Fresh Alert On Killer Germs At Airports

A new study published yesterday in medical journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection has alerted that toilet doors at some airports could be harbouring killer superbug, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The study revealed that the superbug could be transferred between tourists on airport toilet door handles and then spread to different destinations across the world and investigated how easily drug-resistant bacteria could hitch a ride with travellers as they jet across the world.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), resistance to first-line drugs to treat infections caused by Staphlylococcus aureus- a common cause of severe infections in health facilities and the community- is widespread. People with MRSA are estimated to be 64 per cent more likely to die than people with a non-resistant form of the infection.

Several studies have shown that without effective antimicrobials for prevention and treatment of infections, medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements) become very high risk. It has also been shown that antimicrobial resistance increases the cost of health care with lengthier stays in hospitals and more intensive care required.
Also, health officials have confirmed 13 cases of a sometimes deadly and often drug-resistant fungal infection, Candida auris, which has been reported in the United States (U.S.) for the first time.
The infection, which often spreads in hospitals and other health care settings, was identified by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in June 2016 as an emerging global threat.
In Nigeria, the issue is further compounded by lack of maintenance culture in her airport facilities.ytyuThe deplorable service-delivery at these airports, including the international airports in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja calls for serious interrogation and introspection.
In the last one year, the deteriorating state of infrastructure and services at the nation’s Aviation sector has again called to question, the readiness of relevant authorities in securing the country’s navigational space.
Recently, it was reported that power supply was disrupted for over 24 hours in one of the country’s major airports. Although power outage is not a new phenomenon in the country, it is embarrassing for that to be experienced at an airport of international stature.
Beyond that incident of blackout, which is not the first at an airport in the country, most facilities are in a state of disrepair. The result is that there has been poor service delivery to the airport users.
With this recent threat announced by the WHO, concerned users of Nigerian airport say Government has to step up his game to ensure that people flying into the country do not bring the killer germs with them.

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How Cigarette Smoking Causes 150 Lung Mutations

In order to highlight the danger inherent in cigarette, scientists in the United States, U.S. have revealed that people who smoke one pack of cigarette a day develop an average of 150 extra mutations in their lungs every year.
According to findings of a new study released in Washington yesterday, smokers have higher risk of developing lung cancer. The study published in the U.S. ‘Science Journal’, revealed that cigarettes contain more than 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer.
Tobacco, a product prepared from the leaves of the tobacco plant by curing them, contains the alkaloid nicotine, which is a stimulant. Tobacco products are products made entirely or partly of leaf tobacco as raw material, which are intended to be smoked, sucked, chewed or snuffed.
All contain the highly addictive psychoactive ingredient, nicotine. Tobacco use is a risk factor for many diseases, especially those affecting the heart, liver, and lungs, as well as many cancers. In 2008, the World Health Organisation, WHO, named tobacco as the world’s single greatest cause of preventable death.
The WHO estimates that smoking claims the lives of at least six million people every year. Reacting to the new study, Ludmil Alexandrov who is from Los Alamos National Laboratory and co- author of the report, said apart from the lungs, other organs were also affected by smoking.
According to a NAN report, the study showed that a pack of cigarette a day led to an estimated average of 97 mutations in each cell in the larynx, 39 for the pharynx, 23 for the mouth, 18 for the bladder, and six in every cell of the liver, each year.
Alexandrov said: “Before now, we had a large body of epidemiological evidence linking smoking with cancer, but now we can actually observe and quantify the molecular changes in the DNA due to cigarette smoking.’’
He said previous studies had associated cigarette smoking with increased risk for 17 different types of cancer, including cancer in tissue not directly exposed to smoke; it has remained unclear how smoking causes cancers.
Alexandrov said for this study, researchers looked at over 5,000 tumours, comparing cancers from smokers with cancers from people who had never smoked.
“They found particular molecular fingerprints of DNA damage called mutational signatures in the smokers’ DNA, and they counted the number of these particular mutations in different tumours.”

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Excessive Energy Drinks Can Cause Hepatisis

In order to check rising global hepatitis, scientists have found a link between the consumption of energy drink and acute hepatitis. This is the findings of the study, ‘Rare cause of acute hepatitis: a common energy drink’ published in the BMJ of November 2, 2016. In the research, Jennifer Nicole Harb, M.D., from the University of Florida, College of Medicine in Gainesville and colleagues described the case of a 50-year-old previously healthy man who presented with malaise, anorexia, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, scleral icterus, and dark urine.
The patient had reported drinking four to five energy drinks per day for the three weeks preceding admission. Other doctors from the University of Florida, College of Medicine in Gainesville, who participated in the study are Zachary A Taylor, Vikas Khullar and Maryam Sattari.
The Health Day reported that the researchers identified jaundice and right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness on physical examination. Laboratory studies showed transaminitis and evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection. Echogenic liver and diffuse gallbladder wall thickening were revealed in ultrasound scan. “In liver biopsy, severe acute hepatitis was seen with bridging necrosis and marked cholestasis. Supportive treatment was provided until complete symptom resolution and marked improvement in laboratory abnormalities occurred.
“The development of acute hepatitis in this patient was likely secondary to excessive energy drink consumption,” the authors wrote. “Energy drinks as well as other over the-counter supplements should be considered by clinicians in the work-up of patients with acute hepatitis, particularly once other etiologies have been excluded.”

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Snake Venom Raises Hope For Pain Management

Dubbed the "killer of killers", the long-glanded blue coral snake is known to prey on the likes of king cobras.
Venom from the 2m-long (6ft 6in) snake native to South East Asia and found almost everywhere in the world, acts "almost immediately" and causes prey to spasm.
A new research published in the journal Toxin found it targets receptors which are critical to pain in humans and could be used as a method of treatment.
"Most snakes have a slow-acting venom that works like a powerful sedative. You get sleepy, slow, before you die," said researcher Dr Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland."This snake's venom, however, works almost immediately because it usually preys on very dangerous animals that need to be quickly killed before they can retaliate. It's the killer of killers."
Cone snails and scorpions are some of a handful of invertebrates whose venom has been studied for its medical use. However, as a vertebrate, the snake is evolutionarily closer to humans, and so a medicine developed from its venom could potentially be more effective, says Dr Fry.
"The venom targets our sodium channels, which are central to our transmission of pain. We could potentially turn this into something that could help relieve pain, and which might work better on us.
The snake's venom glands extend to up to one-quarter of its body length.
It's got freaky venom glands, the longest of any in the world, but it's so beautiful. It's easily my favourite species of snake," said Dr Fry.
It is the first vertebrate in the world known to have venom acting this way, according to Dr Fry.But the snake is rare: more than 80% of its habitat has been destroyed.
"They're really rare. I've only ever seen two of them in the wild," he told newsmen.
"Much of their homes have been cleared to make way for things such as palm plantations in South East Asia. Who knows what else was in that forest that could've potentially saved lives?"
Dr Fry and his team, which comprises researchers from countries including China, the US and Singapore, is set to study relatives to the snake in Singapore.
"We're trying to see if there are any relatives of the long-glanded blue coral snake that would possess any different properties. Some people say the only good snake is a dead snake but we're trying to do the opposite here."

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Fake Wines, Gins Flood Nigerian Market - NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a red alert to Nigerians to be wary of the consumption of gins and wines. NAFDAC’s Ports Head in Enugu State, Mr John Okwori, told newsmen in Enugu that the agency recently found out that beverage fakers were focusing on these drinks. NAFDAC recently seized 11 large cartoons of fake Chelsea Dry Gin labels which could be used to package gins worth N64.76 million. NAFDAC also tracked down and confiscated a large number of fake labels of Amarula drinks. Okwori, a deputy director in NAFDAC, said that the agency had commenced a nationwide massive mop-up of these products. “Apart from the tracking of fake labels imported into the country, the agency is currently doing a mop-up of substandard, expired and fake spirits, gins and wines in the market. But we need the co-operation of every Nigerian on this issue. Our people should be wary of spirits, gins and wines they buy; they should scrutinize them to see that NAFDAC numbers, production dates, manufacturers and countries of origin are well spelt out. There should be a closer look at the labels to see that they are the normal and regular labels. They should also watch out for the colour of the drink through its container, whether it conforms to the original colour. If there is anything wrong in all these I have mentioned, do not buy the drink. Your safety and that of your loved ones, who you are giving or sharing the drink with, should come first,’’ he said.
The director urged Nigerians to promptly report to the nearest NAFDAC office, about any drink they might suspect to be fake. “NAFDAC offices are open for public complaints, enquiries and advice every working day,’’ Okwori added.
Okwori warned that consuming adulterated drinks could damage vital organs in the body. “It can lead to kidney, liver or heart complications as well as diseases, especially when such injurious drinks are consumed in large quantities due to the euphoria of the yuletide season,’’ he said.

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Poisoned Amala: Woman, Three Chidren, Neighbours Die In Kogi State

Six people, including a mother, three of her children and two of their neighbours, on yesterday lost their lives in Ogaminana area of Okene in Kogi after eating a meal made from cassava flour.

The Public Relations Officer of the Adavi Local Government, Mr. Abdulhamid Salahudeen told newsmen on phone that three of the victims died on Tuesday at the Okene General Hospital while the woman and two of her children had earlier died on Monday in their house.

He said that the woman died along side three of her children, two sons and a daughter

He added that two male children of her neighbour that partook in the meal also died.

He put the ages of the dead five children at between 9 and 15 years.

Salaudeen said that the mother had in the evening of Sunday, October 30 brought the cassava flour (white Amala) from her farmland at Ohuepe village.

He said that the woman prepared a dinner from the cassava flour for the family and extended the food to her neighbour.

The officer said the victims later went to bed but developed severe stomach pain over the night which later resulted in the death of the woman and two of her children.

He said that neighbours who sensed that the sudden deaths might be due to the cassava flour dinner quickly rushed the remaining three children that partook in the eating to Okene General Hospital where they died on Tuesday.

Salaudeen said that the authority of the local government believed that the cassava flour was poisoned and had informed the police for appropriate action.

A senior nursing officer at the Okene General Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death of the three victims at the hospital on Tuesday.

The nurse said that the victims were brought in late Monday afternoon.

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