Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Boy Gets Powassan Encephalitis After Camping Trip

https://danielcameronmd.com/powassan-encephalitis-camping-trip/

Young boy develops Powassan encephalitis after camping trip

powassan-encephalitis

Although the Powassan virus is considered to be a rare tick-borne illness, the number of cases is rising, and at an alarming rate. A recent survey found, a 4-fold rise in the number of Powassan virus cases in the US from 2014 to 2023 (compared with 2004 to 2013). [3]

By 

This summer, a 9-year-old boy in Canada developed Powassan virus encephalitis, a life-threatening condition. In Pennsylvania, another young child was hospitalized with the virus. And, in April, an older man from Massachusetts was infected. Meanwhile, last year, a Maryland resident died from Powassan encephalitis after contracting it in Canada.

Powassan virus – transmitted in 15 minutes

The Powassan virus, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick, can be deadly. And, most concerning, as cases are rising, the infection can be contracted within 15 minutes of a tick attachment.

The virus can cause fever, headache, vomiting, loss of coordination and memory and speech problems. It can also cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.)

However, it often does not present with any symptoms, according to the CDC.

POWV encephalitis can be deadly

From 2004 to 2022, the US reported 288 cases of Powassan virus infection. Of these cases, 72 (25%) occurred in children, 264 patients (92%) required hospitalization, and 36 patients (13%) died.1

Patients infected with the virus have a “10% risk of developing fatal encephalitis and up to 50% of infected patients have long-term neurologic damage.”2

Up to 50% of patients have long-term neurologic complications.

The prognosis for individuals with Powassan virus neuroinvasive disease is poor. The case fatality rate is 10%–15%, and survivors have about a 50% probability of persistent neurologic deficits, including headaches, altered mental status, and cognitive difficulties.1

There is no treatment for the Powassan virus.

Case Report: 9-year-old boy

In July, a 9-year-old boy, residing in Canada, was hospitalized with Powassan encephalitis, after returning from a camping trip in northern Ontario.

Blatman and colleagues describe the case in their article, “Powassan virus encephalitis in a 9-year-old.”1

The young boy was admitted to the hospital with a fever, neck stiffness and headache, which began 1 week after returning from his camping trip.

Initially, he was treated with ceftriaxone and vancomycin for suspected meningitis.

PCR testing of the CSF for viral causes of meningitis or encephalitis, however, was negative. Bacterial culture and Gram stain of the CSF sample was also negative. And, an MRI of the brain was unremarkable.

The patient had no known tick bites or rashes.

“Over the next 48 hours, blood cultures showed no growth,” the authors state. However, “The patient remained persistently febrile with ongoing severe headache.”

After 3 days in the hospital, the boy’s condition worsened and he was transferred to the ICU. At this point, he was nonverbal and nonresponsive to commands, according to the authors.

Testing for Lyme disease was negative.

“Tick-borne Powassan virus encephalitis is associated with high mortality and a risk of long-term neurologic sequelae in survivors.”

Repeat EEG showed generalized slowing of brain activity. Meanwhile, a repeat MRI of the patient’s brain and full spine showed subtle bilateral basal ganglia and substantia nigra.

However, CFS testing was negative for autoimmune encephalitis.

“Given concern for potential autoimmune encephalitis, the patient received intravenous immunoglobulin at a dosage of 1 g/ kg for 2 days, with notable improvement in his level of consciousness within 24–48 hour,” the authors state.

Within 2 months, the boy had made a complete recovery.

New research indicates that the Powassan virus may be more deadly in older patients. “… only minimal infectious doses of the virus were highly lethal in older mice and that lethality increased >10-fold with age,” states Mackow.2

“Increased awareness of Powassan virus among clinicians in Canada will likely lead to increased identification of Powassan virus and other arthropod-borne infections, which should always be reported,” the authors state.

Related Articles:4 cases of Powassan virus encephalitis
Powassan virus encephalitis contracted during winter months
Can Powassan virus cause encephalitis or other neurologic damage?
References:
  1. CMAJ 2024 August 26;196:E973-6. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.240227
  2. Megan C. Mladinich et al, Age-dependent Powassan virus lethality is linked to glial cell activation and divergent neuroinflammatory cytokine responses in a murine model, Journal of Virology (2024). DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00560-24
  3. Passive surveillance of Powassan virus in human-biting ticks and health outcomes of associated bite victims. Siegel, Eric et al. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Volume 30, Issue 10, 1332 – 1334

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**Comment**

But like all things Lyme/MSIDS, Powassan can persist in humans as well as mice.

Powassan is NOT rare:

http://www.coppelabs.com/blog/why-is-powassan-virus-infection-still-described-as-rare-and-mysterious/  Excerpt:  

For the last two years, Coppe Laboratories has dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to dispelling the myth that infection with Powassan virus, a virus transmitted by tick bite, is rare. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) reports only 100 cases of Powassan virus infection in the United States in the last 10 years. Indeed, that statistic gives the illusion that Powassan infection is rare. However, did you know that the only infections reported to CDC are those that are life-threatening, particularly cases causing severe inflammation of the brain like the case reported in LiveScience?

Coppe has published three new papers in the last year that clearly show Powassan virus infection is not rare are at all, and until testing for this virus is included as part of tick-borne disease screening panels infections will continue to be underreported. Coppe’s Powassan Guide, which can be downloaded from the website, summarizes the findings from both tick and human Powassan prevalence studies, as well as defining the patient populations that would benefit most from Powassan testing.

Coppe Labs, a specialized CLIA-certified lab, right in Waukesha, Wisconsin tests for Powassan, West Nile, Anaplasma, Babesia, Human Herpes Viruses 6 & 7, COVID, and Lyme disease.

Wisconsin is a hot-spot for Powassan.

For more:

Regarding IVIG, it has been used successfully in many Lyme/MSIDS patients including this young autistic boy infected with borrelia, babesia, and bartonella.  After a rough week of treatment suddenly this boy could remember things, he became happy, social, and agreeable with fewer tics.  Disulfiram also played a key role as well as targeting bartonella.  IVIG has also been used in PANS and PANDAS with some success.

Susannah Cahalan, who wrote the book Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, was given steroids, plasmapherisis, and IVIG for autoimmune encephalitis.

Dr. Frid uses IVIG for treating infections induced autoimmune encephalitis.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/01/panspandas-steroids-autoimmune-disease-lymemsids-the-need-for-medical-collaboration/   Boy’s Lyme Disease Morphs into Autoimmune encephalopathy. It took 10 years and 20 doctors to find out 12-year-old Patrik had Lyme disease. Just 4 months later the doctors discovered he also has a condition where his immune system attacks his brain.

Category:

research, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment, Viruses

Japan Links COVID Shots to 201 Diseases, US Lawyer States a 1100% Increase in U.S. Military Morbidity and Deaths

There’s massive evidence that the COVID shots cause massive amounts of deaths, disabilities and injuries.  Expert after expert has spoken out against the clot shots and the government and global narrative.  Edward Dowd believes the modern world is a simulacrum where reality has been replaced by false messaging and imagery and just went on record stating:

“I don’t think they can put lipstick on this pig much longer.”

Buried in UK government ONS data on deaths involving COVID-19, deaths not involving Covid, and all-cause deaths by age group in England between January 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, is disturbing confirmation that the Covid injections have been killing children at an unprecedented rate.

  • The data shows that children who received the shots are 4423% / 45x more likely to die of any cause than unvaccinated children.
  • Vaxxed children are 13,633% / 137x more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who didn’t receive a mRNA injection.
  • Triple-vaccinated children, meanwhile, are 4423% / 45.23x more likely to die of any cause than unvaccinated children.
  • Triple-vaccinated children are 137.3x / 13,633.33% more likely to die of COVID-19 than unvaccinated children.
The data prove “vaccination” is worsening the immune response to the ‘virus’ and increasing the risk of both hospitalization and death.

https://slaynews.com/news/japan-links-covid-shots-201-dangerous-diseases/?

Japan Links Covid Shots to 201 Dangerous Diseases

Frank Bergman

Researchers in Japan have issued a red alert after making a “shocking” discovery, warning the public that Covid mRNA shots are now “affecting every possible aspect of human pathology.”

The nation’s leading scientists are raising the alarm after linking Covid mRNA injections to surges in 201 dangerous and deadly diseases.

The findings were laid out in a 93-minute press conference, during which, some of Japan’s leading researchers revealed that Covid “vaccines” have now been linked to thousands of side effects.

During the press briefing, the Vaccine Issues Study Group, a panel of esteemed medical experts, detailed the findings from a “shocking” systematic review of research papers.

The findings followed six months of investigations into the side effects of the Covid mRNA shots that were pushed onto the public to supposedly tackle COVID-19.

Professor Emeritus Masanori Fukushima of Kyoto University warns that the breadth of the harms is “unprecedented” for medical treatments.

“A systematic review of the literature has unveiled some shocking information,” Fukushima told reporters.

“Thousands of papers have reported side effects after vaccination, affecting every possible aspect of human pathology, from ophthalmology to psychiatry,” he said.  (See link for article)

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https://lionessofjudah.substack.com/p/1100-increase-in-us-military-morbidity?

1100% Increase in U.S. Military Morbidity and Deaths – US Lawyer Speaks Out

“…This is Genocide…”

A team of researchers is developing a tool to track reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), so vaccine-injured people can follow what happens to the reports they submit.

As part of a broader effort to hold public health agencies accountable, the tool will also make it possible to audit the VAERS system by identifying what types of reports are deleted, insufficiently updated or contain errors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which jointly oversee VAERS, have refused to do this work despite multiple appeals by advocates for the vaccine-injured, according to React19, the group leading the initiative.

React19, founded by a small group of medical professionals injured by COVID-19 vaccines, works with institutions and providers to increase understanding and awareness of patients experiencing lasting effects following COVID-19 and/or COVID-19 vaccines.

The group is teaming up with computer programmer Liz Wilner, founder of OpenVAERS — a website that provides tools for more easily accessing and searching VAERS data — and Children’s Health Defense (CHD) to develop the tool.  (See link for article)

Category:

Activism, research, vaccines, Viruses

Two Plants in Plaintain Family Show Antioxidant and Bb Inhibiting Properties

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/13/7112

Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata Exhibit Antioxidant and Borrelia burgdorferi Inhibiting Activities

by Pille-Riin Laanet, Olga Bragina, Piia Jõul and Merike Vahe*
Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia tee 15, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(13), 7112; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25137112
Submission received: 18 May 2024 / Revised: 15 June 2024 / Accepted: 20 June 2024 / Published: 28 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Antimicrobial Activities of Phytochemicals: Bridging Traditional Knowledge and Molecular Insights)

Abstract

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection, is the most widespread vector-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, using targeted antibiotic therapy is often an ineffective cure. The antibiotic resistance and recurring symptoms of Lyme disease are associated with the formation of biofilm-like aggregates of B. burgdorferi. Plant extracts could provide an effective alternative solution as many of them exhibit antibacterial or biofilm inhibiting activities. This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata as B. burgdorferi inhibitors. Hydroalcoholic extracts from three different samples of each plant were first characterised based on their total concentrations of polyphenolics, flavonoids, iridoids, and antioxidant capacity. Both plants contained substantial amounts of named phytochemicals and showed considerable antioxidant properties. The major non-volatile constituents were then quantified using HPLC-DAD-MS analyses, and volatile constituents were quantified using HS-SPME-GC-MS. The most prevalent non-volatiles were found to be plantamajoside and acteoside, and the most prevalent volatiles were β-caryophyllene, D-limonene, and α-caryophyllene. The B. burgdorferi inhibiting activity of the extracts was tested on stationary-phase B. burgdorferi culture and its biofilm fraction. All extracts showed antibacterial activity, with the most effective lowering the residual bacterial viability down to 15%. Moreover, the extracts prepared from the leaves of each plant additionally demonstrated biofilm inhibiting properties, reducing its formation by 30%.
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**Comment**
Both plants are in the plantain family, which is a diverse family of flowering plants and herbs and includes snapdragons, foxglove, particularly the broadleaf or greater plaintain (Plantago major) which is considered an herb, and narrowleaf plantain or ribwort (Plantago lanceolata).  You will find the former to be a common weed that is often found along the edge of the road.  This is handy because if you react to bee/wasp stings you can chew these leaves which are highly anti-inflammatory and them put it directly on the sting until you get home.  I’ve had to do this.  The tea is also excellent for bronchitis.  While narrowleaf plantain is has supposedly been introduced in WI, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it and I consider myself a plant freak.
For more:

Word of warning: many think herbs are always safe.  I know of patients who messed themselves up pretty badly with herbs.  Herbs are strong medicine.  Never forget that.  For some they make all the difference.  For others, not so much.  Make sure you learn all you can about these powerful plants and as always – use with caution – as with any treatment.  I’m certainly not trying to dissuade you, just remind you to take heed, do your homework, and preferably work with experienced herbalists.  Nothing beats experience.

Category:

Biofilm, Herbs, Inflammation, Lyme, research, Treatment

Aussie, German, Korean, Japanese, & Scandinavian Studies on COVID Shots: Excess Deaths, Organ Damage, Auto-Immunity, Myocarditis & Pericarditis, & Deadly Batches

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/covid-vaccine-excess-deaths-australia/

Australian Researcher Finds Link Between COVID Vaccines and Excess Deaths

The number of excess deaths in Australia was positively correlated with the number of COVID-19 booster vaccinations, according to a new peer-reviewed study. However, critics cautioned that the study’s methods were too simplistic and that its results could be misleading.

by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D.
AUGUST 15, 2024

Article excerpts:

Denis Rancourt, Ph.D., lead author of a recent study examining excess mortality in 125 countries, cautioned against drawing conclusions from Allen’s analysis. He told The Defender:

“This type of correlation analysis between bulk measures of excess mortality and vaccine doses administered has many caveats, pitfalls and known confounding factors.

“It should never be used as a stand-alone result, as was done here. On its own, it has a high likelihood of being misleading, and it does not imply any meaningful relation.”

Rancourt said that even if a relationship exists between COVID-19 vaccination and excess death, there are better ways of statistically showing it.

“Scientists should avoid being right for the wrong reasons,” Rancourt said. “A better approach is to look for temporal associations, which has been done in some detail for Australia.”  (See link for article)

Also, please see:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2024/08/15/study-of-125-countries-meta-analysis-on-covid-shots/  The shots are worthless but dangerous.

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https://slaynews.com/news/top-study-links-covid-shots-surge-organ-damage-among-children/

Top Study Links Covid Shots to Surge in Organ Damage among Children

Frank Bergman

A team of leading scientific researchers in Germany has just issued a warning to the public after finding direct links between Covid mRNA shots and vital organ damage among children.

Specifically, the researchers found that Pfizer’s mRNA injection is responsible for skyrocketing cases of Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) in children aged 5 to 11 years old.

IgG4-RD is a condition that causes inflammation inside the body and damages internal organs, according to Oxford University.

It can affect many different organs, meaning people can have wide-ranging symptoms.

The pancreas is most commonly affected, followed by the bile ducts in the liver, the salivary glands, and the kidneys.  (See link for article)

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https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/large-korean-study-recommends-monitoring

Large Korean Study Recommends Monitoring mRNA Vaccinated Patients for Auto-immunity

Modest Risks Identified, but Cumulative Effects with Repeated Boosters are Concerning

 
JUL 27, 2024

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Article excerpts:

There is great concern that with continued dosing of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, the human body is forced to produce not only the foreign and potentially lethal Wuhan Spike protein, but probably about a dozen additional frameshifted proteins as shown by Boros and colleagues. Invariably these peptides induce an immune attack against the human body as they are expressed on cell surfaces and in some cases like Spike protein, trimerize and are circulatory in blood for months after injection.

Now a large study from Korea by Jung et al, suggests there are increased risks for some autoimmune illnesses after at least two mRNA shots, but not nearly as high as the established dangers of vaccine myo-pericarditis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  (See link for article)

https://www.jiac-j.com/article/S1341-321X(24)00209-5/abstract

Japanese Study: COVID mRNA Shots “Significantly Associated” With Myocarditis & Pericarditis

Abstract

Background

The association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines and myocarditis/pericarditis in the Japanese population has not been systematically investigated. This study was aimed at clarifying the association between SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) and myocarditis/pericarditis as well as influencing factors by using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database.

Methods

Reporting odds ratios (RORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) for the association between the vaccines and myocarditis/pericarditis were calculated using data from the database (April 2004–December 2023). Age, sex, onset time, and outcomes in symptomatic patients were evaluated.

Results

The total number of reports was 880,999 (myocarditis: 1846; pericarditis: 761). The adverse events associated with the vaccines included myocarditis (919 cases) and pericarditis (321 cases), with the ROR [95 % CIs] being significant for both (myocarditis: 30.51 [27.82–33.45], pericarditis: 21.99 [19.03–25.40]). Furthermore, the ROR [95 % CIs] of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 were 15.64 [14.15–17.28] and 54.23 [48.13–61.10], respectively, for myocarditis, and 15.78 [13.52–18.42] and 27.03 [21.58–33.87], respectively, for pericarditis. Furthermore, most cases were ≤30 years or male. The period from vaccination to onset was ≤8 days, corresponding to early failure type based on analysis using the Weibull distribution. Outcomes were recovery or remission for most cases; however, they were severe or caused death in some cases.

Conclusion

In the Japanese population, SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination was significantly associated with the onset of myocarditis/pericarditis. The influencing factors included age of ≤30 years and male. Furthermore, although most adverse events occurred early after vaccination, overall outcomes were good.
 

Scandinavian Study Confirms Pfizer Pushed ‘BAD BATCHES’ of Covid Shots onto Public

by Vibeke Manniche1, Max Schmeling2, Jonathan D. Gilthorpe3 and Peter Riis Hansen4,5,*
 
Medicina 2024, 60(8), 1343; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60081343
Submission received: 17 July 2024 / Revised: 13 August 2024 / Accepted: 14 August 2024 / Published: 19 August 2024

Abstract

Background and Objective: An unexpected batch-dependent safety signal for the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was recently identified in a nationwide study from Denmark, but the generalizability of this finding is unknown. Therefore, we compared batch-dependent rates of suspected adverse events (SAEs) reported to national authorities in Denmark and Sweden. 
 
Materials and Methods: SAE and vaccine batch data were received from national authorities in Denmark and Sweden, and analyses of heterogeneity in the relationship between numbers of vaccine doses and SAEs per batch were performed, along with comparison of SAE rates and severities for batches that were shared between the two countries. 
 
Results: Significant batch-dependent heterogeneity was found in the number of SAEs per 1000 doses for both countries, with batches associated with high SAE rates detected in the early phase of the vaccination campaign and positive correlations observed between the two countries for the severity of SAEs from vaccine batches that they shared. Mild SAEs predominated in the batches used in the early part of the vaccination roll-out, where markedly higher SAE rates per 1000 doses in Denmark for the batches that were shared between the two countries suggested that a large proportion of these SAEs were under-reported in Sweden. 
 
Conclusions: The batch-dependent safety signal observed in Denmark and now confirmed in Sweden suggests that early commercial batches of BNT162b2 may have differed from those used later on, and these preliminary and hypothesis-generating results warrant further study.
 
They simply couldn’t allow too many people to be maimed and killed early on.  People would have noticed.
 
For more:

Category:

Activism, research, vaccines, Viruses

Elucidating Host-Microbe Interactions to Address Vector-Borne Diseases

https://medicine.yale.edu/internal-medicine/infdis/news-article/elucidating-host-microbe-interactions-to-address-vector-borne-diseases/

Elucidating Host-microbe Interactions to Address Vector-borne Diseases

July 08, 2024
by Serena Crawford
Article Excerpts:
In a new study, Yale researchers identified the targets in the human body to which pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, and other vectors bind. Their findings, they say, could help address the rising threat of vector-borne diseases, a leading cause of death worldwide.

The study was published in Cell.

“We wanted to better understand the precise mechanisms by which pathogens interact with humans to infect the host and cause disease,” said first author Thomas Hart, PhD, postdoctoral associate at Yale School of Medicine (YSM). “To do so, we tested for interactions between thousands of human proteins and dozens of microbial pathogens, then examined the importance of those identified,” he said.

Pathogens must interact with host molecules, namely host proteins, to infect a host, evade the immune system, and cause symptoms, Hart explained.

One surprising finding was that Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease, appears to interact with epidermal growth factor (EGF), said corresponding author Erol Fikrig, MD, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and professor of microbial pathogenesis at YSM; and professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) at the Yale School of Public Health. “Why Borrelia interacts with EGF and what that does for Borrelia pathogenesis is not yet known, and that could have implications for Lyme disease,” he said.
Many of the host-microbe interactions uncovered were unpredictable and unexpected, revealing a suite of novel host-pathogen interactions that can potentially be leveraged to create new classes of anti-infectives that target unique and previously unknown host-microbe interaction nodes, Palm added.  (See link for article)

Category:

Lyme, research