Life-saving coronavirus drug 'major breakthrough.

Life-saving corona virus drug 'major breakthrough. A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with corona virus.

The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say.

Weed Killer in $289 Million Cancer Verdict Found in Oat Cereal and Granola Bars.

Weed Killer in $289 Million Cancer Verdict Found in Oat Cereal and Granola Bars.Popular oat cereals, oatmeal, granola and snack bars come with a hefty dose of the weed-killing poison in Roundup, according to independent laboratory tests commissioned by EWG. Glyphosate, an herbicide linked to cancer by California state scientists and the World Health Organization, was found in all but two of 45 samples of products made with conventionally grown oats. Almost three-fourths of those samples had glyphosate levels higher than what EWG scientists consider protective of children’s health with an adequate margin of safety. About one-third of 16 samples made with organically grown oats also had glyphosate, all at levels well below EWG’s health benchmark. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the Monsanto weed killer that is the most heavily used pesticide in the U.S.

Many health care workers do not know correct influenza precautions.

Many health care workers do not know correct influenza precautions. In a small survey conducted at a St. Louis hospital, many health care personnel could not describe the correct transmission-based precautions for patients with influenza, and some even said they had reservations about the safety and effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Hilary M. Babcock, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues surveyed 170 full- and part-time health care personnel (HCP) at a long-term care (LTC) facility with a mandatory influenza vaccination policy. Just 73 people responded to the survey. Among those, 42 reported closer contact with patients — including many nurses — and 21 said they had less patient contact working in jobs such as food service worker and administrator. Skip to main content

Reverse zoonosis. How human pathogens affect animals.

Reverse zoonosis. The fact that diseases can pass from humans to animals is, perhaps, not such a surprise. An estimated 61.6 percent of human pathogens are regarded as multiple species pathogens and are able to infect a range of animals.

 Also, over 77 percent of pathogens that infect livestock are multiple species pathogens. One of the earliest studies demonstrating reverse zoonosis was conducted in 1988 and looked at dermatophytes - fungi that cause superficial infections of the skin, nails, and hair - including Microsporum and Trichophyton.

The authors found that these fungi could be transmitted from animal to animal, human to human, animal to human, and human to animal.

 From 2000, studies began to emerge investigating the ability of certain parasites to pass from human to animal, including Giardia duodenalis (the parasite responsible of giardiasis), and Cryptosporidium parvum (a microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis) A CASE OF .Reverse zoonosis. 

 A study, published in the journal Veterinary Microbiology in 2006, looked at methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pets and its transmission between humans and animals.The paper mentions a specific case in which a couple was repeatedly infected with MRSA.

The re-infections only stopped once their dog was identified as the source and treated. It is presumed that the dog was initially infected by the couple and then passed the infection back to them each time they had been successfully treated.

 The emergence of MRSA in household pets is of concern in terms of animal health and the potential for animals to act as sources of infection or colonization of human contacts.Reverse zoonosis.

 A paper, published in 2004, describes the case of a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier who arrived at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine with anorexia, vomiting, and a persistent cough. After running a barrage of tests - including, sadly, an eventual postmortem - the authors concluded that it had contracted tuberculosis (TB) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

The dog's owner had been receiving treatment for TB for 6 months. This was the first documented transmission of TB from human to canine.

 In 2009, the first recorded case of fatal human-to-cat transmission of the H1N1 flu virus occurred in Oregon. The owner of the cat had a severe case of influenza and had to be taken to the hospital. Her cat - an indoor cat with no exposure to other people or animals - later died of pneumonia caused by an H1N1 infection.
Details of the case were published in the journal Veterinary Pathology. In 2011 and 2012, researchers identified more than 13 cats and one dog with pandemic H1N1 infection that appeared to have come from human contact. Interestingly, the animals' symptoms were similar to those experienced by human carriers - rapidly developing respiratory disease, a lack of appetite and, in some cases, death.

Anti-cancer properties of soybeans.

Anti-cancer properties of soybeans. The proteins found in soybeans could inhibit the growth of colon, liver and lung cancers according to new research.Soybean meal is a bi-product of oil extraction from soybean seeds and used to feed livestock. It is rich in protein, which usually makes up around 40% of the nutritional components of the seeds and also contain high oleic acid.#soybeans. The study showed the role soybeans could have in the prevention of cancer. Using a variety of soybean lines which were high in oleic acid and protein, the researchers to monitored the bioactivity between the peptides derived from the meals of soybean and various types of human cancer cells. The study showed that peptides derived from soybean meal significantly inhibited cell growth by 73% for colon cancer, 70% for liver cancer and 68% for lung cancer cells using human cell lines. #cancer #soybeans.

MAPPING GENOMES ,DATA AND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

The human body is basically made up of million of cells that are packed with vital information about a person,their health status,disease tendencies and preferences. Genes have been the basis of existence of living creatures,providing information as regards the entity,much of the potential hidden in each entity were never fully utilized,because the level of information available at that time and what many believe was possible. Today,the story is very different with genome mapping,creating a new approach to disease diagnosis,treatment options and prevention of genetic diseases. This mapping of genomes provides us a wide range of data for health protocols, strategic planning and advanced understanding of what makes a man,who he is,what he feels and loves to do and eat. Beijing Genomics CEO Ye Yin, explains that a huge amount of information is locked in each of us and decoding it all could unlock big secrets. He spoke at Wired health , that there are around 100 trillion cells in the human body, each one containing three billion base pairs of DNA. If stretched in a line, they would cover the distance from Earth to the Moon more than 8,000 times. Despite the information density of the human genome, the actual genetic diversity between species isn't that wide. Yin pointed out that we share 63 per cent of our genes with fish and up to 96 per cent with chimpanzees. Even between two humans, the individual genetic variance is only around 0.5 per cent, yet it can result in pronounced differences. Yin said You can grow tall or short and there are maybe only a few base pairs difference in certain genes but genes determine many variable obvious phenotypes. For example, double or single eyelids, whether you can bend your thumbs back or not, if you can roll your tongue, even how much alcohol you can drink. Yin said if genes can be accurately mapped, then this will be a "big data revolution for healthcare". There is already, non-invasive prenatal tests that tests in-utero babies' DNA for Down's Syndrome, and Yin sees "gene tech" becoming like vaccines – a public health shield. Yin's company ,BGI Genomics is one of the world's leading genomics companies. They have recorded outstanding successes ,among which are decoding the Sars virus and creating the first detection kit; sequencing the first ancient human's genome; and serving as a key sequencing centre in the 1000 Genomes Project. Widespread genetic sequencing also has the potential to reflect population-wide health trends. Ying showed heatmaps generated from sequencing data depicting rates of likelihood of disease-causing mutations across China, contrasted against Europe. If this practice became common, the information could even reveal health differences between towns, potentially highlighting local-scale problems. The wealth of information in our cells is just a tip of the iceberg , Yin points to another genomic factor that can impact our health which is the bacteria in our guts. "There are always two to three kilograms of gut microbials in every person," he said . "It's another genome in our body and its even called a second breed. If you feel hungry, maybe it's your bacteria that feels hungry, not you. They're saying 'you must give us some cultures we want'." Even though it's all coming from the same gene background ,the human body the different microgenomics can have huge effects. Experiments on mice have shown that swapping bacteria can affect weight gain and retention. The results are a brand new way of rethinking various nutritional elements, and how to correct them . The phenomenal amount of data in our bodies can, and eventually will be mapped, right down to the individual and microgenomic levels,but human behavior and choices will remain a major influence on our health. materials from wired