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Study links even mild Covid-19 to changes in the brain

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Study links even mild Covid-19 to changes in the brain
The research, printed Monday within the journal Nature, is believed to be the biggest of its sort. It discovered that the brains of those that had Covid-19 had a better lack of grey matter and abnormalities within the mind tissue in contrast with those that did not have Covid-19. A lot of these modifications have been within the space of the mind associated to the sense of scent.

“We have been fairly shocked to see clear variations within the mind even with delicate an infection,” lead creator Gwenaëlle Douaud, an affiliate professor of neurosciences on the College of Oxford, informed CNN in an e-mail.

Douaud and her colleagues evaluated mind imaging from 401 individuals who had Covid-19 between March 2020 and April 2021, each earlier than an infection and a mean of 4½ months after an infection. They in contrast the outcomes with mind imaging of 384 uninfected folks related in age, socioeconomics and threat components equivalent to blood strain and weight problems. Of the 401 contaminated folks, 15 had been hospitalized.

The 785 individuals have been between the ages of 51 and 81 and have been all a part of the UK Biobank, an ongoing authorities well being database of 500,000 folks begun in 2012.

Douaud defined that it’s regular for folks to lose 0.2% to 0.3% of grey matter yearly within the memory-related areas of the mind as they age, however within the research analysis, individuals who had been contaminated with the coronavirus misplaced a further 0.2% to 2% of tissue in contrast with those that hadn’t been contaminated.

Along with imaging, the individuals have been examined for his or her government and cognitive perform utilizing the Path Making Take a look at, a instrument used to assist detect cognitive impairments related to dementia and take a look at an individual’s mind processing pace and performance. The researchers discovered that those that had the best mind tissue loss additionally carried out the worst on this examination.

Though the areas of the mind most affected look like associated to the olfactory system, Douaud stated it wasn’t clear why that was the case.

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“For the reason that irregular modifications we see within the contaminated individuals’ brains is likely to be partly associated to their lack of scent, it’s potential that recovering it’d result in these mind abnormalities changing into much less marked over time. Equally, it’s possible that the dangerous results of the virus (whether or not direct, or oblique through inflammatory or immune reactions) lower over time after an infection. One of the best ways to seek out out can be to scan these individuals once more in a single or two years’ time,” she stated.

Douaud added that the researchers anticipate reimaging and testing the individuals in a single or two years.

And whereas the research finds some affiliation between an infection and mind perform, it is nonetheless not clear why. Earlier research have proven folks with vital and repeated lack of scent even have an related lack of grey matter. Nevertheless, this research didn’t consider whether or not folks truly had a lack of scent.

The authors cautioned that the findings have been solely of a second in time however famous that they “elevate the likelihood that longer-term penalties of SARS-CoV-2 an infection may in time contribute to Alzheimer’s illness or different types of dementia.”

The findings have been noticeable, however they weren’t sufficient to trigger alarm, stated Dr. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist and director of the Florida Atlantic College Heart for Mind Well being. Isaacson was not concerned within the research.

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Isaacson stated the findings have been noticeable for clinicians, however he added that the general impression on people was troublesome to find out and might be small. “It is actually exhausting to know the long-term medical impression and high quality of life impression in a state of affairs like this,” he stated.

“The mind could also be affected by different mechanisms equivalent to immune, inflammatory, vascular or psychological/behavioral change however not direct an infection,” stated Dr. Alan Carson, a professor of neuropsychiatry on the Heart for Medical Mind Sciences on the College of Edinburgh, who was not concerned within the research.

“What this research virtually definitely exhibits is the impression, when it comes to neural modifications,” he stated. “However I do not assume it helps us perceive the mechanisms underpinning cognitive change after Covid an infection.”

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Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas attacks

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Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas attacks

This article is an on-site version of our The Week Ahead newsletter. Subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every Sunday. Explore all of our newsletters here

Hello and welcome to the working week.

It is going to be a difficult start to the next seven days for many as Israel marks the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks when more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and military leaders hit back and the conflict has escalated over the past 12 months.

But on Monday, people will stop to remember. Thousands of Israelis are expected to pay their respects at the Nova Music Festival memorial, the location of a rave where Hamas killed 364 and kidnapped 44 partygoers and staff a year ago. Others will travel to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where families and supporters have campaigned for the release of those taken. Memorials will be held in various communities that lost neighbours and relatives in the attacks, notably Kibbutz Be’eri, where more than 100 people were killed and 32 taken hostage.

On a more uplifting track, this week will bring rolling announcements on the winners of this year’s six Nobel Prizes. Given the war in the Middle East and beyond, interest in the Peace Prize, announced on Friday, is likely to be high.

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The corporate world takes up a lot of the news diary slack this week as we find ourselves deep in the earnings season. The big moment will be the Wall Street banks, which begin reporting on Friday. I’m not sure they will be mentioning this, but I’d recommend reading the excellent analysis of the rise of secretive trading firms such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities by US banking editor Joshua Franklin.

And then there is the long-awaited Robotaxi launch event by Tesla in Los Angeles on Thursday. What will they cost? When will they be ready to hit the streets? And does this mean Tesla owners can list their cars to be used for ride-hailing? All important questions.

Economic data is on the thin side this week, with US and German inflation figures and a UK monthly GDP estimate about the best of it. More details below.

One more thing . . . 

The matter of Parkrun is also a cause of division, but thank you to everyone who got in contact about it to share your passion for getting your running shoes on or about other group outdoor pursuits. Saturday will bring an outdoor event I could get into: The Peckham Conker Championships. Organisers are promising a 22-carat golden conker — I think it may be spray painted — but it does sound fun.

I’m interested in your priorities for the week ahead. Drop me a line at jonathan.moules@ft.com or, if you are reading this from your inbox, hit reply. And have a good week.

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Key economic and company reports

Here is a more complete list of what to expect in terms of company reports and economic data this week.

Monday

  • Germany: August manufacturing, new orders and sales index

  • UK: Halifax House Price Index

  • Results: Ferrexpo Q3 production report, Grainger trading statement, Repsol trading statement, Shell Q3 quarterly update

Tuesday

  • October Prime Day, a global ecommerce shopping event by Amazon, offering deals to its Prime members in 19 countries

  • Germany: August industrial production index

  • UK: British Retail Consortium-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor

  • Results: Imperial Brands pre-close trading update, OMV Q3 trading update, PepsiCo Q3, S&U HY, Unite Group trading update, XP Power Q3 trading update

Wednesday

  • Witan Investment Trust hold a second general meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed winding-up of the company and combination with Alliance Trust. If approved, the deal is expected to complete shortly after the meeting by means of a voluntary liquidation of the company and combination of the two companies to create Alliance Witan

  • US: Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes published

  • Results: CMC Markets HY pre-close trading update, Marston’s trading update

Thursday

  • Tesla due to unveil its Robotaxi, a launch event postponed, according to post on X (formerly Twitter) by chief executive Elon Musk, because of a design change

  • UK: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Residential Market Survey

  • US: September consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate data

  • Results: Delta Air Lines Q3, Domino’s Pizza Q3, Fast Retailing FY, Liontrust Asset Management HY trading update, Seven & i Holdings Q2, Tata Consultancy Services Q2, Treatt FY trading update, Volution Group FY

Friday

  • Germany: final September CPI and Harmonized Consumer Price Index inflation rate measures

  • UK: August GDP estimate

  • US: September producer price index (PPI) inflation rate data. Plus, University of Michigan consumer sentiment index

  • Results: Bank of New York Mellon Q3, BlackRock Q3, Hays Q1 trading update, JPMorgan Chase Q3, Jupiter Fund Management Q3 trading update, Wells Fargo Q3

World events

Finally, here is a rundown of other events and milestones this week.

Monday

  • Israel: first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel that caused more than 1,200 deaths with hundreds taken hostage

  • Laos: Asean Business and Investment Summit bringing together more than 1,000 CEOs and senior executives with world leaders begins, running alongside the Asean Summit

  • Philippines: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol meets President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for bilateral talks in Manila. The two are expected to sign an agreement and issue joint statements after the meeting

  • Sweden: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced, the first of several science prizes that will be given out over the coming todays. Tomorrow is physics, followed by chemistry on Wednesday

Tuesday

  • Luxembourg: Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) meeting of EU finance ministers.

  • UK: Alexander Darwall and his wife Diana Darwall bring an appeal against the decision of the UK Court of Appeal that the Dartmoor National Park Authority can allow wild camping in the national park. The Darwalls own the 4,000-acre Blachford Estate in Dartmoor and previously won a High Court case ruling that there was no right to wild camp on Dartmoor without the landowner’s permission. The Court of Appeal overturned that decision

  • US: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump participates in a town hall presented by Spanish-language network Univision

Wednesday

  • 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union under the Treaty of Bern, which unified a complex maze of postal services and regulations into a single postal territory and allowed for the growth of global post deliveries

  • Mozambique: presidential and parliamentary elections

  • UK: Conservative MPs start voting to determine the final two candidates vying to become the party’s next leader, after Rishi Sunak announced his resignation in the wake of the party’s heavy general election defeat. The outcome is announced tomorrow. Party members will then vote on these two options

Thursday

  • World Mental Health Day, raising public awareness about mental health issues

  • Sweden: Nobel Prize for Literature announced

  • UK: Unleashed, a memoir of former prime minister Boris Johnson, is published. The pre-publication publicity promises revelations on campaigning for Brexit, how he nearly died from Covid-19, bikes, buses and the London Olympics

  • US: President Joe Biden begins trip to Germany and Angola

  • US: Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris participates in a town hall presented by Spanish-language network Univision

Friday

  • Greece: government due to present a revised national climate plan, with more ambitious targets for the share of renewable power in its electricity mix and lower carbon emissions

  • Sweden: Nobel Peace Prize winner announced

Saturday

  • Spain: National Day, aka Dia de la Hispanidad, commemorating the day in 1492 when Christopher Columbus caught sight of the New World. Includes annual military parade in Madrid

  • UK: Peckham’s annual conker championship returns

Sunday

  • China: publishes September CPI and PPI inflation rate figures

  • Lithuania: parliamentary elections

  • UK: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s first 100 days in office

  • US: John Donahoe retires as Nike president and chief executive. Elliott Hill succeeds him tomorrow

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In Queens, N.Y., an immigrant street vendor is forced to confront crippling shyness

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In Queens, N.Y., an immigrant street vendor is forced to confront crippling shyness

Luis Beltran sells ice cream at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.

Wendy Correa for NPR


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Wendy Correa for NPR

When we met, Luis Beltran was standing in a crowd, looking a little shell-shocked, holding an ice cream.

“People in the city can be so rude,” he said.

It was still summer, and we were in the middle of one of the largest parks in New York City: Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. As the heat winds down, NPR has been interviewing parkgoers about life as recently arrived immigrants.

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This park is a great place to hear all kinds of stories. Queens is traditionally a hub for immigrants from all parts of the world, and thousands of people come here every weekend. On that summer day, there was live music, and food vendors selling goodies at the top of their lungs. Which is exactly what Beltran was trying to do for the first time: sell some ice cream.

But when he got there, he froze. (No pun intended.)

The thing is, Beltran is very shy.

“Especially around women,” he said, laughing and looking down. Beltran is 23 years old. He’s short and stocky, a handsome guy.

Originally from Ecuador, he left home about a year ago. He says he paid a coyote, a guide to migrants, to bring him up through Central America and Mexico, all the way to the U.S. border. It cost about $20,000.

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This is not an uncommon fee for that journey: Migrants often sell everything they own and get deep in debt to pay for the trek north. Coming to the U.S. is expensive,” said Beltran.

Beltran is among the more than 200,000 migrants who have arrived in New York City since 2022, according to local government. Like many of them, although he is in the immigration system, he doesn’t have work authorization. This is a problem because he owes money to that coyote, who knows where his family lives.

La deuda, the debt, is a frequent topic of conversation among recently arrived immigrant communities.

“I think about how to pay la deuda,” Beltran said.

He got a job in construction. Then one day, he picked up a book called Atomic Habits, by James Clear. “It teaches you how to take more risks, be more open, be more of a businessman. Challenge yourself.”

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Beltran finished the book and decided to come to the park and sell ice cream. Specifically, helados de salcedo, an Ecuadorian-style popsicle.

But when he got here this morning, he got nervous.

When we met, he was just standing there quietly, a now-dripping ice cream cone in hand, as if holding a white surrender flag.

He said he was thinking about his aunt. When he was a kid, he used to sell flowers with her on the street. He was already very shy back then, and one day she told him: “Luis, you can’t afford to be shy.”

So he says this morning when he got to the park, he came up with a mantra: “Send money to cancel the debt. Cancel the debt. Cancel the debt. Keep going. Keep fighting.”

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Beltran’s eyes light up a little as he says it aloud. He takes a deep breath and yells:

Helados de lado de salcedo, helados de sabores, helados, helados, helados no se quede con las ganas. (Salcedo ice cream! All kinds of flavors! Ice cream! Don’t hesitate to get yours!)”

As he shouts it, he smiles for the first time since we met.

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Video: The Fight for Rural America

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Video: The Fight for Rural America

One in five Americans identifies as rural, and since the 1960s, their votes have become increasingly Republican. Astead W. Herndon, a politics reporter and the host of the New York Times podcast “The Run-Up,” examines how Republicans expanded their rural advantage to historic levels and whether Democrats can remain competitive.

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