Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Climate change is already expanding the geographic footprint of arboviral infections. In this article we consider the impact of climate change on three arboviruses with particular consideration of the effect on Europe.
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The term neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) describes a disparate group of diseases which affect populations living in poverty and are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Global programmes for the control of NTDs benefit large-scale donations made by pharmaceutical companies. ⋯ Elimination is defined as the reduction to zero of the incidence of infection in a specified geographic area. Considerable progress has been made towards elimination and eradication of some NTDs but unexpected new challenges have emerged which threaten the eventual achievement of these goals.
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Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection commonly seen in HIV cases. We present a case of disseminated cryptococcosis with multiple non-continuous infective foci in a non-HIV, non-transplant case.
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St George's Hospital hyperacute neurology service (HANS) is a comprehensive, consultant-delivered service set in a teaching hospital regional neuroscience centre. The service addresses deficiencies in acute neurological care previously highlighted by the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of British Neurologists. HANS adopts a disease-agnostic approach to acute neurology, prioritising the emergency department (ED) management of both stroke and stroke mimics alike alongside proactive daily support to the acute medical unit and acute medical take. ⋯ Admission was avoided in 25% of the cases reviewed in the ED. Compared to historic data, there was a significant improvement in the length of stay for non-stroke disorders while the occupancy of stroke beds by non-stroke cases reduced by 50%. The configuration of this service is replicable in other neuroscience centres and provides a framework to reduce the barriers facing patients who present with acute neurological symptoms.
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Of the 10 million incident cases of tuberculosis (TB) globally in 2017, around 558,000 cases were rifampicin-resistant of which 82% were multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB. In England, 5,102 cases were recorded of which 55 cases (1.8%) were MDR-TB. MDR-TB cases have worse outcomes and are a serious public health issue. ⋯ Treatment of MDR-TB remains a challenge as it relies on prolonged second-line drug treatments that are less effective and more toxic than first-line treatments. Two new drug treatments have been approved; bedaquiline and delamanid. In addition, a shorter treatment regimen of 9-12 months can be considered instead of the conventional 20-24 month regimen.