Hospitals struck by new killer bug

Hospitals struck by new killer bug

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

A new hospital superbug resistant to all antibiotics could be killing hundreds of patients, experts have warned.

The infection, known as 'Steno', is on the increase and could be harder to tackle than MRSA and C.difficile.

The bug spreads almost exclusively in hospitals through wet areas such as taps and shower heads, and is thought to kill a third of the people it infects after entering the bloodstream.

Chemotherapy patients, including children, are among those most in danger, because the infection spreads through ventilation tubes and catheters.

There are about 1,000 reports of Steno blood poisoning in Britain each year, according to today's study by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, near Cambridge.

Research leader Dr Matthew Avison said: 'This is the latest in an ever-increasing list of antibiotic-resistant hospital superbugs.

'The degree of resistance it shows is very worrying. Strains are now emerging that are resistant to all available antibiotics.'

He urged drug companies to invest more in a 'new generation' of treatments for robust bugs such as Steno – full name Stenotrophomonas maltophilia – which are rarer than MRSA and C.diff but tougher to treat.

MRSA is thought to have caused 1,652 deaths in 2006, up from 51 in 1993. Clostridium difficile was mentioned on 6,480 death certificates in 2006, a 72 per cent rise on 2005.

Steno sticks to catheters or medical tubes and grows into a so-called 'biofilm'. When the catheter is next flushed, the bug enters the patient's bloodstream and can cause septicaemia, especially if their immune system has already been weakened.

The onus is on both patients and healthcare professionals to do more to keep equipment clean, Dr Avison told the Genome Biology journal.

In a statement the Department of Health said: 'Stenotrophomonas does not cause infections in healthy people but can cause infections in patients who are seriously ill with other conditions, especially lung problems.'

A spokesman insisted 'clean and safe treatment in the NHS' was a top priority, saying an extra £270million a year would be spent on tackling infections by 2010.

Veterans’ Office Covering Up Soldier Suicides: US Lawmakers

Published on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 by Agence France Presse

Veterans’ Office Covering Up Soldier Suicides: US Lawmakers

WASHINGTON - US lawmakers have accused the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of being out of control and of covering up the high suicide rate among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

“The VA healthcare system has been pushed to the edge in dealing with the mental health care needs of our veterans,” Bob Filner, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee of Veterans’ Affairs, told a packed congressional hearing about the issue of suicides among veterans.

The hearing came five months after a first round of testimonials on the same topic, and weeks after a series of internal VA emails about suicides among veterans were brought to light by a documentary on US network television.

In one of the emails, sent in February, Dr Ira Katz, deputy chief patient care services officer for mental health at the VA, wrote: “Shh! Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see.”

He added: “Is this something we should address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?”

The figure was at odds with the 144 known suicides among veterans from 2001, when the US launched its war against terror by bombing Afghanistan, through the end of 2005, which Katz had cited in his December testimony, Filner said.

“The emails … seem to indicate they were trying to manipulate the data instead of sharing the data,” Filner told AFP. “If we hadn’t called this hearing, we probably still wouldn’t know the figures.”

“What we see is a pattern that reveals a culture of bureaucracy,” he told the VA officials at the hearing.

“The pattern is deny, deny, deny and when that fails, it’s cover up, cover up, cover up — there is clear evidence of a bureaucratic cover-up here.”

In his testimony for the VA, Katz apologized for the “poor tone” of the email, sent in February.

But neither he nor Secretary of Veteran Affairs James Peake, who also addressed the hearing, admitted any wrongdoing.

“VA has long subjected its own data, that of the Department of Defense, and data from nationally accepted statistical sources to careful and painstaking analysis to obtain the truth about veterans’ suicide,” Peake told the panel.

“On February 13, 2008, an internal email … suggested 1,000 veterans a month under VA care were being reported as attempting suicide.”

Identifying him only by title, Peake told the hearing that Katz said in the email that “he was concerned about disclosing the information” and the data was not shared with outside sources “because of his concerns.”

Filner accused the VA of being unhelpful, opaque and out of control.

“If you have a document showing 1,000 suicide attempts per month, we have some real difficult issues. But you never passed us that information and you never asked us to help you, saying you had it under control,” he said.

“You don’t have it under control.”

“The data reflects a symptom of a major problem with our veterans. Suicide is the ultimate, tragic symptom of the problem, but PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, homelessness, marital difficulties, domestic violence are also symptoms,” he said.

A study published last month by the Rand Corporation, which Filner cited during the hearing, showed that of the 1.6 million US soldiers who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 18-20 percent — or around 300,000 — show PTSD, depression or both.

A separate study issued last month by the American Psychiatric Association showed that a mere 10 percent of veterans have sought treatment for mental health concerns.

Peake told reporters he would not seek the resignations of Katz or another VA doctor, Michael Kussman, who had also played down the mental health crisis among US veterans.

He described both as “outstanding public servants with long histories of service to veterans.”

Rare albino blackbirds sighted

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7385714.stm
Click to see video

Two albino blackbirds have been born in Gosport, Hampshire. The 'whitebirds' have colourless feathers and pink eyes and were filmed by photographer Stephen Cole.

Why Men Are Just Happier

Why Men Are Just Happier

What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be president.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO T-shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom
because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut
on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental -- $100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to
them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood -- all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of
thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be
your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
Your belly usually hides your big hips.
One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 45 minutes.


No wonder men are happier!

Xerox makes disappearing-ink paper

Xerox makes disappearing-ink paper - Will its profits disappear too?

May 6th, 2008 · No Comments

Xerox has created a new type of paper coated with “special chemicals” that allows a special printer to “print” text onto it, only to have it disappear. The paper works by allowing black text to appear where the special printer tells it to. Afterwards, the text will slowly fade away, completely disappearing within 24 hours. Users also have the option of using another printer to expedite the process. Xerox hopes the paper will help prevent trees from being knocked down to make paper we use once. The idea is pretty cool.

Most paper people and companies use are for one time use. Sadly, all that paper ends up in our garbage cans. Xerox is hoping its new paper will prevent that since it can just be used after the text is gone. Xerox hopes the world’s offices will save 7 trillion pages of paper a year from ending up in the trash.

Here’s how it works:

“The paper is coated with photosensitive chemicals that turn white when hit by ultraviolet light, meaning text will either disappear over time or go blank when run through a special printer which speeds the process up.
Instead of using ink to produce words and diagrams, the printer scans the chemically treated paper with a specific wavelength of light which reacts to produce the text. Over the following 24 hours, the text fades away. For users who need their paper to be blank straight away, there will be the option of running sheets through the printer to clean them for the next use. Because the printer uses no ink, it does not need cartridges or refilling.”

Apparently the paper can be used hundreds of times but there are some drawbacks. Any other markings on the paper, such as pen ink, will not be erased and the paper becomes unusable if it is folded. So much for playing games of tic-tac-toe and making paper airplanes during meetings :’(

We’re doubting the likelihood that consumers will adopt the paper but then again, Xerox did create it with businesses in mind. Consumers would probably be more interested if the text lasted more than 24 hours, well, at least students would. Making them last a few months, long enough to last a semester, would be a good idea since students could print readings for class and reuse the same paper the next semester. That would save a ton of paper, and money. Hopefully the idea catches on. It’s ingenious and cool enough. Here’s hoping the only thing that disappears is the text and not the value of Xerox shares.

Florida to become two states?

Reported by: Brandon Moseley Email: bmoseley@abcactionnews.com Last Update: 3:11 pm

NORTH LAUDERDALE -- Tired of what they say is mistreatment by the State government, the North Lauderdale City Commission is pushing a resolution that would split Florida into two separate states - North and South.

North Lauderdale city leaders say South Florida contributes more tax dollars to the State than they're getting back and are unable to meet all the needs of tax payers.

The commission is trying to rev up support by sending out hundreds of resolutions to other South Florida cities and the Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The resolution will be up for discussion Wednesday at the City of Margate commission meeting.

La. warden says bear helps guard his prison

By Mary Foster, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — The way the warden sees it, the more than 400-pound black bear living in the middle of the sprawling Louisiana State Penitentiary is an extra layer of security.

"I love that bear being right where it is," Warden Burl Cain said Monday. "I tell you what, none of our inmates are going to try to get out after dark and wander around when they might run into a big old bear. It's like having another guard at no cost to the taxpayer."

The bear was first seen by an inmate crossing a road in the prison on Friday. It was taking a stroll near the center of the state's only maximum security prison, which is about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans. Most of the roughly 28-square-mile prison is run as a farm, but about 5½ square miles is mostly untouched piney woods.

Prison workers measured the bear's footprints, which were six inches in diameter, Cain said.

"Every inch equals 75 pounds, so that would make it about 450 pounds," Cain said. "The wildlife people told us they think it's a big female they've been tracking for a while."

Prison officials believe they have eight to 10 bears on the grounds, said Gary Young, head of the executive management office at the prison.

Maria Davidson, manager of the Large Carnivore Program for the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, doubts there are that many, but marvels that even one was spotted in an area of high activity such as the center of the prison.

"Bears are actually very shy, their tendency is to run and hide," Davidson said.

As for acting as an unpaid prison guard, Davidson doubts that the bear would provide much of a deterrent to a fleeing prisoner.

"We've never had a predatory attack by a black bear in Louisiana, to our knowledge, on pets or livestock," she said. "As for a bear coming out and rushing an inmate, I don't see that happening."

The prison, known as Angola, is isolated and has plenty of other kinds of dangerous wildlife, including alligators, rattlesnakes and wild pigs, Young said. The last recorded escape was nearly three years ago, and the inmate was quickly recaptured before leaving the grounds.