All Posts Tagged With: "UK"

The Health Hazards of Disease Prevention

Link: http://drjimmyscott.com/?m=201104

Excerpt:

The Health Hazards of Disease Prevention
A Personal Viewpoint by Damien Downing, M.D., London, U.K.

(OMNS Apr 8, 2011) “No pharmaceutical drug is devoid of risks from adverse reactions and vaccines are no exception. Vaccination is a medical intervention and should be carried out with the informed consent of those who are being subjected to it.” (Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic, University of British Columbia.) 

Phage cocktail to reduce microorganism count in chickens

Link:  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/10/232

Excerpt:

Results

The results indicate that experimental colonisation of chicks was successful and that the birds showed no signs of disease even at the highest dose of Campylobacteradministered. The phage cocktail was able to reduce the titre of both C. coli and C. jejuniin faeces by approximately 2 log10 cfu/g when administered by oral gavage and in feed. This reduction persisted throughout the experimental period and neither pathogen regained their former numbers. The reduction in Campylobacter titre was achieved earlier (2 days post-phage administration) when the phage cocktail was incorporated in the birds’ feed.Campylobacter strains resistant to phage infection were recovered from phage-treated chickens at a frequency of 13%. These resistant phenotypes did not exhibit a reduced ability to colonize the chicken guts and did not revert to sensitive types.

Conclusions

Our findings provide further evidence of the efficacy of phage therapy for the control ofCampylobacter in poultry. The broad host range of the novel phage cocktail enabled it to target both C. jejuni and C. coli strains. Moreover the reduction of Campylobacter by approximately 2 log10cfu/g, as occurred in our study, could lead to a 30-fold reduction in the incidence of campylobacteriosis associated with consumption of chicken meals (according to mathematical models). To our knowledge this is the first report of phage being administered in feed to Campylobacter-infected chicks and our results show that it lead to an earlier and more sustainable reduction of Campylobacter than administration by oral gavage. Therefore the present study is of extreme importance as it has shown that administering phages to poultry via the food could be successful on a commercial scale.

Labels Can Lie: How to Read Bar Codes

Linda’s comment:  A friend of mine on another group posted this valuable information….make a copy for your purse/wallet…IMPORTANT…

With all the food and pet products now coming from China, make sure to
scrutinize the labels. But no matter what the front of a box or package
says, turn it over and study the bar code. Many products no longer show
where they were made; they show only where the distributor is located. The
bar code will show the product’s origin.

Below are the first three digits of the barcode, and where the product is
made:

00 – 09 . . . . . . . . .     USA and/or Canada.
30 – 37 . . . . . . . . .     France
40 – 44 . . . . . . . . .     Germany
49 . . . . . . . . . . . . .      Japan
50 . . . . . . . . . . . . .      UK
471 . . . . . . . . . . . .     Taiwan
690 – 692 . . . . . . .    China

Also, if a product says “made in PROC,” this is People’s Republic of
China-China.

Lyme borreliosis: current issues in diagnosis & management

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20407371&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Lyme borreliosis is the most common
vector-borne bacterial infection in temperate areas of the
northern hemisphere. It has been perceived as difficult to
diagnose and treat, but much is now known about its clinical
presentations, which largely fall into well defined categories in
both adults and children. This review features recent
publications on clinical diagnosis and management. 

RECENT FINDINGS: The reported incidence of Lyme borreliosis has
increased markedly in many countries. Many recent publications
have focused on clinical and laboratory aspects of paediatric and
adult neuroborreliosis, and there is now strong evidence for the
efficacy of oral doxycycline for most presentations of
neuroborreliosis. Serological tests have improved significantly.
Several studies have confirmed that patients treated for early
Lyme borreliosis have good overall long-term outcomes. Studies of
patients with persistent symptoms following treatment have not
shown evidence for active infection or for sustained benefit from
prolonged antibiotic treatment.