Over 95% of post‐mortem samples from the 1918 pandemic, which caused 50 to 100 million deaths, showed bacterial infection complications. The introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s has since reduced the risk of bacterial infections, but growing resistance to antibiotics could increase the toll from future influenza pandemics if secondary bacterial infections are as serious…
Bangladesh has the most polluted air in the world and Dhaka is the second most polluted capital city; according to a new study. “At a country level; weighted by population, Bangladesh emerges as the most polluted country,” said the 2018 World Air Quality Report released yesterday. Greenpeace and AirVisual, who monitor global air quality, prepared…
New research published in Scientific Reports has devised a way to track tiny message-carriers in the brain that could prove useful in diagnosing and treating injuries, infections or diseases. The study, from assistant professor David Feliciano’s lab in Clemson’s College of Science, uses a glowing mouse—appropriately dubbed the “TIGER mouse—to trace the movement of information-rich…
A surgeon sometimes moves from one surgery to the next before the first one is completed, leaving junior surgeons, residents and physician assistants to complete the noncritical portions of the procedure. The practice happens tens of thousands of times per year, but one might wonder: Are such overlapping operations safe. Important exceptions For the most…
On some health measures; trying to play catch-up for a few days and then returning to poor sleep habits makes things worse. “Their findings suggest that the common behavior of burning the candle during the week and trying to make up for it on the weekend is not an effective health strategy,” says Kenneth Wright,…
Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is an antiretroviral pill that is over 90% effective in preventing HIV acquisition when taken; as prescribed. A new Perspective, published in the issue of the New England Journal of Medicine; examines clinicians’ concerns and biases toward prescribing PrEP and suggests strategies to mitigate those biases. The Perspective, “Risk Compensation and…
The number of delivery complications in hospitals is substantially higher during nights; weekends and holidays; in teaching hospitals. Each year, nearly four million women give birth in U.S. hospitals; making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization in this country. Serious but preventable complications occur at the point of delivery; with approximately 700 women dying…
Clinical urine tests are various tests of urine for diagnostic purposes. The most common is a urinalysis (UA); one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis. The word is a portmanteau of the words urine and analysis. Other tests are urine culture (a microbiological culture of urine) and urine electrolyte levels. The target parameters that can measure or quantify in urinalysis include naked-eye (gross) examination for color and smell plus analysis…
When it comes to understanding how neurons connect to form circuits in the brain; scientists for decades have turned to the retina of the humble laboratory mouse as an ideal model organism. But as a model for vision and vision-related diseases. And though the fovea well-studied for decades researchers have demonstrated both functional; structural specialization…
Federal officials are examining potential barriers; such as a fear of retaliation from employers; that may explain why only about one-third of coal miners participate in a program to screen for black lung disease even as the number of workers suffering from the deadly condition is rising. The lack of participation concerns lawmakers and the…
Individuals suffering from panic disorder and agoraphobia experience panic symptoms such as accelerated heart rate; shortness of breath, and dizziness. These symptoms can come about when it is difficult or embarrassing to escape a situation; when the person believes they cannot receive help; or where they perceive they have little control over the situation. Furthermore,…
According to a recent research, resistance training improves the health of over 65-year-old, and the benefits occur even when some people train as little as once per week. The benefits show in improvements in blood values, muscle strength and mental well-being. “We found that individuals who were close to having high blood pressure, high cholesterol,…