A team of researchers led by Yale University scientists can now quantify the factors causing changes in the DNA that contribute most to cancer growth in tumors of most major tumor types. …
…To avoid tick bites in the first place, dress appropriately when in
tick-heavy areas, Goddard advised. Tucking your pants into rubber boots —
or at least into your socks — can keep ticks at bay.
“If you wear
boots, leather boots, that come up to your ankles and your pants legs
are flopping in the breeze, that’s an interstate highway right up your
pants legs,” Goddard said.
Treating your clothes with a spray
containing the insecticide permethrin will kill ticks on contact.
(DEET-containing bug sprays help, too, Goddard said, but not as
effectively.) Finally, checking your body for ticks after outdoor
activities is key, Goddard said. If you find a tick attached, remove it
immediately with tweezers by grasping it close to the skin and pulling
straight up.
Mark tick bites on a calendar so that if you get sick
in the next several weeks, you can tell your doctor that you were
bitten and the date of the bite, Goddard said. There are some paid
services that will test ticks for diseases, as well as a limited number
of state health departments and research organizations that will do the
same for free. One such organization, NYticks.org,
is run by Thangamani’s laboratory. The researchers have tested nearly
20,000 ticks, mostly from New York state, and have a real-time data
dashboard of the state showing which pathogens are present in which
counties.
“The real-time presentation of data is what is very unique, and very, very powerful,” Thangamani said.
“Suppose that a god announced that you were going to die tomorrow or the day after. Unless you were a complete coward you wouldn’t kick up a fuss about which day it was — what difference could it make? Now recognize that the difference between years from now and tomorrow is just as small.”
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (4.47)
