What is dengue fever? Did Andy Irons die of this disease? Or was it methadone

As it is wide knowledge right now, the great surfer Andy Irons died from Dengue Fever.  Our condolences.

Although, now according to Allvoices.com, Andy Iron's death may actually be investigated as a drug overdose and not Dengue Fever, at least not completely.  I can't say how accurate this might be, but you read the article "Surfer’s Death Investigated as Overdose: Methadone found in Hotel," and make your own conclusions. 

Anyway, what exactly is Dengue Fever?  Well according to the Center for Disease Control, dengue fever is transferred, similar to malaria and yellow fever, by mosquito bites.  (Is it just me or do you think mosquitoes suck?)

Dengue Fever is contracted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti species of mosquito.  This species  originated in the subtropics of  Africa.   


 Aedes albopictus, a mosquito species that originated in Asia, also is a known carrier of the virus.  These mosquitoes can be found in many subtropic locations across the world.

Dengue Fever is caused by one of four separate viruses (DENV 1,2,3,4).  Symptoms can range from mild to severe.  They include high fever, rash, pain behind the eyes, and some bleeding of the gums.  Treatment of dengue fever, initially is treated similar to that of any fever; plenty of fluids and rest.  Take tylenol (acetominophen), but do not under any circumstances take any aspirin-related products.  The dengue virus tends to cause weakening of capillaries and blood vessels, which under certain conditions can lead to massive hemorrhaging (also known as dengue hemorrhagic fever or DHF).

DHF is a severe form of dengue fever and is associated with a fever that lasts 2 days or longer.  After fever subsides, strong abdominal pain, vomiting, and difficulty breathing can occur.  Cardiac distress, shock and death can follow.

Albeit, generally rare, this disease is not something that should be taken lightly and as I am not a medical doctor, do not take anything I say to heart.  I implore that if you live or are traveling in any subtropic/tropic climates, you should consult your physician and get all the information that you can about this or any other disease that might come into contact.  Also if you are feeling ill, just like at home, do not push it off as nothing, because your action might just save your life or your family's life.

There are no vaccines for dengue fever, and there are no specific medication that can treat this disease.  The best treatment is prevention.

Is November a Day of Death and Decay? Let's find out

Well the title, I must admit, is a tad melodramatic, but also accurate.  As I drive through any major or minor cities in America (and I'm sure in other countries that celebrate Halloween, this could also be true), I see a massive graveyard, reminders of the debauchery that is Halloween.

Man, I love Halloween.

But, before you start freaking out, running for the hills, and bunking down militia style, because my last paragraph has you thinking that some freaking evil hellish cult is driving through major towns killing everyone in November, you should first ask yourself, what looks so alive on Halloween, but quickly or slowly die off as the weeks of November pass by?

I, of course am talking about Jack-O-Lanterns, as shown in the picture (obtained from wikipedia.org).  Pumpkins that have been carved into all sorts of face and designs for celebration of Halloween night, but which, in many cases are let to rot on front porches for days, if not weeks to come.

Its actually a pretty sad sight, a once jovial smiling Jack-O-Lantern, now frowning, his face a mash of anguish as the body slowly begins to cave in on itself, and as flies begin to lay their larva into their body. 

I surely wouldn't want this to happen to me :), it is pretty gross.

So please give your poor Jack-O-Lanterns a proper burial, or at the very least toss them in the garbage.

But then again, if you have kids, you can use these dying gourds as a science teaching lesson into some of the biology that occurs in response to decay.  Could be interesting.

While gross and somewhat sad, especially in regards to,  lets say,  the passing of family pet or a relative, death and decay is also important process that can help us understand the process how organic material is recycled back into Mother Earth.

How, in a sense, we are all immortal, we simply transform.

Read more about decay and decomposition.

Here's something I can get behind: Blackberries may actually prevent colon cancer

Black Raspberries:Rubus occidentalis

While daffodils were anything but tasty (see my previous blog entry for the reference), blackberries are one of my favorites.  And now these delicious fruit might prevent colon cancer, according to the public release "Black raspberries may prevent colon cancer, study finds."

Black raspberries have anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties.  Researchers, in this recent study gave experimental mice a high calorie, high fat diet (equivalent to a Western diet) and measured the amount tumor/inflammatory development.  In mice that were also supplemented with 10% freeze-dried black raspberries, tumor number and cancer incidence was greatly decreased.

Does this mean we should eat a whole lot of black raspberries?  Too early really too say.  These mice model systems are very artificial and might not always equate completely to the real world.  Clinical studies will need to be performed to determine the validity and safety in regards to the anti-cancer effect of black raspberries in humans.

But, in my opinion, if you enjoy raspberries, eat them, and they might have a positive effect, but don't think that these raspberries are the key for cancer prevention.  Prevention really is likely due to a overall good eating habits and not a miracle food.

The more exciting aspects of these raspberries, or any other food product with a similar anti-cancer effect, is the possibility of finding a novel compound which could be developed into a new effective chemotherapy.

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Month

Pancreatic cancer is a quick and deadly killer.  It is generally associated with very poor prognosis, even if detected at a very early stage.  This just shows how truly important the pancreas is to the human body  This is the disease that unfortunately killed Patrick Swayze.  It is essential that new research is performed to find better treatments of this disease. 

Check out these charities:

Pancreatic Cancer Foundation

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Let's do what we can.

Daffodils may taste gross, but can they fight brain cancer?

From personal experience, I know daffodils are quite gross.  When I was seven, I was eating trail mix while I was pruning dead daffodils, a chore my grandmother asked of me, needless to say, while I wasn't looking I popped a piece of the flower in my mouth rather than the trail mix.

But gross or not, scientists have discovered that narciclasine, a compound from daffodil bulbs, may actually be used as treatment for numerous brain cancers and brain metastases.  You can read about it in the Eurekalert.org press release, "Scientists turn a new leaf to discover a compound in daffodils that targets brain cancer."

I think this is cool, I am always excited about scientists looking at new plants and less than orthodox areas for new therapies. 

Let's keep it up. 

A new therapy could be anywhere!