Current Situation of the Avian Flu

Avian Influenza is known to affect especially wild and domestic birds as well as pigs but rare cases of human infection are updated. Since 2004 though, more than 200 confirmed cases of the avian virus in humans have been detected and analyzed by the World Health Organization. The infection with the A influenza virus is thought to have been done by direct contact with sick birds or their secretions. Scientists are still searching for the method how low and highly pathogenic viral strains might affect humans.

Health organizations all over the world continuously monitor human cases of avian flu outbreaks although no actual man to man transmission of the disease has been registered. The bird flu virus represents a real danger for humans as it is able to perform mutations by combining with human types of Influenza; this would lead to disastrous epidemics if the disease could spread between humans.

The first cases of bird to human transmission occurred in Hong Kong in 1997 resulting in 6 deaths after 18 persons have been infected. About 1.5 million birds have been destroyed to annihilate the infection source. The H5N1 type of influenza showed no direct transmission from human to human.

In 1999 in China two more cases of infection were noted when two children became ill though the real source has not been discovered. Both patients recovered after the infection with the low pathogenic virus H9N2.

In the State of Virginia in 2002 one person showed serological marks of infection, after poultry farm was contaminated with the H7N2.

Another situation of H5N1 infestation occurred in 2003 in Hong Kong when two members of one family became ill and one of them died. They are believed to have contacted the virus during a visit in China but the exact source has not been established. A second family member died of a respiratory condition but no further testing was made.

2003 in Netherlands, several cases of infection appeared in some poultry farms; pigs and humans were also involved in the disease. 89 workers got infected With H7N7 and showed symptoms of fever, muscle aches, conjunctivitis and cough. One person died of respiratory distress syndrome and complications.

In 2003 one child was found to suffer from the low pathogenic H9N2 in Hong Kong but he recovered completely. The same year in New York a patient with respiratory symptoms was detected after tests to suffer from H7N2 and he safely recovered in a few weeks.

In 2004 in Canada the H7N3 virus type infected a few poultry workers in a farm epidemics but all showed easy eye infections. H5N1 occurred in 2004 in Vietnam and Thailand when a possible human to human transmission appeared. Further cases of human infestation with H5N1 occurred in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey in 2005 after human contact with sick dead swans. In the same countries several other cases appeared in 2006.

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Glycomics Is THE Answer to Cancer for Prevention, Detection, and Diagnosis

The report states: Most FDA-approved cancer biomarkers are glycoproteins, but little is known about how their glycan structures are altered in cancer where diagnostic performance could be greatly improved. This experimental data is available at MIT.

The purpose for the study was to attract special scientists to exploit fundamental aspects of cancer biology; and, to establish a core of integrated glycobiologists to facilitate the development of cancer glycobiology for presentation and diagnostic applications.

One point in the report said that incentives are needed to attract the leading glycobiologist experts to do cancer research with defined clinical goals. The problem, according to the report, is that traditional funding mechanisms are not suited for an emerging field.

The Mission of the NIH/NCI study was to elucidate the structure and function of glycans that contribute to oncogenesis. And, to exploit aberrant glycosylation in cancer for the development of translational applications for cancer prevention, detection, and diagnosis.

This influx of talent is a game changer for fighting cancer. The best and brightest are coming to Texas and Houston. These established researchers are adding enormous talent to Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Research Institute, Rice University, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas - Austin, San Antonio and Southwestern Medical Center.

Houston is the Medical Capitol of the world and MD Anderson is the leading cancer treatment center. A few years ago an oncologist at MD Anderson explained to me that a doctor friend in Boston told him that glycomics was the future of medicine. Glycoproteins are now proven to be the bull's eye, the Rosetta Stone, of medicine and of all healthcare. Everything points to accelerated and expanded glycoprotein research, and rightfully so.

According to the NIH/NCI study, glycoproteins are good for diagnosing, monitoring, proving, reproving, developing billions of dollars in drugs, testing, and researching until the cows come home. Perhaps in another, always another, ten to twenty years, we will have a cancer cure.

Measuring the quality and quantity of glycoproteins on the cell surface is an excellent diagnostic approach because the lower the glycoprotein count, the greater the cancer risk. Healthy cells are sugar coated with glycoproteins while cancer cells are bald. Misfolding of proteins with specific sugars is the cause for poor quality and quantity of glycoproteins. Learning how to help properly fold proteins is the future of medicine and healthcare.

Bald cells will kill you. Healthy cells, clothed in fur like glycoproteins, give you life.

Yes, glycoprotein technology IS the bull's eye but perhaps the target is placed over the wrong objective. The traditional medical target is still over symptoms and drug treatment. In the process many are helped but we can do so much more if we simply move the target.

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