Tag Archives: disease

disease, Health

Could this be a secure method for the Trump administration to end HIV/AIDS?

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The Trump administration announced last week a brand new program that will provide HIV prevention medications without charge for uninsured patients. This pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs are effective in preventing HIV, but with a cost of $2,000 a month, they’re far too expensive for people without insurance. This new program will provide PrEP at no cost for as much as 200,000 uninsured patients. Supporters have lauded this move being a significant step toward President Trump’s intention to end HIV in the United States. Others have criticized it as not going far enough: They would rather the govt expedite generic drug production and lower the price of PrEP. AD Both are missing an important point: Free or reduced-cost drugs may have no impact if patients can’t access them. The rural South is a growing epicenter for HIV, but as the South makes up about most new HIV diagnoses, it has a quarter of all PrEP-providing clinics. In West Virginia, only 27 percent of the state’s rural counties offer any HIV prevention services. In North Carolina, just two considering the state’s 85 local health departments reported to researchers last year they prescribed PrEP. In Mississippi, patients have taken to bring in three or more hours to access the one health center that dispenses 80 percent of all PrEP pills within the state. And that’s when the patient knows to question for PrEP. Only half of most uninsured patients have a regular supply of medical care.

Image result for pre-exposure prophylaxis

Patients are at high risk of contracting HIV are by far less more likely to do so since they often possess by him marginalized communities that have deep distrust considering the medical system. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that while African Americans account for 44 percent of individuals who would be eligible for PrEP, they make up for only 11 percent among those on PrEP. African American men who have sex with men possess a 1-in-2 lifetime risk of contracting HIV, yet it includes only 26 percent on PrEP (in comparison with 42 percent of the white peers). Without concerted outreach efforts to these vulnerable communities, the promise of free drugs won’t translate to patients taking them.

The administration’s new program covers only medications themselves. The medical appointment to get the prescription isn’t covered, nor are lab tests or ongoing care. CDC guidelines require that patients undergo multiple blood tests before starting PrEP, and after that, regular testing every three months while on it. Regarding the uninsured, these tests cost hundreds of dollars a year and can price patients from PrEP care. Versus giving free medications to certain uninsured people, a more exceptional solution is helping these patients get health insurance. Medicaid already covers 42 percent of adults with HIV (in comparison with 13 percent of the general adult population), and patients on state Medicaid programs receive coverage not only for PrEP and HIV drug therapies but other comprehensive services such as lab testing, care coordination, and community-based services. Admittance to these public insurance programs is essential for prevention. The federal Ryan White program, which funds cities and states to care for low-income people with HIV, supports only those already diagnosed with HIV. It does not help individuals who could be prevented from getting HIV and does not cover PrEP. Expanding Medicaid to those at high risk for HIV would allow them to receive PrEP and insurance for it the other services they need. 

Patients also need more places to access HIV prevention and treatment. An integral access point is clinics funded by the Title X family planning program. Of the 4,000 Title X clinics throughout the country, 90% provide HIV testing, and a third offer PrEP. These clinics serve low-income patients in rural and underserved areas but now are threatened with closure because of Trump administration’s new Title X restrictions. When the Trump administration wants to achieve its aim of eradicating HIV, it is required to end harmful policies for example the Title X gag rule. And instead of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, it should support state-based Medicaid expansion. It is required to remove discriminatory policies for example the conscience rule and the public charge rule that further stigmatize LGBTQ, minority and immigrant populations that already face the best barriers to care. The Trump administration’s free medication program distracts from the real challenges of HIV prevention and treatment. Pills are no panacea when patients can’t access them in the first place, and after that can’t afford the rest of the health care which comes besides treatment. The administration has got the power to fulfill its promise to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but it must start with an honest study of its existing policies. Otherwise, it will keep making tiny steps forward against a backdrop of giant steps backward.

Author Resource Box:

A better way for the Trump administration to end HIV/AIDS. https://hagerstownairport.org/2019/12/09/a-better-way-for-the-trump-administration-to-end-hiv-aids/
Quality healthcare services offered for LGBT community in …. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/483418/quality-healthcare-services-offered-for-lgbt-community-in-hcm-city.html

disease, Health

Can you believe Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis are Making comebacks strong For the Array Of Reasons?

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The three sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis — are making a comeback that is surprising and there are hosts of reasons for the increase in the preventable infections. 

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As Yahoo life reports, Dr. Gail Bolan for the unit of STD Prevention at the Centers for infection Control (CDC) stated that until all three conditions have been well-managed by the public health community.

“Not that sometime ago, gonorrhea prices had been at historic lows, syphilis had been near to eradication, and now we could point to advances in STD prevention, such as for example better chlamydia tests that are diagnostic more screening, contributing to increases in detection and treatment of chlamydial infections,” Dr. Bolan said.

Dr. Michael Cackovic, an ob-gyn at The Ohio State University Wexner infirmary thinks the emergence that is recent related to budget cuts which have impacted public health clinics, where people will get free or low-cost STD testing and treatment, along with condoms to avoid the spread of STDs.

“Over 50% of the regional programs have seen budget cuts leading to center closures, paid down tests, and failure to pursue patient followup,” he said.

A laboratory testing a bloodstream test Other facets include increasing poverty; increasing medication use; and housing that is unstable. Further, fewer individuals are using condoms. They donot have access to them or were not taught about their effectiveness and use in sex training class. Some may not believe they will get an STD is perhaps not likely to hit them.
“Many individuals believe that STDs won’t happen to them, that they can be cured with a quick dose of antibiotics,” says Dr. Cackovic that they can identify potential at-risk partners, and if contracted. 

What You Need To Know About These Three Infections Chlamydia is the most reported STD in the U.S. and sometimes goes undiscovered and untreated. In females, untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory infection and will also influence fertility, based on online MD.

Gonorrhea creates unpleasant and visible signs, including but not restricted to white, yellow or green discharge through the penis, or increased discharge that is vaginal. Syphilis observable symptoms include sores at the site of infection, a skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever.
All three conditions are treatable with antibiotics, if detected. Public health officials say how is best to stem the rise of these infections is always to wear condoms and also to get tested.

Author’s resource box: https://www.inquisitr.com/5756712/chlamydia-gonorrhea-syphilis-coming-back/

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Did you know HIV from a hug is a fallacy? Misinformation persists among young Americans, study finds.

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It has been four decades since the first AIDS cases were reported when looking at the U.S., but stigma against HIV-positive people persists, among younger Americans who was not alive throughout the early — and darkest — days of this epidemic.

A survey released Monday found that over one fourth (28 percent) of HIV-negative millennials have avoided hugging, speaking with or becoming friends with someone aided by the virus. Thirty percent said they would prefer never to engage at all with individuals who possess HIV.

https://youtu.be/j01U2uYiBWI

Sponsored by Merck plus the Prevention Access Campaign, the report also unearthed that 23 percent of HIV-negative millennials — and 41 percent of HIV-negative Gen Z respondents — admitted these people were “not at all” informed or “only somewhat” informed about HIV. Half of the HIV-negative respondents, who were all 18 to 36, said they believed a person whose viral load was undetectable could possibly transmit the HIV virus. (It cannot based on multiple studies.)

HIV can only be contracted by getting into direct contact with certain body fluids, like blood and semen, from an individual with HIV who has a detectable viral load, in line with the U.S. Department of health insurance and Human Services.

Author’s resource box: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hiv-hug-misinformation-persists-among-young-americans-study-finds-n1090556?cid=public-rss_20191126

disease, Health

3 stds hit new highs again in US

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U.S. infections from three sexually transmitted diseases have risen for your fifth consecutive year.


A little more than 1.7 million cases of chlamydia (kluh-MID’-ee-uh) were reported a year ago. The infection rate rose 3% from 2017.
It’s the foremost ever reported each year, although the trend is basically by associated increased testing.
About 580,000 gonorrhea (gah-nuh-REE’-uh) cases were reported. That’s the highest number since 1991. The pace rose 5%. Scientists worry antibiotic resistance could be considered a factor.
And of course, the syphilis rate rose 15%. About 35,000 cases of by far the most contagious forms of the condition were reported — also one of the most since 1991.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the numbers on Tuesday.
The increases coincided with health care funding cuts and clinic closures.

Reference:
<a href=”https://www.wfla.com/news/health-news/3-sexually-transmitted-diseases-hit-new-highs-again-in-us/”>https://www.wfla.com/news/health-news/3-sexually-transmitted-diseases-hit-new-highs-again-in-us/</a&gt;

disease

Crypto: Parasite in pools making people sick, CDC wants

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Summer’s scorching temperatures could possibly have a lot of people looking to relax in a public swimming pool.

Photo by Juan Salamanca on Pexels.com

But diving into the development to beat the incalescence could expose one to parasites which may cause severe illness, the Centers for Disease Control warns.

A fresh report issued Friday showed that a parasitic infection is often known as Cryptosporidium, or crypto, is growing. Between 2009 and 2017, the CDC said 444 crypto outbreaks – representing some 7,465 infections – were reported in 40 states. Those figures represent an improvement of about 13 percent per year.

The highest single source for the outbreaks was contaminated chlorinated water, such as pools and water playgrounds, the CDC said. Unlike other germs that typically are killed by common pool disinfectants, that include chlorine, crypto is quite capable of surviving in properly treated water for as much as every week.

Crypto can have serious health consequences, mostly caused due to profuse, watery diarrhea that will remain effective for twenty days. Other symptoms include dehydration, nausea, vomiting, fever and losing weight.

  • How you can protect yourself from crypto: Don’t swim or let children swim if sick with diarrhea.
  • Don’t swallow pool water. Don’t urinate inside of the water.
  • Take kids on bathroom breaks and look diapers every hour.
  • Change diapers in a very very bathroom or diaper-changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the pool.

Reference
https://www.al.com/news/2019/07/crypto-parasite-in-pools-making-people-sick-cdc-wants.html

disease, Health

It is a mystery that increased dementia risk linked to drugs commonly used to treat intestinal, respiratory and mood disorders

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Anticholinergic drugs are utilized to produce a panoply of factors—for depression and psychosis, bladder and gastrointestinal conditions, allergies and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.


Yet, within the study published Monday in Journal of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine, patients over age 55 who used strong anticholinergic medication daily for more than four years had a 50 percent increased danger of developing dementia.

“This research provides further evidence that doctor should be cautious when prescribing particular drugs that have anticholinergic properties,” Tom Dening, perhaps one of the authors and head of one’s Center for Dementia for the University of Nottingham, said within a press release. “However, it’s important that individuals taking medications along these lines just not only stop them unexpectedly as this can be a great deal more harmful. If patients have concerns, they would have to discuss them along with their doctor to think about what you should know about the treatment they are actually receiving.”

Researchers assessed medical data on nearly 59,000 people with dementia, which they collected between January 2004 and January 2016. Of given records they analyzed, the average age of patients was 82 and about 63 percent of them were women.

Approximately 57 percent considering the patients in the study received a prescription for a minimum of at least one strong anticholinergic drug, one to 11 years before being diagnosed with dementia. Though the link found between the drugs and creating of dementia appears strong, the scientists noted that their findings are associations and do not demonstrate that drugs cause dementia.

Doctors prescribe anticholinergic drugs as a treatment for conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bladder conditions, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders and warning signs of Parkinson’s disease.

The investigation was mighty at some limitations—for example, some patients will possibly not have obtained their drugs as directed, so anticholinergic exposure levels could have been misclassified.
“Further research is essential to make sure that regardless of the association between these drugs and the chance of dementia is causal. These drugs are prescribed for a range of medical conditions and all of the concerns patients might have to stop them appearing should be discussed using their doctors,” Professor Martin Rossor, NIHR National Director of Dementia Research, said.

These health conditions may be as acute as seizures or psychosis, so weighing the pros and cons of taking clonazepam along with a physician is critical professionals say.

Diet, disease, Health, Healthy eating

Do you know how much fruit and vegetables you should be eating every day?

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In line with the CDC, in 2015 only 12 percent of Americans met the suggestions for consuming fruit, and only nine percent consumed enough vegetables – also though eating sufficient fruits & vegetables as an ingredient of a standard nutritious diet reduces the chance of numerous chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, and obesity.

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Therefore, only how much is enough?

The federal guidelines had previously been shown in a pyramid and guidelines had been described in servings, that could sometimes be complicated since one serving could mean, for instance, a complete piece of medium sized good fresh fruit or 1/2 glass of canned, fresh fruit or 3/4 glass of fruit juice. One practically needed a spreadsheet and a calculator to keep track.

Utilizing the newer introduction of the MyPlate graphic, it is a bit easier. The idea is usually to fill half of a person’s plate with fruits and vegetables; as well as the serving sizes have now been simplified to cups.

Daily fruit recommendation
Women 19 to 30 years old: 2 cups
Women 31+ years old: 1 ½ cups
Men 19 years old and up: 2 cups

Daily vegetable recommendation:
Women 19 to 30 years old: 2 ½ cups
Women 31 to 50 years old: 2 ½ cups
Women 51+ years old: 2 cups
Men 19 to 30 years old: 3 cups
Men 31 to 50 years old: 3 cups
Men 51+ years old: 2 ½ cups

What one cup means
Now here’s where it can get a little confusing again, because a cup isn’t always a cup.
FRUIT
Generally speaking, although not always, one cup of fruit or a ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup through the Fruit Group. Any fruit or 100 percent fruit juice counts (though remember that juice lacks the fiber of whole fruits). Here are a few other equivalents.

Photo by Trang Doan on Pexels.com

1 small apple (2¼” diameter) = 1 cup-equivalent
1 large banana (8-9″ long) = 1 cup-equivalent
½ cup of fruit cocktail = ½ cup-equivalent
½ medium grapefruit (4″ diameter) = ½ cup-equivalent
1 medium bunch of grapes (about 50 grapes) = 1½ cup-equivalents
1 medium mango = 1 cup-equivalent
1 small orange (approx. 2½” diameter) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of 100% orange juice (4 fluid ounces) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ large peach (2¾” diameter) = ½ cup-equivalent
2 large plums (2½” diameter each) = 1 cup-equivalent
¼ cup of raisins = ½ cup-equivalent
VEGETABLES
Any vegetable or 100 percent vegetable juice counts; vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed. Within the vegetable group, there are sub-groups, of which you should strive to eat a mix of all: Dark-green vegetables; red and orange vegetables; starchy vegetables; beans and peas (which can also satisfy protein requirements), and other vegetables. The equivalents are often equal, but not always. Here is a list to give you a better idea.

½ cup of black beans (cooked) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of broccoli = ½ cup-equivalent
1 cup of baby carrots = 1 cup-equivalent
½ cup of cauliflower = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of corn = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of green beans (cooked) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of kidney beans (cooked) = ½ cup-equivalent
1 cup of iceberg lettuce = ½ cup-equivalent
1 cup of romaine lettuce = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of mushrooms = ½ cup-equivalent
2 slices of onion (raw) = ¼ cup-equivalent
½ cup of pinto beans (cooked) = ½ cup-equivalent
1 medium baked or boiled potato (2½-3″ diameter) = 1 cup-equivalent
1 cup of baby spinach (raw) = ½ cup-equivalent
1 large baked sweet potato (2¼” diameter) = 1 cup-equivalent
½ cup of 100% tomato juice (4 fluid ounces) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of tomatoes (raw) = ½ cup-equivalent
½ cup of zucchini = ½ cup-equivalent

Reference

Here is how much fruit and vegetables you should be eating …. https://www.treehugger.com/health/heres-how-much-produce-you-should-be-eating-every-day.html

disease, Health

Would you like to know about the drug delays type 1 diabetes in people at high risk?

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Remedy affecting the disease fighting capability effectively slowed down the progression to medical type 1 diabetes in high-risk individuals, relating to findings from National Institutes of Health-funded research. The research is the first to exhibit that medical type 1 diabetes could be delayed by several years among those who are at high risk. These results were published on-line in The brand New England Journal of Medicine and delivered during the United States Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in San Francisco bay area. The research, involving treatment with an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (teplizumab), ended up being conducted by Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet(link is outside), an international collaboration geared towards discovering approaches to postpone or avoid kind one diabetes. Scientists enrolled 76 participants ages 8-49 have been family members of individuals with type 1 diabetes, had at the very least two types of diabetes-related autoantibodies (proteins produced by the immune protection system), and unusual sugar (sugar) tolerance.

Participants were randomly assigned to either the therapy team, which received 14 days of teplizumab or even the control group, which received a placebo. All participants received glucose tolerance tests regularly until the analysis was completed, or until they developed medical kind one diabetes – whichever came first.

Throughout the test, 72% of individuals within the control group developed clinical diabetes, in comparison to only 43% for the teplizumab team. The median time for individuals into the control team to build up medical diabetes was just over two years, while those that developed clinical diabetes into the therapy group possessed a median time of 48 months before progressing to diagnosis.

“The difference between results ended up being striking. This finding could be the first evidence we have seen that medical type 1 diabetes could be delayed with very early preventive therapy,” said Lisa Spain, Ph.D., Project Scientist through the NIH’s nationwide Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), sponsor of TrialNet. “The outcomes have crucial implications for individuals, especially youth, that have family relations because of the infection, as individuals can be at high-risk and reap the benefits of early assessment and therapy.”

Type 1 diabetes develops if the immune system’s T cells mistakenly destroy the body’s very own insulin-producing beta cells. Insulin is needed to transform glucose into energy. Teplizumab targets T cells to minimize the destruction of beta cells.

“Previous medical research funded because of the NIH discovered that teplizumab effectively slows the increasing loss of beta cells in individuals with current onset clinical kind 1 diabetes, nevertheless the drug had never been tested in those who didn’t have medical condition,” said Kevan C. Herold, M.D., of Yale University, the study’s lead author. “We wished to see whether the early intervention could have good results for those who are in risky but do not yet have the signs of type 1 diabetes.”

The results for the medication were best in the 1st 12 months after it was given, when 41% of participants developed clinical diabetic issues, mainly into the placebo team. Many facets, including age, may have contributed to your capability of teplizumab to delay medical infection since at-risk children and adolescents are known to advance to kind one diabetes faster than adults. Faster progression of type 1 diabetes is connected with a compelling disease fighting capability, which could explain the impact of immune system-modulating medications like teplizumab.

Other data collected from the trial can help researchers to comprehend why specific individuals took care of immediate therapy. Participants who reacted to teplizumab tended to have particular autoantibodies as well as other immune protection system faculties. The research team additionally cautioned that the research had limits, like the small wide range of participants, their absence of ethnic diversity, and therefore all individuals were family relations of men and women with kind one diabetes, possibly restricting the capability to convert the research broadly. “While the results are motivating, more research needs to be done to handle the trial’s restrictions, as well as to comprehend the mechanisms of action, long-term efficacy and security for the treatment,” said Dr. Spain.

“This trial illustrates how decades of research from the biology of type 1 diabetes can result in promising treatments which have a substantial effect on people’s lives. We are very excited to begin to see the next steps in this research,” said Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, NIDDK Director. “The dedicated researchers, volunteers, and families taking part in this program make discoveries such as this possible.”

TrialNet provides initial screening(link is external) for relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes while offering follow-up screening and participation in clinical trials to those people who are discovered to have increased risk for developing a medical condition, all free.

Reference
NIH study finds heavily processed foods cause overeating …. http://homelesslivesmatterberkeley.org/2019/05/16/nih-study-finds-heavily-processed-foods-cause-overeating-and-weight-gain-national-institutes-of-health/

Diet, disease, Health, Healthy eating

Why don’t fats make a person fat? A Dietitian explains how it might be the opposite

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Professionals have some excellent news to fairly share: no, eating fats does not automatically make you fat. Overeating, macronutrient (fat, protein, or carbs) boosts the threat of weight gain, said registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick at Cleveland Clinic Wellness, but “fat in and of itself just is not a thing that is likely to make you fat,” despite the somewhat misleadingly identical terminology.

You can understand where in actuality the misconception arises from, however. “Fat can be a fairly scary nutrient” for individuals who count calories, Kristin said, since it is more calorie-dense: one gram of fat contains nine calories, in comparison to four calories per gram of protein and four calories per gram of carbohydrate. “People also may associate fat with more ‘indulgent’ foods, such as butter and steak,” Kristin told POPSUGAR, adding to the misconception that every fat are unhealthy. Then there is the simple association that eating fats might create fat within the body, which is not just the situation; you are likely to gain weight if you eat processed or processed foods or overeat consistently, including fats, but fats do not inherently lead to weight gain.

Kristin said, nearly all her clients have now been able to lose weight on high-fat diets, often since they replace refined carbs and sugars with healthy fats (snacking on nuts as opposed to pretzels, for example). The popular ketogenic diet, which can be high-fat and low-carb, is the one which has helped many people drop some weight, even though it is still controversial among dietitians.

According to Kristin, fats will also be harder to digest than other nutrients, such as carbs. This means they take longer to move throughout your digestive system, that will help you stay full for longer and have fewer snacking cravings. Fats improve your metabolism for the same reason; the body needs more energy (aka burns more calories) to digest them.

Exactly how much fat should you eat, then? On average, seek to keep fats as 30 percent of one’s healthy daily diet, though Kristin noted that this would probably vary based on the body, activity level, and general health; consult a health care provider or dietitian for guidelines specific to the body. You ought to also adhere to healthy fats as much as possible, including avocados, nuts, whole soy, olive oil, and fatty fish like tuna and salmon.

So no, you most likely do not need to go nonfat to get rid of weight or remain healthy. Keeping those healthy fat sources as part of your regular diet, balanced with carbs and much protein, is the better way to go.

Reference
Does Eating Fat Make You Fat? | POPSUGAR Fitness. https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Does-Eating-Fat-Make-You-Fat-46237336

Diet, disease, Health, Healthy eating

New study links people who don’t get enough sleep to poor nutrition

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Study links people who don’t get enough sleep to poor nutrition

Poor sleep has been connected to poor nutrition. However, it is unclear why the two may appear together. The association between the issues was revealed in a study that looked at National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, based on the American Society for Nutrition, which unearthed that individuals who sleep lower than seven hours per night might also lack adequate levels of vital nutrients.

Following the CDC, adults should get more than seven hours of sleep per night to maintain their health. The brand new study unearthed that US adults who got not as much as that number also, an average of, consumed fewer nutrients like vitamins D and A, zinc, niacin, and more.

Some vitamins and minerals are vital for health but are not created by the body. Someone with a poor diet could be with a lack of at least one of these micronutrients, eventually leading to disruption in normal bodily functions, or perhaps the introduction of diseases or any other problems.

As well as a connection between poor sleep and poor nutrition, the study found that more nutrients were connected to poor sleep in females; taking vitamin supplements reduced the amount, based on the study, hinting at a potential benefit from supplementing to fill the nutritional gaps in one’s diet.

The findings may be revealed because of the study’s lead author Chioma Ikonte in the annual American Society for Nutrition meeting. The type for the study means the researchers were not able to find out whether someone suffers poor sleep quality because of poor nutrition, or if perhaps poor sleep quality eventually results in nutritional deficits.

Reference

Study links people who don’t get enough sleep to poor …. https://www.slashgear.com/study-links-people-who-dont-get-enough-sleep-to-poor-nutrition-09579778/