Virology
Sensor face
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-14-2009 | Information
While preparing a figure for a review article on innate sensing of RNA, I realized that the image was taking on facial features. I thought the readers of virology blog might be amused by the image that I created. Click on the thumbnail at left for a larger view. Now you know that I have …
Acute viral infections
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-13-2009 | Information
An acute viral infection is characterized by rapid onset of disease, a relatively brief period of symptoms, and resolution within days. It is usually accompanied by early production of infectious virions and elimination of infection by the host immune system. Acute viral infections are typically observed with pathogens such as influenza virus and rhinovirus. Ebola …
Infectious DNA clones
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-12-2009 | Information
The development of recombinant DNA methods by Cohen and Boyer in 1973, together with the discovery of reverse transcriptase by Temin and Baltimore in 1970, made it possible to introduce a mutation at any location in a viral genome. The essential reagent is an infectious DNA clone, a double-stranded DNA copy of the viral genome …
Marburg virus travels to the US
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-11-2009 | Information
The first US case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever was reported last month in Colorado. Will there be more? The patient had traveled to Uganda in December 2007 and visited a python cave, which houses thousands of bats – some of which might be reservoirs for Marburg virus. Two weeks after visiting the cave, she became …
A case of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-10-2009 | Information
The other day I learned that a friend’s relative had recently succumbed to Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD). He told me that he had been diagnosed with the ‘infectious’ form of the disease. What does this mean? CJD is one of several neurological diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These diseases are characterized by progressive mental …
The amazing HeLa cells of Henrietta Lacks
By Vincent Racaniello | 02-09-2009 | Information
One of the most widely used continuous cell lines for virology is the HeLa cell line, which was derived in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks. What is the origin of this amazing cell line? In early 1951, Ms. Lacks, a 31-year old mother of five children, was found to have a malignant tumor of the cervix. …
David Tuller
Trial By Error: New Study Documents Iatrogenic Harm from Perceived Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Misdiagnoses of Rheumatic Diseases
03-31-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH In 2020, I wrote a post about a paper, published by the journal Rheumatology Advances in Practice, called “Medically explained symptoms: A mixed methods study of diagnostic, symptom and support experiences of patients with lupus and related systemic autoimmune diseases.” The corresponding author was Melanie Sloan, a researcher in the Department …
Trial By Error: BMJ’s Strange Response to Our Letter of Concern Regarding “Living Systematic Review” of Long Covid Interventions
03-28-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH In December, I sent a letter, co-signed by 18 colleagues, to The BMJ‘s editor in chief, Dr Kamran Abbasi. The letter requested a correction to a problematic study called “Interventions for the management of long covid (post-covid condition): living systematic review.” According to this review, there is “moderate certainty evidence” that …
Trial By Error: A Reprise of a 2018 Post on My Visits with Alem Matthees
03-22-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH In 2018, I spent six weeks in Australia, visiting multiple cities on a kind of ME/CFS tour around the country. Near the end, I spent five days in Perth. The local patient and advocacy organization arranged for me to give a talk, do some lobbying with local government, and so on. …
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Trial By Error: Our Presentation at the University of New South Wales
03-20-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH On Tuesday, I gave a presentation at the Kirby Institute, a renowned research center at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, along with my friend and colleague Dr David Joffe, a respiratory medicine specialist. David spoke about the pathophysiology of Long Covid as well as the enormous economic burden of the …
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Trial By Error: My 2018 Post on Andrew Lloyd’s Memory Lapses, Revisited
03-19-2025
Yesterday, in Sydney, I gave a presentation at the Kirby Institute, a renowned research center at the University of New South Wales, along with my friend and colleague Dr David Joffe, a respiratory medicine specialist. David spoke about the pathophysiology of Long Covid as well as the enormous economic burden of the disease. I spoke …
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Trial By Error: A Bogus Request for Corrections to Recent Post on a Long Covid Exercse Study
03-16-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH Zachary Grin is a physical therapist in New York City who specializes in functional neurological disorder. Over the years, we had what I considered a good-natured, generally respectful exchange of views. As a gay man, I felt empathy for him—he posted about having difficulties with his parents after he came out. …