Author: vulgavis

  • MICHELINdb – a new online platform for mining available data on worm-microbiome crosstalk

    MICHELINdb – a new online platform for mining available data on worm-microbiome crosstalk

    [embedded content] In the world, over 1.5 billion people are infected by parasitic helminths (worms), mainly in areas of Africa, South America and South-East Asia characterised by poor sanitation and sub-optimal hygiene standards. Moreover, worms of livestock significantly affect the health and welfare of infected animals, leading to dramatic production losses for farmers worldwide and…

  • Why is cultural safety required over cultural competency in the pursuit of health equity?

    Why is cultural safety required over cultural competency in the pursuit of health equity?

    Image credit: © Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com We all know we need to do much more for Indigenous health. What we don’t always know is how best to go about doing more to reduce and ideally eliminate Indigenous health inequities. One of the common pitfalls that health professionals and healthcare organizations make when it comes…

  • Dual Deprivation for Rare Disease

    Dual Deprivation for Rare Disease

    In cases of rare diseases, the genetic and biological mechanisms of conditions and physical ailments can be great, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. A significant number of patients with rare diseases and their caregivers face constant difficulties concerning mental health. It is indisputable that these patients require more from doctors and…

  • How can we sustain family carers’ capacity to care? What carers need and how technology can help provide it

    How can we sustain family carers’ capacity to care? What carers need and how technology can help provide it

    Family carers are often invisible to the health care system in meeting the care needs of older people. Yet, family carers – people who assist a family member or friend with challenges resulting from illness, disability or aging – provide three-quarters of the care older adults receive. Demands on family carers are increasing as populations…

  • Electrocuting mosquitoes: a new hope for monitoring dengue vectors?

    Electrocuting mosquitoes: a new hope for monitoring dengue vectors?

    Aedes aegypti mosquito during a bloodmeal. Photo taken by James Gathany, CDC. Public domain: https://bit.ly/2H8Dgd0 As many of us may have experienced, mosquito bites are quite annoying and their buzz is not pleasant either. Besides this, probably the most important reason why there is so much attention on these little insects is because females of…

  • A Map for Drug Discovery

    A Map for Drug Discovery

    About 80% of the 7,000 rare diseases that have been identified so far are of genetic origin. In simple words, this means that a mutation in the genome (DNA) of the affected individual, often touching only one nucleotide of a target gene, is sufficient to induce the disease. Researchers survey rare disease-causing genes and mutations…

  • Statistical Approach to Validate the Performance of Models for Predicting Mortality Risk Temperature in Portuguese Metropolitan Areas

    Statistical Approach to Validate the Performance of Models for Predicting Mortality Risk Temperature in Portuguese Metropolitan Areas

    Credit: Luis Ascenso / Flickr There is extensive literature that links extreme temperatures with an increase in mortality rates. In Portugal, data has shown an increase in mortality rates during cold winters and sharp mortality peaks in years with heatwaves but can we prospectively predict the impact that weather events may have on health? In…

  • Human Pancreas Organoids: A step closer to understanding biology & treating disease

    Human Pancreas Organoids: A step closer to understanding biology & treating disease

    Organoids represent a new technology for the organ-specific tissue culture of cells in a 3D extracellular matrix (ECM). This results in the formation of 3D cell-clusters which replicate many organ-of-origin characteristics. Current efforts to develop human organoid models will help us understand more about how our organs are formed and function and how to help…

  • No Country for Healthcare Equity

    No Country for Healthcare Equity

    Rare diseases (RD) are multi-systemic, complex conditions that can cause great disability. It is pivotal to adequately address the equity in healthcare provision for RD, meeting the needs of people from diverse backgrounds. In Australia, there is a significant disparity in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter respectfully referred to as Indigenous)…

  • Sibling-species complexes and implications in malaria vector control

    Sibling-species complexes and implications in malaria vector control

    Anopheles culicifacies. Source: https://alchetron.com/Anopheles-culicifacies Vector biology Vector biology is an integral component of the national malaria control programme in the tropical world and is gaining eminence in the context of malaria elimination efforts. More than 70 Anopheles mosquito vector taxa, spread across continents, are implicated in malaria transmission. Genetics of vector populations and inferences Genetic…