Posts in category: Uncategorized

Doctors report they are seeing what they think is a new syndrome in babies who are exposed to fentanyl while in the womb.

More than 70 kidney transplants were performed every day in the United States last year. Rachel Watson wanted to be one of the donors, but was told she didn’t qualify, at first.

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is safe and effective in real-world, high-risk patients with pulmonary embolism (PE), according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions.

BY MIRRIAM NASILELE

ZAMBIA is grappling with a significant challenge posed by the illegal bushmeat trade, a grave threat to wildlife populations. The escalating demand for bushmeat in urban markets has fuelled an increasingly organised and commercial illegal trade. Shockingly, a 2017 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that the consumption of bushmeat in Zambia’s capital
city, Lusaka, amounts to 1,140 tons annually, with the actual demand being 50 times higher than this figure

i]Zambia’s bushmeat trade is not only lucrative but also environmentally destructive and unsustainable, impacting not just ungulate populations but the entire wildlife ecosystem. The use of snares by poachers, described as silent and indiscriminate killers, leads to significant bycatch. The depletion of ungulate populations, which are hunted for bushmeat, has far-reaching consequences, particularly for carnivores.

during the launch of WCP Zambia’s “This Is Not A Game” Campaign Evaluation report. On 4 December 2023, WCP launched a report evaluating the “This Is Not A Game” campaign evaluation against illegal bushmeat in Zambia.

The report to furnish lawmakers, partners, stakeholders, and the media with the impact of its demand reduction campaign targeting the illegal bushmeat trade. This initiative launched in 2017
in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, stands out as Zambia’s first captivating behaviour change campaign addressing the trade and consumption of illegal bushmeat. The campaign employs a multi-channel approach, leveraging social media, key influencers, as well as traditional TV and radio channels for dissemination. The overall message conveyed was that consuming illegal bushmeat is against the law, poses health risks, and spreads diseases.

During the launch, a panel discussion featuring four passionate panellists, committed to addressing Zambia’s wildlife challenges, took place. Julius Luwaya, owner of Peza Foods and a seasoned legal game meat trader, shared insights into the challenges surrounding the legal game meat industry. He highlighted the difficulty of marketing legal game meat openly, as consumers often expect it to be sold discreetly, in the form of dry meat and bundled as in the case of illegal bushmeat. The report drew from both qualitative and quantitative data gathered through online and phone call surveys as well as focus group discussions across Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone, and Chipata. The findings revealed promising results among its target audience, with 78 percent of the 140 respondents who actively followed the campaign online confirming changes in their bushmeat consumption practices. A significant 60 percent of this group reported abstaining from wild meat consumption in the last three years demonstrating the intended behaviour outcome of the campaign.

However, the findings show the need to extend the campaign’s reach to a larger segment of urban consumers who have not yet engaged with the messaging. To effectively combat the growing threat of
the illegal bushmeat trade, the behaviour change campaign must amplify its messaging through proven channels and focus on issues resonating with the target demographic.
Moreover, the report identifies opportunities for the legal game meat industry to tap into the substantial demand for wildlife meat. By improving marketing strategies and particularly
by providing dry legal game meat alternatives to match the illegal product that is currently available and acceptable to the consumers.

Wasabi, that green condiment that spices up your sushi, may possess memory-boosting powers, a new Japanese study suggests.

Volunteers make an immeasurable difference in people’s lives. The act of volunteering also benefits a person’s health as well. Research has shown that volunteering offers significant health benefits, especially for older adults. Here are the top three:

Think of them as the Energizer Bunnies of the heart, tiny natural batteries that keep this vital organ beating 100,000 times a day as it pumps 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the human body.

Viruses have limited genetic material—and few proteins—so all the pieces must work extra hard. Zika is a great example; the virus only produces 10 proteins. Now, in a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys have shown how the virus does so much with so little and may have identified a therapeutic vulnerability.

A woman whose fetus was unlikely to survive called more than a dozen abortion clinics before finding one that would take her, only to be put on weekslong waiting lists. A teen waited seven weeks for an abortion because it took her mother that long to get her an appointment. Others seeking the procedure faced waits because they struggled to travel hundreds of miles for care.

Eating food and absorbing its nutrients is an everyday occurrence, but this normal activity can look different for someone who suffers from inflammatory bowel disease. IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, can cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract—which for many reasons can lead to malnutrition. This malnourished state is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, and new findings show that many patients in IBD clinic screen positive for malnutrition, leading to the critical need for same-day dietitian support in the IBD clinic.