TWiV 1192: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss confirmation of Robert F Kennedy as HHS sectary, mpox, Ebola, how the American people support vaccine development and administration, the measles outbreak in the US-Texas, Georgia and influenza: the number of human infections, high avian flu in mammals, house cats and dairy cows before… Continue reading TWiV 1192: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

Some Things I’ve Read Recently…in STAT, The Sick Times, Van Der Zee’s Blog

By David Tuller, DrPH Embedding ME/CFS in NIH’s RECOVER initiative Ian Lipkin is a well-known professor of epidemiology at Columbia University and director of the Center for Solutions for ME/CFS, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). In a recent opinion piece for STAT, he and ME/CFS patient advocate Elizabeth Ansell, the founder… Continue reading Some Things I’ve Read Recently…in STAT, The Sick Times, Van Der Zee’s Blog

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Categorized as Virology

The association between age and acute pain sensitivity in patients with Herpes Zoster

Abstract Herpes zoster has a well-established increased incidence in older adults, but the relationship between age and acute pain severity remains less clear. This retrospective study aimed to explore the association between age and pain intensity in Herpes zoster patients. A total of 613 patients treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University… Continue reading The association between age and acute pain sensitivity in patients with Herpes Zoster

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Categorized as Virology

NK cell depletion in bispecific antibody therapy is associated with lack of HIV control after ART interruption

Abstract HIV infection remains incurable as the virus persists within a latent reservoir of CD4+T cells. Novel approaches to enhance immune responses against HIV are essential for effective control and potential cure of the infection. In this study, we designed a novel tetravalent bispecific antibody (Bi-Ab32/16) to simultaneously target the gp120 viral protein on infected… Continue reading NK cell depletion in bispecific antibody therapy is associated with lack of HIV control after ART interruption

Reduced duration of natural protection in the Omicron era

The arrival of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2021 marked a major shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus acquired dozens of mutations in its spike protein compared with earlier variants. Now, an epidemiological study in Nature shows that it also led to a shift in the protective effect of natural infection… Continue reading Reduced duration of natural protection in the Omicron era

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Categorized as Virology

Barcoded HIV-1 reveals viral persistence driven by clonal proliferation and distinct epigenetic patterns

Abstract The HIV reservoir consists of infected cells in which the HIV-1 genome persists as provirus despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Studies exploring HIV cure therapies often measure intact proviral DNA levels, time to rebound after ART interruption, or ex vivo stimulation assays of latently infected cells. This study utilizes barcoded HIV to analyze the… Continue reading Barcoded HIV-1 reveals viral persistence driven by clonal proliferation and distinct epigenetic patterns

Population shift in antibody immunity following the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern

Abstract Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) exhibit escape from pre-existing immunity and elicit variant-specific immune responses. In South Africa, the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections was driven by the Beta VOC, which coincided with the country-wide National COVID-19 Antibody Survey (NCAS). The NCAS was conducted between November 2020 and… Continue reading Population shift in antibody immunity following the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern