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Adverse life experiences, particularly those in childhood, contribute to disease morbidity and mortality [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. There is considerable interest in understanding the mechanisms through which they do so, as it remains unclear how illness becomes apparent decades after the presumed initiating event. Long-standing hypotheses include chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis [8, 9, 10] and alterations of neuroimmune function [11]. Molecular signatures of stressful life experiences and their relation to disease are therefore of special interest to clarify the causal relationship between signature, disease, and stress.

This lab will let you explore various diseases: Kold, a caricature of the common cold; Impfluenza, which resembles influenza; Neasles, with the high transmission rate of measles; and Red Death, a fast-spreading epidemic with a high mortality rate. What factors come into play in the spread of these diseases? And what can we do to counter them?

Existing mouse models of lethal Ebola virus infection do not reproduce hallmark symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, neither delayed blood coagulation and disseminated intravascular coagulation, nor death from shock, thus restricting pathogenesis studies to non-human primates. Here we show that mice from the Collaborative Cross exhibit distinct disease phenotypes following mouse-adapted Ebola virus infection. Phenotypes range from complete resistance to lethal disease to severe hemorrhagic fever characterized by prolonged coagulation times and 100% mortality. Inflammatory signaling was associated with vascular permeability and endothelial activation, and resistance to lethal infection arose by induction of lymphocyte differentiation and cellular adhesion, likely mediated by the susceptibility allele Tek. These data indicate that genetic background determines susceptibility to Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

This case study examines a variety of biological factors that may have been involved in the 2013 dolphin "unusual mortality event" (UME) on the East Coast of the United States. The story follows a news reporter and four different scientists who are preparing their notes for speaking at a public hearing about the dolphin die-off event. After reading the story, students assume the roles of these scientists and use the jigsaw method to gather, analyze, and share information.  Due to the interdisciplinary nature of environmental toxicology, this case study exposes students to four main topics: ecology of ecosystems, endocrine system/chemical messaging, immune system function, and virus biology.

Since 2003, the H5N1 influenza virus, more commonly known as the bird flu, has been responsible for the deaths of millions of chickens and ducks and has infected more than 650 people, leading to a 60 percent mortality rate for the latter. Luckily, this virus has yet to achieve human-to-human transmission, but a small number of mutations could change that, resulting in a pandemic. Now a team of investigators from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Stanford University Medical Center, and MacroGenics have developed an antibody which has proven 100 percent protective against the virus in two species of animal models.

Ebola is an infectious disease, which has become a pandemic crisis causing around 5000 deaths in 2014, with a 50% mortality rate among those who have contracted the virus. The outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March 2014, and every natural case of Ebola has been in Sub-Saharan Africa with Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at the epicentre of the crisis. This key stage 3-5 resource, produced by GA Consultant and Secondary Phase Committee Co-Chair Stephen Schwab, includes classroom activities and teaching ideas, and explores geographical facts, concepts and the impact the virus has had on the communities affected.

Scientists and healthcare professionals initially exhibited little concern over the Zika virus even after evidence of human infection was first identified in 1952; Zika appeared to be both rare and unassociated with morbidity or mortality. Around 2015 all of this changed as journalists, scientists, public health officials, and laypeople scrambled to learn about its varied modes of transmission and devastating consequences (e.g., birth defects and autoimmune disorders). Although research continues to rapidly evolve, this case study directs students to reliable scientific sources (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization) that will likely continue to provide the most current information in order to explore questions such as: Where did the virus come from? How does it spread? What can we do to prevent it? Students will also consider the public health challenges and possible solutions associated with emerging infectious diseases. The case was originally written for an upper-level biology or public health course in which students already have some basic background knowledge regarding viruses, vaccines, and infectious disease.

comprehensive data repository and analysis tools with many data sources to graph and investigate

CDC data visualization program presents a summary chart or table that is interactive. Different subsets of data can be displayed based on check menus. The focus is on the main causes of death, birth rates, and drug poisoning.