Here we are again. Shaking in our boots because of COVID-19.
Sure, this new variant (omicron) seems far less lethal, but it’s more prone to infect us. (That’s what happens when the SARS-CoV-2 virus adopts characteristics of the common cold virus. That’s what can happen when an uninoculated subject is invaded by the SARS-CoV-2 virus while suffering from – or about to – the common cold.)
Continue reading Masks, yet again
Although we are going to be talking how our cells react to viral intrusions, you can consider that most of this is the same response to other sorts of cellular attacks.
Continue reading Immune System Response
I was enjoying some wine with friends (albeit at a safe distance) when it became clear they really didn’t get the whole virus infection/immune response thing. And, I fear some of you may not quite remember (or ever learned about) immune responses. So, let’s do a quick lesson/review.
Continue reading Some Basic Facts
I wasn’t going to do this. But, after seeing a bunch of BS spreading around on FB, I knew someone had to be rational. And, I’m going to spread this over three days, since I want to cover a few critical areas.
Continue reading Pandemic. Not Panic.
This is the first of a series of discussion on antibiotics. Enjoy.
Continue reading Come on, doc- just give me a pill
It’s flu season. Which means you should have gotten your shot by now- and, if not, hurry up, because it takes a few weeks to build up immunity. Yes, I know the flu shot isn’t perfect. At best, it reduces our chances of contracting the flu by 60%. But, it does cut our chances of dying from the flu.
Geez. You’d think with all this Russia hacking talk going on, our government would be doing some preventing. And, I’m not just talking about protecting our voting machinery.
Continue reading Must we emulate the ostrich?
It’s that time of year again. No, I don’t mean the wicked Christmas shopping season. It’s flu season.
Continue reading It is the season of the ….
Drs. Rider, Zook, Boettcher, Wick, Pancoast, and Zusman took my breath away today (11 August 2011). These MIT researchers may have developed a “broad-spectrum” anti-viral and published the results in PLoSOne. That’s right- it kills many different kind of viri. Just like penicillin was able to do against bacteria.
Continue reading Bye, Bye, Viri!
