RSS newsfeed: Chickenpox

Authors: Trent M PMID: 22243638 [PubMed - in process] (Source: New South Wales Public Health Bulletin)

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Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Related MedlinePlus Page: Chickenpox (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Demand for the gills of manta and mobula rays has risen dramatically in the past 10 years for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), even though they were not historically used for this purpose, a team of researchers from the conservation organizations Shark Savers and WildAid has discovered.“We first came across manta and mobula ray gills in Asian markets several years ago, and followed the trail to the dried seafood markets of southern China,” Manta Ray of Hope Project lead investigator Paul Hilton said in a prepared statement ( pdf ) released on January 14. Specifically, the market was for gill rakers, the thin filaments that manta and mobula rays use to filter food from the water, which are being sold for up to $500 per kilogram. TCM practitioners are marketing the rake...

Recently I watched a clip of Andrew Wakefield being interviewed on Good Morning America, and it gave me the chills. Andrew Wakefield, if you haven’t heard of him, is the guy who pretty much singlehandedly scared thousands of parents away from the MMR vaccine with a study he published in the Lancet linking the vaccine with autism. The study has since been retracted, something journals almost never do, after it was discovered that data in it was falsified. Not only that, Wakefield lost his medical license. But is he backing down? No way. On the contrary: he is suing the British Medical Journal (from Texas) for defamation. And he is still defending his findings.  It was stunning to watch. George Stephanopoulos, who was interviewing him, pointed out that his colleagues who worked with him h...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human α-herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) during primary infection and zoster (shingles) upon reactivation. Like other viruses, VZV must subvert the intrinsic antiviral defenses of differentiated human cells to produce progeny virions. Accordingly, VZV inhibits the activation of the cellular transcription factors IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1), thereby downregulating antiviral factors, including IFNs. Conversely, in this study, we found that VZV triggers STAT3 phosphorylation in cells infected in vitro and in human skin xenografts in SCID mice in vivo and that STAT3 activation induces the anti-apoptotic protein survivin. Small-molecule inhibitors of STAT3 phosphorylation and sur...

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In conclusion, both diseases cause a substantial burden in Belgium. PMID: 22230041 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Herpes)

Conclusion In this research article, one researcher presents his explanation for the patterns of chickenpox cases worldwide and for the distribution of different types of the virus. He suggests that ultraviolet radiation could reduce the spread of the virus. He also proposes a number of ways that this hypothesis could be tested. However, these experiments have not been performed yet, and positive results would be required to support his explanation. In addition, this hypothesis does not have support from all experts on chickenpox, and in an accompanying article, other experts explain why they disagree with it. Links To The Headlines Sun 'stops chickenpox spreading'. BBC News, December 19 2011, Science Links To Science Rice PS. Ultra-violet radiation is responsible for the differences in ...

If you look at the evidence to date from a different perspective, a virologist at St George's Hospital, University of London in the UK believes it suggests the sun's UV rays inactivate the chickenpox virus on the skin before it has a chance to transmit to another person, thus explaining why the disease spreads less readily in tropical countries. Dr Phil Rice told the press last week he hopes his findings will lead to new ways to prevent chickenpox and its more severe cousin, shingles... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Ultraviolet rays could help prevent the spread of the common childhood malady chickenpox, according to a virologist from the University of London. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Chickenpox (Chicken Pox), also known as Varicella is a very contagious infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. In several parts of the world it is just known as varicella. Patients develop a blister-like rash, which first appears on the face and trunk, and then spreads throughout the body. There are typically between 250 to 500 itchy blisters. In the majority of cases, the pox marks heal up without scarring. Being an airborne disease, chicken pox spreads easily and rapidly through sneezing and coughing, as well as direct contact with the secretions from the blisters... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Exposure to sunlight may help impede the spread of chickenpox, claim researchers. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

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We were intrigued recently by a story in the news and on the internet, and especially on Facebook, about chickenpox parties, and even chickenpox lollipops -- tricks parents are using to avoid having their children vaccinated Sound Medicine's Dr. Kathy Miller asks pediatrician Rachel Vreeman about the wisdom of avoiding vaccinations by infecting your kids. Rachel Vreeman is assistant professo.... (Source: Sound Medicine)

Ultraviolet rays help prevent the spread of chickenpox, meaning people in milder climates are more at risk of catching the disease, according to new research. The discovery could lead to new ways of preventing chickenpox and its more severe relative, shingles. A researcher at St George's, University of London has found that chickenpox is much less common in places with high UV ray levels, compared with those with low levels. It has long been known that UV rays can inactivate viruses... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Background: Varicella has an important impact on public health. Starting in 2004 in Taiwan, nationwide free varicella vaccinations were given to 1-year-old children. Methods: Our study investigated the epidemiological characteristics of varicella from 2000 to 2008, and assessed the change of varicella epidemiology after the mass varicella immunization. ICD-9-CM codes related to varicella or chickenpox (052, 052.1, 052.2, 052.7, 052.8, 052.9) were analyzed for all young people under 20 years of age through the National Health Insurance database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2008. Results: Case numbers of varicella or chickenpox significantly declined after the nationwide immunization in 2004. Winter, particularly January, was the epidemic season of varicella. We found a significant post-vaccinatio...

Conclusions: The Korean VZV vaccine strain SuduVax is genetically similar to the Oka vaccine strains. Further comparative genomic and bioinformatics analyses will help to elucidate the molecular basis of the attenuation of the VZV vaccine strains. (Source: Virology Journal)

I asked a dozen of the world's top psychology researchers, "How do you stop a mental disorder before it starts?" Here's what they told me. Primary Topic:  Happiness read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

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(Source: Pediatrics International)

(Source: eMedicineHealth.com)

The chickenpox vaccine doesn’t protect only the inoculated child; it also protects infants who are too young to be vaccinated but for whom the disease is especially dangerous. (Source: Health Facts and Fears)

Even though babies under one year old are too young to get the chicken pox vaccine, far fewer of them got the itchy rash after the U.S. started routinely vaccinating older children in 1995, according to a new study.Source: Reuters Health Related MedlinePlus Pages: Chickenpox, Childhood Immunization, Infant and Newborn Care (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

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