The Cowling Flux of Season and the Effects of atopic dermatitis on Anisotropic Respiratory Infections

Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, is not surprised by the wave of illness. “This is a typical ‘winter surge’ in acute respiratory infections,” he says. The increase in population susceptibility to respiratory infections is what is causing it to happen earlier this year.

The ends of certain sensory nerves in the skin are home to Staphylococcus aerosols that release itch-inducing yeast called V8. The microorganisms form part of humans’ normal microbiome, but can also cause infections. There are people with atopic dermatitis who are prone to having certain kinds ofbacteria. In experiments with S. aureus-infected mice, a medication that blocks nerve cells from interacting with V8 made the animals less itchy. “Hopefully, this understanding will translate into new treatment options helping to tackle the misery of itch and eczema,” says dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

Emerging respiratory illnesses are not immune to the waves of lockdown exit in China, according to M. Balloux, a computational biologist and chemist

Physicists have demonstrated that two cavities carved into the side of a channel can totally dissipate the energy of incoming waves. Researchers succeeded in achieving “perfect absorption” in the model set-up where the waves were completely canceled out as they bounced off the walls. The finding raises the possibility of designing structures to protect coastlines.

Barriers are created for the disabled and chronically ill in areas that are thoughtlessly accessible. There are not enough flexible work options and part-time career opportunities. Three chemists advise on how companies and institutions can do better — including by asking those who have left the profession to give their input on what went wrong.

Uncertainty — that “uneasy sense of not-knowing” — offers an unsung opportunity to develop cognitive skills such as curiosity, adaptability and resilience, says science writer Maggie Jackson. Rather than looking for comfort in undeserving situations, we would do better to embrace them. Jackson explains that as we confront something new and powerful neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine increase the mind’s receptivity to new data, fire up cognitive circuits that control focus and prime brain regions to engage in information-sharing.

The WHO requested information, including laboratory results and data on recent trends in the spread of respiratory illnesses, from China’s health authorities last week. The Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases is run by the International Society for infectious diseases, and it has been highlighted in reports about clusters of unrecognized pneumonia.

Nationwide lockdowns and other measures implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 prevented seasonal pathogens from circulating, giving people less opportunity to build up immunity against these microorganisms, a phenomenon known as ‘immunity debt’, said Francois Balloux, a computational biologist at University College London, in a statement to the UK Science Media Centre. It was anticipated that the waves of ‘lockdown exit’ in China would be substantial since it was more than any other country.

Although pneumonia caused by the bacterium is usually treated with antibiotics known as macrolides, an overreliance on these drugs has led to the pathogen developing resistance. Studies show that resistance rates of M. pneumoniae to macrolides in Beijing are between 70% and 90%1. This year has seen a high amount of hospitalizations from M. pneumoniae because of the resistance that it can cause.

It is important to keep an eye on any infections that may be caused by known pathogens, even if the infections are not caused by them. She thinks we can be a bit cautious in the situation we are in.