#rhinovirus

[yipyipallyall]

😷💨🪟

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #690

...So... I didn't go to bed when I said I was gonna, last night.

...No. See, I was flooded with adrenaline from the fact that Tr was pissed at me for staying home while sick even though I gave her plenty of advanced notice that I would likely become sick. Flooded with adrenaline from the fact that instead of making a contingency plan for my possible absence (because communicable diseases have incubation periods; it's how they work) or telling me, “hey, I know you're sick, but I really need you tomorrow” (which I absolutely would have responded to, if she had simply fucking asked), Tr decided to complain about me to An instead, I guess. Without saying anything to me at all.

So... I went online and put out a bunch of job applications. Because I've asked Tr and Ka and everyone there again and again and again to be direct with me if they have a problem or a difficulty. I have asked them again and again and again to be up front with me about what they want from me (without belittling me or talking down to me), and... nothing seems to change.

See, I've noticed, over the years, that there's this thing about being autistic. If you're like me and you ask people to tell you what they actually need from you because you can't read social cues... they still won't tell you what they need. And often... it's like... really little shit. Maybe they don't like how you hold yourself. How you move. The kinds of things you talk about. How often or how little you talk. And so many more that I don't even know how to list. And instead of, “hey, I feel really uncomfortable in response to this specific thing; can you do this other thing instead?” or, “hey, please pause conversation for a moment; I need to focus,” or, “hey, let's change the topic,” they'll just pretend like everything's fine. And so you don't know there's anything wrong, so you keep doing what you're doing. And then before you know it, you become the “annoying”, “creepy”, and “weird” person that no one likes to be around.

...I have a funny feeling that you know exactly what this is like.

...I think I've finally reached that point in this place. Seems to happen just about everyplace I start to think like I can belong to. So you know what? Far be it from me to overstay my welcome.

Putting out applications had my mind whirring until like 3am. So then I went to bed, because I just couldn't whir anymore. And then I woke up at like 7am, mind abuzz with more things and feeling like absolute shit because it is day three of rhinovirus, and symptoms still have yet to peak. I woke with chills, a nose that feels like it's burning on the inside, while somehow being both congested and running, a moderate headache, a sore throat, and a bit of a cough.

You can bet your ass that I stayed the fuck home from work. Yes, I know I can mask, but masks are only partially effective; it'll keep someone a decent distance away from me safe, but I still need to breathe, and my breath is still going to contaminate all of the surfaces near me, including the breads I'm handling and the bags I'm putting them in. I won't have it.

So instead, I put out a few more job applications. I guess we'll see what sticks.

I ate some food after that. But... feeling foggy and awful, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired. I mostly just scrounged around the kitchen like a snot-covered goblin to see what I could find. Here's what I came up with:

...Rice pudding.

Leftover salmon.

Cronchy corn snack.

Piece cheez:

...Nebula in a cup.

...We are out of honey. I asked J to fetch more on his way home.

I was supposed to help my friend Me today to give some medicine to her poor new kitten, Sokka, because she is away somewhere and was unable to do it. He and his sister, Katara, came from a hoarding situation that she called the local animal protection agency to investigate. I alerted Me on Thursday night that I had become ill, and confirmed that she still was all right with me doing the task at hand, and the potential exposure to rhinovirus; she has problems with her lungs, and getting an upper respiratory tract infection could potentially become a Very Big Deal for her.

...You don't know who something like rhinovirus could be a Very Big Deal for. People coming to the grocery store don't know they're gonna be exposed, and can't give me their consent. But Me can, and did:

So, away I went to Me's house (M drove), to refill the food bowl of the adult cats, and to go into the kitten room where Sokka and Katara are being kept, for now. I was instructed to allow them some time for supervised roaming with the other cats, outside of the room in which they're being kept. I refilled their bowl of dry kitten food. Katara was very eager for human company and attention, but Sokka seems to be afraid of people, so scooping him up to give him his medicine was a bit of a project, haha; thankfully, M helped. After giving Sokka his medicine, I opened two small packets of wet kitten food for them both, and they gobbled down their respective portions in mere moments; it was pretty incredible.

Anyway. Here. Meet Katara:

As you can see, she was very eager to climb all over me and to see what I (and her new vantage point!) was all about, haha!

I got home. I breathed life into today's wishes.

And... now is now. And due to the incessant running of my nose (and my need to use my hands to type instead of wipe), this is my current state:

...It stops my nose from running. It's not like I can breathe through it right now, anyway.

I'm... gonna stop writing because my brain isn't braining too good at the moment. I... probably just need to sit and be miserable and not do things. My head hurts; I should take more ibuprofen. Maybe I'll pass the time with Stardew or something...

I love you. I'm having faith that you're gonna be safe out there, and that you're gonna build for yourself the life you wanted as a boy someday. Ill or well, I'll be here, waiting for you, with my hand outstretched. Every day.

I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[digitaldaffodyl]

snot up in my mucussy

[thestorybotsfanlol]

Viruses

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Factors associated with outcome in a national cohort of rhinovirus hospitalized patients in Brazil in 2022

The common cold is the primary cause of illness in the community, with over 200 viral strains identified, and rhinovirus infections being the most prevalent. Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) is also a significant cause of severe illness. The burden of acute respiratory infections has a significant impact on the economy, resulting in absenteeism from work and school. Rhinovirus infections can exacerbate asthma and other chronic diseases, leading to hospitalization. The objective of this study is to investigate the factors associated with death and survival in patients hospitalized for rhinovirus in Brazil in 2022. This is a retrospective cohort study using data from the national surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2022 in Brazil, with all the norrifications. We analysed and compared clinical and epidemiological factors and outcomes between survivors and deaths in patients hospitalised for rhinovirus. The absolute and relative frequencies were calculated according to the states. Bivariate analysis was performed using chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test, while multivariate analysis was performed using COX regression. Out of 8,130 cases of SARS caused by rhinovirus, 291 (3.58%) resulted in death while 7839 (96.47%) patients survived. The factors associated with death were invasive ventilation (p- < 0.001 HR 4.888 CI 95% 3.816–6.262), bocavirus (p- < 0.001 HR 4.204 CI 95% 2.595–6.812), immunodepression/Immunosuppression (p- < 0.001 HR 2.417 CI 95% 1. 544–3, 786), COVID-19 (p- < 0.001 HR 2.167 CI 95% 1.495–3.142), chronic neurological diseases (p-0.007 HR 1.610 CI 95% 1.137–2.280), abdominal pain (p-0.005 HR 1.734 CI 95% 1.186–2.537), age (p- < 0.001 HR 1.038 CI 95% 1.034–1.042). The survival factors identified in this study were dyspnea (p = 0.005; HR 0.683; CI 95% 0.524–0.889), cough (p < 0.001; HR 0.603; CI 95% 0.472–0.769), and asthma (p = 0.052; HR 0.583; CI 95% 0.339–1.004). Additionally, the study found that receiving a COVID-19 booster dose was also a significant survival factor (p = 0.001; HR 0.570; CI 95% 0.415–0.784). The factors associated with death were similar to those in the literature, and the factors associated with survival were also similar, except for the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which we didn’t find in any studies. Our study is the first to associate the full course of the COVID-19 vaccine with survival in those hospitalized for rhinovirus, regardless of COVID-19 and rhinovirus co-detection.

Read the paper.

[todays-xkcd]

Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'

Cold Complaints [Explained]

[gwydionmisha]

The Costs Of Nursing A Common Cold Around The World, Mapped | Digg

There is no fool-proof prevention method or go-to strategy to get rid of common colds, and that's why we're often left with different over-the-counter options to choose from. Here's how those costs vary around the world.

[bpod-bpod]

Cold Damage

The common cold is, as the name suggests, a pervasive pest. Infection can damage cells of our respiratory system, leading to inflammation and further problems. To investigate how this damage occurs, a study looked at infection in the cells lining airways (pictured, with tiny hair structures of the airway in pink and a cold-causing human rhinovirus highlighted green). They discovered that in response to infection, cells launch into a temporary state of metabolism, characterised by high rates of glycolysis (a process of breaking down sugars). This behaviour helps the cells present a protective barrier against infection, but eventually wanes, allowing the virus to gain ground and cause damage. Artificially boosting glycolysis reinvigorated the cells’ protective spirit, restoring the barrier and combating disease progression. Targeting this molecular pathway could be a route for new treatments to rescue airways from the brink of dysfunction, and prevent severe infections worsening.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Aubrey N. Michi and colleagues

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature Communications, June 2021

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