15 July, 2019

Chinese scientists develop tumor-specific anti-cancer therapy

Chinese scientists developed a combined tumor-killing therapy that can be activated specifically at tumor sites in mouse models of cancer, which is more effective than previous similar therapies. The study published on Friday in the journal Science Immunology described the new cancer immunotherapy that can prevent the immune system from becoming tolerant of tumors, which occurs in 30 per cent of all cancer patients, the Xinhua news agency reported.

A team led by Wang Dangge from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University developed a common immune checkpoint inhibitor in a nanoparticle formulation, which is highly tumor-specific. The checkpoint inhibitor is a kind of increasingly popular anti-tumor drug. It can block proteins that keep immune T cells from killing cancer. But the checkpoint inhibitor used to target those immune system-suppressing proteins like PD-1 and PD-L1 often fails to reach deep-seated or metastatic tumors.

Wang’s team combined the nanoparticles carrying PD-L1-targeting antibodies with a light-activated molecule. The molecule called photosensitiser can produce tumor-killing reactive oxygen species after encountering a protein abundant in tumors, according to the study. In mouse models, a local near-infrared radiation that activated the photosensitiser, along with the administration of antibodies-carrying nanoparticles, promoted the infiltration of cancer cell-killing T cells into the tumor site and made the tumors more sensitive to the checkpoint blockade.

This combination also helped the nanoparticles effectively suppress tumor growth and metastasis to the lung and lymph nodes, resulting in approximately 80 per cent mouse survival over 70 days, compared to complete mouse death in 45 days in the group treated with only PD-L1 antibodies, according to the study.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

15.07.2019

Knowing is not enough; we must apply, wishing is not enough; we must do

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

8 July, 2019

Now doctors may predict accurate treatment for patients: Study

A recent research may enable doctors to use the genetic profiles of patients to predict with great accuracy which treatment and prevention protocols will work for them, but requires greater inclusion of ethnic minorities as well. Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, an anthropologist, and bioethicist said that to improve medical care researchers need more data about the individual differences that make each of us unique.

“Without engaging underrepresented communities in genetic studies, efforts to move precision science forward may recapitulate ongoing inequities in health care and limit and bias the research. The early stages of precision medicine offer a critical window in which to intervene before research practices and their consequences become locked in,” Lee said in the study which was published in the journal of Science. Precision medicine relies on the collection of biospecimens, electronic records and other sources of behavioral and environmental data, Lee said.

Diseases can present differently among ethnic groups. They may, for example, appear at an earlier age, or they may progress more rapidly or respond disparately to treatment. The study will explore how these centres recruit participants and collect, measure and share data. It will also examine how they communicate the findings of their research. “We are looking to see if there are unintended consequences that would limit researchers’ ability to meet diversity recruitment goals, address social and biological causes of health disparities, and distribute the benefits of precision medicine equitably,” Lee said.

Lee warned that building a diverse genetic database may prove challenging. He also stressed that, as a result, recruiting for diverse participation alone is not nearly enough. “An ethics of inclusion demands transparency and a culture of openness. Precision medicine studies must open themselves up to multidisciplinary teams that include social scientists, ethicists, and policymakers who can identify and implement practices that respect the histories and concern of diverse populations-and recognize where reform is needed,” she said.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

08.07.2019

When someone does something wrong,
don’t forget the things they did right

1 July, 2019

National Doctor’s Day: History, theme and significance

This is the day when people pay tribute to and honour doctors for their tireless service. Doctors are the guardians of health. As a Chinese proverb says, “Only the healing art enables one to make a name for himself and, at the same time, give others the benefit.” Well, the tireless service of the doctors deserves to be commemorated. That is why in India, July 1 is celebrated as the National Doctor’s Day.

The aim of National Doctor’s Day is to honour the contributions of doctors to the society. People and institutes celebrate this day to create awareness among the common public about the importance and role of doctors. It is a great way to encourage and appreciate their work. People say that doctors are Gods on earth. This is because they can give the gift of health to people who might not live otherwise. The increasing violence against doctors in India makes the observance of National Doctor’s Day even more relevant and important. Ensuring the safety and security of doctors during their working hours is the need of the hour. That is why the the Indian Medical Association has announced the theme for this year National Doctor’s Day as ‘Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment.’

History behind National Doctor’s Day

Different parts of the world celebrates Doctor’s Day on different days. In India, July 1 was chosen as National Doctor’s Day because it is the birth anniversary of the famous physician Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Coincidentally, it is his death anniversary too. Apart from being an eminent physician, Dr. Roy was also an educationist, philanthropist and a freedom fighter. He was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal.

As already mentioned, the date of Doctor’s Day is not the same in every country. It was first celebrated in Georgia, US, on March 30, 1933. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of a prominent doctor wanted a day just for recognising and honouring doctors. She was the person who started this campaign. Eudora decided to mail greeting cards to all the doctors she knew and to place flowers on the graves of deceased doctors. She placed red carnations on the graves of these doctors. People still use red carnations for National Doctors’ Day celebrations across the globe as it symbolises sacrifice, charity, courage, bravery and love.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

01.07.2019

Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful

24 June, 2019

Working out at home as effective as gyming: Study

If you are not finding time to hit the gym, do not worry. Researchers have found that working out at home not only saves your time, cost and access but also increases adherence. The study, published in The Journal of Physiology, investigated a home-based high-intensity interval training (Home-HIT) programme and studied its benefits for clinically obese individuals with an elevated risk of heart disease.

The research team were interested in whether Home-HIT is a time-efficient strategy that helps to reduce other common exercise barriers such as difficulty with access to exercise facilities due to travel time and cost. “An exercise regimen such as Home-HIT that reduces barriers to exercise such as time, cost, and access, and increases adherence in previously inactive individuals gives people a more attainable exercise goal and thus could help improve the health of countless individuals,” said study author Sam Scott from Liverpool John Moores University.

For the study, 32 obese people completed a 12-week exercise programme. A range of health markers were measured in these participants, including body composition, cardiovascular disease risk and the ability to regulate glucose. They were categorised in three groups — those who did supervised, lab-based cycling HIT programme; those who did UK government-recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise; and those who did home-based HIT programme of simple body weight exercises suitable for people with low fitness and low mobility and performed without equipment.

The researchers found that home-based HIT was as effective as both the government-recommended 150-minute exercise and the supervised, lab-based HIT programme for improving fitness in obese individuals.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

24.06.2019

If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old

17 June, 2019

Every 20 seconds, 1 Indian suffers a brain-stroke

Every 20 seconds, one Indian suffers a brain stroke, or three every minute, and the numbers are increasing alarmingly due to changing lifestyles. At this rate, around 1.54 million Indians are affected by strokes every year and the worse is 90 per cent of stroke patients failed to reach hospital on time. The lifetime risk of stroke after the age of 55 is 1 in 5 for women and 1 in 6 for men.

These revelations came at the ongoing 3-day Fourth Congress of Society of Neuro Vascular Intervention (SNVICON) Mumbai 2019, with international participation, here on Saturday.

Prominent speakers said the message was simple but alarming – that in India, the numbers of brain strokes are increasing and it would not be wrong to say they are “life-style related”. Breach Candy Hospital’s Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon and Interventional Neurosurgeon Dr Anil P. Karapurkar said that like a healthy heart, a healthy brain is important, for which precautions need to be taken.

“In case of a heart attack, it is either you are gone or you recover. In case of a brain stroke, you may be gone, you may recover and come to normal, or you become dependent for life,” Karapurkar warned. He explained that in case of a heart attack, there are half a dozen basic symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, pain in left shoulder and upper abdomen, but in case of strokes, symptoms may vary depending on which side of the brain is affected.

“Stroke is a sudden loss of function of a part of the body. It can happen out of the blue. The simple rule to follow in case of a stroke is – ‘BE FAST’ – Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time,” he advised.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

17.06.2019

Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay

Simone de Beauvoir

10 June, 2019

Eating while standing ups stress, mutes taste buds

Researchers have found that spending more time standing up and eating for even a few minutes prompts physical stress, muting taste buds. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research finds posture impacts taste perception, with food tasting better when you are sitting down. The researchers looked specifically at how the vestibular sense, which is responsible for balance, posture and spatial orientation, interacts with the gustatory sensory system, which impacts taste and flavour.

“This finding suggests that parents might be able to make unpleasant-tasting, healthy foods seem more palatable to reluctant children by having them eat standing up (vs. sitting down). In a similar vein, it might be beneficial to maintain a standing posture when consuming pharmaceutical products that have unpleasant tastes,” said study lead author Dipayan Biswas, Professor at the University of South Florida in the US. The research team found that the force of gravity pushes blood to the lower parts of the body, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood back up to the top of the body, accelerating heart rate.

This activates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and leads to increased concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol.

This chain reaction reduces sensory sensitivity, which impacts food and beverage taste evaluation, food temperature perception and overall consumption volume. When people experience discomfort, foods that normally taste good do not appear as pleasant to the palate, said the study. The research team confirmed their hypothesis by having 350 participants rate the tastiness of a pita chip. Those who were standing gave it a less favourable rating than those who were sitting in a padded chair.

They expanded the study by inducing additional stress and asked participants to try fruit snacks while carrying a shopping bag. Both sitting and standing participants reported the additional weight made the food item taste even worse.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

10.06.2019

Never say no to an opportunity to grow and learn

3 June, 2019

Depression may increase risk of chronic diseases in women

Women who experience symptoms of depression, even without a clinical diagnosis, are at an increased risk of developing multiple chronic diseases, according to a study. The study, published in the journal American Psychological Association Health Psychology, examined 7,407 middle-aged women (45-50 years) for over 20 years. During the study period, 43.2 per cent women experienced elevated symptoms of depression and just under half the cohort were diagnosed or took treatment for depression. Of the total, 2,035 or 63.6 percent developed multiple chronic diseases.

“These days many people suffer from multiple chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. We looked at how women progress in the development of these chronic diseases before and after the onset of depressive symptoms,” said Xiaolin Xu from the University of Queensland in Australia. “Experiencing depressive symptoms appeared to amplify the risk of chronic illness,” Xu said, adding that women suffering from depression were 1.8 times more likely to have multiple chronic health conditions.

“After women started experiencing these symptoms, they were 2.4 times more likely to suffer from multiple chronic conditions compared to women without depressive symptoms,” he added. Women with both conditions — depression and chronic diseases — were more likely to come from low-income households, be overweight and inactive, smoke tobacco and drink alcohol.

“Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and reducing harmful behaviours could help prevent and slow the progression of multiple chronic diseases,” Xu said.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

03.06.2019

Some of the greatest victories in life begin with being faithful in the small things