In Case You Missed It
Explore a curated roundup of this week's articles, offering deep insights into the latest medical and healthcare advancements.
General
Probiotic Use Linked to Alkalihalobacillus Clausii Blood Infection Outbreak in Gauteng and North West Hospitals (November 2024)
On 11 June 2024, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), received notification from a pathologist in a private laboratory of an increase in bacteraemia cases of Alkalihalobacillus clausii (A. clausii) previously known as Bacillus clausii.
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Second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is hereby transmitting the report of the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee (Committee) regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, held on Friday 22 November 2024, from 12:00 to 17:00 CET.
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The first-ever global oral health conference highlights universal health coverage by 2030
Delegations from over 110 countries are coming together to produce national roadmaps and negotiate a joint declaration on oral health at the first-ever global oral health meeting organized by the World Health Organization (WHO). The declaration is expected to outline collective commitments from Member States to accelerate the implementation of the Global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023–2030.
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Medication side effects: What are your options?
Medications can provide a host of health benefits. They may prevent or eliminate a disease. They might improve your quality of life and even help you live longer. But the medicines we take also have potential side effects. While listed side effects don't always occur, it's always possible.
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Can't shake that cough?
Dry. Hacking. Loose. Deep. Phlegmy. Barking. Chesty. A cough can sound like any of these descriptors — often more than one at the same time — and these characteristics can sometimes point toward its cause.
Now add another: lingering. What does that tell us? Not as much as we might hope, a Harvard expert says.
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Craving fatty foods when stressed? Cocoa may offset impact
- If you eat fatty comfort foods during stressful times, drinking cocoa may help you bounce back more quickly from the effects of stress, a new study suggests.
- Stress takes a toll on the body, at least temporarily, and eating fatty foods before or during stress may cause the body to require more time to recover.
- Cocoa contains flavonoids that appear to protect vascular function from temporary impairment caused by stress, which can result in high blood pressure and other issues.
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Cardiology
Technologic Advances in Cardiac Electrophysiology
Cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is a relatively young field. The first surgical ablation of an accessory pathway and the first recording of the bundle of His in man occurred a little more than 50 years ago. The first catheter ablation was performed in 1981.1 Whereas the progress in EP has been inexorable, recent progress, in the past decade, has been dramatic.
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Digital Health
Singapore General Hospital developing AI to prevent antibiotic resistance
Singapore General Hospital is developing an AI solution to determine the necessity of prescribing antibiotics, reduce their use, and identify the most appropriate ones for each patient.
Developed with DXC Technology, the Augmented Intelligence in Infectious Diseases (AI2D) is an AI model currently covering pneumonia cases. It was built using deidentified clinical data, including X-rays, clinical symptoms, vital signs, and infection response trends, of around 8,000 SGH patients between 2019 and 2020. It covered seven broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics commonly prescribed against pneumonia.
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