Genetic studies to explain the difference in susceptibility to the flu |  |
- Genetic studies to explain the difference in susceptibility to the flu
- Weight loss by targeting satiety hormone
- Pericytes from human leg veins may help with recovery after a myocardial infarction
- Anna is a tough man, say amazed doctors
- Anna's blood pressure falls, health deteriorates
- Maharashtra launches health insurance scheme for poor
- Bill to amend Transplantation of Human Organs Act tabled
- Draw up workable scheme for free treatment to poor patients: Apex court
| Genetic studies to explain the difference in susceptibility to the flu Posted: 27 Aug 2011 09:06 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Why do some folks who take every precaution still get the flu, while others never even get the sniffles? It comes down to a person's immune system response to the flu virus, says Alfred Hero, professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. In one of the first known studies of its kind, Hero and colleagues from Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, used genomics to begin to unravel what in our complex genomic data accounts for why some get sick while others don't. The study findings appears in PLoS Genetics Aug. 25. Hero's analysis group used several methods, including a pattern recognition algorithm previously developed for satellite imaging of the environment to discover the genomic signatures associated with immune response and flu symptoms. Using these genomic signatures, researchers compared the responses of previously healthy participants inoculated with the flu, and found significant and complex immune responses in both people who got sick and those who did not. The gene expression data gets to the heart of how the immune system reacts and orchestrates its response to the flu virus, which dictates whether people get sick. "We looked at over 22,000 genes in 267 blood samples," said Hero, who is also affiliated with the U-M College of Literature, Science & Arts and the U-M Medical School. "No study of this magnitude has ever been done on human immune response." Geoff Ginsburg, study co-author and director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, said the study reveals what happens after virus exposure. "It also points out, importantly, that remaining asymptomatic in the face of an exposure to a virus is an active process in the immune system, and we can now begin to probe the underlying biology to resisting infection," Ginsburg said. The team inoculated 17 healthy individuals with the flu virus and... http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| Weight loss by targeting satiety hormone Posted: 27 Aug 2011 08:40 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The number of people who are obese and suffer one or more of its associated health problems (including type 2 diabetes) is escalating dramatically. Researchers are seeking to identify new targets for therapeutics that could limit appetite and thereby obesity. A team of researchers, led by Scott Waldman, at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has now uncovered one such potential target by studying the molecular control of appetite in mice. Guanylyl cyclase 2C (GUCY2C) is a transmembrane receptor that makes cGMP in response to the paracrine hormones guanylin and uroguanylin, which regulate epithelial cell dynamics along the crypt-villus axis. The researchers showed that silencing of GUCY2C in mice disrupts satiation, resulting in hyperphagia. This caused obesity and metabolic syndrome. In the study, Waldman and colleagues found that nutrient intake by mice caused cells in their gut to secrete the precursor of the hormone uroguanylin (prouroguanylin) into the blood. This travelled around the blood and was converted to uroguanylin in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which is well known to be involved in decreasing appetite. The active uroguanylin was then found to bind to proteins on nerve cells known as GUCY2C receptors, triggering a cascade of events that led to decreased food intake. The uroguanylin-GUCY2C endocrine axis may provide a therapeutic target to control appetite, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Pericytes from human leg veins may help with recovery after a myocardial infarction Posted: 27 Aug 2011 08:15 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Stem cell therapies promise to regenerate the infarcted heart through the replacement of dead cardiac cells and stimulation of the growth of new vessels. New research has found the transplantation of stem cells that reside in human veins can help in the recovery of a heart attack. The findings could lead, in the next few years, to the first human clinical trial. The study, led by Professor Paolo Madeddu, Chair of Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol and colleagues in the Bristol Heart Institute, is published online in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association. The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) grant, looked at whether human mural cells, known to scientists as pericytes, cells that stay around, can stabilise blood vessels after a heart attack. The researchers, using a mouse model, have demonstrated for the first time that pericytes expanded from redundant human leg veins are able to stimulate new blood vessels (neovascularization) and help with the recovery after a heart attack. The study found that upon transplantation pericytes relocate around the vessels of the peri-infarct zone and establish with them physical contacts allowing the transfer of genetic material, microRNA-132 (miR-132). MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA sequences that modulate the expression of genes by binding to messenger-RNA and inhibiting it. One microRNA can inhibit many genes simultaneously. The study shows that the transfer of miR-132 from pericytes to endothelial cells inhibits a gene that acts as a negative regulator of cell growth. This unlashes endothelial cell proliferation and the formation of new vessels. Professor Madeddu said: "Although bone marrow cell therapies dominate today, continued research on other types of stem cells is mandatory to achieve optimal treatment of... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Anna is a tough man, say amazed doctors Posted: 27 Aug 2011 06:47 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 27 - Doctors attending on Anna Hazare term the 74-year-old a 'rare man' and are flummoxed at how the social activist has been subsisting on plain water for the past 12 days and, though visibly weak, still manages to infuse enthusiasm into thousands of his supporters. 'For anybody else his age, it would have been very difficult. He is a tough man,' a senior doctor in the team examining Hazare said. 'When you talk to him, you feel there is a strong sense of responsibility driving him,' the doctor told IANS on condition of anonymity. According to doctors, the situation would have gone worse for anybody within 48 hours of fasting in that manner. 'It is rare for someone to survive on plain water for so many days. Water alone can help in maintaining blood pressure, but it can't keep you going for so many days,' Anoop Misra, Fortis Hospital's Director and Head of Department -, told IANS. Hazare has been fasting since Aug 16 - over 270 hours so far - demanding a more inclusive Lokpal Bill. 'I am not aware of Anna's medical history, but his system seems well adapted to a low calorie diet. His body composition is enabling him to withstand the weakness, and yet address the crowds at intervals,' Misra added. However, in the long run such fasting can cause damage to vital organs such as kidneys, brain, and heart, they said. 'The vital parameters may remain fine. But if the fasting continues, the body condition tends to deteriorate. It affects the liver and the kidneys,' Randeep Guleria, professor and head, department of pulmonary medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences -, told IANS. 'Temporary changes reverse after proper diet. Water during fasting helps maintain the electrolyte level,' Guleria added. Health experts explained that the body starts using stored proteins, leading to production of Ketones. This causes further weakness, cramps, and dizziness. 'There could be genetic strength also. But... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Anna's blood pressure falls, health deteriorates Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:31 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 27 - Doctors attending on Anna Hazare Saturday expressed worry over the fasting social activist's falling blood pressure and said he should end his fast, which entered day 12, as his health has begun to deteriorate. 'Blood pressure that was earlier steady has come down and his heart rate has increased. The cause of worry is the falling blood pressure,' Naresh Trehan who is monitoring Hazare's health along with his team, told reporters here at Ramlila Maidan. 'His blood pressure has come down from 140 mmHG - to 120 mmHG,' Trehan said. 'We have taken blood samples. Results will be available by evening.' Another doctor from the team, on condition of anonymity, said: 'Anna Hazare has lost seven kg and he is feeling weak and tired.' 'He should end his fast as soon as possible as his health is deteriorating. His complexion shows his health condition - he has turned dark due to dehydration,' he added. Doctors have suggested to Hazare to increase his fluid intake. Hazare, 74, has been surviving only on water since Aug 16, when he started his fast against corruption. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Maharashtra launches health insurance scheme for poor Posted: 26 Aug 2011 09:17 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, Aug 26 - The Maharashtra government Friday gave the green signal for implementation of the ambitious Rajiv Gandhi Lifesaving Health Scheme, which is expected to benefit over 20 million poor people providing them health insurance, officials said. Maharashtra becomes the second state in the country after Andhra Pradesh to implement RGLHS, said an official from the chief minister's office. The first phase of RGLHS will be implemented in eight districts - Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Raigad, Nanded, Dhule, Sholapur, Gadchiroli and Amravati - from September. At a high-level meeting here Friday afternoon, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan issued orders to forthwith initiate all administrative measures, including issuing identity cards to the beneficiaries, to implement the project all over the state by April 2012. The RGLHS will enable poor people - both below and above the poverty line - get critical health treatment for around 972 surgical procedures identified in the scheme. Elaborating the benefits of RGLHS, Health Minister Suresh Shetty said that the state government would pay the health insurance premium to insurance companies on behalf of the targeted poor people. 'Each such beneficiary family would be entitled to avail free medical treatment up to Rs.1.50 lakh per annum. Those patients with old complaints of diseases would also be included as beneficiaries in the scheme,' he said. The major diseases/illnesses and surgical procedures covered under this scheme would include cardiac, renal, brain and nervous system disorders, cancer and other health problems. Incidentally, the erstwhile Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government had launched Jeevandayi Yojana offering a similar facility for half a dozen major diseases and surgeries. However, on account of income and other restrictions, its benefit reached a very small section of the poor population. Later, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party rechristened it... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Bill to amend Transplantation of Human Organs Act tabled Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:40 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 26 - The government Friday introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Transplantation of Human Organs Act to expand the definition of 'near relatives' to include grandparents and grandchildren and provide other measures to prevent commercial dealings in human organs. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the act came into force in February 1995 in Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra and union territories of the country and was later adopted by most other states. He said there had been a spate of reports about thriving human organ trade in India and consequent exploitation of economically weaker sections. The Transplantation of Human Organs - Bill, 2011, seeks to expand the definition of near relative to include grandfather, grandmother, grandson and granddaughter. The bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha. Another amendment, Azad said, seeks to make it mandatory for the treating medical staff to request relatives of brain dead patients for organ donation and to provide for enucleating of corneas by a trained technician. Amendments also propose to provide for development and maintenance of a national registry of recipients of human organ transplants. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Draw up workable scheme for free treatment to poor patients: Apex court Posted: 25 Aug 2011 10:13 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 25 - The Supreme Court Thursday asked the Delhi government to draw up a 'workable scheme' for the 27 city private hospitals to provide free treatment to poor patients which they are obliged to in exchange for getting land at concessional rates. The apex court also asked the city government to file an affidavit stating the kind of treatment being provided to poor patients in the 27 private hospitals. Under the scheme, the 27 private hospitals are to provide free treatment to patients from weaker sections at 10 percent of the hospital bed-strength. The apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik issued the direction when Delhi government's assertion that 27 private hospitals were providing complete treatment to poor patients was contested by Dharamshila Cancer hospital. The court also asked the Delhi government to hold another round of meeting with the representatives of 10 hospitals which were not extending their free medical facilities to the patients from weaker sections of the society to formulate a scheme. The court told the Delhi government that a line had to be drawn on the cost that these hospitals will bear on extending free treatment. In some cases, like in the treatment of cancer, the cost of medicine is very high and hospitals may not bear it, the court said. 'Some kind of transparency has to be there. Some scheme has to be worked out. Otherwise they will turn away the poor patients. There has to be some workable scheme,' said Justice Raveendran. The court was told that the private hospitals were given land at concessional rates with a provision that they would provide free treatment to patients coming from weaker sections that is 10 percent of their hospital bed-strength. Asking Delhi government not to delay in putting in place the scheme so that the private hospitals may not wriggle out of it, the court asked the city government to appoint a nodal officer who would direct... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
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