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Drug-Resistant Strains Of Mpox Threaten Homosexual Men Experiencing Unprotected Sex.

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Mpox

(VOR News) – A recent study found that gay and bisexual men who engage in Mpox unprotected anal intercourse as the receptive partner are five times more likely to get the mpox virus.

The study and the release of a second report on mpox cases in California and Illinois that are associated with a strain that is resistant to first-line treatment with tecovirimat coincide.

Since not all viruses from cases are genetically tested, “these findings likely underestimate the frequency of this newly recognized drug-resistant variant,” a team led by Crystal Gigante noted. Her job is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.

Previously known as monkeypox, mpox is a quickly spreading virus that is primarily disseminated by close skin-to-skin contact, especially during sexual encounters. Symptoms include fever, severe sores or rashes, and enlarged lymph nodes.

During the outbreak in 2022 and 2023, mpox spread to other countries.

Now that a new, potentially more deadly strain of the virus has emerged within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO has declared a public health emergency of worldwide significance.

Both of the new studies on MPox were published in the CDC journal Morbidity and Death Weekly Report on October 10. A study sought to determine whether specific sexual activities raise the risk of viral transmission because gay and bisexual men have been identified as the primary carriers of MPX outside of Africa.

A group led by CDC researcher Anna Chard looked through documents pertaining to the sexual activities of almost 1,500 American men under 50 who said they had sex with other men. Of these, 457 had contracted MPox, whereas 1,030 had not yet shown symptoms of the illness.

Chard’s team, Mpox, addressed guys with “close contact” with an MPV patient.

After accounting for other factors, Chard’s team found that the primary risk factor for mpox infection in this group was condom-free, receptive anal sex, which increased a person’s risk five times higher than that of men who hadn’t engaged in this unprotected form of sex.

The CDC researchers emphasized that while condoms can significantly lower the risk of mpox transmission, they are not infallible.

According to Chard and colleagues, “condoms alone might not prevent all exposures to [the virus] because rash can occur on other parts of the body and transmission can occur through other routes, including saliva and respiratory secretions” .

However, vaccination with the Jynneos vaccine is one effective means of preventing illness. Only 1 in 4 of the almost 2 million Americans who were eligible for the immunization had received both doses, according to experts.

Even among inoculated gay and bisexual men, booster shots may still be required. Current study indicates that the thempox immunization loses effectiveness against the virus after a year.

Drug-resistant mpox spreads across the US.

So immunization may be even more necessary. Gigante and colleagues report that modifications to the thempox virus brought on by extended therapy may result in viral resistance to first-line drugs, such as tecoviramat.

These resistant viruses “have been reported since 2022,” according to the researchers, and new cases keep popping up.

The latest data shows that between October 2023 and mid-February 2024, a cluster of five comparable cases were reported in California, eight more in Illinois, two in Louisiana, two in Texas, and one in New York.

Even though Gigante’s team had to admit two patients to the hospital in order to treat their pain, all 17 of the drug-resistant mpox patients whose medical records were available “reported mild (or not severe) mpox disease.”

However, the new data “highlight the urgent need for additional therapeutics for treatment of mpox” and most likely understate the prevalence of this strain of the virus, according to the researchers.

SOURCE: MP

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The Stocks Of UnitedHealth Lead The Dow. How Should I Deal With Low Earnings?

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UnitedHealth

(VOR News) – The shares of UnitedHealth Group (UNH) have experienced a decline of more than nine percent since the beginning of trade on Tuesday.

Consequently, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is a weighted average that is based on price, has entered the zone of negative values.

Additionally, the health insurance company has reduced the upper end of its prediction for full-year profits in order to compensate for a high third-quarter earnings result.

This has occurred at the same time that the rate of price decline has been occurring.

The three months that concluded on September 30 brought in a total of $100.8 billion in revenue for UnitedHealth, representing a 9.1% increase in revenue compared to the same time in the previous year.

Over that time, UnitedHealth premiums rose 7.1% to $77.4 billion.

This was one of the factors that contributed to its expansion. Profits per share (EPS) climbed by 9% to $7.15 from the same quarter the previous year, which is a proportional rise in terms of percentage growth.

In a statement released today, Andrew Witty, the Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth, stated that “our ongoing expansion, which is well-positioned for the years ahead, is a direct result of the innovative products and responsive service provided by our employees, which are embraced by the entire health care community on a daily basis.”

“Our products are innovative, and our employees are attentive to our customers’ requirements,” Witty stated in the statement.

Analysts were pleasantly delighted by the outcomes of the third quarter financial report for the University of New Hampshire. To be more specific, Yahoo Finance reports that Wall Street forecasted the company to generate $99.3 billion in revenue and $7 in earnings per share.

In order to account for the “business disruption impacts” caused by the attack that took place earlier this year at UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare subsidiary, the company changed its projection of the company’s total profits for the entire year.

Response to the data breach that occurred earlier this year led to the implementation of this step. Currently, the company anticipates that its profits per share will fall somewhere in the region of $27.50 to $27.75, with a lower high end of that forecast. An adjustment was made to its initial forecast, which was somewhere between $27.50 and $28.

The modification acknowledges UnitedHealth’s recognition of this truth.

If I have shares in UnitedHealth, should I keep them, sell them, or buy more of them? What is the most effective course of action to take?

According to the total return basis, the shares of UnitedHealth Group have gained by 16.4% as of the commencement of trading on Tuesday. This figure takes into account both the movement of prices and dividends earned by the company.

Only the total return is taken into consideration when calculating this increase. Wall Street continues to have a good attitude toward the company, despite the fact that the Dow Jones stock has not gained by the same 24.2% that the S&P 500 has.

As per the data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, the average target price that analysts have projected for shares of University of New Hampshire is $627.53.

In order to obtain the information that was obtained, these analysts provided it. When compared to the current levels, this represents a value increase of more than fourteen percent. Furthermore, the suggestion that the majority of individuals have for the blue chip stock is that it be recommended as a Strong Buy.

An organization that provides financial services, Truist Securities, is one of the businesses that has a more positive outlook on shares of The University of New Hampshire. In addition to having a buy rating on the stock, they have set their price target for the stock at $640.

Truist analyst David MacDonald asserts that UnitedHealth possesses “highly integrated, complementary platforms that benefit from meaningful scale, diversification, and robust capabilities.” MacDonald’s statement was made in reference to UnitedHealth’s capabilities.

Additionally, UnitedHealth possesses a sizable balance sheet and generates a substantial quantity of cash flow, which is another important advantage. It is interesting to note that he also asserts that “core trends remain solid” notwithstanding the impact of the data breach that occurred at Change Healthcare that occurred!

SOURCE: PFK

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Mammogram Centers Must Now Inform Women About Their Breast Density. Here’s How It Could Affect You

Naloxone Is Becoming More Popular Among Bystanders For Preventing Overdoses.

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Naloxone Is Becoming More Popular Among Bystanders For Preventing Overdoses.

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Naloxone

(VOR News) – According to a recent study, more and more bystanders are providing naloxone to people who have overdosed on opioids. This is the case because of the research that was undertaken.

An untrained bystander administered naloxone to about 25,000 individuals who were experiencing an overdose prior to the arrival of paramedics, as evidenced by statistics that were recorded by emergency medical services during the months of June 2020 and June 2022.

We collected these Naloxone numbers between June 2020 and June 2022.

Chris Gage, a researcher who is currently working for a doctoral degree in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University, disclosed that his data proved that the number of individuals who received naloxone from laypersons had increased by 43.5%. The information that Gage gathered was presented in a display.

This makes it quite evident that the activities that have been taken to improve public health are achieving the results that have been desired.

On the other hand, industry professionals have emphasized that there is a requirement for more efforts to be made in order to enhance the level of understanding concerning naloxone. This is because emergency medical services (EMS) have supplied some data, which is the reason for this consequence.

Taking into consideration the facts, it was concluded that a maximum of three percent of all overdose victims who were given naloxone obtained it from individuals who were not members of the medical staff.

The following is an excerpt from a press statement that was published by Gage: “In an ideal world, this should be closer to one hundred percent, highlighting the need to improve naloxone education, enhance access, and investigate and remove obstacles to its use.”

Naloxone is able to quickly reverse the effects of an overdose because it works by suppressing the opioid receptors that are present in the body.

This makes it possible for Naloxone to reverse the effects of an overdose.

A well-known researcher at Ohio State University and a clinical professor of emergency medicine, Dr. Ashish Panchal, says that “Naloxone is a lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose when it is administered immediately.”

Panchal is a clinical professor of emergency medicine. Emergency medicine is Panchal’s area of expertise as a clinical professor. As is the case with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the provision of aid to a person prior to the arrival of emergency experts may be the determining factor in whether or not they are able to survive.

The findings of the researchers indicate that throughout the course of the past 10 years, there has been a persistent effort made to achieve the goal of increasing both the availability of Naloxone and the prevalence of awareness of its existence.

During the course of the preceding year, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States granted its approval for the sale of Naloxone without the requirement of a prescription.

This approval was granted. Individuals who have been prescribed opioids for medical purposes, such as the management of pain, are typically given this substance. This is a regular practice.

Moreover, the findings of the study suggest that 46 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws that offer legal protection to individuals who act as “Good Samaritans” and intervene to assist a person who is experiencing an opioid overdose. These laws were passed in order to protect individuals who engage in such actions. In 2010, these laws became law and went into effect.

The group has suggested that a future study will investigate organizations that make Naloxone accessible to bystanders, as well as actions that may be implemented to ensure that the medicine is available to patients who are in need of it. This information was provided by the group.

SOURCE: USN

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Mammogram Centers Must Now Inform Women About Their Breast Density. Here’s How It Could Affect You

Ozempic-Fueled Slimming Is Blowing Up The Wedding Dress Industry

Drug-Resistant Strains Of Mpox Threaten Homosexual Men Experiencing Unprotected Sex.

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Mammogram Centers Must Now Inform Women About Their Breast Density. Here’s How It Could Affect You

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mammogram

When a woman undergoes a mammography, the most crucial finding is whether there is evidence of breast cancer.

The second most crucial observation is how thick her breasts are.

Since early September, a new guideline in the United States has required mammography institutions to inform women about their breast density – information that is not wholly new for some women because many states already had comparable rules.

Here’s why breast density matters.

mammogram

Mammogram Centers Must Now Inform Women About Their Breast Density. Here’s How It Could Affect You

Is having thick breasts bad?
No, thick breasts are not undesirable. In reality, they are pretty usual. Approximately 40% of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts.

Women of all shapes and sizes can have thick breasts. It has nothing to do with how firm the breast is. And it only matters for breast cancer screening, according to Dr. Ethan Cohen of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

With the new rule, “there will be a lot of inquiries to doctors and a lot of Googling, which is fine. But we want to make sure people don’t panic,” Cohen explained.

How is breast density determined?
Doctors who evaluate mammograms use a technique to classify breast density.

There are four categories. The least dense category indicates that the breasts are virtually entirely composed of fatty tissue. The most dense group indicates that the breasts are predominantly glandular and fibrous tissue.

Breasts fall into two categories: “heterogeneously dense” and “extremely dense.” The other two groups are not considered dense.

According to Dr. Brian Dontchos of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, the classification can change depending on who reads the mammography “because it’s somewhat subjective.”

Why am I informed that I have dense breasts?

Two reasons: For starters, thick breasts make it harder to detect cancer on an X-ray image, which is what a mammogram is.

“The dense tissue looks white on a mammogram, and cancer also looks white on a mammogram,” said Dr. Wendie Berg of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and main scientific consultant to DenseBreast-info.org. “It’s like trying to see a snowball in a blizzard.”

Second, women with thick breast tissue have a slightly higher chance of developing breast cancer because malignancies tend to form in glandular and fibrous tissue.

Fortunately, women with thick breasts have no higher risk of dying from breast cancer than other women.

What should I do?
If you discover you have dense breasts, consult your doctor about your family history of breast cancer and whether you should undergo extra screening with ultrasound or MRI, according to Dr. Georgia Spear of Endeavor Health/NorthShore University Health System in the Chicago area.

Researchers are looking for better techniques to detect cancer in people with thick breasts. So far, there is insufficient information to make general recommendations for extra screening. When the United States Preventive Services Task Force updated its breast cancer screening recommendations earlier this year, it advocated for additional research in this area.

mammogram

Mammogram Centers Must Now Inform Women About Their Breast Density. Here’s How It Could Affect You

Do I still need a mammogram?
Yes, women with thick breasts should have regular mammograms, which remain the gold standard for detecting cancer early. Mammograms should begin at age 40 for women, transgender males, and nonbinary people who are at average risk.

“We don’t want to replace the mammogram,” Spear stated. “We want to add to it by adding a specific other test.”

Will insurance pay for further screenings?
For the time being, this is determined by your insurance, though a measure has been presented in Congress to mandate insurers to provide additional screening for women with thick breasts.

Additional screening can be expensive, ranging from $250 to $1,000 out of pocket, which is a barrier for many women.

“Every woman should have equal opportunity to have their cancer found early when it’s easily treated,” Berg told reporters. “That’s the bottom line.”

SOURCE | AP

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