Why I Love To Blog -- I End Up Going Where I Had Not Expected To Go -- October 3, 2023

Locator: 45635THEMOVIEWORLD.

Disclaimer: in a long note like this there will be typographical and content errors. This note is meant to be factual but personal observations are included and may not be easily discernible as such. I've tried to avoid dangling participles and ending sentences with prepositions as much as possible, although the latter concern is so overwhelmingly rejected it should no longer require a disclaimer.

Updates 

October 4, 2023: in the original post I mentioned Nobel's "three-person problem." Interestingly enough, the four individuals for whom most credit is given for advancing mRNA technology, were all recognized by the Novo Nordisk Foundation which awarded them the Novo Nordisk Prize. Link here.

Original Post

See this note from earlier this week re: Nobel Prize in Medicine. Either something was missing or I was missing something.

This is an interesting story. Only three people can be honored for any specific Nobel Prize. Only three people. And yet, one could argue there were four that were in that mRNA group -- two women, two men; the group of four were divided into two couples, a man and a woman each.

It was probably an easy decision for the committee but the issue probably generated a fair bit of discussion.

But before we get to that, this is perhaps one of the better articles on the announcement and the background. Note the citations at the end of the article. 

In a nutshell. The winners of the Nobel Prize were researchers working in separate buildings at "Penn" who just happened to meet at a copying machine and struck up a conversation. One was working on mRNA research; the other on vaccines. A light bulb went on.

They published their findings. 

A year or so later, a Turkish husband/wife team in Germany came across that research [I am unable to "guess" exactly what article in which journal] and just happened to present to Bill and Melinda Gates their own vaccine research which was pretty much unrelated to what the "Penn" folks were doing.

Bill Gates asked if the "Turkish-German" research could benefit from the "Penn" research.

The rest is history. 

The “Turkish-German" researchers formed a company and developed "the" vaccine.

Subsequently, they hired the "Penn" researchers as their chief scientists.

The prize was for mRNA research, not Covid-19 research. That's why the prize went to the "Penn" researchers. Had the prize gone for Covid-19, there would have been the three-person problem. 

Be that as it may, the Nobel selection committee id the right thing ... it was the research that was important and worthy of the prize, not the company that developed a vaccine that came later.

When one reads the history of this entire saga, it will go down as one of the most interesting medical stories, rivaling almost any other research story. Coincidence and serendipity abound. Persistence, tenacity. Discrimination. It just doesn't quit. 

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mRNA

In perspective:

• late 1700s (specifically 1796): first vaccine; cowpox; 
• considered by reputable scientists at the time to be fake science;
  
• late 1920s, penicillin, bacterial infections defeated (and prevented):
• scarlet fever, puerperal fever, both with high mortality rates
• scarlet fever: major global epidemics in the 17th and 18th century; high mortality rates
• puerperal fever: #1 cause of death related to childbirth; 
• cause of death considered by reputable physicians to be fake science;
• physicians resisted hand-washing between patients to stop disease; thought it fake science;
• sort of like masks and distancing in other epidemics
  
• late 1980s (specifically, 1975 / 1986, monoclonal antibody research / licensing
• completely missed by the general population
• today: the medications most advertised during network news: monoclonal antibodies;
  
• early 2000s, mRNA, broad infection and cancer research;
• mRNA research / early vaccine develoopment: considered by reputable airheads to be fake science
  
• late 2030s, 99% of all Americans will have been treated or vaccinated with at least one mRNA-derived medication, including 99.99% folks who swear that mRNA is the work of the devil
• pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, small cell lung cancer, and Paget's disease will all be cured / prevented / mitigated / targeted by mRNA vaccines / medications

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The Nobel Prize for Medicine, 2023

Link here.

An incredibly good article. 

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Asteroid City

The first post-Covid 19 movie. 

With regard to Covid-19 and the government's response, as well as the attitude of Americans during the lock down -- this movie was incredible on so many levels.

‘Wee bee sheep.”

One must remember, the production and filming occurred during the Covid-19 lockdown and the cast and crew, while filming, were "in the bubble." This was art imitating life imitating art imitating life.

For those who are unable to understand the "Griddle Scene" in the movie.

From the Mayo Clinic:

Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of harming your own body on purpose, such as by cutting or burning yourself. It's usually not meant as a suicide attempt.

This type of self-injury is a harmful way to cope with emotional pain, sadness, anger and stress.

While self-injury may bring a brief sense of calm and a release of physical and emotional tension, it's usually followed by guilt and shame and the return of painful emotions. Life-threatening injuries are usually not intended, but it's possible that more-serious and even fatal self-harm could happen.