February 2012
20 posts
Overweight/obesity soars among Chinese kids (J... →
Secular trends in body mass index and the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents inSChandong, China, from 1985-2010
Zhang Ying-Xiu & Wang Shu-Rong
Journal of Public Health 34(1) 131-137
The BMI of children and adolescents aged 7–18 was calculated using data from five national surveys on students’ constitution and health carried out by the government in...
Crafters rejoice: Medical journal says quilting is... →
The Relationship Between Quilting and Well-Being
Emily Burt & Jacqueline Atkinson
Journal of Public Health, 34(1) 54-59
Results: Cognitive, emotional and social processes were uncovered, which participants identified as important for their wellbeing. Participants found quilting to be a productive use of time and an accessible means of engaging in free creativity. Colour was psychologically...
Noting: Citizens' petition filed at Whitehouse.gov... →
Interesting: A petition has been put up on the We The People citizen-participation page of the White House site, asking for regulation over antibiotic use in agriculture.
It’s been up a week and has 5,526 signatures so far. (Looks like the floor for consideration is 25,000 within a month.)
Here’s the text:
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Protect our families’ health by...
My kind of science: Characterizing the microbiota... →
Lactic Acid Bacterium and Yeast Microbiotas of 19 Sourdoughs Used for Traditional/Typical Italian Breads: Interactions between Ingredients and Microbial Species Diversity
Fabio Minervini,a Raffaella Di Cagno,a Anna Lattanzi,a Maria De Angelis,a Livio Antonielli,b Gianluigi Cardinali,b Stefan Cappelle,c and Marco Gobbettia
Department of Biologia e Chimica Agro-Forestale ed Ambientale,...
CDC seeking infections that may have been caused... →
Published Date: 2012-02-17 14:27:11
Subject: PRO> Non-tuberculous mycobacteria - USA: tattoo, RFI
Archive Number: 20120217.1043907
NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA - USA: TATTOO, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION *******************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious...
New site for reviews of e-books on science:... →
Started by @CarlZimmer with an all-star cast of editors comprising all the cool kids in science writing (well, except me). Check it out immediately at http://www.downloadtheuniverse.com.
Their opener says:
It is still tough for readers to discover new science ebooks. Traditional book reviews limit themselves to works on paper. Some ebooks may appear in computer magazines, but buried in reviews...
Disease outbreaks from raw milk 150x greater than... →
The rate of outbreaks caused by unpasteurized milk (often called raw milk) and products made from it was 150 times greater than outbreaks linked to pasteurized milk, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 13-year review also revealed that the states where the sale of raw milk was legal had more than twice the rate of outbreaks as states where it was illegal....
Most Americans Want a Walkable Neighborhood, Not a... →
The symbol of American success often involves having the biggest house possible, but our outsized fantasies seem to be shifting. According to a new survey, more than three quarters of us consider having sidewalks and places to take a walk one of our top priorities when deciding where to live. Six in 10 people also said they would sacrifice a bigger house to live in a neighborhood that featured a...
More dogs sick, FDA scrutinizes chicken jerky pet... →
By @JoNelAleccia
Amid reports of more than 500 dogs sickened by chicken jerky pet treats imported from China, government health officials are ramping up border inspections for dangerous toxins.
Food and Drug Administration officials have begun collecting and testing chicken jerky treats upon import, analyzing samples for evidence of melamine and melamine analogs and diethylene glycol, chemicals...
Oh just *great*: Contagious measles patient was at... →
Two cases of measles in Hamilton County have been confirmed by the State who suspects there may be two more in Boone County. And one of those patients from Hamilton County was in the Super Bowl Village on Friday. The combination of 200,000 tightly-packed people and a highly contagious infection is sparking plenty of worry.
China-owned hog-slaughter plant may start in... →
By Michael Fielding on 2/10/2012
Montana’s pork industry would get a major boost under a plan by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to bring a Chinese-backed processing facility to Shelby, located in the northern part of the state near the Canadian border.
After a similar courting of Danish investors failed to lead anywhere five years ago, Schweitzer turned to the Chinese, who hope to build a USDA-certified...
FDA: Acid reflux drugs increase risk of C. diff... →
By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: February 08, 2012
The FDA warned today that use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — including popular brands such as Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid — may increase the risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.
The warning comes after a review of data from the agency’s Adverse Event Reporting System and the...
Lessons (and cautions) on freelancing and blogging →
I gave a talk at the SoCon12 unconference about how I transitioned from newspaper reporter to blogger-freelance writer-microblogger-Twitterer-etc. and what I’ve learned so far. My notes are stashed on a separate page on this Tumblr; there’s also a link in the left rail.
China food safety inspection results ‘alarming’... →
By Mark Astley, 02-Feb-2012
Over half of food processing and packaging firms on the Chinese mainland failed safety inspections in 2011 – a figure food quality control company AsiaInspection has called “alarming.”
According to a report by the China-based company, 51% of all food facility check-ups conducted in the country failed, with ‘major’ defects including cases of rodent faecal...
99% of Dutch Chickens Contaminated with ESBL... →
From De Telegraaf (De nummer 1 in nieuws), we have a report that 99% of retail chickens produced with intensive farming and sold in Dutch Supermarkets are contaminated with ESBL-containing bacteria. Organic chicken appears to be far less contaminated, perhaps 1/8th as likely. My Dutch is a little rusty, so I’ve provided the sources. Either way, fear the kipfilet!!
Sources:
1. De...
Big news: HHS website now carries hospital...
HHS has just started adding data on CLABSIs (“central line-associated bloodstream infections,” an important category of hospital-caused infections) to its Hospital Compare website. Here are instructions from the Consumers Union Safe Patient Project, which pushed for this, on how to find the data:
Central Line Bloodstream Infection Information Now Available for Hospitals Nationwide
...
Pfizer recalls birth-control pills because may not... →
(Reporting by James Kelleher; Editing by Greg McCune)
Pfizer said on Tuesday it was recalling about 1 million packets of birth control pills in the United States because they may not contain enough contraceptive to prevent pregnancy. Pfizer said the birth control pills posed no health threat to women but it urged consumers affected by the recall to “begin using a non-hormonal form of...
“in some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can...”
– This is what the Susan G. Komen Foundation said in 2009 on their own forums about their belief that Planned Parenthood provides needed — and in many cases the only available — breast health care for poor and uninsured women. Yesterday, under anti-abortion pressure, they changed their minds.
In...
January 2012
19 posts
White-nose syndrome found in bats in Europe... →
Histopathology Confirms White-Nose Syndrome in Bats in Europe
Abstract
White-nose syndrome, associated with the fungal skin infection geomycosis, caused regional population collapse in bats in North America. Our results, based on histopathology, show the presence of white-nose syndrome in Europe. Dermatohistopathology on two bats (Myotis myotis) found dead in March 2010 with geomycosis in the...
Your memory sucks →
Great advice about documenting your reporting from @williams_paige. My addition: Not only do I not trust people who don’t take notes; I don’t extend much more trust to people who take only notes. There are narrative nonfiction writers who claim to accurately capture long exchanges of detailed dialogue via handwritten notes alone. Until I get to see them take shorthand in real time,...
Watchtiny baby otter fluffy squee. that is all.
dailyotter:
Last week we brought you news of a just-born otter pup at the Seattle Aquarium—and now we can tell you it’s a girl! Above is footage of mother Aniak’s handing off the pup for her first veterinary exam. Seattle Aquarium’s spokesman Tim Kuniholm writes:
Through positive reinforcement Aniak has been allowing us to weigh the pup and do...
“Chesterton and Tolkien and Lewis were, as I’ve said, not the only writers I read...”
– Neil Gaiman (via neil-gaiman)
CDC's long-awaited Morgellons study is out (expect... →
Back-story: For several years, people have been pressing the CDC to investigate a condition that they say is a new disease and that most of the health-care workers who saw them said was a condition of delusions. The CDC eventually undertook a study using the huge patient database of Kaiser Permanente of N. Calif. Today, they release the results. They found no new disease.
(Disc: I wrote about...
New method for making meth overwhelms ERs with... →
by Jim Salter
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment - a burden so costly that it’s contributing to the closure of some burn units.
So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by...
Tools for Writers' Workflow, ScienceOnline 2012
Here’s a list of tools and programs that were recommended by speakers (David Dobbs, Brian Switek and me) and by the collected wisdom of the audience in the Tools & Tips for Project Workflow session at ScienceOnline 2012 this morning:
Database/reference:
DevonThink
Scrivener (in which you can also write)
Mendeley
FileMaker (for chronologies)
Zotero
Youtube (closed-captioning as a...
Drug-resistant disease of fruit trees has reached... →
Cornell plant pathologists have issued a warning to New York apple and pear growers after discovering a strain of fire blight that is resistant to such traditional treatments as the antibiotic streptomycin.
For 50 years, the disease has been kept at bay using the antibiotic, but streptomycin-resistant strains of the disease were recently found in four locations in Wayne and Ontario counties.
...
“A large-scale national study suggests low to moderate use of marijuana is less...”
– Marijuana Shown to Be Less Damaging to Lungs Than Tobacco | www.ucsf.edu
FDA warns opioids mixed up in packaging (MedPage... →
By Cole Petrochko, Associate Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: January 09, 2012
The FDA has issued a warning that pills, tablets, or caplets of Percocet and eight other opioid products packaged by Novartis for Endo Pharmaceuticals may have been mixed up, with one drug being packaged as another.
The other products include Opana ER CII, Opana CII, Percodan CII, Oxymorphone hydrochloride CII,...
Unreported Food Poisoning at SF Restaurant... →
By Scott James, Jan. 5, 2012
The Mission District’s Italian eatery Delfina has been considered one of the Bay Area’s best restaurants for more than a decade; Craig Stoll, its co-owner and chef, won a coveted James Beard award in 2008.
But in December, its many accolades could not protect Delfina from an unusual incident. On a night the restaurant was booked solely for a private party, about two...
Few US veterinarians trained not to use... →
By MICHAEL J. CRUMB, Associated Press – 4 days ago
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The lack of chemicals used in organic production has created a challenge for farmers in caring for their animals: Few veterinarians are trained to treat livestock without antibiotics or other modern drugs.
The shortage of veterinarians trained in organic practices has become more noticeable as the industry has boomed....
"Birmingham medics face battle to help injured... →
BRITISH troops returning from Afghanistan are being struck down by a dangerous flesh-eating bug that can lead to disfigurement.
Infection specialists at Heartlands Hospital have been inundated with military patients infected with the desert boils disease leishmaniasis.
All injured military are flown back to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Edgbaston, for life-saving treatment. But many soldiers...
December 2011
19 posts
China bird flu victim dies in Shenzhen city (BBC) →
From BBC News:
A man who had been diagnosed with China’s first case of bird flu in more than a year has died in the southern city of Shenzhen, health officials say. The 39-year-old bus driver was admitted to hospital with pneumonia but tested positive for the bird flu virus.
The H5N1 bird flu strain has a high level of mortality, killing up to 60% of humans infected with it.
Positive...
China bans pork additive (US still allows it)... →
From Xinhua News:
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced Friday that the country has banned the production and sale of ractopamine, a controversial feed additive used to promote lean meat growth in food animals.
The ban became effective on Dec. 5, according to a document posted on the ministry’s website Friday.
The order...
: how many writers does it take to change a... →
via @williams_paige AKA thestoryofastory:
If you use this at your next party, and don’t lie, you know you will, you may thank this dude, Mike Pope, a technical editor at Microsoft in Seattle.
Q. How many writers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A. Ten. One to change it; nine to think they could have done it better.
Q: How…
Christmas greetings from the President of Ireland...
Teachtaireacht Nollag 2011, ón Uachtarán Michael D Higgins
Ba mhaith liom beannachtaí na Nollag agus na hAthbhliana a thabhairt do gach duine anseo in Éirinn agus dár muintir dhomhanda atá scaipthe ar fud na cruinne.
Cé gur gnách linn smaoineamh ar an Nollaig mar thréimhse shona, agus clanna ag teacht le chéile chun taitneamh a bhaint as an séasúr féiltiúil, tá a fhios agam freisin, go mbeidh...
Keep watching the skies! Multi-drug resistant... →
Occurrence of Multidrug-Resistant and Toxic-Metal Tolerant Enterococci in Fresh Feces from Urban Pigeons in Brazil. Microbes Environ. 2011 Dec 22. [Epub ahead of print]
da Silva VL, Caçador NC, da Silva CD, Fontes CO, Garcia GD, Nicoli JR, Diniz CG.
Abstract: Enterococcus are emerging as important putative pathogens resistant to chemicals that are widely released into the environment, and urban...
CDC: Whether your food-related illness gets... →
From Food Safety Epidemiology Capacity in State Health Departments — United States, 2010
December 23, 2011 / 60(50);1701-1704:
…In 2010, a total of 787 FTEs were working as foodborne disease epidemiologists in state, regional, and local health departments in the United States. Of these, 616.5 (78%) had an epidemiology-related degree or had completed some coursework in epidemiology; 170.5...
Sen. Schumer: China ignores seafood safety... →
By SeafoodSource staff | 22 December, 2011 -
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ramp up inspection of imported seafood for banned antibiotics and other substances, singling out China as a habitual offender.
“It has become abundantly clear that seafood from China can stink, and it’s time the FDA stepped up their efforts to protect public...