In this ultra-modern, health-conscious world, one would not have thought this to happen. But the World Health Organization has just declared a swine flu pandemic has begun.

WHO declares Swine Flu Global Pandemic, 11 June 2009. Image: Newscom

Although the WHO declared the danger as “moderate severity”, the agency stressed that the threat of the H1N1 virus needs to be taken seriously, as “the virus is now unstoppable.”

The A(H1N1) virus is a combination of three viruses – human, swine and avian, and that made it particularly dangerous to humans as there is no immunity, nor vaccine (to date), to this strain.

UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

As of June11, there are 28,774 people infected by the A(H1N1), and 144 have died. Most of those infected rapidly recovered, and did not need medical treatment. WHO Director Margaret Chan emphasized that modern technology is helping track the virus at every level. “We’re at an advantage,” she adds because we can closely monitor and thoroughly investigate the spread of the virus and its consequences. “No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning.”

However, the H1N1 virus has a different pattern that the ordinary seasonal flu virus. The H1N1 virus preferably infects younger people, and the majority of cases have been in those 25 years old and younger. Most of the severe and fatal infections are seen in people ages 20 to 30 years old, who are not usually susceptible with the seasonal flu. In one third of these cases, the young people were previously healthy and had no signs of chronic illnesses.

What country is most affected by the swine flu? How can you  protect yourself from it, and what do you if you get sick? Answers to these questions and more, after the cut.

Read more

Logo by Ricardo at My Biotech Life

Gene Genie Genetics Carnival #33  is hosted by Mo from Neurophilosophy.  

Mo has a great series of genetics related articles from all the best genetics blogs in the world.  In this edition, there is a strong emphasis on cancer. There’s also a focus on leukodystrophy, and a special section on personalized genetics.

Well worth a read!

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

(Image courtesy of Ricardo Vidal at My Biotech Life) 

Many thanks to Razib at Gene Expression for hosting Gene Genie#30, the carnival of genetics blogs. Click on the following link to get a great summary on all that is happening in the genetics blog word.  There are some great articles, including some from G&H.

http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/04/gene_genie_30.php

Here are links to all the previous Gene Genie Carnivals.

• Issue #1: Scienceroll
• Issue #2: Sciencesque
• Issue #3: Genetics and Health
• Issue #4: Sandwalk
• Issue #5: Neurophilosophy
• Issue #6: Scienceroll
• Issue #7: Gene Sherpa
• Issue #8: Eye on DNA
• Issue #9: DNA Direct Talk
• Issue #10: Genomicron
• Issue #11: Med Journal Watch
• Issue #12: My Biotech Life
• Issue #13: The Genetic Genealogist
• Issue #14: MicrobiologyBytes
• Issue #15: Cancer Genetics
• Issue #16: Neurophilosophy
• Issue #17: The Gene Sherpa
• Issue #18: Eye on DNA
• Issue #19: Scienceroll
• Issue #20: Bitesize Bio
• Issue #21: BabyLab
• Issue #22: Sandwalk
• Issue #23: Scienceroll
• Issue #24: biomarker-driven mental health 2.0
• Issue #25: The Gene Sherpa
• Issue #26: Sciencebase
• Issue #27: DNA Direct Talk
• Issue #28: Greg Laden’s Blog
• Issue #29: My Biotech Life
• Issue #30: Gene Expression

Happy reading!

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

Hi everyone!

Even the best of companies have IT problems and b5 media the group which www.geneticsandhealth.com is part of, is no exception.  An upgrade provided an array of glitches  and server crashes so I took the opportunity of having some time out.

Spent quality time with the kids on their short school vacation, fine tuned the details on the sale of my healthcare company, worked on the launch of my new biotech company (details in a later blog), oh  … and made strong representations to the UK’s Home Office to stop my favourite South African Headmaster and Headmistress from being deported because of a monumental admin error by said Government.

…. all in a week’s work for a working Mom!!

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

Fellow science blogger Pharyngula has blogged this but I just have to show Genetics and Health readers this wonderful video showing dolphins’ version of home entertainment!

Elaine Warburton

Grace at Kids Health Notes and Kristina at Autism Vox have both written about the gene CNTNAP2 being unequivocally implicated in Type 1 Autism.

In her article CNTNAP2, an autism susceptibility gene which I highly recommend,  Kristina writes a personal account of her ongoing experience with her son Charlie’s autism and discusses the recent research findings.

Do read Grace’s article titled CNTNAP2 ‘unequivocally implicated’ in Type 1 autism which summarizes the three main pieces of research appearing in the American Journal of Genetics.

For the scientists:

Contactin Associated Protein-Like 2 is also known as CDFE; NRXN4; CASPR2; DKFZp781D1846. This gene encodes a member of the neurexin family which functions in the vertebrate nervous system as cell adhesion molecules and receptors. This protein, like other neurexin proteins, contains epidermal growth factor repeats and laminin G domains. In addition, it includes an F5/8 type C domain, discoidin/neuropilin- and fibrinogen-like domains, thrombospondin N-terminal-like domains and a putative PDZ binding site. This protein is localized at the juxtaparanodes of myelinated axons and associated with potassium channels. It may play a role in the local differentiation of the axon into distinct functional subdomains. This gene encompasses almost 1.5% of chromosome 7 and is one of the largest genes in the human genome. It may represent a positional candidate gene for the DFNB13 form of nonsyndromic deafness.

Genomic position - chromosome: 7; Location: 7q35-q36

Elaine Warburton

My colleague Kristina at Autism Vox has written a great article about the genetic basis of Autism.  Research has indicated that either a deletion or a duplication of a section of chromosome 16 seems to contribute strongly to susceptibility to autism.

I highly recommend you click on the following link to read more:

http://www.autismvox.com/like-father-like-son/

Elaine Warburton

It’s theme day at b5’s Science and health channel and this month’s theme is New Year’s resolutions.

I don’t really ‘do’ resolutions as I never keep them for more than a couple of weeks but here is my own ‘home-made’ recipe for a healthy, eventful and happy life.

Into life add in a large quantity of ‘everything in moderation with the occasional excess’. Sieve in ‘treat others how you would wish to be treated’. Add a large spoonful of both ’see the best in everyone’ and ‘work-life balance’ and a pinch of  ‘healthy argument and debate’. Stir ingredients together but don’t beat them, this has the effect of introducing envy and jealousy which often sours life and makes it bitter.  ‘Bending the rules’ of life’s recipe is beneficial as long as no one gets hurt. Surround with ‘experience life to the full’, ‘good deeds’, ’spirituality’ and ‘never give up’. Pour life’s combined ingredients into a mould that is content with its shape and personality and enjoy the results for as long as that life wishes to continue.

Elaine Warburton

This is not strictly a genetics related topic but having given my hubbie an iPhone (awesome!) for Christmas, the following article caught my eye.  I’ve worked in the health industry for quite somewhile and surgical equipment names have, by and large, been dull as ditch water and lacking any ‘wow’ factor.  At last this looks to be changing….

Scientists at Imperial College, London are developing the “i-snake” - a flexible, surgical robot capable of transforming keyhole surgery.

The i-snake (picture courtesy of BBC website)

The i-Snake is a long tube housing special motors, sensors and imaging tools and could be used for heart bypass surgery. But it could also be used to diagnose problems in the gut and bowel by acting as the surgeon’s hands and eyes in hard to reach places inside the body.

Elaine Warburton

(Photo courtesy of Jim Mills)

Scott at b5’s Health and Men has written a great article on bottled water and the recycling debate. I would like to add my views on bottled water from a genetics perspective.

I drink bottled water quite regularly but each time I ask the question …why?  It’s often over 2 years old with another year to go before the sell-by date expires. Now would you drink 2-3 year old water? Another factor which really concerns me is that over this time the water has been surrounded by plastic - with all those carcinogens leaching into it waiting to play ‘rearrange my DNA’…. not a pleasant thought! 

Now I try and fill my plastic bottle with tap water - a lot cheaper, fresher and hopefully a tadge more healthy as well!  But then there is the whole debate of what is added to tap water in the name of health and welfare …..

Just as a post script, the best ‘natural’ water I have ever tasted comes from an underground spring in the wilds of the Northumberland in the North of England - nothing added or taken away, pure nectar!

Elaine Warburton