Recording intelligenceAI-generated brief · check the source for context

Spring Weather and Virus Research

1:55:45 recording · AUTO · 3 speakers

Listen to the original

Listen to the episode

Brief overview

TWiV 1313: high-dose flu vaccine lowers Alzheimer's risk, and delta viruses stow away inside helper virions.

  1. High-dose flu shot cut three-year Alzheimer's riskNumber needed to treat was 185 per protocol and 270 intention-to-treat, about a 22% reduction, stronger in women than men.
  2. Delta viruses hitch a ride inside helper virionsCryo-EM, super-resolution and immunogold imaging put whole delta particles inside VSV, HSV and Gießen virus virions, and only the packaged ones infected cells.
  3. CDC leadership is filtering the scienceBhattacharya held an MMWR vaccine-effectiveness paper and 1,000 measles genomes sat unreleased; the hosts trust the remaining scientists but not the leadership.
Executive Summary AI
  • A KFF Health News item reports that U.S. scientists have now released 1,000 measles genomes after only eight had come out of the epidemic, the delay attributed to the fact that the sequences will show continuous domestic spread and cost the country its elimination certification.8:18
  • A New York Times piece by Aparva Mandavilli says acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya delayed an MMWR paper on COVID vaccine effectiveness to review its observational statistical methods, which the hosts call unprecedented meddling by a director who should never touch a specific paper.10:51
  • The Neurology paper from Paul Schultz's team at UT Health in Houston and Massachusetts General asked whether high-dose flu vaccine, 60 micrograms of hemagglutinin against the standard 15, changes three-year Alzheimer's risk in people 65 and older, emulating a trial inside the IQVIA claims database that starts at 28 million people and winnows to 185,000 high-dose and 54,000 standard-dose records.29:21
  • Cumulative Alzheimer's risk was significantly lower with the high dose from months 1 to 25 per protocol and 1 to 28 in the intention-to-treat design, a number needed to treat of 185 and 270 and roughly a 22% risk reduction, stronger in women, with the protection fading by months 29 to 35 and so arguing for a shot every year.39:26
  • In Cell, Joe McKellar and senior author Karim Majoub showed animal delta viruses get packaged whole inside VSV, herpes simplex and snake arenavirus particles rather than merely borrowing their glycoproteins, and in the natural boa constrictor system those particles were 2,000-fold more infectious than free delta virions.54:17
Key Quote
“There shouldn't be a thousand measles genomes to sequence.”
— Vincent Racaniello9:57
Key Quote
“immortal time bias, which is not people turning into vampires.”
— Alan Dove38:00
Key Quote
“So we call that the hitchhiker syndrome.”
— Rich Condit1:11:16