New Study Links Breast Cancer To Bacterial Imbalances

In a newly published study, Cleveland Clinic researchers have uncovered differences in the bacterial composition of breast tissue of healthy women versus women with breast cancer. The research team discovered for the first time that healthy breast tissue contains more of the bacterial species Methylobacterium, a finding which could offer a new perspective in the battle against breast cancer.
Bacteria that live in the body, known as the microbiome, influence many diseases.

Most research has been done on the “gut” microbiome, or bacteria in the digestive tract. Researchers have long suspected that a “microbiome” exists within breast tissue and plays a role in breast cancer but it has not yet been characterized. The research team has taken the first step toward understanding the composition of the bacteria in breast cancer by uncovering distinct microbial differences in healthy and cancerous breast tissue.

“To my knowledge, this is the first study to examine both breast tissue and distant sites of the body for bacterial differences in breast cancer,” said co-senior author Charis Eng, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute and director of the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare.

“Our hope is to find a biomarker that would help us diagnose breast cancer quickly and easily. In our wildest dreams, we hope we can use microbiomics right before breast cancer forms and then prevent cancer with probiotics or antibiotics.” Published online in Oncotarget, the study examined the tissues of 78 patients who underwent mastectomy for invasive carcinoma or elective cosmetic breast surgery.

In addition, they examined oral rinse and urine to determine the bacterial composition of these distant sites in the body. In addition to the Methylobacterium finding, the team discovered that cancer patients’ urine samples had increased levels of gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Actinomyces. Further studies are needed to determine the role these organisms may play in breast cancer.

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New Sugar Monitor Without Finger Pricks Expected In Nigeria Soon

Those who go through the painful ordeal of having there fingers pricked in the process of getting their blood sugar monitored, now have a cause to heave a sigh of relief as the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first continuous blood sugar monitor that doesn’t need backup finger prick tests. The U.S. regulatory body approved the use of the new device, Abbott’s new FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System on Wednesday.

It is expected that the new device may come into Nigeria anytime from now; health operators in the country are already making moves to that end.

The new procedure will be a relief for millions of people living with diabetes worldwide as current models require users to test a drop of blood twice daily to calibrate, or adjust the monitor.
The discomfort of finger sticks and the cost of testing supplies can discourage people from keeping close tabs on their blood sugar.

Many poor patients often run out of test kits and move on without conducting the routine blood sugar test with severe consequences. Diabetes Mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period.

 Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin produced. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many complications and death. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, and damage to the eyes.

Worldwide, about 450 million people are living with the disease. In Nigeria, it is estimated that about 10 per cent of the nation’s population are living with diabetes but the major challenge in this country is that many that are afflicted with the medical condition are not aware that they have it.

Hence, medical experts have been advocating regular blood sugar testing to detect the condition early so as to place affected persons on medications.
The new device uses a small sensor attached to the upper arm. Patients wave a reader device over it to see the current blood sugar level and changes over the past eight hours, reported the ‘Press Herald.’ Abbott isn’t disclosing the price for the reader or the sensors, which should be available in pharmacies within months.

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Nigerian Cows Worst Milk Producers In The World - Minister

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said cows raised in Nigeria are the worst milk producers in the world.

He said an average cow in the country produces less that one litre of milk per day compared to those from other countries where a cow could produce 100 litres per day.

Ogbeh said this at the 79th anniversary of Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos on Thursday

 According to the minister, an average cow in Holland produces a minimum of 50 litres of milk per day, while in the United States, milk production per cow can rise to over 100 litres.

He said moving cows from place to place was a major problem affecting meat and milk production in Nigeria, stressing that the earlier farmers started developing ranches for cows, the better it would be for the cow market and its entire value chain.

“An average cow in the US drinks an average of 100 litres of water per day; but in Nigeria, I doubt whether a cow can get two litres of water per week,” Ogbeh added.

The minister also stated that the country accounted for 67 per cent of the world’s yam production, adding that there were more opportunities for Nigeria to grow its share of the market, valued at $12bn, given the over 50 million hectares of land lying fallow in the country.

To give the agricultural sector a major boost, he said the Bank of Agriculture would soon be restructured so that every local government in the country would have at least a two-room branch.

  Nigeria Natural Health Online's investigations found out that low milk production in cows could be as a result of several factors. In most years, cooler fall temperatures result in dairy cows increasing in milk production with cows getting bred back quicker than the warmer months.  Most of these responses are a result of some herds freshening more cows in the fall, improvements in cow comfort, more time available to maintain facilities, (where there is ranching) nutrition and reproductive programs, and feeding programs re-formulated to reflect fall/harmatan/dry season stored feeds.  Some years, dairy cows may not respond as well as previous years with production being lower than expected.  Many different explanations exist for dairy cows, especially early lactation cows, not milking as well.  Combinations of factors often contribute to the overall situation of lower milk production and /or reproductive issues.

• Increased average days in milk:  As dairy cows enter mid to later lactation, milk production naturally trails off with milk production peaking during early lactation.  As the percentage of cows in mid to later lactation increases (increasing days in milk), milk production will be expected to be lower.  This contributing factor to lower milk production might seem very obvious, but can provide a possible explanation or partial explanation which can easily be overlooked.
• Longer term effects of heat stress:  With the average day time temperatures in the 90’s this past July and August for long periods of time and with hot nights, dairy cows were definitely under heat stress.  Although fan, sprinklers, and other ways to accomplish heat abatement are important and need to be used to decrease the effects of heat stress, the heat and humidity still had a detrimental effect on feed intake and fertility.  Often times, these detrimental effects on fertility and milk production are seen for 6 to 8 weeks after heat and humidity subside.   
• Lower body condition of early lactation cows:  In early lactation, dairy cows cannot consume adequate amounts of energy to meet the energy needs for milk production and maintenance of the cow herself.   As a result, early lactation cows are said to be in negative energy balance and rely on body stores of fat or adipose tissue to support the additional amounts of energy needed to support milk production they cannot consume.  If these stores are not present or are mobilized too quickly, cows often times will produce the amount of milk equal to the amount of energy they can consume.  In other words, they will not milk as well as they could have or peak as high in milk production.  Thin early lactation cows often are related to cows calving thinner than normal or metabolic disorders related to the transition back into the milking herd that result in cows going off feed and dropping in body condition quickly. 
• More cows in the milk herd:  Often-times cows are added to the milking string to improve cash flow without making accommodations for increased bunk space (hay, silage, and/or TMR) and/or resting space.  Overcrowding at the feed bunk can decrease feed intake especially in fresh and early lactating cows resulting in lower milk production.  Sometimes overcrowding with other contributing causes can result in lowered milk production even when it appears that no feeding and management practices have changed.
• Thinner cows at calving:  Dairy cows are the most efficient and cost effective at putting on body condition or fat stores when they are milking versus when they are dry.  Thus, our management programs are geared toward putting condition on cows in mid to later lactation, having them in the proper condition at dry off, and maintaining that condition during the dry period.  Summer temperatures can decrease or stop the growth of pasture grasses and legumes, thus decreasing forage availability and sometimes dry cows lose weight or body condition if alternative forages are not provided.  In addition, with higher grain costs, dry cows may not have been provided adequate amounts of grain to maintain body condition if forage quality was low.  Dry cows that calve too thin will not have the energy reserves to milk well this next lactation, especially during early lactation.
• Rebalanced rations to reflect quality of forages currently being fed:  The quality and thus nutrient content of forages change between crop year, cuttings, and type of forage.  In addition, yearly differences exist in the digestibility of forages by the rumen bacteria.  These changes in NDF digestibility can greatly affect the amount of energy cows and, more importantly, bacteria receive from the forages and other feeds consumed.  A current forage analysis should be used to balance rations numerous times each year.  Monthly ration balancing or review of rations being fed is recommended for the most economical and efficient use of forage resources.   With the wide swings in commodity prices, this reevaluation becomes even more critical.  
• Limited grain in corn silage:  With this summer’s drought and high temperatures during corn pollination, corn silage may contain limited amounts of grain and the amount of corn silage available to be fed may be limiting.  These changes in the quality and quantity of corn silage potentially decrease the amount of energy coming from these forages.  To try and compensate for the decreases seen in grain content, more energy needs to be added to these rations in the form of ground corn grain or other byproducts, increasing the cost to feed the milking herd.   At the same time, these alterations may alter the digestibility of starch and fiber fractions of the diet and the bacteria may not have the identical types and digestibility of energy sources compared to diets containing higher grain, corn silage diets.  Bottom line, when the bacteria do not get adequate amounts of energy at specific times, they produce less end products cows can use to make milk and, as a result, milk production may be reduced.  Sometimes, these diets need to be tweaked over time to get the best combination.  Working with your nutritionist and fine tuning these diets over time is the best way to achieve the desired results.  Blending last year’s corn silage with this year’s has helped cows adjust to the differences and bridge the gaps.  This may offer one explanation of why some herds have been able to hold milk production similar to previous years. 
• Changes in forages being fed:  With reduced corn silage yields and multiple dry years, some dairy farmers have opted to include silage made from forage sorghum into diets for the milking herd.  Granted these varieties most likely have higher digestibility than older varieties of forage sorghum, but they still contain less energy than higher-yielding, energy dense corn silage.  Can they work well in rations for milking cows?  Yes, but your nutritionist needs to make sure the bacteria have the nutrients they need (carbohydrates and nitrogen or amino acid source) at the correct time.  Thus, old recipes for grain mixes may not always work and they may or may not support 70-80 lb herd averages. 
• Problems when transitioning cows back into the milking herd:  A smooth transition of cows back into the milking herd is critical to getting dairy cows to milk well in early lactation and rebred.  Often-times, minimizing stress, caused by limited feed bunk space (recommend 36 inches per cow), cow comfort (provide effective heat abatement) and resting space, 3 weeks before calving through 3 weeks after calving, is the starting point.  Diets need to contain adequate amounts of effective fiber or chew factor for proper rumen fill, minerals and vitamins to prevent subclinical (no visible signs but blood calcium is low) milk fever, and adequate but not excess amounts of energy and protein. Subclinical problems are often not detected and can cause issues in fresh cows that result in decreased feed intake before or after calving, rapid losses in body condition, and decreased milk production and reproductive performance.
• Other disease issues:  Clinical cases of diseases, such as mastitis or metritis, can decrease milk production and reproductive efficiency.  In addition, mycotoxins in feeds (forages as well as grains) also can decrease feed intake in herds and may affect performance.  However, before dairy farmers blame mycotoxins for decreases seen in milk production and/or reproductive performance, other aspects of their feeding and management program should be examined and eliminated as potential causes first.
• In Nigeria, where ranching facility is not readily available to the vast majority of the cow owners, animal health expert say the country is still far behind in global cow milk production as most of the herdsmen who manage the cows in the country do not possess the professional knowledge needed to mentain a healthy dairy production.

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Deadly Monkeypox Disease Hits Bayelsa, Nigeria

Fear has gripped the residents of Bayelsa State as a deadly viral epidemic known as “monkeypox” has broken out in the state.
According to the World Health Organisation, monkeypox is a rare disease that occurs primarily in remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.

 “The monkeypox virus can cause a fatal illness in humans and, although it is similar to human smallpox which has been eradicated, it is much milder,” WHO says.
Nigeria Natural Health Online www.kimekwu.blogspot.com authoritatively learnt that a medical doctor and 10 persons who came down with the monkeypox had been quarantined in an isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

The isolation centre was reportedly created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus.
The NCDC and the epidemiological team were said to be tracking 49 other persons who were said to have come in contact with persons who were already infected.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, confirmed the development, saying that samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, for confirmation.
He described monkeypox as a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and smallpox, adding that the first case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and subsequent outbreaks in West African region.
The commissioner explained that the virus has the Central African and the West African types, saying that the the West African type is milder and has no records of mortality.


Etebu stated, “Recently in Bayelsa State, we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkeypox. It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation’s reference laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.When that comes out, we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it.
”As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkey, but can also be found in all bush animals such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.

”The source is usually all animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkeypox. But every bush animal such as rats, squirrels, and antelopes are involved.
“So, the secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious.”
He listed the symptoms of monkeypox as severe headache, fever, back pains, etc., noting that most worrisome of all the signs are rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox.
The commissioner said the rashes are usually frightening and usually spread to the entire body of infected persons.

Speaking on the Bayelsa case, Etebu stated, “We noticed the first index case from Agbura, where somebody was purported to have killed and eaten a monkey and after that, the people who are neighbours and families started developing the rashes.
“We have seen cases from as far as Biseni. We invited the NCDC together with our own epidemiological team from the Bayelsa Ministry of Health.
“We have been able to trace most of the people who have come in contact with the patients.
“So far, we have 10 patients and we have created an isolation centre at the NDUTH and most of them are on admission and we are following up the 49 cases that we are suspecting might come down with the illness.
“As a state, we are taking care of all the expenses of all the isolated cases.


“The disease has an incubation period and it is also self-limiting in the sense that within two to four weeks, you get healed and it confers you with immunity for life.
“We have mobilised virtually every arsenal at our disposal in terms of sensitising the general public and making them aware by radio programmes, jingles and fliers. So, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has mobilised fully to Bayelsa State. We are on top of the situation.
“The only thing I will tell the general public is to observe hand hygiene and ensure they don’t come in contact with dead animals and their secretions. The disease is air-borne too. So when you come down with it, it is very infectious.
“People should wash their hands whenever they go in or come out of their houses. If they come in touch with animals, they should ensure that they wash their hands.
“They should be very vigilant. People should report any similar cases to the relevant authorities.
“A lot of people have come down with the symptoms, but they are hiding in their houses. If they hide, there is the propensity for the infection to spread.
“It is better to quarantine them and treat them so that we can interrupt the spread of the disease.
“People should be calm and they shouldn’t get frightened. The state has distributed personal protective equipment to workers and they are using them.”

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Reseachers Worried As Malaria Become's Untreatable

Scientists have raised fresh alert to the rapid spread of ‘super malaria’ in South East Asia, which they say pose a global threat to efforts to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease.
They fear that this dangerous form of the malaria parasite has become untreatable with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended drug-of-choice, Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT).

The researchers from the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok in their study published in The Lancet Infectious warned that the menace is spreading. It emerged in Cambodia but has since spread through parts of Thailand, Laos and has arrived in southern Vietnam.


The fear is palpable in Nigeria and indeed Africa where resistance to the drugs would be catastrophic, since 92 per cent of all malaria cases happen in the continent.
Reacting to the latest study, Head Case Management, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr. Godwin Ntadom, told the media “For now, we have not documented resistance in Nigeria, and to the best of my knowledge in any part of West Africa. There may have been few reported cases of delayed parasite clearance in some other parts of Africa, but certainly not resistance. The challenge we often have is that people confused ‘treatment failure’ with ‘resistance’.
“Before you have resistance, you will begin to record what is technically described as ‘delayed parasite clearance’ and from there it progresses to resistance after some time.”

Ntadom said resistance is only confirmed through studies where quality assured medicines are administered at the appropriate doses to a group of closely monitored patients who have been confirmed to have malaria, and followed up for about 28 to 42 days.

On the result of NMEP’s recent study on malaria drug resistance in Nigeria, Ntadom said: “Unfortunately, we are yet to produce the final report of the 2015 Drug Therapeutic Efficacy Tests conducted in the country. As you are aware, the whole study was funded through Global Funds support and the United State Presidential Malaria Initiative (USPMI). With the suspension of the Global Fund support in 2016, we could not go on.’’
Also, the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) had in June 2017 raised alarm over the increasing incidence of mosquito resistance to Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) in 18 states of the federation, even as over 50 million Nigerians still test positive to malaria annually.
According to NMEP, Nigeria has 25 per cent of the world’s disease burden for malaria and reports more deaths due to this disease than any other country in the world.
In Nigeria, malaria is responsible for the deaths of an estimated 300,000 children per year and contributes to over 4,000 maternal deaths annually. It is also the number one cause of absenteeism in Nigeria, resulting in loss in productivity at work and school.
The NMEP reports that 97 percent of Nigerians are at risk from malaria, with an estimated 50 percent of adults suffering at least one episode of the disease a year. Malaria counts for 60 percent of out- patient visit and 30 percent of hospitalisations.

Respondents who spoke with Nigeria Natural Health Online www.kimekwu.blogspot.com, on the urgly trend, said prevention through the use of treated mosquito net still remains the  best option in tackling malaria.

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Why Stopping Aspirin Therapy Could Lead To Heart Attack

The use of aspirin in the treatment of heart related diseases, has come under close scrutiny as stopping low-dose aspirin therapy without good reason raises the likelihood of heart attack or stroke by nearly 40 percent, a large Swedish study suggests.
Doctors commonly prescribe daily low-dose aspirin after a heart attack to reduce the risk of having a second cardiovascular event. But about one in six patients stop taking their aspirin within three years, the study authors note in Circulation.

“(Low-dose aspirin) makes the platelets in the blood less likely to form blood clots, and this is especially useful in the coronary or carotid arteries, where blood clots may lead to myocardial infarctions and strokes,” lead author Dr. Johan Sundstrom told Reuters Health by email.

“Millions of patients worldwide take aspirin on a daily basis and might consider stopping at some time during their life. We performed this study to help physicians and patients to make an informed decision whether or not to stop aspirin use,” said Sundstrom, an epidemiologist at Uppsala University.

To see if risk rises after a patient stops aspirin therapy, Sundstrom’s team used nationwide medical and death registries to identify patients over age 40 taking low-dose aspirin. In Sweden, low-dose aspirin is available only by prescription, so the researchers were also able to see who continued filling their prescriptions between 2005 and 2009.

The researchers analyzed records for 601,527 patients who were cancer-free and had taken at least 80 percent of their prescribed aspirin doses during the first year of treatment. After excluding a small proportion of patients whose medical records showed a reason for stopping aspirin, such as surgery or a case of severe bleeding, they found that about 15 percent of the full group had stopped taking their aspirin after about three years.

At the end of the study period, there were a total of 62,690 cardiovascular events, defined as hospitalization for a heart attack or stroke, or cardiovascular death.

“Patients who discontinued aspirin had a 37 percent higher rate of cardiovascular events than those who continued,” Sundstrom said. That translates to one extra cardiovascular event each year among every 74 patients who stopped taking aspirin.

The risk increased shortly after discontinuation, and did not appear to diminish over time, he added. “Hence, adherence to low-dose aspirin treatment in the absence of major surgery or bleeding is likely an important treatment goal.”
The study wasn’t a controlled trial designed to prove that stopping aspirin causes cardiovascular events. The researchers also didn’t have access to information on other factors that could influence risk, such as socioeconomic status, physical examination findings, blood work or smoking status.
“I think this gives clinicians more data to share with their patients, however, it likely won’t change current practice patterns for most providers because most already recommend low-dose aspirin for their cardiovascular patients,” said Dr. Abha Khandelwal, a cardiologist at Stanford University Medical Center in California who wasn’t involved in the study.
The bigger issue is how to address the high discontinuation rate noted in this study and learning how to overcome that will be very valuable, she said in an email.
Khandelwal noted that there are several established reports demonstrating lack of patient adherence to medications especially as they get older, and their medication list grows longer.
“There are many reasons that can contribute to this, from cost of medications, side effects, to confusion with a number of pills to name a few,” she said.

At the Women’s Heart Health clinic at Stanford, adherence is good, she noted. “This is partly due to the multidisciplinary approach including internists, cardiologists, nurses, advanced care providers, and behavioral psychologist who spend a considerable amount of time on education, and identifying barriers to medication adherence so we can work together with our motivated patient population on overcoming them.”
Despite aspirin being an over-the-counter medication in the U.S., it may have some side effects that one must weigh when prescribing, such as damaging the lining of the stomach and increasing the risk of bleeding, Khandelwal said.
“Therefore, patients need to continue a dialogue with their doctor over time to determine whether they should continue on therapy. This should especially be done prior to major surgery if they have had an episode of severe bleeding that led to a hospitalization or resulted in blood transfusions.”
Experts say it would be better to completely avoid the use of aspirin in the treatment of heart  related diseases since withdrawal could lead to fatal heart attack.

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