Category: Health

Deep Brain Stimulation Failed A Young OCD – Julia Hum made her first visit to a state mental institution in Massachusetts five years ago, and she was confined to a wheelchair because of her condition. Soon, she wants to be able to leave her therapy with targeted deep brain stimulation and live on her own in her own room for the first time as an adult. She is looking forward to this significant milestone. His obsessive-compulsive condition, sometimes known as OCD, is severe. Hum is 24 years old. Because of her obsessive-compulsive disorder, she was unable to eat or drink, and she also harmed herself.

“Because I have OCD, I thought food and drinks were dirty,” Hum stated in response. She was concerned that the food she ate included insecticides or chemicals that were harmful to her health. “I knew these thoughts were crazy, but I really wanted to gain weight, eat the right amount, drink enough, and be healthy.” She remarked, “But my doubts were just so loud,” and meant it. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything else because they were yelling.”

Due to the numerous alterations that occurred in her blood pressure and heart rate, she was unable to move around without the assistance of a wheelchair. By means of an intravenous (IV) line, which consisted of a tube that was inserted through her nose and into her stomach, they provided her with food and drink. Following the treatment that she received, she is doing significantly better. Her high school equivalency award was presented to her in the month of August by the school. For a picture with it, she offered a broad smile. Now that she is able to eat and drink on a daily basis, she is no longer able to damage herself. She asserts that unwelcome thoughts are no longer in control of the situation.

“My OCD used to be like the captain of the ship, but now it’s more like an annoying passenger.” Hum responded by saying, “It’s there, but it’s not taking over my life.” This life-saving improvement, according to her and her doctors, is the result of recent research that assisted them in more accurately targeting a faulty circuit with a deep brain stimulator, which is a device that functions similarly to a pacemaker for her brain. For the past two decades, deep brain stimulators have been utilized to assist individuals who suffer from Parkinson’s disease and dystonia and who struggle to move properly.

In more recent years, they have been utilized in the treatment of a greater number of ailments, including Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mood disorders such as depression. Both of the gadgets are equipped with two sensors that are directed at the subthalamic nucleus, which is a region that is located deep within the brain and is roughly the size of a pea. A node that resembles a contact lens has more than 500,000 nerve cells. This node is named after the contact lens.

This is the mechanism by which information travels from the outside to the interior of the brain. Dr. Andreas Horn, a neuroscientist who works in the Brain Modulation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, describes it as being comparable to a telephone line. Doctors insert the probes by placing them in close proximity to the subthalamic nucleus, and then they use a pulse generator that is positioned beneath the skin of the chest to make adjustments to the settings.

After allowing the body to heal for around two weeks following surgery, they turn on the electricity and adjust the settings while continuing to do so until the patient is satisfied with them. HUM expressed something along the lines of, “All of a sudden I’ll feel lighter, my rituals will slow down, I’ll sit up straighter, and I’ll have more energy.”

CDC encourages vaccination despite rising US and global measles cases – US health officials are telling doctors about the sharp rise in measles cases around the world. They also tell families going to a country where measles is common to vaccinate babies as young as 6 months before they go. Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a health alert to doctors to make them more aware of how measles is spreading around the world. The alert told doctors to vaccinate babies a few months earlier than usual if their patients are going to be traveling abroad.

The alert comes before the busy travel times of spring and summer. The CDC said that measles outbreaks are happening in many countries, including Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the UK, all of which are popular holiday spots for Americans. The CDC also said that vaccine rates are too low in 36 US states. In these states, less than 95% of kindergarteners have been vaccinated against measles, which is below the threshold for herd immunity.

To stop an illness from spreading through a community, a certain percentage of people must be immunized against it. This is called “herd immunity.” But in the U.S., vaccination rates against measles are “pretty strong,” according to Dr. Nirav Shah, the senior deputy director of the CDC. This isn’t like Covid, where anyone can get it. “For vaccinated people…the chance of getting measles is thankfully not what it used to be because the vaccination rate is high,” Shah said. “However, we are worried that the number of people who have been vaccinated has dropped from 95% to 93%.”

Shah says that two percentage points might not seem like a lot, but about 250,000 kindergarteners are not covered by that amount of money. People think that the measles vaccine is one of the best ways to stay healthy. To stop an illness, two doses work about 97% of the time, while one dose works about 93% of the time. “Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that vaccines remain among the most effective and safest ways to protect public health and keep people from getting sick,” said Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, president of the American Medical Association, in an email.

The CDC has updated its travel guidelines and now says that people who are going on a foreign trip and aren’t sure if they are fully vaccinated should see a doctor at least six weeks before their trip. In the past, it was suggested that people see a doctor at least one month before they planned to go abroad. Babies usually get their first shot against measles, mumps, and rubella when they are one year old. The CDC says that the deadline for getting vaccinated should be pushed back a few months to protect kids who aren’t immune to the very contagious disease.

The CDC also says that kids at least a year old who haven’t been vaccinated should get two shots of the measles vaccine at least 28 days apart before they go on vacation. Measles virus can stay in the air for two hours after a person who has it has left a room. People can also get sick if they touch something that has virus bits on it and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.

Spreading measles is possible up to four days before and after a person gets the rash. About nine out of ten people who are exposed to the virus and have never been infected or vaccinated against it will get it themselves. If you are traveling and get a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, you should see a doctor. However, the CDC suggests that you let the clinic know ahead of time so that they can take steps to stop the possible spread of measles.

The CDC says that there are a lot of measles cases in 46 countries right now. Of these, 26 are in Africa, 4 are in Europe, 8 are in the Middle East, 7 are in Asia, and 2 are in Southeast Asia. The US has officially stopped having measles as a common disease, but every year there are still cases brought in from other countries. Most of these cases involve unvaccinated US citizens who get sick while traveling abroad.

The US is going to have a busy year. The CDC says that there have been 58 cases of measles in 17 states so far in 2024. This is the same number of cases that were reported in all of 2023. Some of these cases were spread within the same community. In the US, new cases have been found in Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Chicago. The CDC is telling all people who are going to be traveling abroad that they could get measles if they haven’t had the full series of shots at least two weeks before their trip or if they have never had measles before. Anyone of any age can get very sick from measles, and it can lead to major problems like pneumonia and even death.

EPA bans last form of asbestos used in United States – In a statement released on Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States announced that it is taking a “historic” move by prohibiting the continued use of asbestos, which has been linked for a long time to a variety of cancers. Chrysotile asbestos is the only type of asbestos that is currently being utilized in or imported into the United States, and the announcement of the final rule by the environmental agency applies to this type of asbestos.

It is the form of asbestos that is used the most frequently all over the world, and it is particularly prevalent in automobile components, such as aftermarket automotive brakes and linings, as well as other vehicle friction goods and gaskets. In addition, it is prohibited in fifty other countries. The naturally occurring material known as asbestos is a fibrous, thin substance that is resistant to heat, electricity, and corrosion.

It is also a resilient material. Due to the fact that it is affordable, manufacturers and builders have utilized various types of the material in a variety of products, including cigarette filters, hair dryers, and home insulation. As soon as scientists discovered that the fibers of asbestos could easily break apart into very small particles that may be absorbed into the lungs and cause damage, manufacturers began to reduce their use of asbestos.

Despite the fact that the usage of asbestos in the United States has been decreasing for decades, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that asbestos exposure is connected to more than 40,000 deaths in the country. Several types of cancer, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, have been linked to asbestos exposure, according to academic studies.

Monday was the day that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) welcomed the shift, referring to it as a “major milestone” for chemical safety. This comes “after more than three decades of inadequate protections and serious delays during the administration that came before.”

It is abundantly obvious that asbestos is a proven carcinogen that has serious repercussions for the health of the general population. Vice President Biden is aware of the fact that this issue has been a problem for many generations and has had an effect on the lives of a great number of people. “That is why the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos,” said Michael Regan, the administrator of the EPA, in a prepared statement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established several timelines for various businesses to transition away from asbestos. When it comes to the automotive sector, the prohibition will take effect six months after the date of the final regulation, which is sixty days after it is published in the Federal Register. This includes brakes, linings, and other goods that cause friction in vehicles, as well as gaskets. In order to produce sodium hydroxide and chlorine, which the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) considers to be “critical” for disinfecting drinking water and wastewater, the chlor-alkali business, which is the primary supplier of chlorine worldwide, uses asbestos diaphragms. Despite the fact that the government stated that there are other ways to create chlorine, the eight factories in the United States that continue to utilize asbestos diaphragms will be required to find alternative ways to carry out their operations. At a minimum, they will be given an additional five years to complete this change.

A statement was released by the American Chemistry Council, which is a trade association that represents businesses that use asbestos products. The statement stated that the American Chemistry Council’s Chlorine Panel had provided the Environmental Protection Agency with data that suggested the agency required a transition timeline of fifteen years in order to “support an orderly transition and to avoid a significant disruption of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. It was said by the council that they have not seen the final rule.

When there is a phaseout that lasts for more than two years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that it will demand stringent occupational safety measures to protect the health of workers. The AFL-CIO, which is the largest labor organization in the country and comprises unions, praised the ban that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) imposed because it offers “landmark protection” for workers.

According to a statement released by the federation, “This action once again demonstrates the profound commitment of the Biden administration to ensure that working people continue to remain safe and healthy while they are on the job.” Despite the fact that it is a significant step forward, the move that was taken on Monday does not eliminate all types of asbestos fibers and does not address “legacy” asbestos that is present in the country’s older buildings and infrastructure. According to a statement released by the American Federation of Labor and Industries (AFL-CIO), “We urge the EPA to move swiftly to address those risks as well.”

After An FDA Label Modification – The use of Wegovy is no longer limited to weight loss alone. Novo Nordisk’s application to add cardiovascular benefits to the medicine’s label was approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States on Friday. This makes the medicine the first weight-loss drug to also be cleared to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death related to the heart in individuals who are at a higher risk of these conditions. Wegovy, which will cost more than $1,300 per month out of pocket before any discounts are applied, may see an improvement in insurance coverage as a result of the label expansion.

It is difficult for patients to afford weight reduction medications because many insurance companies, including Medicare, do not cover these medications. “The evidence is that they reduce risk and save lives, and as a result, it is indefensible to deny people access to medications that will directly improve their health, or to make it difficult for people to access medications that will do so,” Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, stated on Friday.

He does not have any conflicts of interest and has not received any funds from Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly, both of which produces drugs that are in direct competition with his own. “What is important to remember is that these drugs are not about beauty but rather about health. By treating obesity, we are aware that we can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, and this may be just one of the many benefits that result from this treatment. An permission was granted on the basis of a study that involved 17,000 patients and demonstrated that individuals who took Wegovy, which is the sister medicine of the more well-known Ozempic, had a 20% decreased chance of experiencing a cardiac event compared to those who took a placebo.

Wegovy is recommended for individuals who have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 – which is regarded to be obese – or those who have a BMI of at least 27 – which is considered to be overweight – and at least one “weight-related” health issue such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. The use of Ozempic treating type 2 diabetes has been approved. Both of these medications include the active component semaglutide, which belongs to a category of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

“Wegovy is now the first weight loss medication to also be approved to help prevent life-threatening cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight,” Dr. John Sharretts, the director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity at the Food and Drug Administration, said in a press release issued by the agency.

He continued by saying, “This patient population has a higher risk of fatal cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.” It is a significant step forward for public health to be able to offer a treatment option that has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

People with cardiovascular disease participated in the trial conducted by Novo Nordisk. This means that they had experienced a heart attack or stroke in the past, or they exhibited indications of peripheral artery disease, which is characterized by clogged arteries in the arms or legs. To determine whether or if there are benefits to the heart for individuals who have not experienced a cardiac episode, additional research needs to be conducted.

There is still a shortage of Wegovy and other GLP-1 treatments, as pharmaceutical companies are having trouble keeping up with the demand for these medications. It was announced by Novo Nordisk one month ago that the company will be steadily expanding the supply throughout the course of this year. “The shortages are really, really bad right now,” Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said on Friday. “The shortages are really, really bad.” She stated that she does not have any connections to the pharmaceutical industry.

It was her goal that the enlarged approval would result in an improvement in insurance coverage, particularly in light of the fact that generic alternatives to weight-loss drugs can be associated with heart risks. However, she also mentioned that “if insurance comes on board with this indication,” she has “no idea how manufacturing will ever catch up.”

With that being said, Dushay went on to say that “this might also help prioritize use of [the drugs] among those with highest-risk obesity,” which includes individuals who already have cardiovascular disease. Doug Langa, who is the head of North America Operations for Novo Nordisk, stated in a press release that was issued on Friday that the business is striving “to increase manufacturing capacity to responsibly supply this important medicine.”