The Ray of Hope for Chronic, Incurable & Fatal Diseases

Stress could worsen nerve disorder

2007-08-15T13:05:00.000+05:30

US scientists have said that chronic social stress could worsen neuro-degenerative disorder — a condition where cells of the brain and spinal cord are destroyed. The brain and spinal cord are composed of neurons that do different functions such as controlling movements, processing sensory information, and making decisions.

In experiments on mice, researchers at Texas A&M University found that social stress increased the inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS) that consists of the brain and spinal cord, reported health portal Health Central. Stress appeared to elevate levels of protein cytokine called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which led to increased severity of multiple sclerosis-like illnesses in the mice.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a serious and incurable neurological disease that causes blindness and paralysis. Cytokines are pro-inflammatory proteins that regulate immunity and inflammatory functions.The researchers also found that giving the mice IL-6 neutralising antibody treatments during stressful events prevented the stress-related worsening of the MS-like diseases.

"People exposed to chronic social conflict experience high levels of stress and consequent dysregulation of the immune system, thereby increasing vulnerability to infectious and auto-immune diseases," lead researcher Mary Meagher said.

An Implantable Telescope (in Retina) to Reverse Vision Loss

2007-08-12T21:58:00.000+05:30

Washington: A small telescope-like device developed by ophthalmologists in the US may be able to halt and even reverse vision loss caused by macular degeneration, an age-related eye disease.

--- Picture: An illustration of how the miniature telescope projects data back to the eye ---

According to a new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the tiny optical prosthetics dramatically improved the vision of about 140 patients studied in a clinical trial over two years.

Macular degeneration is a medical condition found in elderly people. Due to the disease, the centre of the inner lining of the eye, known as the macula area of the retina, suffers thinning, atrophy and also bleeding in some cases. This can result in loss of central vision, which leads to inability in seeing fine details, reading or recognising faces. There is no known treatment to correct macular degeneration yet.

Now, the new Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT), developed by US-based VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, could offer relief to those suffering from the disease.“This is a good device and it offers hope for people with no other options,” says Kathryn Colby, lead author of the study and an ophthalmologist. The IMT is a compound telescope system which consists of a glass cylinder that is 4.4mm in length and 3.6mm in diameter, and houses wide-angle micro-optics.

The prosthetic telescope is implanted by an ophthalmic surgeon in the eye that provides central vision. The device works with the eye’s cornea like a telephoto system, rendering an enlarged retinal image designed to reduce the area of diminished vision, reported the online edition of Scientific American. Doctors caution that this is not an easy fix, and they are developing special techniques to properly implant the device without damaging the eye. However, the regulatory body for medicine in the US has given the green signal to ophthalmologists for implanting the device.

High-Intensity Ultrasound could be the answer to combating Cancer

2007-08-08T09:52:00.000+05:30

Researchers believe that using High-Intensity Ultrasound could be the answer to combating cancer using the body’s inbuilt immune system...

An intense form of ultrasound that shakes a tumour until its cells start to leak can trigger an “alarm” that enlists immune defences against the cancerous invasion, according to a study led by researchers at US’ Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. The new findings from animal experiments suggest that once activated by the ultrasound, the immune system might even seek and destroy cancer cells, including those that have spread through the bloodstream to lurk in other parts of the body.

--- Picture: Pei Zhong, a professor at Duke’s mechanical engineering and materials science department, poses besides an ultrasound machine. Zhong along with his team have found that doctors could possibly use High-Intensity Ultrasound to launch an attack on cancer, wherever it lurks ---

Creating a Toxic Spill
High-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, is in use or testing in China, Europe and the United States to kill tumours by heating them. But Duke researchers now find that HIFU might work even better if it is first delivered in a manner that just shakes the cells. That shaking ruptures tumour cell membranes, causing them to spill their contents. The toxic spill then alerts the immune system to the cancer threat, leading to the production of tumour-fighting white blood cells.

If the effect seen in mice holds true in human patients, such a treatment could be an important advance in many cancer therapies because of its potential to tackle both primary tumours and metastatic cancers that have spread to other organs – all without the need for surgery, the research team reported in the Journal of Translational Medicine on August 3. The work, done by the engineers in collaboration with cancer immunologists and physicians at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Centre, was supported by US’ National Institutes of Health.

“In most cancers, what actually ends up killing the patient is the spread of the cancer from its original site to other parts of the body,” said Pei Zhong, an associate professor in Duke’s mechanical engineering and materials science epartment. “If the patient has a tumour in the kidney or liver, several treatment options - Including surgery, radiation or HIFU – can be used to get rid of the cancerous tissues. However, if the cancer cells spread to other vital organs such as the lung or brain, the outcomes are often much worse.

“HIFU in the current form can only be used to treat the primary tumour,” he continued. “We now think that HIFU delivered in a different mode, with emphasis on using mechanical vibration to break apart the tumour cells, may have an even more significant impact in suppressing cancer metastasis by waking up the immune system.”

Road blocks ahead
For reasons that are still not completely understood, cancer cells often go largely undetected by the immune system, Zhong said. For an anti-tumour immune response to be effective, it may need to recognise not only the surface proteins of cancer cells, but some of the other proteins locked inside those cells, which Zhong called “danger signals.”

Preliminary tests show potential
The researchers found in mice with colon cancer that mechanical HIFU delivered to the animals’ tumours sparked an immune response twice as strong as did thermal HIFU, presumably by releasing a much more diverse range of danger signals.“Our results show that mechanical HIFU has the potential to induce a stronger anti-tumour immune response,” Zhong said. “These preliminary findings open up the possibility that we could use heat from HIFU to treat the primary tumour and HIFU-boosted immunotherapy for combating any residual and metastatic tumour cells.”

Source: Various newspaper articles

Anti Ageing Injections Will Soon Be A Reality!

2007-08-05T09:49:00.000+05:30

London: French researchers believe an injection to erase the health problems associated with ageing is near at hand.

The injection manipulates a body’s mitochondria - the sausage-shaped ‘powerhouses’ in every cell of the body (except red blood cells) - which turns the food we eat into energy that can be used by the heart, muscles, brain and other parts of the body. Past research has suggested that mitochondrial deterioration is an important cause of ageing. But attempts to introduce normal genes into mitochondria to replace defective ones have so far failed: Researchers have been unable to transport genes across the mitochondrial membrane into the mitochondria.

But now, Marisol Corral-Debrinski and colleagues at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris have met with some success. The team selected two mitochondrial gene mutations - one that causes muscle weakness and another that causes blindness. They then successfully inserted the normal versions of these genes into diseased cells grown in a lab. Both mutations were reversed.The experiments will now be conducted on rats, and eventually humans may get the ‘elixir of life’.

“It is not a panacea but, if successful, it might potentially correct part of this age-associated damage to mitochondria which might be important in slowing down ageing,” said Professor Patrick Chinnery, a leading British expert on mitochondrial disorders.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

Software calculates heart attack risk

2007-08-03T21:36:00.000+05:30

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.

Scientists crack gene code of breast and colon cancers

2007-07-30T09:38:00.000+05:30

US scientists have cracked the entire genetic code of breast and colon cancers, offering new treatment hopes, reports BBC News

The genetic map shows that nearly 200 mutated genes, most previously unknown, help tumours emerge, grow and spread. The discovery could also lead to better ways to diagnose cancer in its early, most treatable stages, and personalised treatments, Science reports. The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say the findings suggest cancer is more complex than experts had believed.

The mutated genes in breast and colon cancers were almost completely distinct, suggesting very different pathways for the development of each of these cancer types. Each individual tumour appeared to have a different genetic blueprint, which could explain why cancers can behave very differently from person to person, the scientists said.

“No two patients are identical,” co-author Victor Velculescu explained.

Now researchers will study how these mutations occur in breast and colon cancers. Previous cancer gene discoveries have already led to successful detection and treatment strategies. For example, the breast cancer drug Herceptin targets a breast cancer cell receptor made by the Her2-neu gene. Blood tests for hereditary bowel cancer are based on the APC gene. Anna Barker of the National Cancer Institute said: “Maximising the numbers of targets available for drug development in a specific cancer means that patients will ultimately receive more personalised, less toxic therapies.”

Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK, said: “This is potentially a very important piece of research. “Most of the cancer genes identified in this study have not been previously linked to cancer. “These newly identified genes could provide rich hunting grounds for scientists looking for new ways of treating or detecting cancers. “In the future, scientists hope to be able to tailor plans for preventing or treating cancer to each person’s individual genetic profile. Studies like this can help us to accomplish this goal.”

So can sunshine beat heart disease?

2007-07-25T10:44:00.000+05:30

This Easter, it's not over-indulging in chocolate you should be worrying about, but your lack of exposure to the sun over the past six months.

All through winter, your vitamin D stores will have been declining, and by now you will have a fraction of what you need — not just for strong bones but to fight off a range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and infections.

Last month, a study of 7,500 men and women found that most don't have enough vitamin D in their bloodstream for at least six months of the year. Although our bodies absorb some vitamin D from the food we eat, it can't absorb enough— the body has to manufacture the rest through sunlight.

Fewer UVB rays reach the ground during the winter months, and less so the further north you go. The Scots, according to the new study, are twice as likely to suffer from dangerously low levels of vitamin D. Researchers have suggested that by ensuring we get adequate amounts, breast, prostate and colon cancer rates would be reduced by more than 50 per cent. Other research has found that improved intake would help to prevent osteoporosis.

Inadequate levels of the vitamin have also been linked to depression and weight gain.

What's so controversial about this research, conducted at some of the world's top scientific centres, is that it suggests the current recommended daily amount for vitamin D is way too low. The official advice is that we need between 200 and 400 iu (international units of concentration) a day, some of which we can get from food — notably fatty fish and cod liver oil, but also lard, butter and egg yolk — and the rest from sunlight.

It's long been known that people in some immigrant groups are more likely to be deficient, but it now appears that most white middle-aged people, the ones thought to be fine, are seriously lacking in vitamin. Over 2,000 iu, according to some sources, puts you at risk of absorbing too much calcium, leading to liver, kidney and heart damage. Other side-effects of overdosing includes increased thirst, nausea and vomiting.

However, one of the authors of the recent study linking vitamin D and flu, takes 5,000iu daily in the winter, and advises people to take 2,000 iu for each kilo of their body weight daily for three days at the first sign of infection.

There are other examples of people who have taken large doses with no ill-effect. For instance, an American study of wheelchair-bound patients with severe weakness and fatigue, who were given very high doses totalling 50,000 iu a week. They suffered no problems and were walking after six weeks. Another described how a group of adolescents with a severe deficiency were given single monthly doses of 100,000 iu with no ill effects.

As yet, it's too early to say who is right about all of this; the one thing everyone agrees on is that these new ideas about vitamin D need further testing. So it is probably too early to start going for mega-doses of 10,000 iu. But modern-day living does seem designed to reduce our vitamin D intake to a minimum.

We're Dracula-like when it comes to sunlight, terrified by the fear of skin cancer into spending our days indoors, and when we do venture out, we are urged to slap on the sun block.

As for our diet, the low-fat mantra discriminates against foods with vitamin D, most of which come with high doses of fat and cholesterol. Since our food is unlikely to be fortified any time soon, should you be taking a supplement? No one can tell you for certain, but it's certainly worth making sure you get enough sun. It's time to book that holiday.

Could a bird virus help defeat cancer?

2007-07-16T10:43:00.000+05:30

Researchers believe that Newcastle Disease virus, which does not affect humans, reproduces much faster in cancer cells than healthy cells because they have fewer viral defences.

They believe the virus, which is being injected into patients in a new clinical trial, will kill cancer cells and may eventually destroy the whole tumour.

In a trial in Israel, Professor Shimon Slavin, cancer specialist at Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, is using the Newcastle virus on patients who have not responded to other therapies. Patients taking part in the trial include those with lung, gastric and skin cancers that have spread.

A number of other viruses are being looked at as potential cancer therapies.

At the Mayo Clinic in the US, a treatment based on the measles virus is being used to treat cancers such as ovarian and brain. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada have also shown that the myxoma virus, which causes myxomatosis in rabbits, can also destroy cancer cells.

Two cuppas a day can slash skin cancer risk

2007-07-08T10:41:00.000+05:30

Two cups of tea may slash the risk of skin cancer, according to new research. Scientists found tea-drinkers were at least 65 per cent less likely to get certain types of tumour. The biggest benefits were seen among long-term drinkers, especially those who downed several cups a day for more than 40 years.

The findings, published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, show tea's disease-fighting properties appear to protect the body against squamous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas.They are usually caused by exposure to the sun's rays and grow slowly over a period of months or even years.

Basal cell carcinomas normally show up as a painless lump that gradually expands in size. Although they do not normally spread they need to be surgically removed.

Previous studies have found it can protect against heart disease, ovarian cancer and stress. In the latest study, carried out at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, US, scientists analysed over 1,400 patients aged between 25 and 74 with one of the two types of tumour. They compared their diet, drinking habits and lifestyle with a similar group who did not have cancer.

The results showed regular tea drinkers were 65 per cent less likely to have squamous cell carcinoma and almost 80 per less at risk.Dr Judy Rees, who led the research, said: "The constituents of tea have been investigated for their activity against a variety of diseases and cancers. But the most potent appear to be polyphenols."

These are antioxidants that block the damaging effects in the body of molecules known as free radicals. Dr Alison Ross, from Cancer Research UK said the results were interesting but "did not provide firm evidence" that tea protects against skin cancer. She said limiting exposure to the sun's rays was still the best way to reduce the risk.

Hypochondriac - Ill at ease with disease & the treatment

2007-06-29T10:34:00.000+05:30

When was the last time you saw a mosquito bite and assumed it to be skin cancer? Do you constantly find yourself imagining being afflicted with illnesses? If you do, you can be sure that you're suffering from hypochondria. You are one of those who are obsessed with bodily functions and interpret normal sensations (such as heart beats, sweating or bowel movements) or minor abnormalities (such as a runny nose, a sore or a swollen lymph node) as symptoms of serious medical conditions.

A case in point

A year ago, Rita Parikh, an event manager, experienced a burning sensation in her throat and created ghosts in her mind. She assumed that she had a major problem in her throat or stomach. She had a problem, of course: hypochondria. "A person suffering from this disease has a preoccupying fear of constant illness. It’s a state of mind," says clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Seema Hingorrany.

Risk factors

"It is a sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)," says Dr Minnu Bhonsle, Heart to Heart counselling centre. After being exposed to a sickness, some people often begin to suspect being stricken by illnesses at the drop of a hat. "Family history of hypochondria; psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety or personality disorders; physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood; a stressful past experience with your own or a loved one's illness — increase the risk factors of getting hypochondria," lists Hingorrany. Rita found the root of this psychological disorder in her childhood. She had lost her father when she was very young. Hence, she constantly feared death, which gave rise to other fears later on in life.

The growing agony

Rita was traumatised by the fear of a disease and her day-to-day activities were affected. "One's personality traits can suggest the onset of hypochondria," says Bhonsle. Hingorrany adds, "Lack of will power and low self-esteem aggravates it too.”Rita too suffered from low self-esteem which led to depression. She cut down on her daily intake of food. She was afraid she would aggravate her stomach ailment. She stopped having desserts; spice and oil were discarded from her diet. But her diet worsened her condition and she fell ill frequently.

As time passed, she became over-cautious. A boil on the face would be misconstrued for chicken pox. There were times when she would wake up in the middle of the night and worry for hours. "Hypochondriacs also tend to be over-protective of their children, because they fear that their children will end up with similar problems," says Hingorrany. Rita too would constantly advise her children on what to eat and what to avoid.

Know-how

Hypochiondriacs worsen their condition by referring to journals, websites and medicating themselves. "One becomes a hypochondriac when they take to what they read in medical magazines and see on television," says Bhonsle, who feels that information on disorders and diseases must be taken in the right spirit. Rita was no different. She would constantly look up the medical dictionary and try to compare her symptoms with those mentioned. "Such people find a friend in the Google search engine and they constantly surf the web for matching symptoms," says Hingorrany. "The more you read, the more cynical you become."

Self-treatment

The fear in a hypochondriac rises to such an extent that he/she refuses to consult a doctor. "They are afraid of being diagnosed by a deadly disease and hence resort to self-medication," confirms Hingorrany. Rita made a habit of self-medicating herself.

Silent Struggle

Hypochondriacs prefer to be silent sufferers. Rita found it tough to speak about her suffering to her family members who remained clueless about her close encounter with self-medication. She did not double check on these medications either. Rita also found it difficult to manage relationships peacefully and perform normal activities.

The way out

When her family learnt about her condition, they decided that she should seek help. That's when she came to Hingorrany who asked her to undergo a thorough check-up, to steer clear of all doubts. All the reports were normal. The only condition she was diagnosed with was hyperacidity, because of the stress she subjected herself to. She was advised to find a cure for her fear and not for her diseases. She underwent a test, which confirmed her to be a hypochondriac and she was told to alter her thoughts and undergo Rational Emotive Therapy (RET). "After hours of talk therapy, slowly, all that was discarded from Rita's diet was re-introduced and eventually she started leading a normal life," says Hingorrany.

The Treatment

Dr Minnu Bhonsle explains the treatment for hypochondria:

It may be treated with sustained psychotherapies, like the Cognitive Behavioral therapy — i.e. talk therapy

There is also the option of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). This psychotherapy helps to find the origin of the person's irrational behaviour.

REBT is accompanied by anti-anxiety medication which helps to calm the individual and creates a predicament more conducive for treatment. The psychotherapy and medication together, attempt to rework the individual's genetic disposition which may have caused an organic disorder like hypochondria.

Myth Busted - Fruit and veggies five times a day...

2007-06-20T10:29:00.000+05:30

It's out now - People do not need to eat five fruit and vegetables a day to be healthy

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in Tooting, says, people can spread their fruit and vegetable intake across a week instead. The advice flies in the face of the Government's Five A Day campaign which encourages people to eat five pieces of fruits and vegetables a day.

But Collins says, "The whole idea that you must meet some vitamin and mineral target every day of your life is a marketing myth.You can eat lots of fruits and veggies one day and not much the next, but over a week you will still get the right amount of nutrients." She also said in The Guardian that taking extra vitamin pills might not do people much good either. "There is very little scientific evidence of any benefit whatsoever in taking a daily multi-vitamin," she said. "You cannot exist on a poor diet and shore yourself up with a multi-vitamin."

Her comments come after a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found men with prostate cancer who took more than seven multi-vitamins a week were 30 per cent more likely to get an advanced and fatal form of the disease. Dr Toni Steer, nutritionist with MRC Human Nutrition Research in Cambridge, said supplements cannot compensate good healthy food.

WHAT DOES AND DOESN'T WORK

Daily multi-vitamin

Common claim: Provides most of your recommended daily allowances of key vitamins. Reality Check: While they may plug gaps in diet, they cannot replace fruit and vegetable.

Antioxidants (beta carotene, vitamins A, E, C and selenium)

Common Claim: Daily intake will lower risk of cancer, heart disease and reduce the signs of ageing. Reality Check: Only true if consumed in fruit and vegetables.

Evening Primrose oil

Common claim: Can reduce symptoms of PMT, breast pain, hot flushes and eczema. Reality check: No current evidence to show it is effective in treating these conditions.

Vitamin C megadose

Common claim: 1g doses will ward off or even cure the common cold. Reality Check: The human body can absorb only 500mg of vitamin C and will excrete the excess. Vitamin C reduces the average length of a common cold from five days to four and a half.

Echinacea

Common claim: Will boost your immune system, warding off the common cold. Reality check: Studies show it has daily effect.

Vitamin D

Made by the body when it is exposed to sunlight, but many of us keep out of the sun and it may therefore be deficient. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to osteoporosis, cancers of the breast, colon and ovary, multiple sclerosis & insulin-dependent diabetes.

Folic acid

Pregnant women should take folic acid complements (400 micrograms a day) in first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Known to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Glucosamine sulphate

There is evidence that it can relieve symptoms of osteoporosis in moderate sufferers.

Easy exercises will cure dyslexia

2007-06-10T21:39:00.000+05:30

A set of simple exercises originally designed for astronauts could cure dyslexia, experts say. The revolutionary treatment transformed the reading and writing skills of children with the condition – even allowing them to beat classmates with no learning difficulties in literacy tests. The exercises are designed to stimulate co-ordination and include walking downstairs backwards with your eyes closed, throwing a bean bag from one hand to the other and standing on a ball.

The treatment also dramatically improved the behaviour of dyslexic children who suffered from attention problems and hyperactivity, according to the study. Many of them currently have their behaviour ‘controlled’ by drugs. But it appears that the exercises could be far more effective – without any chemical side-effects.

One of the teachers who took part in the study said they had such a massive impact on the children that it had ‘cured them of their learning and attention difficulties’. The findings will give hope to the two million British children and adults who suffer from dyslexia. Many of them are never properly diagnosed with the condition – which literally translates as ‘difficulty with words’ – and so struggle with reading and literacy problems all their lives.

A significant proportion of sufferers also have Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder so may be given drugs such as ritalin. Last year, a total of 359,100 prescriptions were written out for Ritalin-type drugs, at a cost to the NHS of £12.5million – with 90% of them going to under-18s. The revolutionary Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Attention Disorder programme is based on the idea that dyslexia is caused by lack of co-ordination. Coventry businessman Wynford Dore discovered the technique in his search to find a cure for his daughter Susie, now 33, who suffered from dyslexia so severe she tried to commit suicide.

Technology that was originally designed for astronauts, who suffer from a form of temporary dyslexia, was used to develop the exercises. Dore’s methods work using individually prescribed eye, balance and sensory exercises designed to stimulate an area of the brain called the cerebellum.

A vaccine jab that destroys tumours

2007-06-03T09:41:00.000+05:30

Using Body’s Own Immune System To Shrink Deadly Growth; Anti-Tumour Response Seen In 95% Patients

Arevolutionary cancer vaccine developed by UK scientists can destroy and shrink deadly tumours by using the body’s own immune system, it has emerged. In trials the jab has surpassed expectations, sparking hopes it could prove an effective treatment for cancers that strike thousands of Britons each year. One patient given the vaccine has seen his tumour disappear completely for more than six months. Another two have seen their tumours shrink, and in three people the cancer has been halted in its tracks.

The researchers said results were “exciting” and “very encouraging”. Oxford BioMedica, the British company behind the jab, is initially hoping it will provide a new treatment for kidney and bowel cancer. Between them these cause 40,000 new cases and 20,000 deaths each year in the UK. To date 150 patients have had the vaccine and 95% of those that can be evaluated have had an ‘anti-tumour response’. If further trials prove successful, the vaccine could be licensed for use against kidney cancer within just three years.

Experts last night said the data suggests the ‘gene therapy’ vaccine could prove an effective treatment for a whole range of cancers. The new jab called TroVax works in a totally different way to existing treatments by harnessing the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease. The patient is given a series of injections in the arm containing a harmless virus and a gene for a protein called 5T4.

This protein is found on the surface of tumours but not on healthy cells. By injecting the gene into the body, it triggers an immune system reaction which kills the cancer cells but leaves healthy tissue unharmed. Data from an early trial involving 34 people with kidney cancer were revealed at a major American cancer conference earlier this year. Last week updated data was announced at a medical conference in Prague from the Phase II trial, in which people with renal cell carcinoma had the vaccine on its own or in combination with other standard treatments.

Among the 18 given the treatment along with a drug called interleukin-2, one patient saw his tumour totally disappear. Two have seen it reduce in size — one to the point where it can no longer be seen in his scan.

Sisters get stomach removed to avoid cancer in family

Two sisters have had their stomachs removed to protect themselves from an inherited disease which killed four close family members. Lisa and Ruth Bendle, who are just 23 and 20, took the decision because they carry a mutated gene that caused fatal stomach cancer in their father, aunt, cousin and grandmother.

They are the first people in Britain to have a vital organ removed to counter the risk of cancer. Lisa and Ruth started undergoing tests for the disease after their father David died two years ago. The first test last December was clear but the second in July showed that they both had cancerous cells. They decided to have their stomachs removed and had the surgery, on the same day, less than two months later. Just before the operation, tests proved correct the suspicion that the girls carried the same mutated gene as their father.

Vitamins, fish oils help ease depression

2007-05-30T09:54:00.000+05:30

Diet and nutrition may play a key role in helping people fight depression, Australian researchers report. A number of nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, St John’s Wort and several B vitamins, have the potential to influence mood by increasing the absorption of chemical messengers in the brain, Dianne Volker of the University of Sydney in Chippendale and Jade Ng of Goodman Fielder Commercian in New South Wales note.

There is a wealth of epidemiological, experimental and circumstantial evidence to suggest fish and the oils they contain, in particular omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, are protective against depression, Volker and Ng write. They point out that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 may also be important, given that the latter can prevent the body from absorbing the former.

Another candidate for dietary prevention of depression is amino acid tryptophan, found in foods, including turkey, and is responsible for the drowsiness people feel after eating a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. The body converts tryptophan to the neurotransmitter serotonin, suggesting the amino acid may have modest effects on mood.

Facts about CANCER From John Hopkins Hospital USA

2007-05-21T17:32:00.000+05:30

A Few Caveats...

Every person have cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.
When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds o f infections and complications.
Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one importan t food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal,Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour - Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains,seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.
Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

TIPS FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL

No plastic containers in micro.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.

John Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.

Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers.

This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

Wrist implant that keeps track of high blood pressure

2007-04-30T21:31:00.000+05:30

A tiny device, not much bigger than a grain of rice, implanted in the wrist to keep a round-the-clock check on blood pressure could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The miniature sensor sits next to an artery in the wrist and constantly measures changes in blood pressure. It is programmed to transmit the findings to a doctor’s computer. Scientists behind the new implant say it has no batteries that need replacing and, once implanted, can stay in place for the rest of the patient’s life. Three volunteers in the US had the sensor fitted inside their wrists last month as part of a trial designed to test its accuracy.

Blood pressure is measured by checking two readings. Systolic is the pressure inside arteries when the heart is forcing blood through them, and diastolic is the pressure when the heart relaxes. But testing blood pressure when a patient visits their doctor is not always accurate. Some patients suffer a syndrome called ‘whitecoat hypertension’, where the stress of seeing a doctor forces their blood pressure up. In others, readings may vary widely throughout the day.

The new ‘chip-in-a-wrist’ could be the solution. Doctors apply a local anaesthetic and insert the device just underneath the skin next to the radial artery.

A tiny pressure sensor in the device monitors changes in the forces being applied by blood as it flows through the artery. It transmits the findings to a handheld receiver, which stores the information so it can be downloaded to a doctor’s computer later.The US firm which developed the implant, Atlanta-based CardioMEMS, said it is a world first.

“We believe this is the first instance of a wireless sensor being used to monitor blood pressure,” said company chairman Dr Jay Yadav.

Facing The Future - Stem cell cream is future of face care

2007-03-21T03:10:00.000+05:30

London: Controversial Stem Cell Lotion, Being Touted As The Holy Grail Of Skincare, Could Be Available In Weeks

Just imagine being able to clone your own skin, creating brandnew cells that are undamaged by age, sun or pollution. It would be the Holy Grail of skincare, the answer that every woman over the age of 30 has been looking for. And the technology, which centres on stem cells, could be available in Britain in a matter of weeks.

In embryos, stem cells form the basis of every cell in the human body; in adults, they regenerate damaged tissue. It might sound like science fiction, but the controversial new frontier in antiageing uses creams containing laboratory synthesised ingredients to stimulate dormant stem cells in the skin and transform them into new tissue. This process would usually occur only when the skin has been severely damaged.

So, rather than going under the knife in the pursuit of a firm, youthful, glowing face, you may be able to grow your own new, wrinkle-free, baby-soft skin simply by applying a face cream. First to the market in Britain will be ReVive’s Peau Magnifique, which will be priced at a staggering £1,050. It is already available in the U.S. and launches exclusively in Space NK in April.

Manufacturers claim it uses an enzyme called telomerase to “convert resting adult stem cells to newly-minted skin cells” and “resets your skin’s ageing clock by a minimum of five years’. The product claims long-term use “will result in generation of new cells, firmer skin with a 45% reduction in wrinkles and increased long-term skin clarity’.

Peau Magnifique is the latest in a line of products developed by Gregory Bays Brown, a former plastic surgeon, who realised that surgery had its limitations. ‘You can get rid of a turkey neck and take out bags, but surgery cannot give you the succulent soft skin you had in your 20s,’ he says.

In the course of his research into healing burns victims, Brown discovered a substance called Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) released in the body when there is an injury, and, when applied to burns or wounds, dramatically accelerates the healing process. He believed the molecule could be used to regenerate ageing skin and went on to develop ReVive, a range based on it.

One aspect of Peau Magnifique that is guaranteed to raise eyebrows when it hits shelves is the price tag (£1,050 for a four-week course twice a year). ‘Yes it is expensive,’ says Brown. ‘But the telomerase protein costs $4 million a gram and is the most expensive of all the molecules we use in any of our products.’ ReVive refuses to say how much telomerase goes into Peau Magnifique.

To be fair, if, as Brown says, telomerase creates the same effect as laser skin rejuvenation but without the trauma, effectively, you’re treating your skin to one session of laser skin rejuvenation every day for 28 days. Obviously, this would be impossible, but were you able to do it without your entire face melting, it would set you back in the region of £250 a session—that’s £7,000 in total.

Viagra saves infant’s life

2007-02-16T16:31:00.000+05:30

Child’s Lung Had Collapsed When He Was Just A Day Old

This is the first picture of miracle baby Lewis Goodfellow, who was treated with Viagra to save his life. The six-month-old from Newcastle nearly died after being born 16 weeks premature in August.

His lung collapsed when he was just a day old and doctors had to stitch up a duct in his heart which had not closed properly. When the youngster’s lungs failed to work properly doctors tried Viagra in a last ditch attempt to save his life.

The drug worked by opening up some of the small blood vessels in the lungs, helping them to carry oxygen around the body properly. The operation at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary was a success and little Lewis has been allowed home. His parents Jade Goodfellow and John Barclay, from Walker in Newcastle, credited the wonder drug for saving their baby’s life.

Jade, 17, said: “He really is a miracle baby and we decided we would never give up hope until he had taken his last breath. At one point we were told we might have to make a decision about stopping. When they tried Viagra it was very much a last resort but it worked.”

Consultant neonatologist Alan Fenton said: “Using Sildenafil (Viagra) is relatively unusual. It is a fairly new form of treatment which we’ve been using on the unit for around a year.”

New hope for breast cancer patients

2007-01-16T21:49:00.000+05:30

Women affected by breast cancer have new hope in the form of a nanotechnology-based drug that promises early identification and effective treatment of the disease. “Researchers have been working on finding new ways that could help patients fight breast cancer. Nanotechnology is the latest, which could bring a revolution,” said Harsh Dua, senior consultant in the Oncology Department at the Apollo Hospital. He said researchers in India are now able to develop a drug that is “more effective and comparatively more safer.”

The drug, a “nanoparticle formulation” of the anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel, promises new hope to thousands of breast cancer patients. In India, at 1.4 lakh, cervical cancer is the most widely reported. This is followed by cancers of the breast (80,000) and mouth (70,000). The drug would be injected into the patient during treatment, Dua said. “The nanoparticles in the drug shows preference for the tumour cell and chalks its own course. This helps because the other good cells are not affected and thus there are no side-effects,” he said.

The oncologist, who has been actively involved in the work, claimed the drug could be used to target any kind of cancer, but could prove more effective to combat breast cancer. “The drugs that are in the market currently have lot of side-effects like affecting the heart, damaging the nerve and depressing the blood count. But this drug has no such side-effects,” Dua said.

Describing breast cancer as a lifestyle disease, Dua believes that research activities in the country are the only way to bring the cost of the drugs down. “Cancer treatment is costly,” he said “The early advance in technology counts a lot. If it could cure one to two per cent of the cancer population. It will be wonderful.”

New gene linked to Alzheimer's identified...

2007-01-16T09:44:00.000+05:30

Scientists said on Sunday they have pinpointed a new gene linked to Alzheimer's disease, the incurable brain disorder that is the top cause of dementia in the elderly. Abnormalities in a gene called SORL1 increased the risk for the disease, and this finding could help scientists develop new treatments, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Genetics.

The researchers looked at DNA samples from 6,000 people from four ethnic groups: Caribbean-Hispanics, North Europeans, black Americans and Israeli-Arabs. They found certain variations of SORL1 more often in people with late-onset Alzheimer's disease than in healthy people.

The late-onset form, affecting people age 65 and up, represents about 90 percent of Alzheimer's cases. The rarer early-onset form affects people from about age 30 to 65. Only one other gene, called ApoE4, has been identified as a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's. It was identified in 1993.

Several genes are linked with early Alzheimer's, and study of both types might lead to better understanding of how the disease begins and how to tackle it. Many scientists think Alzheimer's begins with the buildup in the brain of a gooey material called amyloid that clumps together to form plaques. That material stems from a protein called amyloid precursor protein, or APP.

SORL1 controls the distribution of APP inside nerve cells of the brain. When working normally, the gene prevents APP from being degraded into a toxic byproduct called amyloid beta peptide. When SORL1 is deficient, it allows more of the bad amyloid beta peptide to accumulate, fostering amyloid plaques. Alzheimer's is a complex disease that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. Scientists have struggled to understand the biology of the disease and its genetic and environmental causes.

PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
"It's another clue to the way in which this disease comes about, another piece of the puzzle," Dr. Peter St. George-Hyslop, director of the Center for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Toronto and one of the key researchers, said in a telephone interview. "Every time you get a piece of the puzzle and you can relate it to something else in the puzzle, you're that much closer to knowing what the picture on the puzzle is," he added.

St. George-Hyslop said it is premature to say what percentage of cases of late-onset Alzheimer's disease can be attributed to SORL1. ApoE4, which also may be involved in the production of amyloid plaques, has been linked to about 20 percent of late-onset Alzheimer's cases. "This appears to be the fifth Alzheimer's disease gene, and there are likely to be other important genetic variants that need to be identified before the entire picture is complete," Dr. Richard Mayeux of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, also involved in the research, said in a statement.

The disease first affects parts of the brain controlling memory and thinking, but as it advances it kills cells elsewhere in the brain. Eventually, if the patient has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function will prove fatal. Researchers from Boston University and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Jacksonville, Florida, also took part in the five-year study.

Tiny robo to tread through spine

2006-11-17T19:31:00.000+05:30

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

2006-11-16T19:29:00.000+05:30

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.

Stem cell vaccine to kill lung cancer

2006-11-10T19:25:00.000+05:30

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.

Software calculates heart attack risk

2006-10-16T10:52:00.000+05:30

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

2006-10-12T01:42:00.000+05:30

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

2006-10-10T13:31:00.000+05:30

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

2006-09-07T20:01:00.000+05:30

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

2006-09-07T19:57:00.000+05:30

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.

Dengue virus’ replication mechanism cracked!!!

2006-08-04T10:29:00.000+05:30

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

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...

2006-08-02T10:27:00.000+05:30

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.

CONDOMS could help reduce CERVICAL CANCER RISK

2006-06-23T10:45:00.000+05:30

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).

Drinking lots of coffee need not pose risk of heart disease

2006-05-10T11:06:00.000+05:30

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

2006-05-10T10:56:00.000+05:30

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

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

2006-05-03T10:56:00.000+05:30

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.

Could small changes increase life expectancy?

2006-05-03T10:52:00.000+05:30

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.

DEAFNESS: FACTS & THE RELIEF

2006-05-03T10:44:00.000+05:30

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:

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...

2006-04-21T11:20:00.000+05:30

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.

Stress Tests...

2006-04-21T10:39:00.000+05:30

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.”

Put Your Heart to Test - ECG, angiography, stress tests...

2006-04-19T22:16:00.000+05:30

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 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

2006-04-12T10:31:00.000+05:30

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.

NEW HOPE FOR STROKE VICTIMS

2006-04-12T10:16:00.000+05:30

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.