MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'insect'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:10:12 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159648&cid=t_118257_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FLncO1v9-mTs%2F Which is it? Cicada, cricket, or grasshopper? Perhaps a katydid. But regardless of species, it sat with me out in the sun at lunch yesterday. Filed under: Natural world Tagged: Arthropoda, Cricket, Grasshopper, Insect, Insecta, Tettigoniidae (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159648 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:55:12 +0100 5159648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118935&cid=t_118257_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fan-iphone-app-with-skinsigh%2F2010.10.28 Bedbugs are back. For many people, this is only slightly curious, since their understanding of bedbugs stops at the second half of the bedtime admonition: “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.” But, for those others who have experienced a home bedbug infestation, it is a modern nightmare. The tiny critters can hide in any furniture crevice or fabric fold and come out only in the wee hours of the night in search of their favorite food: human blood. Their bites cause intense itching which can last days to weeks and they can remain dormant and hide for months. The cause of the recent resurgence is unknown. It does not seem to be paying any great regard to socioeconomic status nor to cleanliness. In metropolitan New York, it seems to have caused a minor panic, with families having to... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118935 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:00:10 +0100 4118935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3934584&cid=t_118257_131_f&fid=35005&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ffungalcompgenomics%2F%7E3%2FThaIQRAwDa0%2F A critical part of understanding and documenting the diversity is formal descriptions of species and their relatives. This can be a laborious task and is usually captured in the form of a monograph of a species where a group of species are described in careful detail along with the phylogenetic relationships of them.  This has served as the basis for documentation of the the natural history and morphological descriptions of species.  The information is typically presented in the form of a book that goes to a library or your shelf which can be pulled down and poured over when trying to determine traits for a group of organisms.  Books are great but sharing images and the Ryan Kepler, a PhD student at Oregon State, is writing a monograph about the ever so cool Cordyceps fungi which have ... Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3934584 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:26:24 +0100 3934584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522769&cid=t_118257_131_f&fid=35005&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ffungalcompgenomics%2F%7E3%2FkPpXpM9_1uw%2F Another result from the analysis of the recently published genome of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Nancy Moran and Tyler Jarvik present a study of the origin of the carotenoid production gene in pea aphid. Animals typically cannot make carotenoids so they sought to discover how this is possible. They find that it is derived from a horizontal gene transfer event of a fungal gene into the aphid lineage. This gene is responsible for the red-green color polymorphism in the aphid. It appears the gene is derived from a ‘zygomycete’ or relative in the early branching lineage of the fungi. One gene, a carotenoid desaturase, is encoded in a 30kb genomic region that is missing in green aphids but present in the red morphs. The region is apparently maintained in the population by f... Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522769 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:49:08 +0100 3522769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923433&cid=t_118257_136_f&fid=36162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myelomablog.com%2F2009%2F08%2F21%2Fit-looks-like-an-ant-but-its-a-wasp%2F This is a Red Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla magnifica) that was wandering around in the yard.  They’re actually not ants though.  They’re wasps! When I got back in the house, I googled “read and black wingless ant” to find out what she was. What I found out is that they have a painful sting and are pretty tough creatures.  They’re also known as “Cow Killers.”  They’re not actually capable of killing cows though, so no need for dairy farmers to be hyper-vigilant. Possibly Related Posts: North Carolina spider identification Southern Pines Fire Department Piles of stuff to do Butet call Kittenocity (Source: beth's myeloma blog) beth's myeloma blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923433 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:45:57 +0100 2923433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703868&cid=t_118257_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F9NMnRQm3hts%2F The story of 48-year old Andy Kessler really caught my attention this week. He died of an allergic reaction to an insect bite. Apparently “at least 40 people in the United States die each year as the result of insect stings,” and while that number may not sound huge right now, I can tell you that if it’s your loved one you would wonder why modern medicine can’t do something about a severe allergic reaction. Many people have the potential to have an allergic reaction but either avoid insects to the extend they can, or get lucky. Some don’t ever know they are allergic until it’s too late. People will generally have redness or shortness of breath when a reaction occurs. But I can already tell you from having an allergic reaction once myself, doctors DO NOT... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703868 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:54:36 +0100 2703868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741084&cid=t_118257_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FBRdGyNPRH4s%2F A few weeks ago I asked readers to find the errors in the following statement concerning an experimental influenza vaccine produced by Protein Sciences which involves synthesis of the viral HA protein in insect cells. They warned that the virus could mutate during the southern hemisphere’s flu season before returning north in a more lethal form in autumn, in a pattern similar to that seen in the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, which claimed an estimated 20 to 50 million lives around the globe. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sent us a dead virus, which is perfectly safe, and then we extracted genetic information from that virus. The statement ‘in a pattern similar to that seen in the deadly 1918 flu pandemic’ is wrong. There is no evidence that mutation le... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741084 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:00:08 +0100 2741084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2584264&cid=t_118257_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Fwhy-is-avon-skin-so-soft-so-amazing%2F Jill just wants to know…I remember hearing that Avon Skin So Soft is not only an amazing moisturizer but it can also stop bugs from biting. Is this true? The Left Brain replies: Skin so soft is a great moisturizer that gives a smooth, dry feel to skin.  That’s because it’s not a lotion – it’s a blend of mineral oil and esters that lubricates without being too wet or greasy. Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil Ingredients Mineral oil, isopropyl palmitate, dicapryl adipate, fragrance, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, BHT (to prevent oxidation) and carrot seed oil (source). I think that the most amazing thing about this product is that for decades people have been convinced that it is an excellent mosquito repellent. Rumor had it that Skin So Soft was even better than pro... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2584264 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:01:34 +0100 2584264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741103&cid=t_118257_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.rawvoice.com%2Fpmn_twiv%2Fwww.twiv.tv%2FTWiV038.mp3 Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Glenn Rall On episode #38 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent and Glenn Rall chat about koi herpesvirus, H1N1 influenza vaccine produced in insect cells, attack by a rabid raccoon, and measles. Download TWiV #38 (63 MB .mp3, 91 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV in iTunes, by the RSS feed, or by email Links for this episode: Virus suspected in carp die-off: koi herpesvirus H1N1 influenza vaccine produced in insect cells with baculovirus vectors Outbreak of measles in Wales Production of influenza vaccines in cell cultures: MDCK, Vero, PER.C6, EB66, insect (thanks Peter!) Weekly Science Picks Glenn Riddled with Life by Marlene Zuk Vincent All the Virology on the WWW Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741103 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:05:31 +0100 2741103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741106&cid=t_118257_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FcyFQyC8pDX4%2F This week’s pop quiz involves analysis of an AFP news article entitled “US company makes first batch of swine flu vaccine“. The article reports that Protein Sciences has been awarded a contract from the US Department of Health and Human Services to produce a vaccine by synthesizing the viral HA protein in insect cells. Here are two paragraphs from the article: They warned that the virus could mutate during the southern hemisphere’s flu season before returning north in a more lethal form in autumn, in a pattern similar to that seen in the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, which claimed an estimated 20 to 50 million lives around the globe. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sent us a dead virus, which is perfectly safe, and then we extracted genetic informat... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741106 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:42:34 +0100 2741106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1360652&cid=t_118257_131_f&fid=35005&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Ffungalcompgenomics%2F%7E3%2F267173773%2F Nature News has a cool story about peering into amber with X-rays from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. There are some great images of wasps and spiders that could be gleaned from the otherwise opaque amber. Could one also determine fungal spore characteristics from this sort of scan? © Jason Stajich for Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics, 2008. | Permalink | No comment Add to del.icio.us Search blogs linking this post with Technorati Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under imaging, insect, news. (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics) Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1360652 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:12:52 +0100 1360652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=788213&cid=t_118257_107_f&fid=35041&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblogs.com%2Fdigitalbio%2Fupload%2F2007%2F08%2Fworms.jpg Some maggots have gotten good press lately because of their helpful ability to clean out wounds by consuming dead tissue. Screwworms however; also known as Cochliomyia hominivorax, will never be welcomed in an operating room or anywhere else. USDA Agricultural Research Service These are the creatures of nightmares. During part of their lives, they live and travel as flies, and lay their eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals. When the eggs hatch, the screwworm maggots feed on the living flesh of the infested animals. Fortunately, we've learned how to control the screwworm and we might be able to apply what we've learned to controlling the insect vectors for human disease. But there are some challenges. tags: screwworm, sterile insect, tropical disease, yellow fever, sleeping sic... Discovering Biology in a Digital World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=788213 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:53:43 +0100 788213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=775409&cid=t_118257_107_f&fid=35041&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblogs.com%2Fdigitalbio%2Fupload%2F2007%2F08%2Fkeyphoto_02.jpg What do malaria, sleeping sickness, yellow fever, and dengue virus have in common? Sure, they're all tropical diseases, but there's something else. All of these diseases have some kind of insect vector. image from the Public Health Library tags: tropical disease, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, insect control, malaria Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Discovering Biology in a Digital World) Discovering Biology in a Digital World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=775409 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:27:23 +0100 775409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=470434&cid=t_118257_117_f&fid=34775&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.webmd.com%2Fhealthy-children%2F2006%2F06%2Fsummer-safety-part-1-mosquitoes-be.html I just noticed that the Weather Channel web site now provides information entitled: "Mosquito Activity Forecast." Worse, in my town today's report reads: "HIGH. Be on the lookout! Lurking mosquitoes likely to be busy." And, in case I wasn't already sufficiently bummed out, they feel compelled to remind me that "female mosquitoes require a blood meal from time to time." (for the protein to nourish their eggs, which is why the male mosquitoes don't bite).*****************************************I have to admit, I detest mosquitoes above all creatures. Consider the following Unidentified Flying Facts about these loathsome insects:There are estimated 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1,000 trillion) mosquitoes on planet Earth! They've been around for 30 million years, perfecting their ability to ... Healthy Children blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=470434 Thu, 22 Jun 2006 04:00:00 +0100 470434