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Legionnaires’ disease cases on the rise in Melbourne: Here’s what you need to know about this serious lung infection

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An unusual epidemic of Legionnaires’ disease has broken out in Melbourne.

As of Friday afternoon, the Victoria Department of Health confirmed 33 cases (with 10 suspected) of this severe and sometimes life-threatening lung disease. Most of those infected were hospitalized.

Investigations are ongoing during to determine the source of the epidemic.

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Here’s what we know to date.

What is Legionnaires’ disease and the way does it spread?

Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial infection attributable to inhaling contaminated water droplets. The water droplets have to be sufficiently small to be inhaled deep into the lungs to cause illness.

Disease isn’t being sent between people.

Legionnaires’ disease normally only affects individuals with weakened immune systems or health problems. People are with greater risk infections if:

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  • are over 40 years old
  • they’re smokers
  • you have chronic lung disease or existing respiratory conditions
  • have a weakened immune system, e.g. transplant recipients
  • produce other medical conditions similar to diabetes, heart or kidney disease.

Legionnaires’ disease normally causes severe pneumoniawhich is a chest infection with symptoms similar to cough, headache, fever, chills, and muscle aches.

Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and disorientation. In extreme cases, Legionnaires’ disease can cause renal failure.

How is Legionnaires’ disease treated?

Early diagnosis and treatment It is vital to use appropriate antibiotics to prevent serious disease progression.

If no motion is taken or the improper antibiotic is prescribed, Legionnaires’ disease can lead to serious illness and the need for hospitalization.

GPs in Victoria at the moment are taking motion to ensure they don’t prescribe inappropriate antibiotics to people presenting with respiratory symptoms.

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This is because it may possibly take several days for individuals with Legionellosis to realise after taking antibiotics that the drugs will not be effective – and this time is crucial for treatment.

What can we know about the epidemic in Melbourne?

The current epidemic in Melbourne is an example of this community-acquired disease.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source. The large variety of cases in a brief time frame indicates a single source, probably some equipment releasing contaminated aerosols into the environment, normally outside the constructing. This style of outbreak is typically referred to as “explosive.”

Legionnaires’ disease is attributable to a bacterium.
Cavan-Images/shutterstock

The more than likely cause is a cooling tower attached to the constructing. Most explosive outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease are related to cooling towers.

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Another indicator is the strain: the S1 subtype identified in Melbourne could be very different to Legionnaires’ disease attributable to potting mixes.

The Victorian government has advised all cooling tower operators to ensure they’re up to date with testing, servicing and auditing requirements. However, it isn’t unusual for the source to remain undetected.

The high density of cooling towers in a city like Melbourne makes identifying a single source extremely difficult.

How are bacteria released into the air?

It is unusual for such an outbreak to occur in the middle of winter. Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks related to cooling towers typically occur in late summer/fall when air-con systems are turned on after a chilly spell.

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In winter, the biofilm (biological sludge) dies and doesn’t reproduce below 20°C. If the towers operate all 12 months round, they’ll reproduce all 12 months round.

Cooling towers are commonly used devices for recycling and evaporating water in buildings, especially in air-con systems. As a part of their operation, they have to release water into the environment. They release a considerable amount of aerosol into the air, even when operating optimally.

Silver cooling towers on the roof.
Cooling towers can release contaminated aerosols that may spread for miles.
Wait for the light/shutterstock

This aerosol can travel considerable distances (kilometers) or more) from the source. If contaminated, there may be a risk of inhalation and illness.

Without good management, a cooling tower can act as an incubator for bacteria. The warm, nutrient-rich conditions inside cooling water systems are perfect for biological slimes (biofilms) to grow.

If sediment and sludge are disturbed – for instance, when the system is turned on after months of dormancy – a sudden aerosol “bloom” can occur in the aerosol.

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The indisputable fact that the outbreak is happening in the winter suggests that the cooling towers are getting used to cool something aside from air-con, similar to computer or telephone systems. It is probably going that there was some disruption in the system that initiated the outbreak.

What should I do if I’m apprehensive?

Healthy people can inhale infected droplets and never develop into infected.

However, for individuals with weakened immune systems or damaged lungs, the disease might be serious.

The Victorian Department of Health advises individuals who experience symptoms to seek immediate medical attention in the event that they live in or have visited the Melbourne metropolitan area and surrounding areas. Symptoms may resemble the flu and include muscle aches, dry cough, fever and lack of appetite.

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

Can psychedelics help you drink less alcohol? Our new study aims to find out

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Psychhedels reminiscent of LSD and psilocybina (Active ingredient in magical mushrooms) is gaining increasingly more attention in psychiatry. Research suggests They can offer therapeutic advantages in conditions reminiscent of depression, anxiety, obsessive and compulsive disorders, dietary disorders and addiction.

Our research team Study whether N, N-Dimetytryptamine (DMT)Quickly acting psychedelic, can help people reduce alcohol consumption.

Alcohol is most frequently Incorrectly used substance in Great Britainpartly since it is legal, widely available and deeply rooted in social culture. While many individuals can enjoy alcohol sparselyIN significant number Fight to control their drinking. For these people, Excessive alcohol consumption It can lead to serious physical, mental and social consequences.

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Traditional treatments don’t work for everybody, which is why we examine alternatives reminiscent of psychedelics, which may allow people to change their behavior in a single transformational experience.



DMT is Metabolized quickly within the body. When administered intravenousThe effects start almost immediately, often in a single to two minutes. However, these effects are short -lived, lasting only ten to 20 minutes.

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Despite the short duration of many users, they describe this experience as very deep. They often report live visions, complex patterns and feeling in one other reality. In some cases, experience leads to a whole change in how they think, feel and perceive the world. For many, this experience is deeply significant and transformational.

But what happens within the brain presently and the way can it affect long -term behavior, reminiscent of a discount in alcohol consumption?



Neuroplasticity and addiction

Our team He is especially all for how psychedelics reminiscent of DMT can help within the context of addiction. One theory is that psychedelics can temporarily increase neuroplasticityBrain ability to create new neural connections. This temporary reinforcement can open a window of flexibility, enabling some people more open to change.

For someone who got stuck in a heavy drinking cycle, this increased plasticity can help them break the old habits and develop healthier behavior. Basically, it might probably offer the brain Opportunity for “again” Sam and disturbing unhealthy patterns underlying addiction.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9fbb19ws0

We also deal with reward and brain motivation systems, which play a key role in addiction. These systems affect the behavior related to pleasure, including food, sex and alcohol.

In individuals with Alcohol consumption disorderThese systems turn out to be hypersensitive to alcohol guidelines, often on the expense of other satisfying experiences. Some early studies He suggests that psychedelics can help “reset” these paths. We test this theory to see if DMT can reduce alcohol consumption by re -calibrating the brain prize system.

To examine these possibilities, we designed a study with drinking heavy, who’re motivated to reduce alcohol consumption. Each participant undergoes a radical screening test to be sure that they’re suitable for testing, and all sessions are conducted in a highly controlled, clinical environment with doctors and experienced researchers supervising this process.

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The study includes three visits to our UCL laboratory. We use through the first and third visit Functional imaging of magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to measure brain activity and observe how different areas of the brain interact.

During scans, participants watch emotionally engaging movies that provide a more natural way of testing brain response compared to abstract tasks. This helps us assess how DMT can affect the brain function in real, emotionally charged situations.

During the second visit, the participants are randomly assigned to receive DMT, placebo or non -pryshedel medicine (D-CykLoserina Or Lisers). It is believed that these subszymical substances are believed Promote neuroplasticity Without inducing full psychedelic effects of DMT.

. The test is double blind – Neither participants nor scientists know which substance is run. This helps to eliminate bias and ensures that the outcomes are as reliable as possible.

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In addition, we measure changes in brain activity during infusion of the drug with electroencephalography (EEG). EEG tracks the brain electrical signals and may help us predict which participants will almost certainly use DMT.

Participants also perform various psychological assessments, including questionnaires and tasks that measure memory, attention, mood and decision making. These data will help us understand how changes in brain function can relate to changes in behavior related to drinking.

What can we hope to discover

We are still within the technique of collecting data, but we’re excited whether DMT can lead to a major reduction in alcohol consumption. As scientists, it’s crucial for us to remain objective and permit the evidence to conduct our conclusions. By maintaining a “blind” test, until all results can be found, we be sure that our arrangements are objective and reliable.

If DMT proves to be effective in helping people to reduce alcohol consumption, especially for many who struggled with other treatments, it might probably pave the best way to a new approach to addiction therapy. Even if the outcomes are ambiguous, they may proceed to provide precious insight into the potential role of psychedels within the treatment of addiction and open new possibilities of future research.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkr-jvglkng

It is very important to emphasize that these research takes place in a protected, controlled environment. Psychhedels are strong substances, and their effects could be unpredictable, especially outside the clinical settings. They usually are not a “magic ball” and usually are not suitable for everybody. The controlled setting allows us to examine our effects, while minimizing the chance for participants.

Having said that, we imagine in psychhedels offer a special opportunity To higher understand the brain and its ability to change. By examining how transformational experiences can affect behavior, we hope to contribute to the event of simpler treatment of addiction and other mental health conditions.

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

Tina Knowles reveals the diagnosis of breast cancer and reminds people not to “bend over mammograms”

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Tina Knowles reveals the diagnosis of breast cancer and reminds people not to

Ghettos

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Tina Knowles revealed that she was fighting breast cancer. The 71-year-old learned that she had cancer in stage 1 in July 2024. She learned about her diagnosis at a time when she launched the Cécred hair care line along with her daughter Beyoncé.

“It is important not to slow down to your mammograms,” she said during an interview with people. The creator also revealed that she missed mammography. Task group of American preventive services recommended That women aged 40 to 74, who’re exposed to the average risk of breast cancer, receive mammography every 2 years, but you may also get one yr.

“I forgot that I did not go to the test for two years before I thought I did it,” she said – “Because Covid came, they called me and canceled and said, we would call you when we started testing again. I just thought that I did it. So you can’t play with it.”

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Tina revealed a message about her meeting with breast cancer in her diary, which he published on April 22.

“I fought with whether I would share this journey [in the book] Because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think these are many lessons for other women – he says. “And I believe that as women sometimes we’re so busy and we’re so wrapped and running, but you’ve got to go to the test. Because if I did not get the test early, I mean, fascinated with what could occur to me.”

While the news of a loved one could be devastating, Knowles said that her daughters had a realistic response to listening to her diagnosis.

She said that Beyoncé “took it well, remaining positive, and I already felt her mind racing, focusing on this as a task with precision.” Tiny’s second child, Solange said: “Mom, we’ll deal with it.” Additionally, Kelly Rowland who’s close to the matriarch, and her niece Angie Beyinka was also at her side. “My girls have become my team,” she wrote in a newly published book.

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Fortunately, the dressmaker underwent surgery last yr to remove the tumor, and also obtained breast reduction.

“I’m great,” she said. “Without cancer and incredibly blessed that God let me find him early.”

Knowles wants women to remember about regular research – key detection is essential.

“I didn’t know that there was stage 0. I could catch it at stage 0 if I didn’t miss my mammogram,” she said.

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Mama Super Gwiazda also wants people to know you can undergo the difficult terror of health and proceed to go to the top: “I want to show people that you can go and continue to fly.”

Nowadays, the 71-year-old is doing and feels good.

“I’m healthier, I eat better, I lost weight,” she told people.

“I want to give people hope,” Knowles added. “What scares me now is not the best to use every day that I left in this life.”

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

President of HBCU will submit a request for a donor of organs in graduation

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Livingstone College, organ Donation, kidney


President HBCU prays that a member of his school community may also help him find an organ donor.

Dr. Anthony J. Davis, president of Livingstone College, has been fighting kidney failure for almost two years. Since the diagnosis, Davis has undergone almost 10 hours of dialysis treatment at night, and was also juggling the duties of institutions. During the last ceremony of starting Livingstone, May 3 revealed his tragic request for a donor of organs.

“When the Lord is a blessing, the enemy begins to play”, he shared Graduate class, on.

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Davis stays involved in lifting the college and her body, despite his medical failures. He remains to be working on increasing registration and recruitment, remaining at the highest of his goals to lift Livingstone. His term also recorded a donation of two anonymous gifts price $ 10 million per school.

Describing his health journey, he also noticed that none of his members of the family was entitled to a match because of their different blood groups.

“I said, my children, what is happiness? They have a good mother’s appearance and her blood group,” he shared the group’s laughter.

His emotional speech also inspired graduates to beat obstacles that they might encounter in their lives. Davis also began the “Be my match” campaign to assist search. The “Be My Match” initiative encourages those in the HBCU Livcustone community and out of doors of it to get to know a living donor. Davis expressed the hope and faith that his public declaration concerning the need for a donor would cause his community to seek out a match.

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Blacks are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. According to the National Institute of Health, the 2023 annual report showed that this demographic group Accounts 30% of all individuals with final kidney disease (ESKD). Black are also 4 times more exposed to death because of their ECOD than their white counterparts, because of which their ability to seek out a match is more essential than ever.

Bearing in mind these numbers, Davis hopes that his network will strengthen this campaign to the masses to assist the educator and supporter of HBCu save his life. When he finished his powerful and key message, the category of 2025 and Davis hope that in the subsequent era of their lives with latest prosperity.

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