public health
tsmith | February 26, 2006Necrotizing fasciitis (the so-called "flesh-eating disease") is a rare manifestation of infection with the group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes, though occasionally other bacteria cause it as well). Apparently, it's been a banner year for the infection in Boulder, Colorado. The Daily Camera (registration required) has the story:
Sixteen months after University of Colorado physicist Eric Cornell lost his left arm and shoulder to a rare, invasive form of strep A, at least three more otherwise healthy Boulder residents have been stricken by the same disease in the past four months.…
tsmith | February 24, 2006This time for prostate cancer.
In a surprising discovery, researchers say they have found a virus in some prostate cancer patients, a finding that opens new research avenues in the most common major cancer among men in the United States.
The virus, closely related to one previously found only in mice, was found in cancerous prostates removed from men with a certain genetic defect. The researchers, with the University of California, San Francisco and the Cleveland Clinic, warn that they have not discovered any links between the virus and prostate cancer, but they were nonetheless excited about…
tsmith | February 24, 2006A lot on my plate this morning, but if you've not seen these already from yesterday, check out Respectful Insolence, where Orac has a post on using chemical castration as a treatment for autism. Just when you think things couldn't get any crazier...
PZ also has a post drawing your attention to a statement in this week's Science magazine: Medicine needs evolution.
The citation of "Evolution in Action" as Science's 2005 breakthrough of the year confirms that evolution is the vibrant foundation for all biology. Its contributions to understanding infectious disease and genetics are widely…
tsmith | February 23, 2006You don't need to worry about security.
I don't know whether having a UAE company manage our ports would increase our vulnerability to terrorism or not, but I find it highly, highly ironic that an administration who's spent so much time telling us how *not* safe we are (wasn't electing Kerry going to bring on another terrorist attack?) are now reassuring us that there's nothing to worry about. I bet the folks in New Orleans would beg to differ.
tsmith | February 23, 2006As promised, a discussion on the paper, Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in northern California: results from a ten-year study.
First, let's backtrack a bit and see what's already been said, lest I repeat myself. The little summary below can also catch anyone up who's not up to wading through 250-odd comments. Those who've already done so can skip the quoted parts and scroll down...
[Note: I've uploaded a .pdf of the Padian paper for anyone to access Here.]
Hank Barnes said here about the paper:
1. It was the longest and largest epidemiological study of…
tsmith | February 16, 2006Just wanted to point you to these posts over at Mike's blog, regarding Jimmy Stewart, a former physicist and candidate for State Representative in Ohio's 22nd District: Dublin and Clintonville. I don't know him from Adam and so this doesn't constitute an endorsement in any way, but apparently he's reaching out to the blogosphere for both questions on his positions, and, of course, support. Mike's already asked him some questions (including ones about intelligent design and overall science education in Ohio's schools), and I submitted some as well that have reportedly been passed along.…
tsmith | February 15, 2006It's been about a week since my last "bird flu" post--and I know that many people, including myself, tend to get burned out on the same ol' thing, but there's some interesting news out that I wanted to share. First, two posts from Effect Measure. Here, Revere discusses the newest reports of H5N1 spread: swans in Austria, Germany, and Iran. Revere also discusses one of GrrlScientist's favorite topics, spread of the virus caused by wild birds vs. domestic poultry. I agree with his conclusion (and not just because he linked my "small world" post):
Another (and in our view more likely)…
tsmith | February 14, 2006So, yesterday morning I had to spend an hour in employee health, having my lungs checked out and my blood banked just in case I end up needing to work in a BSL-3 lab sometime in the future (due to a grant we're pursuing). Stupid me didn't realize I'd have to wait so long and went there empty-handed, and my choices of reading material consisted of either hunting magazines or a really old People magazine (I swear, this week is a conspiracy to get me to obsess about pop culture). In the midst of all the celeb stories, though, was an article on chickenpox parties. Where people take their kids…
tsmith | February 10, 2006You've probably seen this announcment trumpeted somewhere: "Cancer deaths fall for first time." I just wanted to post a very brief note on this. First, let's look at their numbers:
The number of cancer deaths dropped to 556,902 in 2003, down from 557,271 the year before, according to a recently completed review of U.S. death certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics.
It's the first annual decrease in total cancer deaths since 1930, when nationwide data began to be compiled.
Now, a decrease in cancer deaths is always a good thing, but talk about making a mountain out of a…
tsmith | February 8, 2006I know, not exactly a novel finding. But I somehow continue to be amazed at the level of utter stupidity displayed by some of those in the public eye. Now, admittedly, I'm not much of a celebrity-watcher. I don't care much who they're sleeping with, what drugs they're on, or how much their new mansion cost. But some things you can't help but notice, since they're discussed on every freakin' news show in the universe. Like this one:
That's pop princess Britney Spears, for anyone who hasn't yet see that pic (and if such a person exists, can you tell me where I can find this haven from…
tsmith | February 8, 2006So far, just in poultry.
PARIS -- A "highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in poultry stocks in Nigeria-- the first reported case of the disease in Africa, the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health said Wednesday.
Nigeria reported the outbreak in Jaji, a village in the northern Kaduna state, according to the organization known by the acronym OIE. OIE spokeswoman Maria Zampaglione said the outbreak was the first reported case of H5N1 in Africa.
A laboratory in Padova, Italy, identified "a highly pathogenic H5N1" and has further analyzed its genetic…
tsmith | February 4, 2006In my piece with DarkSyde yesterday, I mentioned a bioterrorist attack with Salmonella that took place in Oregon in the 1980s. This is an organism that you've all certainly encountered (though hopefully didn't get sickened by), and it's certainly not one that's commonly thought of as a potential agent of bioterrorism. Well, the National Academy of Science says our current list of potential agents is seriously flawed.
US 'unaware' of emerging bioterror threats
The life sciences are developing so quickly that a watch list of dangerous pathogens and toxins is useless in fighting the threat of…
tsmith | February 3, 2006I've noted previously that infectious causes of so-called"chronic" diseases--illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disease--are an interest of mine. The Guardian has a nice overview of infectious causes of cancer--and why one can't simply "catch" cancer as you catch a cold. It's a much better article (or at least headline) than this one, which discusses recent findings that a few types of adenovirus could play a role in the development of obesity. However, this does not mean--as the headline suggests--that "obesity is contagious." You're not going to "catch fat." Even…
tsmith | February 3, 2006...check out this post by DemfromCT (one of the founders of the Flu wiki). He discusses a topic near and dear to my heart--preparation for an influenza pandemic. And like I've pointed out, he agrees that we're not ready.
Inexperienced religious groups receive AIDS funding--but don't worry, it's not politically motivated
tsmith | February 1, 2006Religious groups getting more AIDS funding,
Bush administration earmarked $200 million for less-experienced groups.
Aargh.
Franklin Graham just got federal AIDS money. His group, Samaritan's purse, has a mission described as "meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ." This is the same Franklin Graham who has said about Islam,
The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked…
tsmith | January 30, 2006I wrote up a critique of an article DI mouthpiece Casey Luskin wrote regarding avian influenza back in October. I don't know whether Luskin ever read my post; at the time, trackbacks to the DI site weren't working. But I'd guess I'm not the only one who pointed out the abundant mistakes in his article, which advanced the thesis that avian influenza wasn't a good example of evolution. He has since written a response to critics here (warning: .pdf file), correcting one of his errors in the original article (and making a confusing mess out of things).
Luskin's original thesis was that…
tsmith | January 27, 2006Speaking of chronic diseases caused by microbial agents, one of the earliest characterized of these is the group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes). In addition to causing acute diseases such as strep throat and scarlet fever, a wide range of post-infectious sequelae (complications that appear following resolution of infection) have been attributed to S. pyogenes. It can cause glomerulonephritis, a kidney disease. It's long been known infection with the organism can lead to a condition called Sydenham's chorea, a neurologic disease characterized by jerky movements. Infection with S…
tsmith | January 27, 2006This time giving $900 million to fight tuberculosis.
Microsoft Corp.'s founder Bill Gates pledged $900 million to fight tuberculosis on Friday, kick-starting a $31 billion funding drive against a disease which kills one person every 15 seconds.
Tuberculosis has reached alarming proportions in Africa and other poor countries, where co-infection with HIV/AIDS makes a deadly combination.
"This is a very tough disease. It is going to take all of us --private sector, the pharmaceutical companies, philanthropy and governments in countries that have the disease -- to participate as well," Gates…
tsmith | January 26, 2006This has already been written up by the MSM (such as this article), so I'll just quote a bit from them:
Circulation of money may predict pandemics
A popular U.S. Web site that tracks the geographical circulation of money could offer new insights into predicting the spread of infectious diseases like bird flu.
Money, like diseases, is carried by people around the world, so what better way to plot the spread of a potential influenza pandemic than to track the circulation of dollar bills, researchers reasoned.
Researchers in Germany and the United States did just that to develop a mathematical…
tsmith | January 25, 2006 Well, at least there seems to be some progress in terrorism preparedness plans. Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security has a program ready to prepare children for disasters.
After more than a year of delays, the Department of Homeland Security says it plans to launch a preparedness program next month aimed at alerting and preparing children for natural disasters.
The program, called Ready Kids, is scheduled to roll out with TV ads, school programs and other events.
"Ready Kids is a tool for parents and teachers to use to be able to speak to their students and children about how…