wondering about food delivery after an 8 p.m. curfew began on Sunday night. Teenagers are asking if their boyfriends and girlfriends count as essential partners. Can animal shelter volunteers walk dogs at night? Are house cleaners essential for those struggling with their mental health? Can people who have been tested exercise outside?
“This is such a weird, scary, bizarro time that we live in,” said Tessethia Von Tessle Roberts, 25, a student in Melbourne who admits to having hit a breaking point a few days ago, when her washing machine broke.
“Our health care workers are hustling around the clock to keep us alive,” she said. “Our politicians are as scared as we are, but they have to pretend like they have a better idea than we do of what’s going to happen next.”
Pandemic lockdowns, never easy, are getting ever more confusing and contentious as they evolve in the face of second and third rounds of outbreaks that have exhausted both officials and residents. With success against the virus as fleeting as the breeze, the new waves of restrictions feel to many like a bombing raid that just won’t end.
For some places, risk calculations can change overnight. In Hong Kong, officials banned daytime dining in restaurants last month, only to reverse themselves a day later after an outcry. Schools in some cities are opening and closing like screen doors in summer.
In many areas where the virus has retreated and then resurged, the future looks like a long, complicated haul. Leaders are reaching for their own metaphors to try to explain it.
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In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has compared his opening and shutting of businesses to a
“dimmer switch.”
Dan Andrews, the premier in Victoria, the state of which Melbourne is the capital, has repeatedly referred to “pilot light mode” for industries like construction and meatpacking, which have been ordered to temporarily reduce their work forces.
Whatever the metaphor, the situation is bleak.
In Melbourne, a city of five million that is considered a capital of food and culture, the pandemic has come raging back even after a so-called Stage 3 lockdown began in early July — until recently the highest level of restrictions.
Officials have been flummoxed at every turn by the persistent complacency of just enough people to let the virus thrive and multiply.
Traffic data showed people driving more in July than they had during the first Stage 3 lockdown, in March and April. Even worse, almost nine out of 10 people with Covid-19 had not been tested or isolated when they first felt sick, Mr. Andrews, the state’s top leader, said in late July. And 53 percent had not quarantined while waiting for their test results.
“That means people have felt unwell and just gone about their business,” Mr. Andrews said.
Sounding the alarm, he made face masks mandatory the next day, on July 22.
Still, infections have continued to rise. They peaked at 753 new cases on July 30, and have hovered around 500 a day ever since, with the death toll in Victoria now standing at 147, after 11 deaths were recorded on Monday.
Those figures, while far less troublesome than those in the United States, have paved the way for a Stage 4 lockdown — what officials are calling a “shock and awe” attack on the virus — that will last at least six weeks.
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Overwhelming force, with precision, seems to be the goal. The chief modelers of the pandemic response in Australia have found that the virus can be suppressed only if more than 70 percent of the population abides by social distancing guidelines and other public health rules.
Mr. Andrews said the new restrictions would take 250,000 more people out of their routines, in the hopes of reaching the necessary threshold.
So retail stores will be closed. Schools will return to at-home instruction. Restaurants will be takeout or delivery only. Child-care centers will be available only for permitted workers.
Those restrictions are already well understood. The rules requiring more explanation are tied to the curfew and industries that have to cut back.
Large-scale construction projects of more than three stories, for example, will have to reduce their on-site work force by 75 percent, and workers will not be able to work at more than one location. Small-scale construction cannot have more than five workers.
All of which sounds clear. But does a bathroom renovation, for example, amount to home building in an apartment with one bathroom? And what about fixing things that break, like Ms. Von Tessle Roberts’s washing machine?
Some businesses, like cleaning services, are already emailing customers to say they think they can do some work, for people who pay through welfare or who need help for mental health reasons. But, like many others, they are still seeking official clarification.
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Mr. Andrews, a Labor politician sometimes described as awkward and paternal, has become the dad everyone needs answers from. He now oversees, under the lockdown rules, what may be the country’s most intrusive bureaucracy since its days as a penal colony.
The Coronavirus Outbreak ›
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 4, 2020
I have antibodies. Am I now immune?
I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief?
What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work?
Should I refinance my mortgage?
What is school going to look like in September?
As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time.
The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all.
Employers have to provide a safe workplace with policies that protect everyone equally. And if one of your co-workers tests positive for the coronavirus, the C.D.C. has said that employers should tell their employees -- without giving you the sick employee’s name -- that they may have been exposed to the virus.
It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards.
It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community.
On Tuesday, he answered questions from reporters about dog-walking (allowed after curfew, sort of, only near home) and other subjects of great confusion at a news conference in Melbourne.
Thanking those who complied with the new rules and scolding those who did not, he announced that no one in self-isolation would now be allowed to exercise outdoors. A door-knocking campaign to check in on 3,000 people who had Covid-19 found that 800 of them were not at home.
All 800 have been referred to the Victoria police for investigation. The fine for violators going forward, he said, will be 4,957 Australian dollars, $3,532.
Working, even legally, will also become trickier. Other than, say, hospital workers with formal identification, everyone traveling for a job deemed essential during the lockdown must carry a formal document — a work permit signed by the employer and employee.
For Cara Devine, who works at a wine store that closes at 8 p.m., that means carrying a government form with her everywhere, and hoping that the police recognize her task as essential when she heads home after the curfew. But she also worried about the Uber drivers who take her back and forth.
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Credit...William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“Even before the newest restrictions, I’ve had two Uber drivers being really late picking up from the shop because they got stopped by the police, taking about an hour out of their work time,” she said.
The police are already confronting opposition. On at least four occasions in the last week, they reported having to smash the windows of cars and pull people out after they refused to provide a name and address at a police checkpoint. The Victoria police commissioner, Shane Patton, said a 38-year-old woman had also been charged with assault after attacking a police officer who had stopped her for not wearing a face mask.
Some criminologists are questioning whether the harsher enforcement will help. Mostly, though, Melburnians are just trying to endure.
Walking to get groceries, Peter Barnes, 56, said he welcomed the stricter rules, though he admitted his city was starting to feel like George Orwell’s “1984,” with the heavy hand of the state around every corner.
Those focused solely on the economics, he said, should remember the obvious: “You can’t hire a corpse. Very bad employment prospects for people who are dead.”
By Monday night, the city seemed to be in listening mode. The streets were emptying out, silent in hibernation.
“It’s like a Sunday in the 1950s,” said Mark Rubbo, the owner of Readings, Melbourne’s largest independent bookstore. He also noted that people were stocking up again on books through online orders, with a memoir called “The Happiest Man on Earth,” about a Holocaust survivor, becoming a runaway hit.
Ms. Von Tessle Roberts has found another solution, perhaps just as likely to grow in popularity: Stand on your front porch and scream. That’s the name she has given to an event she posted on Facebook, set for Friday at 7 p.m. By Tuesday afternoon, 70,000 people had expressed an interest in joining her collective shout in anguish.
“Yelling is great,” she said. “It’s less dehydrating than crying.”
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Credit...Erik Anderson/EPA, via Shutterstock
_________________________________________________________
Besha Rodell and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting from Melbourne, and Livia Albeck-Ripka from Cairns, Australia.
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sirestoffels97 · 4 years
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Bacterial Vaginosis Gpnotebook Australia Wonderful Cool Ideas
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Bacterial Vaginosis During Period
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Can Bacterial Vaginosis Cause You To Bleed
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parsaglobalimport · 4 years
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Fighting the Good Fight — The Importance of Having A Strong Immune System
If winter means one cold after the other for you, your immune system might not be in the best shape.
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Your immune system works extremely hard throughout your life to keep you healthy, protecting you against infections and viruses. But sometimes, it needs a little bit of help. Here’s what you need to know about your body’s immune system:
How your immune system works
Your immune system is your body’s natural defence against viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It’s made up of organs, tissues, and cells that block these antigens from entering your body.
However, if your body encounters an antigen that it doesn’t initially recognise, it might get through the immune system’s barrier. However, your body will then produce even more white blood cells—along with a host of proteins and chemicals—to attack, engulf, and digest the antigen before it has the chance to reproduce. If the antigen does multiply, the immune system increases its attack to match it.
When the immune system breaks down
An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system mistakes a substance as an antigen when it’s not one. Pollen allergies and pet allergies are common examples; they involve the body mistaking pollen or pet dander as antigens, so it produces histamine to fight them. Histamine causes the expansion of the blood vessels, leading to allergy symptoms being triggered.
The immune system can also break down when it’s exposed to new antigens or diseases that the body has no way of blocking out. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your immune system.
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Helping your immune system
If you don’t get enough sleep, eat unhealthily, or suffer from chronic stress, it could lead to a weakened immune system. This could leave your body vulnerable to viruses or bacteria, thereby causing you to become ill.
Introducing healthy lifestyle changes slowly into your daily routine. These could include:
·         Increased physical activity. It’s been proven that exercising regularly can improve immune system regulation.
·         Getting enough sleep. Not sleeping enough makes you fall sick more often, and increases your recovery time when you fall ill.
·         Good stress management. Introduce pockets of time during which you relax and unwind. You could try journaling, taking up a new hobby, or spending time talking to people whose company you enjoy. Chronic stress can lead to sleeping problems, headaches and depression.
·         Eating a healthy, balanced diet. Eating a nutritious diet can help your immune system grow stronger. A diet that’s high in calories but low in nutrition will not only cause you to gain weight rapidly, but will also weaken your body’s response to infections. A diet that’s loaded with antioxidants will boost your immune system’s function. Apart from eating leafy vegetables like kale and citrus fruits like oranges, you can introduce antioxidants into your diet by drinking organic herbal teas. Green tea, hibiscus tea, and cinnamon tea, in particular, are antioxidant-rich, fighting the oxidative stress that excess free radicals cause.
Parsa Global Import offers organic herbal teas and saffron threads for sale online in Australia. Their products are 100% natural and packed with antioxidants. Contact them today to learn more about their products.
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pierrehardy · 4 years
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COVID-19 x Vaccine
This write-up is quite short since it was initially part of the “COVID-19 x China” post. I separated it because it would’ve made the blog too long. But anyway, here’s a quick research on the race for a COVID-19 vaccine.
TL;DR
It’s estimated to take 18 months to make a vaccine. 
There’s a lot of approaches to take. The leading one is the “recombinant vector vaccine” method pursued by China’s CanSino Bio. At the time of writing, they are the only candidate in Phase II trials (out of III before distributing). 
Politics can pressure testing procedures. Politicians are known to force researchers to cut corners in testing just to win the vaccine race.
Related to the previous point, new testing methods are being proposed to speed up the process. One of which are “challenge trials.” For a normal clinical trial, you inject the vaccine to a patient, then you wait and see if the person gets infected. Challenge trials, on the other hand, you vaccinate the test subject then you purposely infect them with the virus. This is faster and yields a more robust observation. But obviously, it’s ethically questionable to deliberately make someone sick. But some argue that if consent and medical treatment is given, it should be allowed.
There are other challenges to face after developing the vaccine.
Since it is unclear which vaccine will win, it makes it hard for manufacturers to prepare. This can lead to bottlenecks in future production. It may even edge out the production of other vaccines that’s not the COVID-19 one. 
There will also be distribution challenges. Basically, the question is, “Who gets it first?” This question can intensify with the aforementioned manufacturing bottlenecks. This is also vulnerable to political pressure, depending on where the manufacturing plant will be (politicians can force the plants to prioritize the citizens of where they are made). This can put poorer nations, who need it the most, at a disadvantage.
Governments must ensure pharmaceuticals that they will foot the bill since making vaccines is expensive and it won’t be sold at a profit-making price.
The full content and outline of this write-up are as follows:
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
How will a COVID-19 vaccine work?
What approaches are being pursued?
What are the other problems we should be concerned about?
According to Melinda Gates, we can expect to have the vaccine for COVID-19 to be developed, manufactured, and distributed in 18 months. But what will a COVID-19 vaccine really do?
Well, to keep it concise, basically, a healthy immune system can handle the COVID-19 well enough by itself (usually, but not always. For people with a compromised or fragile immune system, the virus can be deadly). The vaccine will only help us fight it better and faster, which is essential to lessen the time of being infectious. For those with weak immune systems, a vaccine can be a life saving boost. Usually, it takes our bodies 2 weeks to create the necessary antibodies to fight off the infection. Vaccines would shorten this time by trying to introduce the antigen more quickly by injecting you with some version of the virus or the antigen itself (more on that in the next section). The antigen is that thing that tells the immune system, “Hey! Intruder alert! Prepare the defenses!” [1] That’s the basic idea of how this works. The different kinds of vaccines I will enumerate in a few are simply different strategies of achieving this basic idea. 
What approaches are being pursued?
Several approaches are being used by everyone. I’ll name the most popular ones and try my best to explain them (disclaimer: I’m not a doctor). Let’s start with the traditional methods.
Live attenuated vaccine. This is when you get injected by a version of the virus that can infect you but cannot get you sick. [2]
Who is doing this? Codagenix of America in collaboration with India’s Serum Institute. 
Inactive vaccine. This is basically injecting you with a castrated virus: it’s still alive, but it cannot multiply. [2]
Who is doing this? China’s Sinovac Biotech. 
Straight up injecting the antigen. This is a bit like infusing you with the blood of someone who was already infected and has already produced the antibodies needed to fight the virus. But thanks to gene editing, we don’t have to harvest it from people’s blood anymore. [3]
Speaking of, the next methods are all made possible thanks to gene editing.
Recombinant vector vaccine. So basically, gene editing is used to snip out the part of COVID-19’s genes that identifies its spike protein (have you seen the illustrations of the virus? Spike proteins are the little pointy things on its exterior (Figure 1, the red thingies)). Afterward, scientists would place this snippet of genetic code into a harmless virus so that it can make the spike proteins of COVID-19, producing somewhat of a lamb in a wolf’s clothing. Then these lambs are injected into the body and would multiply. Since they’re really lambs, they won’t harm you. But all that wolf clothing alerts the immune system to make the needed antibodies. Best part about this method is that you don’t have to get sick to get the antibodies you need. [5]
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Figure 1 [4]
Who is doing this? China’s CanSino. This company is the one leading the race, being in Phase II already. Other institutions pursuing this method are Germany’s Centre for Infection Research, France’s Institut Pasteur, America’s Johnson & Johnson, and UK’s University of Oxford. 
Subunit vaccine. This is similar to recombinant, but instead of having a lamb wear a wolf’s clothing, it does away with the lamb. It just straight up yeets the wolves’ pelt into the body. Said properly, the gene is used to mass-produce the protein spikes in laboratories. Afterwards, these spikes will be injected into the body. [5]
Who is doing this? This is the most popular method pursued. Among those who try is China’s Clover Biopharmaceuticals, America’s Novavax, France’s Sanofi Pasteur, the University of Queensland from Australia, and America’s army.
Nucleic acid vaccine. It gets lazier and lazier as this one doesn’t even make the wolf’s skin. It directly injects the genetic code for the protein spike, skipping growing and producing it. Just insert the DNA and RNA into the body, hoping a cell picks it up and creates the spike proteins in-house. This is the most novel of all the approaches. The pro is that this method is the easiest to scale up and manufacture. The con is that it’s untested to work. [5]
What are other problems we should be concerned about?
 We have a long road ahead of us. Developing the vaccine is one thing, but it’s a whole other beast to actually get it into everyone’s bodies. Here’s a list of things to worry about. 
Manufacturing. Due to the uncertainty of which vaccine will win, vaccine makers are constrained in how to prepare for it. Different methods require different equipment and steps, so they can only prepare so much. This situation can get nasty, politically.
 If there’ll be a bottlenecks to the vaccine’s production, this leaves us with the “who should get the vaccine first?” dilemma.
Depending on where it is produced, politicians may pressure the manufacturers to prioritize the country where it is being made. This can harm the poorer countries who need the vaccine the most.
The manufacturing of other vaccines (for measles, seasonal flu, others) might get edged out by the COVID-19 vaccine.
Distribution. This goes hand in hand with manufacturing, basically facing the same challenges above. This requires a global agreement and plan BEFORE the vaccine is developed. The chances of cooperation between nations are the highest when everyone is still racing to make the vaccine. When everything is still uncertain, everyone is more willing to work together since they can’t tell if they’ll be the country producing it or not. Their greed will be constrained by uncertainty.
Profitability. Now to be clear, manufacturers are not planning to sell the vaccine at a profit making price. However, we must be mindful because producing a vaccine is expensive but not profitable, making pharmaceutical companies wary of creating one. Nonetheless, they are obligated to do so anyway. Governments must honor their orders of the vaccines even though the virus fizzles out. Pharmas are unloved, for good reason, but they’re also vital. They shouldn’t be left in the shitter.
Testing. The pressure is on to make the vaccine as quickly and as safely as possible. Sadly, politicians are known to pressure researchers to cut corners, like when Trump pressured scientists to recommend hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug (which turned out to make the sickness worse). [6] They should not. Several factors need to be carefully calibrated and studied, like:
Dosage.
Adjuvants (mysterious vaccine side effects that are nice).
Antibody-Dependent Enhancement. This is basically when the vaccine backfires and makes the disease worse. This was the root cause of the Dengvaxia issue in the Philippines. [8] (Dengvaxia is developed by France’s Sanofi and has passed rigorous tests. But despite that, it unfortunately backfired after children who have never been infected by one of the four dengue strains in the Philippines became more vulnerable to it.)
One final interesting thing to note is that researchers are considering changing how trials are usually done with vaccines. Usually, you inject the vaccine to a patient, then you wait and see if the person gets infected. The proposed faster alternative is the concept of “challenge trials” where you inject the vaccine then purposely infect the person. This is faster and yields a more robust observation. But obviously, it’s ethically questionable to deliberately make someone sick. But some argue that if consent and medical treatment is given, it should be allowed.  [7]
References
[1]https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccines-work/
[2]https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/types
[3]https://mvec.mcri.edu.au/immunisation-references/live-attenuated-vaccines-and-immunoglobulins-or-blood-products/
[4]https://www.santelog.com/actualites/covid-19-le-candidat-medicament-qui-ferme-la-porte-au-virus
[5]https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccine-types
[6]https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/23/coronavirus-treatment-ousted-doctor-felt-pressure-after-trump-talked-to-larry-ellison.html
[7]https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/challenge-trial-ethical-imperative/610309/
[8]https://fortune.com/longform/sanofi-dengue-fever-vaccine-dengvaxia/ 
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jwesulm · 4 years
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Social distancing for COVID-19: Buying time to reinforce the front
Hi everyone, just an update as a lot of you across several social media have been in touch with me about coronavirus Q&A’s and the possibility of posting up a weekly, detailed FAQ here on your questions; as some of you have heard, I’ve had to put that aside for now since, alongside primary duties, I’m working on applying a bioinformatic system I developed years ago in a bid to help more rapidly identify promising COVID-19 drug candidates. It’s a bit of ad hoc improvisation at best on a pre-developed resource, and even under the most optimistic scenarios there’s not going to be a cure with this, only some extra tools in the therapeutic arsenal to reduce COVID-19 severity and expedite recovery. But for that very reason, I wanted to don my public health hat one more time before going on quasi-social media hiatus, since even the most promising new SARS-CoV-2 treatment prospects won’t amount to much if the (already imminent) torrent of new COVID-19 cases rises even more steeply than it already is to swarm US hospitals: Please, please diligently follow all the social distancing measures being outlined by public health authorities to the letter, especially avoiding mass gatherings and taking pains to wash hands thoroughly after touching surfaces with high contact (such as doorknobs and handles).
I know how stir-crazy things are getting right now especially with all the mounting anxiety (and desire to assuage it with public get-togethers to greet springtime’s arrival), but having lately been in touch with medical colleagues in US epicenters like Seattle, NYC, San Francisco -- even unexpected hotspots like Kansas City, Phoenix, and Orlando -- I can’t emphasize this point enough: the nightmare scenarios we’ve been witnessing recently in parts of Italy, Spain, Britain and the Middle East aren’t worrisome hypotheticals anymore, they’ve already arrived in many regions of the United States. American hospitals are being inundated, we’re critically low on PPE (personal protective equipment) and test kits for complex reasons I don’t want to get into here, and healthcare workers are themselves suffering casualties from infection even with full-body protective gear -- the bottom line is we’re on a war footing in the US, in the most concrete sense imaginable. And we need assistance from all corners to relieve pressure on the front: the medical centers being overwhelmed with a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases. As abstract and intangible as it can often seem at times, social distancing and contagion control, practiced at an individual + small group level X millions of Americans, is absolutely crucial to flatten the curve and buy the time we need to get reinforcements in the form of additional ventilators and supplies, vaccines, and treatments to improve survival and recuperation.
While all of us are liable to slip up from time to time amid the strictures of the lockdowns and shelter-at-home orders, there are still far too many cases of heedless, gratuitous mass assemblages like the Spring Break parties down in Florida or the multitudes thronging in Bondi Beach, Australia. For all practical purposes, those crowds right now are mass Petri dishes for SARS-CoV-2 to multiply like mad and launch new chain reactions to infect millions more people. I realize this sounds grisly but regrettably, that’s how aggressive this microbial foe is. In the lingo of viral epidemiology, this betacoronavirus -- the taxonomic subgroup to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs -- has a significantly higher R0 (R naught) than the flu, a metric of its contagious capacity; is now known to linger in the air for potentially hours; and is transmissible on many fomites (surfaces with frequent human contact) for days. It has a long incubation period (now thought to be around five days) during which it can be disseminated before a victim is symptomatic, and is thus uniquely capable of exponential spread. The US was also relatively slow to ramp up testing compared to South Korea and Italy (with the Koreans testing 20,000 a day, until recently more than America in a month), which means that undetected community spread has been rampant in the USA for weeks. Brisk strolls in the park and exercise al fresco are fine to break the cabin fever, but especially at this point, large gatherings are a formula to mass-disseminate SARS-CoV-2 still further and utterly deluge America’s already limited supply of hospital beds, ICU rooms, ventilators, and hospital staff to provide treatment. Keep in mind that COVID-19 is slamming us on top of a ruthless flu season and an increase in other medical issues to boot, all of which are being pushed aside to triage for the novel coronavirus avalanche. And then you have another accelerant to the vicious cycle with the attrition from nurses and doctors falling ill (which is exactly what happened to me as a doctor in a previous epidemic from pertussis, requiring years to recover).
Not trying to sound dismal here, but to provide a critical reality check on how basic behavioral modification by communities across the USA, on a mass scale, is pivotal to prevent an overwhelming and potential collapse of the US healthcare apparatus if the caseload surges still further; as dark as things are right now, there is real prospect for hope on the horizon if we can make it through the gauntlet we’re facing in the next few months. We’ve been here before, after all, with horrific pandemics like the 1918 Spanish flu (a misnomer as it may have originated right here in Kansas in a WWI army barrack) and numerous smallpox, typhus, cholera, polio, yellow fever, and even plague epidemics ravaging the US before the era of mass immunization or antibiotics for bacterial contagions. Early vaccine research is promising, though it can’t be rushed much beyond the (likely minimum) 18 month lag time due to vaccines’ administration to healthy people, and the technical difficulty of ascertaining the most immunogenic cocktail to prime the immune system. And there are dozens of resourceful research and clinical groups across the world right now seeking to develop new COVID-19 drugs or redirect old ones, to which I’m contributing. Many countries have successfully beaten this thing and protected their populations with aggressive public health measures, particularly Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, China (with rigorous control after the initial blunders and half-measures in Hubei), Hong Kong, and some countries in Europe and South America. COVID-19 takes a level of mobilization and mustering of public resources beyond any we’ve had to marshal in recent decades, far more than the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009 or Ebola in 2014, but it can be and has been managed successfully. So we don’t have to despair, because new tools are on the way to help us prevail.
Yet this makes it all the more important to buy time for such relief and reinforcements to be produced and arrive at the front. And just to be clear, such public health measures are imperative for all demographics, including younger  ones. Contrary to conventional wisdom at the outset, more recent findings are showing that COVID-19 is quite dangerous to children and young adults, much more so than initially thought. The early complacency about this may simply have resulted from the sheer scale of China’s all-out effort to contain the contagion once Wuhan’s and Hubei’s authorities woke up to it, and the similar success of Taiwan and South Korea with mass testing, tracking, and selectively targeted isolation. This nipped SARS-CoV-2’s spread in the bud in East Asia, not only forestalling further infection but also probably reducing viral load and severity of the infectious course among those who did catch it, particularly children. Unfortunately, the comparative lack of early testing, screening, tracking, and isolation in the US and many other Western countries translates into greater sick contact density and a potentially higher viral load for infections here, which raises the danger level for everyone, including kids and college students at beach parties. (For the technically-minded among you out there, the paper in Amer J Respir Crit Care Med, 2010, by DeVincenzo et al., has a good summary of how initial viral load can greatly exacerbate pediatric infection severity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001267/ )   We likewise know that there at least two major strains of this deadly coronavirus -- S-type and L-type -- and now possibly more given its high mutation rate.
Moreover, not only is COVID-19’s lethality at least an order of magnitude higher than the flu, but it also has an alarmingly high rate of serious illness in acute cases, and we know precious little about medium or longer-term sequelae; not to mention that SARS-CoV-2 is hardly confined to the lungs but has been shown to affect the liver and GI tract, kidneys, and even central nervous system in many patients. And it’s not yet clear why, but immunity to COVID-19 seems to wane precipitously in many patients infected by SARS-CoV-2, leaving them vulnerable to deadly re-infections -- a likely reason that initial attempts to achieve “herd immunity” through clustered infection (as opposed to immunization) in some countries, as trial-ballooned in e.g. the UK and Australia, have had catastrophic results and been abandoned. There’s not going to be a magic bullet or straightforward victory here. This is going to be a months-long grind as the infectious curve is flattened and new options emerge to mitigate contagious spread and facilitate recovery in those already afflicted. Meanwhile, communities across the country need to do everything possible to buy time for the aforementioned reinforcements to arrive, and this means rigorous adherence to social distancing and other measures announced by authorities to break the chain of contagion. We will get through this; please keep safe everyone. -- J. Wes Ulm, MD, PhD
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