Brigid Flanagan
@bflanaga.bsky.social
Research Operations Consultant | Book lover | Nurse | Former New Englander now back home in Ireland ...Co.Monaghan | News Hound | #clinicalresearch
Some good news for a change.
GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a new mRNA vaccine that has been shown to suppress abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina, offering hope to MILLIONS of patients with age-related vision loss. The vaccine triggered strong antibody responses that REDUCED retinal damage by UP TO 85%.
November 3, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Some good news for a change.
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
Effectiveness of Colchicine for the Treatment of Long COVID: A Randomized Clinical Trial
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
"among adults with long COVID, colchicine did not improve functional capacity, respiratory function, or inflammatory markers."
#LongCovid #PASC
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
"among adults with long COVID, colchicine did not improve functional capacity, respiratory function, or inflammatory markers."
#LongCovid #PASC
Effectiveness of Colchicine for the Treatment of Long COVID
This randomized clinical trial evaluates the superiority of colchicine over placebo among adults with long COVID in improving functional outcome at 52 weeks from baseline.
jamanetwork.com
October 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Effectiveness of Colchicine for the Treatment of Long COVID: A Randomized Clinical Trial
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
"among adults with long COVID, colchicine did not improve functional capacity, respiratory function, or inflammatory markers."
#LongCovid #PASC
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
"among adults with long COVID, colchicine did not improve functional capacity, respiratory function, or inflammatory markers."
#LongCovid #PASC
100% agree. It is difficult to challenge misinformation when you cannot access the data to support your argument.
In general I think it's hard to combat scientific misinformation when some of the best research is locked behind an academic paywall, while lots of nonsense gets published free for everyone to read in predatory journals.
September 29, 2025 at 9:14 PM
100% agree. It is difficult to challenge misinformation when you cannot access the data to support your argument.
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
🧪 New ACOG guidelines warn against cannabis use in pregnancy. Despite its use for nausea, mounting evidence links it to preterm birth, low birth weight, and neurocognitive delays in children. THC is known to cross the placenta and concentrate in the fetal brain.
#MedSky
#MedSky
Pregnant Women Should Not Use Cannabis, New Medical Guidelines Say
Marijuana during pregnancy is linked to poor birth outcomes and developmental delays in children, a leading medical society advised.
www.nytimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:51 AM
🧪 New ACOG guidelines warn against cannabis use in pregnancy. Despite its use for nausea, mounting evidence links it to preterm birth, low birth weight, and neurocognitive delays in children. THC is known to cross the placenta and concentrate in the fetal brain.
#MedSky
#MedSky
Correlation is not causation. Read the cited papers!
The papers that HHS cites to bolster their claim appear to have convinced many people that this is a legit scientific observation. But the citations actually show no correlation between Tylenol use and autism. PSA: Don't believe something because someone provides a citation. Go read the cited paper🧪
🧪
>77 million votes. Today the big reveal on autism: Tylenol. "I'm making these statements from me, I'm not making them from these doctors." youtu.be/esKFMCb_hYU?...
The viewer comments below the video are the only glimmer of hope.
>77 million votes. Today the big reveal on autism: Tylenol. "I'm making these statements from me, I'm not making them from these doctors." youtu.be/esKFMCb_hYU?...
The viewer comments below the video are the only glimmer of hope.
September 23, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Correlation is not causation. Read the cited papers!
Hardly a surprise!
“Conclusion:
After private equity acquisition, hospitals on average reduced salaries and staffing relative to nonacquired hospitals…This decreased capacity to deliver care may explain the increased patient transfers to other hospitals, shortened ICU lengths of stay, and increased ED mortality.” 🩺🧪
After private equity acquisition, hospitals on average reduced salaries and staffing relative to nonacquired hospitals…This decreased capacity to deliver care may explain the increased patient transfers to other hospitals, shortened ICU lengths of stay, and increased ED mortality.” 🩺🧪
Hospital Staffing and Patient Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition | Annals of Internal Medicine
Background: After private equity acquisition, hospitals may experience changes in staffing with implications for patients. Objective: To examine hospital staffing and patient outcomes in emergency dep...
www.acpjournals.org
September 23, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Hardly a surprise!
Wow! A drug that is off patent and readily available. Excellent news!
September 11, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Wow! A drug that is off patent and readily available. Excellent news!
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
#ResistanceEarth
#BlueEarth
Researchers have linked fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) to the buildup of alpha-synuclein protein clumps called Lewy bodies. The clumps leads to neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease.
neurosciencenews.com/air-pollutio...
#BlueEarth
Researchers have linked fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) to the buildup of alpha-synuclein protein clumps called Lewy bodies. The clumps leads to neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease.
neurosciencenews.com/air-pollutio...
Air Pollution Linked to Toxic Protein Clumps Driving Lewy Body Dementia - Neuroscience News
A new study reveals a molecular link between fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and Lewy body dementia, a devastating neurodegenerative condition.
neurosciencenews.com
September 7, 2025 at 10:24 PM
#ResistanceEarth
#BlueEarth
Researchers have linked fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) to the buildup of alpha-synuclein protein clumps called Lewy bodies. The clumps leads to neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease.
neurosciencenews.com/air-pollutio...
#BlueEarth
Researchers have linked fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) to the buildup of alpha-synuclein protein clumps called Lewy bodies. The clumps leads to neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease.
neurosciencenews.com/air-pollutio...
Hopefully the grant money is locked in and can't be rescinded!
Stem cell transplants — high risk procedures that replace a patient’s immune system with cells from a healthy donor — can cure HIV. Researchers at OHSU just won a 10-year grant to try to study this effect and design a better cure.
A handful of patients have been cured of HIV. OHSU just won $8.4 million to decode their cells for a cure
Researchers have known for more than a decade that the procedure will sometimes wipe out the HIV virus too — something scientists have been unable to do as in their hunt for a vaccine and a cure.
www.opb.org
August 29, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Hopefully the grant money is locked in and can't be rescinded!
Great win for Tommy Fleetwood...finally!
August 24, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Great win for Tommy Fleetwood...finally!
Good for them!
The Annals of Internal Medicine has refused US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s demand to retract a study that found that vaccines containing the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide did not increase the incidence of 50 chronic disorders, including autism and asthma
www.bmj.com/content/390/...
www.bmj.com/content/390/...
August 18, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Good for them!
Love this!
Patient’s potassium result was too low
Fired the lab manager
Fired the lab manager
August 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Love this!
Encouraging news for people with Parkinson's disease.
An early-stage clinical trial in France appeared to help restore some brain function for three Parkinson's patients.
Light stimulation shows promise in slowing Parkinson's, scientists say
An early-stage clinical trial in France appeared to help restore some brain function for three Parkinson's patients.
l.euronews.com
July 31, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Encouraging news for people with Parkinson's disease.
They don't make it easy to even get a copy of your consent!.
Remember that time when you had to sign a bunch of consent forms on a hospital iPad, with no idea what you are agreeing with? Digitizing paperwork could sometimes make it harder to opt out of data sharing or simply accessing your own records. themarkup.org/hello-world/...
During my kid’s surgery, I was denied a copy of my consent form — then sent to a ghost office – The Markup
Help us understand the challenges patients face opting out of voluntary uses of their data, or getting access to their records.
themarkup.org
July 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
They don't make it easy to even get a copy of your consent!.
Some good news about Ivermectin ...not Covid related!
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that kills mosquitoes feeding on treated persons. In this trial in Kenya, ivermectin given once per month for 3 months led to a 26% lower incidence of malaria than albendazole. Full trial results: nej.md/4lIyNzB
#MedSky #IDSky
#MedSky #IDSky
July 23, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Some good news about Ivermectin ...not Covid related!
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
Lonni Besançon faced online abuse, threats and legal challenges in response to his research integrity sleuthing during the COVID-19 pandemic
go.nature.com/4m5DN0X
go.nature.com/4m5DN0X
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed this scientist into a research-integrity sleuth
Lonni Besançon has faced online abuse, threats and legal challenges. But he remains proud of his service to science and society.
go.nature.com
July 22, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Lonni Besançon faced online abuse, threats and legal challenges in response to his research integrity sleuthing during the COVID-19 pandemic
go.nature.com/4m5DN0X
go.nature.com/4m5DN0X
Worth watching. Hope for ALS patients.
July 16, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Worth watching. Hope for ALS patients.
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
'We have someone practicing medicine without a license and people will be harmed'.
BREAKING: Six leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and the health dept, charging that recent decisions limiting access to vaccines were unscientific and harmful to the public.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/h...
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/h...
Medical Societies Sue Kennedy and H.H.S. Over Vaccine Advice
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
'We have someone practicing medicine without a license and people will be harmed'.
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
We're continuing to report on the impacts of the Trump administration canceling hundreds of grants supporting health research.
In our last story, we heard from more than 150 researchers. Many said these cuts would harm people participating in their studies:
In our last story, we heard from more than 150 researchers. Many said these cuts would harm people participating in their studies:
Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding
The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. More than 150 researchers shared with…
projects.propublica.org
July 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
We're continuing to report on the impacts of the Trump administration canceling hundreds of grants supporting health research.
In our last story, we heard from more than 150 researchers. Many said these cuts would harm people participating in their studies:
In our last story, we heard from more than 150 researchers. Many said these cuts would harm people participating in their studies:
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
brilliant letter in support of @who.int - thank you @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Open letter in support of WHO
The abrupt cessation of global health funding has placed millions of lives at risk.1
This sudden funding freeze violates basic bioethical principles and values, including
human rights, universality, a...
www.thelancet.com
June 27, 2025 at 11:23 AM
brilliant letter in support of @who.int - thank you @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
This is a travesty & a nightmare. The US was a founder of @gavi.org. It lowers global vaccine costs, has vaccinated 1B children, & averted 19M deaths. This pull out will cost 100s of thousands of children's lives a year - and RFK Jr will be personally responsible.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effort
Kennedy ripped into Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in a video address at its pledging summit.
www.politico.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This is a travesty & a nightmare. The US was a founder of @gavi.org. It lowers global vaccine costs, has vaccinated 1B children, & averted 19M deaths. This pull out will cost 100s of thousands of children's lives a year - and RFK Jr will be personally responsible.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
Be like Tilda!
The lovely Tilda Swinton signed the #parkypetition100k after being shown our leaflet by TasteTibet at @glastonbury.bsky.social - be like Tilda, demand a better deal for people with Parkinson’s
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
June 26, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Be like Tilda!
Great news for Type 1 diabetics! But how much will it eventually cost?
Twelve people with type 1 diabetes who received an investigational off-the-shelf stem cell therapy were able to produce their own insulin and keep healthy blood glucose levels for at least one year. www.statnews.com/2025/06/20/s...
Off-the-shelf stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes continues to show positive results
An off-the-shelf stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes continues to show positive results, according to a new study.
www.statnews.com
June 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Great news for Type 1 diabetics! But how much will it eventually cost?
Reposted by Brigid Flanagan
“We’re seeing yellow fever extend out of the Amazon rainforest into more populated areas of southeastern Brazil and into Colombia…
This doesn't mean that an outbreak in the U.S. will definitely happen, but I think we have to be extra vigilant here in terms of our vulnerability.”
This doesn't mean that an outbreak in the U.S. will definitely happen, but I think we have to be extra vigilant here in terms of our vulnerability.”
Peter Hotez: Yellow fever has broken out of Brazil. The U.S. isn't prepared. www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outl...
Peter Hotez: Yellow fever has broken out of Brazil. The U.S. isn't ready.
"Sometimes people ask me, 'Hey, Doc, what scares you more than anything else?' And often they’re surprised when I say yellow fever."
www.houstonchronicle.com
June 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
“We’re seeing yellow fever extend out of the Amazon rainforest into more populated areas of southeastern Brazil and into Colombia…
This doesn't mean that an outbreak in the U.S. will definitely happen, but I think we have to be extra vigilant here in terms of our vulnerability.”
This doesn't mean that an outbreak in the U.S. will definitely happen, but I think we have to be extra vigilant here in terms of our vulnerability.”