Viruses and Health

University of Michigan Health's adult hospitals were ranked best in Michigan and 17th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" rankings for 2022-2023. This prestigious honor measures excellence in patient care. U-M Health is the clinical division of Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan. U-M Health was also given the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll distinction for the seventh consecutive year. This makes the organization one of only a few U.S. hospitals, and the only one in Michigan, that delivers the highest quality of care across a variety of specialties, as well as varying procedures and conditions. The organization had three medical specialties ranked in the nation's top 10, five medical specialties ranked in the nation's top 20 and nine medical specialties ranked as the top program in the state. "Every day, our teams come together during one of health care's ...

Almost everyone eats a diet that includes nitrates. These compounds are found naturally in vegetables and are also added to foods like processed meats to help preserve them. Most of the time, nitrates pass through our bodies without causing problems. Bacteria can turn nitrates into similar compounds called nitrites, which are then excreted in urine. For this reason, healthcare providers will sometimes use urine dipstick testing for nitrites to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs). Read on to learn how nitrates turn into nitrites and whether nitrites are an accurate sign of a UTI. Andrew Brookes / Getty Images What Causes Nitrites in Urine? Nitrates enter our bodies through the foods we eat. You may have heard that processed meats are a major source of nitrates, but in reality, up to 85% of our nitrate intake comes from vegetables such as spinach, carrots, and celery. About 25% of the nitrates you consume are transformed into nitrites...

The symptoms of right-sided colon cancer can be different from left-sided colon cancer. They may include bleeding, which can lead to anemia. In some cases, anemia is the first sign of the condition. This information comes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) . The symptoms of right- and left-sided colon cancer can differ due to the location of the cancer and where it might metastasize. Because the right side of the colon is wider than the left, it can take longer for tumors to cause noticeable symptoms. This article discusses how symptoms of colon cancer differ between the right and left sides. It also examines the diagnosis, treatment, and outlook of colon cancer, as well as lists conditions with similar symptoms. The symptoms of right-sided colon cancer can include blood in the stool, anemia, and weight loss. In cases where the cancer is close to the cecum, which joins the small and large intestine together, the first symptom is often anemia from chronic blood loss. In cont...

CandiSep study of Jena University Hospital: blood diagnostics of biomarker for invasive fungal infection in sepsis patients leads to increased antifungal therapy, but not to better outcome. Credit: Inka Rodigast, Jena University Hospital The CandiSep trial at Jena University Hospital tested (1,3)-β-D-glucan as biomarker for invasive fungal infection in critically ill patients. The biomarker led to earlier and more frequent antifungal therapy but could not reduce mortality. Because modern medicine enables the treatment of seriously ill and severely immunocompromised patients, severe fungal infections are occurring with increasing frequency in intensive care units. Due to their weakened immune system and the often-required broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, sepsis patien...

Rotavirus and norovirus infections are common causes of stomach flu, clinically referred to as viral gastroenteritis . This inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract causes diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes fever. Even though both infections cause these symptoms, there are critical differences between the two viruses. Whereas norovirus is the most common source of infections in adults and people of all ages, rotavirus is more common among children and infants under age 5. This article breaks down the differences between these viruses, as well as when to contact your healthcare provider, the treatments available, and how to prevent infection.        FG Trade / Getty Images Symptoms of Rotavirus vs. Norovirus Since both rotavirus and norovirus lead to viral gastroenteritis, the symptoms largely align. Both conditions cause: ...

By Kathy Hanrahan, WRAL lifestyle editor OVME (pronounced "of me") has opened its second North Carolina location in the area. The medical spa and aesthetics brand's newest location is at 97 South Eliot Road in Chapel Hill. Going to a spa like this can be a little intimidating, but they really walk you through all of the options available. OVME offers B-12 shots, IV hydration therapies, Botox, fillers and a variety of facials. I've had facials, but not a HydraFacial before. I had to check it out. Basically this is a "leveled-up" treatment that uses serums and vacuums to exfoliate, cleanse, extract and hydrate the skin. My skin never felt so clean. My esthetician explained other treatments OVME offers, including a specific kind of microneedling that uses needles and radio frequency (RF) to stimulate skin tightening, improve skin texture and minimize pores. I hadn't heard much about Photo Facials before, so it was interesting to...

Introduction Aspergillosis is an infectious disease caused by a fungus, Aspergillus, and may lead to a variety of diseases with different symptoms and signs depending on the patient's immune status and pulmonary structure. Aspergillus spp. can be isolated from our outdoor and indoor environments, including soil and hospitals. Most strains of Aspergillus are harmless, but some can cause severe disease, particularly among immunocompromised patients. 1 Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis commonly occurs in hematologic cancer but also in solid cancer. Invasive aspergillosis is commonly associated with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors 2,3 and is also encountered in children with cancer. 4 The risk of aspergillosis included patients with solid tumors, hematologic cancer, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, solid organ transplantation, and other causes of immunosuppression, including burns, alemtuzumab therapy, and intensive care units. 5,6 Among patients wit...