Archive for the tag 'infectious disease'

Dec 17 2009

23andMe H1N1 Flu Survey: Share Your Experience

Published by ErinC under 23andMe and you, news

By now, you’re probably sick of hearing about the 2009 H1N1 flu, also known as the swine flu.  But if you believe you’ve had it, and you’ve already recovered from your symptoms, please take a few minutes to complete our new survey.
There have been heard reports of people holding “swine flu parties” in hopes of [...]

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Dec 16 2009

SNPwatch: Genetic Association Study of Leprosy Yields New Insights into an Ancient Disease

Published by Shwu under SNPwatch

Leprosy is a chronic, disabling disease caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) that infects only humans and armadillos. The disease affects the skin and peripheral nerves, leading to sores, numbness in the limbs, muscle weakness, and, in severe cases, disfiguring nodules on the skin. Known since biblical times, leprosy was highly stigmatized until the latter [...]

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Aug 06 2009

ABO Blood Type: Important For More Than Just Transfusions

Published by ErinC under genetics 101

Not long after Karl Landsteiner first described the different ABO blood types, scientists started looking for associations between blood type and other human traits.  Some of their theories were truly weird (more on these tomorrow!), but some have held up to scientific scrutiny.
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)
People with non-type O blood (A, B and AB) have been [...]

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