French Drug Trial Gone Badly Wrong Leaves One Brain Dead and Five More In Hospital

One person has been left brain dead and five others have been hospitalized after taking part in a clinical trial in France of an experimental drug made by Portuguese drug company Bial, French Health Minister Marisol Touraine said on Friday.

WHO Declare Liberia Ebola-free in Latest Outbreak; Says West Africa is at Zero, But New Flare-Ups Likely

Today, the World Health Organization declares the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa. But the Organization says the job is not over, more flare-ups are expected and that strong surveillance and response systems will be critical in the months to come.

Nigeria Moves to Control Outbreak of Lassa Fever

The Nigerian government on Tuesday said it would offer free treatment to dozens of victims of the latest outbreak of Lassa fever, a sign of how 2014’s Ebola epidemic has West African nations paying closer attention to the health of their citizens.

End of Ebola Transmission in Guinea

Today, 29th Dec 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of Ebola virus transmission in the Republic of Guinea. Forty-two days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease tested negative for the second time. Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.

New Psoriasis Drug Show Promise for Severe Form of Arthritis

A drug recently approved for the skin condition psoriasis may also help people with a debilitating form of arthritis that attacks the spine, a new clinical trial finds.

Post-Ebola Syndrome? Health Problems in U.S. Ebola Survivors Months After Initial Recovery

Months later, post-recovery symptoms include joint pain and hair loss. Of the 10 people treated for Ebola in the U.S., eight survived and all had some symptoms in the weeks and months after they recovered, CDC researchers said.

Active and Passive Smoking Related to Infertility, Early Menopause: New Study

Smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke may trigger early menopause and infertility in women, a new study suggests.

HIV PrEP-related Drug Resistance Disappears After Drug Is Stopped

Drug resistance acquired in rare cases of HIV infection during treatment with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) rapidly disappears once medication is discontinued, investigators report in AIDS. Use of ultra-sensitive tests performed six months after seroconversion and discontinuation of PrEP failed to find any resistant virus.

WHO Moves From Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals

Earlier this month, on December 8, the World Health Organization, WHO, launched a new comprehensive analysis of global health trends since 2000 and an assessment of the challenges for the next 15 years.

World Malaria Report Indicate Progress Toward Malaria Elimination

New estimates from WHO show a significant increase in the number of countries moving towards malaria elimination, with prevention efforts saving millions of dollars in healthcare costs over the past 14 years in many African countries.

WHO Launch New Global Campaign to Eradicate Rabies

A new framework to eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands of lives each year was launched yesterday, December 10th, by WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for the Control of Rabies (GARC).

New Guideline on Breast Cancer Survivor Care Issued by ASCO and ACS

A comprehensive set of recommendations for the lifelong follow-up care of female adult breast cancer survivors has been issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This is the first time the two societies have collaborated on a joint guideline.

Q&A: Investigating for Suspected Respiratory Failure

Respiratory failure is commonly defined as respiratory dysfunction resulting in abnormalities of oxygenation and/or carbon dioxide (CO2) elimination and is classified as either hypoxemic (type I) or hypercapnic (type II), or a combination of both. These distinctions are clinically important and have diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Q&A: Complications Of Acute Respiratory Failure

Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system due to various causes, such that arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide or both are not maintained at normal levels resulting in hypoxemia, hypercapnia or both. Respiratory failure is classified as either Type 1 or Type 2, based on carbon dioxide levels, and can be either acute or chronic. Respiratory failure may result in altered mental status due to cerebral ischemia. The normal partial pressure reference values are: oxygen PaO2 more than 80 mmHg (11 kPa), and carbon dioxide PaCO2 less than 45 mmHg (6.0 kPa).

Q&A: Evaluation of Lung Function (Pulmonary Function Test)

Evaluation of pulmonary function is important in many clinical situations, both when the patient has a history or symptoms suggestive of lung disease and when risk factors for lung disease are present, such as occupational exposure to agents with known lung toxicity. The European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society have published guidelines for the measurement and interpretation of pulmonary function tests (PFTs).