Forced to eat bat feces, chimps could spread deadly viruses to humans
On a sunny day 7 years ago in the Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda, researchers were startled to observe chimpanzees scoop dry bat feces from under a hollow tree and devour it. In 60 years of observations at Budongo, no one had ever seen such a thing, recalls veterinary epidemiologist Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin—Madison. “Aside from the ick factor, we all had the exact same thought,” he says. “They must be exposed to horrible bat-borne viruses.”
That suspicion proved correct. Though the bat feces is rich in nutrients,
it contains dozens of previously unknown viruses
, Goldberg and...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 22, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
What Causes Hemoptysis?
Discussion
True hemoptysis is a very uncommon or rare problem in pediatrics but can be potentially life-threatening. Massive hemoptysis has a high mortality (up to 50%) mainly from asphyxia and inability to ventilate and oxygenate the patient because of blood in the pulmonary airways. Fortunately, most hemoptysis is small in amount that resolves within 24 hours.
Initial evaluation for hemoptysis can include complete blood count, coagulation studies, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, urinalysis (possible pulmonary-renal problems), radiographic imaging including chest x-ray and/or computed tomography, and...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - April 22, 2024 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
Next pandemic likely to be caused by flu virus, scientists warn
Influenza is still the biggest threat to global health as WHO raises fears about the spread of avian strainInfluenza is the pathogen most likely to trigger a new pandemic in the near future, according to leading scientists.An international survey, to be published next weekend, will reveal that 57% of senior disease experts now think that a strain of flu virus will be the cause of the next global outbreak of deadlyinfectious illness.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 20, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie, Science Editor Tags: Epidemics Infectious diseases Health Medical research Society World news Microbiology Science Source Type: news
Africa intensifies battle against mpox as ‘alarming’ outbreaks continue
Researchers and public health officials in Africa are intensifying their battle against mpox, a neglected infectious disease that long has circulated on the continent and suddenly gained notoriety in 2022 when it started to spread rapidly in Europe and North America. At a meeting last week in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, scientists from there and nine other affected African countries reviewed an alarming rise of cases on the continent, discussed plans to improve mpox surveillance and introduce vaccination, and launched an African-led research consortium.
The meeting, convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Co...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 19, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Hospice Handoffs May Lower Odds of Medicare Denials Hospice Handoffs May Lower Odds of Medicare Denials
A small study suggests that conversations between hospice and referring providers can help ease transitions to end-of-life care.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines)
Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Internal Medicine News Source Type: news
Trials Identify Better Way to Select Antibiotics for UTIs, Pneumonia in Inpatients
(MedPage Today) -- Algorithm-driven prompts with patient-specific estimates about their risk of having a multidrug-resistant infection significantly reduced the use of empiric extended-spectrum antibiotics in adults hospitalized for urinary tract... (Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease)
Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Spark co-founder, Harvard professor launch Watertown biotech with $54M
The Watertown startup has an ambitious goal of developing vaccines that provide lifelong protection from cancer and infectious diseases. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - April 19, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Hannah Green Source Type: news
Africa: Can Philanthropy Be Catalyst to Achieving Malaria Elimination?
[Malaria Consortium] A child dies almost every minute from malaria. While huge gains have been made in recent history in reducing the burden of malaria -- with deaths falling by 50 percent between 2000 and 2015 -- progress has stalled and we have seen the numbers of cases and deaths creeping back up in recent years. Achieving malaria elimination is a moving target, in more ways than one. (Source: AllAfrica News: Malaria)
Source: AllAfrica News: Malaria - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Africa Aid and Assistance Health and Medicine Malaria Source Type: news
Menopause, RSV, and More: 4 New Meds to Know Menopause, RSV, and More: 4 New Meds to Know
Last year saw more than 50 new drug approvals, many of which may help internists better manage several common conditions in their patients.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines)
Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Internal Medicine News Source Type: news
'Sluggish' Hospital Uptake of Newer Antibiotics for Gram-Negative Infections
(MedPage Today) -- Hospital uptake of newer antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria was low over a 5-year period, according to a retrospective cohort study.
Fully 41.5% of episodes of difficult-to-treat resistant (DTR... (Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease)
Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Africa: To End Aids, We Must Reclaim Our Unyielding Pursuit of Equity
[Global Fund] 18 April 2024 by Adv. Bience Gawanas, Vice-Chair of the Global Fund Board (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)
Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Africa HIV-Aids and STDs Health and Medicine Source Type: news
Africa: Empower African Youth So They Can Put an End to Aids
[Global Fund] Ahead of the largest French-language international conference on AIDS--to take place in Yaoundé from April 15 to 19 (AFRAVIH)--the RAJ+ AOC group of activists and social entrepreneurs and one of its leaders, Patrick Fouda, are urging African societies to trust that young people can effectively combat the epidemic that has ravaged the continent for too long. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)
Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs - April 19, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Africa HIV-Aids and STDs Health and Medicine Source Type: news
Doctors Need to Get Better at Recognizing Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Whether fictional or fact-based, Munchausen syndrome by proxy grips the public. Media depictions in The Sixth Sense and Sharp Objects and real-life news coverage of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s December 2023 release from jail are hard to look away from. The most well-known cases—real or dramatized—are often the starkest ones, but Munchausen by proxy comes in subtler, harder-to-detect forms too.
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“The media are fascinated, but they tend to depict the most extreme cases,” says Dr. Marc D. Feldman, distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Ass...
Source: TIME: Health - April 18, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sarah Klein Tags: Uncategorized freelance healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
Dengue Cases Surge by Nearly 50% in Americas Amid'emergency Situation', UN Agency Says Dengue Cases Surge by Nearly 50% in Americas Amid'emergency Situation', UN Agency Says
Dengue cases have created an " emergency situation " in the Americas, although cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil appear to have stabilized, the head of the Pan American...Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines)
Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines - April 18, 2024 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Infectious Diseases News Source Type: news
How Can Doctors Best Assess Worsening Dengue Cases? How Can Doctors Best Assess Worsening Dengue Cases?
It is important to inform patients about warning signs such as abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, decreased urine output, or dizziness when standing, says an epidemiologist.Medscape Infectious Diseases (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - April 18, 2024 Category: Cardiology Tags: Infectious Diseases Expert Interview Source Type: news
