Virology
TWiV 610: Coronavirus FAQ
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
The TWiV team summarizes serology-based tests for SARS-CoV-2, lack of effect of ACE inhibitors or ARBs on COVID-19 severity, and answers listener questions. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 610 (60 MB .mp3, 99 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
TWiEVO 55: Coronavirus evolution from soup to nuts
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Evolution
Nels and Vincent continue their discussion of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, with a report that the coronavirus proofreading enzyme stimulates RNA recombination, and debunking the conclusion that a change in the viral spike glycoprotein is associated with increased human to human transmission. Click arrow to play Download TWiEVO 55 (45 MB .mp3, 74 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email …
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TWiV 609: A coronavirus chronology with Susan Weiss
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
Susan Weiss recalls some of her 40 years of research on coronaviruses, including mouse hepatitis virus, MERS-CoV, and now SARS-CoV-2. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 609 (45 MB .mp3, 75 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic could have been prevented
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Commentary, Information
The 3,250,000 cases of COVID-19 and 233,000 deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 (numbers as of this writing) could have largely been prevented. The viral outbreak could have been stopped in December in Wuhan had we had the foresight and financial support to develop antiviral drugs or vaccines. In the aftermath of the SARS-CoV pandemic of 2003, …
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Spit for SARS-CoV-2
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
Might spitting in a tube be the solution to finding out who is infected with SARS-CoV-2? The results of a recent study suggest that might be the case. To diagnose someone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2, a long swab is inserted deep into the nasal sinus to provide samples of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, a site …
TWiV 603: Cloudy with a chance of coronavirus
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
Daniel Griffin provides his weekly update on the COVID-19 clinical situation, followed by results of seroprevalence studies, analysis of CpG dinucleotide frequencies in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, and answers to listener questions. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 603 (70 MB .mp3, 116 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at 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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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