Depression: a ‘serious public health hazard’ for people with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Depression: a ‘serious public health hazard’ for people with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.Untreated depression could seriously compromise treatment outcomes for people living with HIV.Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among people living with HIV. They are, according to statistics from western countries, two to three times more likely to develop symptoms compared to the general population. However, critics suggest that ‘insufficient attention’ is being placed on mental health issues in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where the majority of people living with HIV live and are in care. Published in the journal, PLoS ONE, a recent meta-analysis and review of studies investigating the link between HIV and depression has now revealed that prevalence ranges from a low of 3% among people on antiretroviral treatment (ART) to a high of 34% among treatment-naïve individuals across SSA countries.

Depression and social media.

Social media is a great way to learn,connect ,make money and most especially get the gist of whats happening around you,and somewhere else in the world.The social media trend has brought more people into your business than you could ever imagine and not many people can handle it. The issue of cyber bullying is another dark side of social media that runs deeper than you can imagine. Social media is fun,games plus other stuff but when cyber bullying steps in, unless you are strong on the inside,confident and comfortable with who you are,what you have and what you are doing its going to take you out. Social media cult or click is another level of bullying,these set of people are naysayers,shutting you up,stealing your voice and defining who you are or rather who they want you to be or who they feel you should be and if you are low on self esteem,confidence and vision you bow to them and follow the Jones'. These set of people use the same method of operation which basically is about your posts, their reaction to your posts is what sets the ball rolling. The funny thing is that they are your friends and they deliberately ignore your posts or post nasty comments or simply be outright rude and if you are feeding off comments,likes and share you just logged in to the depression avenue. A study has shown that people are fighting depression linked to social media,and there has been cases of people committing suicide because of bullying,and segregation or non-inclusion on social media clicks. There are other people that tend to water down these feeling by buying likes or tagging a popular person so as to boost the number of likes,this is outright crazy. Your life is yours,make it count dont subscribe to a sect or click that wants to rubbish you,you are better than that and much more precious than 1,000 likes or 50+ or 40 shares. This is the story of a young lady pushed to depression by social media continue

Neurological, psychiatric symptoms persist in Ebola survivors .

Researchers at the University of Liverpool discovered that a broad set of neurological and psychiatric symptoms persisted in Ebola virus survivors more than 1 year after the patients were discharged from the hospital. Janet T. Scott, PhD, MRCP, clinical lecturer in pharmacology and infectious disease at the University of Liverpool and a researcher. The results of two related studies assessing the effects of post-Ebola syndrome (PES) shows that the Post-Ebola syndrome is not going away, as more people are seen now 2 years later, still suffering from the after effects of this terrible disease according to Janet T. Scott, PhD, MRCP, clinical lecturer in pharmacology and infectious disease at the University of Liverpool and a researcher on both studies. The worst Ebola outbreak in history began in December 2013 and killed more than 11,000 people before it was declared over in January. Most of the deaths occurred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which all have seen recent disease flare-ups. According to Scott, there are more than 17,000 Ebola survivors in West Africa, including about 5,000 in Sierra Leone, where the research was conducted. Among patient notes of 354 Ebola survivors, Scott and colleagues found 87 individuals who fit predetermined criteria: The patients were aged 16 years or older and had significant symptoms such as weakness, tremor, blindness, deafness, confusion, depression, psychosis and double vision. Forty-five of these patients were contacted, and 38 visited the clinic. The patients were mostly female (63%), and their median age was 34 years. They were hospitalized with Ebola for a median duration of 21 days, and the median length of time between their release and the screening clinic was 431 days. Forty-five percent of the patients reported loss of consciousness, and 18% experienced seizures during their acute phase of the disease. Scott and colleagues learned that 28 patients reported headaches — the most frequent neurological feature — and five of them had focal upper motor neuron weakness. Common psychiatric symptoms included insomnia, depression and anxiety. “Our experience suggests that there is a need for tertiary-level neurological and psychiatric referral clinics and larger, case-controlled studies,” Scott and colleagues wrote. “Our data are limited by the challenges of contacting many patients from our selected group.” A more diverse range of eye complications are experienced by patients suffering from PES, according to the ophthalmology aspect of the study. The researchers used a number of eye tests to evaluate 150 Ebola survivors who had vision complications, including panuveitis and also cataracts in younger Ebola survivors. “The data in both sets of research support the need for larger, case-controlled studies,” Scott said in the release. "Those with PES deserve better treatment, so we will continue to research and provide hands-on support to ensure this happens.” read more here ; European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.com

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Rats linked to depression in man.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Rats linked to depression in man. A study by Danielle German, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Bloomberg School the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows the link between rat problems and depression in man. Residents of Baltimore's low-income neighborhoods who believe rats are a big problem where they live are significantly more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms such as sadness and anxiety. The same residents with rodent problems on their block are also plagued by other pressing urban issues such as vacant housing, drug sales on the street and the risk of being robbed and beaten up. The study found that the relationship between rats and depression is not explained by these other neighborhood conditions. The findings are published in the Journal of Community Psychology. This study provides very strong evidence that rats are an under appreciated stressor that affects how people feel about their lives in low-income neighborhoods. The good news is it's modifiable. If something is done to reduce the number of rats in these neighborhoods. VETERINARY MEDICINE: Rats linked to depression in man. Every time researchers would talk to residents of low-income neighborhoods about the troubling public health issues they face, German says, they expected to hear about drugs and HIV and access to healthy food. Time and again, she says, they heard about rats and trash. Many cities conduct a regular rat census or survey residents about urban conditions, but this is one of the first studies to examine the psychological toll of an entrenched rat population. VETERINARY MEDICINE: Rats linked to depression in man. The research by German and Carl A. Latkin, PhD, a professor at the Bloomberg School, analyzed data collected from 448 Baltimore residents recruited from impoverished neighborhoods between March 2010 and December 2011. Those who consider rats to be a big problem were 72 percent more likely to experience acute depressive symptoms than those who live in similar neighborhoods where rats are not a big problem, the researchers say. They found that people in rat-infested neighborhoods had the same strongly negative perceptions of rats as people in other neighborhoods, but had much more frequent encounters. Rats are typically found where they have access to food and shelter, finding trash to eat and vacant or poorly kept up housing in which to live in low-income urban areas.Read more https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160316094308.htm. #trash # rats # depression

STRESS COULD BE DESTROYING YOUR BRAIN .

Stress destroys brain leading to memory loss,according to a research published in journal of neuroscience. Long-term stress can have lots of effects on the body—it can cause chronic muscle tension, heart problems, and fertility issues in both men and women. Now researchers have performed a new study in mice that they believe reveals another effect of chronic stress on the brain: Inflammation, which can lead to memory loss and depression. In the study, the researchers stressed out several mice by periodically putting a much more aggressive mouse into their cage. After six days of exposure, the stressed mice could no longer recall the location of a hole to escape a maze, which they remembered easily before the stressful period began. "The stressed mice didn't recall it. The mice that weren't stressed, they really remembered it," said Jonathan Godbout, a neuroscience professor at Ohio State University and one of the study authors in a press release. For four weeks after the trauma, the mice continued to cower in corners, the mouse equivalent of social avoidance, a major symptom of depression. The researchers suspected that the stress was affecting the mice’s hippocampi, a part of the brain key to memory and spatial navigation. They found cells from mice’s immune system, called macrophages, in the hippocampus, and the macrophages were preventing the growth of more brain cells. The stress, it seemed, was causing the mice’s immune systems to attack their own brains, causing inflammation. The researchers dosed the mice a drug known to reduce inflammation to see how they would respond. Though their social avoidance and brain cell deficit persisted, the mice had fewer macrophages in their brains and their memories returned to normal, indicating to the researchers that inflammation was behind the neurological effects of chronic stress. This study points out the connection between chronic stress and memory loss, or between inflammation and depression. It provides a new, promising link between all four. That could help doctors prescribe more immune-focused treatments for conditions like anxiety and depression, some of which are being tested now, as the New Scientist reports. read more here;http://www.popsci.com/chronic-stress-causes-inflammation-in-brain.

LYME DISEASE.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness . The spirochete, which causes the disease, is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, For a person to develop Lyme disease, he or she must be bitten by an infected tick and the organism is transmitted only if the tick is infected and if the tick feeds long enough for more than 36 hours. The major sign in early localized Lyme disease is the bull’s eye rash: erythema migrans. The rash begins at the tick bite site and expands over days to reach diameters in excess of 5 cm. Generally, the border of the rash is erythematous, with central clearing, although at times the center is erythematous or even purplish. Fever, malaise, aches and pains often accompany the rash. The rash resolves with or without antibiotic therapy. Some patients will develop early disseminated disease in which there are multiple erythema migrans. Cranial nerve palsies, most often the seventh nerve, may occur in this stage. Aseptic meningitis occurs in some patients and can be difficult to distinguish from viral meningitis. However, the onset is generally more insidious than viral meningitis. Carditis occurs in this stage but is rare in children; carditis presents as heart block. Late disease is characterized by arthritis, generally Central nervous system disease and peripheral neuropathy are rare manifestations of late Lyme disease. Prevention relies on avoidance of tick bites or prompt removal of the tick before transmission of the spirochete occurs. Ticks are most common in high grass or weeds. In general, if you can see your shoes, you are not likely to be bitten. This was shown in a study of golfers that correlated likelihood of Lyme disease with time spent in the rough. Tick checks are important so that the tick can be removed promptly. Lyme disease treatment ;Treatment depends upon the stage of the infection. For children aged 8 years and older, doxycycline is given for 2 to 3 weeks; amoxicillin is used in younger children or those who cannot tolerate doxycycline. Parenteral therapy is reserved for patients with persistent arthritis or meningitis; however, many experts would consider repeating an oral course of antibiotics for arthritis and using doxycycline for meningitis. As with many infections, symptoms often persist after completion of an effective antibiotic course. There is no evidence that prolonged antibiotic courses are needed or are helpful. read more here; http://www.healio.com/pediatrics/news/print/infectious-diseases-in-children/%7B77a7f447-979e-4655-9993-fd4dab45e8f0%7D/lyme-disease-staying-on-track

THE THREAT OF LYME DISEASE.

Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness that in its most serious form can result in chronic fatigue, pain, confusion, depression-like symptoms and memory loss. The number of cases appear to be rising include a growing number of ticks in some weather conditions; more wild mammals that host them; an increase in the number of visitors to areas where they live; and greater awareness leading to more diagnosis. The disease is spreading through the population of ticks and animals are picking it up thus so more and more people are contracting the disease. Britain has recorded a rise this summer , a case scenario; Laura ;One patient who had to wait more than three years for treatment was Laura, who has asked that only her first name be used.In January 2012 she noticed a red bullseye rash on her right shin. The rash is the most distinctive feature of Lyme disease, but Laura was not aware of that. A couple of months later, she said, she began to feel “foggy, confused, forgetful”, and it was “hard to make decisions, hard to think, hard to read, hard – pretty much – to use my brain”.Despite living close to Richmond Park in west London, where Lyme disease is known to exist, Doctors thought the most likely cause was chronic fatigue. Months passed during which Laura gave up her job as a civil servant to focus what energy she had on her two primary school age children.The turning point was when Laura read an article about Lyme disease and recognized a picture of the erythema migrans rash. A blood test came back negative, but this was not decisive: medics test not for the bacterial infection but for the anti-bodies that the body makes to fight it, so patients tested too soon or too late will often not record a positive result. A specialist was “confident” it was Lyme disease, though cautioned it was too late to treat it with antibiotics. Laura pressed for a lumbar puncture, which showed she had an inflamation of the brain - another indicator she possibly had the illness.This summer she was finally given antibiotics, which she said “seemed to help”. She is now working in a local school. story credit; the guardian.

ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY.

Animals have been known to impact health of humans. Dogs and cat are the common therapy assistants but new insights show that all animals have a role to play in health of man. A cat in a home with an elderly keeps such patients alert and healthy,the minimal movements in the house to feed the cat,a stroll in the garden and even the gentle snuggling of the cat on the lap with light stroking gives life to the patient. Dogs visit old people,sick children and they spread so much love that patients have recorded tremendous improvements.Dogs aside from been companions and rescue dogs,they also impact heaith. Dogs are trained to know sugar levels in diabetic patients,which come in very handy in diabetic patients. Animals are great to have around. read more here ;.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/278173.php

STRANGLES IN HORSES.

Strangles in horses caused by streptococcus equi,is a very contagious respiratory disease.All horse ages can be affected but foals and travel horses are very susceptible.The incubation period is 2 weeks but the affected horses still shed bacteria for longer periods,thus their can be new incidence on farm after index case.The form of infection is direct or indirect route, the direct route usually through water buckets where bacteria can survive for long periods of time.10% of affected horses become carriers. The common signs are fever,nasal discharge,cough,depression,lack of appetite,enlarged lymph nodes that form abscess that eventually ruptures.The affected horses may or may not show classical signs aside from fever,hence the conditions can go un diagnosed on the farm. There are certain complications in strangles infection which makes condition fatal; 1) Abscesses can be formed in other body organs referred to as "bastard strangles".2) Purpura haemorrhagia ;where the blood vessels are damaged and can be identified by swollen limbs,blood blisters around eyes and lips.This can lead to death because of circulatory failure. Prevention. 1) vaccination. 2) separate/isolate horses by ages and susceptibility status. 3) strict bio security protocol. 4) limit number of horses/ stable/barn in the farm. Treatment. 1) isolate affected horses. 2) use dedicated feed/water bowl. 3) restrict movement, do not turn on pasture. 4) proper manure management/disposal. 5)antibiotics. 6) wound treatment to prevent fly strikes. 6) vitamin supplement .

Researchers Evaluate Horses as Model of Human Depression

Researchers Evaluate Horses as Model of Human Depression