Infections than Previously Thought

NewsTarget) Nearly five percent of patients in U.S. hospitals may have acquired a particular antibiotic resistant staph infection, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Researchers surveyed a total of 1,200 hospitals and other health care facilities from all 50 states, and found 8,000 patients infected or colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- or 46 out of every 1,000. This suggests that up to 1.2 million hospital patients across the country may be infected every year.

Colonized patients are those who were found to be carrying the bacteria in or on their bodies, but who had not showed any symptoms of disease.

quot;This rate is between eight and 11 times greater than previous MRSA estimates," APIC wrote.

The majority of the infections had originated within the medical facility; 67 percent arose in patients being treated for general medical conditions (such as diabetes or pulmonary or cardiovascular problems) and not in intensive care patients.

APIC recommended simple measures, such as hand washing, to prevent the spread of MRSA within medical institutions. A number of studies have shown that many health care workers are not appropriately vigilant about washing their hands consistently.

quot;Hand hygiene is the most important means of preventing the spread of infection," said APIC President Denise Murphy.

MRSA is resistant to all forms of penicillin, which has earned it the moniker of "superbug." Due to its drug resistance, it is twice as fatal as other staph infections.

In 1974, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 2 percent of the staph infections occurring in medical facilities were cases of MRSA; in 2004, the estimate had risen almost to 63 percent.

quot;Killing MRSA infections is easy," countered consumer health advocate Mike Adams. "Manuka honey easily kills MRSA infections, as does colloidal silver, tea tree oil and literally thousands of other botanical medicines. While conventional medicine remains baffled by this antibiotic resistant infection, the world of natural medicine has known how to beat such infections for literally thousands of years," Adams said.

Worldwide, approximately 2.7 percent of S. aureus carriers are estimated to be infected or colonized with MRSA.

New Test Finds Depleted Uranium 20 Years After Exposure

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 by: Laura Weldon

Key concepts: depleted uranium, Gulf War and Iraq.

NewsTarget) Depleted uranium (DU) has been found in the urine of Gulf War vets as long as 20 years after exposure. A highly sensitive test has been developed which can detect DU even when previous screening has proven negative. This test may assist with unresolved health claims.

We are all exposed to minuscule amounts of uranium every day. But it would take over five tons of rock and soil to come up with a teaspoon of the isotopic proportions of natural uranium. In contrast, the DU used by the military is "depleted" by only one percent of the total uranium. It remains highly concentrated.

Any form of uranium becomes exceedingly dangerous when burned, which is exactly what happens when DU is used in weapons systems. The tiny particles are aerosolized and can be inhaled into the lungs. These soluble DU compounds then enter the bloodstream and from there reach bones and organs. This DU can remain, literally radiating the body from within, for years. In the past, exposed individuals were often not checked for inhaled DU or were not tested with equipment that could differentiate the isotopes 235 and 236 characteristic of DU.

Recently a University of Leicester geologist, Professor Randall R. Parrish, and his research team, developed a highly sensitive means of detecting DU in urine using mass spectrometry. These results enabled Parrish to reassess data on DU exposure. He notes that findings of DU in the urine of 1991 Gulf War vets is uncommon, but if the exposure was significant it can be detected. Such a test can relieve the concerns of some veterans and validate the claims of others. Parrish also sees a need to study people who live near DU munitions facilities and people in DU contaminated areas of Iraq.Armor-piercing shells made of depleted uranium were first used during the Gulf War in 1991 as U.S. and Allied troops rousted Iraqi forces from Kuwait. DU was used again in 1995, this time in NATO air strikes over Bosnia. And now DU is heavily used in Iraq. There, DU is used not only in anti-tank weapons but also in guided missiles and aerial bombs.

DU is utilized for armor piercing munitions due to its very high density. Since DU is 1.7 times more dense than lead, this provides increased penetration. The radiation emitted by DU persists for thousands of years.

Military personnel and civilians who have been exposed to DU have linked the toxin to illness, birth defects and death.

The U.S. Federal Code Title 50 Chapter 40 2302 defines weapons of mass destruction as follows: 1) The term "weapon of mass destruction" means any weapon or device that is intended, or has the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of:

A) toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors

B) a disease organism

C) radiation or radioactivity

By these standards, DU meets two of three definitions as a weapon of mass destruction.

About the author

Laura Weldon is a writer with a book called Free Range Learning coming out in 2008. She lives on an organic farm and believes in bliss.

Mobile Phones Linked to Brain Tumors after Long Term Use

Friday, January 11, 2008 by: David Gutierrez

Key concepts: mobile phones, brain tumors and cancer.

NewsTarget) The United Kingdom's largest study on the safety of cellular phones has failed to rule out the possibility of long-term cancer risk, and concluded that parents should continue to limit use of cell phones by children over the age of seven and disallow it for younger children.

The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) program was launched in 2001, with funding from the British government. The study found no evidence of a risk from short-term exposure among adults, but a "very slight hint" of increased risk among those who had been using mobile phones for more than 10 years. The data were at the "borderline of statistical significance," meaning that more research is required.

The reason for the inconclusiveness of the data may be that the study included very few such long-term users.

quot;We cannot rule out the possibility at this stage that cancer could appear in a few years' time," said study chair Lawrence Challis. "There is no way we can do that, both because the epidemiological evidence we have is not strong enough to rule it out and because most cancers cannot be detected until 10 years after whatever caused them. With smoking there was no link of any lung cancer until after 10 years."

Some cell-phone critics have accused the study of using selective data to make mobile phones appear safer.

quot;Normal use of a mobile phone for a couple of minutes may not cause any health effects, but what about calls of 20 minutes?" said Roger Coghill of Coghill Research Laboratories, which specializes in studying the health effects of radiation. "There are many omissions in this report, not least important work on children, and there are biological reasons why we should have concerns about children and old people."

The MTHR study did not conduct much research on children, both for ethical reasons and because of the presumption that research on adults could also be applied to children.

Disclaimer: Posting articles does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article. All articles that are posted are aimed at getting people to think & consider the various issues, ideas & factual research presented.

Source:www.americanchronicle.com