New male infertility test could 'bring hope to millions' |  |
- New male infertility test could 'bring hope to millions'
- This asthma drug can burn your fat
- Study finds widespread stream biodiversity declines at low levels of urban development
- New research provides breakthrough in understanding common cancer
- Delhi government offers support to Ramdev crackdown victim
- Two Sri Lankan families swap livers for transplant
- The pill does not lead to weight gain
- Teens with type 2 diabetes already show possible signs of impaired heart function
- Researchers discover biochemical weakness of malaria parasite -- vaccine to be developed
- NYU's Cranmer to participate in The Economist's 'Ideas Economy: Information' event
| New male infertility test could 'bring hope to millions' Posted: 09 Jun 2011 04:24 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A groundbreaking new test for male infertility, which will save time, money and heartache for couples around the world, has been developed by Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast. The medical breakthrough, known as the SpermComet, has resulted from more than a decade's research by Professor Sheena Lewis, who leads the Reproductive Medicine research group at Queen's. The SpermComet provides unique information that no other test offers. By measuring damaged DNA in individual sperm, it can predict the success of infertility treatments and fast-track couples to the treatment most likely to succeed, leading to significantly reduced waiting times and improved chances of conception. Lewis said according to a Belfast statement: 'One in six couples has difficulty in having a family. In 40 percent of cases, the problems are related to the man. Until now, there have been few accurate ways of measuring a man's fertility.' 'Traditionally, the diagnosis of male infertility has relied on semen analysis. This provides the basic information on which fertility specialists base their initial diagnosis.' 'However, its clinical value in predicting male fertility or success with infertility treatment is limited, particularly if the semen analysis results are normal,' he added. 'The SpermComet test is so called because it looks just like a comet in the sky. The head of the 'Comet' is undamaged DNA and the tail is damaged DNA. 'Good quality sperm DNA is closely associated with getting pregnant and having a healthy baby, and the SpermComet Test is the most sensitive test available for sperm DNA testing,' concluded Lewis. Lewis, in partnership with Queen's venture spinout company, QUBIS, has now set up a new company to market the test, which is already available through a number of fertility clinics in Britain. http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| This asthma drug can burn your fat Posted: 08 Jun 2011 02:18 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Sydney, June 8 - Formoterol, a new generation asthma drug, has shown great promise in improving fat and protein metabolism. Endocrinologist Paul Lee from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research focused his doctoral research on how various hormones affect metabolism. Of key importance is a class of hormones called catecholamines, which regulate heart rate, metabolism and breathing. Formoterol is a synthetic catecholamine, the metabolic effects of which have not previously been studied in people. Therapy doses given to animals, however, have shown that it stimulates metabolism without affecting the heart. 'We have known for a long time that catecholamine influences the way the body handles nutrients, in particular fat and protein,' said Lee, according to a Garvan statement. 'The generation of drugs before formoterol was exploited in the livestock industry around 20 years ago - to reduce the fat and increase the protein content of meat. Unfortunately, these older drugs also caused a faster heart rate.' Lee sourced the drug in its oral form, found the dose needed to give a metabolic effect, and gave it to a group of healthy men over a week. 'Energy metabolism increased by more than 10 percent, fat burning increased by more than 25 percent, while protein burning fell by 15 percent,' he said. 'So although whole body metabolism increased, these men burned fat while reducing the burning of protein. That's a good thing because in the long run, these effects may lead to a loss in fat mass and an increase in muscle. 'In this study, all the subjects tolerated the medication well - without any significant increase in heart rate,' concluded Lee. These findings will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Study finds widespread stream biodiversity declines at low levels of urban development Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A new study from biology researchers at Baylor University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore has found that there are consistent and widespread declines in stream biodiversity at lower levels of urban development more damaging than what was previously believed. The study found that aquatic life actually shows significant loss of biodiversity with less than two percent of developed land in a watershed. This is much less that what a decade-old analysis widely cited by environmental policymakers suggests that it takes up to 15 percent of solid surfaces like roads or parking lots, or 20 to 30 percent developed land in a given area before local water systems no longer sustain normal aquatic life. The findings are alarming and imply that water quality in streams is degraded rapidly with relatively low levels of development, which clearly has significant implications to the organisms that live in these streams, said study co-author Dr. Ryan King, associate professor of biology at Baylor. Perhaps of even greater concern is that the decline of stream-dwelling animals implies that there is chemical pollution that could also be detrimental to human health via groundwater and downstream drinking water supplies. It is unlikely that it's just the rapid runoff of water from the impervious cover that is causing the loss of biodiversity, but more likely that chemical pollution is also responsible. The researchers used samples from about 2,000 streams around Maryland and compared satellite imagery and land cover datasets to analyze how the water ecosystem and biodiversity responded to various levels of impervious cover, which are areas where infiltration of water into the underlying soil is prevented. Roads, parking lots and buildings account for the majority of impervious cover. Published research in recent years has consistently shown a strong relationship between the percentage of impervious cover in a watershed and the health of the... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| New research provides breakthrough in understanding common cancer Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in the UK. The team, from the University's Institute for Cancer Studies and funded by Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Yorkshire Cancer Research, found that a mechanism different to that previously thought to be the cause of lymphoma may be responsible for the development of the disease. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the blood, originating in the lymph glands. B-cells are the immune cells in the human body that are responsible for producing antibodies to fight infections and provide long-term immunity. B-cell lymphomas include both Hodgkin's lymphomas and most non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Prior to this research, the main theory to explain the origins of lymphoma was the malfunction of a mechanism (somatic hypermutation) used by B-cells to modify the genes coding for antibodies. This mechanism is required to produce highly specific antibodies, but it also accidentally alters other genes, leading to lymphoma. However, the team from the University knew that this theory only accounted for affecting a handful of genes, and the model could only explain certain types of lymphoma. Led by Dr Thierry Nouspikel, the researchers discovered another mechanism, which potentially affects many more genes and can account for a wider palette of lymphomas. The research found that B-cells actually do not repair the bulk of their DNA and only take care of the few genes they are using. When the B-cells are inert in the blood flow, this is not a problem. However, when they receive a stimulation (e.g. an infection) they start to proliferate and then produce antibodies. To proliferate they must replicate their DNA, and replication of damaged DNA results in the introduction of mutations, the accumulation of which can lead to... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Delhi government offers support to Ramdev crackdown victim Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:38 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, June 7 - Two days after 54-year-old homemaker Raj Bala was brutally assaulted in the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's protest here, the Delhi government Tuesday offered 'all support' to the victim's family. Delhi Health Minister A.K. Walia visited the G.B. Pant Hospital here Tuesday afternoon where Raj Bala is admitted and met her family members. 'He - asked us of any problem that we may have faced and offered us all possible help in the future,' Raj Bala's younger son, Sunil Kumar, told IANS. Anil Kumar, her elder son, added: 'The health minister visited the Intensive Care Unit - and met my mother. After that, he met the rest of us'. According to the doctors attending on her, Raj Bala's condition continues to be critical and she is on ventilator support. 'She had her neurological surgery yesterday, after which she is on continuous ventilator support. She is still in a critical condition and we don't know when will she be able to recover. Recovery chances in such cases are very rare,' a doctor told IANS. A resident of Gurgaon, Raj Bala is one of the many who fell victim to the post- Saturday midnight police crackdown on thousands of Ramdev supporters at the Ramlila Ground here. Doctors at the G.B. Pant Hospital said Raj Bala was beaten up with police 'lathis' - - as stated by witnesses to the assault - on her neck and back. In the process, her spinal cord has been damaged. A report by the hospital's Medical Superintendent N. Shashi Gururaja said: 'Bala has suffered post-traumatic fracture dislocation with quadriplegia -. The patient does not have spontaneous respiration and is on ventilator support'. Raj Bala was among the many who were initially rushed to the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital, the medical facility nearest to the Ramlila ground, before being shifted to the neighbouring G.B. Pant Hospital. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Two Sri Lankan families swap livers for transplant Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:57 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chennai, June 7 - In a unique life saving deal, two Sri Lankan families swapped the livers of two of their members at a hospital here for transplantation, officials said Tuesday. Chairman and managing director of Global Hospitals K. Ravindranath said the two families exchanged livers under the paired donation programme. It was the country's first living donor simultaneous liver swap transplantation surgery on adults. The liver transplantation was necessary as the livers of the donors were incompatible with other members of their families, he added. The transplantation process involved four simultaneous surgeries on two donors and two recipients affected with end stage liver disease. The non-stop 16 hour operation was performed in four operation theatres May 2 by surgeon Mohammed Rela, director of the Liver Transplantaion Programme at the hospital, and his team. Addressing reporters through video conferencing from Global Hospitals, Hyderabad, Rela said the two families hailed from Kandy in Sri Lanka. Mohamad Nazeem, 50, was diagnosed with cirrhosis of liver and was referred to Global Hospitals. His family members were willing to donate part of their livers but unfortunately they were either medically not suitable or their blood group did not match that of the patient. Similarly Mohammed Nazir, 48, too was referred to Global Hospitals with chronic liver disease. Nazir's son came forward to donate a part of his liver to his father, but their blood groups did not match. With both the families facing a similar problem, Rela suggested a swap liver transplantation. Interestingly, the organ suitability between these families' donors and recipients was found to be appropriate. On May 2, Nazim's wife Nazeen Fathima donated part of her liver to Nazir. In turn, Nazim got liver from Nazir's son Mohamed Zamrin. The donors and recipients recovered quickly, Rela said. The donors were discharged in about a week and the recipients in... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| The pill does not lead to weight gain Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Many young women do not want to start taking the contraceptive pill because they are worried that they will put on weight, or come off it because they think that they have gained weight because of it. However, a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has demonstrated that the combined contraceptive pill does not cause weight increase. In her thesis, Ingela Lindh reports on a long-term study of 1,749 women born in 1962, 1972 and 1982 who answered questions about matters such as contraception, pregnancies, height/weight and smoking habits every five years from the age of 19 to 44. The women who were on the pill and were monitored from their teenage years until the age of 34 didn't put on any more weight than their peers who had never taken the pill at all, says Lindh, a registered midwife and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The study also showed that the combined pill is the most widely used contraceptive up to the age of 29, after which condoms are most common. From the age of 32 onwards the coil proved most popular. There were lots of reasons why women came off the pill, including a fear of side-effects, weight gain and mood swings, and these gradually increased over time and were more common in the youngest group, says Lindh. Despite women's concerns about weight gain, the researchers did not find any link between being on the pill and putting on weight. The only factors that affected weight were ageing and smoking. The number of smokers among the 19-year-olds born in 1962 was on average of 42%, compared with 29% among those born in 1982. At the same time, average weight rose by 3.2 kilos between these two groups. In the youngest group, women from low socioeconomic status areas were heavier than their peers. By following the same women from the age of 19 to 44, the researchers were able to calculate that they gained an average of 10.6 kilos, which works out at around 0.45 kg a year. Lindh would like this... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Teens with type 2 diabetes already show possible signs of impaired heart function Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Heart function may be affected in people with Type 2 diabetes as early as adolescence, according to a new study that will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston. Past studies in adults with Type 2 diabetes show that their heart and blood vessels' ability to adapt to exercise may be impaired. Our study shows that these changes in heart function may begin to happen very early after Type 2 diabetes occurs, said the study's lead author, Teresa Pinto, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Dalhousie University IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Pinto performed the research while at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. The researchers studied how the heart and blood vessels of 13 teenagers with Type 2 diabetes adapted to exercise, compared with 27 overweight or obese subjects who did not have diabetes and 19 nondiabetic and nonobese control subjects. The subjects were ages 12 to 20 and from New Zealand. Their body composition, including percentage of body fat, was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans. All subjects performed an exercise test on a stationary bicycle designed for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. With MRI, images were taken of each subject's heart and femoral artery, a large blood vessel in the leg that supplies the leg with blood. MRI took place while the subjects were at rest and during or immediately after exercise on the cycle. The images of the heart showed that the hearts of subjects with Type 2 diabetes did not expand and fill up with blood between heart beats as well as the hearts of subjects in the other two groups. This occurred during exercise only, the authors found. With exercise, the amount of blood pumped out with each heart beat (the cardiac output) was normal in all three groups, although still lower in the diabetic group. We showed that the heart's pumping function is strong, but it is not filling... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Researchers discover biochemical weakness of malaria parasite -- vaccine to be developed Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Every year, 10,000 pregnant women and up to 200,000 newborn babies are killed by the malaria parasite. Doctors all around the globe have for years been looking in vain for a medical protection, and now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have found the biochemically weakness of the lethal malaria parasite, and will now start developing a vaccine to combat pregnancy related malaria. The malaria parasite travels via the spit of an infected mosquito to the liver of the new host, where it spreads to the red blood corpuscles and starts to reproduce itself. Pregnant women and children below the age of five years are particularly vulnerable to malaria because of the parasite's survival mechanisms. The parasite has a protein hook designed to attach it to the placenta and this leads to amnesia of the mother who in worst case can die or deliver prematurely. This increases the maternal mortality - and infant mortality, explains Associate Professor Ali Salanti from the University of Copenhagen's Centre for Medical Parasitology who manages the project. The body's immune system normally attacks any foreign body but since our spleen constantly filters our blood and removes ruined or deform blood cells, the body's natural defense does not need to check the blood. And the malaria parasite exploits this fact. An infected red blood corpuscle is more stiff than in its normal state and this would usually trigger the spleen to destroy the cell and parasite, but the malaria parasite has an advanced arsenal of protein hooks. With these hooks the parasite attaches itself to the inner side of the blood vessel and even if our immune system succeeds in defeating one hook, the parasite has 60 different hooks, which again differ from one malaria parasite to another. Researchers have for years been looking for a vaccine which can attack the malaria parasite's specific placenta hook. This is tricky not least due to the fact that the parasite's... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| NYU's Cranmer to participate in The Economist's 'Ideas Economy: Information' event Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kyle Cranmer, an NYU assistant professor of physics, will participate in The Economist's Ideas Economy: Information conference on June 7th and 8th at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California. The conference will focus on how decision makers can better leverage the era of big data for individual, corporate, and social progress. Cranmer will outline the intricacies of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), considered the world's largest science experiment, joining other notable senior executives, strategists, innovators and public intellectuals from around the world for this two-day event. While the era of big data presents incredible opportunities, such as smarter cities, stronger companies and better medicine, it also presents a variety of challenges since storage is scarce, systems are overloaded and many say that governments and businesses know too much. Through a mixture of engaging panel discussions, interactive dialogue, presentations, and debates, Ideas Economy: Information will take a fresh look at knowledge management for the information age. It will also examine security in the age of big data, managing the human-computer interface, how big data is changing global economics and more. For more information on the program and speakers, go to http://ideas.economist.com/. Located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, LHC is the world's most powerful particle accelerator. This machine is probing a new frontier in high-energy physics and may reveal the origin of mass of fundamental particles, the source of the illusive dark matter that fills the universe, and even extra dimensions of space. By colliding high-energy beams in the centers of the LHC's particle detectors, scientists hope to make discoveries about the nature of the physical universe. The debris of the collisions reveals the nature of fundamental particle interactions and may also contain as-yet undiscovered particles. What makes the... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
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