We all know that some viruses make us sick, like norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea; rhinovirus, which causes the common cold; and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But how do these viruses make us sick? What happens when a virus gets into the body? Our bodies are made up of billions of microscopic building blocks, called cells. On the outside of our cells, there are tiny parts that stick out. Those tiny parts are made of proteins that act like a lock on a door. If you have the right “key” for the “lock,” then you can get into the cell. Some virus cells can have tiny parts that stick out on their outsides, too. Those tiny parts can work like a “false key” that can fit the “lock” to some types of our bodies’ cells. It’s not an exact ...
Clinical trials can have big benefits. They help researchers learn more to help slow, manage, and treat Alzheimer’s and cancer for ourselves and our abuelos, moms, dads, and others we love. So then why don't many Latinos join? To address this issue, you’re invited to join our Zoom webinar — Why Should I Think about Joining a Clinical Trial? — at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Webinar speakers Dr. Adolfo Diaz Duque of UT Health San Antonio and Dr. Bárbara Segarra-Vázquez of the University of Puerto Rico will help health care professionals and the Latino public understand clinical trial processes, explore trials as treatment options, and share testimonials of real Latinos who have benefited from trials. Panelists will also cover the barriers that prevent ...
Los estudios clínicos pueden tener grandes beneficios. Ayudan a los investigadores a aprender más para ayudar a demorar, controlar y tratar el Alzheimer y el cáncer, para nosotros y nuestros abuelos, madres, padres y otras personas que amamos. Entonces, ¿por qué no muchos latinos participan en los estudios clínicos? Para abordar este problema, le invitamos a ver nuestro seminario web (Webinar) vía Zoom: ¿Por qué debería pensar en participar en un estudio clínico? — a las 6 p.m. CT el miércoles 17 de agosto de 2022. Los panelistas del seminario web, el Dr. Adolfo Díaz Duque de UT Health San Antonio y la Dra. Bárbara Segarra-Vázquez de la Universidad de Puerto Rico ayudarán a los profesionales de salud y al público latino a entender los procesos de los ...
Ventilation is the movement of air in and out of spaces. Good ventilation can help remove things from the air that we don’t want to breathe in, such as chemicals and dust – and small virus particles released by someone who is infected with a respiratory virus, like SARS-CoV-2. “The fewer virus particles in the air, the less likely you are to breathe them in, or that the virus particles will land on your eyes or a surface that you might touch,” said Dr. Abigail Carlson, an infectious diseases physician with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), as part of CDC Project Firstline’s Inside Infection Control video series.
The Importance of Air Changes
Good ventilation involves air changes, which means that the air in a room is replaced with new or filtered ...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools had the flexibility to offer school meals free to all public-school students. Now, some of this flexibility is expiring and many schools can only serve free meals to certain students starting this 2022-2023 school year, according to the USDA. “As we all get through this change, we ask everyone to be patient with school nutrition professionals and thank them for working to help children during such a tough time. The [USDA] and the Biden-Harris Administration fully support the school leaders and school meal heroes running the school meals programs,” according to the USDA. For Latino students, whose families often face wage gaps and nutrition insecurity, these changes could have a significant impact. Here is what these recent ...
Ever heard of donating biospecimens for research? When a person donates biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent medical conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's. Biospecimens are especially needed from Latinos, who suffer health disparities. "Latinos who donate biospecimens are heroes. Their contributions enable researchers to make medical discoveries and build new therapies to help millions of Latinos across the nation," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the Salud America! Latino health equity program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
What are Biospecimens?
Biospecimens are materials from the human ...
Cuando una persona dona muestras biológicas o biospecímenes—sangre, líquido, o muestras de tejido—le da a los investigadores la oportunidad de entender, tratar y prevenir de una mejor manera, condiciones médicas desde el cáncer hasta el Alzheimer. Se necesitan de manera especial muestras biológicas de latinos, quienes sufren disparidades de salud. “Los latinos que donan muestras biológicas son héroes. Sus contribuciones permiten a los investigadores hacer descubrimientos médicos y crear terapias nuevas para ayudar a millones de latinos en todo el país”, dijo la Dra. Amelie G. Ramirez, líder de Salud America! programa latino de equidad en salud del Institute for Health Promotion Research en el Department of Population Health Sciences, de UT Health San ...
A respirator keeps you from breathing in particles in the air that might hurt you, like germs, dust, and chemicals. In healthcare, we use respirators when we think we’re going to be in a situation when we could breathe in air that’s carrying infectious particles – like viruses.
Air-Purifying Respirators
There are different types of respirators available in healthcare. Air-purifying respirators work by using filters, or canisters or cartridges, to remove dangerous things from the air that you could breathe in. There are many types of air-purifying respirators. Healthcare workers often use a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR), which fit snugly against the face and cover the mouth and nose. The most common type of FFR used in healthcare is the N95 respirator – more ...
Many vaccines, including the current vaccines for COVID-19, come in small bottles with more than one dose inside. These are known as multiple-dose, or “multi-dose” vials, and can be used to vaccinate more than one patient.
Multi-Dose Vials and Infection Control
Multi-dose vials are more likely to become contaminated compared to single-dose vials, and therefore require important injection safety actions. “Multi-dose vials are more likely to get dirty because you’re putting a needle into that bottle many times to pull out each dose for each separate vaccine,” said Dr. Abigail Carlson, an infectious diseases physician with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), as part of CDC Project Firstline’s Inside Infection Control video series. If the vial gets ...
