Disease

The first Marylander to succumb to rabies since 1976 developed the virus through a kidney transplant that took place more than a year before the Army veteran died of the disease in February, national health and defense officials said Friday. Tests performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the Marylander's death showed that the Florida organ donor, a 20-year-old Air Force service member, died of rabies, and the same type of rabies was found in both the donor and the kidney recipient.

A Mississippi infant born with HIV has become the first child cured of the deadly virus, leaving hope that the disease can be eliminated in the youngest patients, scientists from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other institutions said Sunday. The infant, who was born to an HIV-infected mother, was given antiretroviral treatment beginning 30 hours after birth. Scientists believe the early intervention may have proven key to curing the child, who is now 2 1/2 years old. The infant has been determined “functionally cured,” said the scientists, some of whom are from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Otis R. "Damon" Harris Jr., a Baltimore singer who performed with the Temptations during the 1970s and later used his own diagnosis of prostate cancer to help raise awareness of the disease in African-American men, died Feb. 18 from the disease at Joseph Richey Hospice. The Owings Mills resident was 62. "Singing was his thing. When we were kids, his ambition was to be a singer for the Temptations. We did talent shows where we played Temps records and he'd sing," said Chuck Woodson, a cousin and broadcaster who recently retired as general manager of WFBR-AM 1590.

Margaret Hawkins Abbott, a retired Johns Hopkins Medical School genetics researcher who investigated families with inherited conditions for nearly five decades, died of dementia complications Feb. 1 at Keswick Multi-Care Center. She was 89 and lived in Ruxton. "She was a Johns Hopkins institution," said Dr. Jason Brandt, Johns Hopkins Medical School director of medical psychology and professor of psychiatry. "She dedicated her career to nursing and genetic diseases and to ferreting out family medical histories.

There is an invasive species in the United States responsible for the deaths of an estimated 14.7 billion birds and mammals each year. If that's not shocking enough, consider this: There's a good chance that one of these invaders is living in your house. Another in a long line of scientific studies documenting the impact of outdoor cats on our natural environment has just been released, bringing national attention again to the issue. This study was published in Nature Communications and authored by scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Over the next two weeks, Orioles reliever Adam Russell will get a visit from two of his biggest fans. Fiona Galvin, 6, and her three-year-old brother Tommy will light up at the first sight of their "Uncle Bubba. " In the offseason, he's the one who takes them to the park back home in Cleveland. He will take Tommy to baseball practice. He will dress up like Bigfoot to make them laugh. The kids will climb onto Russell and make him their personal 6-foot-7 jungle gym. Russell, 29, is fighting for a job in the Orioles' spring training camp.

Saint Agnes Hospital will work with local churches to screen for heart disease, using a $244,455 grant from The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. The hospital announced Thursday that it had received the award. The screening program will focus on African-American women, who have the highest risk for developing heart disease, the hospital said. Those found to have heart disease or risk for it will get access to educational programs, lifestyle coaches and exercise classes. The hospital will follow patients over time and measure improvements in health.

Like the rest of America, I will be tuning in Sunday to watch Baltimore's own Ravens play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLVII. The Super Bowl has become a great American tradition. But there's another tradition that demonstrates our nation's finest values and doesn't get nearly as much attention - and that's the good we do around the world. You only need to turn on the television briefly or glance at a newspaper to see why our engagement in the world is so critical to our nation's security, economy and standing.

I'm losing one blue spruce after another. Branches die at the base near the trunk, though tips stay green at first. Then it works its way up until the entire tree dies. It takes a few years. I don't see any signs of insects. They're planted on a hill in clay soil. Cytospora canker disease is extremely common on blue spruce. This fungus targets blue spruce stressed by drought or poor site conditions. Spores invade through openings such as mower wounds. Older (lower) branches are more susceptible than younger ones.

Long before Doug Masiuk became a serious runner, he had to learn how take his lifelong battle with Type 1 diabetes one step at a time. Diagnosed when he was a toddler, Masiuk, now 38, played soccer through high school at Severna Park. Once his soccer career ended, Masiuk had to find another physical activity to help him combat a life-threatening auto-immune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin and can cause dangerously high blood-sugar levels. Several years ago, Masiuk turned to long-distance running.