Why spiritual health is so important for medical students
A tale of two pandemics: Around the time of the coronavirus outbreak, 2019 also marked a full century since the death of Sir William Osler, who revolutionized medical training. Despite some lingering debate over whether Dr. Osler ’s pneumonia-related death should be counted among the 50 million lost to the 1918 influenza pandemic, his notes suggest […]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 - August 14, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/elizabeth-j-berger" rel="tag" > Elizabeth J. Berger, APBCC < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 10th 2020
This study aimed to characterize the role of BDNF in age-related microglial activation. Initially, we found that degrees of microglial activation were especially evident in the substantia nigra (SN) across different brain regions of aged mice. The levels of BDNF and TrkB in microglia decreased with age and negatively correlated with their activation statuses in mice during aging. Interestingly, aging-related microglial activation could be reversed by chronic, subcutaneous perfusion of BDNF. Peripheral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection-induced microglial activation could be reduced by local supplement of BDNF, while shTrkB...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 9, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Vaccines save lives
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) and this year vaccines and immunology are probably on many more people’s minds than usual – for obvious reasons. While medical professionals and researchers work tirelessly on developing and testing a COVID-19 vaccine (amongst others), let’s briefly remind ourselves how far we have come in such a brief segment of human history.
224 years, 40 vaccines
The first vaccine, developed in 1796 for smallpox, was not put into mass production until many years later – but was a monumental breakthrough in Medicine. It took almost another 100 years before the next vaccines ...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 6, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: News Source Type: blogs
Influenza Vaccine Use Correlates with Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers here note a correlation between receiving influenza vaccination, even once, and the later risk of Alzheimer's disease. This is interesting in the context of the present debate over the mechanisms of Alzheimer's, particularly regarding whether or not persistent viral infection is an important driver of the condition. Inflammation and immune system dysfunction are also clearly important in the progression of neurodegenerative conditions. How exactly influenza vaccines might influence this complex decline is an open question. One might hypothesize that this is mediated by something other than biology - that people...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 3, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Post #51 Our Family ’s School Decision Making Process
My boys do not want to wear pants.A small factor, but part of the reason they campaigned for remote learning. My daughter, who generally prefers clothing, remained on the fence.The remote vs. in-person learning decision has so many different factors it is very difficult as a pediatrician to give families a single clear answer.As new data emerges, it further confounds a family ’s decision that seemed crystal clear just 2 internet articles ago.Several people have asked point blank, “What are you doing for your own kids?”If I have left your text unanswered or have not replied to your email or Facebook comment, I apologi...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - August 1, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
COVID herd immunity: At hand or forever elusive?
By MICHEL ACCAD, MD
With cases of COVID-19 either disappeared or rapidly diminishing from places like Wuhan, Italy, New York, and Sweden, many voices are speculating that herd immunity may have been reached in those areas and that it may be at hand in the remaining parts of the world that are still struggling with the pandemic. Lockdowns should end—or may not have been needed to begin with, they conclude. Adding plausibility to their speculation is the discovery of biological evidence suggesting that prior exposure to other coronaviruses may confer some degree of immunity against SARS-CoV2, a...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 30, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy immunity MICHEL ACCAD Pandemic Source Type: blogs
The Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Influenza: Vaccine Acceptance, Coverage, and Mandates
Lawrence O. Gostin (Georgetown University), Daniel Salmon (Johns Hopkins University), The Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Influenza: Vaccine Acceptance, Coverage, and Mandates, JAMA Online (2020): The confluence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seasonal influenza this fall and winter will... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - July 24, 2020 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Post #50 School Reopening during the COVID-19 Pandemic
There is probably a no more emotionally charged topic of discussion currently than that of school reopening this fall. And for good reason - nearly everyone has a stake in it.Society is concerned because of the real risk of increased community spread.Teachers are concerned because of the COVID-19 risk to themselves and how the logistics of school will directly affect their livelihood and stress level as they have to constantly adjust to the barrage of changes and duties. Families are concerned because of the COVID-19 risk to their children and to those living at home. Not to mention, many depend on school to allow for...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - July 23, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Vaccines for COVID-19 moving closer
As the world reels from illnesses and deaths due to COVID-19, the race is on for a safe, effective, long-lasting vaccine to help the body block the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The three vaccine approaches discussed here are among the first to be tested clinically in the United States.
How vaccines induce immunity: The starting line
In 1796, in a pastoral corner of England, and during a far more feudal and ethically less enlightened time, Edward Jenner, an English country surgeon, inoculated James Phipps, his gardener’s eight-year-old son, with cowpox pustules obtained from the arm of a milkmaid. It was widely believed ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 21, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Shiv Pillai, PhD, MBBS Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Infectious diseases Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, July 20th 2020
This study was the first to demonstrate a causal relationship between glial senescence and neurodegeneration. In this study, accumulations of senescent astrocytes and microglia were found in tau-associated neurodegenerative disease model mice. Elimination of these senescent cells via a genetic approach can reduce tau deposition and prevent the degeneration of cortical and hippocampal neurons.
Most recently, it was shown that clearance of senescent oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in AD model mice with senolytic agents could lessen the Aβ plaque load, reduce neuroinflammation, and ameliorate cognitive deficits. This...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 19, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Thinking about a post-pandemic world
I've been trying to think carefully about what our world will be like once the current pandemic is over. Most people are rightly focused on the current situation and on short term measures to limit the spread of the virus and the harm it causes, but we should also be thinking about, and planning for, what the world is likely to be like once populations reach some sort of equilibrium. How many people will the virus be infecting or killing every year? How much difference will a vaccine really make? Will we still need to wear masks? What follows is my non-rigorous back-of-the-envelope analysis.&nb...
Source: RRResearch - July 19, 2020 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Rosie Redfield Source Type: blogs
Efforts Continue to Use COVID-19 as a Learning Moment Regarding the Costs of Aging
Near everyone who dies from the SARS-Cov-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic is old. The old are vulnerable firstly because their immune systems are much diminished in effectiveness, and secondly because the state of chronic inflammation characteristic of old age makes the cytokine storm that causes much of the SARS-Cov-2 mortality more likely and more severe.
Members of the medical research community focused on intervention in the aging process - a way to treat all age-related conditions by addressing their underlying causes - are attempting to use the attention given to COVID-19 to educate the public and...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 17, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
The Trump COVID Legacy: Bad Timing. Lots of Questions. Few Answers.
By MIKE MAGEE, MD
What a strange irony. Trump decides, full-bravado, to challenge China to a trade war just months before China unwittingly hatches a virulent pandemic that collapses our deeply segmented health care system and our economy simultaneously. And rather than cry “Uncle”, our President then fires the WHO just as their experts are heading to China to attempt to unravel the mystery of COVID-19.
With the ongoing, cascading catastrophe of Trump’s mishandling of COVID-19, it is easy to lose sight that the next pandemic (fueled by global warming, global trade, and human and animal migration) is just around...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 16, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy Politics Mike Magee Trump Source Type: blogs
TWiV 636: Georgia State viral
From Georgia State University, Vincent speaks with Chris, Andrew, Priya, and Richard about their careers and their work on Ebolaviruses, rotavirus, and antiviral drug development. Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 636 (68 MB .mp3, 113 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 9, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral drug ebolavirus IFN immune modulation influenza virus innate immunity measles virus respiratory syncytial virus rotavirus viruses Source Type: blogs
