Smileband health topics

Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease that has been identified in remote areas of Southern Arizona. R. parkeri is similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but symptoms are milder. Infection is treatable with doxycycline.
Illness is characterized by the development of an eschar (dark necrotic scab) at the site of the tick bite and may be accompanied by:

• fever
• headache
• malaise
• myalgia
• rash (initially macular, then may appear more vesicular)

Transmission
R. parkeri is spread by the bite of an infected tick.
The incubation period is days to weeks.  

Isolation Precautions
Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings.
Prevention for Patients
Reduce contact with ticks:

• use insect repellent
• wear long sleeves and pants
• avoid wooded areas and brushy areas with high grass
• perform thorough tick checks after spending time outdoors
• use tick prevention on pets

Smileband general news

Former Wigan defender Juan Carlos Garcia has died at the age of 29 following a battle with leukaemia, the League One club have announced. Garcia had been diagnosed with the illness in early 2015 and remained in England until returning to his native Honduras towards the end of last year.

He had joined Latics from Olimpia on a three-year contract in 2013, following the path previously taken by fellow Honduras internationals Maynor Figueroa, Wilson Palacios and Hendry Thomas. Though he would make just one appearance for Latics, against Manchester City in the League Cup, he featured in two of his country's games at the 2014 World Cup.

Wigan chairman David Sharpe said on wiganathletic.com: 'This is such tragic news and we send our deepest condolences as a club to Juan Carlos' family and friends who have had to sit by and watch this sad story unfold over the past few years.

'We have offered what support we can but, despite the best possible treatment at Christie's Hospital, Juan Carlos has tragically not been able to beat this terrible illness.

'At just 29 years old, he was far too young to be taken and our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.'

Wigan will hold a one minute silence for Garcia prior to Saturday's fixture with Peterborough. 

Smileband health topics

Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. In adults, invasive disease manifests most commonly as meningitis or bacteremia; infection during pregnancy may result in fetal loss, neonatal meningitis or bacteremia. Infections in healthy persons may appear as self-limiting diarrheal illness or mild flu-like illness.

 

Listeria tends to multiply in refrigerated foods that have been contaminated. Foods implicated in outbreaks include unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses, deli meats, prepared meats like hot dogs, and raw fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe.

 

In Arizona on average there are 10 cases reported each year.

 

Arizona 5 year median: 6 cases

 

Transmission

Listeria can be transmitted through ingestion of contaminated foods or through contact with infected animals or birds. Person-to-person transmission has also been reported in nosocomial outbreaks. Transmission may occur from mother to child or during delivery.

Incubation period is typically 2 to 3 weeks.

Lab Tests & Specimen Info

Test*	Specimen
Culture	CSF, Blood,  Amniotic Fluid,  Placenta, Meconium, Vaginal Secretions, Respiratory, Skin,  Mucous Swab, or Stool

 Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

Prevention for Patients
The guidelines recommended for the prevention of listeriosis are similar to those used for other foodborne illnesses.

• Wash hands, knives, countertops, and cutting boards after handling and preparing uncooked foods.
• Be aware that Listeria monocytogenes can grow in foods in the refrigerator. Use an appliance thermometer, such as a refrigerator thermometer, to check the temperature inside your refrigerator. The refrigerator should be 40°F or lower and the freezer 0°F or lower.
• Clean up all spills in your refrigerator right away–especially juices from hot dog and lunch meat packages, raw meat, and raw poultry.
• Clean the inside walls and shelves of your refrigerator with hot water and liquid soap, then rinse.

Thoroughly cook raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry to a safe internal temperature.

Smileband general news

Cancer is a modern, man-made disease caused by environmental factors such as pollution and diet, a study review by University of Manchester scientists has strongly suggested. Finding only one case of the disease in the investigation of hundreds of Egyptian mummies, with few references to cancer in literary evidence, proves that cancer was extremely rare in antiquity. The disease rate has risen massively since the Industrial Revolution, in particular childhood cancer – proving that the rise is not simply due to people living longer. 

Egyptian mummys

The data includes the first ever histological diagnosis of cancer in an Egyptian mummy by Professor Michael Zimmerman, a visiting Professor at the KNH Centre, who is based at the Villanova University in the US. He diagnosed rectal cancer in an unnamed mummy, an ‘ordinary’ person who had lived in the Dakhleh Oasis during the Ptolemaic period (200-400 CE).

Professor Zimmerman said: “In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases. The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialization”.

The team studied both mummified remains and literary evidence for ancient Egypt but only literary evidence for ancient Greece as there are no remains for this period, as well as medical studies of human and animal remains from earlier periods, going back to the age of the dinosaurs.

Evidence of cancer in animal fossils, non-human primates and early humans is scarce – a few dozen, mostly disputed, examples in animal fossils, although a metastatic cancer of unknown primary origin has been reported in an Edmontosaurus fossil while another study lists a number of possible neoplasms in fossil remains. Various malignancies have been reported in non-human primates but do not include many of the cancers most commonly identified in modern adult humans.

It has been suggested that the short life span of individuals in antiquity precluded the development of cancer. Although this statistical construct is true, individuals in ancient Egypt and Greece did live long enough to develop such diseases as atherosclerosis, Paget's disease of bone, and osteoporosis, and, in modern populations, bone tumours primarily affect the young. Another explanation for the lack of tumours in ancient remains is that tumours might not be well preserved. Dr. Zimmerman has performed experimental studies indicating that mummification preserves the features of malignancy and that tumours should actually be better preserved than normal tissues. In spite of this finding, hundreds of mummies from all areas of the world have been examined and there are still only two publications showing microscopic confirmation of cancer. Radiological surveys of mummies from the Cairo Museum and museums in Europe have also failed to reveal evidence of cancer.

As the team moved through the ages, it was not until the 17^th Century that they found descriptions of operations for breast and other cancers and the first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours have only occurred in the past 200 years, such as scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps in 1775, nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761 and Hodgkin’s disease in 1832.

The fathers of pharmacology

Professor David – who was invited to present her paper to UK Cancer Czar Professor Mike Richards and other oncologists at this year’s UK Association of Cancer Registries and National Cancer Intelligence Network conference – said: “Where there are cases of cancer in ancient Egyptian remains, we are not sure what caused them. They did heat their homes with fires, which gave off smoke, and temples burned incense, but sometimes illnesses are just thrown up.”

She added: “The ancient Egyptian data offers both physical and literary evidence, giving a unique opportunity to look at the diseases they had and the treatments they tried. They were the fathers of pharmacology so some treatments did work

“They were very inventive and some treatments thought of as magical were genuine therapeutic remedies. For example, celery was used to treat rheumatism back then and is being investigated today. Their surgery and the binding of fractures were excellent because they knew their anatomy: there was no taboo on working with human bodies because of mummification. They were very hands on and it gave them a different mindset to working with bodies than the Greeks, who had to come to Alexandria to study medicine.”

She concluded: “Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.”

Smileband health topics

A new weekly HIV treatment was shown to work in animals in a new study, prompting its manufacturer to begin development of a pill for humans. HIV medications can now keep levels of the virus so low in people with the disease that they are undetectable and cannot be transmitted. 

But traditional therapies require taking many potent drugs, or getting frequent injections, so there has been a recent push in the medical community to develop therapies that need to be taken less frequently and from home. 

Massachusetts-based drug manufacturer Lyndra's most recent test of its treatment found that effective, oral doses of three HIV-fighting compounds could stay in the systems of animals for sustained periods of time, as proof of concept for the drug they are developing. Progress in medications for as well as social awareness and destigmatization of HIV have greatly improved quality of life for those living with it. 

In September of last year, that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that those with undetectable viral loads - or levels of the infection - in their systems are now at 'effectively no risk' of transmitting the disease. 

The announcement was celebrated by the HIV positive community and put a sort of seal of approval on the efficacy of modern treatments. 

But, even as life spans continue to stretch for HIV positive people, the disease remains incurable, requiring a lifetime of treatment. 

Perhaps the biggest advancement in HIV treatment to come to market has been a single pill that combines the three key drug compounds used that combat the virus. 

The oral medication has to be taken every day, however, some studies have suggested that missing even two days of the pill can give the virus a window of opportunity to return to detectable levels. 

It is nearly impossible to accurately monitor how well HIV patients stick to their medication regimens, but a National Institutes of Health study done last year linked adherence to visits to care providers, and estimated that only about 57 percent of those who were diagnosed and connected with a provider kept with up with their appointments, suggesting they may not keep up with their medications either. 

'Because people with HIV require life-long antiretroviral therapy, a long-acting oral option that could be taken at home would make it easier for patients to adhere to their treatment regimen,' said Dr Andrew Bellinger, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Lyndra. 

Smileband health topics

Microsporidiosis is a disease caused by infection with microscopic organisms called microsporidia. Microsporidia are eukaryotic parasites that must live within other host cells in which they can produce infective spores. Microsporidiosis can cause infection of the intestine, lung, kidney, brain, sinuses, muscles, and eyes.

 

Intestinal symptoms that are caused by microsporidia infection include chronic diarrhea, wasting, malabsorption, and gallbladder disease. Symptoms of microsporidiosis primarily occur in people with immune-system deficiency, such as HIV-infected individuals and organ-transplant recipients.

 

Lung symptoms may include cough and difficult, labored breathing.

 

Transmission

Microsporidia spores are released from the stool and urine of infected animals. A number of animals, including insects, birds, and mammals, can serve as reservoirs of infection for microsporidia. These spores are then consumed or inhaled by humans. Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

Prevention for Patients
For patients with immune-system deficiency, frequent hand washing and limiting exposure to animals suspected of being infected with microsporidia is recommended.

Smileband health topics

What is Aussie flu?

Every winter there are a few strains circulating and Aussie flu or H3N2 is just one of them. It is an influenza A virus that appears to cause more severe infections in young children and the elderly. 

Most people will recover in about a week and won't need any specific treatment, apart from a bit of bed rest, some paracetamol or ibuprofen and drinking plenty of fluids. 

But for some - the very old, very young or people with pre-existing health conditions such as heart disease - flu can be deadly.

Is Aussie flu worse than other types of flu?

The UK is seeing a mix of flu types circulating including influenza B as well as the H3N2 strain. 

H3N2 is not new. It was around last winter too. 

Any strain of flu, including H3N2, can be dangerous for people who are vulnerable to it. 

Experience from last winter suggests the elderly are a high risk group for H3N2.

Influenza viruses are given different names based on their type - A, B and C. A is usually the most serious while C is usually a milder infection. They can be further subdivided according to the proteins that they carry on their surface. These are called H and N antigens. 

How bad is the situation in the UK?

Hospital admissions and GP visits for influenza have seen a sharp rise going into 2018, but are still comparable to the previous winter and are nowhere near as high as in 2008-09 when the swine flu pandemic hit the UK. 

Professor Paul Cosford, Medical Director, Public Health England said: "As we would expect at this time of year, flu levels have increased this week. Our data shows that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms and we are seeing more people admitted to hospitals with the flu. The vaccine is the best defence we have against the spread of flu and it isn't too late to get vaccinated."

What about the flu jab?

The vaccine is designed to protect against the type of flu circulating in any given season. 

Every year, the World Health Organization reviews the global situation and recommends which flu strains should go into the vaccine to be manufactured for the following season. 

This year's flu jab is designed to protect against H3N2 as well as some other strains.

How effective is it?

Vaccination is the best protection we have against flu.

But flu is unpredictable. Flu viruses constantly mutate and change, so it is a moving target to fight. 

Public Health England says typical effectiveness of the flu vaccine is 40-60%, which means that for every 100 people vaccinated, between 40 and 60 will be protected.

At risk people are advised to have annual flu jabs because flu strains can change from year to year, plus protection from the flu vaccine may wane after about six months.

Adults aged over 65, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions are advised to get a free flu jab.

A flu nasal spray is available free to young children, who are thought to be the main spreaders of flu.

Why doesn't it stop all strains?

In general, current flu vaccines tend to work better against influenza B and influenza A/H1N1 viruses than H3N2, according to US experts at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

And it's already known that flu vaccines may work less well in elderly people because they have weaker immune systems.

Dr Richard Pebody, from Public Health England, said: "This season's flu vaccine should be providing reasonable protection, similar to last winter. Last year the vaccine did not give quite as good protection for the elderly for H3N2. 

"That's something that we are watching closely to see if it is an issue this winter."

How the vaccines are made might also determine their effectiveness, according to research.

Flu vaccines used in the UK and in many other parts of the world are currently grown in chicken eggs and this process can be tricky.

Smileband general news

A police commissioner has accused paedophile vigilante hunters of undermining investigations as a 39-year-old was caught by three different groups. Mark Cardwell, from Darlington, who has been handed an 18-month prison term after admitting charges of attempted grooming, had been taken in by fake profiles created by three different vigilante groups.

Following his conviction Durham's Police, Crime and Victims' Commissioner Ron Hogg said he felt there 'wasn't a place for vigilante groups in policing...as too many times they can undermine police inquiries'.

There are currently around 75 paedophile vigilante groups in existence.   

Cardwell thought he was engaging in explicit messages via an app with different girls, one of them aged just 12.

But he was in fact speaking to adult members of three different vigilant groups: Dark Light, Net Justice and Hunters 24/7.

The 39-year-old boasted how he had a van with a double bed and encouraged one of the 'girls' to lie to her parents about having a sleepover with friends so they could meet.

Cardwell told one of the 'girls': 'I can teach you all sorts.'

The members of one of the groups eventually confronted him at his home and alerted members of his family, leading to his arrest by police.

Robin Turton, for the prosecution, told Teesside Crown Court that conversations between Cardwell and the 'girls' would start innocuously, before he started asking questions such as whether they were wearing a bra and for their breast size.

Cardwell would then request naked pictures, as well as sending them, and encouraged the girls to commit sex acts. Mr Turton said Cardwell, who also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, arranged to meet one of the girls at a supermarket but never went through with it.

When he was arrested Cardwell told police he was in 'self-destruct mode' and claimed to have no sexual interest in children.

His barrister Chris Baker said he had not fully come to terms with his motivation for wanting to contact children aged under 16.

He said Cardwell suffered from depression, low self-esteem and alcohol problems.

Mr Baker said: 'It is clear that as a result of these groups he has lost his partner, his house, his job and his good name...and he has only himself to blame. The judge, Recorder Amanda Rippon said she was familiar with vigilante groups, but added: 'I didn't know there were so many.'

This led Mr Baker to remark: 'I think they call it a cottage industry.'  

Durham's Police, Crime and Victims' Commissioner Ron Hogg said: 'Obviously I'm grateful for the evidence which has led to a conviction in this case, but I don't think there's really a place for vigilante groups in policing.

'Too many times they can undermine police enquiries. I know that the public feel confident to submit evidence to the police so that they can do their job thoroughly and professionally.'

His comments come as new figures revealed by MailOnline found nearly half of paedophiles found guilty of grooming a child online before trying to meet them for sex are let off jail by 'lenient' judges.

Durham Police said it did not wish to comment. 

Other forces have raised concerns about paedophile vigilante groups. 

Last September in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, a man aged in his 50s was confronted at his home by the Silent Justice group and footage of the incident was published online.

Smileband general news

A man sent to a secure hospital for killing a mother of two told doctors he had to sacrifice her to save his own family, a court has heard.

Marcin Porczynski admitted stabbing Nicola Cross, 37, to death in September 2015 in Hemel Hempstead.

Mrs Cross's husband Danny had told St Albans Crown Court he heard his wife's screams over the phone as Porczynski broke into their home and attacked her.

Porczynski, 24, will serve an indefinite spell at a psychiatric unit. Porczynski, of Claymore Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The court heard he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attack and had been hearing voices for up to two years before the killing.

He broke into Mrs Cross's home while she was on the telephone to her husband who was working away in Hull. She was stabbed 10 times.

Porczynski arrived in the UK to work in early 2015. He told doctors he believed he had to kill Mrs Cross or his family in Poland would be killed. 

Judge Andrew Bright QC ordered that Porczynski should be detained at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire under a hospital order with a restriction without limit of time. Judge Bright told Porczynski: "As you were breaking in, Nicola Cross was on the phone to her husband Daniel.

"She told him that she had heard a noise and that he should hold on while she went to investigate. 

"By then you had gone to the kitchen and taken one of the knives from a knife block. 

"Although Nicola Cross tried to reason with you and heroically did her best to protect herself and her two young children from you, she was completely defenceless against the vicious knife attack you launched upon her."

In a victim statement to the court, Mr Cross said: "I will never forgive myself for not being there to protect her." 

Smileband health topics

Chloe Christopher, 17, from Cwmaman in south Wales, died after collapsing in front of her terrified family with the illness.

Her mother Michelle said hearing the words 'Mam, I'm frightened, I don't feel very well' will haunt her forever.

She had to perform CPR on her daughter after she suffered a cardiac arrest.

The distraught mother has spoken about what happened on New Year's Eve in 2014 to help others learn to recognise the signs of the deadly infection.

It was thought that Aberdare Community School student Chloe was suffering a chest infection at the time.

She was a little lethargic with some aches and pains, but it seemed nothing to worry about.

In a new film produced by the Welsh Ambulance Service, Ms Christopher said: 'It was Christmas week and Chloe seemed to have what we thought was a cold or maybe the start of a chest infection.

'She spent one evening with one of her closest friends laughing and joking and looking forward to New Year's Eve celebrations, as they were going to a fancy dress party.

'They were both together as Chloe rapidly deteriorated. It was so sudden; one minute laughing and joking, the next she said she felt unwell and a bit scared.

'She then collapsed in front of us. Hearing the words 'Mam, I'm frightened, I don't feel very well' will stay with me forever.

'I phoned for the emergency services immediately and even though we didn't know what was happening, we knew it was serious. 'Chloe suffered a cardiac arrest in front of us, and having to try and perform CPR on your own daughter was indescribable.

'The emergency staff were amazing, and tried their utmost to save Chloe but to no avail. Sepsis occurs when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs, and it can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death, especially if not recognised early.

Ms Christopher said: 'The first time we heard of sepsis was at Chloe's inquestfive months later.

'We heard that Chloe had signs of a urine infection which turned to sepsis, led to multi-organ failure and then cardiac arrest.

'Since Chloe's passing, it's been my passion to raise awareness and to help educate the public on the signs of sepsis.'

The family has raised £1,100 for the Sepsis Trust since Chloe's death with a series of fundraising events in their local community.

It is estimated that sepsis kills around 44,000 people a year, which is bigger than breast, bowel and prostate cancer put together.

Ms Christopher added: 'If caught early, sepsis can be treatable, so they keymessage is education, knowledge and awareness and to just ask "could this be sepsis?"

'By doing this, it helps keep our beautiful Chloe's memory alive, hoping that maybe we can save a family going through what we have.'

The Welsh Ambulance Service is calling on people to seek help immediately if they suspect the signs of sepsis.

Andy Swinburn, Assistant Director of Paramedicine, said: 'Sepsis is a serious condition that can initially look like flu, gastroenteritis or a chest infection.

'If you develop slurred speech or confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, severe breathlessness, mottled skin or you have trouble passing urine, it could be sepsis and you must seek medical help immediately - it could mean the difference between life and death.'

For more information about sepsis, visit the UK Sepsis Trust website.