Discovery of Hepatitis C Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Medgadget would like to congratulate Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice on receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in discovering the hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis C, a virus that infects liver cells and causes inflammation, certain cancers, and lymphomas, is fairly widespread among certain groups of people, and until its discovery it was impossible to screen donated blood for its presence. People were getting infected with something that resembled hepatitis B, but screening for hepatitis B would not detect this still unknown agent.
At the National Institutes of Health,...
Source: Medgadget - October 5, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Genetics Medicine News Source Type: blogs
Federal Aid Creates Central ‐Planning Power
This study argues that Congress should repeal all federal aid-to-state programs for many reasons, including that aid comes with costly strings attached that destroy local democracy.Richard Epstein and Mario Loyolanoted about aid programs: “When Americans vote in state and local elections, they think they are voting on state and local policies. But often they are just deciding which local officials get to implement the dictates of distant and insulated federal bureaucrats, whom even Congress can’t control.”I came across a table (p. 82) in New Jersey ’s budget that lists the $15 billion the state received in 2020 fro...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 4, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
TWiV 649: Ohio State viral
Vincent visits Ohio State University (March 2020) and speaks with Shan-Lu, David, Amanda, Mark, Matt, Chris, and Qiuhong about their careers and their work on retroviruses, hepatitis C virus, coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, and environmental viruses. Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 650 (63 MB .mp3, 105 min)Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - August 4, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology coronavirus COVID-19 hepatitis C virus HTLV pandemic plant viruses retrovirus SARS-CoV-2 viral viroids Source Type: blogs
TWiV 639: Virology Nobel Prizes with Erling Norrby part 2
Vincent and Erling resume their discussion of virology Nobel Prizes, focusing on awards for research on tumor viruses, bacteriophages, virus structure, reverse transcriptase, hepatitis B virus, HIV-1, human papillomaviruses and much more. Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 639 (65 MB .mp3, 108 min)Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 18, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology bacteriophage DNA structure hepatitis b virus HIV-1 human papillomavirus Nobel Prize reverse transcriptase viral virus structure viruses Source Type: blogs
Confessions of a non-clinical ID physician during COVID-19 times
After 20 years of working at a hospital, I was ready to try something new. I had provided primary and specialty care to adults living with HIV or viral hepatitis for two decades, taught scores of students, residents, and fellows, successfully led our hepatitis program, conducted clinical research in the areas of HIV, disparities, HCV […]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 - June 23, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/toyin-m-falusi" rel="tag" > Toyin M. Falusi, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Physician COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
Why remdesivir may not be a wonder drug
Gilead’s $1,000-a-pill antiviral remdesivir is no wonder drug. We knew this when it failed for hepatitis, the disease it was created for. And then when it failed for Ebola. And then again, when it failed for COVID-19. But like a bolt, in late April, a breakthrough: in a second trial for COVID-19 patients, remdesivir sped time to […]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 - May 31, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/daniel-hopkins" rel="tag" > Daniel Hopkins, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Meds COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
My professional life battling an RNA virus
I feel like I am reliving a bad dream. The race to find a treatment and/or cure to SARS-CoV-2 is reminiscent of decades of practicing gastroenterology while hepatitis C roamed the hospital wards as a death sentence for many. I found myself recently recalling a patient whose story ends with science finding a cure. As […]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 - May 12, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/lawrence-hurwitz" rel="tag" > Lawrence Hurwitz, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Gastroenterology Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
TWiV 609: A coronavirus chronology with Susan Weiss
Susan Weiss recalls some of her 40 years of research on coronaviruses, including mouse hepatitis virus, MERS-CoV, and now SARS-CoV-2. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 609 (45 MB .mp3, 75 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - May 3, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology coronavirus COVID-19 furin MHV mouse hepatitis virus pandemic SARS-CoV SARS-CoV-2 Tmprss2 viral viruses Source Type: blogs
Weight loss can help head off lasting damage caused by fatty liver
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease in the United States, and is estimated to affect up to a quarter of adults in the world. It is defined by excess fat accumulating in the liver and usually occurs in people with obesity, high blood sugars (diabetes), abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, or high blood pressure. These disorders often run together and as a group are called metabolic syndrome. The “non-alcoholic” part of “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” is important to distinguish it from alcohol-related liver disease, which can also cause excess liver fat.
How fat ca...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 30, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Irun Bhan, MD Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Digestive Disorders Source Type: blogs
Harvard Health AdWatch: An arthritis ad in 4 parts
Perhaps you’ve grown as weary as I have of repeated arthritis ads. They appear in frequent rotation on television, online, and in magazines, promoting Enbrel, Humira, Otezla, Xeljanz, and others.
If you’ve actually read or listened to these ads, you might have felt perplexed at certain points. Here’s a quick rundown on what they’re saying — and not saying — in one of those ads.
“The clock is ticking”
Part 1: A teakettle whistles on the stove and a disembodied voice speaks as this ad for Humira opens. “This is your wakeup call. If you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month the cloc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 29, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Arthritis Bones and joints Health Inflammation Source Type: blogs
Harvard Health Ad Watch: An arthritis ad in 4 parts
Perhaps you’ve grown as weary as I have of repeated arthritis ads. They appear in frequent rotation on television, online, and in magazines, promoting Enbrel, Humira, Otezla, Xeljanz, and others.
If you’ve actually read or listened to these ads, you might have felt perplexed at certain points. Here’s a quick rundown on what they’re saying — and not saying — in one of those ads.
“The clock is ticking”
Part 1: A teakettle whistles on the stove and a disembodied voice speaks as this ad for Humira opens. “This is your wakeup call. If you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month the cloc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 29, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Arthritis Bones and joints Health Inflammation Source Type: blogs
More sexual partners, more cancer?
Two headlines caught my eye recently:
The relationship between chronic diseases and number of sexual partners: an exploratory analysis
and
Study warns more sex might mean higher likelihood for cancer
It may be hard to believe, but both of these refer to same medical research. I’m not sure which one I like better. The first one is the actual title of the research, which provides no information about its findings. The second one is a newspaper headline. It cuts right to the chase about the study’s main findings. While it’s much more specific — and alarming — it is also misleading.
Is there a link between the number...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 28, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Cancer Relationships Sex Sexual Conditions Source Type: blogs
U=U: Ending stigma and empowering people living with HIV
Today, about 1.1 million people in the US are living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Every year, almost 40,000 people are diagnosed with HIV. A diagnosis of HIV was once presumed to be fatal, and many lived in fear of transmitting the virus to others. This contributed to decades of stigma for those living with HIV.
What is the U=U campaign?
U=U means “undetectable equals untransmittable.” More specifically, it means that people living with HIV who have an undetectable level of virus in their blood due to treatment are unable to transmit the virus to others.
The U=U campaign hopes to spread awareness that medic...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 22, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Rose McKeon Olson, MD Tags: Adolescent health Infectious diseases Men's Health Sex Women's Health Source Type: blogs
No Relationship Between Notifiable Diseases and Immigrant Populations
Alex Nowrasteh andAndrew C. ForresterThe international spread of the SARS ‐CoV‐2 virus that causes the disease COVID-19 has prompted many governments to close their borders. Immigration policy plays an important role in limiting the international spread of contagious diseases.Prior to the COVID-19 crisis,several commentators were concerned that immigrants – especially illegal immigrants – were spreading serious diseases in the United States. This blog post is the first in a series to answer the question of whether immigrants spread serious notifiable diseases other than COVID-19 in the United States. This ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 13, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Alex Nowrasteh, Andrew C. Forrester Source Type: blogs
Drugs for COVID-19: A Publishing Epidemic
As of April 9, PubMed listed 2,868 scientific publications which incorporate the word “COVID”. 323 of these (11.3%) were related to drugs under study for treatment of the disease. No fewer than thirty-one such drugs had been proposed since this pandemic first appeared on the planet four months earlier.
Graph 1 depicts the cumulative numbers of COVID-19 infection (per 100,000 global population) and introductions of relevant drugs into the Literature during February 14 to April 3. Note that both increased by a factor of approximately 16-fold during this period.
In a...
Source: GIDEON blog - April 12, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Uri Blackman Tags: Epidemiology Graphs Source Type: blogs
