“Trimethylaminuria is a rare disorder in which the body’s metabolic processes fail to alter the chemical trimethylamine. Trimethylamine is notable for its unpleasant smell. It is the chemical that gives rotten fish a bad smell. When the normal metabolic process fails, trimethylamine accumulates in the body, and its odor is detected in the person’s sweat, urine and breath. The consequences of emitting a foul odor can be socially and psychologically damaging among adolescents and adults.”.

National Organization for Rare Disorders  NORD

What is this disease actually?

Trimethylaminuria causes the body to produce a fishy odor that is released in the sweat, urine, breath, and reproductive fluids. People with trimethylaminuria are unable to break down trimethylamine. Trimethylamine comes from specific chemicals (choline, carnitine, TMAO) found in certain foods. The excess trimethylamine builds up and is the source of the odor. There are no other physical symptoms from trimethylaminuria, but people with this condition may experience serious psychological and social distress. Trimethylaminuria is due to a FMO3 gene that is not working correctly. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. It is diagnosed based on the symptoms, clinical exam, urine analysis, and can be confirmed by genetic testing. Treatment for trimethylaminuria mainly includes diet modification, acidic soaps and lotions, and vitamin B12 supplements. Other treatment options include antibiotics, activated charcoal, and probiotics.

Trimethylaminuria does not cause any other physical symptoms. However, the odor can interfere with many aspects of daily life, leading to social and psychological problems.

Trimethylaminuria is caused by the FMO3 gene not working correctly. DNA changes known as pathogenic variants are responsible for making genes work incorrectly or sometimes, not at all.

What is the cause of  this disease?

Trimethylaminuria is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Some conditions are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. All individuals inherit two copies of each gene. Autosomal means the gene is found on one of the numbered chromosomes found in both sexes. Recessive means that both copies of the responsible gene must be altered to have the condition.

People with autosomal recessive conditions inherit one alteration from each of their parents. The parents, who each have one gene alteration, are known as carriers.  Carriers of an autosomal recessive condition typically do not have any signs or symptoms (they are unaffected). In some cases, carriers of trimethylaminuria may have mild or occasional symptoms. When two carriers of an autosomal recessive condition have children, there is a 25% (1 in 4) chance to have a child with the condition.

How is this even diagnosed?

Trimethylaminuria is diagnosed based on the symptoms, a clinical exam, and a test to measure the level of trimethylamine in the urine. Genetic testing can also help confirm the diagnosis.

How is it treated?

Treatment for trimethylaminuria is focused on removing and preventing the bad odor. Options for treatment include diet modification, vitamin B12 (riboflavin) supplements, antibiotic treatment, and probiotics. Other supplements such as activated charcoal can help remove extra trimethylamine from the body. In addition, some people with trimethylaminuria may benefit from behavioral counseling.

Keep in mind the consultants that get involved in the treatment are: Nutritionalist, Medical Geneticist,  Pharmacist, and Psychologist and or Psychiatrist.

The exact number of people with trimethylaminuria is unknown. It has been estimated that about 0.5 -1% of people in the British population are carriers for trimethylaminuria. A carrier has one copy of a gene variant for trimethylaminuria.

Helen’s ideals found their purest, most lasting expression in her work for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Helen joined AFB in 1924 and worked for the organization for over 40 years.

The foundation provided her with a global platform to advocate for the needs of people with vision loss and she wasted no opportunity. As a result of her travels across the United States, state commissions for the blind were created, rehabilitation centers were built, and education was made accessible to those with vision loss.

Helen Keller was as interested in the welfare of blind persons in other countries as she was for those in her own country; conditions in poor and war-ravaged nations were of particular concern.

Helen’s ability to empathize with the individual citizen in need as well as her ability to work with world leaders to shape global policy on vision loss made her a supremely effective ambassador for disabled persons worldwide. Her active participation in this area began as early as 1915, when the Permanent Blind War Relief Fund, later called the American Braille Press, was founded. She was a member of its first board of directors.

In 1946, when the American Braille Press became the American Foundation for Overseas Blind (now Helen Keller International), Helen was appointed counselor on international relations. It was then that she began her globe-circling tours on behalf of those with vision loss.

American Foundation for the Blind-AFB

“Helen Keller taught us that “impossible is nothing.” She taught us new ways of seeing ourselves, and each other. She did this not only by overcoming extraordinary obstacles in her own life, but also by founding organizations and leading movements that, to this day, fight for the powerless by changing laws, improving lives, and defending human rights. She not only unlocked doors to improve the lives of underrepresented people, she removed the doors from their hinges.”

Helen Keller Intl  (https://www.hki.org)

 ^“Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a type of cancer that hides from the immune system to progress unchecked^1-3   MDS, a heterogeneous group of blood malignancies, occurs when the blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow become abnormal^4-6″

GILEAD https://www.mdsinfocus.com/

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a group of disorders that gradually affect the ability of a person’s bone marrow to produce normal blood cells.

Bone marrow is a semi-liquid tissue located inside many bones such as the backbones, shoulder blades, ribs, pelvis, and stomach. The blood-forming cells within the bone marrow are responsible for producing and forming new red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body, white blood cells to help fight against infections, and specialized clotting cells that help control bleeding and bruising.

Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of disorders caused by blood cells that are poorly formed or don’t work properly. Myelodysplastic syndromes result from something amiss in the spongy material inside your bones where blood cells are made (bone marrow).

People with myelodysplastic syndromes have a risk of the disease progressing to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is a bone marrow malignancy. Some studies suggest that AML is a natural progression of MDS and not a separate disease. In some people, MDS may gradually progress over a period of many years while in others it progresses rapidly to AML.

The risk of myelodysplastic syndromes increases with age as the disease commonly affects older people between the ages of 58 and 75. It is estimated that MDS affects 15 to 50 people per 100,000 Americans who are over the age of 70. Up to 20,000 new cases of myelodysplastic syndromes are diagnosed each year. However, since there are no actual registries listing the incidence of myelodysplastic syndromes, some researchers estimate that the numbers may actually be much higher. For example, anemia in older individuals may be ascribed to “old age” without consideration of the possibility of myelodysplastic syndromes.

The incidence of myelodysplastic syndromes in children is only 5% to 7% of all pediatric hematologic malignancies. It has been reported that up to 17% of childhood AML may result from a prior myelodysplastic phase. About 2% to 3% of all cases of juvenile leukemia are associated with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.

Knowledge is Critical when Dealing with a Life-Altering Condition such as Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Overtime, myelodysplastic syndromes might cause:

• Fatigue

• Shortness of breath

• Unusual paleness (pallor), which occurs due to a low red blood cell count (anemia)

• Easy or unusual bruising or bleeding, which occurs due to a low blood platelet count (thrombocytopenia)

• Pinpoint-sized red spots just beneath the skin that are caused by bleeding (petechiae)

• Frequent infections, which occur due to a low white blood cell count (leukopenia)

Management of myelodysplastic syndromes is most often intended to slow the disease, ease symptoms and prevent complications. Common measures include blood transfusions and medications to boost blood cell production. In certain situations, a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, may be recommended to replace your bone marrow with healthy bone marrow from a donor.

Risk Factors:

Factors that can increase your risk of myelodysplastic syndromes include:

• Older age. Most people with myelodysplastic syndromes are older than 60.

• Previous treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy, both of which are commonly used to treat cancer, can increase your risk of myelodysplastic syndromes.

• Exposure to certain chemicals. Chemicals, including benzene, have been linked to myelodysplastic syndromes.

“Summer ailments are quite common during the hot summer months. From heat rashes and sunburns to jaundice and food poisoning summer causes a host of health problems.  In India, usually May and June are considered the hottest months of the year with temperatures rising above 40 degree Celsius. Keep yourself cool and hydrated this summer with these refreshing, healthy and hydrating fruits. ”

Boldsky and MAYO CLINIC

https://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/common-summer-ailments-and-ways-to-prevent-them-133086.html

Launch Your Vacation With a #SummerHealth Twitter Chat – Mayo Clinic News Network

“Remove standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs.   To do this the CDC states:

• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.
• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
• For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Some mosquitoes are harmful and can spread viruses like West Nile, dengue, Zika, and parasites like malaria. Other mosquitoes bother people and are considered “nuisance” mosquitoes.   There is no current local transmission of Zika virus in the continental United States, including Florida and Texas, which reported local transmission of Zika virus by mosquitoes in 2016-17.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Most Recent Mosquito Virus: Zika Virus

Background in health crisis response and that we have known about this for sometime now. 

From January 2015 to October 2018, 5,442 travel-associated cases of Zika and 231 locally transmitted cases had been reported in the U.S., according to the CDC.

AmeriCares Zika response leverages the technical expertise of our health experts and our more than 30 years of experience with international health crises. AmeriCares has responded to mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in the past, from West Nile in the United States to chikungunya in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2014, during an outbreak of chikungunya, our response included support for a community health education campaign that reached more than 10,000 people in El Salvador through schools, sporting events and community centers.

The World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency on February 1 2016 because of a suspected link between the virus and microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with unusually small heads and abnormal brain development. There is growing evidence of an association between the increase in babies born with microcephaly, other possible birth defects and the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome that coincided with Zika virus infections. Currently, 33 countries and territories in the Americas have reported Zika cases, with up to 1.5 million confirmed cases in Brazil alone. The WHO is anticipating 3 million to 4 million more Zika infections in the region in the next 12 months.

There is no cure for Zika, but clinicians can help patients manage symptoms, giving them medicine to reduce fever and pain. They can also provide education on how to protect their families from the mosquitos that carry the virus.

Where are we actually working:

In Haiti, AmeriCares is working with a partner organization on a prevention program for expectant mothers, with the goal of keeping the women Zika-free until they deliver. In El Salvador, AmeriCares is developing a Zika-prevention program at its clinic, which provides primary and specialty care services for more than 60,000 patients annually, including prenatal care.

AmeriCares, which donates medicine and supplies to U.S.-based medical teams volunteering overseas, is also providing education materials to medical professionals working in Zika-affected countries. AmeriCares is supporting more than 150 medical teams planning travel to Latin America and the Caribbean through June.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and what they say about this Zika Virus:

Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika.

For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections. Though being checked for it yearly might not hurt if your country is exposed to it and could easily spread; especially if you have family traveling in your country as well as those you travel to countries known to be at risk for this disease and should be check when returning to their country like the USA for example. It is called prevention and control by the government and health parties of that country; pretty common sense. Instead it appears till the USA and other countries just wait till damage occurs – an epidemic some areas reaching out for help if the country doesn’t have the funds for controlling the epidemic. Why not help out for education and research before the epidemic if the disease is already known.

Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of Zika were detected and since then, outbreaks of Zika have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Zika outbreaks have probably occurred in many locations. Before 2007, at least 14 cases of Zika had been documented, although other cases were likely to have occurred and were not reported. Because the symptoms of Zika are similar to those of many other diseases, many cases may not have been recognized.

In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil and on Feb 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) but not home prevention in the USA, like travelers from countries exposed with this that can be spread through a bite by a flying bug or possibly via sex so have the travelers returning checked to protect all in their country. Local transmission also has been reported in many other countries and territories. Zika virus likely will continue to spread to new areas. Let’s wake up and take action to control this from spreading in the USA and if possible other countries; especially our allies who travel here who are high with this virus treatment one day for this mosquito/sexual transmitted disease.

 You’ve probably heard about Zika virus. But what is it exactly? Who is at risk? And what can you do to help?

Through PSIimpact.com has extensive experience helping families in the developing world overcome their most pressing health challenges. Here is what we know about Zika virus and how you can help.

1. The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes and people. Typically, mosquitoes spread the virus. But there is evidence the virus may be sexually transmitted from someone who has been infected to his sexual partner.
2. The mosquitoes that carry Zika are active during the daytime, so malaria-fighting bed nets are not effective in stopping infection. Reducing breeding sites and using insecticides are currently two of the most effective ways to prevent the disease.
3. Symptoms of Zika virus infection are usually mild, typically begin a few days after being bitten, and usually finish in 2 to 7 days. Eighty percent of people who become infected never have symptoms. In those who do, the most common are fever, rash and conjunctivitis.
4. S. travelers are bringing the virus back with them. These imported cases happen when a person is infected elsewhere and then visits or returns to the United States.
5. There’s no vaccine to protect against the Zika virus, but researchers are working on one. Once a person becomes infected with the virus they usually develop immunity to future infections.
6. Researchers are studying the potential link between the Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in their babies. Microcephaly is a birth defect that impairs brain development and can cause mild to severe cognitive delays, learning disabilities and impaired motor functions. The condition is marked by an abnormally small head.
7. Until a link is confirmed, it is crucial that women who are pregnant strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.
8. The CDC recommends that pregnant women in any trimester consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The most recent travel advisories can be found on their website.
9. Several Latin American countries have urged women not to get pregnant for up to two years if visiting those areas with this disease or from those Latin American area moving to another country like America included, in an attempt to avoid birth defects believed to be caused by Zika. However, no government has announced plans to increase access or remove barriers to contraception.
10. PSI is already working in affected areas including El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. We are supporting national responses led by the Ministries of Health. And we will continue helping men and women access contraception so that they can make their own decision about when — and whether — to become pregnant. Thank you PSI for your knowledge and effort in researching

“A healthy heart is a muscular pump that squeezes and relaxes to deliver blood to the body. Heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has stopped. For people with HFrEF (a type of heart failure called “reduced ejection fraction=EF”), it means the heart muscle is weak, so it can’t pump enough blood to keep up with the body’s needs. About half of people with heart failure have HFrEF; meaning heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.  Ejection Fracton is what the heart pumps out each beat from the Left Lower Ventricle.  Unlike a heart attack, heart failure happens slowly. It’s a chronic condition that gets worse over time and can lead to hospitalization or death.”

farxiga dapaglifozin (www.farxiga.com)