In 1955, a forest worker in Trinidad and Tobago contracted a fever. The worker recovered fully, though the disease persisted, with outbreaks occurring in northern South America and nearby coastal islands. The movements of humans pose challenges for those hoping to reduce the risks associated with any infectious agent, as is the case with the ...

The Centers for Disease Control opened an investigation into the death of a traveler upon returning home to Iowa from West Africa. Previously, reports stated that the traveler died of an “Ebola-like” virus. Further Nebraska Laboratory Response Network testing confirmed that the patient tested positive for Lassa fever. Lassa Fever Lassa fever occurs in West ...

Every year, the United States faces microbial pathogen outbreaks caused by amoebas, bacteria, and other microorganisms. These outbreaks manifest in a variety of diseases, ranging from gastrointestinal distress to brain-eating amoebae. As mentioned in my previous article, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) gathers data on infections resulting in hospitalizations and provides access to this ...

The news cycle instills fear in the anxious. The zombie apocalypse might be just around the corner, right? Since the global pandemic of COVID-19, the public consciousness of viruses has gravitated toward panic. From Monkey Pox to West Nile Virus, every “outbreak” traps some people inside their homes, afraid to leave. With risk assessment, this ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied approval for 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted therapy, and the academic and medical journal Psychopharmacology retracted three papers related to the trial. The FDA denial and Psychopharmacology’s response to ethical concerns cited drug trial participant selection, study design, and data manipulation. For future consideration, the FDA required an additional Phase III trial by Lykos Therapeutics. Background ...

A new schizophrenia drug revives the previously investigated drug xanomeline. Historically, physicians used xanomeline to treat Alzheimer’s disease until its removal from the market in 1998 because of gastrointestinal side effects. The investigation into its use for schizophrenia ceased for the same reason. However, an experimental drug, KarXT, combines xanomeline and trospium and takes a novel ...

While currently in the news for its other uses, Milfepristone is a valuable medication used for treating insulin resistance.

I had my first doctor’s appointment since Covid. I was terrified my new doctor would yell at me for how bad things have gotten for me physically. My bladder spasms have gotten a lot worse. I usually don’t have any issues with leaking as long as I get to go to the bathroom twice. Now ...

This week I learned an important lesson. Most companies will not care if you quit. I wasn’t under the impression they would, but I thought that startups and small companies would care a little. I’m sure some do care about the overall health of their employees. I love my internships because of the communities within ...

Welcome to Strange Medicine—a series of nonfiction articles based on recent journal-published, peer-reviewed case studies, review articles, meta-studies, scientific studies, and primary literature. Each relates to events that made the medical community’s eyes widen and scratch their heads, though, please note that all are significant toward scientific and medical progress because they also forced us ...