TWiV 322: Postcards from the edge of the membrane
On episode #322 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVodes answer listener email about hantaviruses, antivirals, H1N1 vaccine and narcolepsy, credibility of peer review, Bourbon virus, influenza vaccine, careers in virology, and much more.
You can find TWiV #322 at www.twiv.tv. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 1, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral Bourbon virus careers in virology crispr Dengue H1N1 hantavirus hepatitis C virus herpes simplex virus influenza vaccine influenza virus measles mumps narcolepsy NHL opossum patent peer r Source Type: blogs
Dengue – don’t just blame the primary care doctors
Do not blame the doctor for dengue
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) would like to issue the following comments in response to the comments from the Malaysian heath minister on Jan 28, 2015 that private doctors fail to detect symptoms of dengue early.
Our members in general practitioner (GP) and family clinics have noted increasing number of dengue cases presenting with differing clinical patterns since the year 2000. Our doctors have been on unrelenting high alert for dengue cases since the year 2000.
It should be clearly stated that existing commercially available test kit...
Source: Malaysian Medical Resources - January 30, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: palmdoc Tags: - Nation dengue Source Type: blogs
Portable Microfluidic Device Detects Dengue in Minutes
Dengue fever can be difficult to differentiate from other viral diseases early in its progression. It’s typically diagnosed based on symptoms, but researchers at Singapore’s A*STAR research agency have created a field detector that spots the dengue virus from a drop of saliva.
Not only can it detect the virus, but it’s able to pinpoint whether it’s a secondary infection that often causes dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. The test takes about 20 minutes to run and the kit doesn’t require much training to operate.
Within the device are a bunch of channels that move the saliv...
Source: Medgadget - January 29, 2015 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Pathology Public Health Source Type: blogs
TWiV 319: Breaking breakbone
On episode #319 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVers review the outcomes of two recent phase 3 clinical trials of a quadrivalent dengue virus vaccine in Asia and Latin America.
You can find TWiV #319 at www.twiv.tv. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - January 11, 2015 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology attenuated breakbone fever clinical trial Dengue flavivirus neutralization phase 3 clinical trial severe dengue vaccine viral virologically confirmed dengue yellow fever virus Source Type: blogs
Forecasting Infectious Disease Spread with Web Data
Just as you might turn to Twitter or Facebook for a pulse on what’s happening around you, researchers involved in an infectious disease computational modeling project are turning to anonymized social media and other publicly available Web data to improve their ability to forecast emerging outbreaks and develop tools that can help health officials as they respond.
Mining Wikipedia Data
Incorporating real-time, anonymized data from Wikipedia and other novel sources of information is aiding efforts to forecast and respond to emerging outbreaks. Credit: Stock image.
“When it comes to infectious disease forecasting, gett...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 12, 2014 Category: Research Authors: Emily Carlson Tags: Computers in Biology Source Type: blogs
Does Public Health Have A Future?
Ebola’s arrival in the U.S. hit Americans with a jolt. Regardless of how you feel about the response to date, it should remind everyone of the importance of public health.
Fortunately, public health in the U.S. has built an extraordinary track record of success. Smallpox, one of the most dreaded diseases in history, was eradicated worldwide. New vaccines have sharply cut the toll of deaths and disabilities from H flu meningitis, tetanus, pneumococcal sepsis and other deadly diseases.
Adding folate to foods dramatically reduced neural tube defects in newborns. Safer cars and better roadway designs cut fatal crashes per m...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - December 10, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Arthur Kellermann and Mark Kortepeter Tags: All Categories Environmental Health Prevention Public Health Source Type: blogs
You Ought to Have A Look: Global Warming Will Make the Earth Uninhabitable and Other Cli-Fi Funnies
This study, however, is fundamentally flawed.
Firstly, it uses climate model results that have been shown to run at least three times hotter than empirical reality (0.15◦C vs 0.04◦C per decade, respectively), despite using 27% lower greenhouse gas forcing.
Secondly, it ignores the fact that people and societies are not potted plants; that they will actually take steps to reduce, if not nullify, real or perceived threats to their life, limb and well-being. Thus, if the seas rise around them, heatwaves become more prevalent, or malaria, diarrhoeal disease and hunger spread, they will undertake adaptation measures to prot...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 8, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Patrick J. Michaels, Paul C. "Chip" Knappenberger Source Type: blogs
TWiV 308: The Running Mad Professor
On episode #308 of the science show This Week in Virology, Tom Solomon, an infectious disease doctor from Liverpool, talks with Vincent about viral central nervous system infections of global importance, Ebola virus, and running the fastest marathon dressed as a doctor.
You can find TWiV #308 at www.twiv.tv. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - October 26, 2014 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology central nervous system Chikungunya Dengue ebola virus ebolavirus encephalitis Japanese encephalitis virus poliovirus Running mad professor Tom Solomon viral Source Type: blogs
Could the Ebola virus epidemic have been prevented?
The cover of this week’s issue of Businessweek declares that ‘Ebola is coming’ in letters colored like blood, with the subtitle ‘The US had a chance to stop the virus in its tracks. It missed’. Although the article presents a good analysis of the hurdles in developing antibody therapy for Ebola virus infection, the cover is overstated. Why does Businessweek think that Ebola virus is coming to the US? (there is no mention of this topic in the article). Are we sure that antibody therapy would have stopped the outbreak? (no, as stated in the article).
How the U.S. Screwed Up in the Fight Against Ebola is an analysi...
Source: virology blog - September 30, 2014 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Commentary Information antiviral ebola virus ebolavirus epidemic monoclonal antibody therapy outbreak vaccine West Africa ZMapp Source Type: blogs
Five Absurd Overreactions to the Surge in Child Migrants
Alex Nowrasteh
The surge of unaccompanied migrant children (UAC) that dominated the news cycle in June and July of this year has receded – so much so that many emergency shelters established to handle the inflow are shutting down. At the height of the surge, many commentators and government officials expected 90,000 UAC to be apprehended by the end of the fiscal year (FY). As the end of the FY approaches, the number of apprehended UAC stands at roughly 66,000 - far below the estimates.
Now that the surge has receded, here are some of the most absurd overreactions to it. Never before...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 11, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Alex Nowrasteh Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 19-year-old man with a sore throat
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 19-year-old man is evaluated for a sore throat, daily fever, frontal headache, myalgia, and arthralgia of 5 days’ duration. He also has severe discomfort in the lower spine and a rash on his trunk and extremities. He returned from a 7-day trip to the Caribbean 8 days ago. The remainder of the history is noncontributory.
On physical examination, temperature is 38.3 °C (100.9 °F), blood pressure is 104/72 mm Hg, pulse rate is 102/min, and respiration rate is 16/min. His posterior pharynx is notably injec...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 17, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Infectious disease Source Type: blogs
Saudi Arabia Ebola Testing Underway on Patient
Saudi Arabia Ebola testing is underway for a man who returned from West Africa and is now showing signs of a viral hemorrhagic fever.
He is reportedly in critical condition and is under strict isolation after the World Health Organization recommended obtaining samples to test for the Ebola virus. He has been ruled out for Dengue fever.
The post Saudi Arabia Ebola Testing Underway on Patient appeared first on InsideSurgery Medical Information Blog. (Source: Inside Surgery)
Source: Inside Surgery - August 5, 2014 Category: Surgery Authors: Editor Tags: Infectious Disease dengue Ebola hemorrhagic fever Saudi Arabia viral Source Type: blogs
Can Gingko and Turmeric Help Stop Ebola?
Summary
There is no known pharmaceutical currently available that specifically treats Ebola disease.
One treatment modality that should be considered is the use of herbal medicines, which have both centuries old anecdotal success as well as recent modern biochemical and formal research rationales for their use.
Five areas of action that could be addressed by the herbal medicines as it relates to Ebola would be:
VP24/immune system evasion
GP protein/replicatio;
herbal strategies effective against similar hemorrhagic disease
beneficial modulation of patient immune and inflammatory response systems
prophylactic use for heal...
Source: Inside Surgery - August 1, 2014 Category: Surgery Authors: Editor Tags: Infectious Disease ayurvedic baicalen cathepsin b dengue Ebola gingko herb Quercetin resveratrol rosemary sage st johns work turmeric Source Type: blogs
Healthcare Update Satellite — 06-23-2014
The right to carry a concealed weapon only exists if your doctor says so. Many states are requiring that physicians certify whether patients are competent to carry a concealed weapon. Some states require mandatory reporting of those deemed not competent to carry a concealed weapon. Of course, the natural extension of such laws is that if the doctors make an inappropriate determination, then the doctors can be held liable if the certifiee does something inappropriate with the weapon.
This New England Journal of Medicine article shows that many doctors aren’t comfortable making that determination.
Then again, I’v...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - June 24, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs
