Mannose receptor plays a key role in allergic responses to cat dander |  |
- Mannose receptor plays a key role in allergic responses to cat dander
- 'Indian infants make 25 percent of global diarrhea deaths'
- Court orders pesticides tests on veggies in Delhi
- WHO backs joint efforts to save lives in southeast Asia
- Contraceptive pills increase risk of vascular diseases among women
- Rural India is short of 16,000 doctors
- New study shows government spending preferences of Americans
- Deep brain stimulation research expands at Barrow
- Barrow researcher launches depression study
- ChesapeakeView: Everything you need to know about the bay
| Mannose receptor plays a key role in allergic responses to cat dander Posted: 10 Mar 2011 06:16 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The team of immunologists led by Drs Ghaem-Maghami and Martinez-Pomares in the University's School of Molecular Medical Sciences, and funded by the charity Asthma UK, have identified a cell component which plays a key role in triggering allergic responses to cat dander. The discovery furthers our understanding of how the body's immune system identifies and reacts to allergens, which could pave the way in developing new ways of treating allergies. The development is especially good news for the millions of people with asthma whose condition is often worsened by their allergy to airborne allergens from cat dander or house dust mite. Cat dander consists of microscopic pieces of cat skin which easily become airborne. Dr Amir Ghaem-Maghami said: "There has been a sharp increase in the prevalence of allergies over the past few decades and allergic asthma among children has reached epidemic proportions in many industrialised countries, including the UK. "Despite improvements in patient care, three people die every day in the UK from asthma, and most therapies target symptoms rather than curing the condition. "Many people with asthma are highly sensitive to airborne allergens such as cat dander or house dust mite — in fact many studies have shown that up to 40 per cent of children with asthma are allergic to cat allergens. "A better understanding of how the interaction between allergens and the immune system leads to allergy is vital if we are to develop more effective and efficient treatments for this debilitating condition." Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, says: "We are delighted to see the rapid progress that Dr Ghaem-Maghami and his colleagues are making in such a complex area of research. "This is a great example of where Asthma UK's research funding is leading to a better understanding of asthma which could ultimately benefit thousands of people with both asthma and... http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| 'Indian infants make 25 percent of global diarrhea deaths' Posted: 09 Mar 2011 09:16 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 9 - Indian infants, below the age of five, make for one-fourth of the total global deaths due to diarrhea-related causes, experts here said Wednesday. 'Of the 610,000 infants below the age of five years who die because of severe gastroenteritis or diarrhea, nearly 152,000 are Indians. The disease burden of rotavirus associated diarrhea is attributing to high child mortality rate in the country,' said Rohit Agarwal, president-elect of the Indian Association of Pediatricians at the launch of pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in the country. RotaTeq vaccine, priced at Rs.900, is aimed to help children fight rotavirus gastroenteritis, also the cause of severe and fatal diarrhea among infants below five years. 'India suffers from high disease burden of the rotavirus associated diarrhea which also leads to high child mortality rate in the country. We are also in talks with the ministry of health and family welfare to introduce the vaccine in public health centres,' said K.G. Ananthakrishnan, managing director of MSD pharmaceuticals. The vaccine has been approved in 98 countries of the world as per the prequalification status granted by the World Health Organisation. Globally, rotavirus causes approximately 114 million cases of diarroea, while every one in 200 children below the age of five dies due to the virus in the country. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Court orders pesticides tests on veggies in Delhi Posted: 09 Mar 2011 08:29 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 9 - The Delhi High Court Wednesday ordered tests on fruits and vegetables being sold in the capital to find out if banned pesticides were being used while growing them. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said: 'We would like to find out as to whether pesticides are there in the vegetables sold in Delhi or not. It would be appropriate that the vegetables be purchased randomly and sent for the test at laboratories certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories -.' The court has directed Additional Solicitor General A.S. Chandiok, standing counsel for Delhi government Najmi Waziri, Delhi Legal Services Authority member secretary Asha Menon and others to physically purchase vegetables from 10 different shops or 'mandis' in the national capital. The bench also allowed two representatives of NGO Consumer Voice to accompany the lawyers. 'A report shall be made available to this court after the tests are conducted within five weeks from today,' said the bench. 'The tests be conducted at laboratories at Indian Agricultural Research Institute - or other places which are approved by NABL,' said the bench. Earlier, the court had taken suo motu cognizance of a news report about rampant use of banned pesticides in vegetables and fruits, putting the lives of consumers at risk. 'The pesticides cause headache and affect fertility and can damage the kidney and liver,' said the bench. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| WHO backs joint efforts to save lives in southeast Asia Posted: 09 Mar 2011 04:14 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 9 - As the southeast Asian region accounts for 26 percent of the world population and continues to struggle with a huge disease burden, the World Health Organisation - Wednesday called for regional cooperation to fight the challenges in the health sector. The WHO is organising a three-day conference from March 16-18 on 'Partners for Health in South-East Asia' in the capital to strengthen regional collaboration for health. The conference will engage the WHO and partners on priority health issues. Partners from 11 member states -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste -- along with representatives from donor countries, multilateral and intergovernmental organisations, foundations, corporations and research and academic institutions are expected at the conference. According to WHO, 50 children under five years of age die every hour in southeast Asia due to diarrhoea which is a leading cause of child mortality in the region, second only to pneumonia. The region accounts for 70 percent of the world's malnourished children. The incidence of low birth weight is still high at 30 percent. A third of global maternal deaths occur in this region. In many countries, health systems are weak. 'These diseases of poverty cannot be prevented and controlled by the health sector alone. Partnerships are therefore needed from every sector of society to successfully fight these diseases,' said Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO's regional director for southeast Asia. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Contraceptive pills increase risk of vascular diseases among women Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:21 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 9 - Before you pop an emergency birth control pill, think again. Contraceptive medication might be a quick way to prevent pregnancy, but it increases the risk of vascular diseases among women, say experts. A vascular disease called deep vein thrombosis - is on the rise and doctors say it has a lot to do with the increase in sales of over-the-counter contraceptive pills. DVT is diagnosed through a host of symptoms that include pain in the chest, swelling and pain in muscles and legs, and pulmonary or heart-related complications. 'Due to changing lifestyles, it has been seen that over-the-counter contraceptive pills can lead to DVT. The chances of DVT multiply for women who smoke and drink,' said Rajiv Parakh, chairman of the division of peripheral vascular and endovascular sciences at Medanta hospital. 'DVT is a serious vascular disease where the blood clot is formed in the deep veins that are the blood carriers, usually in the leg,' added Parakh. With aggressive advertising of over-the-counter contraceptive pills, cases of DVT have also seen a noticeable rise in recent times, believe experts. 'The percentage of DVT in women has seen an increase and frequencies of the disease are found in women taking birth control pills or contraceptives without any prescription,' points out Parakh. According to statistics by the government, the sale of nearly 8.2 million over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills was reported in 2009, a 250 percent increase over 2008. The pills claim to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. But experts explain how the estrogen content in pills, produced naturally in a woman's body, becomes the reason for DVT occurrence. 'Any amount of estrogen that is not required by the female body is harmful for her. The pills tend to increase the hormone level, resulting in pain and swelling caused by blood clot formation in the veins,' explained Nutan Agrawal,... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Rural India is short of 16,000 doctors Posted: 09 Mar 2011 01:59 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, March 9 - The next time you walk into a clinic for a cough and cold, spare a thought for your rural brethren. Latest government data reveals that rural India is short of over 16,000 doctors, including 12,000 specialists. As many as 12,263 specialists are needed in community health centres - and 3,789 doctors in primary health centres -, health ministry statistics for 2009 show. The shortage is particularly acute in villages of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. While the situation is often attributed to the unwillingness of doctors to work in difficult areas, others say not enough is being done to incentivise such postings. 'In India, the patient-doctor ratio is around 1/30,000. And of course it will be higher in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh due to non-availability of doctors and lack of health facilities and proper infrastructure,' public health expert S. Sunder Raman told IANS over phone from Chennai. Health ministry figures say 1,087 specialists and 614 doctors are needed in Madhya Pradesh and 1,442 specialists and 1,689 doctors in Uttar Pradesh. Surgeons, physicians and paediatricians come under the category of specialists. The other states that face an acute shortage of trained medical practitioners in PHCs are - Assam -, Orissa -, Bihar -, Gujarat - and Punjab -. Each PHC is targeted to cover a population of approximately 25,000. The PHCs act as referral centres for Community Health Centres -, which are 30-bed hospitals at the district level. 'We are aware of the shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in rural areas,' Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had told parliament. He agreed that lack of housing and infrastructure pose problems for doctors in rural areas. According to a Planning Commission report of 2008, India is short of 600,000 doctors, one million nurses and 200,000 dental surgeons. An official in the health ministry said, 'Many doctors are unwilling to work in difficult... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| New study shows government spending preferences of Americans Posted: 09 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) In its 27th survey of American spending priorities since 1973 conducted as part of its General Social Survey (GSS), NORC at the University of Chicago Wednesday released a report on its most recent findings. By a notable margin, education and health care were the top two spending priorities of Americans. And Americans are consistent in that: those two categories have finished in the top two in each of the ten surveys since 1990. The spending priorities report is derived from recently released data of the 2010 General Social Survey which NORC has conducted for forty years. The GSS is a biennial survey that gathers data on contemporary American society in order to monitor and explain trends and constants in attitudes, behaviors, and attributes. NORC makes the high-quality data easily accessible to scholars, students, policy makers, and others. Over 16,000 research uses in articles, textbooks, monographs, dissertations, etc. have been documented. The GSS is supported by the National Science Foundation and it is the second most-referenced survey in America after the U.S. Census. Rounding out the top ten spending priorities were (3) assistance to the poor (4) halting crime, (5) Social Security, (6) the environment, (7) dealing with drug addiction, (8) childcare, (9) drug rehabilitation, and (10) law enforcement. Finishing lowest in priority, as it has in every survey since 1973, is foreign assistance. The study surveys public preferences on twenty-two spending categories. The findings have additional significance in that they are derived from the first GSS to be conducted since the 2008 economic meltdown. Despite the poor economy and despite the pinch of taxes for a majority, (in 2010, 53% said their federal taxes were too high, 46% about right, and 2% too low) Americans back more spending in about three-quarters of the areas and less spending only in the bottom quarter. However, the level of support for more spending declined... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Deep brain stimulation research expands at Barrow Posted: 09 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center's Barrow Neurological Institute has received a $10.1 million donation, the largest single gift in the organization's history and one of the biggest ever given to any Arizona hospital. The one-time cash donation from philanthropist Marian H. Rochelle to St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix will be used to explore a new medical frontier for psychiatric and motor disorders by using novel treatments including advanced deep brain stimulation. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has previously been used almost exclusively for patients with movement disorders. The new Barrow center, called the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation, will expand its use, as well as the use of other technologies, to treat patients with a number of neurological and behavioral conditions such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, addictions, autism and chronic pain. I have grown to appreciate all that Barrow does for patients in Arizona and around the world. This is truly a gem among neuroscience centers, and I am proud to support it, says Rochelle, whose late husband was treated at Barrow for Alzheimer's disease. Each of us can play a role in making the new Barrow Center for Neuromodulation a beacon of hope for people with devastating neurological disorders. The doctors, nurses and scientists will give of their education, experience and skill, while we benefactors will give of the resources with which we are so richly blessed. I hope others will join me in supporting this amazing endeavor. Time is of the essence. The new center will be located inside Barrow and will include neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists and clinical and basic researchers. This donation will help insure that Barrow continues as a global leader in the neurosciences, says Barrow Director Robert Spetzler, MD. This gift will advance our understanding of the brain's pathways and their abnormal... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Barrow researcher launches depression study Posted: 09 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A top medical researcher at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, has launched a clinical trial to pinpoint brain activity in depressed people by using scientifically designed sad and heartrending photos and music. Results will be used to help neurosurgeons at the new Barrow Center for Neuromodulation treat clinically depressed patients with deep brain stimulation. Neuropsychologist Leslie Baxter, PhD, who also is an expert in medical brain mapping, is leading the novel depression study that could help revolutionize treatment of depressed patients. Treatment for severe depression has been a medical challenge for decades, says Dr. Baxter. We hope through this clinical trial to help make deep brain stimulation a mainstream treatment for this devastating condition. Depression affects 121 million people worldwide and ranks among the leading causes of disability. At least 20 percent of patients do not respond to traditional treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the cornerstone of the new Barrow Neuromodulation Center. Deep brain stimulation involves the implantation of an electrode deep within the brain in the area associated with a disorder. A medical device, sometimes called a brain pacemaker, sends electrical signals to the brain, alleviating symptoms. An established treatment for movement disorders, Barrow is now pioneering its use in other behavioral and neurological disorders including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), pain and autism. In the depression clinical trial, non-depressed and depressed patients undergo a Functional MRI for the hour-long MRI study. The patients are shown photos and videos of sad and tragic scenes to elicit sadness. As the Functional MRI lights up brain circuitry, the researchers are able to identify the exact point of individuals' brains that are being activated and the circuits that can be changed during depression. Dr. Baxter says... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| ChesapeakeView: Everything you need to know about the bay Posted: 08 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) University Park, Pa. -- Crabs, fishing, land use and pollution sources are frequently hot topics for researchers in the Chesapeake Bay area, but finding all the available information, especially remote sensing data, is frequently a chore. Now, ChesapeakeView, a project of the AmericaView consortium, brings together a variety of datasets and makes them available to anyone who needs them for research, planning or other studies. No simple place existed to find remote sensing information about land use, habitat changes and biodiversity, said Maurie Caitlin Kelly, director of informatics, Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment. Researchers could spend days searching to find whatever data might be available. AmericaView is a nationwide partnership of remote sensing scientists who support applied remote sensing research, workforce development, technology transfer, and kindergarten through 12th grade and higher science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. ChesapeakeView is the first regional consortium of AmericaView that consolidates information about the Chesapeake Bay and watershed. AmericaView is a consortium of remote sensing scientists and researchers who gather, analyze and information, usually on a state-by-state basis, said Kelly, who also co-chairs PennsylvaniaView. We thought, why not do this on a regional basis especially as the Chesapeake Bay is its own physiographic area. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay, situated in Virginia and Maryland, is fed by the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and New York, but people from across the country study aspects of the area's environment, wildlife, geology and geography. The University of Vermont is now a partner through their work with the Baltimore Ecosystem study, said Kelly. We are receiving data from them from part of a large National Science Foundation project. They had all this data they were collecting... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
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