Prof Sheena Cruickshank

I do worry about said tournament

Oh no! Well dusk time near a body of water is prime time just now if you can get anywhere near a pond/lake

Help a toad across the road – and five more ways to save these endangered amphibians Britain’s toads have begun their spring migration, putting them at even greater risk than usual. Here’s how – and why – we should look after them

…Every year they do a spring migration which during which hundreds animals travel back to their original breeding ponds. Many get squished by cars on the way. If you see one do help it cross the road to the pond. More info below

Saw our first migrating toad of the season last night. Toads are fantastic for our gardens but are endangered. This won’t be helped by busy roads because… #ToadMigration

Ig Nobels to move awards to Europe due to concern over US travel visas Scientific awards – which honor research that makes people laugh and then think – to move away from ‘unsafe’ US

The Ig Nobel awards (for science that makes you laugh and think at the same time) have traditionally been given in the US but this year they are moving because of concerns about safety of winners and journalists from Trumps regime

Its a way off human trials and not clear whether substantively better than monoclonals as maybe the target of ab is not right however the approach is super cool and shows a new way that people can think about more targeted delivery of therapies with hopefully less toxicity.

Targeting amyloid-β pathology by chimeric antigen receptor astrocyte (CAR-A) therapy Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and is characterized by progressive amyloid accumulation followed by tau-mediated neurodegeneration. Despite advances in anti-amyloid immunoth...

They tested this in culture systems and in mouse models. It did appear to reduce plaques but less marked were impacts on behaviour

They called this system CAR-A, in which astrocytes were genetically engineered to express the anti-Aβ antibodies with a tag that could then be targeted for destruction by brain macrophages cells called microglia. This would be more targeted than using monoclonal therapy to target Aβ expressing cells

This new adaptation tests whether developing brain astrocytes expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) could be better at helping target and destroy beta amyloid plaques and prevent Alzheimers

Clinically Important Benefits and Harms of Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Amyloid for the Treatment of Alzheimer Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis PURPOSE We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate clinically meaningful benefits and harms of monoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid in patients with Alzheimer dementia. METHODS We searched PubMed, C...

Interesting new adaptation of CarT cell approach in which a patients T cells are modified to target cancer cells is being investigated for Alzheimers to try and remove the Aβ plaques. Monoclonals to target these plaques have had limited success/use due in large part to cost versus efficacy 🧵🧪

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Host metabolic integration enables superior polystyrene degradation in cockroaches Plastic pollution is a global crisis, with polystyrene (PS) among the most recalcitrant polymers owing to its stable aromatic structure and resistance…

cool but icky research showing a cockroach species can utilise plastic polymer in its diet. Suggestion is changes in microbiome enable this although the analysis was on a small group so more needed to be done The polymer was mixed into feed so its not quite the same as munching on landfill plastic 🧪

As controversial decisions mount, FDA shuns public advisory meetings The FDA is cutting back on public advisory committee meetings, even as the public and other stakeholders seek more transparency.

As controversial decisions mount, FDA shuns public advisory meetings. Drugmakers and advocates want more insight into agency’s decision-making under Trump. www.statnews.com/2026/03/09/f... via @statnews.com

Babies with COVID-19 develop more serious disease than those with RSV, US data reveal

Last year both RFKJr and Trump made unfounded claims in a White House briefing & social media that Tylenol (paracetamol) use in pregnancy was linked to the infant developing autism. Now early data suggests that there is a reduction in Tylenol use in pregnant women #HealthPolicy 🧵

Dad is vvvvvv happy right now

‘We were ready’: Democratic attorneys general lead fight to stop Trump As some elected leaders choose to play nice with the president, Democratic AGs have done the opposite – to impressive effect

Good to know that Democratic attorneys generals took the threat of project 2025 seriously and planned ahead

Sleeping cat with paw tucked over eyes

We have all felt like this #Caterday

Yup in my thread

For whatever reason people are influenced though by voices in power so please please do consider getting independent and proper medical or scientific advice because they are the ones who spent decades of their lives studying this stuff- not Trump and not RFKjr

RFK Jr tells Congress ‘people shouldn’t take medical advice from me’ Health secretary demurs on questions about vaccine stance and defends Republican plans to cut healthcare

I am not saying that avoiding Tylenol or using a folate carries the same risk but the point is that neither Trump nor RFKjr are medically qualified. Indeed RFKjr said ‘people shouldn’t take medical advice from me’

Mortality outcomes with hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in COVID-19 from an international collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials - Nature Communications Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been investigated as a potential treatment for Covid-19 in several clinical trials. Here the authors report a meta-analysis of published and unpublished trials,...

But his statements about the drug hydroxychloroquine as a covid treatment which was based on shaky research that was subsequently retracted as fraudulent. Use of this drug has been linked with thousands of deaths.

President Trump Suggests ‘Injecting’ Disinfectant as Coronavirus Cure | NBC New York YouTube video by NBC New York

Now cast your mind back to Trump when he was doing regular press conferences about covid… And no not the one where he displayed his *profound scientific skills * by suggesting we inject ourselves with bleach to tackle the virus causing covid….

Changes in paracetamol and leucovorin use after a White House briefing Changes in federal prescribing recommendations follow deliberate and transparent processes involving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists, which normally include input from stakeholders an...

FDA labels on the drug were then updated stating its potential for cerebral folate deficiency treatment. And guess what …… for these have increased

What is leucovorin, the drug the FDA approved to treat autism? This week the FDA approved the generic drug as a treatment for autism – a move that shocked health experts

RFKjr and Trump have also promoted leucovorin - vitamin b9 derivative- as a therapy that will benefit children with autism despite a lack of clear research linking folate deficiency in autism and therefore any benefits of supplementation!

What the current disinformation and discussions on vaccines, Tylenol (Paracetamol), autism could mean for us all. Disinformation and Disarray in American Health Policy Making

To be clear there is NO such risk of Tylenol use with pregnancy or in children and large studies have refuted these baseless claims finding no link between Tylenol and autism (summary below)

Babies with COVID-19 develop more serious disease than those with RSV, US data reveal

Last year both RFKJr and Trump made unfounded claims in a White House briefing & social media that Tylenol (paracetamol) use in pregnancy was linked to the infant developing autism. Now early data suggests that there is a reduction in Tylenol use in pregnant women #HealthPolicy 🧵

Babies with COVID-19 develop more serious disease than those with RSV, US data reveal

More data on the risks of covid (and RSV) on infants for severe disease and hospitalisation . Covid Vaccine in pregnancy can reduce this risk - however UK doesn’t offer this now nor does it offer infant vaccines unless they have a weakened immune system. I do hope this recommendation will change.

The State of US Vaccine Policy — Mar 5, 2026

Excellent round up of what is happening re vaccines in the states and how you can make your feelings known about the nomination of a surgeon general who is evasive about supporting vaccines

Expert meeting on US measles elimination status delayed to November A meeting of an international panel of experts that was set to review the United States' ​measles elimination status next month has been postponed until November, the Pan American ‌Health Organization...

The US was set to lose its measles free status but an intervention by HHS has delayed the discussion until AFTER midterms and action on this as they claim they need more time to look at data

Meanwhile the new nomination for surgeon general couldn’t bring herself to recommend measles vaccines or acknowledge no links between the vaccine and autism…