Delthia Ricks
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dricks.bsky.social
Delthia Ricks
@dricks.bsky.social
Science writer, author, essayist & avid gardener.
Pinned
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
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Extortion👇
“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
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
It's a dream
February 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
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
February 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
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
#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
February 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
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
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
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
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
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’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
January 30, 2026 at 3:27 PM
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
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
Extortion👇
“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
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...
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
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
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
as someone who worked in rural health policy, this is not a real thing. this is actually called giving up on rural america after your party broke everything and can’t put it back together. perfect time to exploit people with scams
Dr Oz on rural healthcare: "There's no question about it, whether you want it or not -- the best way to help some of these communities is gonna be AI-based avatars"
February 3, 2026 at 5:22 AM
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
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
In the lab: An intranasal #birdflu vax currently being studied in animal models apparently guards against highly pathogenic strains. Known as H5N1 avian flu, the virus jumped from wild birds to farm animals in the US, then to people. It has caused >70 human cases since 2024, including 2 fatalities👇
Intranasal Bird Flu Vaccine Protects Against Highly Pathogenic Strains in Rodents
Prior seasonal influenza virus immunity did not impair antibody responses or protection conferred by the intranasal H5N1 vaccine.
www.genengnews.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
February is #NationalGrapefruitMonth – did you know that grapefruit and grapefruit juice can affect some medications? This graphic explains why: www.compoundchem.com/2014/03/07/w...

#ChemSky 🧪
February 2, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
How are energy #metabolism pathways distributed across the #cortex? @alaindagher.bsky.social &co map five pathways in the human #brain, linking metabolic organization with brain structural & functional properties, as well as developmental dynamics @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4c1JVp8
February 2, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Impressive advance in Huntington's Disease Research via supplementation with a glycolytic regulator biomolecule: F2,6BP restores mitochondrial genome integrity in Huntington’s Disease 🧪
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
F2,6BP restores mitochondrial genome integrity in Huntington’s Disease
Several reports have indicated that impaired mitochondrial function contributes to the development and progression of Huntington’s disease (HD). Mitoc…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
The time of day for cancer immunotherapy is associated with major outcomes. Early is better. Results from a randomized trial of lung cancer, backs up the importance of our circadian rhythm and immune system
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 2, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
"The solution is simple: allow Palestinians their freedom and their rights. ... [T]hat solution is beyond the imagination of [US and Israeli leadership]."
February 2, 2026 at 12:28 AM