Health News: Mission to Mars- When you land, can you stand? ♦ Prostate Cancer Detected by dogs over 90% accuracy ♦ Why allergies exist

Controversial Answer why allergies exist I lived to tell the tale: my hives subsided, leaving behind a lingering fear of hornets. But an allergy test confirmed that I was sensitive to the insects. The doctor said I might not be so fortunate the next time, handed me an EpiPen and told me to ram the syringe into my thigh if I was stung again. The epinephrine would raise my blood pressure, open my airway – and perhaps save

Raw cheesemaking expected to grow after new food safety rule change Australian cheese makers are making history in South Australia and on a small island off Tasmania's south coast. South Australian dairies may only account for 6 per cent of the nation's milk, but the state is home to three of the four existing raw milk cheesemakers in the country. Meanwhile on Tasmania's …

Prostate Cancer Detected by dogs over 90% accuracy  A study carried out by the Department of Urology at the Humanitas Clinical and Research Centre in Milan had two German Shepherds sniff the urine of 900 men, 360 of whom had prostate cancer and 540 who didn't. One dog was successful at identifying prostate cancer in 98.7 per cent of cases, while the other dog achieved 97.6 per cent accuracy.

When you land, can you stand? One-Year Mission video miniseries: Functional performance

You always want to be the last man standing, especially at NASA. Optimal functional performance, such as standing, is taken even more seriously when preparing for future missions to Mars and beyond. Learn why functional performance is important for astronauts and patients recuperating from long-term bed rest.

Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs Recalled Due to Salmonella

Grill-Phoria LLC of Loveland, Colorado is recalling approximately 200, 3.5 oz bags of Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. These bags were distributed and manufactured between September 20, 2014 through January 2, 2015, and do not have lot codes.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. Most people recover from salmonellosis in four to seven days without treatment, but some groups are at higher risk of developing more severe symptoms. These high-risk groups are: children under 5 years of age, the elderly, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogswas distributed in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma through Nor-Sky Pet Supply LLC through independent pet stores. The product is under the Big Bark label and is in a standup pouch that is 3.5 oz in weight labeled as All Natural Beef Jerky Treat. No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recall is a result of a routine sampling program by the Colorado Department of Agriculture which revealed that the finished tested positive for Salmonella. Grill-Phoria has ceased the production and distribution of the product as the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

Consumers who have purchased Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs (3.5 oz Bag) are urged to return the bag to the store that you purchased it from and get a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Grill-Phoria at between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (MST) Monday through Friday at 970-663-4561

Plague Danger in California and New Mexico

The New Mexico Department of Health is reporting a case of plague in a 43-year-old woman from Rio Arriba County who is currently hospitalized. Confirmatory testing was conducted at the Department's Scientific Laboratory Division.

The 1st plague case in New Mexico in 2014 was reported in April 2014 in a 57-year-old man from Torrance County who is still recovering. An environmental investigation will take place at the woman's home to look for ongoing risk to others in the surrounding area.

San Diego County officials issued an alert last week after 2 squirrels trapped in routine monitoring at an empty outdoor school on Palomar Mountain have tested positive for plague. The squirrels were trapped on property at Camp Palomar Outdoor School, which was undergoing summer maintenance and not scheduled to be used by campers until 25 Aug 2014.

This prompted officials to remind people to take simple steps to protect themselves when camping and hiking. "When you're enjoying the outdoors, just remember, don't feed or play with squirrels; don't play near squirrel burrows or set up your tents around them; and report dead squirrels to camp rangers," said San Diego County Environmental Health Director Liz Pozzebon.

[Plague is prevalent in rodents in the western USA. Humans can be infected through 1) the bite of an infected flea carried by a rodent or, rarely, other animals; 2) direct contact with contaminated tissues; or 3) in rare cases, inhalation of respiratory secretions from infected people or animals.

Plague is a potential bioterrorism agent. Human infections are rare but can be life-threatening. The case fatality rate of plague depends on the whether it attacks the lymph nodes (bubonic), bloodstream ( septicemic)  or lungs (pneumonic). It is also dependent on the timing of initiation of antibiotic therapy.If untreated, the case fatality rate is over 50 per cent for bubonic plague and approaches 100 per cent for pneumonic plague (1). Rapid laboratory identification can help guide therapy.

Domestic cats and dogs can also contract plague from infected fleas. They may carry infected fleas home to their owners or, especially with cats, serve as a direct source of infection. There are many flea treatments and repellents appropriate for pets available. Some products may be suitable for dogs but not cats or may be suitable for an adult but not a younger animal. Be sure to consult your veterinarian, as some products may be toxic to cats, kittens, and puppies, even resulting in fatalities.

Clinical signs in pets involve a localized swelling, such as under the jaw in cats, but also in the inguinal region or under the front leg (the armpit, if you will), lethargy, anorexia, and fever. Please take your pet to a veterinarian if you notice any abnormalities.

Veterinarians should protect themselves by wearing gloves when examining these swellings. A bubo that ruptures may infect the veterinarian or even the pet owner if the pet owner is the one palpating the swelling.

Another form of the disease is the respiratory form. Cats may acquire this form and can spread it to their owners or the veterinarians through infected expiratory droplets. People are also prone to the respiratory infection.

You should also be aware that the fleas that hitchhike into your home on a pet can also transmit disease to you, the owner or caretaker of the pet. Sleeping in the same bed with dogs has been associated with plague in enzootic areas (2). Plague patients with no history of exposure to rodents can be infected by _Y. pestis_ if their pets carry infected rodent fleas into the home. Veterinarians always should recommend flea control to dog and cat owners.

Source ProMED-mail

Risks of Feeding Raw Foods to Your Pets

Dogs and cats aren't exempt from the dangers of foodborne illness. To minimize risk, FDA suggests consumers carefully consider the risks of feeding a raw pet food to their pets.

Food poisoning isn't only a human problem: our four-legged friends are also at risk if they eat foods that are contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Two of these bacteria—Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes — are particularly dangerous to both pets and humans. Here is one way to avoid them—and why.

Knowing the Risk to Your Pet

Raw pet food consists primarily of meat, bones, and organs that haven’t been cooked, and therefore are more likely than cooked food to contain organisms that can make your dog or cat sick, says William J. Burkholder, DVM, PhD, Veterinary Medical Officer in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Division of Animal Feeds. Moreover, raw food can make you sick as well if you don’t handle it properly. FDA does not believe feeding raw pet foods to animals is consistent with the goal of protecting the public from significant health risks.

The agency therefore recommends cooking of raw meat and poultry to kill harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes before you give the food to your pets. And as always, when working with food, you should follow FDA’s instructions on how to handle it safely.

Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in such foods as raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs and egg products. Salmonella can also contaminate raw or unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, as well as raw fruits and vegetables.

Burkholder says people who choose a raw diet for their pets often point out that feral dogs and cats catch prey and eat it raw. “That’s true,” he adds, “but we don’t know how many of these animals get sick or die as a result of doing that. Since sick feral animals are rarely taken to a veterinarian when they’re ill, there’s no way to collect that information.”

Symptoms of salmonellosis in animals include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (which may be bloody)
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased activity level

Listeria bacteria are commonly found in uncooked meats, vegetables and unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses. Unlike most bacteria, Listeria like cold temperatures and can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you refrigerate Listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family members would be exposed to Listeria and get sick.

Symptoms of listeriosis in animals include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Neurological disease can happen in a small percentage of situations

Raw Foods Can Also Affect Human Health

Consumers also run the risk of getting sick if they handle contaminated pet foods and accidentally transfer the bacteria to their mouths.

“If you’re going to handle raw foods, you need to pay particular attention to good hygienic practices,” Burkholder says. “Wash your hands and anything else that comes into contact with the product with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.”

Feeding raw food to a pet also increases the risk of contaminating food contact surfaces and other places.

“Even if the dog or cat doesn't get sick, they can become carriers of Salmonella and transfer the bacteria to their surroundings, and then people can get the disease from contact with the infected environment,” Burkholder says.

Once Salmonella gets established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination will continue to spread.

Symptoms of Salmonella and Listeria Infection in Humans

Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) symptoms in humans include:

• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (which may be bloody)
• Stomach pain
• More rarely: entry of Salmonella into bloodstream from intestines, followed by spread to joints, arteries, heart, soft tissues, and other areas of body

Symptoms associated with salmonellosis most often begin 12 hours to 3 days after ingestion of the bacteria and can last 4 to 7 days without treatment. All consumers are at risk for contracting salmonella from contaminated foods, but pregnant women, children under five, the elderly and those with weak immune systems are at risk of developing severe symptoms.

Compared to salmonellosis and other foodborne illnesses, infection with Listeria monocytogenes (listeriosis) is rare, but has serious and potentially fatal risks.

Listeria can infect multiple locations in the body:

• The brain
• Membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
• Gastrointestinal tract
• Bloodstream

Symptoms associated with listeriosis begin 11 to 70 days after coming in contact with the bacteria, with a mean (or average) of 31 days, and they can last up to a few weeks. Listeriosis occurs almost exclusively in pregnant women and their fetuses, newborns, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Listeriosis can cause life-threatening infection in a fetus and newborns, as well as in persons with weakened immune systems, although the infection can often be treated with antibiotics.

“Feeding raw foods to pets increases the risk that both the pet and the people around the pet will encounter bacteria that cause foodborne illness, particularly if the products are not carefully handled and fed,” Burkholder says. “This is certainly one factor that should be considered when selecting diets for your pet

4/7/14 Health News: Chinatown Skin Infection Outbreak Spreads in NYC ♦ From Dogs, Answers About Breast Cancer ♦ Allergy-cancer Connection Discovered

Chinatown Skin Infection Outbreak Spreads in NYC, Number of Cases Doubles

The number of New Yorkers suspected of having a rare skin infection that comes from handling raw seafood, causing skin lesions, pain and swelling to the hands and arms and even difficulty moving fingers, has more than doubled, officials said Wednesday.Health officials are warning those who purchase raw fish and seafood at Chinatowns in Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn to wear waterproof gloves when handling those items, and to seek medical care if they discover red bumps on hands or arms.Continue Reading

From Dogs, Answers About Breast Cancer

Mammary cancers in dogs respond to many of the chemotherapy drugs that are used in people, and feature some of the same molecular abnormalities. As in humans, the risk of tumors increases with age, though some breeds, especially smaller dogs, develop the cancer at higher rates than others. Because dogs typically have 10 mammary glands and often develop tumors in several glands at the same time, they present a unique research opportunity, enabling scientists to study lesions that are at different stages of development — from benign to cancerous, and at transitional stages — all in the same animal. “The dog gives us the potential to answer the question: When did something go wrong at the molecular level?”. “We can also study the benign tumors and ask: What’s different in that one tumor that doesn't change and become malignant versus another one that does change?” Continue Reading

Allergy-cancer Connection Discovered

The study demonstrated that histamine, a component of the immune system that responds to allergens and foreign pathogens and is also linked to inflammation, plays a role in protecting tumors from the immune system. By blocking the production of histamine in animal models, the researchers were able to interrupt a process that promotes melanoma growth.  Continue Reading

2/5/14 Health News: Mexico City: Water Torture - Oldest Known Living Cancer - Good Cholesterol can Turn Nasty

Mexico City: Water Torture

In Mexico City, Holy Water is basically just tap water, and it is debatable whether the priest's blessing is enough to rid the water of all the parasites or toxic substances that swarm in it. Continue Trading

Dogs Carry the Oldest Known Living Cancer

Canines are in a rare category when it comes to cancer: They and Tasmanian devils are the only two animals that can transmit it from one individual to another. A new genetic study reveals that the dog form of the cancer, which causes genital tumors, is 11,000 years old—making it the oldest continuously living cancer. Canines can also develop cancers that are akin to human cancers, but their transmissible cancer spreads when cells from one dog's tumor rub off during sexual contact and grow into a new tumor on the other animal. The study notes that the cancer originated in an ancient dog closest to the modern-day breeds of Alaskan malamutes and huskies. Continue Reading

Good Cholesterol can Turn Nasty and Clog Arteries

Good cholesterol also has a nasty side that can increase the risk of heart attacks, according to US doctors. "Good", or HDL, cholesterol normally helps to keep arteries clear and is good for heart health. But the team at the Cleveland Clinic showed it can become abnormal and lead to blocked blood vessels. They say people should still eat healthily, but that the good cholesterol story is a more complex tale than previously thought. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is "bad" because it is deposited in the walls of arteries and causes hard plaques to build up that can cause blockages, resulting in heart attacks and stroke.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is "good" because the cholesterol is instead shipped to the liver. The evidence shows that having a high ratio of good to bad cholesterol is good for health. However, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic say trials aimed at boosting levels of HDL have "not been successful" and the role of good cholesterol is clearly more complicated. In their study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, they showed how HDL cholesterol could become abnormal. One of the researchers, Dr Stanley Hazen, said HDL cholesterol was being modified in the walls of the artery. He told the BBC: "In the artery walls it is acting very differently to in the circulation. It can become dysfunctional, and contributes to the development of heart disease." Continue Reading

12/22/2013 Health News: Grizzly Bears Studied In Obesity Research, Dogs Help Infants with Asthma, Vitamin D Studys

To Learn About Obesity, Researchers Turn to Grizzly Bears

On a recent visit to a laboratory where he researches obesity, Kevin Corbit walked over to one of the patients he is studying to say hello. He believes insights gleaned from the animals, who can take in as much as 58,000 calories in a day and weigh 1,000 pounds, could reshape understanding of obesity and identify new treatments for a condition that has stymied doctors and drug developers.continue reading

Dogs May Guard Babies Against Asthma, Allergies

Researchers say they've discovered why infants who live in homes with a dog are less likely to develop asthma and allergies later in childhood. The team conducted experiments with mice and found that exposing them to dust from homes where dogs live triggered changes in the community of microbes that live in the infant's gut and reduced immune system response to common allergens. The scientists also identified a specific species of gut bacteria that's crucial in protecting the airways against allergens and viruses that cause respiratory infections.continue reading

Limits of Vitamin D Supplements

A large review of studies has found that vitamin D supplements have little or no benefit beyond the low levels required for bone health. continue reading

Pregnant Women With Pets Have More Vaginal Infections

A Danish study found that Pregnant women who live with a dog or a cat are twice as likely as other women to have intestinal bacteria in their vagina.They were surprised to see such a strong correlation. In the study, E. coli bacteria were found in the vagina of one in six of the participating women. This study was of 709 woman.

You're more vulnerable when you're pregnant, so this is not the best time to have E. coli bacteria in your vagina.” says Jakob Stokholm, MD, PhD, a researcher at COPSAC, the Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood. He is the lead author of a new study, published in the journal Plos One.

Intestinal bacteria from dogs and cats seem to colonise pregnant woman's vagina. This increases the risk of urinary tract infections. This may be caused by bacteria travelling from the animal to the woman’s hands to her vagina. Pregnant woman should pay more attention to hand washing after they handle their pet especially since dogs  lick their behinds and their fur.

The study indicates that intestinal bacteria can spread to areas such as the urethra and may cause urinary tract infections (UTI), also known as acute cystitis or bladder infection. If the bladder inflammation spreads to the kidneys, it can become serious, and it may also increase the risk of giving birth prematurely. Treating the  mother with antibiotics can increase the chance of the child developing asthma later in life. Another good reason to use Phage therapy rather than antibiotics.

Other studies have also shown that the mother’s bacteria during pregnancy and birth may cause severe infections in the new-born baby The baby’s immune system is immature in the mother’s womb and in early life. This is another reason that pregnant women should pay extra attention to their hand washing, washing vigorously for at least 21 seconds.