Back to the Future: Human Disease Edition - http://clapway.com/2015/12/28/back-to-the-future-human-disease-edition-123/

Rare diseases are making a comeback in the United Kingdom. The Victorian diseases, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, measles and whooping cough disease have made it back to the future that thought them defeated. The National Health Service of England has declared that there has been a steady rise in the incidence of these diseases in the last five years, backed up by a new study out of London, England.

England Goes Back to Victorian Times

Public Health England has reported a rise in scarlet fever cases over the last two years. They don’t expect the numbers to go down during the upcoming season. Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is a bacterial infection that affects children at or below the age of 10. Symptoms include pink rashes, skin infection and a sore throat.

Tuberculosis Makes a Grand Entrance

Tuberculosis has always been a huge world problem. It affects 113 in every 100,000 people. The rate has gone down significantly in developed countries, but countries that are underdeveloped or developing have much higher numbers. There’s been a 300% rise in cases of cholera, and a 38% rise in the incidence of scurvy, a disease caused by a significant deficiency in vitamin C.

Disease Rarely Comes Out of Nowhere

London health experts have inferred on the rise of these Victorian diseases. Migration is the top cause that may have caused this rise and spread. This is because people are the biggest transportation vessel for these sicknesses. Malnutrition is the second highest cited cause, as malnourished people have weaker immune systems. This makes them more prone to catch these diseases and more vulnerable to viruses and bacterial infections. Another possible cause is improper or lack of health care. The UK alone is cutting as much as $300 million from the National Health Service’s budget. This will come as a huge blow to programs that look to protect children and the elder from these infectious diseases.

Will England Reduce the Number of People Let into the Country?

With migration being the number one suggested cause for the peak in cases of these diseases, it is possible England will be more choosy about the people that come into UK soil. This comes at an inconvenient time, with Syrian refugees looking for asylum all over the world. It’s yet to be seen how they will handle these findings.

Back to the Future: Human Disease Edition

Rabbit Fever and Parrot Fever, Which is Worse? - http://clapway.com/2015/12/05/rabbit-fever-and-parrot-fever-worse-123/

Health officials have found an increase in two rare diseases called rabbit fever and parrot fever. Both diseases, carried by the animals they were named after, are spread through bacteria in the animals.

Rabbit Fever and Parrot Fever: The Risks

There have been 235 cases of rabbit fever treated this year. 100 of them were in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, and one of them resulted in death. This is the highest count of rabbit fever found since 1984. The bacteria that causes this infection can be transmitted to ticks and deer flies from rabbits, and they can spread it to humans. Symptoms of this fever include sudden fevers, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain and general fatigue.

Parrot fever, on the other hand, is transmitted directly from the birds to humans. Any contact with feces or urine, even contact to the bird’s beak can transmit the bacteria, called Chlamydia psittaci. It also may be transmitted by other pet birds, but it is most commonly associated with parrots. People can also become infected through chickens, turkeys, pigeouns, cockatiels, parakeets and ducks. This specific infection is quite rare, but it resembles the flu or pneumonia. Its symptoms start 10 days after exposure and can give people fevers, chills, nausea and vomiting, muscle and joint pain, diarrhea, fatigue and a dry cough. Other signs include photosensitivity, chest pain and in some cases it can even cause swelling of internal organs. Both rabbit fever and parrot fever can be treated with antibiotics.

The Danger of Rabbit Fever

Some authorities are worried that rabbit fever can be used as a bioterrorism weapon, which is why there is always a lookout for this disease. The incidence of rabbit fever is still relatively low. Before 1940, there were over 2,000 cases of rabbit fever reported each year, so people must be conscious of rodents if the numbers are to stay down.

 

 

 

Rabbit Fever and Parrot Fever, Which is Worse?

Too many are afflicted with #Alzheimer"sDisease - does it have to be? - http://clapway.com/2015/08/23/study-alzheimers-disease-caused-by-unhealthy-lifestyle-422/

The cause of one of the widespread health issues all over the world, Alzheimer’s disease still remains unsure to this day. It is calculated that at present, 44 million people have Alzheimer’s worldwide, making the need of a cure more and more urgent.

The idea of living a life without being able to remember anything from the past and the present seems hopeless, but, actually, that’s what Alzheimer’s patients deal with everyday, often not even recognising their own children. On a brighter note, A new study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, may be the key to uncover the disease.

LIFESTYLE INFLUENCING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

The team of scientists studied, identified and analyzed the factors from 323 surveys that had been conducted in the past, from 1968 to 2014. What the study showed was that Alzheimer’s may be prevented by a healthy lifestyle.

Low education, obesity, depression, high blood pressure, frailty, high levels of certain amino acids, low education and a narrowing of the carotid artery in the neck, are some of the most common factors reported among two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease was found to be associated with diabetes and smoking among Asians but the findings are insufficient, although there is a clear correlation with one another.

Related Post: Does Alzheimer’s Disease Affect Races Differently?

On the contrary, protective effects against Alzheimer’s seem to have four medical exposures — statin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antihypertensives and estrogen — along with folate, vitamins E and C, and coffee. Also, patients that suffer from heart disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and arthritis were associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Jin-Tai Yu, associate specialist in neurology at the University of California and senior editor of the study, notes that this research can prove important to people “if they correctly address the potentially modifiable risk factors that might help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”

THE NUMBERS ARE POSITIVE

Another study published in The Lancet Neurology Journals unveils that dementia rates have been stabilizing in Europe with healthy lifestyle and regular exercise playing important parts. However, scientists are pointing out that mental diseases still remain an issue, especially since the costs involved in taking care of sufferers are extremely high and those afflicted have little chance of recovery.

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Britain’s Alzheimer’s Society says that the study shows that the percentage of people in particular age groups developing dementia is getting smaller but the overall number of patients will increase as more people live into their 80s and 90s.

---

 

Catch up on the week with Clapway’s Best of the Week:

Study: Alzheimer"s Disease Caused by Unhealthy Lifestyle

%Microbes in our intestines can trigger #autoimmune uveitis, and a new study found microbes produce #proteins allowing harmful #immunecells to enter our eyes.% - http://clapway.com/2015/08/19/autoimmune-blindness-gut-microbes-101

Autoimmune uveitis is among the leading causes of blindness. There exist microbes that dwell naturally in our intestines that can be trigger to this disease, and a new study has found that some such microbes produce proteins that candor to harmfully maladjusted immune cells’ entering our eyes.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE ATTACKS EYES

This notion of intestinal microbes promoting autoimmune uveitis “has been there in the back of our minds,” comments ocular immunologist Andrew Taylor of the Boston University School of Medicine, a scientific bystander. “This is the first time that it’s been shown that gut flora seems to be part of the process.”

In fact, roughly 400,000 people presently in the States have autoimmune uveitis, a disease that sets the body’s means of controlling the immune system, T cells, on a mission to invade the eye and damage its middle layer. T cells are triggered by a special molecule called antigens, and when eye proteins are misidentified as antigens, T cells go haywire and attack. This isn’t an exceptional condition; healthy people possess the same T cells, it’s just that they don’t usually attack the eyes en masse. In order for T cells to attack at all they must first be activated by their corresponding antigen. It’s rare for antigens associated with autoimmune uveitis to leave the eye, so the question at hand is how on Earth are the wrong T cells stimulated the wrong way?

GUT MICROBES TO BLAME

The new study’s immunologist Rachel Caspi of the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, along with her colleagues, performed some genetic engineering on mice to trigger their T cells in the wrong way described above. The critters developed symptoms just as they were weaned. However, the study found that giving the mice four antibiotics capable of killing most of their gut microbes actually delayed the onset and reduced the severity of the disease. This effect was also noticed in germ-free mice, referred to as such because of their lack of gut bacteria.

EXTENSIVE T CELL TESTING

In order to know if gut microbes were actually stimulating the wrong T cells, Caspi and crew mixed intestinal contents of diseased mice to T cell cultures. This lovely cocktail activated the T cells, which means they had become the wrong kind, ready to infect. Caspi’s team suspected a specific protein intestinal microbes release of triggering T cells, so they injected a protein-destroying enzyme to the intestinal cocktail. Afterwards the T cell had a sluggish response to stimuli, which lends weight to the notion of them responding to a protein. Separately, scientists injected T cells from genetically altered mice into control mice not susceptible to autoimmune uveitis, the hypothesis being that T cells unexposed to intestinal material cannot cause uveitis. However, 86% of the mice developed the disease unless they had not received the major dose of T cells formerly exposed to diseased intestinal contents, reported researchers in Immunity, yesterday.

This means that a specific group of bacteria natural to the intestines produces proteins akin to those found in the eye, activating T cells present in the intestines. “We can prove that activation is occurring in the gut,” Caspi announced. Post-activation, these renegade T cells are then presumed to journey up to the eyes, where they force their way in and wreak a blinding havoc.

“It’s a very rigorous approach, and it really adds to our knowledge” regarding how autoimmune uveitis gets its start, remarked ocular immunologist Russell Read of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, another scientific spectator.

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS & NEW QUESTIONS

So far this is solid scientific progress, but the next question to answer, according to immunologist James Rosenbaum of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, is why only some (and not all) of us develop autoimmune reactions in our retinas. He goes on to suggest that perhaps only some humans have the bacteria necessary to stimulate T cells, or that a genetic predisposition may be involved.

Caspi and crew don’t want to raise false hopes of popping some antibiotic to cure autoimmune uveitis, but by cataloging gut mimesis of ocular proteins in conjunction with trigger-happy bacteria, researchers may one day procure new methods to treat or prevent this mysterious disease.

–story originally covered by Mitch Leslie of Science Magazine

---

 

ENJOY HEALTHY EYES WITH LIFELIGHT; SUNLIGHT INDOORS

https://youtu.be/OkdNaE0dwk0

Autoimmune Disease Behind Blindness Caused By Gut Microbes

Archaeology Meets History: The Grateful Dead Of Jamestown - http://clapway.com/2015/08/02/archaeology-meets-history-the-grateful-dead-in-jamestown-111/

Several hundred years ago, a chaplain, a soldier, a nobleman and an explorer were brought together to establish the original British settlement in America. They faced hardship in disease, diet scarcity, native animosity, violence and intra-community struggles. And they may have been forgotten forever if not for a recent dig, which identified their bodies 400 years after their death.

ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY

These four historical icons’ confirmation were announced on Tuesday, at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The team of researchers responsible for the find was led by anthropologist Douglas Owsley, and together they confirmed the identity of these deceased settlers. Uncovered in the chancel of Jamestown’s historic 1608 church, the place Pocahontas married John Rolfe, are the remains of Reverend Robert Hunt, Captain Gabriel Archer, sir Ferdinando Wainman, and Captain William West.

“We have discovered four of the first leaders of the whole English enterprise in America,” said James Horn, the president of the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeology project.

THE PRIVILEGED DIE, TOO

In the year 2010, when archaeologists first discovered the 1608 church, they knew immediately that these deceased were once men of stature, i.e. rich and entitled, since burial under a chancel

is traditionally reserved for the most important members of an Anglican church.

The graves’ excavation started in 2013.

MULTIFARIOUS EMPIRICAL METHODS USED FOR STUDY

Despite the fact that only 30% of the skeletons remained intact enough for study, the scientists involved in the study were able to identify the ruined bodies with the help of reliably disparate evidence, including the relatively ritualistic way in which they were buried, chemical analyses of bones and surrounding material, genealogical research and 3D imaging technology.

E.g., with a little study of the teeth, forensic experts were able to deduce each of the mens’ age of death. This was then cross-referenced with old baptismal records and attendance at universities.

These deceased teeth also shed light on how long each of the men had lived in the settlement. Why does this matter? It turns out those whom had left the Old World for the New tended to develop serious decay and abscesses in their teeth. Owsley thinks the change in diet was responsible for this. While these men were in England, the men ate mostly barley and wheat, but, in America, they’d switched to corn, whose sticky carbohydrates are more inimical to dental health.

When the data from these remains is conjoined into an image, we construct a story of life, death and religious beliefs during a critical twist in history during a time of mass settlement. This shows us a time when humble beginnings faced annihilation by famine and disease every single day.

 

---

 

FORTUNATELY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO HYDRATE

Archaeology Meets History: The Grateful Dead Of Jamestown

Bill Gates Funded Malaria Vaccine Earns European Approval - http://clapway.com/2015/07/24/bill-gates-funded-malaria-vaccine-earns-european-approval335/

Malaria, one of the greatest threats to human life in places like Zambia, Kenya, and the broader sub-Saharan Africa, may have met its mortal match. A malaria vaccine that Bill Gates has backed whole-heartedly (which is to say, affluently) was just approved by the European Medicines Agency. It’s called Mosquirix.

FINAL TESTING GROUNDS for the malaria vaccine

The next step for this malaria vaccine is for it to be reviewed and tested by the World Health Organization. In order for Moquirix to pass, consent and support must be gained from individual countries.

aFFECTED DEMOGRAPHICS

Initially, trials completed thus far have shown the vaccine is most effective in infants and toddlers, between the ages of 5 and 17 months. This would cut the number of present malaria cases by nearly half. For babies younger than this, the malaria vaccine caused the number of cases to drop by 27%.

WHY THE CHILDREN?

Mosquirix is best suited for the youngest children for a few reasons. Firstly, their immune system is still developing, so the malaria vaccine can be made a part of the child’s immune system’s fundamental structure, instead of an added misnomer in adulthood. Secondly, since a child’s immune system is weak in this stage of their life, it is also when they are most susceptible to malaria.

HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK?

Mosquirix is rather unique. Most vaccines go straight to the bloodstream, but Mosquirix, having been designed to preclude disease from a parasite, actually prevents Malaria from producing and multiplying itself in the liver, before it ever has a chance to enter the patient’s bloodstream and cause the symptomatic signs .

PRESCRIBED DOSAGE

The new vaccine is administered in four doses: the first three occur one month apart, and the final booster dose is administered one and a half years later to reinforce protection from the disease.

WHY PREVENT A DISEASE THAT’S CURABLE?

Despite this disease’s being completely preventable and perfectly treatable, Malaria has killed 584,000 people in 2013, ninety percent of which happened exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa. What’s worse, 83% killed were under the age of five.

According to the World Health Organization, Malaria is the fifth largest killer in sub-Saharan Africa.

The project responsible for bringing this vaccine into successful project, Path, is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which pumped over $200 million into the vaccine’s development and testing.

HARROWING WAIT

Unfortunately, this vaccine is not yet licensed in countries where malaria is most widespread. The World Health Organization anticipates that, until 2017, these countries will be on their own.

---

 

stay hydrated, healthy, and fit with the hidrateme smart water bottle.

Bill Gates Funded Malaria Vaccine Earns European Approval

What Microbes Do You Commute With? - http://clapway.com/2015/07/03/what-microbes-do-you-commute-with769/

It’s not unthinkable that a few germs are riding the rails of New York City’s subways. With the amount of people who climb in and out of those metal cars every day (over 5 million), you are bound to want to give your hands a good wash before touching your face. But what would you do if you knew what organisms actually lived in the New York City subway system?

Weill Cornell Medical College went around New York and took swabs. Turns out, a lot of the microbes they found were just normal, every day stuff. But there were a few surprises…

Meningitis is often associated with living in close quarters. What happens is that the protective membrane of your brain becomes inflamed. There are 5 types of the disease, some more intense than others. Bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic versions exists. Viral meningitis is the one that is known for being spread when people are close together, so given that it’s a disease found in the subway, there isn’t much surprise. If you ever lived in a college dorm, you were required to have your shot for meningitis. Symptoms can be as simple as a fever, stiff neck, and a head ache. But the death rate when the disease is left untreated is almost 90%.

Food Poisoning:

Food poisoning can be caused by a few different things. Some are Salmonella and E. coli. Which disease causing microbe was found in the subway probably doesn’t matter, because there are many that you can find in any dirty kitchen or spoiled food. But these bacteria were found in the subway.

These little buggers can be life threatening, even if they are so common. Diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause dehydration, are often caused by Campylobacter Infection.

Bubonic Plague:

Yersinia pestis- Often associated with rats, vermin, and other unsanitary situations. Yes, it’s no secret the subway system is infested with rats. And the plague is still alive and well. But not in the subway—all bubonic plague samples found in the subway were dead. So, bubonic plague is an unexpected, but not a surprising find in a populated city. It just means that the subway has a few rats in it, which as stated, we all know.

Anthrax:

If you’re my age, you’ll remember the anthrax scare. And turns out at least two samples of anthrax were found in the subway. Anthrax is caused by bacteria, but can be weaponized. The samples found were from bacillus anthracis, the normal anthrax that is found in infected meat. If you ate it, yeah. You’d get it. But riding the subway won’t give you lesions, boils, violent vomiting, bloody diarrhea… then again, I’m no doctor.

Cheese:

Yup. Last, but not lease, one the biggest microbes found in the subway was cheese-making. After all, the New York slice is as famous as the Philly cheese steak. It makes sense that a few cheese microbes would latch onto the subway.

---

 

If you want to avoid a few of these sketchy microbes, you may want to consider the Penny skateboard for your urban commuting needs.

What Microbes Do You Commute With?

New Drug for Cystic Fibrosis Approved by FDA - http://clapway.com/2015/07/03/new-drug-for-cystic-fibrosis-approved-by-fda765/

New Drug for Cystic Fibrosis approved by FDA

Yesterday, the FDA announced its approval of the new drug to treat those who have the F509del mutation of Cystic Fibrosis. The announcement can be found on their website, in which the post about the new drug for Cystic Fibrosis was put up for immediate release.

What is the new drug for Cystic Fibrosis?

The new drug is called Orkambi that is a combination therapy to treat CF, featuring the chemicals ivacaftor and lumcaftor. The new drug for Cystic Fibrosis is supposed to help correct the mutated genes in the afflicted whereas before efforts were concentrated on treating the symptoms of CF.

Drug cut through some tedious wait time.

In addition to being approved by the FDA, the new drug was given the drug designation of “orphan drug” for its treatment of CF, which brings many benefits to the developers of the drug. Among those benefits are financial incentives, and other promotional deals to produce the drug. The drug has cut through some longer trial testing in the priority review of six months or so instead of the usual ten month trail because the new drug for Cystic Fibrosis is supposed to be a huge game changer.

The clinical trials had positive results which helped in the drug getting its approval by the FDA. In fact, in the study those who took two of the new drug for Cystic Fibrosis every twelve hours showed having better lung function than those who were taking the placebo.

However, the new drug for Cystic Fibrosis is not without its drawbacks as well. The common side effects of the drug in the news release are shortness of breath, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, diarrhea, and rash that can pop up. Some women who took the drug even experienced increased menstrual bleeding and a few other things.

But there is also the fact that the drug is targeted only to a specific genetic mutation and not the disease as a whole, although some help is better than no help at all in aiding those afflicted with CF.

---

 

Stay healthy, hydrated, and fit with the HidrateMe water bottle.

New Drug for Cystic Fibrosis Approved by FDA