Clean Eating Or Eating Disorder?

 If one self-disciplined oneself from eating this and that is that called "Clean Eating" or it leads to "Eating Disorder"; and for the sake of dieting?

But this eating activity i learned could lead to what they called ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA.

Obsession and addiction or obsessive-compulsive disorder kind of eating? so is it Healthy and or mere Anxiety?

If it becomes to the point to what mentioned above, perhaps it is no more HEALTHY and NO MORE HEALTHY EATING; thus is it CLEAN EATING or EATING DISORDER.

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The Resistant And Resilient Bacterium

 category : Health

 

The bacterium is not so far as controversial as this post currently posted; in the case someone and somehow is or are ignorant of the bacterium.The scientists are finding it hard to battle against due to its strong resistance and resilience to drugging.

 

So far in the reports,no pharmaceutical drug can match the resistance of this bacterium but somehow some scientists study its resilience in the case they can crack it down.

 

As popular or not popular as this post,this bacterium is the "S.Aureus" or "Staphylococcos Aureus" or "Staph Aureus"

 

Staphylococcos Aureus is often seen as a commensal bacteria on human body but sometimes it is seen as a pathogenic or an opportunistic pathogenic that can wreck havoc on this commensal relationship.It is often said to be on respiratory tract as information said,particularly on human's noses and as well as skin.When it becomes pathogenic it cause infections.It is a type of bacteria that is considered to be "Gram-positive" or it means bacteria that retain tha stain on the staininng method or technique developed by a bacteriologist with the name "Gram" or by Hans Christian Gram.

 

The bacteria as this post is posted,is a major treat to antibiotic medication for its strong resistance and resilience against such medication.

 

According to the report,the penicillin invented by Alexander Fleming is in the troubled waters because of this bacteria.

 

" S. aureus is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the microbial world. It exists harmlessly on the skin and in nasal passages, a commensal bacterium that is part of the human microbiome. But it also exists as a drug-resistant pathogen, and microbiologists have found that many of these bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics.Worse, the collaborative team in Hungary and China is issuing both a renewal of Fleming's earlier warning and a 21st century twist on his concern. Pathogenic S. aureus strains are not only resistant to many antibiotics on pharmacy shelves, but they quickly gain resistance to antibiotic candidates in the developmental pipeline, repelling medications before they're even tested in humans."The continuous rise of antimicrobial resistance is a serious global concern and has been compared to a pandemic," writes Dr. Ana Martins of the Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit at the Biological Research Center in Szeged, Hungary. Martins is lead author of a new antibiotic resistance study published in Science Translational Medicine." (PHYS)

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COVID-19 Induces Suicide

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Japan – According to the news, Japan has recorded a higher percentage of females committing suicide for the first time in 11 years as Japan is one that has highest rate of suicide in the world, last year 2020 which COVID-19 make it worse.

 

“In 2020, for the first time in 11 years, suicide rates in Japan went up. Most surprising, while male suicides fell slightly, rates among women surged nearly 15%.”(BBC)

 

“In October last year, 879 women killed themselves. That is more than 70% higher than the same month in 2019.”(BBC)

 

“Newspaper headlines sounded the alarm. Some compared the total number of suicides by men and women in October (2,199) to the total number of deaths in Japan from Coronavirus up to that point (2,087). Something particularly strange was happening.”(BBC)

 

 

COVID-19 according to news induced anxiety, depression and other mental health problem which led to suicide; for example, the loss of job and no food to eat and being lock on home for many days.

 

The main point : Suicide act increases among females in Japan last year 2020 where the COVID-19 pandemic make it worse or increase the suicide percentage.

 

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Fossil Fuel Air Pollution Kills People Yearly

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here.

According to new study, the contribution of fossil fuel on air pollution is big as it causes big percentage of death yearly.

“The new study shows that in 2018, estimated 8.7 million deaths were linked to fossil fuel emissions alone.”(CNN)

“More than 8 million people around the world die each year as a result of breathing polluted air that contains particles from fossil fuels, a new study has found. Burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil produces greenhouse gases that trap solar radiation in the atmosphere and cause climate change. But it also releases tiny poisonous particles known as PM2.5. Small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, these particles can aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma and can lead to lung cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and early death.”(CNN)

“A report released Tuesday shows the emissions from use of fossil fuels was responsible for one in five premature deaths around the world in 2018 — significantly more than was previously thought. The study shows that burning fossil fuels have dire implications for the health of human beings, in addition to being a major contributing factor in climate change….. In 2018, 8.7 million people died prematurely as result of air pollution from fossil fuels, according to the new research from Harvard University in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester and University College London.”(CNBC)

“Researchers found that regions with the highest concentrations of fossil-fuel related pollution have the highest rates of mortality. These regions include eastern North America, Europe and South-East Asia, which includes China and India.”(CBS News)

“Burning fossil fuels produce greenhouse gasses, which trap radiation from the sun, which is partially responsible for the climate crisis. But it also produces a "toxic cocktail" of tiny particles capable of entering our lungs, causing asthma, lung cancer, coronary heart disease and early death, among other health issues. Researchers analyzed this particulate matter, known as PM2.5, from a wide range of sectors, including power plants, planes, cars and other sources. They used a global 3D model that can distinguish between various pollution sources, allowing them to hone in on exactly what people are breathing in which regions. They found that as many as 30.7% of deaths in Eastern Asia, 16.8% in Europe and 13.1% in the U.S. can be attributed to fossil fuel pollution.”(CBS News)

What is Fossil Fuel?

Fossil Fuel is the energy or fuel one get from a long been dead plants and animals under the surface of the earth or underground which are dig and burn for a source of energy that can be use.

The main point : According to new study, fossil fuel contribute greatly on air pollution and many deaths of people due to polluted air they breath. Fossil fuel when burned produce a toxic particle which is inhale by people causing illness and death.

image from PHYS website

 

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South Korea Do COVID-19 Test For Pets

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

South Korea -The capital city in South Korea or Seoul will conduct a COVID-19 test for dog and cat pets’ owners after the country record its first confirmed animal case of COVID-19 but only those who show symptoms.

 

The first confirmed animal case was from a cat or kitten of a mother and daughter at the religious facility in the city of Jinju.

 

“A city official also said that pets that test positive for coronavirus must be quarantined for 14 days in their owners’ homes or at an animal facility. Seoul official Park Yoo-mi told an online briefing that the city is ready to conduct free testing of pets from Monday. Last week, South Korea’s government published guidelines for COVID-19 testing of pets after a cat in the city of Jinju became the country’s first confirmed animal case of coronavirus. The cat belonged to a mother and daughter who were among dozens of people at a religious facility who tested positive.”(Yahoo News)

However, officials said there is still no evidence that infected animals can transmit the virus to humans.

South Korea is not the first country in the world to have an animal case of COVID-19; there are cases in UK, United States, Spain, and Denmark.

The main point: Seoul city in South Korea will do a test for pet dogs and cats after recording its first confirmed animal case of COVID-19 but only those who show symptoms.

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Escape Mutant

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Lately scientists were worrying about what they so-called “escape mutant” in COVID-19. It is a new mutation from the coronavirus where they also called “E484K” which have an escape activity that according to the scientists could decrease the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. It has the ability to fight back antibodies which really brought scientists into great worry; until when the virus will mutate over and over again.

 

“E484K is called an "escape mutant" because it's been shown it might be able to escape some of the antibodies produced by the vaccine.”(CNN)

 

“They also worry E484K might be an indication the novel coronavirus is showing its ability to change before our eyes. If this mutation happened in a matter of months, other problematic mutations could follow.”(CNN)

“What they found is that E484K challenges the ability of some antibodies to neutralize the virus. While the attention has been focused on E484K, scientists are also keeping an eye on other mutations in the variant.”(CNN)

E484K according to the news is now spread to other 12 countries in the world aside from South Africa where it was found in the variant of the coronavirus spotted first on the country and as well from Brazil where the mutant is also found. The 12 countries according to the news are : UK,France,Botswana,Germany,Australia,Japan,Switzerland,Sweden,Finland,South Korea, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

 

The main point : Scientists are worrying about a mutation from COVID-19  which they called “escape mutant” and “E484K” because of its resistance to the developed COVID-19 vaccine.

 

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Hogging Vaccines Of COVID-19

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here.

Lately, South Arica has been worrying about the hogging or hoarding activities of wealthier countries which it said that these countries do about the COVID-19 vaccines which left the Africans no more available vaccines for them.

African expert regarding the pandemic said that some countries thought if they vaccinate their population, they are now safe from the coronavirus without regards to other countries battling against the virus and said that no one is safe unless everyone in the world is safe.

“"Fundamentally, there's a mistaken belief by some countries that they can vaccinate their populations and they'll be safe."It simply is not true. In this world that we live in, with this coronavirus, no-one is safe until everyone is safe," said Prof Salim Abdool Karim, chair of the government's coronavirus advisory panel[of South Africa]….. "There's no endgame that sees one country succeeding in controlling the virus while the rest of the world is dealing with rampant spread. For me, we all need to stand together. It's in everyone's interests….."To me it would be unconscionable that a country like the US or UK to start vaccinating low risk young people, when we here in Africa haven't even started vaccinating healthcare workers and the elderly. "At the rate at which things are going, that is what's going to happen," he warned.” (BBC)

 

The main point : South African expert told wealthier countries not to hoard or hog COVID-19 vaccines and let other countries like Africa could buy some and said no one is safe unless everyone in the world is safe.

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New Coranavirus Strain Found In South Africa

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Aside from the United Kingdom discovered a new strain of COVID-19 or coronavirus in South Africa another new variant or strain was discovered called “501.V2” or “501.V2 Variant”

According to the news, this South African variant of the coronavirus is more transmissible and spreading faster than the former or old strain and have similar mutation with the United Kingdom’s discovered new variant which is “N501Y”.

““The ’South African’ variant is distinct from the UK variant, but both contain an unusually high number of mutations compared to other SARS-CoV-2 lineages.  Some of these mutations change the S protein, which is cause for concern.  Both contain the N501Y mutation but so do many other variants that do not appear to have increased transmission, so the picture is complex. “(Science Media Centre)

““The South African variant ‘501.V2’ is characterised by N501Y, E484K and K417N mutations in the S protein – so it shares the N501Y mutation with the UK variant, but the other two mutations are not found in the UK variant.  Similarly, the South African variant does not contain the 69-70del mutation that is found in the UK variant.”(Science Media Centre)

““The South African virus variant was recently reported in a preprint¹ ahead of formal publication.  The variant has multiple spike mutations and emerged in a major metropolitan area in South Africa following the first wave of the epidemic and then spread to multiple locations within two other neighbouring provinces.  It has rapidly spread become the dominant virus variant in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.  The variant has 3 mutations at key sites in the receptor binding domain (K417N, E484K and N501Y) of the spike gene.  Two of these (E484K and N501Y) are within the receptor-binding motif (RBM), the main functional motif that forms the interface with the human ACE2 receptor.  The N501Y mutation is the same as that found in the UK virus variant.  What these changes mean for the infectiousness of the variant virus (transmissibility) and its impact on disease severity remain unknown.”(Science Media Centre)

“The UK and South African virus variants have changes in the spike gene consistent with the possibility that they are more infectious.”(Science Media Centre)

The Main  Point : New variant of coronavirus strain was found on South Africa called 501.V2 which is believe to more transmissible and spreading faster as the news said

 

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COVID-19 Vaccine In US Not Mandatory

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here.

US – US president elect Joe Biden said that he will not force American people to take a vaccine on COVID-19 once a vaccine will be available in US.

“President-elect Joe Biden says Americans won't be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US…….. Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, the US president-elect said it would not be necessary to make a coronavirus vaccine mandatory.”(BBC)

 

However, according to Pew Research Center,60 % of the American people are ready to take the vaccine against the COVID-19.

 

President elect Joe Biden promise that he will do everything to be a good role model for American people or to encourage them to do the right thing. – “"I will do everything in my power as president to encourage people to do the right thing and when they do it, demonstrate that it matters," he said.” (BBC);

 

Two vaccine creators have already applied in the US for their vaccine to be distributed in the US, namely Pfizer and Moderna which according to them respectively their vaccines are 95 % and 94 % effective.

The main point : According to US president elect Joe Biden vaccination against COVID-19 in the US will not be mandatory.

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Psilocybin Compound In Hallucinogenic Mushroom Treat Depression

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Recent study says a dose of psilocybin- an ingredient or compound in psychedelic or hallucinogenic mushroom- can help ease and treat depression. Two dose of psilocybin help drop depressive symptoms.

“Two doses of psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, eased people’s depression symptoms, researchers found.”(Science News)

 

“Existing antidepressant drugs don’t work well for an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the people who try them; when they do work, the effects can take weeks to kick in. Psilocybin, a compound that can profoundly alter consciousness and perceptions of reality, might be a powerful alternative, says coauthor Roland Griffiths, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.”(Science News)

The main point :  Psilocybin ingredient or compound in hallucinogenic mushroom can help treat depression and helps drop depressive symptoms.

image from Wikipedia website

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Tocilizumab A Help For Severe COVID-19

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab has recently found to be effective in treating severe cases of COVID-19 however, other experts urged a caution until the full results is released for some are already confident of it and stop making trials of it.

“Preliminary trial data has suggested that tocilizumab may be effective in improving outcomes for patients severely affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus; however, full results are still awaited.  On 20-11-2020 the word was spread that a worldwide survey had shown that tocilizumab may, in half of the severe covid-19 cases, lead to less death, shorter stay in hospitals (IC's) and less dependency on support of vital functions.”(Wikipedia)

“Tocilizumab (INN, trade name Actemra), also known as atlizumab, is an immunosuppressive drug, mainly for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a severe form of arthritis in children. It is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R). Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that plays an important role in immune response and is implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, multiple myeloma and prostate cancer.”(Wikipedia)

image from Science News website

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COVID-19 First Patient Or Patient Zero

 This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Patient Zero and First Patient, what is the difference? Actually, according to what I research they are the same. Patient zero is the first patient or first person to be contracted by a disease. On COVID-19 cases, the patient zero according to the news was traced back on November 17,2019- that is one year ago.

 

But in other news, it said there is still no yet exactly who is the patient zero on COVID-19 though there is already determined first cases of the disease. In some other news, it says the first patient is traced back on December 2019 and not November 17,2019.

 

There are also reports that first cases of the disease come from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan but there are also reports and cases of COVID-19 were not derived from the seafood and animal market in Wuhan.

 

“A 55-year-old individual from Hubei province in China may have been the first person to have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus spreading across the globe. That case dates back to Nov. 17, 2019, according to the South China Morning Post. That's more than a month earlier than doctors noted cases in Wuhan, China, which is in Hubei province, at the end of December 2019. At the time, authorities suspected the virus stemmed from something sold at a wet market in the city. However, it's now clear that early in what is now a pandemic, some infected people had no connection to the market. That included one of the earliest cases from Dec. 1, 2019 in an individual who had no link to that seafood market, researchers reported Jan. 20 in the journal The Lancet. Scientists now suspect this coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, originated in a bat and somehow hopped to another animal, possibly the pangolin, which then passed it on to humans. The disease is now spreading between people without any animal intermediary.” (Live Science)

 

“Finding the first person to be infected, or “patient zero,” could allow researchers to trace the virus back to its source. So far, our best guess is that the virus spread from bats to humans. Whether the patient found a year ago was actually patient zero is unknown and likely unknowable, though. Identifying patient zero may have worked in the 2011 thriller “Contagion,” but in real life it’s not that straightforward — especially because many COVID patients can spread the virus while experiencing mild symptoms or none at all.” (Futurism)

 

“Do we know who patient zero is in the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak that started in China?

The short answer is – no. Chinese authorities originally reported that the first coronavirus case was on 31 December and many of the first cases of the pneumonia-like infection were immediately connected to a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, in the Hubei province.” (BBC)

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Digital Devices Screens Has A Major Effects On Eyes

 

Eye experts says long exposures of one’s eyes to the screens of computer or laptop, tablet, and cellphones can cause eyes problems from temporary like eye strain and dry eyes into threatening myopia and macular degeneration.

Exposure to the digital devices’ screens can reduce the blinking activities of the eyes which the eye experts blinking so often is necessary for one’s eye’s health.

Another issue is what the eye experts says “blue light” which the digital device emitted wherein according to experts could not make you sleep thus affecting the replenishment and lubrication of one’s eyes which could lead to macular degeneration and blindness.

“Just two consecutive hours staring at a screen puts you more at risk for eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, and blurred vision, according to the American Optometric Association. Most of these problems are temporary, though, says William Reynolds, O.D., president of the American Optometric Association and CEO of Eye Care Center Optometrists PSC in Richmond, KY. “If you get away from the computer and relieve that strain, usually, the problems go away,” he explains……… The closer you are to digital devices, the harder your eyes have to work — and prolonging that position can cause myopia, a condition in which the eye becomes elongated, making close objects appear clear but objects further away seem blurry, explains Reynolds. High amounts of myopia can significantly increase the risk of major eye issues like retinal tearing, glaucoma, or cataracts, according to research published in the journal Progress in Retinal and Eye Research.”(Elemental)

“Research shows that a healthy, normal blink rate is between 12 and 15 times per minute; while staring at your computer, tablet, or smartphone, that rate can drop as low as six times per minute. Blinking is essential, because it spreads a film of liquid from your tear ducts over the ocular surface. “Think of your eye like an ice skating rink that’s being skated on. Those blinks kind of act like a Zamboni,” Davidson explains. “We need them to lubricate and resurface the cornea.””(Elemental)

“There’s also the issue of blue light, a type of short-wavelength light commonly emitted by digital devices. Studies have shown that exposure to this kind of light can disrupt sleep (denying our eyes yet another opportunity to lubricate and replenish), and some research has identified it as a risk factor for macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness. “Blue light exposure may increase the risk of macular degeneration and does contribute to eye strain,” says Davidson. The macula is an oval-shaped, pigmented area near the center of the retina; it provides the central vision we need for seeing detail. “We know that blue light can affect the pigmentation of the macula, which is concerning,” adds Reynolds. “Anything that affects the function of the macula would decrease our central vision.””(Elemental)

image from Elemental website

 

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Mental Disorder Comorbidity Link To Severe COVID-19

 

Mental health condition can contribute to the severity of COVID-19 or causing severe COVID-19 condition as the news said. The psychiatric comorbidity cause severe COVID-19 if one has it as the news said.

“People with depression or anxiety are at increased risk for all sorts of infections, not just Covid-19.”(Elemental)

“Why do psychiatric disorders increase one’s risk of infection and more severe disease following infection? In my paper published in the Frontiers of Neuroscience earlier this year, we detailed the “chronic stress response loop” concept. Herein, any stressors (including psychological ones like depression and anxiety) create a disorder in the interlinked body systems — such as the gut, nervous, and immune systems. This disorder is only short term once the stressor resolves, and the body later heals. The problem arises when the stressor becomes chronic, which hinders recovery, and the disorder persists. As a result, the body systems weaken and are less apt to deal with stressors — whether psychological or environmental. That’s why we see depressed people often stay depressed and get ill easier.”(Elemental)

“Common psychiatric illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, could make a person more prone to infections, as supported in theory and clinical settings. Considering the hundreds of millions of people with depression or anxiety disorders worldwide, it is not illogical to expect that psychiatric disorders account for a portion of the total health toll of infections — including Covid-19.”(Elemental)

 

 

 

image from Elemental website

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New Normal Body Temperature

 

Recently, the former known and use normal average human body temperature which is 37°C or 98.6°F is no more in use on health practice but now the new normal average human body temperature is 36.8 °C or 98.2 °F.

The change is in decrease and not increase; or in short, our normal average human body temperature has dropped.

What brought the change is said to be the change in environment that affects us physically but according to the news it is not sure what exactly brought the change.

“It’s not known for sure why we’re all chilling out, but the researchers have some ideas.” (Elemental)

image from Science Daily website 

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Coronavirus Invading COVID-19 Patients’ Brains

 

Recent study says SARS-CoV2 or COVID-19 could cause a brain related symptoms like headaches and dizziness apart from being a respiratory disease because it can also invade the brain and disrupted the barrier of the brain using its what is so-called spike protein. The coronavirus uses spike protein to enter cells as the news said as well as the brain.

 

“While Covid-19 is typically associated with respiratory symptoms, a significant number of patients also present with neurological complications, ranging from headaches and dizziness to fatal microclots in the brain. According to a new study in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, these effects arise due to the ability of spike proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus to disrupt the blood-brain barrier.” (IFL Science)

 

 

“Closer analysis revealed that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins triggered an inflammatory immune response in brain tissue, much like it does in the lungs, therefore illuminating the pathway by which the virus produces neurological symptoms. Further tests using microfluidics that are designed to mimic human brain capillaries showed that these too became more permeable in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins.”(IFL Science)

 

“"Our findings support the implication that SARS-CoV-2, or its shed spike proteins circulating in the blood stream, could cause destabilization of the blood-brain barrier in key brain regions," explained principal investigator Servio Ramirez, a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, in a statement. "Altered function of this barrier, which normally keeps harmful agents out of the brain, greatly increases the possibility of neuroinvasion by this pathogen, offering an explanation for the neurological manifestations experienced by Covid-19 patients."” (IFL Science)

 

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Australia Records Zero Cases For The First Time

 

This post is taken from IZULAT blog repost here

Australia – Recently, Australia have recorded no new cases of COVID-19 for the first time since June or since five months. It has recorded zero cases for the first time since the coronavirus infected the country.

 

“Australia has recorded its first day of no local cases of Covid-19 in almost five months. Zero cases were reported in the 24 hours between 20:00 on Friday and 20:00 on Saturday - the first time this has happened since 9 June.”(BBC)

 

“Australia registered no new local Covid-19 cases on Saturday for the first time since June 9, marking a major milestone in the country's battle against the deadly virus.” (CNN)

“"The 1st national zero community transmission day since June 9," Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Twitter on Sunday. "Thank you to all of our amazing health & public health workers & above all else the Australian people."”(CNN)

“Australia has recorded no new daily coronavirus community infections on Sunday for the first time in nearly five months, paving the way for further easing of social distancing restrictions. The state of Victoria, a coronavirus hotspot that accounts for more than 90 percent of Australia’s 907 coronavirus-related deaths, saw zero new daily infections and no deaths for the second consecutive day. With no new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the rest of the country, Australia saw its first day of no transmissions since June 9, Health Minister Greg Hunt said.”(Aljazeera)

“Social media users dubbed it “National Donut Day”, riffing on recent celebrations in Victoria when zero new daily cases were confirmed there and locals proclaimed it “Donut Day”.”(Aljazeera)

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Why COVID-19 Is Different From The Virus Before It

 

Researchers have found the answer why COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 is different with SARS-CoV even though they have similar main receptor which is or which they called “angiotensin-converting enzyme 2” or “ACE2”, that is it has another or extra piece on its surface protein. That extra piece is a receptor which they called “Neuropilin-1”.

“Neuropilin-1” help the virus gain entry into one’s cells and tissues wreaking havoc.

“Researchers from the Technical University of Munich in Germany and the University of Helsinki in Finland led a study that discovered a receptor called neuropilin-1 gives the novel coronavirus a leg-up in infecting our tissues. This particular protein is relatively abundant on cells lining the nasal cavity, making it a piece of cake for the virus to establish a home inside our bodies, raise a virus family, and then spread to a new host.”(Science Alert)

“"If you think of ACE2 as a door lock to enter the cell, then neuropilin-1 could be a factor that directs the virus to the door,"…. "ACE2 is expressed at very low levels in most cells. Thus, it is not easy for the virus to find doors to enter. Other factors such as neuropilin-1 might help the virus finding its door." With neuropilin-1 expressed in large amounts in nerve tissues within the nasal cavity, we might imagine SARS-CoV-2 has a convenient red carpet rolled out for it the moment we sniff an infected droplet.” (Science Alert)

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