What Does Bacteria of Listeria monocytogenes do on Pregnant Women?

Bacterium of Listeria monocytogenes in 3D, credit to 123RF

Listeriosis is an infection caused by bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Infection to human through consuming the contaminated foods.

Infection caused by Listeria is serious, may cause sepsis (disturbing bloodstream), meningitis and encephalitis.

Listeriosis may also affect on chests, abdomen, joints and bones. Other parts of body could be infected by Listeria monocytogenes as well.

Around 1600 people infected by this bacteria each year in the USA. Of those infected needs hospital cares, then 260 died.

Higher risk individuals include older people (65 years old or more), weakening immune systems people (HIV/AIDS patients), pregnant women and newborn kids.

The pregnant women is most vulnerable to be infected by Listeria sp when in sick condition. Bacteria cause stillbirth, miscarriage and fetal loss.

Infected newborn babies face a life threatening, around 3% will die.

Recently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found Listeria monocytogenes infection in several states such as Michigan, New York and New Jersey caused 8 persons hospitalized and one died.

For details please read this article:

CDC investigating listeria infection link to deli meats and cheeses

What do Old Ladies do in New York?

Image of Ladies’ Lunch, credit to The New Yorker

I read the short story with title “Ladies’ Lunch” written by Lore Segal, an Austrian-American author. The story is about five women growing older in New York city, then they have meet every other month to tell their story.

They are in 80’s, came from many places in the world; “their origins in California, County Mayo, Tehran (Iran), Vienna (Austria), and the Bronx” (Segal, 2017).

Actually, the story is deeply human and a mirror of our future lives when growing old. None of us can be liberated or exiled from aging and weakening.

Kids look at their parents no longer who they once were. The important things that children still take care of their parents and show their kinship.

The old ladies tried to help each other, but they cannot due to their own physical condition. They just listening when one of their friends told that she got hip replacement at 82-year-old.

Unfortunately, the recovery is not that much as surgeon cheery projection. The friend need caregiver to take meal, shower, dress, and any other simple things.

The plot and pacing of story is brisk and tidy, have spirit of eternal battle with liberty in “growing” physical and mental weakness. Narrative is wonderful that revealing in dialog.

I consider this story is good because will relate to ourselves in the near future, thus I recommend to you as must read story.

Reference

Segal, L. (2017). Ladies’ Lunch. The New Yorker, February 27, 2017 issue. Retrieved from http://mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2017/02/20/lore-segal-ladies-lunch/

Does The North Atlantic Right Whale Face Extinction?

Mortality due to human activities

The North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis had been hunted intensively by human for commercial purposes.

The North Atlantic right whales have been hunted down for long time period, around 40 years or from 1890 to 1930. Hunting for their:

- meat

- oil

- baleen

Whaling license is terminated since 1930, and even USA government prohibits individuals or institution or human vessels to approach North Atlantic right whale within 457 m or 1500 ft distance. 

However, whale population is not recovered as normal as before 1890. Eubalaena glacialis is about 411 only in current estimation.

Surprisingly, mature female is predicted 90 to 100 only. No breeding was detected for last year, 2018.

Whales in the ocean (credit to Google)

Low breeding rate combined with mortality due to human activities such as ship strikes and entanglement, lead whales to nearly in extinction phase.

The North Atlantic right whale is considered as most endangered species compared to other whales.

Luckily, scientists have been detected totally 7 whale’s babies this year (2019), included 3 in recent weeks.

The mature whales come to breeding ground in coast off Georgia and Florida during winter season. Temperature is quite higher in southern part compared to northern part of America.

In spring and summer, whales and their calves goes back to their feeding ground in New England, Northern America, includes Canada.

Unfortunately, it is predicted that the North Atlantic right whales would extinct by next 20 years if these things continue to happen:

- High mortality of whales due to human activities.

- Lower breeding rate

Human activities included, but not limited to:

- entanglement of fishing gear

- ship strikes

- vessel noises

Have You an idea to prevent the North Atlantic Right Whale from extinction? 

Is Avocado Considered as a Super Food?

Avocado, medium and small sizes

Avocado is one of my favorites food. I eat the fruit simply by mixing it (avocado’s flesh) with condensed milk (produced by Nestle).

Sometimes, I mixed avocado flesh, milk (chocolate condensed milk) and ice cubed altogether, by using electrical mixer, like making a juice drink.

The price is a quite little bit expensive compared to other fruit for me. A medium size for a whole avocado cost US$ 3 (£ 2.67).

Flesh of avocado, look like a butter

Avocado flesh is creamy and butterly texture. If we eat first time, the taste is little bit bitter, actually mild sweet, especially when we eat ripe fruit.

We slice, dice or cube the avocado flesh. The medium size could weight around 150 gram or 1/3 pound in serving.

Small size of avocados

Is Avocado Considered as a Super Food? Yes, it is because it riches of nutrients:

-Fibre, potassium, Omega 3, magnesium and folic acid

-Vitamints: A, B, C, D, E and K

-Copper and iron

-Mono saturated fat, very few fruit contain this nutrient.

A "good fat" in avocado could reduce bad cholesterol level, thus lower the risk of stroke and heart attack. 

There many other health benefit by eating avocado regularly as said by nutritionists.

Have you ever tasted avocado?

Why Wearing Hat Makes You are Losing Your Hair?

Losing hair, credit to ianicsolutions.com

There are at least two contradict opinions about effect of wearing hat to fall the hair. First, no, not wearing hat make you losing your hair. There is no effect as long as there is no friction between hat and hair.

Second opinion that tight hat and action to rub or pull it on head cause physical tension on hair, thus slowly lead to hair losing.

Another opinion, there is in-direct effect of wearing hat on hair losing in a such way that dirty hat attracts bacteria and fungi to infect head skin.

To avoid scalp infection, hat should be cleaned and rotated regularly.

Many people using a specific shampoo and conditioner to strengthens their hair in order to prevent the hair breakage and losing.

Tight hat is one reason only to lose hair, you may read article about 10 reasons of losing hair: 10 reasons why you might be losing hair

Does “Heart Failure” Mean Our Heart Stop Pumping Blood?

Illustration between healthy heart and heart failure,

credit to FamilyDoctor.org

We might hear the term of “Heart Failure,” but it does not mean that our heart fail (totally fail) to pump the blood to all organ of our body.

It is a “medical term” refer to heart not in optimal function as its should be.

Another term for heart failure is a “congestive heart failure.” A few of early signs for heart failure that you feel fatigue and short of breathing.

High blood pressure may make heart gradually too weak to pump efficiently over time.

Symptoms, causes and treatments of heart failure may be read in the following article: Congestive Heart Failure: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Why are Rich People Going to Shoplift?

Kim Kardashian once shoplifted, credit to Reuters

Many famous and rich people have been shoplifted. Some of them have net worth around US$ 400 million, and a few closes to 1 billion US dollar.

The cost of items their stolen from just a couple buck to no more than 5 thousand dollars. Worthless compared to their hundred of million assets.

Things are taken, included: t-shirt, magazine, pack of batteries, $7 tube of lip gloss, snacks, clothes, sun glasses and a necklace.

They shoplifted in the super center or stores such as Walmart, K-Mart, Marshal, boutique and Jewelry shops.

You may read or listening or watching recently news that a rich man from Florida, Andrew Lippi, 59 years old was charged for stealing of US$ 300 (£ 230) goods (light bulbs and a coffee maker) from K-Mart.

Surprisingly, Andrew Lippi bought a private island estate cost US$ 8 millions (£ 6.13 million) few weeks early, before he did shoplift. In addition, he own a resort with one night rent for US$ 1800 (£ 1600).

We may wonder that: Why are Rich People Going to Shoplift?

The simple answer is called as a sense of “Poverty consciousness.” It is mean that the high net worth individuals feel “never having enough” and they worry to loss something they have.

In the shoplifting cases, rich people thought that they “never having enough” and sense to have everything, even they feel entitle to have children’s candies by stealing.

What do you think?