i made the statement in lab a few days ago that pregnant women are slightly immunosuppressed; as reviewed in this article by the CDC, " An evolving model of pregnancy-associated immune changes suggests that the hormonal environment of pregnancy contributes to local suppression of cell-mediated immunity at the maternal-fetal interface while mediating a systemic change toward Th2 dominance. ... Systemic suppression of cell-mediated immunity may contribute to increased susceptibility to some intracellular pathogens—including viruses, bacteria, and parasites—during pregnancy. ", so in pregnant ladies, the humoral (antibody-mediated) responses remain intact, but the immediate/non-specific innate response is likely suppressed (so as prevent the mother's body from rejecting paternally-derived antigens).
i laughed much harder at this image of a formerly stolen doorknob than i should have (originally seen on fb, but also covered in this huff post article).
Jack! Shoes! a little much, but appreciated.
This past weekend, a few friends and i attended Oktoberfest in New Glarus. The naming was throwing me for a loop; historically speaking, the first Oktoberfest was held in honor of the wedding of (then) Crown Prince Ludwig to Therese of Saxe-Hildbughausen (on October 12th, 1810), but has since been celebrated at the end of September due to better weather (according to wikipedia), with occasional cancellations due to cholera epidemics and war. Gleaned from the wikipedia article, " There are many problems every year with young people who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol. Many forget that Oktoberfest beer has 5.8 to 6.3% alcohol and high sugar content (compared to an average of 5.2% of alcohol and low sugar content in German beer), and they pass out due to intoxication. These drunk patrons are often called "Bierleichen" (German for "beer corpses"). ". i find it fascinating that there is an actual term for folks who drink 'til they pass out.
Anyway, the New Glarus festival was delightful, and Sunday included an antique tractor pull (Hannah and i were both immediately interested). Interestingly, New Glarus here is featured as a Swiss destination, named after the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. A few of the shops feature what appears to be the sigil of a saint, and i had to track down whom; turns out, the Canton of Glarus was settled by St. Fridolin, an Irish missionary who was inspired by Saint Hilarius in a dream to travel to an island on the Rhine and found a few churches. St. Fridolin traveled until he found an island that looked like the one in his dream. Interestingly, St. Fridolin converted a wealthy landowner named Urso, who left his land to St. Fridolin in his will. As wikipedia puts it " Urso's brother Landolf refused to accept the legitimacy of the gift and brought Fridolin before a court at Rankweil to prove his title. Fridolin did so by summoning Urso from the dead to confirm the gift in person, so terrifying Landolf that he gave his lands to Fridolin as well ". Wow. These lands eventually became the Canton of Glarus. Also, apparently when St. Fridolin first found the island that Hilarius showed him in his dream, "At last reaching the island of Säckingen in the Rhine, Fridolin recognized in it the island indicated in the dream, and prepared to build a church there. The inhabitants of the banks of the Rhine, however, who used the island as pasture for their cattle, mistook Fridolin for a cattle-robber and expelled him. ", but the inhabitants relented after being shown the deed. And so a picture of Fridolin is now used on the coat of arms of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland, and displayed in New Glarus, WI. 'Glarus' is derived from 'Hilarius'.
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