Recent research presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology has suggested that low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of developing long COVID. This is a condition where the symptoms of COVID-19 persist for more than 12 weeks after the initial infection. The study looked at 100 patients with and without long COVID and found that those with long COVID had lower levels of vitamin D. This correlation was particularly evident in patients who experienced symptoms like confusion, forgetfulness, and poor concentration. While more research is needed to confirm the link, scientists are exploring whether vitamin D supplements could help reduce the risk of long-term COVID and improve its symptoms.
Thousands of people have contracted monkeypox throughout the United States. The spread has been designated as an epidemic, which naturally arouses public concern. Discover who is at danger and how we can protect ourselves, our community, and our loved ones.
How does monkeypox spread?
It is essential to realize that viruses are not selective. They want just a host. The same holds true for monkeypox as for any other virus. To help reduce the spread of monkeypox, we must first eliminate its stigma. Anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation, is vulnerable.
It is evident that monkeypox is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact. Identifying and reducing high-risk behaviors and settings is the most effective method of disease prevention.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following behaviors enhance the likelihood of acquiring monkeypox:
Close contact with a person or individuals who have been diagnosed with monkeypox or with a person or persons who have a rash that resembles monkeypox.
Close or close personal contact with people infected with monkeypox in a social network. Social networks might include individuals met at pubs, parties, on websites or via apps.
Sexual contact or intimate behavior with several partners in places where monkeypox is known to occur.
Within 21 days after sickness start, travel outside the United States to a nation with confirmed cases of monkeypox or where monkeypox is endemic.
Occupational exposure to monkeypox or other orthopoxviruses, such as testing laboratory personnel or some public health personnel. In these situations, the right use of personal protective equipment will aid in reducing danger.
How can I reduce my infection risk?
As with any infectious illness, the pillars of infection prevention and control may be applied: When you are unwell, you should wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, lips, and face, and avoid contact with others. Avoid prolonged physical contact, contact with respiratory secretions, and contact with products or textiles used by someone with monkeypox to reduce your chance of developing the disease.
Is a monkeypox vaccination available?
Kansas City has provided the University of Kansas Health System with a restricted amount of vaccination doses. The health care system administers vaccinations to people who fulfill the qualifying requirements. Currently, the CDC advises immunization against:
People who are aware that a sexual partner has been diagnosed with monkeypox during the preceding 14 days.
Individuals who have had several sexual partners in the preceding 14 days in an area where monkeypox is known to exist.
Individuals who have reported any of the following during the preceding 14 days:
Sex with numerous partners or multiple partners.
Sex at a commercial sex venue or in conjunction with an event, location, or specified geographic region where transmission of monkeypox has been recorded.
We are devoted to providing everyone with high-quality care. If you are a current patient of the health system and feel you fulfill any of the eligibility requirements, contact your primary care physician or provider (by phone, text message, or MyChart message) for further information.
We must collaborate to eliminate the stigma associated with this condition and prioritize wellness. We highly urge persons at high risk or who are worried to communicate honestly with their healthcare professionals.
A recent study published today in the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion finds that girls are “significantly” more likely than men to suffer from protracted COVID and will exhibit dramatically distinct symptoms.
Long COVID is a condition in which problems continue for more than four weeks after the initial COVID-19 infection, and in some cases for many months.
Researchers from the Johnson & Johnson Office of the Chief Medical Officer Health of Women Team analyzed data from approximately 1.3 million patients and found that females with long COVID exhibit a variety of symptoms, including ear, nose, and throat issues; mood, neurological, skin, gastrointestinal, and rheumatological disorders; and fatigue.
However, male patients were more prone to developing endocrine problems, including diabetes and renal disease.
The authors explain that understanding the fundamental sex differences underlying the clinical manifestations, disease progression, and health outcomes of COVID-19 is essential for the identification and rational design of effective therapies and public health interventions that are inclusive of and sensitive to the potential differential treatment needs of both sexes.
Differences in immune system function between men and females may be a significant factor in determining sex differences in extended COVID syndrome. Females generate more rapid and potent innate and adaptive immune responses, which may shield them from the severity of acute illness. This difference, however, may make females more vulnerable to autoimmunity-related disorders that last longer.
As part of the review, researchers limited their search for scholarly articles to those published between December 2019 and August 2020 for COVID-19 and between January 2020 and June 2021 for long-term COVID syndrome. The overall sample size for all publications evaluated was 1,393,355 distinct people.
Even though there were a lot of participants, only 35 of the 640,634 articles gave enough information about the symptoms and effects of COVID-19 illness by gender to understand how girls and boys experience the illness differently.
Findings indicate that female patients were significantly more likely to have mental problems such as sadness, ear, nose, and throat symptoms, musculoskeletal discomfort, and respiratory symptoms at the outset of COVID-19. On the other hand, men were more likely to have kidney diseases called renal diseases.
The authors remark that this literature review is one of the few that breaks down by sex the particular health issues associated with COVID-related disease. Numerous studies have investigated gender disparities in hospitalization, ICU admission, respiratory support, and death. When it comes to sex, however, studies on the exact diseases induced by the virus and its long-term harm to the body have been inadequate.
The authors note that during earlier coronavirus epidemics, sex variations in outcomes have been recorded. Therefore, disparities in SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes between men and women may have been predicted. Unfortunately, the vast majority of studies did not examine or report granular data by sex, limiting sex-specific clinical insights that may influence therapy. ” Even if it wasn’t the main goal of the researcher, sex-disaggregated data should be made public so that other researchers can use it to look into differences between the sexes that are important.
The research also identifies complicated aspects deserving of further investigation. Notably, women are more likely to be exposed to the virus in particular occupations, such as nursing and teaching. There may also be differences in who can get care based on gender, which could change how the disease naturally progresses and cause more problems and side effects.
The latter acts as a rallying cry: availability of sex-disaggregated data and deliberate analysis are necessary if we are to guarantee that unequal disease course outcomes are addressed. No study is complete until the data is made accessible to anyone who wants to answer the question, “Do sex and gender matter?”
The symptoms of monkeypox are comparable to but less severe than those of smallpox.
he first outbreak of monkeypox in the United States in 2003 hit the Midwest and was caused by prairie dogs sold as pets that caught the virus from infected animals from Africa. The outbreak included three cases in Kansas and Missouri. CHARLIE RIEDEL Associated Press file Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/health-care/article262585992.html#storylink=cpy
Contrary to the name, rodents, not monkeys, are the primary transmission vector. The initial outbreak in the United States hit six states in the Midwest, including Kansas and Missouri. The last occurrences have been connected to foreign travel and African animal imports. In 1958, monkeypox was first detected in a Danish laboratory.
In 1970, a youngster in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was diagnosed with the first human case. In 2003, there were 70 documented cases of monkeypox in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Contact with sores and rashes caused by the infection spreads monkeypox. It is also transmissible by large respiratory droplets, though not nearly as quickly as COVID-19. In addition, in the 2003 outbreak, no one contracted the virus through person-to-person contact, unlike the current situation.
The CDC provided updated recommendations based on what physicians have observed in patients thus far. Monkeypox typically causes fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, and headaches. In addition, some individuals exhibited dispersed or localized lesions outside the face, hands, and feet.
Pfizer (PFE.N) voluntarily recalled five batches of its Accupril blood pressure pills on Friday after the discovery of high amounts of a possible cancer-causing chemical in the medication.
The manufacturer said that it was unaware of any adverse event reports associated with the recalled batches, which were supplied in the United States and Puerto Rico between December 2019 and April 2022. Pfizer Canada similarly recalled all lots of three Accupril dosages on Thursday after determining that the same contaminant was present at unsafe levels. Pfizer said that there was no immediate danger to patients who were taking the drug that included the chemical, nitrosamine. While nitrosamines are naturally occurring in water and food, prolonged exposure over tolerable levels may raise the risk of cancer. Pfizer also withdrew several batches of another blood pressure medication, Accuretic, and two approved less expensive generic equivalents last month owing to the presence of a probable carcinogen.
It is possible that microplastics are present in food. We have all heard about how micro-plastics are becoming more prevalent in the food that we consume. Those microscopic particles have now made their way into our bloodstreams.
Photo credit pcess609/Getty Images
The bloodstream of an individual may include microplastics. Scientists from the Netherlands claim to have discovered microplastics in the blood, and they believe that they are on their way to human organs as well.
Several studies have been conducted on various types of drinking bottles. According to the findings of the study, which was published in the Journal Environmental International, the researchers discovered the plastics in 80 percent of the participants who participated in the study. Approximately half of them had polymers used in beverage bottles and a third contained polystyrene, which is used in Styrofoam.
According to them, this is the first time this has ever occurred during their testing. These plastic particles, according to the researchers, might enter our systems via food, air, water, toothpaste, or even lip gloss products.
According to data published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron’s more contagious subvariant, BA.2, has more than doubled in prevalence in the United States over the last two weeks and now accounts for more than 34% of Covid-19 infections that have undergone genetic sequencing. Since February 5, when it comprised roughly 1% of genetically analyzed viral samples in the United States, BA.2 has been progressively increasing as a fraction of Covid variants circulating in the country. BA.2 probably already accounts for 50% of new infections in the United States since many individuals do tests at home that are not included in official statistics, according to Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. In addition, Walgreens data indicates that BA.2 is the leading variety, accounting for 51% of all positive Covid cases for the week ending March 19.
Pfizer Inc. recalls a blood pressure medication due to possible cancer-causing impurities.
The Pfizer logo is displayed at the company’s headquarters in New York last year. Mark Lennihan/AP
On Monday, the firm informed users about multiple contaminated batches of Accuretic and two additional forms of the drug-quinapril and hydrochlorothiazide tablets due to the presence of nitrosamine at levels over the recommended daily dosage. Nitrosamines can be found in water and food, such as cured and grilled meats, dairy products, and vegetables that have been cooked or smoked. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “everyone is exposed to nitrosamines. ” People exposed to these impurities for a long time may be more likely to get cancer. The drugs are used to treat hypertension to decrease the risk of cardiovascular events, most notably strokes and myocardial infarctions. According to the firm, the recall is voluntary, and as of Monday, the company has received no complaints of adverse occurrences associated with the medications. In addition, although chronic intake of N-nitroso-quinapril may be related to an elevated risk of cancer in humans, the FDA notes that there is no immediate danger to patients using this drug. Message from the Sponsor Pfizer urges customers who use the pills to see their physician or pharmacist determine whether they received a contaminated batch.
Some people report that they feel less anxious and more concentrated after taking their first nicotine vape. Others say they feel like they have just aced an exam after taking their first inhale.
Human brains aren’t fully developed until around age 25. Credit: Truth
As a result, if you began vaping to deal with difficulties from the outside, you now have stress from the inside: your body is screaming for nicotine, and it isn’t going away any time soon. Here’s why using nicotine vapes might cause more stress rather than less. The more you vape, the more you program your body to seek the short-lived rush of dopamine that comes from the nicotine you inhale. As a result, you develop synapses more quickly, making it easier to get hooked to nicotine.
For this reason, vape businesses have targeted you since you were at summer camp, if not before. According to research, Vaping nicotine may increase stress levels and enhance symptoms of despair and anxiety. According to t Truth Initiative poll, 93 percent of vapers said that vaping harmed their lives because it caused them to be more agitated, sad, or nervous than before they started.
COVID-19 infections are increasing again in Europe after a decline over the Christmas holiday season, and scientists are warning that another wave might hit the US.
An annotated map showing subvariant distribution in the US as of March 15. CDC/Insider
COVID-19 outbreaks in Europe have historically preceded an increase in cases in the United States, and scientists have speculated that this may be the case here as well. The increase in instances, as seen below, is believed to be the consequence of a combination of the emergence of a more infectious subvariant of Omicron termed BA.2 and the recent easing of COVID-19 limitations in several European nations, according to Eric Topol, a cardiologist, and director of the Scripps Institute, in The Guardian. However, we must exercise caution since we are not yet out of the woods. This virus has not been eradicated, and we must be prepared to cope with it.
The Dantzler Report! 