Bill Gates, 5 scientists win Lasker Awards

Two scientists who illuminated how brain cells communicate, three researchers who developed implants that let deaf people hear and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates have won prestigious Lasker Awards for medical research and contributions to public health.

The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation announced the recipients of the $250,000 prizes on Monday. The awards will be presented Sept. 20 in New York City.

The Gateses won the public service award “for leading a historic transformation in the way we view the globe’s most pressing health concerns and improving the lives of millions of the world’s most vulnerable,” the Lasker foundation said.

They have donated more than $26 billion to their philanthropic foundation. They often team up with agencies that can provide diverse expertise, the Lasker foundation said, noting that they supported an international partnership that has helped immunize hundreds of millions of children against killer diseases. Their current priorities include polio, agriculture and family-planning information and services.

The Lasker clinical medical research award will be shared by Graeme Clark, an emeritus professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Ingeborg Hochmair of the company MED-EL in Innsbruck, Austria, and Blake Wilson of Duke University in North Carolina, for developing the modern cochlear (KAH’-klee-er) implant. More than 320,000 people around the world use the implants for severe hearing loss, the foundation said.

The devices stimulate the auditory nerve with electric signals. Hochmair and Clark worked independently, in the face of scientific skepticism that electrical stimulation could produce meaningful hearing. The implants were approved in the U.S. in 1985.

Wilson later designed a new way for implants to process speech, which has allowed most users to understand words and sentences with no visual cues. The advance fueled a growth in implant use that began in the early 1990s, the foundation said.

The Lasker award for basic medical research will be shared by Richard Scheller of the biotech company Genentech and Dr. Thomas Sudhof of Stanford University. With research they began independently in the late 1980s, they unraveled details of how brain cells release chemical messengers to communicate with each other. Scientists are beginning to find connections between the molecular equipment they studied and serious illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, the foundation said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/

 

Indian-origin scientist’s new home test for influenza

An Indian-origin scientist has developed a new technology which is showing promise as the basis for a much-needed home test to diagnose influenza quickly.

Suri Iyer, of Georgia State University in Atlanta, and University of Cincinnati colleague Allison Weiss, explained that such a fast, inexpensive diagnostic test – similar to the quick throat swabs for strep throat and to home pregnancy tests – is especially important for flu, as it helps select the most effective drug for treatment.

Iyer’a different approach involves using carbohydrates to detect the antigens, and has advantages over antibody-based approaches. Flu viruses have two major antigens, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which determine the specific strain of flu virus.

The researcher explained how the new test technology uses various forms of carbohydrates that can capture the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, and via a colour change or other signal, indicate both infection and the specific type or strain of flu virus.

Information on the strain would be important, enabling doctors to pick the most effective antiviral drug. The new approach has other potential advantages, including quicker results, lower cost and greater reliability, he said.

The study was presented at the 246th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Iron supplementation does not increase susceptibility to malaria

Kids in a malaria-endemic community in Ghana, who received a micronutrient powder with iron did not have an increased incidence of malaria, a study has claimed.

Previous research has suggested that iron supplementation for children with iron deficiency in malaria-endemic areas may increase the risk of malaria.

Stanley Zlotkin, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the effect of providing micronutrient powder (MNP) with or without iron on the incidence of malaria among children living in a high malaria-burden area.

The randomized trial, which included children 6 to 35 months of age (n = 1,958 living in 1,552 clusters), was conducted over 6 months in 2010 in a rural community setting in central Ghana, West Africa.

A cluster was defined as a compound including 1 or more households. Children were excluded if iron supplement use occurred within the past 6 months; they had severe anemia, or severe wasting.

Children were randomized by cluster to receive a MNP with or without iron for 5 months followed by 1-month of further monitoring. Insecticide-treated bed nets were provided at enrollment, as well as malaria treatment when indicated.

Throughout the intervention period, adherence to the use of MNP and insecticide-treated bed nets were similar between the iron group and the no iron group.

The study has been published in JAMA.

 

A look at the 4 weirdest cosmetic procedures

cosmetic procedures which are downright weird and at the same time very risky.

Not to forget the huge amounts of money that goes down the drain even if you end up with a botched up job. Here’s a list of cosmetic procedures which are downright weird and at the same time very risky.

Joker smile surgery

Want a permanently fixed smile on your face, even when you are sad? This is what the joker smile surgery will do for you. The procedure will curl up the corners of your lips by altering your facial muscles and their setting especially the jaw muscles which are responsible for giving you a droopy smile as they pull the lips downwards. The procedure is permanent in nature and if goes wrong, can result in a botched up face. Dr Rashmi Shetty, a well-known cosmetologist and a leading expert in non-surgical aesthetic medicine warns that this surgery can severely affect facial muscles and requires a lot of precision since the muscles are very delicate. She suggests opting for a couple of units of BOTOX on the DAO muscle (a facial muscle near the mouth) which straightens out the droopy smile and takes hardly two minutes. In case you don’t like it, it wears off in three months and you can go back to your natural look.

Palm plastic surgery

The Japanese seem to love this new trend with thousands flocking to plastic surgeons to get their palm lines fixed. If you are wondering what could be the possible reason for correcting the lines on your palms, lo and behold – it’s done to bring luck or change your fate! The belief that these lines tell you what your future holds is prevalent in India as well. And if you aren’t too happy about the outcome, go and get it changed in a mere 15 minutes. Lines of luck, marriage, etc are added or modified according to a person’s liking using an electric scalpel for making shaky incisions on the palms. About five to 10 lines are altered or added in 15 minutes. Dr Shetty advises against this procedure as the hands and palms have various nerves which are needed for the proper functioning of one’s body. Any kind of mishap can damage not only your palms but also these nerves and your entire body.

Toe tuck

Not too happy with your feet? Think they’re too broad or the toes too short or long? Toe tuck surgery fixes all such problems. If you’ve ruined your feet by wearing stilettos for years and want to correct the shape and wear them again, toe tucks are for you. The results however aren’t permanent and the procedure is quite painful too. In a bid to wear strappy shoes and pumps, you might end up with a boneless toe. Not only this, it can cause nerve damage if not done correctly.

Cosmetic surgery for pets

As if procedures on humans weren’t enough, pets too have been dragged into this tomfoolery to look perfect! Cosmetic surgeries like tummy tuck, ear implants and even pet braces are doing the rounds in pet circles where owners who wish to enhance the appearance of their pets can go ahead with such treatments. While some do it to benefit the animal and improve their health, some just do it as they aren’t too happy with their canine’s appearance.

Source: Zee News:

Differences in lung function have major health impact

A global study has suggested that large differences in lung function between healthy people from different socioeconomic and geographical regions of the world could impact their health.

The large differences in lung function could not be accounted for by variations across regions in height, weight, age, gender, education levels and rural or urban location.

Dr. MyLinh Duong, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor of medicine of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University, said that the findings have important public health implications, as there is a well known link between low lung function and increased mortality.

Researchers at McMaster University said that these differences may be genetically determined, but more likely most relate to the socio-economic, nutritional and environmental exposures of people in the different regions. These are all conditions that could be modified or improved.

Respirologist Dr. Paul O“Byrne, who is the co-author of the paper, said that these findings are of great importance, as we need separate standards for what is considered normal in different parts of the world and may lead us to rethink how to define those with abnormal lung function.

The study included 154,000 adult non-smokers between 35 and 70 years old from 17 countries from four continents.

Some of the factors such as nutrition and pollution levels will be explored in future analysis of the study.

The study is published in the journal, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

 

Fish oil could help alcohol abusers keep dementia at bay

A new research has suggested that omega-3 fish oil may help protect against alcohol-related dementia.

The study, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, found that in the brain cells of rats exposed to high levels of alcohol, a fish oil compound protected against inflammation and cell death.

In the study, Michael A. Collins, PhD, and colleagues exposed cultures of adult rat brain cells to amounts of alcohol equivalent to more than four times the legal limit for driving.

These cell cultures were compared with cultures of brain cells exposed to the same high levels of alcohol, plus a compound found in fish oil called omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Researchers found there was about 90 percent less neuro inflammation and neuronal death in the brain cells exposed to DHA and alcohol than in the cells exposed to alcohol alone.

 

New method could help in early detection of colon cancer

Bettina Scholtka, said that tumour cells are released into stool from the surface of precancers and early-stage colon cancers

Scientists have found a new method to detect genetic variations that initiate colon cancer could be readily used for non-invasive colon cancer screening.

Bettina Scholtka, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Toxicology at the University of Potsdam in Nuthetal, Germany, said that tumour cells are released into stool from the surface of precancers and early-stage colon cancers, but detecting a cancer-initiating genetic mutation among a large quantity of normal DNA from a patient’s stool is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Scholtka said that by combining for the first time locked nucleic acid-based, wild-type blocking polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting, we were able to achieve the desired sensitivity.

Scholtka and colleagues used 80 human colon tissue samples representing cancers and precancers to detect genetic variations using a combination of two techniques: The first technique — locked nucleic acid (LNA)-based, wild-type blocking (WTB) polymerase chain reaction — suppressed normal DNA present in large quantities in the sample; and the second technique — high-resolution melting (HRM) — enhanced the detection of genetic variations.

The researchers were able to detect APC variations in 41 of the 80 samples. They were also able to detect previously unknown variations in APC. In contrast, the routinely used technique called direct sequencing could detect variations only in 28 samples.

They then analyzed 22 stool samples from patients whose colon tissues had APC variations, and nine stool samples from patients whose colon tissues did not have APC variations, as controls. They were able to detect APC variations in 21 out of 22 samples.

The study has been published in Cancer Prevention Research.

How unhealthy lifestyles affect the economy

According to a study done by Harvard School of Public Health, the economic burden due to non-communicable diseases will be about $6.2 trillion for India, from 2012-2030. This amount is almost nine times higher than the total health expenditure for the past 19 years.

The major contributors of this expenditure include diabetes, cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, of which, ischemic heart disease is projected to be the most expensive disease of the lot in India.

What’s causing these numbers to rise?

So what has brought about these astronomical changes in the numbers? While communicable diseases like polio and malaria are getting under control, there is a rise in cases of diabetes, hypertension, etc in urban India. And no, it is not just restricted to the aged; these diseases are attacking the youth in great numbers. Is our lifestyle to be blamed for this? Sedentary lifestyles, smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. If this is what your routine consists of, then it won’t be too long before the symptoms for one or the other disease shows up.

Diabetes galore

According to the World Health Statistics report 2012, 11.1 per cent of the adult male population and 10.8 per cent of the female population have raised fasting blood glucose. Compare it with our neighbouring countries, and barring Pakistan, India has the highest number of diabetics, a whopping 6.1 million and counting.

Obese and how

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) (2005-06), the latest available on record, 13 per cent of women and nine per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Dr Ravindran Kumeran, founder trustee at Obesity Foundation India, a non-profit organization working in the sector to promote awareness against obesity, says that the present generation is probably the most sedentary generation of people in the history of the world. No wonder the numbers are getting higher day by day.

How to tackle the problem?

It is time every individual takes it upon themselves to care for their health and fitness. The responsibility lies with you to manage your time and eat well. Take out time for physical activity, be it any sorts; walking up to your workplace, cycling, going for a walk during break-time, choosing healthy options even when you eat out and monitoring your alcohol intake. While smoking might be a stress buster for you right now, it can soon be the reason for your lack of stamina and hospital bills. (Read: How to fit exercise in your busy schedule)

Don’t think it can never happen to you! Youngsters are falling prey to diseases that were once associated with men and women in their 40s, 50s and beyond. The reality is changing and it’s time you realised it is in your hands to seize the moment and do something about it right now or let it get worse and repent later.

15% of common strokes occur in adolescents and young adults

A team of researcher including an Indian origin has suggested that 15 percent of the most common type of strokes occur in adolescents and young adults, and more young people are showing risk factors for such strokes.

Co-author neurologist Jose Biller of Loyola University Medical Center said that the impact of strokes in this age group is devastating to the adolescent or young adult, their families and society.

About 85 percent of all strokes are ischemic, meaning they are caused by blockages that block blood flow to the brain. And more young people have risk factors for ischemic strokes.

Those risks include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels, congenital heart disease and smoking.

Strokes in young people have a disproportionally large economic impact, because they can disable patients before their most productive years. And while coping with the shock of having a stroke, “younger survivors may be dealing with relationships, careers and raising children – issues that require additional awareness and resources,” the consensus report said.

Biller, one of the nation’s leading experts on stroke in young people, is second author of the consensus report. Biller is chair of the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. First author of the report is Aneesh Singhal, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital.

The study has been published in the journal Neurology.

 

Genetic cause of childhood leukemia revealed

Scientists have uncovered a genetic link specific to the risk of childhood leukaemia.

Study author Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said that at the very least the discovery gives us a new window into inherited causes of childhood leukemia.

Offit said that more immediately, testing for this mutation may allow affected families to prevent leukemia in future generations.

The mutation was first observed in a family treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering of which several family members of different generations had been diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

A second, non-related, leukemia-prone family cared for at a different hospital was later found to have the same mutation. A series of experiments were conducted confirming that the observed mutation compromised the normal function of the gene, which may increase the risk of developing ALL.

The inherited genetic mutation is located in a gene called PAX5, which is known to play a role in the development of some B cell cancers, including ALL.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Genetics.