Author: vulgavis

COVID-19 and Tuberculosis: Pandemics on Collision Course

COVID-19 and Tuberculosis: Pandemics on Collision Course

Posted by | May 26, 2020 | , , , , |

We seem to have short memories for pandemics.  Outbreaks of SARS, MERS, Ebola and new influenza strains didn’t appear to have raised the fear of a new true pandemic into the global consciousness.  That was certainly true for me, and I was an infectious diseases professional, albeit working on one of our older and more respectable pandemics, tuberculosis (TB). The most aggressive new one in my lifetime was the arrival of HIV. In the 1980s there was tangible fear all around the world for this disease that had no cure. By stripping us of our immune defences, it seemed...

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Celebrating Clinical Trials Day: Building the evidence base for the best public involvement in clinical trials

Celebrating Clinical Trials Day: Building the evidence base for the best public involvement in clinical trials

Posted by | May 24, 2020 | , , , |

On 20th May 2020 we mark International Clinical Trials Day, an opportunity to recognize the people who carry out clinical trials and thank them for their efforts in improving public health. This of course includes the patients who participate in those trials, without whom the trials simply would not happen. It also includes the patient and public contributors who can shape the trials, helping to ensure they address questions of importance and relevance for patients, as well as being practical and feasible to run. Internationally, public involvement is becoming embedded within the design and conduct of trials and is...

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A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission

A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission

Posted by | May 23, 2020 | , , |

Sporoblast of the the microsporidian Fibrillanosema crangonycis. Electron micrograph taken by Leon White. Source; Wikipedia. The mosquito Anopheles arabiensis (a member of the Anopheles gambiae species complex)  is an efficient vector of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its habits are versatile, feeding indoors and outdoors on both humans and animals. Larval habitats are also varied. These features make it less amenable to control by methods such as indoor spraying, use of insecticide treated bednets or destruction of breeding sites. Additional approaches are required to stop this vector from transmitting malaria. Anopheles arabiensis Anopheles arabiensis adult female. Source: Vectorbase. It is...

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Free sugar intake and micronutrient dilution: Q&A with Dr Esther González-Padilla

Free sugar intake and micronutrient dilution: Q&A with Dr Esther González-Padilla

Posted by | May 22, 2020 | , , |

Q1. There are many studies that look at the health risks associated with sugary snacks and beverages. Why did you decide to look at the impact on micronutrient status? Has it got something to do with dietary habits in the population studied? Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are considered diseases in their own right. However, the effect that certain subclinical micronutrient insufficiencies might have on more complex diseases is often overlooked. We are talking about diseases and conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many others. With our study, we hoped to shed some light on this subject from...

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Added sugar intake and micronutrient dilution: Q&A with Dr Esther González-Padilla

Added sugar intake and micronutrient dilution: Q&A with Dr Esther González-Padilla

Posted by | May 21, 2020 | , , , , , , , |

Q1. There are many studies that look at the health risks associated with sugary snacks and beverages. Why did you decide to look at the impact on micronutrient status? Has it got something to do with dietary habits in the population studied? Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are considered diseases in their own right. However, the effect that certain subclinical micronutrient insufficiencies might have on more complex diseases is often overlooked. We are talking about diseases and conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many others. With our study, we hoped to shed some light on this subject from...

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