Let ’s end Polio
An Egyptian stele thought to represent a polio victim. 18th Dynasty (1403–1365 BC).
Poliomyelitis dates back to ancient times, as captured in this 14th century BC Egyptian carving, detailing a typical symptom of atrophy in one or more of the limbs.
The modern name is directly derived from Ancient Greek, poliós meaning ‘grey’ and myelós meaning ‘marrow’, the latter signifying the effect on the grey matter of the spinal cord.
But while the ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew about the disease, it wasn’t clinically described until the late 18th century (AD), by the English doctor Michael Underwood. The di...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 25, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
Hepatitis A in the United States
Few Americans are aware of a major epidemic that has taken hold of large areas of their country in recent years – by a disease that is easily diagnosed and prevented. Sadly, public – and even professional interest in these events have been overshadowed by COVID-19.
AN UPTICK IN CASES
Hepatitis A had been largely under control until three years ago and can be easily prevented through the use of a safe and effective vaccine.
From January 2017 to January 2019, at least 26 separate outbreaks were reported, to a total of 11,628 cases and 99 deaths, nationwide. Homeless individuals and users of illicit dru...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 21, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs
From the desert to the lab: dr. berger
Today is the birthday of our co-founder Dr. Stephen A. Berger, and the perfect time to share his personal story and the history behind the creation of GIDEON.
Steve has been the “beating heart” of the company’s medical knowledge and insight since its inception. GIDEON could not be what it is today and will be tomorrow, without him. Join us on Memory Lane as we celebrate Dr. Berger’s contribution to the medical community.
A TALENTED YOUNG DOCTOR
Steve was brought up in New York and was destined to become either a lawyer or a doctor. Thankfully for us, he fell in love with the latter field. Dr. Berger graduated with ...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 17, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Events News Tech Source Type: blogs
Disease names – what do they mean?
In the midst of the continuing pandemic, World Dictionary Day seems like the perfect occasion to consider the meaning and origin behind some of the most well-known disease names. We’ve been speaking with Dr. Steve Berger, our co-founder, to learn more.
CORONAVIRUSES
Let’s start with the obvious one. COVID 19, which began as a localized outbreak of “Novel Coronavirus” infection, is now a name almost every household in the world will know. COVID-19 comes from COrona VIrus Disease which first appeared in 2019, with the disease itself being caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
SARS was a prominent name back in the early 2...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 16, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
“Under the radar” – Ongoing Lassa Fever Outbreak
By Dr. Stephen A. Berger
Nigeria is battling the largest recorded Lassa Fever outbreak to-date
Lassa Fever in Nigeria is a paradigm for Infectious Disease outbreaks that continue to threaten massive populations “under the radar” during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of October 3, 2020, a total of 1,112 fatal cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Nigeria.
In terms of population size, the statistical likelihood of dying from this disease in Nigeria – or in Singapore – is exactly the same. But then…nobody in Singapore is dying these days from Lassa Fever.
WHAT IS LASSA FEVER?
The disease was ...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 13, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs
Monkeypox
By Dr. Stephen A. Berger
Cynomolgus monkey, a known reservoir of the Monkeypox virus
WHAT IS MONKEYPOX?
Monkeypox, as the name implies, is a disease of monkeys (unlike chickenpox – which has no relation to chickens). Although the condition is reported in a group of eleven African countries, the virus was first discovered in a laboratory in Denmark in 1958, when it was first isolated from cynomolgus monkeys.
The signs and symptoms are similar to those of smallpox. Following a three-day prodrome of fever, headache, myalgia, and back pain, patients develop a papular rash in the face, extremities, and genitals....
Source: GIDEON blog - October 8, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
Antigen vs antibody – what is the difference?
3D illustration of antigen in the human body
What is the difference between antigen vs antibody, and what role do they play in creating an effective vaccine? With the recent focus on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine there has been much talk of antigens and antibodies, often interchangeably, and little clarity on what they are – or the role they play in creating an effective vaccine. In this blog, we’ll cut through the jargon and discover the facts together.
Antigen
An antigen is any substance or organism that is unrecognized by our immune system. It could be anything from bacteria to chemicals, to v...
Source: GIDEON blog - October 1, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Examples News Therapy Source Type: blogs
Rabies – a dumb disease
Dog vaccination programs are the most effective way to prevent Rabies
Rabies is endemic to over 150 countries, and according to the World Health Organization, 99% of all transmissions to humans are from dogs, potentially bringing into question the animal’s status as the ‘man’s best friend’.
In Europe, southern Africa, and parts of North America, most cases are acquired from wild carnivores; mongooses, and vampire bats in Latin America and the Caribbean. In more recent years, humans have acquired rabies from inhalation of aerosols in bat caves, ingestion of dogs and cats for food, ticks, cart-scratches...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 28, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
Penicillin: the accident that saved many lives
Alexander Fleming in his laboratory, 1881 – 1955
There have been many happy accidents in science. Several of these were of great benefit to medicine.
For example, in 1895, a German physicist working with a cathode ray tube happened to place his hand in front of the rays and found that he could see his bones in the image projected onto the screen. Soon after that, the first X-ray images were produced.
There have been other instances where serendipity played a role in unearthing effective treatments against diseases.
THE FIND OF THE 20TH CENTURY
The most famous of these happy accidents is the discovery ...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 28, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Microbiology News Source Type: blogs
Brucellosis – how dangerous is it?
Brucellosis is most frequently transmitted via unpasteurized dairy products
Zoonotic diseases to be keeping the world on its toes. What is the disease responsible for the latest outbreak in China and what is its pathogenic potential?
Not the next COVID-19
Brucellosis is a category B bioterror disease, as classed by CDC. While it is one of the most important zoonotic diseases worldwide, brucellosis has limited pandemic potential, since human-to-human transmission is sporadic and occurs via blood, sexual exposure, or breastfeeding.
63% of cross-border events since 1965 were directly linked to the consumption of unpa...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 19, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs
Leeuwenhoek: scientist who saw ‘animalcules’
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and a drawing of animalcules
Some discover their aptitude for science by natural curiosity, which causes them to investigate their surroundings. In doing so they find many hidden secrets that only curiosity like theirs could have revealed. However, an inquisitive nature alone doesn’t make one a scientist. Explorers, adventurers, reporters, and criminal investigators all lead lives based on it too.
Something special happens when curiosity is coupled with an empirical mind. That combination begins to approach the scientific method. The only thing left is to provide a record of findings so tha...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 17, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Microbiology News Source Type: blogs
Streptomyces – the smell of life
The Mall in Central Park, New York City in late autumn on a rainy day
Did you know that humans can detect the smell of wet soil 200,000 times better than sharks sense blood? [1] It appears our olfactory abilities are not that bad after all, at least when it comes to finding potential sources of food. Petrichor, the term to describe the scent was coined in 1964, by scientists I. Bear and R.G. Thomas, meaning “petros” – stone and “ichor” – the blood of the gods [2] in Greek.
Divine or not, Streptomyces is a genus of over 800 bacterial species and subspecies responsible for the eart...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 15, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology Microbiology News Source Type: blogs
Mosquito: more than a bug
Anopheles mosquito, a vector of Malaria
In one half of the world, the mosquito is seen to most as a minor annoyance, but for others, mosquitoes are synonymous with disease, pain, and death. Today is the World Mosquito Day and the perfect reminder of the devastating impact of such diseases as Malaria, Zika, and various kinds of Encephalitis for which mosquitoes are a major vector.
Malaria – a headline disease
Malaria is the headline disease associated with mosquitoes and it was on this very day in 1897 that Sir Ronald Ross discovered that female mosquitoes can transmit malaria between humans. This was a major ...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 20, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 Case Series: Publishing Trends in High-Incidence Countries
Written by GIDEON co-founder, Dr. Steve Berger
Medical publishing has been significantly influenced by this year’s events. An unfortunate side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an explosion of professional publications dealing with every possible aspect of the disease. Innumerable studies dissect the clinical features, epidemiology, imaging characteristics, and risk factors of a series of patients treated in hospitals or clinics.
The GIDEON database collates all case series dealing with COVID-19 that have been cited in PubMed. These numbers do not include drug trials and disease prevalence surveys. 1,316 relev...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 14, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
Testing the new GIDEON – what did clinicians say?
It is GIDEON’s mission to provide robust support to clinicians, microbiologists, and educators that interface with the infectious diseases field. As such, consulting with our users when developing the product is paramount to ensuring GIDEON continues to meet their expectations. On 12th August GIDEON closed its last alpha testing round, dedicated to gathering feedback on the brand new ‘Diagnose’ module. Medical experts from 26 countries have explored the new interface and shared their thoughts on what works and what can be improved.
WHAT IS ALPHA?
Alpha is an early release of a major product upgrade. Our first alp...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 13, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: News Product Source Type: blogs
