Genetic Engineering: From Monsanto to Frankenfish - NewsGrabs 16 March 2008

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NewsGrabs

Health Supreme's NewsGrabs - a selection of contrary and underprivileged news in health and (mostly) related sectors. Find what trends you may have missed - watch out for the weekly News Grabs.

Here is this week's selection for you:

Genetic engineering, horizontal gene transfer, and the emergence of infectious diseases
Genetic engineering creates vast arrays of transgenic DNA that could spread, not only through cross-pollination with the same or related species, but also through the direct uptake of the transgenic DNA by cells of unrelated species, a process called horizontal gene transfer.

Monsanto's Last Desperate Attempt to Save its (genetically engineered) Bovine Growth Hormone
A new advocacy group closely tied to Monsanto has started a counteroffensive to stop the proliferation of milk that comes from cows that aren't treated with synthetic bovine growth hormone.

The group, called American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, or Afact, says it is a grass-roots organization that came together to defend members' right to use recombinant bovine somatotropin, also known as rBST or rBGH, an artificial hormone that stimulates milk production. It is sold by Monsanto under the brand name Posilac.

Dairy farmers are indeed part of the organization. But Afact was organized in part by Monsanto and a Colorado consultant who lists Monsanto as a client...

MONSANTO WHISTLEBLOWER: GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS MAY CAUSE DISEASE
In the summer of 1997, Kirk spoke with a Monsanto scientist who was doing some tests on Roundup Ready cotton. Using a “Western blot” analysis, the scientist was able to identify different proteins by their molecular weight. He told Kirk that the GM cotton not only contained the intended protein produced by the Roundup Ready gene, but also extra proteins that were not normally produced in the plant. These unknown proteins had been created during the gene insertion process.

The scientist dismissed these newly created proteins in the cotton plant as unimportant background noise, but Kirk wasn’t convinced. Proteins can have allergenic or toxic properties, but no one at Monsanto had done a safety assessment on them.

Labs Don't Have to Report 'Frankenfish' Escapes
Canada's rules for genetically modified fish are so lax that labs don't have to report escapes into the wild, says an audit released today. That means bigger, more adaptable fish engineered in labs could put the natural variety at a disadvantage when they compete against each other for food and territory, the audit by Canada's environment commissioner has found. And because scientists don't have to disclose what they create in their labs, it says, it's not known what sort of so-called `Frankenfish' might someday swim Canada's water systems.

Irate Brazilian Farm Women Storm Controversial Monsanto Genetic Engineering Facility
The group of activists protested the Brazilian government's decision last month to give clearance for two varieties of GMO corn for commercial use ... "The authorization of these varieties shows once more that (President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's) government favors agribusiness and big foreign companies, abandoning land reform and family farming," Via Campesina said in a statement.

Vitamin D 'cuts risk of diabetes'
Giving young children vitamin D supplements may reduce their risk of developing type 1 diabetes later in life, research suggests. Children who took supplements were around 30% less likely to develop the condition than those who did not.

Studies have also found that type 1 diabetes is more common in countries where exposure to sunlight - which enables the body to manufacture vitamin D - is lower. For instance, a child in Finland was 400 times more likely to develop the disease than a child in Venezuela.

Video: Food Matters - Uncovering the sickness industry
The focus of the film is in helping us rethink the belief systems fed to us by our modern medical and health care establishments. Our teachers point out that not every problem requires costly, major medical attention and reveal many alternative therapies that can be more effective, more economical, less harmful and less invasive.

The film is scheduled for a global internet release by the end of April 2008.

Bolivia to defend coca leaf at UN
Bolivians call coca "the sacred leaf". They say it has been used by indigenous peoples for centuries to alleviate hunger and tiredness, for medicinal purposes and in religious rituals.

UN conventions list coca as a dangerous substance, along with cocaine and opium.

Last week, an annual report by the International Narcotics Control Board reminded Bolivia that coca leaves could legally be used for medical and scientific purposes only. Bolivia, and neighbouring Peru, should "abolish or prohibit activities... such as coca leaf chewing and the manufacture of coca tea", the report said.

If you have ever been to Bolivia or Peru and appreciated tea from coca leaves which helps one to better stand the high altitudes of the Andean plateau, and have observed people offering coca leaves to patchamama in a religious gesture, you might appreciate what the Bolivians are upset about... Coca IS part of their culture.

It has been modern day western pharmaceutical technology that made a drug out of the leaves, and banning the plant will not stop its "illegal" growing, more than banning the hemp plant has stopped its being grown or the banning of opium poppies has made the Afghanis less likely to grow them. All the so-called war on drugs has done is make a lot of little people into criminals, while protecting the drug running rackets run by the intelligence agencies of this world from competition.

The UN's war on drugs, far from effectively eradicating a growing drug culture, is making it safe for crooks inside the system to poison millions and to make tons of money while doing so.

Is a cup of tea the answer to everything -- even anthrax?
A study by an international team of researchers from Cardiff University and University of Maryland has revealed how the humble cup of tea could well be an antidote to Bacillus anthracis –more commonly know as anthrax.

Published in the March issue of the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal Microbiologist, Professor Baillie said: “Our research sought to determine if English Breakfast tea was more effective than a commercially available American medium roast coffee at killing anthrax. We found that special components in tea such as polyphenols have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax quite considerably.”

The research also shows that the addition of whole milk to a standard cup of tea completely inhibited its antibacterial activity against anthrax.

Professor Baillie continued: “I would suggest that in the event that we are faced with a potential bio-terror attack, individuals may want to forgo their dash of milk at least until the situation is under control.

Energy drinks highly dangerous to teeth
The study examined the acidity levels of five popular beverages on the market. The results proved that popular “high energy” and sports drinks had the highest mean buffering capacity, resulting in the strongest potential for erosion of enamel.

Raymond Martin, DDS, MAGD, AGD spokesperson, says he treats more patients in their teens to 20s for tooth erosion. “They drink a great deal more sodas, sports drinks, and energy drinks,” he says. “The results, if not treated early and if extensive, can lead to very severe dental issues that would require full mouth rehabilitation to correct.”

Hawaii Senate, House Consider Resolutions on Aspartame
A Resolution authored by Hawaii State Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland, which requests the Department of Health and National Academy of Sciences to review existing reports and studies related to aspartame, by funding source, has been drafted and is to be considered by the Senate. The proposed resolution states that given the enormous amount of evidence that has been compiled concerning the neurodegenerative harm it can cause, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requested to rescind approval of aspartame immediately on a phase-out basis over six months to one year.

Silver Nanoparticles Deadly to Bacteria
In contrast to the usual methods of producing metal nanoparticles, which involve the use of toxic solvents and highly reactive chemical reducing agents, the paint is produced in a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally safe manner, because the nanoparticles are synthesized directly in the paint itself. The team's new method makes use of a natural, oxidative property of paint that occurs during drying.

To test the antibacterial properties of the paint, the team incubated E. coli bacteria overnight on a plain glass slide, a slide coated in normal paint, and a slide coated with the nanoparticle paint. They found that the paint embedded with silver particles killed all the bacteria in comparison to the control slides, a result that confirms that the nanoparticles are toxic to bacteria.

Nigeria Vows To Summon Pfizer’s Bill Steere
The complex litigation over the controversial Trovan clinical trials in Nigeria is proceeding at a snail’s pace, but the federal government isn’t backing down from its promise to pur