Tag Archives: vaccine

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 50

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Literature Review
1) Pericytes are critical cells that sit around the tiny blood vessels called capillaries of the body especially in the brain. They are involved in regulating blood vessel activity. They communicate directly with the endothelial cells making them super important in the activity of the blood vessel and metabolism at the local tissue interface. From the journal Cell Death and Disease we see: “Crosstalk mechanisms….And some other discussions on Cancer detection at physicals as well as the recipe of the week.
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Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 49

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Respiratory Syncytial Virus
RSV is a 150 nanometer RNA virus that comes from a human orthopneumovirus that circulates in the winter primarily. Young children and infants infected with RSV mostly have upper respiratory tract symptoms where a subset develop lower respiratory tract disease known as bronchiolitis with the primary infection. It is the most common reason for hospitalization in infants between 0 and 6 months of age. Bronchiolitis appears as a wheezy, cough centric illness that rarely may progress to increased respiratory effort noted by wheezing, rales (lung crackles – sounds like stepping on leaves), chest wall rib retractions, grunting, fast breathing, nasal flaring and eventually respiratory hypoxia. If it persists, the event can rarely lead to respiratory collapse and death. Annually, 150 children under 5 years of age die from RSV in the US. Most of these children are premature births and have cardiopulmonary disease issues. Term healthy children rarely succumb to RSV in a serious way. A recent study of German infants and children hospitalized with RSV identified these risk factors: age <6 months, birth at 28–37 weeks gestational age, congenital defects, perinatal respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, and various other comorbidities as significant risk factors for ICU admission and death. ( Cai et. al. 2020) plus a mini lit review and a discussion on thanksgiving.
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Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 9

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Coronavirus Update 81 plus other stuff
We continue to have a highly infectious Omicron endemic national state with new strain XBB.1.5 accounting for 75% of our cases now with absolutely no signs of worsening disease severity or morbidity. Having had a previous Omicron natural infection is beneficial towards preventing moderate to severe disease from current circulating Omicron strains, but not helping against getting mild infection at all. This week we look at the residual data that is of interest. It is thinning out for me. We also look at men’s health and the micronutrient iodine.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #39 Paul Offit, MD – Latest Information of Vaccines for Covid and Children

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Dr. Paul A. Offit is Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Offit is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology, and was a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is a member of the Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, a member of the Institute of Medicine and co-editor of the foremost vaccine text, Vaccines.

He is a scientist, a skeptic, a thinker and an individual deeply passionate about children’s health.

This week we sit down again to discuss the latest with Covid, vaccines and children’s health as new data has prompted a new discussion.

I hope that you enjoy my latest conversation with Dr. Offit,

 

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 12 Issue 51

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Coronavirus Update 76 plus other stuff
The work around Covid research is fading for me. This is now mostly a highly contagious upper respiratory infection for most. The morbidity has faded to a level where we are seeing very limited disease in children and the hospital data remains completely plateaued. Unless there is a dramatic shift in this virus, we are moving toward a world where Covid will be like the other 4 circulating coronaviruses for most of the United States population save for the high risk individuals as described throughout the pandemic.
Focus remains on self care to boost all immune activity to thwart all infections from all microbes.
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 12 Issue 49

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Covid Update #75

All new omicron based variants are extremely infectious but not really dangerous anymore to immunocompetent people. They are evading prior immunity as well as all vaccines to varying degrees. Morbidity remains very low now. The current bivalent vaccines are not showing any improvement over the ancestral vaccine. Death remains almost zero for all healthy previous infected or vaccinated individuals. This is likely the new norm from here on out.

This week we cover covid, vaccine effectiveness, skeletal muscle and dementia, human protein needs and function.

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 12 Issue 47

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Covid Newsletter #74. Why are we seeing massive waves of RSV and Influenza A right now? These viruses normally circulate in the winter only. The answer is nuanced, but likely primarily because of the pandemics social distancing and hygiene activity. During the 2020-2022 cycle of Covid fear and mitigation of viral risk, most of us avoided the normal trappings of viral spread. We masked avoiding the viral droplet portal of entry most commonly used. We kept our children semi isolated from other children where most year to year viral transmission events occur. We practiced enhanced hand washing and sanitizing reducing natural viral spread through contact. In essence we stopped the normal propagation of respiratory virus for 2 years. A whole cycle of children between 0 and 2 years old are RSV and flu immune naive leading to a perfect host pool for spread. The 2 to 18 year olds have had a long pause in exposure reducing circulating virus specific antibodies to negligible levels leading to stronger infections and more spread. Anyone who has a child in college (me) has seen infection after infection pound these students this fall. It seems like they are always dealing with a viral illness. Immunity country wide will return in the coming year to these viral illnesses reverting to the old reality of winter predominance.
Quick Covid Hits and other musings –
Enjoy,
Dr. M

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