Jan 25, 2022 03:53 AM
(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2022 06:15 PM by C C.)
Death during sex isn’t just something that happens to middle-aged men, new study finds
https://theconversation.com/death-during...nds-175293
EXCERPTS: . . . people sometimes die during or shortly after sex. The incidence is, thankfully, extremely low and accounts for 0.6% of all cases of sudden death.
There are many reasons why this happens to people. In most cases, it is caused by the physical strain of the sexual activity, or prescription drugs (drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, for example), or illegal drugs, such as cocaine – or both.
The risk of any sudden cardiac death is higher as people age... [...] Recently, however, researchers at St George’s, University of London, found that this phenomenon is not just limited to middle-aged men. The study ... is published in JAMA Cardiology...
[...] In half of the cases (53%), the heart was found to be structurally normal and a sudden abnormal heart rhythm called sudden arrhythmic death syndrome or SADS was the cause of death. Aortic dissection was the second largest cause (12%). ... The remaining cases were due to structural anomalies such as cardiomyopathy ... or from a rare group of genetic conditions known as channelopathies... (MORE - missing details)
‘Stealth Omicron’: Everything about the new BA.2 sub-lineage of Covid-19 virus
https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/n...u-9236659/
EXCERPTS: A new sub-variant of the Covid-19 virus - nicknamed ‘Stealth Omicron’ - is being investigated by health authorities and monitored by the Cambridge-led COG-UK Consortium.
It is thought BA.2, as it is formally known, could prove harder to detect and may spread even more rapidly than the original Omicron strain which emerged late last year. It has now been designated a variant under investigation by the UK Health Security Agency.
With England about to remove some of its final Plan B restrictions, we take a look at what the experts have said so far.
[...] According to the World Health Organization, while the original BA.1 Omicron variant remains the dominant strain, BA.2 is increasing in the UK alongside other countries including India, South Africa, Sweden, Singapore and Denmark and could even be outpacing the original strain now in some places.
[...] because this strain cannot be identified using a simple PCR test and can only be spotted using whole genome sequencing - the actual number is likely to be a lot higher.
[...] The UKHSA says early analysis suggests that BA.2 compared to BA.1 does have 'an increased growth rate' but that further investigation is needed to find out what impact it has on someone's actual illness and that is taking place now.
While increased transmission has the potential to lead to greater disruption if growing numbers of people report sickness and isolation, just as we saw with Omicron's first wave which is thought to have now peaked, whether the new strain causes more serious illness is currently unclear.
But because BA.2 cannot be identified using a simple PCR test, unlike its relation BA.1, work must be done to ensure no large rise in cases or more serious illness is going undetected.
Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 incident director at UKHSA, explained: “It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it’s to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate.” (MORE - missing details)
https://theconversation.com/death-during...nds-175293
EXCERPTS: . . . people sometimes die during or shortly after sex. The incidence is, thankfully, extremely low and accounts for 0.6% of all cases of sudden death.
There are many reasons why this happens to people. In most cases, it is caused by the physical strain of the sexual activity, or prescription drugs (drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, for example), or illegal drugs, such as cocaine – or both.
The risk of any sudden cardiac death is higher as people age... [...] Recently, however, researchers at St George’s, University of London, found that this phenomenon is not just limited to middle-aged men. The study ... is published in JAMA Cardiology...
[...] In half of the cases (53%), the heart was found to be structurally normal and a sudden abnormal heart rhythm called sudden arrhythmic death syndrome or SADS was the cause of death. Aortic dissection was the second largest cause (12%). ... The remaining cases were due to structural anomalies such as cardiomyopathy ... or from a rare group of genetic conditions known as channelopathies... (MORE - missing details)
‘Stealth Omicron’: Everything about the new BA.2 sub-lineage of Covid-19 virus
https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/n...u-9236659/
EXCERPTS: A new sub-variant of the Covid-19 virus - nicknamed ‘Stealth Omicron’ - is being investigated by health authorities and monitored by the Cambridge-led COG-UK Consortium.
It is thought BA.2, as it is formally known, could prove harder to detect and may spread even more rapidly than the original Omicron strain which emerged late last year. It has now been designated a variant under investigation by the UK Health Security Agency.
With England about to remove some of its final Plan B restrictions, we take a look at what the experts have said so far.
[...] According to the World Health Organization, while the original BA.1 Omicron variant remains the dominant strain, BA.2 is increasing in the UK alongside other countries including India, South Africa, Sweden, Singapore and Denmark and could even be outpacing the original strain now in some places.
[...] because this strain cannot be identified using a simple PCR test and can only be spotted using whole genome sequencing - the actual number is likely to be a lot higher.
[...] The UKHSA says early analysis suggests that BA.2 compared to BA.1 does have 'an increased growth rate' but that further investigation is needed to find out what impact it has on someone's actual illness and that is taking place now.
While increased transmission has the potential to lead to greater disruption if growing numbers of people report sickness and isolation, just as we saw with Omicron's first wave which is thought to have now peaked, whether the new strain causes more serious illness is currently unclear.
But because BA.2 cannot be identified using a simple PCR test, unlike its relation BA.1, work must be done to ensure no large rise in cases or more serious illness is going undetected.
Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 incident director at UKHSA, explained: “It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it’s to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate.” (MORE - missing details)