It has been a stuff of science fiction, compressing something to microscopic size and making it travel with blood flow in the human body. In the film Fantastic Voyage, a underwater vehicle was shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the blood vessels.
Now, a team headed by Moshe Shoham of Haifa’s Technion has created a propulsion system for a miniature robot to travel through the spinal canal, powering through cerebrospinal fluid, reports livescience.com. Shoham is also the primary developer of the SpineAssist robot to aid surgeons in performing delicate spinal procedures. The requirements for a robot that moves through body cavities are strict; it must be small enough to move through the body and it must have apropulsion system that is flexible enough to work.
Devices like the PillCam, a pill-shaped camera that is swallowed to picture the complete digestive tract, are moved along by the body’s own peristalsis, and do not need their own propulsion system. “The first location we’re targeting is the spinal canal—which means the device will travel through the cerebral spinal fluid (CSS) which is clear and similar to water. It doesn’t flow too fast, but it needs propulsion,” said Shoham.
“Now we have the propulsion system, but we still don’t have the actual payload —whether it’s a camera from images, or a subsystem which would take a biopsy — that’s still in the development stage.” The robot would in essence be a freeswimming endoscope; a robot with two actuators — swimming tails — that will have a camera in the head to broadcast images to the physician outside. “This is a unique swimming mechanism that is adapted to tiny sizes and, with very low power consumption”, the Technion researchers explain. “In the future, we hope that the robot will also be able to perform biopsies and release medications for local treatment.”
Shoham estimates that it will takeseveral more years to complete the design of the robot’s payload and to further miniaturise the design. He remarks: “I believe that in the future there will be micro-robots that will be permanently implanted in our bodies and will be able to navigate to problematic points. This is a step up for micro-penetration into the human body.”
Waltz your way to a healthier heart
Johann Strauss Jr died in 1899 at age 73 of pneumonia, not a heart attack, and that may be due to his “Blue Danube Waltz” and his many other heart-healthy waltzes. Did that make Strauss the Richard Simmons of the 19th century? Well, maybe not, but Italian researchers have come up with a novel way for cardiac rehabilitation patients to exercise hearts without having to squeeze into spandex or gyrate in a gym: waltzing.
The dance proved to be just as effective as bicycle and treadmill training for improving exercise capacity in a study of 110 heart failure patients. Dancers also reported slightly more improvement in sleep, mood, and the ability to do hobbies, do housework and have sex than the others. “This may be a more effective way of getting people to exercise, and may be more fun than running on a treadmill,” said Robert Bonow, cardiology chief at Northwestern University School of Medicine. “Maybe we should try here. I’m not sure we can get Americans to waltz, but they can certainly dance.”
Exercise is crucial after people suffer heart problems, but getting people to stick with it is tough. As many as 70% drop out of traditional programmes, said Romualdo Belardinelli, director of cardiac rehabilitation at Lancisi Heart Institute in Ancona, Italy. “We have to find something that may capture the patients’ interest,” he said at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago where he presented results of his study. They chose waltzing because it is “internationally known” and is quite aerobic, as the study ultimately verified, he said.
Even 30 minutes delay can hike death risk by 42%
Hundreds of hospitals around the country are joining the most ambitious project ever undertaken to give faster emergency room care to people suffering major heart attacks. Fewer than one-third of such patients now get their blocked arteries reopened within 90 minutes of arrival, as guidelines recommend. The risk of dying goes up 42% if care is delayed even half an hour longer.
“There’s a very, very large opportunity here to improve patient care,” said John Brush, heart specialist who helped the American College of Cardiology design the new project. Major medical groups and government agencies have endorsed the project, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, whose director, Elizabeth Nabel, called it the biggest heart care initiative since paramedics were trained to do CPR.
It targets heart attacks caused by a total or near-total blockage of a major artery that prevents enough oxygen from reaching the heart tissue. About a third of the 10 million worldwide are of this type. The preferred remedy is angioplasty, in which doctors snake a tube through a blood vessel in the groin to the blockage. A tiny balloon is inflated to flatten the crud, and a mesh scaffold called a stent usually is placed to prop the artery open. Guidelines have long called for a “doorto-balloon” time of 90 minutes, “but we just haven’t engineered our ERs to cut out some of these steps that aren’t needed” and cause delays, Nabel said.
The dance proved to be just as effective as bicycle and treadmill training for improving exercise capacity in a study of 110 heart failure patients. Dancers also reported slightly more improvement in sleep, mood, and the ability to do hobbies, do housework and have sex than the others. “This may be a more effective way of getting people to exercise, and may be more fun than running on a treadmill,” said Robert Bonow, cardiology chief at Northwestern University School of Medicine. “Maybe we should try here. I’m not sure we can get Americans to waltz, but they can certainly dance.”
Exercise is crucial after people suffer heart problems, but getting people to stick with it is tough. As many as 70% drop out of traditional programmes, said Romualdo Belardinelli, director of cardiac rehabilitation at Lancisi Heart Institute in Ancona, Italy. “We have to find something that may capture the patients’ interest,” he said at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago where he presented results of his study. They chose waltzing because it is “internationally known” and is quite aerobic, as the study ultimately verified, he said.
Even 30 minutes delay can hike death risk by 42%
Hundreds of hospitals around the country are joining the most ambitious project ever undertaken to give faster emergency room care to people suffering major heart attacks. Fewer than one-third of such patients now get their blocked arteries reopened within 90 minutes of arrival, as guidelines recommend. The risk of dying goes up 42% if care is delayed even half an hour longer.
“There’s a very, very large opportunity here to improve patient care,” said John Brush, heart specialist who helped the American College of Cardiology design the new project. Major medical groups and government agencies have endorsed the project, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, whose director, Elizabeth Nabel, called it the biggest heart care initiative since paramedics were trained to do CPR.
It targets heart attacks caused by a total or near-total blockage of a major artery that prevents enough oxygen from reaching the heart tissue. About a third of the 10 million worldwide are of this type. The preferred remedy is angioplasty, in which doctors snake a tube through a blood vessel in the groin to the blockage. A tiny balloon is inflated to flatten the crud, and a mesh scaffold called a stent usually is placed to prop the artery open. Guidelines have long called for a “doorto-balloon” time of 90 minutes, “but we just haven’t engineered our ERs to cut out some of these steps that aren’t needed” and cause delays, Nabel said.
Stem cell vaccine to kill lung cancer
Embryonic stem cells, the controversial and versatile cells that seem able to do
just about anything, have now expanded their repertoire into cancer prevention. A vaccine made from these cells shields mice against developing lung cancer under conditions thought to mimic the effects of smoking.
Safety concerns about injecting stem cells into humans mean that regulatory agencies are unlikely to approve human tests of the vaccine, says lead researcher John Eaton at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Nevertheless, he thinks the vaccine is worth testing in people at high risk of developing
cancer, such as heavy smokers or people with certain genetic mutations.
Other researchers are more cautious. Cancer vaccines, particularly vaccines made from cells, are notoriously more effective in mice than people, says Jeffrey Weber, an immunotherapist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “The idea is interesting, but the execution may be impossible,” he says.
But both Weber and Eaton agree that the finding could lead to new ways to prevent or treat cancer. Eaton’s approach was inspired by the similarities between embryos, embryonic stem cells and tumours. “Embryos and tumours both grow as balls, they derive nutrients from the host, and they both express peculiar proteins—some of them in common,” he says.
These shared proteins made Eaton think that a vaccine prompting an immune response to embryonic stem cells would also trigger an attack against tumours. He and his colleagues injected mice with stem cells and gave the mice a booster shot ten days later. The researchers then transplanted lung cancer cells under the animals’ skin — a standard animal model for the disease. The stem-cell injection protected 20 out of 25 mice from developing tumours, whereas tumours grew in all unvaccinated mice. “We were absolutely shocked,” Eaton says.
Even more effective was a mixture of stem cells and cells engineered to make a molecule that stimulates the immune system. None of the mice given this vaccine developed tumours when implanted with cancer cells.
just about anything, have now expanded their repertoire into cancer prevention. A vaccine made from these cells shields mice against developing lung cancer under conditions thought to mimic the effects of smoking.
Safety concerns about injecting stem cells into humans mean that regulatory agencies are unlikely to approve human tests of the vaccine, says lead researcher John Eaton at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Nevertheless, he thinks the vaccine is worth testing in people at high risk of developing
cancer, such as heavy smokers or people with certain genetic mutations.
Other researchers are more cautious. Cancer vaccines, particularly vaccines made from cells, are notoriously more effective in mice than people, says Jeffrey Weber, an immunotherapist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “The idea is interesting, but the execution may be impossible,” he says.
But both Weber and Eaton agree that the finding could lead to new ways to prevent or treat cancer. Eaton’s approach was inspired by the similarities between embryos, embryonic stem cells and tumours. “Embryos and tumours both grow as balls, they derive nutrients from the host, and they both express peculiar proteins—some of them in common,” he says.
These shared proteins made Eaton think that a vaccine prompting an immune response to embryonic stem cells would also trigger an attack against tumours. He and his colleagues injected mice with stem cells and gave the mice a booster shot ten days later. The researchers then transplanted lung cancer cells under the animals’ skin — a standard animal model for the disease. The stem-cell injection protected 20 out of 25 mice from developing tumours, whereas tumours grew in all unvaccinated mice. “We were absolutely shocked,” Eaton says.
Even more effective was a mixture of stem cells and cells engineered to make a molecule that stimulates the immune system. None of the mice given this vaccine developed tumours when implanted with cancer cells.
Software calculates heart attack risk
Pioneering computer software is helping doctors to decide how best to treat patients admitted to hospital with heart attacks. An international consortium of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh, has developed a programme that enables doctors to swiftly assess the severity of a patient’s condition. The new ‘risk calculator’ is already being used in UK hospitals.
Doctors using the new system take key data from patients at their bedside, and input it into the specially-devised programme.
Key facts—such as a patient’s age, medical history and blood pressure—are recorded by doctors, as well as information derived from on-the-spot blood samples and kidney tests.
The new patient’s statistical profile is then input into a computer and matched with data derived from thousands of other coronary cases. Using the outcomes of these previous cases as a guide, the computer will not only give an accurate assessment of the new patient’s conditions, but also recommend possible treatment. Significantly, it will be able to predict the likelihood the patient suffering a heart attack, and even their chances of dying in the next months.
Chest pain accounts for more than a quarter of all emergency medical admissions in the United Kingdom. Spotting high risk heart patients quickly can be difficult, but Professor Keith Fox, of the University of Edinburgh, says the new tool will help: “Identifying those with threatened heart attack from the very many patients with chest pain is a real clinical challenge, but critically important in guiding emergency and subsequent patient care. Higher risk patients need more intensive medical and interventional treatment.”
An international group of cardiologists and statisticians have spent several years producing the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) calculator. The complex statistical model has been developed using data derived from six-year study of more than 40,000 coronary patients worldwide.
Deadly LEAD
Lead poisoning occurs when a person swallows, absorbs or inhales lead in any form. The result can be damaging to the brain, nerves, and many other parts of the body. Acute lead poisoning, which is somewhat rare, occurs when a relatively large amount of lead is taken into the body over a short period of time.
DANGERS OF LEAD
It isn’t biodegradable. It persists in air, soil, drinking water and homes. It is particularly harmful to the developing brain of foetuses and young children. The higher the level of lead in a child's blood and the longer this elevated level lasts, the greater the chance of ill effects.
CHILDREN
Hyperactivity and aggressiveness Impaired growth and IQ Poor hearing Learning difficulties Damage to the brain and nervous system up to the age of 4.
PREGNANT WOMEN
Pre-term delivery Increased frequency of miscarriage, stillbirth Low birth weight Harms mental development of the foetus ADULTS Loss of appetite, anaemia Loss of libido, infertility Weakness of the limbs Aggressiveness, high BP and seizures Skin Cancer Joint Pains.
Beware of BRUSH with POISON PAINT
A fresh coat of paint does wonders for your home but it can also be hazardous to health — and your child’s IQ. Environmental and occupational health experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that India still produces and sells consumer paints with dangerously high levels of lead. The toxic metal, which gives paint its lustre and durability, was banned in the US in 1978 after scientific evidence proved that any detectable level of lead impairs intellectual and physical growth in children.
The UC-led research team, which published its findings in the journal Environmental Research, found that all 17 samples analysed from India had lead exceeding US limit for new paint (600 ppm). Scott Clark, who headed the two-year study, says he is concerned about kids who are currently exposed to lead in their houses and neighbourhoods and for those who will live in such places in the future.
Children ingest lead dust when they put their hands in their mouth — such as while eating or sucking their thumb. Since lead compounds used in paint taste sweet, kids tend to chew or lick them. A single chip of paint the size of a thumbnail contains 1 gm of lead and a few such chips can raise lead intake to 1,000 times the acceptable limit. There is an increased formation of lead dust during repainting or renovation of houses when existing paint is scraped or sanded.
‘‘Lead-based paints have already poisoned millions of children in the US and will likely cause similar damage in India as paint use increases,’’ says Clark. The findings, he adds, provide stark evidence of the urgent need for an effective worldwide ban on lead-based paint.
France pioneered a ban as early as the 1920s but till date, India has no such curbs in place, points out Venkatesh Thuppil, director of the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning. ‘‘Lead paint has a 91% market share in India. Homes, playground equipment, painted desks and chairs in schools and even the yellow school bus in which your child comes home, lead paint is everywhere,’’ says Thuppil. And it’s taking a toll. The first major study on lead poisoning in the country conducted by The George Foundation revealed that 50% of children below the age of 12 living in urban areas had high lead levels while 14% had alarmingly high levels.
According to WHO estimates, 15 to 18 million children in developing countries are suffering from permanent brain damage due to lead poisoning. Thuppil admits that the extent of poisoning from lead paint sources is not known in India. However, in one follow-up of poisoned children in Mangalore, he found that for three of the ten kids studied, lead-based paint was the only source identified. In one case, the culprit was playground equipment painted with lead paint.
Despite this, paint sold in India has no distinguishing mark to show lead content. A spokesman for leading manufacturer ICI paints, R Guha, said the company had replaced lead white with the more expensive titanium white some five to six years ago. However, its paint containers don’t advertise the fact because it’s not mandatory by law, Guha said. Smaller manufacturers make no bones about the fact that they use lead in decorative as well as industrial and automotive paints since it reduces cost by about Rs 2 to Rs 3 a litre.
‘‘There is no law against lead-based paints,’’ points out Nitin Khanna of the Indian Small Scale Paints Association. And that’s exactly what is needed, says Abhay Kumar of Toxic Links, the NGO which recently exposed the high level of lead in PVC toys. “Till there are regulations that can be enforced, lead will continue to poison our lives.”
In Mongolia, drink goat’s blood for low blood pressure
For women with sprained necks, there is a Mongolian way out... Kneel before a handsome man and place the head on his knee. And the sprain is gone. For high blood pressure, stroke a cat and eat two cloves of garlic. Two cloves of garlic is fine, but why stroke the cat?
Medicines may have made tremendous advances, but in the land of Genghis Khan, these and other traditional treatments continue to be popular in some segments of the society. “Some of the treatments are really funny. But they are still being practised in some parts of Mongolia,” says Nansaa, a University teacher. Sometimes we have a hearty laugh on some of the traditional natural treatments, she says.
Nansaa’s favourite is that of applying animal urine to an aching tooth. For a society that was largely nomadic, traditional medical solutions centred around animals. Sample this: A cup of freshly slaughtered goat’s blood is recommended for low blood pressure.
“The country has moved on and you can see many hospitals and clinics around the city. While many people are aware of these practises, you will find a few following them,” says Mendsaikhan, a doctor. But ‘arkhi’ (fermented mare’s milk) the local vodka, is considered almost an elixir for various ailments by Mongols. for instance, if an infant is suffering from pneumonia, wrapping its chest with a towel soaked in vodka is considered a sure shot treatment.
There are various other treatments that may sound really insane. And yes there is a treatment for insanity too. Drinking half a cup of fox’s warm urine. PTI UNIQUE CURES Apply animal urine to an aching tooth For women with sprained necks, kneel before a handsome man and place the head on his knee For high blood pressure, stroke a cat and eat two cloves of garlic If an infant is suffering from pneumonia, wrapping its chest with a towel soaked in vodka To treat insanity drink half a cup of fox’s warm urine
Artificial heart ready to beat in US
It Will Allow Patients To Move About For Up To Two Hours At A Time
The US food and drug administration gave limited approval on Tuesday to a Massachusetts company to sell the first fully implantable artificial heart, a device that can let patients move about freely for up to two hours at a time.
The approval was given even though the grapefruit-size device was implanted in just 14 patients at four hospitals from 2001 to 2004. All of the patients, who agreed to receive the heart as an experimental device, were men, and all have died. Two died from the implant operation. A third never regained consciousness, and the rest survived an average of five months. The longest survivor lived 512 days, when the mechanical heart failed.
Nevertheless, the agency gave the company, Abiomed Inc. of Danvers, Massachusetts, a humanitarian exemption allowing it to sell up to 4,000 devices a year. The device costs $250,000. Earlier devices were much larger and intended as a bridge to heart transplants. The drug agency has approved a modified version of the heart as a bridge to a transplant. The agency has also approved a partial mechanical heart known as a ventricular assist device for permanent use.
The titanium and plastic Abiomed device can be used just in patients who are near death from the failure of both of the natural heart’s pumping chambers. The device can be implanted only in people 18 and older who are ineligible for a transplant and whose life expectancy would be a month without it.
The diseased heart is removed to make room for the two-pound device. Implanted, a coil transfers power across the skin and recharges the device from the outside. An internal battery and a controller that monitors and controls the heart rate are implanted in the abdomen. The battery allows the recipient to be free from all external connections for up to one hour. Two external batteries allow free movement for up to two hours. But it’s size limits its use to men and women with relatively large chest cavities.
‘Virtually untreatable’ form of TB found
A “virtually untreatable” form of TB has emerged, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Extreme drug resistant TB (XDR TB) has been seen worldwide, including in the US, Eastern Europe and Africa. Dr Paul Nunn, from the WHO, said a failure to correctly implement treatment strategies was to blame. TB experts have convened in Johannesburg to discuss how to address the problem. Drug resistance is caused by poor TB control, through taking the wrong types of drugs for the incorrect duration. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB), which describes strains of TB that are resistant to at least two of the main first-line TB drugs, is already a growing concern.
Globally, the WHO estimates there are about 425,000 cases of MDR TB a year, mostly occurring in the former Soviet Union, China and India.Treatment requires the use of second-line drugs, which are more toxic, take longer to work and costly. But now, according to researchers, an even more deadly form of the bacteria has emerged. XDR TB is defined as strains that are not only resistant to the front-line drugs, but also three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs. This, Dr Nunn says makes it virtually untreatable.
A recent survey of 18,000 TB samples by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and the WHO between November 2004 and November 2005 found 20% of them were multi-drug resistant and a further 2% were extreme drug resistant. Further detailed analysis of several countries found the prevalence was even higher.
The US food and drug administration gave limited approval on Tuesday to a Massachusetts company to sell the first fully implantable artificial heart, a device that can let patients move about freely for up to two hours at a time.
The approval was given even though the grapefruit-size device was implanted in just 14 patients at four hospitals from 2001 to 2004. All of the patients, who agreed to receive the heart as an experimental device, were men, and all have died. Two died from the implant operation. A third never regained consciousness, and the rest survived an average of five months. The longest survivor lived 512 days, when the mechanical heart failed.
Nevertheless, the agency gave the company, Abiomed Inc. of Danvers, Massachusetts, a humanitarian exemption allowing it to sell up to 4,000 devices a year. The device costs $250,000. Earlier devices were much larger and intended as a bridge to heart transplants. The drug agency has approved a modified version of the heart as a bridge to a transplant. The agency has also approved a partial mechanical heart known as a ventricular assist device for permanent use.
The titanium and plastic Abiomed device can be used just in patients who are near death from the failure of both of the natural heart’s pumping chambers. The device can be implanted only in people 18 and older who are ineligible for a transplant and whose life expectancy would be a month without it.
The diseased heart is removed to make room for the two-pound device. Implanted, a coil transfers power across the skin and recharges the device from the outside. An internal battery and a controller that monitors and controls the heart rate are implanted in the abdomen. The battery allows the recipient to be free from all external connections for up to one hour. Two external batteries allow free movement for up to two hours. But it’s size limits its use to men and women with relatively large chest cavities.
‘Virtually untreatable’ form of TB found
A “virtually untreatable” form of TB has emerged, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Extreme drug resistant TB (XDR TB) has been seen worldwide, including in the US, Eastern Europe and Africa. Dr Paul Nunn, from the WHO, said a failure to correctly implement treatment strategies was to blame. TB experts have convened in Johannesburg to discuss how to address the problem. Drug resistance is caused by poor TB control, through taking the wrong types of drugs for the incorrect duration. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB), which describes strains of TB that are resistant to at least two of the main first-line TB drugs, is already a growing concern.
Globally, the WHO estimates there are about 425,000 cases of MDR TB a year, mostly occurring in the former Soviet Union, China and India.Treatment requires the use of second-line drugs, which are more toxic, take longer to work and costly. But now, according to researchers, an even more deadly form of the bacteria has emerged. XDR TB is defined as strains that are not only resistant to the front-line drugs, but also three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs. This, Dr Nunn says makes it virtually untreatable.
A recent survey of 18,000 TB samples by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and the WHO between November 2004 and November 2005 found 20% of them were multi-drug resistant and a further 2% were extreme drug resistant. Further detailed analysis of several countries found the prevalence was even higher.
Dengue virus’ replication mechanism cracked!!!
Knowing How The Virus Works, Will Help Scientists Develop Anti-Viral Treatments For Many Diseases
In a scientific breakthrough, an international team of virologists led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute scholar in Argentina, Andrea Gamarnik, has identified the mechanism by which the dengue virus replicates its genetic code inside the infected cell, thus triggering the fatal Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF).
With no specific medicine yet having been found for the treatment of the disease, this finding will now help scientists to understand how the virus propagates and ultimately find strategies to control the disease.
The dengue virus belongs to a family of viruses know as Flaviviruses. This group of viruses also cause diseases like Yellow Fever, West Nile and Encephalitis. Till now, little was known about the mechanism of Flavivirus RNA replication. Because the essential RNA signals found for dengue virus replication are also present in other Flavivirus genomes, it is likely that the findings can be extrapolated to other members of the family.
In India, DHF is the leading cause of hospitalisation and death among children. Dengue virus was first isolated in India in 1945. The number of cases range between 9,000 and 12,000 per annum. In Kolkata, over 32 people died of DHF last year.
Gamarnik and his team explained the mechanism by which dengue virus replicates its genetic code inside the infected cell. Dengue and other Flaviviruses belong to a group whose genetic material is composed of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). RNA contains the code to produce the viral proteins, especially a protein called RNA Polymerase. The polymerase is the enzyme responsible for copying the RNA to produce large amounts of this molecule, which is essential for viral multiplication.
Gamarnik said: “A rapid amplification of the viral RNA from one single molecule to tens of thousands of copies occurs in only a few hours after infection. But when the polymerase is ready to start copying, the viral RNA is surrounded by millions of cellular RNA molecules. In our lab we identified a signal in the viral RNA that attracts the polymerase. The polymerase starts copying the molecule from the end on the right.”
He added: “How does the polymerase jump from one end to the other was a puzzle. Using biochemical and genetic tools together with atomic force microscopy, we found that the viral RNA forms circles bringing together different ends of the RNA. This explained how the polymerase copies the RNA. “As shown for other viruses, such as HIV, the viral polymerases are effective targets for development of antiviral treatments. Therefore, knowing how the dengue virus polymerase works, how is its 3D structure and how it recognises the viral RNA are fundamental questions that will help us develop antiviral solutions.”
The finding will be published in the August 15 issue of the journal Genes and Development. The team, which includes scientists Claudia Filomatori, Maria Lodeiro, Diego Alvarez, Marcelo Samsa and Lma Pietrasanta, has been working on the research for the past eight years. The team now wants to find out how the 3D structure of the polymerase bind to the viral RNA and whether scientists can interfere with viral RNA synthesis to stop dengue virus infection.
THE KEY TO THE CODE
In a scientific breakthrough, an international team of virologists led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute scholar in Argentina, Andrea Gamarnik, has identified the mechanism by which the dengue virus replicates its genetic code inside the infected cell, thus triggering the fatal Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF).
With no specific medicine yet having been found for the treatment of the disease, this finding will now help scientists to understand how the virus propagates and ultimately find strategies to control the disease.
The dengue virus belongs to a family of viruses know as Flaviviruses. This group of viruses also cause diseases like Yellow Fever, West Nile and Encephalitis. Till now, little was known about the mechanism of Flavivirus RNA replication. Because the essential RNA signals found for dengue virus replication are also present in other Flavivirus genomes, it is likely that the findings can be extrapolated to other members of the family.
In India, DHF is the leading cause of hospitalisation and death among children. Dengue virus was first isolated in India in 1945. The number of cases range between 9,000 and 12,000 per annum. In Kolkata, over 32 people died of DHF last year.
Gamarnik and his team explained the mechanism by which dengue virus replicates its genetic code inside the infected cell. Dengue and other Flaviviruses belong to a group whose genetic material is composed of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). RNA contains the code to produce the viral proteins, especially a protein called RNA Polymerase. The polymerase is the enzyme responsible for copying the RNA to produce large amounts of this molecule, which is essential for viral multiplication.
Gamarnik said: “A rapid amplification of the viral RNA from one single molecule to tens of thousands of copies occurs in only a few hours after infection. But when the polymerase is ready to start copying, the viral RNA is surrounded by millions of cellular RNA molecules. In our lab we identified a signal in the viral RNA that attracts the polymerase. The polymerase starts copying the molecule from the end on the right.”
He added: “How does the polymerase jump from one end to the other was a puzzle. Using biochemical and genetic tools together with atomic force microscopy, we found that the viral RNA forms circles bringing together different ends of the RNA. This explained how the polymerase copies the RNA. “As shown for other viruses, such as HIV, the viral polymerases are effective targets for development of antiviral treatments. Therefore, knowing how the dengue virus polymerase works, how is its 3D structure and how it recognises the viral RNA are fundamental questions that will help us develop antiviral solutions.”
The finding will be published in the August 15 issue of the journal Genes and Development. The team, which includes scientists Claudia Filomatori, Maria Lodeiro, Diego Alvarez, Marcelo Samsa and Lma Pietrasanta, has been working on the research for the past eight years. The team now wants to find out how the 3D structure of the polymerase bind to the viral RNA and whether scientists can interfere with viral RNA synthesis to stop dengue virus infection.
THE KEY TO THE CODE
- The above image depicts the Velcro-like protein on a cell's surface just after it attached to the dengue virus, a linkup thought to initiate the early stages of infection.
- The dengue virus belongs to the Flavivirus family of viruses. This group also causes Yellow Fever, West Nile and Encephalitis.
- RNA contains the code to produce the viral proteins, called RNA Polymerase. This is the enzyme responsible for copying the RNA to produce large amounts of this molecule, which is essential for viral multiplication.
- When the polymerase is ready to start copying, the viral RNA is surrounded by millions of cellular RNA molecules.
- Scientists identified a signal in the viral RNA that attracts the polymerase.
Venomous scorpions might help cure brain cancer...
Doctors seeking treatments for malignant brain tumours have found that a synthetic version of a protein found in the venom of giant yellow Israeli scorpions targeted tumour cells but did not harm the healthy cells of brain cancer patients.
“We’re testing a new agent that has a lot of potential for patients who have had no meaningful treatments thus far,” said Dr Adam Mamelak, neurosurgeon and lead author on an article to appear in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.In the study, 18 patients first had surgery to remove malignant gliomas, a lethal kind of brain tumour. Then doctors injected their brains with a solution of radioactive iodine and TM-601, the synthetic protein.
The solution bound almost exclusively to leftover tumour cells, suggesting that it could be combined with chemotherapy to fight cancer. Furthermore, two study patients were still alive nearly three years after the treatment. Because life expectancy for glioma patients is typically a matter of months, the results indicate that the venom protein may inhibit tumour growth even without a radioactive component, said Mamelak.
The synthetic scorpion venom was developed by Transmolecular Industries, a US-based company, and is one of several medicines recently derived from animal poisons.Other researchers are investigating whether a protein in snake venom can stop bleeding and whether Gila monster venom can treat diabetes. They also have developed a painkiller based on the venom of a deadly sea snail. Giant yellow Israeli scorpions live in the deserts of the Middle East and grow to about 4 inches long.
“We’re testing a new agent that has a lot of potential for patients who have had no meaningful treatments thus far,” said Dr Adam Mamelak, neurosurgeon and lead author on an article to appear in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.In the study, 18 patients first had surgery to remove malignant gliomas, a lethal kind of brain tumour. Then doctors injected their brains with a solution of radioactive iodine and TM-601, the synthetic protein.
The solution bound almost exclusively to leftover tumour cells, suggesting that it could be combined with chemotherapy to fight cancer. Furthermore, two study patients were still alive nearly three years after the treatment. Because life expectancy for glioma patients is typically a matter of months, the results indicate that the venom protein may inhibit tumour growth even without a radioactive component, said Mamelak.
The synthetic scorpion venom was developed by Transmolecular Industries, a US-based company, and is one of several medicines recently derived from animal poisons.Other researchers are investigating whether a protein in snake venom can stop bleeding and whether Gila monster venom can treat diabetes. They also have developed a painkiller based on the venom of a deadly sea snail. Giant yellow Israeli scorpions live in the deserts of the Middle East and grow to about 4 inches long.
CONDOMS could help reduce CERVICAL CANCER RISK
Use of condoms during sex not only stops transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and prevents pregnancy but could also protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer, a study finds. HPV is transmitted from one person to another during sexual contact. Certain high-risk types of this virus are considered to be the leading cause of cervical cancer.
By the age of about 50, at least 80 per cent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reported the online edition of New Scientist.Until now, the effectiveness of condoms against HPV has been unclear. In fact, some studies have suggested that condoms do not offer protection against the virus. But now the most detailed study of condom use and HPV to date finds that they do markedly reduce the risk, it said. Scientists led by Rachel Winer of the University of Washington in Seattle analysed data from 82 sexually inexperienced female university students who kept journals about their daily sexual behaviour.
They found that women who reported 100 per cent condom use by their partners were 70 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with HPV than those whose partners used condoms less than five per cent of the time.And none of the women whose partners always used condoms developed dangerous cervical lesions, they said. Always using a condom during sex can reduce a woman's risk of acquiring the virus that causes cervical cancer by up to 70 per cent, the study suggests. A vaccine against cervical cancer has just been approved in the US, but people will still need to use condoms to protect themselves against the illness, researchers say.This is because the vaccine only protects against some of the strains of human (HPV).
By the age of about 50, at least 80 per cent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reported the online edition of New Scientist.Until now, the effectiveness of condoms against HPV has been unclear. In fact, some studies have suggested that condoms do not offer protection against the virus. But now the most detailed study of condom use and HPV to date finds that they do markedly reduce the risk, it said. Scientists led by Rachel Winer of the University of Washington in Seattle analysed data from 82 sexually inexperienced female university students who kept journals about their daily sexual behaviour.
They found that women who reported 100 per cent condom use by their partners were 70 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with HPV than those whose partners used condoms less than five per cent of the time.And none of the women whose partners always used condoms developed dangerous cervical lesions, they said. Always using a condom during sex can reduce a woman's risk of acquiring the virus that causes cervical cancer by up to 70 per cent, the study suggests. A vaccine against cervical cancer has just been approved in the US, but people will still need to use condoms to protect themselves against the illness, researchers say.This is because the vaccine only protects against some of the strains of human (HPV).
Drinking lots of coffee need not pose risk of heart disease
Go ahead and have that second cup of coffee or third, or fourth. A study published last week shows heavy, long-term coffee drinking does not raise the risk of heart disease for most people. The study, which followed 128,000 men and women for as long as 20 years, showed that drinking filtered coffee not espresso or French-style brews did not raise the risk of heart disease. Heavy coffee drinkers did tend to smoke and drink alcohol more often and those two factors clearly do raise heart risk, the researchers report in the journal Circulation.
“We believe this study clearly shows there is no association between filtered coffee consumption and coronary heart disease,” said Esther Lopez-Garcia, an instructor in the School of Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain, who worked on the study. “This lack of effect is good news, because coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world.”
Researchers also found no link between heart disease and how much caffeine, tea or decaffeinated coffee people drank. But this does not mean that everyone can overload on coffee with impunity, said Rob van Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “We can’t exclude the association between coffee consumption and the risk of (heart disease) in small groups of people,” Van Dam said in a statement. In March, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that people with a ‘slow’ version of a particular liver enzyme gene had a higher risk of heart disease if they drank more coffee, compared to those with a fastmetabolising version. Liver enzymes metabolise coffee and many other compounds. And several studies have shown a link with heart disease and copious drinking of French press coffee, made using a mesh filter instead of a paper drip filter, or perked coffee.
The Harvard and Madrid teams used data from two ongoing studies the all-male Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which began in 1986, and the all-female Nurses’ Health Study, which started in 1976. Volunteers in both studies fill out periodic questionnaires about their diet, exercise and other health habits and undergo regular physical exams. The researchers found more than half the women and 30 per cent of men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and use aspirin, and were less likely to drink tea, exercise or take vitamin supplements. But once these factors were accounted for, there was no difference in heart attack risks between the very light and heavy coffee drinkers.
DYING WITH DIGNITY
With the recent case of a family in Dharavi, Mumbai seeking permission for mercy killing, the focus is back on euthanasia.
Life comes replete with its share of peaks and troughs, but the sad plight of a family in Dharavi who want to euthanise themselves, throws the subject of euthanasia to light. The family members have filed a petition in the supreme court to allow them to die on account of two of its members suffering from the incurable disease limb girdle muscular dystrophy and financial inadequacy. Even though India has not legalised euthanasia, requests for such abound, whether nationally or abroad. But let’s recap a little. How did the term euthanasia come into being? Where is it legal abroad?
Euthanasia: Its origins
A quick look-up of an encyclopedia will reveal that ‘euthanasia’ is a Greek term that literally means ‘assisted dying’. The assistance ends the life of a person or an animal in a painless or minimally painful way. Euthanasia is most often performed in a painless way, in order to end suffering. The controversy lays between two different perspectives; moral view of life versus the rational view of life. By itself, euthanasia as a topic is often highlycharged — emotionally, politically, and morally. Laws and meanings abroad change over time.
Types of euthanasia
(a) Indirect This includes the involvement of a physician, clinical nurse, pharmacist) as an agent who participates only by providing treatment for symptoms (for example pain) with a known side effect being an early death. This kind of assistance is currently legal in state of Oregon in the US. It became legal in 1997 as a result of the ‘Death with Dignity Act’ which was passed in the state in 1994.
(b) Direct Direct euthanasia means the involvement of a clinician as agent in inducing a patient’s death, like administering a lethal drug by injection. Direct euthanasia is not currently legal anywhere in the US, but both direct and indirect euthanasia are legal in Belgium, Colombia, Japan and the Netherlands.
(c) Voluntary Voluntary euthanasia occurs with the fully-informed request of a decisionally-competent adult patient or that of their surrogate (proxy).
(d) Non-voluntary Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs without the fully-informed consent and fully-informed request of a decisionally-competent adult patient or that of their surrogate (proxy). An example of this might be if a patient has decisional capacity but is not told they will be euthanised; or, if a patient is not conscious or lacks decisionalcapacity and their surrogate is not told the patient will be euthanised.
(e) Involuntary Involuntary euthanasia occurs over the objection of a patient or someone who can speak on the patient’s behalf. An example of this might be if a patient who can decide for himself/herself is told what will happen. The patient refuses, yet the patient is euthanised anyway.
Where is it legal?
Euthanasia is currently legal in parts of America and the Netherlands.
The case of Terri Schiavo
Championing the cause...
Life comes replete with its share of peaks and troughs, but the sad plight of a family in Dharavi who want to euthanise themselves, throws the subject of euthanasia to light. The family members have filed a petition in the supreme court to allow them to die on account of two of its members suffering from the incurable disease limb girdle muscular dystrophy and financial inadequacy. Even though India has not legalised euthanasia, requests for such abound, whether nationally or abroad. But let’s recap a little. How did the term euthanasia come into being? Where is it legal abroad?
Euthanasia: Its origins
A quick look-up of an encyclopedia will reveal that ‘euthanasia’ is a Greek term that literally means ‘assisted dying’. The assistance ends the life of a person or an animal in a painless or minimally painful way. Euthanasia is most often performed in a painless way, in order to end suffering. The controversy lays between two different perspectives; moral view of life versus the rational view of life. By itself, euthanasia as a topic is often highlycharged — emotionally, politically, and morally. Laws and meanings abroad change over time.
Types of euthanasia
(a) Indirect This includes the involvement of a physician, clinical nurse, pharmacist) as an agent who participates only by providing treatment for symptoms (for example pain) with a known side effect being an early death. This kind of assistance is currently legal in state of Oregon in the US. It became legal in 1997 as a result of the ‘Death with Dignity Act’ which was passed in the state in 1994.
(b) Direct Direct euthanasia means the involvement of a clinician as agent in inducing a patient’s death, like administering a lethal drug by injection. Direct euthanasia is not currently legal anywhere in the US, but both direct and indirect euthanasia are legal in Belgium, Colombia, Japan and the Netherlands.
(c) Voluntary Voluntary euthanasia occurs with the fully-informed request of a decisionally-competent adult patient or that of their surrogate (proxy).
(d) Non-voluntary Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs without the fully-informed consent and fully-informed request of a decisionally-competent adult patient or that of their surrogate (proxy). An example of this might be if a patient has decisional capacity but is not told they will be euthanised; or, if a patient is not conscious or lacks decisionalcapacity and their surrogate is not told the patient will be euthanised.
(e) Involuntary Involuntary euthanasia occurs over the objection of a patient or someone who can speak on the patient’s behalf. An example of this might be if a patient who can decide for himself/herself is told what will happen. The patient refuses, yet the patient is euthanised anyway.
Where is it legal?
Euthanasia is currently legal in parts of America and the Netherlands.
The case of Terri Schiavo
- A woman hailing from Florida, USA, Terri Schiavo’s case fuelled intense media attention and debate. In 1990, at the age of 26, she collapsed in her home and experienced respiratory and cardiac arrest. She remained in a coma for ten weeks.
- Within three years, she was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). In 1998, when it became legal to do so, Terri’s husband and guardian Michael Schiavo petitioned the courts to remove her gastric feeding tube; Terri’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, opposed this.
- The courts found that Terri was in a PVS and that she did not wish to be kept alive.
- By March 2005, the legal history around the Schiavo case included a complex web of motions, petitions, appeals and lawsuits. Finally, her feeding tube was removed a third and final time on March 18, 2005.
- She died on March 31, 2005, at the age of 41.
Championing the cause...
- Jack Kevorkian is a controversial American pathologist.
- He is most noted for publicly championing a terminal patient’s ‘right to die’ and for assisting several patients to that end, and is currently serving out a prison sentence for his practices.
- On March 26, 1999, Kevorkian was charged with seconddegree homicide and also for the delivery of a controlled substance by administering a lethal injection to Thomas Youk, a man suffering from a terminal nerve disease.
Coffee is in the clear over links to heart disease
A study shows that heavy, long-term coffee drinking does not raise the risk of heart disease for most of us
Go ahead and have that second cup of coffee — and a third and fourth — without worrying about your health. A study published recently shows heavy, long-term coffee drinking does not raise the risk of heart disease for most of us. The research project, which followed 128,000 men and women for as long as 20 years, showed drinking filtered coffee — not percolated or French-style brews — did not raise the risk of heart disease. Heavy coffee drinkers did tend to smoke and drink alcohol more often and those two factors clearly do raise heart risk, the researchers report in the journal Circulation.
“We believe this study clearly shows there is no association between filtered coffee consumption and coronary heart disease,” said Esther Lopez-Garcia, an instructor in the School of Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain, who worked on the study. “This lack of effect is good news, because coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. But this does not mean that everyone can overload on coffee with impunity,” said Rob Van Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
“We can’t exclude the association between coffee consumption and the risk of heart disease in small groups of people,” Van Dam added. A study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that those men and women with a ‘slow’ version of a particular liver enzyme gene had a higher risk of heart disease if they drank more coffee, compared to those with a fast-metabolising version. Liver enzymes metabolise coffee and many other compounds.
And several studies have shown a link with heart disease and copious drinking of French press coffee, made using a mesh filter instead of a paper drip filter, or percolated coffee. The Harvard and Madrid teams used data from two ongoing studies — the allmale Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which began in 1986, and the allfemale Nurses’ Health Study, which started in 1976. Volunteers in both studies fill out periodic questionnaires about their diet, exercise and other health habits and undergo regular physical exams.
The researchers found more than half the women and 30 per cent of men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and use aspirin. They were also less likely to drink tea, exercise or take vitamin supplements. But once these factors were accounted for, there was no difference in heart attack risks between the very light and heavy coffee drinkers. A study published last November found no link between coffee drinking and high blood pressure, but there was an apparent association with drinking caffeinated fizzy drinks.
Go ahead and have that second cup of coffee — and a third and fourth — without worrying about your health. A study published recently shows heavy, long-term coffee drinking does not raise the risk of heart disease for most of us. The research project, which followed 128,000 men and women for as long as 20 years, showed drinking filtered coffee — not percolated or French-style brews — did not raise the risk of heart disease. Heavy coffee drinkers did tend to smoke and drink alcohol more often and those two factors clearly do raise heart risk, the researchers report in the journal Circulation.
“We believe this study clearly shows there is no association between filtered coffee consumption and coronary heart disease,” said Esther Lopez-Garcia, an instructor in the School of Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain, who worked on the study. “This lack of effect is good news, because coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. But this does not mean that everyone can overload on coffee with impunity,” said Rob Van Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
“We can’t exclude the association between coffee consumption and the risk of heart disease in small groups of people,” Van Dam added. A study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that those men and women with a ‘slow’ version of a particular liver enzyme gene had a higher risk of heart disease if they drank more coffee, compared to those with a fast-metabolising version. Liver enzymes metabolise coffee and many other compounds.
And several studies have shown a link with heart disease and copious drinking of French press coffee, made using a mesh filter instead of a paper drip filter, or percolated coffee. The Harvard and Madrid teams used data from two ongoing studies — the allmale Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which began in 1986, and the allfemale Nurses’ Health Study, which started in 1976. Volunteers in both studies fill out periodic questionnaires about their diet, exercise and other health habits and undergo regular physical exams.
The researchers found more than half the women and 30 per cent of men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and use aspirin. They were also less likely to drink tea, exercise or take vitamin supplements. But once these factors were accounted for, there was no difference in heart attack risks between the very light and heavy coffee drinkers. A study published last November found no link between coffee drinking and high blood pressure, but there was an apparent association with drinking caffeinated fizzy drinks.
Could small changes increase life expectancy?
Making small changes such as quitting smoking, exercising more and eating better could increase your life expectancy by 11 to 12 years, says a study. Researchers led by Professor Kay-Tee Khaw studied 25,663 men and women aged between 45 and 79 years from 1993 onwards in Norfolk and found small lifestyle changes could have a significant impact on how long you live.
The study that looked into their diet, environment, lifestyle and health asked participants to regularly fill questionnaires about these and had periodic check-ups from nurses. Results from the study showed eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can give you the life expectancy of someone three years younger. Not smoking can turn the clock back by four to five years. Even increasing exercise by a moderate amount can take up to three years off.
But the amount of exercise someone would need to do to achieve that depends on his or her job. An office worker would need to do one hour of exercise, such as swimming or jogging, every day, while a person with a moderately active job, such as a hairdresser, would need 30 minutes exercise a day.
People with active jobs, including nurses and bricklayers, do not need to do any extra exercise — as their work is strenuous enough. “Many of us find it difficult to change our usual lifestyle,” said Khaw. “However, there is increasing evidence that even relatively small changes can make a big difference to our health and well being,” he added.
The study that looked into their diet, environment, lifestyle and health asked participants to regularly fill questionnaires about these and had periodic check-ups from nurses. Results from the study showed eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can give you the life expectancy of someone three years younger. Not smoking can turn the clock back by four to five years. Even increasing exercise by a moderate amount can take up to three years off.
But the amount of exercise someone would need to do to achieve that depends on his or her job. An office worker would need to do one hour of exercise, such as swimming or jogging, every day, while a person with a moderately active job, such as a hairdresser, would need 30 minutes exercise a day.
People with active jobs, including nurses and bricklayers, do not need to do any extra exercise — as their work is strenuous enough. “Many of us find it difficult to change our usual lifestyle,” said Khaw. “However, there is increasing evidence that even relatively small changes can make a big difference to our health and well being,” he added.
DEAFNESS: FACTS & THE RELIEF
With an increase in the noise levels in most of our cities today, deafness is one condition that is on the rise.
Hearing is a faculty, which is developed and used very early, even by the unborn child. This ability to hear should remain with us till the very end of our lives. But, as with many other problems of civilised life, deterioration of hearing occurs much faster nowadays, as compared to a decade or two ago.
Some years ago, deafness used to be predominantly an old age problem (in the age group of 65 plus). Today we are seeing more and more people in the 45 to 65 years age group, turning deaf. Let us take a look at what has brought about this change, who is responsible and, more importantly, what can be done about it.
What causes deafness?
Hearing loss can be temporary — as in case of a severe cold, where fluid may accumulate in the ear cavity — or permanent — when the bones, the cochlea or the nerves are damaged.
Common causes include:
a) Old age or senile deafness
b) Medicines, which as a side effect may damage the nerves. eg Streptomycin, which is used in the treatment of TB.
c) Viral fevers like Mumps etc.
d) Long term exposure to high level of noise — people working in factories, alongside roads with high traffic, airports etc
e) Sudden one time exposure to high intensity sound, like a firecracker going off very near your ears, or an aircraft taking off or landing.
f) Long standing accumulations of middle ear fluid.
g) Diseases like diabetes, blood pressure also contribute to deafness.
h) Degenerative diseases of the ears.
Deafness as a psychological problem:
Apart from the actual handicap of not being able to hear, deaf people also have plenty of psychological problems. Since they hear less, they start feeling that all family members are talking in whispers and are conspiring against them. Also, due to fear of humiliation, these people tend to be withdrawn and socially inactive. Family members also get irritated, as they have to shout at the person in order to have a conversation. Also, deaf people tend to blare television and radio sets, leading to more frustration and anger around them.
Other problems of deafness:
A deaf person cannot hear the ringing of the telephone or the bell, and there are instances of family members being stranded outside the house and ringing the bell for hours together. A deaf person also cannot hear Hearing loss occurs when the are damaged the noise or horns of vehicles, making it a danger to himself/herself to venture out on the road.
Precautions to be taken:
Hearing is a faculty, which is developed and used very early, even by the unborn child. This ability to hear should remain with us till the very end of our lives. But, as with many other problems of civilised life, deterioration of hearing occurs much faster nowadays, as compared to a decade or two ago.
Some years ago, deafness used to be predominantly an old age problem (in the age group of 65 plus). Today we are seeing more and more people in the 45 to 65 years age group, turning deaf. Let us take a look at what has brought about this change, who is responsible and, more importantly, what can be done about it.
What causes deafness?
Hearing loss can be temporary — as in case of a severe cold, where fluid may accumulate in the ear cavity — or permanent — when the bones, the cochlea or the nerves are damaged.
Common causes include:
a) Old age or senile deafness
b) Medicines, which as a side effect may damage the nerves. eg Streptomycin, which is used in the treatment of TB.
c) Viral fevers like Mumps etc.
d) Long term exposure to high level of noise — people working in factories, alongside roads with high traffic, airports etc
e) Sudden one time exposure to high intensity sound, like a firecracker going off very near your ears, or an aircraft taking off or landing.
f) Long standing accumulations of middle ear fluid.
g) Diseases like diabetes, blood pressure also contribute to deafness.
h) Degenerative diseases of the ears.
Deafness as a psychological problem:
Apart from the actual handicap of not being able to hear, deaf people also have plenty of psychological problems. Since they hear less, they start feeling that all family members are talking in whispers and are conspiring against them. Also, due to fear of humiliation, these people tend to be withdrawn and socially inactive. Family members also get irritated, as they have to shout at the person in order to have a conversation. Also, deaf people tend to blare television and radio sets, leading to more frustration and anger around them.
Other problems of deafness:
A deaf person cannot hear the ringing of the telephone or the bell, and there are instances of family members being stranded outside the house and ringing the bell for hours together. A deaf person also cannot hear Hearing loss occurs when the are damaged the noise or horns of vehicles, making it a danger to himself/herself to venture out on the road.
Precautions to be taken:
- Protect your ears in noisy environments with ear plugs/muffs etc. All persons working daily in noisy areas should also get their hearing tested regularly.
- Never put anything sharp into the ears.
- Check with your doctor when taking medicines, whether any of the prescribed medicines are toxic to the ear.
- Avoid listening to high intensity music, especially using a portable music player.
- Diwali is not only a fire and burns hazard, it also results in a lot of cases of deafness-so, take care.
- Get your coughs, colds and ear infections treat- cochlea or the nerves ed at the earliest with your doctor.
- Never hit children anywhere near the ear region.
What to do if your suspect diminished hearing
Consult an audiologist or and ENT surgeon at the earliest. With the help of clinical examination and a couple of hearing tests (Audiometry), one can easily find out the type and extent of deafness. These tests are not very expensive and can give you the results on the same day.
TREATMENT OPTIONS:
- Most cases of hearing loss due to conduction problems — wax in the ear, ruptured drum, middle ear fluid, damage to the bones of the ear, etc respond to medicines or surgery.
- Deafness due to damage to the cochlea or the nerves does not improve with medicines or surgery and such individuals can benefit tremendously by wearing hearing aids.
- But, still in our country, wearing a hearing aid has its own stigma attached to it. But, there is hope. Today’s hearing aids are highly sophisticated, computerised with excellent digital sound and miniaturised to such an extent as to be completely invisible.
- Also, one needs to get over such myths that a hearing aid actually worsens hearing or that one gets used to it. In fact, by reaching the sounds to the few undamaged nerves, the hearing aid actually helps in keeping them functioning.
Frying Chips Could Increase Risk of Cancer, Say Experts...
Exposure to cooking oil used to fry chips can increase your risk of cancer, research has revealed. Scientists say potentially harmful particles are released into the air when oil is heated to the temperatures needed to cook chips or stir-fries. Repeated exposure to these chemicals can increase the chance of diseases such as lung, breast and bladder cancer.
All cooking oils produce the particles but vegetable oil is the most dangerous. Corn oil and olive oil also pose a risk, researchers say. Deep-frying chips, in particular, produces large amounts of the cancer- causing chemicals—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It also produces acrylamide, another carcinogenic chemical.
The study, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, estimates that someone regularly exposed to high levels of these chemicals would have a one in 100 chance of developing cancer. The researchers advised cooks to make sure kitchens are properly ventilated—and to try to boil and steam foods instead of frying.
The team from the University of Singapore compared methods of Malaysian, Chinese and Indian cooking. Their study analysed the quality of the air in the kitchens of three food stalls. According to scientists, the deepfrying done by the Malaysian chefs released more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than the stir-frying in the Chinese kitchens. At the Indian food stall, much of the food was simmered or boiled, which cut down on the hydrocarbons. The chemicals, also found in tobacco smoke and exhaust fumes, are released when oil is heated to high temperatures.
All cooking oils produce the particles but vegetable oil is the most dangerous. Corn oil and olive oil also pose a risk, researchers say. Deep-frying chips, in particular, produces large amounts of the cancer- causing chemicals—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It also produces acrylamide, another carcinogenic chemical.
The study, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, estimates that someone regularly exposed to high levels of these chemicals would have a one in 100 chance of developing cancer. The researchers advised cooks to make sure kitchens are properly ventilated—and to try to boil and steam foods instead of frying.
The team from the University of Singapore compared methods of Malaysian, Chinese and Indian cooking. Their study analysed the quality of the air in the kitchens of three food stalls. According to scientists, the deepfrying done by the Malaysian chefs released more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than the stir-frying in the Chinese kitchens. At the Indian food stall, much of the food was simmered or boiled, which cut down on the hydrocarbons. The chemicals, also found in tobacco smoke and exhaust fumes, are released when oil is heated to high temperatures.
Stress Tests...
When one is excited, walking fast, climbing a staircase or running- the heart rate increases putting it under “stress”. When the heart muscle and blood vessels supplying it are in good condition, the heart is ‘conditioned’ and no discomfort or pain is experienced on exertion.
However, if the heart is unable to take the load or enough blood doesn’t reach the heart muscle, there is pain, discomfort or some signs of protest. Stress tests are noninvasive procedures that they provoke and detect signs of decreased blood supply to the heart muscle.
This is done by the use of exercise employing the treadmill, bicycle or handgrip. If one is unable to exercise because of orthopaedic conditions, old age or other problems, then non-exercise modalities area adopted. Stress Echocardiography helps to detect myocardial ischemia at stress.
Stress thallium myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is useful to diagnose and assess patients recovering from a known acute heart attack. Dr Mahapatra explains, “This novel diagnostic test helps in detecting the status of the live/dead heart muscle. It is useful in women having suspected or confirmed underlying coronary heart disease.”
However, if the heart is unable to take the load or enough blood doesn’t reach the heart muscle, there is pain, discomfort or some signs of protest. Stress tests are noninvasive procedures that they provoke and detect signs of decreased blood supply to the heart muscle.
This is done by the use of exercise employing the treadmill, bicycle or handgrip. If one is unable to exercise because of orthopaedic conditions, old age or other problems, then non-exercise modalities area adopted. Stress Echocardiography helps to detect myocardial ischemia at stress.
Stress thallium myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is useful to diagnose and assess patients recovering from a known acute heart attack. Dr Mahapatra explains, “This novel diagnostic test helps in detecting the status of the live/dead heart muscle. It is useful in women having suspected or confirmed underlying coronary heart disease.”
Put Your Heart to Test - ECG, angiography, stress tests...
ECG, angiography, stress tests...if these words stress you out, read on to know more about the sophisticated technology now available to detect heart problems
THE process of diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) starts from talking to patients about symptoms,medical history and obvious high risk factors like family history,smoking,diabetes,high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Tests to detect CAD are devised to determine cardiac functioning measuring electrical activity and the pumping action of the heart & can be categorised into:
THE process of diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) starts from talking to patients about symptoms,medical history and obvious high risk factors like family history,smoking,diabetes,high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Tests to detect CAD are devised to determine cardiac functioning measuring electrical activity and the pumping action of the heart & can be categorised into:
- The ECG or the electrocardiogram is a record of the electrical activity of the heart.
- The Echo or Echocardiogram is a test that uses ultrasound to make images of the heart.It can be used to assess the health of the valves and chambers of the heart,as well as to measure the pumping ability of the heart.
- Radiographic tests like X-ray create pictures of the internal structures of the chest. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Cardiac Computed Tomography (CT) allow physicians to take a closer look at the heart and vessels.
- Coronary Angiography is a diagnostic test in which contrast dye is injected into the blood stream in order to evaluate the anatomy and function of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. It can be done by Cardiac catheterisation or by CT Angiography.
- The nuclear heart scan (also called Radionuclide Imaging or Radionuclide Ventriculography) uses radioactive tracers to outline the heart chambers and major blood vessels leading to and from the heart. It is used in the diagnosis of heart disease, valve disorders or heart failure.
- PET (positron emission tomography or cardiac viability study) uses radioactive tracers to create 3-D pictures of the tissues inside the body. It is useful in patients who are unable to exercise on a treadmill or stationary cycle. Says Prof Dr G N Mahapatra, consultant and head of dept of Nuclear Medicine and RIA, Saifee Hospital, “This technique is the gold standard to assess if patients will benefit from bypass surgery or angioplasty procedure.”
- The Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) identifies calcium within the plaque found in the arteries. More the calcium, the higher the chances of CAD.
All these tests can be used to determine heart function and status at “rest”and under “stress”conditions.
Study shows NO diet soda links to Cancer
A study found no link between the consumption of aspartame and elevated risks of brain cancer
A new study on the artificial sweetener aspartame may make diet soda lovers breathe a little easier. A large federally funded study done by government researchers at the National Cancer Institute found no link between the consumption of aspartame and elevated risks of brain cancer and blood-related cancers like leukemia. Aspartame is found in the diet version of popular drinks. Fears about aspartame and cancer have plagued the artificial sweetener since it was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1981 and were inflamed by an Italian study last summer done on rats.
That study caused alarm because it showed an increased incidence of lymphoma and other cancers in rats that consumed the equivalent of four to five 20-ounce bottles of diet soda a day for a 150-pound person. In contrast, the National Cancer Institute study, which looked at aspartame consumption among about 567,000 people between the ages of 50 and 69, showed no cause for concern, even among heavy users of aspartame. The Calorie Control Council and the American Beverage Association, both of which represent beverage companies, hailed the study as further evidence that aspartame, despite its bad rap, is a safe food additive.
Michael F Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group that is often critical of the food industry, said that because the study evaluated people aged 50 to 69 and then followed up for five years to check on the incidence of cancer, it may have failed to address the occurrence of cancer for people in their 70s and 80s. Despite that, the findings do take much air out of the idea that aspartame causes cancer.
A new study on the artificial sweetener aspartame may make diet soda lovers breathe a little easier. A large federally funded study done by government researchers at the National Cancer Institute found no link between the consumption of aspartame and elevated risks of brain cancer and blood-related cancers like leukemia. Aspartame is found in the diet version of popular drinks. Fears about aspartame and cancer have plagued the artificial sweetener since it was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1981 and were inflamed by an Italian study last summer done on rats.
That study caused alarm because it showed an increased incidence of lymphoma and other cancers in rats that consumed the equivalent of four to five 20-ounce bottles of diet soda a day for a 150-pound person. In contrast, the National Cancer Institute study, which looked at aspartame consumption among about 567,000 people between the ages of 50 and 69, showed no cause for concern, even among heavy users of aspartame. The Calorie Control Council and the American Beverage Association, both of which represent beverage companies, hailed the study as further evidence that aspartame, despite its bad rap, is a safe food additive.
Michael F Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group that is often critical of the food industry, said that because the study evaluated people aged 50 to 69 and then followed up for five years to check on the incidence of cancer, it may have failed to address the occurrence of cancer for people in their 70s and 80s. Despite that, the findings do take much air out of the idea that aspartame causes cancer.
NEW HOPE FOR STROKE VICTIMS
Researchers find that stem cell transplant improves stroke damage
(Picture: STEM CELL TRANSPLANT: Improves stroke damage)
There is now a hope for patients with a neurological damage like stroke. According to a new research, a single dose of adult donor stem cells given to animals that have neurological damage similar to that experienced by adults with a stroke or newborns with cerebral palsy can significantly enhance recovery from these types of injuries.
Using a commonly utilised animal model for stroke, researchers administered a dose of 200,000-400,000 human stem cells into brains of animals that had experienced significant loss of mobility and other functions. The stem cells used in the study were a recently discovered type, referred to as multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPCs. Treated animals experienced at least 25 per cent greater improvement in motor and neurological performance than controls, Dr Cesario V Borlongan, neuroscientist at Medical College of Georgia and the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre in Augusta said.
Dr David Hess, adult stroke specialist, chair of the MCG Department of Neurology and a study co-author said. “It’s a huge public health problem in the world,” said Dr Hess. He says he hopes one day stem cell therapy, along with aggressive physical therapy and possibly tPA can work synergistically to reduce that disability. “These are not going to be cures, but this level of recovery is significant... If somebody can go from a wheelchair to a cane that is a big improvement, that is how we look at it,” Hess said.
Adult animals were tested across a range of standardised tasks both before and after undergoing the surgically induced stroke, and measurements were made of their performance. Following the stroke, both control animals and those that received a single injection of stem cells were evaluated for a period of up to two months. Improvements in stem cell treated animals included enhanced performance across the range of tests, which examined strength, balance, agility and fine motor skills, and also included greater recovery of injured tissue.
“A single dose of the cells produce robust behavioural recovery at an early period post-transplantation and the recovery was durable, lasting up to two months, which was the entire length of this study,” Borlongan said. “Furthermore, animals continued to show improvement over time.” Even though less than one per cent of the transplanted cells were present two months later, animals receiving treatment developed new neurons, apparently formed from endogenous stem cells. “The mechanism that we are putting forward is these donor cells are secreting nourishing trophic factors that are helping the host brain cells survive and stimulating stem cells from the host to multiply,” Borlongan said.
To help mimic potential clinical scenarios for stroke victims, transplants were performed seven days after the initial injury. Currently, ischemic stroke patients may be treated with tPA, the only FDA-approved stroke treatment available, but must receive treatment within three hours from the time the stroke initially occurs. As a result, 95-97 per cent of ischemic stroke victims never receive treatment with tPA. In the adult stroke model, MCG researchers found giving stem cells increased the number of injured cells that survived in the area just outside the area of greatest damage, also referred to as the ischemic core, by 5-20 per cent.
Animals in the model of cerebral palsy, a condition caused by an ischemic injury similar to stroke but occurring before or during birth, also experienced at least a 25 per cent improvement over controls. Rodent stem cells were used in this model, a larger per cent of donated cells survived and within two weeks matured into neurons in the young, more pliable brains, Dr Borlongan said. Also, close donor matching seemed unnecessary. Unmatched transplants, from the same species, and genetically identical transplants yielded essentially equal results.
Athersys, Inc, a Clevelandbased biopharmaceutical company pursuing cell therapy programs in cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and other diseases, funded the research in which previously frozen human or rodent multipotent adult progenitor cells, which the company calls MultiStem, were thawed and injected directly into the brain. Researchers believe that MultiStem cells are able to deliver a therapeutic benefit in multiple ways, for example by producing factors that limit tissue damage and stimulate repair, according to Dr Gil Van Bokkelen, company chairman. In addition, MultiStem cells can safely mature into a broad range of cell types and can be produced on a large scale, something which should ease the move toward clinical studies and eventual clinical use.
(Picture: STEM CELL TRANSPLANT: Improves stroke damage)
There is now a hope for patients with a neurological damage like stroke. According to a new research, a single dose of adult donor stem cells given to animals that have neurological damage similar to that experienced by adults with a stroke or newborns with cerebral palsy can significantly enhance recovery from these types of injuries.
Using a commonly utilised animal model for stroke, researchers administered a dose of 200,000-400,000 human stem cells into brains of animals that had experienced significant loss of mobility and other functions. The stem cells used in the study were a recently discovered type, referred to as multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPCs. Treated animals experienced at least 25 per cent greater improvement in motor and neurological performance than controls, Dr Cesario V Borlongan, neuroscientist at Medical College of Georgia and the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre in Augusta said.
Dr David Hess, adult stroke specialist, chair of the MCG Department of Neurology and a study co-author said. “It’s a huge public health problem in the world,” said Dr Hess. He says he hopes one day stem cell therapy, along with aggressive physical therapy and possibly tPA can work synergistically to reduce that disability. “These are not going to be cures, but this level of recovery is significant... If somebody can go from a wheelchair to a cane that is a big improvement, that is how we look at it,” Hess said.
Adult animals were tested across a range of standardised tasks both before and after undergoing the surgically induced stroke, and measurements were made of their performance. Following the stroke, both control animals and those that received a single injection of stem cells were evaluated for a period of up to two months. Improvements in stem cell treated animals included enhanced performance across the range of tests, which examined strength, balance, agility and fine motor skills, and also included greater recovery of injured tissue.
“A single dose of the cells produce robust behavioural recovery at an early period post-transplantation and the recovery was durable, lasting up to two months, which was the entire length of this study,” Borlongan said. “Furthermore, animals continued to show improvement over time.” Even though less than one per cent of the transplanted cells were present two months later, animals receiving treatment developed new neurons, apparently formed from endogenous stem cells. “The mechanism that we are putting forward is these donor cells are secreting nourishing trophic factors that are helping the host brain cells survive and stimulating stem cells from the host to multiply,” Borlongan said.
To help mimic potential clinical scenarios for stroke victims, transplants were performed seven days after the initial injury. Currently, ischemic stroke patients may be treated with tPA, the only FDA-approved stroke treatment available, but must receive treatment within three hours from the time the stroke initially occurs. As a result, 95-97 per cent of ischemic stroke victims never receive treatment with tPA. In the adult stroke model, MCG researchers found giving stem cells increased the number of injured cells that survived in the area just outside the area of greatest damage, also referred to as the ischemic core, by 5-20 per cent.
Animals in the model of cerebral palsy, a condition caused by an ischemic injury similar to stroke but occurring before or during birth, also experienced at least a 25 per cent improvement over controls. Rodent stem cells were used in this model, a larger per cent of donated cells survived and within two weeks matured into neurons in the young, more pliable brains, Dr Borlongan said. Also, close donor matching seemed unnecessary. Unmatched transplants, from the same species, and genetically identical transplants yielded essentially equal results.
Athersys, Inc, a Clevelandbased biopharmaceutical company pursuing cell therapy programs in cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and other diseases, funded the research in which previously frozen human or rodent multipotent adult progenitor cells, which the company calls MultiStem, were thawed and injected directly into the brain. Researchers believe that MultiStem cells are able to deliver a therapeutic benefit in multiple ways, for example by producing factors that limit tissue damage and stimulate repair, according to Dr Gil Van Bokkelen, company chairman. In addition, MultiStem cells can safely mature into a broad range of cell types and can be produced on a large scale, something which should ease the move toward clinical studies and eventual clinical use.
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