Medical specialties

The following is an excerpt from Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg. Available for sale January 17, 2023 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.When the United States began vaccinating against the measles virus in the 1960s, children fortunately stopped getting measles. But that wasn’t the only thing; suddenly, American children had plummeting risks of dying from all sorts of other infectious diseases, too. The same thing happened in European countries joining the effort.…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)An important clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease has just gotten underway in the UK. The placebo-controlled Phase III trial will test whether a long-existing cough medication can slow down the progression of the neurodegenerative condition and improve people’s quality of life. Earlier studies have suggested that the drug can interact with brain proteins key to the development of Parkinson’s.The drug is called ambroxol, and it’s been in use since the late 1970s as a common ingredient…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)For the first time ever, experts with the American Academy of Pediatrics are recommending proactive medical interventionagainst childhood obesity. The organization’s new guidelines will no longer ask doctors to simply observe or delay treatment in children with obesity, defined as a body mass index over 30. They instead now emphasize a range of options, such as dietary and lifestyle counseling for younger children as well as medications and/or surgery for children 12 and over.Past…

A child with a measles rash.Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)A measles outbreak in Columbus, Ohio has sickened over 80 children and hospitalized dozens. The majority of these cases have involved unvaccinated children who were nonetheless eligible for vaccination. It is not yet clear how long the outbreak will continue, with the most recent case having been detected just last week.Columbus Public Health officials first reported the outbreak in early November, though the first known cases are now believed to have begun in…

The funeral of 5-year-old Stella-Lily McCorkindale on December 14, 2022 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Stella-Lily died following a severe case of the bacterial infection strep A.Photo: Charles McQuillan (Getty Images)Severe cases of strep A appear to be climbing in parts of the world outside of the UK, where the surge was first reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as several children’s hospitals in the U.S. have documented an increase, while doctors in Montreal, Canada recently reported a…

An Aedes aegypti mosquito.Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)Researchers in Japan say they’ve discovered “super” resistant mosquitoes in Asia. In a study published this week, they detail finding populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—a common disease vector—in Vietnam and Cambodia carrying several mutations believed to confer strong protection against the most widely used insecticides. The discovery should merit urgent action to prevent these mutations from spreading globally, they argue.A. aegypti mosquitoes are one of…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)An unlucky kitten bite appears to have led to a Danish man’s death four years later. He reportedly contracted a serious infection following the bite that hospitalized him for a month, caused the amputation of his finger, and left him in ever-declining health. The man’s family disclosed his recent death in hopes of raising awareness that catbites should always be taken seriously.As initially reported by the Daily Mail, Henrik Kriegbaum Plettner had adopted a cat and her kittens from a…

Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)A common bacterial infection known as Strep A has likely killed over a dozen children in the UK in recent months. On Friday, health officials reported yet another fatality linked to the bacteria, which can, in rare cases, cause a more invasive and life-threatening infection. There are likely several reasons why the outbreak appears to be more severe than usual, though government experts have ruled out the possibility of a more virulent strain behind it.At least 13 children in England have…

Photo: ShutterstockNew research appears to provide a clearer picture of why cold and flu cases are more common during the winter. The study found evidence that our nose’s innate immune response weakens in colder temperatures, providing some germs a better opportunity to infect the rest of the body. The findings, the authors say, could provide a biological explanation for the seasonality of many respiratory diseases.The study comes from scientists at Northeastern University as well as Mass Eye and Ear, a teaching hospital…

Above, a red AIDS awareness ribbon.Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)An experimental HIV vaccine appears to have passed its first test in humans. In a newly released study, the vaccine candidate produced the sort of immune response that scientists had been hoping for in 97% of recipients. Importantly, the vaccine also seemed to be safe and well-tolerated.The vaccine candidate is known as eOD-GT8 60mer and was developed by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute. The Phase I trial testing eOD-GT8 60mer, first…