PANAMA DISEASE WAS FIRST NOW ITS TR4

Bananas as we know them today are on the point of extinction. This happened once before and the end result was the grafting of the banana we now eat.

Bananas Could Go Extinct 

by Alfredo Carpineti

Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world, but they could soon be killed off by a deadly fungus. In the last few years, a banana-killing disease has spread from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, Africa and Australia.

According to a new study, published in PLOS Pathogens, the perpetrator is called Tropical Race 4 (TR4), which originated in Indonesia in the 1960s and has now spread so widely that it’s threatening the world banana production.

In the study, they call for major investment into the breeding of new varieties of bananas and better analysis and quarantine of contaminated soils. "The current TR4 epidemic and inherent global attention should be the wake-up call for these much needed strategy changes," they said in the paper.  

This is not the first time bananas are on the verge of extinction. In the 1950s, almost all Gros Michel bananas (the main type of banana farmed at the time) were wiped out by thePanama disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. A new species of banana, resistant to the fungus, was introduced in the affected areas, known as the Cavendish.

Today, the Cavendish accounts for 47 percent of the entire production of bananas, and the vast majority of the bananas sold in the temperate regions of the world are Cavendish, but it is now at threat from TR4. This disease is also a strain of Fusarium oxysporum, but is produced from a different strain to the Panama disease. TR4 enters the roots of banana plants and invades the vascular system, spreading and making the plant die of dehydration. 

It's difficult to breed fungus-resistant bananas. All Cavendish plants are clones, exact copies of each other, and so are the Gros Michel plants. If an illness affects one plant, it will affect all the others. All bananas come from the careful breeding of wild bananas, until a seedless offspring is formed. This makes producing more seedless bananas easy, but opens the plant to the possibility of devastating diseases that can wipe out entire plantations.

The study doesn't quite herald the "bananapocalypse," but the scientists have looked at the evidence from around the world and highlighted that we have developed no way to stop the spread of the disease. So far, measures to destroy the fungus, such as putting infected soil or bananas in quarantine, have been inadequate and ineffective.

Banana crops are mostly produced by small-holder farms and 85 percent of the production goes to local markets. The disease could take away the livelihood of millions of peoplearound the world. Researchers think that the disease will continue to spread as long fungus-susceptible varieties are being grown.

THE KISSING BUG

KISSING BUGS

BY DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSCIENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

There are many different species of triatomines (commonly known as kissing bugs or cone-nose bugs in USA, and in different countries of Latin America as chinche besucona, chipo, barberio, vinchuca). Of the 12 species of triatomines that occur in United States, the most important epidemiologically are Triatoma rubida and Triatoma protracta in Arizona and California and Triatoma gerstaeckeri in Texas and New Mexico. In southern Arizona, the most abundant kissing bug is T. rubida. Other less prevalent species include T. recurva and T. protracta. Kissing bugs received their name because they usually bite people near their mouth during the night while they sleep. The two main reasons for this is that kissing bugs are attracted to the odors that we exhale, and our face is usually the only exposed area of skin during sleep. Kissing bugs usually do not burrow under covers like some other bugs or spiders do. Kissing bugs are also called cone-nose bugs or a Mexican bed bugs here in the United States. In Central and South America, kissing bugs are known by many common names such as benchuca, vinchuca, chipo and barbeiro.

Kissing bugs are blood-suckers, like mosquitoes, ticks and tse-tse flies. They usually feed just after sunset. They are attracted to the light in our houses, the odors that we exhale, skin odors, and to the warmth of our bodies. Kissing bugs who enter a house will feed on household pets as well as humans.

In southern Arizona, most kissing bugs are found in packrat nests. Packrat nests provide the kissing bugs with a readily available supply of blood and a safe haven from insect-eating predators. However, the packrat also is a predator of the kissing bug, so safety is not guaranteed in those nests.

The adult females lay eggs usually in the months of May-Sept. The eggs hatch after approximately 3 weeks, giving rise to the 1st instar stage (see photo above). Each additional instar stage is reached after a molting process. The kissing bugs may need several blood meals before molting into the next instar stage. This process leaves behind a thin skin of the previous instar, and it has grown in size and length. After the 5th instar stage, the kissing bug will molt into an adult with wings that have the ability to fly. At this point the adults will leave the packrat nest in search of other blood sources.

During these flights, kissing bugs are attracted to light and host odor. Your porch light or lights from your windows will be attractive to kissing bugs flying nearby. After reaching your house, they will look for a way to enter the house and feed on your pets or you,. The carbon dioxide that we exhale is attractive to the kissing bugs, as well as the heat from our bodies.

Many people have moderate to severe allergic reactions to the kissing bug bite. Reactions from the bite range from skin irritation and redness to anaphalitic shock requiring immediately medical attention. For more information on this, please refer to our Allergies page.

Another possible health problem is Chagas Disease. This is caused by a potentially deadly parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) that lives in the digestive system of the kissing bug and is excreted during defecation or urination of the kissing bug after feeding. If this parasite enters your blood stream through the bite site or an open wound, you might become infected (note: not all infected people become sick, only 10% of infected people after 30 years or so of initial contact). Testing for this parasite in the local kissing bug population is currently underway by our research group, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. This is a major health issue in Central and South America where over 18 million people have become infected resulting in 14,000 deaths every year.

Cold Weather Myths: What You Need to Know During a Snowstorm

 

By GILLIAN MOHNEY AND ABC NEWS

With a monster snowstorm expected to hit the East Coast this weekend, plenty of people are preparing to face their first major dose of wind, ice and snow this winter. But there are a few persistent cold weather health myths that are more harmful and helpful for people wanting to know the best way to handle a blizzard.

Myth: Have a sip of alcohol to ward off the winter chill

Experts say despite the warm feeling a shot of whiskey can bring, alcohol is actually more harmful than helpful in cold temperatures.

Too much alcohol can actually make you colder, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which advises people to abstain from caffeinated and alcoholic beverages since "they cause your body to lose heat more rapidly."

Dr. Edmundo Mandac of University Hospitals Case Medical Center explained too much liquor can "really screw up body regulation [of] temperature."

Additionally, the American Heart Association warns that people who become impaired after drinking alcohol may not realize how the cold weather is affecting them.

"Alcohol may increase a person’s sensation of warmth and may cause them to underestimate the extra strain their body is under in the cold," the American Heart Association explained.

Myth: Shovel snow early in the day

Picking up that shovel in the early morning may appear to be the responsible thing to do after a big snowstorm, but that chore can have serious health effects. Simply shoveling snow can be a dangerous for those at risk of heart attack, since being in the cold and lifting a heavy shovel can put an added strain on the heart, according to the American Heart Association.

Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explained that shoveling in the morning can be even more problematic. He explained in a 2014 interview that hormone levels in the morning make blood "sticker" for people at greater risk of a heart attack.

Additionally, getting the flu, or winter habits such as over eating during the holidays or going on vacation to warm areas, can all have an impact on your heart.

"We should all realize that over the winter season, we're just more vulnerable," Yancy said in an earlier interview. "Take it easy."

Myth: As long as people are indoors they are safe

Unfortunately, even being indoors doesn't protect everyone from bitter winter cold. If a house isn't properly heated or if the heat is shut off, elderly residents and infants can be at greater risk for developing hypothermia.

The CDC advises keeping a close eye on infants during winter months and making sure that they're not sleeping in cold rooms. Unlike adults, infants can't shiver to stay warm and they are less able to regulate body temperature.

Additionally, elderly residents are more at risk for feeling the effects of cold weather since their bodies have a slower metabolism and are less able to regulate body heat, according to the CDC. If you're concerned your house is too cold, you should make arraignments to stay elsewhere.

SO MANY... SO SOON

THIS MORNING WE WERE INFORMED THAT ACTOR, ALAN RICKMAN OF THE FAMOUS HARRY POTTER SAGA HAS DIED.

A FEW DAYS AGO WE WERE TOLD DAVID BOWIE HAD DIED.

WE LEARNT OF THE DEATH OF NATALIE COLE WHO DIED ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.

WHAT DO ALL OF THESE FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON? THEY ALL DIED IN THEIR 60's AS A RESULT OF A BATTLE WITH CANCER!!

CELINE DION'S HUSBAND, RENE ANGELIL, AGE 73, DIED TODAY OF THROAT CANCER.


THE SAD REALITY IS THAT CANCER IS KILLING SO MANY PEOPLE EVERY DAY. IT IS 50 YEARS SINCE I LOST MY MOTHER TO THIS TERRIBLE ILLNESS AND STILL THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY TO ERADICATE CANCER FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. HOWEVER, HAVING A COUSIN IS IS A SURVIVOR AND KNOWING THAT SHE IS GETTING THE TREATMENT ON AN ALMOST WEEKLY BASIS TO KEEP YOU CANCER AT BAY IS COMFORTING.

I PRAY FOR A BREAKTHROUGH AND FOR THIS DEADLY ILLNESS TO DISAPPEAR. HOPEFULLY ONE DAY IT WILL.

POWERBALL LOTTO HIT 1.5 BILLION DOLLARS MARK!!!!!

Tomorrow the biggest Powerball Lotto ever will be played. The amount it is at now is $1.5 BILLION DOLLARS! The frenzy has grown and now even people who have never bought a Lottery ticket in their lives are rushing to get a ticket or a few tickets so they can have a chance at this HUGE amount that they could win.

Obviously, I am buying a few tickets myself!! SuperMama, Org could do a lot of wonderful things if I were to win! So, like many of my friends I am praying for a miracle.

Guess its going to be a long wait for 11 pm tomorrow night! BEST OF LUCK TO ALL PLAYERS!!!

NEW YOGURTS WITH THE NEW HEALTH CRAVES HIT THE STORES!

I WAS IN KROGER LAST SATURDAY AND WHILE LOOKING AT THE YOGURTS IN THE FREEZER SECTION I CAME ACROSS SOME NEW YOGURTS! I WAS SHOCKED AT FIRST. I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE BUT I GUESS I WILL NEXT TIME I AM IN KROGER.

SO WHAT ARE THE NEW FLAVOURS, YOU MAY BE ASKING.

ZUCCHINI, KIWI AND A FRUIT

CUCUMBER AND A FRUIT

SQUASH AND SOME OTHER THING!!!

CHECK IT OUT IN YOUR GROCERY STORES!!! ITS ALL THE NEW HEALTH CRAVE!!!