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Corvallis, OR, United States
My personal obsession with prion diseases with smidges of music I like and rescue dog advocacy from a disabled Oregonian.

3.12.2008

September 2007 Mad Cow News


South Korea says banned bones found in United States beef shipment

South Korea was cited in this story as saying Tuesday it has found bones, banned because of mad cow disease fears, in the latest shipment of American beef and will revoke import approval for the U.S. facility that processed it.
The facility was identified as one belonging to Colorado-based meatpacker Swift & Co., one of 36 American plants authorized to handle meat for export to South Korea. The China Post Link


IRELAND: Beef pulled from shelves over possible BSE risk

Five butchers and a supermarket have, according to this story, been ordered to stop selling beef that was found to contain spinal parts that could transmit the fatal BSE infection.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that a total of 11 enforcement orders were issued in August, making it the worst month for food safety breaches in five years. Irish Independent News Link


U.S. officials to outline rule for resuming imports of older Canadian cows

The U.S. government is, according to these stories, to announce Friday the rule for resuming imports of older cattle and beef products from Canada. Animalnet Link



Nonpsychoactive Cannabidiol prevents prion accumulation and protects neurons against prion toxicity
Sevda Dirikoc,1 Suzette A. Priola,2 Mathieu Marella,3 Nicole Zsürger,1 and Joëlle Chabry1

Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation in the CNS of the protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres), a structurally misfolded isoform of its physiological counterpart PrPsen. Both neuropathogenesis and prion infectivity are related to PrPres formation. Here, we report that the nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol (CBD) inhibited PrPres accumulation in both mouse and sheep scrapie-infected cells, whereas other structurally related cannabinoid analogs were either weak inhibitors or noninhibitory. Moreover, after intraperitoneal infection with murine scrapie, peripheral injection of CBD limited cerebral accumulation of PrPres and significantly increased the survival time of infected mice. Journal of Neuroscience Link


U.S. to allow import of older Canadian cows

Washington -- The United States plans, according to this story, to reopen the border to older Canadian cattle and beef products in mid-November, more than four years after the start of the mad cow scare.
U.S. officials released a rule Friday to resume trade Nov. 19 in cows born after March 1, 1999, as well as meat from them, saying they pose no health risk. CNews Link


Cannabis 'could prevent mad cow disease'

According to this story, a pro-cannabis lobby group says an ingredient in cannabis may prevent mad cow disease.
The National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml) was cited as saying that a French study shows cannabidiol may be effective in preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as mad cow disease. thewest.com.au Link



US: Study: BSE reports hurt sales only slightly

Federal researchers analyzing consumer purchase data conclude that reports of mad cow disease had little effect on beef sales.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service reports that cases reported three years ago involving animals from Canada and Washington with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, did not devastate beef markets. Capital Press Link


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