KFC to stop raising chickens with “Medically Important Antibiotics”

Over the past decade, the threat of antimicrobial resistant illnesses have increased. Antimicrobial resistance is the ability for microbes to “resist” the effect of drugs. When drugs are not able to destroy or stop the microbe, the patient is required to undergo expensive, more intense treatments. And in a lot cases, those treatments have adverse side effects that could interfere with the patient’s daily life. Antimicrobial resistance is caused from the misuse of antibiotics. According CDC, about 50% of antibiotics are being used inappropriately. Antibiotics are only supposed to be used to fight diseases, however, a lot of doctors and farmers are using them to prevent infections. In 2013, the CDC wrote a report about the increased threat of antimicrobial/antibacterial resistant illnesses. Since then, people have been more aware of the misuse of antimicrobials and started pushing for change. This week, Kentucky Fried Chicken announced that by 2018, all their chicken would be raised without medically important antibiotics, or antibiotics that humans also use. This decision has been praised by a lot of organizations as a step to decrease the risk of antimicrobial resistance strains. However, this decision has also been met with a lot of controversy from both sides. The farmers that raise the chickens say that this decision will require them to grow more chickens, which in turn will increase the cost of raising them. KFC have since said that it will absorb this cost. Other groups think that KFC needs to do more. KFC will still raise chickens using antibiotics that are not used in human medicine. Public interest groups, such as the Consumers Union, have created petitions asking KFC to “adopt a meaningful no-antibiotics policy.” Despite complaints from both sides, this is a step that will help in the effort to reduce the risks of getting an antimicrobial resistant illness.

For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html

http://www.consumerreports.org/overuse-of-antibiotics/KFC-to-serve-chicken-raised-without-medically-important-antibiotics/

Scientists Discovered Way to Destroy Cancer Cells From Within

Researchers from the Tel Aviv University discovered a method that causes cancer cells to die off without affecting the healthy cells around the tumor. Cancerous growth is essentially cells that are rapidly dividing. The scientists found out that chemicals phenanthridine disrupts the spindle (microtubules that pull the chromosomes to opposite sides of the cell), which in turn stops mitosis in its tracks. So instead of dividing, the cells die. First they tested this method on cell cultures and the results supported their hypothesis. They then transplanted human cancer cells in mice and introduced the chemical. The cancer cells were unable to perform mitosis and died. This treatment worked on multiple types of cancer including triple negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, both of which are resistant to current treatments. The next step to see if this method and work in the human body and potentially develop a drug.

For more information: http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-a-new-way-to-get-cancer-cells-to-self-destruct

$17,000 for Lying Down?

When astronauts are in space, their blood pressure drops, their bone density decreases, muscles deteriorate, etc. Scientists have created drugs to try to counteract these effects and want to test them. To conduct this experiment, Researchers for the Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology in France are looking for males between 20 to 45. The “volunteer” would first undergo 2 weeks of testing, followed by being completely bed ridden for 60 days, and lastly, another 2 weeks of tests. The subject is required to always have one shoulder on the bed, including when eating and going to the bathroom. Half of the subjects will be given the drug(contained in capsules in the food) and the other half will be getting nothing. Scientists will then compare the subjects tests before and after the 60 days and determine if the drugs worked.

For more information: http://www.sciencealert.com/volunteers-wanted-experience-space-flight-by-lying-in-bed-for-60-days