In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses modelling the adjustment of COVID-19 response and exit from dynamic zero-COVID in China, canine real-time detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the context of a mass screening event, two masks can be worse than one: N95 respirator failure caused by an overlying face mask, airflow patterns in double-occupancy patient rooms may contribute to roommate-to-roommate transmission of severe SARS-CoV-2, clinical validation of a novel T-Cell receptor sequencing assay for identification of recent or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-lineages is reduced in convalescent sera, regardless of the infecting variant, VV116 versus Nirmatrelvir–Ritonavir for oral treatment of Covid-19, Nirmatrelvir plus Ritonavir for early COVID-19 in a U.S. health system, Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes, higher dose corticosteroids in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypoxia but not requiring ventilatory support, FDA approves Roche’s Actemra (tocilizumab) for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adults, structural brain changes in post-acute COVID-19 patients with persistent olfactory dysfunction, persistent post–COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium, epidemiology of long COVID in US adults, persistent symptoms and sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection not requiring hospitalization, and outpatient treatment of Covid-19 with metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine and the development of Long Covid over 10-month follow-up.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Carl Zimmer visits the Incubator to record a wide-ranging conversation about COVID-19, including origins, vaccines, public health responses, and impact on society.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Carl Zimmer

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Download TWiV 969 (29 MB .mp3, 48 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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TWiV reviews eukaryotic viruses recovered from ancient permafrost, a mistake made by scientists on Omicron origins, and close relatives of MERS-CoV from bats that bind ACE2 for entry into cells.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

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Weekly Picks 8:26, 1:26:21

Dickson – Alto Saxophone: Paul Desmond/Cannonball Adderley/Charlie Parker/Randal Despommier: Paul Desmond: Signature album: Paul Desmond:The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1961-1965). Signature song: Take Five (Dave Brubeck Quartet). Cannonball Adderley: Signature album: The Cannonball Adderley Quintet: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Signature song: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Charlie Parker (Bird): played in many groups: Signature album: Dizzy Gillespie and His Allstars. Signature song: A Night In Tunisia; Randal Despommier: Signature album: A Midsummer Odyssey. Signature song: I Hope It’s Spring For You.
BrianneHow a See-Through Frog Hides its Red Blood from Predators (also covered in The Atlantic)
RichMindfulness in Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana
VincentUnveiling skin macrophage dynamics explains both tattoo persistence and strenuous removal

Listener Picks

RonaWKCR, FM 89.9 Columbia‘s radio station
AlanXKCD Proxy Variable

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses how immunological dysfunction persists for 8 months following initial mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection, prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza coinfection and clinical characteristics among children and adolescents aged <18 years who were hospitalized or died with Influenza, WHO estimates of excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, reconsideration of anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibody as a marker of SARS-CoV-2 infection post-vaccination for mild COVID-19 patients, impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on inpatient clinical outcome, clinical features and burden of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents, similar SARS-CoV-2 Ct value distributions in anterior nares versus nasopharyngeal samples from symptomatic children during Delta and Omicron surges, early estimates of bivalent mRNA vaccine effectiveness in preventing COVID-19, effect of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir vs Placebo on COVID-19─related hospitalizations and other medical visits, COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma outpatient therapy to prevent outpatient hospitalization, bacterial co-infection and empirical antibiotic therapy in patients with COVID-19, association of time to surgery after COVID-19 infection with risk of postoperative cardiovascular morbidity, demonstration of stable clusters of symptoms in long COVID, and how longitudinal analysis of t cells in COVID-19 survivors with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 reveals associations between individual symptoms and inflammatory indexes.

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Download TWiV 967 (30 MB .mp3, 51 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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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.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Jeffery Taubenberger

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Download TWiV 966 (67 MB .mp3, 112 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Brazilian infectious diseases physician Esper Kallas returns to TWiV to discuss the state of viral diseases in his country, including those cause by Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses, MPOX, and SARS-CoV-2.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Alan Dove

Guest: Esper Kallas

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Weekly Picks 1:24:14

AlanA Voyage for Madmen
Vincent – Some favorite holiday cookies: pignoli cookies and pfeffernusse

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses progress toward poliomyelitis eradication in Afghanistan, reduced risk for Mpox after receipt of 1 or 2 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine compared with risk among unvaccinated persons, reduced airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 Omicron virus in Syrian hamsters, authorized updated (Bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines for children down to 6 months of age, low neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75.2, BQ.1.1, and XBB.1 by parental mRNA vaccine or a BA.5-bivalent booster, efficacy of antiviral agents against omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB, incidence of viral rebound after treatment with Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir and Molnupiravir, and the effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in the prevention of post–COVID-19 conditions.

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Download TWiV 964 (25 MB .mp3, 42 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Vincent travels to Cornell University to speak with Gary Whittaker about regulation by proteolytic processing of the fusion activity of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, and feline coronavirus transmission, replication and disease.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Gary Whittaker

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Download TWiV 963 (32 MB .mp3, 53 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Paul Offit returns to TWiV to discuss why the bivalent booster dosing story should be a cautionary tale of how not to move forward in this pandemic.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Guest: Paul Offit

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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Astrophysicist Chiara Mingarelli joins TWiV to discuss her career and her work using pulse timing arrays to study the gravitational wave background, ripples in the fabric of spacetime that are caused by events such as the merging of black holes.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Angela Mingarelli

Guest: Chirara Mingarelli

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Download TWiV 962 (63 MB .mp3, 104 min)
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Weekly Picks 1:34:36

AngelaOpenAI Playground and Nature Milestones: T cells
ChiaraThe Biggest Ideas in the Universe by Sean Carroll
KathyRecycling PVC and here and here
RichBrome Bird Care Squirrel Buster Plus  (Bonus pick: 1971 Volvo 142 Commercial – With John Cameron Swayze)
VincentJourney to the Microcosmos

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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