Back in March, patty reported here on a Chinese man who – after being born without one – received a surgically constructed artificial anus. Now scientists have gone one better and actually grown a working anal sphincter in the laboratory. The team, who hail from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, grew the artificial orifices from cultured human muscle and nerve cells in about six weeks. Then, to test if they worked, the sphincters where implanted in laboratory mice. Ultimately, the scientists hope a patient’s own muscle and nerves could be used to create ‘personalized’ replacements, avoiding any immune response. In the near future, the “test tube” anus could be a boon for both the faecally incontinent and former porn stars alike (CBS News).
But an artificial exit may be just the start, as scientists are now one step closer to understanding the development of the entire intestine, in this case, why it coils the way it does. A rare collaboration between Harvard’s Medial and Engineering schools finally untangled the problem of why the intestine coils so predictably during the growth of the foetus while essentially unconstrained. Previously it had been thought that growth of the gut might be being restricted by the abdomen, but that didn’t explain why nearly everyone’s intestines fold into exactly the same shape. Then a chance conversation led Harvard Professor of Applied Mathematics, L. Mahadevan, to suggest a simpler hypothesis, the gut and its connective tissue, called the mesentry, grow at proportionally different rates. Now two teams, led by engineer Thierry Savin and biologists Natasza Kurpios and Amy Shyer, have confirmed that insight with a combination of computer and physical models and experiments, finally unravelling what makes our insides so loopy (Science Daily).
And speaking of loopy, what would you prescribe to someone with chronically inflamed bowels? Well for a growing number of people, the best medicine is a healthy(?) dose of parasites. The parasites in question are whipworms, also known as helminths, hence the name of the process, helminthic therapy. It has been known for over a century that some parasite infestations seem to reduce the symptoms of other diseases, but it is only fairly recently that any serious study has been made into why this is so. The current hypothesis is that the worms, which live in the human intestine, partially suppress the host’s immune response to protect themselves, and in doing so prevent the aggressive autoimmunity behind conditions such as Crohne’s disease and IBS, and so far the results have been startlingly good. However the success of the treatment is causing its own problems as some sufferers are refusing to wait on the medical establishment and are treating themselves by deliberately swallowing doses of the parasites’ eggs obtained over the internet. The worry for some is that the parasites, which are naturally infectious, might spread to very young or otherwise vulnerable people where they might have more serious effects (University of Massachusetts (PDF)).
Yet as one weird treatment rises, another shall fall. Colonic irrigation, the practice of repeatedly flushing out your lower intestines with water or various herbal infusions, has no medicinal benefit according to a study by doctors from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Moreover, it can actually be harmful, carrying not just a risk if perforation of the bowel, but a list of side effects that range from intestinal cramps and nausea to renal failure. The team, lead by Dr. Ranit Mishori, looked at over 20 studies carried out in the past 10 years and found little to no evidence of any health improvements associated with the treatment, but a litany of problems, including cases of anaemia and increased liver toxicity. She also highlighted the dangers from poorly trained and regulated operators performing the procedure, and from “do-it-youself” detoxing kits that often combine a less invasive form of the therapy with strong laxatives (The Independent).
I don't keep up with fashion trends. If I can't go somewhere wearing elastic-waist pants and a baggy T-shirt, then I don't want to go. But I think I'm in the minority. Or maybe it has something to do with age. Younger folks often seem to be obsessed with their appearance and are even willing to put their lives at risk just to look "good". For example, the government of Thailand has issued a health warning that proclaims black leggings put people at risk of catching Dengue Fever. I realize that might sound a bit paranoid, but they have a compelling reason behind the warning: the mosquitoes that transmit the disease are attracted to black and can easily bite through the thin fabric used to make the leggings. You can read more here.
As if "swine flu" wasn't bad enough, Scientific American is reporting that the Ebola virus has been detected in domestic pigs in the Philippines. The particular strain of the virus, Reston ebolavirus, is not known to cause fatal haemorrhagic fever in humans, but is still rated a class 4 pathogen by the US Center for Disease Control (it's highest rating) because of the extreme fatality rate and absence of effective treatment of the disease caused by other Ebola viruses. One farmhand who worked with the pigs has also tested positive for R.ebolavirus, but is asymptomatic.
In this case it seems like most likely that the pigs caught the disease from the human rather than the other way round. However that pigs can catch and potentially pass on the organism to humans is an unexpected, and worrying, development. Michael McIntosh of the Department of Agriculture expressed concern not only that the Reston strain might mutate into something more deadly in its new host, but that the other disease-causing strains might also be using pigs as a reservoir. "What is the level of risk?" said McIntosh, "We really don't know" (Scientific American Article) (Paper in Science).
A Belgian company has filed a patent for an invention designed to detect sick travelers in airports. They call it a device for the "RECOGNITION AND LOCALISATION OF PATHOLOGIC ANIMAL AND HUMAN SOUNDS."
The idea is to place microphones around airports that will zero in on the sound of people coughing. The people hacking their lungs out can then be prevented from boarding a plane. A less controversial use of the technology is to detect sick pigs in pig pens.
Can people be stopped from traveling because they have a cold? I've never seen that done, but I'd like it (despite the inconvenience to the sick people) 'cause otherwise they infect everyone else on the plane. Though of course, if I were the one kicked off a plane I'd be seeing red. (via New Scientist)
Brain worms can be contracted by eating undercooked pork, as well as by coming into contact with someone who has worm eggs in their body and who hasn't washed their hands.
But the good news about brain worms is that they're generally less dangerous than having a brain tumor. Which is why a Phoenix-area woman was relieved when her brain tumor turned out to be a brain worm. The reason I'm posting this on Weird Universe: because Fox 10 Chattanooga has a video of the worm being removed (still alive) from her brain.
Category: Body, Diseases, Stomach, Fads, Health, Disease, Hygiene, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, Excrement, Medicine, Surgery, Science, Weird Theory