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Monday, 5 February 2018

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.

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Saturday, 3 February 2018

Smileband health topics

Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a chronic condition that characteristically causes pain all over the body, including muscle and joint pain, and fatigue as well as other symptoms. Fibromyalgia can lead to depression and social isolation.

What is fibromyalgia syndrome?

A syndrome is a set of symptoms. When they exist together, they imply the presence of a specific disease or a greater chance of developing the disease. With FMS, the following symptoms commonly occur together:

Anxiety or depression
Decreased pain threshold or tender points
Incapacitating fatigue
Widespread pain

Are women more likely to get fibromyalgia than men?

Most fibromyalgia patients are women ranging in age from 25 to 60. The truth is women are 10 times more likely to get this disease than men.

What are fibromyalgia symptoms?

What causes fibromyalgia?

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it's thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in the way the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) processes pain messages carried around the body.

It's also suggested that some people are more likely to develop fibromyalgia because of genes inherited from their parents.

In many cases, the condition appears to be triggered by a physically or emotionally stressful event, such as:

an injury or infection
giving birth
having an operation
the breakdown of a relationship
the death of a loved one 
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Smileband health topics

A primary school has been forced to tell parents to stop smoking cannabis at its gates, triggering criticism of the local police force’s ‘soft’ approach to the drug. Headteacher Pauline Northcott sent out a strongly worded newsletter after reports that the illegal drug was being shared and smoked ‘at the bottom of the school yard’, or playground, at the school in County Durham, where pupils are aged between two and 11.

Under the heading ‘Inappropriate behaviour on or around the school premises’, Mrs Northcott, head of Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School in Ferryhill, told parents the issue had been reported to the police. She also blasted parents for swearing in the playground, saying some had been using ‘inappropriate language’ which was ‘totally unacceptable’.

Parents at the 190-pupil school expressed their fury at the use of cannabis near their children and critics blamed the ‘soft touch’ policy introduced by Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton in 2015, under which people who use small amounts of the drug escape prosecution.

One father, who did not want to be named, said: ‘You would have thought anything around kids or schools, the police would be right on it. But they’re not bothered. A 28-year-old mother with two sons at the school, which is set among terraced houses in the former mining town near Durham, said she had smelled cannabis close to where the children played and thought it was ‘disgusting’.

Local independent councillor Brian Avery, a former magistrate, said: ‘It’s going on all over the place and a lot of the time right under your nose.

'I really don’t agree with the soft approach to policing it.’

David Raynes, of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, said the attitude of the Durham police had ‘completely normalised the habit’ adding: ‘The more people think it is acceptable, the more likely it is that parents will think it is fine to smoke cannabis at the school gates around children.’

He added: ‘It is no business of the Chief Constable to undermine national legislation. But Mr Barton told The Mail on Sunday: ‘If I had been stood next to someone who was smoking cannabis at the school gate, they would have been nicked – pure and simple – and any of my officers would have done the same.

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Smileband general news

A firm led by former Scotland Yard senior officers has successfully prosecuted more than 400 criminals and is now carrying out murder inquiries.

TM Eye, which has a 100 per cent conviction rate, is thought to bring more private prosecutions than any organisation besides the RSPCA.

The company, the country’s first de-facto private police force, is operating against a backdrop of rising crime rates and police budget cuts. Its activities include: Co-founder Tony Nash, an ex-Metropolitan Police commander, said: ‘This is going back to Dixon of Dock Green to a degree. It’s what people want.

‘There is no substitute for going out and knocking on doors. But with the current state of finances, police are solving cases behind their desks and that has become the culture.’

In the past two years the company has brought successful private prosecutions against 403 criminals for fraud, intellectual property theft and other offences. A total of 43 were jailed.

The company, staffed by retired detectives and cyber-crime experts from Scotland Yard, the National Crime Agency and GCHQ, is now expanding its services beyond predominantly financial investigations. It comes as police chiefs admit they do not have the money to investigate high- volume crimes such as shoplifting and stretched officers complain that they are at breaking point.

But critics fear the rise of private policing could lead to a two-tier system where only the wealthy get protection from criminals.

Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh described the rise of private detectives as a ‘staggering indictment’ of the state of policing.

‘Eventually there will be a two-tier system with the haves and the have-nots, and if you have money and live in a £20million house in Chelsea you can pay for private security,’ he said.

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Smileband health topics

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is associated with more tropical climates, recreational activities, and is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira.

Symptoms are nonspecific and include fever, headache, red eyes, abdominal pain, vomiting, rash, and jaundice. Some infected people may have no symptoms at all, however, without treatment; Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, and even death. Domestic animals are also susceptible to Leptospirosis infections.

There have been 3 cases of leptospirosis in Arizona over the past 10 years. All 3 cases had travel-related exposures.

Arizona 5 year median: 1 case

Transmission

People can become infected through contact with the urine or other body fluids of infected animals, or contact with water, soil, or food that has been contaminated with urine of infected animals. Drinking contaminated water can also cause infection.

The incubation period is typically 5-14 days but can range from 2-30 days. Isolation Precautions

Person to person transmission is rare.

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings.

Prevention for Patients

Avoid swimming, kayaking or other recreational activities in water that might be contaminated with animal urine, or eliminating contact with potentially infected animals.
Wear protective clothing or footwear to avoid exposure to potentially contaminated water or soil.
Have pets vaccinated against leptospirosis.

Public Health Actions
Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case.

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Smileband general news

Nearly 13,000 years ago, Earth may have plunged suddenly into an apocalyptic scene; a barrage of fireballs lit up the sky, followed by powerful shock waves and fires that blazed across 10 percent of the planet’s land surface. The sky turned black as dust blocked out the sunlight, and temperatures rapidly plummeted, causing plants to die out and glaciers to advance, in what soon became a near ice age state.

And, humans were there to witness it all – with grave consequences.

This is according to new research, which suggests fragments of a 62-mile-wide disintegrating comet struck Earth 12,800 years ago and spurred burning events larger than those caused by the ‘dinosaur killers. The new study on geochemical and isotopic markers, which involved two dozen researchers, argues that a cosmic impact thousands of years ago left behind high concentrations of platinum across the Northern Hemisphere.

This could be found at a number of sites, including ice cores collected from the Greenland Ice Sheet, linked to the Younger Dryas boundary – a period roughly 12,800 years ago toward the end of the last Ice Age when glacial conditions temporarily began to advance again.

According to the new research, an impact could have triggered this cooling episode.

‘The work includes measurements made at more than 170 different sites around the world,’ said Adrian Melott, University of Kansas Emeritus Professor of Physics & Astronomy.

‘The hypothesis is that a large comet fragmented and the chunks impacted the Earth, causing this disaster.

‘A number of different chemical signatures – carbon dioxide, nitrate, ammonia, and others – all seem to indicate that an astonishing 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface, or about 10 million square kilometers, was consumer by fires. The pollen analysis indicated that pine forests were likely burned off and later replaced by poplar.

This species is known to colonize cleared areas.

The impact would have been equally catastrophic for the humans and animals alive at the time.

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Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Smileband health topics

What is Degenerative Brain Disease?

Imagine coming home and being unable to remember who the people in the photos on your desk are. Your couch and handmade blanket don't ring any bells, either, and you wonder why there is a dog bowl in the kitchen.

For most people this scene would feel like home, but for someone with degenerative brain disease, one's home feels like someone else's place. Degenerative brain disease causes brain tissue to break down over time. The symptoms of degenerative brain disease can be divided into cognitive symptoms, or those that affect thoughts and emotions, and muscular symptoms, or those that affect the body.

Cognitive Symptoms

The brain is the control center for the body. It is composed of millions of neurons, or brain cells that relay messages between the brain and the body, telling our entire body what to do. Specific pathways of communication between neurons are responsible for all of our thoughts and emotions, or cognitive function. Each part of the brain has a specific job, so depending on what part of the brain is affected, there are different symptoms. Let's look at some examples of cognitive symptoms in different diseases.

Alzheimer's Disease

Probably the most well known degenerative brain disease is Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this disease neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that regulates memory storage, start to die. The neuronal death spreads to other parts of the brain later in the disease. What might start off as confusion, difficulty regulating emotions, and minor slips in memory will become extreme memory lapses in later stages, with patients struggling to recognize family members and familiar places. Eventually the disease will advance so that patients may not know who they are, or what time or place they are in.

Prion Disease

Although most degenerative diseases of the brain are genetic or have unknown causes, prion disease is caused by transmissible proteins called prions. Prions are part of normal, healthy neurons, but the diseased prions are shaped incorrectly. They cause the normal prions in the brain to become misshapen also, leading to neuronal death. Prion disease is transmitted through consuming contaminated tissue from the nervous system, which can sometimes be spread through processing and consuming contaminated meat.

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Smileband general news

A woman fell onto the rails at a busy London Tube station after witnesses saw her being dragged off the platform by her bag and coat. Fellow rush hour commuters at Notting Hill Gate reported hearing the woman yelling 'help me' after ending up under the carriage after her clothing had got caught in the doors.

The station was closed as emergency services worked to free the woman and take her to hospital after the incident shortly before 5pm today. Shabana Khan, who saw the incident, said: 'Horrified right now woman has fallen under our train carriage at Notting Hill Gate station.

'Heard the thud as the train moved we're all in tears thinking she's died under our feet but she's alive and stuck under the train yelling help.

'We've been evacuated out of the train.

'They got her bag and coat out from under the door of our carriage, which had got stuck.

'Everyone tried to stay calm not have panic attacks but all of us in tears. Thanks to the brave guys on our carriage for reassuring us that she's OK.'

Many feared the passenger had died but officers found a female who was then taken to hospital to have her injuries assessed.

British Transport Police said the force received help from the ambulance service, air ambulance and fire brigade.

The incident is being investigated but is not being treated as suspicious.

British Transport Police said they were unable to confirm the age of the victim.

One passenger said the victim's coat and bag had got stuck under the door of one of the Tube carriages.

She added: 'Everyone tried to stay calm, not have panic attacks but all of us were in tears.

'Thanks to the brave guys on our carriage for reassuring us that she's OK.

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Smileband health topics

Aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by Aspergillus, a common mold that lives indoors and outdoors. Most people breathe in Aspergillus spores every day without getting sick. However, people with weakened immune systems or lung diseases are at a higher risk of developing health problems. The types of health problems caused by Aspergillus include allergic reactions, lung infections, and infections in other organs.

Transmission

People can get aspergillosis by breathing in microscopic Aspergillus spores from the environment. Aspergillosis can’t spread between people or between people and animals from the lungs.

Lab Tests & Specimen Info

Test*	Specimen
Microscopic examination	Respiratory Specimen
Culture	Sputum, Bronchial Aspirate, Lung biopsy
Galactomannan Antigen Test	Serum, Bronchoalveolar Lavage
IgG Serology	Serum
PCR	Bronchoalveolar Lavage, Tissue

Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings.

Prevention for Patients
It’s difficult to avoid breathing in Aspergillus spores because the fungus is common in the environment. For people who have weakened immune systems, there may be some ways to lower the chances of developing a severe Aspergillus infection. It’s important to note that although these actions are recommended, they have not been proven to prevent aspergillosis.

Try to avoid areas with a lot of dust like construction or excavation sites. If you can't avoid these areas, wear an N95 respirator while you're there.
Avoid activities that involve close contact to soil or dust, such as yard work or gardening.
To reduce the chances of developing a skin infection, clean skin injuries well with soap and water, especially if they have been exposed to soil or dust.
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Smileband health topics

A little boy with Down's Syndrome was locked on a council's school bus for six hours - after teachers forgot to check he'd got off. Reuben Wilson, nine, from Chew Magna, Bristol, was strapped into his seat, and only discovered when the driver came back from his lunchbreak.

His mother Sharon, 45, a lecturer claims her son – who cannot speak and communicates using sign language - is now frightened to step on the bus. She said: 'The night after it happened Reuben signed to me, "Bus, big wait, Reuben sad mummy". The thought of Reuben sat there, literally abandoned, for hours on end has given me sleepless nights.

'Since the incident Reuben has become really clingy. I feel so angry and upset. I just can't understand how he was left sat on the bus for so long and why no one checked he'd got off.'

The nightmare journey began when shortly before Christmas, Mrs Wilson waved her son off on the bus at 7.45am as usual on the hour-long trip to Fosse Way special education school in Bristol.

'When Reuben first began taking the bus to school eight months ago, I was really worried. He's such a sweet adorable and trusting little boy. He can't speak and can only use Makaton gestures and signs. 'But after a few weeks I relaxed and there has never been any problem before.'

The first sign anything was wrong was around an hour after Reuben should have got to school.

She says: 'I was at work when I received a generic text message from the school saying they noted Reuben wasn't there today. But as he had been off from school the day before, I thought it related to that. I didn't query it as obviously he'd gone off to school fine.

'A carer on the bus is supposed to check everyone is off, a teacher is supposed to tick everyone off on the register and the driver is supposed to check there is no one on the bus too. The last thing I expected was that all of these checks hadn't been done and Reuben had been left on the bus.

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