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Sex at zero gravity

By Guest PostMarch 24, 2013Sciencealzheimers, anja geitmann, cellular transport logistics, changes in gravity, cylindrical tool, earth, estec, european space agency, external environment, gravity modulates, human reproduction, hypergravity, hypergravity conditions, illnesses, intracellular highways, microgravity, Netherlands, noordwijk, organelles, plants, pollen tube, reproductive process, sex, sperm cells, university of montreal, youssef chebli, zero gravity

University of Montreal researchers found that changes in gravity affect the reproductive process in plants. Gravity modulates traffic on the intracellular “highways” that ensure the growth and functionality of the male reproductive organ in plants, the pollen tube. “Just like during human reproduction, the sperm cells in plants are delivered to the egg by a cylindrical tool. Unlike the delivery tool in animals, the device used during plant sex consists of a single cell, and only two sperm cells are discharged during each delivery event,” explained Professor Anja Geitmann of the university’s Department of biology. “Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.” (more…)

On-the-job Deaths Hold Steady; Number of Burn Injuries Underreported

By Guest PostApril 24, 2012Economycancer, construction industry, death certificate, deb chester, environmental medicine, illnesses, karla swift, kenneth rosenman, labor statistics, lung disease, martha yoder, michigan, michigan state university, miface report, norwood jewell, poison control center, program, public health, rate, surveillance, trauma, work related burns, worker, workers memorial day, workplace burn, workplace death

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The rate of workplace deaths in Michigan remained steady in 2011, as 141 workers died on the job compared with 145 in 2010, according to an annual report from Michigan State University.

The construction industry had the most deaths at 24, while the agriculture industry had the second most at 22, according to the Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, or MIFACE. (more…)

Research Suggests HIV Causes Rapid Aging in Key Infection-fighting Cells

By Guest PostJanuary 29, 20111 commentHealthaids epidemic, antiretroviral therapy, beth d jamieson, cancers, cd31 t cells, cd4+ helper t cells, cd4+ t cell numbers, chromosomes, clinical conditions, disease, hiv 1 infected adults, hiv seronegative, hiv-positive, illnesses, immune systems, infect, infection, liver diseases, natural cell division, pathogens, t cells, tammy m rickabaugh, telomeres, virtual death, virus

In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, being infected with the virus that causes the disease was considered a virtual death sentence. But with the development of antiretroviral therapy, many with HIV are now living much longer. In fact, it is estimated that by 2015, about half of all HIV-positive individuals will be older than 50.

Yet those over 50 also progress to AIDS faster than adults in their 20s or 30s. And those in the younger age bracket — even those responding well to antiretroviral therapy — still exhibit illnesses and clinical conditions commonly associated with older people, such as certain cancers and liver diseases. For the most part, the reasons for this have remained a mystery. (more…)

Turning the Tide on South Africa’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic

By Guest PostNovember 2, 20102 commentsCulture, Generalafrica, epidemic of aids, fitkin amphitheater, helen dodson, hiv, illnesses, jacob zuma, michael cappello, pepfar, positive, right to care, South Africa, south africans, sub-saharan, tb patients, thabo Mbeki, thembi xulu, yale school of medicine

Dr. Thembi Xulu. Image credit: Yale University

Thirty years after it was given a name, the epidemic of AIDS and its related illnesses continues to kill millions of people around the world. But nowhere are the numbers as high today as in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular, the nation of South Africa.

Last week, a physician who has watched her country seesaw from denial to resolve delivered the seventh annual C. Davenport Cook Grand Rounds Lecture in International Child Health at Yale School of Medicine, speaking about how things are changing in South Africa and, perhaps, all of sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the changes she described are medical, others, attitudinal.

Dr. Thembi Xulu is medical director of Right to Care, a leading non-profit HIV/AIDS organization based in Johannesburg, as well as one of this year’s Yale World Fellows. Xulu has for many years been a persistent advocate for educating South Africans about the causes of AIDS and ways to prevent it, and for bringing affordable medication to those afflicted with it. She has grappled with governments in denial, unyielding cultural traditions, lack of funding and victims too ashamed to seek help. (more…)

Tag Archives: illnesses

Sex at zero gravity

On-the-job Deaths Hold Steady; Number of Burn Injuries Underreported

Research Suggests HIV Causes Rapid Aging in Key Infection-fighting Cells

Turning the Tide on South Africa’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic