The Real Reason Families Are Displaying Purple Pumpkins This Halloween

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2020-10-31 21:05:14

• Salt Lake, Davis counties to move to moderate level on COVID-19 transmission index

  SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 4, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake and Davis counties will be moving from the high to the moderate level on the COVID-19 transmission index, state officials confirmed Thursday morning. Gov. Spencer Cox announced the change in a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday. The...Read Full StoryCovid-19Public HealthUtah StateCounty OfficialsState OfficialsGephardt DailyUtahnsCountiesTransmission LevelCOVID-19 TransmissionChronic Kidney DiseaseHospital CapacityPositive TestsGary Herbert

• Marinette teen raises awareness about rare disease

  MARINETTE — Young Addison Lacy knows firsthand about a disease that most people — and likely some doctors — don’t even know exists. Lacy, an 8th grade student at Marinette Middle School, addressed the Marinette Common Council Tuesday to spread the word of Amyloidosis Awareness Month in March. “I’m volunteering...Read Full StoryRare DiseaseCancer TreatmentBone CancerRaise AwarenessTeenFamily DoctorsMarinette Middle SchoolBone MarrowOrgan FailureOrgansProteinMiddle-aged PeopleMichiganClarkston

• Immune Defense Guidance System Revealed

  COVID-19 is only the latest infectious disease to have had an outsized impact on human life. A new study employing ancient human DNA reveals how tuberculosis has affected European populations over the past 2,000 years, specifically the impact that disease has had on the human genome. An international team including...Read Full StoryVirusDnaInfectious DiseaseInflammationHuman PopulationsTuberculosisCancer PainD614Pain ResearchersAncient Human DNANeuropathic PainEuropean PopulationsHuman LifeAnimal ModelsInternational Team

• A new approach to pandemic control by informing people of their social distance from exposure

  Po-Shen Lo, a mathematician who works in graph theory, writes about a new approach he devised for pandemic control. He writes:. The significance of this new approach is potentially very high, because it not only can improve the current situation, but it would permanently add a new orthogonal tool to the toolbox for pandemic control, which works without vaccines or pharmaceutical treatments.Read Full StoryNew ApproachSocial DistancePublic HealthDisease ControlSocial CommunicationQuality ControlSocial RelationshipsInfected AppsCOVIDPandemic ControlToolCentralized AnalysisAlternative ProceduresPhysical RelationshipsOutcomes

• U.S. Hispanics at High Heart Disease Risk and Many Go Untreated: Report

  THURSDAY, March 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Even after suffering a stroke, many Hispanic Americans still have uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that raise their risk of a repeat one, a new study finds.The study involved 404 Hispanic adults with a history of stroke or "mini-stroke," which is a brief reduction in blood flow to the brain that can foreshadow a full-blown stroke. The researchers found that despite those scares, few patients had their stroke risk factors under control.Awareness did not seem to be the issue: Most patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes knew it.Still, many did not have those conditions under good control, the study found."This shows we have work to do," said senior researcher Dr. Fernando Testai, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's a wake-up call to the medical community."The study, published online March 4 in the journal Stroke, is not the first to uncover a high prevalence of heart and blood vessel disease risks among Hispanic Americans.According to the American Heart Association, more than half of Hispanic men and about 43% of Hispanic women in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease.The new study zeroed in on a group of patients who, due to their history of stroke, should ideally have tight control of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.Yet that was not the case."We found that less than half of patients who knew they had high blood pressure had gotten their numbers to where we'd want them to be," Testai said.Meanwhile, only one-third of those with known high cholesterol had gotten those numbers down, the findings showed. And of patients who were aware they had diabetes, just over half had the condition under good control.The precise reasons are unclear. But many patients were not on standard medications: Around half were on clot-preventing drugs; even fewer were on cholesterol-lowering statins.Testai pointed to some broad patterns the study turned up.The older patients were, for example, the less likely they were to have their high blood pressure or diabetes under control. That might point to problems with adhering to medication or lifestyle advice, Testai speculated, or possibly to lower-quality health care compared to younger patients.In addition, patients who'd lived in the United States longer tended to have poorer diabetes control.One potential explanation is that those patients had more exposure to the typical U.S. diet, and its abundance of calories from processed foods, Testai said.Dr. José Biller, a professor of neurology at Loyola University Chicago, agreed."Dietary changes are often attributed to acculturation, and food is often used as a metaphor for citizenship," said Biller, who is also a volunteer expert with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. "We are what we eat. Everyone benefits from reduced salt consumption, staying active and maintaining healthy lifestyles."Biller also said patients may face "critical" obstacles that make it difficult to stick with medications, ranging from cost to co-existing medical conditions to their own beliefs about the drugs.In some cases, Testai said, language can be a barrier. If doctors need to communicate through a translator, that can make it harder to form a solid provider-patient relationship, he explained.Communication is key, Biller agreed. He added that health care providers need "cultural competency" and a skill for "active listening, and not talking down to patients."On a broader scale, Biller said, people living in communities that are "health care deserts" need better access to quality care.As for what patients can do, Testai emphasized diet changes, exercise and, when needed, weight loss."Medications are only part of the story," he said. "It's the sedentary lifestyle. It's the diet."Testai pointed out that people do not need a gym membership in order to exercise. Getting physical activity throughout the day is what matters."Go out and walk around the block," he said. "Take the stairs instead of the elevator. It's about changing the overall lifestyle."More informationThe American Stroke Association has more on stroke prevention.SOURCES: Fernando Testai, MD, PhD, associate professor, neurology, University of Illinois at Chicago; José Biller, MD, professor and chairman, neurology, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Ill., and volunteer expert, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Dallas; Stroke, March 4, 2021, onlineHeart DiseaseU.s.DrugsDiabetes PatientsDisease ControlDisease PreventionCardiovascular DiseaseHispanicsHealthDay NewsHispanic AmericansLoyola University ChicagoMDRisk FactorsHispanic AdultsHispanic WomenJosé Biller

• Experts are worried about another COVID-19 surge

  Public health experts are worried that coronavirus variants may lead to another surge of COVID-19 cases. Coronavirus cases have been dropping in recent weeks, as I previously wrote about. What’s going on?. Experts recently told CNN that the B.1.1.7 variant — the highly contagious variant originally discovered in the United...Read Full StoryCovid-19BrazilCancer ResearchDisease ControlCNNWhite HouseThe New York TimesChinesePublic Health ExpertsCoronavirus CasesCOVID-19 CasesCoronavirus VariantsFuelPeopleBack Statewide MandatesTrevor BedfordAndy Slavitt

• ‘I Thought It Couldn’t Happen to Me:’ One Woman's Journey With HPV-Related Cancer

  HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted virus that infects 85 percent of sexually active people in their lifetime. For most people, the infection clears by itself, but that’s not always the case, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For some, the virus can remain in...Read Full StoryCancer TreatmentCancer PreventionHpvChemotherapy TreatmentCDCBridgetteMDHPV-related CancersInvasive Cervical CancerDisease ControlHuman PapillomavirusRoutine PapAbnormal CellsWomenThings

• COVID Cases Are Soaring Dangerously Here, Warn Experts

  In recent weeks, cases of COVID-19 have been on the decline in the United States. However, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—including Director Dr. Rochelle—have been warning that this trend will likely turn around due to the increasing prevalence of the newer, more transmissible variants. Now, the World Health Organization has revealed that this very phenomenon is occurring across a major continent. Read on to find out where—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.Read Full StoryCovidNine PercentBrazilPublic HealthDisease ControlDisease PreventionDue CareCOVIDEuropeanThe WHO/EuropeP1Pandemic FatigueIncreasing NumbersTrendVaccines

• N.J. COVID updates: 11 conditions added to vaccine-eligible list. Sleepaway camps, larger wedding receptions OK (March 4, 2020)

  People with 11 additional medical conditions are now eligible for a coronavirus vaccine. The state quietly updated its eligibility list Monday to include “all individuals” aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “increase the risk or might increase the risk of severe illness from the virus.”Read Full StoryCovidHealth And SafetyDementiaCdcCystic FibrosisPublic HealthMedical ConditionsN.J.Lung DiseaseHIV VaccineCDCBrazilianCORONAVIRUS RESOURCESNew JerseyansDepartment Of HealthPhil MurphyBrent Johnson

• ‘You could not have written a better horror story.’ Experts say end to pandemic in sight

  Last of four-part series. Pandemic fatigue was rising. As Christmas approached, Ohioans who had already been holed up for eight months were pining for family and friends. Scores of Northeast Ohio businesses had permanently closed while one family-owned Akron company — Akron’s GOJO Industries — expanded exponentially, trying to keep up with the nationwide demand for its Purell hand sanitizer.Read Full StoryCdcNursing HomesBlack PeopleHospice CarePoliticsAmerican HorrorInfection ControlDisease ControlSick KidsRespiratory SymptomsAkron Beacon JournalOhioansGOJO IndustriesPurellGreater AkronMike DewineDonald TrumpDan HorriganJoe BidenMike Pence

• KYW Medical Report: Are there side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

  PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many people have voiced concerns over the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking a closer look. When a person is given the COVID-19 vaccine, they are offered the opportunity to fill out a survey from the Vaccine...Read Full StoryKywCovid-19 VaccinesSide EffectsAdverse EffectsPublic HealthVaccine DosesDisease PreventionDisease ControlKYW Medical ReportKYW Newsradio 'sMedical ReportsIndependence Blue CrossCOVID-19 VaccinesMuscleWomen