INSTRUCTIONS: Read the text below to answer the following question.

What is fatal familial insomnia?

In the mid-1980s, a family with a mysterious problem lived in a small town in Italy. For many years, members of this family had trouble sleeping, but no one knew why. One day, a family member named Silvano decided to find out what was causing this strange problem. Silvano traveled to the city of Bologna to meet with the best sleep doctors. He told them all about his family’s mystery.

The doctors were intrigued by Silvano’s story and immediately began to study his case. After much research, the doctors discovered something never seen before: a tiny change in a special gene passed down from generation to generation in Silvano’s family, which stopped them from sleeping. They called this disease fatal familial insomnia (FFI).

Fatal familial insomnia is an extremely rare disease. Like many other rare diseases, FFI is passed on through the DNA from parents to their children. The symptoms of FFI start slowly and get worse over time. People with FFI start to have difficulty falling and / or staying asleep, and then, as it gets worse, they may suddenly fall asleep without warning. People with FFI also tend to develop other problems like a fast heartbeat; high blood pressure; hormonal, mood and behavior swings; anxiety; excessive sweating; and trouble thinking clearly and moving their bodies. The symptoms usually start between the ages of 51 and 60, although rarely they can start as early as 18 – 20 years old. FFI affects both men and women equally. To date, more than 70 families around the world have been found to have FFI.

[...]

Although there is still no cure for FFI, research is happening all over the world. Researchers are working to find new pieces to help them solve the complex puzzle of FFI and to develop treatments that can improve the lives of those affected. Ongoing research aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of FFI, especially how genetic mutations change healthy prion proteins into abnormal ones and how the buildup of abnormal prions in the brain causes FFI symptoms. This understanding is essential for developing effective therapies.

Additionally, researchers are searching for biomarkers of FFI. Biomarkers are things that can be measured through blood tests or brain scans, for example, that indicate the presence of a disease or the risk of developing it. Biomarkers could help doctors to diagnose FFI earlier and to track how it changes over time.

In terms of developing therapies for FFI, gene therapy is a promising approach that aims to fix or replace defective genes. Gene therapy could eventually improve patients’ quality of life. Researchers are also studying drugs that might stop or slow down the buildup of PrPSc in the brain. New drugs are first tested on animals to see if they work and are safe, and drugs that pass these initial tests are then tested on people. With effective new medicines, it might be possible to slow down or even stop FFI.

Available at: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2025.1523273. Accessed on: Aug 4th, 2025. [Adapted]

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the text below to answer the following question.

What is fatal familial insomnia?

In the mid-1980s, a family with a mysterious problem lived in a small town in Italy. For many years, members of this family had trouble sleeping, but no one knew why. One day, a family member named Silvano decided to find out what was causing this strange problem. Silvano traveled to the city of Bologna to meet with the best sleep doctors. He told them all about his family’s mystery.

The doctors were intrigued by Silvano’s story and immediately began to study his case. After much research, the doctors discovered something never seen before: a tiny change in a special gene passed down from generation to generation in Silvano’s family, which stopped them from sleeping. They called this disease fatal familial insomnia (FFI).

Fatal familial insomnia is an extremely rare disease. Like many other rare diseases, FFI is passed on through the DNA from parents to their children. The symptoms of FFI start slowly and get worse over time. People with FFI start to have difficulty falling and / or staying asleep, and then, as it gets worse, they may suddenly fall asleep without warning. People with FFI also tend to develop other problems like a fast heartbeat; high blood pressure; hormonal, mood and behavior swings; anxiety; excessive sweating; and trouble thinking clearly and moving their bodies. The symptoms usually start between the ages of 51 and 60, although rarely they can start as early as 18 – 20 years old. FFI affects both men and women equally. To date, more than 70 families around the world have been found to have FFI.

[...]

Although there is still no cure for FFI, research is happening all over the world. Researchers are working to find new pieces to help them solve the complex puzzle of FFI and to develop treatments that can improve the lives of those affected. Ongoing research aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of FFI, especially how genetic mutations change healthy prion proteins into abnormal ones and how the buildup of abnormal prions in the brain causes FFI symptoms. This understanding is essential for developing effective therapies.

Additionally, researchers are searching for biomarkers of FFI. Biomarkers are things that can be measured through blood tests or brain scans, for example, that indicate the presence of a disease or the risk of developing it. Biomarkers could help doctors to diagnose FFI earlier and to track how it changes over time.

In terms of developing therapies for FFI, gene therapy is a promising approach that aims to fix or replace defective genes. Gene therapy could eventually improve patients’ quality of life. Researchers are also studying drugs that might stop or slow down the buildup of PrPSc in the brain. New drugs are first tested on animals to see if they work and are safe, and drugs that pass these initial tests are then tested on people. With effective new medicines, it might be possible to slow down or even stop FFI.

Available at: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2025.1523273. Accessed on: Aug 4th, 2025. [Adapted]

Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater

By Alice Park

Jun 3, 2025

Measles cases in the U.S. have been rare in recent decades, thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program. But a few cases inevitably pop up each year as travelers bring the virus in from other countries and infect unvaccinated people, primarily children.

Those cases are no longer blips. Now that the measles vaccination rate is dropping precipitously across the U.S. – due in part to anti-vaccine sentiments – cases are rising. So far in 2025, 14 outbreaks have been reported in 33 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (By comparison, in 2024, there were just 16 outbreaks reported during the entire year.)

Scientists may now have a new way to catch cases. For the first time, researchers have posted national information on where the measles virus is showing up in wastewater.

Wastewater surveillance is a useful public-health tool because it provides an objective glimpse into where a given virus is causing infections – often before traditional testing methods. For viruses like measles, which infected people shed in urine, feces, or saliva, it can provide a critical heads-up for health officials.

Why wastewater monitoring may be especially useful for measles

Doctors who see patients with measles must report the case to the CDC so the agency can track it and respond to any outbreaks. But it takes time for people to develop symptoms, seek medical care, get tested, and then have their case reported if the test is positive. In addition, the first symptoms of measles are common ones like fever, runny nose, and cough – before the telltale rash appears. Plus, not everyone may get sick enough to know they have measles, so their cases may go unreported. Still others may get sick but not have access to health care and therefore never seek medical help.

Wastewater monitoring bypasses those hurdles and can theoretically catch evidence of the virus much earlier. That could be especially helpful with a highly contagious disease like measles, in which one infected person can quickly spread the virus to as many as 18 others.

This type of tracking for measles is too new to know yet whether it can detect cases in a region before people start testing positive. But wastewater surveillance was able to pick up signs of the Covid-19 virus days or sometimes even weeks before cases began appearing in hospitals and testing labs.

(Adapted from: Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater | TIME)

Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater

By Alice Park

Jun 3, 2025

Measles cases in the U.S. have been rare in recent decades, thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program. But a few cases inevitably pop up each year as travelers bring the virus in from other countries and infect unvaccinated people, primarily children.

Those cases are no longer blips. Now that the measles vaccination rate is dropping precipitously across the U.S. – due in part to anti-vaccine sentiments – cases are rising. So far in 2025, 14 outbreaks have been reported in 33 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (By comparison, in 2024, there were just 16 outbreaks reported during the entire year.)

Scientists may now have a new way to catch cases. For the first time, researchers have posted national information on where the measles virus is showing up in wastewater.

Wastewater surveillance is a useful public-health tool because it provides an objective glimpse into where a given virus is causing infections – often before traditional testing methods. For viruses like measles, which infected people shed in urine, feces, or saliva, it can provide a critical heads-up for health officials.

Why wastewater monitoring may be especially useful for measles

Doctors who see patients with measles must report the case to the CDC so the agency can track it and respond to any outbreaks. But it takes time for people to develop symptoms, seek medical care, get tested, and then have their case reported if the test is positive. In addition, the first symptoms of measles are common ones like fever, runny nose, and cough – before the telltale rash appears. Plus, not everyone may get sick enough to know they have measles, so their cases may go unreported. Still others may get sick but not have access to health care and therefore never seek medical help.

Wastewater monitoring bypasses those hurdles and can theoretically catch evidence of the virus much earlier. That could be especially helpful with a highly contagious disease like measles, in which one infected person can quickly spread the virus to as many as 18 others.

This type of tracking for measles is too new to know yet whether it can detect cases in a region before people start testing positive. But wastewater surveillance was able to pick up signs of the Covid-19 virus days or sometimes even weeks before cases began appearing in hospitals and testing labs.

(Adapted from: Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater | TIME)

Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater

By Alice Park

Jun 3, 2025

Measles cases in the U.S. have been rare in recent decades, thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program. But a few cases inevitably pop up each year as travelers bring the virus in from other countries and infect unvaccinated people, primarily children.

Those cases are no longer blips. Now that the measles vaccination rate is dropping precipitously across the U.S. – due in part to anti-vaccine sentiments – cases are rising. So far in 2025, 14 outbreaks have been reported in 33 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (By comparison, in 2024, there were just 16 outbreaks reported during the entire year.)

Scientists may now have a new way to catch cases. For the first time, researchers have posted national information on where the measles virus is showing up in wastewater.

Wastewater surveillance is a useful public-health tool because it provides an objective glimpse into where a given virus is causing infections – often before traditional testing methods. For viruses like measles, which infected people shed in urine, feces, or saliva, it can provide a critical heads-up for health officials.

Why wastewater monitoring may be especially useful for measles

Doctors who see patients with measles must report the case to the CDC so the agency can track it and respond to any outbreaks. But it takes time for people to develop symptoms, seek medical care, get tested, and then have their case reported if the test is positive. In addition, the first symptoms of measles are common ones like fever, runny nose, and cough – before the telltale rash appears. Plus, not everyone may get sick enough to know they have measles, so their cases may go unreported. Still others may get sick but not have access to health care and therefore never seek medical help.

Wastewater monitoring bypasses those hurdles and can theoretically catch evidence of the virus much earlier. That could be especially helpful with a highly contagious disease like measles, in which one infected person can quickly spread the virus to as many as 18 others.

This type of tracking for measles is too new to know yet whether it can detect cases in a region before people start testing positive. But wastewater surveillance was able to pick up signs of the Covid-19 virus days or sometimes even weeks before cases began appearing in hospitals and testing labs.

(Adapted from: Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater | TIME)

The lingering threat of long-haul Covid

By Henry I. Miller

August 5, 2025

Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, and neither has its long shadow.

Surviving a severe case of Covid may put you in the same cardiovascular danger zone as someone with a long history of heart trouble.

Recent data from the California Department of Public Health show that the virus is surging again. Yet, even as case numbers rise, much of the public — and some policymakers — continue to minimize the virus’s effect, dismissing it as “just a cold.” But Covid is often far more than a mild, short-lived illness. One of its most serious and poorly understood consequences is long Covid, a complex syndrome that can affect multiple organs and persist long after the initial infection.

First identified by patients, long Covid refers to a broad constellation of symptoms that linger for weeks or months after the virus clears. These can affect virtually every system in the body, but especially the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Heart disease has long been the leading cause of death in the United States, but Covid appears to be adding a new layer of risk — even for people without traditional risk factors.

A study from academic researchers, drawing on data from Britain, tracked more than 250,000 individuals who tested positive for Covid in 2020. Even three years later, those infected faced double the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death compared to those who never tested positive, and this elevated risk did not diminish with time.

Worse still, individuals who had severe Covid requiring hospitalization were found to have a four- to seven-fold increase in their risk of serious cardiovascular events. That level of risk rivals that of people with coronary artery disease. In other words, surviving a severe case of Covid may put you in the same cardiovascular danger zone as someone with a long history of heart trouble.

The neurological effects of long Covid are no less troubling. Patients commonly report “brain fog,” memory lapses, difficulties concentrating, sensory hypersensitivities and extreme fatigue. Others develop more serious issues like dysautonomia — a disorder of the autonomic nervous system — or peripheral neuropathy.

Long Covid is unpredictable, but certain patterns are emerging. Women appear to be disproportionately affected, and people with pre-existing conditions or particular genetic markers may be more susceptible. Importantly, vaccination reduces — but does not eliminate — the risk of developing long Covid, primarily by preventing severe disease. However, some cases arise after mild or even asymptomatic infections.

Despite the millions affected, long Covid still lacks effective treatments. Clinical trials are under way, but the variability of symptoms and absence of clear diagnostic markers make it difficult to match patients with the right therapies. Tailored approaches that consider individual immune responses and organ-specific symptoms will likely be necessary.

In the meantime, patients often face a frustrating gauntlet of medical skepticism, inconsistent care, and social isolation. The National Academies report underscores the need for a compassionate, inclusive approach that takes patient experiences seriously, even in the absence of definitive lab tests.

Long Covid is not just a lingering after-effect; it is a scientific frontier. It exposes the limitations of our current medical model, which is often focused on acute illness rather than long-term, systemic dysfunction.

Researchers and clinicians must seize this moment to examine closely post-viral conditions and the broader links among infection, inflammation and chronic disease.

(Disponível em: https://riverreporter.com)

The lingering threat of long-haul Covid

By Henry I. Miller

August 5, 2025

Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, and neither has its long shadow.

Surviving a severe case of Covid may put you in the same cardiovascular danger zone as someone with a long history of heart trouble.

Recent data from the California Department of Public Health show that the virus is surging again. Yet, even as case numbers rise, much of the public — and some policymakers — continue to minimize the virus’s effect, dismissing it as “just a cold.” But Covid is often far more than a mild, short-lived illness. One of its most serious and poorly understood consequences is long Covid, a complex syndrome that can affect multiple organs and persist long after the initial infection.

First identified by patients, long Covid refers to a broad constellation of symptoms that linger for weeks or months after the virus clears. These can affect virtually every system in the body, but especially the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Heart disease has long been the leading cause of death in the United States, but Covid appears to be adding a new layer of risk — even for people without traditional risk factors.

A study from academic researchers, drawing on data from Britain, tracked more than 250,000 individuals who tested positive for Covid in 2020. Even three years later, those infected faced double the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death compared to those who never tested positive, and this elevated risk did not diminish with time.

Worse still, individuals who had severe Covid requiring hospitalization were found to have a four- to seven-fold increase in their risk of serious cardiovascular events. That level of risk rivals that of people with coronary artery disease. In other words, surviving a severe case of Covid may put you in the same cardiovascular danger zone as someone with a long history of heart trouble.

The neurological effects of long Covid are no less troubling. Patients commonly report “brain fog,” memory lapses, difficulties concentrating, sensory hypersensitivities and extreme fatigue. Others develop more serious issues like dysautonomia — a disorder of the autonomic nervous system — or peripheral neuropathy.

Long Covid is unpredictable, but certain patterns are emerging. Women appear to be disproportionately affected, and people with pre-existing conditions or particular genetic markers may be more susceptible. Importantly, vaccination reduces — but does not eliminate — the risk of developing long Covid, primarily by preventing severe disease. However, some cases arise after mild or even asymptomatic infections.

Despite the millions affected, long Covid still lacks effective treatments. Clinical trials are under way, but the variability of symptoms and absence of clear diagnostic markers make it difficult to match patients with the right therapies. Tailored approaches that consider individual immune responses and organ-specific symptoms will likely be necessary.

In the meantime, patients often face a frustrating gauntlet of medical skepticism, inconsistent care, and social isolation. The National Academies report underscores the need for a compassionate, inclusive approach that takes patient experiences seriously, even in the absence of definitive lab tests.

Long Covid is not just a lingering after-effect; it is a scientific frontier. It exposes the limitations of our current medical model, which is often focused on acute illness rather than long-term, systemic dysfunction.

Researchers and clinicians must seize this moment to examine closely post-viral conditions and the broader links among infection, inflammation and chronic disease.

(Disponível em: https://riverreporter.com)