Posts

Showing posts from December, 2022

World Health Organization needs more information on China COVID situation - Tedros - Reuters

Image
ZURICH, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization needs more information to assess the latest surge in infections in China, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. COVID infections have risen across China this month after Beijing dismantled its zero-COVID policies including regular PCR testing on its population. The United States, South Korea, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan have all imposed COVID tests for travellers from China in response. "In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the COVID19 situation on the ground in #China, WHO needs more detailed information," Tedros said in a tweet late on Thursday. Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Andrew Heavens Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Adblock test (Why?)

Epstein–Barr virus-associated infectious mononucleosis with acute ... - BMC Infectious Diseases

Image
A healthy 23-year-old male developed a 39 ºC fever with nausea and sore throat nine days before hospitalization. Seven days prior to hospitalization, the patient was examined at Clinic A, diagnosed with viral upper respiratory tract inflammation, and prescribed loxoprofen. Subsequently, he developed general malaise, nausea, and reduced appetite and visited Clinic B three days before hospitalization. Left cervical lymphadenopathy and liver inflammation (as evidenced by elevated aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels) were observed, and IM was suspected. The patient was thus prescribed acetaminophen and referred to our facility two days before hospitalization. The patient had not recently traveled abroad and only had sexual intercourse with his partner. The patient presented with a headache, nausea, fever, sore throat, and joint pain; runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty urinating, and feeling of residual urine were not observe

Updates and Controversies in Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections - Contagionlive.com

Image
The morbidity and mortality in patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) remain high, with about one-fifth of patients experiencing amputation or death. 1 Although the mortality rate of patients with NSTIs decreased from 28.3% before 2000 to 20.6% after 2000 across data from 109 studies, the past 20 years have not seen further improvements. 1 Many of the available data on NSTIs come from observational studies and their meta-analyses. An April 2018 Cochrane Review identified only 3 randomized controlled trials evaluating medical or surgical treatments for NSTIs, with fewer than 200 patients enrolled between them. 2 The slow development of new evidence is partly due to the infrequency of NSTIs, whose published estimated incidence ranges from 0.2 to 6.9 per 100,000 person-years. 3 Given the rarity of NSTIs and limitations of the current evidence for treatment, a recent review proposed NSTIs to be "a major neglected worldwide disease." 3 This article highlights

Great Toe Infection Leading to Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus ... - Cureus

Image
Bacterial pericarditis is an uncommon presentation that can occur secondarily to the contiguous spread of infection from an intrathoracic focus, hematogenous seeding from a distant site, or via trauma and intrathoracic surgery. Its presence is linked to a high mortality rate with death generally caused by cardiac tamponade, fulminant sepsis, and acute decompensated heart failure. We describe a rare case of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) pericarditis in a patient after great toe amputation; the patient developed cardiac tamponade and required urgent percutaneous pericardiocentesis with the placement of a temporary drain. The patient was then successfully treated with IV antibiotics and did not require further invasive procedures such as surgical pericardiotomy. Introduction Pericardial effusion, either found incidentally on chest CT or echocardiography, or in connection with a systemic or cardiac disease, is not an uncommon finding in clinical practice [1].

Blood Transfusions — Benefits and Options: Part 2 | HealthNews - Healthnews.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Blood Transfusions — Benefits and Options: Part 2 | HealthNews    Healthnews.com

Draft Calls for Screening Those at Risk for Latent TB - AAFP News

Image
The draft gives a "B" recommendation to screen asymptomatic adults who are at increased risk, such as those who have suppressed immune systems or are taking immunosuppressive medications, or who were born in or previously lived in countries with an increased prevalence of TB. It does not apply to adults with symptoms of TB or to people younger than 18. Overall, the draft is consistent with the task force's 2016 recommendation, which also received a "B" grade. In 2020, the last year for which data is available, more than 71% of all cases of active TB in the United States occurred among people born outside the United States. Compared with active TB, in which patients show clear signs of illness and may be infectious, people with latent TB do not have symptoms or feel sick, and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. While many people with latent TB infection never develop TB, others can become ill weeks or even years after becoming infected. Screening

Jameela Jamil Just Shared She Has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Here Are The Symptoms Of The Rare Condition. - BuzzFeed News

Image
While pulling her cheeks wide and bending her arm in what looks like the wrong direction, British actor and presenter Jameela Jamil shared in a video posted on social media that she has a rare genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which explains her hypermobility and stretchy skin, among a long list of other symptoms. Caused by mutations in specific genes, EDS consists of 13 distinct yet similar disorders that weaken the connective tissues throughout the body that provide structural support and protection to organs and other tissues. Some of the most common symptoms shared among the different types of EDS include extra-flexible or unstable joints, chronic widespread pain, and stretchy skin that cuts or bruises easily. Jamil, 36, whose most recent TV stint was on the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series that premiered on Disney+ this year, said she was diagnosed with the condition at 9 years old, which allowed her to avoid many of the things that would have made her much s

Lithium Intoxication in an Elderly Woman - Cureus

Image
Acute confusional state or delirium in the elderly frequently requires a lengthy differential diagnosis in the emergency room (ER) to determine the factors of its multiple causes. Iatrogeny can be one of the causes, especially in elderly people with polypharmacy. We present a case of a 77-year-old female, independent in activities of daily living, with no cognitive impairment and a history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and manic-depressive disorder. She arrived at the ER with diarrhea, vomiting, and myalgias. A blood test revealed an acute kidney injury. The patient was discharged with the diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis and prerenal acute kidney injury. The patient returned to the ER two days later due to worsening symptoms, including spatial and temporary disorientation and a marked prostration. The attending physician recommended a lithium blood level test due to the patient's history and the outpatient's psychiatric medication. The tests r

Draft Calls for Screening Those at Risk for Latent TB - AAFP News

Image
The draft gives a "B" recommendation to screen asymptomatic adults who are at increased risk, such as those who have suppressed immune systems or are taking immunosuppressive medications, or who were born in or previously lived in countries with an increased prevalence of TB. It does not apply to adults with symptoms of TB or to people younger than 18. Overall, the draft is consistent with the task force's 2016 recommendation, which also received a "B" grade. In 2020, the last year for which data is available, more than 71% of all cases of active TB in the United States occurred among people born outside the United States. Compared with active TB, in which patients show clear signs of illness and may be infectious, people with latent TB do not have symptoms or feel sick, and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. While many people with latent TB infection never develop TB, others can become ill weeks or even years after becoming infected. Screening

Helicobacter pylori: A Class 1 Human Carcinogen - Greater Kashmir

Image
iv. Avoid macrolide-based triple therapy if reported resistance rates are >15%, v. Previous exposure to macrolides should be taken into account while considering clarithromycin-based drug combination, vi. Amoxicillin therapy becomes an issue if there is a history of drug allergy and may need drug allergic testing, vii. In case of a regimen failure, do not repeat any of the antibiotics in the second regimen, viii. As a general rule, 2 weeks of any regimen therapy gives better results. Some studies have shown similar results between 10 days versus 2 weeks of therapy. ix. The main determinants of successful H. pylori eradication are the choice of regimen, the patient's adherence to a multi-drug regimen with frequent side effects, and the sensitivity of the H. pylori strain to the combination of antibiotics administered. Fig 2 gives an account of numerous regimens which a clinician has available as a first-line and rescue therapy. Use off these to treat primary and resistant H.

Los Angeles Jury finds Health Net responsible for causing insured to ... - PR Newswire

Image
LOS ANGELES , Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP announce a Los Angeles Superior Court Jury ordered Health Net to pay $14.42 million , including $6.92 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages, to a woman who alleged the health care giant caused her to become addicted to opiate pain medication, which she was prescribed only after she had already unnecessarily waited months for Health Net to provide timely referrals to specialists. "This is an important case for the health insurance industry, especially Medi-Cal recipients. For too long health insurance companies have stood by, complacent that their insureds are prescribed dangerously addictive pain medication while waiting through managed care delays and access to timely specialist care. In Ms. Courtney's case, she cried out for help to Health Net that the pain medication would not fix her problem, begging for Health Net to permit her to timely see the proper specialist

Why You're Always Tired, According To Experts - Forbes

Image
Life requires energy in order to power your cells and keep your body functioning, says Samuel Werner, D.O., founder of Family Osteopathy in West Hartford, Connecticut. Ideally, your body operates at an energy surplus, but if you have depleted energy stores due to stress, hormonal issues or lack of sleep, you may feel tired, explains Dr. Werner. "Tiredness is a sign that you are operating at an energy deficit," he adds. While it's normal to feel tired occasionally, chronic tiredness can be attributed to a multitude of causes, says Dr. Werner. Inadequate Sleep Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function optimally, says Brooke Judd, M.D., section chief of Sleep Medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. , However, a third of adults routinely get fewer than seven hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Insufficient sleep can cause symptoms like tiredness, excessi