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Salmonella Concerns Shift to Peppers
The salmonella cases have now swelled to over 1,000 cases. The outbreak was originally blamed on tomatoes but it is now being blamed on jalapeno peppers reports the Wall Street Journal. New cases are still being reported with the most recent case falling on June 26th.

More than 1,000 people have become sick in the salmonella outbreak at first only blamed on tomatoes, and federal health officials now say jalape?o peppers caused some illnesses, especially in three larger clusters.

The outbreak, which has become the largest one carried by food in the last 10 years, also caused the death of a Texas man in his 80s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The CDC said salmonella may have contributed to the death of another Texas man, who had cancer.

As of Tuesday, 1,017 people — from 41 states, the District of Columbia and Canada — had been confirmed to be infected with the rare salmonella strain dubbed Saintpaul, the CDC said. The first patient became sick on April 10 and the latest on June 26.

The latest figure is an increase from the 943 cases that were reported as of July 3. The outbreak appears to be continuing.

The CDC updated its saintpaul salmonella outbreak page today. The page says jalapeno’s explain some of the cases but not all. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro are also suspects.

Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in several states among persons who ate at restaurants. Most clusters involve fewer than 5 ill persons. Three larger clusters have been intensively investigated. In one, illnesses were linked to consumption of an item containing fresh tomatoes and fresh jalapeno peppers. In the other two, illnesses were linked to an item containing fresh jalapeno peppers and no other of the suspect items. The accumulated data from all investigations indicate that jalapeno peppers caused some illnesses but that they do not explain all illnesses. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro also remain under investigation. Investigators from many agencies are collaborating to track the source of the implicated peppers and other produce items.

WebMD notes that so far restaurants haven’t been asked not to use jalapeno or serrano peppers. More stories on the ongoing salmonella outbreak can be found at Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribue and MSNBC.

Photo souce: fboyd

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Sublingual Immunotherapy Treatment Shows Potential For Bee Stings
WebMD reports that a new research study has found that placing drops of honeybee venom under the tongue can significantly reduce reactions in people allergic to bee stings. This procedure is known as sublingual immunotherapy. Partipants in the study were gradually given larger doses of bee venom over a six week period.

The participants were randomly assigned to receive either sublingual immunotherapy in the form of honeybee venom drops placed under the tongue, or placebo drops.

Patients in the immunotherapy group got escalating doses of honeybee venom for six weeks, followed by a maintenance dose, given three times a week for six months.

“You hold the drop under the tongue for about one or two minutes, then swallow,” Passalacqua says.

After being gradually subjected to greater quantities of the bee venom for six weeks it was time for the participants to be stung by a real honeybee. The reactions to the stings were much smaller than they would have been without the sublingual immunotherapy.

Then came the bee sting challenge. “We put insects in a jar and then put the jar on the patient’s forearm” and looked to see what happened, he says.

It worked. The median diameter of the sting wheals in patients given sublingual immunotherapy dropped from about 8 to 3 inches. Looked at another way, wheal diameter was reduced by more than 50% in more than half of them.

“This was a very apparent and very significant reduction in the size of the reaction to the sting,” Passalacqua says.

In contrast, there was no change in wheal diameter in the placebo group, and one person broke out in hives.

The tongue drop treatments next will go through a round of testing on people who have very severe entire body reactions to bee stings. But there is no reason to wait for treatment if you have a bee allergy because shots are already available. Allergist Clifford Bassett, MD told WMD that venom shots are 95% effective “in reducing the risk of systemic reactions in people with honeybee sting allergies.” Shots can be inconvenient but it is much better to play it safe - get your shot and reduce the risk of having a severe reaction to a bee sting.

Photo credit: delgaudm

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West Nile Virus Can Cause Lifelong Symptoms
WebMD (on CBS) is reporting that a new study on West Nile Virus has found that one out of every 150 people infected suffer from severe nuerological disease. Of those about 40% have serious symptoms such as difficulty walking, memory loss and depression that they may deal with for the rest of their lives.

One in 150 people infected with West Nile virus get severe neurological disease. More than 40% of these patients may have serious symptoms for the rest of their lives, say Kristy Murray, PhD, DVM, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues.

The finding comes from five years of data on 108 Houston-area residents who came down with severe West Nile disease after infection with the mosquito-borne virus. Murray’s team evaluated the patients every six months.

A year after their West Nile virus infection, 60% of these patients still had serious symptoms. Five years later, 42% had not fully recovered - and weren’t getting any better.

These lasting symptoms included fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, difficulty walking, memory loss, and personality change.

These findings show that WNV is a very serious disease. People should continue to take precautions and avoid mosquito bites as much as possible during the mosquito season. WNV is still infecting thousands of people in the United States each year. 3,598 people were infected with West Nile Virus in 2007 and 121 were killed.

Graphic above is from the CDC’s 2007 WNV incidence map.

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‘Male Sexual Enhancement’ Fraudster Gets Jail Time

The founder of a company that sells Enzyte — “the once-daily tablet for natural male enhancement” — was sentenced to 25 years in jail yesterday. Berkeley Premium Neutraceuticals and other defendants were ordered to forfeit $500 million. The drug was promoted by a guy called “Smiling Bob” (pictured at left, smiling).

Here’s the AP story; the WSJ Law Blog’s take is here.

Dietary supplements are subject to much less regulatory scrutiny than prescription drugs. But there are limits to the claims supplement manufacturers can make (see, for example, the recent Airborne settlement).

And this case seems to go beyond mere claims.

Steve Warshak, founder of Berkeley Premium Neutraceuticals, was convicted earlier this year on 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. Federal prosecutors said the company bilked customers out of $100 million through deceptive ads, manipulated credit-card transactions and refusal to accept returns or cancel orders.

“This is a case about greed,” U.S. District Judge Arthur Spiegel said. “Steven Warshak preyed on perceived sexual inadequacies of customers.”

Warshak said: “I do feel deep remorse and would like to apologize to any customer who ever had a bad experience with my company.”

3-D Brain Surgery
3-D is no longer just a special effect tool for the movies. Brain surgeons are starting to use 3-D technology for brain surgery. The technology should help surgeons operate more easily on brain tumors. The video from CBS talks about a patient who had a brain tumor that was partially blocking his vision.

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Need a Body Part? Grow Your Own
Someday - maybe not too far in the future - a machine may grow the new body part you need. That would be a miracle as some “98,000 people are on a waiting list for transplants right now” according to CBS News. CBS says a research team at Wake Forest University believes any body part replacement you need can be grown.

From blood vessels to muscle tissue, Atala and his team at Wake Forest University believe that in theory anything inside the body can be grown outside the body, CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports. And it’s real: They’ve made 18 different types of tissue so far.

“That’s a heart valve?” Andrews asked.

Atala said: “This is an engineered heart valve.”

What he pointed to was a pulsing heart valve to be transplanted into a sheep.

“When people ask me ‘what do you do,’ we grow tissues and organs,” he said. “We are making body parts that we can implant right back into patients.”

Once considered a Frankenstein fantasy, the field of regenerative medicine is on the verge of unimagined breakthroughs. Scientists believe every part of the body has cells capable of regeneration - all researchers need to do is isolate those cells and coax them to grow.

Growing your own might body part or organ might also help the body overcome the reject factor that happens so often with transplants. With this kind of technology if you had a body part that was failing your doctor could order you a replacement which would be grown using your own cells. Here’s a video from CBS News about the amazing future of body part replacement. The video shows the oven-like incubators that grow the body tissue, blood vessels and organs.

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Running Can Slow Aging Process
The BBC reports on a study that found that running can help slow the aging process. 500 runners in their 50s were tracked for more than 20 years and comparing to a similar group of non-runners. 19 years later 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners.

Running not only appeared to slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, but was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.

And there was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners - something scientists have feared.

At the beginning of the study, the runners ran for about four hours a week on average. After 21 years, their weekly running time had reduced to around 76 minutes, but they were still seeing health benefits from taking regular exercise.

Lead author Professor James Fries, emeritus professor of medicine at Stanford, said: “The study has a very pro-exercise message. If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.

“The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”

Experts believe that that some of the benefits of exercises like running, in addition to a healthier heart and weight control, include reduced stress and better sleep.

Photo source: Daveybot

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WHO Issues Ugandan Bat Cave Warning
The BBC reports that the World Health Organization is warning people to avoid Ugandan caves with bats. The warning follows the death of a 40-year-old Dtuch woman who died after contracting the deadly Marburg virus. She contracted the virus in Uganda and died in a hospital after returning home to the Netherlands.

The woman, aged 40, died after being taken to hospital following her return to the Netherlands, health authorities there said.

They said she probably contracted the disease while visiting a Ugandan cave inhabited by fruit bats.

Marburg is a contagious disease that causes sudden bleeding and high fever.

There is no treatment or vaccine.

The largest outbreak occurred in 2004-2005 in Angola and killed more than 300 people.

No tourists are known to have previously contracted the disease.

There is no cure for the rare Marburg disease. Like the feared Ebola virus, Marburg is also a severe type of hemorrhagic fever. You can read a Faq about here on the CDC’s website.

Photo: Negative stain image of an isolate of Marburg virus. Source: CDC

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Figure Skater Peggy Fleming: Getting a Grip on Stress
Olympic figure skating champion Peggy Fleming has teamed up with a company called Health Saver. Below Peggy Fleming and Health Saver offer some practical tips for getting a grip on stress and for getting back on a healty lifestyle track if you have veered off a little.

Peggy Fleming says, “Plan a ’self make-over’ for better health, improved fitness, less stress and more time for yourself to reach your goal and achieve significant success in 2008. To lose weight, incorporate physical activity into your daily routine and establish a smart diet. A balance between calories consumed and calories burned will leave you looking and feeling your best.”

Get a Grip on Stress

Nearly half of all Americans say stress has a negative impact on their lives, according to the American Psychological Association. Vow today to conquer stressful situations with a renewed ability to cope.

Change the way you deal with situations that trigger stress. For example, if your five o’clock errands leave you feeling overwhelmed, avoid the late afternoon bustle by tackling errands during your lunch break.

There’s no use in being bothered by problems you can’t change. Instead, spend your energy on changes you can make.

Accept that adjustments often mean a change in standards. If your money woes mean no annual beach vacation, embrace vacation as a time to spend with your family rather than a time to get away.

Two-thirds of physician visits are due to stress-related symptoms. Take hold of your health by adopting effective stress prevention practices. Listen to music, read an article or take a quick walk — physically active people tend to have less anxiety.

An optimistic mindset will help you better handle stress. When you carve out time to do something for yourself, you’ll have a better attitude about meeting your daily responsibilities. Time for yourself is necessary, even if the things you do during this time are seen as “less pressing” than other duties.

Be Efficient

If “there are not enough hours in the day” is a phrase you’re all too familiar with, learn to be more efficient with your time. A To Do list is an easy way to simplify your life. Equipped with a plan, you’ll feel more in control.

Put your To Do list in order of priority. Tackle the more demanding tasks when your energy is at its peak. If you keep delaying the dreaded garage clean-up, force yourself to organize the garage for 10 minutes. You may find that once you’ve started, you’re on a roll.

Divide time-consuming projects into smaller tasks. Reading “Fix attic leak” on your To Do list can be a bit intimidating. Instead, write “(1) Call plumber, (2) allocate money within budget” and so on.

Delegate responsibilities. You don’t have to do it all on your own.

Learn to say no. Before you agree to take on additional responsibilities, consider what you will or will not gain from the extra task. If you want to spend more time with your family in 2008, politely decline invitations that keep you from reaching that goal.

Get Back on Track

It’s never too late to jump back into the active lifestyle that may have gotten away from you last year. Keep muscles strong now and you’re more likely to live longer and stay sharp in your later years.

Stay active and you not only reduce your risk of heart disease, but also increase your ability to fight depression.

According to the U.S. Department of Health, 60 percent of Americans do not participate in the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity five or more days a week, putting them at greater risk for cancer, diabetes and stroke. Squeeze in your 30 minutes of exercise in three 10-minute intervals throughout the day.

Fresh Fare

Three out of five Americans are overweight, and face an increased risk for high blood pressure. Vow to adopt a well-balanced diet with maximum nutrients for your calorie intake.

Healthier eating could reduce cancer deaths in the United States by 35 percent. Fill your plate with more vegetables than meats and carbohydrates. Then, each week, make a small change, such as switching from soda to water or trading cookies for fruit as an afternoon snack.

Portion sizes can be deceptive. Aim for food portions no larger than your fist.

Quit eating on the go. Your brain needs 20 minutes to register that your stomach is full. To avoid binge eating, eat before you get too hungry.

At the grocery, pay attention to nutrition labels. Stay clear of any foods that contain more than 20 percent of your daily fat intake. Also use a grocery list — and stick to it — to avoid the impulse buys that may add empty calories to your diet.

You probably learned at an early age, but may have lost sight of diet rule No. 1: Eat your fruits and vegetables. The more fruits and vegetables you eat per day, the less likely you are to develop cardiovascular disease.

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3-D Brain Surgery
3-D is no longer just a special effect tool for the movies. Brain surgeons are starting to use 3-D technology for brain surgery. The technology should help surgeons operate more easily on brain tumors. The video from CBS talks about a patient who had a brain tumor that was partially blocking his vision.

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Confusion Surrounds Simplicity Bassinet Recall
Using powers from a new consumer-safety law, the federal government issued the recall without the consent of the manufacturer.

A federal agency is flexing new powers by recalling bassinets linked to the deaths of two infants. But, since the recall was announced late Wednesday, there’s been some confusion.

In the initial announcement, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said people should stop using “Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible ‘Close-Sleeper’ Models” of bassinets. But the announcement didn’t include model numbers or the names of retailers that sell the product.

Yesterday, a Chicago Tribune reporter went to a store and bought two bassinets. An employee checked the model numbers and said they had not been recalled. But both bassinets had the flaw that had allowed two infants to slip through the bars and hang themselves, the Trib said.

A subsequent CPSC announcement, released yesterday, does include a list of model numbers. It also names several retailers — Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Big Lots!, Kmart, J.C. Penney and Target — that have agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit.

The CPSC usually works cooperatively with the manufacturer to initiate a recall. But in this case Simplicity Inc., the maker of the bassinets, went out of business earlier this year and its assets were bought at auction by a company called SFCA. The CPSC said in announcing the recall that SFCA “has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products.”

SFCA says it isn’t responsible for items previously sold by Simplicity, but says it’s cooperating with the CPSC the WSJ reports.

In initiating the recall on its own, CPSC is using powers it received in a newly passed law that the Washington Post points calls the “most sweeping reform of the nation’s product-safety system in more than 20 years.”

Concerns About West Nile Virus in Southern California
The L.A. Times reports that local health officials in Southern California are warning residents about the resurgance of the West Nile Virus. There have only be 39 cases confirmed so far but the virus tends to peak in September in October. Health officials are also concerned because 70% of these cases have been the serious neurological form of the disease.

Thirty-nine cases of human West Nile virus have been confirmed in the state as of Tuesday. There have been no fatalities related to West Nile virus in California this year, but officials fear an outbreak between August and October, the peak period for infections.

Humans and animals contract West Nile virus from bites of infected mosquitoes, which contract it by feeding on birds that have the virus in their blood. Most people who are infected by the virus do not become ill, but one in five people develop flu-like symptoms. In its most severe form, West Nile can cause encephalitis, meningitis and death.

This year, 70% of the victims have contracted the more serious neurological form of the disease, West Nile neuroinvasive disease, Cummings said. That’s a higher number than in past years, but officials do not know why that is. It’s an additional cause for concern, officials said.

Southern California has seen an increase in the number of infected dead birds and mosquitoes this year. So far, 566 dead birds and 316 mosquito samples have been confirmed positive for the virus in the area.

You can read about the more severe form of West Nile Virus here. The national West Nile figures can be found here on the CDC’s website. The CDC’s case total may run a little behind what individual states are reporting.

California also has a detailed website here where they provide information about the disease and cases counts by county.

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Keri Glassman Discusses Super Foods
Registered dietician Keri Glassman shares with Today’s Lara Spencer some super-foods for living longer. The foods discussed include yogurt, keifer, apples, avocado, seaweed, blueberries, gojiberry, pomegranate and green tea. You can read Keri Glassman’s bio here. Here’s Keri’s top five recommendations to eat every day.

1 Cup Green Tea

1 Cup Blueberries

1 Cup Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

2 Oz. Pomegranate Juice

1/2 Oz. Walnuts or 1/4 Avocado

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Neuroanatomist Learns From Her Own Stroke
Jill Bolte Taylor became a brain scientist because she wanted to study her brother’s schizophrenia. In this talk at TED she explains how she analyzed her own stroke after a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. She explains how she felt her own brain fuctions slip away. She says she became an “infant in a woman’s body.”

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

She brings an actual human brain to the TED conference. You can see the video below or here. (via Boing Boing)

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Bird Flu Pandemic Could Kill 75,000 Britons
The UK’s House of Lords has warned that a bird flu pandemic could kill 75,000 Britons and as many as 50 million people worldwide.

A new and potentially deadly infectious disease emerges somewhere in the world every year, threatening “devastating consequences” across the globe, warns the Lords intergovernmental organisations committee. Its report, published today, criticises Britain’s “poorly coordinated” disease control systems.

Reform of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is “essential”, as the global health agency is “dysfunctional” and lacking the organisation and resources to curb a major outbreak, it says.

The committee calls for new international disease surveillance systems in developing countries. The report says peers were given the following “sobering” advice by government ministers: “While there has not been a pandemic since 1968, another one is inevitable ? Estimates are that the next pandemic will kill between 2 million and 50 million people worldwide and between 50,000 and 75,000 in the UK. Socio-economic disruption will be massive.”

Three-quarters of new human diseases originate from animals, but experts have warned they are currently identified only after people are infected. The committee chairman, Lord Soley, said: “The last 100 years have seen great advances in public health and disease control through the world, but globalisation and changes in lifestyles are giving rise to new infections and providing opportunities for them to spread rapidly.

“We are particularly concerned about the link with animal health.”

You can find the complete 79 page PDF report here. The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors the latest outbreaks of the bird flu virus (H5N1) around the world. You can follow their reports here.

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WHO: Indonesia Needs Helping Fighting Bird
Indonesia has been the hardest hit country in the battle against bird flu. They recently suffered their 100th fatality from the deadly H5N1 virus. Containment is the best method we have to keep bird flu from mutating into a form that spreads easily from human-to-human. The BBC reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) says Indonesia will need more help in its battle against the disease.

The virus is endemic in Java, Sumatra, Bali and southern Sulawesi with sporadic outbreaks reported from other areas, the FAO said.

By June 2008, more than 2,000 surveillance and response teams will be active in more than 300 districts in areas of the country where the disease is endemic, Mr Domenech said.

But that may not be enough.

“Indonesia is facing an uphill battle against a virus that is difficult to contain. Major human and financial resources, stronger political commitment and strengthened co-ordination between the central, provincial and district authorities are required to improve surveillance and control measures,” Mr Domenech said.

If bird flu gets out of control in Indonesia it might expose more humans to the disease and give the disease a great chance of mutating.

Update 4-17-08: A WHO human cases update shows that of the 23 bird flu fatalities this year 12 of them have occurred in Indonesia.

Posted in Bird Flu

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Hiddenc Brain Injuries Linked to Social and Educational Failures
The video from the Wall Street Journal discusses the issue of hidden tramatic brain injuries. Many researchers believe that hidden traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of social or educational failure for many people. Mt. Sinai School of Medicine is behind some important research in this area.

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Advertisement:
Find flowers, greeting cards, candy, gift ideas and more in ShoppersShop.com’s Valentine’s Day Shopping section.

World Gastroenterology Organization Releases New Digestive Health Guidelnes
The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recently released new digestive health guidelines. In the United States, the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN), which is the foundation of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), interpreted these new guidelines into a graphic (see below).

The guidelines are designed to reduce symptoms of digestive discomfort and help people achieve optimal digestive health - meaning the body is working properly to break down food and turn it into energy. The WGO says a person with good digestive health weighs a normal amount and rarely experiences digestive problems like nausea, bloating, constipation, stomach pain, diarrhea, heartburn, gas or irregularity.

“Digestive health has become a widespread concern among Americans, especially since digestive problems can pervade all aspects of a person’s life,” said Robert Sandler, M.D., MPH, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. “The new guidelines outline ways that people can improve their digestive health by making simple lifestyle modifications.”

Here are the WGO’s Ten Nutritional Recommendations to Improve Digestive Health

1. Eat small, frequent meals. To achieve optimal digestion, eat 4-5 small meals per day without increasing overall caloric intake.
2. Include foods rich in fiber. Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and can be found in fresh fruits, raw vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, nuts, and beans.
3. Consume fish 3-5 times per week. Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids that can improve digestive abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring balance.
4. Reduce intake of fried, fattening foods. Cutting back on greasy, fried foods that are high in fat and hard to digest will reduces your stomach’s workload.
5. Incorporate fermented dairy products into your diet. Certain probiotics, or the good bacteria that is found in dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese, may improve intestinal function and overall digestive health.
6. Select lean meats. Leaner cuts of meat - pork, chicken and turkey - contain less fat, which may reduce digestive discomfort.
7. Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids are needed to alleviate and prevent constipation and ease digestion of foods through the digestive tract. A good way to make sure you’re getting enough fluids is to drink a glass of water with every meal.
8. Don’t rush eating. Eating slowly and chewing food properly encourages a “full” feeling, which prevents the overeating that can upset the digestive tract.
9. Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking. While most people know that exercise offers overall health benefits, most people don’t know that it’s good for your digestive tract, too.
10. Maintain a healthy body weight. A Body Mass Index that indicates obesity or unintentional weight loss may have a negative impact on digestive health.

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Hiddenc Brain Injuries Linked to Social and Educational Failures
The video from the Wall Street Journal discusses the issue of hidden tramatic brain injuries. Many researchers believe that hidden traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of social or educational failure for many people. Mt. Sinai School of Medicine is behind some important research in this area.

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Advertisement:
Find flowers, greeting cards, candy, gift ideas and more in ShoppersShop.com’s Valentine’s Day Shopping section.

Another New Study Shows Exercise Can Boost Longevity
Exercise helps no matter how old and out-of-shape you are when you start according to a new study. NBC’s Chief science correspondent Robert Bazell reports in the video below on a the Physician’s Health Study - a study following more than 20,000 male doctors over a 25-year period - that found the benefits are greater than even previously thought. Bazell also notes earlier studies that have found that exercise even helps people add the cellular level. You can also read about the study here.

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Salmonella Concerns Shift to Peppers
The salmonella cases have now swelled to over 1,000 cases. The outbreak was originally blamed on tomatoes but it is now being blamed on jalapeno peppers reports the Wall Street Journal. New cases are still being reported with the most recent case falling on June 26th.

More than 1,000 people have become sick in the salmonella outbreak at first only blamed on tomatoes, and federal health officials now say jalape?o peppers caused some illnesses, especially in three larger clusters.

The outbreak, which has become the largest one carried by food in the last 10 years, also caused the death of a Texas man in his 80s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The CDC said salmonella may have contributed to the death of another Texas man, who had cancer.

As of Tuesday, 1,017 people — from 41 states, the District of Columbia and Canada — had been confirmed to be infected with the rare salmonella strain dubbed Saintpaul, the CDC said. The first patient became sick on April 10 and the latest on June 26.

The latest figure is an increase from the 943 cases that were reported as of July 3. The outbreak appears to be continuing.

The CDC updated its saintpaul salmonella outbreak page today. The page says jalapeno’s explain some of the cases but not all. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro are also suspects.

Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in several states among persons who ate at restaurants. Most clusters involve fewer than 5 ill persons. Three larger clusters have been intensively investigated. In one, illnesses were linked to consumption of an item containing fresh tomatoes and fresh jalapeno peppers. In the other two, illnesses were linked to an item containing fresh jalapeno peppers and no other of the suspect items. The accumulated data from all investigations indicate that jalapeno peppers caused some illnesses but that they do not explain all illnesses. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro also remain under investigation. Investigators from many agencies are collaborating to track the source of the implicated peppers and other produce items.

WebMD notes that so far restaurants haven’t been asked not to use jalapeno or serrano peppers. More stories on the ongoing salmonella outbreak can be found at Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribue and MSNBC.

Photo souce: fboyd

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Vampire Bats Possibly Spreading Rabies in Venezuela
CNN reports that 38 Waro Indians in remote villages in Venezuela have died from symptoms similar to rabies. Some of the unusual symptoms include extreme fear of water and progressive paralysis.

Laboratory investigations have yet to confirm the cause, but the symptoms point to rabies, according to two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and other medical experts.

The two UC Berkeley researchers — the husband-and-wife team of anthropologist Charles Briggs and public health specialist Dr. Clara Mantini-Briggs — said the symptoms include fever, body pains, tingling in the feet followed by progressive paralysis, and an extreme fear of water. Victims tend to have convulsions and grow rigid before death.

Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agreed with their preliminary diagnosis.

“The history and clinical signs are compatible with rabies,” Rupprecht told The Associated Press on Friday. “Prevention is straightforward: Prevent bites and vaccinate those at risk of bites.”

It’s a pretty horrible problem the villagers are having to deal with. Many of the villagers now have cats in an attempt to keep the vampire bats away from their children. You can read a Promed email entry on these cases here. The ProMed email also notes that it is unusual that no rabies cases have been reported in other animals - such as horses or cattle - because one would expect the vampire bats to be biting these animals as well. It’s possible that it hasn’t been mentioned simply because complete information is lacking.

National Geographic has a quick fact page on vampire page here. For Rabies information, check out the CDC’s Rabies website.

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Report Says Pre-Alzheimer’s Cases Rising
The AP reports that a new report on Alzheimer’s says that it is much more common than previously thought with a million Americans sliding into “mild impairment” annually.

A milder type of mental decline that often precedes Alzheimer’s disease is alarmingly more common than has been believed, and in men more than women, doctors reported Monday.

Nearly a million older Americans slide from normal memory into mild impairment each year, researchers estimate, based on a Mayo Clinic study of Minnesota residents.

That’s on top of the half million Americans who develop full-blown Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia - a problem sure to grow as baby boomers age. The oldest boomers turn 62 this year.

The same article says that an experimental nose spray has helped improve some memory function in people listed as “midly impaired.”

But that may be changing. Researchers on Monday reported early, somewhat encouraging results from an experimental nose spray that seemed to improve certain memory measures in a study of mildly impaired people.

The drug, for now just called AL-108, needs testing in a longer, larger study. It is being developed by Allon Therapeutics Inc., based in Vancouver, B.C.

Doctors said it shows the potential for new types of medicines that target the protein tangles that kill nerve cells, instead of targeting the sticky brain deposits that have gotten most of the attention up to now.

The BBC also has an article about another promising Alzheimer’s drug. These drugs will all be needed as Alzheimer appears to be a disease that will impact a wide swath of our aging population.

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Bone Marrow Transplant Hope For Leukaemia Patients
A bone marrow transplant technique might be a life-saving treatment for some leukaemia patients reports the BBC. Cells in the newly transplanted bone marrow may help to kill the leukameia cells.

Some leukaemia patients who do not respond to conventional treatments may benefit from bone marrow transplants selected to target the cancer directly.

The technique, pioneered in Italy, uses transplants from family members who are not a perfect match.

“Natural killer” cells in the new bone marrow then attack the leukaemia.

Survival rates rose after the treatment, but UK experts say these need to be reproduced on a bigger scale and in different types of the disease.

Finding a donor is difficult because of rejection. Doctors have to look for a donor within the patient’s family and even then they might not be able to find a match. About a third of the population will never be able to use the technique. However, it is an important breakthrough that will need to be vetted with more trials - it could be a livesaver for some lucky enough to find a donor. A spokesperson for the Leukaemia Research Fund said, “If you are in the position of a patient who has not responded to treatment, the choice between a 2% chance of survival and a 30% chance is not a difficult one.”

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Figure Skater Peggy Fleming: Getting a Grip on Stress
Olympic figure skating champion Peggy Fleming has teamed up with a company called Health Saver. Below Peggy Fleming and Health Saver offer some practical tips for getting a grip on stress and for getting back on a healty lifestyle track if you have veered off a little.

Peggy Fleming says, “Plan a ’self make-over’ for better health, improved fitness, less stress and more time for yourself to reach your goal and achieve significant success in 2008. To lose weight, incorporate physical activity into your daily routine and establish a smart diet. A balance between calories consumed and calories burned will leave you looking and feeling your best.”

Get a Grip on Stress

Nearly half of all Americans say stress has a negative impact on their lives, according to the American Psychological Association. Vow today to conquer stressful situations with a renewed ability to cope.

Change the way you deal with situations that trigger stress. For example, if your five o’clock errands leave you feeling overwhelmed, avoid the late afternoon bustle by tackling errands during your lunch break.

There’s no use in being bothered by problems you can’t change. Instead, spend your energy on changes you can make.

Accept that adjustments often mean a change in standards. If your money woes mean no annual beach vacation, embrace vacation as a time to spend with your family rather than a time to get away.

Two-thirds of physician visits are due to stress-related symptoms. Take hold of your health by adopting effective stress prevention practices. Listen to music, read an article or take a quick walk — physically active people tend to have less anxiety.

An optimistic mindset will help you better handle stress. When you carve out time to do something for yourself, you’ll have a better attitude about meeting your daily responsibilities. Time for yourself is necessary, even if the things you do during this time are seen as “less pressing” than other duties.

Be Efficient

If “there are not enough hours in the day” is a phrase you’re all too familiar with, learn to be more efficient with your time. A To Do list is an easy way to simplify your life. Equipped with a plan, you’ll feel more in control.

Put your To Do list in order of priority. Tackle the more demanding tasks when your energy is at its peak. If you keep delaying the dreaded garage clean-up, force yourself to organize the garage for 10 minutes. You may find that once you’ve started, you’re on a roll.

Divide time-consuming projects into smaller tasks. Reading “Fix attic leak” on your To Do list can be a bit intimidating. Instead, write “(1) Call plumber, (2) allocate money within budget” and so on.

Delegate responsibilities. You don’t have to do it all on your own.

Learn to say no. Before you agree to take on additional responsibilities, consider what you will or will not gain from the extra task. If you want to spend more time with your family in 2008, politely decline invitations that keep you from reaching that goal.

Get Back on Track

It’s never too late to jump back into the active lifestyle that may have gotten away from you last year. Keep muscles strong now and you’re more likely to live longer and stay sharp in your later years.

Stay active and you not only reduce your risk of heart disease, but also increase your ability to fight depression.

According to the U.S. Department of Health, 60 percent of Americans do not participate in the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity five or more days a week, putting them at greater risk for cancer, diabetes and stroke. Squeeze in your 30 minutes of exercise in three 10-minute intervals throughout the day.

Fresh Fare

Three out of five Americans are overweight, and face an increased risk for high blood pressure. Vow to adopt a well-balanced diet with maximum nutrients for your calorie intake.

Healthier eating could reduce cancer deaths in the United States by 35 percent. Fill your plate with more vegetables than meats and carbohydrates. Then, each week, make a small change, such as switching from soda to water or trading cookies for fruit as an afternoon snack.

Portion sizes can be deceptive. Aim for food portions no larger than your fist.

Quit eating on the go. Your brain needs 20 minutes to register that your stomach is full. To avoid binge eating, eat before you get too hungry.

At the grocery, pay attention to nutrition labels. Stay clear of any foods that contain more than 20 percent of your daily fat intake. Also use a grocery list — and stick to it — to avoid the impulse buys that may add empty calories to your diet.

You probably learned at an early age, but may have lost sight of diet rule No. 1: Eat your fruits and vegetables. The more fruits and vegetables you eat per day, the less likely you are to develop cardiovascular disease.

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When the Doctor Bills You for What Your Insurance Doesn’t Pay
The practice is called “balance billing.” It’s often illegal, but many patients wind up paying anyway.

If your doctor or hospital is unhappy with the payment it receives from your insurance company and decides to bill you for the balance, do you have to pay? Often, the answer is no. But, in the morass that is health care billing, plenty of people don’t know that. So they wind up paying anyway, BusinessWeek reports.

The practice is known as “balance billing,” and it’s been around for years. Forty-seven states ban in-network providers from billing insured patients beyond co-payments or co-insurance required by the plan, BusinessWeek says. And federal law prohibits balance billing for Medicare patients.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. An insurer recently sued a New Jersey medical practice for billing more than 8,000 patients between 2004 and 2006 for a total of $4.3 million. A judge ordered the practice to stop balance billing, and give refunds to patients.

Quest Diagnostics, the country’s largest lab chain, has been investigated for balance billing, but denies any wrongdoing, the article says. And last month, we reported that California is suing a big hospital operator over the practice.

We may hear more on the subject before too long. The AMA is lobbying Congress to allow balance billing for Medicare patients, BusinessWeek says.

Photo: iStockphoto

Antidepressants May Help Body Fight Cancer, HIV
The Independent reports that new research published in inBiological Psychiatry indicates some antidepressants may help they body fight HIV, cancer and other infections.

Natural killer (NK) cells are white blood cells which home in on infected or cancerous cells, releasing agents that induce apoptosis, or “cell suicide”. NK cells are especially active against viruses.

The research emerged from findings that stress and depression impair NK cell function and can accelerate the progress of HIV/ Aids. Scientists recruited depressed and non-depressed HIV-positive women and treated them with three drugs to treat stress and depression. Two, Citalopram and the “substance P antagonist” CP-96345 increased NK cell activity, while RU486 had no effect.

The Independent article also contained the following quote from the leader of the research team, Dr Dwight Evans of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia: “The findings show that natural killer cell function in HIV infection may be enhanced by selective serotonin re-uptake inhibition and substance P antagonism.”

It sounds promising. If additional research supports the theory it is possible more people suffering from HIV and/or cancer will also be put on an antidepressant. Many cancer patients already are because it helps with chronic pain management.

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World Gastroenterology Organization Releases New Digestive Health Guidelnes
The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recently released new digestive health guidelines. In the United States, the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN), which is the foundation of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), interpreted these new guidelines into a graphic (see below).

The guidelines are designed to reduce symptoms of digestive discomfort and help people achieve optimal digestive health - meaning the body is working properly to break down food and turn it into energy. The WGO says a person with good digestive health weighs a normal amount and rarely experiences digestive problems like nausea, bloating, constipation, stomach pain, diarrhea, heartburn, gas or irregularity.

“Digestive health has become a widespread concern among Americans, especially since digestive problems can pervade all aspects of a person’s life,” said Robert Sandler, M.D., MPH, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. “The new guidelines outline ways that people can improve their digestive health by making simple lifestyle modifications.”

Here are the WGO’s Ten Nutritional Recommendations to Improve Digestive Health

1. Eat small, frequent meals. To achieve optimal digestion, eat 4-5 small meals per day without increasing overall caloric intake.
2. Include foods rich in fiber. Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and can be found in fresh fruits, raw vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, nuts, and beans.
3. Consume fish 3-5 times per week. Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids that can improve digestive abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring balance.
4. Reduce intake of fried, fattening foods. Cutting back on greasy, fried foods that are high in fat and hard to digest will reduces your stomach’s workload.
5. Incorporate fermented dairy products into your diet. Certain probiotics, or the good bacteria that is found in dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese, may improve intestinal function and overall digestive health.
6. Select lean meats. Leaner cuts of meat - pork, chicken and turkey - contain less fat, which may reduce digestive discomfort.
7. Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids are needed to alleviate and prevent constipation and ease digestion of foods through the digestive tract. A good way to make sure you’re getting enough fluids is to drink a glass of water with every meal.
8. Don’t rush eating. Eating slowly and chewing food properly encourages a “full” feeling, which prevents the overeating that can upset the digestive tract.
9. Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking. While most people know that exercise offers overall health benefits, most people don’t know that it’s good for your digestive tract, too.
10. Maintain a healthy body weight. A Body Mass Index that indicates obesity or unintentional weight loss may have a negative impact on digestive health.

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Another New Study Shows Exercise Can Boost Longevity
Exercise helps no matter how old and out-of-shape you are when you start according to a new study. NBC’s Chief science correspondent Robert Bazell reports in the video below on a the Physician’s Health Study - a study following more than 20,000 male doctors over a 25-year period - that found the benefits are greater than even previously thought. Bazell also notes earlier studies that have found that exercise even helps people add the cellular level. You can also read about the study here.

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Concerns About West Nile Virus in Southern California
The L.A. Times reports that local health officials in Southern California are warning residents about the resurgance of the West Nile Virus. There have only be 39 cases confirmed so far but the virus tends to peak in September in October. Health officials are also concerned because 70% of these cases have been the serious neurological form of the disease.

Thirty-nine cases of human West Nile virus have been confirmed in the state as of Tuesday. There have been no fatalities related to West Nile virus in California this year, but officials fear an outbreak between August and October, the peak period for infections.

Humans and animals contract West Nile virus from bites of infected mosquitoes, which contract it by feeding on birds that have the virus in their blood. Most people who are infected by the virus do not become ill, but one in five people develop flu-like symptoms. In its most severe form, West Nile can cause encephalitis, meningitis and death.

This year, 70% of the victims have contracted the more serious neurological form of the disease, West Nile neuroinvasive disease, Cummings said. That’s a higher number than in past years, but officials do not know why that is. It’s an additional cause for concern, officials said.

Southern California has seen an increase in the number of infected dead birds and mosquitoes this year. So far, 566 dead birds and 316 mosquito samples have been confirmed positive for the virus in the area.

You can read about the more severe form of West Nile Virus here. The national West Nile figures can be found here on the CDC’s website. The CDC’s case total may run a little behind what individual states are reporting.

California also has a detailed website here where they provide information about the disease and cases counts by county.

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Tattooing May Provide Bigger Immune Response Than Injections
The BBC reports that German researchers have found that tattooing may be a better delivery mechanism for vaccines than injections. Studies with mice found that mice had a bigger immune response with tattoos than with needle-based injections.

Now researchers in Germany say that the rapidly vibrating tattoo needle could be a useful way of delivering vaccines under the skin instead of insoluble ink.

In studies with mice, tattooing a vaccine produced 16 times more antibodies than a simple injection into muscle tissue.

The level of antibodies indicates the strength of the immune system’s response.

Dr Martin Mueller, one of the researchers behind this work, says that the greater damage to the body caused by the tattoo needle may explain the better immune response.

The researchers also said the method would have many limitations. One of them is that it would be impossible to give children a measles tattoo because it would be too painful. It also sounds like a very timely procedure - a simple injection is much faster.

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For Chantix and Ambien, Ads That Dare Not Speak the Drugs’ Names
Renewed scrutiny of direct-to-consumer drug ads is giving new popularity to advertising campaigns that don’t mention a drug by name.

Name a prescription drug in a TV ad, and you also have to list all the side effects.

But if you talk about a condition rather than a drug, you can dispense with the side-effect talk and send people to a Web site — which in turn promotes your drug.

So-called “unbranded product advertising” has been around for a while. But with direct-to-consumer drug ads facing scrutiny recently, the soft sell is having a revival, the WSJ reports.

In a single week, Sanofi-Aventis’s “silence your rooster” ads (pictured) drove 400,000 people to this Web site that advertises the company’s sleeping pill Ambien.

And Pfizer, whose smoking-cessation drug Chantix has come under scrutiny for psychiatric side effects, has recently revived ads that send people to mytimetoquit.com.

The site gives readers lots of options to “learn about a prescription treatment option” — which turns out to mean clicking through to the Chantix Web site.

The campaign isn’t designed to circumvent FDA rules, Pfizer spokeswoman Sally Beatty tells the WSJ. “My Time to Quit is designed to encourage people who are thinking about quitting to speak to their health-care provider about the benefits of quitting smoking and available treatment options,” she said.

WHO: Indonesia Needs Helping Fighting Bird
Indonesia has been the hardest hit country in the battle against bird flu. They recently suffered their 100th fatality from the deadly H5N1 virus. Containment is the best method we have to keep bird flu from mutating into a form that spreads easily from human-to-human. The BBC reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) says Indonesia will need more help in its battle against the disease.

The virus is endemic in Java, Sumatra, Bali and southern Sulawesi with sporadic outbreaks reported from other areas, the FAO said.

By June 2008, more than 2,000 surveillance and response teams will be active in more than 300 districts in areas of the country where the disease is endemic, Mr Domenech said.

But that may not be enough.

“Indonesia is facing an uphill battle against a virus that is difficult to contain. Major human and financial resources, stronger political commitment and strengthened co-ordination between the central, provincial and district authorities are required to improve surveillance and control measures,” Mr Domenech said.

If bird flu gets out of control in Indonesia it might expose more humans to the disease and give the disease a great chance of mutating.

Update 4-17-08: A WHO human cases update shows that of the 23 bird flu fatalities this year 12 of them have occurred in Indonesia.

Posted in Bird Flu

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Vampire Bats Possibly Spreading Rabies in Venezuela
CNN reports that 38 Waro Indians in remote villages in Venezuela have died from symptoms similar to rabies. Some of the unusual symptoms include extreme fear of water and progressive paralysis.

Laboratory investigations have yet to confirm the cause, but the symptoms point to rabies, according to two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and other medical experts.

The two UC Berkeley researchers — the husband-and-wife team of anthropologist Charles Briggs and public health specialist Dr. Clara Mantini-Briggs — said the symptoms include fever, body pains, tingling in the feet followed by progressive paralysis, and an extreme fear of water. Victims tend to have convulsions and grow rigid before death.

Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agreed with their preliminary diagnosis.

“The history and clinical signs are compatible with rabies,” Rupprecht told The Associated Press on Friday. “Prevention is straightforward: Prevent bites and vaccinate those at risk of bites.”

It’s a pretty horrible problem the villagers are having to deal with. Many of the villagers now have cats in an attempt to keep the vampire bats away from their children. You can read a Promed email entry on these cases here. The ProMed email also notes that it is unusual that no rabies cases have been reported in other animals - such as horses or cattle - because one would expect the vampire bats to be biting these animals as well. It’s possible that it hasn’t been mentioned simply because complete information is lacking.

National Geographic has a quick fact page on vampire page here. For Rabies information, check out the CDC’s Rabies website.

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Bird Flu Pandemic Could Kill 75,000 Britons
The UK’s House of Lords has warned that a bird flu pandemic could kill 75,000 Britons and as many as 50 million people worldwide.

A new and potentially deadly infectious disease emerges somewhere in the world every year, threatening “devastating consequences” across the globe, warns the Lords intergovernmental organisations committee. Its report, published today, criticises Britain’s “poorly coordinated” disease control systems.

Reform of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is “essential”, as the global health agency is “dysfunctional” and lacking the organisation and resources to curb a major outbreak, it says.

The committee calls for new international disease surveillance systems in developing countries. The report says peers were given the following “sobering” advice by government ministers: “While there has not been a pandemic since 1968, another one is inevitable ? Estimates are that the next pandemic will kill between 2 million and 50 million people worldwide and between 50,000 and 75,000 in the UK. Socio-economic disruption will be massive.”

Three-quarters of new human diseases originate from animals, but experts have warned they are currently identified only after people are infected. The committee chairman, Lord Soley, said: “The last 100 years have seen great advances in public health and disease control through the world, but globalisation and changes in lifestyles are giving rise to new infections and providing opportunities for them to spread rapidly.

“We are particularly concerned about the link with animal health.”

You can find the complete 79 page PDF report here. The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors the latest outbreaks of the bird flu virus (H5N1) around the world. You can follow their reports here.

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Tattooing May Provide Bigger Immune Response Than Injections
The BBC reports that German researchers have found that tattooing may be a better delivery mechanism for vaccines than injections. Studies with mice found that mice had a bigger immune response with tattoos than with needle-based injections.

Now researchers in Germany say that the rapidly vibrating tattoo needle could be a useful way of delivering vaccines under the skin instead of insoluble ink.

In studies with mice, tattooing a vaccine produced 16 times more antibodies than a simple injection into muscle tissue.

The level of antibodies indicates the strength of the immune system’s response.

Dr Martin Mueller, one of the researchers behind this work, says that the greater damage to the body caused by the tattoo needle may explain the better immune response.

The researchers also said the method would have many limitations. One of them is that it would be impossible to give children a measles tattoo because it would be too painful. It also sounds like a very timely procedure - a simple injection is much faster.

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West Nile Virus Can Cause Lifelong Symptoms
WebMD (on CBS) is reporting that a new study on West Nile Virus has found that one out of every 150 people infected suffer from severe nuerological disease. Of those about 40% have serious symptoms such as difficulty walking, memory loss and depression that they may deal with for the rest of their lives.

One in 150 people infected with West Nile virus get severe neurological disease. More than 40% of these patients may have serious symptoms for the rest of their lives, say Kristy Murray, PhD, DVM, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues.

The finding comes from five years of data on 108 Houston-area residents who came down with severe West Nile disease after infection with the mosquito-borne virus. Murray’s team evaluated the patients every six months.

A year after their West Nile virus infection, 60% of these patients still had serious symptoms. Five years later, 42% had not fully recovered - and weren’t getting any better.

These lasting symptoms included fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, difficulty walking, memory loss, and personality change.

These findings show that WNV is a very serious disease. People should continue to take precautions and avoid mosquito bites as much as possible during the mosquito season. WNV is still infecting thousands of people in the United States each year. 3,598 people were infected with West Nile Virus in 2007 and 121 were killed.

Graphic above is from the CDC’s 2007 WNV incidence map.

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Keri Glassman Discusses Super Foods
Registered dietician Keri Glassman shares with Today’s Lara Spencer some super-foods for living longer. The foods discussed include yogurt, keifer, apples, avocado, seaweed, blueberries, gojiberry, pomegranate and green tea. You can read Keri Glassman’s bio here. Here’s Keri’s top five recommendations to eat every day.

1 Cup Green Tea

1 Cup Blueberries

1 Cup Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

2 Oz. Pomegranate Juice

1/2 Oz. Walnuts or 1/4 Avocado

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Antidepressants May Help Body Fight Cancer, HIV
The Independent reports that new research published in inBiological Psychiatry indicates some antidepressants may help they body fight HIV, cancer and other infections.

Natural killer (NK) cells are white blood cells which home in on infected or cancerous cells, releasing agents that induce apoptosis, or “cell suicide”. NK cells are especially active against viruses.

The research emerged from findings that stress and depression impair NK cell function and can accelerate the progress of HIV/ Aids. Scientists recruited depressed and non-depressed HIV-positive women and treated them with three drugs to treat stress and depression. Two, Citalopram and the “substance P antagonist” CP-96345 increased NK cell activity, while RU486 had no effect.

The Independent article also contained the following quote from the leader of the research team, Dr Dwight Evans of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia: “The findings show that natural killer cell function in HIV infection may be enhanced by selective serotonin re-uptake inhibition and substance P antagonism.”

It sounds promising. If additional research supports the theory it is possible more people suffering from HIV and/or cancer will also be put on an antidepressant. Many cancer patients already are because it helps with chronic pain management.

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Vampire Bats Possibly Spreading Rabies in Venezuela
CNN reports that 38 Waro Indians in remote villages in Venezuela have died from symptoms similar to rabies. Some of the unusual symptoms include extreme fear of water and progressive paralysis.

Laboratory investigations have yet to confirm the cause, but the symptoms point to rabies, according to two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and other medical experts.

The two UC Berkeley researchers — the husband-and-wife team of anthropologist Charles Briggs and public health specialist Dr. Clara Mantini-Briggs — said the symptoms include fever, body pains, tingling in the feet followed by progressive paralysis, and an extreme fear of water. Victims tend to have convulsions and grow rigid before death.

Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agreed with their preliminary diagnosis.

“The history and clinical signs are compatible with rabies,” Rupprecht told The Associated Press on Friday. “Prevention is straightforward: Prevent bites and vaccinate those at risk of bites.”

It’s a pretty horrible problem the villagers are having to deal with. Many of the villagers now have cats in an attempt to keep the vampire bats away from their children. You can read a Promed email entry on these cases here. The ProMed email also notes that it is unusual that no rabies cases have been reported in other animals - such as horses or cattle - because one would expect the vampire bats to be biting these animals as well. It’s possible that it hasn’t been mentioned simply because complete information is lacking.

National Geographic has a quick fact page on vampire page here. For Rabies information, check out the CDC’s Rabies website.

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Hiddenc Brain Injuries Linked to Social and Educational Failures
The video from the Wall Street Journal discusses the issue of hidden tramatic brain injuries. Many researchers believe that hidden traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of social or educational failure for many people. Mt. Sinai School of Medicine is behind some important research in this area.

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Find flowers, greeting cards, candy, gift ideas and more in ShoppersShop.com’s Valentine’s Day Shopping section.

Salmonella Concerns Shift to Peppers
The salmonella cases have now swelled to over 1,000 cases. The outbreak was originally blamed on tomatoes but it is now being blamed on jalapeno peppers reports the Wall Street Journal. New cases are still being reported with the most recent case falling on June 26th.

More than 1,000 people have become sick in the salmonella outbreak at first only blamed on tomatoes, and federal health officials now say jalape?o peppers caused some illnesses, especially in three larger clusters.

The outbreak, which has become the largest one carried by food in the last 10 years, also caused the death of a Texas man in his 80s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The CDC said salmonella may have contributed to the death of another Texas man, who had cancer.

As of Tuesday, 1,017 people — from 41 states, the District of Columbia and Canada — had been confirmed to be infected with the rare salmonella strain dubbed Saintpaul, the CDC said. The first patient became sick on April 10 and the latest on June 26.

The latest figure is an increase from the 943 cases that were reported as of July 3. The outbreak appears to be continuing.

The CDC updated its saintpaul salmonella outbreak page today. The page says jalapeno’s explain some of the cases but not all. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro are also suspects.

Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in several states among persons who ate at restaurants. Most clusters involve fewer than 5 ill persons. Three larger clusters have been intensively investigated. In one, illnesses were linked to consumption of an item containing fresh tomatoes and fresh jalapeno peppers. In the other two, illnesses were linked to an item containing fresh jalapeno peppers and no other of the suspect items. The accumulated data from all investigations indicate that jalapeno peppers caused some illnesses but that they do not explain all illnesses. Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro also remain under investigation. Investigators from many agencies are collaborating to track the source of the implicated peppers and other produce items.

WebMD notes that so far restaurants haven’t been asked not to use jalapeno or serrano peppers. More stories on the ongoing salmonella outbreak can be found at Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribue and MSNBC.

Photo souce: fboyd

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World Gastroenterology Organization Releases New Digestive Health Guidelnes
The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recently released new digestive health guidelines. In the United States, the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN), which is the foundation of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), interpreted these new guidelines into a graphic (see below).

The guidelines are designed to reduce symptoms of digestive discomfort and help people achieve optimal digestive health - meaning the body is working properly to break down food and turn it into energy. The WGO says a person with good digestive health weighs a normal amount and rarely experiences digestive problems like nausea, bloating, constipation, stomach pain, diarrhea, heartburn, gas or irregularity.

“Digestive health has become a widespread concern among Americans, especially since digestive problems can pervade all aspects of a person’s life,” said Robert Sandler, M.D., MPH, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. “The new guidelines outline ways that people can improve their digestive health by making simple lifestyle modifications.”

Here are the WGO’s Ten Nutritional Recommendations to Improve Digestive Health

1. Eat small, frequent meals. To achieve optimal digestion, eat 4-5 small meals per day without increasing overall caloric intake.
2. Include foods rich in fiber. Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and can be found in fresh fruits, raw vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, nuts, and beans.
3. Consume fish 3-5 times per week. Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids that can improve digestive abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring balance.
4. Reduce intake of fried, fattening foods. Cutting back on greasy, fried foods that are high in fat and hard to digest will reduces your stomach’s workload.
5. Incorporate fermented dairy products into your diet. Certain probiotics, or the good bacteria that is found in dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese, may improve intestinal function and overall digestive health.
6. Select lean meats. Leaner cuts of meat - pork, chicken and turkey - contain less fat, which may reduce digestive discomfort.
7. Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids are needed to alleviate and prevent constipation and ease digestion of foods through the digestive tract. A good way to make sure you’re getting enough fluids is to drink a glass of water with every meal.
8. Don’t rush eating. Eating slowly and chewing food properly encourages a “full” feeling, which prevents the overeating that can upset the digestive tract.
9. Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking. While most people know that exercise offers overall health benefits, most people don’t know that it’s good for your digestive tract, too.
10. Maintain a healthy body weight. A Body Mass Index that indicates obesity or unintentional weight loss may have a negative impact on digestive health.

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Need a Body Part? Grow Your Own
Someday - maybe not too far in the future - a machine may grow the new body part you need. That would be a miracle as some “98,000 people are on a waiting list for transplants right now” according to CBS News. CBS says a research team at Wake Forest University believes any body part replacement you need can be grown.

From blood vessels to muscle tissue, Atala and his team at Wake Forest University believe that in theory anything inside the body can be grown outside the body, CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports. And it’s real: They’ve made 18 different types of tissue so far.

“That’s a heart valve?” Andrews asked.

Atala said: “This is an engineered heart valve.”

What he pointed to was a pulsing heart valve to be transplanted into a sheep.

“When people ask me ‘what do you do,’ we grow tissues and organs,” he said. “We are making body parts that we can implant right back into patients.”

Once considered a Frankenstein fantasy, the field of regenerative medicine is on the verge of unimagined breakthroughs. Scientists believe every part of the body has cells capable of regeneration - all researchers need to do is isolate those cells and coax them to grow.

Growing your own might body part or organ might also help the body overcome the reject factor that happens so often with transplants. With this kind of technology if you had a body part that was failing your doctor could order you a replacement which would be grown using your own cells. Here’s a video from CBS News about the amazing future of body part replacement. The video shows the oven-like incubators that grow the body tissue, blood vessels and organs.

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Tattooing May Provide Bigger Immune Response Than Injections
The BBC reports that German researchers have found that tattooing may be a better delivery mechanism for vaccines than injections. Studies with mice found that mice had a bigger immune response with tattoos than with needle-based injections.

Now researchers in Germany say that the rapidly vibrating tattoo needle could be a useful way of delivering vaccines under the skin instead of insoluble ink.

In studies with mice, tattooing a vaccine produced 16 times more antibodies than a simple injection into muscle tissue.

The level of antibodies indicates the strength of the immune system’s response.

Dr Martin Mueller, one of the researchers behind this work, says that the greater damage to the body caused by the tattoo needle may explain the better immune response.

The researchers also said the method would have many limitations. One of them is that it would be impossible to give children a measles tattoo because it would be too painful. It also sounds like a very timely procedure - a simple injection is much faster.

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Neuroanatomist Learns From Her Own Stroke
Jill Bolte Taylor became a brain scientist because she wanted to study her brother’s schizophrenia. In this talk at TED she explains how she analyzed her own stroke after a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. She explains how she felt her own brain fuctions slip away. She says she became an “infant in a woman’s body.”

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

She brings an actual human brain to the TED conference. You can see the video below or here. (via Boing Boing)

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Hiddenc Brain Injuries Linked to Social and Educational Failures
The video from the Wall Street Journal discusses the issue of hidden tramatic brain injuries. Many researchers believe that hidden traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of social or educational failure for many people. Mt. Sinai School of Medicine is behind some important research in this area.

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World Health Organization Seeks Rapid MDR-TB Test
The BBC reports that the World Health Organization is working with partners to make a rapid test for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The article says it sometimes takes as long as two months to properly diagnose a MDR-TB patient.

MDR-TB responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin.

It is estimated only 2% of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately - owing mainly to inadequate laboratory services.

The aim is to increase that proportion over the next four years to at least 15%.

The WHO is working on the new initiatives with the Stop TB Partnership, Unitaid, an international drug purchase facility, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (Find).

In developing countries most TB patients are tested for MDR-TB only after they fail to respond to a standard treatments.

Even then, it takes two months or more to confirm the diagnosis.

Both TB and MRD-TB can be transmitted when a when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. The CDC has a fact sheet on MDR-TB here.

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Running Can Slow Aging Process
The BBC reports on a study that found that running can help slow the aging process. 500 runners in their 50s were tracked for more than 20 years and comparing to a similar group of non-runners. 19 years later 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners.

Running not only appeared to slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, but was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.

And there was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners - something scientists have feared.

At the beginning of the study, the runners ran for about four hours a week on average. After 21 years, their weekly running time had reduced to around 76 minutes, but they were still seeing health benefits from taking regular exercise.

Lead author Professor James Fries, emeritus professor of medicine at Stanford, said: “The study has a very pro-exercise message. If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.

“The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”

Experts believe that that some of the benefits of exercises like running, in addition to a healthier heart and weight control, include reduced stress and better sleep.

Photo source: Daveybot

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West Nile Virus Can Cause Lifelong Symptoms
WebMD (on CBS) is reporting that a new study on West Nile Virus has found that one out of every 150 people infected suffer from severe nuerological disease. Of those about 40% have serious symptoms such as difficulty walking, memory loss and depression that they may deal with for the rest of their lives.

One in 150 people infected with West Nile virus get severe neurological disease. More than 40% of these patients may have serious symptoms for the rest of their lives, say Kristy Murray, PhD, DVM, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues.

The finding comes from five years of data on 108 Houston-area residents who came down with severe West Nile disease after infection with the mosquito-borne virus. Murray’s team evaluated the patients every six months.

A year after their West Nile virus infection, 60% of these patients still had serious symptoms. Five years later, 42% had not fully recovered - and weren’t getting any better.

These lasting symptoms included fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, difficulty walking, memory loss, and personality change.

These findings show that WNV is a very serious disease. People should continue to take precautions and avoid mosquito bites as much as possible during the mosquito season. WNV is still infecting thousands of people in the United States each year. 3,598 people were infected with West Nile Virus in 2007 and 121 were killed.

Graphic above is from the CDC’s 2007 WNV incidence map.

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Think-Tank President: ER Access Means No One is Uninsured
John Goodman of the National Center for Policy analysis was recently identified in the WSJ as an unpaid adviser to the McCain campaign. But the campaign says his views are “out of step with John McCain.”

A think-tank president told the Dallas Morning News this week that no one in this country is truly uninsured.

The law that requires emergency rooms to care for anyone who walks in the door is, ultimately, a form of health insurance, said John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Reacting to the latest census numbers on the number of Americans without health insurance, Goodman reportedly said:

The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.

Last month, a WSJ op-ed described Goodman as “an unpaid adviser to the McCain campaign.”

WHO Issues Ugandan Bat Cave Warning
The BBC reports that the World Health Organization is warning people to avoid Ugandan caves with bats. The warning follows the death of a 40-year-old Dtuch woman who died after contracting the deadly Marburg virus. She contracted the virus in Uganda and died in a hospital after returning home to the Netherlands.

The woman, aged 40, died after being taken to hospital following her return to the Netherlands, health authorities there said.

They said she probably contracted the disease while visiting a Ugandan cave inhabited by fruit bats.

Marburg is a contagious disease that causes sudden bleeding and high fever.

There is no treatment or vaccine.

The largest outbreak occurred in 2004-2005 in Angola and killed more than 300 people.

No tourists are known to have previously contracted the disease.

There is no cure for the rare Marburg disease. Like the feared Ebola virus, Marburg is also a severe type of hemorrhagic fever. You can read a Faq about here on the CDC’s website.

Photo: Negative stain image of an isolate of Marburg virus. Source: CDC

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Another New Study Shows Exercise Can Boost Longevity
Exercise helps no matter how old and out-of-shape you are when you start according to a new study. NBC’s Chief science correspondent Robert Bazell reports in the video below on a the Physician’s Health Study - a study following more than 20,000 male doctors over a 25-year period - that found the benefits are greater than even previously thought. Bazell also notes earlier studies that have found that exercise even helps people add the cellular level. You can also read about the study here.

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World Health Organization Seeks Rapid MDR-TB Test
The BBC reports that the World Health Organization is working with partners to make a rapid test for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The article says it sometimes takes as long as two months to properly diagnose a MDR-TB patient.

MDR-TB responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin.

It is estimated only 2% of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately - owing mainly to inadequate laboratory services.

The aim is to increase that proportion over the next four years to at least 15%.

The WHO is working on the new initiatives with the Stop TB Partnership, Unitaid, an international drug purchase facility, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (Find).

In developing countries most TB patients are tested for MDR-TB only after they fail to respond to a standard treatments.

Even then, it takes two months or more to confirm the diagnosis.

Both TB and MRD-TB can be transmitted when a when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. The CDC has a fact sheet on MDR-TB here.

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Advertisement: Plurk is a fun new microblogging service. You can get an invite here!

Neuroanatomist Learns From Her Own Stroke
Jill Bolte Taylor became a brain scientist because she wanted to study her brother’s schizophrenia. In this talk at TED she explains how she analyzed her own stroke after a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. She explains how she felt her own brain fuctions slip away. She says she became an “infant in a woman’s body.”

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

She brings an actual human brain to the TED conference. You can see the video below or here. (via Boing Boing)

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For Chantix and Ambien, Ads That Dare Not Speak the Drugs’ Names
Renewed scrutiny of direct-to-consumer drug ads is giving new popularity to advertising campaigns that don’t mention a drug by name.

Name a prescription drug in a TV ad, and you also have to list all the side effects.

But if you talk about a condition rather than a drug, you can dispense with the side-effect talk and send people to a Web site — which in turn promotes your drug.

So-called “unbranded product advertising” has been around for a while. But with direct-to-consumer drug ads facing scrutiny recently, the soft sell is having a revival, the WSJ reports.

In a single week, Sanofi-Aventis’s “silence your rooster” ads (pictured) drove 400,000 people to this Web site that advertises the company’s sleeping pill Ambien.

And Pfizer, whose smoking-cessation drug Chantix has come under scrutiny for psychiatric side effects, has recently revived ads that send people to mytimetoquit.com.

The site gives readers lots of options to “learn about a prescription treatment option” — which turns out to mean clicking through to the Chantix Web site.

The campaign isn’t designed to circumvent FDA rules, Pfizer spokeswoman Sally Beatty tells the WSJ. “My Time to Quit is designed to encourage people who are thinking about quitting to speak to their health-care provider about the benefits of quitting smoking and available treatment options,” she said.

Another New Study Shows Exercise Can Boost Longevity
Exercise helps no matter how old and out-of-shape you are when you start according to a new study. NBC’s Chief science correspondent Robert Bazell reports in the video below on a the Physician’s Health Study - a study following more than 20,000 male doctors over a 25-year period - that found the benefits are greater than even previously thought. Bazell also notes earlier studies that have found that exercise even helps people add the cellular level. You can also read about the study here.

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Sarah Palin on Regulation and Competition in Health Care
As governor of Alaska, John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin has been fighting regulations that determine when new health-care facilities can be developed.

So McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. We quickly learned that she eats caribou and loves jogging, but we wanted to know what she’s been up to in health-care policy.

One interesting fight she’s joined is the push to get rid of an Alaska law that says hospitals or clinics can only build new facilities if state regulators agree the facilities are needed.

The feds used to require this sort of thing, known as a certificate-of-need program. The requirement disappeared in the mid-’80s, but lots of states still have the rules on the books. As this 2002 WSJ story shows, there’s been a rolling fight in various states for years over whether to keep the rules in place.

In February, Palin wrote an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News arguing that scrapping Alaska’s certificate-of-need program would improve access and quality and lower prices, by allowing supply to expand to meet demand. (Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has been arguing for similar changes in his state.)

Sleeping Soundly Provides Memory Boost
Need to learn something? Try an intense period of studying followed by a good night’s sleep. The BBC reports that a study has confirmed that sleep does indeed help with memory. The study found that sleep appears to help strengthen nerve connections in the brain.

The researchers studied a group of 32 volunteers who were taught a new skill or shown images they would later have to remember.

The skill tasks included trying to follow a moving dot on a computer screen using a joy stick.

One group of participants was then allowed to sleep normally for eight hours, while others were deprived of sleep or only permitted a nap.

The next day they were asked to repeat the tasks or recall the images while their brains were scanned using a technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Those who had slept properly performed better, and this was reflected in their brain activity.

Lead researcher Dr Sophie Schwartz said: “Our results revealed that a period of sleep following a new experience can consolidate and improve subsequent effects of learning from the experience.

It isn’t a new idea that sleeping can help with retention but it is interesting to have a scientific study confirm this widely held belief. Sleeping appears to be a great way to help the brain process new information. The scientists were not sure exactly how much sleep was needed for the best results but it seems pretty obvious that a constant lack of sleep can become very disruptive both cognitively and physically.

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Report Says Pre-Alzheimer’s Cases Rising
The AP reports that a new report on Alzheimer’s says that it is much more common than previously thought with a million Americans sliding into “mild impairment” annually.

A milder type of mental decline that often precedes Alzheimer’s disease is alarmingly more common than has been believed, and in men more than women, doctors reported Monday.

Nearly a million older Americans slide from normal memory into mild impairment each year, researchers estimate, based on a Mayo Clinic study of Minnesota residents.

That’s on top of the half million Americans who develop full-blown Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia - a problem sure to grow as baby boomers age. The oldest boomers turn 62 this year.

The same article says that an experimental nose spray has helped improve some memory function in people listed as “midly impaired.”

But that may be changing. Researchers on Monday reported early, somewhat encouraging results from an experimental nose spray that seemed to improve certain memory measures in a study of mildly impaired people.

The drug, for now just called AL-108, needs testing in a longer, larger study. It is being developed by Allon Therapeutics Inc., based in Vancouver, B.C.

Doctors said it shows the potential for new types of medicines that target the protein tangles that kill nerve cells, instead of targeting the sticky brain deposits that have gotten most of the attention up to now.

The BBC also has an article about another promising Alzheimer’s drug. These drugs will all be needed as Alzheimer appears to be a disease that will impact a wide swath of our aging population.

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Half of Americans Have Vision Problems
The BBC reports that a study conducted by the National Eye Institute (NEI) reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology found that half of Americans suffer from a vision problem of some kind. Most of the problems are a myopia or astigmatism according to the study. The numbers were a big jump from previous studies.

“Clinically important refractive error affects half of the U.S. population 20 years or older,” wrote Susan Vitale and colleagues at the institute, one of the U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health.

They analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 12,000 people aged 20 and older between 1999 and 2004.

More than 33 percent were nearsighted and 36 percent had astigmatism, which causes fuzzy vision, the team reported. Another 3.6 percent were farsighted, meaning they can see at a distance but not up close.

“Our estimated prevalence of myopia was higher than the 25 percent reported in previous U.S. studies and similar (in persons under 40 years) to that of ethnic Chinese persons in Singapore,” they wrote.

Medpage Today’s article on the study has the percentages of the most common causes of vision problems. They are:

Hyperopia, 3.6%

Myopia, 33.1%

Astigmatism, 36.2%

A HealthDay article about the NEI study notes that most people’s vision problems are solved with corrective lenses.

Photo source: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health

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Infra-red Helmet May Help Alzheimer’s Patients
A helmet that looks like it came from a sci-fi flick may offer real help to Alzheimer’s sufferers. The Daily Mail reports that the helmet bathes the wearer with infra-red light. The helmet only needs to be worn for ten minutes each day.

Dr Dougal claims that only ten minutes under the hat a day is enough to have an effect.

“Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay - this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it,” he said.

Low level infra-red red is thought to stimulate the growth of cells of all types of tissue and encourage their repair. It is able to penetrate the skin and even get through the skull.

“The implications of this research at Sunderland are enormous - so much so that in the future we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age,” he said.

“We age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions - for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance.

The reason the scientists believe the infra-red helmet may work is because there was study conducted on mice that showed infra-red treatments can reduce memory loss. It worked for mice so it might work for humans.

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Bone Marrow Transplant Hope For Leukaemia Patients
A bone marrow transplant technique might be a life-saving treatment for some leukaemia patients reports the BBC. Cells in the newly transplanted bone marrow may help to kill the leukameia cells.

Some leukaemia patients who do not respond to conventional treatments may benefit from bone marrow transplants selected to target the cancer directly.

The technique, pioneered in Italy, uses transplants from family members who are not a perfect match.

“Natural killer” cells in the new bone marrow then attack the leukaemia.

Survival rates rose after the treatment, but UK experts say these need to be reproduced on a bigger scale and in different types of the disease.

Finding a donor is difficult because of rejection. Doctors have to look for a donor within the patient’s family and even then they might not be able to find a match. About a third of the population will never be able to use the technique. However, it is an important breakthrough that will need to be vetted with more trials - it could be a livesaver for some lucky enough to find a donor. A spokesperson for the Leukaemia Research Fund said, “If you are in the position of a patient who has not responded to treatment, the choice between a 2% chance of survival and a 30% chance is not a difficult one.”

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