Vicki Mercado-Evans, MD, PhD

Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells in systemic lupus erythematosus Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells to promote pathogenic antinuclear T and B cell responses in lupus.

Whoah

EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?

#lupus #medsky #RheumSky

@christosargyrop.bsky.social

I’m a physician who went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering. More of my colleagues should too A pro-vaccine physician went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering. He warns that public health must learn what it’s up against.

Really great article by Dr. Craig Spencer who bravely attended the CHD anti-vaxxer meeting last week. He makes the case for the need for pro-vaccine public health practitioners to peek behind the curtain to understand the movement in order to better counter it.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/c...

A Systematic Review Supporting the Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Preexisting Diabetes and Pregnancy AbstractContext. Women with preexisting diabetes mellitus (PDM) are at increased risk of pregnancy-related complications.Objective. To summarize the availa

Women with preexisting diabetes face unique pregnancy risks, but management guidelines now emphasize effective insulin use and metformin benefits.

by Al Nofal A, Benkhadra K (...) Murad MH et 8 al. in J Clin Endocrinol Metab #MedSky

👉 get more here

📖 read the article:

Pop-Up Shop 2025 — Superbugs - The microbial world in, on and around us

Love this!

🔬 🦠 🧫 🔬 🦠 🧫🔬 🦠 🧫
Researchers from Cardiff University and Swansea University have created a pop-up science shop with games, treasure hunts and even a horror show to help young people learn more about microbes, bacteria, viruses, antibiotic resistance, and vaccines
🔬 🦠 🧫 🔬 🦠 🧫🔬 🦠 🧫

Thank you so much Dr. Samuel!

8 years, 2 moves, 2 kids, and countless late nights, early mornings, cups of ☕️ and great times with amazing people. So grateful to have had this #mdphd journey and excited for the next chapter!

#pathmatch #pathsky #match2025 #doubledoctor

Do you know a science trainee who excels at #scicomm writing? Invite them to apply to the #LaskerEssay Contest by March 31! The winning essays will be published in @jclinical-invest.bsky.social. Find this year’s topic and the full contest guidelines here: buff.ly/42bjvwf 🧪

We did it!!! I’m going to be a #pathologist!!!! My oldest seems to be taking an early interest as well 😉

#pathmatch2025 #match2025

Mike spotted this before the rest of us. 🫡

Publications from 2025 are shared more on Bluesky than on X/Twitter.

A legend died today.

In his memory, how about a heartwarming heme #skeetorial? #hemesky #nerdalert

Today the world lost the man with the "golden arm"
1/n

TOMORROW- Friday, February 28th is BLACKOUT FRIDAY!

If you believe we are in danger of losing our Democracy forever, FIGHT BACK!

Let's make our voices heard in numbers too big to ignore.

JOIN US if you've had it with Comrade Krasnov. 🤬 🇷🇺

#24HourEconomicBlackout

I started out our lab meeting today with a ~15 min summary of what the NIH does, indirects, current attacks on the NIH, and what we can do to fight.

Some of my lab members follow the news, some don't, but I think they were all highly interested in learning. Happy to send these slides to anyone

We got a Costco membership for the first time in our lives today. They asked why & I said because treat your workers well, you value diversity, & you didn’t cave in to authoritarian demands. He said: “We’ve been getting lots of folks saying that, thanks for joining.”

Who needs a gallon of ketchup?

Please take care of yourselves.

Distinct maternofetal immune signatures delineate preterm birth onset following urinary tract infection Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality resulting in over one million neonatal deaths annually. Maternal urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy increases risk for preterm birth;...

Why is preterm birth risk doubled with maternal UTI? It depends on the immune response. We found distinct immune signatures in a UTI-associated preterm birth mouse model. In a human cohort from @AShea_Lab, urine cytokine levels could predict preterm birth. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Grateful to have been part of this! The microscopic hunt for NETs was a treat for my inner budding pathologist 🔬

Cover of The Lancet: "Health institutions may be hesitant to criticise the new administration publicly, but this timidity is a mistake. Trump's actions must be called out for the damage they are doing."

Oh, hell yeah

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Congratulations!!

Gender Equity Task Force - American Medical Women's Association

To get involved with the American Medical Women’s Association Gender #Equity Task Force bit.ly/amwa-getf

#medsky #womeninmedicine

“…balancing demanding medical careers, but also caring for their families…time to celebrate the dedication/resilience...need policies that provide better work-life balance and family support…#disparities are more pronounced in women of color and other intersectional backgrounds…”

-AMWA

One of the best things you can do right now is read books. Buy them. Borrow them from the library. Gift them.

Read history. Read fiction. Read science writing. Read anything that shows you the world is bigger than what fascists say it is.

Read to remember why your resistance matters. 📚💙

Speaking of healthcare. Let's make @bsky.app the platform that fights misinformation. Some great follows are @drsusanoliver.bsky.social @jsm2334.bsky.social @therealtruther.bsky.social

Let's get them more followers and engagement than other platforms and let health science accounts find a home

Scientific advancements aside, this is economically irresponsible

Every $1 spent by NIH generates $2.46

For example, in 2023, $47B in NIH spending generated ~$93B

Halting NIH spending will LOSE the US a lot of money (and talent)

I’m going to continue to love those around me, do good at every opportunity, support those who need it most, and find happiness wherever I can.

This is a true loss for patients and the medical community. What can we early-career trainees do?

Serve as mentors, increase exposure through community outreach, serve on admissions/interview committees and advocate for candidates. What else?

Libraries are so cute. Please get the Libby and Hoopla app on your phone and the Kanopy app for your TV. It makes the libraries so happy and you can access books, movies, magazines, audiobooks, tv shows, and joy. YOU GET FREE JOY

The burden of service for faculty of color to achieve diversity and inclusion: the minority tax The exclusion of Blacks/African-Americans, Latinx/Hispanics, and Indigenous people from science has resulted in their underrepresentation in the biomedical workforce, especially in academia. Faculty d...

This approach has a well-known consequence: it's called the minority tax that faculty of color often face as we're called upon to address inequities in the larger system. I just want to make sure we don't keep adding to that tax. 4/4.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Women are under-represented at senior levels in #academia globally, & across all #science 🧪 disciplines, as shown by these "scissor-shaped curves" ✂️

So how can we ever achieve #gender #equality?

We discuss various strategies in this #Cell Commentary

#WomeninSTEM

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
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Hi #medsky, I’m Vicki, a #physician-scientist in training. As a #firstgen scholar, this journey is immensely meaningful & challenging. My most interesting & loved lifelong projects give my partner & I more citations than one could imagine; “Mama said that…” “Dad told me…” Happy to be here!

I tried to find more about the author, LaVina Jean Armstrong, but came up short. Love how fondly she recalls these memories of her mother. Hoping the same for my two.