China's announcement yesterday to ease further restrictions of the "zero Covid" strategy, especially the abolition of the quarantine period for domestic travelers and those coming from abroad, led to a tangible recovery in the Asian financial markets. And the Chinese National Health Authority announced (Monday) that travelers coming from abroad are no longer required to isolate themselves, starting from January 8. However, they are required to present a negative test result within 48 hours of their departure to China. They are also required to wear a mask throughout the flight. These measures come after China, during the past few days, abandoned compulsory mass examination, sanitary isolation, and restrictions on domestic travel. Although China's decisions to cancel the "Zero Covid" strategy opened the door for the virus to roam its cities and countryside to an alarming degree, this does not diminish China's accession to the rest of the world that chose to coexist with the virus, while continuing to combat it with other forms of preventive measures. And China decided to conduct foot patrols of health personnel from house to house to convince the elderly of the need to take the stimulus dose of Covid-19 vaccines, to survive the current outbreak. Stock prices jumped on the Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday. Japan's Nikkei Index posted a slight increase. The same is true of the Seoul, Bangkok and Mumbai stock exchanges. Western financial markets were closed (Monday), due to the continuation of the Christmas holidays; In addition to the tragic climatic conditions that the United States suffers from, due to the harsh winter storm that is sweeping it. Prior to closing the markets to enter the end of the Christmas holiday week, Brent crude oil rose in electronic trading, reaching $85.23 a barrel. Yesterday, the British newspaper “Financial Times” quoted an official in the Chinese National Health Authority as saying that 90% of infections with the Omicron strain were “either moderate or asymptomatic.” With the acceleration of the virus outbreak in China, thousands of Chinese began rushing to Macao to obtain a dose of mRNA vaccines, which are believed to be more powerful for the body against the virus than Chinese vaccines made with traditional technology. In Macau, which belongs to Chinese sovereignty, there is a single hospital that owns quantities of mRNA vaccines, claiming that they are intended for vaccinating foreign tourists. Ctrip air reservation data showed that hundreds of thousands of Chinese decided to arrange travel in a hurry, after China allowed travel without health restrictions. The London newspaper "The Guardian" indicated that the regions that the Chinese prefer to travel to are Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand and South Korea. Starting next January 8, the classification of the epidemiological situation will be reduced from (A) to (B), according to the Chinese National Health Authority. This means that the authorities will not be obligated to quarantine the infected and their contacts in government health isolation centers.
His most famous patients were Henry VIII, Queen Anne, Chamberlain, and Benjamin Franklin
Britain: a strong return to the "disease of kings"
Although gout has been known for centuries as the "disease of kings", perhaps because it afflicted a number of British kings and members of the nobility; However, it has become a common disease that most of its victims are commoners, not just the nobles. The newspaper "Daily Mail", in a report yesterday (Tuesday), that it is believed that about 1.5 million Britons suffer from the disease of kings. In fact, it is a type of arthritis that causes painful inflammation in the joints. History books indicate that this disease dates back to the era of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. In Britain, King Henry VIII, King George IV, and Queen Anne were infected with this disease. Doctors say that gout has a strong relationship with eating too much meat, drinking too much alcohol, and not doing any exercise. Excessive consumption of meat and alcohol was something that only the wealthy nobles could afford. King Henry VIII was diagnosed with gout after he gained weight to about 181 kilograms. Official statistics indicate that during 2021-2022, 234,000 Britons were hospitalized with this disease. Health experts believe that the increase in the number of people with gout in Britain to about 1.5 million is due, in large part, to continuous sitting during periods of closure, due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus. And they added to that what accompanied that long sitting, the possibility that these people would devour fast food while working from home. Gout, also known as “gaut”, causes excruciating pain, especially in the toes, joints of the feet, hands, wrist and knee. It is usually caused by the deposition of too much uric acid in the blood. This, in turn, leads to the deposition of sodium urate crystals in and around the joints, causing excruciating pain. Among the most famous people suffering from gout in Britain were the writer, playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and the late British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who worked hard to hide his pain from the public. Although King Henry VIII was athletic in his youth, he gained alarming weight in his old age. He ate meat and alcoholic beverages. He also suffered from ulcers in his legs that made him unable to walk in his last days. The royal court had to carry King Henry VIII to ride on his horse. He is carried on a chair because he is unable to walk. Henry VIII died in 1547 at the age of 55. The gout was so severe on Britain's King George IV that he could no longer hold a pen to sign royal decrees. George IV was obese, with an estimated weight of 111 kilograms. And the British Queen Anne suffered from gout, so that she became completely paralyzed. One of the most famous American victims of gout is Benjamin Franklin, who is described as the most prominent founding father of the United States. Franklin wrote a famous essay, "A Conversation Between Franklin and Gout." He conducted an imaginary dialogue with the disease that exhausted him. Franklin admits in his article that during his boyhood and youth he indulged in gorging on red meat and spirits, which led to his developing a gout. At the end of his article, he pledged to exercise regularly, and to live a moderate life in terms of character and practices. Scientists say that red meat contains a protein called purine, and when it is digested, uric acid is produced. But other scientists say their colleagues are missing out on an important aspect of the search for the causes of gout. As the genetic factor plays a major role in the incidence of this disease. Ibuprofen tablets are often prescribed for gout patients. Sometimes they are given hormones to relieve gout pain. On a related level; Scientists expect that the success of current trials of a new drug will change the rules of the war on chronic knee pain. It is expected that the new drug will be represented by a needle that is given once a month, without having any side effects. The idea of this new drug is that it blocks a compound that supports nerve cells that send pain signals. More than 600 people with chronic osteoarthritis of the knee joint were recruited to try this English-origin drug. Scientists hope that this drug can be used in other cases of chronic pain. Knee roughness results from the wear and tear of the cartilage at the end of the knee bone, so that the bones rub against each other, causing excruciating pain, swelling, and movement difficulties. Although pain relievers such as ibuprofen relieve pain and reduce inflammation; However, it can lead to stomach ulcers, and the risk of heart attacks and blood clots. The researchers hope that using the new drug, called LEVI-04, will eliminate the need for knee replacement surgery.
The most famous investigator in the "concert scandal" .. away from the limelight!
After her name and image remained full of hearing and sight, while she chaired the investigation committee in “Party Gate”, which took place during the era of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during periods of closure resulting from the Corona crisis; Senior British civil servant Sue Gray is back in the shadows. Her report on the partying scandal sparked a major political and social uproar that almost forced Johnson to resign. Gray was recently seen wandering alone in a London market. Gray was known for her impartiality, and not being afraid to speak the truth. She said she was glad to be spared the spotlight and fame that accompanied her presidency with the investigation into scandals committed by her superiors in the civil service, and her senior boss in the job, Bruce Johnson. She currently holds the position of the second undersecretary of the Ministry of Urbanization and Housing. Finally, she visited the province of Northern Ireland, during which she inspected the performance of the civil service there. She is married to British folk singer-songwriter Yabel Conlon.
A study to find out why the loss of “smell” persists after Covid
American researchers said that they believe that the continued loss of the sense of smell after a person has recovered from infection with the new Corona virus may be due to an abnormal reaction from the immune system that destroys the cells of the nose. And they discovered, after examining several samples from the nasal membrane of people who had suffered from a long lack of smell after recovering from Covid-19, that the immune system sent immune cells that destroyed the neurosensory cells in the nasal membrane. The American researchers confirmed that the tissue of the nasal membrane contains individual immune cells that produce markers of inflammation. But scientists said they still don't know if the damage to nerve cells in the nose was caused by the Covid-19 virus, or if the virus damages the sense of smell in the brain. It is believed that about 15 million people around the world have suffered a permanent loss of smell, even months after they recovered from the virus. Doctors say they have no cure for this condition. In order to produce a drug, they have to identify the real cause of the problem. Scientists believe the easiest treatment should be a cream or spray to stop inflammatory immune cells from doing their destructive work.
American scientist: The war on the epidemic is not over… yet
An American scientist specializing in vaccine development said that the war on the Covid-19 epidemic is still in its fiercest form, as between 230 and 300 Americans die every day from Covid-19. Dr. Peter Hotez, who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, added that COVID-19 remains the third leading cause of death in the United States. He added that getting the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines is the best option to protect an individual from the virus. He pointed to an incomprehensible reluctance among Americans about the updated stimulatory dose, which targets the original strain of the virus, along with the Omicron strain and its descendants. Dr. Hotez and his colleague, Dr. Maria Elena Potazzi, had succeeded in creating the “Corvax” vaccine for Covid-19. They refused to monopolize his patent, so that poor countries could manufacture it to suit the needs of their population. Hotez warned that the new Corona virus would lead to a new global pandemic. But he said he didn't know if that would happen next year or in 10 years, "but it's coming." He believed that the United States had failed to convince a third of its population to obtain the anti-virus vaccine. And he considered that the focus of anti-vaccine groups was to win the round against government efforts to generalize vaccination. He warned that the countries threatened by an exacerbation of the global epidemic are the United States, India and China. Honez advised the need to intensify research into bats, which he said carry all viruses, especially in the East Asian region, in a region extending from China to Cambodia, Japan, countries in the Middle East, and others in Latin America.
Okaz (Beijing, Singapore) @OKAZ_online @Yasin Ahmed (London) @OKAZ_online
