Mucus

Asthma is considered a chronic (lifelong) lung disease, which involves both hyperactivity and inflammation in your airways. When diagnosed with asthma, your doctor may stage it as intermittent, mild, moderate, or severe. While asthma stages are based on the severity and frequency of your symptoms, asthma phases describe how and when your body releases antibodies and inflammatory cells during an asthma attack. Learning about both early and late phases of asthma exacerbations involves complex terminology and processes. In this article, we walk you through the basics so that you can learn more about the triggers of early and late phases of asthma attacks, as well as possible treatments that can target each phase. The early phase of an asthma attack develops when you inhale a trigger, such as air pollution or an allergen like pollen or animal dander. Airway inflammation and constriction begin in this phase. Key players in the early phase Sensitive immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are ofte...

Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria called group A Streptococcus , also known as Streptococcus pyogenes . This group of bacteria can also cause other infections, including scarlet fever, pneumonia, sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis, which can be life-threatening. While strep throat only accounts for a small number of sore throats, it is generally more common in children (ages 5 to 15) than adults. This article will explore how strep throat is contagious, its causes, risk factors, treatment, and prevention. Jim Craigmyle / Getty Images Is Strep Throat Contagious? Strep throat is highly contagious and can spread quickly from person to person through close contact. Individuals with strep throat can be contagious for a few days before they start showing symptoms. This means that someone who has not gotten sick yet can spread the disease. How Do I Know If I Have Strep Throat? Common s...

You might've heard by now that it's important to get a flu shot. It helps prevent the flu, and if you do get the flu, the shot can make symptoms less severe so that you feel better faster. It's also free to get, and it protects you as well as others — because if you're protected against the flu, you can't pass it on to someone else. But sometimes you may feel sick the day after getting your flu shot. This is normal. Here, we'll talk about common side effects of the flu shot. Some people will feel fine after receiving their flu shot, but others may notice some side effects and symptoms. Generally, this is nothing to worry about and is often a sign that everything is working as expected. Flu vaccines are very safe , but common side effects of the flu shot include: Symptoms of the flu shot should subside within 1 to 2 days. If you're feeling under the weather after receiving a flu shot, be sure to get plenty of rest. It can be helpful to treat the situation as ...

Swollen lymph nodes are relatively common and can signify an infection. While people can use over-the-counter medications to relieve pain, several natural remedies may also help speed up the healing process. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs within the body. They are responsible for fighting infections and removing toxins. While swollen lymph nodes usually resolve on their own, if they are causing discomfort, people can try natural and home remedies. However, while these may help, there is limited research supporting their efficacy. Read more to learn about natural remedies for swollen lymph nodes, how to prevent them, and when to contact a doctor. Swollen lymph nodes generally resolve on their own. They can be a response to an infection, so once it passes, they should shrink back to their expected size. However, this may take 2 weeks or more. To relieve symptoms in the meantime, an individual can: apply warm, moist compresses drink plenty of fluids take over-the-counter (OTC) ...

Constantly clearing your throat? Here's what to try - Harvard Health The burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change, and pollution from this burning has been linked to millions of premature deaths worldwide. And, according to a new report, even low levels of air pollution may harm our health although we can take steps to limit exposure. \n ","content":" \n \n \n \n A new scientific report supports research suggesting that even low levels of pollution — well below the current national regulatory cutoffs — may harm our health. \n Outdoor air pollution stems largely fr...

While mcfDNA testing is an attractive diagnostic modality for its non-invasive broad-range pathogen detection, its clinical impact on clinical decision-making remains poorly defined. In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we show that the overall clinical impact of KT testing for pathogen identification remains low (43%). Additionally, we identified three contextual factors within our cohort wherein a KT test had a positive impact on clinical decision-making: SOTR (71.4%, p = 0.003), sepsis (71.4%, p = 0.02) and antimicrobial therapy for fewer than 7 days prior to assay collection (61.8%, p = 0.004). The clinical impact was driven primarily by mcfDNA testing leading to de-escalation of antimicrobials and confirming clinical diagnosis (Table 5). Our finding of 43% overall clinical benefit is higher than prior studies evaluating clinical impact of mcfDNA for pathogen detection in CSF (3.4%) [11] and plasma (7.3%) [9]. This may be due in part because KT testing is stri...

The Integrated Science Complex at College of the Holy Cross will be renamed this summer in honor of Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the college's most prominent alumni, Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau announced Monday. "Dr. Fauci vividly personifies the distinctive characteristics of a Holy Cross education, and we know his life and work are already inspiring the next generation of empathetic servant leaders," Rougeau said. The college's science buildings will officially be dedicated as the Anthony S. Fauci Integrated Science Complex on June 11, during Dr. Fauci's 60th Holy Cross class reunion weekend. Fauci '62, Hon. '87, is Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Chief Medical Advisor to the President and the nation's top allergy and infectious diseases expert. Over nearly four decades in the role, he has advised eight U.S. presidents and become a household name as he led the nation's COVID-19...