READ - ambizen life care

AMBIZEN TIMES
THE EVOLVING & DEVELOPING MEDICAL WORLD
Volume I.2.1
Compiled by: Ambizen Life Care
Transoral fundoplication is an effective treatment for patients
with GERD
2Transoral fundoplication is an effective treatment for
patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),
especially for patients with persistent regurgitation
despite proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy, according
to a new study published in Gastroenterology, the
official journal of the American Gastroenterological
Association.
"Despite therapy, patients with GERD often suffer from
troublesome regurgitation, which impairs their quality of
life," said lead study author John G. Hunter, MD, from
Oregon Health & Science University. "This study offers
evidence that transoral fundoplication is effective in
eliminating troublesome GERD symptoms, especially
regurgitation, with a low failure rate and good safety
profile for six months."
Could Vitamin A deficiency be a cause of
Type 2 diabetes?
Published data demonstrates superiority
of TIF procedure over PPI.
Removal of dietary vitamin A led to beta cell loss
in adult mice
"The data demonstrates that the TIF procedure is more
effective than optimized PPI drugs at eliminating troublesome
regurgitation in selected chronic GERD patients with
hiatal hernialess than 2 cm," continued Dr. Hunter.
In addition, 77% of the TIF patients had healed their
reflux esophagitis. TIF procedure was also associated with a
decrease in all acid exposure parameters while patients in the
control group had no detectable improvements in pH control
(p<0.001).
When the researchers removed vitamin A from the diets of
healthy mice, they found this led to significant beta cell loss,
resulting in reduced insulin production and increased blood
glucose levels - key factors involved in development of type 2
diabetes. When the researchers restored vitamin A to the
rodents' diets, beta cell production rose, insulin production
increased and blood glucose levels returned to normal.
The TIF procedure has an established safety and
efficacy profile with more than 16,000 patients treated
worldwide.
The researchers say their findings indicate that vitamin A
deficiency may be involved in the development of type 2
diabetes.
1
1 Study published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry claims
to have identified a potential driver of type 2 diabetes: vitamin
A deficiency. The researchers, from the Weill Cornell Medical
College in New York, NY, say their findings may lead to new
treatments for the condition.
According to senior author Dr. Lorraine Gudas - chairman of
the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell - and
colleagues,vitamin A boosts beta cell activity, meaning lack of
the vitamin A may play a role in the development of type 2
diabetes.
Researchers create egg and sperm precursors using human embryonic stem cells
In the past, researchers have created precursors to egg and sperm - called primordial germ cells - using rodent stem
cells. Now, scientists from the University of Cambridge in the UK and the Weizmann Institute in Israel have
successfully made these cells using human embryonic stem cells and adult human skin cells.
Lead researcher Prof. Azim Surani, of the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, and his team say
their findings may not only have implications for fertility treatment, but they could also open the door to new
treatments for age-related diseases.
The researchers publish their findings in the journal Cell.
Findings may increase knowledge of inherited epigenetic mutations
In addition, the team says their findings may increase knowledge of how environmental factors that may
affect gene activity - such as smoking or diet - can be inherited.
Sitting increases disease risk... and exercise may not reduce it.
According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine: wrong. Researchers report that
the amount of time a person spends sitting each day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease,
diabetes, cancer and death. What is more, regular exercise may not be enough to offset this risk.
Today’s children to face diabetes epidemic by 2035
A major report looking at the prevalence of type
2 diabetes will warn that cases in people aged 20-39,
currently at nearly 63 million globally, are set to rise by 19%
to nearly 75 million (close to the entire population of
Turkey ) if measures are not urgently taken to stem the tide
of the disease .
Genetically engineered mosquitoes in Panama pilot
achieve over 90% control of the mosquito responsible
for outbreaks of dengue fever and chikungunya
1
2
This equates to around 12 million new cases in those aged
20-39 by 2035.
Type 2 diabetes rates are also increasing throughout the
world's adult population and experts warn that it is set to
affect nearly 600 million people by 2035 (equating to
around 10% of the world's adult population), at a projected
cost of $627 billion USD globally
5
The findings of the report will be presented in full at the World
Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of Qatar
Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development,
to be attended by more than 1,000 health policymakers and
specialists from around the world, in Doha, Qatar from 17-18
February, 2015.
Oxitec and the Gorgas Institute in Panama have announced the
result of the outdoor pilot of Oxitec OX513A, an engineered
strain of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The outcome was a
reduction of over 90% in the local population of the Aedes
aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue and
chikungunya viruses.
Male Oxitec OX513A mosquitoes, termed 'friendly
mosquitoes' by many residents, were released throughout the
study area on a regular basis. Whenever these males, which
cannot bite or transmit disease, mated with local female Aedes
aegypti, their offspring died before adulthood. This reduced
the population in successive generations of mosquitoes until,
after only six months, the reduction was over 90% relative to
the comparison sites.
Mechanism identified behind impaired wound healing in diabetics
Molecule has been identified by researchers at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Dental Medicine that may explain
why wound healing is impaired in people with diabetes. The scientists behind the discovery believe the molecule may also
offer a new target for therapies that could improve healing
Study leader Dana T. Graves, professor in Penn Dental Medicine's Department of Periodontics and vice dean for scholarship and research,
says:
"In terms of a wound-healing response, it looks like Foxo1 might be one of the central regulators that are affected by the diabetic condition.
This may make it a good drug target, which could possibly be administered locally to minimize systemic effects in diabetic wounds."
To investigate whether a human drug would be viable, the team will next examine the behavior of FOXO1 in other animals. The authors
have published the findings of their current study in the journal Diabetes.
Researchers generate new hair growth using human
pluripotent stem cells
In this latest study, Alexey Terskikh, PhD, associate professor in the Development, Aging and
Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham, and colleagues reveal how they effectively grew
new hair using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) - cells derived from human embryos or
human fetal tissue that can become any other cell type in the body.
They say the technique - detailed in the journal PLOS ONE - has the potential to be more
effective than current hair transplant methods.
Terskikh and colleagues created a technique that encouraged hPSCs to turn into dermal papilla
cells, which are responsible for regulating the formation of hair follicles and the hair growth cycle.
On transplanting these dermal papilla cells into mice, the team found they successfully
induced new hair growth.
"We have developed a method using human pluripotent stem cells to create new cells
capable of initiating human hair growth. The method is a marked improvement over
current methods that rely on transplanting existing hair follicles from one part of the
head to another.
Our stem cell method provides an unlimited source of cells from the patient for transplantation
and isn't limited by the availability of existing hair follicles."
In another study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania revealed how they created
hair-follicle-generating stem cells, which show potential for regrowing hair in humans.
Querries & suggestions mail to : [email protected]
Targeted biopsy ‘better at
detecting high-risk prostrate
cancers than standard biopsy’
If results of a prostate-specific antigen test or
digital rectal exam are positive, the next port
of call is normally a prostate biopsy to
confirm whether cancer is present. In a new
study published in JAMA, researchers claim a
targeted biopsy method is much more
accurate in detecting high-risk prostate
cancers than the standard biopsy technique.
The team found that the targeted biopsy
identified 30% more high-risk cancers than
the standard biopsy and 17% fewer low-risk
cancers. A combination of both targeted and
standard biopsy led to 22% more low-risk
cancers being diagnosed.
Targeted therapy may 'enhance ability to
identify patients with high-risk prostate
cancers'
“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved,
there is also a love of Humanity ”
Hippocrates