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In news...
Swine flu: For the last couple of months, the news of swine flu (swine influenza) outbreaks have created a lot of discussion and concern throughout the world. However it is not as serious as it is projected because most of the death reported were not primarily due to swine flu infection alone. With the pre-existing disease conditions, this infection resulted mortality. For more details visit these pages (1, 2, 3, 4).
Old Drugs Stop New TB Strains: Thanks to a barroom conversation, researchers may have stumbled on a powerful drug combination to battle antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis (TB), a growing threat throughout the world. New work suggests that meropenem and clavulanate, both of which are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fight bacterial infections, tame some of the most virulent TB strains..............more.Beta-lactam antibiotics are ineffective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, being rapidly hydrolyzed by the chromosomally encoded blaC gene product. The carbapenem class of β-lactams are very poor substrates for BlaC, allowing us to determine the three-dimensional structure of the covalent BlaC-meropenem covalent complex at 1.8 angstrom resolution...... moreSepticemia: Septicemia, sometimes referred as a bacteremia, is a syndrome that results from an acute invasion of the bloodstream by ceratin microorganisms or their toxic products. Fever, chills, tachycardia (rapid heart beat), and tachypnea (rapid respirations) are common acute symptoms of septicemia. When hypotension (low blood pressure) and signs of inadequate organ perfusion develop, the condition is termed septic shock.Unfortunately, with the spread of the microorganisms, the tissue injury and the development of organ failure, septic shock has a mortality rate as high as 40 to 60 percent in patients with severe underlying disease (immunosuppression). In patients with no underlying disease, the mortality rate is about 5 percent (healthscout.com)Any pathogenic organism can cause septicemia and septic shock. Septic shock is most commonly caused by gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococci, streptococci and other gram-positive organisms are less frequent, as are fungi and certain rare viruses.
Brazilian model dead at age 20 due to septicemia
Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa, whose hands and feet were amputated in a bid to save her from a deadly and little-known illness, died early Saturday, two friends of the model told CNN. A doctor who recently published an article in The New England Journal of Medicine on the disease, told CNN that little was known about the illness, although it is the tenth leading cause of deaths in the United States. "We know a lot about what happens once a patient contracts the illness but we know very little about what causes it," said Dr. Greg Martin of Emory University in Atlanta. "It is a leading health threat in this country, killing at least 800,000 people a year," he said. Martin said sepsis is a "response" to an infection that can cause the immune system to lose its balance. "Basically, the immune system goes haywire after contracting an infection and begins to overreact," he said. Immune 2 Anxiety: Feeling relaxed? Thank your immune system. A new study suggests that mast cells, which lead the charge against microbial invaders, may also be responsible for tamping down anxiety. Mast cells have a split personality. They are often the first cells to attack foreign microbes, and they coordinate and control other immune cells. Yet they can also be traitors. Upon encountering pollen or dust, they release histamines and other chemicals that can trigger allergies and asthma. Mast cells may also incite or abet conditions as diverse as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, and migraines. Although researchers know the functions of many mast cells in the body, a subset that inhabits the brain has remained mysterious...more
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