Archive | July 2024

QUOTE FOR THURSDAY:

“Since 2006, two UCF professors — neuroscientist Kiminobu Sugaya and world-renowned violinist Ayako Yonetani — have been teaching one of the most popular courses in The Burnett Honors College. “Music and the Brain” explores how music impacts brain function and human behavior, including by reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis, which is the brain’s ability to produce neurons. Sugaya and Yonetani teach how people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s also respond positively to music.

“Usually in the late stages, Alzheimer’s patients are unresponsive,” Sugaya says. “But once you put in the headphones that play [their favorite] music, their eyes light up. They start moving and sometimes singing. The effect lasts maybe 10 minutes or so even after you turn off the music.”

This can be seen on an MRI, where “lots of different parts of the brain light up,” he says. We sat down with the professors, who are also husband and wife, and asked them to explain which parts of the brain are activated by music.”

University of Central Florida (https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/)

Part I How music impacts the brain and more!

how music impacts the brain I     How music impacts the brain II3

                  how music impacts the brain II

 

We can usually pick if a piece of music is particularly happy or sad, but this isn’t just a subjective idea that comes from how it makes us feel. In fact, our brains actually respond differently to happy and sad music. Even short pieces of happy or sad music can affect us.

When we hear a form of music we actually match the tone of the music with our mood or reaction to it. This means that sometimes we can understand the emotions of a piece of music without actually feeling them, which explains why some of us find listening to sad music to enjoyable, rather than depressing or sad to others.

We all like to pump up the tunes when we’re powering through our to-do lists, right? But when it comes to creative work, loud music may not be the best option.

It turns out that a moderate level of noises is the sweet level for creativity. Even more than low noise levels, ambient noise apparently gets our creative juices flowing, and doesn’t put us off the way high levels of noise does.

The way this works is that moderate noise levels increase processing difficulty which promotes abstract processing, leading to higher creativity. In other words, when we struggle (just enough) to process things as we normally would, we resort to more creative approaches.

In high noise levels, however, our creative thinking is impaired because we’re overwhelmed and struggle to process information efficiently.

This is very similar to how temperature and lighting can affect our productivity, where paradoxically a slightly more crowded place can be beneficial.

Of course, generalizing based on some studies is very hard. However looking at the science of introverts and extroverts, there is some clear overlap showing the following:

To break it down, here is the connection they has been found about people (again remember this is generally speaking):

  • Blues fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease
  • Jazz fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease
  • Classical music fans have high self-esteem, are creative, introvert and at ease
  • Rap fans have high self-esteem and are outgoing
  • Opera fans have high self-esteem, are creative and gentle
  • Country and western fans are hardworking and outgoing
  • Reggae fans have high self-esteem, are creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease
  • Dance fans are creative and outgoing but not gentle
  • Indie fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard working, and not gentle
  • Bollywood fans are creative and outgoing
  • Rock/heavy metal fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, and at ease
  • Chart pop fans have high self-esteem, are hardworking, outgoing and gentle, but are not creative and not at ease
  • Soul fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle, and at ease.  Playing music expands our thinking. We generally assume that learning a musical instrument can be beneficial for kids, but it’s actually useful in more ways than we might expect.  Studies have shown that children who had three years or more musical instrument training performed better than those who didn’t learn an instrument in auditory discrimination abilities and fine motor skills.
  • Instrument playing is a form of exercise that is great for your health as opposed to sitting watching t.v. where no creativity or imagining or brain concentrating takes place.
  • It seems that unfamiliar, or uninteresting, music is best for safe driving. Reason: Less Distracted.

Research on the effects of music during exercise has been done for years. In 1911, an American researcher, Leonard Ayres, found that cyclists pedaled faster while listening to music than they did in silence.

This happens because listening to music can drown out our brain’s cries of fatigue. As our body realizes we’re tired and wants to stop exercising, it sends signals to the brain to stop for a break. Listening to music competes for our brain’s attention, and can help us to override those signals of fatigue, though this is mostly beneficial for low- and moderate-intensity exercise. During high-intensity exercise, music isn’t as powerful at pulling our brain’s attention away from the pain of the workout.

Not only can we push through the pain to exercise longer and harder when we listen to music, but it can actually help us to use our energy more efficiently. A 2012 study showed that cyclists who listened to music required 7% less oxygen to do the same work as those who cycled in silence.

Some recent research has shown that there’s a ceiling effect on music at around 145 bpm, where anything higher doesn’t seem to add much motivation, so keep that in mind when choosing your workout playlist.

We all have a genre; for those wondering what is that actually it is a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

“The kind of music one listens to determines one’s reaction to it. No genre is harmful, but there is a preferable choice in different situations. For instance, studies have found that percussion stimulates the left side of the brain, so if one were solving Mathematics problems, or having to reach a logical conclusion, that music would be beneficial. Similarly, for an artiste, instrumental music or Soul would work better,” explains Khurana.

According to Dr Shaan Manohar, ENT specialist, Nanavati Hospital, “Japan has done a study on applying music to water as it freezes and check the patterns of crystals formed. It was concluded that loud drumbeats and music with violent poetry tend to have a destructive effect on the crystals versus Classical music, soft love tracks or devotional lyrics had an enhancing effect on the crystal formation. Loud drumbeats are also known to interfere with the pace of the heart in the very young and the elderly. It is a known fact that listening to Classical music enhances the mathematical ability of a growing child. Also, chanting helps release endorphins in the body creating a calm person, full of positive energy.”

QUOTE FOR WEDNESDAY:

“Blood clotting, or coagulation, is an important process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. Platelets (a type of blood cell) and proteins in your plasma (the liquid part of blood) work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury. Typically, your body will naturally dissolve the blood clot after the injury has healed. Sometimes, however, clots form on the inside of vessels without an obvious injury or do not dissolve naturally. These situations can be dangerous and require accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Clots can occur in veins or arteries, which are vessels that are part of the body’s circulatory system. While both types of vessels help transport blood throughout the body, they each function differently. Veins are low-pressure vessels that carry deoxygenated blood away from the body’s organs and back to the heart. An abnormal clot that forms in a vein may restrict the return of blood to the heart and can result in pain and swelling as the blood gathers behind the clot.”

 

American Society of Hematology (https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/blood-clots)

 

Why blood clotting is a vital important part of the bloodstream through platelets and how it works!

Why blood clotting is a vital important part of the bloodstream through platelets and how it works is what would we will review first to understand disseminated intra-vascular coagulopathy (DIC).  It is a vital important process of the platelets that make up part of our bloodstream cells that help prevent excessive bleeding or excessive hemorrhage.

In how clotting works is platelets, which is a type of blood cell, with plasma that is in our liguid part of blood work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury (a bruise or cut in the skin) which stops the bleed.  Both veins and arteries transport our blood (both solids=cells) and the liguid (the plasma) that are read by out hematocrit and hemoglobin in a CBC=complete blood count which also tell the MD our reading of red/white blood cell counts with platelets.  Typically, your body will dissolve the clot after the injury has healed.  However, there are times clots form on the inside of our vessels (there are variables of why this would happen that are discussed later in this topic).  These situations can be dangerous and put the pt at risk for problems.  This needs to be diagnosed and given appropriate treatment by your doctor or MD specialist.

Clots can occur in our veins or arteries and can occur is various areas causing

1-DVT=Deep Vein Thrombosis

DVT commonly in our large veins that are commonly found in our lower extremities and less likely in our upper extremities or pelvic region or other areas where there are large veins. The problem (one the clot is wedged and stuck against the vessel) with this the clot blocks off circulation to the area below the clot to a percentage low to 100% blockage.  This is where in the skin there is pain to necrosis below the clot area (for this to happen it takes numerous hours-pain to days-changes in skin color or week or more-necrosis depending on the blockage).   The greater the blockage is the quicker the symptoms arise no matter where the clot is.  It is estimated that each year DVT affects as many as 900,000 people in the United States by the American Heart Association and kills up to 100,000 by the Centers for Control and Prevention (CDC).

-Paget-Schroetter Syndrome (PSS) – It’s a rare kind of DVT that typically happens to a young, healthy person who plays sports that use the upper arms a lot, like swimming and baseball. The vein can get squeezed by the muscles around it. This pressure, along with repeated movements, can cause a clot in your shoulder. Symptoms like swelling, chest pain, and a blue color to your skin may come on suddenly. PSS can be serious if it’s not treated right away.

2-Atrial Fibrillation

Another area where blood clotting can occur is in the heart.   We see commercials all the time about atrial fibrillation=irregular rhythm with the heart beat.  In the commercial its usual an add for a med called a anticoagulant that does the opposite of what platelets do=clotting to prevent this problem from happening in the heart which indirectly prevents clotting in all vessels as well.  The med thins the blood.   The major problem with this diagnosis, atrial fibrillation without being on a anticoagulant, is blood can pool in the heart causing a clot to form in the heart and at some point, especially when the rhythm is rapid and more irregular that usual=RVR-rapid ventricular rate over 100 beats per minute and usually over 130 to over 150, the clot can break off.

3-Heart Attack

Know this, more often than not, a broken piece of plaque within the arteries triggers the formation of a blood clot. This blood clot is the reason for a heart attack. As the blood clot potentially restricts the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, depending on the severity, the heart attack can cause sudden death.

There are other areas where blood can form clots but not as common in what was mentioned above. Blood clots can arise anywhere in your body. They develop when blood thickens and clumps together. When a clot forms in a deep vein in the body, it’s called deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein blood clots typically occur in the lower leg or thigh.

The biggest consequence of any blood clot no matter where it is it can break off in time for many especially with a DVT.   Than there is  atrial fibrillation patients not on a anti-coagulant or anti-platelet like Coumadin, Eliquis, heparin, and lovenox to Plavix, Brilinta, Ticlid and Integrilin with other medications (listed commonly used in my nursing career) it puts them at risk for a clot to break off in the heart due to pooling blood causing a clot formation and when it breaks off it could go the the lungs causing pulmonary embolus or the brain a stroke.

For understanding the meaning lets review; Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot develops in the deep veins, usually in the lower extremities. A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a part of the DVT clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, which can be life-threatening. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) refers to DVT, PE, or both.

When a clot breaks off it floats now in the bloodstream and can in time make it back to the heart putting the pt at risk for a heart attack if it didn’t get stuck elsewhere, like going to the lungs putting the pt at risk for a pulmonary embolism or now in circulation making it to the brain putting the pt at risk for a stroke!  Clots are common in making the strokes in what we call ischemic stroke and another name “silent stroke”.   Silent strokes are much more common than strokes that cause classic symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty and affect nearly 800,000 Americans each year. According to the statement, one in four people over 80 have one or more silent strokes.

 

QUOTE FOR TUESDAY:

“The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which causes COVID-19, is part of a large family of coronaviruses. These viruses are named for the “crown” of spikes on the virus particle’s spherical surface, which help the virus attach to cells and infect them.

Coronaviruses are found in humans and in other animal species, including bats, cats, and livestock. Some coronaviruses found in animals can evolve and infect people. Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people, including diseases that are transmitted by viruses, are called zoonotic diseases.

Common coronaviruses can cause mild illness, but other coronaviruses—including MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), SARS-CoV, which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 and this can be fatal.”

American Museum of Natural History (https://www.amnh.org/explore/covid-19-science)

How are SARS,MERS, COVID 19 closely related, comparison of fatality rates & why so many vaccine changes with Covid-19? Their is logic scientifically behind it.

SARS, MERS, and Corona Viruses  are all caused by some CORONA VIRUS!

Through the National Library of Medicine they state:

“In the 21st century, we have seen a total of three outbreaks by members of the coronavirus family. Although the first two outbreaks did not result in a pandemic, the third and the latest outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) culminated in a pandemic. This pandemic has been extremely significant on a social and international level. As these viruses belong to the same family, they are closely related. Despite their numerous similarities, they have slight distinctions that render them distinct from one another!”

Both COVID-19 and SARS are caused by coronaviruses. The virus that causes SARS is known as SARS-CoV, while the virus that causes COVID-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2.  So what does this mean?  A severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related virus of the genus Betacoronavirus

SARS is caused by Betacoronavirus that is one of four genera of coronaviruses. Member viruses are enveloped, positive-strand RNA viruses that infect mammals, including humans.  The first generation of covid.

COVID-19, which is caused by the 2019 coronavirus, has been dominate news starting 2019. However, you may have first become familiar with the term coronavirus during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003.

Both COVID-19 and SARS are caused by coronaviruses. The virus that causes SARS is known as SARS-CoV, while the virus that causes COVID-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2. There are also other types of human coronaviruses.

Despite similar names, there are several differences between the coronaviruses that cause COVID-19 and SARS.

“Abstract

Background: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness that can spread from camels to people through direct physical .  The MERS virus causes flu-like symptoms, with most patients developing pneumonia as a secondary infection. MERS is caused by a virus in the coronavirus family, and the syndrome is also called MERS-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS is passed primarily to people from infected camels.

Aims: To provide a review of the differences in pathogenesis, epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19, SARS and MERS.

Sources: The most recent literature in the English language regarding COVID-19 has been reviewed, and extracted data have been compared with the current scientific evidence about SARS and MERS epidemics.

Content: COVID-19 seems not to be very different from SARS regarding its clinical features. The pathogenesis of human coronaviruses is mostly determined by viral particle binding to specific receptors rather than viremia.  However, it has a fatality rate of 2.3%, lower than that of SARS (9.5%) and much lower than that of MERS (34.4%). The possibility cannot be excluded that because of the less severe clinical picture of COVID-19 it can spread in the community more easily than MERS and SARS. The actual basic reproductive number (R0) of COVID-19 (2.0-2.5) is still controversial. It is probably slightly higher than the R0 of SARS (1.7-1.9) and higher than that of MERS (<1). A gastrointestinal route of transmission for SARS-CoV-2, which has been assumed for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, cannot be ruled out and needs further investigation.

Implications: There is still much more to know about COVID-19, especially as concerns mortality and its capacity to spread on a pandemic level. Nonetheless, all of the lessons we learned in the past from the SARS and MERS epidemics are the best cultural weapons with which to face this new global threat since 2019 in China and 2020 in the USA.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emerging infections; MERS; SARS.

Their references:

Affiliations

Free PMC article

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-MERS:

The MERS virus causes flu-like symptoms, with most patients developing pneumonia as a secondary infection. MERS is caused by a virus in the coronavirus family, and the syndrome is also called MERS-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS is passed primarily to people from infected camels.  The first generation of Covid.

Key facts:

  • Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
  • Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), MERS and Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).
  • Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but MERS patients may not always develop this condition. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported among MERS patients.
  • Approximately 35% of MERS cases reported to WHO have died.
  • MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus, meaning it is transmitted between animals and people. MERS-CoV has been identified and linked to human infections in dromedary camels in several Member States in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
  • Human-to-human transmission is possible and has occurred predominantly among close contacts and in health care settings. Outside the health care setting, there has been limited human-to-human transmission.

Covid-19=Corona Virus Disease

This is the third serious Coronavirus outbreak that in less than 22 years, following SARS in 2002–2003 and MERS in 2012. While human strains of Coronavirus are associated with about 15% of cases of the common cold, the SARS-CoV-2 may present with varying degrees of severity, from flu-like symptoms to death. It is currently believed that this deadly Coronavirus strain originated from wild animals at the Huanan market in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province. Bats, snakes and pangolins have been cited as potential carriers based on the sequence homology of CoV isolated from these animals and the viral nucleic acids of the virus isolated from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

Extreme quarantine measures, including sealing off large cities, closing borders and confining people to their homes, were instituted in January 2020 to prevent spread of the virus, but by that time much of the damage had been done, as human-human transmission became evident.

The purpose for these measures are there are three primary ways to transmit the virus, including close person-to-person contact (droplet transmission), aerosol transmission, and transmission by touch=Purpose for mask, and if close to the patient with Covid-19 present gowns, gloves at least with the mask.

While these quarantine measures are necessary and have prevented a historical disaster along the lines of the Spanish flu, earlier recognition and earlier implementation of quarantine measures may have been even more effective. Lessons learned from SARS resulted in faster determination of the nucleic acid sequence and a more robust quarantine strategy. However, it is clear that finding an effective antiviral and developing a vaccine are still significant challenges.”

What’s the concern about COVID-19 variants? Are they more contagious?

Concern over variants, sometimes called strains, of the virus that causes COVID-19 is based on how the virus might change. A virus could get better at infecting people, spread faster or cause people to get sicker.

As a virus infects a group of people, the virus copies itself. During this process the genetic code can randomly change in each copy. These changes are called mutations.

Some mutations don’t have any effect on the virus.

But other mutations can:

  • Make the virus better at infecting a person’s cells, causing serious illness.
  • Make the virus better at avoiding the immune system.
  • Cause tests for the virus to be less accurate.
  • Cause vaccines to not work as well.
  • Make medicine used to prevent or treat COVID-19 stop working or not work as well.

If a mutation changes how a virus acts in a group of people, it’s called a variant. Scientists across the world track the changes in the virus variants that cause COVID-19.

Omicron

The main variant in the United States is omicron. This variant spreads more easily than the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the delta variant. But omicron seems to cause less severe disease.

Omicron has a few major offshoots, also called sublineages. Together the omicron variants make up nearly all COVID-19 infections in the United States.

The Omicron variant, which emerged in November 2021, has many lineages. New lineages continue to emerge and spread in the United States and globally. We have the tools to fight variants. Take steps to protect yourself and others.

WHY SO MANY VACCINES FOR COVID-19?

First introduced in December 2020, the original COVID mRNA vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna protected against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Than with continuing to study COVID – 19 with people infected with it we came across the Omicron variant/strain.

The vaccines were replaced in September 2022 by “bivalent” vaccines, which targeted both the original virus and Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 to control the spread of COVID-19 to prevent another epidemic.

This is why so many vaccines; which many people are resistive to get to their reason in not understanding why the vaccines were pushed with not knowing about the logic behind the different variants needing a new vaccine to kill it!

 

 

QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

“Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a contagious and sometimes fatal respiratory illness. severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) first appeared in China in November 2002. Within a few months, SARS spread worldwide, carried by unsuspecting travelers.

SARS showed how quickly infection can spread in a highly mobile and interconnected world. On the other hand, a collaborative international effort allowed health experts to quickly contain the spread of the disease.

SARS is caused by a strain of coronavirus, the same family of viruses that causes the common cold.

Coronaviruses can, however, cause severe disease in animals, and that’s why scientists suspected that the SARS virus might have crossed from animals to humans. It now seems likely that that the virus evolved from one or more animal viruses into a new strain.”

MAYO Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sars/symptoms-causes/syc-20351765)

What is SARS that first occurred February 2003 in China?

  4 days ago

World Health Organization on this disease SARS coronavirus:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a SARS-associated coronavirus. It was first identified at the end of February 2003 during an outbreak that emerged in China and spread to 4 other countries.

The virus identified in 2003. SARS-CoV is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002.

Transmission

An epidemic of SARS affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8000 cases in 2003. Since then, a small number of cases have occurred as a result of laboratory accidents or, possibly, through animal-to-human transmission (Guangdong, China).

Transmission of SARS-CoV is primarily from person to person. It appears to have occurred mainly during the second week of illness, which corresponds to the peak of virus excretion in respiratory secretions and stool, and when cases with severe disease start to deteriorate clinically. Most cases of human-to-human transmission occurred in the health care setting, in the absence of adequate infection control precautions. Implementation of appropriate infection control practices brought the global outbreak to an end.

Nature of the disease

Symptoms are influenza-like and include fever, malaise, myalgia, headache, diarrhoea, and shivering (rigors). No individual symptom or cluster of symptoms has proved to be specific for a diagnosis of SARS. Although fever is the most frequently reported symptom, it is sometimes absent on initial measurement, especially in elderly and immunosuppressed patients.

Cough (initially dry), shortness of breath, and diarrhoea are present in the first and/or second week of illness. Severe cases often evolve rapidly, progressing to respiratory distress and requiring intensive care.

Geographical distribution

The distribution is based on the 2002–2003 epidemic. The disease appeared in November 2002 in the Guangdong province of southern China. This area is considered as a potential zone of re-emergence of SARS-CoV.

Other countries/areas in which chains of human-to-human transmission occurred after early importation of cases were Toronto in Canada, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and Hanoi in Viet Nam.

Risk for travellers

Currently, no areas of the world are reporting transmission of SARS. Since the end of the global epidemic in July 2003, SARS has reappeared four times – three times from laboratory accidents (Singapore and Chinese Taipei), and once in southern China where the source of infection remains undetermined although there is circumstantial evidence of animal-to-human transmission.

Should SARS re-emerge in epidemic form, WHO will provide guidance on the risk of travel to affected areas. Travellers should stay informed about current travel recommendations. However, even during the height of the 2003 epidemic, the overall risk of SARS-CoV transmission to travellers was low.

Prophylaxis

None. Experimental vaccines are under development.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) states:

The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, and suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. The study information was widely shared during the past two weeks after the researchers placed the contents on a preprint server to quickly share their data with colleagues.

The NIH scientists, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Montana facility at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, compared how the environment affects SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1, which causes SARS. SARS-CoV-1, like its successor now circulating across the globe, emerged from China and infected more than 8,000 people in 2002 and 2003. SARS-CoV-1 was eradicated by intensive contact tracing and case isolation measures and no cases have been detected since 2004. SARS-CoV-1 is the human coronavirus most closely related to SARS-CoV-2. In the stability study the two viruses behaved similarly, which unfortunately fails to explain why COVID-19 has become a much larger outbreak.

The NIH study attempted to mimic virus being deposited from an infected person onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting, such as through coughing or touching objects. The scientists then investigated how long the virus remained infectious on these surfaces.

The scientists highlighted additional observations from their study:

  • If the viability of the two coronaviruses is similar, why is SARS-CoV-2 resulting in more cases? Emerging evidence suggests that people infected with SARS-CoV-2 might be spreading virus without recognizing, or prior to recognizing, symptoms. This would make disease control measures that were effective against SARS-CoV-1 less effective against its successor.
  • In contrast to SARS-CoV-1, most secondary cases of virus transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appear to be occurring in community settings rather than healthcare settings.  However, healthcare settings are also vulnerable to the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2, and the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols and on surfaces likely contributes to transmission of the virus in healthcare settings.

The findings affirm the guidance from public health professionals to use precautions similar to those for influenza and other respiratory viruses to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEKEND:

“Refreshing sleep is critically important for staying healthy. As with diet and exercise, sleep is crucial to physical, emotional, and mental health. A survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council found nearly 2 out of 3 respondents reported impaired sleep due to stress. One third of Americans experience poor sleep at least one night per week, and 16% are diagnosed with stress-induced insomnia. Respondents stated their productivity at home and in the workplace was impacted by sleep problems, as demonstrated in poor recall for details (30%), decreased accuracy and quality of work (30%), and impaired decision making (31%). The Better Sleep Council also estimated $150 billion in lost productivity and absenteeism results from poor sleep.

The consequences of inadequate sleep include reduced concentration, mood swings, irritability, stress, and a weakened immune system. The release of stress hormones can also make it harder to sleep, causing an unhealthy sleep cycle. Sleep deficits have been associated with high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, and a decreased tolerance of chronic pain. In severe cases, poor sleep may be linked to serious sleep disorders including narcolepsy, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea.”

Medical West (https://www.medicalwesthospital.org/may-is-better-sleep-month.php)

Part II Narcolepsy – Risk Factors, Complications, Diagnosing, Treatment & more!

Risk factors”

There are only a few known risk factors for narcolepsy, including:

  • Age. Narcolepsy typically begins between ages 10 and 30.
  • Family history. Your risk of narcolepsy is 20 to 40 times higher if you have a close family member who has it.

Complications:

  • Public misconception of the condition. Narcolepsy can cause problems at work or in your personal life. Your performance may suffer at school or work. Others might see people with narcolepsy as lazy or lethargic.
  • Effects on intimate relationships. Intense feelings, such as anger or joy, can trigger cataplexy. This can cause people with narcolepsy to withdraw from emotional interactions.
  • Physical harm. Falling asleep suddenly may result in injury. You’re at increased risk of a car accident if you fall asleep while driving. Your risk of cuts and burns is greater if you fall asleep while cooking.
  • Obesity. People with narcolepsy are more likely to be overweight. Sometimes weight rapidly increases when sleepiness symptoms start.

How your MD comes to this Diagnosis:

Your health care provider may suspect narcolepsy based on your symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone, known as cataplexy. Your provider will likely refer you to a sleep specialist. Formal diagnosis requires staying overnight at a sleep center for an in-depth sleep analysis.

A sleep specialist will likely diagnose narcolepsy and determine how severe it is based on:

  • Your sleep history. A detailed sleep history can help with a diagnosis. You’ll likely fill out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The scale uses short questions to measure your degree of sleepiness. You’ll answer how likely it is that you would fall asleep in certain times, such as sitting down after lunch.
  • Your sleep records. You may be asked to write down your sleep pattern for a week or two. This allows your provider to compare how your sleep pattern may relate to how alert you feel.Your health care provider also may ask you to wear an actigraph. This device is worn like a watch. It measures periods of activity and rest. It provides an indirect measure of how and when you sleep.
  • A sleep study, known as polysomnography. This test measures signals during sleep using flat metal discs called electrodes placed on your scalp. For this test, you must spend a night at a medical facility. The test measures your brain waves, heart rate and breathing. It also records your leg and eye movements.
  • Multiple sleep latency test. This test measures how long it takes you to fall asleep during the day. You’ll be asked to take four or five naps at a sleep center. Each nap needs to be two hours apart. Specialists will observe your sleep patterns. People who have narcolepsy fall asleep easily and enter into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep quickly.
  • Genetic tests and a lumbar puncture, known as a spinal tap. Occasionally, a genetic test may be performed to see if you’re at risk of type 1 narcolepsy. If so, your sleep specialist may recommend a lumbar puncture to check the level of hypocretin in your spinal fluid. This test is only done in specialized centers.

These tests also can help rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. Excessive daytime sleepiness could also be caused by sleep deprivation, the use of sedating medicines and sleep apnea.

Treatment:

There is no cure for narcolepsy, but medicines and lifestyle changes can help you manage the symptoms.

Medications

Medicines for narcolepsy include:

  • Stimulants. Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system are the primary treatment to help people with narcolepsy stay awake during the day. Your health care provider may recommend modafinil (Provigil) or armodafinil (Nuvigil). These medicines aren’t as habit-forming as older stimulants. They also don’t produce the highs and lows associated with older stimulants. Side effects are uncommon but may include headache, nausea or anxiety.Solriamfetol (Sunosi) and pitolisant (Wakix) are newer stimulants used for narcolepsy. Pitolisant also may be helpful for cataplexy.Some people need treatment with methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) or amphetamines (Adderall XR 10, Dexedrine, others). These medicines are effective but can be habit-forming. They may cause side effects such as nervousness and a fast heartbeat.
  • Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines suppress REM sleep. Health care providers prescribe these medicines to help ease the symptoms of cataplexy, hallucinations and sleep paralysis.They include venlafaxine (Effexor XR), fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft). Side effects can include weight gain, insomnia and digestive problems.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants. These older antidepressants can treat cataplexy. But they can cause side effects such as dry mouth and lightheadedness. These medicines include protriptyline, imipramine (Tofranil) and clomipramine (Anafranil).
  • Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) and oxybate salts (Xywav). These medicines work well at relieving cataplexy. They help improve nighttime sleep, which is often poor in narcolepsy. They also may help control daytime sleepiness. It’s taken in two doses, one at bedtime and one up to four hours later.Xywav is a newer formulation with less sodium.These medicines can have side effects, such as nausea, bed-wetting and sleepwalking. Taking them together with other sleeping tablets, narcotic pain relievers or alcohol can lead to trouble breathing, coma and death.

If you take medicines for other health problems, ask your health care provider how they may interact with narcolepsy medicines.

Certain medicines that you can buy without a prescription can cause drowsiness. They include allergy and cold medicines. If you have narcolepsy, your doctor may recommend that you don’t take these medicines.

Researchers are studying other potential treatments for narcolepsy. Medicines being studied include those that target the hypocretin chemical system. Researchers also are studying immunotherapy. Further research is needed before these medicines become available.

Other recommendations with treatment seeing a doctor specializing are:

Lifestyle and home remedies (check with you MD):

Lifestyle changes are important in managing the symptoms of narcolepsy. You may benefit if you:

  • Stick to a schedule. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
  • Take naps. Schedule short naps at regular intervals during the day. Naps of 20 minutes during the day may be refreshing. They also may reduce sleepiness for 1 to 3 hours. Some people may need longer naps.
  • Avoid nicotine and alcohol. Using these substances, especially at night, can worsen your symptoms.
  • Get regular exercise. Plan for moderate, regular exercise at least 4 to 5 hours before bedtime. It may help you sleep better at night and feel more awake during the day.

Coping and support

Dealing with narcolepsy can be a challenge. Consider these tips:

  • Talk about it. Tell your employer or teachers about your condition. Then work with them to find ways to adjust to your needs. This may include taking naps during the day. Or you might break up repetitive tasks. You might record meetings or classes to refer to later. You also might find it helps to stand during meetings or lectures, and to take brisk walks during the day.The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against workers with narcolepsy. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees.
  • Be safe while driving. If you must drive a long distance, work with your health care provider to find ways to make a safe trip. Create a medicine schedule that is most likely to keep you awake during your drive. Stop for naps and exercise breaks whenever you feel drowsy. Don’t drive if you feel too sleepy.   Better don’t drive at all. Check with your MD first recommended!

Support groups and counseling can help you and your loved ones cope with narcolepsy. Ask your health care provider to help you locate a group or qualified counselor in your area.

Check out doxins with narcolepsy on youtube or facebook!