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Australia is running out of oral morphine. What does this mean for pain relief in palliative care?

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Australia is currently in a singular situation since it is concurrently opioid epidemic and we’re experiencing a shortage of these essential medicines.

The Therapeutic Products Agency has approved eight oral morphine products list of shortagesThe supply problem for these products is not expected to be resolved before October or November of this yr.

This is an issue for the near future 100,000 people receiving palliative care who may depend on opioids akin to morphine to administer each day chronic pain.

So why are we missing out and what are doctors and patients doing?

Opioids are essential for people in palliative care

Palliative care goals to supply quality of life for individuals with illnesses which have little or no probability of recovery. Anyone can need palliative care, including infants, children, and adolescents, not only adults and older people.

Patients may remain in palliative care for days, weeks, and even months and typically struggle with chronic pain each day. Opioid drugsakin to morphine, are commonly used to alleviate pain, suffering and discomfort.

Patients can receive palliative care in a range of settings, including at home or in specialist centres.
Studio DC/Shutterstock

Morphine is a robust painkiller, often used when other medications, akin to ibuprofen and acetaminophen, aren’t any longer effective. It works block the pathways in the brain which register the feeling of pain.

Morphine could be taken as a tablet, capsule or liquid orally, by injection, or intravenously. pump patient controls. The eight morphine products Australia has shortlisted are all oral forms (tablets and liquids).

Liquid forms of morphine taken orally are a very important form of medication for individuals who cannot take tablets, including young children, elderly patients, and other people who’ve difficulty swallowing.

Why are we missing these drugs?

Since the emergence of COVID-19, we now have seen continued shortages of many medicines on account of Supply chain disruptions and other issuesThere are currently 377 drugs on the Therapeutic Goods Administration list. list of shortages. However, the shortage of morphine-containing medicines does not look like attributable to COVID-19.

In June last yr, the international company Mundipharma, which produced the one registered brand liquid morphine used in Australia, Ordine, he advised the federal government has stopped deliveries. Australian company Arrotex Pharmaceuticals is set to take over supply. However, supplies will not be expected to return to normal until their products grow to be available – likely in late 2024.

While the present shortage is oral morphine, other opioids are also coming out of stock, akin to fentanyl (six products on the shortlist) and oxycodone (three products). That’s because when one drug, like morphine, is in short supply, demand for similar drugs increases.

Can you replace one opioid with one other?

There are many differing types of opioid medications, which implies that when one is unavailable, a patient could also be switched to a different. What matters is which medication is being replaced – and at what dose.

Because of how the body metabolizes opioids, a dose of one drug may fit kind of effectively than the identical dose of one other opioid. In these cases, the pharmacist must calculate what is called an “equivalent pain dose” when switching opioids.

In addition to calculating the equivalent dose when changing to a different opioid, your doctor may additionally reduce dose by 50%This is because stronger opioid medications akin to fentanylat higher concentrations they’re very dangerous and usually tend to cause respiratory difficulties and even death.

Bottle of oxycodone next to oral syringe.
There are many varieties of opioids. They could be taken in some ways, including orally in liquid or capsule form.
photo by makasan/Shutterstock

Dose adjustment The way the drug is administered is also vital. For example, the dose needed when injecting morphine is normally much lower than when taken orally as a tablet or liquid.

What is being done about this shortage and what next?

The Australian government has approved three foreign substitute products to fill the gap until supply returns to normal. They are sponsored by an Australian company Medsurge healthcare and include two liquid formulations of morphine sulfate and one liquid formulation of morphine chloride. Both work in the identical way and are equally effective in treating pain.

In Australia, there are reports that some patients still do not need access to opioid medications inside the Australian health care system. paying as much as $4,000 source your individual supplies from abroad.

But these are stopgap measures, just like those currently getting used to handle the shortage of intravenous fluids, and are one other example of why the Australian Government needs to speculate in local medicines production.

If you or a loved one needs pain relief through palliative care, there are still many options. Talk to your doctor to find out the perfect approach to maintain you or your beloved pain-free.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

How to drastically reduce the risk of dementia after 55 years of age

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About 1,000,000 Americans are expected to develop dementia a yr until 2060, about twice today, they announced on Monday.

This estimation is predicated on a brand new study, which showed a better risk of life than previously thought: after 55 years of age people have up to 4 out of 10 opportunities to develop dementia – in the event that they live long enough.

This is a sobering number, but there are steps that folks can take to reduce this risk, similar to controlling hypertension and other bad health problems. And it isn’t too late to try even in middle -aged.

“All our research suggests what you do in the middle age, it really matters,” said Dr. Josef Coresh from Nyu Langone Health, who co -author of the research in Nature Medicine.

Dementia is just not only Alzheimer

Taking more to remember the name or place where you place the keys is typical in old age. But dementia It is just not a standard part of aging – it’s a progressive loss of memory, language and other cognitive functions. The aging is just the biggest risk, and the population is getting old quickly.

Alzheimer is the commonest form, and the quiet changes of the brain that ultimately lead to it might begin 20 years before the appearance of symptoms. Other types include vascular dementia, when heart disease or small impacts impair blood flow to the brain. Many people have mixed causes, which suggests that vascular problems can exacerbate Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Measuring risk from a certain age compared to the potential remaining period of life can lead to public health and medical examinations.

“This is not a guarantee that someone will develop dementia,” warned Dr. James Galvin, a specialist in Miami Alzheimer’s University. He was not involved in a brand new study, but said that the findings match other tests.

The risk of dementia differs from age

Earlier studies were estimated that about 14% of men and 23% of women would develop a form of dementia during their lives. The Coresh team analyzed newer data from the American study, which has been following heart health and cognitive functions of about 15,000 elderly for several many years.

Importantly, they found risk changes over many years.

Only 4% of people developed dementia aged 55 to 75, which Coresh calls a key 20-year-old window to protect brain health.

In the case of individuals who experience common health threats to 75, the risk of dementia then increased – to 20% at the age of 85 and 42% from the age of 85 to 95.

In general, the risk of dementia after 55 was 35% for men and 48% for ladies, summed up scientists. Cash noticed that girls normally live longer than men, the most important reason for this difference. Black Americans had a rather higher risk, 44%than white people at 41%.

Yes, there are methods to reduce the risk of dementia

There are some risk aspects that folks cannot control, including age and whether you’ve got inherited a gene variant called Apoe4, which increases the possibilities of Alzheimer’s late life.

But people can try to avoid or no less than delay health problems that contribute to later dementia. For example, Coresh wears a helmet while cycling, because repetitive or severe brain injuries from failure or falls increase the risk of dementia later in life.

Particularly essential: “What is good for your heart is good for your brain,” added Galvin with Miami. He calls people to exercise, avoid obesity and control blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.

13 influential women Delta Sigma Theta Borority, Inc., which inspired us all

For example, hypertension can disturb the blood flow to the brain, the risk not only in the case of vascular dementia, but additionally related to some of the Alzheimer’s disease. Similarly high levels of blood sugar, poorly controlled diabetes, is related to a cognitive decline and destruction of inflammation in the brain.

Galvin also said that be socially and cognitively energetic. He calls people to try hearing aids if age brings hearing loss, which might stimulate social insulation.

“There are things that we control over, and those things that in my opinion would be very important to build a better brain as aging,” he said.

___

The Associated Press Department of Health and Science receives support from the Science and Educational Group of the Medical Institute Howard Hughes and the (*55*) Wood Johnson Foundation. AP bears the sole responsibility for all content.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Health and Wellness

Jury awarded $310 million to parents of teenager who died after falling on a ride at Florida amusement park – Essence

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The family of Tire Sampson, the 14-yr-old who tragically died on an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida, in 2022, has been awarded $310 million in a civil lawsuit.

Tire, who was visiting ICON Park along with his family on March 24, 2022, fell from the FreeFall drop tower. Although he was taken to a nearby hospital, he didn’t survive his injuries.

Now, greater than two years later, a jury has held the vehicle manufacturer, Austria-based Funtime Handels, responsible for the accident and awarded the Tire family $310 million. According to reports from local news stations WFTV AND KSDKthe jury reached its verdict after about an hour of deliberation.

Tyre’s parents will each receive $155 million, according to attorney spokesman Michael Haggard.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, who represented Tyre’s family, shared their thoughts on this landmark decision via X (formerly Twitter). “This ruling is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” they said in a statement.

Lawyers stressed that Tyre’s death was attributable to “gross negligence and a failure to put safety before profits.” They added that the ride’s manufacturer had “neglected its duty to protect passengers” and that the substantial award ensured it could “face the consequences of its decisions.”

Crump and Jackson said they hope the result will encourage change throughout the theme park industry. “We hope this will spur the entire industry to enforce more stringent safety measures,” they said. “Tire heritage will provide a safer future for drivers around the world.”

An investigation previously found that Tyre’s harness was locked through the descent, but he dislodged from his seat through the 430-foot fall when the magnets engaged. Tire’s death was ruled the result of “multiple injuries and trauma.”

ICON Park said at the time that it could “fully cooperate” with the authorities.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Tireless HIV/AIDS advocate A. Cornelius Baker dies

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HIV/AIDS Advocate, A. Cornelius Baker


A. Cornelius Baker, a tireless advocate of HIV and AIDS testing, research and vaccination, died Nov. 8 at his home in Washington, D.C., of hypertensive, atherosclerotic heart problems, in response to his partner, Gregory Nevins.

As previously reported, Baker was an early supporter for people living with HIV and AIDS within the Nineteen Eighties, when misinformation and fear-mongering in regards to the disease were rampant.

According to Douglas M. Brooks, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy under President Obama, it was Baker’s Christian faith that guided him toward compassion for others.

“He was very kind, very warm and inclusive – his circles, both professional and personal, were the most diverse I have ever seen, and he was guided by his Christian values,” Brooks told the outlet. “His ferocity was on display when people were marginalized, rejected or forgotten.”

In 1995, when he was executive director of the National AIDS Association, Baker pushed for June 27 to be designated National HIV Testing Day.

In 2012, he later wrote on the web site of the Global Health Advisor for which he was a technical advisor that: “These efforts were intended to help reduce the stigma associated with HIV testing and normalize it as part of regular screening.”

https://twitter.com/NBJContheMove/status/1856725113967632663?s=19

Baker also feared that men like himself, black gay men, and other men from marginalized communities were disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.

Baker pressured the Clinton administration to incorporate black and Latino people in clinical drug trials, and in 1994 he pointedly told the Clinton administration that he was bored with hearing guarantees but seeing no motion.

According to Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings, yes that daring attitude that defines Baker’s legacy in the world of ​​HIV/AIDS promotion.

“Cornelius was a legendary leader in the fight for equality for LGBTQ+ people and all people living with HIV,” Jennings said in a press release. “In the more than twenty years that I knew him, I was continually impressed not only by how effective he was as a leader, but also by how he managed to strike the balance between being fierce and kind at the same time. His loss is devastating.”

Jennings continued: “Cornelius’ leadership can’t be overstated. For many years, he was one in all the nation’s leading HIV/AIDS warriors, working locally, nationally and internationally. No matter where he went, he proudly supported the HIV/AIDS community from the Nineteen Eighties until his death, serving in various positions including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Association of Persons with Disabilities AIDS, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic . Jennings explained.

Jennings concluded: “His career also included several honors, including being the first recipient of the American Foundation for AIDS Research Foundation’s organization-building Courage Award. Our communities have lost a pillar in Cornelius, and as we mourn his death, we will be forever grateful for his decades of service to the community.”

Kaye Hayes, deputy assistant secretary for communicable diseases and director of the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Policy, in her comment about his legacy, she called Baker “the North Star.”.

“It is difficult to overstate the impact his loss had on public health, the HIV/AIDS community or the place he held in my heart personally,” Hayes told Hiv.gov. “He was pushing us, charging us, pulling us, pushing us. With his unwavering commitment to the HIV movement, he represented the north star, constructing coalitions across sectors and dealing with leaders across the political spectrum to deal with health disparities and advocate for access to HIV treatment and look after all. He said, “The work isn’t done, the charge is still there, move on – you know what you have to do.” It’s in my ear and in my heart in the case of this job.

Hayes added: “His death is a significant loss to the public health community and to the many others who benefited from Cornelius’ vigilance. His legacy will continue to inspire and motivate us all.”

Baker is survived by his mother, Shirley Baker; his partner Nevins, who can be senior counsel at Lambda Legal; his sisters Chandrika Baker, Nadine Wallace and Yavodka Bishop; in addition to his two brothers, Kareem and Roosevelt Dowdell; along with the larger HIV/AIDS advocacy community.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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