MEDICINE & HEALTH

WHO Predicts Ebola Outbreak Could Worsen by 1000% as Soon as December

MEDICINE & HEALTH While health officials are attempting to isolate the spread of the disease, fear and ignorance of the disease have allowed for major setbacks to propagate across the West African nations, leading to further casualties of the disease. Now, after months of assessing the situation in the field, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday, Oct. 14, that the rate of infection may increase by ten-fold, to 10,000 new cases per week as early as this December.

Greater Rates of Mitochondrial Mutations Discovered in Children Born to Older Mothers

The discovery of a "maternal age effect" by a team of Penn State scientists that could be used to predict the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations in maternal egg cells -- and the transmission of these mutations to children -- could provide valuable insights for genetic counseling. These mutations cause more than 200 diseases and contribute to others such as diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. The study found greater rates of the mitochondrial DNA variants in children born to older mothers, as well as in the mothers themselves. The research will be published in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on October 13, 2014.

Cautious optimism as childhood obesity rates in Ireland plateau

Childhood overweight and obesity rates have plateaued in primary school aged children in the Republic of Ireland, reveals research published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The study found that although obesity rates remain high, there is evidence that they have stabilised and may be beginning to fall.

Versatile antibiotic found with self-immunity gene on plasmid in staph strain

A robust, broad spectrum antibiotic, and a gene that confers immunity to that antibiotic are both found in the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain 115. The antibiotic, a member of the thiopeptide family of antibiotics, is not in widespread use, partly due to its complex structure, but the investigators, from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, now report that the mechanism of synthesis is surprisingly simple. "We hope to come up with innovative processes for large-scale production and derivitization so that new, and possibly more potent versions of the antibiotic can become available, says co-corresponding author Joel S. Griffitts. The research is published ahead of print in Journal of Bacteriology.

Teenage baseball pitchers at risk for permanent shoulder injury

Young baseball pitchers who throw more than 100 pitches per week are at risk for a newly identified overuse injury that can impede normal shoulder development and lead to additional problems, including rotator cuff tears, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
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