Transgénicos, caros y suicidas

EL ACORDEÓN 

Transgénicos, caros y suicidas

24 Agosto 2014...

Ana María Rodas

Si Miguel Ángel Asturias reviviera haría dos cosas: morirse de nuevo en medio de una rabia inmensa, o planificaría con algunos de sus vecinos en el cielo —miembros de la mafia italiana que murieron en sus camas, arrepentidos y con el pasaporte más infalible: los santos óleos aplicados luego de una confesión completa— la extinción total de la monstruosa Monsanto, sus dirigentes, sus socios, y los serviles “consultores” que por 30 monedas hacen penetrar a la firma hasta en su propio país, que caerían sin remisión alguna en las profundidades del averno.

¿Y por qué digo esto? Porque Asturias avaló con su libro Hombres de maíz, la esencia de nuestra carne y sangre. Maíz sagrado del que habla el Popol Vuh, el libro venerable y santo de nuestros antepasados. Aquellos seres que, con métodos naturales y con amor obtuvieron del teosinte o teocintle, que de ambas maneras suele llamarse a la planta silvestre, el maíz que dio vida a poblaciones indígenas mesoamericanas, tal como el trigo lo hizo en Europa o el arroz en Asia.

El maíz dio vida a las poblaciones mesoamericanas, especialmente a los mayas. Los elotes como les decimos nosotros, las panochas, como le llamaron los españoles, están representados en todos los sitios arqueológicos mesoamericanos.  Cómo no iban estar allí, tallados en la piedra de los templos y otros edificios sagrados, si significan la vida para los pueblos que nos antecedieron. Y continúan siéndolo.

Tortillas de maíz blanco, amarillo o negro, pishtones, tamalitos de camino, tamales rojos, tamales negros, tamalitos de elote, con frijoles negros, de chipilín, con queso, chuchitos de carne de cerdo, de pollo, tayuyos, tortillas con chicharrón, tacos, enchiladas, elotes asados, cocidos, atoles variados como el de elote, el blanco —la chicha morada de los incas que se hace con maíz morado, que hasta allá llegó el maíz mesoamericano y halló otras vestimentas— tascales, hallacas, sopes, garnachas, tlacoyos, arepas, tostadas de frijol, de salsa de tomate, de aguacate y más recientemente, tostadas de chao min, esto en el Oriente del país.

Varidades de maíz que no pertenecen a nadie y que están ahí para quienes las cultiven, como ha sucedido desde siglos y siglos.
Para que venga ahora Monsanto y se apropie de ellas con el pretexto de cualquier balandronada. El copyright.

De maíz y de cualquier otro producto agrícola nativo. Cualquiera.

Monsanto, que se dedica a producir venenos, y alimentos transgénicos que cada vez necesitan más y más modificaciones porque los pesticidas de Monsanto actúan como los antibióticos. Y las plantas se han llenado de gusanos y otras plagas. Inmensos y más difíciles de atacar.

Me parece que ya se vende en Guatemala, pero no lo aseguro, el maíz modificado por Monsanto, cuyos granos se compran y se siembran y dan plantas cuyos elotes no pueden ser utilizados como semilla porque tienen, genéticamente implantada, la orden de suicidio en cuanto acaba una cosecha. Para que los campesinos deban comprar semillas cada año. A Monsanto, claro.
Y mientras todos andábamos idiotizados con el campeonato mundial de Fútbol, los diputados metieron el gol que podría ser la peor tragedia del país, porque Monsanto no quiere solo el maíz. También desea el frijol, el maicillo, el arroz. Cualquier alimento. Ya lo han hecho en otras partes. Pero hay países que les han presentado un frente, y luchado para proteger su derecho a alimentarse de la tierra que les pertenece.

Y todo apunta a una persona, que sería a quien le deberíamos esa tragedia nacional: al inefable Mariano Rayo, ex diputado, ahora —y siempre— consultor al servicio de los intereses extranjeros.

En su página de Linkedin, se dice: “Liderazgo comprobado en la creación de alianzas entre diversos sectores sociales, políticos como económicos para la consecución de aprobación de legislación…”

Sí, el Mariano Rayo que además, en 2011, tuvo que aceptar públicamente que había publicado en La Hora un artículo plagiado del diario argentino La Nación. Hombre probo indudablemente. Prócer, como esos diputados que, en la oscuridad de la noche, aprobaron la Ley Monsanto.

Revolución arqueológica: hallan en Sudáfrica herramientas de piedra de un millón de años

Fuente: http://tuhistory.com/noticias/revolucion-arqueologica-hallan-en-sudafrica-herramientas-de-piedra-de-un-millon-de-anos

Descubren en China un gigantesco dinosaurio de cuatro alas

Fuente: http://tuhistory.com/noticias/descubren-en-china-un-gigantesco-dinosaurio-de-cuatro-alas

Lo que se debe saber sobre el ébola

Introduction

As Ebola virus continues to spread across West Africa, an infected US physician has arrived at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for treatment, while a second infected American will leave Liberia on Tuesday for treatment at the same hospital. It is now important that all healthcare providers be well informed about this worsening epidemic.
In the past, most outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa have been localized and well contained. What distinguishes this outbreak, which began in March 2014, is its severity and larger area of spread.
When a traveler boarded a plane from Liberia to Lagos, Nigeria, last week -- apparently becoming ill in flight and dying 5 days after landing -- it became more concerning that the spread of any disease could be just a plane ride away.

With a Level 3 travel advisory in place at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all nonessential travel to the region has been prohibited. Efforts to contain the spread of the virus have not been effective thus far, sparking an international effort involving the World Health Organization, CDC, and the United Nations. Additional need for healthcare professionals in rural areas, along with more modern equipment to help contain the virus, is essential, according to officials from the CDC.^[1]

Understanding the Ebola Virus

Previous Ebola outbreaks have seen fatality rates as high as 90%. The current epidemic, primarily across Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, has seen 729 deaths out of more than 1353 confirmed infections, which equals about a 53% mortality rate to date.

Ebola virus is a member of the Filoviridae family. First isolated in 1976, 5 subtypes of Ebola virus are now recognized, of which 4 are pathogenic to humans. The Reston subtype infects only primates. The most deadly form is the Zaire subtype, with the natural reservoir for the virus believed to be the fruit bat. The virus has also been found in porcupines, primates, and wild antelope.

Ebola virus incubates in infected humans for 2-21 days, with the majority of patients becoming symptomatic after 8-9 days. Once infected, patients can experience severe symptoms within 1-2 days.
Symptoms of Ebola include:

• Sudden fever, often as high as 103º-105º F;

• Intense weakness, sore throat, and headache; and

• Profuse vomiting and diarrhea (occurs 1-2 days after the aforementioned symptoms).

More severe symptoms, such as the development of coagulopathy with thrombocytopenia, can develop in as soon as 24-48 hours, leading to bleeding from the nasal or oral cavities, along with hemorrhagic skin blisters. The development of renal failure, leading to multisystem organ failure along with disseminated intravascular coagulation, can then rapidly ensue over 3-5 days, along with significant volume loss.
Patients who develop a fulminant course often die within 8-9 days. Those who survive beyond 2 weeks have a better prognosis for survival.

The Difficulties of Ebola Diagnoses

One of the difficulties encountered in identifying Ebola virus is that in the early days of the disease, the symptoms may be similar to those of other types of infectious diseases, such as malaria, Lassa fever, typhoid, cholera, and even meningitis. Only after 3-5 days (or even later in the course of the disease) might the hemorrhagic blisters -- along with internal hemorrhage, the hallmark of the illness -- become evident.
Ebola, because it is not airborne or spread by droplets, is not nearly as contagious as measles or influenza. Patients with measles or influenza can spread the virus before they are symptomatic, as opposed to those with Ebola, who are not infectious until symptoms have developed. Furthermore, direct contact with infected secretions, such as saliva, is essential to transmitting the Ebola virus. You cannot acquire Ebola virus if another person coughs or sneezes close to you, and it is not spread by casual contact. Rather, it is acquired by direct contact with infected secretions such as vomit, diarrhea, and blood primarily. It may also be spread by direct contact with saliva, sweat, and tears. Other means of transmission include contact of secretions with a skin opening or healing wound, or if a person contacts secretions and touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
It is important to remember that only patients who are symptomatic are contagious and can then transmit the virus to others through their secretions. Those who have contracted the disease are primarily healthcare workers caring for patients, as well as family members who have had close contact with infected patients. Another method of infection has involved family members who handle corpses at the time of burial, along with those who eat fruit bats, antelope, or other animals potentially infected with the virus.
Studies indicate that the virus is in much higher concentration in vomit, blood, and diarrhea compared with saliva, sweat, and tears, making disinfection of public areas such as restrooms imperative in order to contain the virus.
The actual risk to citizens living and working in the United States is quite low, and the public should be well aware that emergency departments (EDs) and critical care units in the United States are well equipped and prepared in the event that a patient with a recent travel history from West Africa, along with flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms, presents to the hospital.
As the ED is often the proverbial "front door" to the hospital, universal precautions, along with a protocol to quarantine and isolate such patients, is now a top priority for all EDs. Such a plan requires healthcare providers to wear personal protective equipment, including eyewear or goggles, facemask, gloves, and a gown.

Effective decontamination methods for the virus include steam sterilization, chemical sterilization, incineration, and gaseous methods.^[2]

Limited Treatments for Ebola

At this time, only supportive care is available (intravenous fluids; blood and platelet transfusions), although upcoming human vaccine trials may be promising.

The National Institutes of Health will begin a human vaccine trial in September 2014, according to recent statements from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Previous attempts at a human vaccine in the early 2000s were not successful.^[3]

The current vaccine, developed by the NIAID Vaccine Research Center, contains no infectious Ebola virus material. It is actually a chimpanzee adenovirus vector vaccine that has incorporated 2 Ebola virus genes. Adenovirus vectors are useful delivery models as vaccines because the virus can be easily manipulated. As a nonreplicating viral vector, the vaccine works by entering a cell and delivering the new genetic material. The new genes that are inserted cause a protein to become expressed, which in turn produces an immune response in the body. According to NIAID, the vaccine has shown early promise in a primate model.
Another approach to help infected patients involves transfusing blood or plasma from those patients who have recently recovered from Ebola virus infection. This approach is based on the premise that the plasma from recovered patients contains life-saving antibodies. This is an experimental treatment that has been used, according to recent reports during this epidemic, although results of such treatment have not been formally reported.

Use of an experimental compound, referred to as BCX4430, was reported in the journal Nature in April 2014.^[4] The compound, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor, has proven successful in a nonhuman primate model, whereby postexposure prophylaxis to BCX4430 prevented death in 17 of 18 macaques studied. No human trials have yet been reported.

Fuente: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/829361