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Lactoferrin pacifier makes babies healthier
Lactoferrin is a human produced protein found at colostrum that reduces the growth of bacteria creating a pacifier that releases lactoferrin reduces the transmission of bacteria | |
I read at a parenting magazine that babies touch their mucous membranes approaching 100 times an hour, that as a result they are particularly transmissive of bacteria.
I think a lactoferrin releasing pacifier would slightly vary the composition of saliva such that it was measurably less transmissive
of bacteria.
Lactoferrin ( link) is a protein humans as well as other organisms produce that sequesters metal ions notably iron, it reduces the growth of bacteria as a result of absorbing Iron as a nutrient. Various published sources link lactoferrin to reduced bacterial amount.
While a lactoferrin releasing pacifier fulfills the .5b technology requirements I think a better approach would be to engineer the streptococcus mutans plaque or other bacteria of the mouth to make lactoferrin thus giving a continuous supply.
Now there are those that will suggests all kinds of things like lactoferrin resistant bacteria coming into being, yet from a management perspective it has been shown that agricultural creatures can have their areas cleaned, administered antibiotics, producing reduced disease, on purpose, even though the bacteria are adaptable. So even though there is media that says "They'll just adapt anyway, agriculture proves that it is possible to reduce or manage the infectivity of surroundings. I think making babies weller, more often is a very valuable thing as I think they actually exist as feeling persons.
lactoferrin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactoferrin
[beanangel, Feb 23 2012]
Kids vs. Germs
Kids_20vs_2e_20Germs
As mentioned in an annotation [Vernon, Feb 24 2012]
bobby mcferrin
http://www.ted.com/...ain_with_music.html
[normzone, Feb 24 2012]
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Annotation:
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My parents, who both hold medical doctorates, are of the
school of thought that exposure to a wide array of
everyday pathogens in early life leads to a more robust
immune system. I'm good evidence to support this theory;
I've played in the dirt all of my life, and typically shrug off
the effects of viral and bacterial maladies that knock
others in my community flat on their asses. My brother-in-
law, on the other hand, was coddled as an infant, and he's
sick all the time (of course, he lives in L.A., which may
have something to do with it). |
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Instead of worrying about making bacteria-resistant
products and product-resistant bacteria, we should just go
back to making bacteria-resistant humans. |
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I'm bunning this one just because I can read it. |
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[beanangel], you should consider the evolutionary rationale behind babies putting everything into their mouths. If it was really so deadly, our species would have gone extinct long ago. |
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A number of years ago I read something which "Aha!" I thought was the missing piece of the puzzle. It turns out that saliva is a pretty good germicide. This means that babies are basically/mostly introducing **killed** microorganisims into their bodies. It gives their immune systems something to identify without having to fight it...call it Nature's immunization plan. So, see link. |
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actually part of the idea here is that keeping babies well improves human lives when they might be experiencing time dilation noticeably. |
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When you think about it, being a baby is so difficult it actually makes people cry. (at least during the 20th century) Thus doing something so difficult it causes tears while also feeling unwell sounds like a thing to cure. Thus its more than just a "theyll survive" thing, its a quality of life among those that cannot communicate much thing. Although I don't have children, It does look like they really mean it when they are crying. Thus it is a really optimal time to reduce illness. |
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I appreciate the comments though |
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