14, November 2014

Gene test may identify kidney transplant rejection: Study

Washington: US researchers have said they have developed a potential gene test for identifying acute rejection in kidney transplant patients, a finding that could eventually replace the need for biopsies.

Acute rejection after kidney transplantation occurs in about 15 percent to 20 percent of patients, even when they are treated with immunosuppressive medications, Xinhhua reported citing the researchers Tuesday.

Rejection is usually heralded by an increase in the patient's serum creatinine, a marker of kidney function, and a kidney biopsy is then performed to confirm whether rejection is taking place.

However, elevated creatinine is not sufficiently sensitive to identify all early rejection or specific enough to prevent some unnecessary kidney biopsies, so a non-invasive means of identifying acute rejection is needed, according to researchers from the University of California San Francisco.

For the new study, the researchers used an assay called quantitative polymerase chain reaction to measure the expression of 43 genes whose expression levels change during acute kidney rejection in blood samples collected from patients who had had a kidney transplant.

The researchers also found that the gene set was able to predict acute rejection up to three months before detection by biopsy, independent of age, time after transplant and sample source.

"The kSORT assay has the potential to become a simple, robust, and clinically applicable blood test," the researchers said.

The study was published in the US journal PLOS Medicine.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

14.11.2014

Even doctors struggle to identify obesity

London: Most people, including health care professionals, are unable to identify healthy weight, over-weight or obese people just by looking at them, says a research.

Viewing people with heavy body weight may influence what we see as normal and healthy weight and even causes people to underestimate a person's weight, the researchers found.

"Over the last 30 years we have seen changes to population body weight, so examining how this has affected how we view our own and other people's body sizes is an interesting area of research," said researcher Eric Robinson from the University of Liverpool in Britain.

The researchers asked participants to look at photographs of male models and categorise whether they were healthy weight, over-weight or obese according to World Health Organization (WHO) Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines.

They found that the majority of participants were unable to correctly identify whether they were a healthy weight, over-weight or obese.

Participants underestimated weight, often believing that over-weight men possessed a healthy weight.

In a related study of health care professionals, the researchers found that GPs (General Practitioners) and trainee GPs were also unable to visually identify if a person was over-weight or obese.

"Our study of GPs found a tendency to underestimate weight which has important implications as it means that over-weight and obese patients could end up not being offered weight management support or advice," Robinson concluded.

The study of GPs was published in the British Journal of General Practice.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

14.11.2014

WRONG is WRONG even if everyone is doing it. RIGHT is RIGHT even if no one is doing it.