Acute Kidney Injury Has a New Biomarker

Good day Doctors:

There is a new acute kidney injury biomarker which has just been launched abroad and will perhaps be on its way to Philippine shores in the near future.

It is NGAL or neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (an ubiquitous 25 kDa protein), a new early marker for acute kidney injury which levels rise rapidly after renal injury (rises earlier than creatinine) and one test is an ELISA for the determination of human NGAL in urine, plasma or serum. There is another that can be used with a laboratory's chemistry analyzer.

Details at NGAL.com.

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Beware: HIV is on the Rise

As Valentine's Day nears, perhaps this is the most appropriate time to give an update of the local HIV situation.

Incidence of HIV in the Philippines cases has been described as slow but sure. Look again.

GM Mosquitoes: The Future Solution for Dengue?

I just read last night an interesting article about a field trial wherein genetically-modified male Aedes mosquitoes were released in an uninhabited forest somewhere in Malaysia to mate with mild female Aedes to produce larvae that eventually will die early without reaching its normal life span and therefore not reach adulthood. In effect, this will expect to decrease the Aedes population and cut down the incidence of dengue.

Paper Horns not also advisable for the New Year

First, when it comes to New Year, it is usually firecrackers that are of great concern for health officials. With good reason because from December 21-28, 173 firecracker-related injuries were already recorded which is an increase from the 5-year average.

Time to Pay Attention to HAIs

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare-associated infections or HAIs are infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions.

They can be deadly and economically-devastating. But they can be prevented.

PSMID-Cebu/PPS Cebu Prevnar Vaccination Program for Indigent Children

altThe Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Cebu chapter (PSMID-Cebu) together with the Philippine Pediatric Society-Cebu conducted a Prevnar (7 or 13-valent Conjugate vaccine) Vaccination Program for indigent children yesterday, September 25, 2010 2-4 PM at the Cebu Medical Society (CMS) Grounds.

This followed a series of activities participated in by PSMID Cebu commemorating CMS Medicine week.

Prevnar ^®7 or 13 (Pneumococcal 7 or 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM₁₉₇ Protein]) is a pediatric vaccine that has been given to infants and young children to help protect against 7 or 13 strains of pneumococcal bacteria, respectively.

It is indicated for active immunization of infants and toddlers against serious invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, including bacteremia (bloodstream infection) and meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord).