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universalhealthtoday · 7 years

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NYT: Turning the tide against #Cholera

The NYT has a great article on advances in treating #Cholera, as shown in Bangladesh which has a 99% cure rate. See: https://t.co/vwdPHz6s5l The World Health Organization estimates the Cholera treatment protocol has saved about 50 million lives in the past four decades.

Researchers found Cholera causes the intestines to violently flush themselves, but does not actually damage gut cells. If the fluid is replaced and the bacteria flushed out or killed by antibiotics, the patient is usually ok.

Patients receive an IV line inserted within 30 seconds.It contains a blend of glucose, electrolytes and water. Within hours, patients start to revive. As soon as patients can swallow, they receive an antibiotic and start drinking a rehydration solution. Almost all patients recover within 36 hours.

Reviewed by David Hoicka @DavidHoicka

#Cholera #UniversalHealth

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Eliminating added sugar improves health for children in 10 Days

Obese children who cut back on their sugar intake see improvements in their blood pressure, cholesterol readings and other markers of health after just 10 days, a rigorous new study found.

David Hoicka's insight:

Obese children who reduce #sugar intake have improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and other health markers after 10 days.

On average, the children's LDL cholesterol dropped 10 points, diastolic blood pressure reduced 5 points. Triglycerides, a type of fat that travels in the blood and contributes to heart disease, reduced 33 points. Fasting blood sugar and insulin levels improved, indicators of diabetes risk.

Study strengthens existing evidence on relationship between added sugar intake and metabolic disease. nyti.ms/1GwZBxD #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on well.blogs.nytimes.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Can Imprimis deliver on plan for $1 drugs to replace scalping vendors?

Hedge manager Martin Shkreli caused outrage when he bought Turing Pharmaceuticals and jacked up one of its drug prices by 5,000%. But Imprimis’ plan for $1 “miracle” replacement pill has risks also

David Hoicka's insight:

Martin Shkreli, a former hedge fund manager, bought Turing Pharmaceuticals and then increased the price of its drug from $13.50 per pill to $750 each – a 5,000% increase.

Now Imprimis Pharmaceuticals has offered to produce the same drug for $1 per pill.

This sounds great, and hopefully it is true and not merely a PR exercise, says Greg Miller of Wall Street Daily. In fact there are many risks in the proposal, including FDA regulations, and the lack of prior experience of Imprimis in producing what it says it will. More details at: bit.ly/1H7pdfo #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on wallstreetdaily.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Fungus contributing to Alzheimers?

A curious result hints at the possibility dementia is caused by fungal infection

David Hoicka's insight:

Do fungal infections cause Alzheimers? Researchers Luis Carrasco and associates of Autonomous University Madrid, in Spain, found that 14 of 14 Alzheimers brains showed signs of fungus, whereas 11 of 11 non-Alzheimers brains showed no fungus. Correlation, cause or effect? Further study required.

If Alzheimers is connected to fungal infections, modern medicine possesses many anti-fungal medications which could lead to anti-Alzheimer’s drugs econ.st/1KtwNkC and bit.ly/1Ktxydd #UniversalHealth #Alzheimers @DavidHoicka

See on economist.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Probiotic bacteria users score higher on memory tests

People who took capsules containing Bifidobacterium longum 1714 reported less stress and fared better on memory tests, study finds

David Hoicka's insight:

Study findings suggest probiotic Bifidobacterium longum 1714 may have beneficial effect on brain function.

Study participants taking daily probiotics, scored higher on memory tests pairing a colour and a number together, and showed reduced anxiety, said Ted Dinan, head of psychiatry at University College Cork. bit.ly/1hZvByy #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on theguardian.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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DNA shows evidence of Plague in Bronze-Age humans 5000 years ago

A new study suggests that Yersinia pestis, which causes plague, infected people as long as 5,000 years ago.

David Hoicka's insight:

New DNA studies indicate that the plague microbe, cause of the 'Black Death' of the 14th century, has been infecting humans for 5000 years. Previously, the oldest known plague infection was the Plague of Justinian in the 6th century, in the Byzantine Empire.

A new study in the journal Cell, by Eske Willerslev, of the Center for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen. Researchers report that the variants of the plague bacterium, 'Yersinia pestis' have infected humans thousands of years longer than thought. The plague may have triggered population shifts by waves of migrants in areas affected. Excerpted from NYTimes. nyti.ms/1OVD3b5 #UniversalHealth #Disease @DavidHoicka

See on nytimes.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Editing pig DNA with Crispr to facilitate transplants for humans

Scientists were able to alter many of the animal’s genes at once and see it as a step toward pig organs one day being safe for human transplantation.

David Hoicka's insight:

Thousands of people die each year waiting for transplants of hearts, lungs and livers. About 20 years ago, researchers explored using pig organs in humans.

However, pig’s DNA contains some 62 viral genes, called endogenous retroviruses (humans also have retroviruses). Researchers found the pig viruses infected human cells, blocking use of pig organs for human transplants.

Dr. George Church of Harvard Medical School, one of Crispr’s pioneers, has discovered a way to help cleanse pig organs of viruses that might harm their human hosts. Future research aims towards a new line of pigs whose organs would be safer for human transplantation.

nyti.ms/1jGoaxu #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on nytimes.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Improving Healthcare With Data Analytics and IBM Watson

IBM Watson Health: Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Healthcare

David Hoicka's insight:

Discussion of improving healthcare future with #IBMWatson. Digitization and smart analysis of medical data generated

Over the last decade healthcare has evolved through rapid digitization, transforming mounds of paper into electronic records, and computerizing many medical activities. Technology and innovation are instigators for change, but require implementation, translating technology into desired outcomes.

IBM Watson and MD Anderson have developed "Oncology Expert Advisor" (OEA) “apps,” each dealing with a different type of cancer for cancer-specific solutions. Integration with the general oncologist’s workflow is moving expert system from a research reference and clinical decision support tool to helping manage care of specific patients.

OEA also helps research nurses screen patients for clinical trials, screening patients through all available trials, and functions as an expert system monitoring patients participating in the clinical trials. Also, IBM Watson and Boston Children’s Hospital have created OPENPediatrics bringing medical knowledge to pediatric caregivers worldwide, currently reaching 900 hospitals in 127 countries.

At the new Watson Health headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., Dr. Watson—and 700 other IBM employees—will be joining more than 600 Massachusetts-based life sciences companies and research organizations employing about 60,000 people.

onforb.es/1GH78nZ #UniversalHealth #BigData #DataScience #ArtificialIntelligence @DavidHoicka

See on forbes.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Applying #BigData to predict sepsis and heart failure at U Penn Medical

Penn Medicine's modern big data initiative's applications alert doctors of at-risk patients. Penn plans to take the platform open source to other healthcare providers next year.

David Hoicka's insight:

Utilising #BigData #analytics in medicine to deliver better healthcare:

University of Pennsylvania's medical school with its health system of five hospitals using predictive analytics on individual patients at risk for sepsis and heart failure.

Collaboration between data scientists and healthcare professionals is essential. Data scientists were embedded with clinicians while building data models.

Predictive models are created to analyze historical data in medical records and other data streams. These models can then predict patient risk for heart failure during doctor visits.

By identifying patients' risks earlier and alerting their doctors, patients receive preventive care and treatment. ubm.io/1REjWlu #DataScience #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on informationweek.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Machine-Learning to Predict Neurodegenerative Disease, Alzheimer’s

By combining MRI and other data, engineers from MIT are developing a computer system that uses genetic, demographic, and clinical data to help predict the effects of disease on brain anatomy. In experiments, they trained a machine-learning system on MRI data from patients with neurodegenerative diseases with other data to improve predictions ... bit.ly/1VPupk4 #MachineLearning #DataScience

David Hoicka's insight:

MIT Researchers used data from the #Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a longitudinal study on neurodegenerative disease that includes MRI scans of the same subjects taken months and years apart.

Researchers also combined additional patient data, such as genetic markers, demographic data, for example age, gender, marital status, and education level; and simple clinical data, for example patients’ scores on various cognitive tests.

Examining these data sets together resulted in cutting error rates of predictions in half, from 20 percent to 10 percent. bit.ly/1VPupk4 #MachineLearning #DataScience #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on scitechdaily.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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10 Things We Can Learn From Your Health-Related Twitter Rants

Our exclusive look at new research that uses billions of tweets to reveal surprising patterns about cancer, obesity, and other ailments

David Hoicka's insight:

Using billions of tweets to reveal surprising patterns about cancer, obesity, and other ailments. Authors Mark Dredze and Michael J. Paul share 10 intriguing patterns ranging from influenza to insomnia illustrating social media role in healthcare research. theatln.tc/1Z0I9r6 #BigData #DataScience #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on theatlantic.com

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universalhealthtoday · 9 years

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Here's a Map of the Countries That Provide Universal Health Care (America's Still Not on It)

The U.S. stands almost entirely alone among developed nations that lack universal health care.

David Hoicka's insight:

Interesting overview & map. Nearly the entire developed world provides Universal Healthcare, from Europe to Asian powerhouses to South America to Australia, New Zealand, & Canada. The only developed countries without Universal Healthcare are a few Balkan countries, Belarus, and USA., richest nation in the world. theatln.tc/1FPtYP9 #UniversalHealth @DavidHoicka

See on theatlantic.com

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