CFIDS Virus XMRV- Link Challenged
Controversial link. A previous study of chronic fatigue syndrome pointed to a retrovirus found in cancerous prostate cells
Last October 2009 the journal Science published a paper suggesting that a virus could be linked to CFIDS as well as prostate cancer. This was commented on in this site. Initial enthusiasm for this potential pathogen explanation for the chronic and debilitating condition has taken a couple of knocks as two papers have questioned the link. Scientists in the initial study found DNA traces of a virus in the blood cells of two-thirds of 101 patients with CFIDS, compared with 4% of 218 healthy controls. XMRV is a rodent retrovirus also implicated in an aggressive prostate cancer, though why it might cause or be associated with CFIDS remains unclear.
This naturally seemed to provide a plausible association with an infectious agent that would mesh with the common development of the condition following a viral infection.
Read the rest of this page »
H1N1 – Questions About Profit Incentive
Swine flu has killed 12 799 people worldwide since it first emerged in Mexico in March 2009, the World Health Organisation said on the 8th January 2010.
The latest data posted by the United Nations health agency marked an increase of 579 deaths from the previous update published nine days ago.
The Americas continues to report the biggest number of casualties with at least 6,880 deaths while in Europe, at least 2,554 people have died from the A(H1N1) virus
Is it a False Pandemic Though?
Read the rest of this page »
Novel Influenza H1N1 has Dramatic Risks for Pregnant Women
Like previous epidemic and pandemic diseases, 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) may pose an increased risk of severe illness in pregnant women. To see if there were clinical experiences that matched this assumption a Californian investigation by their Department of Health reviewed demographic and clinical data reported from April 23 through August 11, 2009, for all H1N1-infected, reproductive-age women who were hospitalised or died. These included non-pregnant women, pregnant women, and postpartum women (those who had delivered ≤2 weeks previously).[1]
Read the rest of this page »
H1N1 – 3 Key Questions
Question 1 – How does it kill?
H1N1 is a unique virus and unlike seasonal flu which damages the upper airway cells, H1N1 Novel Influenza damages the terminal air sacs called alveoli. These are found in the lower part of lungs.
Secondly a co-infection with bacteria such as S.aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae has presented in about one third of recorded deaths to date. The others appear at this stage to have succumbed to the virus alone. There does however, tend to be other underlying health problems such as diabetes, overweight, cardiovascular problems etc. The damage to the lung tissues involves the rupture of the alveoli allowing blood to fill the spaces usually reserved for gas exchanges.
Read the rest of this page »
Gastric Complications For Patients with H1N1 (Swine Flu)
The incidence of gastric events in normal seasonal flu is very low, almost never. The H1N1 swine Flu virus has differentiated itself from the seasonal flu not only in its speed of migration around the world, but also in the development of gut related events.
A new article in the International journal GUT [1] explains how a well set up investigational group based in Chile – a country well exposed to the virus, followed the first 500 confirmed patients who were infected with the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus back in May 2009.
Read the rest of this page »
CFIDS and Prostate Cancer What’s The Viral Link?
Read the rest of this page »
CFIDS is no stranger to controversy and the latest paper published on line by Science seems to raise more controversial thoughts. The researchers led by Judy Mikovits have implicated a contagious, rodent derived retrovirus (defn: A type of virus that contains RNA as its genetic material. The RNA of the virus is translated into DNA, which inserts itself into an infected cell’s own DNA. Retroviruses can cause many diseases, including some cancers and AIDS) named xenotropic murine leukemia virus -XMRV.
H1N1 (Swine Flu) What Does it Mean This Winter?
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recently surveyed H1N1 (Swine Flu) epidemiological 2009 data for 28 countries, finding that 51% of all deaths have been among people aged 20-49 years, and only 12% were among people over 60 years of age.
This is striking, as it is a near-perfect reverse of normal flu trends, and mirrors what was seen, demographically, in 1918. While the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology have tried to factor in such trends, it is extremely difficult to know how influenza dynamics, illnesses and death rates may vary if transmission and illness is primarily among young adults.
Read the rest of this page »
One Jab Appears to be Effective for H1N1 – Says Preliminary Report
Read the rest of this page »
Leaving aside the questions concerning the validity of receiving the new H1N1(2009) vaccine in terms of need, and whether there may be as yet to be discovered risk and side effects that are greater in health impact that the actual virus. The questions about does it actually induce immune defenses against the H1N1 virus are now starting to be answered.
Do Flu Vaccines Provide Real Protection?
Read the rest of this page »
Each year the respective medical authorities in the western world recommend the influenza vaccine and who should receive it. Since 1999 the age groups have been expanded to include greater numbers of people. Whilst the UK has a more conservative approach to seasonal flu in terms of age, in the USA virtually the only groups not recommended to receive the vaccine are those aged between 19 and 40 without any ongoing health problem.
Vit D Gains New Respect as Vital Health Nutrient
Vit D Balances the Innate Immune Response
Read the rest of this page »
A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system, the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, is so important that it has been conserved through almost 60 million years of evolution and is shared only by primates, including humans – but no other known animal species. The genetic material – called an Alu short interspersed element – is part of what used to be thought of as “junk DNA” and makes up more than 90 percent of the human genome.
