TWiV 984: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses the political polarization of COVID-19 treatments among physicians and laypeople in the United States, seven alternatives to evidence-based medicine, Malawi’s cholera death toll crosses 1,300 in its deadliest outbreak on record, impact of coronavirus infections on pediatric patients at a tertiary pediatric hospital, maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during … TWiV 984: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin Read More » (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 18, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation influenza Long Covid monkeypox monoclonal antibody Omicron pandemic poliovirus SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 13th 2023
This study investigated whether taller Polish adults live longer than their shorter counterparts. Data on declared height were available from 848,860 individuals who died in the years 2004-2008 in Poland. To allow for the cohort effect, the Z-values were generated. Separately for both sexes, Pearson's r coefficients of correlation were calculated. Subsequently, one way ANOVA was performed. The correlation between adult height and longevity was negative and statistically significant in both men and women. After eliminating the effects of secular trends in height, the correlation was very weak (r = -0.0044 in men and ...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 12, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Viral Infection in Middle Age Correlates with Later Dementia Risk
A range of evidence suggests that persistent viral infection contributes to the risk of suffering neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. This may be due to mechanisms relating to amyloid-β accumulation, in its role as an anti-microbial peptide, a part of the innate immune system. It may have more to do with lasting chronic inflammation subsequent to infection. Researchers here note another addition to the epidemiological data on this topic, in this case linking severe infections requiring hospitalization with later dementia risk. The effect sizes here are large and last for a long time following infecti...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 10, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Dear Patient, If You Have to Treat a Cold, Know  This:
BY HANS DUVEFELT Americans hate being sick. There are too many cold medicines out there to remember by name. But there are really only a handful of different drug classes to consider. In order to choose any one of them, be clear about what you want to accomplish. It’s actually very simple. 1) Make my cold go away faster: Zink, echinacea, visualization/manifesting, sauna, prayer (may be mostly placebo effect ). 2) Stop my nose from running (including post nasal drip): You’ll want the crud to leave your body as soon as possible, so turning off the drain pipe that your nose has become can increase the risk of ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 9, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Medical Practice Cold Hans Duvefelt Medical Education Source Type: blogs

Aging as a Disease: a Zoo Contains Animals, But is Not Itself an Animal
The author of today's open access commentary is quite prolifically opinionated on the topic of mTOR and its status as a central pillar of programmed aging, particularly the hyperfunction version of programmed aging theories. Nonetheless, he sometimes has interesting things to say, as is the case here on the topic of whether aging is a disease. A great deal of ink has been spilled of late on the question of whether or not aging is a disease. This is the case not because everyone suddenly developed an interest in semantics, but rather because it directly affects the regulation of medical development, and thus the flow of fun...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 6, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

Reducing Viral Spread in Schools: France Makes Proactive Move to Measure and Reduce CO2 Levels in School and Daycare
One of my favorite gadgets from the pandemic is the AraNet 4 CO2 monitor. I carry it with me whenever I am curious about an indoor space. This easy-to-use monitor gives a simple red-yellow-green reading of the CO2 level. At a green level (<1000 ppm) it is harder to transmit an airborne viral infection. At a red level (>1400 ppm) it is much easier to catch a virus if someone else in the room is sick. I use this in restaurants and on airplanes, for instance, to help guide my actions. As a bonus, CO2 levels also correlate with alertness and productivity. When CO2 levels drift into the yellow range (>1000 ppm), cognit...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - January 9, 2023 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Air Quality Allergies Virus Source Type: blogs

When Two Different Viruses Have Offspring
by Gertrud U. Rey Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were infected with two different viruses at the same time? A recent study aimed at addressing this question has produced some astounding new findings. The authors of the study wanted to observe the interactions between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - January 5, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Gertrud U. Rey Tags: Basic virology Gertrud Rey antigenicity co-infection HA hemagglutinin hybrid virus hybrid virus particle IAV influenza A neuraminidase rsv RSV F protein sialic acid virus-virus interaction Source Type: blogs

When Two Different Viruses Have Offspring
by Gertrud U. Rey Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were infected with two different viruses at the same time? A recent study aimed at addressing this question has produced some astounding new findings. The authors of the study wanted to observe the interactions between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A … When Two Different Viruses Have Offspring Read More » (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - January 5, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Gertrud U. Rey Tags: Basic virology Gertrud Rey antigenicity co-infection HA hemagglutinin hybrid virus hybrid virus particle IAV influenza A neuraminidase rsv RSV F protein sialic acid virus-virus interaction Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 2nd 2023
In conclusion, circulating monocytes in older adults exhibit increased expression of activation, adhesion, and migration markers, but decreased expression of co-inhibitory molecules. MERTK Inhibition Increases Bone Density via Increased Osteoblast Activity https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2022/12/mertk-inhibition-increases-bone-density-via-increased-osteoblast-activity/ Bone density results from the balance of constant activity on the part of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, the former building bone, the latter breaking it down. With advancing age, the balance of activity shifts to favor osteoclasts, pro...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

A Look Back at 2022: Progress Towards the Treatment of Aging as a Medical Condition
At the end of 2022, we can reflect on the fact that we are steadily entering a new era of medicine, one in which mechanisms of aging are targeted rather than ignored. It is a profound change, one that will change the shape of a human life and ultimately the human condition by eliminating the greatest sources of suffering and death in the world. Year after year, we see increased funding, ongoing progress towards therapies capable of slowing aging or reversing aspects of aging, and a growing taxonomy of such potential therapies and their target mechanisms. The view of aging in the medical community and public at large...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 30, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Of Interest Source Type: blogs

Going Viral
Helen Bramwell of StatNews is an excellent writer about public health. Here she interviews a bunch of scientists to ask what surprised them about Covid19.  It ' s a long read, and I won ' t try to summarize it all, but a couple of points stand out.The first is that most experts originally thought, based on experience with other coronaviruses, that this one would be stable -- that it would not be able to mutate so as to avoid immunity from previous infections or vaccination. Therefore they believed that the pandemic would peak after a few months and we ' d enter an endemic phase. (You might remember those models from t...
Source: Stayin' Alive - December 30, 2022 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

A Change Of Heart: " For The Children "
Last night, I archived everything on the blog except " Why Pediatrics " .  More and more, it ' s become a question rather than a statement of purpose.  In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, where the entire US system shifted on its axis to shut down community Pediatrics services and " feed " children ' s hospitals (to free up resources for sick adults), the situation for those of us practicing inpatient Pediatrics (as " Pediatric Hospitalists " ) really went to hell.  You could not find/beg a job in the community setting during the pandemic.  Actually, jumping through the ABP ' s hoops to do a...
Source: Dr.J's HouseCalls - December 24, 2022 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

TWiV 966: 1918 influenza with Jeffery Taubenberger
Vincent travels to the NIH campus to speak with Jeffery Taubenberger about his career, the 1918 influenza pandemic, deciphering the genome sequence of the virus from tissues of disease victims and using it to rescue infectious virus. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - December 23, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology 1918 influenza pandemic Spanish flu vaccine viral virus viruses zoonosis Source Type: blogs

A physician in denial after being diagnosed with COVID-19
Over the last three years, we have faced the original COVID-19, followed by Omicron, Delta, and monkeypox. It is apropos that on the third anniversary of COVID-19, we are facing the tripledemic of COVID, influenza, and RSV. After almost three years of not getting COVID-19, I started believing that my childhood fantasies about me being Read more… A physician in denial after being diagnosed with COVID-19 originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 11, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions COVID Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs