Hwa Shi-Hsia (IPA: /xwa/ /ʂɚ/ /ɕja/)

General virology sifu, ELISA fundi, tuberculosis amateur. Academia/industry/gov vagabond. Opinions my own.
Malaysian🇲🇾 in 🇿🇦🇸🇬🇺🇸. She

[Hwa Shi-Hsia (IPA: /xwa/ /ʂɚ/ /ɕja/) @coolvirus]

I have followers who are colleagues and followers who are laypersons so if you think a tweet is too technical, it's not for you, and if you think it's oversimplified, it's also not for you.
#scicomms #outreach #sciencetwitter

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

So it’s bullshit to do this with GLP-1 agonists. For every person with a glowing review, there will be another who is miserable or even seriously hurt from taking these drugs for benefits promised by some influencer. Gastroparesis can cause bowel obstructions, which can be fatal.

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

I bring all this up because using these drugs for “microdosing” based on anecdotal stories and wellness or longevity influencers is not a good way to evaluate powerful drugs that are beneficial in many but difficult or dangerous for some.

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

I take Ozempic, a GLP-1 agonist, for weight loss. I lost 80 lbs. It has completely transformed my life and health, both physical & mental. But it is not without cost.

Microdosing without evidence is a bad idea. Here are a few reasons why👇🏻

https://t.co/4FLQ6gOVa1

[Kevin C. Klatt, PhD, RD @KCKlatt]

Starbucks - a purveyor of largely sugar-sweetened and creamy coffee beverages, baked goods, and sodium/refined grain-loaded sandwiches - has 'very clean foods' per the HHS secretary and he's asking him to get rid of canola oil..

History will look back on the misspent MAHA energy to impact chronic disease and see it as little more than industry friendly marketing with a dash of chemophobia

[Kevin Hall @KevinH_PhD]

“It’s frustrating to see the enormous political capital of the MAHA movement expended on actions like the proposed product formulation changes that have little chance of reducing prominent diet-related chronic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes,” Hall said in an email. “Sugary sodas will not become healthy options just because they are sweetened with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.”

[Ambassador Mike Huckabee @GovMikeHuckabee]

I have asked @Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death. There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old.

[Kevin Hall @KevinH_PhD]

After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health. My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology. Lately, I’ve focused on unravelling the reasons why diets high in ultra-processed food are linked to epidemic proportions of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Our research leads the world on this topic.

Given recent bipartisan goals to prevent diet-related chronic diseases, and new agency leadership professing to prioritize scientific investigation of ultra-processed foods, I had hoped to expand our research program with ambitious plans to more rapidly and efficiently determine how our food is likely making Americans chronically sick.

Unfortunately, recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where I can freely conduct unbiased science. Specifically, I experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about ultra-processed food addiction.

I was hoping this was an aberration. So, weeks ago I wrote to my agency’s leadership expressing my concerns and requested time to discuss these issues, but I never received a response. Without any reassurance there wouldn’t be continued censorship or meddling in our research, I felt compelled to accept early retirement to preserve health insurance for my family. (Resigning later in protest of any future meddling or censorship would result in losing that benefit.) Due to very tight deadlines to make this decision, I don’t yet have plans for my future career.

The NIH has been a wonderful place because it allows scientists to take risks, form unique collaborations, and do studies difficult to conduct elsewhere. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and I’m fortunate to have had such wonderful colleagues and scientific collaborators. I hope to someday return to government service and lead a research program that will continue to provide gold-standard science to make Americans healthy.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

i believe in getting rid of all undocumented immigrants in the US by putting them on a path to citizenship, presuming they are not violent criminals.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

smoking pot is a criminal offense in many states. overstaying a visa is a civil offense.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

This is untrue.

I see you're a luxury watch dealer. I'm also interested in watches. Let me show you how free and easy migration has allowed you to earn a living. 🧵

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

But I am saying that the system you see today was not around forever. And the specific US system is so convoluted and broken that it basically pushes good people into the undocumented status. Those people *want* to do things the right way, but law makes it difficult.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

In response to journalists’ questions, I emphasised that yesterday, Ukraine carried out a brilliant operation, planned and executed independently by our side. Ukraine is making it clear: we are not going to surrender, and we will not accept any ultimatums. But we do not want war. We do not want to show our strength, we are forced to, because the enemy refuses to stop.

And when we do show our strength, we do it justly, striking military targets. We show it not only to the Russian aggressors, but also to those of our allies who were once strong supporters but have started to waver.

Trust in Ukrainians, and belief in Ukraine, has been restored. I believe the outcome of this operation is a very strong one.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

When asked by journalists whether yesterday’s operation might enrage the Russians, I responded that just a day earlier, Russia had launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, over 480 drones and missiles. They struck civilian infrastructure, residential buildings. There were casualties, people killed and injured.

This happens every single day. Sometimes there’s a short pause, and to be honest, we now call it a “pause” if there’s just no one killed that night. But even then, drones still fly, and people still get wounded. These so-called pauses just mean fewer attacks than usual, but we’re still talking about dozens of drones and cruise missiles.

So no, no one cares whether Russia is angry. What matters is that Russia must move toward ending this war. And as a global community, we must all do what we can to stop them.

We are very much awaiting strong steps from the United States. We hope he will support sanctions and push Putin to stop this war, at least to take the first step toward ending it: a ceasefire. These are critical things. I believe that from the position of the U.S., we will be able to achieve this faster.

[Igor Sushko @igorsushko]

Kremlin assets and useful idiots complaining about Ukraine's destruction of Russia's strategic bombers was already stupidly cynical.
But this makes them look even more moronic:
The bombers were hours away from taking off to conduct the largest-ever missile attack on Ukraine

[Igor Sushko @igorsushko]

If Russia planned its largest missile attack on Ukraine for the night before the Istanbul talks, Operation Spiderweb's destruction of bombers hours before takeoff prevented devastating mass casualties among civilians and incalculable destruction of infrastructure across Ukraine.

[Hwa Shi-Hsia (IPA: /xwa/ /ʂɚ/ /ɕja/) @coolvirus]

@TwoDots who's the artist for this scavenger hunt map? It doesn't say on the bottom object bar.

[Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease MDPI @TropicalmedMDPI]

📢New Special Issue!

"Zoonotic Viruses and Global Health Impact"

Guest Editors: Dr. Jumari Snyman & Dr. Shi-Hsia Hwa
Submission Deadline: Feb 28, 2026
Submit Here: https://t.co/2jGSFpnv1z
Contribute to shaping a healthier future!

#ZoonoticViruses @JumariSnyman @coolvirus

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

So the idea that “wellness centers”, raw milk, & supplements could replace GLP-1 agonists for weight loss horrifies me. This is not making America healthy again. It is taking life-saving medication away from people & making them sicker. It hurts people mentally & physically.

[Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 @CyrilRamaphosa]

South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land.

The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution.

South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.

We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.

The US remains a key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa. With the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.

[Hwa Shi-Hsia (IPA: /xwa/ /ʂɚ/ /ɕja/) @coolvirus]

@ravenscimaven I heard some urban legend about a Chinese person giving their American friend some bakchang.
Came back next day "We liked the rice and meat but the vegetables were a little tough" "What vegetables?"
They ate the bamboo leaf wrappers https://t.co/1vmYlTu4RJ