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July 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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Exploring GM Bacteria to
Detect Disease
Genetically modified bacteria may
help detect cancerous tumors and
diabetes, according to two published
studies. In one, E. coli bacteria was
modified into a living sensor that could
detect tumors while living in a mouse’s
body for up to a month. The bacteria
was modified to produce an enzyme that
changes the color of urine. The other
study used the bacteria to check for
glycosuria (sugar in urine) in humans.
The bacteria indicated glycosuria quite
accurately: The urine turned red in 89
percent of relevant cases and of those,
glycosuria was not present in 3 percent
of them. The studies’ researchers are
working on liver cancer at MIT and
UC San Diego and on diabetes at the
University of Montpellier in France
and Stanford University. Researchers
hope bacteria sensors can one day
allow doctors in remote clinics to easily
diagnose and monitor the treatment of
diseases.
Anxiety Overtakes
Cancer Rates
Anxiety is defined as constant and
intense worry or fear, and as many as 4.3
million full-time American workers (3.7
percent) have experienced it, according
to analyzed data from the 2008-2012
National Survey on Drug Use and
Health’s Mental Surveillance Study. The
findings were published in a report by
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SMAHSA).
The data also found that nearly 13
million American adults overall (more
than 5 percent of the U.S. population)
had an anxiety disorder within the past
year. This makes anxiety about eight
times more prevalent in the United
States than all forms of cancer.
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