Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
Domestic Preparedness & Response
How San Francisco's Next Big Quake Could Play Out (
Nature) The earthquake begins at 4:18 p.m. as a violent shudder, and rips along the Hayward Fault east of San Francisco, California. By the time the magnitude-7 event is over, buildings and roads throughout the region have collapsed, water pipes have shattered and fires rage. Eight hundred people are dead, tens of thousands have become homeless, and many who are still in their homes will go without running water for weeks to months.
Go to article
Global Health Security
WHO Ruling Could Put Fate of World's First Dengue Vaccine on the Line (
STAT News+: subscription required) There's a lot on the line this week for Sanofi Pasteur's troubled dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.On Wednesday, an expert panel that advises the World Health Organization will vote to update its recommendations outlining how and when the vaccine should be used--and, more importantly, how and when it should not be administered.
Go to article
WHO Issues New Guidelines for LTBI (
JAMA) The WHO issued updated and consolidated guidelines for people with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) that aims to expand testing and improve treatment. The WHO simultaneously released a mobile application to support systematic monitoring and evaluation of patients with LTBI that can be adapted to meet country-specific contexts, such as national surveillance systems.
Go to article
Medicine & Public Health
Science & Technology
New Group Promotes AI, Robotics, and Automation in Healthcare (
GEN) A new organization promoting the use of artificial intelligence and related technologies in healthcare wants to move patient access to quality care into the 21st century. The Partnership for Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Healthcare brings together health systems, industry, payers, and regulators to find how such technology can improve the delivery of medicine, reduce costs, and expand access to healthcare services to millions of people across the globe.
Go to article
Other 21st Century Threats
Nerve Agents: What They Are, How They Work, How to Counter Them (
ACS Chemical Neuroscience) Nerve agents are organophosphorus chemical warfare agents that exert their action through the irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, with a consequent overstimulation of cholinergic transmission followed by its shutdown. Beyond warfare, they have notoriously been employed in acts of terrorism as well as high profile assassinations. After a brief historical introduction on the development and deployment of nerve agents, this review provides a survey of their chemistry, the way they affect cholinergic transmission, the available treatment options, and the current directions for their improvement.
Go to article