(b) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman; or
(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or
(d) that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.?
With this in mind, it is clear that a very large number, and quite possibly the vast majority, of abortions carried out in this country are against the spirit, if not quite the word, of the law, and that practically all the doctors in this country who sign abortion forms are every bit as guilty as the reviled consultants who have offered sexually selected abortion.
If the consultants offering sexually selected abortions should be struck off the register, so should a probable majority of British practitioners. Their only extenuation is the fact that any termination of pregnancy is safer than a continuation of it: but this is surely sophistical, and not what the framers of the law intended. Besides, the argument would also cover the case of the consultants who offered abortion on the grounds of the sex of the foetus.
More than one friend of mine in the profession has told me that pregnant women have asked for terminations because they did not want their holidays spoilt by pregnancy ? and they duly signed the forms. I have signed only a few forms in the course of my career, a long time ago, and I am not sure what part the desire to avoid an unpleasant scene with the patient, understandable perhaps in a young man as I then was, played in my decision-making. In this connection, I cannot help but think of the notice in old-fashioned shops: please do not ask for credit as refusal often offends.
Of course, it is not difficult for someone to claim that the continuation of a pregnancy will harm her: all she has to do is threaten to take an overdose if it is not terminated. But if we take a latitudinarian view of what constitutes harm to mental health, there is no way of distinguishing between permissible and impermissible termination. A woman who wants a male child but not a female one can claim that a girl will harm her mental health while a boy will improve it. Anyone can ruin his own mental health if he wants to do so. Indeed, the very notion of mental health makes us ever more fragile.
The Abortion Act provides, de facto, abortion on demand, and this has been so for many years. Certain people will rejoice at this: those, for example, who argue that women have an inalienable right to dispose of their bodies as they wish, and therefore to determine whether or not they continue with their pregnancy. According to this argument, women have the right to an abortion simply because they want it, for good, bad or no reason. If this is the case, the consultants who offered the sexually selected abortions did nothing wrong, morally speaking.
The Council of Europe has suggested that women should not be told the sex of their child before birth, precisely to avoid sexually selected abortions. But this in turn conflicts with another supposedly inalienable right: that of a patient to information about his or her condition. Now that doctors are supposed to withhold nothing from their patients, why should information about the sex of a foetus be an exception? After all, the vast majority of pregnant women who are told the sex of their baby do not, and never will, want an abortion on the grounds of its sex. By what common measure of moral priority does the right of a foetus not to be aborted on the grounds of its sex trump the right of the mother to be given information about her condition?
In fact, the whole sorry story illustrates the mess we get into when two notions become culturally prominent: on the one hand of rights and on the other of consumer choice.
Whatever the law says, most people now think that abortion is a right under all circumstances and not something that is permissible if certain conditions are met, as the framers of the law surely intended. That particular slippery slope has long been slid down. And the same people now conceive of life as an existential supermarket in which they are consumers, choosing the way they live much as they choose cranberry juice or the flavour of crisps that they want. And the customer in the existential supermarket, as in Tesco, is always right.
Into this poisonous mixture we must add the notion that any form of distress, or even the slightest frustration arising no matter how self-indulgently, constitutes an impairment of mental health: for the mentally healthy person is always happy and never experiences any difficulties in life. In short, inconvenience is the greatest of all threats to our well-being, and must at all times be avoided. It is our right to avoid it.
The Abortion Act was intended as a humane response to genuine hardship: the type of hardship that drove women to back-street abortionists. I supported it, not realising that its intentions would soon be subverted by a change in the character of the population, including that of doctors, who would easily affix their names to declarations they knew or suspected to be false. But now the genie is out of the bottle, and I fear there is no getting it back.
?Not sleeping enough can damage your immune system and make you ill,? according to the Daily Mail.
This somewhat sweeping statement is based purely on an animal study looking at how mice body clocks affected their immune systems. The study found that levels of an infection-detecting protein called TLR9 fluctuated throughout the day and that the exact level of this protein influenced how effective a vaccine was in mice. It also influenced the mice?s response to a type of serious infection.
Differences between man and mouse mean more research will be needed to determine if these findings apply to humans. If they do, then it may be possible that certain vaccinations could be administered at specific times of day to make them more effective. However, this approach would need to be tested in humans to be sure that it actually made a meaningful difference to the effectiveness of the vaccines.
The immune system is a complex area, and while this research shed some light on one aspect of the body?s immunity and its ties to the body clock, there?s still much to learn.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US. It was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Immunity.
When reporting this study both BBC News and the Daily Mail stated that this research was in mice, and gave good summaries of the findings. However, the Mail?s headline claimed that ?not sleeping enough can damage your immune system and make you ill?, which the current research does not support. The results of this research in mice should not be interpreted as providing proof that amount of sleep affects illness in humans.
What kind of research was this?
This was animal research looking at exactly how the body clock affects the function of the immune system in mice. The researchers say that previous studies have shown that certain immune system functions and chemicals vary naturally in relation to light and daily rhythms in humans and mice. They say that studies have also suggested that disruptions to normal daily rhythms, such as jet lag or sleep deprivation, may also affect the immune system.
This type of early research will usually use animals such as mice to carry out in-depth investigation of the interaction of basic biological functions, which might be difficult to carry out in humans. Generally, it?s only once researchers have built up a picture of these interactions in mice that they can then carry out further studies to test the findings in humans.
What did the research involve?
The researchers first looked at a group of mice genetically engineered to have defective body clocks and a group of normal mice to identify any differences between the two groups in how their white blood cells (immune cells) responded to invading microorganisms. They found that the differences identified related to a protein called Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). This protein recognises DNA from bacteria and viruses, and plays a role in signalling to the immune system to mount an attack on these invading organisms. The researchers then looked at whether the production and function of TLR9 in normal mice varies throughout the day as a result of the body clock cycle (known as the ?circadian cycle?).
The researchers then gave mice vaccinations containing molecules that would activate TLR9 and looked at whether mice responded differently to the vaccine according the time of the day it was given. They also looked at whether time of day affected how mice responded to being infected with bacteria in a process known to involve TLR9. The method used involves allowing bacteria from the mouse?s intestines to invade its body cavity. This leads to a condition called sepsis, a strong inflammatory immune system response throughout the body that is harmful to the mice.
What were the basic results?
The researchers found that levels of the protein TLR9 in mice did fluctuate naturally through the day, peaking at set times over a 24-hour cycle.
They found that when they gave mice vaccines that would activate TLR9, the vaccination produced a greater immune response if given at a time of day when TLR9 levels were at their highest. The researchers found that if the mice were infected at a time when TLR9 was at its highest, the mice showed worse signs of sepsis and died earlier than mice infected at the time when TLR9 was at its lowest.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers concluded that their findings showed a direct link between the body clock and one aspect of the immune system in mice. They said that this may have important implications for how vaccination and immune-system-related therapies are administered in humans.
They also noted that some studies have found that people with sepsis are more likely to die between 2am and 6am. They say that further studies are needed to determine if this may be related to levels of TLR9, and if so whether giving certain therapies during this period could reduce this risk.
Conclusion
This study identifies one way in which the body clock and immune system interact in mice, via a protein called TLR9. The researchers found that fluctuations in this protein throughout the day influenced how effective a certain form of vaccination was in mice, and also influenced the mice?s response to one type of serious infection.
Differences between the species mean more research is needed to determine if these findings also apply to humans. If they do, then vaccinations could be given at specific times of day when they would be most effective. However, this theory needs testing in humans to ensure that it makes a meaningful difference to the effectiveness of the vaccine.
There has also been media speculation that researchers could develop infection-fighting drugs based on these findings. However, this suggestion is premature as researchers first need to confirm that the mechanism identified in this study also applies in humans. Even if it is confirmed, it would still take a great deal of research to develop and test a drug that could capitalise on it.
It?s also worth remembering just how complex the immune system is, and although this research improves our understanding of one aspect (how it is affected by the body clock) there is still much to learn.
Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent). Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Treatment of diabetes depends on the type.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
A miscarriage is any pregnancy that ends spontaneously before the fetus can survive. Miscarriage usually occurs before the 13th week of pregnancy. The cause of a miscarriage cannot always be determined. The most common causes of a miscarriage in the first trimester are collagen vascular disease (lupus), hormonal problems, diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital abnormalities of the uterus.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epilepsy. Treatment of epilepsy (seizures) depends upon the cause and type of seizures experienced.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Influenza (flu) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. The flu may be prevented with an annual influenza vaccination.
Food poisoning is common, but can also be life threatening. The most common form of food poisoning is caused by bacteria and include symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Encephalitis is a brain inflammation that causes sudden fever, vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, stiff neck and back, drowsiness, and irritability. Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck.
AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. Symptoms and signs of AIDS include pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jiroveci, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, seizures, weakness, meningitis, yeast infection of the esophagus, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is used in the treatment of AIDS.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
How Can I Tell if I Have Food Poisoning?
Q: Is it necessary to conduct a culture of feces or vomit in order to determine that a patient suffers from food poisoning?
A: Food poisoning is a general term that refers to gastrointestinal illnesses (usually diarrhea and/or vomiting) caused by food that is contaminated with bacteria, parasites, viruses, or toxic substances. The actual cause of most individual episodes of food poisoning, however, never is pursued (for example, a culture is not done) since most episodes are mild or moderate in severity and are over in a few hours to a few days. In fact, the diagnosis of food poisoning usually is made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances. Even in outbreaks of suspected food poisoning that involve many people, when careful studies are done, a specific cause is found no more than half of the time.
Bacteria are the cause of most outbreaks of food poisoning for which a specific cause is determined. Bacteria cause food poisoning in three ways. After reaching the intestines, they may multiply and produce toxic substances that enter the intestine and cause diarrhea and/or vomiting without damaging the intestine itself. The bacteria also may multiply within the intestines and produce toxic substances that damage the lining of the intestine or they may invade and damage the intestine directly. Finally, some bacteria produce toxic substances that cause diarrhea and/or vomiting in the food before it is eaten. These bacteria do not need to multiply within the intestines, and the toxic substances they produce do not damage the intestine.
Listeriosis is a disease caused by a gram-positive bacterium named Listeria that can penetrate and replicate inside human cells.
Most people who are infected have few or no symptoms; when symptoms are present, they usually consist of fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea. Some people may develop more severe symptoms such as meningitis, mental changes, brain abscesses, or death.
Although most people have self-limited disease, people with risk factors such as an altered or depressed immune response (for example, pregnant females and their fetus or newborn, cancer patients, AIDS patients) are at higher risk for getting the disease and some are more likely to have more severe disease.
Listeriosis is usually diagnosed by discovering that a person was associated with an outbreak of Listeria-contaminated food or fluid or identified as a person associated with the source of a known listeriosis outbreak. Definitive diagnosis is done when Listeria bacteria are isolated from the patient's blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or other body fluid.
Most normal people spontaneously clear the infection and require no treatment. In contrast, people with risk factors should be treated quickly with IV antibiotics.
People are exposed to Listeria bacteria if they ingest contaminated food or fluid. Foods that are not cooked or fluids that are not treated or pasteurized are frequently the sources of infection. Pregnant females can transmit Listeria organisms to their fetus or to their newborn.
Cooking foods, treating or pasteurizing fluids, and avoiding food and fluids that may be contaminated with animal or human waste may prevent infection.
The prognosis for most Listeria infections is excellent even if people have consumed contaminated foods or fluid; however, the prognosis rapidly declines in patients with risk factors if they are not quickly diagnosed and treated.
U.S. government agencies are responsible for maintaining safe foods and fluids for the U.S. population and may enforce regulations to ensure contaminated products are reported, removed, recalled, and production and sales stopped until processing meets acceptable standards of safety.
What is listeriosis? What causes listeriosis?
Listeriosis is an infection caused by a gram-positive motile bacterium named Listeria monocytogenes. The infection produces fever, muscle aches, and, in many people, diarrhea. Severe infections can cause headaches, meningitis, convulsions, and death. Most healthy people exposed to the bacteria have minor or no symptoms, but a few people, especially the elderly, pregnant females and their fetus, newborns, and anyone with a compromised immune system are especially susceptible to these organisms. Listeria bacteria are widespread throughout the world and are often associated with farm animals that may show no signs of infection. Research shows that many animals are uninfected carriers; in addition, they suggest that about 5%-10% of all humans carry these organisms as part of the human bowel flora. About 2,500 infections are diagnosed per year in the U.S. with about 500 deaths per year. Except for pregnant females and their fetus or newborn, there is no direct transfer of Listeria from human to human.
The organisms (Listeria monocytogenes) that cause listeriosis probably have been infecting humans for centuries; Listeria was first isolated from an infected WWI soldier in 1918 and had many different names until 1940, when the genus and species names were firmly established. However, the bacteria were first recognized as a food-borne pathogen in 1979. The bacteria can penetrate human cells and can multiply inside them. People with altered or impaired immune systems have cells that are less able to control the spread of these organisms into the blood or into other cells. In 2010, a known species, Listeria ivanovii, thought only to infect cattle, was found to infect humans.
There have been many outbreaks of the disease over the world; a recent event occurred in Texas in October 2010, tentatively related to locally processed celery; 10 people were diagnosed with listeriosis and five died. Most people infected had underlying medical problems or conditions. In 2011, approximately 146 people got infected from Listeria-contaminated cantaloupes and about 32 people died. In February 2012, over 1 million eggs were recalled after several processed in a processing plant were found to be contaminated with Listeria. The eggs were sold under the brand names of Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, Papetti's, Silverbrook, and Wholesome Farms. The egg brands were sold in 34 states.
Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
Food poisoning is a common infection that affects millions of people in the United States each year.
Most commonly, patients complain of vomiting, diarrhea, and crampy abdominal pain.
People should seek medical care if they have an associated fever, blood in their stool, signs and symptoms of dehydration, or if their symptoms do not resolve after a couple of days.
Treatment focuses on keeping the patient well hydrated.
Most cases of food poisoning resolve on their own.
Prevention is key and depends upon keeping food preparation areas clean, good hand washing, and cooking foods thoroughly.
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning might be described as a food borne disease. Food that contains a toxin, chemical or infectious agent (like a bacterium, virus, parasite, or prion) and cause symptoms in the body are considered types of food pois...
Feb. 22, 2012 -- When women find out they have breast cancer, many leave their ob-gyn and go to a cancer specialist. After treatment, they return to their ob-gyn.
Although their cancer is gone, cancer-related health issues remain. Concerns about fertility, birth control, menopause, and bone health are common.
If you are one of these estimated 2 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., your ob-gyn now has new guidance. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issued a practice bulletin with new information on how to manage these health issues.
"More and more women are living with breast cancer, and all these [cancer] drugs have gynecologic side effects," says Mindy Goldman, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Women's Cancer Care Program at the University of California San Francisco. She developed the report with the ACOG's Committee on Practice Bulletins, Gynecology.
The guidelines are published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
As more ob-gyns read the new guidelines, "I think women should feel more comfortable in asking questions of their ob-gyns and hopefully get answers," Goldman says.
Breast Cancer Survivors & Gynecology Issues
Breast cancer survivors can have both short-term and long-term side effects, according to the guidelines. Among those:
The guidelines offer options to deal with the issues, based on scientific evidence.
Birth control options, for instance, can include barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms, the copper IUD, and sterilization, the guidelines say.
The use of the cancer drug tamoxifen is addressed. "It's well-known that tamoxifen can increase uterine cancer risk in postmenopausal women," Goldman tells WebMD. "It turns out it's pretty rare and almost always [occurs] with abnormal bleeding."
For that reason, the guidelines suggest that a routine biopsy and ultrasound are not needed if women past menopause take the drug but do not have bleeding.
Other information:
Pregnancy after breast cancer is not thought to raise the risk of recurrence.
Younger breast cancer patients who want to have children should be referred to a fertility specialist. It may be possible to freeze eggs before treatment starts.
Antidepressants can help relieve hot flashes that can occur with cancer drugs.
Drugs to preserve bone should be considered if bone density becomes low.
Vaginal lubricants without hormones can help vaginal dryness, which is linked with sexual dissatisfaction.
Goldman has served as a consultant on hormone therapy and breast cancer risk for Wyeth, which is now part of Pfizer and makes a hormone replacement drug.
Breast Cancer Survivors: Guidelines Should Help Ob-Gyns
The guidelines will be a valuable reminder and update for ob-gyns, says Mark Wakabayashi, MD, MPH, chief of gynecologic oncology at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. He reviewed the guidelines for WebMD.
It is difficult for ob-gyns to keep up with how to treat all the side effects of breast cancer, and the new guidelines should help them, he says.
For women returning to their ob-gyn, Wakabayashi gives this advice: "Your physician should be aware of what treatment you are on [or have finished] and the problems."
Before a visit to the ob-gyn, he adds, "Make a list of things that are bothering you." Take it to the visit.
SOURCES: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Practice Bulletins, Gynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, March 2012.Mindy Goldman, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology; director, Women's Cancer Care Program, University of California, San Francisco.Mark Wakabayashi, MD, MPH, chief of gynecologic oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, Calif.
Do you have trouble getting to sleep at night? If so, you've probably tried many things including prescription and non-prescription drugs to help you sleep, often without relief.
A few weeks ago, I received a sample product that claims to put you to sleep in less than 7 minutes without drugs. OK, that sounded good so I decided to try the device. Wow, was I surprised each time I used the product, I did fall asleep in less than 7 minutes and I slept better throughout the night.
So, what is this "magic" sleep product? It's called NightWave. It's a small box that flashes a blue light from bright to dim over and over again for 7 minutes. All you have to do it watch the light as it brightens and dims and soon the flow of your breathing follows the light. It's magnificent!
Mrs Obama and Fallon did push-ups and hula hooping before competing at dodge ball and a tug-of-war. The first lady triumphed over the comedian in a climactic potato sack race.
Mrs Obama has been doing the rounds of American talk-show circuit to mark the second anniversary of her campaign against childhood obesity.
In the past few weeks she has appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show when she took on the host in a push-ups challenge.
Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent). Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Treatment of diabetes depends on the type.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
A miscarriage is any pregnancy that ends spontaneously before the fetus can survive. Miscarriage usually occurs before the 13th week of pregnancy. The cause of a miscarriage cannot always be determined. The most common causes of a miscarriage in the first trimester are collagen vascular disease (lupus), hormonal problems, diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital abnormalities of the uterus.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epilepsy. Treatment of epilepsy (seizures) depends upon the cause and type of seizures experienced.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Influenza (flu) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. The flu may be prevented with an annual influenza vaccination.
Food poisoning is common, but can also be life threatening. The most common form of food poisoning is caused by bacteria and include symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Encephalitis is a brain inflammation that causes sudden fever, vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, stiff neck and back, drowsiness, and irritability. Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck.
AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. Symptoms and signs of AIDS include pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jiroveci, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, seizures, weakness, meningitis, yeast infection of the esophagus, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is used in the treatment of AIDS.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
How Can I Tell if I Have Food Poisoning?
Q: Is it necessary to conduct a culture of feces or vomit in order to determine that a patient suffers from food poisoning?
A: Food poisoning is a general term that refers to gastrointestinal illnesses (usually diarrhea and/or vomiting) caused by food that is contaminated with bacteria, parasites, viruses, or toxic substances. The actual cause of most individual episodes of food poisoning, however, never is pursued (for example, a culture is not done) since most episodes are mild or moderate in severity and are over in a few hours to a few days. In fact, the diagnosis of food poisoning usually is made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances. Even in outbreaks of suspected food poisoning that involve many people, when careful studies are done, a specific cause is found no more than half of the time.
Bacteria are the cause of most outbreaks of food poisoning for which a specific cause is determined. Bacteria cause food poisoning in three ways. After reaching the intestines, they may multiply and produce toxic substances that enter the intestine and cause diarrhea and/or vomiting without damaging the intestine itself. The bacteria also may multiply within the intestines and produce toxic substances that damage the lining of the intestine or they may invade and damage the intestine directly. Finally, some bacteria produce toxic substances that cause diarrhea and/or vomiting in the food before it is eaten. These bacteria do not need to multiply within the intestines, and the toxic substances they produce do not damage the intestine.
Listeriosis is a disease caused by a gram-positive bacterium named Listeria that can penetrate and replicate inside human cells.
Most people who are infected have few or no symptoms; when symptoms are present, they usually consist of fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea. Some people may develop more severe symptoms such as meningitis, mental changes, brain abscesses, or death.
Although most people have self-limited disease, people with risk factors such as an altered or depressed immune response (for example, pregnant females and their fetus or newborn, cancer patients, AIDS patients) are at higher risk for getting the disease and some are more likely to have more severe disease.
Listeriosis is usually diagnosed by discovering that a person was associated with an outbreak of Listeria-contaminated food or fluid or identified as a person associated with the source of a known listeriosis outbreak. Definitive diagnosis is done when Listeria bacteria are isolated from the patient's blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or other body fluid.
Most normal people spontaneously clear the infection and require no treatment. In contrast, people with risk factors should be treated quickly with IV antibiotics.
People are exposed to Listeria bacteria if they ingest contaminated food or fluid. Foods that are not cooked or fluids that are not treated or pasteurized are frequently the sources of infection. Pregnant females can transmit Listeria organisms to their fetus or to their newborn.
Cooking foods, treating or pasteurizing fluids, and avoiding food and fluids that may be contaminated with animal or human waste may prevent infection.
The prognosis for most Listeria infections is excellent even if people have consumed contaminated foods or fluid; however, the prognosis rapidly declines in patients with risk factors if they are not quickly diagnosed and treated.
U.S. government agencies are responsible for maintaining safe foods and fluids for the U.S. population and may enforce regulations to ensure contaminated products are reported, removed, recalled, and production and sales stopped until processing meets acceptable standards of safety.
What is listeriosis? What causes listeriosis?
Listeriosis is an infection caused by a gram-positive motile bacterium named Listeria monocytogenes. The infection produces fever, muscle aches, and, in many people, diarrhea. Severe infections can cause headaches, meningitis, convulsions, and death. Most healthy people exposed to the bacteria have minor or no symptoms, but a few people, especially the elderly, pregnant females and their fetus, newborns, and anyone with a compromised immune system are especially susceptible to these organisms. Listeria bacteria are widespread throughout the world and are often associated with farm animals that may show no signs of infection. Research shows that many animals are uninfected carriers; in addition, they suggest that about 5%-10% of all humans carry these organisms as part of the human bowel flora. About 2,500 infections are diagnosed per year in the U.S. with about 500 deaths per year. Except for pregnant females and their fetus or newborn, there is no direct transfer of Listeria from human to human.
The organisms (Listeria monocytogenes) that cause listeriosis probably have been infecting humans for centuries; Listeria was first isolated from an infected WWI soldier in 1918 and had many different names until 1940, when the genus and species names were firmly established. However, the bacteria were first recognized as a food-borne pathogen in 1979. The bacteria can penetrate human cells and can multiply inside them. People with altered or impaired immune systems have cells that are less able to control the spread of these organisms into the blood or into other cells. In 2010, a known species, Listeria ivanovii, thought only to infect cattle, was found to infect humans.
There have been many outbreaks of the disease over the world; a recent event occurred in Texas in October 2010, tentatively related to locally processed celery; 10 people were diagnosed with listeriosis and five died. Most people infected had underlying medical problems or conditions. In 2011, approximately 146 people got infected from Listeria-contaminated cantaloupes and about 32 people died. In February 2012, over 1 million eggs were recalled after several processed in a processing plant were found to be contaminated with Listeria. The eggs were sold under the brand names of Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, Papetti's, Silverbrook, and Wholesome Farms. The egg brands were sold in 34 states.
Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
Food poisoning is a common infection that affects millions of people in the United States each year.
Most commonly, patients complain of vomiting, diarrhea, and crampy abdominal pain.
People should seek medical care if they have an associated fever, blood in their stool, signs and symptoms of dehydration, or if their symptoms do not resolve after a couple of days.
Treatment focuses on keeping the patient well hydrated.
Most cases of food poisoning resolve on their own.
Prevention is key and depends upon keeping food preparation areas clean, good hand washing, and cooking foods thoroughly.
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning might be described as a food borne disease. Food that contains a toxin, chemical or infectious agent (like a bacterium, virus, parasite, or prion) and cause symptoms in the body are considered types of food pois...
As women, we are used to having our blood checked for iron deficiency anemia at our annual GYN exams. Anemia is common among menstruating women. Maybe you've even taken iron supplements, or added more iron to your diet, just to be sure you're getting enough iron.
But did you know that you can have too much iron in your blood? It's true, it's called having iron overload which, when left untreated can lead to a devastating disease called hemochromatosis.
Have you ever been told you have too much iron in your blood?
Inventor touts AeroShot as caffeine without the coffee, soda or tea
But New York Sen. Charles Schumer says he has some concerns
"This product could be very dangerous," he says
The product comes in a dispenser that puffs out a powdery mixture of caffeine and B vitamins into your mouth
(CNN) -- Food and Drug Administration officials plan to investigate whether a form of caffeine sold in lipstick-shaped containers is safe for consumers.
The inventor touts AeroShot as caffeine without the coffee, soda, tea or a pill, but a U.S. lawmaker questions whether it's safe.
The product comes in a lipstick-shaped dispenser that puffs out a powdery mixture of caffeine and B vitamins into your mouth, where it dissolves and is swallowed.
Pre-filled devices can be purchased online or in convenience stores in New York and Boston for about $3.
"No calories. No liquid. No limits," its website says. "Hitting the books. Hitting the gym. Taking a roadtrip. Staying awake at your desk after devouring a bacon double cheeseburger at lunch. AeroShot is specifically designed with you in mind."
But New York's Sen. Charles Schumer said he has some concerns.
"This product could be very dangerous," Schumer said. "There might be legitimate uses. The business man staying up late who doesn't want to drink that cup of coffee, that's OK. But what about kids who go to bars and take several shots of AeroShot so they can drink more?"
Schumer sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration in December urging it to examine the safety and legality of the product.
The FDA said it will review the senator's concerns and respond to him directly.
AeroShot inventor David Edwards says the product is safe and was "thoroughly tested" before it was introduced.
"There are energy shots on the market that have 10 times the amount of caffeine in a single energy shot than we have in the AeroShot ... The fact is we don't have that much caffeine in the product," he said.
One AeroShot contains 100 milligrams of caffeine dispensed in three to six puffs.
"The amount of caffeine that you would get from one puff of AeroShot is equivalent to about the amount of caffeine in a decaffeinated large Starbucks coffee, so it's really not that much caffeine," said David Schardt, a Senior Nutritionist at The Center for Science in the Public Interest.
"For most healthy adults, moderate doses of caffeine ? 200mg to 300mg, or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day aren't harmful," according to The Mayo Clinic. It warns more than 500mg or 600mg daily can cause problems like insomnia, fast heartbeat, muscle tremors and stomach upset.
Schumer has said he is worried that the product could go on sale without government testing.
"The bottom line is this product asks more questions than we have answers and to have it on our shelves before those questions are answered is a serious, serious, serious mistake," he said in a news conference Sunday.
AeroShots fall under the FDA regulations for "dietary supplements." Those products include vitamin C pills at the drug store, some weight loss products and certain energy drinks.
The company making them is responsible "for determining that the dietary supplements it manufactures or distributes are safe and that any representations or claims made about them are substantiated by adequate evidence to show that they are not false or misleading," according to the FDA website.
It's rare for the agency to prohibit a supplement. In 2004, it stopped the sale of the diet supplement Ephedra, but only after deaths and other serious side effects were reported.
"Manufactures are free, basically, to sell almost any product they want and to make any claims they want about dietary supplements" Schardt said. "It's the burden of the Food and Drug Administration to prove that a product is unsafe and the dietary supplement industry has lawyers to defend their products and it's a long involved process."
