On the quirkier side of recent health and medical discoveries has been the whole gut phenomena of fecal transplantation studies and research and the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplantation. Now on C difficile infections that often run rampant in hospitals and nursing homes:Â
""While the value of fecal microbiota transplantation for treating recurrent C. difficile infection is clear from research studies, the potential long-term consequences of altering a patient's gut microbiota are not fully known," says Dr. Colleen R. Kelly, Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and co-principal investigator of the AGA FMT National Registry.
"Releasing the initial results of the AGA FMT National Registry is an important step toward understanding the true risk and benefits of microbiota therapeutics in a real-world setting."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201001113618.htm
@michele-b at the risk of TMI ... it has long been noted in the veterinary records of dogs eating feces of other dogs, other species such as cat,goat,cow and horse. It even has a name, Coprophagia, and has many products to discourage it. Many reasons are suspected for the habit... but the discovery of the benefits of balancing the gut flora and fauna.... may have already been being known and practiced amongst some of the creatures we share our world with!!! If you stop and think about it. They don't eat the poop of sick animals.. such as diarrhea etc etc...could be their version of trying to heal their guts!!! Something to think about for sure!
Info on animals eating their own poop and that it actually has a name? Not TMI for me. In our family with lots of animals and animal lovers all things pets, scientific or medical occasionally gets into all conversations! Hahaha.
But now putting these and the whole fecal transplantation research together in one conversation as you just did, gives me even more things to bring up the next time any of this comes up!
???
@michele-b at the risk of TMI ... it has long been noted in the veterinary records of dogs eating feces of other dogs, other species such as cat,goat,cow and horse. It even has a name, Coprophagia, and has many products to discourage it. Many reasons are suspected for the habit... but the discovery of the benefits of balancing the gut flora and fauna.... may have already been being known and practiced amongst some of the creatures we share our world with!!! If you stop and think about it. They don't eat the poop of sick animals.. such as diarrhea etc etc...could be their version of trying to heal their guts!!! Something to think about for sure!
@michele-b ? ? ? ? ?  I have all kinds of not acceptable in polite company "little known medical facts" LOL and why vets and their staff are not always welcome at dinner parties or even dinner tables LOL
This would be wonderful for one of my nephews. He's had type 1 diabetes since he turned 3. He's 10 now, with an insulin pump he manages on his with parental supervision. It would be great for him if he could grow up knowing he wouldn't have to deal with insulin, needles, future health problems, and could just concentrate on what he loves - baseball.Â
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020: Discovery of Hepatitis C virus :
"This year's Nobel Prize is awarded to three scientists who have made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world.
Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of a novel virus, Hepatitis C virus. Prior to their work, the discovery of the Hepatitis A and B viruses had been critical steps forward, but the majority of blood-borne hepatitis cases remained unexplained.
The discovery of Hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201005091216.htm
Oh Pam, my heart goes out to your nephew. Every advance has made a big difference in the quality of life and daily care for those with type 1 diabetes but gosh we sure do need so much more to truly change the course of this disease. Â
New Blood Test Accurately Predicts Which COVID-19 Patients Will Develop Severe Infection
Possible new organ may have been found in throat: Tubarial salivary glands - CNN
"The glands cannot be seen with conventional methods of medical imaging like ultrasound, CT scans (computerized topography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the study authors said.
The "unknown entity" was only identified when the doctors were using an advanced and new type of scan called PSMA PET/CTÂ that has been used to detect the spread of prostate cancer. PSMA PET is shorthand for prostate-specific membrane antigen imaging using positron emission tomography.
Salivary glands show up clearly on this highly sensitive kind of imaging.
"People have three sets of large salivary glands, but not there," said study author Wouter Vogel, a radiation oncologist at The Netherlands Cancer Institute, in a news statement in May.
"As far as we knew, the only salivary or mucous glands in the nasopharynx are microscopically small, and up to 1000 are evenly spread out throughout the mucosa. So, imagine our surprise when we found these."
The glands cannot be seen with conventional methods of medical imaging like ultrasound, CT scans (computerized topography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the study authors said.
The "unknown entity" was only identified when the doctors were using an advanced and new type of scan called PSMA PET/CTÂ that has been used to detect the spread of prostate cancer. PSMA PET is shorthand for prostate-specific membrane antigen imaging using positron emission tomography.
Salivary glands show up clearly on this highly sensitive kind of imaging.
"People have three sets of large salivary glands, but not there," said study author Wouter Vogel, a radiation oncologist at The Netherlands Cancer Institute, in a news statement in May.
"As far as we knew, the only salivary or mucous glands in the nasopharynx are microscopically small, and up to 1000 are evenly spread out throughout the mucosa. So, imagine our surprise when we found these."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/health/new-organ-throat-scn-wellness/index.html
Stunningly great news!
Surprising treatment for treating MRSA and other antibiotic resistant diseases.Â
It may be as important as penicillin was when it was discovered. (That is super important- life changing important).
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-fortunate-accident-yield-immunity-weapon.html
Another non-invasive and drug-free cancer treatment that may act as a sort of "cancer vaccine" leading to immunity. Early stages, but very promising.
Â
Another potential cancer breakthrough, this one going to clinical trials next year
@tgraf66 Wow,how promising. Wouldn't it be amazing if histotripsy could also be used for incurable brain diseases like schizophrenia, bi-polar, and severe depression? I remember reading a psychic prediction years ago that schizophrenia would eventually be treated with lasers, but this seems less invasive by far.Â
Yet another cancer breakthrough. For some cancers they have found a way to transform cancer cells into healthy cells.
Major progress on a cure for autoimmune diseases (Crohn's, Multiple Sclerosis, Type 1 Diabetes)