Sunday, January 29, 2017

Babesia Screening in the U.S. Blood Supply

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Babesia Screening in the U.S. Blood Supply

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD Reviewing Moritz ED et al., N Engl J Med 2016 Dec 8; 375:2236

An investigational screening protocol used in high-risk regions appears effective in eliminating transfusion-associated babesiosis.


http://www.jwatch.org/na42948/2017/01/25/babesia-screening-us-blood-supply?query=etoc_jwid&jwd=000013533191&jspc=

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Michael Specter article from New Yorker



Here is a New Yorker magazine article written by Michael Specter, who has written a number of scientifically oriented articles for the lay audience, including this one about Lyme disease. This article focuses on whether gene editing technologies might be used to tackle the problem of Lyme disease.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Lyme disease in Pennsylvania

I grew up in Pennsylvania and believe it was there that I was first infected with Lyme, back in the summer of 1970. I was almost constantly in the woods because I had a summer job as a land surveyor's assistant. 

Pennsylvania Lyme disease: An interview with Dr Amesh Adalja


Senior Associate at the UPMC Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja, MD 


Monday, January 16, 2017

A new book on Lyme. "Lyme Madness"

Statement by the author:

I'd like to let everyone know that I have recently published my book LYME MADNESS. It was named the #1 NEW RELEASE in Immune System health on Amazon. 

Lyme Madness chronicles my adult son's illness and all that we've learned along the way in this mad, mad world of Lyme, including trying to make sense of the ugly and corrupt medical politics. It is also a platform for the stories of many -- for those who have been forced to suffer in silence for years, even decades. 

                         

LORI DENNIS, M.A.

Gut microbes promote motor deficits in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Yet another article about the connection between the gut and Parkinson's disease. This is a study of mice who were genetically predisposed to Parkinson's disease and the effective antibiotics that seems to be protective against developing Parkinson's symptoms.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-12/cp-gmp112316.php

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

New Gut Discoveries (or old ones rediscovered)

Gut Decision: Scientists Identify New Organ in Humans

A mighty membrane that twists and turns through the gut is starting the new year with a new classification: the structure, called the mesentery, has been upgraded to an organ.

Scientists have known about the structure, which connects a person's small and large intestines to the abdominal wall and anchors them in place, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, until now, it was thought of as a number of distinct membranes by most scientists. Interestingly, in one of its earliest descriptions, none other than Leonardo da Vinci identified the membranes as a single structure, according to a recent review.

In the review, lead author Dr. Calvin Coffey, a professor of surgery at the University of Limerick's Graduate Entry Medical School in Ireland, and colleagues looked at past studies and literature on the mesentery. Coffey noted that throughout the 20th century, anatomy books have described the mesentery as a series of fragmented membranes; in other words, different mesenteries were associated with different parts of the intestines.