disease

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Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly
Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly
Dec 30, 2008 2:58 PM CST

Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly

They cause pneumonia by letting virus into lungs

(Newser) - Researchers have pinpointed the reason the flu pandemic of 1918 was “the most devastating outbreak of infectious disease in human history,” Reuters reports. The key is a combination of three genes that allowed the virus to enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. Typically, the flu affects only the...

Biographer: Jacko May Be Dying

Biographer claims singer suffers rare disorder, may soon need lung transplant

(Newser) - A seriously ill Michael Jackson may soon need a lung transplant because he's suffering from a rare genetic condition that could kill him, according to a biographer. Jacko’s camp has refused to respond to reports of his failing health, but brother Jermaine said: “He's not doing so well...

RNA: Secret Weapon Against Disease

Once seen as weak partner of DNA, gene helps control cells' activity

(Newser) - RNA has long been seen as DNA’s little brother, a messenger between the human genome and cells’ protein factories. But studies point to a bigger role—ribonucleic acid can “turn off” certain genes, for example, fighting a range of health problems, the New York Times reports. “This...

12 Ways Climate Change Could Kill You

Warmer temperatures may cause spread of dangerous pathogens

(Newser) - A dozen deadly diseases may become even deadlier as a result of climate change, Scientific American reports. Cholera, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and other ailments are spreading to new areas as temperatures rise, a Wildlife Conservation Society study says. The society suggests monitoring wildlife to prevent a human outbreak of “...

Chemistry Nobel Goes to 3 Who Found Glowing Protein

Compound vital to Alzheimer's research

(Newser) - The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded today to three scientists who discovered green fluorescent protein, a compound that allows biochemists to study cellular processes. The glowing protein, first found in jellyfish more than 40 years ago, can be attached to other structures and has been critical in research on...

Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots
 Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots 
Sep 29, 2008 2:12 PM CDT

Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots

Vaccines for young germ-spreaders may curb effect on broader population

(Newser) - Kids are the focus of flu vaccination efforts this year in an unprecedented push to lower the overall number of US infections, the Los Angeles Times reports. Children get the flu more often than adults, and research suggests they are biologically more effective at spreading it; for the first time,...

Mac's Illness Spotlights Sarcoidosis

Immune disorder could be behind comedian's hospitalization

(Newser) - Bernie Mac is in the hospital, and although his publicists deny it, the pneumonia for which the comedian's being treated may have something to do with sarcoidosis, the Chicago Tribune reports. The rare immune system disorder has been in remission since 2005.

Disease Stalks Florida's Palms
 Disease Stalks Florida's Palms 
Jul 23, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Disease Stalks Florida's Palms

State worries it lacks resources to identify, combat pathogen

(Newser) - A mystery disease is eating away at the sabal palm, Florida’s state tree, and scientists say the prospects of successfully fighting the disease are slim. The AP reports that an increasing number of the trees, which can grow up to 50 feet tall, have suffered collapsed canopies. "There's...

Docs Link Ulcer Drop, Asthma Boom

Decline in stomach bacteria might link to asthma boom

(Newser) - A lack of ulcers may be driving the increased incidence of childhood asthma, Reuters reports. In a study of children infected with the H. pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers, those who had the infection were 59% less likely to have asthma than those who didn't. H. pylori infection has been...

For TB Clues, Researchers Turn to Bones

Key to disease's evolution may lie in 6,000-year-old DNA

(Newser) - Scientists are analyzing bones found in the ancient city of Jericho, in what's now the West Bank, for clues to fighting tuberculosis. The German, Israeli, and Palestinian researchers hope the 6,000-year-old DNA they're studying will reveal how the disease evolves and how to combat it.

Alaskan Salmon Sick of Climate Change

Scientists blame global warming for 'white spot disease'

(Newser) - Alaskan king salmon are getting sick, and experts have named a culprit: global warming. Marine ecologists say that a rise in "white spot disease" is tied to a 3-decade trend of higher temperatures in the Yukon River, the Los Angeles Times reports. With cold-temperature barriers melting, parasites and bacteria...

Chronic Disease Top Cause of Death Worldwide

Lifestyle-related ailments overtake illness as No. 1 killer

(Newser) - Chronic ailments such as heart disease have become the top causes of death around the world, Reuters reports. Infectious disease, such as tuberculosis and AIDS, has traditionally been the planet's number-one killer. But new World Health Organization stats show noncommunicable conditions, many of which are associated with a Western lifestyle,...

Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess
 Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess 
May 9, 2008 3:59 PM CDT

Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess

Mosquito-eaters help keep abandoned pools from breeding disease

(Newser) - Stagnant pools bursting with mosquitoes have become a byproduct of the housing crisis, turning into breeding grounds for diseases like West Nile virus. But, the Wall Street Journal reports, there is a solution: Gambusia affinis, a natural predator, also known as the mosquito fish, that's hardy enough to police abandoned...

Burmese Junta Still Blocking Cyclone Aid

'Second disaster' looms if aid is not allowed in

(Newser) - Emergency supplies for some 1.5 million Burmese desperately in need of help are ready to be flown into the cyclone-stricken regions—but the military junta is still blocking delivery. Only two UN planes have been allowed to land in Burma. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tried unsuccessfully to telephone Burma's...

Saddam Feared AIDS During Captivity
Saddam Feared AIDS During Captivity
May 6, 2008 12:47 AM CDT

Saddam Feared AIDS During Captivity

Prison diary reveals horror of 'young people's diseases'

(Newser) - Saddam Hussein worried about catching AIDS and other venereal diseases during his US captivity, the Daily Mail reports. He even told guards not to dry their clothes on his laundry line. "I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote...

Deadly China Virus Not Seen as Olympic Threat

But cases are expected to rise with warm weather

(Newser) - The outbreak of a deadly virus in China hasn’t peaked yet—but it won’t affect the Beijing Games, a World Health Organization rep said. “I don't see it at all as a threat to the Olympics or any upcoming events,” he noted. Enterovirus 71 has killed...

US Measles Cases Highest Since 2001

Total of 64; CDC worries about people shunning vaccine

(Newser) - Measles, once nearly eradicated in the US, appears to be regaining a foothold. The CDC reports at least four outbreaks under way, with at least 64 cases in nine states—the most since 2001. The new cases probably originated in other countries and incubated in pockets of non-immunized US children,...

End Malaria Deaths by 2010: UN
 End Malaria Deaths by 2010: UN 
Apr 25, 2008 12:43 PM CDT

End Malaria Deaths by 2010: UN

Providing Africa with nets, spray could save 1M lives a year

(Newser) - The world must take action now to end malaria deaths—currently at 1 million per year—by 2010, UN chief Ban Ki Moon said today. "We have the resources and the know-how, but we have less than 1,000 days" to meet the goal, said Ban on the first...

Climate Killing Medical Hopes
 Climate Killing Medical Hopes 
Apr 23, 2008 1:53 PM CDT

Climate Killing Medical Hopes

UN conference highlights the dangers of fading biodiversity

(Newser) - The loss of biodiversity on Earth will seriously hamper efforts to cure human disease, AFP reports. Researchers at the UN-backed Business for the Environment conference highlighted undiscovered cures for pain, infections and even cancer that risk being lost forever if humans fail to reverse the widespread extinction of thousands of...

Super-TB Cases Hit Record High
Super-TB Cases Hit Record High
Feb 27, 2008 1:43 PM CST

Super-TB Cases Hit Record High

WHO calls for urgent action

(Newser) - Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are at the highest levels disease experts have ever seen, warns the World Health Organization. A survey of 81 countries found that levels of multi-drug resistant TB and even hardier, almost untreatable TB were much higher than expected, reports the BBC. Urgent action is needed to...

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