Latest news with #disease
Health Line
6 days ago
- General
- Health Line
What Are Biomarkers?
Biomarkers (a shortened term for biological markers) are measurable characteristics of a certain biological condition or response to a medical or environmental exposure. Some biomarkers, such as blood pressure or body weight, come from routine measurements taken at a doctor's visit. Others may be found in blood, urine, or body tissues. Biomarkers can also be found at the molecular level in genes and proteins. Doctors use biomarkers to assess a person's health, diagnose and monitor disease progression, and determine how a person's body is responding to treatment. Scientists and researchers also use biomarkers to better understand the body's biological processes, particularly in relation to health conditions or environmental toxins, and to assist with drug development. What are the different types of biomarkers? There are seven different classifications of biomarkers: Susceptibility/risk biomarkers. These can predict a person's risk of developing a disease. For example, a genetic test that identifies mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can identify a person's increased risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Diagnostic biomarkers. These can detect or confirm a disease or medical condition (such as high cholesterol levels or proteins in urine that might indicate kidney disease). Prognostic biomarkers. These can predict the likelihood of disease progression or recurrence. Monitor biomarkers. These are used to assess the status of a disease or to quantify the body's exposure and response to a medication or environmental agent. Predictive biomarkers. These can help predict people who are more likely than others to respond favorably or unfavorably to a medical treatment or environmental agent. For example, the presence of the HER2 protein in a person with breast cancer indicates that the person would respond well to a targeted therapy. Pharmacodynamic response biomarkers. These show that a biological response has occurred in a person who has been exposed to a medication or environmental agent. An example would be the measurement of a tumor size in response to chemotherapy. They're often used in treatment evaluation. Safety biomarkers indicate the presence or amount of toxicity after exposure to a medical treatment or environmental agent. For example, creatine clearance biomarkers measure kidney function (to monitor kidney toxicity) after antibiotics or chemotherapy. Why are biomarkers important for your health? Biomarkers are important because they can provide a lot of information about your health. Doctors can use them to:
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Child dies from meningococcal disease in Fiji
Photo: 123RF A child has died from meningococcal disease in Fiji. FBC reported the country's Ministry of Health has recorded four laboratory-confirmed cases of meningococcal disease within the Central Division in the past three weeks, including two children. Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection which can lead to life-threatening complications. Common symptoms include fever, neck stiffness, confusion or altered mental status, headache, sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting. The Ministry said while there are still no direct epidemiological links that have been identified among the cases, they have been reported from densely populated areas, and there is a need for heightened awareness and preventative measures. It said it has provided prophylactic treatment to close contacts of confirmed cases to reduce the risk of spreading the disease, and has strengthened surveillance and reporting mechanisms to detect and respond to suspected cases quickly. Fiji declared a meningococcal outbreak in March 2018, following 48 reported cases in 2017, nearly double the number in 2016, and more cases in early 2018. Six people died, including five children under five. In response, more than 281,000 children in Fiji below the age of 19 were immunised during a mass meningococcal vaccination programme . In 2019, Fijians were urged to stop sharing the kava bowl to prevent the disease - which is shared through saliva - spreading. In Aotearoa, from 2019 to December 2024, there were 364 cases which resulted in 21 deaths. Māori and Pasifika people accounted for 195 of the 364 cases. New Zealand's Ministry of Health recommends students are vaccinated against the disease before heading to tertiary education .
Medscape
27-05-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Make America Healthy Again Through Prevention, Says Ethicist
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Hi. I'm Art Caplan. I'm at the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. There was an announcement I received February 13, establishing an order from the White House for a new commission. It's called the Make America Healthy Again Commission. I've got the order printed out in my hand. It's something that everyone watching this video needs to be aware of and attentive to. The commission is meant to advise the federal government, chaired by the new Department of Health and Human Services leader, Robert Jr, on all matters regarding health and disease. The executive order creating it begins with what I have to say is one of the toughest, meanest indictments of American healthcare, as it now exists, that I've read anywhere. This is not something that was cooked up by some sort of civil rights group or some kind of foundation fighting against corporate American healthcare. This is right out of the world of the president and his top health advisors. What they're saying is that American healthcare is a grim failure because of the mess that Americans are in with respect to their health. The highest cancer rates, double the next highest rates of comparable countries. Asthma is twice as common than in most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the same for autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis. It basically says the American people are on a trajectory, if we don't do something about the whole healthcare system, that is leading them to premature death and disability due to chronic illness. It also suggests that children, in particular, are at grave risk because of the way healthcare is organized and delivered now. This is one huge indictment, and what it says is that we want fresh thinking. The charge is what can we do about better nutrition, more physical activity, change to healthy lifestyles,get off medications, try to assess new technology habits — they're talking about cell phones, I presume — and food and drug quality and safety. It's hard to be against any of those bits of advice. I think, in many ways, what the commission is charged to do is come up with new ways to think about prevention as opposed to disease treatment. That won't come as a shock to many of you physicians watching. Many people would like to see our healthcare system pay for more prevention, which it doesn't, and see more resources devoted to counseling and supporting people with respect to maintaining their health. I have to say, I don't think there are any big mysteries that have to be examined creation of this commission hints that somehow there are secrets out there that we don't know about. I don't believe that. I think we know that lifestyle change is very important. We just don't know how to get it done. I think we know that better diet would be great. We just don't know how to get people to do it. There's a huge food industry in America that stands in the way of transitioning to healthier diets. Our agriculture is built around unhealthy foods, including sugar and everything. It's going to be very tough to move what I'll call a fast-food society over to healthy lifestyles. I don't agree with the rationale given here about the need for new thought completelybecause I think many people know that we are too oriented toward fixing, treating, and rescuing people who have diseases and not doing enough to preserve health. I don't think that's a mystery of poor or limited thinking. There are also some concerning aspects in this order to create the committee of what they want this commission to do. For example, they say pay attention to things like cell phone towers; toxic exposures, with the suggestion being perhaps vaccines; and worrying about what's going on with children with respect to too much exposure to nasty elements of the environment. Again, I think what's going on with children is pretty well understood: obesity. We've got a big obesity challenge, and I hope that this commission can think about ways to battle obesity. One of the things that the commission's chair, RFK Jr, wants to do is shift lifestyle. I think many of you who practice, regarding children and families, know that efforts to change lifestyle have not ended well. It's very difficult to do it in the climate and environment in which we live when we're bombarded with ads for unhealthy food and portion sizes that are far bigger than in the rest of the world and on and on. Getting lifestyle change is so tough that we're turning more and more to the injectable weight loss drugs.I don't think that's something that RFK Jr is going to be willing to support. I don't think we need novel thinking about how to solve it in terms of what the causes are. If we're going to make progress, my comment would be that we have to change reimbursement and what we pay for. We have to intervene earlier with people long before they're sick, with better wellness visits and better well-baby have to shift how the system delivers prevention. I'm not quite on board with new thinking. I'm on board with new modes of thinking about how to deliver prevention to the American people. I'm Art Caplan, at the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Thanks for watching.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
‘I have Parkinson's – to an onlooker I appear drunk'
It was only while working at Claridge's hotel, that Mark Gilham, 63, realised he might be suffering from Parkinson's. 'One of my team noticed that if my hand was holding my knee when sitting, it would start shaking very slightly. He said it looked like his dad, who had Parkinson's.' Gilham, an assistant chief engineer, spoke to his doctor, and then a specialist, after the encounter, which confirmed the diagnosis. 'He said it looked like Parkinson's as soon as he saw me.' At the time, he says, 'I wasn't unduly worried. I knew almost nothing about the disease and my symptoms were hardly noticeable.' Given that there are over 40 different symptoms of Parkinson's – and not everyone shakes – it is a disease which is often misdiagnosed until it takes a more serious turn. Parkinson's is caused by damage to dopamine-generating nerve cells in the substantia nigra – part of the midbrain linked with motor control and muscle tone. Other than Alzheimer's, it is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally. It is an incurable, progressive disease, and it affects everyone differently. 'There are the basics,' says Gilham, 'such as tremor, slow movement and stiff and inflexible muscles. But there is also depression and anxiety, balance problems, loss of smell, insomnia, memory problems, constipation and, I feel one of the worst, apathy.' Yet for five years, Gilham managed to continue his work at Claridge's in a job that he 'loved, but could at times be very stressful. Tremor and stress do not like each other.' Eventually, after 33 'enjoyable' years, and with worsening symptoms, he decided in October 2020 to hand in his notice. He and his wife, Penny, 64, sold their house and bought a bungalow on the South Coast. How have his symptoms affected his day-to-day life? 'When I'm on an off period, I tend to shuffle rather than walk because my balance can be affected. I have even fallen over a few times. To an onlooker, I could appear drunk. 'Some of the simple things I find difficult are opening pages of newspapers; reading while holding the book; anything that requires small controlled movements of the hands like wiring a plug, building a model kit (once a hobby of mine), riding my motorcycle, even carrying a glass of beer (if you like frothy beer then I'm your man). Using a computer can also be frustrating as I tend to double tap the keys. 'But,' he continues, 'I force myself to do most of these things. It may take longer and be very frustrating, but I always say I've got it easy, as there are a lot of Parkinson's patients who are a lot worse off than me. 'I read from a Kindle rather than books because it's easier to prop up or wedge somewhere. And we use sugar cubes in the kitchen because I was putting more on the floor than in the tea.' On the advice of his specialist, he decided to find something that 'got my head and hands talking'. He chose to build Lego. 'It's become quite a hobby for both of us. My wife and I recently built the Titanic, our biggest build yet.' His wife, Penny, who has Type 1 diabetes, continues to work, while Gilham is in charge of the housework because, he says: 'I don't want my wife doing it when she's working full time', although, he says, he hasn't mastered the ironing. He's slowly decorating and, with help from a local carpenter, he's recently fitted a whole new kitchen. 'While all this may sound quite normal,' he laments, 'interjected in it all is a sometimes uncontrollable tremor in my left hand and wrist, which even at the best of times, can make the simplest thing difficult and frustrating.' Parkinson's has also massively affected his social life. 'It has virtually stopped. Aside from my family life (our lovely caring daughter, Dawn, and an equally lovely granddaughter Kira) 80 per cent of my social life revolved around motorcycles – a weekly Wednesday bike meet and rides out in the UK and overseas. 'For the first five years of living with Parkinson's I could still ride long distances, but Covid brought a halt to our trips away and my rides never restarted.' Having to stop work was also a dramatic shift in Gilham's life. 'Work was a big part of my life and I loved the interaction with my colleagues and team. Claridge's were brilliant when I was first diagnosed (you don't actually have to tell your employer, but I told everyone). They gave me a lot of support and time off when I started taking the medication, which often made me sick and very lethargic.' Eventually he 'had to give in to the disease.' Gilham suffers 'mainly from a tremor in my left arm/wrist, which is reasonably controlled some of the time with medication' which, because it targets dopamine-producing nerve cells, 'does weird things to my head.' He has 'experienced hallucinations, sickness, reduced appetite', often feels 'fatigued' and suffers from insomnia. When he does sleep, he nearly always has 'vivid dreams, which I remember well when I awake.' The main Parkinson's medication he is on is levodopa. This has been around for over 50 years and, thankfully now for Gilham, 'certainly does work to relieve my symptoms', even though it comes with side effects, which can cause something called Dyskinesias, uncontrolled movements of the body. Yet Gilham's main fears are connected more to how the illness will progress. 'Swallowing can become a problem. You can lose the ability to do simple tasks like dressing and washing, travelling, even cooking and cleaning. In fact everything you take for granted can become lost.' Gilham is part of the admin team who run a Facebook Parkinson's Disease group. Some of the issues he sees there 'make me shudder' and 'worry about where my journey will take me.' So what does the future hold? Currently Gilham is on the waiting list for a 'quite invasive' brain operation called deep brain stimulation (DBS). Before being offered the operation, he had to 'take and pass some intensive memory, psychological and neurological tests.' DBS involves having electrodes inserted into the part of the brain that have stopped working, and a control unit is inserted under the skin which acts in a similar way to a pacemaker. Feeling hopeful, he shares that 'it's not a cure, but I've been told there's a 75 per cent chance that it will reduce my symptoms. Obviously there are a few potentially unpleasant side effects and things that can go wrong, and it might not work at all, so my fingers are crossed.' Gilham, however, remains upbeat and determined not to let the disease gain ultimate control. 'Some days you could look at me and see nothing wrong, no tremor at all. Some days my medication works perfectly, I can be 'normal'. The problem is, I never know when that's going to happen. 'But we just have to make the best of it; you have to play the hand you are dealt. Penny constantly asks if she can help, when I'm trying to do something that the tremor is doing its best to make a mess of, but I nearly always say 'no thanks' because then Parkinson's has won.'
CNA
25-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Dengue-related deaths, cases reported down in year so far
Dengue related deaths and cases reported in the first few months of this year have decreased compared to around the same period in 2024. There were two deaths due to local dengue infection reported as of mid-May, compared to 13 for the first half of last year. But as Singapore enters the traditional peak dengue season, the National Environment Agency is urging continued vigilance. Sabrina Ng reports.
