Researchers discover potential epilepsy drug using zebrafish

An antihistamine used to treat itching may be the key to preventing seizures in children with a rare, yet severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome.

The discovery was made by screening hundreds of government-approved drugs in animals with the same genetic mutation as children with the disorder.  But instead of using rodents – the typical animal model for drug screenings – researchers used an unlikely test subject for their experiment: zebrafish.

According to the researchers, the antihistamine known as clemizole could be the first line approach for reducing the effects of Dravet Syndrome – a condition with very limited treatment options.

“Dravet Syndrome is a catastrophic form of childhood epilepsy, and it often leads to severe symptoms and death,” Scott Baraban, a professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco and William K. Bowes Jr. Endowed Chair in neuroscience research, told FoxNews.com.  “Within the first year of life, children will start to have seizures and have several hundred per day.  They’ll have delays in speech, cognitive problems, ataxia, which is trouble standing… And while there are drugs that are given that reduce the effects, there aren’t too many treatment options for these kids.”

Baraban first pioneered the idea of using the small, translucent zebrafish to test drugs for epilepsy in 2005, as the zebrafish’s genome is 80 percent identical to the human genome. In order to better understand the effects of a certain drug, researchers place zebrafish larvae – which are no longer than a human eyelash – into petri dish baths filled with that drug.  Since the larvae require the water for respiration, the drug immediately enters their systems through the bath, allowing researchers to quickly observe how the fish respond.

“The fact that fish are permeable to the drug – that’s a huge advantage for drug screening,” Baraban said. “Most drugs are tested using a cell-based culture, but when drugs move on to next stage in the animal model, they’re often toxic.  So the advantage with zebrafish is we can test effectiveness and toxicity of the drug at the same time.”

Baraban decided to use this drug screening method for Dravet Syndrome after he came across a zebrafish with a mutation in the SCN1A gene, the same genetic mutation commonly associated with the epileptic disorder.  The SCN1A gene codes for a voltage activated sodium channel, which allows ions to pass through the membranes of neurons and regulate how they fire.  In Dravet Syndrome, these channels allow too many ions to pass through the neural membranes, causing the neurons to fire excessively.

Zebrafish with the SCN1A gene mutation showed the same developmental pattern as children with the mutation, moving around in erratic patterns whenever they experienced a seizure.  Just as children with Dravet Syndrome begin having seizures one year after birth, the fish began experiencing seizures three days after fertilization.  And though the fish typically died after just 10 to 12 days, Baraban said they are extremely easy to breed, yielding incredibly large cohorts for testing.

“One breeding pair will give 100 pairs of eggs, so one quarter of the offspring will have the mutation we’re interested in – and they’ll have spontaneous seizures,” Baraban said. “We decided to do a hyper approach screening, where we take a library of commercially available drugs and screened them to see if they stop the seizures in fish.”

Baraban’s team tested a random assortment of 320 compounds in a chemical library of drugs that had already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.  Through this indiscriminate testing, they stumbled upon the antihistamine clemizole, which eliminated the seizure activity in the fish within 10 minutes of application.

The reason behind clemizole’s efficacy remains a mystery, especially since antihistamines can sometimes make seizures worse.  The researchers even tested 10 other antihistamines on the fish, but none was successful at blocking the seizures.  Baraban theorized that another biological mechanism in clemizole, apart from its antihistamine properties, is responsible for the therapeutic effects.

Because clemizole is already FDA-approved, Baraban hopes it can soon be tested in small clinical trials of people suffering from Dravet Syndrome and that it will produce little to no side effects.  He is also fairly confident the drug will be effective in humans, since the mutant zebrafish so closely mirrored humans with the condition.

“We screened (the zebrafish) with epilepsy drugs already given to kids with Dravet Syndrome, and the fish predicted the same compounds,” Baraban said.  “So the drugs that work in humans also worked in fish, and the drugs that didn’t work in humans didn’t work in the fish.  So it suggests that clemizole could be directly applicable.”

Not only is Baraban’s research inspiring for people suffering from Dravet Syndrome, but his zebrafish method could be used to find therapeutic agents for various other conditions caused by mutations in a single gene.  He said this technique offers a much more tailored approach to drug screening.

“There’s no reason you couldn’t model lots of different genetic disorders in zebrafish,” Baraban said. “So genetic forms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, they can all be modeled in zebrafish and used in drug screening.  And in the epilepsy field this is just one example.  So if you’re child has a gene mutation, we can make fish with that specific gene mutation and screen for drugs that are effective for your children.”

The research was published online in the journal Nature Communications.
source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/03/researchers-discover-potential-epilepsy-drug-using-zebrafish/#ixzz2dtomTNDN

 

Odisha confirms 93 new dengue cases

At least 93 new dengue cases were reported Tuesday in Odisha, taking the total number of affected people to 2,593 since June, an official said.

The menace shows no signs of abetting with government hospitals in many parts of the state receiving scores of patients every day, a state health control room official told IANS.

Of the new cases, maximum 27 tested positive for the virus in Khordha district, followed by 20 from adjoining Cuttack, he said.

As many as 156 and 28 patients are undergoing treatment at Cuttack`s Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital, 26 km from here, and Bhubaneswar`s Capital Hospital, respectively. Of them, 51 were hospitalized Tuesday, he said.

The mosquito-borne disease has spread to 26 of the state`s 30 districts.

 

Even short time of ‘brisk’ activity can help cut the fat

that taking the stairs, parking at the far end of the lot, and walking to the store or between errands are choices that can add up and can make a positive health difference

A new research has revealed that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration.

University of Utah researchers found that even brief episodes of physical activity that exceed a certain level of intensity can have as positive an effect on weight as does the current recommendation of 10 or more minutes at a time.

It was suggested that taking the stairs, parking at the far end of the lot, and walking to the store or between errands are choices that can add up and can make a positive health difference.

Subjects for the study were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, and participants from 18 to 64 years of age were drawn from the database.

Researchers compared measurements of physical activity based on length of time and intensity. Four categories were created: higher-intensity bouts (greater than 10 minutes exertion at greater than 2,020 counts per minutes, or CPM), higher-intensity short bouts (less than 10 minutes at greater than 2,020 CPM), lower-intensity long bouts (greater than 10 minutes and less than 2,019 CPM), and lower-intensity short bouts (less than 10 minutes and less than 2,019 CPM).

The study used body mass index, BMI, to measure weight status.

Results showed that when women each 5-feet-5-inches tall were compared, the woman who regularly adds a minute of brisk activity to her day will weigh nearly a half-pound less. Results were similar for men.

Importantly for both, each daily minute of higher-intensity activity lowered the odds of obesity – 5 percent for women, and 2 percent for men.

In a new study was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion

 

5 super foods for your hair: Eat your way to great locks

The only remedy to all your hair problems can be found in your diet

The only remedy to all your hair problems can be found in your diet. Here are super foods that can manage all your hair worries.

Salmon

Salmon is the complete beauty food. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids; it is a high quality protein food and rich in vitamin B-12 and iron. Omega-3 essential fatty acids provide the required support to the scalp’s health and that’s why no other food can beat salmon in this area. A deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids can leave your hair dull looking hair and your scalp dry.

In case you are a vegetarian, there is no need to worry! Add two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds in your daily diet and you will be benefitted in the same manner.

Dark Green Vegetables

Vegetables like Spinach, broccoli and Swiss chard are excellent sources of vitamin A and C, which help to produce sebum in the scalp .Sebum is the oily substance secreted by our follicles of hair which works like natural hair conditioner. These vegetables also provide iron and calcium to your body.

Eggs

Undoubtedly eggs are the best source of protein. The protein present in egg is considered high quality protein and is excellent for hair growth and hair strength. Eggs are also rich in biotin, a B vitamin essential for hair growth and overall scalp health. Try to eat one egg daily or every alternate day. You can eat scrambled egg, fried egg or simply boiled egg for healthy hair depending upon your choice.

Nuts

Regularly eating nutrient rich nuts as part of your daily diet is very beneficial for your hair and scalp. Brazil nuts are the nature`s best sources of selenium, an important mineral for the health of your scalp. Apart from that, walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid that may help to condition your hair. Cashews, pecans and almonds also perform the same function.

Vitamin E found in nuts is one of the most important vitamins which helps the overall health and appearance of hair. Vitamin E deficiency may lead to brittle hair which easily breaks off or falls out.

Carrots

Carrots promote a healthy scalp along with good vision as they are an excellent source of vitamin A. Since a healthy scalp is an essential thing for healthy hair, it is advisable to include carrots in your food and salad. You can also have it in juice form. Carrots are very useful to revitalize dull and tired looking skin and hair and will leave your skin and hair looking youthful and fresh.

So don’t wait and try these foods to see your way to a healthy mane!

 

How to keep your kidneys healthy

caring for your kidneys is very important because when it becomes damaged, the waste products and fluid get assembled in the body and can cause several illnesses leading to fatal conditions later in life.

Kidneys are essential in the urinary system and serve the body as a natural filter of the blood. They remove wastes and excess fluid thus cleansing your blood in your body. Kidneys maintain the balance of salt and minerals in your blood and help regulate blood pressure.

Taking care of your kidneys will help you to take care of the rest of your body. Kidneys are two small organs located at the rear of the abdominal cavity in the retroperitoneum performing several life-sustaining roles.

Therefore, caring for your kidneys is very important because when it becomes damaged, the waste products and fluid get assembled in the body and can cause several illnesses leading to fatal conditions later in life.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also known as chronic renal disease is dangerous and is characterised by a steady loss in renal function over time.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is classified into five stages with stage 1 being the mildest and usually causing few symptoms and stage 5 being a severe illness with poor life expectancy if untreated. The last stage is also called end stage renal disease (ESRD) or end stage renal failure (ESRF) where a patient needs dialysis or transplants to stay alive.
The most common causes of CKD are diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and a family history of kidney failure. Other risks include: obesity, autoimmune diseases, urinary tract infections and systemic infections.

The National Kidney Foundation of India, an NGO, ranked kidney diseases as third amongst life-threatening diseases (after Cancer and Cardiac ailments) in the country. It also estimates that 100 people in a million succumb to kidney ailments and around 90,000 kidney transplants are required annually in India.

Below are some tips to help you keep your kidneys healthy:

– Follow a healthy diet by choosing foods that are healthy for your heart such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods, etc.
– Do not smoke.
– Limit your alcohol intake.
– Exercise regularly.
– Maintain a healthy weight to avoid overweight.
– Reduce salt in your diet.
– Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
– Do not overuse over-the-counter painkillers or NSAIDs.
– Drink plenty of fluids/water
– Seek medical help or talk to your doctor if you think you are at risk of for CKD.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/how-to-keep-your-kidneys-healthy_23698.html

Better diet tied to fewer deaths after heart attack

As lifestyle changes – specifically those geared toward making changes in your diet – will have an impact

People who changed their eating habits for the better following a heart attack tended to live longer than those who stuck to eating not-so-heart-healthy foods in a new U.S. study

Among some 4,000 men and women, those whose post-heart attack diets improved the most were 30 percent less likely to die from any cause and 40 percent less likely to die of heart disease, compared to those whose diets improved least.

“This study really suggests that lifestyle changes – specifically those geared toward making changes in your diet – will have an impact,” Dr. David J. Frid, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told Reuters Health.

“I think it`s something we`ve assumed for a long time, but we had no compelling data to substantiate it,” Frid, who wasn`t involved in the new study, said.

Research into how diet improvements may be linked to improvements in health after a heart attack is limited, Dr. Shanshan Li at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and her colleagues write in JAMA Internal Medicine.

For the new analysis Li`s group used data from two long-term studies of male and female healthcare workers who reported major lifestyle and medical events every two years and filled out diet questionnaires about every four years.

The researchers included data on 2,258 women and 1,840 men who had no history of heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular disease or cancer when they began participating in the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. But they all later had heart attacks.

Based on the questionnaires, researchers assigned each person a diet-quality score that factored in several diet components, including how much red and processed meat, nuts, sugar-sweetened beverages, vegetables, fats, alcohol, whole grains and salt the person ate.

During the studies, there were 1,133 deaths from all causes. Of those, 558 were linked to cardiovascular disease.

Among the 20 percent of men and women with the greatest post-heart attack improvements in their diet quality score, 140 died. That compares to 247 deaths among the 20 percent of people with the least-improved diet quality.

“They found the benefit is around a 30 percent reduction in subsequent mortality and cardiac events. When you compare that to other interventions we do… that reduction is almost as good as what we see with statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs),” Frid said.

An overall high-quality diet score after a heart attack was tied to about 24 percent fewer deaths from any cause during the study, compared to those people with the lowest diet-quality scores.

Li, who did not reply to a request for comment, and her colleagues point out that their results are consistent with past findings about Mediterranean-style diets, which are high in olive oil, nuts, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables.

In an accompanying editorial, Drs. Ramon Estruch and Emilio Ros, of the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, said the diet score used in the new study shares many aspects of the Mediterranean diet.

For example, good diets are considered those high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low in trans fats, meat and sugary drinks.

“The problem is it`s really difficult to change the dietary habits of the people,” Estruch said.

Fortunately, he added that little changes in diet can add up for people.

“Little changes in the dietary habits can lead to big changes in the health,” he said.

 

BMI has no role in cardiovascular disease in a healthy woman

obese women have a window of opportunity to lose weight and avoid developing a metabolic disorder, which would increase their CVD risk.

Metabolically healthy women have same cardiovascular disease risk regardless of their having different BMIs, according to a study.

Dr Soren Skott Andersen and Dr Michelle Schmiegelow from Denmark findings in more than 260,000 subjects suggest that obese women have a window of opportunity to lose weight and avoid developing a metabolic disorder, which would increase their CVD risk.

The study used Danish national health databases and followed 261,489 women who had given birth during 2004-2009 with no prior history of cardiovascular disease. The women were divided into four categories according to their pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and presence of metabolic disorders (present/not present). The women`s mean age was 31 years.

The women were followed for an average of 5 years following childbirth. Discharge diagnoses and data on cause of death were used to determine if the women had a heart attack, a stroke, or died.

The researchers found that being overweight ( BMI=25 kg/m2) but metabolically healthy was not associated with an increased risk of a heart attack, stroke or a combination of heart attack/stroke/death in comparison with normal weight, metabolically healthy women.

The investigators found that the metabolically unhealthy, overweight women had an almost 7-fold increased risk of heart attack and a 4-fold increased risk of stroke.

 

Ovarian tissue transplant – A new hope for female cancer survivors

Healthy ovarian cortical tissue is removed using laparoscopic surgery from the woman about to undergo cancer treatment.

Cancer treatments, like chemotherapy or radiation therapy, highly hinder both hormonal production and reproductive potential in women, as the treatments attack fast growing cells in the body.

However, with an Australian woman, rendered infertile by ovarian cancer treatment, expecting twins after successfully undergoing ovarian tissue transplantation, doctors are expecting that the new technique could revolutionize fertility treatment.

Though the procedure had been carried out previously, this is for the first time that the tissue has been successfully transplanted into the abdomen instead of the ovaries.

Ovarian tissue transplant: How it is done

Healthy ovarian cortical tissue is removed using laparoscopic surgery (keyhole surgery) from the woman about to undergo cancer treatment. The minimally invasive procedure lasts approximately 1 hour and requires general anesthesia.

The ovary`s cortex is cut into tiny 1 millimeter thick strips and then frozen to be used for future transplantation.

Once the patient goes into remission post cancer treatment and plans to have a baby several slices of the previously frozen ovarian tissue can then be thawed and implanted near the fallopian, either orthotopic (on the natural location) or heterotopic (on the abdominal wall).

The cortex tissue strips contain immature follicles, once implanted back into the body start producing hormones and eggs like a normal ovary following which a woman starts to ovulate and can try for pregnancy either naturally or through in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/ovarian-tissue-transplant-a-new-hope-for-female-cancer-survivors_23706.html

The low cost technology saves premature babies

GE Healthcare created the Lullaby baby-warmer, to help to save lives in a country

Premature babies have very little body fat and are unable to regulate body temperature. Every year more than 20 million babies are born prematurely or with low birth weight – and an estimated 450 of them die each hour.

Yet most of these deaths could be avoided by simply keeping them warm.

“A new-born baby wailing can generally be heard outside the room – even across the hallway. But not my baby Mine can only whimper,” says Jayalakshmi Devi.

She’s standing outside the neo-natal intensive care unit (ICU) staring at the glass box where her baby son is kept.

Born too soon, her baby boy weighs less than 1.2 pounds (0.54kgs). Doctors have given him around a 40% chance of survival.

Having lost two babies already, Jayalakshmi didn’t want to take a chance this time. After delivering her child in a rural healthcare centre three hours outside Bangalore, she brought the baby to the state run hospital in the city.

At Vanivilas hospital, the neo-natal ICU sees scores of premature babies. Most are born at home, in far off rural areas and are brought here in critical condition.

Row after row, the transparent boxes creates warmth to hold the tiny, bare-bodied babies with only an oversized diaper around them. Some of the babies are small enough to fit into your palm.

Life-saving warmth

A baby’s body temperature drops as soon as it is outside the controlled environment of the mother’s womb. So just after labor, it’s important to regulate the temperature.

The babies need incubators to help keep them alive – equipment which state-run hospitals like this one often cannot afford.

So, GE Healthcare created the Lullaby baby-warmer, to help to save lives in a country that has the highest rate of pre-term baby deaths in the world.

Low-cost innovation

It was developed in Bangalore and launched in 2009. The baby warmer costs $3,000 (£1,900) in India, 70% cheaper than traditional models.

The design includes pictorial warnings and color coding, so that even illiterate rural healthcare workers can operate the machine.

The Lullaby warmer also consumes less power than most incubators, which means cost savings for the healthcare centre.

“Where better to make a baby warmer than here – India produces a baby nearly every second,” says GE Healthcare’s Ravi Kaushik.

He believes India is an ideal innovation centre when it comes to products like this, because 70% of the population is rural and 30% is urban, and within this you all different stratas of society.

“So you can have very great world class hospitals that want and require world class medical equipment that America or Europe would require. But at the same time there is a population in rural space that would require same kind of medical attention,” says Mr Kaushik.

Where better to make a baby warmer than here -India produces a baby nearly every second”

Ravi Kaushik GE Healthcare

“So when you design a product, you have to cater to the entire plethora of needs. That allows you to almost hit the entire world because India is a small representation of that.”

Engineers at GE’s technology centre are stripping down lifesaving, high tech medical devices of all their frills to understand how to create products that are affordable.

This project is now widely quoted as an example of “reverse innovation”.

This is where large global companies design products in developing markets like India and then take the successful creation back to international markets to sell.

After success in the domestic market, GE now sells the warmer in more than 80 countries.

Bundled up

While this works for healthcare centers on a budget, it still needs continuous electricity to run.

But go further down the population pyramid, and the problems get more complex.

Women in villages give birth at home and have little access to basic healthcare or electricity.

For them, keeping babies warm means wrapping them in layers of fabric and hot water bottles, or putting them under bare light bulbs.

Many of them don’t survive.

But now a low cost baby bag is saving thousands of young lives. Called the Embrace, it emerged out of a class assignment at Stanford’s Institute of Design in 2007.

Four graduate students – Jane Chen, Linus Liang, Naganand Murty, and Rahul Panicker – were challenged to come up with a low-cost incubator design that could help save premature babies born into poverty.

The team created a sleeping bag with a removable heating element.

Using high school physics, they used phase-change material (PCM), a waxy substance that, as it cools from melted liquid to solid, maintains the desired temperature of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F) for up to six hours.

The end product looks like a quilted sleeping bag that is durable and portable. It requires only 30 minutes of electricity to warm up using a portable heater that comes with the product.

More importantly for mothers, it allows for increased contact with their child, unlike traditional incubators.

So it also encourages Kangaroo care, a technique practiced on newborn, especially pre-term infants, which promotes skin-to-skin contact to keep the baby warm and facilitate breastfeeding and bonding.

The infant warmer costs about $200 to make, is inexpensive to distribute, and is reusable.

Embrace is a non-profit venture. The product is not sold, but is donated to impoverished communities in need.

The invention is thought to have helped save the lives of more than 22,000 low birth-weight and premature infants.

Taking the program forward, the organization has developed a new version designed for at-home use by mothers. The model has been successfully prototyped and is currently undergoing clinical testing in India.

The organization has also set up educational program to address the root causes of hypothermia.

“We provide intensive, side-by-side training to mothers, caretakers, and healthcare workers,” says Alejandra Villalobos, director of development at Embrace.

“We develop long-term partnerships with local governments and non-profits in every community where we work.

“We believe that increased access to both technology and education is necessary to achieve our ultimate vision: that every woman and child has an equal chance for a healthy life.”

 

Google examines employees’ snacking habits to promote healthier alternatives

http://www.weightlossnote.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/bad-eating-habits.JPG

Google realized that its workers were eating too much of the free candies and food which needed to be replaced with healthier alternatives at arm`s reach.

Google realized that its workers were eating too much of the free candies and food which needed to be replaced with healthier alternatives at arm`s reach.

The company conducted surveys of snacking patterns through the M and M project, collected data on the proximity of M and M bins to any given employee and conducted experiments by placing sugary foods in opaque containers and healthier snacks in glass jars.

According to the Washington Post, the search giant is known to analyze every corner of its workplace to ensure more productivity and better results.

However, some analysts question whether the free meals, napping stations and inexpensive massages make people stay in the office longer, perpetuating a work-obsessed culture that has eaten into family life and community.
While others said that with such experiments Google is trying to signal that it cares about it employees` health and its efforts are welcomed by the new employees.

Other than the candy munching habit, Google also tried to promote drinking more water by placing bottled water on eye-level shelves and behind clear glass while putting sugary sodas on the bottom shelves of refrigerators and behind frosted glass which resulted in 47 percent increase in water consumption after several weeks, reducing the sugary intake by 7 percent