Dustin Smith

American in Japan,
English OK/日本語を勉強しています

[Harry Spoelstra @HarrySpoelstra]

The long-term cardiovascular risks of SARSCoV2 infection and reinfections

Your heart is under silent, cumulative attack from SARSCoV2, and every reinfection can reload/worsen the damage.

Here a personal recap of 10 important studies from the last 2 years showing exactly how this virus and its reinfections can/may shape (and shorten) your cardiovascular future.

Evidence is clear, long-term, and growing.

Print and show your Cardiologist.

Let’s connect the dots…

1. Immunothrombosis multi-omics study:
3 months after hospitalisation, long COVID patients still have blood biologically “clot-ready” with persistent endothelial activation and prothrombotic signalling.
https://t.co/9yj7zVbgxO

2. IL-6 & SAA 6-year study:
Higher acute-phase IL-6 and SAA levels independently predict cardiovascular events and death up to 6 years later, the initial inflammatory storm leaves a lasting CV mark.
https://t.co/Vk7FvK9fQc

3. MIS-C long-term outcomes:
Up to 4.5 years later, MIS-C raises cardiovascular disease risk 14× and hypertension 9× in children, with risks still accumulating.
https://t.co/itRENsOlOS

4. Viruses & cardiac disease review:
SARS-CoV-2 stands out for direct cardiomyocyte invasion + explosive damage + relentless accumulation of risk with every reinfection.
https://t.co/fOX07JNW2o

5. Mayo PET long COVID study:
Persistent cerebral hypometabolism in fatigue/PEM patients still detectable up to 2 years post-infection.
https://t.co/puvllNfghC

6. Reinfection CV outcomes summary:
Reinfections worsen cumulative heart damage, arrhythmias, thrombosis, stroke risk and long COVID cardiovascular symptoms.
https://t.co/B3q7DzyxCZ

7. Youth reinfection & long COVID study:
Reinfection roughly doubles PASC risk, with myocarditis up to 3.6× higher, heart disease ~2× higher and increased thromboembolism.
https://t.co/aqN3VV0kMX

8. Mild infection + reinfection risk:
Even mild cases trigger lasting endothelial damage and prothrombotic state (1.5–2× long-term CV risk), each reinfection compounds the burden.
https://t.co/SvPzOBSOx1

9 Mitochondrial dysfunction in long COVID:
Persistent mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressed oxidative phosphorylation remain in long COVID, pointing to durable multi-organ impact.
https://t.co/98MbV19R9r

10. Cumulative reinfection impact on future CV health:
Reinfection stacks additional damage on prior endothelial injury and inflammation, increasing lifetime risk of heart failure, arrhythmias, thrombosis and accelerated cardiovascular disease.
https://t.co/aqN3VV0kMX

11. Extra, my earlier general reminder post on this exact theme: https://t.co/o3QT12nIG4

‼️Overall convergence across the studies:
Immunothrombosis, acute inflammation markers, direct invasion, endothelial damage, and mitochondrial issues create lasting CV vulnerability that reinfections can keep reloading. #L0ngC0vid

The pattern is very clear.

Fewer infections = lower lifetime cardiovascular risk.

You only have one heart.

Protect it!
#AvoidSars2 #AvoidReinfections #CleanAir #VaccineUpdated

[Don Ford - The People's Strategist - @DonEford]

Three shots of Nuvaxovid should be added to the general pediatric vaccine schedule worldwide.

mRNA vaccines have too many problems, including limited range and protection, and they can potentially make other vaccines less effective via their IgG4 response.

BA.3.2 is teaching us that it takes three exposures to an antigen to reach mutant variants, and kids should get that exposure through vaccines rather than infection.

Nuvaxovid also has the benefit of increasing the range of antibodies with additional shots... so while imprinting and B cell maturation are important concepts, there's a third aspect of Nuvaxovid that gives it a further edge over mRNA.

And no study has ever demonstrated whether Nuvaxovid's response wanes like mRNA's. Everyone who says all COVID vaccines wane the same is incompetent and should not be heard.

The pandemic can never end until we are protecting newly born children to the fullest extent.

[Ludonauta @LudensLudonauta]

OK. I think we are ready! My game design library is available.

Get breakdowns, descriptions, synergies, and insights about game mechanics so you can get inspired for your own games.

Also, we're adding Godot Engine asset packs if you want to plug'n'play them in your projects.

[The Japan Times @japantimes]

Stricter criteria for the business manager visa has left many foreign owners, some of whom have been in Japan for decades, out in the cold and facing a frantic scramble to pack up and leave the country. 👉 https://t.co/SYRDeryrj3

[The Japan Times @japantimes]

Japan's health ministry plans to require individuals starting in March 2027 to pay additional costs out of pocket for prescription drugs similar to medicine that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. https://t.co/R83TM6e2Do

[Richard @gaijinthoughts]

Prime Minister Takaichi's business management visa requires 30 million yen in capital, so foreigners running low-margin restaurants will be forced to leave the country, and second-generationers who only speak Japanese will also be sent back.

[MEDICINE MADNESS @Doctors_GUILD]

First early symptoms of hantavirus according to WHO:

1. Headaches
2. Dizziness
3. Tremors
4.Fever
5. Muscle aches
6. Nausea
7. Vomiting
8 Diarrhea
9.Abdominal pain

[Matt Roszak🍉🌻Find Matt's Cats on Steam @KupoGames]

For whom it may concern:

[Miyandy @Amahashi_]

I worked 20 years for a child sex trafficking rescue group. I want you to know this:

90% of Lost Children Are Found Within 30 Minutes.

That statistic should both comfort you and wake you up.

Most lost children are found quickly. But the ones who aren’t? They usually made one mistake.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

It’s often the exact thing most parents teach them.

We tell our kids:

“If you get lost, come find me.”

It sounds logical. It sounds empowering.

It’s WRONG!

The Mistake Most Lost Children Make:

When children realize they’re separated, they do three things almost automatically:

They panic.
They wander.
They try to find you.

Every step makes them harder to locate.

From a search standpoint, movement creates chaos.

Parents retrace their steps.
Security scans zones.
Staff lock down areas.

Search works best when movement stops.

When a child keeps walking, they move outside the original search radius. Helpers are looking where they were last seen — not where they’ve wandered.

Stillness increases probability.

Movement expands the problem.

The first lesson is not “go find me.”

It’s this:

Stop. Stay. Yell.

Why Stillness Wins:

Think like a search team.

If a child stays put:

Parents can retrace steps.
Security can scan systematically.
Helpers converge to one fixed location.
The search radius remains small.
If a child keeps moving:

The search area expands.
Adults pass each other.
Missed connections multiply.
Minutes stretch into hours.
Stillness keeps the math on your side.

Teach Them Who to Approach:

The second mistake we make as parents?

We say, “Find an adult.”

Not any adult. Not the nearest stranger. Children need a filter.

Teach them to look for, if at all possible:

A mother with children.

Caregivers who already have kids with them are statistically among the safest people to approach in public settings. They are visible, stationary, and more likely to engage quickly.

It’s a clear, concrete instruction.

Children don’t process vague categories like “safe adult.”

They process visuals.

“Find a mom with kids” is visual.

A Phone Only Helps If the Number Is Known:

We often assume phones solve everything.

They don’t — unless your child can use one. Even young children can memorize a 10-digit phone number with repetition.

But you must train it.

Practice it like a song.

Sing it in the car.
Chant it at bedtime.
Turn it into rhythm.

Repetition becomes recall.

In an emergency, recall matters more than theory.

The Code Word Rule:

One more layer of protection.

Choose a private family code word.

Something only your household knows.

If someone approaches and says:

“Your mom sent me.”

Your child asks:

“What’s the code word?”

No word.
No go.

This simple rule eliminates manipulation attempts instantly.

It gives your child agency without requiring them to evaluate character.

Real Safety Is Training — Not Luck!

We don’t get safer by hoping.

We get safer by practicing.

Teach:

• Phone number
• Code word
• Stop, stay, yell
• Find a mom with kids

Multiple skills.
Simple instructions.
Clear visuals.

Five minutes of training can replace hours of panic. This isn’t about fear. It’s about preparation.

Because when a child gets separated, the clock starts.

And what they do in the first minute determines what the next thirty look like.

That’s real protection.

[The Japan Times @japantimes]

The visa fee for changing the status of residence or extending the period of stay will be hiked to ¥100,000 from ¥10,000, while permanent residence applications will rise to ¥300,000, 30 times the current ¥10,000. 👉 https://t.co/zv4iWvUdt1

[Outbreak Updates @outbreakupdates]

Japan

"Influenza Patient Numbers 40 Times Higher Than Last Year"

https://t.co/JbmdXFDDkm

[Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 @mrjeffu]

Prime Minister Takaichi has withdrawn Ishiba's pledge to have a nationwide average minimum wage of 1,500 yen($9.70) by the end of the 2020s, citing discontent from some local areas.
"I cannot state a specific amount by a specific deadline."

[yumi ＠gj @ygjumi]

”Many hospitals in Japan are unfairly refusing to treat people with Long COVID, Long Vax, ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia and chemical sensitivity.

The reason given is that "there are no specialized doctors” available. But these are normal people: they just have extremely severe exertion intolerance, severe pain, or their symptoms are triggered by certain chemicals.

And yet, even if they have chest pain or a severe headache, they are not permitted to undergo testing for ischemic heart disease or cerebral haemorrhage, and they are coldly sent home. They are treated as if they have no right to life.

Even doctors with Long Covid are commonly ridiculed and treated as though they are faking their illness.
This is an absolutely dire situation."

[high priestess of tomatoes @ActualMuscovite]

on this topic again, i thought i would share my experience with a few lesser known crops that are easy to grow at any scale and are tolerant of extreme summer conditions:

[nah. 🇻🇨 @FEELZ_____]

"ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and 'consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.' Over the course of several months, ChatGPT users got lazier with each subsequent essay, often resorting to copy-and-paste by the end of the study."

[chantzy @chantz_y]

From JAMA pediatrics, May 2025

"Long COVID is common, affecting up to 10% to 20% of children with a history of COVID-19." With ~6M kids afflicted, this would make it the most common chronic health problem in kids

[Law in Japan @Colin_P_A_Jones]

Something I don't understand about the requirement that dual nationals by birth choose their foreign or Japanese nationality within two years of adulthood as a legal construct.

Assuming choosing also involves formally giving up one of your nationalities. What then? If you are in Japan and you give up your Japanese nationality, aren't you then in Japan... with no residence status? I have not seen a visa category for "people who have given up their Japanese nationality." And can you leave with no entry record on your foreign passport?

Same problem in reverse if you are living abroad in your other country of nationality and choose Japanese nationality...

[Jon Douglas @atranscendedman]

Osaka, Japan: Scientists have developed S-892216, a second-generation COVID-19 antiviral.

This drug blocks SARS-CoV-2’s 3CL protease, works against multiple variants, and is 30 times more potent than ensitrelvir in mice.

Clinical trials are underway.

https://t.co/HwACwiY63i

[Rami Ghayadh 𓂆 🇵🇸 @ramipalestine1]

My wife and I had a pregnancy check-up in a tent. as you can see, The doctor confirmed she is pregnant with twins but informed us that most of the necessary medications and tests are unavailable. Plz support us so we can have our children in a safe place
https://t.co/xpM91sIeD5

[ハウ千尋 @ChihiroHowe]

Japanese women and children are in trouble…

Today the Japanese government is deciding to pass (or reject) the joint custody law.

Here’s a🧵 of why it’s so bad…