Cancer Research: Virus in cattle linked to human breast cancer ♦ Genetic mechanism for cancer progression discovered ♦ Keeping one step ahead of cancer cells

Genetic mechanism for cancer progression discovered Genetics researchers have identified a novel long non-coding RNA, dubbed DACOR1, that has the potential to stymie the growth of tumor cells in the second-most deadly form of cancer in the US -- colorectal cancer.

Drug resistance in cancer patients linked to oxygen-bearing molecules in body Increased levels of certain chemically reactive, oxygen-containing molecules in the body can cause patients to become resistant to cancer drugs such as chemotherapy.

Mediterranean diet plus olive oil associated with reduced breast cancer risk Eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a relatively lower risk of breast cancer in a study of women in Spain.

Virus in cattle linked to human breast cancer For the first time, researchers have established a link between infection with the bovine leukemia virus and human breast cancer. Researchers analyzed breast tissue from 239 women, comparing samples from women who had breast cancer with women who had no history of the disease for the presence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV). They found that 59 percent of breast cancer samples had evidence of exposure to BLV, as determined by the presence of viral DNA.

Keeping one step ahead of cancer cells BRD4 inhibitors are among the most promising new agents in cancer therapy that are currently evaluated in clinical trials. In a new study, a team of researchers reveals how leukemia cells can evade the deadly effects of BRD4 inhibition. Understanding this adaptation process could aid the development of sequential therapies to outsmart resistant leukemias.

Health Research: Scientists set out to build a better gut ♦ Smoking increases likelihood of twins ♦ Text messages support mothers with postpartum depression

New genetic mutation could signal start of malaria drug resistance in Africa Early indicators of the malaria parasite in Africa developing resistance to the most effective drug available have been confirmed. Investigators found Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites with a mutation to the gene Ap2mu were less sensitive to the drug artemisinin.

Text messages a good way to support mothers with postpartum depression New research explores the feasibility of helping low-income mothers through postpartum depression using text messages. The objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of sending supportive text messages to low-income mothers of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds with postpartum depression

Diabetes perceptions vary according to risk factors,  Differing perceptions among adult populations at-risk for diabetes have been uncovered by researchers, which may offer new approaches to diabetes education and prevention. The way that people mentally represent their conditions has a concrete effect on the way that they manage these conditions on their prognoses.

Smoking and mother's genetics combine to increase likelihood of twins African American mothers who smoke and have a genetic profile that includes a single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP, of the TP53 gene have an increased likelihood of having twins,

To fight nasty digestive bugs, scientists set out to build a better gut – using stem cells If you’ve ever been hit with an ‘intestinal bug’, you’ve felt the effects of infectious microbes on your digestive system. But scientists don’t fully understand what’s going on in gut infections like that – or in far more serious ones. Now, a team of scientists will tackle that issue in a new way

Reducing The Spread of Drug Resistance in Bacteria

Scientists deciphered the structure and mechanism of a protein that bacteria need to spread the genes for antibiotic resistance. The findings could enable the development of novel drugs to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria.

An atomic force microscopy image shows a 4-part complex of the protein RepA (bright mounds) bound "handcuffing" 2 thread-like strands of DNA plasmid. Credit: University of Nebraska Medical Center Nanoimaging Core Facility.

Antibiotics disrupt bacteria’s ability to grow and replicate. Microbes that are resistant to antibiotics are a growing public health problem. Some bacteria, including strains of Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), have become extremely difficult to treat because the microbes are able to survive different antibiotics. Decades of widespread use have encouraged the spread of bacteria with resistance to multiple antibiotics.

Genes that confer drug resistance can be passed between bacteria on small circular DNA molecules called plasmids. Plasmids copy themselves separately from the bacterial chromosome by using the host bacterium’s DNA replication machinery. Past studies have found that most plasmids carrying drug-resistant genes in S. aureus encode a highly conserved protein called RepA that’s part of the complex needed to begin plasmid replication.

A team at Duke University Medical Center led by Dr. Maria Schumacher and colleagues at the University of Sydney in Australia investigated the structure and mechanism of RepA. Results appeared online on June 9, 2014, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

RepA has 3 main domains: a highly conserved N-terminal domain (NTD) that binds DNA, a long and variable linker region, and a C-terminal domain (CTD) that interacts with other proteins involved in replication. The scientists used a technique called X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of the NTD and CTD. They found that NTDs were configured to form dimers and tetramers with themselves.

Next, the scientists studied how the NTD associates with DNA. They determined that RepA binds along interon boxes—sites where plasmid replication begins—next to each other. This side-by-side configuration is associated with DNA melting, the opening up of the double-stranded DNA molecule and one of the initial steps of replication.

Modeling suggested that 2 separate DNA strands are linked together by NTD tetramers. To take a closer look at the molecular level, the scientists used a technique called atomic force microscopy. The results confirmed that NTD tetramers stick together to “handcuff” 2 DNA plasmids together.

Plasmids left to replicate uncontrolled can harm host cells by overburdening the cells’ metabolism. The handcuffing structure suggests a molecular mechanism for controlling how many plasmid copies can be made in the bacterium; the bridging structure can hinder plasmid replication by preventing the initiation of replication.

“If plasmids can’t replicate, they go away,” Schumacher says. These results give new molecular insight into how to design drugs to target RepA and prevent multidrug resistant Staph from spreading resistance genes.

3/30/14 Health News: Cancer Risk for Kids Living Near Busy Roads ♦ Salt and Obesity May Prematurely Age Cells ♦ More of the Infections Kids Get Are Resistant to Drugs

Salt and Obesity May Prematurely Age Young Cells

High sodium intake and obesity may act synergistically to accelerate cellular aging in adolescents, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's EPI/NPAM Scientific Sessions 2014. The study examined the effect of a high salt diet on telomere length in normal weight and overweight/obese teens. After controlling for factors known to shorten telomeres, researchers observed a statistically significant interaction between weight and sodium intake.Continue Reading

More of the Infections Kids Get Are Resistant to Drugs

The rate of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in children is increasing in inpatient and outpatient settings, a study reports. The prevalence of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (G3CR) bacteria increased from 1.39% in 1999-2001 to 3% in 2010-2011, wrote Latania K. Logan, MD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and her co-authors online in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society.Continue Reading

Higher Cancer Risk for Kids Living Near Busy Roads

Young children who are exposed to high levels of vehicle exhaust — such as what they'd encounter living near busy roads in urban areas — appear to have a greater risk of childhood leukemia, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review of seven previous studies. Iin the USA an estimated 30%-45% of people in large urban areas live near major roads, "suggesting increased exposure to traffic-related air pollution and risk of adverse health outcomes." The article says the studies reviewed by the CDC suggest "that childhood leukemia is associated with residential traffic exposure during the postnatal period, but not during the prenatal period." Continue Reading

India: More Cases of Antibiotic Resistance Tuberculosis

Of the 40 000 tuberculosis (TB) cases recorded in the city [Mumbai, Maharashtra state] in 2013, more than 4000 patients were relapse cases, according to civic health department data. The count of relapse cases has remained constant over the last few years -- an indicator of the poor living conditions and of the hurdles in the treatment regime followed in public hospitals. According to estimates, the actual count of relapse cases may be higher, as not all private hospitals are accounted for by the civic health department.

Over the last 3 years, the count of multi drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB cases has noticeably increased. From 181 new patients diagnosed with MDR TB and 288 already receiving treatment for it in 2011, the figure rose to 2195 new patients diagnosed with MDR TB and 1935 on treatment in 2012. In 2013, a whopping 2903 patients were diagnosed with MDR TB and 2604 were on treatment.

Dr Minnie Khetarpal, BMC's TB control officer, said, "Though MDR cases are rising, patients receive 2nd-line treatment. But in XDR cases, patients respond to very few drugs. Currently, Bedaquilin is considered a wonder drug, but is under clinical trials in India." The drug, which has been used on 5 patients in Mumbai, is being imported from Belgium.

Bedaquiline was described for the first time in 2004  One of the first published trials of Bedaquiline was a Phase II trial of 47 patients, which showed that the drug was effective in reducing the time to TB-free sputum cultures

It is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson (J&J), who sought accelerated approval of the drug, a type of temporary approval for diseases lacking other viable treatment options. By gaining approval for a drug that treats a neglected disease, J&J is now able to request expedited FDA review of a future drug

It was formally approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in tuberculosis (TB) treatment, as part of a fast-track approval for use only in cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and the more resistant extensively drug resistant tuberculosis.

There is some controversy over the approval for the drug, as the FDA's ruling was based on a surrogate outcome (sputum cultures) as opposed to patient deaths. In the clinical trials used for approval, the patients taking bedaquiline were more likely to die, even though they had resolution of TB based on sputum cultures. The most common side effects of bedaquiline in studies were nausea, joint and chest pain, and headache. The drug also has a black-box warning for arrhythmias.

Increase in Gonorrhea and Syphilis in the US

More and more people are developing gonorrhea and syphilis in the US, according to a new government report examining cases of 3 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The report, released Wednesday [8 Jan 2014] by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that there were 334 826 cases of gonorrhea reported in 2012, which is a 4.1 percent increase from 2011. Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called _Neisseria gonorrhea_, which grows in warm and moist parts of the body (including in a woman's reproductive tract). Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics, though the CDC noted that antibiotic resistance is becoming a growing concern.

"With increased resistance to the fluoroquinolones and the declining susceptibility to cefixime, dual therapy with ceftriaxone and either azithromycin or doxycycline is now the only CDC recommended treatment for gonorrhea," according to the report. "Continued monitoring of susceptibility patterns to these antibiotics is critical."

There were 15 667 cases of primary and secondary syphilis (the 1st 2 stages of syphilis) in 2012. The rate of primary and secondary syphilis increased 11.1 percent since 2011, with most cases accounting for the increase occurring in gay and bisexual men. Syphilis is also caused by a bacterium called _Treponema palladium_.

Fortunately, the rate of congenital syphilis (when an infected mother passes the disease on to her offspring) decreased from 2011 to 2012 by 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the chlamydia rate remained largely the same between 2011 and 2012, increasing by only 0.7 percent. There were 1 422 976 cases of chlamydia reported in 2012. Chlamydia is caused by the _Chlamydia trachomatis_ bacterium.

1/3/14 Health News: Food Manufactures want to Label GMO's as Natural, Elderly Homes Week on Superbugs

GROCERY MANUFACTURERS WANT FOODS WITH GMOS TO BE LABELED AS ‘NATURAL’

There was a time when food was food. You ate it and were glad of it. What could be more “natural” than that? But that was back in earlier times when most food came either from your own farm or from stores that bought food from nearby farms. Fast forward to today, and food has... Continue Reading

Elderly Homes Weak Link in Battle Against Superbugs

Antibiotics that are the last line of defense against life-threatening germs spread commonly in hospitals are starting to lose power in Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last month.  New findings are giving credence to the idea that superbugs, which resist the most powerful antibiotics, thrive just where the frailest people dwell: nursing homes. Continue Reading

12/27/13 Health News: Shipping Delays Hurt Perishable Foods, Drug Resistant TB Spreading, FDA Looking For new Antibiotic for drug resistant Bacteria

Shipping Debacle poses Threat to Perishable Food Business

A CNN report on shipping delays through UPS and FedEx over the Christmas holiday outlines the complex issues faced by affected businesses.

In a December 26 CNN report about the recent news regarding the widespread problems with shipping delays through UPS and FedEx over the Christmas holiday, the word “loss” stands out like a sore thumb. And businesses that count on a good amount of their online sales are standing on the sidelines awaiting the verdict on how the shipping giants plan to settle up at the end of the day.continue reading

Global Resistance to TB Drugs is 'Ticking Time Bomb'

Increasing resistance to tuberculosis drugs around the world is a "ticking time bomb", says the World Health Organization (WHO). It estimates almost 500,000 people around the world have a type of TB which is resistant to at least two of the main types of drugs used to treat the disease. But most are not diagnosed and are walking around spreading these more deadly strains. More than half the cases are in China, Russia and India.continue reading

FDA Seeks Anti-‘superbug’ Bill

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants Congress to pass a bill to help the agency combat the scourge of germs that have grown resistant to antibiotic drugs. Legislation would allow the agency to create a program to develop special drugs designed to attack so-called “superbugs” that have become resistant to other medicine, the director of FDA's drug evaluation center, Janet Woodcock, said. Though the agency might have the legal power to develop a program on its own, Woodcock said, legislation would be the best way to start the initiative swiftly and forcefully.continue reading

11/2/2013 Daily Health News, Objects left in Surgical Patients, Drug Resistant TB Threat,

Blood Test for Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the Works

A blood test for antibodies that target the vinculin protein could be used to determine if a condition is related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers report. If confirmed, it would be the first serum-based diagnostic test for IBS. Continue Reading

Joint Commission Calls for Hospitals to Address Problem of Objects Left in Surgical Patients

The Joint Commission said hospitals and ambulatory-care centers must improve their counting procedures and other safeguards to reduce the number of objects left inside patients after a wound closure. The costs from the errors—including unreimbursed Medicare payments, plus legal and surgery fees—could range from $166,000 to more than $200,000 per incident. About 95% of the 772 cases of unintended retention of foreign objects, or URFO, logged between 2005 and 2012 resulted in extended hospitals stays or additional care, according to the alert. Those statistics came from volunteer reporting, and officials said the actual number of incidents are probably higher.Continue Reading

As Bacteria Become Increasingly Resistant, New More Effective Antimicrobials Might Rise From Old

By tinkering with their chemical structures, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have essentially re-invented a class of popular antimicrobial drugs, restoring and in some cases, expanding or improving, their effectiveness against drug-resistant pathogens in animal models.Read More

Rising Drug Resistance Threatens Global Progress Against TB

In its annual TB report, the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) said the world is on track to meet U.N. goals for 2015 of reversing TB incidence and cutting the death rate by 50 percent compared to 1990. Yet around 3 million people with TB are being missed by health systems, and "superbug" drug-resistant strains of the bacterial infection are putting progress at risk.Read More

Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats

Every year, more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result, according to a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The report, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013, presents a first-ever snapshot of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs that have the most impact on human health. .

• In addition to the illness and deaths caused by resistant bacteria, the report found that C. difficile, a serious diarrheal infection usually associated with antibiotic use, causes at least 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths every year.
• The loss of effective antibiotic treatments will not only cripple the ability to fight routine infectious diseases but will also undermine treatment of infectious complications in patients with other diseases. Many advances in medical treatment, such as joint replacements, organ transplants, and cancer therapies, are dependent on the ability to fight infections with antibiotics. If the ability to effectively treat those infections is lost, the ability to safely offer people many of the life-saving and life-improving modern medical advances will be lost with it.
• The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine.  However, up to half of antibiotic use in humans and much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary or inappropriate.

To combat antibiotic resistance, CDC has identified four core actions that must be taken:

1. Preventing Infections, Preventing the Spread of Resistance: Avoiding infections in the first place reduces the amount of antibiotics that have to be used and reduces the likelihood that resistance will develop during therapy;
2. Tracking: CDC gathers data on antibiotic-resistant infections, causes of infections and whether there are particular reasons (risk factors) that caused some people to get a resistant infection;
3. Improving Antibiotic Use/Stewardship: Perhaps the single most important action needed to greatly slow the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections is to change the way antibiotics are used;
4. Development of Drugs and Diagnostic Tests: Because antibiotic resistance occurs as part of a natural process in which bacteria evolve, we will always need new antibiotics to keep up with resistant bacteria as well as new diagnostic tests to track the development of resistance.

This information is from the CDC. What they don’t mention is that Poland is saving lives of people that could not be cured with antibiotics. In one study they had a 95% rate for people who previously had unsuccessful treatment with antibiotics. They used Phage therapy which we use to use before antibiotics were discovered. THey are cheap to use so Poland is saving money on their health care costs.

The only problem is that under our present laws drug companies can’t patent the therapy. Which means they can’t make money. Basically people are dying because of the way our laws are written.

.Drug resistance Spreading Around the World

In the United States, as resistance spreads across classes of drugs, necessitates the use of more expensive drugs, makes treatment less effective, and Drugs with more dangerous side effects In March of 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) said that antibiotics become useless in the future, leaving infections untreatable. This has already happened in one subspecies of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. 

In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study identified increasing resistance to a class of drugs called Cephalosporins, which are commonly used to treat severe Salmonella infections in adults and children.

Currently, about five percent of Salmonella strains are resistant to Cephalosporins. These Salmonella strains produce beta-lactamase enzymes that breaks down cephalosporins and thereby confers resistance to the bacteria that produces this enzyme. Of concern to the researchers is the fact that the genes related to antimicrobial resistance are often mobile, moving between bacteria and Salmonella subspecies.

There is a new form of RNA called ExRNA which goes outside bacteria and spreads genetic material from one bacteria to another. This is one way drug resistance can be spread.

Drug resistance within the subspecies, Salmonella Kentucky, has largely increased overseas in recent years, posing a significant problem in Africa and the Middle East and sounding an alarm among researchers in the U.S.

“If it comes to this country and gets into our poultry farms, we will run out of antibiotics to treat it,” said Susan Vaughn Grooters, food-safety research and policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Resistance that was first observed in Indonesia, than in India, Pakistan and the Middle East. Then it then spread to Europe and very recently has emerged in Canada and the U.S. Consumer awareness of resistance and a demand for transparency surrounding it is important, as is increased regulation regarding antibiotic use.

Still Doctors prescribe antibiotics regularly for nasal infections which have been shown to be mostly viral.

It is urgent that we use Phage Therapy to fight bacterial diseases. It is not affected by drug resistant and does not have the side effects of antibiotics..

Super Bug CRKP Kills 35% of the People Infected

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae known as CRKP is resistant to all antibiotics but one, colistin. Unfortunately colistin can damage the kidneys. Because CRKP has two membranes it is difficult to kill even with colistin.  

.  Klebsiella has been a harmless bacteria that lives in our intestine. Because of the overuse of antibiotics it has developed into CRKP that is antibiotic resistant. Bacteria can pass their DNA to other bacteria that they are touching. CRKP has already past its resistance to one species of E Coli This is one of the reason that drug resistance is spreading so quickly. So far there is only one totally drug resistant bacteria but more are expected in the near future.

The main way CRKP is spread is by people touching each other. In one hospital that was having a CRKP epidemic they found out that the health care workers only washed their hands between patients 48% of the time. There is a new product on the market that requires health care workers to wear a badge that has GPS tracking If a healthcare worker goes to a patient without stopping by the sink the badge  busses to remind the health care worker to wash their hands. It is time all hospitals get this system. CRKP can also be spread to the lungs via a ventilator, through an IV catheter or through urinary tract catheter. It can also be spread by sharing clothing, razors or sporting equipment. . .

CRKP can cause a variety of illnesses, most commonly pneumonia, It also causes inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord, urinary tract infections, wound infections and blood infections, It can also cause infected surgical site infections.

To continue to ignore the fact that phage therapy can treat any bacterial disease is a travesty We need to encourage the FDA to change their attitude about phage therapy. .  .

You Can Catch MRSA from Going Swimming in Florida

Some Florida beaches and some beaches along the west coast of the United States are infected with MRSA. Around Ft.Lauderdale, where I live, they regularly check the water for the bacterial infection. If they find harmful bacteria, they will close the beach. The ocean is not the only place you can catch MRSA. Football Players have a higher rate of MRSA infections.than the general public.They can get infected from grass burns from the artificial turf. People who spend a lot of time in crowded gyms can get infected. Other places where people can get infected are Child Care centers, nursing homes, military barracks, prisons, and hospitals,

The people most likely to get MRSA are those with weakened immune systems. Such as people with cancer, AIDS, bad cases of asthma or diabetes  Also people who are having  invasive surgery such as hip or knee replacement are at risk of having MRSA infections. People who work with animals such as Veterinarians are also in danger.

MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. Many people have MRSA infestations in their noses. Most of these people show no symptoms sometimes for many years. Their immune systems keep the MRSA under control, but if there immune system gets weakened because of another disease the MRSA can spread to their lungs and cause bacterial pneumonia. Pneumonia is hard to treat. If a doctor treats the pneumonia with the wrong antibiotic, one that doesn't affect MRSA, the doctor has a very short time to find an antibiotic that will work.before the patient dies.

The other way MRSA  infects the body is through a scratch or a cut in the skin. If it is caught quickly it can be treated with surgery. The surgeon cuts out the infection Many times that is all the treatment necessary. But if the MRSA gets into the bloodstream it can infect internal organs, joints and bones.

MRSA  kills more Americans than AIDS and costs more than $20 billion to treat. Globally  about 53 million people are infected with MRSA each Year. Several Pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine for MRSA. It is difficult to develop.  So far two companies have failed in late stages of trials. Any possible vaccine is at least 10 to 15 years out.  

In the Republic of Georgia they have been able to treat MRSA with Phage Therapy. In one of their trials they had a 95%.success rate. Sense phage is unaffected by drug resistance it is more effective than antibiotics in treating MRSA. Hopefully it will be made legal in the United States soon.    

Superbug CRE Almost Untreatable

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, known as CRE  is on the rise in US hospitals and nursing homes.  According To the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far only 4% of the U.S. acute care facilities had cases of CRE last year. This number is expected to increase.Sense it is resistant to most antibiotics it is nearly untreatable.

 

According to the CDC “Healthy people usually do not get CRE infections. In healthcare settings, CRE infections most commonly occur among patients who are receiving treatment for other conditions. Patients whose care requires devices like ventilators (breathing machines), urinary (bladder) catheters, or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients who are taking long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for CRE infections.” Many times these people have weakened immune systems.

Some CRE bacteria have become resistant to most available antibiotics. Once these CRE bacteria get into the bloodstream they can contribute to death in  50% of patients. This is a higher rate of death than MRSA Doctors are stuck treating the CRE bacteria with the antibiotic colistin which has a toxic effect on the kidneys and can damage nerves.

The CDC reported  CRE was first detected in a North Carolina hospital in 2001. Since that time, it has been identified in health care facilities in 41 other states. There was a 30% infection rate in long-term care facilities (e.g. nursing homes), though not all patients are symptomatic. During just the first half of 2012, almost 200 hospitals and long-term acute care facilities treated at least ]The increases in CRE prevalence have not been limited to the US. CRE bacteria is also on the rise in Thailand and Australia

A study conducted in the Melbourne, Australia ICU demonstrated that hand washing stations were locations CRE resistant bacteria were found . The researchers discovered.  that improper cleaning methods spread  the bacteria from sink to sink. Other sources of transmission were

failure to adequately clean and disinfect medication cabinets, other surfaces in patient rooportable medical equipment, such as X-ray and ultrasound machines that are used for both CRE and non-CRE patients.

In a recent study in Australia, researchers found  CRE resistant bacteria in ICU sinks and drains. Despite multiple attempts to sterilize these sinks and drains, using detergents and steam, hospital staff were unsuccessful in getting rid of the CRE  bacteria. Due to the bacteria's resistance to cleaning measures, staff should take extreme precaution in maintaining sterile environments in hospitals not yet infected with the CRE-resistant bacteria.Copper sinks were found to stop the spread of CRE bacteria.

The CDC has urged hospitals, health care providers and patients to take steps to curb the

spread of the dangerous superbug that include frequent hand-washing. The agency also

recommends removing intravenous lines and catheters as early as possible to reduce the risk of

infection.

New Robot Cleans Hospital Rooms

As a child my daughter acquired two infections when she had an operation on her leg. A three day stay turned into a month long ordeal. Now days this would be called a HAI, Hospital-Acquired infection. Today this is a major problem. The CDC estimates that  1.7 million people will get HAIs and 99,000 people die each year.

One day while I was sitting in the hospital Hospital with my daughter I moved the chair. Underneath the chair was dust that looked like it had been there a year. Obviously cleanliness was a problem. In Hospitals the cleaning staff is not necessarily given enough time to clean the rooms thoroughly. Research shows that more than half of the surfaces remain untouched.after cleaning.

  There are many micro organism that are HAIs the most dangerous are  Clostridium difficile (C. diff), MRSA, Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and Acinetobacter baumannii. Some superbugs such as C. diff are showing resistance to disinfectants, making them even harder to eliminate. Others, like CRE, have developed a resistance to antibiotics, making them nearly impossible to treat. CRE is expected to become more dangerous than MRSA.

Xenex Healthcare Services LLC has developed a robot that disinfect hospital rooms by using Ultraviolet light. When the ultraviolet light hits a bacteria and viruses it breaks their  DNA into pieces. Ultraviolet rays do the same in humans causing skin cancer.The Robot takes 5 to 10 minutes to clean a room.It can clean any room in the hospital. It has been shown to be 20 times more effective than chemical cleaning. In one hospital they reduced C. diff infections by 53%.

Please Don't Amputate Your Foot

People from all over the world that are facing amputation go to the Republic of Georgia to get treatment. In Georgia they use Bacteriophage, phage for short, to treat bacterial infection that are resistant to antibiotics. In tests they have proved to be 80 to 90% effective.

Phage are viruses that kill bacteria.The Phage will insert their DNA into a bacteria. Then they will use the bacteria to reproduce themselves over and over again. When the bacteria becomes stuffed with phage it will burst open, killing the bacteria and spilling out 50 or more Phage. These Phage will attack and kill more bacteria.

Each Phage will only attack one type of bacteria. Antibiotics kill several types of bacteria, the good bacteria that help us digest food along with the bad that cause infections.

In treating infections several types of Phage are use together in what is called a cocktail. By using a Cocktail they can still kill the bacteria even if it develops resistance to one of the phage. Phases are designed for an individual because many times there are more than one type of bacteria in an infections. Cocktails can contain as many as 100 phases .

Besides Amputations there are many other conditions that are caused by drug resistant bacteria. In fact over 100,000 people die each year from drug resistant bacteria. These conditions can also be treated by Phage.

In 1921 Felix dHerelle was the first to use Phage Therapy. He treated dysentery. During the early years there were mixed results with Phage Therapy. As the science improved so did the results.By the 1940’s Phage Therapy was used in the US. With the discovery of antibiotics the US stopped using Phage. Germany and the USSR used Phage Therapy during WWII to treat

their soldiers. After the war the USSR continued to use Phage Therapy and did a lot of research on Phage.. Because of the cold war the research findings did not reach the US. Some of the research is still not available because it is not translated into English.

Because of our current laws and regulations Phage can not be used for medicine in the United States. Phage Therapy can not be patented because it is a living organism. Drug companies will not spend money on Phage because without exclusive rights they can’t make a profit.

Current drug laws would require the Phage Cocktails to go through the approval processes even if all the individual  Phages have been approved. In different parts of the country

there can be different bacteria prevalent. This would cause a need to get a tremendous number of cocktails to get approved. It costs eight hundred million to get an antibiotic to market. To get all of the cocktails approved would probably cost close to the national debt.

Phage Therapy has been safely used for 90 years.  The FDA needs a different standard for testing Bacteriophage than for medicines that have been formulated by man. A drug without a record of safety.

To bring Phage Therapy to market in the US we need to develop more public awareness. We need to bring pressure to bear on the Congress and the FDA to change regulations. As long as it costs as much as it does under the present regulations nothing will ever get done and people will continue to die .

If you would like to help bring about change so that we can use Phage Therapy please leave me a note on the blog and I will get back to you.

To find out more about peoples personal experiences with Phage therapy check out this link http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-03/next-phage