Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related

Also first time for someone with H5 virus to be hospitalized, and CDC says it is studying patient specimen more

A person in Missouri with no known animal contact has tested positive for H5 bird flu, the state’s department of health and senior services said Friday.

It’s the first time a patient in the US outbreak has had no known exposure to sick animals. And it is the first time someone has been hospitalized with bird flu – though it’s not clear yet whether influenza was the reason for hospitalization or it was incidental.

The patient, who has underlying health conditions, was hospitalized on 22 August and tested positive for flu A. Doctors sent a sample to the Missouri state public health laboratory, where it was found to be of the H5 subtype, which is also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza – or bird flu.

Children's perception of time is relatively understudied. Learning to see time through their eyes may be fundamental to a happier human experience.

My household is absorbed in debate over when time goes the fastest or slowest.

"Slowest in the car!" yells my son.

"Never!" replies my daughter. "I'm too busy for time to go slow, but maybe on weekends when we are on the sofa watching movies."

There's some consensus too; they both agree that the days after Christmas and their birthdays dawdle by gloomily as it dawns on them they have to wait another 365 days to celebrate once more. Years seem to drag on endlessly at their age.

A Florida surgeon mistakenly removed a man’s liver instead of his spleen, causing him to die on the operating table, a lawyer for the man’s widow alleges.

William Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, underwent surgery on Aug. 21, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Miramar, Florida, because of spleen abnormalities, according to a statement from the personal injury firm Zarzaur Law, based in Pensacola, Florida.

New research claims that exposure to outdoor light at night may increase the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in people under the age of 65.

The researchers who conducted the study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on Friday, said they have found correlations between areas of the US with excessive exposure to artificial light at night and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.

In the US, at least 19 states have legislation in place aimed at reducing light pollution, but the authors of the study say that despite this, the “levels of light at night remain high in many parts of the country”.

New research from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago shows that states with the most severe abortion restrictions often lack robust public support programs for low-income families. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, categorized states based on their abortion laws and assessed access to reproductive healthcare and social services. The research also revealed that the most restrictive states had the highest rates of uninsured women of reproductive age and lower enrollment in state-funded assistance programs.

A STAT investigation reveals that race-based algorithms are still prevalent in healthcare, affecting millions of patients. Clinicians and researchers are debating the best ways to modify these tools to reduce harm and promote fairness. The Biden administration has introduced a rule to address discriminatory tools, but advocates remain skeptical about its impact.

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro has reportedly stopped offering forensic exams for sexual assault survivors since early this year. Ericka Downing, director of the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center, said no exams have been performed since January. District Attorney Jennings Jones expressed concern, stating the hospital’s refusal to provide forensic exams hampers prosecution efforts. Despite these claims, hospital spokesperson David Leaverton denied any change in services, citing challenges in maintaining 24/7 nurse coverage. Rachel Freeman, CEO of Nashville's Sexual Assault Center, confirmed her facility has conducted exams for Rutherford County survivors.

"...more research is needed to see if these drugs are safe and effective for people with Alzheimer's.

"... The “dirty secret” of the insurance industry is that most denials can be successfully appealed..."

People who “catch up” on missed sleep at the weekend may have up to a 20% lower risk of heart disease compared with those who do not, according to a study.

The findings, presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, looked at data from 90,903 adults taking part in the UK Biobank project, a database that holds medical and lifestyle records of 500,000 people in the UK.