We love our cats but there are some people who love them maybe just bit too much and seem to collect them like other people collect stamps or bottle caps the only problem is that at some point they cross the line from being a cat lover to being that crazy cat person that we all like to make fun of.

In fact if the research of evolutionary biologist Jaroslav Flegr from the Charles University in Prague is even close to being on the money those crazy cat people could be suffering from a medical illness due to those cats that they love so much.

Now it is a well know fact that cats carry a very tiny organism that gets excreted in their feces and is potentially dangerous to humans. This is one reason that pregnant women are warned to stay away from cat litter boxes during their pregnancy as the parasite can be transmitted to their unborn child and could lead to brain damage or death.

The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii or Toxo for short) and Flegr believes it can also affect a healthy person’s brain.

But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. When you add up all the different ways it can harm us, says Flegr, “Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year.”

via The Atlantic

Flegr has been pursuing this theory in relative obscurity for decades, and a certain ridicule from those that have seen his research. However that may change as some scientists, like Robert Sapolsky from Stanford, think that Flegr may actually be onto something with his theory.

 Flegr’s “studies are well conducted, and I can see no reason to doubt them,” Sapolsky tells me. Indeed, recent findings from Sapolsky’s lab and British groups suggest that the parasite is capable of extraordinary shenanigans. T. gondii, reports Sapolsky, can turn a rat’s strong innate aversion to cats into an attraction, luring it into the jaws of its No. 1 predator. Even more amazing is how it does this: the organism rewires circuits in parts of the brain that deal with such primal emotions as fear, anxiety, and sexual arousal. “Overall,” says Sapolsky, “this is wild, bizarre neurobiology.” Another academic heavyweight who takes Flegr seriously is the schizophrenia expert E. Fuller Torrey, director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, in Maryland. “I admire Jaroslav for doing [this research],” he says. “It’s obviously not politically correct, in the sense that not many labs are doing it. He’s done it mostly on his own, with very little support. I think it bears looking at. I find it completely credible.”

via The Atlantic

So folks, the next time you see some crazy cat person disappearing into the home full of cats you might want to think twice about making fun of then because they may in fact be ‘crazy’.

It seems that the Crazy Cat Lady may have a medical explanation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stephen Hawking will turn 70-years-old on Sunday and while that milestone occurs for millions of people around the world the achievement is something of a miracle for Hawking.

Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease when he was only 21-years-old and a student at Cambridge it was believed he would only live several years before succumbing to the disease that quickly cripples and then kills those who suffer from it.

Realizing he only had a few years left to live Hawking quickly began examining the universe and all it has to offer, become one of the most well known and respected astrophysicists the world has ever known.

The director of the Motor Neurone Disease Care and Research Centre in London recent told the Associated Press:

“I don’t know of anyone who’s survived this long.” while calling his progression ”extraordinary.”

With his disease in tow Hawking has never really slowed down, his book A Brief History Of Time was released in 1988 and has went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide. Despite being paralyzed in a wheelchair Hawking used a computer and twitching with his right cheek to communicate, he even went on to become the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position he just recently retired from.

One thing Hawking has never been able to master in our universe? Women, the one entity he still calls a complete mystery.

As a personal hero of mine I have to say that it’s quite fitting that a man who has fought with parts of the universe that baffle most people have himself baffled the very people studying him and his debilitating disease.

Are you a fan of Stephen Hawking? Share your favorite subject matter he has covered.

In the meantime enjoy the full screening of Hawking’s “Curiosity” video:

Stephen Hawking Turns 70 This Month, Baffles Lou Gehrig Researchers is a post from: The Inquisitr

I know we all hate those little buzz bombs from hell, commonly referred to as ‘the mosquito’ but I’m betting that most of you didn’t realize that this little insect is responsible for more human death over our history on this planet than any other cause. The estimate puts the number of deaths at around the 46 billion mark.

The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (A. aegypti) family of mosquitoes itself is probably responsible for infecting 50 to 100 million people worldwide per year with deadly diseases like dengue fever. It is because of this that mosquitoes have found themselves the target of our wrath however the only problem is that whenever we come up with some chemical based weapon it might work for a short while but the mosquitoes build up resistance and come back twice as strong as before.

Since this method of attack will always have limited success scientists have been trying to find other ways to destroy these bloodsucking insects. It is the research of American scientist Anthony James, from UC Irvice, that is getting a lot of attention because rather than going down the chemical road he has elected to go down the genetics path.

James has shown that he can literally decimated mosquito populations by introducing his genetically modified mosquito and in very short order. What happens is that the modified genes only effect the female mosquito making them flightless. So when the larvae hatch on the water the females are unable to leave which makes them harmless to humans as well as leaving them to die. The males on the other hand mature as normal and can fly off to mate with other females thus spreading the genetic mutation on.

via GizMag

Genetically altered mosquito could be our best weapon against them is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a new report in which they reveal that upwards of 20% of people with HIV in the United States don’t realize they have the disease.

According to the agency that would mean that of the 1.2 million US citizens estimated to have HIV, 240,000 people aren’t aware they have contracted the disease.

The study also reveals that almost three-quarters of those people who have been infected are not getting the treatment they need to keep the virus from turning into AIDS or from being passed onto other people. With the lifetime cost of treating the disease placed at $367,000 it’s no wonder so many patients go untreated.

The CDC also reveals that of those infected 50,000 more people are added to their number every single year.

Speaking to WebMD  the director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC noted:

“The HIV crisis in America is far from over,” and “Closing the gaps in testing, care, and treatment will all be essential to slowing or reversing the US AIDS epidemic.”

Does it surprise you to learn that the lack of care for HIV sufferers is so high in the United States after more than three decades of fighting the virus.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

20% Of HIV Carriers In The United States Don’t Know About Their Infection is a post from: The Inquisitr

Texas A&M men’s basketball head coach Billy Kennedy announced on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. Kennedy also announced through a school news release that he will be leaving the organization to undergo treatment.

According to Kennedy he was experiencing neck and shoulder pain for several months and he was finding it hard to sleep which lead to eventual exhaustion.

“I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We have begun a long-term treatment plan and recovery. My doctors are encouraged and are telling me I will be able to come back soon.”

Kennedy went on to note:

“We have a good prognosis,” and “My intention is to return to the court as soon as it is prudent. Until my return, I have great confidence in coach Cyprien and the staff I have assembled to lead this great group of young men and this basketball program.”

Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien will run the team in Kennedy’s absence.

At this time the school is fully supporting Kennedy and according to Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne

“Our foremost concern is for Coach Kennedy and his family” while adding, “I fully expect Billy to have a long and illustrious coaching career here in Aggieland when he is cleared to return to the court. Meanwhile, I have confidence in the staff Billy has hired and in our basketball team. I’m anxious to get the season started and to get Billy back on the basketball court as well.”

At this time Kennedy is not speaking directly to the press about his condition or plans for the future.

Our best wishes go out to Kennedy and his family.

Texas A&M Coach Billy Kennedy Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease is a post from: The Inquisitr

The World Health Organization on Monday announced that they are one step closer to eliminating one-third of all worldwide malaria cases over the next 10 years.

According to the agency one-third of the 108 countries who are experiencing a malaria endemic are working hard to eradicate the disease within their borders.

Robert Newman, director of the WHO’s Global Malaria Program, told international Malaria Forum conference attendees in Seattle:

“Better diagnostic testing and surveillance has provided a clearer picture of where we are on the ground — and has shown that there are countries eliminating malaria in all endemic regions of the world.”

Eradicating malaria is important because 3.3 billion people around the world are at risk of contracting the disease while the parasite killed 781,000 people in 2009 with most victims found in Africa.

Along with hopeful progress numbers Monday’s conference revealed that seven countries have recently eliminated malaria while working to stop future cases from re-appearing.

With international funding rising from $100 million in 2003 to $1.5 billion in 2010 it looks like the fight to end malaria is moving in the right direction.

Are you surprised with the progress the World Health Organization and other agencies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have made in fighting the malaria parasite.

WHO Says One-Third Of Malaria Cases Will Be Eradicated In 10 Years is a post from: The Inquisitr

A surprising study has revealed that Alzheimer’s disease may be contagious in a similar way to how mad cow and other similar diseases spread.

According to the study:

“Some of the sporadic Alzheimer’s cases may arise from an infectious process.”

In the study researchers injected mice with human brain tissue from Alzheimer’s sufferers and they contracted the disease, while mice injected with healthy brain tissue did not contract Alzheimer’s.

As MSNBC points out the conditions in which Alzheimer’s was contracted were artificial in nature and researchers are now planning to examine real world conditions to see if their “contagious” theory stands up.

While the study does not draw a direct link between Alzheimer’s and a contagious element, the fact that it can be transmitted from a person to mice should help researcher grasp a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s occurs, which in turn should help develop new drugs and drug building approaches for patients.

Study Reveals: Alzheimer’s May Have Contagious Properties is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you suffer from extremely stinky feet that often leaves your wife, girlfriend, friends and co-workers running for the doors? The next time they comment on your pungent foot odor just let them know that your feet may one day be helping put an end to malaria in poor regions of the world.

Researchers in Tanzania are attempting to use dirty socks in order to lure mosquito’s to specially constructed traps where they are poisoned and quickly die.

The method is being tested since it would offer a low cost yet effective way to help largely reduce and possibly end malaria cases. Malaria takes the lives of approximately 900,000 people each year.

A physician tells the Global Post:

“It’s a bold idea,” while adding, “Who would have thought there was a life-saving technology working in your laundry basket?”

Donating old smelly socks isn’t really a great idea for thrift store giveaways but it may finally become a viable reality and who knows with a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation this could really become a low-cost way to help fight malaria in some areas.

Stinky Socks Could Help Prevent Malaria is a post from: The Inquisitr

A small outbreak of measles has been reported in Virginia after a woman who had traveled to India passed the now-rare illness onto two others upon her return.

Three residents in the Thomas Jefferson Health District have been confirmed as infected. Measles, an “extremely contagious viral respiratory illness,” is airborne, and can spread quickly among those who have not been vaccinated against the infection. Patient zero of the Virginia measles outbreak was confirmed to be ill with the virus on May 19th, and Dr. Lilian Peake of the Charlottesville Health Department says the woman had some interaction with the community before she fell ill:

Peake says possible additional exposures in the community could have taken place May 20 at Charlottesville Waldorf School or particular areas of the Downtown Mall between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Those locations include the area outside The Paramount Theater between 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Marco & Luca Dumpling Store between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. and and Chaps Ice Cream between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

People who were in those areas May 20 may have been exposed. Peake stresses that most citizens are immune to contracting the measles.

99% of people who have had two doses of measles vaccine maintain immunity to the illness. However, 90% of those who are not immune will contract measles when exposed to the illness.

Small Measles Outbreak Reported in Virginia is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Florida woman who visited Haiti has returned from her trip infected with Cholera, an official with the Florida Department of Health has confirmed.

Dr. Thomas Torok says that the woman was visiting family near the Artibonite River, a rural area where the outbreak started. Medical privacy laws prevent the woman from being publicly identified, and officials will only say she is “recovering” from the illness that killed hundreds in Haiti during the recent outbreak of the disease.

According to Dr. Torok, the woman is the only person confirmed infected with the disease in florida, and the risk of the disease spreading is very low:

“We really don’t anticipate that we will see any sustained transmission caused by Haiti in Florida or anywhere else in the United States,” Torok said. “The risk is so low because our water and sanitation systems really minimizes the risk to folks.”

The last Cholera outbreak in the US was approximately a century ago, and eleven people died as a result.

[Image]

Florida woman returns from Haiti with Cholera, is recovering is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new dating site is taking niche marketing to a medical extreme by matching lonely hearts who have isolating diseases in common.

While on the surface it may sound like the least romantic idea that has ever been conceived, chronic disease sufferers say the concept has merit. Thomas Grogan, a survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, spoke to MSNBC about his experiences dating after surviving the disease:

The logistics of navigating a fledgling relationship is another motivation, Grogan said. “At what point do you tell somebody you are a cancer survivor? I have had the experience of going out on dates, it gets to the third or fourth date and looks like something might develop, and I tell this person and they disappear.”

Indeed, it may seem that a level of understanding between two potential partners can be vastly improved by sharing the same challenges. But a psychologist interviewed on the subject says that matches rooted in shared suffering may cause people to gloss over crucial points of compatibility. Dr. Suzanne Miller, a clinical psychologist and director of behavioral medicine at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center says that “there is a very strong risk of overlooking things you should not overlook.”

If the idea of finding a mate with common medical issues sounds appealing, you can create an account at Prescription4Love.com, and instead of sorting a partner by location, height or age, select a potential date by condition. What do you think, readers? Practical or depressing?

New dating site aims to match singles with diseases in common is a post from: The Inquisitr