Oscar Lynch tells his story of growing up and living with haemophilia, a disorder where one of the blood-clotting proteins doesn’t work or is missing. He had bleeds into his knees, elbows, ankles and nose that lasted all day and night, and suffered up to 30 haemophilia-related bleeds every year. By the time he was diagnosed at 18 months old, his mother had lost two sons in infancy to haemophilia; brothers he would never meet. At that time, there was no treatment in Ireland for haemophilia. Then came the horror of the contaminated blood scandal when 4,689 people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses in the 1970s and 80s through the use of contaminated clotting factors. Lynch was fortunate to escape HIV, but many members of his group were not. In 2019, Lynch volunteered to be part of the clinical trial for the new gene therapy Hemgenix, which works by injecting factor IX, packed inside a virus, into the blood by infusion. Today, he is cured, though nobody knows how long the gene therapy will last.
Obesity is on the rise in Britain, with two in three adults being considered overweight or obese. The NHS is dealing with the consequences of bad lifestyle choices with treatments for conditions related to obesity such as heart attacks, diabetes, cancers and other issues. The government can enable positive change through more awareness, increased activity, and improved diet, including spending money on parks, gyms, pools and pitches in every town in Britain. Meanwhile, well-supported food education classes, teaching children about what they eat and how to prepare it, could also have a significant impact.
Investors are eagerly waiting for a long-term and effective drug for obesity to bring the companies that produce them a piece of the cake in a $100bn global market. The condition affects about one in eight adults around the world. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are considered the front runners, with sales predicted to grow at a compound rate of 25% in the next three years. However, Pfizer, among other companies, could also benefit from high sales while insurers are monitoring the situation. Patients may need the drugs indefinitely, which is an attractive quality for investors, but this is also likely to increase the risk of side effects and misuse. On the upside, a Medicare ban on obesity drugs being lifted in the US could be costly, with treating 10% of obese over-60s estimated to be almost a fifth of its prescription drug benefit. However, it is a risky industry and pharmaceutical companies will need to tread carefully to avoid litigation and side effects.
Charlotte Nichols, a Labour MP, has called for the UK government to ease restrictions on psilocybin, a psychedelic substance found in magic mushrooms, so that it can be used to treat conditions including anorexia, PTSD, depression and addiction. Nichols spoke of her own experience of PTSD as “living hell” during a debate in the House of Commons. She argued that psilocybin could “finally give me my life back” and help "millions of others with mental health conditions". Heavy restrictions on psilocybin cause significant problems for researchers, making it difficult for legitimate studies to be conducted. Psilocybin is listed in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which means it cannot be prescribed or lawfully possessed except for research purposes. The Psychoactive Substances Act of 2016 further banned the sale, distribution and production of magic mushrooms.
Sask. parents feel defeated after province's only pediatric gastroenterologist leaves
CBC
23-05-18 17:17
Saskatchewan's only pediatric gastroenterologist has left the province, leaving parents uncertain about how they will navigate their children's complex gastrointestinal (GI) issues. Families have been expected to travel long distances to receive treatment and wait for long periods of time for their children to receive care. Some families have chosen to seek treatment outside the country. Mahli Brindamour, a pediatrician, says that the impact of this situation is huge because work in this area cannot be replaced by anyone. Brindamour fears that she won't be able to provide the best possible care to children in her region due to the lack of specialist support.
Marrakech, one of Morocco's most vibrant cities, has a constantly changing hotel scene, with over 1,000 riad hotels squeezed into the narrow alleyways and souks of the Medina neighbourhood. These mini-Edens, all with a central courtyard garden, have been mushrooming in the Medina, ranging from simplicity to no-holds-barred luxury. To explore further from the action, there are the Ville Nouvelle and the luscious palm groves of La Palmeraie. Marrakech offers delicious food, rich culture, markets, and other sights and sounds for tourists. The author suggests the best hotels in Marrakech include Riad de Tarabel, Riad El Mezouar, Es Saadi Marrakech Resort, Riad UP, Les Deux Tours, Riad 72, Palais Riad Lamrani, Jnane Tamsna, Riad Tizwa, and AnaYela. Each hotel has unique features to offer, ensuring guests can have a memorable experience when they visit Marrakech.
Award-winning photographer Fredrik Lerneryd has produced a series of photographs released by The Independent, depicting mothers and their children suffering from extreme hunger and malnutrition-induced sickness in the midst of a drought crisis in Southern Somalia. According to the UN in February this year, almost 8.25 million people in the region – almost half the population – require immediate lifesaving aid and protection, whilst a report by Somalia Government’s Minister of Health estimated 43,000 excess deaths due to the ongoing drought. The charity Oxfam warns that climate-induced drought has left 36 million people in East Africa, covering Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan, facing severe hunger. 85,000 people in South Sudan and Somalia are said to be on the brink of famine. Oxfam has called on the G7 to take “life-saving action” over famine in East Africa, ahead of the summit scheduled for Friday. It has claimed that “world leaders are failing to live up to their commitments”.
Three women have been arrested in connection with the death last month of a 38-year-old disabled woman in the care of a New Mexico state programme for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Angelita Rene Chacon has been charged with abuse or neglect of a resident resulting in death while Patricia Hurtado is facing similar charges. Luz Scott has been charged with false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. The arrests follow wellness checks on all 6,815 clients using the waiver service, which were prompted by claims of abuse made public in March that led to contracts be terminated with four service providers.
Smoke from ongoing wildfires continued to put people at “moderate” to “high risk” from poor air quality in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Air Quality Health Index. Even healthy people should try to stay indoors while smoke particles affect air quality, as they can irritate the lungs and cause some stress to the heart due to inflammation. Anyone going outside should wear an N95 or KN95 mask to protect them from smoke particles as they are similar in size to respiratory particles that carry viruses. An N95 or KN95 will provide the most benefit, but even surgical masks can reduce exposure by 20-50%. Smoke particles are visible as they are large in number. Even indoors, HEPA units and filters with a MERV rating of 13 or higher can also help. Smoke in the air can trigger asthma attacks, worsen COPD and pneumonia. People with lung illnesses should always have their inhalers with them, and get medical attention if their symptoms don’t improve with their normal medications.
Health Canada has recalled Golden Mushroom brand enoki mushrooms after they were found to contain a possible listeria contamination. The recall applies to 200g bags stamped “CE 03 7D” with universal product number “8 809201 000039” that were sold in Ontario, and potentially other Canadian provinces. Consuming food containing listeria can lead to listeriosis, a serious infection that can kill people and cause symptoms including muscle aches, vomiting, nausea and neck stiffness.
Several US cities and California will benefit from federal help with the All Inside initiative in getting the homeless into permanent housing. The state of California, which has the highest number of homeless people in the country, will receive the tailored support for two years from US government departments, local agencies and private businesses. The program seeks to provide knowledge, resources and funding, in addition to help in identifying where regulations can be loosened to help those without a home find shelter more quickly.
Obesity should be renamed a disease called “chronic appetite dysregulation,” according to researchers at the University of Galway and the School of Public Health at University College Cork. People who suffer from the illness should be treated with compassion, so that they seek medical help, say the scientists. Researchers also suggest that body mass index only offers an inadequate view of people’s metabolic health and that doctors should look at physiological health before considering treatment.
Health officials are investigating a “usually mild” virus which appeared to have caused serious heart conditions to eight babies in South Wales and the South West of England. The virus in question is an enterovirus which is commonly asymptomatic, however, on some occasions can cause serious disease. The condition which was triggered by the enterovirus, Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, was previously considered extremely rare among infants in the UK. Critics say that a timely inquiry could have saved the life of one of the babies who died in March 2020.
The UK Labour Party claims the government should use the private sector more to address the backlog of patients overdue treatment. Labour asserts up to 300,000 people have missed treatment since calling for greater private sector use back in January 2022. Labour claims "it is unjust that only those who can afford to pay to go private are being treated on time, while everyone else is left behind." Health minister Will Quince said the government "have virtually eliminated waits of over two years, and cut 18-month waits by 91%."
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has said that people who have suffered from a stroke caused by a blood clot should be genetically tested to discover whether they are eligible for a drug that will prevent further attacks. While medication is recommended to reduce stroke risks, the standard anti-clotting drug clopidogrel is only suitable for those with particular genes. Roughly one out of every three people, and even more in Asian families, do not have the necessary enzymes to process the drug. Recurrent or repeat strokes account for half of the UK’s 100,000 annual occurrences.
Oklahoma has agreed not to enforce a law that banned gender-affirming medical care for young transgender people while opponents of the proposed legislation sought a temporary court order blocking it. Oklahoma's Governor, Kevin Stitt had previously signed the legislation into law in May 2021 which took effect immediately. Opponents sued over the legislation, saying that the state violated equal protection and due process guarantees, as well as protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Every major medical group has opposed the bans on gender-affirming care for young people, saying the treatments are safe when administered appropriately. Oklahoma is one of 17 states that have enacted laws banning or restricting gender-affirming care for minors.
New measures that severely curtail access to abortions in North and South Carolina are expected to force more women to seek terminations in Virginia, placing more pressure on the state's already strained abortion providers. Meanwhile, Republican-controlled legislatures in Florida and South Carolina are seeking to ban almost all abortions after six weeks. Whole Woman's Health, which operates two clinics in the area and a telehealth facility that provides abortion pills by mail, was seeing more women cross state lines prior to last June's Supreme Court decision.
California lawmakers blocked two big environmental bills Thursday, one that would have ramped up the state’s emissions targets and another that would have made oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells. Both bills were among hundreds of bills that did not survive the Legislature’s suspense file, a mysterious process where lawmakers decide — with no explanation — which bills will get a chance to become law later this year and which ones should not move forward.
Japan's number of new COVID-19 cases is rising again, albeit slightly, according to the country's health ministry. The number of new patients in the week from May 8 through Sunday rose to 12,922, compared to the previous week's average of 1.8 which was reported by the same institutions. Officials say protocols for care and reporting have changed since a downgrade of the disease was made earlier this month and it is too soon to determine whether this slight resurgence is due to the holidays or a genuine infection problem.
Communication is the key to creating a healthy work environment, according to workplace experts. MindFront Alliance and Mind from the UK believe that employers and managers have a crucial role to play in ensuring their staff members are happy, healthy and productive. Simple steps such as offering breaks in the form of walks in the park between meetings; providing a space where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns; and following up regularly with the individual can all lead to better productivity. However, in order for this to work, employers must be willing to communicate with their staff regularly.
