Category: Quality Control (Page 60 of 74)

      A Fertilized Egg is a Person?

      November 5, 2011 /

      If the 26th amendment in Mississippi passes it is.

      The beginning of personhood?

      Because the amendment would define a fertilized egg as a person with full legal rights, it could have an impact on a woman’s ability to get the morning-after pill or birth control pills that destroy fertilized eggs, and it could make in vitro fertilization treatments more difficult because it could become illegal to dispose of unused fertilized eggs. This could lead to a nationwide debate about women’s rights and abortion while setting up a possible challenge to the landmark Roe v. Wade case, which makes abortion legal.

      The vote is upcoming in Mississippi to declare a fertilized ovum; human egg, a person.

      The implications are vast and the arguments many, but in a state with the highest teenage pregnancy and STD rates it looks like the amendment will pass.

      Physicians, scientists, women and hospital staff will face a host challenges to deal with the care of patients if this amendment passes.

      There are great arguments on both sides.

      Considering all the possibilities a new branch of legal practice may be necessary.

      Doctors, Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Hospitals, Medicaid, Nurses, Privacy, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

      Anti Aging Miracle or Menace?

      October 20, 2011 /

      Human growth hormone or HGH, has appeared to be somewhat of a panacea for those who want to turn back the clock on aging.

      However, the biggest reason not to take HGH as an anti-aging therapy is simply that it has not been adequately studied.

      The longterm effects are not known.

      Human growth hormone is a product of the pituitary gland, the master gland of the body. As the name implies, it promotes linear growth in children and adolescents. After the body stops growing taller, the levels of HGH decline quickly and often become very low in adult life. Many of the effects of HGH are brought about through a second hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, made by the liver. HGH is given by daily injection, and is quite expensive. Alternative treatments, such as the nasal spray or pills to stimulate HGH release, have not been proven to have any benefit.

      Quality Control, Research, Resources

      Prostate Tests Do More Harm Than Good

      October 16, 2011 /

      Men who receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer are faced with a frightening array of options.

      To live with cancer might seem to be unthinkable, however, in light of the alternatives a slow growing cancer may be easier to live with than the side effects of cancer treatment and in the worse case, death from infection and other surgical complications.

      Many men who agree to a PSA test do not understand what it is. Some common misconceptions:

      — It shows cancer. In fact, PSA is just a measure of inflammation, and it can be elevated for many reasons besides cancer: normal enlargement of the prostate with age, an infection, even recent sex, a strenuous bike ride or horseback riding.

      — It’s been proven to save lives. Only two large, well-done studies have looked at this, the task force says. The American study found annual screening did not lower the chances of dying of prostate cancer. However, cancer fear is so great, and belief in the value of screening so ingrained, that half the men assigned to the group not offered PSA tests got one anyway. That made comparisons to the group given annual screening difficult. For that reason, some doctors don’t believe the study’s conclusion.
      The other study, conducted in Europe, found a small benefit for certain age groups screened every two to seven years — not annually. However, one Swedish center had such rosy results that scientists think it may have biased the whole study. If that center is excluded, no benefit from the PSA test is seen.

      — The task force’s stance goes against past advice. Routine PSA testing has been supported by some advocacy groups and by urologists, the doctors who do the tests and treatments. But it has not been pushed by major scientific groups, the American Cancer Society or the government.

      — It finds cancer early so you’re more likely to survive. About 90 percent of prostate cancers found through screening are early-stage. Most will grow so slowly they will never threaten a man’s life, but there’s no good way to tell which ones will. Research suggests that tumors causing symptoms are more likely to warrant treatment than those that are not. Also, finding aggressive prostate tumors early may not affect how lethal they prove to be; the PSA test may just let men learn of them sooner than they otherwise would.

      Health Care Policy, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Keeping Your Kitchen Free of Disease is as Simple as Cleaning Your Refrigerator

      October 16, 2011 /

      Keeping your refrigerator clean is more than just a good idea.

      It could save your health.

      Clean your refrigerator as a matter of disease prevention and sanitary food preparation practice.

      It’s amazing how many illnesses and bacteria can grow in your refrigerator.

      A few simple tips can safeguard your health and help you manage your food inventory and reduce waste.

      Wrap foods tightly with two layers of freezer wrap before putting in the freezer or use shrink
      wrapping for an air-tight seal around the food.

      Store eggs in their cartons — and don’t keep them on the refrigerator door.

      Don’t wash fresh produce until you’re ready to use it. Store it in perforated plastic bags, and use
      within a few days. Bananas should not be refrigerated.

      To allow for air circulation in either your fridge or freezer, don’t overfill the compartments.

      Without good circulation, it’s difficult to maintain the proper temperatures.

      Store leftovers in tightly covered containers within two hours after cooking. Use in 3-5 days.

      Store food and cleaning supplies separate.

      Keep potatoes and onions in a cool, dry location. Don’t refrigerate them or keep them under the sink, where moisture from pipes can cause damage.

      Check use-by or sell-by dates on food packages. Remember, these dates don’t apply once the package is opened.

      Best-if-used-by dates are the most reliable ones to follow. They take normal handling into account.

      Put raw meat on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator, in a plastic bag. This will keep the juices from dripping onto other foods.

      Quality Control, Wellness

      “Frankenfoods” in a World of GMO’s

      October 13, 2011 /

      Genetically modified food may look like the answer to food shortages but the dangers might just outweigh the benefits.

      But now the concern that these genetically manipulated foodstuffs are harming human health is growing. Inserting a gene into a plant’s genome is a random and haphazard process that allows no control over where the gene actually ends up in the plant’s otherwise carefully constructed DNA. Insertions can show up inside other genes, can delete natural genes or permanently turn them on or off, and can cause significant mutations near the insertion site. For instance, one study found that a gene known to be a corn allergen was turned on in GM corn, though it was turned off in its conventional parent.

      “It’s genetic roulette,” says Smith. “You can create carcinogens, anti-nutrients, toxins. We don’t understand the language of DNA enough to predict what might happen. It’s an infant technology, and we’re making changes that are permanent in the gene pool of species.”

      Nutrition, Quality Control, Research

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