Anti Ageing Injections Will Soon Be A Reality!

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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.