Pharmas Health And Medical Blog » Medical News

England lagging on Lung Cancer

Shue — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:45:50 +0000

A person getting diagnosed with lung cancer in England has a lesser chance of making it through than his counter parts from Europe. This is news which is disturbing. Research conducted on Swedes and Norwegians along with Britons, Taking an adequate number of cases, it was found that the chances of survival are very bad. One estimate was said that over a five year period the Swedes have double the chances of survival. This is an interesting observation because the money that is spend on health care in these countries are almost the same. Even though it is not possible to explain exactly what the problem is and why it is so bad, there are some reasons which may be the cause.

Some experts speculate that it may be because the patients take too long to seek treatment. Another major reason may be with the diagnosis. The doctors may be late in diagnosing the issue and then treatment will be ineffective.

Officials Look to Iran for help on AIDS

Shue — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:45:43 +0000

Iran-The hardline islamic country has surprised the world with their attempt to control AIDS among drug users. Iran is neighbours with afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of opium. This has certain disadvantages. Hence the country has taken up a very good policy towards the control and eradication of AIDS which is very highly prevalent among drug users. Even though about a decade back, the country used to execute people who were involved in drug trafficking and it has strict rules about drug use, today we see that they have brought about a lot of changes.

These changes include a radical change in the way addicts are treated. The concern is towards curing the addiction problem. This has a a very direct effect on the issue. Needle Exchange programs have been started by the Government itself, in which addicts can come up and exchange old needles and get new ones. Another important step is the way in which an addict is treated- If he is ready to accept treatment, he is not looked on as a criminal. This gives the addicts a chance to reform.

Cancer Research By U.S. Disorganised, Underfunded, Study says

Shue — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:19:00 +0000

According to a recent study, the cancer research that has been taken up by the U.S governments cancer research network, seems to be in shambles. The inefficency is very serious with almost 40% of the last stage research being cancelled due to lack of funding. The government funded national cancer institute is not able to even study the effects of various medicines on cancer patients and current treatments due to lack of patients. The gap between the number of people who are treated and number of people who are dying due to cancer is very high.

The study has recommended increasing funding for cancer studies simplifying the process of designing trails, and also offering doctors incentives to do such related research. if these new features are not introduced soon, then the introduction of new treatments will be delayed leading to a huge loss of life.

Check out the source site.

Gene That Allows Worms to grow new Head and Brain Discovered

Shue — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:16:14 +0000

In a break through which can have far reaching effects on the treatment of alzhiemers and parkinsons, researchers at the University of Nottingham have recently come accross the specific gene which helps some worms to grow back their body parts. it has been seen that even after amputation, some worms are able to grow back body parts and this includes a whole new brain. it had baffled scientists for decades, but with advanced gene mapping, it has become possible to trace the reason for it. the research was conducted on the Planarian worm, one of the best regenerative worms. Dr Aziz Aboobaker who lead the team has for the first time shown us that a gene called Smed- Prep is responsible for the total corrective regeneration of cells which have been remeoved completely.

the study has immense possibilities in the field of research based on stem cells and their regenerative features. The finding has helped us in understanding the regnerative power of cells deeply.

Boy Cured of Pet Allergy with ‘Hair Of The Dog’ Treatment

Shue — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:02:33 +0000

11 year old Danny Pierce is the first person to be treated of a severe allergy to pets by taking medication that literally contains ‘hair of the dog.’
Danny was just three when he was clinically diagnosed as having a severe allergic reaction after blacking out whenever he was around dogs.
Danny said: ‘I’ve always loved dogs but I just couldn’t touch them. But the treatment has changed all of that – it feels brilliant.

Social worker Jonathan and mum Sue, a hospital ward manager, had tests done on Danny’s skin – showing his allergies to dogs, horses, cats, grass, and trees.
A tiny drop of the hair of the dog drug three times a week has helped him build up immunity

Jonathan, 40, said: ‘He would even get swollen eyes just sitting on the same chair a dog owner had recently sat on.
‘Things we took for granted like a walk in the park were impossible as at that time contact with dogs could have proved fatal for Danny.
Danny, of Tredegar, South Wales, was referred to London-based pediatric consultant Adam Fox, where he was asked if wanted to use an experimental drug and he agreed.

English Boy Ages % Times Faster Due To Rare Condition

Shue — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:00:55 +0000

11-year-old Harry Crowther, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire is ageing five times faster than the average person. He suffers from a rare and incurable condition, Atypical Progeria Syndrome (APS). He is the only person in the world suffering from this condition.
His skin is thinning, his hair grows slowly and he suffers from the physical problems like arthritis and he becomes tired easily.

There have been only a few people in the world who have suffered from this condition. The one to live longest died at the age of 26.
His 40-year-old mother, a preschool deputy manager, said: ‘It’s just a sit and wait game. Because the change in Harry’s genes is unique, they cannot say what’s going to happen.”
Mrs Crowther, her husband John, 41, a company director, and their other children Emma, 16, and Jack, 14, are helping Harry to raise public awareness about his condition.
The family has posted a Facebook page with regular updates.
Harry said: ‘I can do a lot of things other children can do, but sometimes it stops me doing what I like doing because I ache.
‘It feels weird and hurts most when I’m in bed. I get upset when people who don’t know me stare and it’s annoying going to hospitals.’

Find out more from the main site.

Life Threatening Fungus Found in the Pacific

Shue — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:58:26 +0000

A life threatening fungus has been sighted in the Pacific Northwest, according to scientists. Although rare, this tropical fungus can cause lung infections in both people and animals.
In fact, this fungus, known as Cryptococcus gattii (or C. gattii), has infected dozens of humans and animals–including cats, dogs, and dolphins–in Washington and Oregon in the past five years. The fungus has proven to be fatal to about 25 percent of the people in the U.S. who have developed infections, according to Edmond Byrnes III, a doctoral student in molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University and one of the lead authors of a new study about the fungus.
In the study, Byrnes and his colleagues analyzed 18 cases in people and 21 in animals that occurred in the U.S. between 2005 and 2009.
Byrnes and colleagues have discovered a new, especially dangerous strain of the fungus. This strain–which is confined to Oregon, for now–is “highly virulent,” says Byrnes. “Overall it’s a pretty low threat, and it’s still uncommon in the area, but as the range of the organism expands and the number of cases increases accordingly, it’s becoming more of a concern,” he says.

Spanish Doctors Perform Full Face Transplant

Shue — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:56:22 +0000

A team of 30 doctors from Spain have claimed success to performing the world’s first full face transplant. The surgery was performed on a man whose face had been disfigured in an accident.

Face transplants so far have only be partial, whereas doctors in Barcelona who performed the latest surgery said that it was the first full face transplant to be carried out anywhere in the world.
As well as skin tissue, the patient received new cheekbones, facial muscles, teeth, palate, skin, nose, lips and jaw.
The gruelling operation took 24 hours in total to perform on March 20.
A statement released by Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, where the operation was carried out, said: “(The patient) had been operated on nine times without satisfactory success, therefore he was considered for full face transplant.
“This is the first full face transplant performed worldwide, as the 10 operations performed previously had been only partial.”
Prof Peter Butler, head of the UK’s Facial Transplantation Research Team, has been ready to perform a full face transplant for several months.
His team, based at the Royal Free Hospital in North London, has ethical permission to perform four face transplants.
He praised the work of the Spanish team, led by Dr Joan Pere Barret.

Find out more from the source site.

Results of ‘Seek and Destroy’ Cancer Gene Therapy Hailed

Shue — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:54:14 +0000

Scientists believe that they may have created a breakthrough in the use of gene therapy to treat cancer tumors.
Scientists at Strathclyde University in Glasgow have been able to identify a unique technique that delivers genes to hard-to-reach tumors without harming healthy tissue. During lab tests the “seek-and-destroy” therapy resulted in 90% of skin cancer tumors disappearing altogether.
Scientists at the University are now trying to investigate the technique’s effectiveness at treating different forms of the disease.
At present, most gene therapies cannot be delivered to tumours without harming surrounding healthy tissue.
Dr Christine Dufès, a lecturer at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, led the research.
“This therapeutic system gave very promising results on cancer treatment in the initial tests we have done,” she said.

“To be able to make tumours not just shrink but vanish is a great breakthrough for us, particularly as there’s currently no gene therapy of this kind on the market for intravenous administration.
“We have so far tested this seek-and-destroy system in laboratory settings on just one type of cancer – skin cancer- but are currently investigating its efficacy in different cancer models.”

Substance In Breast Milk Found To Kill Cancer Cells

Shue — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:57:59 +0000

Researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden have discovered that a certain substance found in breast milk is capable of killing cancer cells.
The substance is known as HAMLET (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumour cells). Although it was discovered in breast milk several years ago, it has only recently become possible to test it on humans and the results of these tests seem to be promising. Patients with cancer of the bladder who were treated with the substance excreted dead cancer cells in their urine after each treatment, which has given rise to hopes that it can be developed into medication for cancer care in the future.
Incidentally, HAMLET was discovered by chance when researchers were studying the antibacterial properties of breast milk. Further studies on the substance showed that it contained protein and a fatty acid.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg are focusing on how HAMLET can be taken up into tumour cells. The researchers, Roger Karlsson, Maja Puchades and Ingela Lanekoff, are attempting to gain an in-depth understanding of how the substance interacts with cell membranes, and their findings were recently published in the journal PLoS One.