Dr. Bob's inspired me to do some early holiday shopping:
http://www.giantmicrobes.com/
Thomas
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Can you say "baller"?
Instead of buying me a new car, Bill Gates is going to put $100 million into AIDS research. I know, how unfair, right?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071010/hl_afp/healthaidsresearchgrantgatesafricaus;_ylt=AubZmxZbflYuinVqthtLV2zVJRIF
Hugs and kisses,
Thomas
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071010/hl_afp/healthaidsresearchgrantgatesafricaus;_ylt=AubZmxZbflYuinVqthtLV2zVJRIF
Hugs and kisses,
Thomas
Vaccine-Derived Polio Outbreak
69 children in northern Nigeria have been infected with a vaccine-derived form of polio. Due to the temporary halt of vaccination efforts in 2003, not all children in Nigeria have been vaccinated against the virus. Those left unvaccinated are susceptible to catching a mutated form of poliovirus from immunized individuals.
Unfortunately, this outbreak will likely lead to more opposition to vaccination efforts in the country, rather than support for the scale-up that is required to prevent such occurrences.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7037462.stm
- Elizabeth Kersten
Unfortunately, this outbreak will likely lead to more opposition to vaccination efforts in the country, rather than support for the scale-up that is required to prevent such occurrences.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7037462.stm
- Elizabeth Kersten
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
H5N1 Pandemic: Has the Inevitable just been Postponed?
Looking back on the annals of history, influenza pandemics have happened on average four times a century. The 20th century brought three notable outbreaks: The infamous 1918-9 Spanish influenza and the 1957-1958 and 1968-1967 outbreaks. Many influenza experts agree a fourth pandemic was averted in 1997 when H5N1 first reared its ugly head; Hong Kong responded in 1997 by promptly culling all of its infected poultry. But has the outbreak only been postponed? Some experts believe the arrival of a strain of humanly transmissible H5N1 is imminent. However, as someone else posted earlier, H5N1 vaccines are being manufactured -- and many countries are taking measures to prevent the worst case scenario in the event of an outbreak. Preparedness will also include improved surveillance systems and procedures in place to contain the spread of the virus. Let's just hope we're ready when this thing strikes -- especially developing nations which will be hit hardest.
-Tad Henry
-Tad Henry
Since we know so much about Parvoviridae now, let's talk Human Bocavirus!
Human Bocavirus is another Parvovirus that infects humans. Previously, B19 was the only Parvovirus thought to be pathogenic in humans. But not anymore!
Originally, Human Bocavirus was thought to be involved in respiratory illness, as it was commonly found in the respiratory tract. However, since other Parvoviruses are known to cause enteritis, it was hypothesized that perhaps Human Bocavirus did as well, and actually did not cause respiratory illness (I guess this is why we classify viruses into families and look at commonalities...).
Long story short, it was found that Human Bocavirus can be found and replicates in the human gut, but it was inconclusive if it is linked to gastrointestinal disease. But add one to the list of parvoviruses that infect humans!
Link to the CDC article
- Nick
Originally, Human Bocavirus was thought to be involved in respiratory illness, as it was commonly found in the respiratory tract. However, since other Parvoviruses are known to cause enteritis, it was hypothesized that perhaps Human Bocavirus did as well, and actually did not cause respiratory illness (I guess this is why we classify viruses into families and look at commonalities...).
Long story short, it was found that Human Bocavirus can be found and replicates in the human gut, but it was inconclusive if it is linked to gastrointestinal disease. But add one to the list of parvoviruses that infect humans!
Link to the CDC article
- Nick
ARVs: Made in Uganda
30 million of the 40 million global cases of HIV/AIDS is in Sub-Saharan Africa, and numbers aren't coming down anytime soon, since it also has the highest rate of new HIV infections.
Although debates whether treatment or prevention strategies should be targeted are still heated, the consensus that both are necessary to ensure the success of the other is growing; if people know there is a treatment, they will be more likely to get tested and know to prevent transmitting the virus to partners or unborn children.
I'm preaching the choir here. But I was super excited to hear that Uganda will be opening a factory to produce antiretrovirals for HIV and anti-malarial drugs. This would cut out import costs and would keep some money in the country (or bring money to the country, depending on whether international organizations will be purchasing the drugs or whether buyers will be mostly internal. Not all of the money would be staying in the country, though, since the Indian pharmaceutical company, Cipla, is the one bringing the factory in.)
I hadn't known until I read this article that Kenya and South Africa already had pharmaceutical factories, and that other sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Congo, and Ethiopia have plans to build pharmaceutical factories, too.
-Jessie
Although debates whether treatment or prevention strategies should be targeted are still heated, the consensus that both are necessary to ensure the success of the other is growing; if people know there is a treatment, they will be more likely to get tested and know to prevent transmitting the virus to partners or unborn children.
I'm preaching the choir here. But I was super excited to hear that Uganda will be opening a factory to produce antiretrovirals for HIV and anti-malarial drugs. This would cut out import costs and would keep some money in the country (or bring money to the country, depending on whether international organizations will be purchasing the drugs or whether buyers will be mostly internal. Not all of the money would be staying in the country, though, since the Indian pharmaceutical company, Cipla, is the one bringing the factory in.)
I hadn't known until I read this article that Kenya and South Africa already had pharmaceutical factories, and that other sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Congo, and Ethiopia have plans to build pharmaceutical factories, too.
-Jessie
"Sometimes Trojans break..."
Posted by Jessie
While reading through smutline band emails last night in the viral library, Dave read off an idea for a Band-sponsored t-shirt to commemorate Stanford football's unexpected victory over USC last Saturday: "Sometimes Trojans Break" (or something along those lines, sorry if i'm butchering it).
Anyway, since we were working on the problem set and viruses were taking over every thought running through my brain, I thought about how many similarities there were between what happened on Saturday and a potential viral infection caused by tearing a condom:
1. Condoms have a very low failure rate. According to Stanford's SHPRC website, male condoms have a failure rate of 3-14%. While it's debatable whether the odds of Stanford winning against USC were higher or lower than that, I think it is fair to say we were on the lower end of the probability spectrum.
2. Stanford students' reaction after the victory could be compared with lysis of a host cell. On the viral side, some viruses replicate using the host machinery and assemble within the cytoplasm of the host cell. Once a threshold level of viruses is reached, the host cell bursts, releasing all these virus particles to wreak havoc in the system. Similarly, each loss Stanford football had accumulated over the last 4 years has been creating this build-up of unspent celebratory energy. This win over USC was the breaking point that allowed Stanford students to release all this pent-up energy (that can be measured by the liquid volume of alcoholic substances consumed on campus between 8pm and 8am).
3. Some viruses have a latent stage, when they fly under the radar of the immune system, and then catch the body by surprise when it becomes virulent. Stanford football's pitiful winning record in past years made it all the more surprising that this upset was pulled off.
4. At Maples Pavillion at midnight when the football team returned to campus, a HUGE crowd had gathered to welcome them back. As the buses pulled up on Campus Drive, the entire crowd rushed toward the buses like macrophages toward a foreign antigen, and the crowd consumed each player or team staff member as they got off the bus.
5. The immune system sometimes responds to viral infections by inducing fever. Analogously, several enthused students started a bonfire in the middle of Main Quad to fan the flames of a rising Stanford-excitement response.
6. It may take a long time to control a viral infection, and even after it is contained, "memories" of the virus are created in the form of B and T memory cells, so that a more robust and rapid response can be mounted against a secondary infection. The campus is still simmering from the victory, and the victory is still on the minds of a lot of people on campus. If Stanford football were to continue its one-game winning streak a secondary, tertiary, or quaternary response may be successively greater.
While reading through smutline band emails last night in the viral library, Dave read off an idea for a Band-sponsored t-shirt to commemorate Stanford football's unexpected victory over USC last Saturday: "Sometimes Trojans Break" (or something along those lines, sorry if i'm butchering it).
Anyway, since we were working on the problem set and viruses were taking over every thought running through my brain, I thought about how many similarities there were between what happened on Saturday and a potential viral infection caused by tearing a condom:
1. Condoms have a very low failure rate. According to Stanford's SHPRC website, male condoms have a failure rate of 3-14%. While it's debatable whether the odds of Stanford winning against USC were higher or lower than that, I think it is fair to say we were on the lower end of the probability spectrum.
2. Stanford students' reaction after the victory could be compared with lysis of a host cell. On the viral side, some viruses replicate using the host machinery and assemble within the cytoplasm of the host cell. Once a threshold level of viruses is reached, the host cell bursts, releasing all these virus particles to wreak havoc in the system. Similarly, each loss Stanford football had accumulated over the last 4 years has been creating this build-up of unspent celebratory energy. This win over USC was the breaking point that allowed Stanford students to release all this pent-up energy (that can be measured by the liquid volume of alcoholic substances consumed on campus between 8pm and 8am).
3. Some viruses have a latent stage, when they fly under the radar of the immune system, and then catch the body by surprise when it becomes virulent. Stanford football's pitiful winning record in past years made it all the more surprising that this upset was pulled off.
4. At Maples Pavillion at midnight when the football team returned to campus, a HUGE crowd had gathered to welcome them back. As the buses pulled up on Campus Drive, the entire crowd rushed toward the buses like macrophages toward a foreign antigen, and the crowd consumed each player or team staff member as they got off the bus.
5. The immune system sometimes responds to viral infections by inducing fever. Analogously, several enthused students started a bonfire in the middle of Main Quad to fan the flames of a rising Stanford-excitement response.
6. It may take a long time to control a viral infection, and even after it is contained, "memories" of the virus are created in the form of B and T memory cells, so that a more robust and rapid response can be mounted against a secondary infection. The campus is still simmering from the victory, and the victory is still on the minds of a lot of people on campus. If Stanford football were to continue its one-game winning streak a secondary, tertiary, or quaternary response may be successively greater.
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