Fight Aging! Newsletter, April 22nd 2024
This study reveals a potential treatment for human mitochondrial diseases.
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A Population Study Correlates Air Pollution with Faster Cognitive Aging
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/04/a-population-study-correlates-air-pollution-with-faster-cognitive-aging/
A number of large epidemiological studies provide evidence for long-term exposure to greater levels of air pollution to accelerate the onset and progression of age-related disease. A few of these manage to control for the tendency for wealthier people to avoid living in areas with higher particulate air pollution, ...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 21, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Herpes Simplex Infection Correlates with Amyloid Burden in the Aging Brain
There is a continuing debate over the degree to which Alzheimer's is driven by persistent infection in brain tissue, such as by varieties of herpesvirus. Amyloid-β is an antimicrobial peptide, a part of the innate immune response, and one could argue that persistently raised expression of amyloid-β will increase misfolding and generation of the aggregates that drive pathology in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, at least under the amyloid cascade hypothesis. The data is not all convincing, however, which suggests that perhaps there are other factors involved - that multiple viruses interact in some people, for exa...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 15, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
What is a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD)? Cardiology Basics
Wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is a device which is worn on a vest, monitors the heart rhythm continuously and delivers a defibrillator shock in case of life threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a similar device which is implanted subcutaneously for long term use. WCD is meant for temporary use for those who have a high risk of life threatening ventricular arrhythmias but are ineligible for an ICD implantation as per the guidelines.
WCD has patch electrodes for giving the shocks and a monitoring system built-in into a vest while the defibrillator with battery is w...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 20, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Is first degree heart block dangerous? Cardiology Basics
PR interval is measured from the onset of P wave to the onset of QRS complex. It includes the P wave and the PR segment. Normal PR interval is from 120 to 200 ms. If it is prolonged, it is called as first degree atrioventricular (AV) block.
PR interval is the time taken for activation of the atria and conduction of the impulses down to the ventricles and initiate activation of the ventricles. This includes the physiological delay in conduction at the AV node. The delay allows complete emptying of the atria before the ventricles start contracting. The atrial help to ventricular filling acts like an atrial booster at the en...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 14, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Mural endocarditis
Vegetations in infective endocarditis are usually situated on the valves. If they are located on the walls of the cardiac chambers, it is known as mural endocarditis [1]. When mural endocarditis occurs without any cardiac structural abnormalities like ventricular septal defects, it is called primary mural endocarditis [2]. Primary mural endocarditis is extremely rare.
Left atrial mural endocarditis usually occurs due to the jet lesion of mitral regurgitation [1,3]. Left atrial mural endocarditis is usually picked up by trans esophageal echocardiography. Vegetations are mostly located just distal to the mitral orifice betw...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 31, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Chip Detects Antibiotics in Exhaled Breath
Researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany have developed a chip that can measure antibiotic levels in breath, potentially paving the way for rapid point-of-care antibiotic testing. Attaining the correct levels of antibiotics in the body is crucial to effectively treating infections and avoiding drug side-effects or the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The chip enables rapid and non-invasive antibiotic testing, potentially allowing for personalized drug therapy.
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing issue, and owes its proliferation to incorrect antibiotic usage. If administered at too low a dose,...
Source: Medgadget - September 29, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Source Type: blogs
Microwave Sensor for Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Researchers at University of British Columbia Okanagan campus have developed an inexpensive and portable microwave sensor that can rapidly detect changes in bacterial growth to assess antibiotic susceptibility. Using a split ring microwave resonator, the device can very sensitively measure bacterial growth in the presence of different concentrations of an antibiotic before any visible changes in growth are present. The technology reduces the time and expense associated with such testing and could pave the way for personalized antibiotic therapy for low-resource or remote regions.
Antibiotics have revolutionized healthca...
Source: Medgadget - August 17, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs
An Adolescent with dizziness and near syncope
Submitted by Maura Corbett, PA-C, written by Alex Bracey, with some comments by Smith and MeyersA teenage male presented to the emergency department with the complaint of dizziness with near-syncope. He was stable and able to provide a history and mentioned that he was asymptomatic while seated but dizzy and weak when attempting to stand. An ECG was recorded:What do you think? There iscomplete (third degree) heart block with wide complex bradycardicescape. The morphology is that of LBBB and so the escape is originating from the right bundle.The possible etiologies of this ECG are:- Structural/congenital heart di...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - August 7, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Bracey Source Type: blogs
Treatment of infective endocarditis
Discussion of whole list of options of antimicrobials for different varieties of endocarditis is quite a large topic. This discussion is only a broad outline of the antimicrobial treatment of infective endocarditis, meant mainly for exam purpose rather than actual clinical treatment. References to more detailed guidelines have been provided for those who wish to learn more.
Inoculum Effect
High microbial density as in vegetations cause less antimicrobial activity of some antimicrobial agents. This is known as inoculum effect and has been documented with β-lactams and glycopeptides but not linezolid, in the treatment of St...
Source: Cardiophile MD - July 16, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Rapid Identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: Interview with Jong Lee, CEO at Day Zero Diagnostics
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern, with some predictions suggesting that routine surgery could be unacceptably risky in a future where many antibiotics have become obsolete. Part of the problem lies in the time it takes clinicians to diagnose an antibiotic-resistant infection. Current techniques involve lab technicians culturing a bacterial sample until it can be analyzed for drug resistance. The whole process takes days, and by the time the test provides an answer, a patient could be dead from sepsis.
To address this, clinicians typically administer broad-spectrum antibiotics in an effort to bring an infection...
Source: Medgadget - November 11, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Exclusive Medicine Pathology Public Health Source Type: blogs
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I sat outside my patient ’s ICU room, my eyes glancing from his chart to him and his wife. The picture was grim. My patient, Tom, was a 56-year-old man, severely ill from decompensated cirrhosis, was admitted for the third time in a month with hypothermia from sepsis. Despite antibiotic therapy, he was not improving . Now […]Find jobs at  Careers by KevinMD.com.  Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.  Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 4, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/sami-el-dalati" rel="tag" > Sami El-Dalati, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Physician Critical Care Hospital-Based Medicine Source Type: blogs
Wearable Ozone Therapy Device for Chronic Wound Treatment
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a wearable device that can administer antibacterial ozone gas to chronic wounds to help disinfect them. The technology could allow people to disinfect chronic wounds at home, and would be helpful in cases where wounds have been colonized by drug-resistant bacteria and aren’t responding to antibiotic therapy.
Approximately 6 million patients in the U.S. have a chronic wound. This includes many patients with diabetes who develop foot ulcers. These wounds can have a significant impact on quality of life, mobility, and the ability to work. In many cases, chronic wounds canâ€...
Source: Medgadget - September 8, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Materials Medicine Plastic Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
PET CT in endocarditis – Cardiology MCQ – Cardiology MCQ
PET CT in endocarditis – Cardiology MCQ – Cardiology MCQ
MCQ
Radioactive tracer used for detection of active foci of inflammation/metabolism in infective endocarditis is – Correct answer: 4. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose
Supplementing Dukes criteria with 18F-FDG PET CT increased the sensitivity from 52% to 91% with a slight fall in specificity from 95% to 89%. The authors further noted that reclassification from possible endocarditis to either definite or rejected category could be done in 95% which has great clinical significance [1]. This would permit early initiation of antibiotic therapy in definite...
Source: Cardiophile MD - August 17, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
PET CT in endocarditis – Cardiology MCQ – Answer
PET CT in endocarditis – Cardiology MCQ – Answer
Radioactive tracer used for detection of active foci of inflammation/metabolism in infective endocarditis is – Correct answer: 4. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose
Supplementing Dukes criteria with 18F-FDG PET CT increased the sensitivity from 52% to 91% with a slight fall in specificity from 95% to 89%. The authors further noted that reclassification from possible endocarditis to either definite or rejected category could be done in 95% which has great clinical significance [1]. This would permit early initiation of antibiotic therapy in definite cases while...
Source: Cardiophile MD - August 17, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
Digital Health Ventures That Flew Too Close To The Sun
1.5 billion: that’s the number, in dollars, Forbes put for Proteus’ valuation last year. Dubbed as a healthcare unicorn, the startup even raised over $500 million in venture capital. It made headlines for developing the first-ever FDA-approved digital pill, one equipped with an ingestible and trackable sensor to monitor treatment compliance.
Researchers even proved the technology’s worth. In 2019, an independent study investigated the Proteus’ digital pill. They found it to be accurate, and even improved adherence of tuberculosis patients using oral pills equipped with Proteus’ system.
https://ww...
Source: The Medical Futurist - July 7, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: Prans Tags: Artificial Intelligence Future of Medicine Future of Pharma Genomics AI cancer IBM google deepmind theranos Watson fail digital pill proteus deus ex machina tech giants finances otsuka Nightingale Source Type: blogs
