Very interesting!

I don't miss a lot of Swiss food stuff (you can get a lot of the same things here in the UK) but king cake is at the top of the list, so I usually make one. This year's version was a tad burnt, still delicious. I had to abdicate my reign to my hubby though, who got the king.

What compels someone to submit a very bad paper on new year's eve? All hypothetical, of course, I'm not talking about your paper.

No health without peace

Moonrise over the Thames

💬 Viewpoint: Mass abstract submissions in #MedEd have led to inflated metrics, less meaningful research, and misaligned incentives for trainees and institutions. ja.ma/3MYsmvO

Good morning and happy 2026 🔆

The @natureportfolio.nature.com published a really good spotlight on #influenza two weeks ago. I have not read all the articles yet (but I will). The ones I have read are great, learned a lot. Highly recommend checking them out. #IDSky www.nature.com/collections/...

🎖️📄Top infectious disease journal articles from 2025 is out! May be good for a quick review to see if you missed anything or if you need to pick a journal club article. #pharmacist #infectiousdiseases #pharmacyschool #FYP #IDstewardship @absteward.bsky.social www.idstewardship.com/year-in-revi...

My copy is at my parents but my academic (sorta) origin would be this. Apt in so many ways. Also love On Writing by Stephen King.

Went to see Wayne Thiebault at the Courtauld. Amazing!

😊

Lovely to see! I used to live just down the road from Altadena and the exuberance of American Christmas and Halloween decorations was a delight for this tempered European. [Also loved the Mexican takeaway where they just spoke Spanish and made the best carne asada.]

Love seeing all the books people got for Christmas! My wishlist is burgeoning...

Novocaine is a Christmas movie.

The "pharma shill" charge persists not because it's true but because it's useful. It discredits doctors while shielding those who actually profit from vaccine doubt. I examined the economics here: open.substack.com/pub/jakescot...

Wrapping Christmas presents and I'm giddy -- my family is a bunch of weirdos (love y'all!) and this year, I think I really nailed their presents, if I can say so myself.

Five real global health wins in 2025 1.HPV vaccination scaled faster than expected; 2. measles/rubella eliminated in several countries; 3. long-acting HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) approved; 4. progress on TB vaccines/diagnostics; 5. A promising new antimalarial. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

🧵 Essential ID Papers for 2025: A Clinician’s Guide Each year brings a flood of amazing ID literature. Here are candidates for some of the most important ID papers of 2025, spanning guidelines, trials, antimicrobials, and vaccines. 👇

I found the last part with Julia Vogel Moore's perspective as a person with long Covid very meaningful and moving. Thanks to both speakers for coming on our podcast.

Wasn't me 🎶

2025: an annus horribilis for health in the USA www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Interesting write-up of a new Science paper. Authors that use LLMs produce up to 40% more preprints, but are less likely to be published. Take numbers with a grain of salt; still...

I was interviewed for @theguardian.com by the wonderful @melodyschreiber.com, one of the finest health reporters in the world, about what I called a “neocolonialist” study planned by Danish researchers in Guinea-Bissau, funded by RFK Jr. So many red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

It's never truly Xmas till the @alphaville.ft.com Person of Interest list arrives www.ft.com/content/6d1e...

Just put my OoO on, 2 full weeks off, yay! What a year...

A picture is worth a thousand words 📷 In our final issue of 2025, explore the winning photos of The Lancet's 2025 Highlights competition, representing a year of pursuing health and hope in challenging conditions. Access the full issue: spkl.io/63327Aci33

LP.8.1 monovalent vaccine recommended:

High-dose rifampin did not improve survival in adult tuberculous meningitis. In a trial across 3 countries, 6-month mortality was similar to standard dosing, with more liver injury at higher doses. Important evidence for TB care from @natebahrid.bsky.social @drboulware.bsky.social . #IDSky

I did not have the best of days, so to cheer myself up (and anyone else who needs it), here are some of my favourite decorations from our Christmas tree 🎄🌟

Come and join us at Imperial College to work a project looking at mechanisms in Long Covid and ME/CFS We're looking for: A keen, experienced Research Nurse A gifted molecular immunologist with a strong bioinformatics background www.imperial.ac.uk/.../descript.... www.imperial.ac.uk/.../descript....

New Editorial - ACIP’s HBV birth-dose vaccine recommendations: a fiasco www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #HepSky #LiverSky #MedSky #IDSky

Having internet issues today. For any service providers out there, sending messages saying that you think the problem is resolved and asking customers to text back FIXED, doesn't actually fix the issue. At least also provide a second option for texting FFS, NO.

Read our January issue! Featuring Sotrovimab in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, global policy responses to antimicrobial resistance, and evaluating dengue vaccination in Brazilian adolescents www.thelancet.com/issue/S1473-...

With our January issue, we also welcome our new cover artist -- Daria Lada 🎨🦠💜 Daria is a Ukrainian illustrator living in Canada. She's interested in storytelling and metaphorical imagery. We're delighted to work with her for our 2026 covers!

Seven feel-good science stories to round up 2025. All too often we forget to celebrate the positives 🧪 #AcademicSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Utterly depressing...

Cat missing whole day, comes back smelling of perfume.

New Research Global burden of lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

New Research Efficacy of ProC6C-AlOH/Matrix-M against Plasmodium falciparum infection and mosquito transmission: a phase 2, randomised, controlled human malaria infection study www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Current H5N1 avian influenza viruses replicate better in human respiratory tissues than a historic one, warranting "the urgency to prevent cross-species transmission to humans by controlling spillover events to mammals and limiting viral spread in farmed mammals." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

This is your yearly reminder -- submitting your paper just before the holidays is not a good idea. You're competing with a flood of other papers and even if it's sent for review, no one will agree. PS Feline editorial assistant contemplating the burden of submissions.

Always to cool to see the winners from the @asm.org Agar Art Contest 🧪🐡🦠 asm.org/press-releas...

So many AI-written letters coming in... Are the machines feeling the pre-holiday crunch to submit as well? 🤖🎄

Hard sell from a publicist -- emailing me to suggest that I interview their author whose work is an "unrelenting pursuit"..."at the intersection of medicine, justice and the human condition". Interview topic? A recent Lancet paper. Thanks, sweetie, for reminding me where I work.

A double dose of good news on the infectious disease front: There’s not just one but two new drugs coming for gonorrhea, one of the most worrying diseases when it comes to antibiotic resistance. 🧪 #IDsky www.science.org/content/arti...

Nifty how this 'unprecedented', 'worst ever' 'superflu' crisis in England hits right in time for blaming doctors and pressuring them against striking for fair salaries. 🙃

New in the December 11, 2025, issue of NEJM: High-Dose Influenza Vaccine in Older Adults (DANFLU-2 trial) nej.md/4lPGMtT High-Dose Influenza Vaccine and Hospitalizations (GALFLU trial) nej.md/46712T2

To learn more about our Series on sustainable HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, published jointly with The Lancet HIV, listen to our latest podcast! open.spotify.com/episode/39mc...

🚨 Scientists detected a recombinant monkeypox virus combining Clade Ib & Clade IIb in a traveler from Asia to the UK. The virus continues to surprise us — this is what happens when transmission continues unchecked. Surveillance + data sharing matter more than ever. virological.org/t/inter-clad...