July 26, 20232:33 PM ET By Bec Roldan
How do viruses do their job of infecting humans? Some of them are experts at evading the immune system so that it won't knock them out. Take hepatitis C, a sneaky and potentially deadly viral infection of the liver that is transmitted by contact with human blood – for example, through needles, sex and childbirth. Scientists have known for a long time that hep C can hide from our immune system. While the immune system might attack the invading virus at first, leading to mild symptoms like fever or fatigue, the virus eventually hides so the immune system gives up the chase. Which is why most patients with hep C never show symptoms. That gives hep C plenty of time to replicate and spread throughout healthy liver cells, leading to a chronic case of hepatitis C. "We have this constant battle going on with these viruses," says Jeppe Vinther, a professor of biology at the University of Copenhagen who studies hepatitis C. "We are trying to defeat them and they are trying to avoid being detected and defeated." But scientists didn't know how hep C pulled off its hiding trick. A new study led by Vinther and published in the journal Nature offers an explanation. The cap is the keySo how does hep C do it? The virus uses standard villain fare to evade detection: a mask. Hepatitis C is an RNA virus – one of several viruses that rely on their RNA instead of their DNA to carry information needed to take over the body's healthy cells. Other RNA viruses include measles, mumps, influenza and SARS-CoV-2. RNA molecules in our body have a protecting group of DNA building blocks at their end known as a cap. These caps have various functions, including sending a message to our immune system: Leave us alone! Do not destroy us! Since RNA viruses lack caps, once they invade our body, says Vinther, the cell control alarm bells go off and the immune system is activated to kill the foreign RNA. This new study shows that when your body is infected with hep C, the virus attracts a cap for its RNA – like the protective cap on the body's own RNA. The researchers don't know exactly how the hep C virus does this — one of the many mysteries about viruses. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/07/26/1187040969/hep-c-has-a-secret-strategy-to-evade-the-immune-system-and-now-we-know-what-it-i Sponsor Message
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At least twice a day, I hear the phrases “It’s driving me insane!” or “That was crazy” to describe everyday occurrences.
Words like “crazy,” “mad,” “insane,” and “nuts” have been completely absorbed into our lexicon, and we don’t think twice about using them. Casual use of these terms, however, can be stigmatizing and dehumanizing for people with mental health conditions. People often don’t think about the origin of these phrases or their true meaning. They often reinforce society’s negative view of people struggling with their mental health and can lead to fatal consequences. Casual use of these terms, however, can be stigmatizing and dehumanizing for people with mental health conditions. Several decades ago my mother was diagnosed with a serious mental health condition — undifferentiated schizophrenia — bringing this issue close to my heart. Her experiences motivated me to pursue a career in mental health policy and devote my energy to eradicating stigma and expanding access to culturally responsive care. When someone casually says, “she’s so crazy” in an off-handed way, they could be talking about someone like my mom. TO CONTINUE READING: https://wordinblack.com/2023/07/the-damage-we-do-when-we-throw-around-terms-like-crazy/ BY ANNA LUCENTE STERLING NEW YORK CITY
PUBLISHED 5:22 PM ET JAN. 13, 2023 Overdose deaths in the city continued to climb in 2021, reaching new record highs that topped record overdose deaths the previous year, according to provisional data released on Thursday by the Department of Health. There were 2,668 drug overdose deaths across the five boroughs in 2021, an increase of 78% since 2019 and 27% since 2020, the report found. “These deaths are heartbreaking and many, if not most, are absolutely preventable,” Dr. Ashwin Vasan, health commissioner, said in a statement. The report found disparities by age, race, poverty level, and neighborhood of residence. According to the provisional data, overdose deaths among males in 2021 were about three times as high as deaths among females. Black New Yorkers had the highest rate of overdose deaths among ethnic groups, as well as the largest increase of ethnic groups from 2020 to 2021, city provisional data shows. Fentanyl was detected in 80% of the drug overdose deaths in 2021 and was the most common substance involved in overdose deaths for the fifth year in a row, according to the city. The opioid is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. New Yorkers ages 55 to 64 years old, and Bronx residents, also had the highest rate of overdose deaths compared to other age groups and boroughs. TO READ: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/01/13/drug-overdoses-continue-to-climb-in-2021--provisional-city-data-shows?cid=share_email By Alan Mozes Updated on July 21, 2023
Key Takeaways Cases of hepatitis C, a liver infection spread by blood contact, have skyrocketed during the U.S. opioid epidemic The upshot: Cases of the disease are rising exponentially among pregnant women. HCV drives up the risk for poor fetal development and preterm birth PregnancyInfectious Disease Hepatitis C Rates Soar Among Pregnant WomenBy Alan Mozes,Updated on July 21, 2023 Key Takeaways Cases of hepatitis C, a liver infection spread by blood contact, have skyrocketed during the U.S. opioid epidemic The upshot: Cases of the disease are rising exponentially among pregnant women HCV drives up the risk for poor fetal development and preterm birth FRIDAY, July 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) – In the two decades since the opioid epidemic took off, the addiction crisis has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Now, new research points to another grim outgrowth of the crisis on American health: a skyrocketing risk in pregnant women for hepatitis infection (HCV). That's because the main risk factor for contracting hepatitis C — a liver infection spread by blood contact -- is injection drug use. Between 1998 and 2018, prevalence of HCV among pregnant women shot up 16-fold, researchers found, driving up the risk for poor fetal development and fetal distress, as well as preterm birth. And that's just the broad picture among pregnant women of all ages. Among those between 21 and 30, hepatitis C risk shot up more than 3000%. "We do think the increase in HCV infections among pregnant women in our data is concerning," noted lead author Dr. Po-Hung (Victor) Chen, an assistant professor of medicine Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Comprehensive Transplant Center in Baltimore. TO CONTINUE READING: https://consumer.healthday.com/hepatitis-c-and-pregnancy-2662303676.html Written by Lindsay Kalter WebMD Health News
May 17, 2023 – Jose Martinez spent several years unhoused, jobless, and trapped in a cycle of addiction to synthetic marijuana – a lab-created drug that affected his mind and behavior and is dangerous and sometimes deadly. His life changed when the Bronx, NY, resident began recovery in 2017, which he credits in large part to what is now an overdose prevention site in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood – one of two official so-called safe injection sites in the United States, where people can use illicit drugs under supervision of trained staff to prevent death and illness. The other is in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood. At the time, both locations were needle exchanges, which merged and added supervised injection to create OnPoint NYC in 2021. Though Martinez did not inject drugs, he took advantage of the other resources there, including laundry facilities and showers. “People can access safer supplies, but also mental health services, and I used those,” said Martinez, 35. “Before that, I tried rehab and detox, and they didn’t work for me. The [site] helped me get there when I was ready.” I tried rehab and detox, and they didn’t work for me. The [site] helped me get there when I was ready. Former addict Jose MartinezHe added, “We were a community, like a family.” The federal government will, for the first time, bankroll a study of how well overdose prevention sites work, according to an announcement on May 8. A grant of more than $5 million over 4 years will go to New York University and Brown University in Providence, RI, to study 1,000 people at New York’s two sites, along with one set to open in Providence next year. The announcement comes as deadly overdoses continue to claim lives across the country. There were more than 106,000 overdose deaths in 2021. The approach is controversial, with critics claiming it enables illegal drug use and brings crime into surrounding areas. But overdose prevention sites already operate in 14 countries, including Canada. There are efforts to open these facilities in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20230517/us-will-fund-study-of-safe-injection-sites-despite-pushback Eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 requires support and funding from organizations large and small. May 22, 2023 • By Laura Schmidt, hep magazine In an opinion piece, author and global health advocate Chelsea Clinton emphasized the importance of education, vaccination and treatment for people living with viral hepatitis, which affects almost 400 million people worldwide and kills more than 1 million each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The article was cowritten by Finn Jarle Rose, the executive director of The Hepatitis Fund.
Almost 90% of people living with hepatitis do not know their status. Clinton compared the testing rates for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with those for HIV during the early years of that epidemic. “But it doesn’t have to be this way,” she wrote. The WHO’s goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 is achievable. In fact, Egypt, which once had one of the highest rates of hepatitis C virus in the world, recently succeeded in eliminating HCV in its entire population. It did so “through a partnership approach that engaged civil society, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations to mobilize the community and increase rates of screening, diagnosis, and treatment,” wrote Clinton. TO CONTINUE: https://www.hepmag.com/article/chelsea-clinton-weighs-viral-hepatitis-elimination-goal MAY 18, 2023 THE WHITE HOUSE - BRIEFING ROOM- PRESiDENTIAL ACTIONS
Thousands of Americans die every year of viral hepatitis — infections of the liver that can be managed or cured if patients know they are infected and can get treatment. On National Hepatitis Testing Day, we urge Americans to get tested and recommit to ensuring that those who are diagnosed can receive lifesaving care. Viral hepatitis is a hidden epidemic. For those with hepatitis C, which spreads through contact with infected blood and is the most common strain, it can be years between the time someone is infected and when they first present symptoms, leaving far too many unaware that they are sick. This can further spread the virus, delay treatment, and lead to serious liver disease — including cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Pregnant women with untreated hepatitis C can also pass the virus on to their newborns. It disproportionately affects Black Americans and Native Americans, who too often cannot access quality health care, and it is more common among those experiencing homelessness and those who are incarcerated as more than a third of people in a jail or prison can be positive at a given time. The good news is that we now have a cure for hepatitis C that is 95 percent effective — but its high cost, among other factors, has kept it from many of the more than 2 million Americans in need. My new Budget includes a bold plan to change that this decade — ending hepatitis C as a public health threat by expanding testing, slashing the high cost of treatment, and promoting awareness of the risks and the cure. It draws on work that the Department of Veterans Affairs has done in treating more than 100,000 affected veterans since 2014. My plan would make testing quicker and simpler with more point-of-care diagnostic tests so patients can be tested and treated in a single visit, rather than having to return several times before determining their infection status. It would pioneer innovative approaches to treating hepatitis C, including a national antiviral subscription model, so more Americans can get affordable care and taxpayers can save billions of dollars through prevention and the reduced need for treatment of advanced liver diseases. My plan would also support grassroots public health groups; train more health care professionals; and expand mobile, telehealth, and community sites focused on hepatitis testing and care. And it would boost progress toward a hepatitis C vaccine. TOCONTINUE:https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/05/18/a-proclamation-on-national-hepatitis-testing-day-2023/ Content From: HIV.gov•Published:May 03, 2023
Topics Hepatitis A Hepatitis Awareness Month Hepatitis B Hepatitis CHepatitis Testing Day May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness that viral hepatitis continues to be a major public health threat in the United States. While we bring attention to viral hepatitis this month, we also recognize that the epidemic of viral hepatitis does not occur in a vacuum, but interacts with other diseases like HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and substance use disorders, also known as a syndemic. A syndemic is the clustering and interaction of two or more diseases, impacted by social and structural determinants of health (SDOH), that leads to excess burden of disease in a population. As an example, people with HIV have a higher risk for viral hepatitis and worse health outcomes than people without HIV. Therefore, those impacted by any part of the syndemic need to be made aware of and have access to the different prevention and treatment tools for viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccinations, hepatitis B and hepatitis C screening, and hepatitis B and hepatitis C treatment. The Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan 2021-2025 (PDF, 1.68MB) and National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022-2025 (PDF, 1.76MB) both recommend a syndemic approach that is, a no-wrong-door-approach to healthcare services for viral hepatitis and HIV. When people get tested for HIV, they should also be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and STIs. When people are treated for substance use, they should be screened for HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs and connected to appropriate services. Below is information about new viral hepatitis resources. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.hiv.gov/blog/hepatitis-awareness-month-recognizing-the-syndemic-of-viral-hepatitis-hiv-stis-and-substance-use-disorder/ When naloxone isn't enough: How technology can save lives when people use drugs when they're alone5/9/2023 Published May 4, 2023 | Originally published on MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events When Ju Park was studying epidemiology in graduate school, she volunteered with a harm reduction organization that trained local community members on how to prevent a drug overdose. She traveled around the state to demonstrate how the medication naloxone can be used to reverse an overdose from opioids if administered in a timely manner.
After one session, a mother whose daughter had a substance abuse disorder approached Park to share a heartbreaking story: The daughter, who had been in and out of rehabilitation centers, recently experienced a relapse. She locked herself into a bathroom alone, overdosed on drugs, and died. The mother expressed gratitude for the naloxone training and told Park that she was eager to do more to help other families dealing with addiction. Park couldn't bear to tell the woman what she was thinking: Training bystanders how to administer naloxone wouldn't have saved her daughter, because nobody had been present to help. "It made me wonder: What are we doing to help people who are using drugs alone and in secret?" recalled Park, who is now an assistant professor of epidemiology (research) at Brown University's School of Public Health and an assistant professor of medicine (research) at Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School. That question continued to preoccupy Park as she established the Harm Reduction Innovation Lab at Rhode Island Hospital with the mission to develop, implement and evaluate interventions to promote the health and well-being of people who use drugs. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.mdlinx.com/news/when-naloxone-isn-t-enough-how-technology-can-save-lives-when-people-use-drugs-when-they-re-alone/5Eienzx2HxwHLrSHx33A1J?show_order=2&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_230509_daily-nl-am-v3_registered-users-a90&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email SCIENCE, HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY Apr 25, 2019 |
For more information, contact Lou Corpuz-Bosshart Zero-tolerance messaging tuned out by most teenagers For many parents, talking to their children about substance use is like navigating a field of landmines. It’s difficult to know exactly what to say and how to say it. But a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia and University of Calgary is showing the way forward. Emily Jenkins, a UBC professor of nursing who studies youth substance use, and her colleagues interviewed 83 teenagers across B.C. Interestingly, they found that a harm reduction message resonated the most with teens, instead of the typical “don’t do drugs” talk.Emily Jenkins “Teens told us that they generally tuned out abstinence-only or zero-tolerance messaging because it did not reflect the realities of their life,” said Jenkins. “Either they or their peers were already using substances, or substance use was happening in their own family circles.” Harm reduction is a philosophy and set of practices that acknowledge that substance use – be it drugs, cigarettes or alcohol – is a part of life. It aims to reduce the harmful effects of substance use, rather than simply ignoring or condemning it. “Youth were more receptive when their parents talked – in a non-judgmental way – about substance use or could point to resources or strategies to help minimize the harms of use. This approach seemed to work better in preserving family relationships and youth health,” said Jenkins. Some teens who used substances despite their families’ zero-tolerance approach reported feeling disconnected from their families. One participant, who consumed alcohol occasionally, experienced difficulties with her mother, who never drank. “When she was a teenager she never did any of that…so to her, that’s like, I’m going to hell,” she said. Another participant whose family took a zero-tolerance position found himself unable to help a friend who was struggling with cannabis use and whose family also shunned substance use of any kind. “I just can’t help him if his dad’s not going to say anything,” he told the researchers. However, teens still valued setting limits, the study showed. “An overly lenient approach to substance use did not work either,” said Jenkins. “One participant who drank alcohol frequently said she was ‘sick of it’ but did not know how to scale back her drinking as her parents ‘don’t really care about what I do. I could go home drunk and they won’t do anything.’” The study, published this month in Harm Reduction, surveyed youth ages 13-18 in urban, suburban and rural areas in B.C. “The numbers show that the greatest levels of substance use and related harms occur amongst young people, yet youth perspectives are often missing when we formulate parental approaches to substance use,” said Jenkins. “This study goes beyond the typical approach, which features adult perspectives, and brings youth knowledge and expertise, a critical missing element in substance use programming.” TO CONTINUE READING: https://news.ubc.ca/2019/04/25/teens-prefer-harm-reduction-messaging-on-substance-use/ |
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