Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Don't blame the trees: Social factors, not forests, dictate disease patterns

A new study published Feb. 6 in the open access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases suggests that socioeconomic factors best explain patterns of the infectious disease American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Costa Rica. Contrary to the established belief that deforestation reduces the risk of infection, the research shows that deforestation may actually make socially marginalized human populations more vulnerable to infection.

Read more »

Keywords: blame, trees, social, factors, forests, dictate, disease, patterns, tree, factor, forest, pattern

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Don't blame the trees: Social factors, not forests, dictate disease patterns":

1. UBC discovery unlocks tree genetics, gives new hope for pine beetle defense
   01-14-2008 · EurekAlert!
   UBC researchers have discovered some of the genetic secrets that enable pine and spruce trees to fight off pests and disease, uncovering critical new information about forests' natural defense systems.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
2. Spatial patterns in tropical forests can help to understand their high biodiversity
   09-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
   In a study published in the American Naturalist a German-Sri Lankan research team has now undertaken thousands of spatial pattern analyses to paint an overall picture of the association between tree species in one of these plots in Sri Lanka.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
3. Humans fostering forest-destroying disease
   08-15-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Paradoxically, the spread of Sudden Oak Death -- a potentially catastrophic tree killing disease that first invaded California in the 1990s -- is being encouraged by human landscape management practices that have increased the size and density of west coast oak forests, according to a forthcoming study. Research shows that other human activities may be involved as well.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
4. Mode of seed dispersal greatly shapes placement of rainforest trees
   11-28-2006 · EurekAlert!
   The apple might not fall far from the tree, but new research shows that how it falls might be what is most important in determining tree distribution across a forest. This study of the seed dispersal methods of rainforest trees demonstrates that these methods play a primary role in the organization of plant species in tropical forests.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
5. Loneliness is a molecule
   09-12-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Changes in the immune system may explain why social factors like loneliness are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, viral infections and cancer.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
6. Higher death rates in kidney patients with newly recognized disease
   09-28-2007 · EurekAlert!
   A new study on the prevalence of NSF and its risk factors found that the disease is associated with an increased risk of dying and that gadolinium exposure is a significant risk factor for developing it.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
7. New perspectives on health disparities in breast cancer research
   11-28-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Breast cancer is a disease with a number of known genetic and behavioral risk factors, but scientists have seen that these risks are often compounded by social and racial inequalities. The question remains: how, exactly, do social disadvantages, genetics, race and culture add to the disparities faced by so many groups of women?
   Similar news · Read more »
   
8. Lessons in wood formation from Arabidopsis
   03-01-2007 · EurekAlert!
   In two separate studies published in The Plant Cell, researchers identify key transcription factors that control the expression of genes related to secondary wall formation in the model herbaceous plant Arabidopsis. The presence of similar genes and pathways in tree species suggests that they may play a role in the regulation of wood formation in trees.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
9. Chickadee, nutchatch presence in conifers increases tree growth, says CU-Boulder study
   08-01-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Chickadees, nuthatches and warblers foraging their way through forests have been shown to spur the growth of pine trees in the West by as much as one-third, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
10. Why do autumn leaves bother to turn red?
    10-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Soils may dictate the array of fall colors as much as the trees rooted in them, according to a forest survey out of North Carolina.
    Similar news · Read more »