# DOE -- Medical and Infectious Disease Update -- Wednesday, April 07, 2004

DOE weekly updates on Bird Flu, Human Influenza, West Nile Virus, or
other illnesses and medical issues will continue as appropriate or as
requested. The following information is current as of Thursday, April 8,
2004, 0700 hours, EST. Information presented is routinely taken from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), <http://www.cdc.gov/>,
The World Health Organization (WHO), <http://www.who.int/en/>, the
Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and
Response System site, (DoD-GEIS) - <http://www.geis.ha.osd.mil/>, and
other creditable sources.

**Recent News**

**[ALLERGY]{.underline}**-**[The Accuweather
page](http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=airq)**
provides current air quality information with specific charts for
[**Grass
Pollen**](http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=grass),
[**Overall
Pollen**](http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=overall),
[**Ragweed
Pollen**](http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=ragweed),
and [**Tree
Pollen**](http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=tree)
\...
<http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/maps_index.asp?type=airq>**.**

**Jefferson Scientists Use Gene Therapy To Restore Function Of Damaged
Heart Cells In Lab** -- 6April2004, Science*Daily* \--Researchers at
Jefferson Medical College and Duke University have used gene therapy to
help damaged heart cells regain strength and beat normally again in the
laboratory. The work takes the scientists one step closer to eventual
clinical trials in humans. Walter Koch, Ph.D., director of the Center
for Translational Medicine of the Department of Medicine at Jefferson
Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and his
colleagues at Duke used a virus to carry a gene into the heart cells of
individuals who had suffered from congestive heart failure. The gene
introduced into these heart cells blocks the activity of an enzyme that
is increased in failing human hearts and which contributes to the loss
of the heart\'s contractile strength during the development of heart
failure. When the activity of this enzyme is blocked by the gene
therapy, the heart cells were able to contract at normal strength and
their overall performance was improved \...
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040406085923.htm>.

**Allergy Sufferers, Listen Up** -- 5April2004, *By Jeanie Lerche Davis,
WebMD* \--Allergies can wreak havoc on the best of us. Grass and tree
pollen irritate some 36 million people every year. Dust mites and pet
dander plague us, too. Want to make your home an itch- and sneeze-free
zone? The experts offer their insights. During the tree pollen season,
\"there will be a sequence of little \'mini seasons\' throughout the
spring, as various trees pollinate,\" reports Jay Portnoy, MD, chief of
allergy, asthma & immunology at Children\'s Mercy Hospital in Kansas
City, Mo. Spring rains may wash pollen from the air, but it\'s temporary
relief, Portnoy tells WebMD. \"Pollen counts actually spike prior to
thunderstorms.\" Indeed, allergy-proofing your home \-- getting rid of
outdoor and indoor allergens \-- isn\'t easy, but it\'s well worth the
effort \...
<http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/health?e=pub&dt=040405&cat=women&st=women72158&src=webmd>.

**Low Vitamin B12 Is Associated With Poorer Memory In Older People With
High Risk For Alzheimer\'s** -- 4April2004, Science*Daily* WASHINGTON
\--Among healthy people over the age of 75 who have the genotype
associated with higher risk for Alzheimer\'s, low levels of vitamin B12
are associated with significantly worse performance on memory tests.
This finding is published in the April issue of Neuropsychology, which
is published by the American Psychological Association (APA) \...
Scientists already knew of a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer\'s
disease, and that low levels of two B vitamins\-- B12 and folate\--were
also linked to problems. However, few had examined nutrition and
genotype together relative to cognition, to reflect what real people
carry into old age -- a mix of inborn traits and environmental factors
such as nutrition, including undiagnosed vitamin B deficiencies \...
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040405085355.htm>.

**Lab Finds Way to Grow Large Number of Neurons from Stem Cells** --
1April2004, Newswise --- A team at the Albany Medical College has found
a way to use neural stem cells in animal studies to generate large
numbers of neurons - one important step on the way to developing
treatments for humans to reverse a wide variety of neurological diseases
and conditions from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to spinal cord injuries.
The groundbreaking technique is detailed in a paper just published in
the journal *Science* \... Previous research had produced large amounts
of glial cells, which are the maintenance and support cells in the
brain, but only small amounts of neurons, which are the "excitable"
cells that carry nerve impulses and are responsible for controlling
thought, memory and body functions \... "The hope is that eventually we
will be able to transplant these neurons into humans afflicted with a
wide variety of neurological disorders and see improvement in function"
\... <http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/504060/>.

**Bird Flu 2003-2004: Doe Special Medical Update** -- With information
from WHO and the CDC, this update also explains the concepts of viral
infection, viral replication, antigenic "drift", and antigenic "shift"
...
<http://www.eh.doe.gov/health/news/BIRDFLU2003-2004_DOESPECIALUPDATE_B200402091.pdf>
(PDF) or for a choice of PDF or Word format,
<http://www.eh.doe.gov/health/index.html>**,** and scroll down under
\"News and Features\".

**WHO: Avian influenza-fact sheet** -- 5January2004-Avian influenza
("bird flu") and the significance of its transmission to humans ...
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_01_15/en/>.

**[2004 West Nile Virus Activity in the United States, reported to CDC
as of March 31,
2004.](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm)**
[Maps](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control04Maps.htm)
reporting WNV avian and veterinary activity occurring during 2004 are
updated regularly. NO human WNV cases occurring during 2004 have yet
been reported

![](media/image1.png){width="4.631944444444445in"
height="3.317361111111111in"}

**2003 CDC West Nile Virus Case Count -** **Total Human Cases Reported
to CDC**- These numbers reflect both mild and severe human disease cases
occurring **between Jan.1 -Dec. 31, 2003** that have been reported to
ArboNet by state and local health departments. ArboNet is the national,
electronic surveillance system established by CDC to assist states in
tracking West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne viruses. Information
regarding 2004 virus/disease activity will be posted when such cases are
reported to CDC.
[Maps](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control03Maps.htm)
reporting WNV activity and [human disease
cases](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount03.htm)
reported to CDC were updated on April 2, 2004 and provide weekly
information thru March 31, 2004. Total cases, and deaths from 46 states
stand at 9858 and 264, respectively. Since last week, there were 469 new
cases and 18 deaths. See the chart below \...
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount03.htm>.

![](media/image2.wmf){width="6.875694444444444in"
height="4.108333333333333in"}

George R. Gebus, MD, MPH, Editor

US Department of Energy

Office of Occupational Health, EH-53/270CC

19901 Germantown Road

Germantown, MD 20874-1290

Phone: 301-903-2876

Fax: 301-903-5072

Email: <george.gebus@eh.doe.gov>

<http://www.eh.doe.gov/index.html>