Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

The UK government announced Friday an imminent ban in England on “bird gatherings” such as fairs, markets and shows, seeking to stop the spread of a highly contagious avian influenza.

Scientists are calling on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to disclose data about the risks of bird flu to people and pets that was posted briefly online Wednesday and quickly deleted.

Air pollution is a well-known risk factor for respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its contribution to lower respiratory infections —those that affect the lower respiratory tract, including the lungs, bronchi and alveoli—is less well documented, especially in adults.

In just a decade, the drug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris (C. auris) has emerged as one of the most formidable threats to health care settings worldwide. Nowhere in the United States is this threat more pronounced than the New York-New Jersey (NY-NJ) metro area, which accounts for nearly 20% of the nation’s cases.

In a new case study, researchers from North Carolina State University found that a family suffering from illnesses that included neurological symptoms were co-infected with both several Bartonella species and Babesia divergens-like MO-1. The study presents more evidence of these co-infections in humans and further support for stealth Babesia and Bartonella pathogens as a cause or cofactor in neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

A disrupted protein degradation process in heart muscle cells can lead to a range of severe heart diseases. In the case of dilated cardiomyopathy, a pathological enlargement of the heart chambers, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now identified a cause: a low level of the enzyme Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 5 (USP5) leads to an accumulation of Ubiquitin in heart muscle cells and the formation of protein aggregates, which trigger heart diseases. Increasing USP5 levels in heart muscle cells protects the heart from harmful degradation processes, offering a perspective for new therapies.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease, is a neurological condition that affects about 7% of people.

Ugandan officials are preparing to deploy a trial vaccine as part of efforts to stem an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, a top health official said Sunday.

Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) is effective for vertigo control but is associated with a risk for hearing loss in patients with Meniere disease (MD), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Dec. 5 in PLOS ONE.

As a bird flu outbreak escalates across the U.S., the Trump administration has paused the release of key public health studies, stalling research that could provide insight into how the virus spreads to animals and people.