Using Old Medications to Defeat Tuberculosis

TastesLikeCoughSyrup writes "Antibiotic resistant tuberculosis is spreading like wildfire in the developing world. While many researchers are looking for new drugs to combat the disease, those efforts could take years to bear fruit. Meanwhile, two scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have learned how the drug clavulanate can destroy the defenses of tuberculosis, making it vulnerable to medications in the penicillin family. The best part: it has already been approved by the FDA so doctors can start using it immediately."

Chest X-Rays required for immigration

[MichaelCrawford]

My wife is Canadian, and has a US green card. I'm American, and have applied for a Canadian landed immigrant card.

Each of us were required to have chest X-Rays. My understanding is that if they showed that either of us had tuberculosis, our visas would be denied.

However, the doctor who gave me my medical exam - which was rather thorough - told me that I should show my passport to the X-Ray technician, just to make sure someone else wasn't able to stand in for me. I offered it to her, but she didn't bother with it.

In other news...

[jd]

New Zealand researchers have shown that a (so-far unidentified) compound in Manuka honey kills MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria. Honey in general has antibacterial properties, but there is an additional substance in Manuka honey which is exceptionally effective. Trials involving using it to treat cuts and abrasions have apparently shown it to be comparable to using more conventional antibacterial ointments. It has also been credited with impacting certain cancers, but people will say that about so many things that that's not one of the more credible claims.

One thing I have done is made Manuka honey mead, which is interesting as it means that either I destroyed the antibacterial agent when using heat to dissolve the honey, or the agent has no significant ability to slow yeast cultures.