Quote above made me think of this famous quote,“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” Margaret Atwood I send my kids into the woods with both men and black bears on a regular basis (scouts). Safe scouting data and scouting history show that the men are more dangerous than the bears. (ETA:To clarify , my kids specifically have never had an issue with either, and their scout leaders are men I trust)

Not sure what was specifically meant by C.difficile exposure. If it helps, know that most of us are exposed regularly. Approx 3% of healthy adults are carriers (and 8-10% of hospitalized and longterm care residents) , and the spores last a very long time in the environment (months and months). So, anyone who touches things that others have touched is likely to have had regular exposure -- pretty much everyone.

EPIC SR review post from First10EM (EBM FOAM-Ed site)

Long-term outcome data is harder to evaluate and will take time. It will come. I mean, insurance doesn't generally pay for expensive meds that maybe might work for a particular indication but haven't been evaluated. Especially in a publicly-funded system, where costs and adverse-events on a population level can be huge. In non-pandemic-emergency conditions, I don't think that Paxlovid would ever have been approved in the first place. I agree wholeheartedly that more research into long-term sequelae is needed.

It's true though that doctors don't have to accept a previous doctor's diagnosis. They usually do; because starting from scratch every time would be inefficient and wasteful and completely impractical. But each doctor is responsible for their own assessment and disposition, and that includes scrutinizing past medical history. Differences of opinion are common. EMR's are famously full of errors, and erroneous diagnosis have a way of being sticky and persisting through copy-pasting by rushed clinicians. "Trust no-one, believe nothing, not even the EHR". It's also true that misuse and diversion of prescribed stimulants is common, especially on college campuses; this is supported by the literature. In a litigious environment like the US, MD's really are stuck with defensive practice. From the other side of the gurney: One of my most awful career moments was getting a call from a coroner asking me about a Rx for a controlled ADHD med that I had written for a pt with a reasonable, believable story. It had been diverted, with a fatal outcome. The reasonable-sounding story was a set-up, and I got caught. I am now a controlled-medication defensive hard-a$$.

Adding: I don't see any food safety concern if re-brewing within a day or two. It's damp leaves. No different than any other plain cooked vegetable regarding food safety risk. Also, preparation involves submersion in boiling water, further decreasing risk.

The second brewing will be less delicious and less caffeinated. I sometimes re-brew loose leaf tea, but not teabags. I don't have a logical reason for why.

TC5 here, since the fall. Thread: Which Speed Queen Do I Want? I've been happy with it. It's super fast, and quieter than my old toploader. Clothes are clean. Works just fine on my non-slab floor. Much better balanced than my old one. Only drawback: It's not as flexible as my old completely analog 1990's era Maytag toploader that I could start at any point in any cycle or switch to a different program mid-cycle, or repeat bits of cycles by cranking the mechanical dials (usually would do this mid-wash when I wanted to add another forgotten item, and could restart the cycle without draining and refilling). The SQ runs complete programs that can't really be switched on-the-fly. But that's not a big deal.

It absolutely will. CBC article from today: Who needs Paxlovid now? New guidelines suggest only highest-risk groups should get COVID drug; Recommendations for provincial drug plans feature narrower definition of who should qualify Source document: CADTH Reimbursement Recommendation Thought I'm don't think that's a bad thing. It's a very expensive drug. If it doesn't work (and the evidence suggests it doesn't for standard risk people), then it isn't a good use of public money to pay for it. That money could be put to better use elsewhere.

WHO is attempting to redefine terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air: getting rid of the old "droplet" vs "airborne" IPAC categories, and replacing them with new terminology based on how infectious particles actually behave, rather than based on particle size. Also an attempt to standardize terminology across academic disciplines. This is long overdue. WHO Global Technical Consultation Report on Proposed Terminology for Pathogens that Transmit Through the Air CBC News summary, with some context.

Indeed.

2. Steady speed in the right lane, on the slow side, but with the flow of traffic, passing when necessary. I try to find the balance between not speeding and not being the cause of turbulent traffic flow. Husband has evolved from 3 to 2. He knows that I regularly deal with injured people from MVC's (ranging from minor to dead) at work, and respects that.

Paxlovid news: EPIC-SR was finally published in NEJM. Negative outcome. I haven't combed through it yet.

Another eclipse tangent: Niagara Falls, Ontario, has declared a state of emergency. They anticipate a million visitors

I think that it's worth noting that mass psychogenic illness is a very real thing, with very real symptoms, and causes very real suffering. I'm not so quick to dismiss it.