Virology
The neuraminidase of influenza virus
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
The influenza virus particle is made up of the viral RNA genome wrapped in a lipid membrane (illustrated). The membrane, or envelope, contains three different kinds of viral proteins. The hemagglutinin molecule (HA, blue) attaches to cell receptors and initiates the process of virus entry into cells. I have written about the HA and its …
TWiV 257: Caveat mTOR
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #257 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiV team consider how the kinase mTOR modulates the antibody response to provide broad protection against influenza virus, and explore the problems with scientific research. You can find TWiV #257 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
John Holland, 83
By Vincent Racaniello | | Uncategorized
Virologist John Holland passed away on 11 October 2013. I asked former members of his laboratory for their thoughts on his career and what he meant to them. Bert Semler For more than 35 years, John Holland was a major figure and leading contributor in the study of RNA viruses. His early pioneering work on …
Bat SARS-like coronavirus that infects human cells
By Vincent Racaniello | | Uncategorized
The SARS pandemic of 2002-2003 is believed to have been caused by a bat coronavirus (CoV) that first infected a civet and then was passed on to humans. The isolation of a new SARS-like coronavirus from bats suggests that the virus could have directly infected humans. A single colony of horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) in Kunming, Yunnan …
Bat SARS-like coronavirus that infects human cells Read More »
Virus-induced fever might change bacteria from commensal to pathogen
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
Neisseria meningitidis may cause septicemia (bacteria in the blood) and meningitis (infection of the membrane surrounding the brain), but the bacterium colonizes the nasopharynx in 10-20% of the human population without causing disease. Although understanding how the bacterium changes from a commensal to a pathogen has been elusive, an important property is believed to be the ability …
Virus-induced fever might change bacteria from commensal to pathogen Read More »
TWiV 256: How mice say nodavirus
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #256 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Kathy review two papers that present evidence for RNA interference as an antiviral immunity mechanism in mammals. You can find TWiV #256 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
David Tuller
Trial By Error: Claims Built on Fraudulent Trials Should Be Ignored
By David Tuller, DrPH When researchers cite fraudulent studies in support of their claims, it is best not to take anything they write at face value. That is certainly the case with a recent paper titled “Persistent physical symptoms not explained by structural abnormalities or disease processes: a primary care approach to promote recovery,” published …
Trial By Error: Claims Built on Fraudulent Trials Should Be Ignored Read More »
Trial By Error: Is Professor Crawley Retired from Bristol, or Isn’t She?
By David Tuller, DrPH Professor Esther Crawley, the methodologically and ethically challenged pediatrician and former grant queen at the University of Bristol, retired from medical practice and, apparently, from academia at some point in the recent past. So why does her name still appear on websites as if she were an active participant in research …
Trial By Error: Is Professor Crawley Retired from Bristol, or Isn’t She? Read More »
Trial By Error: Norway Disability Case Exposes Flaws in Draft Guideline for “Long-Term Fatigue–including ME/CFS”
By David Tuller, DrPH A recent disability case in Norway provides a good example of why the draft of a new guideline for “long-term fatigue—including ME/CFS” is so problematic. As I reported last week, the draft guideline, produced by the Norwegian Directorate of Health*, generally favors the biopsychosocial approach. The guideline offers few specifics about …
Trial By Error: Why is Professor Crawley Still on the COFFI Steering Committee?
By David Tuller, DrPH Several years ago, the leaders of the biopsychosocial ideological brigades decided to create the Collaborative On Fatigue and related symptoms Following Infection, or COFFI. According to its website, COFFI’s “overarching aim” is “to investigate factors influencing the development of long-term symptoms (in particular fatigue) following certain infectious diseases.” Akershus University Hospital …
Trial By Error: Why is Professor Crawley Still on the COFFI Steering Committee? Read More »
Trial By Error: Aussie GPs Still Push Graded Exercise Therapy
By David Tuller, DrPH When I was in Australia for the first time in 2018, it was clear that the country’s general practitioners were fervent supporters of the biopsychosocial ideology when it came to ME/CFS. That hasn’t changed, according to a recent exchange of views published in the Australian Journal of General Practice. The debate …
Trial By Error: Aussie GPs Still Push Graded Exercise Therapy Read More »
Trial By Error: Dutch Agency Funds CBT Training Program Based on Flawed Long COVID Trial
By David Tuller, DrPH Here is how bullshit replicates itself in today’s medical world: Conduct a flawed trial, declare success despite serious questions, then develop health policy based on these hyped-up claims. ZonMW, a major Dutch healthcare funding agency, is supporting a new program led by Professor Hans Knoop, a longtime supporter of the fraudulent …
Trial By Error: Dutch Agency Funds CBT Training Program Based on Flawed Long COVID Trial Read More »