Strategic considerations on developing a CHIKV vaccine and ensuring equitable access for countries in need.

Chikungunya is an arboviral disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) afflicting tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide. It has been identified as a priority pathogen by the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and as an emerging infectious disease (EID) necessitating further action as soon as possible by the World Health Organization (WHO). Recent studies suggest that disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to CHIKV infection are as high as 106,089 DALYs lost globally.

The Immunobiology of Nipah Virus.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly lethal zoonotic paramyxovirus that emerged in Malaysia in 1998. It is a human pathogen capable of causing severe respiratory infection and encephalitis. The natural reservoir of NiV, Pteropus fruit bats, remains a continuous virus source for future outbreaks, although infection in the bats is largely asymptomatic.

Prevalence of Somatosensory Tinnitus in Veterans With Tinnitus.

Objectives: The primary objective was to estimate the prevalence of somatosensory tinnitus (ST) among Veterans with tinnitus.

Design: Three hundred four Veterans with tinnitus were phone screened for ST by performing and reporting on a series of head/neck/jaw maneuvers. A random sample of 12 individuals who screened positive and five who screened negative attended an in-person visit to confirm the presence/absence of ST.

Medical countermeasures against henipaviruses: a review and public health perspective.

Henipaviruses, including Nipah virus, are regarded as pathogens of notable epidemic potential because of their high pathogenicity and the paucity of specific medical countermeasures to control infections in humans. We review the evidence of medical countermeasures against henipaviruses and project their cost in a post-COVID-19 era. Given the sporadic and unpredictable nature of henipavirus outbreaks, innovative strategies will be needed to circumvent the infeasibility of traditional phase 3 clinical trial regulatory pathways.

Improving tinnitus with mechanical treatment of the cervical spine and jaw.

Background: Tinnitus affects approximately 30-50 million Americans. In approximately 0.5-1.

Vertigo as a migraine phenomenon.

Migraine is a complex disorder with many different manifestations. There has been an increasing interest in the association of migraine and vertigo. Many different terms have been developed to describe this concept, the more popular being vestibular migraine, migrainous vertigo, and migraine-associated vertigo.

Role of greater occipital nerve blocks and trigger point injections for patients with dizziness and headache.

Background: The trigeminocervical system is integral in cervicogenic headache. Cervicogenic headache frequently coexists with complaints of dizziness, tinnitus, nausea, imbalance, hearing complaints, and ear/eye pain. Controversy exists as to whether this constellation of symptoms may be cervically mediated.

Tinnitus: patients do not have to 'just live with it'.

Tinnitus is distressing and affects the quality of life for many patients. Because primary care physicians may be the entry point for patients seeking help for tinnitus, we urge them to acknowledge this symptom and its potential negative impact on the patient's health and quality of life. Physicians should actively listen to the patient and provide hope and encouragement, but also provide realistic expectations about the course of treatment.

Acute treatment of basilar-type migraine with greater occipital nerve blockade.

Basilar-type migraine (BTM) precludes use of migraine-specific medications such as triptans and ergots based on concerns originating from the vascular theory of migraine, although data supporting this contraindication are lacking. Availability of effective treatments for acute BTM is limited. We report a case of BTM aborted with greater occipital nerve (GON) blockade given in the setting of prominent suboccipital tenderness.

Canalith repositioning for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of canalith repositioning maneuvers (Semont, Epley, and modified maneuvers) in the treatment of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in comparison to the rate of resolution in the untreated control cohort.

Data Sources: Source articles were identified by a MEDLINE search of English language sources before 2004 plus manual crosschecks of bibliographies from identified articles, selected national meeting abstracts, review article references, and textbook chapters.

Study Selection: Each controlled trial that compared canalith repositioning patients to untreated control subjects in posterior canal benign positional vertigo (blinded and unblinded) was reviewed for inclusion.