Is Putin Coeliac?
Under Construction
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – More Research Needs To Be Done
More Research Needs To Be Done
I am inevitably lead to the conclusion that more research needs to be done.
Gluten-Free Hospital Food
I have discussed possible research routes with friends, who are research doctors and I feel, one piece of research that could be done, would be to look at how many gluten-free meals are served on wards, where covid patients are treated.
- I have been into hospital several times since I was diagnosed as a coeliac and there has been a couple of problems.
- But like all coeliacs, I complained and got what I need.
- By looking at the food, you would also pick up those, who hadn’t got a gold-standard diagnosis, but went gluten-free for good personal reasons.
- I used to monitor a forum for coeliacs and there were a lot of complaints about hospital food.
I believe that monitoring gluten-free food on wards, where covid patients are treated, could give a good insight into how diagnosed coeliacs on a gluten-free diet respond to the covids.
It is also something that could be applied easily at a hospital.
Testing Covid Sufferers For Coeliac Disease
This is supposedly a true story.
- A lady in Hampstead, wakes up one morning and she’s gone yellow.
- She phones her GP, who says she better come in to the surgery.
- The GP phones the local Royal Free Hospital, who are London’s experts on livers and they advise the lady to come straight in.
- The hospital say, it looks like her liver is packing up and she will need a transplant.
- So a doctor showed the lady a series of tests they would be doing.
- The last one was for coeliac disease and she said. “Why that? I can eat anything I want!”
- The doctor replied. “With 1-in-100, that is the cause of your liver problem!”
- She tested positive for coeliac disease and went gluten-free.
Last heard of, she was running a B & B in Corfu.
Given what I said in Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Long Covid, where there is circumstantial evidence linking undiagnosed coeliac disease to long covid, if it works in a proportion of cases, why shouldn’t it be tried?
Have Your Say About Potential New Hydrogen Facility In Aldbrough
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on HullLive.
This is the first paragraph.
SSE Thermal is looking for input from the local community regarding its first-of-a-kind low-carbon hydrogen facility.
They are holding meetings in the Hull area as follows to discuss the project with anybody who is interested.
- Tuesday, June 6, 2:30pm – 7pm: Hedon Town Hall, 36 St Augustine’s Gate, Hedon, HU12 8EX
- Wednesday, June 7, 2:30pm – 7pm: East Village Meadows, Northfield Farm, Garton, HU11 4QB
- Thursday, June 8, 2:30pm – 7pm: Aldbrough Village Hall, Garton Rd, Aldbrough, HU11 4QA
I shall be going on the Tuesday. There are buses from Hull station, which take about 35 minutes.
This section is copied from the HullLive article.
What is the Pathfinder Project?
The Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project is an important building block in the development of a thriving Humber hydrogen economy, underpinning the region’s decarbonisation and supporting economic growth locally and nationally.
The project is proposed to be developed within its existing site at Aldbrough Gas Storage, and all visible infrastructure will be within the site boundary.
The project intends to use one of the current storage caverns and repurpose it to develop a project in the Humber that would unite hydrogen production, storage and power generation in one.
As someone, who feels strongly about the benefits of hydrogen, I feel this is a very worthwhile project.
Irish ESB Joins Northland Power On Two Scottish Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
ESB will acquire a 24.5 per cent interest in Northland Power’s ScotWind projects, the fixed-bottom offshore wind farm Spiorad na Mara and the floating wind project Havbredey. Northland will retain 75.5 per cent in each project and continue to lead their development, construction, and operation
This is the first paragraph.
The companies have signed definitive agreements on ESB’s purchase of project stakes, with all commitments made prior to the agreements to remain in place.
Last month, I wrote ESB Invests In Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Tech. so are they in acquisitive mode?
This map from Cross Estate Scotland shows all the ScotWind contracts.
ESB now lrasr the following stakes in ScotWind.
Their details are as follows.
- 14 – Havbredey – Floating – 1500 MW – 25 %
- 16 – Spiorad na Mara – Fixed – 840 MW – 25 %
- 20 – Unnamed – Floating – 500 MW – 100 %
These figures mean they lease about a GW.
I have my thoughts.
Will There Be A Multi-Purpose Interconnector between Ireland And Scotland?
Nothing has been mentioned yet, but could new wind farms om the future to the West of the Hebrides be connected to both the North of Scotland and the North of Ireland by a multi-purpose interconnector?
Ireland To Develop National Industrial Strategy For Offshore Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, has announced plans to develop a National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind which will set out how Ireland can maximise the economic opportunity arising from the production of offshore wind energy
Ireland’s current objectives for offshore wind are.
- To deliver 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
- A further 2 GW of floating wind to be in development by 2030.
- The target for offshore wind could rise to at least 37 GW by 2050.
- There is a target to provide 80 per cent of the country’s electricity to be from renewable sources by 2030.
The government appears to recognise collaborative approach between state and industry is needed.
Nothing is said about co-operation with Northern Ireland or the UK.
This is despite.
- UK and Irish companies like ESB, Flotation Energy, Simply Blue Group and SSE have projects in both countries.
- Irish company; ESB is developing the Malin Sea Wind wind farm in Scottish waters and landing the electricity near Derry City.
- Scottish company; SSE is building biomass power stations in Ireland.
- Some promising waters for wind power are shared between the two countries.
- There are three interconnectors between the two main islands.
I would expect that there could be some multi-purpose interconnectors across the Irish and Celtic Seas.
These would connect windfarms between the islands to both the UK and Ireland. National Grid and TenneT are building the LionLink between England and The Netherlands, which I wrote about in World’s Largest-Of-Its-Kind Power Line To Deliver Clean Power To 1.8m UK Homes And Boost Energy Security.
I very much feel, that there will be a lot of co-operation between the UK and Irish governments as if they work together, the development of Ireland’s offshore wind and that of the West Coast of the UK could be more efficient.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Should Newborns Be Tested For Coeliac Disease?
Should Newborns Be Tested For Coeliac Disease?
This article on the BBC is entitled Newborns To Get Rapid Genetic Disease Diagnosis.
This is the sub-heading.
Rare genetic disorders will be diagnosed and treated in babies thanks to a project to sequence the complete DNA of 100,000 newborns.
These are the first four paragraphs.
It should spare hundreds of families in England months, or years, of anguish waiting to find out why their children are ill.
The project is the first time that whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been offered to healthy babies in the NHS.
It will screen for around 200 disorders, all of them treatable.
The Newborn Genomes Programme, to begin next year, is thought to be the biggest study of its kind in the world. If successful, it could be rolled out across the country.
- My family have suffered greatly because of coeliac disease, as I related in Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – The Pain Of Coeliac Disease.
- Coeliac disease affects at least 1-in-100 of the UK population.
- The test is not difficult to perform.
I believe that for these reasons, coeliac disease must be one of the diseases that are tested for in the Newborn Genomes Programme.
£77 Million Investment For UK Heavy Duty And Commercial Vehicle Projects
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
These are the projects.
Ford to design, develop, and build a fleet of 8 hydrogen fuel cell powered Transit vans, with the latest advances in technology
£8 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £16.3 million.
This research project will design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, with a Ford Dagenham estate facility re-purposed for upfitting of the vehicle. By bringing the manufacturer, vehicle operator and supply chain businesses together, this project aims to establish a business case for the wider rollout of hydrogen Light Commercial Vehicles.
Project partners include: Ocado, BP, Cygnet Texkimp, Cambustion, Viritech.
Note.
- I suspect Ocado will do the road testing.
- BP will probably supply the hydrogen.
- Cygnet Texkimp are a company based in Northwich and is a leading global provider of fibre handling and converting technology. Have they developed a machine for knitting hydrogen fuel tanks?
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Viritech’s web site has a mission statement of Rewiring the DNA of Hydrogen Powertrains.
Ford seem to have assembled a team of all the talents.
Wrightbus to develop a new world-leading zero-emission battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric, multi-axle vehicles
£6.4 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will produce a new, market-leading platform for battery and fuel cell electric driven buses. Whilst demand is growing for zero-emission vehicles, there are currently few options available for heavy, multi-axle vehicles like large buses.
Project partners include: Queens University Belfast, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hutchinson Engineering, Translink.
Note.
- Grayson Thermal Systems are based in Birmingham and specialise in providing HVAC for vehicles and especially zero-carbon ones.
- Hutchinson Engineering are based in Widnes and invest in state-of-the-art machinery and technology to give our customers the most advanced, cost-effective solutions in design, fabrication and manufacturing.
- Translink provides public transport in Northern Ireland.
It looks like Wrightbus have excellent partners.
ULEMCo creating a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell range extender for prototype ambulance, fire engine and road sweepers
£3.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £7.9 million.
This project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for special purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers. The zero-emissions range extender will be based on existing, proven technology from the Toyota Mirai, and demonstrate how zero emissions vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings.
Project partners include: Altair Engineering, Emergency One, Technical Services Ltd, Oxon Fire & Rescue Services
Note.
- ULEMCo are based in the Liverpool City Region and it is very much in Liverpudlian DNA to repurpose something that works. Hence the use of The Toyota technology.
- Altair Engineering is a multinational engineering and technology company.
- Emergency One is a Scottish manufacturer of fire engines and emergency vehicles.
- Technical Services Ltd, who are based in Cleckheaton, supply thermal management systems and solutions.
- Oxon Fire & Rescue Services will obviously be doing the testing.
In Hydrogen-Powered Ambulance Drives Into Glasgow Ahead Of London Trial, I wrote about a prototype hydrogen-powered ambulance, that was built by ULEMCo and industry partners, that was shown at COP26.
Is this project turning the prototype into a system, that can be manufactured in large volumes?
Bramble Energy developing a hydrogen double-deck bus, using innovative, low-cost fuel cell technology
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will demonstrate a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus. This novel product will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles like buses and uses innovative new electronics and energy recovery technologies.
Project partners include: University of Bath, Equipmake, Aeristech
Note.
- Bramble Energy‘s Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell (PCBFC™) is a patent protected, revolutionary design which leverages existing manufacturing routes from the printed circuit board industry to offer a cost-effective, scalable hydrogen fuel cell solution.
- Equipmake are based at Snetterton in Norfolk.
- In Equipmake Hybrid To Battery Powered LT11, I describe Equipmake’s conversion of a New Routemaster to battery operation.
- Aeristech are based in Crawley and have developed a range of award-winning compressors for Tier-1, OEMs and other customers.
- Is the compressor needed to pump a mixture of hydrogen and air through the fuel cell?
I have a feeling, that this could be a very revolutionary design.
BorgWarner developing hydrogen combustion systems for heavy-duty commercial transport
£4.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £9.8 million.
This project aims to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel. Hydrogen is a clean fuel, producing only water when burned. Project Cavendish will develop new fuel and air management systems, so that existing heavy duty diesel technologies can be repurposed to use hydrogen as fuel.
Project partners include: Mahle, Cambustion, Hartridge
Note.
- BorgWarner is a large American automotive supplier.
- Mahle is a large German automotive supplier.
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Since the brand formation in 1930 Hartridge, who are based in Buckingham, has become a world leader in diesel fuel injection test equipment.
- Project Cavendish is obviously named after Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen.
In Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine, I talk about another project involving BorgWarner. Is Project Cavendish a follow-on from the original project or a new one?
Leyland Trucks scaling up the production of electric trucks through innovations in automation and advanced testing
£2.6 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £5.1 million.
By better use of automation and advanced testing, Leyland Trucks aim to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks. A ‘digital twin’ of the Leyland production line will be set up, meaning any changes can be run in simulation before being rolled out physically.
Project partners include: Expert Tooling, HSSMI
Note.
- Leyland Trucks is one of Britain’s leading manufacturing companies. It is PACCAR’s established centre for light and medium duty truck design, development and manufacture. The company is based in Leyland.
- Expert Technologies are specialists in delivering industrial automation solutions. The company is based in Coventry.
- HSSMI is a sustainable manufacturing consultancy.
As I have done a lot of simulation in my time, I’m very much in favour of digital twins.
JLR leading a consortium research project to develop a high-efficiency and highly integrated 800V inverter designed and built in the UK
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.6 million.
This project will explore and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles. As well as developing a best-in-class product, this work will support the growth of a UK supply chain in components for electric vehicles.
Project partners include: University of Bristol, Custom Interconnect Ltd, API Capacitors Ltd
Note.
- JLR is Jaguar Land Rover.
- Custom Interconnect is an advanced electronics manufacturing company, which is based in Andover.
- API Capacitors is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of high quality power capacitors for power electronic applications. The company is based in Great Yarmouth.
I suspect this invertor will have several applications.
Conclusion
The grants seem to have been widely spread around the UK.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – A Whack-A-Coeliac Policy
A Whack-A-Coeliac Policy
Note that this page is an updated version of Should The NHS Adopt A Whack-A-Coeliac Policy?, which I wrote in July 2020.
Because of the high number of diagnosed coeliacs in the Cambridge area, I believe that I was diagnosed to be coeliac, by possible use of a Whack-a-Coeliac policy at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, in the last years of the Twentieth Century.
- I was suffering from low B12 levels and my GP sent me to the hospital to see a consultant.
- It was only a quick visit and all I remember, is the speed with which the nurse took my blood.
- A couple of days later, I received a letter from the hospital, saying it was likely I was a coeliac and it would be confirmed by an endoscopy.
- A point to note, is that I had my endoscopy with just a throat spray and this must have increased the efficiency and throughput and reduced the cost of the procedure.
The only way, I could have been diagnosed so quickly would have been through an analysis of my genes and blood. But I was never told, what method was used.
I have a few further thoughts.
My Health Since Diagnosis
It has undoubtedly improved.
Cancer And Diagnosed Coeliacs On A Gluten-Free Diet
Joe West of Nottingham University has shown, that diagnosed coeliacs on a gluten-free diet have a 25% lower risk of cancer compared to the general population.
That is certainly a collateral benefit of being a coeliac. But is it being a coeliac or the diet?
I’m no medic, but could the reason be, that diagnosed coeliacs on a gluten-free diet have a strong immune system?
Coeliac Disease Is A Many-Headed Hydra
I have heard a doctor describe coeliac disease or gluten-sensitivity as a many-headed hydra, as it can turn up in so many other illnesses.
Type “coeliac disease many-headed hydra” into Google and this article on the NCBI , which is entitled Gluten Sensitivity: A Many Headed Hydra, is the first of many.
This is the sub-title of the article.
Heightened responsiveness to gluten is not confined to the gut
My son; George was an undiagnosed coeliac, who had a poor diet consisting mostly of Subways, cigarettes and high-strength cannabis. He died at just thirty-seven of pancreatic cancer.
Did George have a poor immune system, which was useless at fighting the cancer?
Undiagnosed Coeliac Disease In The Over-Sixty-Fives
In A Thought On Deaths Of The Elderly From Covid-19, I used data from Age UK and Coeliac UK to estimate the number of coeliacs in the UK over the age of sixty-five. I said this.
Age UK has a figure of twelve million who are over 65 in the UK. If 1-in-100 in the UK are coeliac, that is 120,000 coeliacs over 65.
But some research shows that the number of coeliacs can be as high as 1-in-50.
If that 120,000 were all diagnosed, I would have several coeliacs amongst my over-65 friends. I have just one and she is self-diagnosed.
Are all these undiagnosed coeliacs out there, easy targets for diseases like cancer and COVID-19?
The Ease Of Testing For Coeliac Disease
I was worried that my granddaughter was coeliac and I asked my GP, how difficult a test is to perform.
He said, that a genetic test is usually quick and correct and only a few borderline cases need to be referred to a consultant.
Diagnosis has moved on a lot in twenty years.
Cambridge, Oxford and Covid-19
Six weeks ago I wrote Oxford And Cambridge Compared On COVID-19, to try to find out why the number of Covid-19 cases are so much lower in Cambridge than Oxford.
Checking today, the rate of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents is as follows.
- Cambridge 336.6
- Oxford 449
So why the difference?
In the related post, this was my explanation.
Is the large number of diagnosed coeliacs around Cambridge, the reason the area has a lower COVID-19 rate than Oxford?
It sounds a long shot, but it could be a vindication of a possible Whack-a-Coeliac policy at Addenbrooke’s in the last years of the Twentieth Century.
Or were the hospital testing the genetic test for coeliac disease? Perhaps, in conjunction with Cambridge University and/or the Sanger Centre.
Conclusion
I believe the NHS should seriously look at a Whack-a-Coeliac policy!
- The health of a large number of people would improve.
- There would be less cancer in the UK.
- A better combined National Immune System might help in our fight against the next virus to follow COVID-19.
It would be a very simple testing program, that would be mainly in the hands of the GPs, their nurses and the testing laboratories.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – The Pain Of Coeliac Disease
The Pain Of Coeliac Disease
Celiac disease has caused a lot of pain in my life.
My Unhealthy Childhood
I was a very unhealthy and sickly child and all that was done was to remove my tonsils.
I also don’t think that London’s filthy air of the 1950s helped.
Certainly, my parents’ retirement to Felixstowe in Suffolk and then studying at Liverpool University in the 1960s, seemed to improve my health.
But if I’d been diagnosed as coeliac, would I have been so unhealthy.
Bullying At School
I was very small at school, due to my inadequate non-coeliac diet and at both Primary and Grammar School, I was bullied.
The bullying only ended after, my left humerus was broken in an incident, when I was fourteen.
Would I have been so small, if it had been known to be coeliac and was eating accordingly?
The Early Death Of My Paternal Grandfather
Whether he was a coeliac, I not know, as he died in 1929 and I never met him! But he died at 51 of pneumonia and acute asthma. My father told me he was a very heavy drinker.
The Early Death Of My Father
My father died at 69 of a stroke and I am certain he was coeliac, as he was so like me at fifty.
My father after the problems his father had with drink, made certain, that my drinking habits were similar to his, which were a few units a week. Although we shared a habit of drinking lots of tea.
My Granddaughter Was Born With A Congenital Hernia Of The Diaphragm
My granddaughter; Imogen, who is not coeliac, was born with a congenital hernia of the diaphragm.
Imogen was operated on within a couple of days at the Royal London Hospital and recently celebrated her twenty-first birthday. She hopes to go to University in the Autumn.
By chance, in my volunteering at the William Harvey Centre, I met one of the nurses, who had looked after Imogen twenty years ago. She told me, that they had given her no chance of survival. Miracles do happen!
The Early Death Of My Son
Imogen’s father was my son George, who like our other two sons refused to get tested for coeliac disease, after I was diagnosed in 1997.
This is recommended by the NHS and this page on their web site says this.
First-degree relatives of people with coeliac disease should be tested.
George died of pancreatic cancer in 2010. I wrote about George’s death in The Death Of My Son George.
Would he still be alive, if he had been diagnosed as the coeliac, I believe he was and had followed a more healthy lifestyle?
My Stroke
Like my father I had a serious stroke.
Mine was in 2011, whilst I was on holiday in Hong Kong.
Doctors, say I made a remarkable recovery.
Could this be because I am coeliac and Addenbrooke’s prescribed three-monthly B12 injections, which I still have?
In the United States B12 injections are used for stroke recovery. But not in the UK!
My Cataracts
Ceoliacs can suffer from cataracts. I had mine removed in 2022.
My Gallstones
Ceoliacs can suffer from gallstones. I had mine removed in 2022.
No Female Born Into My Father’s Male Line Has Ever Successfully Had A Child Since 1800
Even my sister, who was born in 1950, never had a child.
Other Coeliacs
I used to monitor an on-line forum for coeliacs and I’ve heard so many strange tales and pain caused by coeliac disease.
Conclusion
My life would have been so different, if I had been tested for coeliac disease as a child.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Long Covid
Long Covid
In Should Those With Long Covid Be Checked For Coeliac Disease?, I wrote this.
One of my Google Alerts picked up this interesting page on the British Medical Journal.
In response to this paper on the journal, which was entitled Long Covid—An Update For Primary Care, a retired GP named Andrew Brown had said this.
The update reminds us that alternative diagnoses should be considered in patients presenting with long covid symptoms. I suggest that screening for coeliac disease should be added to the list of conditions to look for. Coeliac disease occurs in more than 1% of the population, with many more cases undiagnosed. Typical symptoms of fatigue and GI problems are the similar to those of long covid.
As a non-medical person, I would agree, as after the Asian flu of 1057-58, I was off school for a long time with long covid-like symptoms and my excellent GP; Dr. Egerton White was very worried.
Unfortunately, my medical records from before 1969 have been lost.
But at the time, it is now known, I was an undiagnosed coeliac.
So was my coeliac disease meaning that I couldn’t fight the flu?
I cover the link between coeliac disease and long covid in more detail in Covid Leaves Wave Of Wearied Souls In Pandemic’s Wake.
The Anonymous Widower 