Health News:Swine Flu Panic in Turkey ♦ Toxins found in fracking fluids and wastewater ♦ Researchers ride new sound wave to health discovery

Swine Flu Panic in Turkey The risk of the spreading of swine flu is growing in Turkey, as 35 citizens were identified with this disease in last two days, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported on January 9. Five of 35 people who have been diagnosed with swine flu have died from the infection

Researchers ride new sound wave to health discovery Acoustics experts have created a new class of sound wave -- the first in more than half a century -- in a breakthrough they hope could lead to a revolution in stem cell therapy

Toxins found in fracking fluids and wastewater In an analysis of more than 1,000 chemicals in fluids used in and created by hydraulic fracturing (fracking), researchers found that many of the substances have been linked to reproductive and developmental health problems, and the majority had undetermined toxicity due to insufficient information.

Factors in the blood during dieting may have anti-diabetes properties Factors in the blood from calorie-restricted rats can modify energy-producing mitochondria within the insulin-producing cells that regulate blood sugar levels, new research shows. This has a positive impact on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and protects cells from fatty acid and glucose toxicity

Health News:Toxins remain in your clothes ♦ WHO: Eating processed meats increases chances of developing certain cancers ♦ Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease

WHO: Eating processed meats increases chances of developing certain cancers After reviewing an assessment of the best available scientific evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that the consumption of processed meats can increase a person’s chances of developing certain cancers. WHO, the Geneva-based public health arm of the United Nations, was following a recommendation from its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Depression too often reduced to a checklist of symptoms How can you tell if someone is depressed? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) -- the 'bible' of psychiatry -- diagnoses depression when patients tick off a certain number of symptoms on the DSM checklist. A large-scale quantitative study now shows that some symptoms play a much bigger role than others in driving depression, and that the symptoms listed in DSM may not be the most useful ones

Toxins remain in your clothes Thousands of chemicals are used in clothes manufacturing. Researchers have examined if there are chemicals in the clothes we buy as well. Several substances related to health risks were identified and not even organic cotton was a guarantee for non-toxic textiles

Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease In an effort to pinpoint the earliest signs of diabetic kidney disease, researchers are leading a multi-institutional international effort dedicated to finding a new breed of disease indicators.

Blackouts and near drownings may signal sudden death risk Blackouts and near drowning events may signal an increased risk of sudden death, reveals new research. Such events point to long QT syndrome, a genetic heart condition that can be undetected or misdiagnosed as epilepsy or a panic attack.

Health Research:Device can quickly test for toxins in shellfish ♦ Lung disease may increase risk of insulin resistance, diabetes ♦ New test detects all viruses that infect people,

Portable device can quickly test for sickness-causing toxins in shellfish Mussels, oysters, scallops and clams might be ingredients for fine cuisine, but they can also be a recipe for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning That's a gastrointestinal illness people can get if those tasty morsels contain marine toxins. Now, researchers are reporting the development of a portable, inexpensive device that can quickly and easily screen freshly caught shellfish for these substances

Lung disease may increase risk of insulin resistance, diabetes Numerous studies have identified obesity and poor diet as risk factors for insulin resistance and diabetes. Now, a new study adds another risk factor to the list: inflammatory lung disease

Study lays groundwork for blood test to aid in the detection and monitoring of myeloma Only 5 percent of myeloma cases are stage I when diagnosed. One reason may be the lack of good routine screening tests to identify patients who will progress to myeloma. A new study has found that abnormal levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) detected in the bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients may also be detectable in peripheral blood, and their measurement may be a way to both mark myeloma onset and track its progression from earlier asymptomatic stages.

New test detects all viruses that infect people, animals A new test detects virtually any virus that infects people and animals, according to new research. The new test could be used to detect outbreaks of deadly viruses such as Ebola, Marburg and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), as well as more routine viruses, including rotavirus and norovirus, both of which cause severe gastrointestinal infections

Elabela identified as potential hormone for regenerative medicine A hormone is found to be critical in promoting growth of human embryonic stem cells, paving the way for improved regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies

Health News: Toxins found in ice cream discovered ♦ Thousands of directly hackable hospita devices found exposed ♦ Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints

Toxins found in ice cream discovered Although 2015 will not go down as an ice-cream summer, the world's favourite frosty treat has just become a little bit safer, thanks to an innovative Scottish food safety company which has contributed to an important new test. Test kits made by Glasgow-based R-Biopharm Rhône have been crucial to an investigation into contaminated cow's milk in ice cream.

Thousands of directly hack-able hospital devices found exposed Thousands of critical medical systems – including Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines and nuclear medicine devices – that are vulnerable to attack have been found exposed online. Security researchers Scott Erven and Mark Collao found, for one example, a "very large" unnamed US healthcare organization exposing more than 68,000 medical systems.

New tech automatically 'tunes' powered prosthetics while walking When amputees receive powered prosthetic legs, the power of the prosthetic limbs needs to be tuned by a prosthetics expert so that a patient can move normally -- but the prosthetic often needs repeated re-tuning. Biomedical engineering researchers have developed software that allows powered prosthetics to tune themselves automatically, making the devices more functionally useful and lowering the costs associated with powered prosthetic use.

Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints It is possible to identify an individual's ancestral background based on his or her fingerprint characteristics, new research shows -- a discovery with significant applications for law enforcement and anthropological research

Prototype lab in a needle could make real-time, mobile laboratory testing a reality A lab in a needle device has been created by researchers that could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerating treatment and diagnosis by day

Health Research: New smart drug targets, reduces site-specific inflammation ♦ E-cigarettes may be as addictive as traditional ones ♦ Research with dolphins provides hope for prevention of diabetes in humans

Research with dolphins provides hope for prevention of diabetes in humans

Can butter help prevent diabetes? By comparing 55 fatty acids in blood levels of dolphins and their diets, scientists have discovered a specific dietary saturated fat, called heptadecanoic acid, that may help alleviate what's known as 'prediabetes' in humans. This new study supports a growing body of nutritional science showing that perhaps not all dietary saturated fats are bad, and -- in fact -- that some may be good.

New smart drug targets, reduces site-specific inflammation

The uniqueness of a new novel anti-inflammatory molecule can be found in a singular property. When injected, it is as a non-active drug. However, a localized site with excessive inflammation will activate it. Most other anti-inflammatory agents effectively inhibit inflammatory processes, though in a non-specific manner and in areas that include sites of necessary normal inflammatory homeostasis.

Teeth reveal lifetime exposures to metals, toxins

Is it possible that too much iron in infant formula may potentially increase risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's in adulthood -- and are teeth the window into the past that can help us tell?

Mowing dry detention basins makes mosquito problems worse, team finds

A study of the West Nile virus risk associated with 'dry' water-detention basins in Central Illinois took an unexpected turn when land managers started mowing the basins. The mowing of wetland plants in basins that failed to drain properly led to a boom in populations of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, which can carry and transmit the deadly virus, researchers report.

E-cigarettes may be as addictive as traditional ones

Electronic cigarettes or 'e-cigs' have been touted as a tool smokers can use to wean themselves off of traditional cigarettes, which many believe are more harmful than their 'e' counterparts. But because e-cig liquid also contains nicotine and emits carcinogens, is that perception really true? One team now reports that much of the nicotine in e-cigarettes is the addictive form of the compound.

Health News:Electronic cigarette vapors contain toxins ♦ What is hepatitis A and how does it spread? ♦ Treating blood cancers ♦ Plus More

What is hepatitis A and how does it spread?  While there is no treatment for hepatitis A, getting a vaccine and basic hand washing can help prevent the spread of the viral liver infection. Hepatitis A is a virus that spreads through contact with the vomit or feces of an infected person, often through contaminated food or drink .Continue Reading

Ethiopia’s First Fortified Wheat Will Improve Nutrition for Millions  This month marks a watershed moment in nutrition and food security in Ethiopia: For the first time ever, local producers will begin fortifying wheat flour with the vitamins and minerals children need to develop and adults need to thrive. Continue Reading

Why do cells rush to heal a wound? Mysteries of wound healing unlocked  A research team has discovered how cells know to rush to a wound and heal it -- opening the door to new treatments for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. . Continue Reading

New genome-editing technology to help treat blood cancers  A new genome editing technology has been developed that can target and kill blood cancer cells with high accuracy. Using the technology, researchers were able to kill human lymphoma cells by locating and deleting an essential gene for cancer cell survival Continue Reading

Electronic cigarette vapors contain toxins  On the heels of the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) second public workshop to explore the public health considerations associated with e-cigarettes, researchers explore the composition of e-cigarette vapor and the potential health impacts of secondhand exposure.Continue Reading

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Eating Unprocessed Cassava Can Damage the Brain.

In impoverished regions of sub-Saharan Africa, some villagers need sticks to walk because of neurological damage from the very food that keeps them from starvation - cassava. Toxins in the tuber can cause sudden and irreversible paralysis and, researchers have learned, also undermine cognitive ability even without overt physical symptoms.

This problem has widespread public health implications because cassava, also known as yucca, manioc and tapioca, is a dietary staple for more than 600 million people globally. The cyanide it contains as a chemical defense against herbivores and insects is normally removed by processing through soaking, peeling and drying, but in stressed conditions such as drought, famine and armed conflict, people may eat cassava only partially processed and risk neurological damage.

One country with the highest prevalence of this paralysis is the Democratic Republic of where the condition is known as konzo and can affect up to 5 percent of people in some villages. A research team decided to investigate the extent of neurological damage from cassava as a first step toward finding interventions to reduce it. Congolese-born U.S. researcher Dr. Desire Tshala-Katumbay of both Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Kinshasa and Dr. Michael Boivin of Michigan State University obtained support from Fogarty's brain disorders program, with additional funding from the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). With Dr. Jean-Jacques Meyembe of the Congo National Institute of Biomedical Research, they conducted a study in the Kahemba district.

The team enrolled preteens from villages with and without konzo and gave them standard cognitive and motor proficiency tests. All children in konzo-harboring villages - even without physical symptoms - showed poorer memory than children from konzo-free villages. Those in konzo villages additionally lagged in visual-spatial aptitude and in mental processing. These results suggest that even without physical manifestations from cassava toxins, some children suffer damage and the overall burden of cassava-related brain impact may have been underestimated. The team is also working on a biomarker to predict deficits in konzo patients and is investigating whether genetic susceptibility or dietary patterns can explain the spate of cases within families.

Tshala-Katumbay said he hopes multidisciplinary teams will develop remedies, such as projects to educate villagers about adequate cassava processing methods, to reduce related brain injury. Additional lines of research include the role of gut flora in modulating risks tied to eating improperly processed cassava and the impact of comorbidities such as infections.

"There is more attention to the problem and more research is being done," he continued. He noted Dr. Banea Mayumbu, head of the Congo government's nutrition program, and Dr. Dieudonne Mumba at the University of Kinshasa have joined the research team to provide multidisciplinary expertise. "I hope in time we will get enough expertise to help the government focus on the problem and think about interventions to protect children from brain damage related to malnutrition and cassava toxicity," he concluded.

1/23/14 Health News: Salmonella Biofilms Resists Disinfectants - Concussions Diagnosed on Sports Field - Toxin Kills of HIV- Mediterranean Diet Cuts Type 2 Diabetes

SALMONELLA BIOFILMS EXTREMELY RESISTANT TO DISINFECTANTS

Researchers have discovered that common disinfectants face an uphill battle killing Salmonella once it has had the time to form a biofilm – a community of cells that attach to each other and a surface, increasing the density of bacterial growth and providing support from harsh environments. Researchers at the National University of Ireland, Galway,... Continue Reading

A New Blood Test to Diagnose Concussions on the Sports Field

A protein could signal the first signs of brain changes due to a concussion.

With a finger-stick and a drop of blood, researchers from the University of Rochester say it may be possible to tell whether a player experienced a concussion. Levels of the brain protein S100B start to rise with intense exertion, but also after a major impact such as a blow to the head. So the scientists investigated whether it would be possible to distinguish the two circumstances in hopes of finding a way to detect the first signs of traumatic brain injury. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that a rise in S100B of more than 45% is nearly equivalent to a concussion diagnosis, and easily distinguishable from physical exertion..continue reading

Toxin Shows Promise in Killing Off Lurking HIV

An antibody and toxin mix has successfully detected and killed HIV-infected cells lurking in the organs and bone marrow of mice that were altered to have a human immune system. The results, reported offer conceptual proof that a reservoir of HIV-infected cells in organs can sought out and destroyed, a scenario that would potentially end the stalemate between the virus and antiretroviral drug therapies. The altered mice, developed about eight years ago, can be infected by the human immunodeficiency virus in an identical manner to humans; they exhibit the same viremia and respond the same way to current antiretroviral drug therapy, but do not come down with AIDS, according to the study.Continue Reading

Mediterranean Diet Cuts Type 2 Diabetes Risk by a Third

A Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil cut the risk for developing type 2 diabetes by about a third among adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with a low-fat diet, a new analysis finds. The results, from the subgroup of subjects in the Spanish cardiovascular prevention study Prevencion con Dieta Mediterránea who did not have diabetes at baseline Source:.continue reading

Whey Contaminated With Botulism--, Nobody Gets Sick-- Why ???

Whey Protein was sold by Fonterra was contaminated with Clostridium botulinum the bacteria that causes  Botulism. The contamination was caused by a stainless steel pipe that was dirty. The pipe had been cleaned but then sat for a long time. It was put into use without cleaning it again.

Botulinum toxin is inside the bacteria which causes paralysis. It releases the toxin when the bacteria is replicating. But most of the toxin that causes the paralysis in humans is caused by a virus called bacteriophage. This virus kills bacteria by splitting it open. Thus the toxin gets released.

Clostridium botulinum lives as a spore, sometimes for several years. In its regular form it needs to be in an oxygen free environment. This is one of the factors that made the odds of products like whey powder unlikely to cause disease. Most of Fonterra whey was used in beverages. Coca Cola used it in sports drinks and many companies used it in baby formula. These products were heated to protect them from any bacterial contamination. Heating the beverages to 100 C (boiling) for 10 minutes will destroy the Botulinum toxin and damage the Clostridium botulinum so that it can not multiply or create more toxin.

If Botulism is caught early can be treated with an antivenom that comes from horses. The antivenom stops the Botulinum toxin from entering the bloodstream. This can prevent patients from worsening, but recovery still takes many weeks

The respiratory failure and paralysis that occur with severe botulism may require a patient to be on a ventilator for weeks, plus intensive medical and nursing care. After several weeks, the paralysis slowly improves.

Physicians may try to remove contaminated food still in the stomach by inducing vomiting or by using enemas. Wounds should be treated, usually surgically, to remove the source of the toxin-producing bacteria. Good supportive care in a hospital is the mainstay of therapy for all forms of botulism.[29]

The President of Fonterra announced even though they thought the chance of disease was small they felt that any chance of someone getting sick from their products was too much.

In an early report I stated that Fonterra had originally tested the Whey in march and didn't recall the product. It turns out that the earlier test did not catch the contamination. It was only when they tested it a second time that they found out about the  Clostridium botulinum. They issued the recall with in 24 hours.

New Defense Against Bio-terrorist Attack

University of Missouri Professor Shubhra Gangopadhya found a New technology could improve food safety, defend against bio-terrorism. A team headed by Professor Gangopadhya  found a way to make food contamination testing more rapid and accurate.

This could could accelerate warnings after bio-terrorism attacks.

"Quickly stopping the spread of toxins saves lives, whether those toxins are from natural processes or enemy attacks” according to, postdoctoral fellow Sangho Bok. "Our technique uses nano-particles to make detection one hundred times more sensitive than the standard method” . "We have also reduced the time needed to detect a threat to only one hour, compared to four to six hours” Bok said the team's current testing of the technology focused on Clostriudium botulinum neurotoxin A, It is the most acutely toxic substance known and it causes food poisoning, but that engineers and biologists at the university are working to adapt the test to detect many other dangerous chemicals.

Many times before a food product can be tested for pathogens the foods have left the farm and are already in your refrigerator.  Fast testing could greatly improve our food safety.