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Tuesday, January 7, 2025

China's Uptick In Respiratory Illness Sparks Concerns From Neighbors

 by Zhang Ting and Cindy Li via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A recent surge in respiratory infections in China has drawn attention from neighboring countries and regions, with the Chinese public expressing concerns about the severity of the new outbreak amid ongoing distrust of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) health reporting post-COVID.

A woman wearing mask passes by mannequin heads wearing masks in a hat shop in Beijing on Sept. 9, 2022. Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

Official data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dated to the last week of 2024, reported that multiple flu-like illnesses are currently on the rise in China. The primary pathogens reported in outpatients and emergency wards were influenza, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and rhinoviruses. Severe acute respiratory infections were attributed to influenza viruses, mycoplasma pneumoniae, and HMPV.

The report noted that HMPV, a lesser-known common winter respiratory disease, has caused many children under 14 in China’s northern provinces to fall ill. Cases of HMPV surged the most in the past week to become the second most prevalent cause of respiratory infections in China’s north after influenza.

Since HMPV was first detected by Dutch researchers in 2001, it has been found worldwide. Common symptoms are similar to those of influenza, including cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, which are signs of upper respiratory tract infections.

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The virus can also lead to complications such as bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, asthma, or ear infections. Severe infections may result in serious lower respiratory tract infections.

According to the world-renowned medical institution the Cleveland Clinic, young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are at high risk for severe HMPV infections.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has downplayed the concern among the populace about respiratory illness, attributing the increase in cases to a winter peak of respiratory infections.

At present, the scale and intensity of the epidemic are lower than last year,” she said in a regular press conference on Jan. 3.

“What I can tell you is that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the health of the Chinese people and foreign citizens in China, and traveling to China is safe.”

Treatment for HMPV mainly focuses on symptom management. Most HMPV patients can manage symptoms at home until they feel better, while those with severe symptoms may require hospitalization.

The increasing cases of HMPV, a respiratory virus that has symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, are causing concern among the Chinese populace, who are wary of the transparency and accuracy of the CCP’s public health information following significant coverups in the COVID-19 pandemic. Claims of overcrowded hospitals on Chinese social media have also sparked widespread concern.

Neighbors Say They’re Monitoring Situation

The reports of overwhelmed Chinese hospitals and crematoriums have put authorities of neighboring countries and regions on alert for potential developments of public concern.

The Macau Health Bureau stated on Dec. 26, 2024, that it has been closely monitoring the spread of HMVP in mainland China and has urged local residents to strengthen preventive measures.

In Taiwan, Tseng Shu-Hui, deputy director-general of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told local media on Dec. 25, 2024, that related cases of HMPV have already spread and been detected on the island. Taiwan’s CDC will continue to monitor the situation and will provide timely updates if any abnormalities are found, she said.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health stated on Jan. 5 that it has prepared a brief report on the reported cases of HMPV infection in China. The department said it contacted the WHO’s office in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the representative office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention under the International Health Regulations, and was told that, as of now, the WHO has not received any official information from China regarding its HMPV caseload.

Malaysia reported 327 known HMPV cases in 2024. The Malaysian health ministry has urged the public to stay alert.

“The public is advised to proactively take care of their health and prevent infection to others, especially in enclosed and crowded areas,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times. “This includes those planning to travel to countries at risk.”

Datuk Amar Sim Kui Hian, the minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government in Sarawak, a state of Malaysia, reminded the public that while the WHO had not classified HMPV as an international public health emergency, “we must not let our guard down.”

The experience with COVID-19 has taught everyone how to cope with viruses, he told local media on Jan. 5.

Frequent hand washing, wearing masks, and maintaining good personal hygiene are key to preventing the spread of viruses.

India convened a joint monitoring group meeting in response to the rising cases of respiratory illnesses reported in China over the past few weeks.

Indian authorities said the government is “well-prepared” to handle respiratory illnesses and that its surveillance shows no unusual surge so far.

“Union Health Ministry is closely monitoring the situation in China through all available channels and the WHO has been requested to share timely updates regarding the situation,” read a Jan. 5 post by the country’s Ministry of Health on social media platform X.

WHO Demands China’s COVID Data

This round of winter respiratory illness in China marks the five-year anniversary of the emergence of COVID-19, with the WHO recently renewing its unfulfilled requests for China to share access to data to help determine the origins of COVID-19.

“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19,” reads a WHO statement on Dec. 30, 2024.

This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”

In December 2019, the first case of COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s initial concealment of the outbreak, including the silencing of doctors and citizen reporters, was followed by the rapid spread of the virus, evolving into a global pandemic that caused a significant number of deaths, as previously reported by The Epoch Times.

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/chinas-uptick-respiratory-illness-sparks-concerns-neighbors

HCA offers lifeline to Catholic system on 'brink of bankruptcy'

 Manchester, N.H.-based Catholic Medical Center was reported to be on "the brink of bankruptcy" before New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella approved its $110 million acquisition by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare on Jan. 6.

Here are 6 things to know: 

1. CMC and an HCA subsidiary signed an asset purchase agreement in early July, and Mr. Formella's office began the regulatory review of the acquisition. The review was extended in late December to Jan. 9 before it was approved on Jan. 6. The transaction is anticipated to wrap up in the coming weeks. 

2. The state's director of charitable trusts Jan. 6 report said that CMC's decision to sell the hospital was "largely the result of financial distress that has brought CMC to the brink of bankruptcy."

3. CMC reported a $45.6 million operating loss in fiscal 2023 and has projected losses of $41.5 million in fiscal 2024. CMS' debt is around $160 million, and operating cash losses have nearly triggered debt clauses that could force immediate repayment and risk bankruptcy. The system, which cut 142 positions in April 2024, has also been unable to affiliate with other organizations. 

4. HCA will assume ownership of "nearly all" of CMC's assets, including its 330-bed acute-care hospital and related healthcare services, under the acquisition, according to a Jan. 6 New Hampshire Department of Justice news release.

5. HCA will also commit $200 million to strengthening New Hampshire's healthcare infrastructure, including providing 10 designated receiving facility beds at its state hospitals within two years of the transaction closing. HCA will determine in its discretion what to do with the beds.  It will contribute $2 million to local community health initiatives in the next three years, which includes at least $300,000 in annual payments to Poisson Dental Clinic and Healthcare for the Homeless.

6. Other key terms of the acquisition include HCA providing critical healthcare services like emergency behavioral health and pregnancy care for at least 10 years after the acquisition. Data reporting requirements and safeguards against anti-competitive practices are also included to protect consumers and maintain transparency.

"It [the acquisition] ensures access to high-quality care close to home, preserves our Catholic mission and positions CMC to grow and adapt to the evolving needs of our patients," Tim Riley, chair of CMC's board of trustees, said in a Jan. 6 news release. "We are confident this decision will strengthen healthcare throughout the region for years to come."


https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hca-offers-lifeline-to-catholic-system-on-brink-of-bankruptcy-6-things-to-know.html

Philadelphia hospital physicians vote to decline union

 Resident physicians and fellows at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have voted against joining the Committee of Interns and Residents, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union.

Of 499 eligible voters, 373 cast ballots in late December, according to the National Labor Relations Board. The physicians voted 195-178 against.

Following the outcome, a CHOP spokesperson expressed gratitude for the resident physicians and fellows.

"We firmly believe the best employee experience is achieved by direct, two-way communication and collaboration," the spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We will continue to partner with our residents and fellows to find ways to improve or strengthen that experience."

The spokesperson added: "They, along with the rest of our workforce, make it possible for CHOP to provide the very best care to our patients and families — and we are very grateful for their contributions. We remain committed to developing positive and productive relationships with all of our workforce members regardless of union status."

Natalie LaBossier, MD, a pediatrics resident physician at CHOP, also shared a statement with Becker's.

"It was a tough election, but we are a resilient group and remain proud of the work we did," Dr. LaBossier said.

"We certainly plan to continue our work at CHOP, and our focus right now is looking forward and supporting the residents and fellows across Philadelphia in their union elections. We know that a union contract is the best way to ensure that our healthcare system prioritizes physician and patient well-being."

The election took place about a month after more than 3,000 resident physicians and fellows from Philadelphia-based Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, Jefferson Health, and Jefferson's Einstein Healthcare Network announced unionization efforts. Residents at Temple, Jefferson and Jefferson's Einstein have not yet voted on whether to unionize. 

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hr/philadelphia-hospital-physicians-vote-to-decline-union.html

10 Most Impressive Day One Reveals At CES 2025, Includes Jumping Hypercar

 The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, the world's biggest tech show, officially began on Monday. 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang kicked off the week by unveiling the latest products designed to advance gaming, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and agentic AI (key takeaways here). 

Along with Nvidia's new AI products, here are the ten most impressive unveils at CES 2025 so far (courtesy of Rowan Cheung):

A 360° AI-powered body scanning health mirror that can scan your heart, weight, and metabolic health

Roborock's Saros Z70: A robotic vacuum that has a mechanical arm for picking up objects in the way of cleaning the floor

Halliday Glasses: Smart glasses with a 3.5-inch internal monochrome display

Project DIGITS by NVIDIA: A $3000 personal supercomputer that's 1,000x the power of an average laptop

BYD's supercar, Yangwang U9, jumping 6 meters forward (over potholes)

A pen with three cameras at the tip that turns any surface of the world into a canvas with notes synced and recorded to your phone

NVIDIA Cosmos: An open source, open weight Video World Model designed for the upcoming age of robotics source

Portalgraph: A 3D projector that projects VR space into the real world

Samsung Vision AI TVs that come with real-time translation, the ability to adapt to user preferences, AI upscaling, and instant content summaries

NVIDIA GB200 NVL2: A datacenter superchip with 72 Blackwell GPUs, 1.4 exaFLOPS, and 130 transistors

This is only day one. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/10-most-impressive-day-one-reveals-ces-2025-includes-jumping-hypercar

Sana Positive Results in Type 1 Diabetes Study of Islet Cell Transplant Without Immunosuppression

 First-in-Human Study Provides Evidence that Sana’s Hypoimmune (HIP) Technology Enables Transplanted Islet Cells to Avoid Immune Rejection and Produce Insulin Without Immunosuppression

Results Demonstrate HIP-Engineered Primary Pancreatic Islet Cells Avoid Immune Detection, Function, and Persist after Intramuscular Transplantation in First Treated Patient with Type 1 Diabetes

Function and Persistence of Pancreatic Islets Were Detectable by Production of Consistent Levels of Circulating C-Peptide, a Marker of Insulin Production, and Increased C-Peptide Levels with a Mixed Meal Tolerance Test (MMTT)

MRI Shows Signals Consistent with Graft Survival 28 Days after Transplantation

Study Continues to Evaluate Safety, Persistence, and Function of Transplanted Cells

Conference Call to be Webcast at 1:30pm PT

Sana will host a webcast conference call to discuss results today, January 7, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. PT. The live webcast and audio archive of the presentation will be accessible on the Investor Relations page of Sana’s website at https://sana.com/. The call can be accessed by dialing (877)-346-6112 (domestic) or (848)-280-6350 (international) and referring to conference ID 9582416.

Precision medicine biotech Maze Therapeutics files for a $100 million IPO

 Maze Therapeutics, a Phase 2 biotech developing precision small molecule therapies for kidney disease and other indications, filed on Tuesday with the SEC to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering.


Maze Therapeutics is developing novel, small molecule precision medicines for patients living with renal, cardiovascular, and related metabolic diseases, including obesity. The company is advancing a pipeline using its Compass platform, which allows it to identify and characterize genetic variants in disease and then link those variants to the biological pathways that drive disease in specific patient groups. Its most advanced lead program, MZE829, is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) for the treatment of patients with APOL1 kidney disease. Maze reported results for its Phase 1 trial of MZE829 in October 2024, which showed that treatment was well tolerated, and initiated a Phase 2 trial in November 2024. It expects to dose its first patient in the 1Q25, with proof of concept data expected in the 1Q26.

The South San Francisco, CA-based company was founded in 2017 and booked $168 million in license revenue for the 12 months ended September 30, 2024. It plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol MAZE. Maze Therapeutics filed confidentially on June 21, 2024. J.P. Morgan, TD Cowen, Leerink Partners, and Guggenheim Securities are the joint bookrunners on the deal. No pricing terms were disclosed.

FBI asked ‘travel lookout’ records for Jabbar before deadly New Orleans attack: GOP reps

The FBI appears to have requested travel records on Shamsud-Din Jabbar the day before he killed 14 people in New Orleans, according to two House Republicans, despite the bureau previously telling lawmakers the ISIS-inspired maniac was not on a terror watchlist.


Reps. Mark Green and August Pfluger revealed in a Tuesday letter that the House Homeland Security Committee recently learned about the FBI’s possible effort to monitor Jabbar’s travel starting on Dec. 31 — hours before he mowed down dozens of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street.

“It is unclear to the Committee at this time whether the creation of the travel record was a technical error in the system or was set as a one-year tracking period starting from the night before the terrorist attack to December 31, 2025,” the lawmakers wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

An FBI spokesperson told The Post in response: “The FBI was not aware of Jabbar prior to the New Year’s Day attack and did not issue any advance warnings about him. The FBI will continue to keep Congress and the public informed as the investigation progresses.”

Jabbar — who proclaimed his allegiance to ISIS in chilling Facebook posts early on Jan. 1 and displayed a caliphate flag on the truck that he drove into the crowd of bystanders — visited the Big Easy before the attack: once on October 30 for at least two days, and a second time on Nov. 10.
On Sunday, the FBI released footage that Jabbar wore Meta smart glasses during one of those scouting trips.

The 42-year-old Houston resident had also traveled to Egypt for a week and a half starting on June 22, 2023, and separately, to Ontario, Canada, in July of that year, according to the FBI.

The last visit was just three years after Jabbar had left the Army, where he served for more than a decade as an active-duty IT specialist, stationed briefly in Afghanistan, before working as a reservist and retiring at the rank of staff sergeant.
“The Committee recognizes that law enforcement officials commonly create tracking records for suspects, whether alive or deceased, including travel monitoring records,” noted Green, who chairs the Homeland panel, and Pfluger, who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on counterterrorism, law enforcement, and intelligence.

“These records are often used after an attack to confirm the suspect’s identity or uncover possible associates, particularly when a deceased suspect’s identity is not yet fully verified or when there is a possibility of additional individuals being involved.”

An FBI spokesperson previously told The Post that the bureau “did not receive any tips or other information about Jabbar prior to the attack in New Orleans.”
House and Senate lawmakers were also briefed by the FBI assistant director in the counterterrorism division, David Scott, on Jan. 2 of the terror suspect’s absence from federal watchlists and other monitoring systems.

The Republican lawmakers in their letter demanded all federal records about Jabbar’s travel in the FBI or Department of Homeland Security’s possession to assist in their investigation of the deadly New Year’s attack.

They also asked for information about the “explosive compounds” that the jihadist wired to a remote transmitter — and may have “never used before in the United States or Europe.”

The explosives, found both in coolers in the vehicle and hidden around the French Quarter, were never detonated because police shot and killed Jabbar before he pulled the trigger on the transmitter.

The GOPers further asked for potential “intelligence reports from a foreign government” about Jabbar that may have been shared with the US as well as “what the FBI has learned from the exploitation of the three cell phones recovered” from an Airbnb on Mandeville Street in New Orleans linked to him.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/07/us-news/fbi-requested-travel-lookout-records-for-shamsud-din-jabbar-before-new-orleans-terror-attack-gop-reps/