Ever wondered how your health insurance fund's budget behaves with the economy? Let's zoom in on the Czech Republic, where the health care system is largely funded through Statutory Health Insurance. This scheme relies heavily on contributions from both employees and employers, which are based on wa
Imagine having trouble seeing out of one eye suddenly. You might think it's just a temporary thing, but doctors now suggest that a serious condition could be hidden behind it. This condition is called acute retinal artery ischemia. It's when the blood supply to the eye gets cut off, leading to visio
You might know that pharmacists are vital in clinics and wards, but did you know they could do even more in operating theatres? These experts deal with lots of medicines that are both risky and expensive. If pharmacists stepped in, they could make sure these medicines are used in the best way possib
Scientists have uncovered an interesting discovery: a compound from cannabis called CBD might protect kidneys from harm caused by certain traditional Chinese medicines. Let's break down how they figured this out. First off, there's a nasty substance called Aristolochic Acid I (AAI) in some traditio
Believe it or not, trash can be a big problem when it comes to greenhouse gases. In China, people are turning to incinerators to deal with municipal solid waste, or MSW. Researchers decided to take a closer look at two incinerators in Qingdao. They found that Plant A released 56. 55 kilograms of CO2
Imagine trying to solve a puzzle where you need to match the right pieces together. In the world of genetics, this is called phasing—figuring out which genes on chromosome pairs go together. This process is crucial for diagnosing and treating certain skin diseases, like recessive dystrophic epidermo
Scientists explored how fluorine atoms and piperazine rings affect the toxicity of norfloxacin (NOR) and its degradation products (NOR-DPs). They used UV light and hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) to break down NOR into eight smaller pieces (P1-P8). Interestingly, the toxicity levels against various cell
Clinical trials are a big deal when it comes to checking if new vaccines or medicines are safe and work as they should. These trials are tricky and take a lot of time. They need the help of government officials, trial sites, researchers, and the whole health system. In recent years, many of these tr
You might think setting the price for COVID-19 vaccines is simple. But it's not. The World Health Organization (WHO) wants these vaccines to be like a global public good – available and affordable to everyone. That's a tall order, especially with two big players, Pfizer and Moderna, in the U. S. mar
Let's dive into the effectiveness of Enfortumab Vedotin (EV) in tackling advanced urothelial carcinoma (a severe form of bladder cancer) in the real world. EV is a unique drug that combines two powerful actions: it targets the nectin-4 protein found in cancer cells and disrupts their structure by in
