Saturday, December 4, 2010

HCV and Medical News

Signs Of Flu Season Upon Us, CDC Officials Announce
Written by Christian NordqvistThe first signs that the flu season is upon us have arrived, says the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In some states, for example Georgia, reported cases of flu have suddenly risen so rapidly that state...
12/3/2010 Although influenza activity is low and sporadic throughout the U.S., there are signs that it is increasing, particularly in the Southeast, according to health officials.


Number of reported cases of Hepatitis C on increase in county

Carlton County Public Health and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) sent out a notice Wednesday alerting local health care providers of an increase in reported chronic Hepatitis C cases in Carlton County. Carlton County Public Health and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) sent out a notice Wednesday alerting local health care providers of an increase in reported chronic Hepatitis C cases in Carlton County. According to the MDH, Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis C virus, commonly transmitted through the use of injection drugs.
In the first three quarters of 2010, 27 Hepatitis C cases were reported in the county, compared to 19 cases reported in 2009.

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.New Video and Slides HBV - Treat or No Treat:

A Case-based Discussion Considering Evidence and Expert Insights in Treatment Decisions for CHB . During this case-based video and slide presentation, experts will discuss the significant advances that have been made in the past 5 years in our understanding of the natural history of hepatitis B and the management of patients with CHB


Fighting Fibromyalgia
Health Storm Center: Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that affects an estimated 5 million Americans, and while doctors don’t know exactly what causes the syndrome, they do have a few theories. Dr. Manny goes into the body to find out more.


Forget your assumptions about who gets hepatitis: The addicts. The inmates. The prostitutes.
Hepatitis, especially hepatitis C, is very much a Baby Boomer's disease.
"It's got this creepy, 'Why should I care? This is a disease of druggies,' connotation," says Dr. Mitchell Davis, a physician with South Florida Gastroenterology. "Well, the people who experimented in college, during the Vietnam War, are now Baby Boomers. They are professionals. They briefly experimented and have been carrying it ever since


Santa Cruz local walks cross-country to raise awareness for Hepatitis C
In the age of freeways and airplanes, transportation is fast and efficient, if not a little dehumanizing. We live in a time in which most people hop in their cars to run even the smallest errand. But this winter, one Santa Cruz resident is ditching his car and hitting the road for a transcontinental trip—on foot. Meet Joseph Melsha. On Friday, Nov. 26, the Santa Cruz native embarked on a journey that will take him through the United States, with nothing more than a bag stocked with basic amenities (a tent, flashlight, and a small camp stove) on his back and a sturdy pair of walking shoes on his feet. He has plotted a course that will take him to his final destination in Boston, Mass.
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Update On Joe Dec 4


Good morning everyone. Its raining here in Lompoc. Since I only have 15 miles to do, I am going to enjoy this dry room for another hour or so before i walk to Buellton. If anyone knows anyone there, see if they will put me up. Or one of you can try and get me a room at Motel 6 there. Tell them what i am doing and they might give you a discount



Lompoc to Buellton tomorrow. Thats only about 15 miles, thats like a day off. If anyone knows anyone there, see if they can put me up for the night.


So beat. But i did not think i would be in Lompoc till tomorrow. I walked ten more miles then planned today, cause the cop gave me a ride ten, I had to walk extra. You guys rule! Keeping me such good company you killed my battery today! Post something about HEPATITIS C for me please.


Just got through crying with another grown man who lost his mama to Hepatitis c too. Right in front of Starfucks like no one was watching us. Wow. Its heavy what two strangers can share in a few minutes
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Mary Govoni, CDA, RDH, MBA, past president of the American Dental Hygienists Association, spoke at the Greater New York Dental Society Meeting about infection control and the risks orthodontic and dental professionals face during procedures.
Govoni warned attendees that it only takes one incident to expose orthodontic and dental health care personnel to the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the hepatitis C virus (HCV), or HIV infection. During procedures, it is predictable that saliva will become contaminated with blood, even when blood is not visible. The risk of HBV from a single needle-stick or a cut exposure to the HBV-infected blood can be as high as 30%. Even through the risk from HCV or HIV is small, it rises if contact involves a large area of skin or if the contact is prolonged. In her talk, Govoni pointed out that orthodontic and dental professionals, despite the precautions they take—wearing gloves, sterilizing equipment, washing their hands—are not always as knowledgeable about necessary precautions as they should be. Retail hand care products, she warns, do not meet the standards of medical grade products, which means that infection control in the office cannot be assumed. Govoni advises orthodontic and dental professionals to take action to reduce the risk of infection both themselves and their patients.



From Chemistry World Blog :
Materials Research Society meeting in Boston
Superheroes of the immune system
Brief summary
Jim Heath from the California Institute of Technology, US, highlighted how it is proteins, rather than genes, that often give the best indication of whether someone will respond to a particular drug. The problem is that a protein-based assay can cost around $50 per protein to perform, whereas new sequencing technology has brought the cost of genetic profiling down to a few cents per gene. His group has developed a method of testing multiple proteins at once in a simple microfluidic device.
Cancer and Trojan Horses
Susan Clare, a surgeon from Indiana University school of medicine, gave a fascinating talk on cancer therapy. She explained that one of the reasons that chemotherapeutic cancer drugs often don’t completely kill a cancer is because they can’t get to it. This is because the cells inside a tumour are too far away from blood vessels to absorb enough of a drug from the bloodstream. This means we need a different way of getting treatment into these cells.


Infectious diseases on the rise globally
Since 1980, more than 35 new human infectious diseases have emerged. Of 1415 human pathogens, 61 percent are zoonotic, and multiple host pathogens. Animal-related disease outbreaks have resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars of economic damage. The alarming situation of wildlife trade, coupled with modern transportation systems historically increases the movement and cross-species transmission potential of a number of pathogens. Live animals comprising about 40,000 primates, 4 million birds, 6.4 million reptiles and 350 million tropical fish are traded globally each year. About 90,000 mammals are traded per year from a single market in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
About 7.7 million birds belonging to 276 species were reported to be sold from one market in Thailand during 25 weekends. Of 36,537 birds observed in 4 markets of Bangkok, 37% were native, while 63% were non-native species.
Consumption of wild animal meat in central Asia alone is more than one billion kg per year. Since 1980, more than 35 new human infectious diseases have emerged. SARS-associated Coranavirus is suggested to be associated with the international trade of small carnivore. Of 1,415 human pathogens, 61% are zoonotic, and multiple host pathogens. Seventy-seven percent pathogens of livestock inhabit other hosts.
Animal-related disease outbreaks have resulted hundreds of billions of dollars of economic damage globally. Outbreak of emerging and reemerging disease throughout the world since the mid 1990s has caused the loss of the world economies $80 billion. More information on this can be found in the Journal, “Emerging Infectious Diseases” at cdc.gov/eid .


Cinnamon might marginally reduce hyperglycemia, but it shouldn't take the place of effective medications.
Medscape Diabetes & Endocrinology, December 3, 2010

Health and Medicaid
Cutting Transplant Funding:

Certain organ transplants are no longer covered by Arizona’s version of Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor, due to state budget cuts, the NYT reports.
To achieve a budget savings of about $4.5 million per year, procedures including lung transplants, liver transplants for patients with hepatitis C and some bone marrow transplants are no longer performed on those low-income patients unless they can come up with the money themselves. The state legislature may reconsider the cuts in January, the paper says


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