GatewayForIndia

High dose of B-vitamins could slow progression of dementia

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:04:33 +0000

The results from a clinical trial conducted by scientists from Oxford University suggest that daily tablets of very large doses of B vitamins could reduce the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems and may slow the progression toward dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects around 16 percent of people aged over 70 worldwide and is characterized by mild impairment in memory, language and other mental functions. MCI is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Around 50 percent of people diagnosed with MCI go on to develop severe Alzheimer’s disease within five years.
The trial was conducted over a period of two years on 168 volunteers with MCI who were given either either a vitamin pill containing very high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a placebo. The vitamin pills, called “TrioBe Plus” contained around 300 times the recommended daily intake of B12, four times recommended daily dose of folic acid and 15 times the recommended amount of vitamin B6. These B vitamins are known to modulate the levels of homocysteine in the blood. High blood levels of homocysteine are linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain scans were taken at the beginning and at the end of the trial. The results published in the journal ‘PLoS One’ showed that the brains of those taking the high dose vitamin treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76% a year, compared to an average brain shrinkage of 1.08% in those taking the placebo. The researchers also found those people who had lowest rates of shrinkage had the highest scores in mental tests. People who had the highest levels of homocysteine at the start of the trial benefited the most from the treatment.
Larger clinical trials have been advised by experts before the treatment could be routinely recommended for elderly patients with MCI.

Yoga could help in treatment of anxiety and depression

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:00:12 +0000

It is a common knowledge in India that yoga practice could improve physical, mental and spiritual health. The beneficial effect of yoga on mental health has now been validated in a scientific study, conducted at Boston University School of Medicine. The study found that yoga increased brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels and decreased anxiety. Low GABA levels are associated with depression and anxiety disorders.
The researchers followed two randomized groups of healthy subjects for 12-weeks. One group practiced yoga three times a week for one hour, while the remaining subjects walked for the same period of time. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopic (MRS) imaging, the participants’ brains were scanned before and after the study. Psychological assessment was also done on each subject during the study. Those who practiced yoga reported a significant decrease in anxiety and greater improvements in mood than those who walked. These changes were associated with increasing GABA levels. The lead author of the study is Dr. Chris Streeter, who is an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Superbug or super bias ?

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:20:17 +0000

A recent report in Lancet about the spread of new multi drug resistant bacteria around the world is really alarming. But the naming of the enzyme responsible for drug resistance in these bacteria as New Delhi metallobetalactamase1 (NDM-1) has come in for severe criticism. NDM-1 can be present in different bacteria, like E.coli, and it makes them resistant to most antibiotics including the newer antibiotics like carbapenems. Other multi-drug resistant strains have originated in the developed countries and some of them are deadlier than the so called latest ‘superbug’ but these strains or enzymes responsible for drug resistance in these strains are not named after a city or a country. Naming the ‘superbug’ enzyme after the capital city of India without any conclusive proof of it having originated there is highly irresponsible and biased. The study was funded by the European Union and two pharmaceutical companies, Wellcome Trust and Wyeth. These companies produce antibiotics to treat resistant infections.
It could even be a covert attempt by western health care industry to malign the rapidly growing health care facilities in India and other developing countries. Many patients from developed countries come to India for treatment because of the excellent but cheaper health care facilities. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has alleged a bias in the report and said it is an attempt to hurt medical tourism in the country that is taking away customers from hospitals in the West. According to ICMR director “Such infections can flow in from any part of the world. It’s unfair to say it originated from India,” .

Dieting alone not sufficient to prevent type 2 diabetes

Sun, 30 May 2010 09:19:20 +0000

Dieting to be thin is on its own not enough to prevent type 2 diabetes. It is also important to have good muscle mass and strength. In a recent study published in PLos One researchers from UCLA have found that low muscle mass (sarcopenia) was associated with insulin resistance in both obese and non-obese individuals. It was also associated with high blood-sugar levels in obese people but not in thin people. These associations were stronger in people under age 60, in whom sarcopenia was associated with high levels of blood sugar in both obese and thin people, and with diabetes in obese individuals.

Synthetic genome used to change bacterial species

Thu, 20 May 2010 20:34:30 +0000

Scientist Craig Venter and his team have reported in the latest issue of Science that when the synthetic genome was transplanted into a bacterial cell, by replacing its native genome, the cell behaved normally, making fresh proteins. Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute carefully stitched together the entire genome of the bacteria Mycoplasma mycoides and put it into a different kind of bacteria, Mycoplasma capricolum. This unprecedented wholesale genome swap caused the M. capricolum cell to switch species. The newly converted cell was nearly identical to the natural M. mycoides.

One of the major challenges in the new study was figuring out how to knit short pieces of DNA together in a particular order to create a large genome. Through earlier experiments, the team had found that proteins in yeast cells could quickly assemble large pieces of DNA. After going through three rounds of assembly in surrogate yeast cells with progressively bigger chunks of synthesized DNA, the researchers produced a record-setting genome that clocked in at 1,077,947 DNA letters. This synthetic genome was then introduced into M. capricolum cells, which began to forget their own characteristics and instead adopt the appearance and functions of the genome-donor species, M. mycoides.

Although it is being claimed by some to represent a synthetic life form, other scientists say, this man-made genome is not technically artificial. To claim the creation of synthetic life the entire organism must be successfully produced from raw materials. Synthetic, they contend, implies designed from scratch, not plagiarized from a natural genome.

Artificially designed genomes could be used to create organisms that produce vaccines, pharmaceutical compounds and biofuels. Scientists at the Venter Institute are already working with Exxon Mobil to create microbes that use up carbon dioxide and convert it into clean fuel. Designer organisms could also be used to water treatment and clean up hazardous chemicals.

Brain cancer risk with cellphones: International study fails to provide definitive evidence

Tue, 18 May 2010 18:25:27 +0000

With an increasing use of cellphone many experts have warned about possible health effects of low-level exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from cellphones. However, a large international study of the risk of brain cancer from cell phone use has yielded inconclusive results. The Interphone Study Group has published their results in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Although the study provides no definitive evidence of increased risk of brain cancer from mobile phones, observations at the highest level of cumulative call time and the changing patterns of mobile phone use, particularly among young people, warrant further investigation, the researchers said. This interview-based case-control study, which included 2708 glioma and 2409 meningioma cases and matched controls was conducted in 13 countries using a common protocol.

Warmest April global temperature on record

Tue, 18 May 2010 18:06:09 +0000

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for both April 2010, and for the period from January-April, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Additionally, last month’s average ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for any April, and the global land surface temperature was the third warmest on record. The monthly analysis from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, is based on records going back to 1880.

Probiotics lower risk of hospital acquired infections in children

Mon, 17 May 2010 05:33:14 +0000

Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics. Probiotics may lower the risk for nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections in children, according to the results of a recent study reported in the May issue of Pediatrics, journal.
The objective of the study was to investigate the role of Lactobacillus GG (LGG) in preventing nosocomial gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections at a pediatric hospital. In this study, 742 children aged 1 to 18 years were randomly assigned to receive LGG during their hospitalization. Compared with the placebo group, the LGG group had a significantly lower risk for gastrointestinal and respiratory tract nosocomial infections. Use of the probiotic LGG was associated with a lower risk for nosocomial gastrointestinal tract infections in hospitalized children. The odds of acquiring a gastrointestinal tract infection were 2.89 times higher in the placebo group vs the LGG group, and this risk increased with longer hospitalization. Use of LGG was also associated with a lower risk for nosocomial respiratory tract infections in these children. In the placebo group, the odds of acquiring a respiratory tract infection were 3.17 times higher vs the LGG group.

Compared with children living at home, those who are hospitalized are at increased risk for the development of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections. Nosocomial infections are those that develop more than 48 hours after admission, either during the hospitalization or after discharge. Nosocomial infections have been associated with longer hospital stay, poorer outcome, and increased costs of hospitalization. The study suggests that use of probiotics in hospitalized children could lower the risk of nosocomial infections.

Indian Yogi astounds medical world

Sat, 15 May 2010 07:45:57 +0000

An Indian yogi has surprised the medical world by surviving without food and water for two weeks without any appreciable changes in his metabolism. In a study initiated by India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) an 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.
Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television. During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet. The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad. During the 15-day observation, which ended on Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani’s organs, brain, and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity. Results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take some time to come through. The study was conducted this month.

The DRDO hopes that the findings, set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters. Incidentally this is not the first time that Jani has been tested under strict scientific conditions. In a similar study conducted on him by Dr. Sudhir Shah, in 2003, he was continuously observed for 10 days. Throughout the observation, he passed no urine or stool, but doctors say urine appeared to form in the bladder, only to be reabsorbed. Jani lives near Ambaji in northern Gujarat.

New stem cell research provides hope for treatment of deafness

Fri, 14 May 2010 16:45:28 +0000

Scientists have found a way to develop specialized hearing cells in mice, called inner ear hair cells. These cells detect vibrations in the air and translate them into sound. Using both embryonic stem cells from mice as well as reprogrammed mouse fibroblasts the researchers turned these cells into the sensory hair cells that normally reside in the inner ear. The findings were published in the recent issue of ‘Cell’ journal by Prof. Stefan Heller and his co-workers from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Humans are normally born with about 30,000 cochlear and vestibular hair cells per ear but loss and destruction of these cells causes deafness especially in elderly people. The research provides hope for development of human inner ear hair cells for transplantation into the inner ear to cure deafness.