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Quick Blood Test for Bacteria

July 7, 2016 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

Researchers developed a quick blood test to discern between bacteria and viruses.

A quick blood test would be enough to tell someone if their medical condition requires an antibiotic treatment or not.

The experts warned long time ago that antibiotics are used more than necessary, and they are also prescribed for viral infections, over which they have no power.

A team of scientists has been working on a method to test whether an infection is caused by a bacterium or by a virus. The research is especially useful for family physicians, which could be able to discern between patients that need antibiotics and those that do not need this type of treatment.

The quick blood test involves gene responses, and the results will be available in just an hour.

Such a test would prevent the risk of creating antibiotic resistance in the population. Another advantage would be the fact that the patient will avoid the secondary effects of antibiotic use.

Among the unwanted effects of antibiotics, the authors remind tendon ruptures, kidney damages, or changes in the normal bacterial flora that resides in the gut.

The medical experts explain that the abuse of antibiotics is the primary cause for the apparition of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can be treated with difficulty as it developed with protection against all the known medicine.

The spread of such new type of bacteria could lead to a series of incurable diseases. It had been estimated that the emergence of new diseases would cause by 2050 a $100 trillion loss in the gross domestic product all over the world.

The officials recommend doctors to be careful in correctly diagnosing a bacterial infection and to prescribe antibiotics only in proper cases. However, it is difficult for physicians to tell whether a medical condition is caused by a bacteria or a virus.

As the symptoms are very similar, the researchers turned to the gene expression. The cell extracts information from genes and it expresses it in RNA. When the organism fights an infection, the cell mirrors the molecules differently.

The team of scientists reports they discovered different responses in the two cases. The test was used on 96 critically ill children in Nepal, and it requires only seven genes to detect whether the infection is viral or bacterial.

Even if the quick block test proved to be correct when tested on complicated medical conditions such as the ones in Nepal, in order to make it available for doctors the scientists need to be incorporated in a special device.

In the meantime, the general population is advised to be careful with infections that are caused by viruses, such as colds, flu, bronchitis, sinus infections, which do not need antibiotic treatment but still a visit to the doctor in necessary in order to obtain a correct cure and to avoid complications.

Image Source: Public Domain Image

People With HIV Could Cut Organ Demand

May 16, 2015 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

People who die after being infected with HIV can be a potential source for transplantation with more than 400 annual donors in the United States. for the benefit of people who got the infection but need organs to live, according to researchers who explained there would be an important benefit for non-infected patients also on the waiting-list.

The research assessed the level of quality that potential organs from HIV-infected deceased donors have. They discovered for example that HIV-associated kidney disease would need to be evaluated for future kidney donation while in the case of the livers they revealed to be of better transplant quality.

Until recently, explain the authors who published their results in the American Journal of Transplantation, HIV-infected patients were labeled ineligible to get an organ transplant, but they can now access the organs if their body has a “good renal and liver outcomes” compared with remaining on the list.

In spite of this, the US disparity between the numbers of patients on the waiting list and available organs “can disproportionately affect HIV-infected patients”. This group of patients needing organs are more likely to die on the list than those who are HIV-negative.

America’s HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act was signed into law in November of 2013 to allow research into organ donations from one person with HIV to another.

“The findings are significant because there are not enough organ donors in the US to meet the needs of all of the patients who might benefit from life-saving organ transplants”, said Dr. Emily Blumberg, the senior author of the study and professor in infectious diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

“Some of the patients waiting for organsare infected with HIV but never make it to transplant because they either die while waiting or become too sick to be transplanted. HIV patients who undergo transplantation generally do well, so it is important to continue to look for ways to improve access to transplantation for them”, she said.

The risk of HIV transmission has made illegal the donation to uninfected people, but some patients could still benefit from organ supply by turning to HIV-infected deceased donors. Expanding the options for people who are already infected would cut the demand on organs offered by HIV-free donors.

Approximately 123,000 people are currently waiting for an organ on the US list for transplants. The wait is long. For example, for almost half of last year just 11,844 people got organ transplants.

Image Source: The ODRC

Novel Study Intends To Test Survivors’ Blood To Treat Ebola Patients

November 20, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

An alliance of companies along with some aid groups revealed plans Tuesday to test experimental medications and gather blood plasma from Ebola survivors to treat new sufferers of the disease in West Africa.

Plasma from survivors contains antibodies — substances the immune system makes to brawl the disease. A few Ebola patients have gotten survivor plasma and recuperated, however specialists say there is no real way to know whether it truly helps without a study like the one they are going to begin this month.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $5.7 million to scale up creation of the medicines for the task in Guinea and other Ebola-affected countries in Africa. More than twelve organizations, colleges, and others are helping supplies, staff and money, and are working with the countries and the World Health Organization on particular systems and areas.

Other than helping Ebola patients now, plasma “could be a gizmo for a future outbreak too” from diverse viruses, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“You may not have medications and vaccines for some new thing” and it would be excellent to have capacities set up to gather and provide plasma to fill the crevice until those different apparatuses can be produced, he said.

Until now, there are no medications or vaccines approved for Ebola, which has taken the lives of around 5,000 individuals this year in West Africa, the vast majority of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Former week, doctors without borders also said it would host studies of experimental treatments and plasma at 3 of its West Africa treatment centers.

The medications to be tested by both groups contain brincidofovir, an antiviral drug that has been attempted in a couple of Ebola cases as such. Its producer, North Carolina-based Chimerix Inc., created it to treat different sorts of viruses and lab tests propose it may battle Ebola.

“We said to them, ‘well, if money was no constraint, what amount might you be able to make?’ and they provided us a number,” Gates said. “So we said, ‘alright, we’ll take the chance that perhaps no one will ever purchase this from you. So we’ll help you expand the production.'”

Making plasma accessible is an intricate errand. Plasma is the lucid part of blood, and the part that contains antibodies. In Africa, donors’ blood will be cleaned via machine to eliminate little amounts of plasma and give back the rest of the blood to the benefactor — a process that permits somebody to give as frequently as every two weeks.

One of the first patients effectively treated for Ebola in the United States — Dr. Kent Brantly, aid worker — got plasma from a 14-year-old boy he treated in Africa, where he was tainted. Brantly has given plasma a few times to Ebola patients in the United States.

However, a plasma beneficiary must have a compatible blood type as the giver. Also, survivors who give plasma should be tested to verify they are cured of Ebola and don’t have other illnesses, for example, hepatitis, syphilis or HIV. The Africa study will make an added stride — utilization of a trial framework by Cerus Corp. for inactivating viruses in blood.

Dr. Ada Igonoh, a specialist in Nigeria who got Ebola from a patient and recuperated, hopes to give plasma and volunteer others for the study.

“Survivors will be ready if they comprehend the objective,” she said.

Recently, Igonoh and Brantly met with Gates to talk about the task at an American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene gathering in New Orleans.

Dr. Luciana Borio, who is heading the Food and Drug Administration’s Ebola reaction, talked at the meeting about plasma. Despite the fact that it appeared to help sometimes, “The upshot is that we don’t generally know whether it helps and to what degree it may help,” she said.

“We’d love to not be in the same circumstance later on,” and a study is the best way to know beyond any doubt, she said.

A Northeast Ohio organization, Clinical Research Management Inc., that agreement with sponsors to run clinical trials, will lead the plasma study in Africa. Plasma will be gathered through three bloodmobiles gave by one more Microsoft co-founder, Paul G. Allen, and the Greenbaum Foundation. The bloodmobiles have been moved to Africa.

The US Armed Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) will give Ebola testing to the study. A few colleges will help, as will the Blood Centers of America and the Safe Blood for Africa Foundation. Several other organizations contribute utensils and supplies.

Californian State Implemented Sturdy Ebola-Protection Rules for Health Workers

November 15, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

According to the recent reports revealed, California has implemented some of the nation’s strapping rules to guard doctors, nurses along with other health workers dealing with patients with Ebola.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the rules on Friday, require approximately state’s 300 acute-care hospitals to supply hazardous material suits, respirators, isolation rooms and extensive training to individuals dealing with patients suspected of getting the Ebola virus.

The novel rules elucidate and expand upon general recommendation released in Oct.

Nurses praised the rules as a model for the rest of the nation.

Chuck Idelson, a spokesperson for National Nurses United said, “The governor and OSHA have really inspired nurses using their persistence to this. They’ve proven a complete dedication to look after patients and nurses.”

The rules tend to be more comprehensive than those put forth by the CDC, that the state’s hospitals have been following so far.

Jan Emerson-Shea, speaker for the California Hospital Association, said, “Hospitals will work carefully with Cal/OSHA authorities as hands-on training periods go on for individuals employees who are likely to provide care to patients with Ebola.”

Until now, no Ebola cases happen to be reported in California, even though the virus is constantly devastating West Africa, where about 5,100 individuals have died. Within the United States, one person has died of Ebola yet.

The new rules pursue a global nurses’ protest Thursday demanding more powerful protections for individuals dealing with Ebola patients.

IHA: Unknown Virus Closed Entry Of Children Under 12 In Hospital

September 6, 2014 By Chen Lai Leave a Comment

There is a breakthrough and panic situation in Illinois because all hospitals in Illinois strictly asked to stop kids under 12 years of age for visit buildings, as the area is suspecting an epidemic of an unidentified virus which is causing respiratory problems among children. And for this virus more than 70 kids have been suffered in the area so far.

These suffered 70 kids had visited the Hospital in Quincy, southwest Illinois, and after that they suspected from respiratory issues, Reuters reported, citing officials. The unidentified virus has not yet been identified, but all the sources say that it seems to be comparable to HEV68, another respiratory disease that had hit in St. Louis and in Kansas City the weekend previously, Robert Merrick, an epidemiologist at the hospital, told a news reporter.

The report came on Wednesday; Hannibal Regional Healthcare System in Hannibal also warned a same notice to the kids in the district for the virus causing problems like vomiting, swelling, fever, runny nose, body and muscle pains, cough and inflammation. They strictly gave orders to stop the visitors because this virus is spreading very rapidly. They asked for help to the local city health officer to take action against this destructive virus.

The city government told to the media that people should not excessively fright and obtain all the hygienic habits like use only clean water, avoid any type of cola and wash hands before and after meal. The public should keep away from striking wild meat for now, and cook every food especially meat very well. Even though we are up till now to verify this case, we support people to report any indication of a sick person to the closest hospital as soon as possible.

Illinois government also released a notice in a press release said Last week, St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri it observed a 50 percent rise in the number of cases it admitted associated with the unknown germ, at the same time as Missouri’s Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City recorded 300 children with the same disease.

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