The hardest data
There is always a certain amount of slop in attribution of causes of death. Actually those annual influenza death rates that are talked about so much are estimates, because in ordinary times most people with respiratory infections aren ' t lab tested to confirm the pathogen. Death certificates might just say pneumonia. But enough tests are done to be able to extrapolate. Covid-19 is different in that people who present at the hospital with serious symptoms are tested, so a much higher proportion of deaths are laboratory confirmed. However, some states are only reporting laboratory confirmed deaths, and people who die at ho...
Source: Stayin' Alive - May 11, 2020 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
The dimension of time
It is very puzzling how many reporters, commentators and politicians don ' t seem to get the basic idea that an epidemic has a temporal dimension. They will write something to the effect that a policy failure has resulted in the death of 60,000 Americans, and by the time the piece is published the number is 66,000. The front page of the New York Times today says that nearly 80,000 Americans have died, but as I write this at 8:40 AM the officially reported number is 80,678 and by the time you read this it will be more.The most bizarre use of this elimination of the dimension of time was back when people were saying things l...
Source: Stayin' Alive - May 11, 2020 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
SENS Research Foundation on COVID-19 and Aging
SENS Research Foundation here explains why COVID-19, like near all infectious disease, is far worse for the old. It isn't just a matter of the decline of immune function, though that is the bulk of it. Older people have a greater burden of damage and dysfunction that makes them less resilient in many other ways. Rising mortality due to infectious disease with age is the result of both (a) a greater likelihood of severe infection due to immune aging, and (b) that the individual is less likely to survive a severe infection due to general frailty. Tens of thousands die every year in the US from seasonal influenza; that is lar...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 11, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 4th 2020
The objective is to start treating chronic diseases from the root and not the symptoms of the disease. As we are starting to enroll patients in "senolytics-clinical trials," it will be imperative to assess if senolysis efficiently targets the primary cause of disease or if it works best in combination with other drugs. Additional basic science research is required to address the fundamental role of senescent cells, especially in the established contexts of disease.
Notes on Self-Experimentation with Sex Steroid Ablation for Regrowth of the Thymus
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/04/notes-on-self-experi...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 3, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
COVID-19: Physicians in Shackles
By ANISH KOKA, MD
A number of politically tinged narratives have
divided physicians during the pandemic. It would be unfortunate if politics
obscured the major problem brought into stark relief by the pandemic: a system
that marginalizes physicians and strips them of agency.
In practices big and small, hospital-employed
or private practice, nursing homes or hospitals, there are serious issues
raising their heads for doctors and their patients.
No masks for you
When I walked into my office Thursday, March 12th, I assembled the office staff for the first time to talk about COVID. The prior weekend had been awa...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 2, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Medical Practice Physicians Anish Koka medical autonomy Pandemic Source Type: blogs
The False Choice Between Science And Economics
This article originally appeared on The Bulwark here.
The post The False Choice Between Science And Economics appeared first on The Health Care Blog. (Source: The Health Care Blog)
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 1, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy David Shaywitz Source Type: blogs
The Science of Infectious Disease Modeling
What Is Computer Modeling and How Does It Work?
Recent news headlines are awash in references to “modeling the spread” and “flattening the curve.” You may have wondered what exactly this means and how it applies to the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious disease modeling is part of the larger field of computer modeling. This type of research uses computers to simulate and study the behavior of complex systems using mathematics, physics, and computer science. Each model contains many variables that characterize the system being studied. Simulation is done by adjusting each of the variables, alone or in combination, to ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 29, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Injury and Illness Tools and Techniques Computational Biology Cool Tools/Techniques Diseases Modeling Source Type: blogs
Strategies for lifting COVID-19 mitigation restrictions
Over the last 100 years, the U.S. has had to respond to five avian flu pandemics. The most severe was the 1918 avian influenza infecting 1/3 of the world ’s population and killing 650,000 Americans. It was also the last time wide-spread containment, mitigation, and isolation strategies were used in the U.S. Seldom mentioned about the […]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 - April 28, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/nicolas-k-fletcher" rel="tag" > Nicolas K. Fletcher < /a > < /span > Tags: Policy COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Public Health & Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 in the Context of Aging
It is widely appreciated that old people have a poor time of it when it comes to infectious disease. Seasonal influenza kills tens of thousands of older people every year in the US alone. The aged immune system functions poorly, and vaccinations for many conditions have low success rates in older people. Thus the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths are old people exhibiting immunosenescence. Given that the world at large seems to be entirely accepting of the yearly toll of influenza, while COVID-19 is classed as an apocalypse of some sort, one has to wonder how much of the hysteria surrounding COVID-19 stems from the rare - b...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 28, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
No spleen? What you need to know to stay healthy
Due to injury or necessary surgery (splenectomy), some people are lacking a spleen, the organ that filters the bloodstream and helps the body fight infection. You do not need your spleen to live a normal, healthy life. However, since the spleen performs some important tasks, people who do not have one are urged to take certain precautions.
What is a spleen?
The spleen is a fist-sized organ that sits under your rib cage on the left side of your abdomen. Unlike the stomach, liver, or kidneys, it is not directly connected to the other organs in your abdomen. Instead, the spleen is connected to your blood vessels, with an arte...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 24, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Elise Merchant, MD Tags: Health Infectious diseases Managing your health care Prevention Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Is Trump Acting Presidential?
Thomas A. FireyAmong the criticisms President Trump has received over his handling of COVID-19, one is that he ’s playing politics with disaster aid. TheDenver Post recently charged that he “is treating life‐saving medical equipment as emoluments he can dole out as favors to loyalists.” Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer has claimed that “vendors are being told not to send stuff here to Michigan.” Trump himself has said the governors “have to treat us well also” in order to get what they need.So far, evidence of actual favoritism is mixed. A Washington Post review of federal distribution of ventilators, ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 23, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas A. Firey Source Type: blogs
Keeping Kids Healthy in the Age of Coronavirus: Dr. Greene on The People ’ s Pharmacy
Transcript
[00:00:00] Joe Graedon: I’m Joe Graedon.
[00:00:01] Terry Graedon: And I’m Terry Graedon. Welcome to this podcast of the People’s Pharmacy.
[00:00:06] Joe Graedon: You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at PeoplesPharmacy.com.
[00:00:14] How’s your family holding up during the coronavirus pandemic? Isolation can be especially challenging for children.
[00:00:22] This is the People’s Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graedon.
[00:00:33] Terry Graedon: Children appear less susceptible than older adults to serious complications of COVID-19...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - April 21, 2020 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog COVID COVID-19 Viral Infection Source Type: blogs
Keeping Kids Healthy in the Age of Coronavirus: Dr. Greene on The People s Pharmacy
Transcript
[00:00:00] Joe Graedon: I’m Joe Graedon.
[00:00:01] Terry Graedon: And I’m Terry Graedon. Welcome to this podcast of the People’s Pharmacy.
[00:00:06] Joe Graedon: You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at PeoplesPharmacy.com.
[00:00:14] How’s your family holding up during the coronavirus pandemic? Isolation can be especially challenging for children.
[00:00:22] This is the People’s Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graedon.
[00:00:33] Terry Graedon: Children appear less susceptible than older adults to serious complications of COVID-19...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - April 21, 2020 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog COVID COVID-19 Viral Infection Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 588
This week ' s case was donated by the very astute microbiology laboratory at the MetroHealth System who detected an important - but unexpected - finding. The patient is an elderly man on inhaled bronchodilators and steroids for persistent eosinophilic asthma who presented with fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for the SARS-coronavirus-2 (cause of COVID-19) was negative, as was RT-PCR for influenza A and B viruses. However, blood cultures grew a number of bacteria including Gram negative bacilli, and the following were noted in a stool ova and parasite exam:An additional finding wa...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - April 20, 2020 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
New York MTA Forbade Employees from Protecting Themselves by Wearing Masks
Randal O'TooleLast week, I pointed out a recent report that blamed much of the spread of COVID-19 in New York City on the subway system. Recently, I ’ve collected a series of memos suggesting that New York ’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is specifically culpable in this spread.During the2012 influenza epidemic, the MTA issued a policy directive stating that the agency would keep a six ‐week supply of sanitizer wipes, sanitizer gel, and N95 respirators on hand for use by employees. The directive specifically stated that the masks would be available for bus drivers, ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 20, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Randal O ' Toole Source Type: blogs
