Studies Show It Takes About 40 Days For Mpox To Clear System
CIDRAP reports on studies into viral clearance times for mpox, showing time between symptom onset and viral clearance in 90% of cases was around 40 days, and highest viral DNA concentrations were in the skin. Also: high blood pressure after giving birth, stress and blood pressure, and more.
CIDRAP:
Studies Show Mpox Viral Clearance Time, Impact Of Pre-Exposure Vaccination
A new study based on 77 mpox patients from Spain shows that the time from symptom onset to viral clearance for 90% of cases was likely 41 days in skin lesions and 39 days in semen. The study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. In the first study, participants had the most viral DNA in skin lesion swabs, followed by rectal swabs, whole blood, oropharyngeal swabs, and semen samples. And different body parts had detectable DNA for a range of durations, with blood containing detectable virus DNA for 5 days, compared to 25 days for skin lesions. (Soucheray, 12/13)
In other science and research —
The Washington Post:
Women Can Develop High Blood Pressure Up To A Year After Giving Birth
For up to a year after giving birth, more than 1 in 10 women (12 percent) who did not have high blood pressure before or during pregnancy develop the condition, according to research published in the journal Hypertension. The study found that, in nearly a fourth of those cases, hypertension developed six weeks or more after childbirth, and 17 percent of the women had what was considered a severe case. The researchers analyzed blood pressure measurements from the prenatal period through 12 months after delivery for the 3,925 study participants, including 2,465 women with no history of chronic or pregnancy-related hypertension. (Searing, 12/13)
Axios:
Everything You Know About Stress And High Blood Pressure Is Wrong
Your hectic job, difficult marriage, rebellious children and dwindling bank account? They're probably not raising your blood pressure in a medically meaningful way, according to the latest research. Rather than everyday stressors, the real culprits are genetics and poor habits that are often linked to stress, like overeating, smoking and hitting the bottle. (Kingson, 12/14)
The Washington Post:
From Heart Disease To IUDs: How Doctors Dismiss Women’s Pain
One woman was told she was being “dramatic” when she pleaded for a brain scan after suffering months of headaches and pounding in her ears. It turned out she had a brain tumor. Another was ignored as she cried out in pain during a 33-hour labor. She was supposed to be getting pain medication through her epidural, but it had fallen out. Dozens of women complained of torturous pain as their vaginal walls were punctured during an egg retrieval process. They were told their pain was normal, but, in actuality, they were getting saline instead of anesthesia. (Bever, 12/13)
The New York Times:
Brain Implants Have Begun To Restore Functions, But Advances Are Slow
A jumble of cords and two devices the size of soda cans protrude from Austin Beggin’s head when he undergoes testing with a team of researchers studying brain implants that are meant to restore function to those who are paralyzed. Despite the cumbersome equipment, it is also when Mr. Beggin feels the most free. He was paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident eight years ago, and the brain device picks up the electrical surges that his brain generates as he envisions moving his arm. It converts those signals to cuffs on the major nerves in his arm. They allow him to do things he had not done on his own since the accident, like lift a pretzel to his mouth. (Jewett and Metz, 12/13)
Stat:
Study Finds Why Some Drugs May Trigger Lethal Brain Disease
Medicines that reshape or tamp down immune responses may be life-changing for patients with cancer and autoimmune disorders, but in some cases they can awaken a dormant virus and unleash a deadly brain disease. A new study suggests that the root of the problem is buried in our genetic code. (Wosen, 12/14)
USA Today:
The All Of Us Research Program Has Analyzed The Genes Of 150,000 Americans. The Results Are Coming In.
Michelle Anderson recently learned her body metabolizes medicines more slowly than average. It was a small piece of information, but a "eureka" moment for Anderson, "not because it was a surprise, but because it was a validation of what I know about my body." (Weintraub, 12/13)
Reuters:
WHO Appoints Jeremy Farrar As Chief Scientist
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that Jeremy Farrar will become its new chief scientist as the agency prepares to cope with post-pandemic health challenges. He will join the WHO in the second quarter of 2023, replacing Soumya Swaminathan, who departed in November ahead of a broader shakeup at the health agency. (12/13)
