Summer is here, the season of outdoor activities, and since mosquitoes tend to multiply in hot climates, summer is also the season of bug bites. Whether it is a mosquito bite or a bee sting, spraying your skin sticky with offensive-smelling bug repellants is only going to make you uncomfortable and possibly keep humans away from you as well. When I was a kid, my grandfather made my brother and I slather cotton balls in regular yellow Listerine and rub it on every part of skin that was showing before we were allowed outside. Thankfully, there are other natural remedies that keep the bugs—or if you have already been bitten—the sting and itch away.

Probably the safest way to keep bugs away from your home is to prevent your yard from inviting bugs. You can plant little repellent gardens all over your yard, front porch, or back patio to ward off unwanted bugs. Using nature-friendly plants like lemongrass (also known as Citronella, popular in mosquito-repelling candles), lemon thyme, catnip, and citrus-smelling geraniums which contain up to 60 percent of the power of popular spray DEET along with other commercial products, you can reduce your family’s bite ratio and reduce the amount of toxins they are subject to.

Another option is lotions and sprays found at natural health food stores or herbalists thar contain essential oils and herbs that are used to keep these pests away (like eucalyptus, bay laurel, thyme, or lavender). One of these natural oils, gaining in popularity, is neem oil. Made from the neem tree, this extract is used in Indian Ayurvedic cures; the oil is bitter and repels bugs while still being able to keep your friends close by. Although many of these lotions and essential oil-based solutions should not be used on infants, children under 2, or pregnant or nursing mothers, you can always spray their clothes or the area around them for protection. A safe-for-children remedy is to coat a stroller or toddler’s chair with pure vanilla bean extract or add a few drops to their regular skin lotion for use on their sensitive skin—or yours.

If you have already been stung or bitten, treating those bites can be a chore. Anti-inflammatory remedies like peppermint oil dropped onto the bite uses menthol to increase circulation and move the chemicals around that the bug left behind to physically reduce the sore. You can also use regular oatmeal on bites to pull any remaining toxins out of the body. Let a tablespoon of oatmeal marinate in water until a paste forms. Spread onto the bite until a crust hardens and rinse off. An easier way to pull toxins out of your body is to apply a slice of freshly cut eggplant on the wound, while a fresh cut cucumber slice also works to reduce swelling.

After the itch and pain are gone, unsightly bumps can still appear on the skin. Cover with easy at-home tricks like calendula and aloe vera to prevent against infection, which can be found over the counter in sprays and gels. Redness associated with a bug bite can be irritating in itself and again Ayurvedic medicine comes to the rescue. Alum, found in the spice aisle, is in powder form and can be dissolved in water takes away the unwanted physical aspects of the bite and even helps with any lingering itch you may have.

Don’t hesitate to call 911 if you suspect there is an emergency. Allergic reactions to bug bites can happen, either from bees, spiders, or other unknown insects that you may not realize you are allergic to. People can go into anaphylactic shock from certain bites or stings and they should be watched if any of their symptoms get worse. Even though run-ins with bugs can be annoying, they can also be dangerous, so don’t ignore the warning signs: pain at the site for longer than a few hours, nausea, vomiting, fever, unstoppable itching, muscle pain, difficulty breathing, extreme swelling, or causes confusion in the victim.
Enjoy quiet, summer evenings by eating dinner outside instead of becoming something else’s feast.

Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell Death in Dementia

Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer from a form of dementia and other neurological disorders. The finding, reported in the Sep. 26, 2007, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, demonstrates for the first time a pathological pathway that ultimately results in cell death related to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). The discovery could eventually play a role in the design of new drug therapies. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Leonard Petrucelli, Ph.D., and Dennis W. Dickson, M.D, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., led the international team of scientists in the study supported by the Mayo Clinic Foundation.

The study, in cell cultures, showed that a cell death pathway is involved. A cascade of events begins with a mutation in the gene progranulin (PGRN) located on chromosome 17. Normally, high levels of PGRN exist in a cell to promote cell growth and survival. But when progranulin gene mutations occur, low levels of PGRN result. The investigators showed that this causes a protein called TDP-43 to be cut into two fragments. These fragments then migrate from their usual location in the nucleus into the surrounding cytoplasm of the cell where they form inclusions, or insoluble clumps of protein. This abnormal process results in the neurodegeneration in people with FTD and ALS.

"This research defines a novel disease mechanism that may be important in a number of age-related neurological diseases," said Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, Ph.D., Director of the Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Program at the NIA. "It opens a window on possible future applications, from approaches to novel therapeutic targets to the continued exploration of cell survival systems."

FTD affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It causes changes in personality, uninhibited and socially inappropriate behavior, and in late stages, loss of memory, motor skills and speech. After Alzheimer’s disease, it is the most common cause of dementia in people under age 65. ALS is a progressive, fatal disease of the spinal cord motor neurons.

Many FTD cases occur in families with a history of dementia. Among those families, many of the cases have been linked to a region of DNA on chromosome 17. Many of these cases are caused by mutations in a gene called tau in this region. Until recently, the cause of the remaining FTD cases linked to the same region of this chromosome was not known. However, in 2006, a study found that families with inherited FTD but no mutations in the tau gene have a mutation in the PGRN gene, which lies near the tau. A second study that year found TDP-43 in clumps that form in brains cells of patients with ALS and the form of FTD caused by mutations in the PGRN gene. Dr. Petrucelli’s study is the first to show how mutations in the PGRN gene cause the formation of clumps of TDP-43 fragments, and ultimately, death of brain cells.

"These data provide much needed insight into mechanisms in disorders associated with TDP-43," said Mayo's Petrucelli. "The science is moving very quickly, but many questions remain to be explored."

The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on the biomedical and social and behavioral aspects of aging and the problems of older people. For more information on aging-related research and the NIA, please visit the NIA website at www.nia.nih.gov. The NIA provides information on age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative disease specifically at its Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center site at www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers.