Paradoxical vaccines
A new breed of vaccines is on the horizon: they replicate in one type of cell, allowing for their production, but will not replicate in humans. Two different examples have recently been described for influenza and chikungunya viruses.
The influenza virus vaccine is produced by introducing multiple amber (UAG) translation stop codons in multiple viral genes. Cloned DNA copies of the mutated viral RNAs are not infectious in normal cells. However, when introduced into specially engineered ‘suppressor’ cells that can insert an amino acid at each amber stop codon, infectious viruses can be produced. These viruses will only...
Source: virology blog - December 23, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information Chikungunya Eilat virus flavivirus inactivated vaccine infectious vaccine influenza nonsense suppression stop codon togavirus viral viruses Zika Source Type: blogs
How the press coverage of the WHO Zika designation change hurt us
On November 18, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Zika will no longer be classified as a public health emergency, while maintaining that the epidemic remains “a highly significant and long-term problem,” and emphasizing that this change in designation did not represent a downgrade, but rather an escalation in its long-term importance.
Most major news outlets rushed to report the news, with headlines focusing on the end of the emergency designation. What was not emphasized by many was the second part of the statement. In an era where articles inundate social media newsfeeds, and many don’t even cli...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 19, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/nisha-mehta" rel="tag" > Nisha Mehta, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Infectious disease Source Type: blogs
Fake news and fake science
In a recent editorial, the New York Times wrote about ‘the breakdown of a shared public reality built upon widely accepted facts’. As a scientist, I am appalled by the disdain for facts shown by many in this country, including the President-Elect. Unfortunately, science is not without its share of fake information.
The Times argues that at one time, nearly everyone had a unified source of news – the proverbial Walter Cronkite. Social media and the internet changed all that, allowing people to have their own sources of news, whether they be real or fake. The web developers in Macedonia who are paid $30,000 a ...
Source: virology blog - December 16, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary fake news fake science scientific fraud vaccine viral virology virus viruses Walter Cronkite Source Type: blogs
Zika Virus Infection in Pregnant Women in Rio de Janeiro via...
Zika Virus Infection in Pregnant Women in Rio de Janeiro via Now@NEJMPosted oninfosnack. (Source: Kidney Notes)
Source: Kidney Notes - December 14, 2016 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Joshua Schwimmer Source Type: blogs
You Ought to Have a Look: How-to Guides to Undoing the Climate Action Plan, Fixing the National Flood Insurance Program, and Killing Mosquitoes
You Ought to Have a Look is a regular feature from the Center for the Study of Science. While this section will feature all of the areas of interest that we are emphasizing, the prominence of the climate issue is driving a tremendous amount of web traffic. Here we post a few of the best in recent days, along with our color commentary.—With news of the past week or so dominated by announcements and then post-announcement scrutiny of Trump ’s cabinet picks, we highlight a few pieces that go into deeper waters on these (and other) topics.First up is aninformative piece by Vox ’s Brad Plumer that’s built from an i...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 14, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Patrick J. Michaels, Paul C. " Chip " Knappenberger Source Type: blogs
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Source: blog.bioethics.net - December 5, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care medical futility blog syndicated Source Type: blogs
Crowdsourcing Citizen Scientists to Combat Zika at Texas A & M: Interview with Dr. Jenifer Horney
Infectious disease monitoring and management is not only a challenge abroad but also locally in the continental United States. At Texas A&M, Dr. Jennifer Horney PhD, MPH, CPH from the School of Public Health and Dr. Daniel Goldberg, PhD from the College of Geosciences have lead an effort to attack Zika, an Aedes mosquito-borne virus, at its source, standing water, through iOS and Android apps. The platform crowdsources data from citizen scientists about the locations of standing water that health departments can use to identify hotspots where samples can be collected to test for the presence of Zika. We had a chance ...
Source: Medgadget - December 2, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Michael Batista Tags: Exclusive Net News Public Health Source Type: blogs
A Whole Ball Game. Same Questions Though.
By STEVEN FINDLAY
I’ll dive right in, with the stipulation that this blog is initial reaction in a very fluid, unprecedented and soon-to-be even-more-intense political environment. Fasten your seat belts!
The ACA. Replace is the critical word in “repeal and replace.” Consensus is already emerging that Trump and the Republicans will indeed repeal the ACA in early 2017, via the reconciliation process Congress used earlier this year. That resulted in the Senate’s first an only full ACA repeal vote. Obama vetoed the bill, of course. But Republicans demonstrated the do-ability of the reconciliatio...
Source: The Health Care Blog - November 11, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized ACA Cadillac Tax Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board Reconcilliation repeal and replace Trump Source Type: blogs
Repealing and Replacing the ACA: A Whole New Ball Game. Same Problems Though.
By STEVEN FINDLAY
I’ll dive right in, with the stipulation that this blog is initial reaction in a very fluid, unprecedented and soon-to-be even-more-intense political environment. Fasten your seat belts!
The ACA. Replace is the critical word in “repeal and replace.” Consensus is already emerging that Trump and the Republicans will indeed repeal the ACA in early 2017, via the reconciliation process Congress used earlier this year. That resulted in the Senate’s first an only full ACA repeal vote. Obama vetoed the bill, of course. But Republicans demonstrated the do-ability of the reconciliatio...
Source: The Health Care Blog - November 11, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized ACA Cadillac Tax Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board Reconcilliation repeal and replace Trump Source Type: blogs
Zika virus in Nicaragua with Eva Harris
I spoke with Eva Harris of the University of California, Berkeley, on the state of Zika virus in Nicaragua. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - November 9, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information Eva Harris Nicaragua video viral virus viruses zika virus Source Type: blogs
Zika in the Guys
In this episode of Virus Watch, we explore the finding that Zika virus infects the testis of mice, causing damage to the organ, reduced sperm production, and less fertility. The important question: does the same happen in humans? (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - November 8, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Virus Watch infertility microcephaly sperm testis video viral virology viruses zika virus Source Type: blogs
TWiV 414: Zika in the guys with Diamond
On episode #414 of the science show This Week in Virology, Michael Diamond visits the TWiV studio to talk about chikungunya virus and his laboratory’s work on a mouse model of Zika virus, including the recent finding of testicular damage caused by viral replication.
You can find TWiV #414 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below.
Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 414 (50 MB .mp3, 83 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email
Become a patron of TWiV! (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - November 6, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology conjunctivitis fertility microcephaly mouse model sexual transmission sperm sterility testes uveitis viral virus virus in semen virus in tears viruses zika virus Source Type: blogs
Health Law Courses at Mitchell Hamline in 2017
We have quite a range of health law courses coming up at Mitchell Hamline,where our Health Law Institute is ranked 12th in the country.
J Term 2017
Legal Compliance Essentials for Drug, Device, and Biotech Companies
From Addiction to Zika:... (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - November 5, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care medical futility blog syndicated Source Type: blogs
ACA Round-Up: Appropriations, Battles Over Reinsurance Program Collections, And More
On September 29, President Obama signed a continuing resolution appropriations bill that will fund the government through December 9, 2016, unless a 2017 appropriations bill is passed before that date. The headline is that the bill provides $1.1 billion in funding for combating the Zika virus. But the legislation otherwise continues in place funding for ACA programs at the rates at which they were funded for 2016, subject to a half percent reduction.
The continuing resolution retains riders and restrictions imposed by the 2016 appropriations legislation, including restrictions on using HHS administrative funds to fund the ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - September 30, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Timothy Jost Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage ACA litigation appropriations ASPE GAO reinsurance program Zika virus Source Type: blogs
More Discussion About the Theranos Scientific Advisory Board
In a blog note posted on August 9, 2016, I commented that four of the eight members of the Theranos Scientific and Medical Advisory Board at that time had close links to the AACC such as being past president of the organization or past president of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB), now the Academy of the AACC. Here is a quote from it:..."[T]here may be a ready explanation for the favoritism shown toward Elizabeth Holmes by the AACC. There is not much daylight between four of the eight members of the Theranos Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and the AACC." The next ...
Source: Lab Soft News - September 29, 2016 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing FDA Lab Blogs and Podcasts Lab Regulation Laboratory Industry Trends Medical Ethics Source Type: blogs
