LIFE OMIC

On February 11, 2024, Liberia commemorated its annual Armed Forces Day, a national public holiday dedicated to honoring the brave men and women in uniform who protect the nation's freedoms and defend its way of life.

Thank you for your dedication and service to our country. We appreciate the freedoms we enjoy because you are working every day to protect our country.
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HAPPY ARMED FORCES DAY🇱🇷

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Health Insights: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Types of COPD
COPD is an umbrella term used when you have one or more of these conditions:
Emphysema. This results from damage to your lungs’ air sacs (alveoli) that destroys the walls inside them and causes them to merge into one giant air sac. It can’t absorb oxygen as well, so you get less oxygen in your blood. Damaged alveoli can make your lungs stretch out and lose their springiness. Air gets trapped in your lungs and you can’t breathe it out, so you feel short of breath.

Chronic bronchitis. If you have coughing, shortness of breath, and mucus that lingers at least 3 months for 2 years in a row, you have chronic bronchitis. Hair-like fibers called cilia line your bronchial tubes and help move mucus out. When you have chronic bronchitis, you lose your cilia. This makes it harder to get rid of mucus, which makes you cough more, which creates more mucus.
Refractory asthma. This type may also be called nonreversible. It doesn’t respond to normal asthma medications.
COPD Causes and Risk Factors
Long-term exposure to things that irritate your lungs is the most common cause. In the U.S., that’s cigarette, pipe, or other types of to***co smoke. If you hang around other smokers and breathe in a lot of secondhand smoke, that can play a role, too. Your odds also go up if you smoke and have asthma. If you smoke and have COPD, it tends to get worse faster. You might also develop this condition if you’ve been exposed to things like dust, air pollution, or certain chemicals for long periods of time.

Your age can make COPD more likely. It develops slowly over the years, so most people are at least 40 when symptoms begin.
It’s rare, but your genes could put you at risk for COPD. If you lack a protein called alpha 1 antitrypsin (AAT), you may be more likely to get it.

What Are the Symptoms?
At first, you might not have any symptoms. But as the disease gets worse, you might notice these common signs of COPD:
* A cough that doesn't go away
* Coughing up lots of mucus
* Shortness of breath, especially when you’re physically active
* Wheezing or squeaking when you breathe
* Tightness in your chest
* Frequent colds or flu
* Blue fingernails
* Low energy
* Losing weight without trying (in later stages)
* Swollen ankles, feet, or legs

Few Medical treatment
Your plan may include:
* Bronchodilators. You inhale these medicines. They help open your airways.
* Corticosteroids. These drugs reduce airway inflammation. You could inhale them or take them as pills.
* Combination inhalers. These inhalers pair steroids with one or more bronchodilators.

Health Insights On: Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that’s triggered when you eat gluten. It’s also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. It’s what makes dough elastic and gives bread its chewy texture.
When someone with celiac disease eats something with gluten, their body overreacts to the protein and damages their villi, small finger-like projections found along the wall of their small intestine.

When your villi are injured, your small intestine can’t properly absorb nutrients from food. Eventually, this can lead to malnourishment, as well as loss of bone density, miscarriage, infertility or even neurological diseases or certain cancers.
If your celiac disease isn’t better after at least a year without gluten, it’s called refractory or nonresponsive celiac disease.
Most people with celiac disease never know that they have it. Researchers think that as few as 20% of people with the disease get the right diagnosis. The damage to your intestine is very slow, and symptoms are so varied that it can take years to get a diagnosis.
Celiac disease isn’t the same thing as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. People with gluten intolerance may have some of the same symptoms and may want to avoid gluten. But they don’t show an immune response or damage to the small intestine.

Celiac Disease Symptoms
Celiac disease isn’t the same thing as a food allergy, so the symptoms are different.
If you’re allergic to wheat but eat something with wheat in it, you may have itchy or watery eyes or a hard time breathing.
Celiac disease symptoms in adults
If you have celiac disease and accidentally eat something with gluten in it, you may have symptoms including:
* Abdominal pain
* Anemia
* Bloating or a feeling of fullness
* Bone or joint pain
* Constipation
* Diarrhea
* Gas
* Heartburn
* Itchy, blistery rash (doctors call this dermatitis herpetiformis)
* Headaches or fatigue
* Mouth ulcers
* Nausea
* Nervous system injury, including numb or tingling hands or feet, balance problems, or changes in awareness
* P**p that’s pale, smells especially bad, or floats (steatorrhea)
* Weight loss�
* Celiac disease can also cause a loss of bone density and reduced spleen function (hyposplenism).

Celiac Disease Treatment and Diet
No drugs treat celiac disease. The best thing you can do is change your diet.
Unless they’re labeled as gluten-free, don’t eat foods that are typically made with grains, including:
* Beer
* Bread, cake, and other baked goods
* Cereals
* Pasta or noodles
* Crackers
* Breading
* Pancakes
* Sauces and gravies
These grains always have gluten:
* Wheat
* Wheatberries
* Durum
* Semolina
*
* Spelt
* Farina
* Farro
* Graham
* Einkorn wheat
* Rye
* Barley
* Malt
* Brewer’s yeast
* Wheat starch
People with celiac disease need to check labels carefully. Many processed foods sometimes have gluten:
*
* Granola or energy bars
* French fries
* Potato chips
* Lunch meats
* Candy or candy bars
* Soup
* Salad dressings and marinades
* Meat substitutes such as seitan or veggie burgers
* Soy sauce

These foods are always gluten-free:
*
* Fruits
* Vegetables
* Meat and poultry
* Fish and other seafood
* Dairy
* Beans and nuts
Gluten-free starches and grains include:
* Rice
* Corn or maize
* Soy
* Potato
* Tapioca
* Beans
* Sorghum
* Quinoa
* Millet
* Amaranth
* Flax
* Chia
* Nut flours

Health Insights: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
IBS is a mix of belly discomfort or pain and trouble with bowel habits: either going more or less often than normal (diarrhea or constipation) or having a different kind of stool (thin, hard, or soft and liquid). Physicians used to call IBS other names including:
* IBS colitis
* Mucous colitis
* Spastic colon
* Nervous colon
* Spastic bowel
There are four types of the condition:
* IBS with constipation (IBS-C)
* IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D)
* Mixed IBS (IBS-M) alternates between constipation and diarrhea
* Unsubtyped IBS (IBS-U) for people who don't fit into the above types
IBS isn’t life-threatening, and it doesn't make you more likely to get other colon conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or colon cancer. But it can be a long-lasting problem that changes how you live your life. People with IBS may miss work or school more often, and they may feel less able to take part in daily activities. Some people may need to change their work setting: shifting to working at home, changing hours, or even not working at all.

IBS Symptoms
People with IBS have symptoms that can include:
* Diarrhea (often described as violent episodes of diarrhea)
* Constipation
* Constipation alternating with diarrhea
* Belly pains or cramps, usually in the lower half of the belly, that get worse after meals and feel better after a bowel movement
* A lot of gas or bloating
* Harder or looser stools than normal (pellets or flat ribbon stools)
* A belly that sticks out
* Mucus in your p**p
* Feeling like you still need to p**p after you just did
* Food intolerance
* Tiredness
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Heartburn and indigestion
* Headaches
* Needing to p*e a lot
Other things may cause these symptoms sometimes. If it’s IBS, you’ll likely have these symptoms weekly for 3 months, or less often for at least 6 months. Women with IBS may have more symptoms during their period. Some people also have urinary symptoms or s*xual problems. Stress can make symptoms worse.

IBS Treatment and Home Care
Nearly all people with IBS can get help, but no single treatment works for everyone. You and your doctor will need to work together to find the right treatment plan to manage your symptoms.
Many things can trigger IBS symptoms, including certain foods, medicines, the presence of gas or stool, and emotional stress. You’ll need to learn what your triggers are. You may need to make some lifestyle changes and take medication.
Diet and lifestyle changes
Usually, with a few basic changes in diet and activities, IBS will improve over time. Here are some tips to help ease symptoms:
* Avoid caffeine (in coffee, tea, and soda).
* Add fiber to your diet with foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts.
* Drink at least three to four glasses of water per day.
* Don't smoke.
*
* Learn to relax, either by getting more exercise or by reducing stress in your life.
* Limit how much milk or cheese you eat.
* Eat smaller meals more often instead of big meals.
* Keep a record of the foods you eat so you can figure out which foods bring on bouts of IBS.
Common food "triggers" are red peppers, green onions, red wine, wheat, and cow's milk. If you're concerned about getting enough calcium, you can try to get it from other foods, like broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, tofu, yogurt, sardines, salmon with bones, calcium-fortified orange juice and breads, or calcium supplements.

Medications
The following types of drugs are used to treat IBS:
* Bulking agents, such as psyllium, wheat bran, and corn fiber, help slow the movement of food through the digestive system and may also help relieve symptoms.
* Antibiotics, such as rifaximin (Xifaxan), can change the amount of bacteria in your intestines. You take pills for 2 weeks. It can control symptoms for as long as 6 months. If they come back, you can be treated again.

Health Insights: Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a normal emotion. It’s your brain’s way of reacting to stress and alerting you of potential danger ahead.
Everyone feels anxious now and then. For example, you may worry when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision.
Occasional anxiety is OK. But anxiety disorders are different. They’re a group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear. The excessive anxiety can make you avoid work, school, family get-togethers, and other social situations that might trigger or worsen your symptoms.
With treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can manage their feelings.

Causes of Anxiety Disorder
Some causes of anxiety disorders are:
* Genetics. Anxiety disorders can run in families.
* Brain chemistry. Some research suggests anxiety disorders may be linked to faulty circuits in the brain that control fear and emotions.
* Environmental stress. This refers to stressful events you have seen or lived through. Life events often linked to anxiety disorders include childhood abuse and neglect, a death of a loved one, or being attacked or seeing violence.
* Drug withdrawal or misuse. Certain drugs may be used to hide or decrease certain anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorder often goes hand in hand with alcohol and substance use.
* Medical conditions. Some heart, lung, and thyroid conditions can cause symptoms similar to anxiety disorders or make anxiety symptoms worse. It’s important to get a full physical exam to rule out other medical conditions when talking to your doctor about anxiety.

Treatments for anxiety disorder include:
* Medication. Several types of drugs are used to treat anxiety disorders. Talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about the pros and cons of each medicine to decide which one is best for you.
* Antidepressants. Modern antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs) are typically the first drugs prescribed to someone with an anxiety disorder. Examples of SSRIs are escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluoxetine (Prozac). SNRIs include duloxetine (Cymbalta)and venlafaxine (Effexor).
*
* Bupropion. This is another type of antidepressant commonly used to treat chronic anxiety. It works differently than SSRIs and SNRIs.
* Other antidepressants. These include tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). They are less commonly used because side effects, like drops in blood pressure, dry mouth, blurry vision, and urinary retention, can be unpleasant or unsafe for some people.

Health Insights: Heartburn

Heartburn is an irritation of your esophagus, the tube that connects your throat and stomach. This leads to a burning discomfort in your upper belly or chest.
It's caused by acid reflux, which is when your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle doesn't close properly, letting stomach acids back up into your esophagus.
You've probably had heartburn, and it’s usually not serious.
If you have it often, you may have something else called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. If you don't get it treated, GERD can sometimes cause problems, like:
* Inflammation and ulcers in the esophagus
* Hoarseness
* Some types of lung disease
* Barrett's esophagus (when your esophagus is damaged by acid reflux)

Heartburn Symptoms
Heartburn feels like a burning sensation in the middle of your chest and throat. You may also have:
* Burning pain in your chest after you eat or at night
* Pain that worsens when you bend over or lie down
* A hot, acidic, bitter, or salty taste in the back of your throat
* A hard time swallowing
* A feeling of food "stuck" in the middle of your chest or throat

Heartburn Causes
Heartburn symptoms can start when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) valve at the bottom of your esophagus doesn't close correctly.
It should stay closed to keep food and stomach acids in your stomach. When you're eating, your LES opens so food can go into your stomach. Then it closes again. If it doesn't close, even just a little, or if it opens when it shouldn't, stomach acids can go back into your esophagus, causing heartburn pain.
We don't know what causes the LES valve to weaken, but it could be caused by eating big meals too often, if you're overweight, or you have a hiatal hernia (a hernia in your upper stomach that pushes through your diaphragm).

Heartburn Treatment
Usually, you can treat heartburn with over-the-counter medicines, including:
* Antacids counteract the acid in your stomach to ease heartburn pain. They can also sometimes help with stomach pains, indigestion, and gas. Chewing them up really well before you swallow them might give you faster relief. If you use them too often, they can cause side effects, including constipation, diarrhea, a change in the color of your bowel movements, and stomach cramps.
* Acid (H2) blockers like cimetidine (Tagamet) and famotidine (Pepcid) reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. They don't work as fast as antacids, but the effects can last longer.
* Proton pump inhibitors work to reduce stomach acid, too, and include esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and omeprazole (Prilosec OTC).

Selected Health Topic: Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection)

OVERVIEW

Buruli ulcer is a chronic debilitating disease that mainly affects the skin and sometimes bones. First described by Sir Albert Cook in 1897 in Uganda, it was not until the 1930s that Australian scientists led by Peter MacCallum first succeeded in culturing the organism from lesions of patients from the Bairnsdale region. The name Buruli comes from an area of Uganda where many cases were reported in the 1960s. In Africa, about half of the patients are children under 15 years. In Australia, the average age is around 60 years.

Buruli ulcer is caused by Mycobacterium and belongs to the family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy. Although the causative organism of Buruli ulcer is an environmental bacterium, the mode of transmission to humans remains unknown. The organism produces a unique toxin – mycolactone – that causes the damage to the skin. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to minimizing morbidity, costs and prevent long-term disability.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of Buruli ulcer begin with painless nodules and swelling, usually on the arms and legs and sometimes on other parts of the body. These areas can then develop into large ulcers with a white and yellow base. M. ulcerans produces the toxin mycolactone. This has local immunosuppressive properties that enable the disease to progress rapidly with no pain and fever, making early detection difficult. However, if the ulcers are treated quickly, most will heal completely.
If diagnosed late or left untreated, the condition can lead to scarring, permanent disfigurement and disability.
The annual number of suspected Buruli ulcer cases reported globally was around 5000 cases until 2010, when it started to decrease until 2016, reaching its minimum of 1961 cases reported. Since then, then number of cases has started to rise again every year up to 2713 cases in 2018. The reasons for the decline and for the recent increase are not clear.

TREATMENT

Treatment consists of a combination of antibiotics and complementary treatments (under morbidity management and disability prevention/rehabilitation).
Antibiotics:
Current recommendations are rifampicin 10 mg/kg per body weight daily and clarithromycin 7.5 mg/kg per body weight twice daily.
Other interventions
In addition to the antibiotics and depending on the stage of the disease, other interventions such as wound care, lymphoedema management, surgery (mainly debridement and skin grafting to sp*ed up healing) and physiotherapy are needed. Psychological support may also be needed for those with severe disease.
These same interventions are applicable to other neglected tropical diseases, such as leprosy and lymphatic filariasis, so it is important to integrate a long-term care approach into the health system to benefit all patients. The integrated approach to the control of skin related NTDs provides an opportunity to integrate Buruli ulcer detection and its management with these diseases.

SELECTED HEALTH TOPIC: TUBERCULOSIS (TB)

OVERVIEW
TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often affects the lungs. TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit. A person needs to inhale only a few germs to become infected.

Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB). Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year – making it the world’s top infectious killer.

TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.

Most of the people who fall ill with TB live in low- and middle-income countries, but TB is present all over the world. About half of all people with TB can be found in 8 countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa.

About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, but most people will not go on to develop TB disease and some will clear the infection. Those who are infected but not (yet) ill with the disease cannot transmit it.

People infected with TB bacteria have a 5–10% lifetime risk of falling ill with TB. Those with compromised immune systems, such as people living with HIV, malnutrition or diabetes, or people who use to***co, have a higher risk of falling ill.

SYMPTOMS
Common symptoms of TB disease include:

• Prolonged cough

• Chest pain

• Weakness or fatigue

• Weight loss

• Fever

• Night sweats

Often, these symptoms will be mild for many months, thus leading to delays in seeking care and increasing the risk of spreading the infection to others.

If the healthcare provider suspects a patient to have TB disease, they will send the patient for testing. In the case of suspected lung TB disease, patients will be asked to give a sputum sample for testing for TB bacteria. For non-lung TB disease, samples of affected body fluids and tissue can be tested.

SELECTED HEALTH TOPIC: ANAEMIA

OVERVIEW
Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal. Haemoglobin is needed to carry oxygen and if you have too few or abnormal red blood cells, or not enough haemoglobin, there will be a decreased capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. This results in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath, among others. The optimal haemoglobin concentration needed to meet physiologic needs varies by age, s*x, elevation of residence, smoking habits and pregnancy status. The most common causes of anaemia include nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, though deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and A are also important causes; haemoglobinopathies; and infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and parasitic infections.

Anaemia is a serious global public health problem that particularly affects young children and pregnant women. WHO estimates that 42% of children less than 5 years of age and 40% of pregnant women worldwide are anaemic.

SYMPTOMS
Anaemia can cause a range of symptoms including fatigue, weakness, dizziness and drowsiness. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable, with an increased risk of maternal and child mortality. The prevalence of anaemia remains high globally, particularly in low-income settings, where a significant proportion of young children and women of childbearing age can be assumed to be anaemic. Iron deficiency anaemia has also been shown to affect cognitive and physical development in children and reduce productivity in adults.

Anaemia is an indicator of both poor nutrition and poor health. It is problematic on its own, but it can also impact other global nutritional concerns such as stunting and wasting, low birth weight and childhood overweight and obesity due to lack of energy to exercise. School performance in children and reduced work productivity in adults due to anaemia can have further social and economic impacts for the individual and family.