Painful bone biopsies will soon be replaced with small credit card-sized chips to treat plasma cancer

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Scientists have developed a low-cost, reliable blood test for multiple myeloma that uses a small plastic chip about the size of a credit card, which could make painful bone biopsies a relic of the past.

The diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting plasma cells, traditionally forces patients to suffer through a painful bone biopsy, said researchers from University of Kansas in the US.

During that procedure, doctors insert a bone-biopsy needle through an incision to get a bone marrow sample – or make a larger incision and remove a section of bone via surgery.

The blood test, described in the journal Integrative Biology, uses a small plastic chip about the size of a credit card that can deliver the same diagnostic information as a bone biopsy – but using a simple blood draw instead.

“For the last 10 years, we have been developing a blood-based test for a variety of cancer diseases – one of them is multiple myeloma,” said Steven Soper, a professor at the University of Kansas.

“We will be able to eliminate the need for bone-marrow biopsies and allow the clinician to determine the best way to treat the disease using a blood draw,” said Soper.

“From this test, the clinician will be able to determine the stage of the disease, what type of drug will best treat the disease and monitor for signs of recurrence if the disease goes into remission,” he said.

High levels of circulating multiple myeloma cells are linked with more aggressive disease and worse outcomes, so a sensitive test is vital for assessing the state of the disease in a patient and devising the most effective therapy.

“The chip we are using, because it is made from a plastic, can be injection molded, the same method that is used to produce CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs,” Soper said.

“What is really nice is we can produce these chips for a couple of dollars per chip, which makes it really appropriate for testing in a clinical setting,” he said.

The technology could have applications across many cancers, making diagnostics easier for patients and clinicians, and helping usher in more tailored therapies that could improve patient outcomes, researchers said.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-painful-bone-biopsies-will-soon-be-replaced-with-small-credit-card-sized-chips-to-treat-plasma-cancer-2606965

Image source: https://www.m3india.in/contents/news/72767/chip-based-blood-test-could-replace-painful-bone

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LED bulbs can give you cancer, stay away from the blue light

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Reigniting the debate over exposure to the “blue light” emitted by outdoor LED screens and heightened risk of cancer, an international team of researchers have concluded that there is a “strong link” between the two. To reach this conclusion, the researchers from University of Exeter in Britain and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) determined indoor exposure to artificial light through personal questionnaires.

The outdoor levels of artificial light, such as emitted by street lights, were evaluated for Madrid and Barcelona, based on nocturnal images taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The study included medical and epidemiological data of more than 4,000 people between 20 and 85 years of age in 11 Spanish regions.

Results obtained for both cities show that participants exposed to higher levels of blue light had a 1.5 and two-fold higher risk of developing breast and prostate cancer, respectively, as compared to the less-exposed population. The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that the “blue light” emitted by LED lights seems to affect circadian rhythms and sleeping patterns, which then impacts hormone levels. Both breast and prostate cancers are hormone-related.

The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified night shift work as probably carcinogenic to humans. There is evidence pointing to an association between exposure to artificial light at night, disruption of the circadian rhythm, and breast and prostate cancers.

“With this study, we sought to determine whether night exposure to light in cities can affect the development of these two types of cancer,” explained Manolis Kogevinas, ISGlobal researcher and coordinator of the study.

According to Alejandro Sainchez de Miguel from University of Exeter and a lead author on the study, blue light is also produced by smartphones and tablets but the current study looked only at blue light from outdoor LEDs. “That is a confusion for many journalists; we have not done anything in phones. But the same mechanism may be affecting the phones or the bulbs at home, because the physiology is the same,” CNN quoted SAinchez de Miguel as saying.

Given the ubiquity of artificial light at night, determining whether it increases or not the risk of cancer is a public health issue. “At this point, further studies should include more individual data using for instance light sensors that allow measuring indoor light levels. It would also be important to do this kind of research in young people that extensively use blue light emitting screens,” suggested Ariadna GarcAa, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.

“We know that depending on its intensity and wave length, artificial light, particularly in the blue spectrum, can decrease melatonin production and secretion,” added Martin Aub, Physics Professor at CEGEP in Sherbrooke, Canada and study co-author.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/these-lights-are-harmful-for-health-may-trigger-breast-and-prostate-cancer/story-9loGV6AVpsfSAEhwWGNpzI.html

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Your deep wounds can be healed within minutes by a portable 3D skin printer

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In a first, researchers have developed a portable 3D skin printer that deposits even layers of tissue to cover and heal deep wounds within minutes.

For patients with deep skin wounds, all three skin layers – the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis – may be heavily damaged.

The current preferred treatment is called split-thickness skin grafting, where healthy donor skin is grafted onto the surface epidermis and part of the underlying dermis.

Split-thickness grafting on large wounds requires enough healthy donor skin to traverse all three layers, and sufficient graft skin is rarely available. This leaves a portion of the wounded area ‘ungrafted’ or uncovered, leading to poor healing outcomes.

Although a large number of tissue-engineered skin substitutes exist, they are not yet widely used in clinical settings.

“Most current 3D bioprinters are bulky, work at low speeds, are expensive and are incompatible with clinical application,” said Axel Guenther from University of Toronto in Canada.

The team believes their in-situ skin printer is a platform technology that can overcome these barriers, while improving the skin-healing process – a major step forward.

The handheld skin printer resembles a white-out tape dispenser – except the tape roll is replaced by a microdevice that forms tissue sheets.

Vertical stripes of ‘bio ink,’ made up of protein-based biomaterials including collagen, the most abundant protein in the dermis, and fibrin, a protein involved in wound healing, run along the inside of each tissue sheet.

“Our skin printer promises to tailor tissues to specific patients and wound characteristics. And it’s very portable,” said Navid Hakimi, PhD student at University of Toronto.

The handheld device is the size of a small shoe box and weighs less than a kilogramme. It also requires minimal operator training and eliminates the washing and incubation stages required by many conventional bioprinters.

The researchers plan to add several capabilities to the printer, including expanding the size of the coverable wound areas. Working with Jeschke’s team at Sunnybrook Hospital, they plan to perform more in vivo studies.

They hope that one day they can begin running clinical trials on humans, and eventually revolutionise burn care.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/your-deep-wounds-can-be-healed-within-minutes-by-a-portable-3d-skin-printer/story-DJcocV6bjCWmMMKySY5MyN.html

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New method to help diagnose, assess COPD and lung function

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Researchers have developed a new method of analysing X-ray images of lungs, which could help in the diagnosis and assessment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other lung diseases.

The team at the University of Southampton in the UK devised the method for numerically describing the complicated three-dimensional structure of the lung using topology – a part of mathematics designed specifically for the study of complex shapes.

Utilizing a combination of computed tomography (CT) scans, high-performance computing and algorithms, the researchers computed numerical characteristics, in three dimensions, of the entire bronchial trees of 64 patients categorised in four different groups.

The groups were: healthy non-smokers, healthy smokers, patients with moderate COPD and patients with mild COPD.

COPD is a complex lung condition that involves, to various degrees, the airways (bronchi) and the lung tissue (alveoli). It results in a progressive loss of lung function.

The condition affects more than 200 million people worldwide. It is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, researchers said.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports. the team analysed such features as the structure and size of the bronchial tree, the length and direction of its branches and the comparative changes in shape during deep inhalation and full exhalation.

They found that, typically, a larger more complex tree indicates better lung function and a smaller distorted tree, poorer lung function.

The researchers found that their novel method was able to accurately distinguish between the different groups of patients, the characteristics of their lung function and the different stages of their condition.

It was able to identify characteristics not detectable to the naked eye.

They hope that repeating this method across a much larger database of images and combining it with other data could lead to the real-world development of a valuable clinical tool for the early diagnosis of conditions like COPD and asthma.

This provides a more accurate way of identifying the severity of an individual patient’s condition, researchers said.

Until now, the severity of lung conditions has been assessed by using a spirometer – a device which measures the force and amount of air a patient can exhale.

Two-dimensional CT images, assessed by expert specialists, who have extensive experience of examining and interpreting CT imagery, and relatively simple measures of lung density and bronchial wall thickness are also used.

Our study shows that this new method, employing topological data analysis, can complement and expand on established techniques to give a valuable, accurate range of information about the lung function of individuals,” said Jacek Brodzki, a professor at the University of Southampton.

This method is a major advance in our ability to study the structural abnormalities of COPD, a complex disease that affects so many people and, sadly, results in significant morbidity and mortality,” said Ratko Djukanovic, a professor at the University of Southampton.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-new-method-to-help-diagnose-assess-copd-and-lung-function-2615717

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India to have 2nd oral health survey

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After having a failed attempt at conducting a countrywide oral survey, the Dental Council of India (DCI) under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry is all set to process a fresh research on India’s dental policy.

The survey, National Survey on Availability of Dental Health Manpower and Disease Prevalence in Urban and Rural India, which was conducted in 2008 was not published as errors and discrepancies were detected when the council had reviewed it.

The last survey by the council was done in 2002-2003 and was published in 2004. After 14 years, the council has once again finalised the roadmap to conduct the research on oral health of the people.

“Around 30-40 per cent of the people are diagnosed with oral cancer. While the government is taking rigorous steps to prevent other diseases like HIV and AIDS, there is always a need to work on such diseases which can be prevented,” said Dr Sabyasachi Saha, secretary of DCI. The new survey will be focusing more on the manpower and the difficulties faced in getting access to the oral healthcare. “As of now, there is no authentic data on the number of dental surgeon in the country. Even the facilities in the dental hospitals are not updated for the people to know. All these factors will be kept in mind this time,” added Dr Saha.

The council has prepared the methodology and the budget has been pegged at Rs 5 crore. A committee has been formed to examine the survey details and the meeting is to be held on June 2. The proposal will then move to the Union Ministry of Health for the final nod.

“The target is to complete the survey by 2020. We will be covering all the states and each state will be divided into four-five regions,” said Dr AK Chandna, member of DCI.

As many as 2,500 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases in India. According to the National Cancer Registry Programme of the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR), more than 1300 Indians die every day due to cancer. “In India, we do not pay attention on oral diseases. People make a visit to the doctor only when the situation turns alarming,” said Dr Ravi Mehrotra, director, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) and Knowledge hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT).

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-india-to-have-2nd-oral-health-survey-2616315

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Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala: All you need to know about the infection

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As the death toll in the virus-induced fever in north Kerala rises to nine, the National Virology Institute in Pune has confirmed that the deceased were infected with Nipah virus (NiV). This is the first time the virus, which has high fatality rate and spreads mainly through bats, pigs and other animals, has been detected in the state.

The Union Health Ministry has rushed a team of experts to assist the state that is struggling to cope with the outbreak. Here’s all you need to know about the virus:

THE VIRUS

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly-emerging zoonosis (a disease which can be transmitted to humans from animals) that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

FIRST OUTBREAK

NiV was first identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998. On this occasion, pigs were the intermediate hosts. However, in subsequent NiV outbreaks, there were no intermediate hosts. In Bangladesh in 2004, humans became infected with NiV as a result of consuming date palm sap that had been contaminated by infected fruit bats.

OUTBREAKS IN INDIA 

Human-to-human transmission has also been documented, including in a hospital setting. India confirmed its first Nipah outbreak in Siliguri, West Bengal, in 2001, with 66 cases and 45 deaths. A second outbreak in Nadia district in 2007 led to the deaths of all the five persons infected. The death rate in India is a high 70%, with 50 of the 71 people infected dying during the two outbreaks in West Bengal.

This is the first Nipah outbreak in Kerala.

TRANSMISSION

The viruses jump the species barrier and infect a secondary animal host, transmission takes place through direct contact with infected bats, pigs, or from other NiV-infected people and people have been also cautioned that they should not consume fruits that have fallen on to the ground.

SYMPTOMS

NiV infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis. NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals. Nipah virus primarily causes an encephalitic syndrome with a high mortality rate. The characteristic MRI abnormalities are multiple, small (less than 5 mm), asymmetric focal lesions in the subcortical and deep white matter without surrounding edema.

TREATMENT

There is no vaccine for either humans or animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care

PRECAUTIONS

Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in endemic areas and not drinking raw date palm sap and not consuming fruits that have fallen from trees

(Source: WHO)
URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/nipah-virus-outbreak-in-kerala-kills-10-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-disease/story-Ql9VFHknRdmy73g9QfLUhK.html

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Heart travels from Bengaluru to Kolkata hospital under four hours for successful transplant

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In a historic moment in the medical field in India, the heart of brain dead patient from Karnataka was successfully transplanted into a patient at a private hospital in Kolkata.

The donor, who was admitted to Sparsh Hospital in Bengaluru, was declared brain dead after he had an accident in March this year. His family members had expressed their willingness to donate his heart.

His heart was then transported 1,885 kilometres – 1,665 from Bengaluru airport to Kolkata airport, and 20 kilometres from the airport to Fortis Hospital at Anandapur in the eastern part of the city. Accordingly, authorities there contacted officials at Fortis Hospital for the transplant.

The beneficiary, 40-year-old Dilchand Singh from Jharkhand, had been suffering from a heart ailment for a few months.

The heart was brought in a special container, preserved with ice and cardioplegic solution. Doctors said that the heart needed to be transplanted within four hours of collecting it from the donor. The flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata took three hours.

At about 11.10 am the heart was taken out of the airport in Kolkata and then with the help of police authorities, it reached at the hospital in time.

Fortis officials had sought help from the state health department which in turn took the help of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate had made arrangements for a green corridor for the ambulance carrying the heart and the doctors from the airport to Fortis Hospital. DCP (HQ) of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate Amit Javalgi said that as soon as hospital authorities had told them about it, a pilot car escorted the ambulance and helped cover 18 kilometres in under 20 minutes.

The heart transplant was conducted under the supervision of Dr KR Balakrishnan, director, cardiac sciences and Dr Suresh Rao, chief cardiac anaesthetist from Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai.

The team of doctors, who performed this surgery, included Dr Tapas Raychaudhury, director, cardio thoracic and vascular surgery, Dr KM Mandana, director, cardio thoracic and vascular surgery, and Dr Saikat Bandopadhyay, senior consultant, cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist from Fortis Hospital, Anandpur.

Dr Raychaudhury said, “It is the first of its kind operation in eastern India. It is a history. Doctors from Chennai went to Bengaluru to collect the heart of a brain dead person. Then it is flown into Kolkata to be transplanted into a patient in Kolkata. It had never happened before,” he said.

The surgery began at about 12 noon and continued for three hours. After the surgery, doctors interacted with media persons and said they were happy about the operation which was a success but still the patient needed to be kept under supervision for 3-4 days.

“The patient is fine. Almost four hours have passed. He is stable, conscious. It was challenging because arranging the organ and transplanting here. Logisitics-wise it was challenging. We need to take care of the post operation heart surgery so that there is no infection,” said Dr Mandana

Dr Raychaudhury said that it was a pity that while in places like Bengaluru on an average two persons come ahead for organ donation every day in West Bengal there is a queue of 35,000 patients who are awaiting donors for a second lease of life.

Doctors said both the donor and the recipient being young, having more or less the same body weight and same blood group (A+), helped in the process.

Family members of Dilchand had registered his name for a transplant in 2016 and it could be done in not less than two years. Belonging to a below poverty level family, Dilchand was supported financially by the hospital.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-heart-travels-from-bengaluru-to-kolkata-hospital-under-four-hours-for-successful-transplant-2617423

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New smartphone-based tool may aid patients detect urine blockage

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Surgeons are developing a new smartphone-based tool that can detect urethral or urine blockage, potentially making it easier for patients to test themselves for the condition from the comfort of their own homes.

The novel technique could take high-speed photography which could capture subtle differences between a normal steady stream of liquid and a stream of liquid with an obstruction.

Urethral strictures are a slowing or blocking of the natural flow of urine due to an injury or infection. It is normally diagnosed by uroflowmetry, a test administered at a physician’s office.

“The problem is that patient follow-up after we treat this condition is very poor,” said Matthew Gretzer, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the US.
“But we need patients to come back to our clinic for a uroflow test to determine if the obstruction is still present,” he added.

In order to test Gretzer’s hypothesis on high-speed photography, the team created a model of a urethral structure using tubing hooked to a saline bag that could drain through.
Saline fluid was passed through the tubing with and without blockages, created using 3D printed strictures,placed within the tubing. High-speed photography captured both the regular and blocked stream of liquid exiting the tube.

Gretzer contended that photos can be a medium to diagnose blockages and he hopes that patients could send him these images to analyse and make the diagnosis. He plans to create a mobile app which can be downloaded by the patients.”All patients would need to do is take high-speed images of their urine flow using a strobe light,” Gretzer said.

“Strobe light apps are readily available right now for people to use on their phones”.
According to the researchers, as fluid exits an opening, a natural breakpoint occurs where the liquid stream forms droplets, but with obstructions in place, it changes.
The results showed that by analysing photos, they could measure the length to this point of droplet formation. This length then directly related to the presence of an obstruction in the tube.

Source: http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Health/2018-05-22/New-smartphone-based-tool-may-aid-patients-detect-urine-blockage/383212

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New blood test to detect liver damage in minutes

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London: Scientists have developed a quick and robust blood test that can detect liver damage before the symptoms appear.

The test developed by researchers from the University College London in the UK could address a huge need for early detection of liver disease.
It distinguishes between samples taken from healthy individuals and those with varying degrees of liver damage, researchers said.
The study, published in the journal Advanced Materials, describes the new method of detecting liver fibrosis, the first stage of liver scarring that leads to fatal liver disease if left unchecked, from a blood sample in 30-45 minutes.
“We hope that our new test could be used on a routine basis in GP surgeries and hospital clinics to screen people who face an elevated risk of liver disease, but don’t yet show signs of liver damage to identify those with serious fibrosis, so that they can access treatment before it’s too late,” said William Rosenberg, a professor at UCL.
“This may open the door to a cost-effective regular screening programme thanks to its simplicity, low cost and robustness,” he said.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts in the US designed a sensor that uses large molecules called polymers, coated with fluorescent dyes that bind to blood proteins based on their chemical properties.
The fluorescent dyes change in brightness and colour, yielding a different pattern of fluorescence depending on the protein composition of the blood sample.
The team at UCL tested the sensor by comparing results from small blood samples (equivalent to finger-prick checks) from 65 people, in three balanced groups of healthy patients and those with early-stage and late-stage fibrosis.
They found that the sensor could identify different patterns of protein levels in the blood serum of people in the three groups.
“By comparing the different samples, the sensor array identified a ‘fingerprint’ of liver damage,” said William Peveler, who completed the research at UCL.
“This method is known as a chemical nose, as it can recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy blood samples without relying on known disease markers,” said Peveler. — PTI.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/new-blood-test-to-detect-liver-damage-in-minutes/594788.html

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India’s Digital Health Initiative to Be Adopted by WHO

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has considered to adopt India’s digital health initiative as its first resolution on digital health, said Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda.
“I am happy to note that this assembly will be considering and adopting the first WHO resolution on digital health initiative by India,” said Nadda in his address at the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of WHO. “Digital health technology have a huge potential for supporting Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and improving accessibility, quality and affordability of health services. This is a resolution which should be owned by all of us so as to pave the path for a forward looking global health agenda,” he said.
The 71st World Health Assembly is being attended by delegations from all WHO member states.

Nadda said India is planning to host a Global Digital Health Summit in near future with the support of WHO and hopes it would contribute to WHO’s efforts to come up with a comprehensive global health strategy on digital health.

Stating that UHC is one of the most powerful social equalizers, he said: “India today is firmly committed to achieving UHC as articulated in its National Health Policy 2017. Our successes in sustaining polio free status and substantially achieving the MDGs have infused renewed enthusiasm to meet the ambitious SDGs and its underlining commitment of ‘Leave no one behind’.”

India has fast tracked many initiatives aimed at achieving all the four tenets of UHC that is strengthening health systems, improving access to free medicines and diagnostics and reducing catastrophic healthcare spending, he added.

“To translate our vision of UHC, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an ambitious programme called ‘Ayushman Bharat’ that is ‘Long Live India’. The programme rests on the twin pillars of health and wellness centers for provision of comprehensive healthcare services and the Prime Ministers’ National Health Protection Mission (NHPM),” said the minister.

NHPM is aimed at providing secondary and tertiary healthcare to 100 million families covering 500 million individuals, about 40 per cent of the country’s population, who will be provided an insurance cover of Rs 500,000 per year.

Nadda also talked on steps taken to reduce non-communicable diseases and India’s commitment to end tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of WHO’s deadline for member states.

“India is deeply committed to play a pivotal role to ensure access and affordability of medicines,” he added.

Following the overwhelming response at the first World Conference on Access to Medical Products in November 2017, India is organizing the second World Conference in October 2018 in New Delhi, he added.


Source: https://www.medindia.net/news/indias-digital-health-initiative-to-adopted-by-who-179618-1.htm

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