#fuck long covid

[squirrellypoo]

These are another pair of loom knitted socks using the KB Sock Loom (fine gauge) set at 52 pegs, and using the “Escher Bats” colourwork pattern from the AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary book.

I still had some @mothyandthesquid merino sock yarn in “Ruby” & “Midnight Black” leftover from my blood drip socks earlier in the year so it was a no brainer to just use that! I love the gentle variegation in the red, and both are just so soft to knit and wear.

I wasn’t quite sure about the colourwork though after the first sock, as I felt the red bats disappeared a bit. But I carried on with the second, hoping they’d look better after blocking and thankfully I was right!

[neverenoughmarauders]

All these Spotify wrapped posts are a painful reminder that I’ve actually not listened to much music for a year as it’s too tiring 99% of the time.

[zaphic]

so turns out that covid puts such a strain on your fascia that you develop a large number of very painful trigger points 🙂 many of which are around where you already have joint problems 🙂 so now you're gonna have to spend a lot of time and patience massaging them out in order to not physically overcompensate and then fuck up your already fucked joints further 🙂

[kaydub80]

When those in power constantly lied about the little things, it isn't hard to see why people have tuned out--and even questioned whether masks were even effective against the virus.

[thefirsthogokage]

The CDC is trying to limit the new COVID booster to only people 75+, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised.

We have two days (as of September 6th, 2023) to let them know this isn't acceptable.

(since there is some lack of visual comprehension in the comments, each picture has the link to the tweet just under the picture)

Under this first tweet is the link directly to the article Laurie put in her tweet and is quoting.

Direct link to the page to submit your comments: click here!

Please, PLEASE fill this out and boost this post!

For those of you getting mad at me in the comments and reblogs: saying vaccination is only recommended for groups IS a way to try to prevent people from getting vaccinated because EVERYONE NEEDS THE VACCINE! Everyone needs to know they should get the vaccine!

It's not that hard to figure that out.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding did the original reporting on this. I put a link to his thread in one of the reblogs, and I'm not going to be your Google beyond saying that. Go to his Twitter. Go check out Friesein's tweet thread.

[nando161mando]

[operahousebookworm]

I'm just a girl

Standing in front of a procession of medical specialists

Asking them to figure out what the fuck is wrong with me

[lycheeloving]

more fake texts :)

Dad to the rescue!

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Whenever you hear someone trying to blame kid's poor test scores "post pandemic" on "lockdowns," show them this.

By Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar, PhD.

New research shows that mild COVID-19 alters brain structure and connectivity in key areas responsible for memory and cognition, emphasizing the lasting effects on young people’s brain health.

In a case-control study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive tests to examine brain structure, function, and cognition in adolescents and young adults with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to healthy controls in a pandemic hotspot in Italy. They identified significant changes in brain regions related to olfaction and cognition, with decreased brain volume and reduced functional connectivity in areas like the left hippocampus and amygdala, which were linked to impaired spatial working memory. Notably, no significant differences were observed in whole-brain connectivity, suggesting that these changes were localized rather than widespread.

Background COVID-19, primarily known for respiratory symptoms, also affects the central nervous system, leading to neurological issues like headaches, anosmia, and cognitive changes. MRI-based studies reveal anatomical brain changes in COVID-19 patients, such as reduced gray matter and decreased volume in regions like the hippocampus and amygdala, often linked to cognitive deficits.

While research mostly focuses on severe cases and older adults, a majority of infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, occur in adolescents and young adults who also experience long-lasting cognitive symptoms.

This age group, undergoing key brain development, is impacted by changes in spatial working memory and brain structure, which are crucial for cognitive functions shaped by social interactions, significantly disrupted by the pandemic.

Given that this is the largest and most understudied population affected by COVID-19, understanding the brain and cognitive impacts in adolescents and young adults is vital.

Therefore, researchers in the present study compared anatomical, functional, and cognitive outcomes, utilizing a longitudinal design that allowed them to assess both pre- and post-infection differences, in COVID-19-positive and negative adolescents and young adults from Lombardy, Italy, a global hotspot during the pandemic.

About the study The present study involved participants from the Public Health Impact of Metal Exposure (PHIME) cohort, a longitudinal investigation of adolescents and young adults in northern Italy. Between 2016 and 2021, 207 participants, aged 13 to 25 years, were included in a sub-study with MRI scans and cognitive tests. After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, 40 participants (13 COVID+ and 27 COVID−) participated in a follow-up study, which replicated the MRI and cognitive assessments.

The mean age of participants was 20.44 years and 65% were female. COVID+ status was confirmed through positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests within 12 months of follow-up. Neuropsychological assessments used the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to evaluate spatial working memory.

MRI and functional MRI data were acquired using a 3-Tesla scanner, processed, and analyzed for structural and local functional connectivity using eigenvector centrality mapping (ECM) and functional connectivity (FC) metrics. Whole-brain functional connectivity metrics showed no significant differences between COVID+ and control groups, indicating that the observed changes were specific to key brain regions rather than generalized across the entire brain.

Statistical analysis involved the use of pairwise Student's t-tests, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, linear regression, two-waves mediation analysis, negative binomial regression, and linear regression, all adjusted for covariates.

Results and discussion Significant differences were observed in the two groups regarding the time between assessments, COVID-19 symptoms, and vaccine status. The research identified five localized functional connectivity hubs with significant differences between the two groups, including the right intracalcarine cortex, right lingual gyrus, left frontal orbital cortex, left hippocampus and left amygdala, which is vital for cognitive functions. Only the left hippocampal volume showed a significant reduction in COVID+ participants (p = 0.034), while whole-brain connectivity remained unchanged, reinforcing the localized nature of the brain changes.

The left amygdala mediated the relationship between COVID-19 and spatial working memory "between errors" (p = 0.028), a critical finding that highlights the indirect effect of amygdala connectivity on cognitive function in COVID+ individuals. This mediation analysis underscores the role of specific brain regions in influencing cognitive deficits, as only the indirect effect was statistically significant for spatial working memory errors. The orbitofrontal cortex, involved in sensory integration and cognitive functions, also showed decreased connectivity in COVID+ individuals, supporting previous findings of structural and functional changes in this region during COVID-19.

The study is limited by small sample size, lack of diversity, potential confounding factors due to the long interval between MRI scans, treatment of certain subjects as COVID-negative based on antibody testing beyond the 12-month threshold, and the possibility of non-significant findings in mediation analysis due to these factors.

Conclusion In conclusion, the findings indicate persistent structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of COVID-19-positive adolescents and young adults, including changes in gray matter volume and localized functional connectivity, which correlate with diminished cognitive function, particularly in working memory.

Further research is necessary to evaluate the longevity and potential reversibility of these brain and cognitive changes post-infection, enhancing our understanding of post-COVID outcomes and informing future interventions and treatments. The longitudinal design of this study, with pre- and post-COVID data, strengthens these findings by allowing direct comparisons over time, offering robust insights into the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent brain development.

Journal reference: COVID-19 related cognitive, structural and functional brain changes among Italian adolescents and young adults: a multimodal longitudinal case-control study. Invernizzi, A. et al., Translational Psychiatry, 14, 402 (2024), DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03108-2, www.nature.com/articles/s41398-024-03108-2

[somewhatidealname]

His head shapeshifts anything he wants, can Gabe do the birb dance with a birb head?

if he wanted to do a birb dance why stop at changing only his face

[crabussy]

my entire household has covid except for me and I have a flight in 3 days. grin

[disasterhimbo]

Long covid is hell. Wear a fucking mask.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

Hmmm I wonder what happened in 2020 that might have caused this...

This is literally what a lot of people were saying could happen during the pandemic.

And now Sunak wants to punish these people further. Fuck him.

[puppppppppy]

Why are ppl scared to call it what it is and say we’re still going thru covid on top of seasonal illness. Like. That’s pretty important right. I was watching the news and they were like oh yeah we have an unprecedented number of flu cases “as well as other sicknesses” without actually saying Covid. No announcement abt vaccinations or masking or anything. Also if I hear someone joking abt “war flashbacks” for mentioning covid I fucking hate u

[thatchronicfeeling]

Not gay as in happy, queer as in wear a fucking mask. Because who wants to be killed or disabled by a virus that the government’s pretending isn’t happening. Sound familiar, anyone?

[pandemic-info]

Photo: Shannon Turner (she/they), finds themself in and out of the hospital due to waterfall effects related to the interplay between long COVID, psoriatic arthritis, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and autoimmune diseases at a local hospital in Philadelphia, PA, U.S., May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Summary

Long COVID symptoms can persist for years, with slim chance of full recovery

Funding and attention for long COVID research are dwindling in many wealthy countries

Long COVID symptoms can include extreme fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness and pain

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight. Among them are normally innocuous statements such as, "Feel better soon" or "Wishing you a quick recovery," the Kenyan businesswoman said, shaking her head.Gichohi, 41, knows such phrases are well-intentioned. "I think you have to accept, for me, it’s not going to happen."