by KOMO News Staff Tue, July 25th 2023, 10:11 PM UTC A photo showing the outside of the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department in Tacoma, Wash. A woman with tuberculosis was under home monitoring and treatment and is now deemed no longer infectious. (KOMO)
VIENNA, W.Va. (WTAP) – The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the Vienna Public Library on August 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The American Red Cross reports an urgent need for blood donations. Donations tend to decrease over the summer, but the organization is seeing even fewer donations than normal. Adult services and outreach coordinator Nicolette Rhodes says the library wants to do its part by providing the location for a blood drive. She encourages those interested to register ahead of time to prevent the event from being postponed. “We wouldn’t turn anyone away who happened to show up and give that day, but our last event was postponed because we didn’t have enough people pre-register because the red cross needs to have a certain amount of people to commit before they bring their equipment.” Registration details can be found HERE Questions should be directed to the library at 304-295-7771. Copyright 2023 WTAP. All rights reserved.
Rockford, Il. — The Rock River Valley Blood Center (RRVBC) unveiled their newest Bloodmobile that will replace the original pink bus that is over 20 years old. To celebrate the new Bloodmobile, RRVBC invited staff, government leaders, community members, and every single person who donated money for the bus to a grand reveal. “For us to have buses for 23 and 21 years when the average lifespan for a bus is 10 years. We are going to take very good care of that and make sure people have a long time to donate on it.” said Lisa Entrikin, CEO of the Rock River Valley Blood Center. The new bus is blue, with a similar design featuring the “Are You My Type?” campaign. Inside, the bus is brighter with more lighting and more spacious with much wider aisles. “Our buses are iconic, the pink and the green that we currently have people know what they are. So we wanted to add a new color to our fleet.” said Entrikin She continues saying, “we want the community to get out of it is that this allows people that are in the areas where we don’t have a fixed site to be able to donate blood and really get back to local patients because there is no substitute for blood.” Mobile blood drives play a large role in RRVBC’s ability to supply enough blood to the 14 hospitals it serves in the region. RRVBC collects more than 30,000 units of blood each year and provides blood products to more than 90,000 patients annually. “The old busses broke down a lot, there were circumstances where we had to cancel blood drives because the bus wasn’t running.” states Entrikin Community members are encouraged to schedule an appointment to donate blood if they never have before, and return donors are encouraged to ask friends and family who have never donated before to give blood in support of RRVBC’s initiative to recruit 7,000 new donors in 2023 to fill the local blood supply in honor of the organization’s 70th anniversary. In closing Entrikin stated, “Without blood donors, we do not have a product to supply for patients. So it’s so important. It’s so easy to do. A blood donation takes less than an hour. And the donation itself is only 10 minutes. So I would strongly encourage people to give it a try if you’ve never done it” Donors can make appointments online here, walk-ins will also be welcome.
The Arizona Diamondbacks reinstated starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The team designated reliever Jose Ruiz for assignment, leaving the roster at 39 players. Ruiz appeared in 34 games with a 5.89 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, allowing two homers and three earned runs in his last outing of relief Sunday in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Kelly went on the IL on June 27 after the team discovered a small blood clot in his right calf following a start in San Francisco against the Giants. Manager Torey Lovullo said last week Kelly was most likely going to pitch against the Cardinals so long as he checked the right boxes. He threw 85 pitches in the Arizona Complex League on Thursday, according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. Kelly put up an argument to make the MLB All-Star Game in the first half of the season with a 3.22 ERA in 16 starts, as Arizona went 10-6 in those games. He has a 1.14 WHIP and career-high 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He said he felt discomfort ahead of his start on June 24 but felt normal during the game. He woke up the next day with swelling in his lower right leg and went to a hospital in San Francisco to receive an ultrasound. “My main priority is obviously to make sure that this is taken care of and gone first and foremost,” Kelly said after going on the IL. Lovullo at the time was optimistic Kelly could return sooner than later based on when they found the clot. The D-backs pieced together starts in his absence, utilizing two bullpen games and MLB stints from prospect Brandon Pfaadt while getting help from the All-Star break. However, Kelly’s presence in the rotation as a stabilizer behind ace Zac Gallen has been missed during a difficult time for Arizona. The D-backs are 8-15 since Kelly’s last outing. They also lost starter Zach Davies to the IL with a back issue last week and have three youngsters in the rotation as they did in May when Davies missed time. Kelly is tied on the team for sixth in terms of wins above replacement (Baseball Reference) this year at 1.8 even with the missed time. Follow @alexjweiner
Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is in the hospital after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.It happened at a practice at the University of Southern California, where James is an incoming freshman.He was treated by USC’s medical staff right away and is now out of intensive care and in stable condition.There are no details as to exactly what happened, but according to the Mayo Clinic, there are several conditions that can lead to cardiac arrest in young athletes.The most common is a genetic condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle.A blunt chest injury can lead to commotio cordis, which is what caused Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s cardiac event.Congenital heart defects and heart rhythm disorders can also lead to cardiac arrest.Quick action may have saved James’ life, according to a sports cardiologist practicing at the University of Maryland Medical Center.”If everybody’s prepared, they know CPR, they have an AED, we can deal with just about all cardiac problems at that time. And getting to the patient, the athlete or whoever as quick as possible (and) initiating these action plans is critical. It’s really lifesaving to get to these people as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Scott Jerome, director of sports cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. BALTIMORE — Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is in the hospital after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Advertisement It happened at a practice at the University of Southern California, where James is an incoming freshman. He was treated by USC’s medical staff right away and is now out of intensive care and in stable condition. There are no details as to exactly what happened, but according to the Mayo Clinic, there are several conditions that can lead to cardiac arrest in young athletes. The most common is a genetic condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle. A blunt chest injury can lead to commotio cordis, which is what caused Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s cardiac event. Congenital heart defects and heart rhythm disorders can also lead to cardiac arrest. Quick action may have saved James’ life, according to a sports cardiologist practicing at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “If everybody’s prepared, they know CPR, they have an AED, we can deal with just about all cardiac problems at that time. And getting to the patient, the athlete or whoever as quick as possible (and) initiating these action plans is critical. It’s really lifesaving to get to these people as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Scott Jerome, director of sports cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
TUESDAY, July 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Results from more than 26,000 respiratory tests in late 2022 found simultaneous infections with COVID-19, influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in more than 1% of positive tests. Co-infections were especially widespread in children and teens. In people under age 21, researchers saw a 6% co-infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A.
Two cases of Vibrio, a potentially serious and sometimes fatal illness, were reported in Dare County from July 20 to 25, the local health department announced today. The new cases bring the statewide total to 47 so far this year, according to North Carolina health department data. This number is significantly higher than the 31 cases reported for all of 2017. In 2019, the state logged 41 cases. Vibrio bacteria is found naturally in warm sea water and brackish water. People can contract Vibrio by getting the contaminated water in open wounds, cuts, sores, punctures or burns. For example, people who cut themselves while peeling crabs or stepping on sharp objects on the shore and then coming into contact with the bacteria can be at risk. People can also become ill with Vibrio after eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. Signs of infection include fever and chills, nausea or vomiting, or a skin infection that appears red and warm to the touch. People should seek medical attention immediately if they are experiencing symptoms after eating shellfish or being exposed to seawater. Those at higher risk for infection and complications include those with compromised immune systems, especially those with chronic liver disease: https://www.cdc.gov/vibrio/faq.html. Ocean temperatures along the North Carolina coast are running five to seven degrees above average for July. (Map: NOAA) Most cases of Vibrio in the U.S. occur from May through October, when water temperatures are warm. But climate change is heating up the oceans, lengthening the seasons when the bacteria can thrive — and extending the Vibrio’s range farther north. This summer abnormally hot marine waters have spread from the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and north to the mid-Atlantic. For example, at Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks the water temperature today is 87.3 degrees, according to federal weather data. The average water temperature for July at that monitoring station is 80.3 degrees. Farther south in Beaufort, the water is 86.9 degrees, more than seven degrees higher than the monthly average. At 85.5 degrees, Wilmington and Wrightsville are running five to seven degrees hotter than average. The USDA reported last month that climate change is expected to increase the human and financial costs of Vibrio infections. According to scientific projections, U.S. cases of illness from Vibrio infections could increase 50% by 2090 compared with 1995 because of higher sea surface temperatures associated with moderate increases in greenhouse gas concentrations, the USDA report said. Annual total cost of these illnesses more than doubles from nearly $2.6 billion in 1995 to $6.1 billion in 2090 (in 2022 dollars), based on this scenario. About 95% of total costs are attributable to deaths caused by Vibrio infections, according to the USDA.
Urinary tract infections are not only painful, unpleasant, and potentially hazardous but also present a considerable challenge for physicians. They’re difficult to diagnose quickly, and conventional diagnostic typically methods take several days. These are several days in which the doctor usually prescribes a treatment, without being sure whether or not it will actually be effective. Electron micrograph of phages. Image credits: Matthew Dunne / ScopeM / ETH Zurich. A team of researchers at ETH Zurich wanted to have a better diagnostic tool. In partnership with Balgrist University Hospital, they have developed a rapid test that uses bacteriophages — viruses that infect bacteria — to identify the pathogens that cause the infection. The team genetically modified the phages to make them more efficient to target bacteria. Each type of phage targets only one particular type or strain of bacteria. The researchers led by Martin Loessner are now taking advantage of this characteristic with their new rapid test. Better testing for bladder infections Initially, the researchers focused on identifying phages capable of effectively targeting the three primary bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, and Enterococci. These natural phages then underwent modifications to prompt any bacteria they infect to generate a readily detectable light signal. This method enabled the researchers to reliably detect the pathogenic bacteria from a urine sample in less than four hours – instead of the several days of conventional methods. It’s still early days, but once further refined, the approach could enable the researchers to prescribe antibiotics right after diagnosis. But it doesn’t end there. This method also allows doctors to predict which patients are likely to respond well to tailored phage therapy. This is because the strength of the light signal produced during the assay shows how efficient the phages are in attacking bacteria. The stronger the glow, the better the bacterium will respond to the therapy — so clinicians can prescribe the most effective treatment from the get go. Phage therapies go way back but were largely left behind in Western countries with the discovery of penicillin. However, as antibiotic resistance increases, they are increasingly becoming a subject of interest. They also have the important advantage of going after one single bacterium, instead of trying to cover a wide spectrum, as many antibiotics do. However, previous approaches had one problem. “Phages aren’t interested in completely killing their host, the pathogenic bacterium,” Samuel Kilcher, a study author, said in a statement. To address this, the team genetically modified the phages. These can now produce new phages in the infected host and their own antibiotics. “There are also many academic and commercial clinical trials underway worldwide that are systematically investigating the potential of natural and genetically optimized phages,” Matthew Dunne, study author, said in a statement. However, there’s a long way before this happens, as extensive clinical studies still need to be carried out. While this was only a proof of concept for now, the team will now test its efficacy in a clinical trial with a group of selected patients. The findings were published in this study and in this one, both in the journal Nature Communications.
Bronny James, eldest son of LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice this week. He is 18 years old, and headed to USC as the top freshman recruit to the NCAA this season. A family spokesperson shared that Bronny is now out of the intensive care unit and in stable condition. Further details as to what may have caused the sudden cardiac arrest are not currently available. While regular exercise is known to be one of the best means of protecting the heart in the short and long term, sudden cardiac events in healthy young athletes remain concerning, especially in recent years when several high-profile athletes have suffered acute events such as Bronny’s cardiac arrest. Some athletes have an undiagnosed pre-existing cardiac condition, but these are extraordinarily rare. A 2017 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that the incidence of cardiac arrest during competitive sports was 0.76 cases per 100,000 athlete years, with a 43.8% survival after such events. Pre-screening athletes for determining risk of sudden cardiac events is complex, and most medical associations do not recommend pre-screening electrocardiograms or echocardiograms in athletes with no known cardiac risk factors. Rare disorders such as a congenital heart condition, an abnormally enlarged heart, and family history of cardiac disease in young family members can be addressed on an individual basis, yet most athletes who suffer sudden cardiac have no history of such disorders in their own or their family’s health history. Athlete Runs on a Treadmill with Electrodes Attached to Her Body, Physician Uses Tablet Computer and … [+] Controls EKG Data Showing on Laboratory Monitors. getty Earlier this year, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game, and was rapidly resuscitated on the field and discharged from the hospital just a few weeks later, in good condition. Hamlin’s cardiac event was due to blunt trauma to the chest, leading to a rare event called commotio cordis, whereby the heart is struck at just the right (or wrong) time in just the right (or wrong) location in the chest to trigger a lethal irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia. Because of the immediate on-field response to Hamlin’s collapse, first responders were able to restart his heart by using a combination of CPR and electrical shock defibrillators. Buffalo Bills players look on after teammate Damar Hamlin #3 collapsed on the field after making a … [+] tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) Getty Images Just last year, USC Freshman Vince Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest during summer practice, and was resuscitated by USC medical staff on site. He received immediate CPR and shock defibrillation, and returned to the basketball court six months later. Automated external defibrillators, or AED’s, can enable the responder to administer life-saving electrical shocks to restart a heart that has sustained an arrest. These devices are located in schools, airports, shopping malls, and many grocery stores. AED box. Automated external defibrillator. getty With wearable health trackers now the norm, some studies have shown that these may be key in early detection of cardiac issues, including abnormal rhythms and even a heart attack. However, we are likely years away from having this technology be a fool-proof way to truly detect chronic or acute issues. That said, the potential for better and more accurate monitoring with wearables and smart watches is likely in our future. Man measuring pulse getty According to early reports, Bronny is thankfully recovering from his sudden cardiac arrest, thanks to swift medical response by the USC medical staff on site. In addition, the fact that he is a young, healthy individual bodes very well for his recovery.
NEWPORT BEACH, CA — While the season changes from summer to fall, the American Red Cross’ need for donated blood remains the same — especially amid a current nationwide blood shortage. The American Red Cross is hosting a slew of blood drives across Orange County and offering an abundance of incentives for scheduling an appointment. All donors who donate blood through Aug. 17 will automatically be entered to win a three-night New York getaway for two with a private shark dive adventure at Long Island Aquarium, courtesy of Warner Bros. for the theatrical release of ”Meg 2: The Trench.” Residents who donate blood throughout the month of August will automatically receive a free $10 gift card to a vendor of their choice. In Newport Beach, the American Red Cross is hosting the following drives:
