1 December, 2016

Scientists unlock the mystery of blood clot deaths in cancer patients

A new study conducted by New Zealand scientists have solved the mystery of why many cancer patients die of blood clots while undergoing chemotherapy.

In the study by University of Otago researchers that came out on Wednesday said, chemotherapy stimulates release of tiny bubbles from the surface of cancer cells, as reported in Xinhua news.

The most common death from cancer were caused by uncontrolled growth of tumour in vital organs, but the second common way that cancer kills is by triggering blood clotting resulting in thrombosis. The clots cause blockage of major blood vessels, preventing oxygen and nutrients to vital organs.

Despite being life-prolonging, chemotherapy is thus associated with a six-to-seven fold increase in the risk of thrombosis in cancer patients.

Associate Professor Alex McLellan said in a statement that the link between cancer and thrombosis was noted over 100 years ago, but the reasons for the association had been elusive, Associate Professor Alex McLellan said in a statement.

McLellan's team have discovered that cancer cells when treated with chemotherapy releases lipid-rich bubbles from their membranes that activated coagulation (clotting) processes.

"We now have insight into how these bubbles from dying cancer cells may cause thrombosis during chemotherapy," McLellan added.

The research had showed that certain solid cancers were more active in promoting blood coagulation, as compared to lymphomas. "A general pattern is that cancers such as pancreatic, lung and brain cancers carry the largest risk of thrombotic events," he said.

The study opened the possibility of developing inhibitors to the major coagulation pathway identified in cancer cells.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

01.12.2016

Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart

30 November, 2016

Novel artificial intelligence (AI) technique can help remove specific fears from the brain

Using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and brain scanning technology, a team of researchers has developed a novel method that can help remove specific fears from the brain. The new technique that could read and identify a fear memory can pave way of treating patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias, the study said. Neuroscientists, from the University of Tokyo, developed ‘Decoded Neurofeedback’ — which used brain scanning to monitor activity in the brain, and identify complex patterns of activity that resembled a specific fear memory. In the study, the team included 17 healthy volunteers in whom a fear memory was created by administering a brief electric shock when they saw a certain computer image.  Using brain scanner, the researchers monitored the volunteers’ mental activity and were able to spot signs of that specific fear memory. Using AI algorithms, they also developed a fast and accurate method of reading the fear.

The findings showed that the volunteers’ brains showed brain patterns of that specific fear memory, even when they were resting and not consciously aware of the fear. Because the researchers could decode these brain patterns quickly, they gave the participants a reward of small amount of money, so that the fear memories would become associated with rewards. However, the volunteers were told that the reward depended on their brain activity, although they didn’t know how. At the end of the reward therapy that continued for three days, the team showed the volunteers the pictures previously associated with the shocks. ‘We could not identify enhanced activity in the amygdala — the brain’s fear centre. This meant that we were been able to reduce the fear memory without the volunteers ever consciously experiencing the fear memory in the process,’ said lead author Ai Koizumi from the University of Tokyo.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

30.11.2016

If you want to be successful,

you must never lie to yourself

29 November, 2016

Govt mulls over new rules to facilitate organ donation

Pledging his organs for donation, Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Sunday claimed his ministry would soon come out with new rules, regulations and protocols to facilitate cadaver donation.

Though India documents about 1.5 lakh brain dead patients every year, only a handful of patient families come forward to donate organs, showcasing a lukewarm response to the government’s organ donation campaign.

“Organs are national resources and not even one should be wasted. Donating organs is a gift and is an altruistic, egalitarian and a moral act. We can turn the end of a life into a new beginning by donating our organs,” Nadda said.

Health ministry officers, doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff members of all central government hospitals in Delhi, too, pledged to donate their organs.

“Even though we have a good (organ transplant) law, very few are able to afford the cost of an organ transplant in the absence of organs and facilities. An average Indian remains deprived,” said Vivekanand Jha from The George Institute for Global Health, India.

A large number of potentially transplantable organs could not be utilised due to lack of awareness on the part of ICU physicians.

A recent research has shown that in a big tertiary care centre, less than 10% of brain stem dead patients could be converted to actual donors. It suggests a huge untapped potential for cadaver transplant.

Source: www.deccanherald.com

29.11.2016

If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal

28 November, 2016

Depression may affect stomach, and anxiety the skin

Researchers have found that depression in young people is often followed by arthritis and diseases of the digestive system, while skin diseases are common after anxietydisorders. The findings suggest that mental disorders are antecedent risk factors of certain physical diseases in early life, but also vice versa, according to the researchers.

"Our results expand the relevance of mental disorders beyond mental to physical health care, and vice versa, supporting the concept of a more integrated mental-physical health care approach, and open new starting points for early disease prevention and better treatments, with relevance for various medical disciplines," the study said.

The research group led by Marion Tegethoff in collaboration with Professor Gunther Meinlschmidt from the University of Basel in Switzerland examined the temporal pattern and relationship between physical diseases and mental disorders in children and young people.

They analysed data from a representative sample of 6,483 teenagers from the US aged between 13 and 18. The researchers noted that some physical diseases tend to occur more frequently in children and adolescents if they have previously suffered from certain mental disorders.

Likewise, certain mental disorders tend to occur more frequently after the onset of particular physical diseases. Affective disorders such as depression were frequently followed by arthritis and diseases of the digestive system, while the same relationship existed between anxiety disorders and skin diseases, showed the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Anxiety disorders were more common if the person had already suffered from heart disease. A close association was also established for the first time between epileptic disorders and subsequent eating disorders.

The results offer important insights into the causal relationship between mental disorders and physical diseases.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.11.2016

Believing in yourself is

the first secret to success

26 November, 2016

Scientists create artificial human blood from skin cells!

If there was ever a missing piece to a puzzle in medical science before, it was the development of human blood.

It seems, however, that scientists from Singapore have managed to do the impossible and may have found a way to develop human blood from skin cells by successfully creating artificial mouse blood and immune cells from skin cells.

This brings them one step closer to actually making this miraculous discovery. Described in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, this is being considered to be a potential breakthrough in the field of regenerative medicine.

"On the face of it, skin cells and blood cells couldn't be more different from one another," explained Dr Cheng Hui, who worked initiated the study during his stay at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), in a press release. We have been interested in whether it might be possible to rewrite the identity of cells, specifically to turn skin into blood," Nature World News reported.

This is not the first time that scientists tried to create blood cells using skin cells. Previous efforts yielded cells that could only last two weeks when injected in mouse models.

Nature World News further reported that, with their findings, researchers are hoping to spring the same results with human skin cells. If proven to be safe and effective, this conversion technique could provide a robust source of new blood or immune cells. It will be easier for patients suffering from immune disorders and other diseases, as well as those who are in need of blood transfusions, to receive the necessary treatment they require.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

26.11.2016

Life is not about pleasing everyone; it is all about hurting no one

25 November, 2016

A ‘Miracle baby’ weighing lighter than iPad born in UAE, doctors are celebrating the successful delivery

The ‘miracle baby’ was born after a 26.5-week gestation.

Doctors in a UAE hospital are celebrating the successful delivery of its smallest patient, a baby girl, weighing lighter than an iPad, just 631 gm. The ‘miracle baby’ was born after a 26.5-week gestation, said Govinda Shenoy, head of the Neonatology Unit, Medeor24x7 Hospital. Shenoy pointed out that the mother was carrying a growth-retarded fetus with oligo-hydramnios, which creates lack of amniotic fluid around the foetus, and absent end diastolic flow, which is a condition that increases the risk of foetal and neonatal mortality. ‘The timely intervention and delivery of the baby was important, as the mother, who had a high risk pregnancy, came to us displaying symptoms of sever preeclampsia, which is a pregnancy-related complication that is accompanied by high blood pressure and potential damage to organs,’ media reports quoted Shenoy as saying. The baby was successfully delivered by a Lower (uterine) Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) procedure, after which both mother and infant were kept under careful observation.

‘The baby was placed under the care of the expert neonatology team in the state-of-the-art neonatal unit,’ said Shenoy, who set up Medeor 24×7 Abu Dhabi’s Level 3 NICU, with all its modern facilities and equipment. Mary Roberts, Senior Obstetrician at Medeor24x7 Hospital, said the mother and ‘miracle baby’ have so far made an extraordinary recovery.‘The mother and child have shown a remarkable recovery, with the baby’s weight increasing to 2,050gm. The baby is doing really well and her parents are very grateful to the team for saving her life,’ Khaleej Times reported. Roberts added that the baby, who the parents wanted to remain anonymous, has no apparent co-morbidities and is safe and sound. ‘They really consider her a miracle baby. She is getting stronger.’ 

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

25.11.2016

If it doesn’t challenge you, it wont change you

24 November, 2016

Cyber addiction, a social malady

The recent opening of an outpatient department (OPD) in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for cyber addiction is a sign of the seriousness of a social malady which is fast spreading in the country. Though doctors and counsellors have dealt with what is called Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and other names, this is the first time that a psychiatric OPD has been set up in the country to treat this emerging medical problem. Prolonged and compulsive use of computers and mobile phones for social media activities, playing games, gambling and watching videos, apart from academic pursuits and entertainment, is now leading to physical and mental disorders which call for treatment. As is well-known, young people of school and college-going age are most vulnerable to the addiction but older people also develop the habit. Depression, anxiety, neglect of academic and daily life activities, withdrawal from the world and su-bstance abuse are among the psychological consequences. Disruption of sleep, eating disorders, eyesight problems and ailments caused by sedentary habits are among the physical problems. PIU has also caused breakup of marriages, loss of jobs and financial debts in many cases.

It may seem a contradiction that the cyberworld, which gives instant and almost unlimited connectivity with the outside world, also has a deleterious impact on its users. Social media satisfies social instincts which are basic to human nature but excessive preoccupation with it is hurtful and damaging. Friendships, social activities and communication offer opportunities to individuals for healthy and necessary interaction with the real, outside world. But, with excessive use of social media, the process gets reversed and the activity becomes self-centred and narcissistic by drawing the world’s attention to oneself. It becomes delusional, too, and the relative unreality of the cyberworld acts on the mind. Human beings need actual interaction with each other and the real world to keep their physical and mental health.

Doctors have said that complaints of dysfunctional behaviour are steadily increasing and, in some cases, even hospitalisation is needed. Hospitals in other parts of the country may also have to start facilities for treating cyber addiction as the habit is strong everywhere. Since prevention is better than cure, doctors have advised controlled and disciplined use of internet, especially for youngsters. Parents have a major responsibility in this. Schools also have an important role in creating awareness among students about the dangers of excessive indulgence in the cyberworld. Computers and mobile phones are great gadgets but we should not become their attachments and allow them to dictate our lives.

Source: www.deccanherald.com

24.11.2016

What consumes our mind, controls our life

23 November, 2016

Make sugary drinks costly, unaffordable

A recent report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) calling upon all governments to impose deterrent taxes on sugary drinks has again drawn attention to the danger posed to public health by these drinks. The WHO advocates high taxes in the range of 20%-50% which would raise the prices of sugary drinks to such levels that most people would be discouraged from buying them. It wants all sugary drinks, energy and sports drinks, beverages like flavoured and breakfast drinks and even fruit juices to be taxed because the sugar content in all of them can cause serious health ailments. It recommends consumption of fruit in place of juices and recommends payment of subsidies for fruit which will bring down their prices and increase consumption. It has proposed a price-based strategy to reduce consumption of sugar to go along with public awareness campaigns.

Consumption of sugar is a major cause of many serious ailments and health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity. The WHO recommends a sugar intake of not more than 5% of total daily calories or six tea spoons a day; it even says that, nutritionally, there is no need for sugar in the diet. The harmful impact of sugar has been known for long and it has been described as white poison. It is considered to be worse than fat for the body. Diabetes and obesity have been increasing all over the world in the past few decades. India is at great risk because of the increase in such cases. It is called the diabetes capital of the world. Obesity is increasing among children also. Changes in dietary habits and contents and sedentary lifestyles are among the main reasons for the deteriorating health profiles. Sugary beverages account for a major part of sugar consumption.

Some countries like France and Mexico have imposed high taxes on sugary drinks. The WHO has noted that they have been able to reduce sugar consumption. A number of American cities, too, have recently imposed high taxes on them. Britain is considering whether to impose high taxes on all sugary beverages or to ban them altogether. The sugary drinks industry has a high lobbying power, and even data based on sponsored research to counter any move against the drinks. India should also consider the high-tax strategy to reduce sugar consumption. A 5% tax was imposed two years ago, but a higher tax can be considered in the interest of public health. The high fat tax imposed by Kerala this year on some food items is a good precedent. 

Source: www.deccanherald.com

23.11.2016

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have

22 November, 2016

Yoga-related injury rising in elderly: Study

Practising yoga may have many health benefits, but yoga-related injury rates are rising, especially for older adults above 65 years of age, researchers say.           "Yoga injuries are relatively rare, but the incidence tends to rise with the age of the participant," said lead author Thomas Swain, research assistant at theUniversity of Alabama, in the US.

"The study found that the injury rate is increasing over time, which may be a reflection of the increase in popularity of yoga, leading to an increase in inexperienced participants who do not take necessary precautions to avoid injury," he added.

According to the study, the overall rate of yoga-related injuries in the US climbed to 17 per 100,000 participants in 2014, up from 10 per 100,000 in 2001. For people aged 65 and above, the injury rate was 58 per 100,000 participants. Individuals aged 45-64 saw an injury rate of 18 per 100,000, while those between 18-44 years of age had an injury rate of 12 per 100,000.

Nearly half were injuries to the trunk, and sprains or strains accounted for 45 per cent of all injuries. The incidence of fracture was three times higher in the elderly than in the younger population, Swain observed.

As with any sport or physical activity, it is important to be sure you are physically capable of the undertaking, the authors said.

"Talk to your physician before taking up yoga, be cautious, and recognise your personal limitations, particularly if you are over 65," Swain noted.

"One needs to understand that some poses might be too challenging and inappropriate. A qualified, certified yoga instructor can help you with that assessment and is essential to a safe experience," added Gerald McGwin, professor at University of Alabama.

The study was published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

22.11.2016

Sometimes you will never know the value of something, until it becomes a memory

Dr. Seuss

19 November, 2016

Your ATM machine may be full of germs

Be careful the next time you visit the nearby automated teller machine (ATM), as the keypad may be loaded with bacterias from spoiled food to parasites that may also cause sexually transmitted disease (STDs), researchers say. Automated teller machine (ATM) keypads represent a specific and unexplored microhabitat formicrobial communities.

"Our results suggest that ATM keypads integrate microbes from different sources, including the human microbiome, foods, and potentially novel environmental organisms adapted to air or surfaces," said Jane Carlton, Professor at New York University, US.

"DNA obtained from ATM keypads may therefore provide a record of both human behaviour and environmental sources of microbes," Carlton added. The researchers in June and July 2014 took swabs of keypads from 66 ATM machines from Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, in the US. Specifically, the most common identified sources of microbes on the keypads were from household surfaces such as televisions, restrooms, kitchens and pillows, as well as from bony fish, mollusks and chicken.

Residual DNA from a meal may remain on a person's hands and be transferred to the ATM keypad upon use, the researchers suggested.

ATM keypads located in laundromats and stores had the highest number of biomarkers with the most prominent being Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), which is usually found in decomposing plants or milk products. In other samples, the researchers observed the biomarker Xeromyces bisporus, which is associated with spoiled baked goods.

In addition, the team found a parasite typically seen in the gut of humans and other mammals, along with a species closely related to the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, which can potentially cause STD.

However, there is no significant difference was found in the keypads from ATMs located outdoors versus indoors, the researcher noted, in the paper published in the journal 'mSphere.'

Source: www.timesofindia.com

19.11.2016

Determination is the wake-up call to the human will

Anthony Robbins

16 November, 2016

Diabetes can affect your skin too!

Diabetes is a very common problem these days.

Though people think excessive intake of sugar and sweetened food lead to diabetes, the reality is our unbalanced lifestyle also play a significant role in contributing to the condition of diabetes. Many of us are not even aware that apart from affecting our body, diabetes can play havoc on our skin.

Some common skin infections due to diabetes are fungal infection, itching, vitiligo, blisters, Digital Sclerosis, foot ulcer and others.

Fungal Infection: 'Candida albicans' is a painful fungal infection commonly found in diabetic people. The infection causes red rashes on the skin and leads to itching and pain. Jock itch is another fungal infection amongst the diabetic patients.

Itching: Itching seems to be a common problem; however, it can be severe and problematic. Itching in the lower part of the legs and feet is common among diabetic patients.

Vitiligo: Experts suggest that vitiligo is also caused due to Type 1 Diabetes. The cells responsible for the brown pigment on the skin get damaged in Vitiligo which leads to white patches on the chest, face, and hands etc.

Blisters: Blisters are common among diabetic people and appear on the hands, legs and the backside of the fingers. The good thing is that they are painless.

Foot Ulcer: In the extreme stages of diabetes, a special nerve gets damaged due to which the person doesn't feel any sensation in the foot. Even a little scratch on the foot takes the form of a sore and may take weeks to heal.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

16.11.2016

                       

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do

15 November, 2016

Over 30 million diabetics in India in one decade: Experts

In the last one decade, the number of diabetes patients in India increased by over 30 million due to sedentary lifestyle and erratic schedule mostly common in the age group of 20-40 years, said the country's leading diabetic experts on Monday.

Their statistics stated that in the early 2000, there were around 31.7 million persons diagnosed with diabetes and by 2015, the figure increased to 62 million.

"This change is due to the erratic food timings, sleep, unhealthy lifestyle, physical inactivity and other erratic patterns of lifestyle. Such changes in lifestyle leads to insulin resistance wherein body does not use insulin properly," said Abhay Vispute, Diabetologist at Mumbai-based SRV Hospital.

Though genetic factors contributed to diabetes, Vispute said: "Urban migration and obesity due to rising social standards were the other reasons."

India has been declared as the "world diabetic capital", with cases to touch 70 million by 2025.

"Not only youngsters, even children between the age group of 12-16 years are detected with Type 2 diabetes. It is essential that they understand the importance of modifying their lifestyle, also, for those who are detected with diabetes, their siblings or children must also conduct regular check-ups," said Tejas Shah, Diabetologist at the Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai.

The experts also said that 10 per cent of the pre-diabetic patients become diabetes patients every year.

Pradeep Gadge, Chief Diabetologist at Gadge Diabetes Centre, said an increase of 31 million among diabetes patients within 15 years was alarming.

"Diabetes at such a young age means lifelong struggle to keep it under control. It is essential to take appropriate measures. Simple ways to take measures against diabetes includes, avoiding junk food, following an active lifestyle, keep check on weight and conduct tests at periodic intervals," said Gadge.

World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14. Noticing lack of awareness and delay in diagnosis among the patients, Delhi-based Primus hospital recently created a record by screening 900 patients in eight hours.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

15.11.2016

You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday

14 November, 2016

Breast cancer capital of India – Thiruvananthapuram has cases at a record high of 40 per lakh of population

Thiruvananthapuram has been termed as the country’s breast cancer capital, with cases at a record high of 40 per lakh of population. The revelation was made during the Kerala Chapter of Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) Conference here last week. It noted that 50 per cent of breast cancer is occurring in the age group of under 50 years. Nine lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and it is the second most common malignancy next to cervical cancer.

Speaking to IANS on Sunday, S.Pradeep, President of the Thiruvananthapuram chapter of the IRIA, said the figures do look alarming as the national average of incidence of breast cancer is 20 per lakh population, while the Kerala average was 14, but in the state capital it it stood at 40. “A few reasons could be attributed for this and one is that these figures are taken from the registry of the Regional Cancer Centre in the capital city,” said Pradeep. Manoj T. Pillai, IRIA’s State Secretary, said breast cancer was the most common malignancy affecting one million women worldwide and it constitutes about 21 per cent of 519,000 yearly deaths. “Breast cancer can be detected at an early stage and treated. Radiology has a great role to play but the common people are still ignorant about it.”

 “We need more awareness and upgradation of public information system to overcome the prevailing situation,” said Pillai.

The appropriate age for a mammogram is usually over 40 years but it should be done as a diagnostic tool for those who have symptoms, irrespective of the age.

“If annual checkups are done, detection can be made early and even in stage 2 of breast cancer, it can be treated. One reason why in the past detection took place late was because of a social stigma as many do not wish to get a check-up, but that has changed in the cities. The need of the hour is that awareness should be spread for timely check-ups,” added Pradeep.

Speaking to IANS, the husband of a patient whose left breast was removed last month said that “it was tough for my wife to adjust to the reality, but now she has come to terms after being told that she should consider herself extremely lucky that this it detected quite early”. “It was just through a casual self-examination by my wife she felt a lump and the same day she underwent a mammogram and in a week’s time it was removed. I have now asked my sisters and told all my friends to see that their wives too undergo a check-up,” he said, whose 40-year-old wife underwent a breast removal surgery.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

14.11.2016

The surest way not to fail is to be determined to succeed

12 November, 2016

Hand-held 'breathalyser' could now diagnose diabetes

Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a new, portable breath analyser that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Many studies examining the hallmarks of diabetes in exhaled breath have shown that elevated levels of acetone are strongly linked to diabetes.

Detecting the concentrations of any given substance in breath in a simple way, however, is a major challenge. Breath contains a complex mix of compounds, including water, carbon dioxide and methane, that can throw results off.

A technique called mass spectrometry can do the job, but it is not very practical for point-of-care testing. Robert Peverall from University of Oxford and colleagues wanted to fill that void. The researchers created a hand-held device with an adsorbent polymer that can trap acetone from exhaled breath, then release it into a cavity where a laser probes its concentration.

"The device features a seven cm long high finesse optical cavity as an optical sensor that is coupled to a miniature adsorption preconcentrator containing 0.5 g of polymer material," the researchers said. They tested the accuracy of the device on the breath of healthy participants under different conditions, such as after overnight fasting or exercising, and compared results with mass spectrometry readings.

The measurements were a close match and covered a wide range of concentrations, including those that would suggest a patient has undiagnosed Type-1 diabetes, or has problems controlling their blood glucose, said the study published in the American Chemical Society's journal Analytical Chemistry.

Adding to the practicality of the device, the researchers said it could be re-used many times.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

12.11.2016

The real failure is the one from which we learn nothing

John Powel