#vegetative state

Anybody who hasn't gotten the MMR vaccine needs to get it ASAP.

Thanks to anti-vaxxing pseudoscience propaganda, there's a measles outbreak in Texas – as well as smaller outbreaks where clusters of conspiracy freaks discourage vaccinations.

Some people who haven't paid attention to medicine for the past 60 years may dismiss it as just a "childhood disease". But measles can be a lot worse than just spots and a fever. Measles can kill you.

Measles outbreaks spark concern over rare 'horrific' neurological disorder

Pediatricians and scientists say they are also watching for extremely rare neurological conditions that can occur even years after children who've had measles recover from it. [ ... ] On Friday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 712 cases of measles so far this year in 25 jurisdictions, including Texas and New Mexico. In Gaines County, Texas, the centre of the outbreak, measles counts on Friday rose to 355, up from the 328 reported on Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. The federal agency said 97 per cent of U.S. measles cases are individuals who are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. [ ... ] The measles virus causes a high fever, but it also suppresses the immune system.  "The lining of the airway gets affected and it becomes an ineffective barrier," [Dr. Michelle] Barton said. "In the face of this virus, which is very what we call immunosuppressive, you can end up with pneumonia." She noted that ear and other secondary infections are also common. [ ... ] More serious complications include swelling of the brain or encephalitis in about one in 1,000 cases, which can lead to drowsiness, confusion and seizures that resolve, Barton and [Dr. Dele] Davies said.  While they are extremely rare, long-term neurological problems can occur even after a young child has recovered from measles.  Barton says the measles virus itself stays at a low level in the brain and can wake up six to 10 years later as a devastating disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. [ ... ] Immunologist Dawn Bowdish, a professor of medicine at McMaster University, says the measles virus has mutations that allow it to hide out from the immune system, then move from neuron to neuron where the parts of the brain required for cognition and movement can be damaged.  "It starts with challenges in learning or memory," Bowdish said. "They don't reach their full intellectual potential …  something no parent wants for their child." Those with SSPE can have seizures. Medical experts say that in almost all cases, the disorder progresses until the patient is in a vegetative state, and it eventually ends in death.

The anti-vax conspiracy crazies falsely claim that the MMR vaccine causes autism. Yet they haven't been able to point to a single case of autism caused by the vaccine.

Let us introduce to you, ladies and women: Jakkupuku!

Our very own Cinderella Jack. She's just starting her third week from planting, and she's always been up and going since we germinated the seed! A very potent girl...💅

Define *life*. 

What does it mean to be *alive*?

[18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose FDG-PET images acquired during baseline (on the left, pre-VNS) and 3 months post vagus nerve stimulation (on the right, post-VNS). After vagus nerve stimulation, the metabolism increased in the right parieto-occipital cortex, thalamus and striatum.Credit: Corazzol et al.  

A 35-year-old man who had been in a vegetative state for 15 years after a car accident has shown signs of consciousness after neurosurgeons implanted a vagus nerve stimulator into his chest. The findings reported in Current Biology on September 25 show that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) -- a treatment already in use for epilepsy and depression -- can help to restore consciousness even after many years in a vegetative state.

The outcome challenges the general belief that disorders of consciousness that persist for longer than 12 months are irreversible, the researchers say.

By stimulating the vagus nerve, we show that "it is possible to improve a patient's presence in the world," says Angela Sirigu of Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod in Lyon, France.

The vagus nerve connects the brain to many other parts of the body, including the gut. It's known to be important in waking, alertness, and many other essential functions. To test the ability of VNS to restore consciousness, the researchers, led by Sirigu and clinicians lead by Jacques Luauté, wanted to select a difficult case to ensure that any improvements couldn't be explained by chance. They looked to a patient who had been lying in a vegetative state for more than a decade with no sign of improvement.

After one month of vagal nerve stimulation, the patient's attention, movements and brain activity significantly improved, they report. The man began responding to simple orders that had been impossible before. For example, he could follow an object with his eyes and turn his head upon request. His mother reported an improved ability to stay awake when listening to his therapist reading a book.

Around the turn of the century, medicine defined a specific state of human consciousness: the minimally conscious state (MCS). MCS is distinct from the vegetative state (VS) because patients with this level of brain function are (just) consciously aware. The degree of consciousness in such patients fluctuates, and this variability can complicate the issue of whether or not to withdraw clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH). In cases where the next of kin and medical practitioners disagree on whether to continue CANH, decisions are usually made using a ‘balance sheet’ approach – i.e. weighing up factors, including the individual’s potential for recovery, their quality of life, the next of kin’s wishes, medical advice, and the resources available to maintain sustainable treatment. Decision making in this complex area can be problematic: not all judges use a balanced approach, and when they do, the rulings can be inconsistent or follow an unclear thought process.

A recent article on this issue has attempted to categorise the overarching legal and ethical issues facing CANH withdrawal for MCS patients, and to classify the various elements that go into judicial decisions. Deference to expert medical opinion often exists in such cases, even when family or friends articulate the patient’s pre-injury values and beliefs, which may contradict this opinion. Judges in these cases also often appear unclear as to how much weight to assign different ethical elements.

The authors suggest a framework for such cases, which compels decision-makers to consider all of the elements, both general and specific, involved in each decision. This framework prioritises the interests of the individual as the central factor for deciding whether to withdraw CANH from MCS patients. Such a structured legal framework aims to foster a more holistic, uniform approach to these cases, introducing consistency and clarity into decisions which dictate (minimally conscious) life or death.