Excellent paper that focuses on vaccination of coccidoidomycosis. Used for our presentation.

Excellent paper about the progress towards vaccination of Coccidodiomycosis. Used for our presentation.

This paper does an excellent job researching the correlation of the methylation of the STAT-1 gene and genetic mutations in coccidiodiomycosis and histoplasmosis. The paper shows evidence of the methylation of the STAT-1 by the PIAS1 protein. This gene mutation immunologically challenges the IFN-γ and alters the body's defense mechanisms. Excellent paper on a very scary disease. Hopeful for a vaccine!!! 

This paper is an overview of Coccidioidomycosis. The explains the demographics, the life cycle, history, immunology, and treatment. The hope for a vaccine is also prevalent in this paper.  The paper summarizes Coccidioidomycosis and gives quick details about it.  Excellent paper on learning about the disease without diving in too deeply.

The living conditions of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. This paper explains the conditions of which the coccidioides is the happiest. 

Pain is exactly that - no matter what kind! Pain from sunburn or pressure initiates the same pain... Researchers will be using this to test how much pain they have. Using the research that they have found, they will be able to deduce how much pain a person is in!!

Bacteria are everywhere - including the shower!! There are 15 different kinds of bacteria that live in the shower -- they get into your lungs via inhalation and your skin. These bacteria are not all bad though - only Mycobacterium avium - it can cause chest complaints and issues. Research on the shower and bacteria was then compared to a New York City subway - in which the subway was healthier then the shower! WOW!! However, hope is not lost - researchers said to run the shower for 30 seconds and most bacteria will be gone!!

Viruses are smarter then we ever imagined!! Researchers have realized that virus have their own time-clock. Virus's take about 8 hours to sufficiently make copies and overtake our bodies. They slowly build in our bodies, before the body actually realizes what is happening - by that time it is too late. Researchers are now tricking viruses into changing the time needed to overtake the body - making the body react quicker and kill the virus. The flu vaccine is still the best way, however, if we can fool the time it takes for a virus to overthrow the body - can we stop it in general? 

MSRA could be defeated when first discovered. However, it was transferred to the pig population and went crazy after that. Humans over immunize animals and make super-bugs from inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics.  New tests are being done with bacteria being injected into other hosts - which then can be used to kill MRSA. This method could find new and natural antibiotics that could fight various forms of drug-resistant superbugs!

Manipulating T-Cells to fight certain infections, then pulling them out of the body as to not harm anything - because they can spread nasty diseases in places like the central nervous system.  They are now testing these T-cells against HIV. This could be revolutionary - in that the 'Prime and Pull' method could be used over and over without harming the person.  Just proof of how cool T-cells are!! Both useful and harmful if used inappropriately.

The dead pigs are being thrown into the water, not dying from the water. After being dumped in, they are becoming toxic in the river and emitting poison into the water.  The city of Shanghai relies on the river for the all the drinkable water in the city.  City officials have no idea how toxic the river has become, since no studies were done prior to the findings.  More research showed that the pigs are being dumped into the river because of costs of discarding the dead animal. It is cheaper to dump it, even though it could be toxic to the whole city.  Makes you wonder - we eat dead animals. But, when dumped in drinking water, they become toxic.... Hmmm.....

This puts a whole new light on 'spirit'!!! Sterilization is SO important!!! Other articles are saying that this competition and the arena -- "It's probably the best-scrubbed place in the county," she added. Cheerleading camps or competitions have been the source of previous outbreaks, including a 2002 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Eastern Washington. This is crazy!!! Person to person contact is inevitable in cheerleading camps and competition. Proves how important sterilization and handwashing is!!!

I was thinking of this after culturing my belly button.....