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News articles on health

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Mongabay.com news articles on health in blog format. Updated regularly.

Anti-HIV drug from rainforest almost lost before its discovery

(09/13/2005) Rainforest plants have long been recognized for their potential to provide healing compounds. Indigenous peoples of the rainforest have used medicinal plants for treating a wide variety of health conditions while western pharmacologists have derived a number of drugs from such plants. However, as forests around the world continue to fall there is a real risk that pharmaceutically-useful plants will disappear before they are examined for their chemical properties. Increasingly, it is becoming a race against time to collect and screen plants before their native habitats are destroyed. One near miss occurred recently with a compound that has shown significant anti-HIV effects, Calanolide A.


Polio outbreak confirmed in Somalia

(09/13/2005) The Global Polio Eradication Initiative - spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF - today launched an ambitious new series of polio immunization campaigns to prevent the re-establishment of the disease in the Horn of Africa.


Divers to monitor health of coral reefs in the UAE

(09/12/2005) The Emirates Diving Association is training its members and staff to monitor the health of the coral reefs and marine life in the UAE.


Key Discovery Made in Feline AIDS Research

(09/10/2005) A University of Florida researcher has discovered an unexpected link between the viruses that cause feline and human AIDS: Cats vaccinated with an experimental strain of the human AIDS virus appear to be at least as well-protected against the feline version of the disease as those immunized with the vaccine currently used by veterinarians.


EPA advisory for health safety in flooded areas

(09/07/2005) Floodwaters from six locations across the New Orleans area were sampled by EPA and analyzed for chemicals and bacteria. Preliminary information indicates that bacteria counts for E. coli in sampled areas greatly exceed EPA's recommended levels for contact. At these levels, human contact with water should be avoided as much as possible.


Emerging Staph Strains Found to be Increasingly Deadly

(09/07/2005) A study of how the immune system reacts to strains of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria -- emerging strains that sicken otherwise healthy people, or so-called "community-acquired" infections -- has shown for the first time that these strains are more deadly and better at evading human immune defenses than more common S. aureus strains that originate in hospitals and other health-care settings.


New Method Can Rapidly Detect Potential Bioterror Agent causing Q fever

(09/06/2005) A new combination of analytical chemistry and mathematical data analysis techniques allows the rapid identification of the species, strain and infectious phase of the potential biological terrorism agent Coxiella burnetii. The bacterium causes the human disease Q fever, which can cause serious illness and even death..


Mad cow disease came from humans suggests new theory

(09/06/2005) Mad cow disease may have originated from human remains mixed into cattle feed, according to a controversial new theory.


Forest fires have serious economic and health consequences warns FAO

(09/05/2005) Large forest fires in South-East Asia, notably in Indonesia, have caused serious health and environmental problems, in particular choking haze in the region, FAO said today.


Enzyme may be key in HIV resistance, new drug in development based on findings

(09/03/2005) Researchers have confirmed for the first time the benefit of an innate defense system present in the few patients who remain healthy after years of infection with HIV despite receiving no treatment, according to an article published in the September edition of the Journal of Virology.


Fake Lipitor Manufacturers Indicted

(09/01/2005) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, today announced the indictments of 11 individuals, a drug repacker, and two wholesale distributors in cases related to the sale of Lipitor, a popular cholesterol reducing drug.


New Influenza Vaccine Ready for Flu Season

(09/01/2005) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Fluarix, an influenza vaccine for adults that contains inactivated virus. Fluarix is approved to immunize adults 18 years of age and older against influenza virus types A and B contained in the vaccine. Influenza is also commonly called the flu.


NIH Looks at Genomics of Inflammation from Severe Injury

(09/01/2005) When it comes to inflammation, too much of a good thing can be deadly. In some severely injured patients, this normal healing process can develop into a lethal, whole-body response, including bloodstream infection (sepsis) and multiple organ failure. How and why inflammation turns from healing to harming is still mysterious, so doctors can't accurately predict how each injured patient will fare.


Anti-Cancer Drugs has promise for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

(09/01/2005) Bethesda, Maryland -- In a surprising development, a research team led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has found that a class of experimental anti-cancer drugs also shows promise in laboratory studies for treating a fatal genetic disorder that causes premature aging.


Fruit fiber may help protect against second-hand smoke effects

(09/01/2005) A new study finds early life exposure to second-hand smoke can produce life-long respiratory problems. The study of 35,000 adult non-smokers in Singapore found that those who lived with a smoker during childhood had more respiratory problems, including chronic cough. Study participants who reported eating more fruit and soy fiber as adults seemed to be protected against some of the negative health effects often associated with early tobacco exposure.


BSE-infected cow born in Texas - result of FDA investigation

(08/31/2005) The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have completed their investigations regarding a cow that tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in June 2005. The agencies conducted these investigations in collaboration with the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service.


Non-invasive therapy for cancer may be possible with future nanotechnology

(08/30/2005) Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have created highly magnetized nanoparticles based on metallic iron that could one day be used in a non-invasive therapy for cancer in which treatment would begin at the time of detection.


Food safety tips after Hurricane Katrina

(08/30/2005) As Hurricane Katrina hits Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants area residents to be prepared for the aftermath. FDA is providing important tips to help people affected by this storm to protect their health and food supply.


Teenage drivers more reckless with young male passenger in front seat

(08/26/2005) Teenage drivers-both males and females-were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat, according to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.


Cancer vaccine work continues at Baylor

(08/26/2005) A special stretch of genetic material may turn off the immune suppression that stymies attempts to fight cancer with a vaccine, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine at Houston.


New dye may offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

(08/26/2005) MIT scientists have developed a new dye that could offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could aid in monitoring the progression of the disease and in studying the efficacy of new treatments to stop it.


Misoprostol as a treatment for miscarriage instead of surgery

(08/26/2005) drug first used to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers in people taking certain types of painkillers offers an alternative to surgery after miscarriage, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions.


Brain chemical with key role in substance abuse identified

(08/25/2005) New research performed in rats suggests that orexin, a brain chemical involved in feeding behvaior, arousal, and sleep, also plays a role in reward function and drug-seeking behvaior.


Safeguarding biodiversity key to human health, poverty alleviation says Annan

(08/24/2005) Failure to conserve and use biological diversity in a sustainable manner would result in degrading environments, new and more rampant illnesses, deepening poverty and a continued pattern of inequitable and untenable growth warned United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a statement before the First International Conference on the Importance of Biodiversity to Human Health in Galway, Ireland.


100 hundred billion bases of the genetic code sequenced

(08/22/2005) Public Collections of DNA and RNA Sequence Reach 100 Gigabases.


Newly Discovered Gene Sheds Light on Causes of Cancer, Rare Disease

(08/22/2005) Gene Discovery Sheds Light on Causes of Rare Disease, Cancer.


Summit explores how fish could feed Africa

(08/22/2005) This week policy makers, industry leaders, and development experts are meeting in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss the future of African fisheries and aquaculture. The fisheries sector, consisting of both inland (freshwater) and marine fisheries, is a vital source of food and income to millions of Africans. Fish production, processing and trade provides employment for more than 10 million, while fish exports from Africa are worth US$ 2.7 billion annually. The following is a description of the summit from Fish for All, an initiative seeking to shape public policy on issues from issues as fish and development, fish and nutrition, health, livelihood, environment, gender, water, river basins and coasts, trade and economic growth.


Florida panther population growing due to controversial plan

(08/18/2005) The number of living Florida panthers has grown from a previously estimated 30 to a recently counted 87 as a result of a controversial breeding effort to improve the genetic health of the endangered and inbred animals, according to a new assessment.


Crocodile blood shows anti-HIV activity

(08/16/2005) SCIENTISTS in Australia's tropical north are collecting blood from crocodiles in the hope of developing a powerful antibiotic for humans, after tests showed that the reptile's immune system kills the HIV virus.


Protease enzyme found to cause cancer

(08/15/2005) Cell surface enzyme can trigger the formation of tumor cells.


New Stem Cell Research Centers Funded by NIH

(08/09/2005) Human embryonic stem cells have properties that make them uniquely valuable for studying virtually any cellular process. Despite their promise for research and therapeutic purposes, stem cells are difficult to grow in the laboratory and scientists do not know how to reliably direct them to become a specific cell type.


Americans support HIV vaccine, but fear trial participation

(08/08/2005) A survey of U.S. adults has found that a majority believe that HIV vaccines are the best hope for controlling the global AIDS epidemic and are confident such vaccines can be made. But while most of those surveyed felt it personally important to help support HIV vaccine research, a majority expressed reluctance to support a friend or family member's participation in an HIV vaccine clinical trial.


Site explains how smell and taste decline with age

(08/08/2005) Thirty percent of older Americans between the ages of 70 and 80 and two out of three older Americans over age 80 experience problems with their sense of smell. Problems with taste, although less common, also frequently occur in older adults. Now accurate, up-to-date information about the important senses of smell and taste is available in a senior-friendly format at http://www.nihseniorhealth.gov. Visitors to the site can learn about how these senses work, how smell and taste decline with age or illness, and what older adults can do to cope with the loss of these senses.


Chocolate could kill your dog

(08/03/2005) Death by chocolate? Feeding sweets to your pet is no laughing matter.


Zoologists to discuss latest in animal enrichment techniques

(07/27/2005) The Wildlife conservation Society is hosting the 2005 International Conference on Environmental Enrichment where zoologists from 15 countries will gather to learn about the latest in animal enrichment techniques to keep animals healthy and stimulated.


Drugs derived from chocolate? Candymaker Mars in talks.

(07/25/2005) Mars, Incorporated, the privately held U.S. company company that produces M&Ms, Twix, Snickers and other confectionaries is in talks with several large pharmaceutical companies to develop medications based on flavanols -- plant chemicals with health benefits found in cocoa, according to a report from Reuters.


Stress results in buildup of belly fat and poor eating habits says new study

(07/19/2005) A new study in the medical journal Brain, behvaior and Immunity suggests there is a link between stress, the consumption of comfort foods, and the buildup of abdominal fat.


Why American outbreak of monkeypox wasn't fatal

(07/15/2005) An outbreak of 72 cases of monkeypox in the United States during the summer of 2003 didn't produce a single fatality, even though the disease usually kills 10 percent of those infected.


Rainforest plant helps treat psoriasis

(07/14/2005) A compound dervied from an Amazon-rainforest tree is effective in the treatment of the skin disease psoriasis according to a study released in late June in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.


New monkey virus infects human; jumps species barrier

(07/14/2005) Scientists have identified the first reported case in Asia of primate-to-human transmission of simian foamy virus (SFV), a retrovirus found in macaques and other primates that so far has not been shown to cause disease in humans. The transmission of the virus from a monkey to a human took place at a monkey temple in Bali, Indonesia, the researchers report in the July issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.


Curry spice blocks melanoma cancer growth in lab

(07/11/2005) Curcumin, the pungent yellow spice found in both turmeric and curry powders, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.


Progress made in fighting deadly virus spread by pigs and bats

(07/06/2005) According to two new reports in Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have made an important breakthrough in the effort to fight the deadly Nipah virus which killed more than 100 people in 1999. The outbreak, which also resulted in the culling in 1 million pigs across Malaysia, was later traced to fruit bats.


Controlling Wildlife Trade Key to Preventing Health Crises, Study Says

(07/05/2005) According to a study by the New York-based Wildlife conservation Society, controlling the movements of wildlife in markets is a cost-effective means of keeping potential deadly pandemics such as SARS and influenza from occurring. The study appears in the July edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The cost of controlling the spread of diseases afflicting both human and animal populations has reached hundreds of billions of dollars globally.


Gray Corps of senior citizens could help fight poverty, health problems in developing world

(05/30/2005) According to recent data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is projected to increase from 12.4% in 2000 to 19.6% in 2030. It is this growing segment of the population that could be key to addressing a number of looming social issues both here in the United States and abroad.


Developing sustainable business models that address the needs of the world's poor

(05/25/2005) People involved with international development and poverty alleviation programs are increasingly looking toward the private sector for inspiration and assistance. Many believe that involving business in such efforts will not only bring wealth, respect, dignity, and improved education and health to the world's poor but also prove to be a profitable business strategy.


How did rainforest shamans gain their boundless knowledge on medicinal plants?

(05/14/2005) For thousands of years, indigenous people have extensively used rainforest plants for their health needs -- the peoples of Southeast Asian forests used 6,500 species, while Northwest Amazonian forest dwellers used 1300 species for medicinal purposes. Perhaps more staggering than their boundless knowledge of medicinal plants, is how shamans and medicinemen could have acquired such knowledge. There are over 100,000 plant species in tropical rainforests around the globe, how did indigenous peoples know what plants to use and combine especially when so many are either poisonous or have no effect when ingested. Many treatments combine a wide variety of completely unrelated innocuous plant ingredients to produce a dramatic effect.


Using nanotechnology to fight cancer

(05/10/2005) Last fall, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced a new $144.3 million, five-year initiative to develop and apply nanotechnology to the fight against cancer. Through this initiative, NCI hopes to further enable the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.


Shamans and Robots: Bridging the Past and Future of Ethnobotany and Bioprospecting

(04/25/2005) A look at trends in ethnobotany and bioprospecting in seeking new ways to address human health conditions.


America's Cinematic Deadly Obsession

(04/02/2005) In Sickness and in Health: America's Cinematic Deadly Obsession.



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