Virology
TWiV 347: Rose rosette and squirrel roulette
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #347 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich discuss the virus behind rose rosette disease, and fatal human encephalitis caused by a variegated squirrel bornavirus. You can find TWiV #347 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Transgenic pigs resistant to foot-and-mouth disease
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and many wild species. The disease caused by this virus is a substantial problem for farmers because infected animals cannot be sold. Transgenic pigs have now been produced which express a short interfering RNA (siRNA) and consequently have reduced susceptibility to infection with FMDV. …
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TWiV 346: A double helical career
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
Episode #346 of the science show This Week in Virology was recorded at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology, where Vincent, Rich, and Kathy spoke with Joan Steitz, a tireless promoter of women in science and one of the greatest scientists of our generation. You can find TWiV #346 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
The Arctic fresh water virome
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
Although we now understand that viruses are the most abundant organisms on Earth, there are gaps in our knowledge about their distribution in different environments. Results of a new study reveal the diversity and distribution of viruses in Arctic fresh waters. Fresh waters in high latitudes such as the Arctic and Antarctic have low levels …
TWiV 345: How a vaccine got the nod
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #345 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVonauts review how the weather affects West Nile virus disease in the US, benefit of B cell depletion for ME/CFS patients, and an autoimmune reaction induced by influenza virus vaccine that leads to narcolepsy. You can find TWiV #345 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
B cell depletion benefits ME/CFS patients
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) showed clinical improvement after extended treatment with the anti-B-cell monoclonal antibody rituximab. This result suggests that in a subset of patients, ME/CFS might be an autoimmune disease. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against a protein on the surface of B cells known as CD20. When the antibody is given to …
David Tuller
Trial By Error: Guardian Columnist George Monbiot Discusses His Scathing Rebuke of the Biopsychosocial Brigades–Text Version
By David Tuller, DrPH Last week, I spoke with George Monbiot, a British investigative reporter and political activist, who has been a columnist for The Guardian for almost 30 years. He and I have been in occasional communication in recent years over an issue of mutual interest—the scandalous mistreatment of patients suffering from the devastating illness (or cluster …
Trial By Error: Guardian Columnist George Monbiot Discusses His Scathing Critique of the “Biopsychosocial” Approach to ME/CFS and Long Covid
By David Tuller, DrPH Earlier today I spoke with George Monbiot, a British investigative reporter and political activist, who has been a columnist for The Guardian for almost 30 years. He and I have been in occasional communication in recent years over an issue of mutual interest—the scandalous mistreatment of patients suffering from the devastating …
Trial By Error: Senator Bernie Sanders’ $10 Billion Long Covid “Moonshot” Proposal
By David Tuller, DrPH On April 9th, Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who votes with the Democrats, unveiled an ambitious $10 billion “moonshot” proposal to fund research into Long Covid. The proposal has raised hopes among patients with the disease or cluster of diseases now being called ME/CFS—as well as concerns that …
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Trial By Error: An Interview with the Authors of the European ME Alliance Survey of 11,000+ Patients
By David Tuller, DrPH Earlier this month, the European Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Alliance (EMEA) released a 235-page report on a survey of ME/CFS patients in Europe titled “Same disease, different approaches and experiences.” The authors are Arild Angelsen, a board member of the Norwegian ME Association and a professor at the School of Economics and Business …
Trial By Error: REGAIN Team Responds to Criticism with Unconvincing Defenses of Methodological Missteps
By David Tuller, DrPH In recent weeks, I have been urging The BMJ to correct a flawed University of Warwick trial of an online mental and physical health rehab program for people with prolonged symptoms at least three months after hospitalization for Covid-19. The primary outcome was health-related quality of life, assessed with a measure …
Trial By Error: A New Study from Exeter on “Brain Training” for Treatment of Post-Covid Cognitive Problems
By David Tuller, DrPH The University of Exeter is now recruiting for a study of “brain training” as a treatment for prolonged cognitive dysfunction after a bout of Covid-19. I found out about this via a post on X. The post highlighted a message that had been sent to an unidentified patient from their medical …