March 15, 2012 Clippings

Arthritis pill to treat heart disease?

Researchers have found that inflammation plays a major role in the development of coronary heart disease.

Two international genetic studies of 300,000 people by Cambridge University and University College London pinpointed a specific protein.

The finding suggests that anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could also be used to reduce atherosclerosis - the build up of fatty deposits in arteries.

If the treatment proves a success, thousands of lives could be saved each year, with high-risk patients taking the drug as a preventative measure, the Daily Express reported.

One such drug, tocilizumab, is already prescribed to sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis.

Experts have long suspected that inflammation plays a role in heart disease, but until now no clear link has been found.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which co-funded the studies, said: "These studies provide very strong evidence that new medicines which reduce inflammation could be a powerful tool in helping to combat heart disease."

The new research was published online in The Lancet medical journal.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

15.03.2012

Glaucoma can affect even newborns, kids

Popularly called the ‘silent blinding disease,’ one in 3,300 people in India suffer from glaucoma, reveals a study by Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS). The disease usually causes high pressure within the eye. Even infants and children are not spared. There are several forms of childhood glaucoma—if a child is born with glaucoma, it’s called newborn glaucoma; if it occurs at the age of two or three, it is called infantile glaucoma and if it occurs in a child aged between three and thirteen, it’s called juvenile onset developmental glaucoma.

“Glaucoma can also develop in children due to injury, intra-ocular tumour and post- cataract surgery. Side-effects of abuse, overuse or misuse of steroids can also lead to glaucoma in children. This is called steroid-induced glaucoma,” said Dr Anil K Mandal, head, Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre and consultant, VST Centre for Glaucoma Care, LV Prasad Eye Institute.

For the treatment and management of glaucoma among children, surgery is the only remedy. “In case of newborn glaucoma, surgery has to be done as early as possible. Glaucoma once detected after it has caused some damage cannot be rectified to revise the lost vision. Treatment can be given to preserve the existing vision,” said Dr Mandal.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

15.03.2012

Doing your best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment

Oprah Winfrey