Probiotics are More than Digestion Propellant
Source: Charles D Funkel
Probiotics, the beneficial live micro-organisms present as a part of your gut flora are far more helpful than just in the process of digestion. Though proper digestion and stomach health are the primary benefits offered by good bacteria, surprisingly they are not the sole reasons for introducing probiotics into the system. On the contrary, human beings are greatly profited by their presence when it comes to oral health, skin conditions, metabolic activities and most importantly immunity. Here are some of those noticeable benefits brought about by the presence of helpful micro-organisms. Take a look.
Reducing Cholesterol
Researchers state that the overall cholesterol level is reduced in the presence of probiotics. Probiotics are known to break down the bile salts formed by cholesterol thus inhibiting their re- absorption by the gut walls.
Good Oral Health
For healthy teeth and gums, the probiotics prove astonishingly helpful. As bad oral health can lead to severe conditions like diabetes, heart disease and also low birth weight, omitting the cause can ensure a better life. Certain probiotics like the Lactobacillus reuteri kills the tooth decay bacteria and also subdues the effects of gingivitis. By including the probiotics as a part of your daily diet you can easily omit the risks of tooth loss or perpetually bleeding gums.
Effect on Tonsillitis
Certain probiotic elements like BLIS and K12 are known to have a positive impact on people suffering from tonsillitis and strep throat. A measured dose of these bacteria can have a considerable effect on the throat condition thus reducing the recurring episodes of throat disease almost by 90 percent.
Reducing Diarrhea Episodes
Whether due to unhealthy food intake or as a side effect of antibiotics, diarrhea is a horrible experience. However, if you consume probiotics along with the antibiotics served to you, these diarrhea systems have all probability of vanishing within a very short time period.
Female Urinary Tract Condition
One of the primary focuses of the probiotics is used to maintain a healthy urinary tract in females. Females are mostly affected by the presence of spermicides, antibiotics, birth control pills etc due to which the balance between good and bad bacteria is completely disturbed. Introducing probiotics in the form of supplements like Syntol and Floracor or as a part of daily diet can prove quiet effective but only after consulting a doctor.
Eczema
Mothers with skin condition such as eczema run a high risk of passing on the disease to their next generation. However, if the pregnant moms are prescribed to include a regular intake of probiotics either as diet or supplements, chances of the progeny inheriting this disease are slim.
Minimizing the Signs of Colics
The condition when babies cry continuously and is there no apparent way to confirm them is quite a devastating sight for parents. This symptom in babies can be reduced if the mother takes in probiotics as a regular part of the diet during the breast feeding period as they cannot be prescribed to infants.
Even if certain reports present otherwise, probiotics though not a miraculous cure for diseases definitely are not harmful. Eating certain berries, fruit or fermented stuff cannot exactly bring about some drastic change in your health but it definitely strengthens your body's immune system gradually.
Charles D Funkel takes great interest in studying the functions of enzymes on the various functions of the body. She believes that Syntol is effective in improving the metabolic functionalities of human body. She has several articles online on the effectiveness of Trevinol.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charles_D_Funkel
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8324747
Dental Student Explores Probiotics in Dentistry
Source: University of Maryland (http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/communications/news/?ViewStatus=FullArticle&articleDetail=22183)
Despite their bad reputation, bacteria could be used to help treat or even prevent some dental diseases. Dental student Andrew Klish, DDS '14, studied the potential benefits of dental therapies that utilize bacteria and recently published his findings in a General Dentistry literature review.
The paper, "What every dentist needs to know about the human microbiome and probiotics" was written by Klish in collaboration with professor Nasir Bashirelahi, PhD, and Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruitment Judith Porter, DDS, EdD. Klish examined existing research regarding the possible applications of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of caries and periodontal diseases. Probiotics, which are living organisms that provide health benefits, are most commonly found as live cultures of "good" bacteria in products that support digestive health, like dietary supplements and yogurt. Sales of these probiotic foods and supplements surpassed $21 billion in 2010.
In dentistry, probiotics could be used to kill and replace the bacteria Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity. S. mutans are the bacteria that cause dental caries. By treating a patient with probiotics, a dentist may be able to kill S. mutans without eliminating certain types of oral bacteria that have been shown to help prevent the formation of dental caries. "With antibiotics or a mouthwash, you are wiping everything out, even the bacteria that are not doing you any harm. By using probiotics, the goal is to eradicate and then replace just that one type of bacteria," Klish says.
Probiotics have also shown limited success at decreasing the inflammation caused by gingivitis. While the study of probiotics in dentistry is gaining prevalence, more research is needed to determine their clinical effectiveness and safety. Klish hopes that his paper sparks more interest in this area. "This is a new frontier. We have spent the last century trying to destroy bacteria. Probiotics may help us leap forward biomedically and find new ways to treat diseases," he remarks.
How The Immune System Fights Off Malaria
Source: Asian Scientist (http://www.asianscientist.com/in-the-lab/immune-system-fights-malaria-2014/)
Asian Scientist (Jan. 24, 2014) – A new study by scientists in Singapore and the U.S. has revealed how immune cells are critical in combating the malaria parasite in early stages of infection.
The parasites that cause malaria are exquisitely adapted to the various hosts they infect — so studying the disease in mice does not necessarily reveal information that could lead to drugs effective against human disease.
Now, an international team of researchers, led by scientists in Singapore, has developed a strain of mice that mimics many of the features of the human immune system and can be infected with the most common human form of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Using this strain, the researchers have already identified a key host defense mechanism, and they believe it should lead to many more useful discoveries.
“Human malaria studies have been hampered by a lack of animal models,” said Prof. Jianzhu Chen, the lead principal investigator of the Infectious Disease Interdisciplinary Research Group at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART). Chen is one of the senior authors of a paper describing the findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“This paves the way to start dissecting how the host human immune system interacts with the pathogen.”
The malaria parasite is carried by mosquitoes and usually infects the liver and red blood cells of its victims. Scientists hoping to study malaria in mice have previously generated mice with human red blood cells — but these mice also have compromised immune systems, so they can’t be used to study the immune response to malaria infection.
The humanized mouse project described in the new study grew out of an interdisciplinary program initiated in 2003 involving researchers from the U.S., Singapore and France to study the mechanobiology of human red blood cells invaded by malaria parasites and its consequences for the pathogenesis of malaria. In 2007, a collaboration was established through SMART to develop a humanized mouse model for malaria.
Over the past several years, Chen and colleagues have developed strains of mice that have the human cells necessary for a comprehensive immune response. To generate these cells, the researchers deliver human hematopoietic stem cells, along with cytokines that help them mature into B and T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages — all critical components of the immune system. These mice have already proven useful to study other diseases, such as dengue fever.
To adapt the mice for the study of malaria, the researchers injected them with human red blood cells every day for a week, at which point 25 percent of their red blood cells were human — enough for the malaria parasite to cause an infection.
Natural defense
In this latest study, the researchers investigated the role of NK cells and macrophages during the first two days of malaria infection. They found that eliminating macrophages had very little impact on the immune response during those early stages. However, in mice lacking NK cells, parasite levels went up sevenfold, suggesting that NK cells are critical to controlling infection early on.
To further investigate the role of NK cells, the researchers placed human NK cells in a sample of infected and uninfected red blood cells. The NK cells randomly interacted with both types of cells, but they latched onto infected cells much longer, eventually killing them. This indicates that NK cells may provide an important immune defense against malaria.
The researchers hope to use these mice to study experimental malaria vaccines or drugs. In another future study, they plan to inject the mice with human red blood cells from people with sickle cell anemia to investigate how the sickle-shaped red blood cells help people survive malaria infection.
The article can be found at: Chen Q et al. (2014) Human Natural Killer Cells Control Plasmodium Falciparum Infection By Eliminating Infected Red Blood Cells.
Forget vitamin C for preventing colds, but zinc, probiotics and handwashing may help: study
Source: National Post (http://life.nationalpost.com/2014/01/27/forget-vitamin-c-for-preventing-colds-but-zinc-probiotics-and-handwashing-may-help-study/)
Vitamin C has no proven, meaningful benefit for the average cold sufferer, although zinc supplements and frequent gargling with water may provide some relief.
Decongestants for adults may bring small improvements of “uncertain” significance for stuffy and runny noses, but nasal irrigation, humidified air, garlic, Chinese herbal medicines and echinacea? Apparently, not so much.
So concludes a new review on the prevention and treatment of the common cold, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
While considered mostly a nuisance, the common cold’s impact “on society and health care is large,” Dr. Michael Allan, a family doctor and associate professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Alberta, and co-author Bruce Arroll, of the University of Auckland, New Zealand write. “In the United States alone, direct medical costs (physician visit secondary infections and medications) were an estimated $17 billion a year in 1997.” Workdays lost to illness or caring for a sick child accounted for another $25 billion a year.
“The common cold is so common,” Allan said. “Adults get, on average, two to three a year, kids get six a year and elderly people about one.”
The duo looked at the best available evidence they could find for traditional and nontraditional approaches to treating the cold.
The average adult would need to use vitamin C for 10 or 15 years to prevent one cold,” Allan said
Here is some of what they found:
First, what’s the common cold?
“An acute, self-limiting viral infection of the upper respiratory tract involving the nose, sinuses, pharynx and larynx.” Symptoms generally peak at one to three days and last seven to 10 days, though infections lasting three weeks are not unheard of. Risk factors for adults include stress and poor sleep. For preschoolers? Attending a day care centre.
What’s the best evidence for preventing the common cold?
Frequent handwashing. Zinc also appears to be effective in reducing the number of colds per year, at least in children. Two randomized, controlled trials from Iran testing zinc sulfate supplements of 10 mg or 15 mg daily found far fewer colds in the zinc group than in the placebo group. However, “I certainly don’t want to be telling parents to put their children on zinc every day to prevent the common cold. The research is not very robust,” Allan said.
Studies suggest zinc shortens the duration of colds in adults by about 1.5 days (the most commonly studied regimen was a 23-mg zinc gluconate lozenge every two hours.) But again, the results were mixed. As well, “kids in these studies did not get a benefit, but adults did,” Allan said. Zinc should never be used via nasal spray, he added. “A few cases have linked it to the loss of smell.”
Probiotics may also be helpful in preventing upper respiratory tract infections in children and adults. A single study also found that frequent gargling with water (20 ml for 15 seconds repeated three times, and performed three times daily) also reduced the risk of respiratory tract infections. However, ginseng’s role in preventing colds is “questionable,” with results from several studies providing “inconsistent results.”
What works for treating the common cold?
Antihistamines combined with decongestants appear to have small to moderate effect on cold symptoms in adults. However, over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamines combined with decongestants or cough suppressants are of no benefit for children, “and Health Canada recommends against their use in children under the age of six years,” the authors warn.
Studies suggest a single dose of honey at bedtime can help improve cough and sleep in children over 12 months of age. (Honey should not be given to children younger than one.) Acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help with aches and pain and fever.
Vitamin C “may provide some benefit in people under physical stress (e.g. marathon runners or soldiers in subarctic environments,” the authors write. But, 29 trials involving more than 11,300 people testing Vitamin C for preventing the common cold found “no meaningful benefit in the average patient.”
“The average adult would need to use vitamin C for 10 or 15 years to prevent one cold,” Allan said.
Obesity predicts periodontal therapy outcomes
Source: Oral Health Group
By: Rob Goszkowski, Associate Editor (Jan 2014)
Link: http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/obesity-predicts-periodontal-therapy-outcomes/1002837696/xpz4r7Mzpx0sW1y8rM2vMwk/?ref=enews_OH&utm_source=OH&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OH-EN01152014
Worldwide, obesity is becoming so prevalent that it can be characterized as an epidemic. It is a chronic health issue that affects more than 500 million people, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. has a particularly high rate of obesitywith more than one-third of the adult population falling into that category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And an increase in the rates of obesity domestically increased across all income and education levels between 1988-1994 and 2007-2008.
Obesity's effects on health are widespread and still being studied. Dentistry has not been spared the impact of obesity on health. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Dental Research could help clinicians refine their treatment plans and set expectations for a portion of their patient population who they will inevitably encounter (January 2014, Vol. 93:1, pp. 49-54).
“The magnitude of this association was similar to that of smoking.”
"Body mass index (BMI) and obesity appear to be independent predictors of poor response following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," wrote the study authors from Eastman Dental Institute in London, Plymouth University in the U.K., and the European Research Group on Periodontology in Italy. They found an association between worse probing pocket depths (PPDs) and obesity that "was similar to that of smoking, which was also linked to a worse clinical outcome (p < 0.01)."
The relevance of their conclusion is increased by the findings of a meta-analysis that found that obese patients are 2.3 times more likely to have periodontitis than a control group of a healthy weight, independent of traditional risk factors (Obesity Reviews, May 2011, Vol. 12:5, pp. e381-e404).
The researchers intended to find out if BMI is a predictor of a patient's response to nonsurgical periodontal treatment for severe periodontitis. To do so, they selected five clinical studies that focused on this type of treatment. All included adult patients who had pocket depths of more than 5 mm and marginal alveolar bone loss greater than 30% affecting over half of their teeth. Otherwise, they were generally healthy and not on antibiotics within three months of their assessment.
Treatment consisted of oral hygiene instructions and full-mouth mechanical periodontal debridement. Patients' clinical response to treatment was defined as whole-mouth average PPD, clinical attachment levels (CAL), percentage of sites with PPDs of more than 4 mm, and full-mouth bleeding score at two months, the researchers explained.
They evaluated the association with BMI with generalized estimating equations. Of the 260 cases considered, there were 93 BMI overweight patients and 55 BMI obese patients. After evaluating the data from those cases, the researchers determined that age was not a significant indicator of treatment success, but smoking status, plaque, BMI, and obesity were significantly associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
Interestingly, with each BMI increase of 10 kg/m², the percentage of sites with PPDs of more than 4 mm increased by 2.5%. However, "the categorical analyses showed no evidence of a relationship between overweight and periodontal status two months following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," the researchers wrote.
Obesity proved to be relevant to treatment outcome in several areas. It was an independent predictor of poorer outcomes at the two-month mark (p = 0.012). These patients averaged 3.2% more sites with PPDs of greater than 4 mm than subjects with a BMI in the normal range. "The magnitude of this association was similar to that of smoking," in which smokers had, on average, 3.9% more sites at two months with PPDs of more than 4 mm than did nonsmokers, the researchers wrote.
They also noted that obesity served as a statistically significant predictor of mean PPD (p = 0.031) and percentage of PPD of more than 4 mm.
"This analysis provides evidence of a predictive role of continuous and categorical measures of BMI and clinical periodontal parameters following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," the researchers wrote. "It confirmed a linear association across increasing values of BMI and severity and extent of periodontitis."
Copyright © 2013 DrBicuspid.com
Dental Hygienists Remind you to Make 2014 Your Year for Improved Oral Health
Source: Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA)
Link: http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/dental-hygienists-remind-you-to-make-2014-your-year-for-improved-oral-health/1002843209/xpz4r7Mzpx0sW1y8rM2vMwk/?ref=enews_OH&utm_source=OH&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OH-EN01152014
The beginning of a new year is a perfect opportunity to make a fresh start and set new personal and professional goals. While many people focus on self-improvement at this time of year, dental hygienists remind Canadians not to overlook oral health when making choices about improving overall physical and mental wellness.
“Good oral health is essential to total health and the key to a happy and productive life,” says Mary Bertone, president of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA). Research suggests that periodontal disease, which can result from unchecked plaque on the teeth, is a risk factor for serious life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes, lung and heart disease, and stroke. “Resolving to make oral health a priority in your daily life is an investment in your future,” adds Bertone, noting that people of all ages can set oral health goals and develop new habits in 2014. “You are never too young or too old to make a commitment to oral health care.” Here are some helpful dental hygiene tips for all ages:
Infants and Toddlers up to age 3: Wipe your baby’s mouth and gums with a clean, wet cloth after feeding. Teach toddlers to hold a toothbrush, but brush for them twice a day using water (no toothpaste is necessary) once their first teeth appear.
Children ages 3–6: Help your children to brush their teeth twice a day, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Show them how to brush every tooth surface and their tongue, and make sure that they spit out the toothpaste when they are done.
Children ages 613: Encourage children to begin flossing once a day, in addition to brushing twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste. Help them to make healthy food choices, avoiding sweets and sugars. Have them fitted for a sports mouthguard to be worn during athletic activity.
Teenagers and Adults: Brush teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash and clean in between the teeth at least once a day. Eliminate tobacco use and eat nutritious foods that are low in sugar. Remember to wear a sports mouthguard during active play.
Seniors: Brush natural teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean in between the teeth at least once a day. Clean and soak dentures (full or partial) daily. Brush and massage the gums, either with a soft toothbrush or with a warm, damp cloth.
And of course, everyone from the age of one should visit a dental professional regularly to ensure optimum oral health. By developing good oral health habits now, you’ll look and feel better, not just in 2014 but for a lifetime.
Serving the profession since 1963, CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 26,800 registered dental hygienists working in Canada, directly representing 17,000 individual members including dental hygienists and students. Dental hygiene is the 6th largest registered health profession in Canada with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit:www.dentalhygienecanada.ca
Ear infections in kids are costly
Source: EmaxHealth (http://www.emaxhealth.com/comment/reply/46428)
Kids suffer from a lot of ear infections and the costs are high. Ear infections in kids can be a very troubling problem with associated fevers and the need to stay home in bed. A realization of how high the costs are in dealing with ear infections in kids should alert us to how widespread the problem is and the need for more aggressive manners to try to prevent these infections.
The diagnosis of acute otitis media confers a significant growing health-care utilization burden on both patients and on the health care system, reports The Laryngoscope. Pediatric acute otitis media accounts for about $2.88 billion in added health care expense annually across the USA. With its high prevalence across the United States this creates a serious health-care utilization concern.
In this study there was a focus on about 8.7 million children who were diagnosed with acute otitis media. Kids with this condition had additional medical office visits and prescription fills per year versus those kids without the condition. Also, acute otitis media was found to be associated with an incremental increase in outpatient health care costs of $314 per child per year along with an increase of $17 in patient medication costs. The observed addition of about $2.88 billion in added health care expense annually from pediatric acute otitis media is a significant health-care utilization concern.
Therefore, the health care system is burdened with about $3 billion in costs per year from kids' ear infections, reports UCLA. Acute otitis media, or ear infection, has been observed to be the most common illness among kids of preschool age and younger in the United States. This is primarily because these kids have:
1: Immature middle-ear drainage systems
2: Higher exposure to respiratory illnesses
3: Undeveloped immune systems
As would be anticipated acute otitis media is the most common reason for antibiotic use among all kids. Due to today's political and economic climate, with strained health-care resources and cost-containment efforts, the costs associated with acute otitis media are under more scrutiny than ever before by health care and government administrators.
A new study by UCLA and Harvard University researchers has been the first to use a national population database which gives a direct comparison of expenditures for pediatric patients who are diagnosed with ear infections and similar patients who have not suffered from ear infections. The findings demonstrate that acute otitis media is associated with significant increases in direct costs which are incurred by consumers and the health care system.
Dr. Nina Shapiro, study co-author, has said, "Although the annual incidence of ear infection may be declining in the U.S., the number of kids affected remains high, and the public health implications of AOM are substantial." Dr. Shapiro goes on to point out that efforts to control costs and allocate resources in our health care system are particularly important at this time.
Dr. Shapiro has pointed out that although certain immunizations that target infection-causing bacteria might play a role in slightly lowering the overall rate of ear infections, millions of young kids will still suffer from them. She has said, "The take-home message is that the common ear infection is an extremely costly entity with significant financial burdens on the health care system." With the heavy financial considerations in dealing with acute otitis media of great concern, clearly prevention is of paramount interest.
The best way to prevent ear infections is to lower the risk factors which are associated with them, writes the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Some things which you might want to do to decrease your child’s risk for ear infections includes:
1: Vaccinate your child against the flu. Make certain your child gets the influenza, or flu, vaccine every year. Studies have shown that vaccinated kids get far fewer ear infections than kids who aren’t vaccinated.
2: Wash hands frequently. Washing hands well prevents the spread of germs and can help protect your child from catching a cold or the flu.
3: Avoid exposing your baby to cigarette smoke. Studies have shown that babies who are around people who smoke have more ear infections.
4: Do not ever put your baby down for a nap, or for the night, with a bottle.
5: Don’t allow children who are sick to spend time together.
I always hear stories from mother's about their concerns about childhood infections, with questions always raised about the best methods of prevention for these infections. The high costs of dealing with acute otitis media in children is a direct reflection of how often kids are sick with this condition, which is more than just a financial drain on kids and their parents.
Clearly, prevention is the best initial approach to dealing with ear infections and other infections in kids. Parents should discuss these issues with their Family Doctors or pediatricians.
With widespread flu activity increasing, resist urge for antibiotics
Flu season is in full force, newly released numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate.
New data released Friday show that for the week of Dec. 29, 2013 to Jan. 4, 2014, flu activity was widespread in 35 states, up from 25 states in the previous week's report. Widespread activity means flu cases are appearing in at least half of the regions across the state. Read more
Hong Kong confirms second human H7N9 bird flu case in a week
Source: Gobalpost (globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131206/hong-kong-confirms-second-human-h7n9-bird-flu-case-week)
Hong Kong health authorities on Friday confirmed a new human case of the deadly H7N9 bird flu, the second case to come to light in less than five days.
An 80-year-old man has been infected and is hospitalised in the southern Chinese city, Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection controller Leung Ting-hung told reporters at a press conference.
"Tonight we have confirmed the second human case of avian flu influenza A H7N9 we believe this is an imported case," Leung said, adding that the patient has been living in the neighbouring mainland China city of Shenzhen.
The man, a Hong Kong resident, was admitted to the city's Tuen Mun hospital on Tuesday due to underlying medical conditions, but developed a fever on Friday.
He is currently in a stable condition and is being treated in an isolation ward.
Officials are still investigating whether or not the patient had come into contact with poultry on the mainland.
"We are still investigating if the patient had exposure to poultry, but he definitely did not in Hong Kong," Leung said.
Though this was the second case of human H7N9 bird flu in the former British colony in less than a week, officials said there was no need to worry about an outbreak.
"There is no evidence that this virus can cause sustained human-to-human transmission so the risk of widespread or community-wide outbreak is low," Leung said.
"We expect sporadic cases of human avian influenza H7N9 to occur from time to time as the temperature falls at this time of year," he added.
Officials have started tracing the patient's relatives both in Hong Kong and in Shenzhen, placing patients and healthcare workers who were in contact with the man at the hospital under "medical surveillance".
On Monday the city admitted a 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who was infected with the virus.
"She has a history of travelling to Shenzhen, buying a chicken, slaughtering and eating the chicken," Hong Kong health minister Ko Wing-man had said.
Health officials said they have not found any links between the two cases.
On Tuesday the Hong Kong government said it would quarantine 17 people who had been in close contact with the Indonesian patient.
Border health checks have also been stepped up with extra health officials deployed to carry out random temperature checks at entry points to the city, which already have thermal imaging systems.
Hong Kong is especially alert to the spread of viruses after an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) swept through the city in 2003, killing 299 people and infecting around 1,800.
In all, 138 human cases of H7N9 have been reported in mainland China since February with 45 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Antibiotic Overuse Could Lead to Public Health Crisis: 75 percent of Salmonella found in chicken is antibiotic-resistant.
Source: Samonella 360.com
75 percent of Salmonella found in chicken is antibiotic-resistant.
Eighty percent of all antibiotics currently used in the United States are given to farmed animals, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‘s annual National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Retail Meat report, released in February.
At a record-high total of 29.9 million pounds of drugs, the amount of antibiotics sold over-the-counter at feed lot stores to American beef, pork and poultry producers in 2011 was almost four times the amount sold to treat people.
“We are standing on the brink of a public health catastrophe,” said Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), author of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. “The threat of antibiotic resistant disease is real, it is growing and those most at risk are our seniors and children.”
The latest NARMS data also revealed a startling 78% of salmonella found in turkey is resistant to at least one antibiotic, as is 75% of salmonella in chicken. Tetracycline-resistant campylobacter bacteria was also found in 95% of retail chicken.
“For ground turkey, [the FDA] found 10 different strains of salmonella, resistant to six or more antibiotic classes,” said Gail Hansen, senior officer for the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. “We don’t have hundreds of antibiotic classes to choose from. If you get salmonella and your doctor wants to give you an antibiotic, they’re going to have to be careful in what they choose.”
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the FDA has known that administering healthy livestock with antibiotics encourages the growth of drug-resistant superbugs since the 1970s, yet over 30 years later, the organization has yet to take any effective steps toward regulating the practice. Opposition and warnings over antibiotic resistance have poured in over the years from prestigious groups like the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). In 2004, IDSA released the report “Bad Bugs, No Drugs: As the Antibiotic Discovery Stagnates a Public Health Crisis Brews,” warning that 70% of Americans who acquire a bacterial infection were already resistant to at least one drug and “the trends toward increasing numbers of infection and increasing drug resistance show no sign of abating.”
“In the face of the antibiotic resistance crisis, we cannot afford to be standing still. We need strong action to combat the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture,” said Steven Roach, Public Health Program Director at Food Animal Concerns Trust and a member of Keep Antibiotics Working, a coalition of organizations dedicated to reducing the overuse of antibiotics in food producing animals. “The FDA needs to use all the tools it has available to begin rolling back this massive use of antibiotics.
Superbug couldn't be cured by any antibiotic
Source: Radio New Zealand (Nov 2013)
You must listen to this interview on Radio New (LISTEN NOW)
Use of Antibiotics - EU is Paying Attention
Source: Euronews
According to an EU opinion poll, only 40 of those interviewed knew that antibiotics don’t kill viruses.
The same survey publicsed on Friday said that only 18 percent know they are not required when suffering from the flu.
It means that Europe will face a growing threat from superbugs that are resistant to the most powerful antibiotics, according to the European Centres for Diseases and Control Prevention.
Experts are worried about overuse and misuse has fuelled a rise in drug-resistant infections.
Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar a microbiologist at V the Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, said: “I think we are still consuming too much antibiotics, If we have point of care test, rapid diagnostistic test that can be placed in the general practioner’s office, He takes a simple, immediately can see if is a virus or a bacterial infection within half an hour. An he is able to explain to the patient that this particular infections does or don’t not need a antibiotics. This will make a big difference.”
The European Commission is working on new legislation to tackle this problem.
As part of this strategy, EU officials are looking at new measures to improve the use of antibiotics in the veterinary sector.
“Some member states are also taken even more drastic initiatives, they prohibited certain important antibiotics, for human health to be applied in animal health,” said Tonio Borg, EU Health Commissioner.
The cpmmission has earmarked 91 million euros to be spent on developing new types of antibiotics or alternatives, such as vaccines.
Copyright © 2013 euronews
Consumers and Antibiotics
Source: Drovers Cattlenetwork
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More than 170 of the country’s best and brightest minds in the fields of animal, human and public health debated antibiotic use and resistance at the National Institute of Animal Agriculture’s antibiotic symposium this week.
While this complex issue will continue to evolve, the focus also turns to shoppers and how their perceptions on the issue are evolving and affecting their purchases.
To better explain what people really think about their food, Joe Cardador, chief research officer with the Service Management Group, Inc., revealed the results of a survey completed on more than 1,900 shoppers from across the country.
The results show that while consumers are concerned about antibiotics, other issues surrounding food production worry them, too.
The results show:
Consumers are concerned: Fifty-six percent of consumers surveyed indicated that knowing whether animals received hormones is important or very important when buying meat products. Antibiotic use in livestock is also a major issue with consumers, with 54 percent believing it is an important or very important issue to consider.
These concerns extend to dairy and eggs, too: Antibiotic and hormone concerns didn’t just matter in meat purchases. Shoppers also wanted to know if the livestock that produced their dairy or egg products were given hormones (57 percent) or antibiotics (52 percent).
Shoppers care more about humane handling than impact on the environment: For meat, dairy and egg purchases, just 34 percent of consumers found it important or very important to know the potential impact on the environment. Cardador explains that “this was a little bit surprising since sustainability is an issue in part of the local food movement. We thought that would be a little bit higher.”
They also are more worried than they were a few years ago: Nearly two-thirds of the shoppers who participated in the survey were more concerned or much more concerned about the safety and impact of antibiotics now than in the past. The safety and impact of hormones (63 percent) and GMOs in feed grains (63 percent) were also of significant concern.
They don’t mind paying for perceived quality: More than half of the shoppers wouldn’t mind paying more for quality. Research from Context Marketing found that young adults between the ages of 20-20 are most willing to pay between 1 percent and 10 percent more for higher-quality grocery items. See the study here.
Some believe the food they buy says something about who they are: Nearly one-third of consumers feel the food they purchase is a reflection of who they are as a person.
They turn to labels as their main source of information: There is no doubt that websites and the Internet play a role in disseminating information to consumers. However, an overwhelming majority of consumers – 73 percent – turn to labels. Just eight percent said that they don’t read labels are all.
…but some find labels confusing: About 13 percent of shoppers admit they read food labels but find them confusing.
“The main take-away is it does matter to consumers. It is an important issue,” Cardador said.
However, Cardador warned that while important, the complexity of the antibiotics issue and other issues surrounding food production makes it difficult for consumers to understand not only the issues but also how these issues should influence their buying habits.
Cardador told the symposium attendees, “if the people in this room are having a difficult time arguing the relative merits of what constitutes the appropriate use of antibiotics and other drugs in food production, consumers are even more confused and ambivalent about it.”
Immune System May Affect Germs on Your Skin
Source: HealthDay
Study analyzed fungus, bacteria from skin of patients with rare genetic disorder
THURSDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Your immune system influences the types of microorganisms that live on your skin and affect your risk for disease, according to a new study.
A person's skin contains millions of beneficial and potentially disease-causing microbes. Previous research has shown that these microbes influence the immune system but it wasn't known if the reverse was true.
The new study, published online Oct. 29 in the journal Genome Research, sought to answer that question.
The researchers looked at patients with rare genetic defects that cause reduced immune function. All of them also had an eczema-like skin condition. Samples taken from the patients' skin showed that they had types of bacteria and fungi on their skin that were not found on healthy people.
This suggests that the immune system does influence the types of microbes that live on the skin, study co-senior author Heidi Kong, of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said in a journal news release.
She and her colleagues also found that the patients and healthy people had significant differences in the number of different types of microbes present at specific skin sites that are vulnerable to disease. For example, the skin at the elbow crease on patients had fewer types of microbes than the same location on healthy people, while the skin behind the ear on patients had more types of microbes.
This suggests that an imbalance in microbial diversity at a given site on the skin may contribute to disease risk, according to the study authors.
They also found that that the patients tended to have much more similar microbial communities across their entire skin surface, instead of the distinct communities found on healthy people. This suggests that correcting the diversity of microbes on the skin -- not just targeting disease-causing types -- may help in the treatment of disease, the researchers said.
They added that while this study looked at people with rare genetic disorders, this research may prove useful for patients with temporary decreases in immune function -- such as those with cancer and transplant recipients -- by guiding the use of antibiotics routinely given to these patients.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about microbes and the human body.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Genome Research, news release, Oct. 29, 2013
New Blis plant for Dunedin revealed
Source: Otago Daily Times (31 Oct 2013)
Blis Technologies has opened a new manufacturing plant within its Birch St premises in Dunedin.
Chief executive Dr Barry Richardson said the ''time was right'' to establish commercial premises outside the University of Otago where the company was formed as a commercialisation of science from within the university.
The company was getting necessary export approvals before the plant became fully operational.
Blis shares opened at 1.1c on Tuesday and, following the announcement to the market, reached a high of 2c before closing at 1.6c. Yesterday, they last traded at 1.7c.
Blis focuses on niche human health markets producing probiotics targeted specifically at oral health.
It has already built a business supplying ingredients through its global distributer Novus Nutrition Brands to manufacturers and marketers in North America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Europe, Dr Richardson said.
Its retail business was now being broadened with oral probiotic lozenge formulations being marketed in the Asia Pacific region and in Europe under its own brand, and supplied to other companies for marketing under their brands.
Blis had GRAS (generally recognised as safe) approval for the United States and also approvals for New Zealand and Australia, as well as China.
Regulatory approval was essential for a food ingredients and human health business as it determined market access, Dr Richardson said.
It was fortunate the company had a ''sophisticated'' shareholder base that understood what was required to get that market access.
There was also growth in shareholders and business connections in China and other key markets were able to assist with business development in those sectors.
The company targeted opening the plant before a reciprocal visit by senior executives of China's largest pharmacy group, Sinopharm, next month. It had been working hard on establishing the right market channel in China and Sinopharm's visit was ''an important step on the way'', he said.
Blis is currently targeting $3.5 million to $4.5 million from a shareholder purchase plan to offset further short-term financial losses and progress product sales to Asian markets.
Sobering study on antibiotics
Source: Providence Journal
A new report has finally put some numbers behind assertions that overuse of antibiotics is harming Americans. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are responsible for sickening at least 2 million people annually. At least 23,000 of them die from their infections.
In releasing its findings last month, the CDC stressed that it had deliberately sought a conservative estimate. So, for instance, people who had antibiotic-resistant infections when they died were not counted if other factors contributed to their deaths.
The CDC report sounds the clearest alarm yet that, unless steps are taken to reverse this trend, more and more Americans will suffer untreatable infections. “We will soon be in a post-antibiotic era if we’re not careful,” warned CDC Director Thomas Frieden.
The setback to modern medicine could become so severe that, because of the risk of infection, such breakthrough procedures as organ transplants will become impossible. Even routine therapies such as the use of catheters could become too dangerous.
The health-care system arrived at this crisis point via two intersecting avenues. First, overuse of antibiotics in humans has helped make bacteria more resistant to the drugs. And second, antibiotics are wildly overused on farm animals, both to prevent illness and encourage growth. According to government estimates, more than 70 percent of all antibiotics currently used in the United States are given to animals.
Industrial practices are partly to blame: livestock crowded together in feedlots are more prone to infection. These are also ideal conditions for bacteria to grow more resistant. The toughened bacteria can make its way into humans via improperly handled meat. Or it can arrive through crops tainted with animal feces during watering or fertilization.
Human overuse comes largely from patients who insist on receiving antibiotics, even when they are not called for. The CDC estimates that fully half of such use is inappropriate. Too many doctors, it seems, are simply giving in to demands for a prescription.
For many years, the drug and livestock industries successfully joined to prevent Congress from passing tough restrictions on antibiotic use. The FDA has taken small steps to discourage the use of certain classes of antibiotics in animals. But it seems clear that more should be done. It is time for Congress to firmly support reducing antibiotic use. It should also invest in tracking the spread of resistant bacteria. Otherwise, many more Americans will die from once-treatable infections.
NATIONAL REPORT: ORAL HEALTH OF OLDER AMERICANS IN A ‘STATE OF DECAY’
Source: Extract from Oral Health America
Chicago, IL—October 8, 2013 – The oral health of older Americans is in a state of decay, according to a new
national report released today by Oral Health America (OHA). A State of Decay, a state-by-state analysis of oral
healthcare delivery and public health factors impacting the oral health of older adults, reveals more than half of
the country received a “fair” or “poor” assessment when it comes to minimal standards affecting dental care
access for older adults. Florida and Arizona, areas with large older adult populations, rank in the bottom five
states due to a shortage of oral health coverage, a strained dental health work force, and deficiencies in
prevention programs.
“While we are seeing improvements in certain areas of older adult dental care, there is still a lack of progress in
advancing the oral health of such a vulnerable population,” said Dr. Ira Lamster, Professor, Department of
Health Policy and Management, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. “Older adults face
significant health challenges if their oral health is poor, and there is no coordinated program to help fund
necessary services.”
A State of Decay gave a rating of “fair,” “poor,” “good,” or “excellent” based on state level data analyzing five
variables impacting older adult oral health: adult Medicaid dental benefits, inclusion of older adult strategies in
state oral health plans, edentulism (loss of teeth), dental health professional shortage areas, and community
water fluoridation.
The final evaluations in the report for each state are mixed, with several states performing well in some
variables, but still in need of improvement in other important areas. The top findings of this report that require
scrutiny and action are:
Persistent lack of oral health coverage across much of the nation. Forty-two percent of states (21 states)
provide either no dental benefits or provide only emergency coverage through adult Medicaid Dental
Benefits.
Strained dental health work force. Thirty-one states (62 percent) have high rates of Dental Health Provider
Shortage Areas (HPSAs), meeting only 40 percent or less of dental provider needs.
Tooth loss remains a signal of suboptimal oral health. Eight states had strikingly high rates of edentulism,
with West Virginia notably having an adult population that is 33.8 percent edentate.
Deficiencies in preventive programs. Thirteen states (26 percent) have upwards of 60 percent of their
residents living in communities without water fluoridation (CWF), despite recognition for 68 years that this
public health measure markedly reduces dental caries. Hawaii (89.2 percent) and New Jersey (86.5 percent)
represent the highest rates of citizens unprotected by fluoridation, an unnecessary public peril. Daily, 10,000 Americans retire and only 2 percent do so with a dental benefit plan. The State of Decay analysis
provides a tool for states to use in addressing shortfalls in oral health status, dental professional access sites,
dental benefits for low-income adults, and population-based prevention, all of which affect the oral health of
older adults, the fastest growing segment of the American population. Read full article
High Rates of Unnecessary Prescribing of Antibiotics For Sore Throat and Bronchitis Observed Across the United States
Source: Healthcanal (5 Oct 2013)
Researchers find large discrepancy between outpatient visits requiring antibiotics and national prescribing rates.
For decades, there has been a significant effort led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Despite this work, new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds only incremental improvement in antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute bronchitis and sore throat. These findings were presented at IDWeek on October 3, 2013 and the sore throat data was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine.
"We know that antibiotic prescribing, particularly to patients who are not likely to benefit from it, increases the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a growing concern both here in the United States and around the world," said Jeffrey A. Linder, MD, MPH, a physician and researcher in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at BWH and senior author of the paper. "Our research shows that while only 10 percent of adults with sore throat have strep, the only common cause of sore throat requiring antibiotics, the national antibiotic prescribing rate for adults with sore throat has remained at 60 percent. For acute bronchitis, the right antibiotic prescribing rate should be near zero percent and the national antibiotic prescribing rate was 73percent."
Linder and lead author, Michael L. Barnett, MD, measured changes in the prescribing of antibiotics for adults with sore throat and acute bronchitis using nationally representative surveys of ambulatory care in the United States from 1996 - 2010. The data represented an estimated 39 million acute bronchitis and 92 million sore throat visits by adults to primary care clinics or emergency departments.
The researchers found that although visits for sore throats decreased from 7.5 percent of primary care visits in 1997 to 4.3 percent of visits in 2010, the overall national antibiotic prescribing rate did not change with physicians prescribing antibiotics at 60 percent of visits. There was no change in the percentage of emergency department visits for sore throat during the time period (2.2-2.3 percent). The number of acute bronchitis visits increased from 1.1 million visits in 1996 to 3.4 million visits in 2010.
The data also show that prescriptions of penicillin, the antibiotic recommended to treat strep throat, remained at 9 percent while prescribing for azithromycin, a more expensive antibiotic, increased from being too infrequent to measure reliably in1997-1998 to 15 percent of visits in 2009-2010.
The researchers also noted an increase in the antibiotic prescribing rate in emergency rooms, from 69 percent to 73 percent, during the same 14-year period.
"In addition to contributing to the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, unnecessary use of antibiotics also adds financial cost to the health care system and causes adverse effects for those taking the medication," said Barnett. Most sore throats and cases of acute bronchitis should be treated with rest and fluids and do not require a visit to the doctor," he added.
In light of these findings, research efforts are now underway to develop and implement interventions that reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections.
Dr. Linder's work on acute respiratory infections is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (RC4 AG039115), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R21 AI097759), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R18 HS018419).
Brigham and Women's Hospital
LIMITING ANTIBIOTICS MAY SLOW DOWN HOSPITAL ‘SUPERBUG’
Source: Futurity (Sept 2013)
The infection causes severe diarrhea, cramps, and sometimes life-threatening complications. Current thinking is that the infection is transmitted within hospitals from other patients with C. diff.
Researchers mapped all cases of C. diff in Oxfordshire over a three-year period (2008 to 2011). They found that less than one in five cases of the so called “hospital superbug” were likely to have been caught from other hospital cases of C. diff, where the focus of infection control measures has been.
Researchers also found the total number of cases of C. diff, whether acquired from other sick patients in hospitals or acquired from elsewhere, fell over the three-year period.
OTHER FACTORS AT WORK
As a result, the research suggested stringent infection control measures in hospitals were not the most significant factor in curbing the infection.
“The results have an important message for infection teams. Continuing on the same path to controlling C. diff will not ensure that all preventable cases are avoided,” says Professor Mark Wilcox, of the University of Leeds and a member of the study team.
“New measures are needed to prevent this bug spreading and being provoked to cause infection.”
The New England Journal of Medicine reported the findings.
“We must be clear, good infection control measures have helped minimize transmission rates in hospitals,” says Tim Peto, study author and professor of infectious diseases at the University of Oxford. “However, what our study has shown is the vast majority of cases were not caught from other hospital cases and the total number of cases has fallen, so other factors, in addition to hospital infection control, must be at work.”
Peto says that during an overlapping period to the study, the use of antibiotics fell across 175 English hospitals. “C. diff is resistant to antibiotics and that is the key,” he adds.
27% of kids aged just 5 are hit by tooth decay
Source: Express.co.uk (Sept 2013)
MORE than a quarter of five-year-olds in England have tooth decay, according to new figures. The problem is worse in more deprived areas, a study of 133,000 children shows. A diet of sugar-packed junk food and poor hygiene is to blame.
The survey by Public Health England shows 27 per cent of children aged five have decay, affecting on average three or four teeth. Children in the North and poorer areas of the South had significantly worse oral health, the report found. Only 21 per cent of children in the South-east had decay but nearly 35 per cent in the North-west. But there has been a slight improvement since the last survey in 2008.
Dr Christopher Allen, of the British Dental Association, said: “This report highlights a welcome improvement to the overall oral health of five-year-old children across England but it also reminds us of the deep chasm that exists between those with the best and worst oral health.”
Health Minister Lord Howe said: “We know more work is needed to make sure good oral health is more consistent right across the country.”
Is your doctor prescription-happy?
Source: Fox News
When you’re sick, you’ll generally take whatever prescription your doctor writes up. After all, he’s the one who went to med school. But failing to ask him a few questions could result in a serious dose of unnecessary antibiotics, according to a new study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
Researchers examined two major medical surveys over 2 years and found that 60 percent of the time, doctors chose the strongest types of antibiotics when doling out prescriptions. In 25 percent of those cases, the drugs were prescribed for viruses, which can’t be treated with antibiotics.
That’s a problem because strong antibiotics—often referred to as broad spectrum—can kill “good” b