Health Highlights: March 15, 2018

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

People at Three U.S. Airports May Have Been Exposed to Measles

Two international travelers with measles may have exposed people at airports in Detroit, Newark, N.J., and Memphis to the highly contagious disease, health officials say.

The potential exposures occurred March 6 at the North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and March 12 at terminals B and C of Newark Liberty International Airport and at Memphis International Airport, USA Today reported.

People exposed on March 6 could develop symptoms as late as next week, and those exposed on March 12 could develop symptoms as late as April 2, according to health officials.

Anyone who was in customs or baggage claim in Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s North Terminal between 2 and 5 p.m. on March 6 “should seek medical attention from their primary care provider if they develop symptoms of the disease,” Michigan health officials said in a news release.

But they added that these people should call the doctor first, because a person with measles sitting in a reception area can infect others, USA Today reported.

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Process Preserves Brain for Future Upload

If you want to preserve your brain so that it can be uploaded in the future, you have to die first.

A U.S. company called Nectome has developed a process called “aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation”, which results in the brain essentially being turned into glass (vitrifixed), according to The Guardian newspaper in the U.K.

The process successfully preserved a rabbit’s brain in 2016 and a pig’s brain in 2018.

So far, 25 people have paid a $10,000 deposit to get on the waiting list for the process. But for the procedure to preserve a brain well enough for the possibility of future successful revival or upload, the person has to die.

The blood flow to the patient’s brain would be replaced with embalming chemicals that preserve the neuronal structure, resulting in death, The Guardian reported.

Nectome believes its service is legal in California and other U.S. states that have strong “death with dignity” laws, but doesn’t think it will begin carrying out the procedure on people until about 2021.

Potential customers might also want to know that the company currently doesn’t have a method to revive or upload preserved brains, The Guardian reported.

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