Delthia Ricks
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dricks.bsky.social
Delthia Ricks
@dricks.bsky.social
4.6K followers 2.1K following 2.9K posts
Science writer, author, essayist & avid gardener.
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dricks.bsky.social
Delthia Ricks @dricks.bsky.social · Dec 21
The stark contrast between Rwanda’s handling of a deadly Marburg virus outbreak this year & the rest of the world’s chaotic response to #Covid provides textbook lessons in how to properly respond to a threat and how to make a threat worse www.telegraph.co.uk/global-healt...
The contrast between Rwanda’s handling of Marburg and the chaotic response to Covid-19 is stark
The country’s response prevented a crisis – and provided the world with a valuable blueprint for effective outbreak control
www.telegraph.co.uk
dricks.bsky.social
#LongCovid patients had distinct enlargement & reduced cerebral blood flow in a region of the brain called the choroid plexus. The alteration to that region in #LongCovid correlates w/ cognitive impairment, a new study found alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Choroid plexus alterations in long COVID and their associations with Alzheimer's disease risks
INTRODUCTION Choroid plexus (ChP) enlargement is a neuroimaging biomarker of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, evidence of ChP structural and perfusion alterations in long coronaviru.....
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
dricks.bsky.social
Minneapolis patients are avoiding medical care because they feel hunted by ICE. Masked & armed ICE agents have been seen inside & around the city's hospitals. Even U.S. citizens, if they have an accent or worry that they look like someone ICE might target, are fearful of seeking medical care👇
Minneapolis Patients Avoid Care, Say They Feel 'Hunted' by ICE, Doctor Says
'Birth doesn't feel as beautiful and as happy as it did before,' says an obstetric nurse
www.medpagetoday.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
dricks.bsky.social
Extortion👇
theferocity.bsky.social Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 1d
“U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment from the University.”
Trump Calls for $1 Billion Settlement From Harvard | News | The Harvard Crimson
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment...
www.thecrimson.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:42 PM
dricks.bsky.social
In France, it's clear the GOP plans to trash the midterms. A rough translation of @leperefidalbion.bsky.social on Tommy Tuberville

The Republicans have gotten a taste of the massive defeat they face in November & unsurprisingly, they're playing a long-planned wild card: destabilizing the elections👇
leperefidalbion.bsky.social Le Père Fidalbion @leperefidalbion.bsky.social · 1d
Et c'est parti hein. Les Républicains ont touché du doigt la gigantesque tarte qu'ils vont prendre en novembre, et sans surprise, ils jouent leur wild card, affichée de longue date : miner le terrain pour faire vaciller les élections.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Sen. Tuberville: "We gotta get rid of these voting machines. There's a half dozen people here in the House and Senate that did not get elected. It was all bogus. We've seen the evidence."
February 3, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
leperefidalbion.bsky.social
Et c'est parti hein. Les Républicains ont touché du doigt la gigantesque tarte qu'ils vont prendre en novembre, et sans surprise, ils jouent leur wild card, affichée de longue date : miner le terrain pour faire vaciller les élections.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Sen. Tuberville: "We gotta get rid of these voting machines. There's a half dozen people here in the House and Senate that did not get elected. It was all bogus. We've seen the evidence."
February 3, 2026 at 9:22 PM
dricks.bsky.social
The Holocaust didn't begin with gas chambers. It started with ideas, stereotypes, dehumanization, etc. Well stated below👇
auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social Auschwitz Memorial @auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social · 8d
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.

This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.

Auschwitz took time.
A bird's-eye view of a former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp showing a wide dirt pathway flanked by parallel rows of barbed-wire fences. Groups of visitors walk along the path, surrounded by the remnants of brick structures and barracks, now reduced to foundations. Green grass contrasts with the somber history of the site, as the path leads toward a guard tower in the distance.
February 3, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
aurorablogspot.bsky.social
The US is increasingly resembling the Third Reich: US military is helping Trump to build a massive network of concentration camps.

The DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to convert warehouses into jails and build tent cities. These facilities should house 10,000 people each.
US Military Helping Trump to Build Massive Network of ‘Concentration Camps,’ Navy Contract Reveals | Common Dreams
Military Helping Trump to Build Massive Network of 'Concentration Camps,' Navy Contract Reveals
www.commondreams.org
February 2, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
daltmann.bsky.social
Segmented filamentous bacteria reprogramming of alveolar macrophages limits postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Segmented filamentous bacteria reprogramming of alveolar macrophages limits postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia
SFB colonization phenotypically alters alveolar macrophages, maintaining their antibacterial functions in inflamed interferon-rich lungs.
www.science.org
February 3, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
natrevcancer.nature.com
🥳 Our 9th most downloaded #REVIEW in 2025:

The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer

#TME #colorectalcancer @NatResCancer
#NRCtop10of2025
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer - Nature Reviews Cancer
In this Review, Kennel and Greten highlight the role of immune cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, progression and metastasis as well as the impact of therapies on the immune microenvironment. They emphasize the need for novel strategies to enhance immunogenicity and CRC patient stratification to improve outcomes.
dlvr.it
February 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
microbesinfo.bsky.social
#Fungus could be the #insecticide of the future ...

| #fungi | #insects | #pathogen | #antimicrobials | Via @arstechnica.com
Fungus could be the insecticide of the future
Plant chemicals made more potent by insect pests are detoxified by the fungus.
arstechnica.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
ja-mendiola.bsky.social
#academicsky #science 🧪
phdcomics.com PHD Comics @phdcomics.com · 1d
It's a dream
February 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
plosbiology.org
Unlike other #bacteria, C. difficile must detect both germinant & co-germinant signals to trigger #spore #germination. This study finds that the CspC:CspA complex is a key signaling node that integrates environmental cues to regulate #Cdifficile spore germination @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rtCKdZ
Model for Clostridioides difficile germination. Top: Model of the C. difficile proteins required for germination during sporulation. From left to right: interdomain processing of the CspBA fusion protein by the protease YabG occurs in the spore coat layer; heterodimerization of CspC and CspA and homodimerization of CspB; and loading of key germination proteins into the cortex region of the mature spore. Bottom right: Model of a C. difficile spore undergoing germination. Sensing of germinant and co-germinant signals (either directly or indirectly) by the CspC:CspA heterodimer (1) leads to the heterodimer adopting an active conformation (2). Bottom left: CspC:CspA heterodimer space-filling model. Residues at the center of the CspC:CspA heterodimer binding interface (I.) play important roles in transducing germinant and co-germinant signals, while residues at the periphery of the binding interface (II.) help stabilize the complex. Signal transduction by the CspC:CspA heterodimer initiates the activation of CspB (either directly or indirectly) (3). Active CspB then proteolytically activates the cortex-lytic enzyme SleC (4), which will go on to degrade the spore cortex (5), allowing for rehydration of the spore core and resumption of metabolic activity.
February 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
plosbiology.org
Why are there such big differences between the sexes when it comes to immune responses? This Essay looks at what further research is required to fully determine sex-differential mechanisms in #immunity.🧪 #immunosky
Knowledge gaps and research priorities to understand sex differences in immunity
Immunity differs profoundly according to biological sex, leading to sex differences in autoimmunity, infections, cancer and responses to immunotherapy and vaccines. This Essay explores the major…
plos.io
February 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
plosbiology.org
#Azole resistance in #Candida albicans poses a growing threat, and is linked to #StressResponse. @annaselmecki.bsky.social &co show that mutations in the oxidative stress TF Cap1 promote #DrugResistance while exposing a lethal vulnerability at high azole doses @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rOrfOz
Top: Subcellular localization of Cap1-GFP in wild-type background (top, tetO-CAP1-GFP/CAP1), Cap1-GFP with C446* (middle, TeO-CAP1C446*-GFP/CAP1) and wild-type Cap1-RFP (bottom, CAP1C446*/TeO-CAP1-RFP) in CAP1/CAP1C446* background. Scale bar, 5 μm. Bottom: Schematic of subcellular localization and transcription activation of CAP1 in wild-type (CAP1/CAP1, left) and CAP1/CAP1C446*. Figure generated with BioRender.
February 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
erictopol.bsky.social
An exposé of the so-called "body protection compound" peptide (BPC-157) heavily promoted by paid influencers, without data on safety or efficacy, and now its proponents are pressuring FDA
www.statnews.com/2026/02/03/b...
From Croatia to MAHA: How an unapproved drug became the next hot peptide
BPC-157 hasn't been approved by the FDA. But that hasn't stopped this buzzy drug from gaining traction – and attention from MAHA.
www.statnews.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
erictopol.bsky.social
The skinny on intermittent fasting
"the better the study , the less it finds"
gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/w...
February 3, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
cidrap.bsky.social
Emerging bat virus found in stored throat swabs from 5 patients with suspected #Nipah infection

The finding raises the concern that dangerous bat viruses may be silently co-circulating with Nipah virus.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/m...

Photo: Cloudtail the Snow Leopard / Flickr cc
February 2, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
microbesinfect.bsky.social
Integrated Metagenomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Regional Style Differences in Maotai-Flavour #Baijiu

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #OpenAccess #metabolomics #metagenomics #MicroSky
February 3, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
drpanmd.bsky.social
I served on the U.S. Census Bureau National Advisory Committee, which was disbanded by the Trump administration. Trump is already working to undermine the accuracy of the 2030 Census. This will impact political representation through the 2030s.
www.wral.com/news/ap/66a5...
Trump administration cuts number of sites for testing the 2030 census, focusing on the South
The Trump administration is eliminating four out of six planned locations for a 2030 census practice test. The test, which began Monday, will now take place only in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanbur...
www.wral.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
kff.org
KFF’s latest poll finds that voters overall, including independent voters, currently trust Democrats more than Republicans to address the cost of health care and most other health care issues — though neither party has an advantage on addressing the overall cost of living. https://on.kff.org/49XZyLG
Stacked bar chart showing share of registered voters who say they trust the Democrats, Republicans, or neither party to do a better job addressing key health care issues.
January 30, 2026 at 3:27 PM
dricks.bsky.social
Minneapolis patients are avoiding medical care because they feel hunted by ICE. Masked & armed ICE agents have been seen inside & around the city's hospitals. Even U.S. citizens, if they have an accent or worry that they look like someone ICE might target, are fearful of seeking medical care👇
Minneapolis Patients Avoid Care, Say They Feel 'Hunted' by ICE, Doctor Says
'Birth doesn't feel as beautiful and as happy as it did before,' says an obstetric nurse
www.medpagetoday.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
dricks.bsky.social
Vaccine maker Sanofi, a multinational company based in Paris, said it will no longer develop an mRNA vaccine for the flu. Word of the cancellation comes as flu cases continue to soar & pediatric flu deaths so far have reached 52. The vast majority of those children hadn't been vaccinated👇
Unvaccinated kids hit hard with flu as pediatric deaths rise to 52
The vast majority of children who have died of flu so far this season did not get the flu shot, the CDC reported Friday.
www.nbcnews.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:08 PM
dricks.bsky.social
Extortion👇
theferocity.bsky.social Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 1d
“U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment from the University.”
Trump Calls for $1 Billion Settlement From Harvard | News | The Harvard Crimson
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment...
www.thecrimson.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
stevevladeck.bsky.social
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet]. So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot] Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
cwebbonline.com
Anyone with a heart and soul should agree that children and babies do not belong behind bars. Thousands of kids will carry a lifetime of trauma and PTSD, done in our name, funded by our tax dollars.
February 3, 2026 at 4:47 AM