Flu Is Making Comeback. Here ’s What We Can Do About It
Jeffrey A. SingerAfter being nearly absent in 2020 and 2021, influenza cases are making a comeback. In fact, cases are up ‐tickingunusually late in the year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)reported on April 15 that the majority of cases are H3N2, “antigenically different from the vaccine reference viruses.” This explains why the latest flu vaccine is only16 percent effective in reducing the chances of a moderate to severe infection. As of April 15, the CDC reported at least 4.3 million flu illnesses, 42,000 hospitalizations, and 2,500 deaths from the flu.Public health experts attribu...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 18, 2022 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, November 23rd 2020
In conclusion, the study indicates that HBOT may induce significant senolytic effects that include significantly increasing telomere length and clearance of senescent cells in the aging populations.
Data on the Prevalence of Liver Fibrosis in Middle Age
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/11/data-on-the-prevalence-of-liver-fibrosis-in-middle-age/
Fibrosis is a consequence of age-related disarray in tissue maintenance processes, leading to the deposition of scar-like collagen that disrupts tissue structure and function. It is an ultimately fatal issue for which there are only poor treatment options ...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 22, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Kimer Med is Crowdfunding Early Stage Work to Commercialize DRACO Antiviral Technology
Kimer Med is a New Zealand biotech startup in the very early stages of work on improvement and commercialization of the DRACO antiviral technology. This approach works by selectively destroying cells that host viral replication, and has been shown to be effective for a few presently challenging viral infections in animal models. In principle it is a platform extensible to any viral infection. Unfortunately DRACO fell into the usual chasm, made up of a lack of funding for later stage academic research, a lack of strong-willed iconoclasts willing to go to bat for it, and a lack of interest in the pharmaceutical industry for ...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 16, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Sotalol – class IIIa
Sotalol is a class IIIa antiarrhythmic agent as per the Modernized Classification of Cardiac Antiarrhythmic Drugs [1]. The class effect is voltage dependent K+ channel blocker. Specifically, it is a HERG channel –mediated rapid K+ current (IKr) blocker. It has additional action on beta 1 and beta 2 receptors. Sotalol increases refractory period and decreases tendency for reentry.
The drug is useful in ventricular tachycardia without structural heart disease and in those with a remote myocardial infarction. It is also useful in atrial fibrillation with conduction through accessory pathway in WPW syndrome. ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 15, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: ECG / Electrophysiology 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
Post #47 How to Optimally Utilize Tamiflu
Every year in the United States, the CDC estimates that influenza results in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations, and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths (approximately 100 – 200 being pediatric fatalities). In the United States, the immense disease burden of the flu is unparalleled with any other pathogen, but fortunately there is a vaccine and antiviral medications which help to mitigate the yearly morbidity and mortality wrought by influenza.Because the flu changes its shape every year by a process called antigenic shift and drift, i...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - February 22, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Paternalism Versus Autonomy: A Case Report of Knowledge Versus Perception About Influenza Medication
by Amy Reese, PharmD, MA.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is a neuraminidase inhibitor which decreases the viral spread of Influenza A and B. It was a revolutionary drug when it was approved by the FDA in December 2000 because it was indicated to reduce the duration and severity of both influenza viruses. It was also proven to prevent a patient from being infected with either influenza virus. The only stipulation with the medication was that its efficacy was only shown within the first 48 hours of influenza symptoms.… (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - December 10, 2019 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Keisha Ray Tags: Decision making Featured Posts Health Care Health Policy & Insurance Pharmaceuticals Source Type: blogs
Beyond Vaccination: New Measures Needed to Protect Hospitals and the Public Against the Flu
By MARC M. BEUTTLER, MD
Every year at this time, you hear warnings that flu season has arrived. New data from the CDC indicates the season is far from over. So, you are urged by health authorities to get a flu shot. What you may not realize is how the flu can affect the hospitals you and your loved ones rely on for care.
In January, the large urban hospital where I am an intern faced the worst flu outbreak it has ever seen. Nearly 100 staff members tested positive for the flu. Residents assigned to back-up coverage were called to work daily to supplement the dwindling ranks of the sick. Every hospital vis...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 22, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Hospitals Medical Practice Marc Beuttler Vaccination Source Type: blogs
Baloxavir (Xofluza): A new antiviral drug for the flu
A new drug for the treatment of influenza was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2018, just in time for the 2018–19 flu season. Baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) works against the two types of influenza virus that cause disease in humans, influenza A and B.
This new drug works differently than currently available drugs, including oseltamivir (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), and peramivir (Rapivab). These older drugs inhibit the virus by blocking a viral enzyme called neuraminidase. In contrast, baloxavir inhibits a subunit of the viral polymerase, the enzyme responsible for influenza virus replica...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 2, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Daniel Kuritzkes, MD Tags: Cold and Flu Health Source Type: blogs
A new drug for influenza
A new drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of influenza. Called Xofluza (baloxavir carboxyl), it is the first influenza drug approved in 20 years with a new mechanism of action. How does Xofluza work? Influenza virus particles contain (-) RNAs, which means that they cannot be translated […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - October 25, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information antiviral Baloxavir carboxyl cap dependent endonuclease influenza oseltamivir virus viruses Xofluza Source Type: blogs
How behavioral finance can be used in medicine
While I was reading an issue of New England Journal of Medicine, I came across an interesting perspective article. Usually, I skip these articles and focus on clinical studies, images in medicine and review articles that usually have higher yield information that I can apply to help care for my patients. However, Dr. Jerry Avorn’s article, “The Psychology of Clinical Decision Making- Implications for Medication Use,” caught my attention.
Essentially, he discusses how a lot of clinical decision making in medical education is based on the assumption that both clinicians and patients “behave rationally...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 27, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/samuel-plost" rel="tag" > Samuel Plost, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Infectious Disease Primary Care Source Type: blogs
10 Lessons of the Recent Flu Season
The recent winter flu season of 2017-2018 witnessed numerous news headlines warning of terrible flu outbreaks and countless deaths. With these warnings came stern recommendations for Americans to get their flu shots, followed by suggestions to take prescription Tamiflu if recommended by one’s physician. Many Americans followed and preached this advice to others. The news […]
VacTruth.com (Source: vactruth.com)
Source: vactruth.com - March 8, 2018 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Michelle Goldstein Tags: Diseases & Outbreaks flu season Flu Vaccine Guillain-Barré Syndrome US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vitamin C Source Type: blogs
Investigative Epidemiology: Putting your head above the parapet
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Part of the joys of studying at the Liverpool Tropical School of Medicine is the weekly Wednesday lunchtime lectures. This week we were treated to investigative journalist Deborah Cohen (@deb-cohen), an award winning medically qualified TV, print and radio reporter, as well as being an editor on the British Medical Journal.
Dr Cohen gives us a glimpse of her dark world, interviews ‘on’ and ‘off’ the record; brown envelopes; the manipulation of th...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - February 20, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Neil Long Tags: Investigative Epidemiology Bawa-Garba MVA85A Tamiflu Source Type: blogs
The flu is here — and so is a new advisory from the CDC
In conclusion…
Maybe this year’s flu season will be milder than expected. But I wouldn’t count on it. I’ve had the flu and it’s not pleasant. Do what you can to lessen your risk. It’s worth the effort.
The post The flu is here — and so is a new advisory from the CDC appeared first on Harvard Health Blog. (Source: Harvard Health Blog)
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 10, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Cold and Flu Infectious diseases Source Type: blogs
