This new influenza is an animal strain that has been circulating in swine populations in North America since 1997.
It has been combined with two genes from the H1N1 seasonal flu, said Dr. Frank Plummer, scientific director-general of the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg.
"We think because of the genetic sequence of the virus, we think it would be resistant to Tamiflu," he said.
The above comments on the novel H1N1 identified in farm workers in Saskatchewan indicate the novel virus has a contemporary H1 and N1 from the Brisbane/59 seasonal flu strain, which has H274Y (Tamiflu resistance) levels
near 100%. Although swine with human H1N1 has been described previously, this version has the oseltamivir resistance marker and is in a cluster of
farm workers, two confirmed and one suspect case. Since the surface genes are human, the novel virus should transmit human to human efficiently, and since the novel virus was not found in the swine associated with the workers, it is likely that the workers were infected by other humans and the two confirmed cases may have infected the suspect case.
"Fluoride appears to have the potential to initiate or promote cancers, particularly of the bone...," according to the most recent and extensive review of fluoride toxicology by the prestigious National Research Council (NRC). (1)
Fluoride chemicals are added to about 70% of public water supplies ostensibly to reduce tooth decay, not to purify the water.
In 2006, the NRC found the The Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) for fluoride is too high to be protective of health (4 mg/L) and must be lowered. EPA scientists have been saying this since 1986; but EPA management caved to political pressure and over-ruled its scientists. EPA is long overdue in revising fluoride's MCLG based on the 2006 NRC Fluoride Report, which was done at EPA's request.
Stephen Fox
OpEd NewsWed, 01 Jul 2009 03:30 UTC
Food democracy gets a boost from Woolies with the removal of aspartame
Food democracy, the growing trend whereby consumers are flexing their muscles and influencing decisions made by big food retailers and producers, is finding a foothold in South Africa.The first big retailer to pay close attention to what customers are saying, is Woolworths. In fact, it's in response to requests from customers that Woolworths has become the first South African retailer to remove aspartame from its foods.
It's not the only so-called 'artificial' sweetener to go, either. Woolworths has also removed the sweeteners saccharin and cyclamate from its own-brand foods.
"Quite a number of our customers have expressed their concern about these sweeteners. They've let us know that they don't want them in their food," explains Woolworths Food Divisional Director Julian Novak.
Comment: So it is possible, if the will is there. Companies can offer healthier products to their customers without sacrificing profit. But if we don't demand it, it won't happen.
A team of researchers from DuPont and Lehigh University has reported a breakthrough in the quest to produce carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that are suitable for use in electronics, medicine and other applications.
In an article published in the July 9 issue of Nature, the group says it has developed a DNA-based method that sorts and separates specific types of CNTs from a mixture.
CNTs are long, narrow cylinders of graphite with a broad range of electronic, thermal and structural properties that vary according to the tubes' shape and structure. This versatility gives CNTs great promise in electronics, lasers, sensors and biomedicine, and as strengthening elements in composite materials.
People who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions increase their resilience against challenges, according to a new study by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist and colleagues.
The study, "Happiness Unpacked: Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction by Building Resilience," appears in the June issue of the bimonthly journal Emotion.
"This study shows that if happiness is something you want out of life, then focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive emotions is the way to go," said Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and the principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory. "Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow."
David Hambling
Wired NewsWed, 08 Jul 2009 00:37 UTC
© Photo: U.S. Army
Late last year, James Walbert went to court, to stop his former business associate from blasting him with mind-altering electromagnetic radiation. Walbert told the Sedgwick County, Kansas panel that Jeremiah Redford threatened him with "jolts of radiation" after a disagreement over a business deal. Later, Walbert, said, he began feeling electric shock sensations, hearing electronically generated tones, and getting popping and ringing sounds in his ears. On December 30th, the court decided in Walbert's favor, and issued a first-of-its-kind order of protection, banning Redford from using "electronic means" to further harass Walbert. No, seriously.
Comment: While the author chooses to poke fun at the possibility of mind control and proceeds with a 'wink and a nudge' attitude, a closer look will reveal that the military has shown an intense interest in the subject for
many decades now.
Judy Wall, in an article entitled
Military Use of Mind Control Weapons published in
Nexus Magazine brings up an important point that these subliminal systems do not just tell a person to feel an emotion,
it creates the emotion in the mind.
Statins, medications widely used to lower cholesterol, may cause structural damage to the muscles of people experiencing muscle aches and weakness, a new study has found.
The damage may occur even when tests for a protein thought to signal injury are normal, and may persist even after statin use is halted, according to the study in the July 7 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The researchers stressed that people not experiencing significant pain had no cause for alarm and should continue taking the medicine.
Late risers have more mental stamina and can outperform early birds, study finds
Smug early birds take note: Night owls actually have more mental stamina than those who awaken at the crack of dawn, according to new research.
"It's the late risers who have the advantage, and can outperform the early birds," said Philippe Peigneux, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, who along with co-author Christina Schmidt published the counterintuitive findings in the latest issue of the journal Science .
A while ago my wife Laura and I were interviewed by a reporter about our son's medical treatment for gastrointestinal issues. During our interview, we were asked a question that Laura refers to as a "loaded" question. While we were discussing our thoughts on vaccines and their contribution to our son's condition, the reporter asked how we felt about people saying "...mercury is no longer in vaccines and the rates of autism are still going up?" By asking the question they way she did, she "loaded" it with the implication that all vaccines no longer contained mercury in any form. This question should have been restated as "How do you feel about people saying that the amount of mercury in vaccines has been reduced and children are still qualifying for autism services at a rate of approximately 1 in 150 children"?
Young children given syrup containing the naturally occurring sweetener xylitol may be less likely to develop decay in their baby teeth, results of a study hint.
Early childhood cavities, also called baby bottle tooth decay or nursing cavities, are characterized by severe tooth decay early in life and remain a problem, Dr. Peter Milgrom from the University of Washington in Seattle and colleagues note in a report published today. "Poor children experience rates twice as high as those of their more affluent peers, and their disease is more likely to be untreated," they point out.
Xylitol, approved in the United States for use in food since 1963, has been shown to effectively prevent tooth decay by inhibiting the growth of bacteria that cause cavities. These previous studies have primarily involved chewing gum or lozenges used in school-age children with permanent teeth.
Comment: So it is possible, if the will is there. Companies can offer healthier products to their customers without sacrificing profit. But if we don't demand it, it won't happen.