Malaria Strain -- Impervious To Interventions -- Holding Steady In Asia, Latin America
With signs of declining malaria deaths in Africa raising hopes of eradicating the disease worldwide, researchers unveiled at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) a new malaria map that is the first to identify on a global scale where the long-lasting and potentially deadly form of malaria - a parasite known as Plasmodium vivax has a firm foothold in large swaths of South Asia and parts of Latin America. "This map helps us understand just how difficult it is going to be to eradicate malaria, " said Peter Gething, PhD, who led the University of Oxford's Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) team that produced the study of vivax burden.
Gene Associated with Herpes-Related Cold Sores Identified
Over 70% of the U.S. population suffers from herpes (Herpes simplex labialis - HSL) caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which is characterized by cold sores on or around the mouth. Once infected, the virus is never removed by the immune system and lies dormant in the body's nerve cells until reactivated. Even though the majority of people are infected with HSV-1, the frequency of cold sore outbreaks varies tremendously and it is not known what causes reactivation. According to a study published in the Dec.
Improved Diagnosis And Potential Treatment Of Neuromyelitis Optica
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified critical steps leading to myelin destruction in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a debilitating neurological disease that is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings could lead to better care for the thousands of patients around the world with NMO. The paper was published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. NMO is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that damages the optic nerves and spinal cord, causing vision loss, weakness, numbness and, sometimes, arm and leg paralysis and loss of bowel and bladder control.