faetal on 4/1/2021 at 12:30
I'm just saying that the three sentences in the thread (I haven't read the article) don't infer that long COVID is related to vit D deficiency.
It spells out that long COVID may originate in an immune over-reaction which causes multiple organ damage (implication being acute), and states separately that vit D deficiency is linked to inflammation (implication being chronic).
It does not say that long COVID may be the result of, or linked to vit D deficiency - at most, it can be indirectly surmised that there may be a link assuming that chronic inflammation dysfunction brought about by vit D deficiency increases the chances or potency of an acute event. But again, that isn't spelled out.
If there is a more direct inference in the article, could you paste it into the thread?
I'm happy to revise my assessment with additional info.
hopper on 4/1/2021 at 14:24
I understand that (at least I think I do :p), but unlike SJ and you I don't have the benefit of years of training and practice relevant to this. The implied distinction between chronic and acute inflammation is not apparent to the casual reader. I see only X carries heightened risk of Y, and Y may bring Z. I guess what I'm saying is that this isn't a reading comprehension issue, it's a lack of context.
All of which is to say "The article says vitamin D deficiency may be linked to long COVID" is a reasonable takeaway from the article for the medically untrained.
I haven't really read the article myself, I just skimmed it to find the quote in context. I found no other mention of long COVID.
faetal on 4/1/2021 at 15:00
Sure, I get that. One issue which crops up all the time in science to mislead the untrained reader is the use of umbrella terms.
In this case "inflammation" refers to a very diverse group of mechanisms i.e. myriad physiological processes and molecular signaling cascades which tell your body that something bad is happening somewhere (typically localised to a region of tissue insult or pathogen infiltration) and to start modulating various emergency processes to check / fix / disinfect / render inhospitable the area.
If the Vit D inflammation is linked to long COVID, they really need to say it else it looks like an unrelated statement (in the context of how vague "inflammation" is as a physiology term).
But I do 100% appreciate that it takes training and understanding of the relevant science for that to stick out like a sore thumb.
SubJeff on 4/1/2021 at 15:25
This is just the same thing as I said before - if it isn't explicitly saying "Vitamin D deficiency is therefore a (potential) risk factor for long Covid" you should not join the dots and try to make this link yourself.
If you do you can come multiple conclusions that the data, and the authors, don't demonstrate.
faetal on 4/1/2021 at 16:07
I thought you were calling out the generally noncomital (to the untrained eye) language used in science, e.g. x suggests y, further investigation may expand on the role of a in b etc.
SubJeff on 4/1/2021 at 19:50
It's the same thing.
If it's vague, it's just chat. If any concrete link is made there is usually very clear language (x increased the risk of y by z, (p value, confidence interval, etc)) and strong statements.
If it's not this clear then the data isn't there.
SubJeff on 4/1/2021 at 20:18
Lockdown again.
Ugh
Cipheron on 4/1/2021 at 21:53
Something lighthearted for a change
(
https://www.musictech.net/news/covid-19-vaccine-5g-chip-boss-metal-zone-guitar-pedal/)
Quote:
Conspiracy theorists in Italy are warning the public about a ‘5G Chip’ they claim has been planted in COVID-19 vaccines. However, the widely circulated image of the chip in question has been outed as a reworked schematic for the Boss Metal Zone pedal.
The image shows a diagram for the alleged ‘COVID 5G Chip’ – which has a section labelled 5G Frequency, amongst others such as Bass, Mid and Treble.
Mario Fusco, a senior software engineer at Redhat, tweeted to flag the misinformative image being sent out by those who bought into a widely debunked conspiracy about a vaccine with broadband capabilities.
“Here in Italy, people started to share this figure claiming that this is the diagram of the 5G chip that has been inserted in the COVID vaccine,” he wrote. “In reality, it is the electric circuit of a guitar pedal”.
Tony_Tarantula on 10/1/2021 at 21:54
Quote Posted by SubJeff
Lockdown again.
Ugh
What the hell are you complaining about? Stop being so selfish. You're saving lives by complying with the lockdown and you should be so privileged as to have the opportunity to be a part of something so important.
Kolya on 11/1/2021 at 01:19
*plonk*