If you’re interested in how the London Games are fairing in the germs category, take a listen to my latest radio interview with CBC Ottawa’s All in a Day. It was a great discussion and well, we even had some fun at the end.
http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/All%20in%20a%20Day/ID/2263204079/
ENJOY!
If you have been following the #handhygiene hashtag on Twitter, you’ve no doubt seen a number of videos that use entertainment to impress the importance of hand hygiene. Most of them are “song and dance” numbers that borrow from a well known song or offer unique compositions with some kind of dance routine. But others, like the Super Bowl #handhygiene ads that were featured here earlier this year, have a different perspective and reach out to a completely different audience.
Well, the team over at Topsani have put together a video that reaches out to the geek or nerd in all of us. Their video, which features a rather interesting villain demonstrates the need to keep germs away lest there be catastrophic consequences.
Here’s what they have to say about the video:
Are Germs Strong Enough to Take Over the World?
Some people clearly think so.
OK, we all agree that many germs are the bad guys. They make us sick, they spoil
our food, and they leave us sick and miserable.
But will germs usher in an un-ending era of terror and darkness?
Anything is possible and germs are, if anything, amazingly adaptable little creatures.
Thank goodness for the folks at TopSani, who have a take-no-prisoners, destroy-every-last-germ approach to hand sanitizing.
When I saw this video, I couldn’t stop laughing and had to post it. It’s just one of those moments where you realize that effective public outreach doesn’t always have to be focused on data and statistics. Sometimes all that’s needed is a little bit of the absurd.
Enjoy!
If you have been following my Huffington Post articles, then you’ll know that my writing there has transformed into a combination of fun as well as entertainment. I have had nothing but great success and have learned so much from just the short amount of time there. That being said, I am so happy that people are checking out my site here and continuing to gain from it.
Now I want to take this blog to a new level…
I want to take it to the highest of heights!
I want to spread the germy goodness to the world!
I want to impress the man who represents journalism at it’s best!
I want to take it to…
Oh, yes, I said it…
This past week, a call for blogs was made by the Anderson show and I couldn’t help but put this blog in for consideration. As required by the call, I believe this blog is quirky, based on an unusual topic and most of all, fun! I know it would make for a great segment and possibly even give me the chance to expand my television experience into New York.
So why am I announcing it here? Because I could really use your…
For those of you are in the know, it’s the Beatles’ symbol for HELP!
(though if you know your semaphore signals it’s NUJV)
Many of you have been kind and gracious enough to comment on my posts and I have appreciated everything. Now, with a possibility for an Anderson appearance, I’d love to hear from everyone.
So, if it would not be too much of a bother…
I’d love it if you could leave a comment to say a
few words about why you like my blog.
I should say one final thing. I’ve actually met Anderson and respect him like no other journalist. He is a true example of a renaissance man in the media. I would quite enjoy having the chance to meet him again albeit wearing better clothes and better hairstyle.
It was dang hot in New Orleans!
But most of all, it would be great to see someone who has led as an example for me in making sure that while I inform and educate, I also make sure to entertain and engage.
Thank in advance for your NUJV…
It’s that time of the week (actually, I’m hoping to have an article every Monday)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jason-tetro/germs-at-the-office_b_1566350.html
Today, I’m focusing on germs at the office and some novel ways to stay healthy. It was fun writing this article in light of several other news headlines on the topic of germs in the office.
What I didn’t discuss in the article was that one of the recent stories was that amidst all the germy office articles, there is a difference between the experimental design and that, ultimately, could lead to misinterpretation and fear.
Before I get to that, let me recap how I go about these experiments. When I head out to my target of choice, whether it be the metro, subway, bathroom, school, office or restaurant, I have my trusted ‘Germ Guy Cooler’ with me. In that cooler are a number of cotton swabs and some tubes filled with a nutrient solution. When I swab a surface, I keep the swab itself in the solution and keep it cool to prevent any unnecessary changes in climactic conditions – gotta keep the bugs happy after all.
When I’m finished, I return to the lab and then ‘plate’ the solution, which means that I take a small amount and spread it over a petri plate that contains a specific kind of growth medium. The result is a plate that hopefully has a number of colonies, each of which represents 1 bacterium (more or less). Not only does it give me great data that I can use to discuss and also publish, it offers me the chance to have some wild photos taken.
You get the picture.
As for the study that made office germ waves a few weeks back, the researchers did something quite a bit different. They took the swab, like me, but then they immediately put it into a different kind of solution and then put the entire tube into a machine that looks a little like a tricorder from Star Trek – called an ATP Reader.
Example of an ATP reader
This ATP reader measures something called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP exists only in living organisms and can be measured through a chemical reaction that then gives off light – the specific term is luminescence. This machine measures the luminescence and then outputs a number. The number is a measurement of cleanliness.
It is not, however an indication of how many germs are actually present. It only hints at it.
Having tested the ATP system…I know why. It all has to do with the problems associated with the luminescence, which can be affected by food, liquid, detergents and disinfectants. If those are picked up in the process of swabbing, the results are going to change. It’s why I always prefer to go out and swab and culture, even if it means more time and energy spent. I’d rather know what bugs are present rather than what might be there.
Granted, there are some uses for the ATP reader. If can definitly help you make really cool looking info-graphics.
Notice how they never used the word, germs?
This infographic tells you what you need to clean your microwaves, refrigerators, water fountains and bathrooms; otherwise known as common sense. When you go to their website - http://www.healthyworkplaceproject.com/ - this is exactly what they are trying to convey.
From a purely microbiological perspective, however, it’s sadly lacking.
So, the next time you see a study where someone has looked for those germs in the hopes of making you scared, remember two things:
Of course, this doesn’t mean you can quit the hygiene altogether. In fact, I think when you don’t know what’s there, you should be even more cautious. But I just want to be sure that prudence is based on fact, not conjecture.
As for the study that I discuss in the Huffington Post article…now that had quite a few Latin names, many of which I had to look up because they were so rarely mentioned in my fields of microbiology. It really was a dream study and I’m happy it was published.
As always, would love your comments.
Back in the early 1990s, I was in Calgary living a ‘former life’ and came across an incredible researcher named Patrick Lee. This researcher had quite possibly the most insane idea I’d heard of…using germs to cure cancer.
Dr. Patrick Lee
Well, it’s 20 years later and Dr. Lee’s idea has turned into a multi-million dollar company that may hold the key to making some cancers a thing of the past…using ironically, viruses.
As my new movement is showing – it’s very much true that #germsarethefuture
I was fortunate enough to gain access to the current CEO of the company, Dr. Brad Thompson and asked him to tell me in his own words what the future holds. Here is his reply in full. It’s a little more intense than my usual posts…but well worth the read.
Enjoy…
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The Future of Cancer Clinical Trials Holds Promise Thanks To Viruses
by Brad Thompson, PhD
Chemotherapy has always and continues to be our first line of defense against cancer, but is not for the faint of heart. Some form of chemotherapy is still routinely prescribed for most types of the disease. The treatment works by targeting fast-growing cells, like those typically found in rapidly growing tumors. But while chemotherapy can shrink tumors, they often grow back and become resistant to treatment.
To combat this resistance, chemotherapy is now often used in combination with other treatments that have different mechanisms for attacking and killing cancer cells. Doctors must be cautious when combining treatments to ensure that the regimen does not become too toxic for patients to tolerate. The goal is to introduce drugs that can be used with chemotherapy, not only to extend life, but also to improve quality of life while undergoing treatment.
One approach that has proven quite promising is harnessing viruses to infect, multiply within and subsequently destroy cancer cells; the virus targets tumors without affecting normal tissue.
Several types of these viruses have been developed to date, with names like adenovirus, poxvirus, and picornavirus. Even the herpes simplex virus is under consideration for this type of use.
Some researchers consider a different class of viruses, known as reoviruses, to be the most promising for the task of battling cancer cells. Reoviruses are found everywhere in nature and have been isolated from untreated sewage, river and stagnant waters. These viruses choose to colonize cancer cells that exhibit a common mutation, while sparing normal cells. (Normal cells are unaffected by the reovirus because our immune systems can neutralize the virus.) Approximately one-third of human cancers have the mutation that makes them a prime target for reoviruses.
Studies have shown that reovirus, used in conjunction with immune suppressive drugs, can effectively prolong the survival of various cancer-stricken animals in the laboratory.
This suggests that immune suppressive drugs can be combined with reovirus in the treatment of human cancers.
My own company, Calgary-based Oncolytics Biotech Inc., has developed a drug, Reolysin, from reovirus. In preclinical studies using a wide variety of cancer cell lines, investigators found that when used together, reovirus and chemotherapy resulted in more efficient anti-cancer activity than when each agent was used on its own.
(click image to enlarge)
These combinations are showing extremely good results in human trials, particularly in head and neck cancer patients. Many of these patients treated with a combination of Reolysin and chemotherapy to date have experienced dramatic and prolonged tumor shrinkage, without increasing adverse side effects.
Just recently, Dr. Kevin Harrington and his colleagues at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden Hospital, published results of a clinical trial testing intravenous Reolysin in combination with chemotherapeutics carboplatin and paclitaxel in 31 patients with advanced cancers who had stopped responding to standard treatments.
An initial Phase I study was carried out in patients with a range of advanced cancers, which showed the drug combination was safe. Side effects were found to be generally mild, and consistent with chemotherapy alone.
Patients with head and neck cancers were found to have the best responses, so a Phase II expansion study at The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, and St James’s Hospital, Leeds, was therefore targeted to patients with these types of cancers.
Cancers shrank for about one-third of the patients who could be evaluated, and disease stabilized for a further third. For one patient, all signs of their cancer disappeared.
It is difficult to provide a crystal-clear economic forecast for oncolytic viruses. However, demand for new and effective cancer treatment remains strong, giving confidence that Reolysin could be embraced if it performs well in further testing. Global pharmaceutical firms may be keen to partner with Oncolytics once additional head and neck cancer data involving the drug are available, if not before, and capital markets are exhibiting optimism in Reolysin’s medical prospects.
As we have seen, there are a number of viruses that have shown potential use in cancer treatment, and demand for more effective agents is strong. Future research studies will give us an even clearer perspective on which, if any, of these viruses offer the most effective route toward a reliable and commercially viable complement to chemotherapy for oncologists and their patients.
I’m sorry.
It’s my fault.
I can’t deny it.
I’ve been absent.
Okay, so that’s probably little melodramatic but still, I admit that I’ve been less than faithful to my weekly postings this month.
In my defense, after the WHO #handhygiene day festivities finished, life got busy. There were the usual media interviews, requests for writing material, potential collaborations and even a few wonderful lunches that I would never be able to afford. I shook hands with friends and colleagues, old and new and perhaps opened a few doors for the future. I even started a new hashtag #germsarethefuture (more on that soon).
But there have also been some hiccups. I’ve had to cancel a film shoot that I had planned for the #handhygiene celebrations. I’ve also run into a few delays with some of the other projects I’m developing and well, I even wore to work a shirt that looked like it had come out of the hamper.
I’ve come to realize over the last month that all things must eventually change. That is no different for the Germ Guy. The world is growing more germy and in order for me to maintain a handle on everything, I need to step up my presence and grow my universe. While I still intend to have fun, I know that the perspective needs to change.
It may take another few weeks to iron out all the wrinkles but I hope to soon be back bigger than ever. With any luck, the return will be worth the effort.
Stay hygiene…
A Germ Wars Webchat…
MORE UPDATES!
The webchat went extremely well! A special ‘Thank You’ to participant “Diane G.” for sharing her longtime support. People like her give me even more reason to continue what I am doing. If you missed it, you can read the text here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/10/23/ottawa-germs-live-web-chat-with-jason-tetro-germ-guy.html
My interview with CBC Ottawa Morning is now up. You can listen to it here:
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/episodes/
Tuesday’s story on kids and germs is now up. Watch it here:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Ottawa/ID/2295838897/
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Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here although I hope you have all been enjoying my articles with the Huffington Post. It continues to be a blast and I am eternally grateful for all the positive feedback I have received.
This week, CBC Ottawa has been running a series called Germ Wars and the great David Gerow took me on a wild journey around Ottawa where we went on the hunt for germs.
The series started yesterday and even featured a cool Germ Quiz which has garnered some very interesting comments. The series continued today with a discussion on kids and germs and will conclude tomorrow with a story on pets and germs.
Now here’s the fun part…
Tomorrow, Wednesday October 24, at Noon EDT, I’ll be taking questions from the public during a one hour webchat. You can head to the site then and ask anything relating to germs, hygiene and health. The link is:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/10/23/
ottawa-germs-live-web-chat-with-jason-tetro-germ-guy.html
I hope you can find some time to get involved in the discussion. Based on what I have already heard from people who have seen the series and taken the quiz, it will be a lively time.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Tell everyone!
Like this: