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Legionella: A Stealthy Bacteria Hiding in Plain Sight

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Legionella: A Stealthy Bacteria Hiding in Plain Sight
By Roberto Juarez Jr. BS, M(ASCP)CM 📌 In this post, we talk about how Legionella bacteria was discovered, where it is most likely to be found, Legionnaire’s and Pontiac fever, and the best testing method Microbiology Specialists Inc. use to isolate Legionella bacteria from clinical and environmental sample sources. The Discovery of Legionella In 1976, during an American Legion (an association of US military veterans) convention in Philadelphia, 221 attendees
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Reviewing the Main Changes to USP <797> in 2024

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Reviewing the Main Changes to USP <797> in 2024
By Roberto Juarez Jr. BS, M(ASCP)CM On November 1st, 2023, the United State Pharmacopeia (USP) made several changes to general chapter <797> which describes the minimum requirements for the preparation of compounded sterile preparations (CSP’s) for human and animal drugs. The purpose of these guidelines is to reduce the chance of harm and/or death to human and animal patients resulting from microbial contamination, the presence of
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Navigating the New USP <797> Media Fill Testing Requirements for Sterile Compounding

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Navigating the New USP <797> Media Fill Testing Requirements for Sterile Compounding
By Roberto Juarez Jr. BS, M(ASCP)CM USP <797> Revamps Media Fill Testing Requirements The United States Pharmacopeia has been setting the standards for compounding pharmacies for a long time. On 11/1/23, several new updates were made to USP<797> which significantly changed the compounded sterile products (CSPs) test requirements for sterile compounding pharmacies. USP<797> is important because it establishes the minimum requirements for preparing sterile
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Water Damage Remediation Guide For Homeowners

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Water Damage Remediation Guide For Homeowners
Water damage in a home can be obvious. But, in some cases, water damage can develop gradually as a result of slow roof leaks, plumbing leaks, or HVAC issues. In any case, contamination from water damage may be dangerous for the occupants including pets. Ridding your home of contamination can be a long and frustrating process especially when you don’t understand the process. There are several steps involved which
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Helicobacter pylori

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Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori is recognized as the main cause of peptic ulcer disease and a major risk factor for gastric cancer.  The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection worldwide is approximately 50%, as high as 80%–90% in developing countries, and ≈35%–40% in the United States. Approximately 20% of persons infected with H. pylori develop related gastroduodenal disorders during their lifetime. Initially non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of H. pylori are used to diagnose infection.  These include
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The Gut Microbiome Part 1 – Your Gut, Your Mood, and Your Pregnancy

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The Gut Microbiome Part 1 – Your Gut, Your Mood, and Your Pregnancy
The majority of bacteria in our bodies reside in the gut – Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most dominant phyla. These, and other bacteria, are responsible for metabolizing our food, developing and maintaining our immune system, and cross-talk with our hormones – big jobs! (12, 13, 18) As such, when things become imbalanced or shift to less desirable populations the outcome may spell trouble. Several disease states begin in the gut or can be attributed
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Vaginal Microbiome Changes During Pregnancy

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Countless changes happen to a woman during pregnancy. Among the most obvious are the physical and hormonal changes including weight gain, increased estrogen and progesterone, and shifts in metabolism. As a first-time mother-to-be, I am overwhelmed with all of the changes, both seen and unseen, my body is experiencing. Of course, the physical and hormonal changes are just a part of the complicated journey. What about all of the unseen,
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Endotoxin Exposure & Testing

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Endotoxin Exposure & Testing
Exposure to endotoxins in even small amounts can result in mild symptoms like headache, nausea, and chills or even more severe symptoms like pulmonary toxicity, abortion, pyrogenic fever, and even death (1, 2). Found wherever gram-negative rods exist, endotoxins are unavoidable in the environment and even found in food and water (1). The human gut, which is home to a multitude of gram-negative organisms itself, is designed to filter endotoxins out of our
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“Opioid Shortages Leave US Hospitals Scrambling” What to Do?

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“Opioid Shortages Leave US Hospitals Scrambling” What to Do?
“Opioid shortages leave US hospitals scrambling” and like titles are making headlines. Manufacturing problems of injectable opioids has nearly ground to a halt. Hospital pharmacies are therefore faced with a shortage of needed staple medications. With manufacturing of injectable opioids not expected to be restored to its full capacity until the first quarter of 2019, hospital pharmacies are faced with the need to compound product for in house use. The FDA
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