1. Thrive Blog
Superbug? Open and say, “Oh, no!”
As many as 179 patients may have been exposed to a drug-resistant strain of bacteria –
known as a superbug – during endoscopic procedures at the UCLA Ronald Reagan
Medical Center last week due to the difficulty in sterilizing a complicated piece of
medical equipment.
What happened? Two duodenscopes inserted down patients’ throats to diagnose and
treat pancreatic and bile duct issues may have exposed patients to carbapenem-
resistant Enterobacteriaceae even though they had been cleaned according to
manufacturer’s specifications, according to Reuters. The two instruments have been
removed from service and other equipment is now being more rigorously
decontaminated, but the infections may have contributed to two deaths, the agency
reported.
The issue is not a new one: In addition to buttressing concerns about the lack of
proper sterilization of complex medical equipment – occurring in Seattle, Chicago and
2. Pittsburg over the last two years – the most recent outbreak highlights the growing
threat of bacteria that do not respond to standard anti-bacterial treatment.
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Posted on 03/12/2015Categories Health News
Peanuts, get your Peanuts Here
And while we’re reversing field…a new study published Monday in The New England
Journal of Medicine found feeding small amounts of peanut butter to infants at risk for
developing peanut allergy significantly reduced the numbers of those kids that actually
became allergic.
Just when you thought it wasn’t safe…Previously it was thought keeping peanuts out
children’s diets would keep them from developing the reaction.
The new study: Researchers randomly assigned 640 infants with severe eczema and
egg allergies to groups that were either not exposed to peanuts or fed small amounts
through the age of five. Those that were given peanuts cut their risk of developing the
allergy by 81 percent, the report states.
What this means – Though the test group was narrow, the study could have significant
implications as peanut allergies have become a high profile issue in cafeterias,
restaurants and just about everywhere food is prepared. Though only found in about 3
percent of the western world’s children, peanut allergies have, nonetheless, doubled in
the past 10 years.
Don’t try this at home! Given the potential for serious and in some case life-
threatening allergic reactions, any tests should be conducted by a physician.
Posted on 03/11/2015Categories Medical News
Frankenstein the Printer
New body part? As long as you’re printing off the latest Groupon coupon for dinner
and a movie, how about adding an ear lobe or working kidney to the print queue. Just
because you’re printer can’t do it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Is it the toner? Though it’s been around for a while, 3D printing – the process of
making an object by layering metals, polymers and other materials instead of starting
with a block and chiseling away at it – is now coming to the front of the line in
manufacturing, science and medicine. Researchers have “printed” ears, livers and other
tissue with living cells instead of plastics. Titanium bones have been printed to replace
cancer-ravaged originals.
Not so fast – But Susan Dodds of the University of Tasmania wonders whether cost
and access to the technology and treatment along with whether technology-based
enhancement to our natural state and other issues have been thought through in this
burgeoning aftermarket industry for the human body? Printers have come a long
way, baby!
