Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the main causes of viral hepatitis and is responsible for an estimated 159,000 infections and 39,000 deaths each year. To prevent infection, it is recommended to disinfect surfaces, especially when infection rates are high.

They’re on our highways and our state roads. We see them at rest stops and service plazas. They move our economy. Literally. They’re tractor-trailer trucks, and they’re a vital part of the U.S. economy, hauling 70% of consumer and industrial goods and logging about 200 billion miles annually in the United States. Trucks, and the men and women who drive them, play an indispensable role in U.S. society. But truck driving is a high-stress, high-risk profession.

A rare red meat allergy, usually linked to a bite from the lone star tick, may also be caused by other tick species found in different parts of the U.S., a new report shows.

Researchers from CHU Nîmes, Université Montpellier, and multiple MS centers in France have found that oral cholecalciferol in doses of 100,000 IU every two weeks significantly reduced disease activity in clinically isolated syndrome and early relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis.

A painless and non-invasive pulse of electrical stimulation to specific brain areas can ease some symptoms of post-stroke patients, though how it works remains a physiological mystery.

In a recent development, researchers have created an AI-driven model capable of predicting mortality risk in sepsis patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Leveraging cutting-edge Transformer-based time-series analysis, the model continuously tracks a patient’s evolving health status, issuing real-time risk alerts and enabling personalized interventions.

Globally, the rate of death from chronic kidney disease increased 24% from 1990 to 2021, according to statistics published by the American Heart Association. The rise in kidney disease rates is a major concern for cardiovascular health around the world. Kidney disease increases heart disease risk, yet as many as 9 in 10 U.S. adults with chronic kidney disease do not know they have it.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers struggled to grasp the rate of the virus’s spread and the number of related deaths. While hospitals tracked cases and deaths within their walls, the broader picture of mortality across communities remained frustratingly incomplete.

People who later experienced persistent shortness of breath or fatigue after a SARS-CoV-2 infection were already taking significantly fewer steps per day and had a higher resting heart rate before contracting the virus, according to a study by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) published in npj Digital Medicine. This may indicate lower fitness levels or pre-existing conditions as potential risk factors.

Small amounts of a common antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug can curb symptoms where a misplaced immune reaction (e.g., autoimmunity) can cause permanent hair loss, a new study shows. This regimen may also come with fewer side effects than higher doses of the medication.