Neglected Tropical Diseases

A staph infection occurs due to a bacterium called staphylococcus. This bacterium lives on the skin naturally, but if it enters the bloodstream through a wound, it can cause sepsis. It can also cause skin infections and boil-like sores that may be swollen, flushed, and painful. Staph infections are contagious through person-to-person contact. Staphylococcus is an umbrella term for more than 30 types of bacterium. This bacterium can also cause: In this article, we discuss how contagious staph infections are, their signs and symptoms, how to avoid them, and treatments. Staph infections are contagious through person-to-person contact. If an individual with staph has a wound that oozes, someone who comes into contact with this liquid can contract the infection. This includes the following transmission methods: close skin contact sharing objects such as towels or toothbrushes droplets in coughs and sneezes, though this is less common People with staph infections who prepare food for others ...

Macrophage and neutrophil apoptotic cell death have been demonstrated to confer resistance to severe tuberculosis (TB) infection in preclinical mouse models of the disease, according to an Australian study reported in the July 12, 2021, edition of Immunology . Led by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) and University of Melbourne, the study identified apoptotic pathways as new TB therapeutic targets and showed that TB-infected cells could be killed using existing antagonists of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). "To my knowledge, this is the first report that IAP antagonists may have potential for treating TB," said study leader Marc Pellegrini, professor and joint head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence at WEHI. TB represents a significant global burden of morbidity and mortality, with an estimated 10 million people each year developing the disease, which remains a leading cause of infectious mortality. Standard anti-TB trea...

A new wearable brain-machine interface (BMI) system could improve the quality of life for people with motor dysfunction or paralysis, even those struggling with locked-in syndrome – when a person is fully conscious but unable to move or communicate. A multi-institutional, international team of researchers led by the lab of Woon-Hong Yeo at the Georgia Institute of Technology combined wireless soft scalp electronics and virtual reality in a BMI system that allows the user to imagine an action and wirelessly control a wheelchair or robotic arm. The team, which included researchers from the University of Kent (United Kingdom) and Yonsei University (Republic of Korea), describes the new motor imagery-based BMI system this month in the journal Advanced Science . "The major advantage of this system to the user, compared to what currently exists, is that it is soft and comfortable to wear, and doesn't have any wires," said Yeo, associate professor on the George W. Wo...

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious viral illness most common in infants and young children. However, adults can also develop the illness if they have exposure to the virus. Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) can produce the same symptoms in adults as in children, but adults are more likely than children to be asymptomatic. This article discusses the symptoms and treatment of HFMD in adults. Share on Pinterest This image shows how hand, foot, and mouth disease presents on the hands. Karl_BlaoStock/Shutterstock According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , HFMD is generally not serious in adults or children. The CDC note that most people, regardless of their age, recover from HFMD in 7–10 days without medical treatment. The American Academy of Dermatology Association state that most adults do not experience symptoms if they contract HFMD. Those who do will generally have benign symptoms. Complications that require medical intervention occur only very ra...

KOLKATA: SSKM Hospital is soon going to operate a 3D endoscopy machine at its ENT department, opening a new horizon in the field of medical science. One of the most advanced machines worth around Rs 65 lakh, it would ensure better quality health services to the patients at the ENT department of the hospital. This is for the first time a 3D endoscopy machine is being used in any government establishment. The new machine has already been applied on an experimental basis while conducting two surgeries. However, the full fledged operation of the machine is yet to be started. It will immensely help the doctors by giving them a clear picture of the regions where an operation ought to take place. The 3D endoscopy machine is fitted with two cameras and they would provide more vivid pictures.According to sources, earlier the endoscopy machine used to bring images of the ears, nose or throat where there is a problem. The doctors used to do surgery by seeing the images on the monitor. But n...

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Lilliana Credeur's mother grew more and more worried about her as the 3-week-old infant's breath sped up. "She was breathing really, really fast and she would stop breathing," said Ashley Credeur, 38, of St. Martinville. "I was too scared to have to wait for an ambulance, she was so limp and lethargic." Lilliana Credeur of St. Martinville was hospitalized at just three weeks old am...

image: Development and field tests of smart deworming collar (A: 3D stacked graph of smart collar; B: Embedded modules for smart collar; C: Overall shape of Smart collar; D: Recovery of collars in July 2019 in Seni district after they had been attached for a year). view more  Credit: Yang S-J et al., 2021, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Dogs infected with echinococcosis play a major role in spreading tapeworms across human populations around the world. Now, rese...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approval of Dalvance ® (dalbavancin) to include treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) caused by designated susceptible strains of Gram-positive microorganisms in pediatric patients. Previously, the treatment was only approved for adults 18 years of age and older. Dalvance is a second-generation, semi-synthetic lipoglycopeptide. The approval was based on data from a multicenter, open-label, actively controlled phase 3 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02814916) that evaluated the efficacy and safety of dalbavancin in 183 patients from birth to less than 18 years of age with ABSSSI, along with 3 pharmacokinetic studies. Patients were randomly assigned 3:3:1 to receive dalbavancin as a single-dose or 2-doses intravenously (IV), or a comparator which included IV vancomycin (for methicillin-resistant Gram-positive infections), or IV oxacillin or flucloxacillin (for methicillin ...

Introduction Musculoskeletal infection (MSKI) is a common reason to seek medical care in the emergency department (ED). MSKI can present in many forms, depending on the involvement of the various soft-tissue layers, bones, and joints. Infection may manifest as cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, pyomyositis, myositis, osteomyelitis, or septic arthritis. It was estimated that MSKI develops in approximately 1.98 million patients every year in the emergency department in the United States, most of whom are diagnosed with cellulitis or a soft-tissue abscess. 1 Various reasons including can lead to MSKI. One of the most important features of treating MSKI is the requirement of a multidisciplinary approach including orthopedic surgeons, infectious disease doctors, radiologists, emergency room physicians, and nurses. 2 If the MSKI is misdiagnosed and left untreated, the patient's condition can deteriorate to sepsis, septic shock, and even death. 3 Our Xiangya Hospital of Central Sout...