Month: December 2018

  • Tackling societal inequalities and institutional discrimination in mental health systems

    Tackling societal inequalities and institutional discrimination in mental health systems

    Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash Health systems exist within specific political and societal contexts, and so it is no surprise that societal inequalities are in fact reproduced in health systems that are operating within the same structures and values. Decades of research have shown ethnic inequalities in the experience and outcomes of severe mental…

  • How does critical illness impact our microbiomes?

    How does critical illness impact our microbiomes?

    Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of various bacteria found in a sample of human faeces. © Steve Gschmeissner / Science Photo Library Our bodies harbour trillions of bacterial cells called the microbiota. In healthy people, distinct communities of microbiota are found at different body sites. These organisms confer beneficial advantages to our bodies such as metabolism…

  • Human Rights Day: What roles do physicians play human rights issues?

    Human Rights Day: What roles do physicians play human rights issues?

    © laflor / Getty Images / iStock Physicians’ involvement in human rights As physicians we’re often confronted with different issues of ethics and human rights at different levels. Physicians can on the one hand be involved in the treatment of injuries related to war, but also in different forms of human rights violations. Salvador Allende…

  • Maternal filarial infection impacts childhood susceptibility to infection

    Maternal filarial infection impacts childhood susceptibility to infection

    Elephantiasis due to lymphatic filariasis infections. Source: Wikimedia Commons Wuchereria bancrofti Lymphatic filariasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease that currently threatens 856 million people across 52 countries. It is usually acquired in childhood and, whilst people often remain asymptomatic on the outside, it does damage the lymphatic system. In chronic cases, it can lead to…

  • Global Patient and Public Involvement Network: The vision and mission

    Global Patient and Public Involvement Network: The vision and mission

    Patient and public involvement in health research is now worldwide On the eve of the INVOLVE conference in November of 2017 a group of people from INVOLVE, National Institute for Health Research, Cochrane, COMET and the University of Warwick launched the International Network for Public Involvement and Engagement Health and Social Care Research. We now…

  • The psychological impact of intensive care

    The psychological impact of intensive care

    © sudok1 / Fotolia After being treated for a critical illness in the ICU, anxiety, depression and PTSD are very common and often complex when they occur. The Intensive Care Outcomes Network (ICON) study, published in Critical Care, is the largest multi-center study of post critical illness Health Related Quality of Life and psychopathology (anxiety, depression…

  • Sauna bathing associated with lower risk of cardiovascular death among men and women

    Sauna bathing associated with lower risk of cardiovascular death among men and women

    Sauna bathing is a common practice that dates back to the Middle Ages and is often used for the purposes of pleasure, wellness and relaxation. On top of that, emerging scientific evidence indicates that sauna bathing might also offer a multitude of health benefits. Past research has focused on males as during that time they…

  • World AIDS Day 2018 Quiz

    World AIDS Day 2018 Quiz

    © Nerthuz / Getty Images / iStock HIV/AIDS is a disease that has been involved in the deaths of 35 million people to date. However thanks to research, raised awareness and efforts to reduce stigma, there have been great improvements in mortality rates and the lives of those living with the disease. Your Score:  …

  • Gut damage and dysbiosis as hallmarks of HIV pathogenesis

    Gut damage and dysbiosis as hallmarks of HIV pathogenesis

    Microbial translocation, the passage of bacteria and microbial bioproducts from the gut lumen to the systemic circulation, has been proven to be one of the leading causes of heightened inflammation and immune activation in HIV+ patients © Marcin Klapczynski / Getty Images / iStock Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has dramatically changed the course of Human…

  • Know your enemy: HIV-1 reservoir in the spotlight

    Know your enemy: HIV-1 reservoir in the spotlight

    Coloured transmision electron micrograph of HIV particles (blue) budding from the surface of a T lymphocyte (red). HIV attacks CD4+ T-lymphocytes. © NIBSC / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) establishes a persistent infection, resulting in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. Around 37 million people in the world live with…