Retraction: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: Lessons Learned from the Registrational Trials and Global Vaccination Campaign.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52876.].

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: Lessons Learned from the Registrational Trials and Global Vaccination Campaign.

Our understanding of COVID-19 vaccinations and their impact on health and mortality has evolved substantially since the first vaccine rollouts. Published reports from the original randomized phase 3 trials concluded that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could greatly reduce COVID-19 symptoms. In the interim, problems with the methods, execution, and reporting of these pivotal trials have emerged. Re-analysis of the Pfizer trial data identified statistically significant increases in serious adverse events (SAEs) in the vaccine group. Numerous SAEs were identified following the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), including death, cancer, cardiac events, and various autoimmune, hematological, reproductive, and neurological disorders. Furthermore, these products never underwent adequate safety and toxicological testing in accordance with previously established scientific standards. Among the other major topics addressed in this narrative review are the published analyses of serious harms to humans, quality control issues and process-related impurities, mechanisms underlying adverse events (AEs), the immunologic basis for vaccine inefficacy, and concerning mortality trends based on the registrational trial data. The risk-benefit imbalance substantiated by the evidence to date contraindicates further booster injections and suggests that, at a minimum, the mRNA injections should be removed from the childhood immunization program until proper safety and toxicological studies are conducted. Federal agency approval of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines on a blanket-coverage population-wide basis had no support from an honest assessment of all relevant registrational data and commensurate consideration of risks versus benefits. Given the extensive, well-documented SAEs and unacceptably high harm-to-reward ratio, we urge governments to endorse a global moratorium on the modified mRNA products until all relevant questions pertaining to causality, residual DNA, and aberrant protein production are answered.

Source identification with high-temporal resolution data from low-cost sensors using bivariate polar plots in urban areas of Ghana.

The emergence of low-cost sensors for atmospheric observations presents a new opportunity for identifying atmospheric emission sources based on high-resolution data reporting. Low-cost sensors have been widely assessed for use in source monitoring and identification of hotspots of key atmospheric species in advanced countries (e.g., for CO, NOx, CO2, SO2, O3, VOCs and PM (PM10, PM2.5 including emerging PM1). In contrast, research in recent years has focused on their utility for real-time monitoring, understanding precision and associated calibration requirements in technologically lagging environments. This leads to limited evidence on the utility of high-resolution data from low-cost sensor networks for air pollution source identification in Ghana and more widely across the African continent. In this paper, we demonstrate the potential of low-cost sensors for emission source apportionment in urban areas of Ghana when used with analytical tools such as sectoral and cluster analysis. With a 14-week dataset from a low-cost sensor deployment study at Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana, we aimed to identify sources of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). PM pollution was local (associated with increased PM at wind speeds of ≤2 m s-1). High levels of PM during this study were associated with transport from the NNE. For coarse PM, hourly levels as high as 125 µg m-3 were observed at higher wind speeds (7-8 m s-1) indicating the importance of meteorology in the transport of PM. This study suggests that low-cost sensors could be deployed to (1) augment any existing sparsely distributed air quality monitoring and (2) undertake air quality monitoring for source apportionment studies in areas with no existing air quality observational capability (with appropriate calibration and operation in both cases). The urban landscape monitored in this study is typical of both Ghana and wider areas across Sub-Saharan Africa demonstrating the reproducibility of this study.

Applicability of factory calibrated optical particle counters for high-density air quality monitoring networks in Ghana.

In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of using miniaturised optical particle counters (OPCs) for understanding AQ in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, the potential use of OPCs for high-density ground-based air pollution networks and the use of derived data for quantification of atmospheric emissions were investigated. Correlation and trend analysis for particulate matters (PM), including PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were undertaken on hourly basis alongside modelled meteorological parameters. Hourly averaged PM values were 500 µg/m3, 90 µg/m3 and 60 µg/m3 for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, respectively and Pearson's correlation coefficient ranged between 0.97 and 0.98. These levels are in the agreement with range of PM emission reported for these types of environmental settings. PM was locally associated with low wind speeds (<= 2 ms-1) and was closely linked to anthropogenic activities. This study provides a benchmark for future AQ and demonstrates the feasibility of the current generation of OPCs for AQ monitoring in environments typical of large parts of West and Sub Saharan Africa.

Sepsis: the applicability to dental care professionals.

This discussion paper gives an overview of current understanding around sepsis with the aim of raising awareness. NICE requires all healthcare professionals, including dental care professionals to be trained in identifying people who may have sepsis. Enhancing knowledge about sepsis will help the dental team to educate their patients about sepsis, recognise the pathognomonic warning signs and the need for rapid treatment. This paper describes the multiple missed opportunities to diagnose sepsis in a baby and it is hoped the impact of reading this from the mother's perspective will reduce the risk of this happening again.

BCOR regulates myeloid cell proliferation and differentiation.

BCOR is a component of a variant Polycomb group repressive complex 1 (PRC1). Recently, we and others reported recurrent somatic BCOR loss-of-function mutations in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). However, the role of BCOR in normal hematopoiesis is largely unknown. Here, we explored the function of BCOR in myeloid cells using myeloid murine models with Bcor conditional loss-of-function or overexpression alleles. Bcor mutant bone marrow cells showed significantly higher proliferation and differentiation rates with upregulated expression of Hox genes. Mutation of Bcor reduced protein levels of RING1B, an H2A ubiquitin ligase subunit of PRC1 family complexes and reduced H2AK119ub upstream of upregulated HoxA genes. Global RNA expression profiling in murine cells and AML patient samples with BCOR loss-of-function mutation suggested that loss of BCOR expression is associated with enhanced cell proliferation and myeloid differentiation. Our results strongly suggest that BCOR plays an indispensable role in hematopoiesis by inhibiting myeloid cell proliferation and differentiation and offer a mechanistic explanation for how BCOR regulates gene expression such as Hox genes.

Drug-associated arrhythmia in the military patient.

Members of the Armed Forces may be exposed to drugs, or combinations of drugs, with the potential to prolong the QRS or QT intervals. The effect of this is to increase the likelihood of developing dangerous ventricular tachyarrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes or ventricular fibrillation. Common examples of the pharmacological agents associated include antibiotics, antiemetics and antimalarials. Genetic predisposition, electrolyte disturbance, anaesthesia and trauma may exacerbate the proarrhythmic effect of these medications. Screening of recruits does not detect all those with a genetic predisposition to drug-associated arrhythmias, so vigilance in preventing this iatrogenic disorder and recognising and appropriately managing it when present is important. This article explains the physiological basis of arrhythmogenesis, outlines the clinical features and provides guidance on investigation and management, with particular reference to military patients.

Dyslipidaemia and the military patient.

Dyslipidaemias refer to abnormal levels of circulating lipids and high cholesterol and is related to cardiovascular death. This paper examines the types and prevalence of dyslipidaemia with specific reference to a military population and describes who to target in screening strategies used to detect people with abnormal lipid profiles. The diagnostic limits for a diagnosis of dyslipidaemia are explored. Finally, medical management of hyperlipidaemia is discussed and how this may affect military medical grading.

Abatement of an aircraft exhaust plume using aerodynamic baffles.

The exhaust jet from a departing commercial aircraft will eventually rise buoyantly away from the ground; given the high thrust/power (i.e., momentum/buoyancy) ratio of modern aero-engines, however, this is a slow process, perhaps requiring ∼ 1 min or more. Supported by theoretical and wind tunnel modeling, we have experimented with an array of aerodynamic baffles on the surface behind a set of turbofan engines of 124 kN thrust. Lidar and point sampler measurements show that, as long as the intervention takes place within the zone where the Coanda effect holds the jet to the surface (i.e., within about 70 m in this case), then quite modest surface-mounted baffles can rapidly lift the jet away from the ground. This is of potential benefit in abating both surface concentrations and jet blast downstream. There is also some modest acoustic benefit. By distributing the aerodynamic lift and drag across an array of baffles, each need only be a fraction of the height of a single blast fence.

A lightweight near-infrared spectrometer for the detection of trace atmospheric species.

This paper describes the development and deployment of a lightweight in situ near-infrared tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) for balloon-borne measurements of trace species such as methane in the upper troposphere and stratosphere. The key feature of the instrument design is its ability to provide high sensitivity measurements with better than 1 part in 10(6) Hz(-1/2) optical sensitivity in a lightweight package weighing as little as 6 kg, and maintaining this level of performance over the wide range of conditions experienced during field measurements. The absolute accuracy for methane measurements is approximately 10% limited by uncertainties in determining the gas temperature in the measurement volume. The high sensitivity and high temporal resolution (2.3 s measurement period) enables details of the fine-scale structure in the atmosphere to be measured. The TDLAS instrument has been used on a number of major international measurement campaigns. Intercomparison with other instruments during these campaigns have confirmed the comparability of the results from this instrument with measurements made by a range of other techniques, and demonstrated the instruments suitability for studies of atmospheric dynamics, transport, and mixing processes.