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Jan 24, 2023 • 1h 30min

Ep 111 RSV: What’s syncytial anyway?

We’re kicking off our sixth season in the same way we ended our fifth: with another headline-making respiratory virus. But as our listeners know, not all respiratory viruses are the same, and it’s often those differences among them that play the biggest role in their spread or the symptoms they cause. This episode, we’re exploring the virus that everyone has been talking about lately. No, not that one. Or that one. The other one. Yes, we’re talking about respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. For many people, the recent surge in RSV infections that dominated headlines this winter may have been the first time they had heard of this viral infection or realized how deadly it could be. But for others, RSV has long inspired fear and dread. In this episode, we Erins explain why this virus deserves such notoriety, how long we’ve recognized the dangers of infection, and what hope the future may hold for novel RSV treatments or vaccines. If at any point you’ve wondered what all the fuss is about this virus or how to pronounce syncytial, then this is the episode for you! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Nov 22, 2022 • 1h 32min

Ep 110 Influenza, Take 2: Fowl Play

This podcast episode explores various aspects of influenza, including the history of pandemics, the characteristics and effects of the virus, and the challenges in developing vaccines. It specifically focuses on highly pathogenic avian influenza and its transmission to humans. The hosts discuss the impact of influenza on respiratory health and draw connections to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also touch on the difficulty of eliminating the virus and creating an effective vaccine. The episode concludes with gratitude towards listeners and an introduction to other podcasts.
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Nov 8, 2022 • 1h 21min

Ep 109 Chikungunya: Not dengue (or is it?)

Somehow it’s taken us until the penultimate episode to cover this season’s first mosquito-borne virus. But we assure you, this episode is well-worth the wait. Although Chikungunya virus is often lumped in with dengue or Zika, the unique characteristics that distinguish Chikungunya virus from these other arboviruses are just as important to note as the similarities among them. In this episode, we explore these differences and similarities in the biology of Chikungunya virus before reassessing what we thought we knew about the history of this disease, a history that is presently under revision. Finally, we wrap up the episode as we always do, by taking stock of where we stand with Chikungunya virus today. Tune in for a good deal of dengue compare/contrast, a whodunnit (or whichdiseaseisit) in the history of these two diseases, and a frustrating attempt to gather present-day case numbers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Oct 25, 2022 • 1h 17min

Ep 108 Gout: Toetally fascinating

Although today we tend to think about diseases in terms of signs and symptoms, tests and treatments, that hasn’t always been the case. For much of history, diseases carried with them a deeper meaning beyond the pathophysiological processes leading to their development. A diagnosis was as much about the identity and personality of an individual as it was about the disease itself, and this was especially the case for the topic of today’s episode: gout. But before we get into the tangled history of this “monarch among maladies”, we first break down its biology and possible evolutionary origins. Once we have a solid understanding of this crystalline illness, we turn our attention to the changing perceptions of gout over time and why gout was once a welcomed diagnosis, in sharp contrast with so many other diseases. Finally, we take stock of gout around the world today, no easy feat. Tune in for a fascinating deep dive into this incredibly common but often overlooked illness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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6 snips
Oct 11, 2022 • 1h 40min

Ep 107 Sepsis: It's a mess

Over the years of the podcast, we have often struggled with questions of why: why pathogens act the way they do, why certain people get sick while others don’t, or why we know little about some diseases. This episode is no exception - sepsis certainly inspires many “whys”. But for perhaps the first time on the pod, we find ourselves grappling not only with “why?” but also with “what?”. What, indeed, is sepsis? Ask a dozen doctors and you may get a dozen different answers. Our first goal for this episode is to sift through the various definitions of sepsis and what we know about its pathology to get a firm handle on this deadly consequence of infection. We then turn our sights to a thrilling period of sepsis history - Joseph Lister and his carbolic acid spray - before attempting to address the status of sepsis around the world today. By the end of the episode, your picture of sepsis may not be crystal clear, but hopefully the edges are a little less blurry.And helping us to de-blur the edges of sepsis is the wonderful Katy Grainger, leading sepsis and amputee advocate and on the Board of Directors of Sepsis Alliance, who shares with us her harrowing sepsis experience. You can learn more about Katy’s story and advocacy work by following her on instagram (@katysepsisamputee), TikTok (@katysepsisamputee), Facebook, or by checking out www.sepsis.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 27, 2022 • 1h 28min

Ep 106 Turner Syndrome: Let's talk about X

Are you in the mood to chat chromosomes, specifically the X chromosome? If so, have we got the perfect episode for you! You may have come across the definition of Turner syndrome as a genetic condition resulting from the partial or complete loss of an X chromosome, but what does that actually mean? What is the X chromosome, what does it do, and why is it so important? We attempt to answer these questions with our exploration into the biology of Turner syndrome before setting our sights on the who’s and when’s of the X chromosome and Turner syndrome. Our path through the history of these bundled packets of genetic material wouldn’t be complete without some fascinating detours, such as an exploration into the inspiring life of Nettie Stevens and the beautiful variations in sex chromosomes found in the animal kingdom. Finally, we wrap up our episode by taking stock of how much progress we’ve made with Turner syndrome treatment and research but also how far we still have to go. Tune in for all this and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 13, 2022 • 1h 17min

Ep 105 Down in the Mumps

We’ve covered measles, we’ve taken on rubella, and now we’re finishing up the classic MMR vaccine by exploring the other M: mumps. To some listeners, mumps may be a painful childhood memory while to others it’s just a letter in a vaccine they were too young to remember getting. But by the end of this episode, we promise that you’ll all be much more familiar with this strange little virus. How does the mumps virus make you sick and give you that classic swollen face look? What is so bad about the mumps that Maurice Hilleman decided to snag a sample from his sick daughter to make a vaccine? Where do we stand with mumps today and what do declining vaccination rates have to do with those not-so-great numbers? Tune in to hear our take on all these questions and many more in this classic TPWKY episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Aug 30, 2022 • 1h 44min

Ep 104 The Bends: Industrial Revolution, baby

Don your wetsuit, grab your oxygen tank, and securely fasten your mask, because this week we’re going on our deepest dive yet. In this episode, we’re plumbing the depths of decompression sickness, aka the bends, to get a better handle on how gases and pressure can be so very deadly. We start out with a bit of Gases 101, examining how decompression sickness occurs and why it affects your body in the ways it does. Next, we explore the not-so-distant history of this disease, a history that includes far more tales of bridge engineering than it does of SCUBA diving (but just as fascinating). Finally, we rise to the surface, but not too quickly, with a look at decompression sickness around the world today. Tune in to hear the highs, the lows, and everything in between of this industrial era disease, and feel free to leave your decompression schedule at home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Aug 16, 2022 • 1h 16min

Ep 103 Leptospirosis: Don't blame the rats

The story of leptospirosis is chock full of variety. In terms of biology, any number of different Leptospira species and serovars can play a role in infection, and the resulting infection can run from asymptomatic to deadly. As for ecology, virtually any mammalian species can either act as an affected reservoir for the pathogens or fall victim to a deadly infection. The history of leptospirosis takes us across continents and through centuries, illustrating how changes in scientific thought and technology shaped our understanding of this and other zoonotic diseases. And the current status of this One Health disease is no less varied, both in the wide distribution of leptospirosis as well as the vastly differing (but disturbingly high) estimates of annual cases and deaths. In this episode, we do our best to tackle as much of the variety in this neglected disease as we can, from its impact on us and our furry friends, to the classic story of its discovery and the biggest remaining gaps in our knowledge today. Tune in for all this and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Aug 2, 2022 • 1h 34min

Ep 102 Arsenic: Paris Green with Envy

“The king of poisons,” “the poison of kings,” “inheritance powder.” As its various nicknames suggest, arsenic’s notoriety largely stems from its use as a murder weapon. But as we explore in this episode, the world of arsenic is much, much bigger than just as a plot device in an Agatha Christie novel, and it remains one of the most important environmental contaminants today. But how exactly does arsenic affect your body? When did people first start to use arsenic and for what purposes? Where does it have the most impact currently? And, of course, why was it so popular as a murder weapon? Tune in to hear the answers to these and many, many more questions about one of the most notorious poisons out there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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