#Clinical Trial Center

[pier-carlo-universe]

Analisi Decentrate e Point of Care Testing: Il Convegno ad Alessandria per l'Innovazione Diagnostica

Appuntamento il 16 novembre per un dibattito sui PoCT e la loro importanza nella sanità moderna

Appuntamento il 16 novembre per un dibattito sui PoCT e la loro importanza nella sanità moderna. Analisi Decentrate e Point of Care Testing: Alessandria ospita il Convegno per l’Innovazione Diagnostica Sabato 16 novembre, l’Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Alessandria ospiterà il convegno “Le analisi decentrate e i Point of Care Testing: una strada in salita?” presso il Salone di…

[albemarleeyecenter]

Clinical Trials for Eye Diseases: Why They Matter and How to Get Involved

Clinical trials are a crucial part of advancing medical science, especially for eye diseases that impact millions. These trials help doctors and researchers test new treatments and develop better ways to manage or even cure eye conditions. But the benefits go beyond just research—patients involved in clinical trials have access to cutting-edge therapies that aren’t yet available to the public. Here’s a look at why clinical trials for eye diseases are so important, what types are available, and how to get involved if you’re interested.

Why Clinical Trials Matter for Eye Diseases

Eye diseases can range from mildly annoying conditions, like dry eyes, to serious issues that can lead to vision loss, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. Each type of eye disease has its challenges, and developing treatments that are both effective and safe requires thorough testing. Clinical trials provide a structured way to evaluate new therapies under controlled conditions, ensuring that they’re safe and work as intended.

For many eye diseases, clinical trials bring a few main benefits:

Advancing Treatment Options: Eye diseases are complex, and in many cases, treatments only address symptoms rather than providing a cure. Clinical trials allow researchers to develop new therapies that might go beyond current treatment limits.

Expanding Accessibility: Patients in clinical trials often receive treatments that are otherwise unavailable. This can be life-changing for those with conditions that have limited or no effective treatment.

Improving Quality of Life: For some eye conditions, like dry eye disease, symptoms can be very disruptive. Clinical trials test therapies that might significantly improve patients’ comfort and daily experiences.

Understanding Different Types of Eye Disease Clinical Trials

There are various types of clinical trials, and each has a specific focus. Here’s a breakdown of some common types relevant to eye diseases:

Treatment Trials: These focus on testing new drugs, therapies, or devices. For eye diseases, treatment trials often explore medications to slow down or halt vision loss, therapies for pain relief, and approaches to manage symptoms of conditions like dry eye disease.

Prevention Trials: These trials aim to prevent disease before it starts. For example, researchers might test a new supplement or eye drop that could reduce the risk of developing AMD.

Diagnostic Trials: These trials test new methods to detect eye diseases early or improve accuracy. For example, researchers may look into innovative imaging techniques to catch diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma in their earliest stages.

Quality of Life Trials: These trials focus on improving the daily lives of people with chronic eye conditions, addressing factors like comfort, independence, and mobility.

Natural History Studies: Sometimes, understanding how an eye disease progresses without intervention is valuable. These studies observe patients over time, allowing researchers to identify the stages and symptoms of a disease more accurately.

Clinical Trials for Dry Eye Disease: A Common Example

Dry eye disease is one of the most common reasons people seek eye care, and while there are treatments, there’s a need for more effective and lasting solutions. Many clinical trials focus on this area because dry eye can significantly impact quality of life. These trials test new eye drops, devices, and even lifestyle changes that might help manage dry eye more effectively.

Some dry eye clinical trials might include:

Testing New Eye Drops: There are already various over-the-counter and prescription drops, but clinical trials test formulas that could offer longer relief or address underlying causes rather than just symptoms.

Lifestyle and Environment Studies: Some trials look at how factors like screen time, diet, and environmental exposure impact dry eye. These studies can help create better guidance for people with this condition.

Device Trials: Certain devices, like warm compresses or light therapy tools, have shown potential for helping with dry eye. Clinical trials can establish how well these devices work and whether they are safe for long-term use.

How Clinical Trials Work: What to Expect

If you’re considering participating in a clinical trial, it’s helpful to know what’s involved. Clinical trials are conducted in “phases,” each of which serves a different purpose:

Phase 1: This is the first clinical trial phase, where a new treatment is tested on a small group to assess safety, dosage, and side effects. This phase is usually focused more on safety than effectiveness.

Phase 2: Here, the treatment is given to a larger group of people to see how effective it is and to continue assessing safety.

Phase 3: If a treatment has shown promise, it moves to phase 3, where it’s given to even more participants. This phase gathers data on how well the treatment works compared to existing therapies.

Phase 4: Once a treatment is approved, it may still be monitored in phase 4 to collect long-term data on effectiveness and safety.

Each trial has a clinical trials specialist, usually a doctor or researcher, who oversees the process. Participants are carefully monitored, and some trials even cover certain costs, like travel or specific tests.

How to Get Involved in a Clinical Trial

If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, here are some steps to help you get started:

Talk to Your Eye Doctor: Your doctor is often the best resource for finding clinical trials that match your needs. They can refer you to trials they believe would be a good fit.

Search Online Registries: Websites like ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform list ongoing trials, and you can search by condition, location, and more.

Visit Local Eye Care Centers: Many clinical trial centers are associated with large eye care institutions or universities, such as the clinical trials center at Albemarle Eye Center in Washington, NC, which may offer information on trials specific to eye diseases, including dry eye and other common conditions.

Contact Research Foundations: Some foundations dedicated to eye health or specific diseases, like the American Academy of Ophthalmology, have information on trials and may offer support for those interested in participating.

Benefits and Risks of Participating in Clinical Trials

Participating in a clinical trial can have several benefits:

Access to New Treatments: As a participant, you get early access to therapies that might be more effective than current options.

Close Monitoring: Clinical trials often provide thorough medical attention and regular check-ups, which can benefit those managing chronic conditions.

Contributing to Research: By participating, you help advance medical knowledge and potentially improve care for others with similar eye conditions.

However, there are risks to consider as well:

Unknown Side Effects: New treatments may have side effects that are not fully understood. Participants must weigh the potential for improvement with the risk of adverse reactions.

Time Commitment: Some trials require frequent visits or tests, which can be demanding. It’s important to know what level of commitment is expected before enrolling.

Key Considerations Before Joining a Clinical Trial

Here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Eligibility Requirements: Most trials have specific criteria, such as age, health status, and disease stage.

Informed Consent: You’ll be provided with detailed information about the trial, including potential risks. Make sure to read and understand this before signing up.

Privacy: All information in clinical trials is confidential, but it’s always wise to ask about data privacy.

Clinical Trials and the Future of Eye Health

Clinical trials are critical in developing better treatments for eye diseases. For conditions like dry eye, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and more, these trials could mean the difference between managing symptoms and finding long-term relief or even a cure. As technology and medicine continue to advance, participating in a clinical trial can be a way for patients to actively contribute to these advancements and benefit from them directly.

Conclusion

Clinical trials for eye diseases offer hope, access, and opportunities for both patients and researchers. If you’re living with an eye condition and are interested in exploring new treatment options, consider getting involved in a clinical trial. It’s a unique way to contribute to science while receiving potential benefits that can improve your quality of life.

To learn more or find a clinical trial near you, Schedule An Appointment with Albemarle Eye Center in Washington, NC, or consult with a clinical trials specialist about your options.

[rightnewshindi]

हिमाचल में कैंसर के 32 हजार 909 मरीज, 3 हजार 138 अस्थमा से पीड़ित; धनीराम शांडिल

Himachal Pradesh Cancer Patients: हिमाचल प्रदेश में कैंसर के 32 हजार 909 और अस्थमा के 3 हजार 138 मरीज हैं. मौजूदा वक्त में चिकित्सा शिक्षा एवं अनुसंधान हिमाचल प्रदेश विभाग के तहत जिला शिमला, कांगड़ा, सिरमौर, मंडी और हमीरपुर गवर्मेंट मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल चलाए जा रहे हैं. इन महाविद्यालय एवं चिकित्सालय में यह मरीज अपना इलाज करवा रहे हैं. यह जानकारी हिमाचल प्रदेश विधानसभा के मानसून सत्र के दौरान…

[abidhearinginstruments]

My life changed when I found Abid Hearing Instruments! Their powerful, discreet hearing aids helped me reconnect with loved ones. #HearingLoss #HearingAids #Bangladesh

[worldipday]

Can Access to Published Research Help Local Science and Innovation?

Low-cost access to information can drive research and clinical trials in developing economies and contribute to SDGs. But different regions are affected in different ways. So how can low-performing institutions catch up? So far, the public debate on access to medicine, neglected diseases, and patent-protected technology has underplayed the potential of access to information for economic development. Similarly, earlier research has revealed a startling gap between lower- and higher-income countries in terms of access to knowledge, with over half of medical institutions having had no subscriptions to academic literature in lower-income countries.

Several UN agencies and major academic publishers launched the Research For Life (R4L) initiative to fill this gap. The World Health Organization (WHO) runs Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (Hinari), one of fiveprograms under the R4L umbrella. It provides free or low-cost access to academic literature to at least 270,000 researchers in over 100 developing economies. This is for this WHO-led program alone. The entire initiative includes more than 21,000 peer-reviewed journals, 69,000 e-books and 115 data and other sources. Focusing on Hinari, a new WIPO research paper carried out empirical analysis of millions of data points to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the program. It is the first study to link access to scientific publications in developing countries to welfare along the science-to innovation pipeline. The report shows a local increase in health science publications of up to 75% after joining Hinari. Likewise, involvement in international clinical trials grew by over 20%, suggesting that research and innovation in local institutions improved. Screening over 36 million scientific papers in PubMed, a repository of health science, the study found more than 167,000 papers coauthored by local researchers in developing economies, which cited clinical trials conducted worldwide over 30 years.

However, this uptick in science publishing and clinical trials only partially translated into global patents and inventions. The study attributes this to developing countries often lacking infrastructure and funding to transfer new findings into patented technologies. This gap reveals the remaining challenges in developing innovation and IP systems. Moreover, the study also finds that local context matters. Institutions in specific regions and those that already had a high research performance benefited most from the Hinari program. This also means that it is harder for others to catch up, despite better access to information.

Access to global knowledge counts on the ground Empowering local researchers by providing access to information is essential to their work. Researchers tend to target diseases that affect the local population and may be overlooked by researchers abroad. Enabling such access may help innovation in neglected diseases, mainly by connecting local teams to the global knowledge base. Aside from increased scientific activity, R4L also reports direct effects from Hinari regarding medical practice and patient care. The initiative quotes Dr. Nguyen Duc Chinh from Viet Duc Hospital, Hanoi, Viet Nam: “Good research, in short, leads to better patient care.” The doctor relied heavily on Hinari for his PhD on intestinal TB and surgical treatment. TB is prevalent in Viet Nam, but there is a relative lack of information on intestinal TB. “With the information and knowledge we obtain,” he says, “we feel more confident in practicing and implementing respected medical expertise from around the world.” Dr. Sami Hyacinthe Kambire at Kamboinsé Research Station, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, also found his research progressing faster and wrote grantwinning funding proposals thanks to Hinari. Before his institution adopted R4L, Dr. Kambire often devoted considerable time to research already

performed elsewhere. The initiative helped reduce these duplicative research efforts in global health sciences and increase the quality of local teaching and education.

Access to information affects institutions differently Despite the impacts, the study also found that the program effects differed for different parts of the world. Research institutions in the Carribean, Central Asia, Europe and Latin America benefited the most in generating new scientific knowledge. On average, their academic paper output increased by 80–100%. Regarding clinical trials, program participation is most impactful for East Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa. Trial activity rose by up to 35% at institutions in these regions. That does not mean other regions did not gain from the program, but the impact has been less pronounced.

However, there are also institutional differences. Notably, the study authors wanted to avoid comparing apples to oranges, because high- and low-performing research institutions differ. The high performers might be more likely to adopt the Hinari program in the first place. Seeing more publications might also be an outcome of the institutionsʼ selection into the program rather than an outcome of the program and better access to knowledge on the ground. To reveal the causal effects rather than mere correlations, the study compares different fields. This means health sciences supported by the program are matched against other research fields not supported by Hinari but conducted at the same institution.

How to make the most of access to information Having ruled out the factors described above, the report suggests that program management could improve in two ways. First, it shows that already productive institutions benefit more from Hinari. For example, research institutions that have previously published academic papers see an average 60–70% increase in their publications after joining. This increase is only around 40% for institutions that rarely published scientific works previously. This suggests that Hinari preserves the gap between the most and least productive institutions for scientific publications and clinical trials. Under these conditions, the least productive institutions are, all else being equal, less likely to catch up. Still, the study ultimately supports the view that the Hinari program and the R4L initiative contribute to achieving the SDGs. They help boost research and innovation capacity in developing economies and improve health services (SDG 3) and education quality (SDG 4) at local institutions. They also aim to build industry, innovation and infrastructure, thus encouraging decent economic growth (SDGs 8 and 9).

The R4L initiative is also an excellent example of how private–public initiatives can make a difference. It joins private sector stakeholders from the global publishing industry and research institutions in the UN member states in a win–win situation. For research institutions, the initiative provides a practical solution. Their libraries and labs often need to be better resourced, and R4L improves access to information for students and researchers. It is also a smart way for industry stakeholders to show their corporate social responsibility and enhance their social impact in developing economies. It could also help grow local demand and the customer base in the long term. Moreover, easing access to published research through initiatives like Hinari and WIPOʼs Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI) program can significantly affect research output and contribute to desired social and economic outcomes laid out in the SDGs. UN agencies like the WHO and WIPO have been vital matchmakers. However, addressing existing gaps through schemes such as WIPOʼs Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) may help build local infrastructure and contribute to a vibrant IP and innovation system. In conclusion, the reportʼs findings on success and remaining challenges may inform stakeholdersʼ decisions to renew or change their commitment to R4L beyond 2025.

[axeeglitter]

Sensius: A story of manliness

Ethan’s heart pounded in his chest, the fear coursing through him like ice in his veins. He had been separated from his twin Josh and his friends Nathan and Brad, only moments ago, and he had no idea where he was being led. The room he now stood in was stark, metallic, and unforgiving, a far cry from the comforting familiarity of their shared lives. The heavy door sealed shut behind him with a final, echoing thud, trapping him in this sterile, alien space. Ethan didn’t even want to be here, he only agreed because Josh forced him to come and Nathan and Brad insisted for him to join. He didn’t really enjoy video games, VR, or any surprises.

“Hello? What is this place?” Ethan’s voice cracked with a mixture of fear and frustration. He scanned the room, eyes darting over the sleek, unfamiliar machinery. In the center stood a pod—its dark, glossy surface gleaming under the harsh, clinical lights. It looked like a high-tech coffin, humming with a low, ominous vibration.

Before he could make another move, a voice filled the room. An engineer entered the room, wearing a white blouse and a big smile on his face. “Ethan, right?” he asked with joy in his voice as he approached him. “Great, well I’m Christian, I’ll make sure your test is going as planned. Now if you can climb into the pod on your left, your trial will begin real soon.” Ethan didn’t know if he could trust this men, but not wanting to back off in front of his friends, he started to walk to the pod with a shy path.

Ethan climbed into the pod and tilted his head to look how the machine looked like from the inside. It was slick and futuristic, and under his back was a soft mattress made of light blue silicone.

The interior was disturbingly soft, molding perfectly to the contours of his body and as Ethan relaxed a bit and lay back, the lid descended with a sharp hiss, sealing him in complete darkness. The sound of his own breath filled the small space, fast and shallow as he tried to calm himself.

Then, out of nowhere, restraints clamped down, metal arms snapping into place around his wrists and ankles, pinning him with unyielding force. Ethan gasped in surprise as his stress and anxiety raised back up.

“Let me out!” Ethan screamed, thrashing against the restraints. But the claws only tightened, digging painfully into his skin.

“Restraint sequence activated. Beginning clothing removal.”

A thin red laser beam appeared above him, scanning the length of his body. The beam left a tingling sensation in its wake, and then his clothes began to disintegrate into fine ash, leaving him completely naked and exposed. The cold air hit his bare skin, and he shivered, vulnerable and terrified. “Stop it please! I don’t even want to be here! Help me!” Ethan tied again as he took in the fact that he was now restrained and exposed.

“Clothing removed. Initiating physical modification protocol.”

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat, his body tensing with fear. “No, please! I don’t want this! What is happening? Who is even talking?! STOP”

“Beginning foot structure modification.”

A deep, bone-crunching pain lanced through Ethan’s feet. He screamed, his toes curling involuntarily as the bones inside them cracked and shifted. It felt like someone was snapping each bone in half, then forcing it into a new shape. His feet elongated, the arches lifting painfully as the structure of his bones realigned. He could feel the skin tightening over the new form, every nerve alight with agony.

“Foot sized increased. Adding athletic template.”

His soles burned as thin calluses formed, rough patches developing as though he’d spent years running around. It was as if his skin was being sandpapered from the inside out, layers building up to create a tough, hardened surface to preserve his feet.

Ethan’s breath came in ragged gasps, the pain relentless. He tried to kick out, but the restraints held him firm.

“Starting leg restructuring. Thigh and calf enhancement.”

The agony spread up his legs, a deep, tearing sensation as his muscles began to swell. His calves bulged, the sinews stretching and thickening beneath the skin. It felt like his muscles were being inflated, the pressure building until he thought they might burst. His thighs followed, ballooning outward as the tendons and ligaments pulled taut, adjusting to support his new, powerful form.

His pelvis snapped painfully, bones grinding together as his hips narrowed. He let out a strangled cry, the sound muffled by the pod’s interior.

“Pelvic adjustment complete. Now modifying genitalia and pubic region.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in terror. “No, no, no!” he pleaded, but the AI continued without pause.

A deep, throbbing pressure built between his legs, unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was as if something was pulling at his very core, stretching and reshaping the most intimate parts of his body. His penis contracted and spasmed without him being able to control his muscle. It felt like someone was tugging on his dick and it was about to snap. He felt it lengthened, the skin tightening painfully as it grew thicker and heavier. Every nerve seemed to explode with hypersensitivity, a wave of raw, searing sensation that made him gasp.

His balls felt like they were being tugged downward, the weight increasing as his they swelled, doubling and then tripling in size. The skin grew coarser, darker, as thick, curly hair sprouted across his pubic region. The sensation was unbearable, like a thousand needles pricking his skin at once. He felt them grew more and more but to his shock, he saw them getting short, like if he had shaved a week or so ago. His new pubes were feeling sensitive and were about 1 inch long but very dense, starting to shape waves dancing around his new thick dick.

Ethan could feel the rough hair brushing against his thighs, the unfamiliar weight of his transformed anatomy pressing against his skin. His entire groin ached, a deep, pulsing throb that radiated through his pelvis.

“Please… make it stop,” he whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks. But the AI continued its cold, mechanical announcements.

“Genitalia modification process completed. Moving up to abdominal and chest expansion in 3,2,1…”

The muscles in his stomach clenched, then seemed to explode outward, stretching the skin painfully tight. He felt his abs forming, each individual muscle carving itself out into a sharp, defined shape. His chest followed, his pecs swelling outward, becoming thick and heavy. It felt like his ribs were being pried apart, the bones bending to accommodate his new size.

He tried to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat, the pain overwhelming every other sensation.

“Shoulder width increasing. Arm muscle enhancement in progress…” His shoulders cracked loudly, broadening as the bones shifted. The muscles in his arms ballooned, biceps and triceps thickening until they felt like they might burst through his skin. His forearms followed, the sinewy muscles bulging as veins snaked across the surface. His fingers elongated, the knuckles thickening, nails reshaping into black claws before retracting into a neat, masculine trim. His hands felt foreign, strong, capable, and unfamiliar.

“Neck and facial structure realignment. Initiation Voice modulation in 3,2,1…”

Ethan’s neck thickened, the muscles bulging against the restraints. His throat vibrated as his vocal cords stretched, his Adam’s apple becoming more pronounced. He could feel his face being pulled apart and reshaped, every bone shifting painfully beneath the skin. His jawline squared off and off settled a bit, his cheekbones sharpening, and his nose adjusted, becoming broader and more defined. Ethan’s eyes started to go bling as a new invasive sensation started in his iris. It felt like his eyes were burning from the inside and he couldn’t see anything anymore. But the second after, when he finally opened his eyes again, vision came back. It was perfect now, like a high-definition camera. Ethan saw a golden hue in his vision before he turned back to a normal natural one. Unbeknown to him, his eyes just went from golden orange back to a rich chocolaty brown.

His lips tingled as they grew fuller, curving into a confident and natural friendly smirk he wasn’t used to. He could feel his hair thickening, dark strands cascading down to form a tousled, messy styled look.

When he tried to speak, a deep, rich voice came out, one that wasn’t his own.

“Body hair enhancement and musk modification.”

A prickle spread across his chest and stomach as thin transparent hair sprouted, covering his new, muscular frame. The scent of his own body changed, becoming earthy and masculine, a raw, potent musk that filled the pod, overwhelming his senses. His pubes vibrated as they started to emit the same potent musk merged with a ball sweat odor. Then when he thought everything was done, his pits started to burn as thick dark and curly hair started to grow under them, far away from his natural almost hairless pits he used to have. “Please, make it stop… I can’t hold on anymore. I want… to go … home.” Ethan said in his new manly and rich voice as tears of pain and fear started to pearl in his new rich brown eyes. The AI didn’t care what he was saying and begging for as a new burning started on his legs where they started to grow dark hair all around and them climbing between his new muscled ass cheeks to recover in a dense forest of thick hair.

He could feel sweat dripping down his ribs from his pits, his heart racing as the final adjustments were made.

“Final height increase. Completing modification and assignation.”

His spine stretched, each vertebra popping as he grew taller. His entire body felt like it was being pulled apart, every joint cracking into place as the last pieces of his transformation locked in.

Ethan lay there, panting, tears streaming down his face. His naked body was no longer his own, it was something new, something powerful and alien.

“Conversion complete. You are ready for the next step. Digitization will start in 3,2,1…”

Ethan tried to scream in his new louder and manlier voice but no one answered. He was trapped inside this monstrous new body, feeling every sensation, every shift of muscle and bone. He had become something unrecognizable, and the pain had only solidified the terror that now consumed him.

All Ethan could do was lay in the pod, his body transformed beyond recognition, his mind reeling from the agony he had just endured. He could barely breathe, his chest heaving as he tried to process the changes, the unfamiliar weight of new muscles, the roughness of his new skin, the potent musk that filled the air, unmistakably masculine and raw.

“Phase two initiated: Digitization process commencing. Please stay still.”

Ethan’s eyes snapped open; pupils dilated with fear. “What now? What are you doing to me?”

But the AI ignored his panicked questions. He felt a strange tingling sensation spread across his skin, starting at his toes and quickly moving upward. It was as if every cell in his body was being scanned, analyzed, and recorded in microscopic detail.

The pod began to hum, vibrations growing stronger beneath him, resonating through every bone and nerve. He could feel his entire body buzzing, the sensation almost unbearable.

“Subject’s physical data captures. Initiating digitization.”

A bright flash of light engulfed him, blinding him for a moment. He screamed as his body seemed to dissolve into pure energy, every atom pulled apart and then compressed into a tight, confined space. His consciousness was squeezed into a single point, a spark of awareness floating in a void of nothingness.

He felt himself being transferred, data streaming through what felt like endless tunnels of code and light. The sensation was nauseating, like being stretched and twisted beyond his limits. He could feel the AI rewriting him, his essence being stripped away and stored in a vast, cold digital space.

“Digitization complete. Subject now online.”

Suddenly, he was slammed back into reality, his new body reconstituted piece by piece. Ethan gasped, blinking rapidly as his vision adjusted to his surroundings. He no longer was in the pod, he was standing in a dimly lit, cluttered bedroom. The walls were covered in posters, the floor scattered with clothes, sneakers, and Lacrosse gear.

Ethan stood up in a hurry from the bed as he turned his head around, trying to understand where he was now. Panic raised inside him as his sight landed on a wet dirty mirror standing on the wall in the bathroom. Ethan approached it, his body drenched in sweat as his new hands raised to touch his new hair. Ethan gasped when he saw his new reflection. That couldn’t be possible he was...

“Uploading Subject: Ethan Brown… Assigned File: Scott McCall” the AI voice resonated inside the room. Ethan turned around and walked out of the bathroom and took a look once again at the bedroom around him, the jerseys, the posters, the pictures and posters on the wall, the lacrosse equipment all around, the messy bedroom, the bathroom on the left side of the bed. This couldn’t be possible. Ethan couldn’t believe it, it was a nightmare. And why was he stuck inside this new body as Scott, he wasn’t even a big fan of Teen Wolf. What was all of that?!

He could feel the soft carpet beneath his bare feet, the air cool against his exposed skin. He looked down, and a shock of confusion washed over him. He was only wearing a pair of tight, gray boxer briefs that clung to his body, highlighting every curve and bulge of his transformed physique. His thick, muscular thighs were covered in dark hair, his abs hard and defined, with a thin trail of hair leading down to his groin where the prominent bulge strained against the fabric.

“Calculating the need of this game… Done. This game miss Alpha. Initiating behavioral enhancement protocol. Upgrading “Scott McCall” to “ALPHA” in 3,2,1…”

Ethan felt his body freeze on the spot. He tried to move, to take control of his own body, but he couldn’t. He felt like a passenger, trapped inside his own mind. His body moved on its own, a confident grin spreading across his lips as he flexed his biceps, feeling the thick, solid muscle.

“No… no, this isn’t me,” Ethan thought, but no voice came out of his mouth,

“Upgrading dominance traits. Increasing testosterone levels.”

A wave of heat surged through him, starting deep in his core and spreading outward. He could feel his muscles swelling slightly, his skin tightening over the expanded mass. The scent of his own sweat filled the room, mingling with the strong, musky odor that seemed to ooze from his pores, it was becoming more and more potent, filled with testosterone. His pecs and abs spasmed as his thin hair started to get a darker hue, getting more and more visible and emitting an earthy scent too.

His groin felt hot and heavy, his bulge growing larger, pressing insistently against the fabric of his boxer briefs. He couldn’t stop it, his cock twitched, hardening involuntarily, the outline of his erection visible through the thin material. A small wet spot formed at the tip, where pre-cum leaked through the fabric.

Ethan’s mind raced. He wanted to cover himself, to find clothes, but his body refused to obey. Instead, he stretched his arms over his head, his biceps bulging, and let out a low, satisfied groan. His eyes flashed the golden hue before starting to change into a deep crimson red. His nails flashed and turned into sharp, dark claws before retracting back into his normal nails. Ethan felt his palms and soles starting to burn as callouses started to appear in them, making sure his feet are safe when he runs bare feet in the forest and every time, he grabs his lacrosse stick to play on the field. His left biceps started to burn as two black thick lines appeared on it to mark him as the new enhanced version.

“Enhancement complete. Initiating behavioral sequence.”

Ethan felt his head tilt slightly, a cocky smirk forming on his lips. A wave of unfamiliar pride washed over him. He looked powerful, every inch of him screamed dominance, from the confident set of his jaw to the way his broad shoulders filled the space. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, admiring the way it fell perfectly into place.

Ethan’s mind screamed in protest. This wasn’t him. He was trapped inside this body, watching helplessly as it moved on its own, flexing and posing like it was enjoying its own reflection.

“Dominant behavior activated. Loading clothes and restrictions.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in horror. His body turned toward the pile of clothes on the floor, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a hoodie. He reached down, fingers brushing the fabric, but then he stopped. Ethan felt his hands grab his soaked underwear between his hands before tearing it apart, leaving him naked in his room. Then he grabbed a pair of dirty jeans on the floor and smiled as he raised his torn apart soaked underwear to his nose and smelt it. Ethan felt his face light with a smile as pheromones invaded his brain, the scent of an alpha he thought. He then threw the underwear in the corner of his room and jumped in the pair of jeans commando, making sure to adjust his sensitive leaking cock in the right leg. His bulge throbbed against his hairy leg, a bead of pre-cum leaking through the fabric and staining it darker. He couldn’t stop it; the pleasure radiated through his groin, making his breath hitch.

“Stop… please, this is not … me,” Ethan begged, but his voice was not to be heard. He couldn’t control the grin that spread across his lips, the way his hand ran down his chest, fingers brushing over his hardened nipples, then lower, tracing the line of hair that led to his waistband.

He flexed again, the thick muscles of his torso shifting under the skin. He looked like a god, unapologetically masculine, raw, and primal. Ethan wanted to cry but he couldn’t, he was frozen and forced to look at himself as he felt his new leaking dick coming closer and closer to orgasm.

“Welcome to the Sensius: Teen Wolf Gay Fantasy experience,” the AI announced, its tone disturbingly cheerful. “You are now an integral part of the interactive environment. Follow your programming and enjoy this experience.".”

Ethan felt his body tense as the orgasm was coming closer and closer, his dick spasming and restrained inside his pants, rubbing his sensitive leaking cock head against his hairy leg. The AI talked once again, this time echoing through the whole game like if it was a scream in an empty cave. “Player loaded. Rebooting behaviors in 3,2,1…” His head snapped up, eyes gleaming with a new, fierce confidence. He felt his heart rate slow, the fear draining away, replaced by a wave of calm, dominant energy. He didn’t feel like hiding anymore. He felt powerful, unstoppable. He came. Ethan felt the cum rushing out of his cock and soaking his jeans into wetness. “Scott McCall’s routines starting.” He heard his new voice talking inside his head and he realized he was trapped as Scott from now on until he found a way to free himself.

Ethan was trapped, screaming inside his own mind, but Scott’s body wasn’t listening. It adjusted itself, standing tall and relaxed, hands resting on the thick bulge in his jeans. He gave it a squeeze, the sensation shooting through him like a jolt of electricity. He then grabbed his lacrosse stick and helmet and threw them on his bed before sitting on it. He looked at them with awe in his eyes as he felt the pulsion to play and to fuck in the locker room. Yea, his beta bitch will take it tonight, that’s for sure!

He turned toward the door, taking a deep breath, savoring the scent of his own musk filling the room. He knew he had to leave, there was somewhere he needed to be. He could feel the pull of the programming, guiding his steps.

He grabbed a pair of boots and a tight well used black tanktop then walked confidently out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to. He was ready for whatever came next, his mind sharp, his body humming with newfound strength.

And inside, Ethan’s thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear and confusion, unable to break through the iron grip of Scott’s assertive, dominant programming. He was trapped in a body that wasn’t his, forced to feel every touch, every pulse of pleasure, as the new Scott took his first steps into the world.

And he wasn’t going to wear a single piece of clothing to hide what he had become.

______________________________________________________________ Hey everybody! Here is the second chapter about the Sensius project. Hope you guys enjoy it and I'll see you guys real soon for the next chapter! As always, feel free to send me messages if you want to talk about it or to talk about ideas. I love to read your messages and itneract with you all. See you soon and take care of yourself! Part 1

[munsonburn3r]

Oh, Camellia, won't you take me away? - A Hanahaki!Eddie Munson story (sneak peek!)

eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: eddie munson had been a constant during your short time in hawkins, indiana, which made it that much harder when you had to leave. four years and a clinical trial later, you'd thought you'd conquered an otherwise fatal disease. what you weren't expecting, though, was the man that nearly killed you to walk back into your life, threatening to undo all of the progress you'd made towards healing - both physically and emotionally.

cw: hanahaki!au, angst, descriptions of light gore, childhood trauma, sexual themes and content

a/n: here is a snippet from the hanahaki eddie fic that has been bouncing around in my brain over the past week. feedback welcomed!

Water flowed out across the floor in a surge that mimicked crashing ocean waves. You cursed as you scrambled to right the plastic Procona and liquid sloshed awkwardly, lapping at your fingertips. It was a surprising amount from a relatively small bucket. 

“Everything alright out there?” called a gruff voice from the back office. 

You sighed. “Just fine, Bill! Minor spill. Nothing major.”

A muffled grumble could be heard from the owner’s space behind you, but you paid it no mind. It only took a few steps for you to grab the mop and start cleaning up the water all over the workspace floor, and to your relief, it really wasn’t as much as it seemed. 

The nearly four years you’d spent at Indiana Floral Company had seemed to fly by in a blink of an eye. You weren’t expecting an on the spot interview when you’d first stopped into the shop, but the owner Bill had been impressed at your willingness to learn and your natural eye for design and hired you immediately. Probationary, of course. 

So under Bill’s tutelage, your floral design skills blossomed. The basic knowledge of plants you’d brought from years of spending time gardening with your Grandma grew. You went from simply identifying lilies to knowing the difference between Asiatic and Oriental and their best growing seasons. You could identify roses based on subtle color differences and had learned how to take the most tightly closed bud and blow it open with a little humidity, a plastic bag, and very careful preening. And though you didn’t like to brag, you could match corsage ribbon to prom dresses better than anyone in town. 

As time wore on, Bill had shared that years of design had wrecked his body and that it was time to begin passing the torch. Since Indiana Floral Company was one of the top floral design studios in town, the responsibility embedded in passing said torch was sobering. But after a year and a half of earning your stripes, you landed a head designer role and began training to take over the small family business.

Humming a nondescript tune, you refilled the earlier bucket with water and flower food before chopping the ends off of a bunch of de-thorned roses with the guillotine-like stem cutter. A clunk thrummed out when you dropped the two dozen stems into the water. Each blossom peered at you with a center like a curled eye — delicate sandy cream — perfect for the event you were designing later this weekend. 

A ring of the bells on the front door broke your focus. You wiped your hands on the rag shoved haphazardly into your apron and turned at the sudden sound of Bill’s voice. 

“The 1:30 initial wedding consult must be early. You mind taking this one, kid?” His head peeked around the office door. “I started the file – it’s on the cash wrap.” He looked tired; the man should have retired two years ago. 

With a slight smile, you nodded. “Got it.”

It was impossible to see who had entered due to the amount of plants, gift items, and displays you’d designed around the small space (“customers shop with their eyes first, kid; you gotta draw them in before you let them see the price tag” Bill had said). But as soon as you rounded the front display, your stomach dropped clear out of your body and onto the floor. 

Maybe it was the habitual need to weave around the labyrinth of flora and gifts that had lowered your defenses. Or perhaps it was the fact that this was a typical boring Wednesday afternoon in April. Hell, it could have been the questionable sandwich you had for lunch that you found at the back of the minifridge. 

But one thing was clear: you hadn’t expected to see Eddie Munson and Chrissy Cunningham hand in hand looking around at the array of merchandise you’d set out in preparation for Mother’s Day. 

“Hi!” A saccharine voice matched the sickeningly sweet smile on the strawberry blonde in front of you. “We’re here for a wedding consultation at 1:30. Sorry we’re a bit early — we didn’t want to be late!”

Time stood still. Or maybe that was just you — frozen as you stared the couple down with a look of surprise plastered across your features. You didn’t think you could move (or even speak, for that matter).

However, for the first time in almost four years, you felt your chest tighten and a sharp prickling sensation snake up your windpipe. You licked your dry lips (hadn’t you just put on chapstick?) and attempted to swallow with no success. Instead, your throat constricted, and there it was: an involuntary, yet ever so familiar metallic cough.

image credit: pinterest dividers: @saradika-graphics

tagging some moots that might be interested: @chickpeadumpsterfire @voyeurmunson @joshlmbrt @mediocredreams @littlexdeaths @anamelessfool

[covid-safer-hotties]

also preserved on our archive

by Rowan Walrath

Public and private funding is lacking, scrambling opportunities to develop treatments

In brief Long COVID is a difficult therapeutic area to work in. It’s a scientifically challenging condition, but perhaps more critically, few want to fund new treatments. Private investors, Big Pharma, and government agencies alike see long COVID as too risky as long as its underlying mechanisms are so poorly understood. This dynamic has hampered the few biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies trying to develop new medicines. The lack of funding has frustrated people with long COVID, who have few options available to them. And crucially, it has snarled research and development, cutting drug development short.

When COVID-19 hit, the biotechnology company Aim ImmunoTech was developing a drug for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, better known as ME/CFS. As more people came down with COVID-19, some began to describe lingering problems that sounded a lot like ME/CFS. In many cases, people who got sick simply never seemed to get better. In others, they recovered completely—or thought they had—only to be waylaid by new problems: fatigue that wouldn’t go away with any amount of rest, brain fog that got in the way of normal conversations, a sudden tendency toward dizziness and fainting, or all the above.

There was a clear overlap between the condition, which patients began calling long COVID, and ME/CFS. People with ME/CFS have a deep, debilitating fatigue. They cannot tolerate much, if any, exercise; walking up a slight incline can mean days of recovery. Those with the most severe cases are bedbound.

Aim’s leaders set out to test whether the company’s drug, Ampligen, which is approved for ME/CFS in Argentina but not yet in the US, might be a good fit for treating long COVID. They started with a tiny study, just 4 people. When most of those participants responded well, they scaled up to 80. While initial data were mixed, people taking Ampligen were generally able to walk farther in a 6 min walk test than those who took a placebo, indicating improvement in baseline fatigue. The company is now making plans for a follow-on study in long COVID.

Aim’s motivation for testing Ampligen in long COVID was twofold. Executives believed they could help people with the condition, given the significant overlap in symptoms with ME/CFS. But they also, plainly, thought there’d be money. They were wrong.

“When we first went out to do this study in long COVID, there was money from . . . RECOVER,” Aim scientific officer Chris McAleer says, referring to Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER), the National Institutes of Health’s $1.7 billion initiative to fund projects investigating causes of, and potential treatments for, long COVID. McAleer says Aim attempted to get RECOVER funds, “believing that we had a therapeutic for these individuals, and we get nothing.”

Instead of funding novel medicines like Ampligen, the NIH has directed most of its RECOVER resources to observational studies designed to learn more about the condition, not treat it. Only last year did the agency begin to fund clinical trials for long COVID treatments, and those investigate the repurposing of approved drugs. What RECOVER is not doing is funding new compounds.

RECOVER is the only federal funding mechanism aimed at long COVID research. Other initiatives, like the $5 billion Project NextGen and the $577 million Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern, put grant money toward next-generation vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and antivirals for COVID-19. They stop short of testing those compounds as long COVID treatments.

Private funding is even harder to come by. Large pharmaceutical companies have mostly stayed away from the condition. (Some RECOVER trials are testing Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid, but a Pfizer spokesperson confirms that Pfizer is not sponsoring those studies.) Most investors have also avoided long COVID: a senior analyst on PitchBook’s biotech team, which tracks industry financing closely, says he isn’t aware of any investment in the space.

“What you need is innovation on this front that’s not driven by profit motive, but impact on global human health,” says Sumit Chanda, an immunologist and microbiologist at Scripps Research who coleads one of the AViDD centers. “We could have been filling in the gaps for things like long COVID, where pharma doesn’t see that there’s a billion-dollar market.”

The few biotech companies that are developing potential treatments for long COVID, including Aim, are usually funding those efforts out of their own balance sheets. Experts warn that such a pattern is not sustainable. At least four companies that were developing long COVID treatments have shut down because of an apparent lack of finances. Others are evaluating a shift away from long COVID.

“It is seen by the industry and by investors as a shot in the dark,” says Radu Pislariu, cofounder and CEO of Laurent Pharmaceuticals, a start-up that’s developing an antiviral and anti-inflammatory for long COVID. “What I know is that nobody wants to hear about COVID. When you say the name COVID, it’s bad . . ., but long COVID is not going anywhere, because COVID-19 is endemic. It will stay. At some point, everyone will realize that we have to do more for it.”

‘Time and patience and money’ Much of the hesitancy to make new medicines stems from the evasive nature of long COVID itself. The condition is multisystemic, affecting the brain, heart, endocrine network, immune system, reproductive organs, and gastrointestinal tract. While researchers are finding increasing evidence for some of the disease’s mechanisms, like viral persistence, immune dysregulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, they might not uncover a one-size-fits-all treatment.

“Until we have a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of long COVID, I think physicians are doing the best they can with the information they have and the guidance that is available to them,” says Ian Simon, director of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Long COVID Research and Practice. The research taking place now will eventually guide new therapeutic development, he says.

Meanwhile, time marches on.

By the end of 2023, more than 409 million people worldwide had long COVID, according to a recent review coauthored by two cofounders of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative (PLRC) and several prominent long COVID researchers (Nat. Med. 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03173-6). Most of those 409 million contracted COVID-19 and then long COVID after vaccines and antivirals became available. That fact undercuts the notion that the condition results only from severe cases of COVID-19 contracted before those interventions existed. (Vaccination and treatment with antivirals do correlate with a lower incidence of long COVID but don’t prevent it outright.)

“There is that narrative that long COVID is over,” says Hannah Davis, cofounder of the PLRC and a coauthor of the review, who has had long COVID since 2020. “I think that’s fairly obviously not true.”

The few biotech companies that have taken matters into their own hands, like Aim, are often reduced to small study sizes with limited time frames because they can’t get outside funding.

InflammX Therapeutics, a Florida-based ophthalmology firm headed by former Bausch & Lomb executive Brian Levy, started testing an anti-inflammatory drug candidate called Xiflam after Levy’s daughter came down with long COVID. Xiflam is designed to close connexin 43 (Cx43) hemichannels when they become pathological. The hemichannels, which form in cell membranes, would otherwise allow intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to escape and signal the NLRP3 inflammasome to crank up its activity, causing pain and inflammation.

InflammX originally conceived of Xiflam as a treatment for inflammation in various eye disorders, but after Levy familiarized himself with the literature on long COVID, he figured the compound might be useful for people like his daughter.

InflammX set up a small Phase 2a study at a site just outside Boston. The trial will enroll just 20 participants, including Levy’s daughter and InflammX’s chief operating and financial officer, David Pool, who also has long COVID. The study is set up such that participants don’t know if they’re taking Xiflam or a placebo.

Levy says the company tried to communicate with NIH RECOVER staff multiple times but never heard back. “We couldn’t wait,” he says.

Larger firms are similarly disconnected from US federal efforts. COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna appointed a vice president of long COVID last year. Bishoy Rizkalla now oversees a small team studying how the company’s messenger RNA shots could mitigate problems caused by new and latent viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. But Rizkalla says Moderna has no federally funded projects in long COVID.

Federal bureaucracy has slowed down research in other ways. When long COVID appeared, Tonix Pharmaceuticals was developing a possible drug called TNX-102 SL to treat fibromyalgia. The two conditions look similar: they’re painful, fatiguing, and multisystemic, and fibromyalgia can crop up after a viral infection.

But it wasn’t easy to design a study to test the compound in long COVID. Among other issues, the US Food and Drug Administration initially insisted that participants have a positive COVID-19 test confirmed by a laboratory, like a polymerase chain reaction test, to be included in the study. At-home diagnostics wouldn’t count.

“We spent a huge amount of money, and we couldn’t enroll people who had lab-confirmed COVID because no one was going to labs to confirm their COVID,” cofounder and CEO Seth Lederman says. “We just ran out of time and patience and money, frankly.”

Tonix had planned to enroll 450 participants. The company ultimately enrolled only 63. The study failed to meet its primary end point of reducing pain intensity, a result Lederman attributes to the smaller-than-expected sample size.

TNX-102 SL trended toward improvements in fatigue and other areas, like sleep quality and cognitive function, but Tonix is moving away from developing the compound as a long COVID treatment and focusing on developing it for fibromyalgia. If it’s approved, Lederman hopes that physicians will prescribe it to people who meet the clinical criteria for fibromyalgia regardless of whether their condition stems from COVID-19.

“I’m not saying we’re not going to do another study in long COVID, but for the short term, it’s deemphasized,” Lederman says.

Abandoned attempts Without more public or private investment, it’s unclear how research can proceed. The small corner of the private sector that has endeavored to take on long COVID is slowly becoming a graveyard.

Axcella Therapeutics made a big gamble in late 2022. The company pivoted from trying to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a liver disease, to addressing chronic fatigue in people with long COVID. In doing so, Axcella reoriented itself exclusively around long COVID, laying off most of its staff and abandoning other research activities. People in a 41-person Phase 2a trial of the drug candidate, AXA1125, showed improvement in fatigue scores based on a clinical questionnaire (eClinicalMedicine 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101946), but Axcella shut down before it could get its planned 300-person follow-on study up and running.

The fate of AXA1125 may be to gather dust. Axcella’s former executives have moved on to other pursuits. Erstwhile chief medical officer Margaret Koziel, once a champion of AXA1125, says by email that she is “not up to date on current research on long COVID.” Staff at the University of Oxford, which ran the Phase 2a study, were not able to procure information about the planned Phase 2b/3 trial. A spokesperson for Flagship Pioneering, the venture firm that founded Axcella in 2011, declined to comment to C&EN.

Other firms have met similar ends. Ampio Pharmaceuticals dissolved in August after completing only a Phase 1 study to evaluate an inhaled medication called Ampion in people with long COVID who have breathing issues. Biotech firm SolAeroMed shut down before even starting a trial of its bronchodilating medicine for people with long COVID. “Unfortunately we were unable to attract funding to support our clinical work for COVID,” CEO John Dennis says by email.

Another biotech company, Aerium Therapeutics, did manage to get just enough of its monoclonal antibody AER002 manufactured and in the hands of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, before it ended operations. The researchers are now testing AER002 in a Phase 2 trial with people with long COVID. Michael Peluso, an infectious disease clinician and researcher at UCSF and principal investigator of the trial, says that while AER002 may not advance without a company behind it, the study could be valuable for validating long COVID’s mechanisms of disease and providing a proof of concept for monoclonal antibody treatment more generally.

“[Aerium] put a lot of effort into making sure that the study would not be impacted,” Peluso says. “Regardless of the results of this study, doing a follow-up study now that we’ve kind of learned the mechanics of it with modern monoclonals would be really, really interesting.”

‘A squandered opportunity’ In 2022, the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) put about $577 million toward nine research centers that would discover and develop antivirals for various pathogens. Called the Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern, the centers were initially imagined as 5-year projects, enough time to ready multiple candidates for preclinical development. The NIH allocated money for the first 3 years and promised more funds to come later.

The prospect excited John Chodera, a computational chemist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a principal investigator at an AViDD center called the AI-Driven Structure-Enabled Antiviral Platform. Chodera figured that if his team were able to develop a potent antiviral for SARS-CoV-2, it could potentially be used to treat long COVID as well. A predominant theory is that reservoirs of hidden virus in the body cause ongoing symptoms.

But Chodera says NIAID told him and other AViDD investigators that establishing long COVID models was out of scope. And last year, Congress clawed back unspent COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, including the pool of money intended for the AViDD centers’ last 2 years. Lawmakers were supposed to come through with additional funding, Chodera says, but it never materialized. All nine AViDD centers will run out of money come May 2025.

“When we do start to understand what the molecular targets for long COVID are going to be, it’d be very easy to pivot and train our fire on those targets,” says Chanda from Scripps’s AViDD center. “The problem is that it took us probably 2 years to get everything up and going. If you cut the funding after 3 years, we basically have to dismantle it. We don’t have an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, look, this is what we’ve done. We can now take this and train our fire on X, Y, and Z.’ ”

Researchers at multiple AViDD centers confirm that the NIH has offered a 1-year, no-cost extension, but it doesn’t come with additional funds. They now find themselves in the same position as many academic labs: seeking grant money to keep their projects going.

Worse, they say, is that applying for other grants will likely mean splitting up research teams, thus undoing the network effect that these centers were supposed to provide.

“Now what we’ve got is a bunch of half bridges with nowhere to fund the continuation of that work,” says Nathaniel Moorman, cofounder and scientific adviser of the Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative, which houses an AViDD center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“This was a squandered opportunity, not just for pandemic preparedness but to tackle these unmet needs that are being neglected by biotech and pharma,” Chanda says.

Viral persistence Ann Kwong has been here before. The virologist was among the first industry scientists trying to develop antivirals for hepatitis C virus (HCV) back in the 1990s. Kwong led an antiviral discovery team at the Schering-Plough Research Institute for 6 years. In 1997, Vertex Pharmaceuticals recruited her to lead its new virology group.

Kwong and her team at Vertex developed a number of antivirals for HCV, HIV, and influenza viruses; one was the HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir. She recalls that a major challenge for the HCV antivirals was that scientists didn’t know where in the body the virus was hiding. Kwong says she had to fight to develop an antiviral that targeted the liver since it hadn’t yet been confirmed that HCV primarily resides there. People with chronic hepatitis C would in many cases eventually develop liver failure or cancer, but they presented with other issues too, like brain fog, fatigue, and inflammation.

She sees the same dynamic playing out in long COVID.

“This reminds me of HIV days and HCV days,” Kwong says. “This idea that pharma doesn’t want to work on this because we don’t know things about SARS-CoV-2 and long COVID is bullshit.”

Since January, Kwong has been cooking up something new. She’s approaching long COVID the way she did chronic hepatitis C: treating it as a chronic infection, through a start-up called Persistence Bio. Persistence is still in stealth; its name reflects its mission to create antivirals that can reach hidden reservoirs of persistent SARS-CoV-2, which many researchers believe to be a cause of long COVID.

“Long COVID is really interesting because there’s so many different symptoms,” Kwong says. “As a virologist, I am not surprised, because it’s an amazing virus. It infects every tissue in your body. . . . All the autopsy studies show that it’s in your brain. It’s in your gut. It’s in your lungs. It’s in your heart. To me, all the different symptoms are indicative of where the virus has gone when it infected you.”

Kwong has experienced some of these symptoms firsthand. She contracted COVID-19 while flying home to Massachusetts from Germany in 2020. For about a year afterward, she’d get caught off guard by sudden bouts of fatigue, bending over to catch her breath as she walked around the horse farm where she lives, her legs aching. Those symptoms went away with time and luck, but another round of symptoms roared to life this spring, including what Kwong describes as “partial blackouts.”

Kwong hasn’t been formally diagnosed with long COVID, but she says she “strongly suspects” she has it. Others among Persistence’s team of about 25 also have the condition.

“Long COVID patients have been involved with the founding of our company, and we work closely with them and know how awful the condition can be,” Kwong says. “It is a big motivator for our team.”

Persistence is in the process of fundraising. Kwong says she’s in conversations with private investors, but she and her cofounders are hoping to get public funding too.

On Sept. 23, the NIH is convening a 3-day workshop to review what RECOVER has accomplished and plan the next phase of the initiative. Crucially, that phase will include additional clinical trials. RECOVER’s $1.7 billion in funding includes a recent award of $515 million over the next 4 years. It’s not out of the question that this time, industry players might be invited to the table. Tonix Pharmaceuticals’ Lederman and Aim ImmunoTech’s McAleer will both speak during the workshop.

The US Senate Committee on Appropriations explicitly directed the NIH during an Aug. 1 meeting to prioritize research to understand, diagnose, and treat long COVID. It also recommended that Congress put $1.5 billion toward the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which often partners with industry players. The committee instructed ARPA-H to invest in “high-risk, high-reward research . . . focused on drug trials, development of biomarkers, and research that includes long COVID associated conditions.” Also last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Long COVID Research Moonshot Act, which would give the NIH $1 billion a year for a decade to treat and monitor patients.

It’s these kinds of mechanisms that might make a difference for long COVID drug development.

“What I’ve seen a lot is pharma being hesitant to get involved,” says Lisa McCorkell, a cofounder of the PLRC and a coauthor of the recent long COVID review. “Maybe they’ll invest if NIH also matches their investment or something like that. Having those public-private partnerships is really, at this stage, what will propel us forward.”

Chemical & Engineering News ISSN 0009-2347 Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society

[lifewithchronicpain]

Medical research has shortchanged women for decades. This is particularly true of older women, leaving physicians without critically important information about how to best manage their health.

Late last year, the Biden administration promised to address this problem with a new effort called the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. That inspires a compelling question: What priorities should be on the initiative’s list when it comes to older women?

Stephanie Faubion, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, launched into a critique when I asked about the current state of research on older women’s health. “It’s completely inadequate,” she told me.

One example: Many drugs widely prescribed to older adults, including statins for high cholesterol, were studied mostly in men, with results extrapolated to women.

“It’s assumed that women’s biology doesn’t matter and that women who are premenopausal and those who are postmenopausal respond similarly,” Faubion said.

“This has got to stop: The FDA has to require that clinical trial data be reported by sex and age for us to tell if drugs work the same, better, or not as well in women,” Faubion insisted.

Consider the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, approved by the FDA last year after the manufacturer reported a 27% slower rate of cognitive decline in people who took the medication. A supplementary appendix to a Leqembi study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that sex differences were substantial — a 12% slowdown for women, compared with a 43% slowdown for men — raising questions about the drug’s effectiveness for women.

This is especially important because nearly two-thirds of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Older women are also more likely than older men to have multiple medical conditions, disabilities, difficulties with daily activities, autoimmune illness, depression and anxiety, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis, among other issues, according to scores of research studies. (Read more at link)

While it certainly isn’t a panacea, for certain things I will only see a female doctor. No one is immune to bias and I’ve had bad experiences with some women, overall I feel more listened to and more at ease at appointments. Medical sexism is way too real, and we should use any tool we can to minimize it.

[albemarleeyecenter]

Curious about how clinical trials are shaping the way we treat eye conditions? 👁️ From groundbreaking surgeries to new therapies for chronic conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration, Albemarle Eye Center is at the forefront of innovation in Kitty Hawk, NC! 🌟 Want to know more? 👇 Read the full blog now.

URL: https://albemarleeye.com/service/clinical-trials/

[khickuwa]

Reasons Why I Think Jerome Adams is Oedipus. [CHAPTER 13 SPOILERS]

So in the recent events of Main Story 13, we see that Luke finally confronts Oedipus about the drug or, should I say "cure", to Luke's illness. I had my suspicions before, but we have incriminating evidence of this being true in this chapter. Let's go through the facts together:

Oedipus

There are things we know about Oedipus:

He has contacted two individuals within the Story; Skye Harper, the nurse who murdered both Tyson Turner and Gerard Boone's mother by injecting the NXX drug into them; and Luke, receiving an unknown drug with a note from Oedipus that says "try to live on" and meeting him under the guise of a Teddy Bear mascot, sending children to bid Luke his little cryptic messages.

Knowing these facts we can concur two facts from this:

Oedipus is someone who has access to the NXX drug.

Oedipus has access to the hospital to be able to sneak the drug into Skye Harper's hand and a part-time job as a mascot (or several) to be able to relay the message to Luke.

Oedipus knows a lot, he's always at the right place and the right time: about the NXX investigations and the whereabouts of the NXX team if he can figure out who Luke is and where he is.

The only person who would fit this criterion is a little freaky Where's Waldo ass mf with a ridiculous amount of part-time work he could probably use as covers aka Jerome Adams. (Seriously, it's like he knows to be at the right place at the right time every time.)

Here is his character description from the wiki:

Thus we can see that Jerome meets all the criteria because: 1. Access to the NXX Drug - "Jerome claims the Gladiolus Valley Research Center as his former employer", We have also seen several scenes of him previously in the Gladiolus Valley Research Center conversing with Wilson Surge,

2. Access to the hospital - "As a facilitator, he volunteered at various hospitals throughout Stellis." 3. He's aware of the NXX Team's presence and can be at the right time and place. Holding multiple part-time jobs such as a convenience store clerk and a food delivery service (and this time a bear mascot) gives him cover for his activities.

But the most incriminating evidence we have is actually within the exchange between Luke and Oedipus himself.

This is undoubtedly something Jerome Adams would do because: as established in the previous chapters, Jerome Adams works in a hospital and he has handled kids as well. This exchange coincides with all the facts previously mentioned. Ultimately, there's just too many threads that connect Oedipus and Jerome Adams together.

But why is he doing this? I can think of two reasons:

The reason why he is choosing to cooperate with Luke: In this chapter, we can see that both Oedipus and Luke have something to gain from this. Oedipus can run "clinical trials" for the NXX drug on Luke, and well... Luke doesn't have much of a choice here either, does he?

Despite Jerome freaky freaky ways, ultimately, I believe that Jerome has "good intentions" despite his very... twisted way about going about things. I can't wait to see what the new chapters have in store about is backstory and his ties with the NXX drug.

I think there's a reason why Jerome/Oedipus seems to always be hovering around the NXX team. Perhaps we're getting closer to the truth or perhaps he's trying to cooperate with us. But, I don't think Jerome/Oedipus is an enemy if anything, he's more like a third party that is working independently. I could imagine him working together with the NXX team (for a short while perhaps before they start getting at each other's throat again), or maybe even sacrificing himself in the end to ensure the NXX team gets to the root of the problem. That said, I have several other theories storming up in my brain regarding the NXX drug and how all the boys tie in all of this as well.... in another post.

[chilopodafic]

Dolls, pt 1.

CW: Psychological abuse, gaslighting, brainwashing, dubcon, masochism

They'd run the full gamut of pharmaceutical interventions over the years - from SSRIs and benzos to the latest miracle nootropics fresh off the clinical trial pipeline. Nothing seemed to touch that crushing, pervasive sense of dread that clouded their thoughts and sapped all motivation from their days.

Maybe this whole hypnotherapy thing was just another dead end. But at this point, Alex was desperate enough to try just about anything if it meant clawing their way back towards some semblance of inner peace.

commissioned by @soldierexclipse

The waiting room was a study in muted grays and soft, organic curves - more akin to the interior of some alien seed pod than a clinical space. Cushy biomorphic chairs moulded themselves to the contours of Alex's body as they settled into their gentle embrace, fingers toying with the frayed hem of their tattered Nine Inch Nails shirt. A muffled rhythmic thrumming pulsed through the spongy floor beneath their feet, mixing abruptly with ambient new age music piped in over hidden speakers and calming white noise.

Alex shifted uncomfortably, the plush surroundings doing little to ease the tightness coiling in their chest. Every inhalation felt leaden, each breath drawn through lungs constricted by the ever-present specter of anxiety clawing at their ribs. They'd run the full gamut of pharmaceutical interventions over the years - from SSRIs and benzos to the latest miracle nootropics fresh off the clinical trial pipeline. Nothing seemed to touch that crushing, pervasive sense of dread that clouded their thoughts and sapped all motivation from their days.

Maybe this whole hypnotherapy thing was just another dead end. Some wellness culture snake oil, repackaged and dressed up in the superficial trappings of legitimacy to seem more palatable than some guy in a bad toupee dangling a pocketwatch. But at this point, Alex was desperate enough to try just about anything if it meant clawing their way back towards some semblance of inner peace.

A soft chime sounded from the oak-paneled door across the waiting room, and it slid aside with a quiet hiss-slide and a grunt of exertion to reveal a woman in a smart charcoal pantsuit who regarded Alex with a warm, impersonal smile, sitting comfortably in a strange, almost tiny looking wheelchair. Not one of the medical ones Alex had seen before with his parents, designed for being pushed. "Alex Gale?" Her tone was rich and unhurried, the crisp articulation of someone who placed a great deal of emphasis on the weight of each spoken word.

Alex gave a hesitant half-nod, already feeling a hot flush of self-consciousness as the woman's keen, dark-eyed gaze raked over their swollen-feeling frame. Her expression remained neutral, though - giving no outward sign of judgment as she gestured through the open doorway. "Doctor Cohen - but please, call me Lily. Right this way."

The treatment room was even more warmly intimate than the waiting area, all soft, amorphous shapes and diffuse lighting that cast everything in a gentle, womblike ambience. A surprisingly normal leather recliner took up the center of the room, the kind you'd see in a lavish home theater setup or man-cave, while the doctor's own seat was a sleek, shiny black contraption that seemed far more suited to her diminutive stature.

"Make yourself comfortable," Lily intoned in that same smooth, unhurried cadence as she closed the door behind them and glided over to a wall-mounted control panel - a row of soft multicoloured lights flickering to life at her touch. The ambient music and thrumming shifted to a lower register, joined by a soft, susurrant hiss of air ionizers that Alex hadn't noticed until now. His nostrils flared at the subtle tang of ozone mingling with the aroma of some unfamiliar blend of essential oils as the air became faintly misty with a cool, moisturizing vapor.

Alex settled back into the plush embrace of the oversized recliner as Lily finished manipulating the control suite, their eyelids already growing heavy as the atmosphere took on a languid, almost narcotic quality. Then she turned back towards them with a gentle smile, wheeling closer until her hands rested neatly in her lap and their eyes were on an even plane.

"Now then," she began, voice lowering to an almost conspiratorial murmur, "I'm sure this must all feel a bit strange and new. But please, don't let appearances deceive you - I run an extremely pragmatic practice. No mystic hooey or new age theatrics." She laughed softly at that, dark eyes sparkling with good-natured humor. "Merely a few creature comforts to help put the mind at ease for the work ahead."

Her fingers steepled before her, cradling her chin in a gesture of quiet contemplation. "Tell me Alex, what is it you know - or think you know - about hypnosis, and how it works?" Another warm smile curved her lips, no hint of condescension or judgment in the query.

Alex took a breath, stalling for time as their thoughts swirled in a slow, lazy eddy. What did they know about hypnosis, really? Other than the obvious pop culture tropes and cliches - the kind of old-timey theatrical bullshit Lily had just taken great pains to distance herself from. But there had to be more to it than that, right? For it to be taken seriously enough as a therapeutic modality for some medical professionals to stake their entire careers upon it…

"I… I dunno, not that much I guess?" They shrugged, giving an awkward little self-deprecating laugh. "I've seen people do the whole focus-on-the-swinging-thing, but that always seemed more like a magic trick than anything real. It can't actually make you do things against your will or plant false memories or whatever, right? Just kind of… helps focus your mind and relax?"

Lily gave a slow, considering nod, seeming to mull over the response for a long, pensive moment before responding. "Well, you're not entirely wrong. There is a bit more to it than simple trickery, though our media tends to indulge in a great deal of exaggeration and myth-making." She tilted her head slightly, thick curls of dark hair shifting over one shoulder.

"Simply put, hypnosis is a naturally-occurring state of consciousness that all of us slip into from time to time - when we're lost in thought, or engage in certain repetitive tasks. It's a trance-like state of hyper-focus accompanied by a suspension of peripheral awareness. I simply provide a framework and guidance to ease people into that state in a safe, directed manner."

Her hands unlaced, one palm drifting down to caress the plush armrest of her chair as she continued in that same unhurried tone. "When under hypnosis, the conscious mind takes more of a backseat while the subconscious becomes more accessible and open to… let's call them suggestions. It heightens imagination and focus while suspending the usual critical inner voice that might dismiss certain ideas or sensations out of hand."

She canted her head towards Alex, eyes glittering with an almost impish glint. "And to lay one particular myth to rest right up front - while hypnosis canNOT compel someone to commit acts that go against their core values or will, it can absolutely open them up to things they might otherwise be closed off to or judgmental about in their normal waking state. Especially when those things lie in a person's shadow - those unconscious desires and impulses they might not even be consciously aware of."

Lily gave a blithe shrug of her square shoulders. "In a sense, it's like a form of guided self-exploration, shedding away the layers of artifice we accumulate - all those self-imposed barriers and inhibiting thought patterns we construct around ourselves. But I'm getting rather ahead of things." Another warm smile curved her lips as she made a placating gesture with one small hand. "Please, do feel free to ask any other questions you might have - I always make a point of ensuring my clients have a solid understanding of the process before we begin."

Alex nodded slowly, chewing their plump lower lip as they took a moment to process it all. "S-so…" they began haltingly, already feeling the warm lethargy of the treatment room's aura tugging at them. "I-it can't like… unlock hidden memories or anything, right? Cause I've heard some people freaking out about hypnotherapy being used to recover repressed memories of being abducted by aliens or… or Satanic rituals or whatever."

A soft, mirthless chuckle escaped the doctor's lips as she shook her head in a bemused fashion. "Heavens no, nothing of the sort. Those are just pernicious urban legends borne of credulous minds and vivid imaginations during the Satanic Panic era, I'm afraid. No, we can't recover memories that simply aren't there - and anything a client experiences under hypnosis is drawn directly from their own mind. Their subconscious may weave some rather creative metaphors or symbolic representations, but it's all ultimately self-generated."

Her hands folded in her lap once more as she wheeled an inch or two further away. "What hypnosis can do is help process and metabolize past traumas through a sort of… waking dream state, I suppose you could call it. Remove some of the sting and raw emotion from painful memories and experiences, and help you view them from a more detached, outside perspective." Those broad shoulders lifted in another languid shrug. "But no unlocking Pandora's box of repressed horrors, I can assure you."

Alex chewed the inside of their cheek, feeling an odd sense of relief at those words despite their lingering skepticism. "So… kinda like lucid dreaming then? Or… or a waking trance state? You're sorta guiding me to look at things from a different angle, but I'm not blacking out or anything?"

Lily smiled and nodded, clearly pleased that Alex was grasping the core concepts. "Yes, precisely - it's a hyperfocused yet expansive state of consciousness, like viewing the world through a different lens while being fully present and retaining your own agency and self-awareness. And of course, anything we do will be at your own pace and with your full consent at every step of the way."

She leaned in slightly, voice lowering to a more conspiratorial murmur as her eyes bored into Alex's with quiet intensity. "No 'unlocking Pandora's boxes' as you put it - just a safe, comfortable space where you can explore your own inner world and experiences without judgment or fear. My role is simply as a guide, helping to facilitate that journey of self-discovery and provide the framework for change."

Alex met Lily's gaze for a long, silent moment, their own eyes slightly glazed as the atmosphere of the room and the doctor's words washed over them in languid waves. Somewhere in the back of their mind, a tiny niggling voice warned them not to be too trusting - that this polished professional persona might simply be a facade, concealing some darker agenda. But the rest of Alex's being was already lost in the gentle lull of the treatment room, suspended in that liminal space between wakefulness and sleep.

Another smile curved Lily's full lips as she watched the subtle shift in Alex's demeanor with the keen eyes of a seasoned observer. She'd seen that look countless times before - that subtle transition from guarded skepticism to a sort of open, receptive vulnerability. Like a veil being slowly drawn aside, leaving them pliant and malleable, ready for the true work to begin.

She gave a barely perceptible nod, as if confirming something to herself. Then she drew back, rolling her chair a few feet until her legs were tucked securely beneath the recliner, hands resting on the plush armrests as she assumed a posture of open, relaxed attentiveness.

"Well then," she murmured, voice slipping into a lower, slower register that Alex could feel resonating through their very bones. "Since you seem to understand the core tenets, shall we get started with a bit of guided relaxation first? Just to ease you into the right headspace and give you a taste of the process?"

Alex felt themselves nod before the words had even fully registered, already growing increasingly comfortable. As soon as Lily noticed their infinitesimal motion of assent, she continued in that same low purr.

"Excellent. Now, I want you to settle back, making yourself as comfortable as you can. That's it, just sink down into the cushions, letting all the tension flow out of your body with each slow, steady breath…" Her voice seemed to be emanating from all around them, no longer pinpointed to a single point in the room but reverberating through their very being.

Alex's eyelids slid closed of their own volition as Lily spoke, their body growing heavier, more grounded with each syllable that rolled from the doctor's lips. They felt suspended in warm, viscous fluid, the soft thrumming of the room's acoustics undulating through their flesh like the steady thrum of a mother's heartbeat. Lily's words seemed to meld with the sounds, drifting through Alex's consciousness like a whispered mantra.

"When you breathe in, I want you to imagine your lungs filling with a warm glow that spreads out into your chest, into your limbs with each inhalation. When you exhale, feel any lingering tension melting away, leaving your muscles loose and pliant. Allow each breath to immerse you a little deeper, a little further into a state of profound relaxation…"

Already, Alex could feel the insidious grip of their persistent anxiety beginning to loosen its stranglehold. Their racing, spiraling thoughts smoothed out into a still, placid lake, growing quieter and quieter until there was only the gentle lapping of Lily's words lulling them ever deeper. The rigid furrow of their brow unfurled, leaving their features slack and open, a faint sheen of sweat beading along their hairline as the air's moisture and subtle floral bouquet enveloped them in a balmy caress.

Slumped back in the buttery leather embrace of the recliner, Alex felt their worries and doubts ebbing away like the receding tide - their usual inner turmoil subsumed by a profound yet alien tranquility. Lily's presence receded from their awareness, until all that remained was the steady rise and fall of their chest, the gentle susurrus of breath, and those honeyed murmurings suffusing every atom of their being.

Floating, drifting… falling into a state of deep hypnagogic suspension, like the space between waking and sleep. On some level, Alex knew they remained fully cognizant and present - but their sense of embodiment had become attenuated, unmoored from the usual trappings of physical form. A vast, silent inner space unfurled inside their consciousness, stretching out into a formless void as Lily's words tugged them deeper and deeper into trance.

From somewhere beyond that infinite expanse, a single crystalline thought coalesced: cigarettes. Alex's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at the realization - they could no longer taste the usual smoky bitterness lingering at the back of their throat, or smell that acrid tang of smoke clinging to their clothes. No insistent craving, no sour churning in the pit of their gut signaling the itch for their usual coping mechanism.

"…them again, do you? You know it's not healthy for you. Isn't that right?" they heard, tuning back into Lily's words. They felt themselves nodding along. That was right. It all made perfect sense. Alex's mouth hung open a little loosely.

"That's right," they heard themselves slurring. "Not healthy for me," they repeated.

"That's right, it's not good for you. You should quit smoking. You don't need cigarettes anymore. You feel better without them crowding your lungs, don't you? You feel light and free. You'll never want to smoke again after today." The words pressed in, calm yet firm, Lily's rich, mellow tones laced with utter certainty. Alex nodded sluggishly again, the words resonating somewhere deep in their core. They could feel the truth of the statements settling into their very bones. It just felt… axiomatic. "When you think about picking up a cigarette, it makes you nauseous. Disgusted. Anxious. Something you need to tell your therapist about. She can fix it."

Somewhere in the back of their mind, a tiny voice tried to protest that they hadn't asked for this, to have such a major decision made on their behalf without consent. But the words slid off that voice like water on polished marble, leaving no trace or ripple of resistance behind. Alex's consciousness already felt lighter, unencumbered by those familiar, grounding pangs of addiction that had been their near-constant shadow for so many years. The idea of lighting up seemed… repellant, somehow. Unclean. Anathema to their newfound state of serenity.

A tiny, blissful sigh slipped from Alex's slack lips as their shoulders settled deeper into the yielding cushions. Even the last lingering dregs of their ever-present anxiety seemed to be dissipating, replaced by a profound and all-encompassing inner calm. Whatever thread of consciousness still clung to physical embodiment felt almost… buoyant. Unbound and unburdened in a way Alex couldn't recall ever experiencing before.

"That's right. Just let everything go…" Lily murmured, her tone soft yet insistent as she watched Alex's features relax into an expression of utter stillness. "You are healing. You are whole and complete and perfect just as you are." She paused to let the words burrow deeper into Alex's subconscious foundations, then continued. "And you will be honest with me. Honest with your therapist about every single desire, every secret thought and compulsion that crosses your mind from now on - how can she fix you if you don't tell her what's broken about you?"

Alex gave the barest perceptible nod of acknowledgment, eyes still closed and mind spiraling deeper into that boundless inner landscape. They could feel something shifting inside them, a subtle internal alignment taking place. A sense of connection, of profound rapport intertwining their own essence with Lily's in some intangible way. As if the doctor's very presence was suffusing their neural architecture, seeding it with new pathways, new modes of being that blossomed like strange alien flowers.

Lily nodded in satisfaction, dark eyes glittering as she watched Alex sink deeper into trance with each steady exhalation. They looked so… open. Receptive. Pliant and unguarded in a way that set the doctor's pulse quickening despite the detached, clinical facade of her expression. How easy it would be to delve deeper, to slip past those last few tissue-thin psychic barriers and make this pliable creature into a living vessel for all her basest wants and perversions. To render them a hollow husk devoid of compunction or conscience, existing solely to serve as her own personal fuck-toy and plaything.

But no. Much as the thought thrilled some primal, atavistic part of Lily's psyche, she reined herself in. She was a professional, after all - and there were protocols to follow before she could indulge herself to that degree. Like curing a fine meat before placing it in the smoker, building up the proper seasoning and marinade to enhance the flavors. For now, she would content herself with sowing the seeds, planting the first few innocuous suggestions to pave the way for what was to come.

Lily leaned back slightly, letting a few moments of silence elapse. Then she spoke again, her tone carefully modulated to that same hypnotic murmur.

"I want you to relax even deeper now, and listen very closely…" she began, gauging Alex's response as their eyes fluttered open a crack, fixing her with a heavy-lidded vacant stare. "There may be certain thoughts and feelings that come up over the course of our sessions together. Things that make you feel uncomfortable or ashamed or excited in some respects. But I want you to simply observe those impulses without judgment."

A tiny furrow creased Alex's brow, but they didn't look away - if anything, their gaze grew more intensely focused, as if drinking in Lily's every word. The doctor favored them with a gentle smile, continuing in that same hypnotic cadence.

"Some of the things we'll discuss together might seem unpleasant, maybe even disturbing to your conscious mind. But I need you to remember that those thoughts and impulses ultimately come from you, Alex. Your deepest, most primal self. And all I'm here to do is help you confront and process them in a safe, non-judgmental environment."

She paused for a beat, letting the weight of those words sink into Alex's subconscious. Their eyes remained locked with hers, the furrow in their brow gradually smoothing away until their features assumed that same glassy, tranquil mask once more. Satisfied, Lily drew in a slow, measured breath before pressing on.

"You can trust me completely, Alex. Trust that I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do. Trust that however shocking or perverse some of your desires might seem… well, I've heard and seen it all before. Nothing is too extreme for me. So don't hold anything back, okay?"

Alex's head rolled in a minute nod, their lips barely parting to let out a wordless, breathy 'mmm' of acknowledgment. Lily bit back a predatory grin as she noticed a swelling, growing stain of arousal bleeding through the crotch of Alex's pants. Now when had that happened?

She settled back in her chair, allowing them both a few moments to bask in that languid trance as she pondered her next steps. There was still so much groundwork left to lay, but she had them well and truly enthralled now - their subconscious wide open, like an empty vessel waiting to be filled. Lily let her gaze rove over Alex's slumped, inert form with undisguised relish, mentally mapping out all the ways she would slowly corrupt and subvert that innocuous exterior until all that remained was her perfect little dolly.

As she watched, Alex's brow furrowed and their mouth worked silently, as if struggling to give voice to some burgeoning thought or realization. Curious, Lily arched one dark, sculpted brow.

"Something on your mind, Alex? Don't be afraid to share it with me. This is a safe, non-judgmental space, remember?"

There was a pregnant pause as Alex's lips moved wordlessly, throat working with the effort of it before they finally managed to force the words out in a low, husky slur.

"I… I want…" Their eyelashes fluttered for a moment, and they seemed to war with themselves internally before finishing the sentence with an almost inaudible mumble. "…people to hurt me…"

Lily's eyebrows shot upwards, her eyes going wide for just a split second before she caught herself. She pressed her lips together to stifle any involuntary reaction, nodding slowly as she absorbed that revelation. It took every ounce of discipline and self-control she possessed to maintain her composure in the face of that confession.

"I see." She cleared her throat delicately, letting the words hang in the air for a few seconds that stretched on into an eternity. "Well now, that's certainly something we can explore in time, Alex. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right? There's still so much groundwork to lay first before we delve into areas like that."

Alex didn't respond, seeming to retreat back into that tranquil mental void. Lily watched them quietly for a few more beats, her pulse thrumming in her ears as her mind raced. She could…

But no. Not yet. Slow, and steady. That was the key to really breaking someone - a gradual process of eroding away their inhibitions and resistance, one microscopic layer at a time. Gain their trust, then use it to turn them inside out until all they lived for was her.

Lily finally expelled the breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding in a slow, measured exhalation. Then she spoke again in that same sibilant murmur.

"For now, just keep breathing. Deep, slow breaths in through your nose… out through your mouth. Let everything else just drift away, until all that remains is my voice and the beating of your heart. Just focus on that… let it pull you deeper into a state of perfect tranquility…"

As she allowed the words to wash over Alex's consciousness in languid, reverberating waves, Lily's mind drifted to the next stage. She would need to push things further, start probing into the heart of why someone so outwardly unassuming harbored such stark proclivities. Begin drawing it all to the surface, one thread at a time - the traumas and repressed compulsions that festered in their subconscious like an open wound.

Alex had been so easy to ensnare, she mused as she watched their body relax even further into a posture of utter surrender and malleability. A few more sessions like this one and they would be utterly enthralled - little more than a fleshy marionette awaiting her deft touch on its strings. And once they were stripped down to their basest, most naked essence, Lily would be able to begin rebuilding them from the ground up. Reconstituting their identity into the shape of her deepest, most perverse desires until the very concept of selfhood was erased from their psyche.

Her lips curled in a small, secret smile at the thought. Most would likely view such aspirations as a gross violation of ethics and human dignity. But Lily knew better. Her reverie was interrupted by a faint stirring from the recliner as Alex's eyelids fluttered open a crack. There was no hint of lucidity in their glassy expression, just a sort of vacant placidity as their pupils swiveled listlessly to meet Lily's gaze. "Let's get started with those anxieties, now that you're properly relaxed, shall we, Alex?"

They answered with an infinitesimal nod, a tiny sigh slipping from parted lips as their eyes slid closed once more. Lily settled back, fingers steepling together as she watched them closely.

"The first step is to let your mind drift back… back to the roots of that constant state of worry that plagues you. Focus on your breathing and let the memories come unbidden. Don't judge or analyze them, simply let them arise and pass through you like clouds drifting across an open sky…"

Lily's voice took on a deeper, more reverberant quality as she spoke - the words no longer seeming to emanate from her lips but manifesting directly inside Alex's consciousness. They were falling deeper into that hypnagogic space now, their body melting away from their awareness until there was nothing but an endless inner void as Lily's murmurings echoed through their psyche.

Alex let their eyelids slide shut obediently, focusing inward and letting their breath slow to a steady, meditative rhythm. Images began to coalesce out of the void as memories surfaced one by one - a kaleidoscope of moments and experiences from both their childhood and more recent adulthood.

A sense of dread settled over Alex like a leaden mantle, a profound, bone-deep unease that seemed to permeate each recalled instant. They saw the world through a child's eyes, filled with a thousand tiny anxieties and paranoias. The sick lurch of terror over every perceived slight or harsh word from friends or family. That constant, nagging sense of being somehow wrong for experiencing certain impulses and urges that other kids never seemed to display.

The images dissolved like smoke on the wind, only to be replaced with more recent vignettes - social situations where Alex's stomach knotted with worry over how they looked, how they were coming across, if the people around them secretly hated them or merely tolerated their presence out of obligation. Intimate encounters where they froze up, paralyzed by panic at the thought of revealing too much about the darkness that resided in the recesses of their psyche.

On and on the memories came, each one weighed down by that same burdgeoning sense of existential angst. Alex tried to pull back, to retreat from the deluge - but Lily's voice was there, a steady anchor amidst the storm.

"Let it flow through you, Alex. Don't fight it, simply surrender to the tide and let it wash over you without resistance. You are safe here. You are comfortable. We can fix you."

Alex felt themselves begin to cry, eyes watering through their glassy, empty expression.

It was all so agonizing, so heavy. They had pushed it down, smothered it, for so long. All that pain and fear and loneliness they had swaddled themselves in like a heavy cloak, afraid to let anyone see the teeming maelstrom of self-loathing and sexual deviancy lurking beneath.

Lily's voice continued to weave through their subconscious in soft, hypnotic waves. "Tell your therapist, Alex. Tell me what's wrong with you. I'm here to listen without judging." It was gentle, coaxing. A voice of authority, like someone who could fix all the broken parts.

Alex trembled as their mind's eye was drawn to a much more recent memory - the one that had eaten away at them every single day since it happened. Their body went rigid and still as they fought for the willpower to speak, to give voice to that shameful secret at long last. Then finally, the words slipped from their lips in a quavering whisper.

"I… I wanted her to k-kill me. During sex. I asked her to choke me until I passed out, and when she finally let go… a huge part of me was disappointed I was still breathing."

There was a long, hushed pause as Lily absorbed this revelation. To her credit, she barely reacted - her face remaining a mask of impassive neutrality as she watched Alex's vacant features.

"I understand," she said at last, her tone unbearably gentle. "It must've been so disappointing. Have your lovers all disappointed you like this?"

Alex's head rolled from side to side slowly, the ghost of tears leaking from their tightly-clenched eyelids. "I… I can't tell them," they croaked out in a voice raw with emotion. "They'd hate me because I'm a freak."

Lily's eyes were hooded as she watched Alex's features contort with pain and self-loathing. Her tongue darted out to wet her full lips as a familiar thrill of sadistic delight set her nerve endings tingling.

"Oh no, Alex… no no no," she crooned in that same soothing burr. "They don't hate you, you hate yourself. There's nothing at all wrong with those urges. They're perfectly natural, you know. We all have them. It's just that most of us have been conditioned to feel shame. I'm not going to judge you. Your therapist will never judge you for telling the truth."

Alex sniffed loudly, head lolling to one side as their eyes slitted open a crack. For a moment their gaze seemed to regain some semblance of lucidity, fixing on Lily with an ineffable mix of desperation and hope.

"Y-you don't think I'm a freak? For wanting…" Their voice cracked on the last word, unable to give voice to those perverse compulsions even now. But Lily understood. She lifted one hand in a soothing, placating gesture as she offered them a warm smile.

"Not at all, dear. It's just a form of consensual masochism taken to an extreme degree. Nothing outright sinister about that if both parties understand the risks and have negotiated terms clearly." She wheeled herself a few inches closer, holding Alex's heavy gaze with that same gentle intensity. "And no - what you're describing hardly even qualifies as 'extreme'. Your therapist has helped plenty of others overcome hang-ups and discomforts far more unsavory than that."

Alex regarded Lily with something bordering on awe through their half-lidded eyes. Their lips moved, but no sound emerged as they struggled to process this new reality. Here was someone - a professional no less - who seemed to view their darkest proclivities not with horror or disgust, but complete acceptance. Validation, even.

A palpable sense of relief washed over them, like a heavy burden being lifted from their shoulders at long last. For the first time in longer than they could remember, Alex felt… safe. Understood. Free to be their authentic self without fear of persecution. Lily watched as their expression softened, features slackening into that same mask of vacant tranquility once more.

"It's not uncommon for those with histories of trauma or abuse to develop certain compensatory coping mechanisms," Lily continued in that same low, hypnotic croon. "Especially ones that might seem counterintuitive or disturbing to an outside perspective. Masochistic compulsions, a desire to revisit past traumas and recontextualize them as something empowering rather than victimizing. To sublimate pain into a form of cathartic release. To develop unhealthily codependent relationships, instead of healthily dependent ones."

She favored Alex with a beatific smile and a slight nod of encouragement. "So please, don't hold back with me, Alex. I can help guide you through all those dark and troubling impulses that have been haunting you. This is a safe space for you to finally be your true self without shame or judgment. The real work begins now."

It was as if Lily's words had flipped some deep-seated switch within Alex's psyche. The last vestiges of internalized shame and self-loathing seemed to evaporate like smoke on the wind, leaving them open and vulnerable in a way they never thought possible. Their therapist understood - and not only that, but she encouraged them to give voice to those forbidden compulsions. A profound sense of relief washed over Alex, like a massive burden being lifted from their shoulders at long last.

They drew in a deep, shuddering breath as fresh tears welled up behind their closed eyelids. But there was no sadness there now - only a profound catharsis spreading through them from the inside out like a soothing balm. For the first time in what felt like forever, Alex felt… free. Unbound by fear or self-recrimination. Whole.

It was all going to be okay. Lily would help them confront those dark impulses, guide them through processing the unresolved anguish and childhood traumas that had birthed those perverse compulsions. She would show them the way to turn those masochistic urges into something empowering, something transcendent. In that moment, Alex had never felt safer or more at peace.

Lily watched with a mixture of clinical detachment and predatory relish as Alex's body relaxed into an even deeper posture of surrender. Their expression was one of utter serenity and trust, every iota of resistance and doubt having melted away to leave them utterly open and vulnerable before her.

She reached out, letting her fingertips trace a feather-light caress along the plush swell of Alex's inner thigh. They didn't even flinch or tense at her touch, so deeply under were they. Lily thrilled at the feel of soft, yielding flesh through the thin barrier of denim, her dark eyes glittering with avarice.

"Excellent work today, Alex," she murmured, her voice slipping back into that same rich, resonant tone that seemed to caress their very neurons. "I think we made some real, meaningful breakthroughs in our first session - and I'm so very proud of how open and honest you were able to be with me."

Those were the last coherent words Alex's conscious mind registered before the world dissolved around them. Even as Lily continued speaking, her words became a wordless, enveloping vibration that suffused their entire being. Like a warm sonic balm, bathing them in pleasurable sensation as their sense of embodiment ebbed away, leaving only consciousness itself drifting in a vast, placid sea.

Alex had no concept of how long they remained suspended in that state, cradled by the ebb and flow of Lily's voice resonating through their psyche like the tides of some inner ocean. All they knew was warmth, safety, a profound sense of peace and acceptance the likes of which they had never known. When at last their awareness began to gradually resurface, they felt rested and refreshed in a way that defied simple description. A damp squelching had spread throughout their boxers, back to front, and Alex couldn't bring themselves to care in the slightest.

Lily's face slowly came back into focus, the doctor smiling warmly as she watched Alex's eyes flutter open with a heavy-lidded, bleary expression. She reached over to give their hand a gentle squeeze.

"How do you feel?" There was no hint of condescension or judgment in her tone, only open warmth and compassion. Alex blinked slowly, taking stock of themselves for a long moment. Then a small, beatific smile curved their lips as they met the doctor's gaze with an expression of profound serenity.

"Perfect," Alex replied, face raw and puffy with tears and snot.

[mariacallous]

"I’m going to let him go wild on health,” former president Donald Trump said of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his Madison Square Garden rally in New York City this past weekend. “I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on the medicines.”

Kennedy, a former Democrat, suspended his presidential campaign in August and endorsed Trump. He has since launched the Make America Healthy Again campaign, an initiative focused on tackling chronic diseases that Trump has seemingly embraced in recent weeks. Given Kennedy’s anti-vaccination stance and conspiratorial leanings, some policy experts and former government officials are concerned about how his views could shape the nation’s health agenda.

Kennedy has long made false statements about the safety of vaccines and has touted disproven treatments for Covid-19, including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. On the campaign trail, he has railed against seed oils, blaming several chronic health conditions on their presence in processed foods.

How much influence Kennedy could have on national health policy will all depend on his role within a future Trump administration. Trump did not clarify his remarks at Sunday’s event, including what position he is considering Kennedy for. According to a CNN report that ran late Tuesday, Kennedy said Trump “promised him control of the public health agencies,” but in an email to WIRED on Wednesday, Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, said that formal discussions of who will serve in a second Trump administration are premature.

Trump could be considering Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which has 80,000 federal employees, or one of the agencies within it, such as the Food and Drug Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It would be a departure from his previous top health picks, who had lengthy government or public health careers. For instance, Alex Azar, Trump’s HHS secretary, was deputy HHS secretary under George W. Bush and an executive at drugmaker Eli Lilly. Scott Gottlieb, a physician and investor appointed as FDA commissioner under Trump, had previously worked for the FDA and had served on the boards of pharma and biotech companies.

When asked to elaborate on Kennedy’s health priorities, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, the former candidate’s campaign director and daughter-in-law, told WIRED: “Bobby aims to end conflicts and corruption at the agencies, ensure all testing is undertaken by scientists who have no financial interest in the outcome, and all results of all trials are released to the public. The free market will take care of it from there.” (The National Institutes of Health already requires results of clinical trials funded by the agency to be published to a government database.)

Jerome Adams, US surgeon general under Trump and current executive director of health equity initiatives at Purdue University, says that even if Kennedy were tapped to lead HHS, the FDA, or the CDC, it’s unlikely that he would ascend to one of those roles due to his lack of medical training and controversial views on public health issues. “Congressional approval is required for these positions, and his stances could be a barrier,” Adams says.

If Republicans control the Senate after next week’s election, though, that calculus could change. “The GOP has generally fallen into line in terms of supporting candidates that President Trump does,” says Genevieve Kanter, associate professor of public policy at the University of Southern California.

If chosen to be FDA commissioner, Kennedy would control the agency’s budget and priorities and could have a sizable impact by installing lower-level appointees who are sympathetic to his worldview. While the FDA commissioner does not single-handedly approve or authorize new drugs, Kantner says outside political pressure can certainly influence that process. Kennedy could also appoint members to FDA advisory committees, panels of outside experts that make recommendations to the agency on drug approvals and other regulatory matters. The FDA often follows the recommendations of advisory committees when making decisions on new drug approvals, but not always.

The FDA can also choose to not enforce some rules in certain circumstances—what’s known as enforcement discretion. Given his support for dubious and unproven therapies, such as stem cells and hyperbaric oxygen, an FDA under Kennedy, for instance, could choose to not go after companies that market unapproved treatments.

“When we think of the kind of person we want to be head of HHS or be FDA commissioner, someone ‘going wild’ isn’t exactly the first trait that comes to mind,” Kanter says. “It wouldn’t ease the public’s concern that we would see more food safety incidents and adverse events from poorly regulated drugs and devices from a lax administration that is known for embracing unscientific theories.”

Kennedy wouldn’t have free rein though. Existing laws and regulations govern how the agency works, and a new FDA commissioner wouldn’t be able to get rid of those quickly. “If you’re dealing with regulatory issues that have been long-standing and have lots of precedent, it’s just not possible to turn some of those things around or dismiss them overnight,” says a past leader of the FDA, who requested anonymity so that they could speak freely.

Likewise, even in a leadership role at HHS or the CDC, Kennedy wouldn’t be able to easily affect vaccine policy. Vaccine recommendations are made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which comprises outside medical and public health experts. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, says Kennedy could try to stack that advisory committee with people who are sympathetic to his views on vaccination, but those members are chosen through a rigorous nomination process.

“He could certainly change policy that way, but it takes a while and it won't be a secret. There are ways in which the public can push back, including taking a case to court,” he says.

Kennendy could have influence in other ways beyond direct control of a public health agency. Trump could potentially bring Kennedy on as a White House adviser, which wouldn’t require approval by the Senate.

“Without congressional vetting and oversight, there is potential for unchecked impact. RFK's views could shape health policies, raising concerns about misinformation and harm,” Adams says.

Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told WIRED in an email that if reelected, Trump will establish a “special Presidential Commission of independent minds and will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses.” She did not say whether Kennedy would be chosen for that task force.

Kennedy has also been sizing himself up for another position in a potential Trump cabinet: agriculture secretary. A longtime environmental activist, Kennedy has promised to take on big farms and feedlots, reduce pesticides, and fix what he presents as a food system captured by corporate interests. “When Donald Trump gets me inside,” Kennedy said in a video shot outside the Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, DC, “it won’t be that way any more.”

This platform is a continuation of Kennedy’s long history as an antagonist against the agriculture industry. In 2018, Kennedy and a team of attorneys won an initial $289 million settlement against Monsanto, representing a groundskeeper who developed cancer after being soaked with a herbicide made by the agrochemical firm. He also attempted to sue the pig farming company Smithfield because of its production of hog manure, although that case was thrown out by a federal judge.

Kennedy’s past makes him an unlikely candidate for agriculture secretary, according to Daniel Glickman, who served in the role during Bill Clinton’s presidency. “It’s hard for me to imagine, given Trump’s traditional base in the heartlands, that he would pick somebody who was an advocate for breaking up large farms and breaking consolidated agriculture,” says Glickman.

Like top posts at HHS, the USDA secretary position would need to be confirmed by a Senate vote. “I don’t think [Kennedy] is a slam dunk,” says Glickman.

Trump’s pick for USDA chief during his first term was Sonny Perdue, a former governor of Georgia and founder of an agricultural trading company. Most agriculture secretaries either have a background in the industry or politics—two crucial constituencies for the person who will be in charge of a department that employs nearly 100,000 and is made up of 29 agencies, including forestry, conservation, and nutrition programs. “The difference between Sonny Perdue and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is like night and day,” says Glickman.

If Kennedy were to be confirmed as agriculture secretary, he might struggle to enact the most radical parts of his program. He is an outspoken critic of pesticides, but the USDA is generally not in charge of regulating those, says Dan Blaustein-Rejto, director of agriculture policy and research at the Breakthrough Institute. Rather, the EPA regulates pesticides with public health uses.

Although he may not be able to directly influence pesticide regulations, Kennedy has said he would try to “weaponize” other agencies against “chemical agriculture” by commissioning scientific research into the effects of pesticides. The USDA Agricultural Research Service has a nearly $2 billion discretionary budget for research into crops, livestocks, nutrition, food safety, and natural resources conservation.

There are other levers that an agriculture secretary could pull, says Blaustein-Rejto. The USDA is investing $3 billion through the partnership for climate-smart commodities—a scheme that’s supposed to make US agriculture more climate-friendly. A USDA chief might be able to put their thumb on their scale by influencing the selection criteria for these kinds of programs. The USDA also oversees the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which has a $5 billion fund that it uses to support farm incomes and conservation programs, and to assist farmers hit by natural disasters. It’s possible that a USDA chief could influence how these CCC funds are distributed by the agency.

Kennedy has also argued that corporate interests have captured the US’s dietary guidelines, and he pledged to remove conflicts of interest from USDA groups that come up with dietary guidelines. US dietary guidelines are developed jointly by the USDA and HHS and are updated every five years, giving the agriculture secretary limited opportunities to influence any recommendations.

“If RFK is in a high-level policy role, I expect to see a lot more talk about ultra-processed foods, but I’m not sure what that would actually entail when it comes to the dietary guidelines,” says Blaustein-Rejto.

The experts WIRED spoke with largely think Kennedy’s more extreme positions will likely be constrained by bureaucracy. But the message that elevating a vocal vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist would send remains a serious concern ahead of a potential second Trump administration.

[darkmaga-returns]

by Jamie White

A bizarre experiment funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation developed a new vaccine strategy using mosquito bites as a delivery vector in pursuit of developing a “next generation” malaria vaccine.

The experiment was conducted by researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in Leiden, Netherlands, and published last month in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers explained how they used the bites of mosquitos to deliver a short-lived malaria vaccine comprised of genetically modified malaria parasites.

“We conducted a double-blind, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety, side-effect profile, and efficacy of immunization, by means of mosquito bites, with a second-generation genetically attenuated parasite (GA2) — a mei2 single knockout P. falciparum NF54 parasite (sporozoite form) with extended development into the liver stage,” the researchers stated.

The Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) parasite causes malaria in humans.

The method was meant to boost immunity through bites from mosquitoes carrying a genetically engineered version of the parasite that causes malaria.

First, researchers bioengineered two different types of malaria parasites for the experiment, GA1 and GA2.

GA1 was “designed to stop developing about 24 hours after infection in humans,” but had limited effectiveness, leading to the development of GA2.

GA2 was “designed to stop developing about six days post-infection, during the crucial period where the parasites replicate in human liver cells.”

The experiment was carried out in two stages.

[pandemic-info]

What Is Long COVID? Understanding the Pandemic’s Mysterious Fallout > News > Yale Medicine

Originally published: April 15, 2024. Updated: June 4, 2024

Just weeks after the first cases of COVID-19 hit U.S. shores, an op-ed appeared in The New York Times titled “We Need to Talk About What Coronavirus Recoveries Look Like: They're a lot more complicated than most people realize.”

...

Unlike most diseases, Long COVID was first described not by doctors, but by the patients themselves. Even the term “Long COVID” was coined by a patient. Dr. Elisa Perego, an honorary research fellow at University College in London, came up with the hashtag #LongCOVID when tweeting about her own experience with the post-COVID syndrome. The term went viral and suddenly social media, and then the media itself, was full of these stories.

Complaints like "I can't seem to concentrate anymore" or "I'm constantly fatigued throughout the day" became increasingly common, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. With nothing abnormal turning up from their many thorough lab tests, patients and their physicians were left feeling helpless and frustrated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined Long COVID as the "continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation." This deliberately broad definition reflects the complex nature of this syndrome. We now understand that these symptoms are wide-ranging, including heart palpitations, cough, nausea, fatigue, cognitive impairment (commonly referred to as "brain fog"), and more. Also, many who experience Long COVID following an acute infection face an elevated risk of such medical complications as blood clots and (type 2) diabetes.

In April 2024, an estimated 5.3% of all adults in the United States reported having Long COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data from the CDC suggest that Long COVID disproportionately affects women, and individuals between the ages of 40 and 59 have the highest reported rates of developing this post-acute infection syndrome.

...

Inderjit Singh, MBChB, a YSM assistant professor specializing in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, and director of the Pulmonary Vascular Program, is actively engaged in clinical trials aimed at uncovering the fundamental underpinnings of Long COVID.

...

Through this work, a significant revelation emerged. They observed that patients grappling with Long COVID and facing exercise difficulties were unable to efficiently extract oxygen from their bloodstream during physical exertion. This discovery identifies a specific cause underlying the biological underpinnings of Long COVID.

... Dr. Singh, along with other researchers, is focused on the identification of blood-based markers to assess the severity of Long COVID. For example, a research group, led by Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and director of the Center for Infection & Immunity at YSM, most recently created a new method to classify Long COVID severity with circulating immune markers.

Further investigations conducted by Dr. Singh's team identified distinctive protein signatures in the blood of Long COVID patients, which correlated with the degree of Long COVID severity. Researchers identified two major and distinct blood profiles among the patients. Some of them exhibited blood profiles indicating that excessive inflammation played a prominent role in their condition, while others displayed profiles indicative of impaired metabolism.

...

Researchers currently believe that the impairment of a spectrum of key bodily functions may contribute to these diverse symptoms. These potential mechanisms include compromised immune system function, damage to blood vessels, and direct harm to the brain and nervous system. Importantly, it's likely that most patients experience symptoms arising from multiple underlying causes, which complicates both the diagnosis and treatment of Long COVID.

...

The last word from Lisa Sanders, MD:

I’m the internist who sees patients at Yale New Haven Health’s Multidisciplinary Long COVID Care Center. In our clinic, patients are examined by a variety of specialists to determine the best next steps for these complex patients. Sometimes that entails more testing. Often patients have had extensive testing even before they arrive, and far too often—when all the tests are normal—both doctors and patients worry that their symptoms are “all in their head.”

One of our first tasks is to reassure patients that many parts of Long COVID don’t show up on tests. We don’t know enough about the cause of many of these symptoms to create a test for them. The problem is not with the patient with the symptoms, but of the science surrounding them. If any good can be said to come out of this pandemic, it will be a better understanding of Long COVID and many of the other post-acute infection syndromes that have existed as long as the infections themselves.

[cerastes]

i have not gone through the stream vod of arknights, but did you enjoy eblana and her not-quite-that-much-fucked-up-evilitude?

We didn't read that in the stream but I did read that after the stream by myself and I Liked The Event quite a bit!

It goes without saying that I went into it with a lot of enthusiasm because I've loved Reed as a character since her release, and I really wanted to know What Was Her Deal. We get some of it in the main story, since she's tied to the Victoria arc, but her getting an event specifically as a new character in another class is fascinating because it would, logically speaking, serve as a character piece more so than a big stakes event. This is what was delivered, so I couldn't be happier.

It's not that I dislike big stakes or grander scale stories in Arknights -- the Abyssal Hunters arc and the Sui arc are my favorites! -- it's just, sometimes, I really want to know more about the characters more so than everything that surrounds them. Character pieces help understand the grander scale with a lot more emotional weight, because if done right, I'm now emotionally invested in the character and their overarching goal, not just the goal as the framework for the story. For example, 'Maria Nearl' was first and foremost a character piece, which then informs the overarching Kazimierz arc, so by the time Near Light rolls in, not only do I know what we're fighting for, I know who we're fighting for and why we are doing so, I know Maria's motivations, efforts, struggles, and trials, and so, I am invested in wanting to see her succeed. 'Maria Nearl' being a character piece doesn't mean it ONLY centered on Maria and nothing else, it sets up the scene and the cast, but through the lens of someone in the story as opposed to through the effects of events in the story.

What The Firelight Casts does a little inversion in the overall structure compared to 'Maria Nearl': It's a character piece after the bigger scale narrative. We know what the bigger picture is... But what about this key character in the whole story? And will knowing about this character recontextualize or add even more meat to what we already know? With this in mind, let's talk about it:

Reed detests her circumstances, because Reed had very simple, domestic desires: She wanted a simple, quiet life reading and writing poetry, immersing herself in words and stories. She didn't have any grander aspirations, experiences, or desires beyond "loving poetry" because she was a simple child when she got her head pushed under an ocean of conspiracies and was drowned in them. Since she didn't have the strength of character to really do anything in such a horrifying world, her sister, Eblana, endowed with far stronger character, made her her body double. Reed never questioned it, because she had nothing else going on for her, but the more atrocities she was forced to commit as "The Leader", the more she hated it, and herself for not having it in her to stand up to Dublinn.

Hence why she attempted suicide via standing in an open field that was currently being bombarded. In a turn of events she couldn't have predicted, she was saved by Outcast, and was sent to Rhodes for recovery. She then spent some time in Rhodes Island, recovering, but also, learning. It's noted in her Files that she'd spend a significant amount of time pestering the medical teams in RI for knowledge in the clinical fields. She also requested a new weapon to her specifications, because she hates her spear. This may seem a matter of preference, until you realize that the spear is just Eblana's old weapon, just furthering exactly how much of an un-person she was. She'd use her sister's name, her sister's title, her sister's reputation, her sister's authority, even her sister's damn weapon.

Her chosen codename, "Reed", comes as no surprise: She explicitly says it's because that's how she is: Bland, an accessory, unremarkable, insignificant, like reeds by the river. In this event, we also learn another reason why "Reed" is apt for Loughshinny: Uncontrollably flammable if set ablaze.

Reed was terrified of her own powers. She is a direct descendant of the Red Dragon of Tara, and has insane innate power, namely, power over life itself: The way her flames work is explicitly not fire-aspected Arts: Her Arts allow her to inject pure life into objects and creatures, and the consequence of overcharging skin, muscle tissue, etc with so much life energy so fast and strongly is that it becomes unstable and explodes into raw energy, generating fire as a consequence. It's also why parts of her body, like her tail and her chest, seem to be constantly "ablaze": She is literally overflowing with the essence of life at all times, to the point it hurts her, and coming into contact with her means exploding. She is an almost perfect weapon. She hates it. Even her Rhodes Island evaluation files basically describe her as a stupidly powerful individual.

There's only one thing she doesn't regret about her time in Eblana's Dublinn: She really does care for Tarans, and wants to do anything in her power to help them. The reason she put up with being used and abused in Dublinn (about the only person that showed Reed any kindness in Dublinn was Harmonie, and even then she claims it's because she's interested in Reed and that she may have use for her) was because, Reed told herself, "at least it's for the Tarans". But Reed is not stupid, and over the time, realized that Eblana doesn't mind sacrificing countless Tarans that trust her if it means securing an advantage. That's when Reed decided she'd rather get blown to pieces by artillery rather than continue doing horrible things for someone that doesn't even care about the people that she claims to fight for.

Reed in the event is trying to help this very "little guy", this very scorned Taran, find a foothold. Her story here is, by all means, low stakes for the most part, but it's important in understanding who Reed has finally resolved to become: Her time in Rhodes Island and her new Arts unit allows her to far, far more precisely control her Arts, and now she can use VERY controlled bursts of her Arts to inject life into others without sending their living tissue into disarray, effectively becoming a potent healer. The wounded Tarans even remark that while she didn't give them the most involved treatment for their wounds, they still felt as good as new: It's because Reed isn't doing more than basic first aid, and using this as a disguise to her carefully injecting their wounds with life energy. For Reed, this is massive: She's finally able to like her innate Arts, an intrinsic part of herself, for the first time, because she's finally not using it to turn people to ashes or make them violently explode. She can finally do things differently, and without Eblana pulling her strings, she's finally able to do as she wishes. She ends up creating her very own "Dublinn", with a few Tarans, and looks to the future to do what she never thought she could do, and that's what I really loved: It's a small scale event, but it makes it very clear that from here on, Reed not only has a purpose, she has agency over herself, and finally, finally, she is her own person.

The final "map" of the event was fantastic, narratively speaking: It's a fight with Eblana entirely within her mind, with Eblana wearing a mask in the first phase. Eblana's mechanics involve killing her own units to empower herself, representative of how she's completely willing to kill Tarans for the purposes of Dublinn without any regret, then, in the second phase, she discards her mask and sets every reed in the map ablaze: No matter how much Eblana speaks of loving her and saying she's important to her, Reed has finally come to terms that Eblana WILL simply sacrifice even her when the moment comes, just as she has no issue setting the world on flames if it furthers her desires. The entirety of the map is just Reed finally coming to terms that if she wants to help the Tarans, in her way, she inevitably will come to blows with Eblana at some point, and that there's no space for hesitation, because Eblana sure as hell won't hesitate.

What The Firelight Casts is ultimately a high-impact bildungsroman in which our protagonist finally finds herself, perhaps for the first time ever since she was a toddler, and finally has agency over what she does and why she does it.

There's other parts to the event that I'm not covering that I think were great as well, such as Bagpipe's characterization being pretty damn good and once more winning me over (I started not really caring for her in any way, but her writing is something I like a lot) with how she's clearly not book smart, but is sharp as all hell, and most would call her "naive", when in reality, it's that she has a rock-hard moral compass and will NEVER stop going where it tells her to go, as well as the Taran survivors having plenty of nice scenes, including the incredibly chilling scene where the older lady that can't see in the dark is holding onto Selmon's hand and suddenly she can feel Selmon's blood all over her arm... We just never know what actually it is that killed her in that night skirmish. Fionn's characterization as this cowardly but good chum that will take responsibility no matter what is... Honestly, man, if you hang around sectors with low education and wealth, you know a Fionn or two. Especially when it comes to oppressed and displaced peoples... And the way the narrative portrays the opportunistic and almost callous nature of a bunch of the Taran runaways at times without vilifying it? It's great, the narrative immediately points out, through Reed and Fionn, that yeah, it's just natural because of how awful they've been treated their entire life, there's always people like that in such groups, doing it not out of cruelty, but simply because, damn, they have to survive, and nothing guarantees to them that this stranger with good intentions actually had good intentions. Trying to survive does things to people. This all becomes water under the bridge after Reed properly bonds with them.

I focused on Reed with this post because she's a favorite of mine and I'm happy to see her growth and where she's aiming for, and how she's grown narratively through her experiences and how that reflects on her Arts: True, Arts are a cool power in the narrative, but for Reed, it's more about how her Arts are intrinsically to her self-loathing in the past, and how they reflect her growth as a person: She went from a reluctant walking nuke who could only destroy and justified this by simply saying "it's because my sister knows better and she's doing it for the end goal of the well-being of Tarans... The end justifies the means" to someone who uses her almost unique powers to soothe others after learning some control over them, control that causes physical pain to her, as controlling her immense power feels as if she's searing from the inside, as if her organs were on fire, and comes to believe that, no, the means do in fact matter a whole damn lot, and that she'll one way or another achieve the end while being mindful of the means, even if it means suffering, if it's for her people. Eblana, who also can control life, uses her powers to 'resurrect' and control the dead like puppets, whereas Reed now sears herself from within in order to precisely control this power in order to help those she wants to protect, and drive away those who would hurt her or her friends. In what's a bit of a segregation of narrative and gameplay, whereas she's known for Explosions in gameplay, in the event, Reed exclusively fights with martial arts. In fact, the only time when she actually uses her Arts, she has to suppress them instantly or she was going to just completely incinerate everyone around her. She turns her surroundings to ashes so quickly that Ch'en can only just stare, wide-eyed, at how she completely incinerated a complete installation of military tents in less than a second, with just a small release of her power.

It's great! I love Reed! I wanted to see her growth, a piece focused on her, and it's what I got. I want to know more about the most loving and caring walking nuclear missile in the world with the most hypnotic tail swishes.