Credits: Canva
Quademic 2025: Hospitals in the United States are dealing with a surge in patients admission, the reason is the quademic it is dealing with at this moment. This has led to an influx of patients. It is all caused by seasonal infections, including common flu, Covid-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that dominate the winter season in the US. This year, norovirus also joined the list, which has further increased the load on the healthcare.
The healthcare company founded in academics M Health Fairview, confirmed that their hospitals are overflowing due to the quademic.
The hospitals of M Health Fairview's volume is up by 30% and as a results, patients are being treated in the hallways and in alternative care areas. There is also a longer wait time and shortages for resources that are required to treat these emergencies. This has also impacted other life-threatening emergencies like heart attacks and strokes, as the healthcare resources and caregivers are occupied with the surge in seasonal cases.
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Common cold and flu: The common cold and influenza (flu) are perhaps the most well-known illnesses that peak during the fall. As temperatures drop and humidity levels fluctuate, viruses that cause colds and the flu become more active. The flu, in particular, can be more severe than a common cold, leading to complications such as pneumonia, especially in vulnerable populations like the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. Symptoms include a runny nose, sore throat, coughing, fever, and body aches.
Covid-19: As per the World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people infected with this virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, However, there could be some cases of seriously ill patients who may require medical attention. It is also because of the other existing medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, or older age.
The best way to protect against this virus is by following social isolation form those who are infected, using mask to prevent droplets from infecting others when you cough or sneeze and to wash your hands for 20 seconds frequently.
RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus: As per the Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects nose, throat and lungs. Though symptoms are similar to the viruses like flu or COVID-19, the disease in itself is different. It also peaks during the winter season, especially between December and January.
However, the main difference between RSV and other respiratory illness, above mentioned is that RSV can cause pneumonia or bronchiolitis, especially for those who are over the age of 50 or with an existing heart or lung disease.
Norovirus: It is a number 1 cause of foodborne illness in the US and this happens when virus gets into the food and then it accidentally enters your mouth. These particles are from faeces or vomit from infected people, or can be transmitted via contaminated food and water. It could also spread by touching unclean surfaces like door handles or cutlery.
For most people, having norovirus is unpleasant, but mild and recovery could be made in 1 to 2 days. However, it could be more serious for babies, older people and anyone with any existing health condition.
Credit: X/Instagram
Longevity expert and millionaire Bryan Johnson has revealed that he has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a condition in which the immune system attacks the stomach lining.
In a post on X, Johnson, known for his radical experiments, including receiving blood transfusions from his teenage son, said he believes years of eating sugary cereals, drinking soda, consuming fast food and experiencing chronic stress contributed to the development of his autoimmune conditions.
Calling it a "bad news", the millionaire said: "I have an autoimmune disease. My stomach is eating itself". He added that "2–5% of people have this, too. Likely more, because it hides".
“As a kid, I ate sugar cereal, drank sugary soda, and gobbled down fast food. I had a few healthy years in my early 20s, but then became a young father of three and began building a business. Juggling that stress and grind, I let my health slip and gained 40 lbs,” he wrote.
He added that he later developed chronic depression and believes that during this period, his body began an autoimmune process affecting both his thyroid and stomach lining.
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Johnson said he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the age of 21 during a routine blood test. He has since managed the condition with levothyroxine and Armour Thyroid.
“They are the hormones my body should be producing on its own, but wasn’t. By taking these pills daily, my body was able to operate as though my thyroid was functioning properly.”
He said his stomach had also begun attacking itself, but the condition went undetected because he had no symptoms. It was only discovered in May.
Johnson noted that autoimmune gastritis can cause irreversible damage, including nutritional deficiencies, anemia, and an increased long-term risk of stomach cancer.
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Johnson said he had persistently low ferritin levels for the past 11 years despite not having anemia.
“We continually tried to raise my iron levels with food and supplementation, but nothing would work.”
He said he followed a plant-based diet, trained intensely, used a sauna and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and took iron supplements, but his iron levels remained low.
A colonoscopy ruled out slow gastrointestinal bleeding, while an upper endoscopy with five stomach biopsies revealed early autoimmune gastritis. The biopsies showed early atrophy confined to the stomach's acid-producing lining, while
the rest of the stomach remained unaffected.
“So this was never one problem. It was three, linked to one another: the iron deficiency, the autoimmune gastritis driving it, and the autoimmune thyroid disease alongside it.”
Johnson said he has undergone a large blood draw to sequence more than one million individual immune cells.
According to him, the goal is to identify the specific immune cell clones attacking his stomach lining. He compared immune cells to soldiers carrying unique "keys," explaining that the advanced sequencing technology can identify the rogue immune cells responsible for autoimmune gastritis.
Johnson said that once those immune cells are identified, the findings will help determine the most appropriate therapy to target and suppress the autoimmune attack.
Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a long-term autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the stomach's parietal cells, which produce stomach acid, as well as intrinsic factor, a protein essential for absorbing vitamin B12. Over time, this damages the stomach lining and reduces the body's ability to absorb iron and vitamin B12, increasing the risk of nutrient deficiencies.
In many people, symptoms are caused more by these nutritional deficiencies than by inflammation of the stomach itself.
Common symptoms include:
Credit: iStock/Canva
The Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has risen to 1,427 cases, while the death toll has climbed to 440, according to the latest government data.
More than 609 patients are hospitalized in Congo, while many have also recovered. Uganda has so far reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. There has also been one case in France and another in a US citizen medically evacuated to Germany, both believed to have been imported from areas affected by the ongoing outbreak.
The Ebola virus disease, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has no approved vaccine or treatment.
"Even without approved therapeutics, people are recovering from this disease, but, of course, we could save many more lives with safe and effective therapeutics in our toolkit," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
He said this while announcing the launch of the clinical trial of two therapeutics, with the enrolment of the first patient.
"The PARTNERS trial will evaluate the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination," he added.
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The study is being coordinated by the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research, supported by a coalition of partners including WHO, and conducted in close cooperation with the affected communities.
According to Tedros, patients who enroll in the trial will receive comprehensive supportive care and close follow-up.
"We are also working to ensure they have access to the two drugs should they prove safe and efficacious in the trial."
In addition, the WHO has granted emergency use listing to the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus.
Further, the antiviral drug remdesivir, marketed as Veklury is also expected to start. Remdesivir became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic and is being evaluated to determine whether it can improve outcomes when combined with the antibody treatment.
As per experts, it could take months, and possibly as many as 1,000 study participants, to determine whether either drug works.
Currently, the study is being offered only at one Ebola treatment center in Congo's Ituri province. The region has been heavily affected by violence, including attacks on healthcare workers responding to a virus spread through contact with infected patients' bodily fluids. Officials plan to expand the trial to other locations once it is safe to do so.
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Tedros said that despite the progress, significant challenges remain, including mistrust and violence.
This week, an Ebola treatment center in Ituri province was attacked, resulting in the deaths of two people. The center was set on fire, and patients fled.
Such acts not only endanger patients and health workers but also impede efforts to stop transmission and save lives.
He added that the complexity of the outbreak requires close coordination across the United Nations system.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976. Since then, more than 30 outbreaks have been recorded, primarily in Central and West Africa.
Common Symptoms of Ebola
Credit: Trump/Truth Social
Amid increasing conversations about Donald Trump suffering from dementia, the US President posted an AI-generated video of himself as a doctor diagnosing celebrities with what he calls "Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)."
The clip features AI recreations of Hollywood actors and celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and Rosie O'Donnell, all of whom have previously criticized Trump.
"Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with TDS?" the AI Trump asks at the start of the clip posted on Truth Social.
Calling the "symptoms relentless," the 80-year-old President said that "fortunately, I'm Doctor Trump, and I have a treatment plan," The Independent reported.
The AI-generated Trump then invited viewers to hear from some of his "patients."
"I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, constantly angry…" the fake De Niro said. "I made everyone miserable around me."
"I feel like I've aged 20 years in the last two years," added the AI version of Roberts, claiming that she was starting to "worry about her future."
The fake O'Donnell claimed that she had been "suffering for over a decade," while the AI Goldberg said she believed she was a "lost cause."
Other stars spoofed in the 90-second clip include actors Edward Norton and John Leguizamo, both of whom have criticized the president.
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At the end of the video, "Doctor Trump" revealed his "treatment" plan: "Turn off fake news."
He further instructed the AI patients to: "Say your prayers and, if you ever feel anxious, just have a Diet Coke like me and you're gonna see a remarkable difference in your life."
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Trump has often labeled his detractors as having Trump Derangement Syndrome, even claiming in the Oval Office that he had heard it "actually is a disease."
The term is an adaptation of "Bush Derangement Syndrome," which was coined by columnist Charles Krauthammer in 2003.
Krauthammer described the term as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush."
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Trump, who became the oldest US president in history after turning 80 this year, has faced growing public scrutiny over his health.
Recent public appearances have prompted speculation after observers noted swollen ankles, bruising on his hands, verbal slips and occasional episodes in which he appeared drowsy during meetings and international summits.
Some physicians have also publicly expressed concerns about the president's physical and cognitive health, although none have diagnosed him with dementia.
But Trump has repeatedly rejected allegations of cognitive decline or other serious health issues. His most recent annual physical examination also concluded him to be "in excellent health."
The White House also maintains that: "President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises."
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