virus spreadMore than 200 people have died from the Ebola virus in Guinea, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus is increasingly influenced by neighboring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The
World Health Organization (WHO), the UN health agency said on Wednesday
it had registered 328 confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola in Guinea,
including 208 deaths. Twenty-one of the deaths were registered between May 29 and June 1 only.The report comes despite 24 April statement from the health ministry
Guinea who said the situation was "more and more out of control thanks
to the measures taken by the government and its partners."More than half of new deaths in Guinea Gueckedou located in the southern region, near the border of Sierra Leone and Liberia.The two neighbors are also getting affected, the WHO said. In Sierra Leone, there have been 79 confirmed and suspected cases to date. The virus also seems to have reappeared in Liberia, which earlier this
year and has seen 12 suspected Ebola cases, including nine deaths were
confirmed.Such
as Ebola hemorrhagic fever usually spreads through direct contact with
blood or fluids of an infected person, or objects that have been
contaminated with infected fluids. Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever and severe internal bleeding. There is no vaccine or specific treatment with mortality rates of up to 90 percent.This virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nearly 300 people died in that outbreak, the deadliest in history.
alarming rise in childhood obesityOverweight
people make nearly a third of the world's population, or two billion,
according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet. Since 1980, obesity has increased in all countries, especially among children.
A survey of 188 countries compiled by U.S. health researchers and
released Thursday concluded that no country has turned the tide on
obesity since 1980. Gain weight occurred in the Middle East and North
Africa.Around the world, the prevalence of adult obesity and overweight has
grown by 28 percent for three decades, and nearly 50 percent among
children.Being overweight also have caused 3.4 million deaths worldwide in 2010,More than half of the people are assessed as being overweight or obese
live in 10 countries, topped by the United States, followed by China,
India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan and Indonesia.The increased risk among childrenNearly a quarter of all children in rich, developed countries and 13
percent in developing countries who are overweight or obese,"Particularly high levels of child and adolescent obesity seen in the
countries of North Africa and the Middle East, especially among women,"
the study notes."All ages and incomes'"Obesity is a problem that affects people of all ages and incomes, everywhere,"It's pretty grim, adding that there was strong evidence of a link between income and obesity; as people get richer.Not one country recorded a significant reduction in obesity and it shows how difficult this challenge,Scientists have seen a surge that accompanies diabetes, and an
increased rate of cancer associated with such severe pancreatic cancer.Data were collected from 188 countriesThe most striking finding them including more than 50 percent of
obesity in the Pacific island nation of Tonga and similar levels of
dangerous overweight among half of all women in Kuwait, Libya, Qatar and
Samoa.The study's authors say the purpose of the World Health Organization
to stop the increase in obesity in 2015 appears "very ambitious."No more excusesOne commentator on the study, Klim McPherson of Oxford University
calls for an international drive to change the life style of consumption
and also cause damage that obesity-related cardiovascular disease,
osteoarthritis and kidney disease.Politicians can no longer hide behind ignorance and confusion,Next nutition inappropriate and too little exercise, excess weight is
associated with stress, drugs centain, lack of sleep and genetic
predisposition.The researchers used measures weight-for-height. People who are overweight have a ratio of 25 or more. Obese people have a ratio of 30 and above.
Read more ...
An
online game to help finalize the structure of a human gene that triggers the
disease. Users
aligning genetic sequences using the best tools available for this task - the
human eye.
No
raging monster, brain-eating zombies, or bloody blast here. There is no violence or
aggression of any kind. "Phylo"
much more serious than that. All three
students are working to solve the puzzle of DNA; to
determine mutations in the human genetic code that causes cancer and other
human disorders.
DNA
sequence alignment is what "phylo" - developed by McGill researcher
Jerome Waldispuhl and Mathieu Blanchette - is all about.
By
aligning the homologous DNA sequences of humans and various other species, gamers
isolates mutations in the human version of that potentially induce genetic
damage.
Spiral DNA.
Mutations
in the DNA sequence can lead to diseases such as cancer
Nothing
beats the human eye
Accumulation
of mutations in the "highly conserved" genes that have been around
for thousands of millions of years, as far as the birth of the fungus, usually
pieces of code that triggers the disease in humans or allow them to go forward.
Spotting
a candidate mutation in the sequence database - build them right "architecture"
- because it is the obvious thing to do.
But
the process of finding the optimal solution is complex, another contributor to
"phylo it" development. Supercomputers
do a great job of parsing the raw DNA alignments for a good fit, from which human
differences - mutations - can be inferred. This
could involve a simple transposition of one of the four DNA "letters"
(A, G, C, T), and shifts involving more complex piece of code inserted or
deleted ("indels") that throw version is not at all parallel to one each other.
When
it comes to fine tuning, though, there's nothing like the human eye. After
all, humans can distinguish facial features and vocals that fly directly
overhead computer. The
human eye is nothing short of brilliant. This
is where games like "phylo" entry
Distinguishing
eyes focused, "phylo" player alignments derived researching computer
that has turned into a puzzle. Each
puzzle consists of a set of nucleotide sequences of DNA that has been turned
into blocks of color, representing pieces of DNA code that humans and other
animal species have in common.
Solve the puzzle
Each
row in the "phylo" game is a different version of the code somewhere
in the phylogenetic tree - of mice, rats, snakes, insects or other creatures -
each with its own unique gaps, insertions and deletions that dispose of in
accordance with the above
and below.
Three
students sitting in front of laptop.
McGill
Students contribute to gather information about genetic diseases by playing
"phylo"
Rats
in the hand or fingers on the touchpad, a "phylo" player colorful
blocks slide this way and that, in every row, align them as best they can, in
the name of the researcher who submitted the gene, and science in general.
In
exchange for their time and visual intuition, "phylo" players like
Debron, Luke and Paula will be quoted in future scientific papers only as
"phylo users." Anonymous
gamers around the world have solved nearly a quarter million phylo puzzles,
involving a variety of related genetic disorders, demonstrating once again the
power of crowd-sourcing in the advancement of science and technology.
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The
World Health Organization ( WHO ) has issued a report stating that the
problems associated with bacterial resistance to antibodies is a major
threat to public health . The report cited misuse of antibiotics as a factor .The
World Health Organization ( WHO ) has issued a report stating that the
problems associated with bacterial resistance to antibodies is a major
threat to public health . The report suggests this stemmed in part from the misuse of antibiotics .Report
of the WHO , released on Wednesday in Geneva , saw antimicrobial
resistance - the ability of bacteria to adapt to the drug is no longer
effective . According to the organization , the growing problem of bacterial resistance to existing treatments have acute global .
While the report notes that many different infectious agents develop
resistance , the focus is on antibiotic resistance in seven different
bacteria responsible for common , serious diseases such as bloodstream
infections ( sepsis ) , diarrhea , pneumonia , urinary tract infection
and gonorrhea .Findings showed resistance to antibiotics is growing in all regions of the world .WHO suggests that better hygiene , access to clean water , infection
control in health care facilities , and vaccinations will help solve the
problem by reducing the need for antibiotics in the first place .It
is recommended that anyone can help overcome antibiotic resistance by
taking only antibiotics prescribed by a doctor , completing the full
recipe ( even with the improvement in the conditions ) , and never share
antibiotics
Read more ...
