4/23/14 Artificial Blood 'Will Be Manufactured in Factories' ♦ Doctors Implant Lab-grown Vagina ♦ Protein May Kill Brain Cells as Parkinson’s Progresses ♦ Flu Drugs May do More Harm Than Good

'Will Be Manufactured in Factories'

Wellcome Trust-funded stem cell research has produced red blood cells fit for transfusion into humans, paving the way for the mass production of blood. But the production of blood on an industrial scale could become a reality once a trial is conducted in which artificial blood made from human stem cells is tested in patients for the first time. Continue Reading

Doctors Implant Lab-grown Vagina

Four women have had new vaginas grown in the laboratory and implanted by doctors in the US. A tissue sample and a biodegradable scaffold were used to grow vaginas in the right size and shape for each woman as well as being a tissue match. They all reported normal levels of "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction" and painless intercourse. Continue Reading

Too Much Protein May Kill Brain Cells as Parkinson’s Progresses

Scientists may have discovered how the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease destroys brain cells and devastates many patients worldwide.  The study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); the results may help scientists develop new therapies. “This may be a major discovery for Parkinson’s disease patients,” said Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D.Source: Continue Reading

Flu Drugs May do More Harm Than Good, Researchers Find

Tamiflu and Relenza, antiviral drugs stockpiled by governments to tame influenza outbreaks, haven’t been proven to prevent pandemics and may cause more harm in some patients than good, researchers said after reviewing 170,000 pages of clinical-trial data.: Continue Reading

Prevent Tick-Borne Illness On Spring Outings

Using repellent and checking often for ticks are the best ways to prevent tick-borne illnesses such as tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, says a state health official.

“Ticks need to be attached for several hours to spread infection so you can reduce your risk by checking for and removing ticks right away,” said Dr. Lon Kightlinger, state epidemiologist for the Department of Health. “Tuck pants into your socks and spray clothes and exposed skin with tick repellent to further reduce your risk.”

In 2013 the South Dakota  department investigated four cases of Lyme disease, seven of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, seven of tularemia and one each of ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. The Ioxdes deer tick that carries Lyme disease prefers heavily forested areas In Wisconsin and Minnesota, so most areas of South Dakota are not suitable habitat for the species. All four Lyme disease cases had tick exposure out-of-state.

A 2011 tick survey by SDSU did not find deer ticks in the locations tested but did find plentiful numbers of Dermacentor dog ticks. The dog tick doesn’t carry Lyme disease but does transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia and ehrlichiosis.

A tick bite is a small, painless red bump with a bright red halo. If a tick is attached, remove it with tweezers or tissue, pulling slowly and steadily, being careful not crush it. Then apply antiseptic to prevent infection. If you use bare hands wash thoroughly with warm, soapy water and don’t touch your eyes before washing.

Tick-borne illness symptoms include sudden onset of a moderate-to-high fever, stiff neck, deep muscle pain, arthritis, fatigue, severe headache, chills, a rash on the arms and legs or around the site of the bite, and swollen lymph nodes, particularly in the neck. If you develop any of these symptoms after a tick bite, see your doctor.

Other precautions include:

• Check frequently for ticks when outside, especially the scalp and folds of skin.
• Check small children thoroughly for ticks when they've been outside or had contact with pets or livestock that may have ticks.
• Use insecticides and collars to protect pets from ticks and limit the number they carry into the home. Apply insecticides and tick repellents to pet bedding.
• Check your animals frequently for ticks. Remove ticks from animals using forceps or tweezers to apply constant traction. If you must use your fingers, wear disposable gloves then wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Alcoholism Linked to Muscle Weakness

Muscle weakness from long-term alcoholism may stem from an inability of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, to self-repair, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

In research conducted with rats, scientists found evidence that chronic heavy alcohol use affects a gene involved in mitochondrial repair and muscle regeneration.

“The finding gives insight into why chronic heavy drinking often saps muscle strength and it could also lead to new targets for medication development,” said Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Mitochondria are cellular structures that generate most of the energy needed by cells. Skeletal muscle constantly relies on mitochondria for power. When mitochondria become damaged, they can repair themselves through a process called mitochondrial fusion — joining with other mitochondria and exchanging material such as DNA.

Although well known in many other tissues, the current study is the first to show that mitochondria in skeletal muscle are capable of undergoing fusion as a repair mechanism. It had been thought that this type of mitochondrial self-repair was unlikely in the packed fibers of the skeletal muscle cells, as mitochondria have little opportunity to interact in the narrow space between the thread-like structures called myofilaments that make up muscle.

By tagging mitochondria in the skeletal tissue of rats with different colors, the researchers were able to observe the process in action and confirm that mitochondrial fusion occurs in muscle cells. They also identified a key protein in the process, mitofusin 1 (Mfn1) fusion proteins, and showed that chronic alcohol use interferes with the process.

In rats that were given an alcohol diet, Mfn1 levels decreased as much as 50 percent while other fusion proteins were unchanged. This decrease in Mfn1 was coupled with a dramatic decrease in mitochondrial fusion. When Mfn1 returned to normal, mitochondrial fusion did as well.

“That alcohol can have a specific effect on this one gene involved in mitochondrial fusion suggests that other environmental factors may also alter specifically mitochondrial fusion and repair,” said Dr. Hajnoczky. He also suggested that identifying the proteins involved in mitochondrial fusion may aid in drug development for alcohol-related muscle weakness.

4/21/14 Health News: Highly Infectious Disease May Soon Arrive in the U.S. ♦ Most Hospital Pregnancy Tests Unreliable ♦ New test for Prostate Cancer Can Save Millions of Men Painful Examination

Highly Infectious Disease May Soon Arrive in the U.S.

When Claire Rourke woke up one morning March of last year with a sore toe, she didn’t worry too much about it. She, her husband and their three daughters were living in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, for a few months as part of a family year abroad. She and her husband had traveled widely — But by the middle of that day, Rourke was sicker than she had ever been before. “I hurt in so many places — my feet, hand, wrists, ankles, elbows and knees,” she says. “I actually remember thinking that I just might die.” Her joints were so swollen, hot and painful that she couldn't rest her elbows on the bed.Continue Reading

Most Hospital Pregnancy Tests Found to Be Unreliable

After First Few Weeks of Pregnancy Though the 11 most popular hospital urine pregnancy tests perform well in the first month after conception, a new study published in Clinical Chemistry, the journal of AACC, reveals the alarming statistic that nine of these tests become significantly more likely to produce false-negative results after the 5th to 7th week of pregnancy. Continue Reading

New test for Prostate Cancer Can Save Millions of Men Painful Examination

Each year prostate tissue samples are taken from over a million men around the world - in most cases using 12 large biopsy needles - to check whether they have prostate cancer. This medical procedure, which was recently described by an American urology professor as 'barbaric', shows that 70% of the subjects do not have cancer. The examination is unnecessarily painful and involves risk for these patients, and it is also costly to carry out. A patient-friendly examination, which drastically reduces the need for biopsies, and may even eliminate them altogether, has been developed . Continue Reading

4/19/14 Health News: FOOD-SAFETY TIPS FOR EASTER EGGS ♦ Anti-vaccine Movement is Giving Diseases a 2nd Life ♦ Overweight/Obese Youth May Not Receive Needed Lab Screening

FOOD-SAFETY TIPS FOR EASTER EGGS

Easter Sunday is coming right up, so here are some important food-safety tips to remember this time of year when you’re decorating, cooking and/or hiding Easter eggs: Be sure and inspect the eggs before purchasing them, making sure they are not dirty or cracked. Dangerous bacteria may enter a cracked egg. Store eggs in their... Continue Reading   

Anti-vaccine Movement is Giving Diseases a 2nd Life

Recent measles outbreaks in New York, California and Texas are examples of what could happen on a larger scale if vaccination rates dropped, says Anne Schuchat, the CDC's director of immunizations and respiratory diseases. Officials declared measles, which causes itchy rashes and fevers, eradicated in the United States in 2000. Yet this year, the disease is on track to infect three times as many people as in 2009. That's because in most cases people who have not been vaccinated are getting infected by others traveling into the United States. Then, Schuchat says, the infected spread it in their communities.Continue Reading

Patients Nationwide Now Have Direct Access to Lab Test Results Through Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics has launched MyQuest by Care360 at QuestDiagnostics.com/MyQuest, a secure patient portal that enables patients to view copies of their lab test reports from Quest Diagnostics. Quest Diagnostics provides direct patient access to lab information through a range of free channels which include a patient portal and mobile health app as well as traditional mail, fax and email. Quest has provided several channels for patients to request and receive their lab reports in select states where direct patient access had been allowed prior to the new federal rule.Continue Reading

Overweight/Obese Youth May Not Receive Needed Lab Screening

Maryland Medicaid/Children's Health Program providers are inadequately coding diagnoses of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, according to a CDC study published in the April 11 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Furthermore, at-risk overweight and obese children and adolescents are not receiving recommended laboratory screening tests for obesity-related conditions.Source:Continue Reading

More Black Peppercorns Recall Due to Salmonella

The food recall warning issued on April 5, 2014 has been updated to include additional product information.

Noah's Natural Foods is recalling organic black peppercorns from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The following product has been sold from bulk at the Noah's Natural Foods locations indicated in the table below.

Brand Name	Common Name	Code(s) on Product	Additional Info
No brand (sold from bulk)	Peppercorn, Black (Organic)	Feb. 13, 2014 until April 11, 2014, inclusive	Noah's Natural Foods @ 322 Bloor St. West, Toronto
No brand (sold from bulk)	Peppercorn, Black (Organic)	Feb. 2014 until mid-March 2014	Noah's Natural Foods @ 2395 Yonge St., Toronto

Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

Another batch of Mouth Wash Recalled Due to Bacterial Contamination

Natural Organics, Inc.recalls one lot of THURSDAY PLANTATION TEA TREE MOUTHWASH due to bacterial contamination EXPANDED to Include THURSDAY PLANTATION TEA TREE MOUTHWASH 8.45 fl oz/ 250mL e, Product No. 6710, Lot 10952

Natural Organics, Inc. is expanding its April 3, 2014 recall of distributed Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Mouthwash to Lot 10952 after they were notified by its contract manufacturer INTEGRIA Healthcare (Australia) Pty Ltd. that this second lot of Tea Tree Mouthwash failed microbial contamination testing due to potential bacterial contamination.

This bacterial contaminant, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, could pose a health risk to consumers. While a health hazard is unlikely, we have initiated this recall because Pseudomonas can cause serious illness in immunocompromised individuals. For more information on Pseudomonas, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Website athttp://www.cdc.gov.

The mouthwash was distributed nationwide to retail stores and to the following foreign country: United Kingdom.

The mouthwash is packaged in clear plastic bottles with green and white labeling bearing the following product code and lot number printed on the back panel of the product label: Thursday Plantation, Tea Tree Mouthwash, 8.45 fl oz/ 250ml e, Product No. 6710, Lot 10952

No other Nature's Plus products distributed by Natural Organics, Inc. are involved in this recall.

This voluntary expanded recall is announced in accord with FDA guidelines.

Consumers who may have purchased affected Thursday Plantation, Tea Tree Mouthwash are advised to return them to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-645-9500 Monday- Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm (EST).