When brain stroke strikes early before you turn 40
Stroke is no longer an old-age disease; an unhealthy lifestyle means 15-25 per cent of all strokes now hit those below 40.
After 39-year-old IT professional Vinod Sharma suffered from a brain stroke a few months ago. He joined work after recovery, but lost his coveted job a few weeks ago. The multi-national company in which Sharma was a programmer told him that his cognitive skills had suffered.
Strokes are no longer an old-age disease. An estimated 15 to 25% of all strokes now occur in those younger than 40.
Long hours at work, no leaves and extreme amount of stress in the software industry had made Sharma a serial smoker and dependent on alcohol. “Few months ago, when I woke up one morning, I felt numbness in my right hand. After close to three to four hours, the stroke struck,” Vinod told DNA.
Vinod’s clinician, Dr Bhushan Joshi, from Columbia Asia Hospital in Pune said that the patient had come after a delay of close to 12 hours. “It is very important to treat stroke within four hours of the attack,” Dr Joshi said.
While Vinod was on leave for three months and joined back with verve, he was suddenly asked to leave the company. They cited him as a ‘bad performer.’ He has ended up spending close to Rs 3lakh for his treatment and rehabilitation.
“Stroke is not so common in young age,” says Dr Joshi, adding that Vinod suffered from Hyperhomocystenemia, where there is an increased tendency of clot formation in blood. The occluded blood vessels lead to a stroke. While we do not know how the condition is caused, alcohol and smoking tend to aggravate it.
“Vinod had a tough time recovering,” said Dr Joshi, “He was not able to use his hands. He was unable to walk. He was not able to understand what we were speaking. He started forming sentences but they were grammatically incorrect. He had difficulty identifying symbols or letters. The concepts were preserved in his brain, but he was not able to express them. Language is controlled by left side of the brain, and that part was affected.”
Doctors say that lifestyle aggravated neurological illnesses in those below 40 years of age are epilepsy, headache, nutritional deficiencies of Vitamin B12 and D3, stroke and migraine. They are aggravated due to stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol consumption and other addictions.
Lifestyle is the culprit
In another case, a 24-year-old engineer suddenly suffered from stroke a few months ago. He was slightly obese and his stress levels were high. He lost identification ability, speech and has been under therapy for nine months.
“Now he has retained his walking ability and has retained his alphabet recognizing skills,” says Dr Ruchi Varshney, a practicing Delhi-based physiotherapist.
Most neurological problems in youngsters are due to diet, lifestyle and stress. “They have sitting jobs where they work for 16-18 hours. They suffer from nerve compression which leads to numbness, vertigo, dizziness, vision problems and fluctuation of blood pressure,” said Dr Varshney.
Of hundred stroke patients, 11 to 12 are between 15 to 30 years of age. Sometimes, even exercise or sports is to blame is to blame. “Youngsters may have a gym-injury. Otherwise, lifestyle and stress are precipitating factors,” she added.
Common neurological ailments caused by lifestyle
Epilepsy: Convulsions are common among the youth. Though causes of epilepsy are not directly related to lifestyle but lifestyle can precipitate convulsions in case of epilepsy. Stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol and addictions are to blame.
Headaches: An estimated 16% of the youth suffers from migraines, and they are more common in women. Irregular lifestyle, stress at the personal level and work place, irregular daily schedule, unhealthy eating habits are all responsible.
Nutritional deficiency: Insufficient Vitamins B12 and D3 is a common cause for neuropathy. Symptoms are tingling, numbness and parasthesia.
Stroke: It is no longer a disease of those past their middle age. Medical practitioners say 15% – 25% of all strokes now occur in those less than 40 years of age. The incidence is even higher among Indians because of our genetic make-up. The factors are aggravated by lifestyle choices of the youth.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-when-brain-stroke-strikes-early-2552877
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Finally a cure ? New vaccine raises hope of reducing pneumonia deaths
An experimental vaccine that targets dozens of strains of the bacterium that causes pneumonia has the potential to significantly bring down the number of deaths due to the disease, a new study says.
The vaccine provoked an immune response to 72 forms of Streptococcus pneumoniae in laboratory tests on animals, according to the study published in the journal, ‘Science Advances’.
“We’ve made tremendous progress fighting the spread of pneumonia, especially among children. But if we’re ever going to rid ourselves of the disease, we need to create smarter and more cost-effective vaccines,” said the study’s co-lead author Blaine Pfeifer, Associate Professor at University at Buffalo in New York.
In 2004, pneumonia killed more than two million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). By 2015, the number was less than one million.
Better access to antibiotics and improved nutrition account for part of the decline. But scientists say it’s mostly due to vaccines introduced in the early 2000s that target up to 23 of the most deadly forms of the bacterium that causes pneumonia — Streptococcus pneumoniae.
As the new vaccine under development targets additional strains of S. pneumoniae — including the 23 mentioned above – it could, the researchers beleive, deal another blow to the disease.
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/health/2017/oct/21/new-vaccine-raises-hope-of-reducing-pneumonia-deaths-study-1679138.html
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Dear women, this hormone therapy may boost memory and lower stress
The therapy may positively impact working memory — which allows the brain to keep information immediately available for processing, such as when a shopper uses a mental grocery list to pick up items.
Undergoing a type of hormone replacement therapy – used to treat menopause symptoms – may help working memory and reduce stress levels in women, a study claims. “Our study suggests that oestrogen treatment after menopause protects the memory that is needed for short-term cognitive tasks from the effects of stress,” said Alexandra Ycaza Herrera from University of Southern California in the US.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that women taking oestrogen-only therapy had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and performed better on tests of “working memory” following exposure to stress compared to women taking a placebo. Working memory allows the brain to keep information immediately available for processing, such as when a shopper uses a mental grocery list to pick up items, researchers said. Studies have documented that stress can impair working memory, they said.
Researchers recruited 42 women with an average age of 66 years to measure the effect of oestrogen therapy on working memory under stress. Half of the postmenopausal women had been on estradiol, a type of oestrogen therapy, for about five years, while the others had received a placebo. To induce a stress response during one visit, researchers asked participants to submerge their hand in ice water for about three minutes. For the control condition conducted during the other visit, the participants submerged their hand in warm water.
Before and after each visit, researchers collected saliva to measure the women’s levels of cortisol, oestrogen, and progesterone. The team also ran a test of working memory called a “sentence span task,” in which the women were each given a series and then asked whether each sentence made sense. Participants were asked to recall the last word of each one. Researchers noted that all women performed equally well on the sentence span task after the warm water condition. However, after the ice bath, women taking the placebo experienced a spike in cortisol levels.
They also demonstrated a decrease in working memory function. By contrast, women receiving oestrogen therapy had a smaller increase in cortisol and showed no decrease in working memory function, researchers said. Hormone replacement therapy may not be right for every woman, but women need to be able to have the conversation with their doctors,” said Herrera.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/dear-women-this-hormone-therapy-may-boost-memory-and-lower-stress/story-u8sSJjdzunhmXXtGO4T9YO.html
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Nearly 40% People Ignore Spine Related Diseases
Nearly 20% of the young population in the age group of 16-34 age group are treated for back and spine conditions, according to a report by QI Spine Clinic, which is specialized in spinal diagnosis. The most affected age-groups and common problems faced by people are in these four cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.
While Delhi’s young population treated for back pain problems is the highest at 25% followed by Bengaluru at 23%. However, the age-group that is most affected by back and spine problems is 35-54. With 46% of Bengaluru’s population in this age-group reporting of spinal issues makes it the highest amongst the four cities. Bengaluru is followed by Delhi at 43%, Mumbai at 41% and Pune at 38%.
‘Back or neck pain should not be neglected. Early treatment can solve the pain and the root cause of the problem within a short span of time providing complete recovery.’
In India, 45% of the people in these four cities neglect their pain for more than 7 weeks which leads to delayed treatment& increases the risk of surgery. Pune accounts for the highest number of negligence at 53% followed by New Delhi (49%), Bangalore (46%) and Mumbai (40%) respectively.
The treatment rate for women is 8% lower as compared to men but men delay their treatment more than women. The ratio between women and men is 46:54.
Through X-rays and MRIs (Magnetic resonance imaging) you can diagnose your spinal problems. However, often MRIs fail to detect how severe the condition is and in such cases, digital spine analysis is preferred. After it is detected, doctors will give medications or suggest a surgery depending on the condition.
Source: http://www.medindia.net/news/nearly-40-people-ignore-spine-related-diseases-173824-1.htm
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Cancer cells destroyed in just 3 days with new technique
Cancer cells are relentless, possessing the vexatious ability to develop resistance to current therapies and making the disease hugely challenging to treat. However, an exciting new study may have identified cancer’s weak spot; the discovery has already led to the near-eradication of the disease in cell cultures.
The study — which was recently published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering — reveals how altering the structure of chromatin in cancer cells could make them easier to destroy.
In the cell nucleus, DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones. Together they form chromatin.
Chromatin’s job is to package the genetic code neatly into the cell’s nucleus. Chromatin can also regulate which genes are switched on and off. In cancer cells, however, chromatin helps them to evolve and adapt to cancer therapies, thereby allowing them to survive.
“If you think of genetics as hardware,” explains study co-author Vadim Backman, of the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, “then chromatin is the software.”
“Complex diseases such as cancer,” he adds, “do not depend on the behavior of individual genes, but on the complex interplay among tens of thousands of genes.”
So, Backman and his colleagues set their sights on chromatin as the key to combating cancer drug resistance, and an imaging technique they developed last year helped them to learn more about this intricate set of macromolecules.
Predicting cancer cell death with chromatin
The new technique is called Partial Wave Spectroscopic (PWS) microscopy, and it enables real-time monitoring of chromatin in living cells.
Additionally, the researchers explain that PWS allows them to assess chromatin at a length scale of 20–200 nanometers, which they say is the precise point at which cancer formation influences chromatin.
They used PWS to monitor chromatin in cultured cancer cells. They found that chromatin has a specific “packing density” associated with gene expression that helps cancer cells to evade treatments.
The analysis revealed that a more heterogeneous and disordered chromatin packing density was related to greater cancer cell survival in response to chemotherapy. A more conservative and ordered packing density, however, was linked to greater cancer cell death in response to chemotherapy.
“Just by looking at the cell’s chromatin structure, we could predict whether or not it would survive,” says Backman. “Cells with normal chromatin structures die because they can’t respond; they can’t explore their genome in search of resistance. They can’t develop resistance.”
Targeting chromatin to kill cancer
Based on their discovery, the researchers hypothesized that altering the structure of chromatin to make it more orderly could be one way of boosting cancer cells’ vulnerability to treatment.
On further investigation, the team found that they could modify chromatin’s structure by altering electrolytes in the nucleus of cancer cells.
The team tested this strategy using two drugs that are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Celecoxib and Digoxin.
Celecoxib is currently used for pain relief, while Digoxin is used to treat atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Both drugs, however, are also able to change the packing density of chromatin.
The researchers combined these drugs — which they refer to as chromatin protection therapeutics (CPTs) — with chemotherapy and tested them on cancer cells in the laboratory. According to Backman, they witnessed “something remarkable.”
Within 2 or 3 days, nearly every single cancer cell died because they could not respond. The CPT compounds don’t kill the cells; they restructure the chromatin. If you block the cells’ ability to evolve and to adapt, that’s their Achilles’ heel.”
Vadim Backman
While the researchers are excited by their findings, they caution that animal and human studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be made.
“There is a big difference between cell cultures and humans,” says Backman. “You never know how the environment inside the human body will affect cancer’s behavior or if there will be unforeseen side effects.”
That said, the researchers note that they have replicated their findings in seven different cancer types so far, which Backman says is “very promising.”
Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320003.php
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Immunotherapy found safe for type 1 diabetes in landmark trial
Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, so does this mean that immunotherapy could be used to treat it? A landmark trial has investigated the safety of such a therapeutic approach.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that up to 1.05 million people in the United States – or 5 percent of the country’s diabetic population – have type 1 diabetes.
The condition is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system – its T cells, specifically – does not recognize the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells and mistakenly attacks them. At present, there are no treatments for preventing T cells from killing off the body’s beta cells.
Despite the belief that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, few studies have tested the possible benefits of immunotherapies in treating the condition, perhaps due to concerns that they might make it worse.
For type 1 diabetes, immunotherapies consist of molecules that imitate a proinsulin peptide. In this context, researchers based in the United Kingdom set out to examine the benefits of immunotherapy in a landmark trial that included a placebo control group.
The study’s first author is Dr. Mohammad Alhadj Ali, of the Cardiff University School of Medicine in the U.K., and the corresponding author is Mark Peakman, Ph.D., a professor of clinical immunology at King’s College London, also in the U.K.
The results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Proinsulin peptide immunotherapy is ‘safe’
Dr. Ali and team examined the effect of the peptide in 27 people who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the previous 100 days.
For 6 months, the participants received either shots of the immunotherapy or the placebo at 2- or 4-week intervals. Their C-peptide levels – which are markers of insulin – were tested at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and they were compared with baseline levels.
The trial found no evidence of toxicity or negative side effects, and beta cells were not impaired or reduced as a consequence of the therapy. The authors write, “Treatment was well tolerated with no systemic or local hypersensitivity,” which led the researchers to conclude that “proinsulin peptide immunotherapy is safe.”
Additionally, “Placebo subjects showed a significant decline in stimulated C-peptide (measuring insulin reserve) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months versus baseline, whereas no significant change was seen in the 4-weekly peptide group at these time points,” say the researchers.
Importantly, over a period of 12 months, the daily insulin intake in the placebo group increased by 50 percent, whereas the treatment group kept stable levels of insulin use.
Although the effects of immunotherapies need to be tested in larger cohorts, the trial offers an encouraging safety profile for the treatment. Speaking to Medical News Today about the clinical implications of such results, Prof. Peakman broke down the findings.
The good safety profile means 3 things:
(i) that we can progress to the next stage, which is to perform an efficacy trial and we hope to start this in 2018;
(ii) that this therapy may be acceptable in children, which is the main group developing type 1 diabetes;
(iii) that we may be able to give the peptide repeatedly over long periods, which may be required to gain full effects.
– Mark Peakman, Ph.D.
Regarding the limitations of the research, Prof. Peakman told us that the small sample size meant that the researchers could not examine how efficacious the treatment was. Consequently, in the future, the researchers plan to conduct a larger study in order to investigate the immunotherapies’ effect on disease progression.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318899.php
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