Disease

Parrot fever cases amid a ‘mysterious’ pneumonia outbreak in Argentina – what you need to know about psittacosis

Retrieved on: 
Mardi, avril 23, 2024
Health, Chlamydia psittaci, COVID, Infection, Pneumonia, Psittacosis, Disease, Poultry, Parrot, Risk, COVID-19, Bird, Bacteria, Duck, Death, Human, Thought, Systematic review, World Health Organization, Mask, WHO, Nursing care plan, Workplace, Paper, Government, Mower

This is how the yet-to-be-named disease COVID-19 was first described when a cluster of cases was identified in Wuhan, China.

Key Points: 
  • This is how the yet-to-be-named disease COVID-19 was first described when a cluster of cases was identified in Wuhan, China.
  • This term is being used again to describe a cluster of “atypical” pneumonia cases in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Some cases of psittacosis, also known as “parrot fever”, have been confirmed within this cluster.
  • Psittacosis, or parrot fever, is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia psittaci, and is a common infection in birds.
  • A 2017 systematic review concluded that around 1% of pneumonia cases not acquired in a hospital may be the result of psittacosis.
  • There are often local respiratory infectious disease outbreaks, potentially causing severe pneumonia, and these do not spread more widely or internationally.
  • At the time of writing this article, there is very little information available about the Argentina outbreak.
  • There has been no statement from the public health authorities in Argentina, nor the WHO Pan America Health Organisation.
  • Among the key pieces of information we really would need to know is the likelihood of human-to-human transmission.


Michael Head has previously received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development, and currently receives funding from the UK Medical Research Foundation.

Two new malaria vaccines are being rolled out across Africa: how they work and what they promise

Retrieved on: 
Mardi, avril 23, 2024
Diagnosis, RTS, Health, GSK plc, Disease, Science, The Lancet, UNICEF, Parasitic disease, Ageing, Research, News, Child, Death, Parasitism, World Health Organization, Congo, Clinical trial, R21, Safety, WHO, University of Oxford, Vaccine, Democratic republic, Pharmaceutical industry

Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from malaria, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths worldwide. This year two revolutionary malaria vaccines are being rolled out across the continent. Nadine Dreyer asks Jaishree Raman if 2024 will be the year the continent takes a significant leap towards beating the disease.The RTS,S malaria vaccineThe long-awaited vaccine was described as a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.

Key Points: 


Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from malaria, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths worldwide. This year two revolutionary malaria vaccines are being rolled out across the continent. Nadine Dreyer asks Jaishree Raman if 2024 will be the year the continent takes a significant leap towards beating the disease.

The RTS,S malaria vaccine

  • The long-awaited vaccine was described as a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.
  • It is being aimed at children under the age of 5, who make up about 80% of all malaria deaths in Africa.
  • Among children aged 5 and 17 months who received 4 doses of RTS,S, the vaccine prevented about 30% of them from developing severe malaria.
  • Since 2019 more than 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been vaccinated with the RTS,S malaria vaccine.

R21/Matrix M

  • The R21 vaccine is a significant improvement on the RTS,S vaccine, with 75% efficacy over a year.
  • The R21/Matrix M vaccine is very cost-effective, projected to retail at $2-$4 a dose, comparable in price to other childhood vaccines used in Africa.
  • These very encouraging findings prompted several malaria-endemic African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, to approve use of the R21/Matrix M vaccine well before the World Health Organization.
  • The WHO finally approved and prequalified R21/Matrix M for use in the last quarter of 2023.

No silver bullet

  • While the fight against malaria has been significantly bolstered by the availability of these vaccines, they are not the silver bullets that are going to get us to an Africa free of malaria.
  • This will be the year that many vulnerable young African children will have access to not one, but two malaria vaccines.


Jaishree Raman receives funding from the Global Fund, the Gates Foundation, the South Africa Research Trust, the South African Medical Research Council, the National Research Foundation, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. She is affiliated with the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of Witwatersrand, and the Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, the University of Pretoria.

Type 2 diabetes is not one-size-fits-all: Subtypes affect complications and treatment options

Retrieved on: 
Vendredi, avril 19, 2024
MOD, Hyperinsulinemia, MARD, First Nations, Human, Obesity, Cell, Indigenous peoples, Unique, Disease, Blood transfusion, Insulin, Diabetes, Risk, Patient, Fatty liver disease, Weight loss, Stroke, Research, Fetus, Metabolic disorder, Hope, Pregnancy, Eye disease, Life, Kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, Pancreas, Paratriathlon, SIDD, Blood, Type, Type 2, Dietary supplement

You may have heard of Ozempic, the “miracle drug” for weight loss, but did you know that it was actually designed as a new treatment to manage diabetes?

Key Points: 
  • You may have heard of Ozempic, the “miracle drug” for weight loss, but did you know that it was actually designed as a new treatment to manage diabetes?
  • In Canada, diabetes affects approximately 10 per cent of the general population.

Locks and keys

  • Every cell in the body needs sugar as an energy source, but too much sugar can be toxic to cells.
  • This equilibrium needs to be tightly controlled and is regulated by a lock and key system.
  • Cells cover themselves with locks that respond perfectly to insulin keys to facilitate the entry of sugar into cells.
  • The body can encounter difficulties producing an adequate number of insulin keys, and/or the locks can become stubborn and unresponsive to insulin.

Severe insulin-deficient diabetes: We’re missing keys!

  • In the severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) subtype, the key factories — the beta cells — are on strike.
  • Why the beta cells go on strike remains largely unknown, but since there is an insulin deficiency, treatment often involves insulin injections.

Severe insulin-resistant diabetes: But it’s always locked!

  • In the severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) subtype, the locks are overstimulated and start ignoring the keys.
  • There are many treatment avenues for these patients but no consensus about the optimal approach; patients often require high doses of insulin.

Mild obesity-related diabetes: The locks are sticky!

  • Mild obesity-related (MOD) diabetes represents a nuanced aspect of Type 2 diabetes, often observed in individuals with higher body weight.
  • The locks are “sticky,” so it is challenging for the key to click in place and open the lock.

Mild age-related diabetes: I’m tired of controlling blood sugar!


Mild age-related diabetes (MARD) happens more often in older people and typically starts later in life. With time, the key factory is not as productive, and the locks become stubborn. People with MARD find it tricky to manage their blood sugar, but it usually doesn’t lead to severe complications. Among the different subtypes of diabetes, MARD is the most common.

Unique locks, varied keys

  • In Canada, unique cases of Type 2 diabetes were identified in Indigenous children from Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario by Dr. Heather Dean and colleagues in the 1980s and 90s.
  • Read more:
    Indigenous community research partnerships can help address health inequities

    Childhood-onset Type 2 diabetes is on the rise across Canada, but disproportionately affects Indigenous youth.

  • Acknowledging this distinct subtype of Type 2 diabetes in First Nations communities has led to the implementation of a community-based health action plan aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples.

A mosaic of conditions

  • Type 2 diabetes is not uniform; it’s a mosaic of conditions, each with its own characteristics.
  • Since diabetes presents so uniquely in every patient, even categorizing into subtypes does not guarantee how the disease will evolve.


Lili Grieco-St-Pierre receives funding from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS). Jennifer Bruin receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), JDRF, Diabetes Canada.

Good news: midlife health is about more than a waist measurement. Here’s why

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Vendredi, avril 19, 2024
Incidental, Eating, Death, Body composition, Health, Overweight, Diet, Conditional sentence, Longevity, Hormone, Motivation, Facial muscles, Exercise, Woman, Disease, Connective tissue, Vital signs, Energy, Risk, Genetics, Inflammation, Metabolism, Patient, DSM-IV codes, GP, Extrapyramidal system, Lung, Mental health, Abdomen, Menopause, Weight, Research, Cancer, Food, Parenting, Life, Insulin resistance, Body mass index, Skin, Heart, Pancreas, Lipid metabolism, Waist, Dicarboxylic acid, BMI, Liver, Movement, Parent, Dietary supplement

During the appointment they measure your waist.

Key Points: 
  • During the appointment they measure your waist.
  • GPs and health professionals commonly measure waist circumference as a vital sign for health.
  • Men are at greatly increased risk of health issues if their waist circumference is greater than 102 centimetres.
  • More than two-thirds of Australian adults have waist measurements that put them at an increased risk of disease.

How much is too much?

  • A ratio of 0.6 or more places a person at the highest risk of disease.
  • This can kick off a discussion about their risk of chronic diseases and how they might address this.
  • For women, hormone levels begin changing in mid-life and this also stimulates increased fat levels particularly around the abdomen.
  • Finally, your family history and genetics can make you predisposed to gaining more abdominal fat.

Why the waist?

  • Visceral fat surrounds and infiltrates major organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines, releasing a variety of chemicals (hormones, inflammatory signals, and fatty acids).
  • These affect inflammation, lipid metabolism, cholesterol levels and insulin resistance, contributing to the development of chronic illnesses.
  • In addition to the direct effects of hormone changes, declining levels of oestrogen change brain function, mood and motivation.
  • These psychological alterations can result in reduced physical activity and increased eating – often of comfort foods high in sugar and fat.
  • And importantly, the waist circumference (and ratio to height) is just one measure of human health.

Muscle matters

  • On current evidence, it is equally or more important for health and longevity to have higher muscle mass and better cardiorespiratory (aerobic) fitness than waist circumference within the healthy range.
  • So, if a person does have an excessive waist circumference, but they are also sedentary and have less muscle mass and aerobic fitness, then the recommendation would be to focus on an appropriate exercise program.
  • Conversely, a person with low visceral fat levels is not necessarily fit and healthy and may have quite poor aerobic fitness, muscle mass, and strength.

Getting moving is important advice

  • Exercise can counter a lot of the negative behavioural and physiological changes that are occurring during midlife including for people going through menopause.
  • And regular exercise reduces the tendency to use food and drink to help manage what can be a quite difficult time in life.
  • Measuring your waist circumference and monitoring your weight remains important.


Rob Newton receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, Cancer Council Western Australia, Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and the World Cancer Research Fund. Rob Newton is a board member of The Healthy Male.

Draft guideline on good agricultural and collection practice (GACP) for starting materials of herbal origin - Revision 1

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Reproduction, SCOPE, Eating, Pesticide, Convention, Change control, Confusion, Alkaloid, Climate, Fungus, Directive (European Union), Ethylene oxide, Wind, Wood, Glass, European Medicines Agency, HMPS, QDG, Hygiene, Water, Marketing, Fertilizer, Legislation, Manure, Distillation, Risk, Education, Committee, Compost, Draft, Policy, Person, EMA, Seed, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, Collection, Freezing, GMP, Risk assessment, GACP, Sunlight, Fermentation, Personal protective equipment, Animal, Herbal, Herbicide, Weather, INTRODUCTION, Documentation, Regeneration, Decontamination, EudraLex, Disease, International trade, European Pharmacopoeia, Part, Livestock, Public, Inhalation, Knowledge, Seedling, Factorization of polynomials, Record, Plant, Skin, API, Irrigation, Part Two, Soil, Directive, Pharmacopoeia, Codex, Guideline, Temperature, Attention, Hydrocarbon, Pyrrolizidine alkaloid, Polychlorinated biphenyl, Growth, Rotation, Incineration, Environment, Humidity, Smell, Ventilation, Light, Bird, Mineral, Fumigation, Pyrrolizidine, SOP, Housing, Smoking, Atmosphere, Postharvest, Rain, Liver, QWP, Medicinal plants

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Key Points: 
    • REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 14

      29

      Guideline on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) for starting materials of herbal origin
      EMA/HMPC/246816/2005

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      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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      36

      This guideline on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) for starting materials of herbal origin

      37

      1.

    • Due to the inherent
      complexity of medicinal plants and herbal substances the quality of these starting materials requires an
      adequate quality assurance system for the collection and/or cultivation, harvest, and primary
      processing.
    • (either outdoor, indoor or in greenhouses) should be carefully considered, since each of the mentioned
      types could have several problems and advantages.
    • The used cultivation method may be dependent on
      the final application of the herbal medicinal product.
    • primary processing of herbal substances that are used for the preparation of herbal medicinal products.
    • medicinal plants and herbal substances, ensuring that they are handled appropriately throughout all
      stages of cultivation, collection, processing and storage.
    • their preparations are exposed to a large number of environmental contaminants of both biotic and
      abiotic origin.
    • to existing wildlife habitats and must adhere to CITES (Convention on International Trade in
      Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
    • https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/bd537ccf-9271-4230-bca1-2d...
      4 https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/fd318dd6-2404-4e67-82b0232...
      3

      Guideline on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) for starting materials of herbal origin
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      4.

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      8.

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      7.

    • Where possible, stable varieties and cultivars naturally
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      resistant or tolerant to disease should preferably be used.

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      The application should be carried out only by qualified staff using approved equipment.

    • The following should be noted:

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      ?

      Damaged plants or plant parts need to be excluded or limited in accordance with a specific
      pharmacopoeia monograph, where relevant.

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      directly to the sun (except in cases where there is a specific need) and must be protected from
      rainfall, insect infestation, etc.

    • The label must be clear, permanently fixed and made from

      6

      Reflection paper on the use of fumigants (EMEA/HMPC/125562/2006)

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      non-toxic material.

    • Certain exudates that have not been subjected to a specific treatment are

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      also considered to be herbal substances.

    • European Pharmacopoeia General Monograph ?HERBAL DRUGS? 07/2017:1433

      Are obtained by subjecting herbal substances to treatments such as
      extraction, distillation, expression, fractionation, purification, concentration
      or fermentation.

Orphan designation: Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector serotype S3 containing codon-optimised expression cassette encoding human coagulation factor IX variant Treatment of haemophilia B, 26/10/2018 Withdrawn

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Eurostat, Diagnosis, Civil service commission, Brain, Disease, Coagulation, Patient, Committee, Knowledge, Internal, Regulation, Haemophilia, EMA, IRIS, Joint, Human, Wound healing, Clinical trial, European, Therapy, COMP, Bleeding, Spinal cord, Sponsor, European Commission, Immune system, Antibody, Safety, Factor IX, Blood, Marketing, Limited, Haemophilia B, Medicine, Pharmaceutical industry

Orphan designation: Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector serotype S3 containing codon-optimised expression cassette encoding human coagulation factor IX variant Treatment of haemophilia B, 26/10/2018 Withdrawn

Key Points: 


Orphan designation: Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector serotype S3 containing codon-optimised expression cassette encoding human coagulation factor IX variant Treatment of haemophilia B, 26/10/2018 Withdrawn

Orphan designation: branaplam Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, 16/04/2018 Withdrawn

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Eurostat, Diagnosis, Civil service commission, SMN, Brain, Atrophy, Gene, Weakness, Spinal muscular atrophy, Survival, Medicine, Disease, Paralysis, Novartis, Patient, Committee, Knowledge, Ventilation, Regulation, Brain cell, EMA, IRIS, Mouth, European, COMP, Spinal cord, Sponsor, European Commission, Spine, Safety, SMN1, Marketing, SMN2, Pharmaceutical industry

Orphan designation: branaplam Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, 16/04/2018 Withdrawn

Key Points: 


Orphan designation: branaplam Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, 16/04/2018 Withdrawn

Orphan designation: Sodium (4-{(E)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-[4-(3-morpholin-4-yl-prop1ynyl)phenyl]allyloxy}-2-methylphenoxy)acetate Treatment of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes, 21/08/2020 Withdrawn

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Eurostat, Diagnosis, Civil service commission, Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, Headache, DSM-IV codes, Lactic acidosis, Weakness, MELAS, Cell, Disease, Seizure, Paratriathlon, Patient, Committee, Knowledge, Mitochondrion, Regulation, EMA, IRIS, European, COMP, Sponsor, European Commission, Safety, Muscle weakness, Pain, Vomiting, Marketing, Movement, Medicine, Pharmaceutical industry

Orphan designation: Sodium (4-{(E)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-[4-(3-morpholin-4-yl-prop1ynyl)phenyl]allyloxy}-2-methylphenoxy)acetate Treatment of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes, 21/08/2020 Withdrawn

Key Points: 


Orphan designation: Sodium (4-{(E)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-[4-(3-morpholin-4-yl-prop1ynyl)phenyl]allyloxy}-2-methylphenoxy)acetate Treatment of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes, 21/08/2020 Withdrawn

Orphan designation: Tranilast Prevention of scarring post glaucoma filtration surgery, 27/07/2010 Positive

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Eurostat, Diagnosis, Civil service commission, Optic nerve, Brain, Pressure, Cell, Disease, Risk, Patient, Committee, Knowledge, Regulation, Cancer, EMA, IRIS, Scar, Eye, Wound healing, European, Allergic conjunctivitis, COMP, Collagen, Skin, European Commission, Safety, Glaucoma, Sclera, Pharmaceutical industry

Orphan designation: Tranilast Prevention of scarring post glaucoma filtration surgery, 27/07/2010 Positive

Key Points: 


Orphan designation: Tranilast Prevention of scarring post glaucoma filtration surgery, 27/07/2010 Positive

Orphan designation: anti-CD3 mAb (SPV-T3a)-ricin A chain fusion protein,anti-CD7 mAb (WT1)-ricin A chain fusion protein Treatment of graft-versus-host disease, 26/08/2005 Positive

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 18, 2024
Community, Eurostat, Civil service commission, Diagnosis, CD7, Graft-versus-host disease, Cell, Bone marrow, Disease, Patient, Committee, Extrapyramidal system, Tissue, Knowledge, Antibody, Regulation, EMA, IRIS, Protein, CD3, BV, European, Skin, WT1, COMP, Oxygen, Immune system, European Commission, Safety, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, Stomach, Liver, Pharmaceutical industry

Orphan designation: anti-CD3 mAb (SPV-T3a)-ricin A chain fusion protein,anti-CD7 mAb (WT1)-ricin A chain fusion protein Treatment of graft-versus-host disease, 26/08/2005 Positive

Key Points: 


Orphan designation: anti-CD3 mAb (SPV-T3a)-ricin A chain fusion protein,anti-CD7 mAb (WT1)-ricin A chain fusion protein Treatment of graft-versus-host disease, 26/08/2005 Positive