Author: vanessabarquera

It is hard to notice any other outbreaks going on at this time because of the pandemic the world is experiencing at this moment. Covid-19 has taken over the news and it leaves little to no space for other outbreaks to become known. I think that it is important for the world to still be aware of other diseases that are out breaking. COVID-19 is not the only disease we should be trying to avoid. The CDC announced an outbreak of Listeriosis.

The CDC reported an outbreak of Listeria infections that are associated to Enoki Mushrooms. The mushrooms are contaminated with Lysteria monocytogenes. As it was announced by the FDA, many Enoki Mushrooms from Korea have been recalled from the markets. These mushrooms were disperse in New York, Maryland, and Virginia. It is recommended that consumers that bought these product return them to the store or throw them away.

The symptoms of Listeriosis include stiff neck, headaches, muscle ache, fever, and nauseas. While healthy individuals may have short term symptoms, the immunocompromise are at more risk. As it was mentioned by the CDC and FDA the people with most risk are the young children, the elderly, and pregnant women. The bacteria can cause a miscarriage or the birth of a stillborn. It is very important to try to avoid eating Enoki mushrooms.

Simulect (Basiliximab) is a monoclonal antibody produce by Novartis. As described in the book, a monoclonal antibody is antibody derived from a laboratory animal that is injected with a specific antigen. After that, the B cells are isolated and combined with myelomas cells. Only hybridomas cells are able to proliferate since they have the ability to produce antibodies and multiply infinitely. These antibodies are then kept.

This antibody is used to aid the prevention of a organ rejection. Simulect serve as an immunosuppressive that binds and block the IL-2 receptor on T-cells. Medicine Net states that some side effects include nausea, stomach pain, redness in the side of injection, constipation, diarrhea. Some more serious effects include weakness, swollen glands, night sweats, unusual lumps, cough/sore throat, sores around genitals and mouth, weight loss, dizziness, vision changes. The antibody can produce a series of allergic reaction and increase the risk of getting cancer.

Simulect can also cause acute hypersensitivity immune responses. Hypotension, tachycardia, cardiac failure, dyspnea, wheezing, bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, urticaria, rash, pruritus, and/ or sneezing are some of responses. These are innate immune response that could happen as soon as the antibody is administrated. If these reactions are very severe, the treatment is stopped. I think having such medical technology can be very helpful for those that have just received a renal transplant. Monoclonal antibodies have change the medical field immensely.

As mentioned in the instructions, there are two tests that are being used to test for COVID-19. The two types of tests include a molecular or serological test according to Medical News Today. The molecular test involves taking a swab from the back of the throat. After this, the content is examined for the virus’s RNA genetic material. This test cannot test for past infections.

The serological test looks for antibodies in the blood. This test looks for IgM and IgG (Medical Net). If IgM titters are the only antibodies in the blood then it means that the person was barely infected by the virus. This means that B cells have yet not been fully activated to have a more specific antibodies made. If both IgG is and IgM titters are present then it could be the person is in the middle stage of the virus where the cells are class switching from IgMs to IgGs. If only IgGs are present then it could mean that the person was infected or is at the last stages of the virus. The virus could still be spread if the virus is still present.

After reading both of the articles, I think using either test could produce some erroneous testing results. By using a molecular test, a false negative could be acquired. It could be possible that the swabbed sample just did not have the virus. In the use of a blood test, I think a false positive can be obtained if the individual has been exposed to other COVID strain. Though these tests are not 100% accurate, I am glad that there are some tests available that we can rely on.

Looking at where we are now, I never thought it would get this far. I never thought the world would be dealing with a pandemic during my lifetime. As ignorant as it sounds, at the beginning of all of it, I thought people were over exaggerating. I was extremely wrong and began to follow the needed precautions. Now as I was reading some articles, I came to learn that there is many new scientific trials emerging to stop the virus. This is very reliving to know because it brings hope that this could be over soon.

In the article, “NIH clinical trial of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 begins“, it is explained that remdesvir is antiviral treatment that has been tested on humans with Ebola. There is no solid data acquired to say that it can improve clinical outcomes for COVID-19 yet. There is also some trials ongoing in China. Potential participants go through a series of physical exams before beginning on with the treatment. The double-blind study allows less skewed results.

Trials of investigational vaccine for COVID-19 has also begun according to NIH in Seattle. The vaccine was named mRNA-1273 and as the name mentions it, it uses messenger RNA. It is intramuscular injected. It is supposed to direct body cells to express a virus protein that can enhance an immune response. Though it has shown a promise in animals, it now being tested for the first time in humans.

T-cells are white blood cells that are part of the acquired immune system. These cells attack foreign invaders. T cell are being modified to find and destroy cancerous cells. It is called Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (American Cancer Society). These T-cells are changed in the lab by adding a man-made receptor. The receptor helps the the T-cell better recognize the antigen of the cancerous cells. This therapy is specific to the patient because they are required to create T-cells that are specific to the cancerous cells’ antigens using that patient’s T-cells.

CAR T-cell therapy is used strictly on patients with advanced blood cancers according to the National Cancer Institute. The FDA approved two CAR T-cell therapies in 2017. One treatment benefits children with acute lymphoblastinc leukemia and the other one adults with advanced lymphomas. One of the side effect of this cancer therapy is Cytokine Release Syndrome. Cytokines in large amounts can cause high fevers and sudden drops in blood pressure. Though this is a dangerous side effect, it demonstrate that active T-cell are working. The cost of CAR T-Cell therapy is very expensive reaching an average of $370,000 (Ash Clinical News).

After reading these articles, I am very happy to know that medical advances are giving hope to those that chemotherapy did not work for. This brings us a step closer to finding a cure for cancer. I am sadden to find out how much the therapy costs. Though there are some patients that can afford it, most of our population can’t. I think more effort should be put on making CAR T-cell therapy more affordable. People should have access to these therapies that could save their lives.

The news about the Covid-19 pandemic keeps changing. The number of causality keeps rising every day. It is safe to say that no one seems to be paying attention to other diseases that are still affecting society today. Tuberculosis kills 4000 individuals a day and 1.5 million each year according to a Forbes article. Covid-19 is affecting TB services all around the world. Not only is Covid-19 affecting TB services but many people with tuberculosis are scared of how vulnerable they are to this new spreading virus.

As the World Health Organization stated, a quarter of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with some sort of tuberculosis bacteria. TB preventative treatments are still being neglected. To test for the disease, WHO has focused on recommending either a TB skin test or an interferon-gamma release assay. WHO states that taking prevention from other diseases, such as TB, could serve as a leverage to prevent Covid-19. WHO is calling governments to donate to the cause of TB preventatives treatments to make it affordable for everyone.

After reading these two articles, I gained a sense of distress and relief. It is hard to wrap my mind that the health care system has come to the situation of having to choose what type of patients they should give care to. Though it is unbelievable, this is what it has come to be. After reading the second article, I found some sense of relief. WHO was made new recommendations that could serve as leverage to prevent Covid-19.

For spring break I was going to take a trip to Trinidad with the center of global studies but was canceled at the last minute. Though the cases of coronavirus were barely beginning to rise at that time, there was still a fear within me. I was excited to go to Trinidad, but I was happier to go home. It sadden me when I heard that UNC was moving to remote classes. I was really sad that I was not going to be able to see my friends anymore. I enjoyed living in North Carolina and my time this semester came short.

I knew remote classes were going to be a struggle. Living in a different time zone, moved my classes up one hour. Though it is not a huge difference, it did take a toll on my sleeping schedule. Having two younger siblings makes it hard to focus. I can never have quiet alone time to study. Although I am having a hard time being home, I am happy that I can be with my family during this hard time.

During this quarantine time, I have only left my house once to grocery shop. I have started to work out more now that I am home. I work out from 30-60 minutes a day. I realized that this has helped me stay calm and relaxed. Being active has helped my mental health and become more productive.

The human papillomavirus can be spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex and other intimate skin-to-skin contact. It is estimated that 80 percent of sexually active individuals are infected at some point every year in the United States. As stated by the National Cancer Institute, most HPV infections do not cause cancer. HPV can sometimes cause warts to appear around the genital area, throat, anus, and mouth but cause no disease. However, some HPV infections can cause different types of cancer. The HPV vaccine can prevent infections, genital warts and cancer.

Now women and men up to the age of 45 that did not receive the HPV vaccines during their childhood are recommended by CDC and FDA to acquire it. Although the vaccine may not protect the individual against all types of HPV strands, it does protect us from the most common ones. It used to be recommended that the vaccine should be administrated to individuals ranging from the age of 9 to 29 to protect people before being exposed to the virus. It was later discovered that by the age of 45 most people have not been exposed to all of the nine strands of HPV that the vaccine provides protection from. With this new information the range of age was increased.

After reading both of this articles, I am glad that research is being done to protect our population. I was very shocked to learn the majority of sexually active individuals will come in contact with this virus. I believe that many more individuals could benefit from this new discovery specially those who are not adequately vaccinated. After reading these articles, I also came to the realization that parents should be more informed about what the HPV vaccine can help prevent. The administration of this vaccine can save lives.

Superbugs are bacterias that have gained resistance to multiple antibiotics used to treat the infections. Although antibiotic resistance is an evolutionary process, we can see this process speeding due to the misuse of antibiotics by doctors and patients. As it was stated by the CDC, more than 35,000 deaths per year are caused by antibiotic-resistant infections. Clostridioides difficile, Acinetobacter, Candi uris, Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae are one of the highest risk germs that have gained antibiotic resistance. There is no clear distinction between the infection of a superbug and one that is not. It can only be seen once the patient’s symptoms get worse.

Research advances and there may be a finding that would allow us to fight antibiotic resistance. As it was mentioned in the article published in Science News, there is a new enzyme that helps the formation of the bacterial cell wall that could potentially be targeted by new antibiotics. Though there are five natural products that have inhibitory activities against MraY, on the molecular level it is very unclear. After more research, specific binding sites were found where nucleoside inhibitor binds on MraY’s surfaces. These binding sites could serve as targets for inhibitor-like antibiotics.

After analyzing both of these articles, I have come to realize that more precautions should be taken by patients and doctors when it comes to the usage of antibiotics. It is irritating to know that the ignorance of people is causing us to lose these abilities to fight off certain infections. I am glad that more research is being conducted to mend the problems that have been created. I am confident that we are going to be able to find a solution to antibiotic resistance. I, however, do believe is going to take more time and cost more lives.

There are two types of polio vaccines; the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and the live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV). The IPV was developed first in 1955, and it successfully eliminated the poliovirus in some countries. To protect the people in those post-eradicated environments the OPV vaccine was generated in 1961. This vaccine reproduces mucosal immunity that decreases the replication and transmittance of the virus. The drawback of the OPV is that since it is an attenuated virus, it can still become virulent and cause poliomyelitis.

Out of the three strains of the poliovirus, two of them have been eliminated. Poliovirus type 3 was eradicated four years after the elimination of poliovirus type 2 in 2015. The largest concentration of the poliovirus type 3 is in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The worldwide eradication of the poliovirus is projected to happen in 2023 as this project began in 1988. If completed, polio would be the second human disease, after smallpox, to become worldwide eradicated.

After reading these two articles, I find it fascinating that we maybe only three years away from the poliovirus becoming completely eradicated worldwide. I do believe is going to take a lot of dedication to achieve this goal as vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks also have to be taken into consideration. It was also very shocking to learn that polio could be potentially the second disease to be completely eradicated. Thinking of how advanced technology is now, it is kinda hard to believe that polio would be ONLY be the second disease. As I think that OPV is very helpful, I think it could be also very harmful in countries with poor sanitation. The infected fecal material could be potentially a huge problem.