What are bioRxiv and medRxiv? They are servers where anybody can self-publish a scientific article. Legitimate journals put a submitted research paper through pretty rigorous peer review, but the publications on these "preprint" servers are not peer reviewed. Thread. (1/n)
As you might imagine there can be quite a bit of junk on there, including the paper that has been making headlines, allegedly showing that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse transcribed and integrated into the human genome. (2/n)
The conditions under which these experiments were done were extremely artificial, where probably just about any RNA would have been reverse transcribed and integrated. But the authors didn't show that. (3/n)
They only showed it with the RNA of interest, possibly to fulfill some sort of agenda. (4/5)
There is nothing wrong with preprint servers and I often write blog posts based on publications I find there. However, it does take a trained mind to sift out the junk from the gold, and even trained minds often fail to do that. 🙋‍♀️

Beware of sensationalist headlines! (end)

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More from @GertrudRey

25 Nov 20
Several people have expressed concern over the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines because of their mRNA composition and the alleged possibility that this mRNA could integrate into our DNA and remain in our DNA forever (kind of like HIV does). Short threat about why this can't happen. (1/n)
I attach a graphic that illustrates the central genetic dogma. Generally, our human DNA is transcribed into RNA (red arrow), which is then translated into protein (green arrow). (2/n)
HIV is an RNA virus that goes against this dogma and is “reverse transcribed” into DNA in the cytoplasm of our cells after it enters our cells, using an enzyme called “reverse transcriptase” (straight yellow arrow). (3/n)
Read 9 tweets
23 Nov 20
Most people think of clinical trials as consisting of Phases I-III, but did you know that there is also a Phase IV trial? Short thread. (1/4)
Phase IV of a clinical trial is also known as a postmarketing surveillance trial and involves the continued surveillance of a drug or vaccine's safety. (2/4)
This trial continues indefinitely and it is the reason why I am such a strong advocate for vaccines. The safety and efficacy of vaccines is one of the most highly scrutinized premises in biomedical science. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
11 Nov 20
There is a very good chance that whatever SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (or vaccines) we end up with will only prevent disease, but not infection. What does this mean? Short thread. (1/n)
Antibodies induced by vaccines or viruses can be neutralizing or non-neutralizing. Neutralizing antibodies don’t just bind viral antigens, but inactivate the virus and prevent infection of new cells. (2/n)
This means that the virus cannot replicate, leave the cell (or individual), and infect a new person. (3/n)
Read 7 tweets
7 Aug 20
If you have never read one of my articles before, I am begging you to read this one. It describes a strategy for how to end the pandemic and how YOU can help! A thread, also at virology blog. (1/n) virology.ws/2020/08/06/how…
As of today, SARS-CoV-2 has infected 18.7 million people and caused 700,000 deaths worldwide. (2/n)
The most realistic way to quickly curb the spread of the virus would require daily identification and isolation of individuals who are contagious, a process that is hampered by cumbersome sampling and testing methods with slow turnaround times. (3/n)
Read 30 tweets
30 Jul 20
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Does not Work for Treating COVID-19. THE END.

***Warning! This post may be an emotional trigger for some! I’m just presenting the facts.***

Long thread. (1/n)
Sometime at the beginning of this never-ending year the president announced that HCQ was a “game-changer” for treating COVID-19. While I would be hesitant to embrace any drug as a game-changer without any real evidence, at that time, I did read a couple of studies... (2/n)
...done in Marseille, France, and felt cautiously optimistic about HCQ. When those studies came out, I posted about both of them and will summarize them briefly here. The first study showed that the drug can reduce viral load in a small number of COVID-19 patients. (3/n)
Read 27 tweets
4 Jun 20
Does a first infection with SARS-CoV-2 make a person immune to a second infection? This question is one of the prevailing issues in the current pandemic. A thread (also at virology blog). (1/n)
The relevant immune response is adaptive immunity, which initiates during a first exposure to a pathogen and protects from re-infection and disease upon a second exposure to the same pathogen. (2/n)
During that first exposure, T helper cells sense the presence of one or more proteins (i.e., antigens) on the surface of the invading pathogen and release a variety of signals that ultimately stimulate B cells to secrete antibodies to those antigens. (3/n)
Read 29 tweets

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