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SANJAY GUPTA MD
Arctic Adventure for Antibiotics; Mumps Outbreak Hits the NHL; Top 10 Health Stories of 2014
Aired December 20, 2014 - 16:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN HOST: Welcome to the program.
Why is mumps going around the National Hockey League? We got that story.
Plus, we put together the top 10 health stories of 2014. Some of them are going to surprise you. What do you think number one is?
But, first, it is a race against time and what the World Health Organization calls one of the biggest threats to global health today. Now, we're not talking about Ebola. We're not even talking about influenza. We're talking about common infections and what happens when we can't treat them.
Perhaps the biggest medical breakthrough in history was the discovery of antibiotics. That was in the late 1920s. The first as you probably know was penicillin. Compounds like this one have remained unchanged for almost a century, while bacteria have mutated, adapted and become resistant. This is a growing epidemic that could soon send us back to the beginning to a world where we didn't have antibiotics.
But it's not too late, yet. That's why research teams around the world are searching for the next generation of infection-fighting drugs, and they are finding them in nature's most extreme environments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): A piercing blue sky, snowcapped mountains, water smooth as glass, cold as ice. This is about as extreme an environment as you can find on Earth. And that's exactly why we're here.
Above the Arctic Circle in the Lyngenfjord of northern Norway, researchers onboard this ship are digging up the bottom of the ocean. What's in this bag has spent millions of years evolving and adapting in extreme conditions. What's in this bag could save your life.
MARCEL JASPARS, PHARMASEA PROJECT LEADER: If no one finds new antibiotics for common infections, what will happen is we'll go back to the pre-antibiotic age in which simple cut could turn into an infection that becomes deadly.
GUPTA: In Scotland 1,700 kilometers away from the icy Arctic, Marcel Jaspars' lab at the University of Aberdeen is busy. Busy because we are reaching a critical turning point.
JASPARS: Particularly, in the golden era of the 1950s and '60s, people were discovering new antibiotics every month almost, whereas now, the most recent antibiotic that was licensed was discovered in the 1980s, about 30 years ago.
GUPTA: While the drugs haven't changed, the bacteria have, evolving and adapting, becoming resistant to current antibiotics and earning the nasty nickname "superbugs".
JASPARS: So, what's happened is through overuse of antibiotics over the last 30 years or so, is that most bacteria that we encounter in the hospitals, for instance, have become resistant to antibiotics, which means that what were once common treatments are no longer treatable using standard antibiotics?
GUPTA: It's not cost effective for pharmaceutical companies to search for new bacteria. On average, it costs a pharmaceutical company more than $2 billion to bring a new drug to the market. In the case of antibiotics, the drug is only taken for a short time and could eventually develop resistance. That's why large-scale focus has moved away from antibiotic research over the past 30 years. And even if big companies are looking, they keep returning to the same sources or trying to synthesize chemicals in a lab.
But Marcel Jaspars had a different idea. In 2012, he set up a project called Pharma Sea. Funded by the European Union, it brings teams 24 teams from 14 different countries together, with one goal: search extreme untapped environments for the next generation of bacteria to become antibiotics.
JASPARS: In the past, bacteria and fungi have been the main sources for new antibiotics. In fact, about 70 percent of antibiotics still come from nature. Normally from sediment samples, soil samples from land but now by looking at the ocean, we hope to find new life forms which give us new chemistry which might be able to treat bacterial infections.
GUPTA: New chemistry is the key. Bacteria can't be resistant to a drug if they've never seen anything like it before.
MERVYN BIBB, PROJECT LEADER, JOHN INNES CENTRE: So, you can change the antibiotic a little bit, but it won't take the bacterium very long to modify its defense mechanisms.
GUPTA: In Norwich, England, Mervyn Bibb's team is looking, too. He collaborates with Marcel's project and has some interesting ideas of his own. Among them, these leafcutter ants.
BIBB: That's a very unusual ecological system where the ant carries on its body actinomycete, which makes these anti-fungal compounds and anti-bacterial compounds.
GUPTA: It's another example of nature's head start in this race against time, having the advantage of millions of years of perfecting complex structures that scientists in a lab couldn't even dream of. There is no time to waste because of how long it takes to find,
develop, and approve new drugs. We're talking seven, eight, nine years, possibly even a decade or more.
BIBB: We should be concerned. I don't think we should panic. It's not as if we're going to have something like the bubonic plague next week or next year. But the problem, it's a long-term problem that's ultimately most serious human pathogens will become resistant to a broad range of antibiotics. So, we have good reason to believe that if you look in different places that we haven't looked before, you're much more likely to find new strains making new compounds.
So, for example, we have a collaboration with the University of Chile in Santiago, and they have isolated actinomycete from the desert and we take a sample of the desert sand and soil, it's teeming with bacteria. And so, they look at those and they make new antibiotics.
GUPTA: It's why the pharmacy team is in the Arctic, too, where the possibilities seem endless.
JASPARS: The bacterial work on the arctic is at a very early stage. I have a great feeling about this project. I do feel that we will be successful in finding new chemicals that have new biological activity against infections.
GUPTA: Inside these organisms they hope are new molecules with anti- bacterial properties that could some day make it into new drugs on pharmacy shelves.
JEANETTE ANDERSON, PHARMASEA RESEARCH MANAGER: We think that the marine microorganisms living up here has adapted to the cold and dark environment. They have to adjust for very different temperatures as compared to other parts of the world. So, we think that since they are living in extreme environments, they have developed some extreme strategies to survive.
GUPTA: After two days, the ship returns to Tromso, Norway, one of the world's northernmost cities.
At the lab, the real investigation begins. Robert preserves and catalogs the marine organisms. Some of which have never been seen before. The samples don't just end up in Tromso, but also in Aberdeen, in Marcel Jaspars' lab.
JASPARS: This is one of the original samples from Norway. It's sort of 4 degrees. Nothing else has happened to it. It's come and sealed on site there. And it comes to us like this. So, it's essentially what it was like at the seafloor.
In order to find new antibiotics, you have to stack the odds in your favor. So, at the moment we're going through lists of these compounds. Out of 1,200 bacteria we've tested so far, we've made something, like, 15,000 extracts. So, we grow them in different ways and we extract them in different ways. These have been tested in different ways against bacteria but we have a number that have a very high activity against bacterial infections particularly tuberculosis. And these are being followed up right now.
GUPTA: From leafcutter ants to sea sponges and rows of jars with preserved marine life, it looks like the stuff mad scientists dream about. But this is the new face of antibiotics and the hopeful legacy of the pharmacy project and others like it around the world.
JASPARS: The drive to do this kind of work has always been the discovery of new medicines for human diseases. But secondly, it's always very exciting when you get to the stage where you are the first person to see something. You're the first person to see this bacterium or the very first person to identify the structure of a new molecule that has the potential at that moment to be a treatment for a difficult disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: So, look, the next time a doctor prescribes you an antibiotic, ask yourself whether you really need it or not. It's a small part that we can all play to slow down antibiotic resistance and also give some of those researchers the time they need to find new ones.
You know, these days an outbreak of mumps is rare. But it could happen anywhere. So, why is this viral infection now plaguing the National Hockey League? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: You know, before a vaccine was developed in 1967, there were 186,000 cases of mumps every year in the United States. The vaccine dramatically reduced those numbers. But, you know, for the last few months, the NHL, the National Hockey League, has been fighting to get a mumps outbreak under control. Not something we hear about very much.
So, we asked Lara Baldesarra to stop by. She's with CNN Sports obviously.
So, Lara, what -- how do you describe what happened here?
LARA BALDESARRA, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This is such a weird situation because it's just all of a sudden come to the forefront and mumps is now in the spotlight regarding the NHL. But this is something that actually began back in mid-October. That's when the initial reports came out of St. Louis Blues players having mumps-like symptoms.
Now, the team never confirmed that. However, now, looking back on it, it kind of seems likely. Now, from that time in mid-October more players throughout the league, they began to sit out of games with the mumps-like symptoms. By mid-November, the NHL finally realized, hey, there might be a problem here.
So, what they did is they sent out a memo, and the league sending out a memo is pretty much a standard procedure in the NHL. They do it when the flu is going around. What they do is they recommend dressing room behavior -- dressing room changes, bench behavior changes, a whole bunch of things.
Now, last week, Sidney Crosby, he was at a team skate and his face was absolutely swollen. You just knew there was something wrong with him. He was around his teammates. He was around reporters. And with all of this mumps thing going on in the background, he still denied and so did the team that he did, in fact, have mump. It was only days later that Crosby was confirmed to have mumps and that's when he was put in isolation.
I have a question for you when it comes to these vaccines because we're talking about players here that are so healthy, they are, you know, so well-conditioned. We're not talking about children and the weak and the old. Why are these players the ones that are getting sick despite these vaccines?
GUPTA: It's a great question. And, you know, there's a couple things to sort of keep in mind.
First of all, you know, mumps is a contagious disease. And while there are vaccines out there, typically as you may know, Lara, people typically get the vaccine around 1 year of age and they may get a booster shot around 4 years of age. Sidney Crosby had a more relatively recent shot because he was going to Sochi for the Olympics and he was given another shot. But they're not 100 percent effective. That's part of the issue. It's not going to be 100 percent protection.
But also, the culture that you were sort of talking about, Lara, you spread this by close bodily contact. Professional athletics teams often have that. Oftentimes, they are sharing utensils, they try not to do that obviously but I remember when I played hockey a little bit in Michigan, you know, you would squirt water out of water bottles into your mouth. That could be a source.
So, you have a sort of culture there like the university culture, many other cultures where people are closely clustered. If one person gets mumps, several people can get mumps. I think that's what's happening here. It's not to say that the vaccines don't work, it's jus that this is sort of the exact situation where the virus can spread.
BALDESARRA: He was -- Sidney Crosby, he was in isolation for a few days. Is that all you can do if you are sick with the mumps or is there anything else?
GUPTA: You can be -- you know, you sort of treat the symptoms with these time of things. I don't know if you've ever had chicken pox or any of those other things but it's a virus that typically runs its course. And people can become very sick from it sometimes, but as you point out a healthy person while it can be -- mumps can be pretty bad in adults, a healthy person should get over it, you know, reasonably quickly.
So, you just got to make sure they don't become too dehydrated and take care of any infections that may develop. But, typically, people get through it.
Hey, but, Lara, happy holidays to you. Thanks for joining us. It's a pleasure. Thank you.
Well, up next, we're counting down the top 10 health stories of the year. Can you guess what they are?
Before that, we've got "The Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Jamie Grace grew up dreaming of becoming a singer/songwriter.
(SINGING)
GUPTA: But before she could begin pursuing her career in music, she got some news that put her dreams on hold. At the age of 12, Jamie was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.
JAMIE GRACE, MUSICIAN: I wanted to be a singer. I had no idea what Tourette syndrome was. All I found were clips from movies of these actors yelling and cursing.
And I remember sitting there at 11 years old and just crying my eyes out. And I spent the next years just being absolutely miserable.
(MUSIC)
GUPTA: Instead of letting her condition silence her, Jamie turned to YouTube. Just two years after her diagnosis, Jamie began posting videos of herself singing.
(SINGING)
GUPTA: She got the attention of record labels and an online audience.
GRACE: I didn't blow up like Justin Bieber did. But I had a really cool response.
GUPTA: Now, she's using her stage and her story to inspire others.
(SINGING)
GUPTA: Jamie started her own foundation, I'm A Fighter. It's a place where people dealing with illnesses and challenges can share stories and find support.
GRACE: It's daily stories of fighters -- a little kid with cancer or a hard working father.
It's been really cool to be able to build that community.
(SINGING)
GRACE: I really hope that my songs connect with people. I really want them to be encouragement.
(APPLAUSE) (END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: You know, it's hard to believe, but I've been a medical correspondent here at CNN now for more than a decade. I tell you, I'd be hard-pressed to remember a year that had more big, breaking medical stories than this one, 2014.
So, here's a look at our top ten.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: If you are what you eat, then what you probably are is confused.
2014 finally brought some transparency to our food. In February, the Food and Drug Administration announced proposed changes to nutrition labels. It was the first overhaul in more than two decades.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Families deserve more and better information about the food they eat.
GUPTA: In late November, the FDA ruled that establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations have to post calorie counts, clearly and conspicuously on the menus and menu boards and displays. Companies will now have until November 2015 to comply.
BRITTANY MAYNARD: I will die upstairs in my bedroom that I share with my husband, with my mother and my husband by my side.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: In October, 29-year- old Brittany Maynard became the face of the controversial right-to-die movement when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and given just six months to live. Maynard didn't want her family to watch her die in pain, so she moved to Oregon to take advantage of the state's Death with Dignity law.
This is not a third world country. This is a major city in West Virginia. On January 9th, a chemical spill at Freedom Industries released thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Elk River and from there into Charleston's water supply.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't wash with it. Don't shower with it. Don't drink it.
COHEN: Hospitals in the area told CNN they didn't know of any illnesses related to the contamination but the economic impact was real.
GUPTA: Heroin made a big comeback in 2014 as more people began using this as a cheaper alternative to costly prescription painkillers.
Use of an antidote for an overdose is also on the rise. The drug is called Narcan and you're watching it in action right now. Naloxone as it's also known is now distributed to addicts, their friends and family, as well as first responders across the country.
2014 may go down as the year cigarettes went up in smoke. On February 5th, CVS, the nation's second largest pharmacy chain, announced it would stop selling tobacco products in all of its locations, doing all this by 2015. The company made good on its promise early and on September 3rd pulled all tobacco products from its shelves. CVS said this would cost the company $2 billion, but that selling tobacco is also against its moral and ethical principles as a health care company.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, as you know, we've been reporting on your program on these delays and poor care at these hospitals --
COHEN: CNN has spent more than a year investigating delays in care at Veteran Affairs hospitals. Our Drew Griffin and his team exposed systematic problems throughout the V.A. and CNN's reporting found that thousands of veterans across the country were waiting months, even years, to see a doctor.
CNN's reporting also uncovered V.A. workers cooking the books to cover up long wait times. Congressional hearings were held and V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign, President Obama brought in a new secretary, Bob McDonald, who has vowed to clean up the V.A.
Seven-point-one million more people had health insurance this year, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As you probably know, Obamacare mandates that Americans be covered by an insurance plan or pay a penalty.
GUPTA: Last year, I had somewhat of an epiphany about weed. This plant can have some real medicinal benefits.
Marijuana is better than all those pills for you in terms of treating?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
GUPTA: We saw families pack up and move across the country to get access to the only medicine that seemed to work for their children in states where medical marijuana is legal. Two states, Colorado and Washington, also legalized all forms of marijuana including recreational use.
COHEN: On September 24th a New Jersey 4-year-old died in his sleep. It was the first death health officials could directly link to Enterovirus D68 which can cause severe respiratory symptoms. By the time the scare settled down, EV-D68 had sickened hundreds of children in nearly all 50 states.
GUPTA: Without a doubt, the biggest health headline of the year, Ebola.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Ebola.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ebola.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Ebola.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ebola.
GUPTA: He'd been exposed to Ebola while in Liberia.
What began as a single case in Guinea last December has grown to an epidemic of unprecedented proportions. In the first of its kind maneuver, two aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were medevaced back to the United States from Liberia. They survived, followed by others, thanks in part of the selfless work of doctors, nurses, and other health care workers who literally put their own lives on the line.
As 2014 comes to a close, the World Health Organization tallies roughly 6,000 deaths among roughly 18,000 sick. The outbreak in West Africa is far from over, but early stage vaccine trials are under way and they do look promising.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now, how many times over the years have I told you this? Age is just a number. And, therefore, you're only as hold as you feel. Well, now, there's finally some scientific research to back that up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: I've got some really good news for you, before we wrap up the program today. But what you do with it, that's up to you.
So, here's the headline: feeling younger than your actual age might, in fact, lower your death rate according to a new study. The authors looked at data on aging from about 6,500 people. Their average chronological age was 65.8 years. But their average self-perceived age was 56.8 years. It was 10 years younger.
Now, when the researchers followed up with these people over the next eight years, mortality rates were nearly cut in half for those who felt youngest as compared to those who felt oldest. So, the question is, what can you do to keep yourself young?
Well, what they found was staying social, joining special groups meant for your age group. They helped keep your mind sharp and your body in motion. Get physical. Weight resistant exercises help combat natural muscle loss and just a little bit of cardio can, in fact, go a long way.
And as your TV doctor, I feel compelled to tell you to just simply take care. Look after yourself. Think about yourself. Think about your loved ones, especially during what can be sometimes a very stressful holiday season.
By the way, how old do I feel? Thirty-six. The skeleton next to me a little bit older.
But I want to know about you. How old do you feel? Not how old are you. Tweet me @drsanjaygupta. Let me know how you're feeling. Look, I want you to feel young. And I want you to be happy. It's all
I've ever wanted for you. So, next weekend on SGMD, we're going to do the pursuit of happiness. I'm going to take you to Denmark the happiest country on the planet. We're going to uncover secrets there and I'm going to show you some scientific ways to up your satisfaction while simultaneously lowering your risk of heart disease.
Right now, time to get you back into the "CNN NEWSROOM" with Martin Savidge.
