Day: 03/07/2022

Is the Covid Pandemic the Only Global Lie? You Decide

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Ah, the Covid-19 pandemic. Is it really the first humongous lie to fool all of humanity on a “global” scale in order to usher in a one world government? Or is a much grander hoax in play, crafted and commenced centuries ago by Elite rulers whose deceitful actions were also steered by their menacing desires to bring forth world domination? Could the world we have been taught to believe in as a steadfast reality actually be a giant distortion, planned and put together to dumb-down the minds of humanity so that overthrowing nations could be more easily accomplished? Could the deception be so grand that only those ruling the world are privy to it? Keep reading. I will let you decide.

The last few years humanity has been forced to ride an unrestrained roller-coaster of manufactured illusions and chaos (which now includes a propped-up war involving Ukraine). The Covid delusion specifically allowed madmen in power to swiftly usher in a twisted new normal worldview, which set the foundation for them to reset and globalize the world before the year 2030 tick-tocked into place.

How did this quest for globalization come about? We can review historical and Biblical accounts to understand that mad rulers in power have always strived to control mankind and form an authoritarian new normal within a rigid one world government. History discloses that religion has usually been the cause behind most wars. And it is a known fact that submission to the Biblical LORD is a threat to rogue rulers and their tyrannical establishments, especially when Christianity tops other religions and comprises of billions of people. This is why communist countries, for example, forbid Biblical teachings and persecute Christians. Keeping mankind subdued is hard to do when allegiance to God supersedes obedience to them and their iron fists of command. Such leaders know that they cannot fully be kings and lords over all the nations and bring forth world dominance when there is already a KING OF KINGS and a LORD OF LORDS sitting on a throne.

To find acceptable ways to eliminate their competition and dissolve Biblical belief from the minds and hearts of the people, egotistical kings, monarchs, potentates, and presidents (both past and present) have gathered together through various secret societies, manmade religions, privileged clubs, and occult organizations to come up with ingenious ways to squash reliance on the supernatural God of the Christians’ Bible. They needed one believable concept that would swap out the Christian faith for a universal-held belief—a god substitute, so to speak, that could lure believers away from God and into the supremacy of man’s government.

The usurpers understood it would take time to rewire the God-worshipping minds of the masses, but they were patient because they knew forming a one world government would take time. They introduced humanism, science, and psychology to ensnare minds, and it was not long before the world began to rely more on man, science and reason than the laws of God.

Theories like evolution, for example, were adopted by the mainstream as scientific fact. Evolution not only contradicts scripture, but it contradicts the irrefutable laws of science itself, which states in the second law of thermodynamics that all matter, living or inanimate, moves from a state of order to disorder. Evolution philosophy does the complete opposite and asserts that over time organisms go from a state of disorder to order. I guess science can do whatever it wants. Go figure.

Based on assumptions and theories, the substitute god of science cast enough doubt on the accuracy of the Bible’s account of creation to cause faith to fade. Over the last decade alone, here in America, there has been a 12% drop in the Christian faith.

Despite what people may want to believe about history, the entire world has been moved forward based on a spiritual current of evil versus good (God versus Satan), or more plainly put, by hot jealousies toward those who rely on God for direction in their lives instead of the dark leaders who strive daily to enslave them. It is a spiritual battle that has placed wickedness in power and chronicled an eon of wars, and once a person can grasp this understanding, the deceptions lurking right beneath our line of sight suddenly become visible.

US Bio-labs in Ukraine and Gene-Editing by DARPA

An article put out by DILYANA.bg, April 29th, 2018, by Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, titled, “The Pentagon Bio-weapons,” shows how deceitful our leaders really are, how little they value human life, and why deceiving the world on a global scale is something they would do in a heartbeat (as was just proven over the last few years). The article states that there are numerous USA bio-labs positioned in 25 former Soviet Union countries. All of them are strategically located so that bio-warfare programs can develop and test deadly pathogens and bypass the sanctions put in place by the UN Convention outlawing biological weapons. These 25 nations include Georgia, the Middle East, South East Asia, Africa, and, no surprise here, Ukraine.

As of 2018, Ukraine occupied 11 US laboratories, all funded by DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). And according to a 2005 documented pact between the United States’ DOD and Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, Ukraine leadership sold out their citizens and allowed the US military’s bio-labs inside its borders. This information seems to answer the questions as to why the US has thrust their big nose, time and time again, into the political affairs of Ukraine.

Documentation in the article shows that in Ukraine between 2011 and 2018, about 384 people died of Swine flu, and 1078 people contracted either Hepatitis A or cholera. All the outbreaks occurred near the locations of the bio-labs.

Ukrainian lives do not matter to Biden, Putin, Zelenskyy, or any of the other corrupt leaders whose goals are the fulfillment of a new global government. Therefore, we should not be surprised to know that the 2005 agreement put in place between the US and Ukraine officially supports and funds ($285 million by the US) projects for scientists who had been previously involved in the development of Soviet weapons of mass destruction.

And here is the whopper regarding world leaders and their obvious disdain toward the value of human life—this article goes on to state that the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had designs to genetically engineer humans. Remember, this article was written a year before Covid-19. DARPA had a project in place called “Advanced Tools for Mammalian Genome Engineering,” and that project was all about developing a biological platform with which to effectively transport manmade genetic codes directly into the human DNA.

DARPA’s aim was to insert an additional 47th synthetic chromosome into the human cells. Two contracts with SynPloid Biotek, LLC for this gene-editing venture totaled $1.1 million between 2015 and 2017. Suspiciously enough, at the time the company was awarded the project, they had only two employees and no previous record on bio-research.

There is no question in my mind that the Covid pandemic was used to introduce the gene-altering mRNA Covid-19 vaccinations, which enabled world leaders to genetically modify whole populations at once. By changing the human DNA in mass numbers, they become as “gods,” controlling creation and reversing God’s image of mankind into something empty, void and dark. Through these vaccinations they have the technological capability to eradicate entire species and remove genetic traits that make humans human.

Recent clinical studies prove that these vaccines are meant to reshape the DNA of humanity, not to protect them from any (faked) virus. MDPI, a journal which publishes scholarly information and supports academic communities since 1996, published research findings on February 25th, of this year, 2022, by the Department of Clinical Sciences and Sweden and Infection Medicine, of Lund University. It is titled, “Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line.” Their conclusion from that study states the following:

Preclinical studies of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, showed reversible hepatic effects in animals that received the BNT162b2 injection. Furthermore, a recent study showed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the genome of human cells.

This is what I have stated from the onset, that mRNA technology is bioweaponry, and has the potential to alter human DNA, despite the fact all of the mRNA vaccine companies deny this truth. The liars will keep lying because they do not want anyone to figure out that their true agenda includes taking over nations and reshaping human beings into the image of their self-made technocratic god. Everything they do is purposed to undermine God, HIS creation, and HIS throne. Whether or not people want to admit a spiritual row is going on over our souls, there is most certainly an antichrist movement at the core of this entire new world order matrix.

Curved or Flat?

The globalists of the past (and present) knew that merging the nations under one umbrella was not something that could happen in 50 years, or even 100 years. They realized that it would take patience and ingenuity to restructure the entire world, especially after previous attempts had failed miserably. To achieve their goals, they knew that mankind had to be kept in a perpetual state of control, heavily influenced to follow one set of directives, and malleable enough so that they could be moved around at whim like pawns on a chess board. Science, humanism, and psychology was vital in steering the crowds away from God.

Let’s go back a bit in time for a reality check. On May 27th, 1931, Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer, both respectable Swiss scientists, sailed up into the stratosphere in a hydrogen balloon from Augsburg, Germany. They reached an altitude of 51,775 feet, or 9.806 miles. They were the first to reach the stratosphere and collect upper atmospheric data. Their discoveries were published a few months later in the August issue of the magazine titled Popular Science. The article, titled “Ten Miles High in an Air-Tight Ball,” stated the following:

Through the portholes, the observers saw the earth through copper-colored, then bluish haze. It (Earth) seemed a flat disk with an upturned edge.

Did you catch that? Both men stated that they saw Earth as a flat disk, not a curved or semi-sphered shape. Could it be that both of these scientists were blinded by the beauty of the earth, and missed the obvious curvature below them? Perhaps, because as time passed, both witnesses’ testimonies of seeing a flat earth, as confirmed in that issue of the Popular Science magazine, were changed to concur with the growing widespread teachings of a global earth.

Wikipedia’s account of the event takes a complete reversal on what was reported to have been seen that day by the two observers up in that balloon:

Piccard and Kipfer are widely considered the first people to visually observe the curvature of the earth.

Either Popular Science got it wrong, or Wikipedia likes to hide the truth. I should note that Larry Sanger, the man who co-founded Wikipedia, warned that the encyclopedia website cannot always be trustworthy on providing truth to its readers. He admitted the website’s information gives a “reliably establishment point of view on pretty much everything.” In other words, Wikipedia likes to go with the flow of the mainstream narratives.

Could Popular Science magazine have misunderstood the two scientists they were interviewing? It seems doubtful, especially because there is a CIA declassified Russian document from 1957, published by a plethora of scientists and USSR organizations who researched and concluded that Earth was flat, non-rotational, and had a firmament (cover or barrier) over the sky. These conclusions were in unified agreement by the Soviet’s Astrophysical Institute of Academic Science, the Joint Council of Institute of Physics of the Earth, the Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere, and the Institute of Applied Geophysics. Their findings were published and also documented by the Library of Congress.

Wow! Were the Soviet’s physicists and scientists all lunatics like Piccard and Kipfer, or did they have early stages of Alzheimer’s and make great errors in judgment? Or, maybe the person editing the publication screwed up and typed in the word “flat” instead of curved, and accidentally added the words “firmament and non-rotating” without double-checking for mistakes. It is plausible—isn’t it?

Deeper digging reveals that even NASA, in documents dated from the 1970’s to the 2000’s, described Earth as flat and non-rotating. One particular December 1978 NASA Contract Report, titled “Investigations of Aircraft Landing in Variable Wind Fields,” states this within the pages of their report:

The aircraft trajectory model employed in this study was derived based on the following assumptions: (I am just going to mention the first assumption listed).
A. The earth is flat and non-rotating

For what logical purpose would NASA assume a flat, non-rotating earth concerning any of their aircraft or rocket tests? If Earth is supposed to be a rounded ball, all tests and considerations should be done for the actual shape of the terrain, especially because mathematical differences and calculations would be paramount between a flat earth model and a global earth model. Maybe NASA’s mathematicians are not as smart as they should be, and it is easier for them to use a flat earth model when assessing trials using numeric data. Seems an odd reason, but possible.

Further investigation shows that NASA and the Russians are not alone in documenting their assessments of a flat earth. The US Army Research Lab is also guilty of the same “hallucinations.” One particular document, which has since been removed from the Army’s website, was printed in February 2001, by Joseph R. Miletta, and it is entitled, “Propagation of Electromagnetic Fields Over a Flat Earth.” What a peculiar title! This document is hard to wrap around the mind since the earth is supposed to be a sphere.

The governing “globalists” out there who educate the masses on a theory that the earth is round and spinning on an axis at about 1,000 miles per hour, while at the same time orbiting the sun at 66,600 miles per hour, seemingly prefer to ignore that the earth is a spinning ball when it comes to charting distances and directions. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the military both use flat earth maps, otherwise called polar azimuthal equidistant maps, to determine distances, locations, and precise routing. Alexander Gleason’s particular 1892 flat-based New Standard Map of the World shows the correct location of the continents and how easily they can be reached within a circular pattern, by air or water.

And, oddly enough, the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) all use the outline of Gleason’s 1892 map for their company logos.

Gleason must have done a tremendous job of accuracy in mapping the world since government agencies have adopted his map for air and sea navigation. This is why flight patterns correlate with the flat earth locations of the continents, and why pilots are not flying long stretches over spheric oceans to reach their destinations. Obviously, these flat-earthed maps are not just historical cool graphics for logos.

Gleason’s flat earth map reveals that the Antarctica is not based at the southern-most bottom of a globe, but instead completely encircles a flat earth, edging the circumference of the waters with a protective thick wall of ice. (Could this ice wall be the upturned edge Piccard and Kipfer observed)? Exploration and photographs both reveal that this frozen barrier is around 150 feet tall, with a 1000-foot thickness. Beyond the ice walls a glacial expanse of snow, ice and frigid temperatures keep exploration to a minimum. Ironically, most of Antarctica is cloaked in mystery and remains off-limits to the public by world governments.

Alexander Gleason, who put together his world map in 1892, was a firm believer that the earth was circular, flat, and non-rotating. In 1890, he published a 400-page book entitled Is the Bible from Heaven? Is the Earth a Globe?, and in it he uses evidence of eclipses, common-sense science, and Biblical testimony to present a compelling case that Earth is flat, and the sun, moon, and stars rotate above a circular, flat earth, and not the other way around.

Today, Gleason’s flat earth position would categorize him as a conspiracy nut, right along with the many millions of other people who currently conclude that the earth is not spinning like a top while rolling around the sun in space at enormous speeds. And yet, USGS and the military both use Gleason’s map to determine distances and locations, while NASA, the US Army Research Lab, and Russian scientists, in their own publications, have admitted and assumed Earth as being flat (in step with Gleason’s conclusions).

Scientists tell us that the earth’s circumference is approximately 25,000 miles. Pythagorean math of the earth’s curvature calculates that the ground continues to curve downward and away at approximately 8 inches per mile, squared, from every position where one might be standing on the earth. These calculations show that if a 6-foot-tall man standing on a road pushes a 6-foot-high tractor tire ahead of him, and it keeps rolling straight, picking up speed, that tire will dip downward 8 inches for every mile it travels due to the curvature of the earth. As it hits the 3-mile mark, at eye-level, the man should only be able to see the top half of the tire in the distance.

A baffling mystery of human observation emerges, though, that contradicts those global earth calculations. When taking long road trips or stopping at scenic lookout points, the distant horizon, which might comprise of the backdrop of a city or mountain range, should dip downward or disappear from normal eyesight. But this is not occurring, at least not from my many observations driving cross-country or when viewing aerial footages of landscapes and cities. Maybe I just need to clean my glasses.

What about the main principle of flight with which all pilots learn about at the onset of their instruction at flight school, which is to fly aircraft “straight and level”? Why the ambiguity? And what about basic physics? If pilots of commercial airplanes are flying in accordance with the curvature of the earth, which they should be, wouldn’t they find themselves topsy-turvy on long 18-hour flights routed from a city like Portland in Oregon all the way to Seoul, Korea?

Ship-to-ship laser communication systems for the military only operate in straight lines, and can reach distances 70 to 100 miles away. How do they manage to communicate such far distances from one another when there is curvature? If the laser can go that far, and only in a straight line, communication would fail way before it reached 70 miles because the earth is curving downward 8 inches every mile. Maybe the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization know a secret that we do not know, since they adhere to a flat earth map.

Another anomaly to consider is simple radar, which is radio transmission of light. It, too, does not work around curves because signals are transmitted to be bounced off a target and returned back in a straight line. Radar is dependent on line of sight and direct beam from transmission to the target; it reflects and returns straight back. Signals would not find their targets over a sphere.

In the Bible, Genesis’ account of creation is kicked off with God placing a firmament between the waters, with the waters separating over and underneath the firmament. The translation for the word “firmament” comes from the Hebrew Old Testament word “raki’a,” and is defined as “expansion,” and conveys the meaning of something firm and solid arching above, like a dome-type covering.

In Isaiah 40:22 it reads the following:

It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in…

Interestingly enough, Gleason’s flat earth map shows the layout of the earth as a circle. Piccard and Kipfer observed the earth as flat and circular during their observations in the balloon, and Russian scientists, back in 1957, established the existence of a firmament in their publications, which coincides with Genesis’ account.

Does the Bible say anything about the earth rotating? No, nothing. Numerous passages in scripture all say that the earth is stable and unmovable, and that the sun, moon, and stars rotate above the earth to provide light. Polaris, the North Star, is an enigma for the global model because it never moves and remains in a fixed position over the north pole. Since scientists theorize that Polaris is about 430 light years from Earth, it is a wonderment on how this star remains aligned over one location without interruption, especially when the earth is spinning 1000 miles per hour while orbiting the sun at almost 67,000 miles per hour.

If Earth is flat, of course, there would have to be an easy explanation to debunk the moon landings, satellite images, and NASA’s giant moon pictures from space. I guess with how easily today’s rulers convinced the world to fall for a pandemic based on a non–existent virus, along with the ease with which they baited the entire world into accepting weaponized vaccinations, faking a moon landing and photoshopping space pictures would not be too difficult a task. That is my opinion.

What about this new normal paradigm we are now living under? Was this a new concept of indoctrination, or has the entire worlds’ populace, long ago, already been sucked into an even greater new normal mentality, one that involved replacing God for science, creating a round earth, and dumbing down the masses for the completion of the long sought-after “global” new world order? Probability?
You decide.

Nostradamus​—How Credible Are His Writings?

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“HE CHIEFLY predicts the evil to come; what is good only figures in his pages incidentally, and at long intervals.” This comment comes from Charles A. Ward,* not a critic but a defender of Nostradamus.

If the writings of this 16th-century French astrologer predict so much calamity, why have they attracted so much interest down to our day? Was he inspired of God? Or was it a case, as suggested by some, of ‘shooting so many arrows in every direction that he could not miss in everything’? Too, what accounts for the great popularity of those who predict the future as did Nostradamus?

Why So Popular?

History reveals a long line of fortune-tellers, astrologers, soothsayers and prophets who have catered to the desire of many people for some supernatural vision of the future. But the popularity of these clairvoyants is not due to the overwhelming accuracy and fulfillment of their predictions. Rather, it is due largely to their clients’ addiction to the magical arts.

For example, P. Whitmore, in A Seventeenth Century Exposure of Superstition, says concerning astrology that “it was and still is the most deeply rooted of superstitions.” It is conservatively estimated that at least 50 million persons in the United States alone are now involved with some form of astrology, or about one out of every four persons! Many, like Nostradamus, gain fame, fortune and personal favors from the devotees of the occult practices by playing on their hopes and attitudes regarding the future.

The infatuation many have with horoscopy, as with gambling, can blind followers to its failures. In this regard, Eric Russell, in Astrology and Prediction, discusses an “appalling flood” that had been predicted by most European astrologers and contemporaries of Nostradamus. They agreed that all the planets “would be in conjunction in the watery sign of Pisces​—an infallible indication that the known world must be destroyed by water. . . . Some few fundamentalists argued that this could not possibly be true for had not God set the rainbow in the sky as promise that never again would the floodgates of heaven be opened? . . . Ship builders made immense profits as those who could afford it chartered every available craft in the ports.” The world waited, but nothing happened.

Russell continues: “The quicker-thinking astrologers congratulated Christianity for the strength of its prayers in turning aside the calamity while others perhaps looked for another profession. But while there were a few weeks of embarrassment for the astrologers of Europe, the whole incident had been forgotten within a month or so and astrologers were again accepting invitations to cast the horoscope of this infant prince or that republic.”

Incidentally, astrologers are predicting earthquakes, floods and droughts around April 1982, due to the alignment of the planets. Astronomers point out, however, that no direct alignment of planets will occur. Rather, there will be a grouping of the earth and the other eight planets in a 95-degree sector with the sun. If there is a bad earthquake, flood or drought in 1982 (which happens continually, anyway), many persons will accept that year’s occurrences as being accurately predicted by astrologers.

How Accurate?

Of the alleged 946 predictions attributed to Nostradamus, only about 70 are considered to have had some kind of fulfillment. That works out to less than a 7-percent success rate. However, regarding the ‘successes,’ M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia comments that many are considered to be the “bold forgeries” of his interpreters, including the prediction of his own death. Others were “composed after the events to which they seem designed to refer.” Some are “strained” in their application and some are shown to have ‘fulfillments’ in a number of different events.

When astrologers predict future events, it is not always possible to determine their accuracy since it may require waiting centuries for the fulfillment, if there ever is a fulfillment. But when such seers touch on subjects or events related to the Bible, one can more easily determine the source of the prophet’s inspiration. If it is from God, his teaching should always harmonize with the Bible, God’s Word.​—2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21.

Nostradamus did touch on some Bible matters. Concerning the future, he predicted “that before the universal conflagration shall happen so many great inundations, that there shall scarce be any land that shall not be covered with water, and this shall last so long, that except for Ethnographies and Topographies all shall perish.” However, Genesis 9:11 says: “Never again shall all living creatures be destroyed by the waters of the flood, never again shall there be a flood to lay waste the earth.” (The New English Bible) Nostradamus said: “I fully confess that all proceeds from God.” He sounds impressive, but if his predictions were “from God,” why would they so conflict with God’s Word?

It is similar with his chronological calculations. While claiming they were obtained by “taking simply the Sacred Scriptures for the guide,” Nostradamus also admits his dating was “adjusted by astronomical calculation.” Sounds convincing, but do the two harmonize?

It becomes obvious that Nostradamus cared little for the Bible, but he used it to suit his own purposes. Although Nostradamus gave token allegiance to the Catholic Church, the following description of him, given by Charles Ward, sums up not only the man himself but the source of influence behind his predictions:

“What is Nostradamus? . . . a riddler, riddling of the fate of men; a man at once bold and timid; simple, yet who can plumb his depth? A superficial Christian, a Pagan perhaps at heart.”

Clear or Obscure?

Nostradamus, like other prognosticators, was adept at using ambiguity or double meaning as his stock-in-trade. In Astrology and the Popular Press, Bernard Capp says: “Nostradamus was a master of dramatic ambiguity, which has kept his prophecies alive down to the present age.”

This aspect of his quatrains is also described by James Laver, who states in Nostradamus or the Future Foretold: “These four-line stanzas of crabbed [ill-formed] French verse, obeying neither prosody nor syntax, arranged in no intelligible order and bristling not only with words in half a dozen foreign languages but with initials, anagrams and made-up names​—how can there be a hope of finding any meaning in such a publication at all? And if there were, would it be worth the trouble?”

In the preface of his writings, Nostradamus admits to using “dark and abstruse sentences” so that he “would not offend the hearers.” He then makes a gloss of Jesus’ words at Matthew 11:25, “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes.” However, Jesus’ disciples in any age and in any language have understood his sayings. Nostradamus’ sayings conveniently remain obscure.

Nostradamus and the Occult

Nostradamus (Dec. 14, 1503–July 2, 1566) was born to French-Jewish parents assuming the name de Notredame in southern France. He was called Michel de Notredame. His parents had been converted to Catholicism. There have been many legends regarding his early life, but the credibility of these legends, recorded by two of his relatives, is also questioned.

James Laver comments: “Recent researches . . . have shown that the noble and picturesque background which has been hitherto accepted by every writer on Nostradamus has no basis in fact.” After recounting one such legend of Nostradamus’ predicting that he and a certain nobleman would eat a black pig instead of a white one for their evening meal, Laver says: “There is, of course, no proof of the veracity of this story, . . . Fascinating as these stories are, it is as well to confess that most of them rest upon the faith of the later biographers. Some of the stories . . . appear for the first time in the seventeenth century, some of them even later.”

In his efforts to predict the future, Nostradamus was deeply involved in horoscopy, magic, astrology and the pagan ritual of incantation. In The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus, H. C. Roberts, himself “a student of the occult,” says: “Beyond a shadow of doubt, the methods employed and results obtained by Nostradamus in looking into the future were outside of the physical framework. . . . forces we group today under the general title of ‘Extra Sensory Perception.”’

However, many opposed such astrological divination. Whitmore says: “The writings of the early Fathers of the Church . . . contain the reiterated condemnation of those who continued to practise ancient, heathen rites and systems of divination under the guise of Christianity. Likewise the early Councils of the Church pronounced anathemata against astrologers, sorcerers and adherents to occult sciences. . . . The Council of Trent [during Nostradamus’ lifetime] laid down in unequivocal terms that bishops should suppress astrological prediction in their dioceses and ensure the destruction of all books which fostered the art.” But did the Catholic Church follow through with actions that were consistent with such proclamations?

The New Catholic Encyclopedia reveals that “astrology was used by Pope Julius II [1503-1513] to set the day of his coronation and by Paul III [1534-1549] to determine the proper hour for every Consistory. [Both popes were contemporaneous with Nostradamus] . . . Astrology pervaded European culture just as it had the culture of the Roman Empire, and, though official Church doctrine opposed it, no one attacked the whole manner of thinking that lay behind it.”

What was the “thinking that lay behind” the occult art of horoscopy? The French Grand Larousse Encyclopedique confirms that “Christianity considered that astrology drew its inspiration from demonism.”

Predictions That Come True

Can someone who apostatizes from Bible truth and becomes a servile prophet of demons accurately predict some future events? Yes, that is possible. In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Moses warned: “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and offers to do a sign or a wonder for you, and the sign or wonder comes about; . . . you are not to listen to the words of that prophet or to the dreams of that dreamer. . . . Yahweh your God you shall follow, him you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep . . . That prophet or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death.”​—The Jerusalem Bible.

So it is not just by coincidence that some predictions of such false prophets come true. They can occur by the manipulation of wicked spirit forces.

From the beginning of human history until now, demonic forces have manipulated the minds of submissive humans. These deceived human prophets are inspired to make utterances that harmonize with demonic schemes, called the “strategies and tricks of Satan” at Ephesians 6:11.​—The Living Bible.

Satan the Devil and his demons can maneuver whole political systems. This fact was made clear when the Devil “revealed to [Jesus] all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time; and the devil told him, ‘I will give you all these splendid kingdoms and their glory​—for they are mine to give to anyone I wish.”’ (Luke 4:5, 6, The Living Bible) In this same encounter with Jesus, the Devil even quoted portions of the Scriptures in an effort to tempt and mislead Jesus.​—Matt. 4:6.

Differentiating True from False Prophets

True prophets of God had to meet three basic qualifications. They had to (1) speak in the name of God​—which a false prophet who knew the Hebrew name of God would improperly presume to do; (2) the things they foretold would have to come true​—which in the case of false prophets might happen either by coincidence or demonic manipulation; and (3) their prophesying had to be in harmony with God’s revealed Word and commandments put in writing up to their time.​—Deut. 13:1-4; 18:20-22.

The third vital factor is especially where Nostradamus and others fail. The fact that they dabble in magic, the occult and astrology exposes them, for not one Bible prophet supports the use of astrology in communicating with God!

The prophet Moses spoke out in clear, unambiguous terms against prophets like Nostradamus. Under divine inspiration, he said: “There should not be found in you . . . anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, . . . or a professional foreteller of events . . . For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah.”​—Deut. 18:10-12.

The service that true Bible prophets performed was not primarily to foretell future events, as Nostradamus tried to do. Their main function, as Eric Russell says, was “acting as a communication channel between the Creator and his creatures.” Knowledge of the future was included in their communications, he says, “only as a by-product.”

Bible prophets commissioned by God also never foretold things simply to satisfy human curiosity. Every prediction related to God’s will, purpose, standards or judgment. (1 Ki. 11:29-39; Isa. 7:3-9) And because the primary purpose of God’s true prophets was to advocate his moral standards and laws, it was not necessary to wait for years before one could determine whether the prophet was true or false.

Of what value, then, are the prophecies of Nostradamus? Charles Ward describes him as “a man rewarded of kings; and yet, so far as we can see, furnishing no one profitable hint to them that could make their life run smoother, or remove a single peril from their path.” “He is clearly no prophet in the old and Hebrew sense of the word​—like Isaiah, Daniel, David, John.”

Artificial intelligence and colonoscopy experience: lessons from two randomised trials

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Abstract

Background and aims Artificial intelligence has been shown to increase adenoma detection rate (ADR) as the main surrogate outcome parameter of colonoscopy quality. To which extent this effect may be related to physician experience is not known. We performed a randomised trial with colonoscopists in their qualification period (AID-2) and compared these data with a previously published randomised trial in expert endoscopists (AID-1).

Methods In this prospective, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (AID-2), 10 non-expert endoscopists (<2000 colonoscopies) performed screening/surveillance/diagnostic colonoscopies in consecutive 40–80 year-old subjects using high-definition colonoscopy with or without a real-time deep-learning computer-aided detection (CADe) (GI Genius, Medtronic). The primary outcome was ADR in both groups with histology of resected lesions as reference. In a post-hoc analysis, data from this randomised controlled trial (RCT) were compared with data from the previous AID-1 RCT involving six experienced endoscopists in an otherwise similar setting.

Results In 660 patients (62.3±10 years; men/women: 330/330) with equal distribution of study parameters, overall ADR was higher in the CADe than in the control group (53.3% vs 44.5%; relative risk (RR): 1.22; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.40; p<0.01 for non-inferiority and p=0.02 for superiority). Similar increases were seen in adenoma numbers per colonoscopy and in small and distal lesions. No differences were observed with regards to detection of non-neoplastic lesions. When pooling these data with those from the AID-1 study, use of CADe (RR 1.29; 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.42) and colonoscopy indication, but not the level of examiner experience (RR 1.02; 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.16) were associated with ADR differences in a multivariate analysis.

Conclusions In less experienced examiners, CADe assistance during colonoscopy increased ADR and a number of related polyp parameters as compared with the control group. Experience appears to play a minor role as determining factor for ADR.

Source: GUT

Endoscopic full-thickness plication for the treatment of PPI-dependent GERD: results from a randomised, sham controlled trial 

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Abstract

Background The majority of endoscopic antireflux procedures for GERD are cumbersome to use and randomised long-term data are sparse. We conducted such a trial to determine the efficacy and safety of a novel, easy to use endoscopic full-thickness fundoplication (EFTP) device in patients with GERD.

Design Patients with proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-dependent GERD were randomised to either EFTP or a sham procedure in 1:1 ratio. The primary endpoint was ≥50% improvement in the health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) score at 3 months. Secondary end points included improvement in GERD-HRQL, reflux symptom scores, PPI usage, oesophageal acid exposure and reflux episodes and endoscopic findings at 3, 6 and 12 months.

Results Seventy patients were randomised; 35 in each group with a median (IQR) age of 36 (29–42) years, 71.4% males. 70% had non-erosive reflux disease on endoscopy with a mean DeMeester score of 18.9 (±19.93). The mean (±SD) duration of EFTP procedure was 17.4 (±4) min. The primary end point was more frequently achieved in the EFTP group (65.7% vs 2.9%; p<0.001). Median (IQR) % improvement in GERD-HRQL was significantly higher in the EFTP group at 6 (81.4 (60.9–100.0) versus 8.0 (2.2–21.6); p<0.001) and 12 (92.3 (84.4–100.0) versus 9.1 (4.8–36.0); p<0.001) months. In the EFTP group, 62.8% patients were off-PPI at 12 months compared with 11.4% in the sham group (p<0.001). pH-metry parameters partially improved at 3 months, (n=70; total reflux episodes in EFTP arm and non-acid reflux episodes for EFTP vs sham) but not at 12 months (n=27); endoscopic oesophagitis was seen in 0% in the treatment (n=18) and 5 (29.4%) in the control group (n=17) at 12 months. No major procedure-related adverse events were encountered in either group.

Conclusion EFTP using a novel device is safe and effective in improving quality of life in patients with PPI dependent mostly non-erosive reflux disease at short and long terms; objective parameters showed a limited response rate.

Study finds drinking wine with meals was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes

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Research Highlights:

  • A study including nearly 312,000 current drinkers suggests consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (no more than 14 grams per day for women and 28 grams per day for men), especially wine, with meals was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Lower type 2 diabetes risk occurred only when people drank alcohol with meals, not when alcohol was consumed alone.
  • Only moderate amounts of alcohol had a positive impact on the development of type 2 diabetes – up to one glass of wine daily for women and up to two glasses daily for men.
  • The American Heart Association recommends that adults who do not drink alcohol should not start. Among adults who drink alcohol regularly, they should talk with their doctors about the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation. Experts caution these results are not a reason for nondrinkers to start consuming alcohol. 

Embargoed until 2:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. ET Thursday, March 3, 2022

DALLAS, March 3, 2022 — An analysis of health data for nearly 312,400 current drinkers suggests consuming alcohol, most notably wine, with meals is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022. The meeting will be held in-person in Chicago and virtually Tuesday, March 1 – Friday, March 4, 2022, and offers the latest in population-based science related to the promotion of cardiovascular health and the prevention of heart disease and stroke.

“The effects of alcohol consumption on health have been described as a double-edged sword because of its apparent abilities to cut deeply in either direction – harmful or helpful, depending on how it is consumed,” said study author Hao Ma, M.D., Ph.D., a biostatistical analyst at the Tulane University Obesity Research Center in New Orleans. “Previous studies have focused on how much people drink and have had mixed results. Very few studies have focused on other drinking details, such as the timing of alcohol intake.”

Alcohol consumption is linked to short- and long-term health risks, including motor vehicle crashes, violence, sexual risk behaviors, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, liver disease, depression, suicide, accidents, alcohol abuse and alcoholism. These health risks increase as the amount of alcohol an individual drinks increases. For some cancers and other health conditions, the risk increases even at very low levels of alcohol consumption – less than one drink daily.

The American Heart Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults who do not drink alcohol should not start. Among those who drink alcohol regularly, they should talk with their doctors about the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation. Some people should not drink at all, including women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, people under the age of 21 and people with certain health conditions.

A key for those who already drink alcohol is moderation. Moderate drinking is defined as one glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage daily for women and up to two glasses daily for men. That works out to be up to 14 grams, or about 150 ml, of wine a day for women and up to 28 grams, or about 300 ml, of wine daily for men, according to Ma.

“Clinical trials have also found that moderate drinking may have some health benefits, including on glucose metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether glucose metabolism benefits translate into a reduction of type 2 diabetes,” he said. “In our study, we sought to determine if the association between alcohol intake and risk of type 2 diabetes might differ by the timing of alcohol intake with respect to meals.”

In this study researchers specifically examined the effect moderate drinking may have related to new-onset type 2 diabetes among all study participants over about 11 years (between 2006 and 2010). Data was reviewed for nearly 312,400 adults from the UK Biobank who self-reported themselves as regular alcohol drinkers. The participants did not have diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or cancer at the time of study enrollment. People who reduced their alcohol consumption due to illness, doctor’s advice or pregnancy were excluded from the study. The average age of participants was about 56 years, slightly more than half of the adults were women and 95% were white adults.

The analysis found:

  • During an average of nearly 11 years of follow-up, about 8,600 of the adults in the study developed type 2 diabetes.
  • Consuming alcohol with meals was associated with a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to consuming alcohol without eating food.
  • The potential benefit of moderate drinking on type 2 diabetes risk was evident only among the people who drank alcohol during meals, although the specific time of meals was not collected in this study.
  • The beneficial association between alcohol drinking with meals and type 2 diabetes was most common among the participants who drank wine vs. other types of alcohol.
  • Consuming wine, beer and liquor had different associations with type 2 diabetes risk. While a higher amount of wine intake was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a higher amount of beer or liquor was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

“The message from this study is that drinking moderate amounts of wine with meals may prevent type 2 diabetes if you do not have another health condition that may be negatively affected by moderate alcohol consumption and in consultation with your doctor,” Ma said.

Despite the findings of this robust analysis of healthy drinkers, the relationship between alcohol consumption and new-onset type 2 diabetes remains controversial, according to Robert H. Eckel, M.D., FAHA, a past president (2005-2006) of the American Heart Association, who was not involved in the study.

“These data suggest that it’s not the alcohol with meals but other ingredients in wine, perhaps antioxidants, that may be the factor in potentially reducing new-onset type 2 diabetes. While the type of wine, red versus white, needs to be defined, and validation of these findings and mechanisms of benefit are needed, the results suggest that if you are consuming alcohol with meals, wine may be a better choice,” said Eckel, professor of medicine, emeritus in the    Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

A study limitation is that most of those participating were self-reported white adults and of European descent. It is unknown whether the findings can be generalized to other populations.

Co-authors are Xuan Wang, M.D., Ph.D.; Xiang Li, M.D., Ph.D.; Yoriko Heianza, Ph.D.; and Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA. Authors’ disclosures are listed in the abstract.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, both of which are divisions of the National Institutes of Health.

NOTE: Presentation time for this oral abstract is 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET, Thursday, March 3, 2022.

Statements and conclusions of studies presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific  meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

The American Heart Association’s EPI/LIFESTYLE 2022 Scientific Sessions is the world’s premier meeting dedicated to the latest advances in population-based science. The meeting is in-person in Chicago and virtually, Tuesday, March 1 – Friday, March 4, 2022. The meeting is focused on promoting the development and application of translational and population science to prevent heart disease and stroke and foster cardiovascular health. The sessions focus on risk factors, obesity, nutrition, physical activity, genetics, metabolism, biomarkers, subclinical disease, clinical disease, healthy populations, global health and prevention-oriented clinical trials. The Councils on Epidemiology and Prevention and Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health (Lifestyle) jointly plan the EPI/Lifestyle 2022 Scientific Sessions. Follow the conference on Twitter at #EPILifestyle22.

About the American Heart Association

Some oral bacteria linked with hypertension in older women

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Journal of the American Heart Association Report

Research Highlights:

  • In a study of more than 1,200 women in the U.S., average age 63 years, 10 kinds of oral bacteria were associated with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, while five strains of bacteria were linked with lower hypertension risk.
  • The observational study cannot prove cause and effect; however, the findings highlight possible opportunities to enhance hypertension prevention through targeted oral care, researchers said.

Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, March 2, 2022

DALLAS, March 2, 2022 — Some oral bacteria were associated with the development of hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, in postmenopausal women, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

High blood pressure is typically defined by two measurements: systolic blood pressure (the upper number measuring pressure when the heart beats) of 130 mm Hg or higher, and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number indicating pressure between heart beats) of 80 mm Hg or higher.

While previous research has indicated that blood pressure tends to be higher in people with existing periodontal disease compared to those without it, researchers believe that this study is the first to prospectively examine the association between oral bacteria and developing hypertension.

“Since periodontal disease and hypertension are especially prevalent in older adults, if a relationship between the oral bacteria and hypertension risk could be established, there may be an opportunity to enhance hypertension prevention through increased, targeted oral care,” said Michael J. LaMonte, Ph.D., M.P.H., one of the study’s senior authors, a research professor in epidemiology at the University at Buffalo – State University of New York and a co-investigator in the Women’s Health Initiative clinical center in the University’s epidemiology and environmental health department.

Researchers evaluated data for 1,215 postmenopausal women (average age of 63 years old at study enrollment, between 1997 and 2001) in the Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Study in Buffalo, New York. At study enrollment, researchers recorded blood pressure and collected oral plaque from below the gum line, “which is where some bacteria keep the gum and tooth structures healthy, and others cause gum and periodontal disease,” LaMonte said. They also noted medication use and medical and lifestyle histories to assess if there is a link between oral bacteria and hypertension in older women.

At study enrollment, about 35% (429) of the study participants had normal blood pressure: readings below 120/80 mm Hg, with no use of blood pressure medication. Nearly 24% (306) of participants had elevated blood pressure: readings above 120/80 mm Hg with no medication use. About 40% (480) of participants were categorized as having prevalent treated hypertension: diagnosed and treated for hypertension with medication.

Researchers identified 245 unique strains of bacteria in the plaque samples. Nearly one-third of the women who did not have hypertension or were not being treated for hypertension at the beginning of the study were diagnosed with high blood pressure during the follow-up period, which was an average of 10 years.

The analysis found:

  • 10 bacteria were associated with a 10% to 16% higher risk of developing high blood pressure; and
  • five other kinds of bacteria were associated with a 9% to 18% lower hypertension risk.

These results were consistent even after considering demographic, clinical and lifestyle factors (such as older age, treatment for high cholesterol, dietary intake and smoking) that also influence the development of high blood pressure.

The potential associations for the same 15 bacteria with hypertension risk among subgroups was analyzed, comparing women younger than age 65 to those older than 65; smokers versus nonsmokers; those with normal versus elevated blood pressure at the start of the study, and other comparisons. Results remained consistent among the groups compared.

The findings are particularly relevant for postmenopausal women, since the prevalence of high blood pressure is higher among older women than older men, according to LaMonte.

More than 70% of American adults ages 65 and older have high blood pressure. That age category, the fastest growing in the U.S., is projected to reach 95 million by 2060, with women outnumbering men 2 to 1, according to a 2020 U.S. Census report. The 2020 U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension underscores the serious public health issue imposed by hypertension in adults, especially those in later life. Identifying new approaches to prevent this disease is, thus, paramount in an aging society.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and many don’t know they have it. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

“We have come to better appreciate that health is influenced by more than just the traditional risk factors we know to be so important. This paper is a provocative reminder of the need to expand our understanding of additional health factors that may even be influenced by our environments and potentially impact our biology at the endothelial level,” said Willie Lawrence, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association’s National Hypertension Control Initiative’s (NHCI) Oversight Committee. ”Inclusive research on hypertension must continue to be a priority to better understand and address the condition.”

Due to the study’s observational approach, cause and effect cannot be inferred, limiting the researchers’ ability to identify with certainty that only some bacteria are related to lower risk of hypertension while others are related to higher risk. A randomized trial would provide the evidence necessary to confirm which bacteria were causal agents in developing – or not developing – hypertension over time, according to LaMonte.

Co-authors are Joshua H. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.; Patricia Diaz-Moreno, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Christopher A. Andrews, Ph.D.; Daichi Shimbo, M.D.; Kathleen M. Hovey, M.S.; Michael J. Buck, Ph.D.; and Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which are divisions of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps; the Women’s Health Initiative program (Coordinating Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center); and the University at Buffalo Clinical Translational Science Institute.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here. 

Additional Resources:

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with uson heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

Certain oral bacteria linked to hypertension in postmenopausal women

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Certain kinds of oral microbiota were associated with development of hypertension, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Among 245 bacterial species analyzed, 10 were positively associated with incident hypertension and five were negatively associated with it, according to the researchers.

Asian woman using mouthwash

Michael J. LaMonte

“Since periodontal disease and hypertension are especially prevalent in older adults, if a relationship between the oral bacteria and hypertension risk could be established, there may be an opportunity to enhance hypertension prevention through increased, targeted oral care,” Michael J. LaMonte, PhD, MPH, a research professor in epidemiology at the University at Buffalo – State University of New York and a co-investigator in the Women’s Health Initiative clinical center in the university’s epidemiology and environmental health department, said in a press release.

The cohort included 1,215 postmenopausal women (mean age at baseline, 63 years) from the Buffalo OsteoPerio study who had complete information on the oral subgingival plaque microbiome at baseline, had BP and hypertension status assessed at baseline and were followed annually for incident hypertension.

At baseline, 429 women were normotensive, defined as BP less than 120/80 mm Hg with no antihypertensive medication use; 306 had elevated BP, defined as BP at least 120/80 mm Hg with no antihypertensive medication use; and 480 had been diagnosed with hypertension and were treated with medications.

Among the 735 women with no hypertension diagnosis at baseline, incident hypertension occurred in 375 during a mean of 10.4 years of follow-up, according to the researchers.

In a cross-sectional analysis, LaMonte and colleagues found 47 of 245 bacterial species that varied by baseline BP status (P < .05 for all).

In a prospective analysis, 15 bacterial species were associated with incident hypertension (P < .05 for all). Of those, 10 were positively associated with incident hypertension (age-adjusted HRs per standard deviation, 1.1-1.16) and five were negative associated (age-adjusted HRs per standard deviation, 0.82-0.91), the researchers wrote.

The results did not vary according to age, smoking, BMI and baseline BP.

Willie Lawrence

“We have come to better appreciate that health is influenced by more than just the traditional risk factors we know to be so important. This paper is a provocative reminder of the need to expand our understanding of additional health factors that may even be influenced by our environments and potentially impact our biology at the endothelial level,” Willie Lawrence, MD, chair of the AHA’s National Hypertension Control Initiative’s Oversight Committee and chief of cardiology at Research Medical Center at HCA Midwest Health in Kansas City, Missouri, said in the release. “Inclusive research on hypertension must continue to be a priority to better understand and address the condition.”

Intrauterine contraception just as effective as tubal ligation, safer

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Intrauterine devices and tubal ligation were similarly effective in preventing pregnancy, although the rate of complications was lower with intrauterine contraception, findings of a retrospective cohort study showed.

“This study was prompted by patients who wanted to know how well different contraceptives might work for people like them, as we know that real world experiences often differ from what is initially reported in clinical studies,” Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, MS, chief and professor of the division of general internal medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center at the University of California, San Francisco, told Healio.

Intrauterine contraceptives were just as effective at preventing pregnancy as tubal ligation, although they were associated with a lower rate of complications. Source: Adobe Stock
Intrauterine contraceptives were just as effective at preventing pregnancy as tubal ligation, although they were associated with a lower rate of complications.

Tubal ligation is common in the United States, especially for those with low incomes or chronic medical conditions, Schwarz and colleagues wrote in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

“Compared to privately insured individuals, U.S. patients with public insurance more frequently report a desire for reversal of tubal sterilization,” the researchers continued. “As Medicaid offers only limited coverage of treatment for infertility, it is important that individuals considering permanent contraception are well informed about all of their contraceptive options.”

Establishing a cohort

To compare the efficacy and safety of tubal ligation with other contraceptives, Schwarz and colleagues reviewed California Medicaid claims among patients who had tubal ligation performed or an intrauterine contraception (IUC) placed from Jan. 1, 2008, to Aug. 31, 2014.

They analyzed the incidence rates of pregnancy claims within 12 months, indications of procedural infection and related pain for 23,628 patients with copper IUDs, 35,705 patients with levonorgestrel IUDs and 23,965 patients with laparoscopic tubal ligation.

Pregnancy rates

In an unadjusted analysis, rates of pregnancy per 100 woman-years were similar across the three groups (2.99% for copper IUD; 2.4% for levonorgestrel IUD; and 2.64% for tubal ligation).

In an adjusted analysis, pregnancy rates were similar among patients with copper IUDs and those with tubal ligation (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82-1.05), but they were lower among patients with levonorgestrel IUDs compared with those with tubal ligations (aIRR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.64–0.82) and those with copper IUDs (aIRR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.7-0.87).

Incidence of complications

Patients with tubal ligations more commonly had infections (0.35% vs. 2.91%), acute hemorrhage (0.03% vs. 0.8%) and hysterectomy (< 0.01% vs. 3.96%) compared with patients with an IUC. Pelvic, abdominal and genitourinary pain also were more common in patients with tubal ligation more than 6 months after their procedure, although claims of pain decreased across contraceptive types.

According to the researchers, younger patients more frequently had claims of pelvic and abdominal pain. An analysis of racial differences revealed that Asian, Black and Hispanic patients were significantly less likely to report pain, although they were just as likely to have menorrhagia or pelvic inflammatory claims as white patients.

“These findings should reinforce efforts to make sure that people are well educated about all available contraceptive options so they can pick the one that is the best fit for their current stage of life and family plans,” Schwarz told Healio. “It is particularly important for people looking for highly effective, long-term and convenient contraception to be familiar with IUDs and the subdermal contraceptive implant.”

The study’s limitations included having little data on abortion and no data on the type of laparoscopic tubal ligation performed; it could not determine if an IUC was self-removed or expelled in cases of pregnancy; its observational study design; and its lack of long-term enrollment in California Medicaid.

Moving forward, Schwarz and colleagues suggested that studies evaluate the comparative safety and efficacy of long-term contraceptives more than 1 year after implementation.

“The surgical approach used for postpartum tubal ligation differs from what was examined in this study, so studies comparing the safety and effectiveness of immediate postpartum tubal ligation and IUD placement are still needed,” Schwarz said.

PERSPECTIVE

 Sarah Horvath, MD, MSHP)

Sarah Horvath, MD, MSHP

Patients need to balance many considerations when choosing a method of contraception. I applaud the authors for including patients in the design of the study. I find in my own practice that patients may confuse effectiveness and permanence — assuming that because tubal ligations are permanent, they must also be more effective. However, in adjusted analyses, this study showed that pregnancy rates within 1 year were actually lowest with levonorgestrel IUC, a reversible method. Pregnancy rates were equivalent between copper IUC and laparoscopic tubal ligation. Although low in all three groups, these failure rates were higher than earlier published estimates. This may be due to the young age of the population studied, the inherent limitations of retrospective big data or other methodologic variation from prior studies.

Complication rates were significantly higher in the tubal ligation group. The patients in this group were also older and more obese. There may be some underlying selection biases that aren’t apparent with this study design. But this is also important information for counseling patients as they decide on which contraceptive method to pursue. If failure rates are essentially equivalent, it may be preferable to avoid a procedure with higher rates of complications.

Finally, it is important to consider the complexity of the insurance barriers that patients with Medicaid face when accessing desired contraception. These patients must sign an MA31 form 30 to 180 days prior to obtaining a tubal ligation. No such paperwork or time limitations apply to IUCs. However, the costs of IUC removal and reinsertion may be prohibitive for patients that do not have consistent access to insurance.

Sarah Horvath, MD, MSHP

Assistant professor, department of obstetrics and gynecology at Penn State College of Medicine

Healthy sleep pattern may reduce global burden of mental disorders

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Healthy sleep behaviors may reduce the impact of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors on the risk for mental disorders, according to results of a cohort study published in Psychiatry Research.

“Many previous studies focused on one or two sleep behaviors, ignoring the possible interaction among different sleep behaviors,” Chuyu Pan, of the School of Public Health at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, and colleagues wrote. “Although relationship between sleep quality index consisting of several sleep behaviors and [mental disorders] has been explored, no cohort studies have examined a combination of the duration, chronotype preference, insomnia symptom, snoring and daytime dozing and its associations with the risk of [mental disorders]. Therefore, it is significant to investigate association between the combination of these sleep behaviors and [mental disorders].”

Woman sleeping

Pan and colleagues examined data from 402,290 participants from the U.K. Biobank who did not have baseline mental disorders. Participants were grouped into poor, intermediate and health sleep patterns based on their sleep score, calculated using data collected from five sleep behaviors. Researchers used a Cox proportional hazard model to estimate associations between sleep behaviors and mental disorders. They further estimated associations by accounting for lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, coffee intake, tea intake and genetic susceptibility.

Results showed an association between healthy sleep pattern and lower risk for overall mental disorder status (HR = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.39-0.43), depressive disorders (HR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.31-0.37) and anxiety disorders (HR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.41-0.79) compared with poor sleep pattern. In each subgroup of physical activity, tea intake, coffee intake, age and genetic risk scores, healthy sleep pattern appeared to partly reduce the risk for diseases.

“Our findings suggest that encouraging healthy sleep pattern might be a great contributor to reducing the global burden of [mental disorders],” Pan and colleagues wrote.

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines offer ‘quite encouraging’ long-term protection

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mRNA vaccines yielded not only strong short-term immune response against COVID-19, but also persistent immunity through at least 6 months, said a speaker at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium.

“This virus prompted fears of whether people developed adaptive immune response at all,” Shane Crotty, PhD, professor at the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research at the LaJolla Institute for Immunology in California. “[We started studying] this well before vaccines were developed at all.”

Source: Adobe Stock.
“The RNA vaccines have been incredibly successful and clearly elicited really good short term neutralizing antibody responses and clearly were capable of eliciting T cell responses,” Shane Crotty, PhD, told attendees.

In his lab work, Crotty has spent significant time simply understanding the nature of the three branches of immunity — B-cells, CD4 T-cells and CD8 killer T-cells — and the role they play in battling COVID-19. “The founding principle of my lab is to understand the immunology of this and improve upon it.”

One of the key questions is how long immunological memory lasts after a person has been infected with the virus, which largely involved measuring levels of those different types of cells at various time points. “Immunological memory in humans is difficult to predict,” he said.

The heterogeneity of immune memory from person to person has a “1,000-fold range” for the cellular parameters that Crotty has assessed in his lab.

Armed with this backdrop of knowledge, Crotty then turned to COVID-19 vaccines.

“The RNA vaccines have been incredibly successful and clearly elicited really good short-term neutralizing antibody responses and clearly were capable of eliciting T-cell responses,” Crotty said. What is less certain is how well they elicited T-cell memory or CD8 T-cell responses. “Those are the questions we wanted to answer.”

In an early study of a reduced-dose vaccine published in Science, Crotty and colleagues determined that antibodies declined approximately 10-fold by approximately 6 months after the second dose.

However, CD4 T-cell numbers declined only about two-fold after the second dose. “We thought this was quite encouraging,” Crotty said.

As for CD8 T-cells, approximately two-thirds of individuals experienced just a two-fold decline at 6 months. “Again, we thought this was a pretty amazing result for an mRNA vaccine,” Crotty said.

Regarding the question of whether T cells are recognizing variants, Crotty suggested that previous COVID-19 infection may provide some CD4 and CD8 T-cell response. However, further data on the nature of this response. He suggested that T-cell recognition of omicron is “sustained.”

If there is a final factor for consideration, it is the number of exposures to COVID-19 in some form. “Multiple exposures, either from hybrid immunity or multiple vaccines, is good,” Crotty said. “Your immune system is good at recognizing variants.”