![]() | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
H1N1 Flu Update | ||||||
| ||||||
Tamiflu to be available in chemist shops in a week
| ||||||
New Research | ||||||
Gene find 'may curb lung mucus' It's not clear why lungs of people with conditions such as asthma and cystic fibrosis have often clogged up with thick mucus. Lead researcher Dr Jeffrey Whitsett said a way to combat excessive mucus production would potentially be a significant step that could lead to new treatment. They used a protein from egg whites to induce an allergic reaction in inflammation in the animals' lungs, and showed that SPDEF (a gene key to the process of mucus production) activity soared in the affected tissues. But when the gene was switched off, inflammation; excessive mucus production did not occur. Mice lacking SPDEF were unable to increase mucus production or develop goblet cells. The finding of SPDEF could lead to effective treatments for those millions with chronic lung disease in the world. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8254020.stm Robots 'to revolutionize surgery' Scientists are working on the real possibility of building a robot inside a person by Ares (Assembling Reconfigurable Endoluminal Surgical System). There would be several modules which are very small like pills that can combine together inside. The idea is to introduce these robots from the mouth or anus or the umbilicus. It sounds fantastic, but prototypes are already in existence that can crawl and swim inside the body taking pictures of difficult to access areas. This is the dream. At the moment it is not so advanced to satisfy the dream but it's the direction. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8238088.stm How people lose muscles as they get older As age catches up, it becomes harder to keep muscles healthy. They get smaller which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures. Researchers have already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young, and now they have found that the suppression of muscle breakdown, which also happens during feeding, is blunted with age. They believe that a 'double setback' affects people aged over 65. But the team thinks that weight training may 'rejuvenate' muscle blood flow, and help retain muscle for older people. Source: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-110798.html Second child within a year 'increases breast cancer risk' A research involving 30,000 women, each of whom had given birth to five or more children, has shown that those with a gap of less than 12 months were 5.2 times more likely to develop the advanced ductal breast cancer than women who had a gap of three or more years. Although it is unclear that why the risk increases, researchers believe hormones might be involved. But this does not mean that women who had their first two births close together worry because the study's results are not conclusive. Source: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-111474.html Difficulties in performing daily activities linked to dementia Mild cognitive impairment is recognized as a risk factor for dementia. During the study, Dr. Sarah Tomaszewski Farias of the University of California, and colleagues studied 111 individuals with mild cognitive impairment. During an average of 2.4 years of follow-up, 28 individuals progressed from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, including 23 from the clinic and five from the community. Other than recruitment source, the only factor associated with conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia was the degree of functional impairment. Source:http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-112454.html Engineered human fusion protein stops HIV-1 replication in mice Owl monkeys make a fusion protein (AoT5Cyp) that potently blocks HIV-1 infection. Therefore scientists at the University of Geneva in Switzerland have engineered a human HIV-1 inhibitor modeled after AoT5Cyp, by fusing human cyclophilin A to human TRIM5 (hT5Cyp) because humans do not make the T5Cyp fusion protein. The researchers said that the human fusion protein blocks HIV-1 infection of human macrophage and T cell lines, without disrupting normal cell function. Source:http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-108578.html | ||||||
Pharma Update | ||||||
| ||||||
Common pain cream could protect heart during attack Keith Jones, PhD, and colleague have found that applying capsaicin to specific skin locations in mice caused sensory nerves in the skin to trigger signals in the nervous system. These signals activate cellular 'pro-survival' pathways in the heart which protect the muscle. Capsaicin is the main component of chili peppers and produces a hot sensation. It is also the active ingredient in several topical medications used for temporary pain relief. It is approved for use by the U.S. FDA. They observed an 85% reduction in cardiac cell death when capsaicin was used. Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914173010.htm Dysport Approved for Cervical Dystonia Pain The FDA has approved the Biologics License Application for Dysport (abobotulinumtoxin A; Ipsen) for the treatment of cervical dystonia. Dysport, an acetylcholine release inhibitor and a neuromuscular blocking agent, reduces the severity of abnormal head positions and neck pain in adults. Ipsen expects to launch Dysport for cervical dystonia in the second half of 2009. For more information, go to Ipsen.com. Source: Pain Medicine News 2009;7(6):5 | ||||||
In the Spotlight | ||||||
World's first patient with smallest neurostimulator completes a year One year ago, former U.S. Army parachutist Adam Hammond became the first patient in the world to have been implanted with an Eon Mini neurostimulator. Adam got the chronic pain after a skydiving accident when his parachute deployed incorrectly. The accident left him dependent on a wheelchair. But today, the picture has completely changed. He is active and exercising as well as studying law. Over 60,000 St. Jude Medical neurostimulation devices have been implanted in patients in 35 countries around the world. Source: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-110622.html
| ||||||
Indian Penal Codes to Know | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
Formulae in ECG | ||||||
Differential Diagnosis of ST Segment Depression Normal variants or artifacts
Ischemic heart disease
Nonischemic causes of ST depression
| ||||||
Formulae in Diabetology | ||||||
| ||||||
Jokes | ||||||
Doctor: I have some bad news and some very bad news.
| ||||||
Head Office: Daryacha 39, Hauz Khas Villege New Delhi -110 016, Ph.26965874 / 75. e-mail: editorial@ijcp.com | ||||||
| ||||||
|