Answer to Case 641
Answer to theParasite Case of Week 641:Strongyloides stercoralisL3 (filariform) larvae.As mentioned in the comments, other items on the differential diagnosis include larvae of the hookworms andAscaris lumbricoides.The larvae of these nematodes are only rarely seen during the initial stage of infection, in which larvae migrate to the lung before reaching their permanent destination in the intestinal tract. For that reason, it is very rare to identify them in clinical specimens. In comparison,S. stercoralishas an ongoing autoinfection cycle in humans which results in recurrent migration of L3 larvae through the lung. ...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - May 30, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Acne: Considerations for darker skin
Acne affects millions of Americans each year and impacts people of all skin tones, yet acne can pose special challenges in people with darker skin. In darker skin, one pimple or breakout can cause dark marks, scars, or even keloids (scar tissue that continues to grow larger than the original scar) that last for months to years afterward. Those affected are left searching for the secrets to treatment — or better yet, prevention. In this post we discuss how acne and similar or related conditions may be treated, and sometimes prevented, in people with darker skin.
Acne triggers release of melanin
Melanin, the same molecule ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 3, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Arianne Shadi Kourosh, MD, MPH Tags: Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
What's new in midwifery - 26th January 2021
Some new things you might want to know:Maternal healthTheGuardian wrote about a new report from MBRRACE-UK, showing that black women are more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth. The report itself is the one called " Improving mothers ' health " , available fromhttps://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/reports. There is another new one on that page, on stillbirths and neonatal deaths in twin pregnancies.Audits - perinatal mental healthNational Maternity and Perinatal Audit –Mental health sprint audit report (Scotland data), . This looks at mental health and maternity data from Scotland, based ...
Source: Browsing - January 26, 2021 Category: Databases & Libraries Tags: midwifery Source Type: blogs
Early, tight control of Crohn ’s disease may have lasting benefits
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a remarkable organ: it resides on the inside of our bodies, but is regularly in contact with the outside world by virtue of what we ingest. It is quite incredible that the immune cells of the GI tract are not activated more regularly by the many foreign products it encounters every day. Only when the GI tract encounters an intruder that risks causing disease do the immune cells of the GI tract spring into action.
That is, of course, under normal circumstances. In people with Crohn’s disease, the normally tolerant immune cells of the GI tract are activated without provocation, and this a...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 16, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sarah Flier, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Source Type: blogs
Triple therapy helps control severe asthma
Asthma affects approximately 20 million adults in the US. It is a common cause of workplace and school absenteeism, and is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations in the US. Between 5% and 10% of asthmatics have frequent, persistent symptoms despite treatment with multiple medications, and are categorized as “difficult to treat” and “severe” asthmatics. In these patients, asthma can be life-threatening.
Identifying ways to control symptoms and asthma exacerbations in these patients is an important goal of asthma researchers.
Proper technique and particle size impact effectiveness of inhalers
Asthma symptoms r...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 2, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kathleen Haley, MD Tags: Asthma Drugs and Supplements Source Type: blogs
Autoimmune lung disease: Early recognition and treatment helps
A man who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) five years ago sees his rheumatologist for a follow-up visit. Fortunately, his arthritis is well controlled through medication. He can walk and do all his daily activities without pain. But over the past six months, he’s been feeling short of breath when climbing stairs. He has an annoying dry cough, too. COVID-19? That’s ruled out quickly. But a CT scan of his chest reveals early fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs, most likely related to rheumatoid arthritis. “I can finally walk normally, and now I can’t breathe when I walk!” says the frustrated patient, whose...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - June 24, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Paul F. Dellaripa, MD Tags: Arthritis Autoimmune diseases Health Inflammation Lung disease Source Type: blogs
What's new in midwifery - 10th June 2020
Some recent things you might need to know...COVID-19Complications and outcomes of SARS- CoV-2 in pregnancy: where and what is the evidence?ResearchOral fluconazole use in the first trimester and risk of congenital malformations: population based cohort study (BMJ)Strategies for optimising antenatal corticosteroid administration for women with anticipated preterm birth (Cochrane systematic review)Acknowledgements: McMaster Evidence Alerts. (Source: Browsing)
Source: Browsing - June 10, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Tags: midwifery Source Type: blogs
Health Care Scope of Practice Laws Reveal Another Weakness in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
Jeffrey A. SingerOn March 24 Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issuedanexecutive order allowing CRNA ’s (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) to practice independently of physicians or surgeons, thus adding needed personnel to the health care work force during this public health emergency. Guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services state that nurse anesthetists should be “supervised” by a physician, thus preventing these well ‐trained specialized nurses from providing anesthesia independently while freeing up physician anesthesiologists so more patients can receive care. Because ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 26, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Trammpolin, A Meniscus Prosthesis to Improve Knee Surgeries: Interview with CEO Jan Hunik
Meniscus tears are a fairly common knee injury. Treatment typically involves complete or partial removal of the damaged meniscus. Without shock-absorbing role of the meniscus, however, patients are at risk for accelerated wear of the knee joint and osteoarthritis. Currently, patients have to wait for many years until they are eligible for a total knee replacement (TKR). Orthopedic surgeons lack options during this period, what they call the “treatment gap.”
ATRO Medical is working on another option for patients: a meniscus prosthesis. The Netherlands-based company was founded in 2016 and has been developing the Tram...
Source: Medgadget - February 28, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Cici Zhou Tags: Exclusive Orthopedic Surgery Source Type: blogs
Psoriasis and cancer: What ’s the link?
This study does not go into detail about the extent to which these comorbidities may influence the increased risk of cancer in psoriasis patients.
People with severe psoriasis often do not get enough relief with topical therapies (ones applied to the skin), such as topical corticosteroids and vitamin D analogues. They may then be started on medications that target specific immune cells and proteins. Some of these medications increase the risk of infections. Previous studies have found little to no increased risk of cancer in patients receiving these therapies. Other treatments, such as phototherapy (light therapy), are kno...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 5, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Dominic Wu, MD Tags: Cancer Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
Living with Crohn ’s disease: Recognizing and managing flares
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Together with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s is one of the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s affects approximately 500,000 Americans and is a chronic, lifelong condition that typically alternates between periods of relatively stable or absent symptoms (remission) and periods of symptom flare-ups that can last for days, weeks, or even months.
The goal of treatment is to induce remission and then to maximize the chance that patients stay in remission. However, almost everyone with Crohn’s diseas...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 26, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Garber, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Health Source Type: blogs
Why Does Reduced Grip Strength Correlate with Chronic Lung Disease in Aging?
In this open access paper, researchers speculate on the common mechanisms underlying the correlation between reduced grip strength and chronic lung disease in old age. The many, complex, and diverse manifestations of aging emerge from a much smaller, simpler set of root causes. Simple forms of damage applied to a very complex system necessarily produce very complex outcomes. Nonetheless, the incidence of many of those outcomes, even when very different from one another, will correlate because they depend to a sizable degree on the same forms of underlying damage.
The term "sarcopenia" was first introduced to descr...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 17, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Adult acne: Understanding underlying causes and banishing breakouts
“I’m not a teenager anymore, why do I still have acne?!” This is a question we hear from patients on a daily basis. The truth is, it is quite common to see acne persist into adulthood. Although acne is commonly thought of as a problem of adolescence, it can occur in people of all ages.
Adult acne has many similarities to adolescent acne with regard to both causes and treatments. But there are some unique qualities to adult acne as well.
What causes adult acne?
Adult acne, or post-adolescent acne, is acne that occurs after age 25. For the most part, the same factors that cause acne in adolescents are at play in adult ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kristina Liu, MD, MHS Tags: Health Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
New medication advances treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps
Chronic rhinosinusitis is a long-lasting medical condition, usually caused by infection or exposure to irritants, such as allergies, that affects one in seven American adults. Symptoms include nasal obstruction, nasal congestion, nasal drainage, loss of smell and taste, and facial pain and pressure. Some people with chronic rhinosinusitis also develop additional symptoms, such as asthma and nasal polyps, that are exacerbated by underlying allergies. A nasal polyp is a noncancerous tumor that grows from the lining of the nose or sinuses and affects the drainage system of the sinuses.
While chronic rhinosinusitis is not a li...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 19, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Maxfield, MD Tags: Allergies Cold and Flu Drugs and Supplements Ear, nose, and throat Health Source Type: blogs
Different Methods To Alleviate Joint Pain
Our body is flexible due the joints. These joints connect two bones, provide support and help in the body parts movement. Joint pain is a feeling of discomfort, aches and soreness in any of our body ’s joint. There have been lots of cases of people having aches in their joints. These joint pains are due to injuries affecting the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the joint. Pain in the joints is also due to infection and inflammation and in an extremely rare case because of cancer. It becomes extremely painful when you try to move your body parts suffering this pain.There are different conditions which are respons...
Source: radRounds - September 11, 2019 Category: Radiology Authors: Benny Smith Source Type: blogs
