August 26, 2022 Columns by John Connor Column Saved by the Same Olā Side Effect to an Antibiotic This headline is a bit of a cheat. OK, itās a big cheat. When youāve been writing a column for five years, thereās immense satisfaction when youāve finished it each week. Thereās even more when itās passed through the editing process. Sometimes this can get somewhat tricky. The trouble is…
November 19, 2021 Columns by John Connor My Coffee Cup Runneth Over, Plus a Darned Interruption So, where was I last week? I was in the midst of writing this column when I was felled overnight by my long-term nemesis: a urinary tract infection (UTI). As usual, I had no idea I had one ā but hey, I was ill. Iām sure Iāve banged on…
June 11, 2021 Columns by John Connor A Drizzly Summer Weekend and an Antibiotic Rejection There was a time when I’d regularly strap on two pads, stride out between English showers, and attempt to bat on the subsequently dodgy surface. That was good for the fast bowlers, except they now found themselves also slipping on the sopping grass. I sympathized with them, as I was…
October 23, 2020 Columns by John Connor The Loneliness of the Long-distance UTI Patient When did I first become aware of the word “phage”? “Star Trek,” of course! It was an episode about a disease that was destroying a race somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. (OK, possibly ā even I fade out in the Nerdverse. But it definitely was in the “Voyager” series.)…
May 8, 2020 Columns by John Connor Putting Down the Ritz My stomach is grumbling. Iāve just had the worst weekend ever. And that includes when I had my first sclerosis and smashed my shoulder to pieces on a tennis court. I mentioned last week that I didnāt want to write about C. diff., but this appalling infectious bacteria…
April 24, 2020 Columns by John Connor Everything I Should Have Written About but Haven’t Gotten Round to So far, this week has been horrible, but I’ll give that a brief mention later. The truth ain’t pretty, nor do I think it always makes good copy. Unless I go for the trite “However bad it is out there, it’s even worse in my bedroom!” I’m in the perfect…
April 8, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Altering Gut Microbiota May Be Beneficial Prior to MS Onset, But Not After, Mouse Study Indicates Changing the gutās microbial community (microbiota) with antibiotics prevented the development of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), but not its progression after the disease was established, data from a mouse model of the disease show. These findings support evidence that microbiota manipulations affect inflammatory immune responses involved in MS development, but…
March 15, 2019 Columns by John Connor The Antibiotic Time Loop-the-Loop Julian, the doorman at the London Comedy Store, is giving me his biweekly telling off about drinking. It’s biweekly because he and the other regular doorman, Mark, take turns helping me. I’ve known both of them for more than 30 years, though to be fair, in the…
February 13, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Early-life Antibiotic Use Disrupts Gut Microbiota and Immune System, MS Rat Study Finds Early-life use of antibiotics disrupts gut microbiota in a rat model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) and provokes nervous system autoimmunity, ultimately aggravating disease severity, new research shows. Results also indicate early-life antibiotic use may have unfavorable consequences on regulation of the immune system. The research article, ā…
March 2, 2018 Columns by John Connor Going Cold Turkey Usually, I’veĀ got a fair idea of where I’m headed in my column. This time, I really don’t. I’m confronting something. Maybe nothing. It’s as clear as the clichĆ© involving wet, clingy earth. For the first time since the last week in November 2017, I’ve stopped taking antibiotics. That’s…
January 26, 2018 Columns by John Connor The Antibiotic Time Loop My arms are heavy. Strong antibiotics have held off a urinary tract infection (UTI)Ā for the last eight weeks ā evolution isn’t on my side. In fact, I’m distinctly beginning to feel like the British Expeditionary Force in Dunkirk in May 1940. Surrounded, with my only hope over the…
April 7, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Exposure to Antibiotics Early in Life May Increase Risk for MS and Other Inflammatory Diseases, Study Suggests The use of antibiotics in childhood, whichĀ alters the microbiome ā or natural bacteria flora in the gut ā may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, according to an Australian study. The mouse study, āEarly-life antibiotic treatment enhances the…