Fighting Superbugs with Human Feces

The Swedish medical community is increasingly turning to what many patients consider a rather unappealing antidote for battling resistant 'superbug' bacteria.

Swedish researchers hope that bacteria extracted from healthy faeces can be used to develop new medicines to battle superbugs following the successful curing of a 60-year-old American woman who suffered from resistant bacteria in her stomach.

The woman beat the illness after doctors, following advice from Swedish researchers, administered an enema injecting the faeces of her healthy husband.

Physician Per Dahl of the infection clinic in V�xj� in southern Sweden, who administers the technique to a handful of people each year, told the newspaper that the suggestion is not always met with resounding approval by the patient.

"Their first reaction is that it sounds disgusting and unpleasant to get another person's poop put into them," he told DN.

Doctors in Minnesota turned to the technique after they had exhausted all available antibiotics without any effect being registered on the woman's deteriorating health.

After having been administered the enema of her husband's bacteria-free faecal matter, the woman made an rapid recovery and immediately began to regain some of the 27 kilogrammes in weight she had lost over the previous eight months.

"It was very exciting to see if the new bacteria would grow. I examined the waste and there was an enormous difference," said microbiologist Johan Dicksved at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to the newspaper.

Dicksved explained that his analysis showed that after a month the offending Clostridium difficile bacteria which had caused the woman's debilitating condition had gone, to be replaced by the new bacteria.

The method is becoming a more common feature of Swedish healthcare as cases of resistant bacteria increase, DN reported.

Around 8,000 people are diagnosed every year with the Clostridium difficile bacteria in Sweden, mostly elderly people. A number of those infected develop newer, serious bacterial infections with occasionally fatal results.

The technique is generally applied as a last resort when other cures have been tried and it is usually a healthy family member that is invited to make a donation.

The healthy faeces is then mixed with around half a litre of water and inserted into the rectum, where it is held for around half an hour before being rinsed out.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm are hopeful that they can use bacteria extracted from health faecal matter to develop new medicines to tackle the growing problem of resistant bacteria.

JOKE: the Rabbi takes confessions

A priest was called away for an emergency. Not wanting to leave the confessional unattended, he called his rabbi friend from across the street and asked him to cover for him. The rabbi told him he wouldn't know what to say, but the priest told him to come on over and he'd stay with him for a little bit to show him the ropes. So the rabbi and the priest are both in the confessional when a woman entered and said, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned." The priest asked, "What did you do?" "I committed adultery." "How many times?" "Three times." "Say two Hail Mary's, put $10 in the box, and go and sin no more." A few minutes later a man entered the confessional. He said, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned." "What did you do?" "I committed adultery." "How many times?" "Three times." "Say two Hail Mary's, put $10 in the box, and go and sin no more." The rabbi says, "I got it" so the priest left. A few minutes later, a woman entered. "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned." The rabbi asked, "What did you do?" "I committed adultery." "How many times?" "Once." "Go do it two more times. We're running a special this week, three for 10 dollars."

VIDEO: T-Mobil Commercial

woman in court for 8th DWI shows up intoxicated, gets 18 months in prison

A Fond du Lac Wisconsin woman convicted of drunken driving for the eighth time showed up intoxicated at her sentencing hearing.

Circuit Court Judge Peter Grimm on Friday sentenced Nancy L. Thornburg, 58, of 88 S. Pioneer Parkway, to 18 months in prison with five years of extended supervision.
She then reported to the Fond du Lac County Jail where a "very weak blow" during a preliminary breath test revealed a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .196 percent, about 2� times the legal limit, according to a Fond du Lac County Jail report.
Thornburg told officers she did not know a condition of her signature bond was to not drink alcohol. She also claimed the last time she had a drink was Thursday, according to the report.
Thornburg spent 13 months in prison for her seventh offense of drunken driving. She did not have any run-ins with the law from 2002 to February of this year, Grimm said.
He said the case "boils down to what society should do with chronic alcoholics."
Instead of locking up Thornburg for years, Grimm said he was structuring a sentence that would treat Thornburg's issues.
At 11:38 p.m. on Feb. 12, an officer spotted Thornburg stopped for about 40 seconds at a flashing yellow light on East Division Street near South Marr Street. Her car had a defective taillight and she was not wearing a seat belt, according to court documents.
She admitted to drinking two beers and taking two sleeping pills, according to the officer's report.
Assistant District Attorney Jocelyn Jurva said Thornburg would not take a breath test at the time of arrest. However, a blood draw taken two hours later revealed a BAC of .212, more than 10 times the legal limit for someone with three or more drunken driving convictions.
Jurva requested a three-year prison sentence.
Defense attorney Catherine Block said Thornburg's husband, James, had a heart attack the night of the arrest. After paramedics would not allow her to ride in the ambulance, she chose to drive to the hospital, Block said.
Grimm said Thornburg should have called someone for a ride or hired a taxicab.
Jurva said the "disease of alcohol has cast a shadow over all of the positive things" in Thornburg's life.

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Mozart cuts crime in New Zealand city

A secret weapon has rid Christchurch city centre streets of crime and thuggery: Mozart. The introduction of speakers playing classical music in City Mall in June 2009 has led to a steep fall in petty crime and anti-social behaviour, say mall managers. The figures are staggering:

The number of anti-social incidents attended by city centre security guards, known as ambassadors, fell from 77 a week in October 2008 to two for the same week this year. The number of drug and alcohol-related incidents fell from 16 in 2008 to zero this year. The number of times the ambassadors helped shopkeepers with troublesome customers has fallen from 35 to nothing.

Originally, Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale intended to play easy listening music like Barry Manilow, but found classical music more calming. "The classical music is soothing on the ear. We try not to play anything with a beat because that is more noticeable. Classical music is known for reducing anti-social behaviour," he said. "It is much more pleasant now. People sit in that area now because they feel safer."

Senior Sergeant Gordon Spite, officer in charge of the city centre police beat section, said the music has helped transform the mall. "The music has certainly had an effect during the day. It has created an environment that is conducive to good behaviour," he said. "If you go into an area that is uncared for and knocked around there is a clear message that no-one cares and you can do what you like. There are no rules. The music has had quite a calming affect on things. A more diverse group of people use it now than before."

Naked burglary suspect had mouse up rectum

A burglary call for Oconee County South Carolina sheriff's deputies turned bizarre on Monday morning when their suspect was found naked and apparently drugged. Authorities responded to Bernwood Circle near the town of Seneca after a resident complained of a burglar. When deputies arrived, they found Noah Smith, 31, lying face down and naked inside the doorway of the victim's home.

When the deputy tried to make contact with Smith, he slapped the deputy. In return, the deputy deployed his taser, which had no effect on Smith. With reinforcements, deputies approached Smith again in the victim's bedroom. A deputy managed to handcuff Smith before he jumped off the victim's bed and tried to kick other deputies in the room. Then, according to the report, Smith was pepper sprayed. Undeterred, Smith continued to kick at the officers and otherwise evade capture.

He was struck with a police baton several times, and Smith attempted to bite the deputy. Smith's head and mouth were covered with a blanket to prevent him from biting and he was wrestled down so shackles could be placed on his legs and his arms were hog-tied. An EMS crew responded and provided a stretcher to which Smith was tied. Deputies and officers from the Seneca Police Department opined that Smith might have been high on mushrooms, and identified equipment that could be used to get high in the victim's home.

During a medical exam at a nearby hospital, medical personnel found a mouse tail hanging from Smith's rectum. An X-ray revealed a mouse lodged inside Smith. He told emergency room personnel that he could not remember what had happened to him. After the medical exam, he was charged with resisting arrest, 1st and 3rd degree assault a battery charges, and indecent exposure. Smith was transported to the Oconee County Detention Center.