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Researchers identify new drug that may extend women’s fertility by 6 years

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As studies attempt to unearth the various causes of infertility among women, a new drug has shown promise in potentially extending women’s fertility by three to six years.

Researchers at the Princeton University in the US have identified a drug that extends egg viability in worms, even when taken midway through the fertile window, thus paving the way for fertility treatments among women.

“One of the most important characteristics of aging is the loss of reproductive ability in mid-adulthood,” said Coleen Murphy, a professor at the Princeton University.

“As early as the mid-30s, women start to experience declines in fertility, increased rates of miscarriage and maternal age-related birth defects. All of these problems are thought to be caused by declining egg quality, rather than a lack of eggs,” Murphy added.

The team used a microscopic worm, Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans), as they share many of the genes as humans, including longevity genes.

They found that a group of proteins called Cathepsin B proteases “downregulate”, or lead to lower-quality oocytes (unfertilized eggs), as one ages.

When the team administered the Cathepsin B inhibitor halfway through the worms’ reproductive period, they found that even a late administration of the drug could extend the worms’ egg quality.

Another experiment that knocked out the cathepsin B genes entirely succeeded in extending worms’ fertility by about 10 percent.

If applied to humans, Nicole Templeman from the varsity said, “It could be a three to six-year extension of your reproductive period”.

The reproductive decline is a hallmark of aging, but despite its prevalence, interventions to slow the loss of reproductive capacity are lacking, researchers said.

However, the cathepsin B inhibitor is nowhere near ready for testing in humans, Murphy said, yet it could one day do something mid-reproduction to improve the rest of reproduction.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/researchers-identify-new-drug-that-may-extend-womens-fertility-by-6-years-2083851

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This drug may reduce harmful inflammation in stroke patients

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Researchers have found that an anti-inflammatory drug — licensed for treating rheumatoid arthritis — may help patients in the early stages of stroke to reduce harmful inflammation.

The study follows earlier research that shows the drug given as an intravenous therapy reduces inflammation in stroke and sub-arachnoid haemorrhage patients.

According to the researchers, stroke is the most common cause of disability in adults and a leading cause of death worldwide.

“Though strokes affect different people in different ways, for many people they have a devastating effect on their long-term health and wellbeing. Excessive inflammation after a stroke is known to be harmful and predicts a worse outcome in patients,” said co-author Craig Smith, Professor at The University of Manchester.

For the study, published in the journal Stroke, researchers recruited 80 participants.

They were given six doses of the drug or placebo over three days. The first dose was given within six hours after the onset of the stroke symptoms.

The drug — Kineret — was given as a small injection just under the skin without giving the patients any identifiable adverse reactions.

Inflammatory markers were measured in the blood before treatment began and during study treatment and the study looked at ischemic strokes only.

“We have shown that Kineret injections, started within six hours of stroke onset significantly reduces levels of inflammation in patients,” said co-author of the study Craig Smith, Professor at The University of Manchester.

It is one of biologic agents transforming treatment in a range of illnesses, the researcher said.

The protein Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is part of the body’s defences and naturally produced to combat a range of illnesses. However, researchers have previously shown IL-1 increases inflammation and brain injury following a stroke.

Kineret works by blocking the actions of IL-1 which is released into the body following injury caused by a stroke.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/this-drug-may-reduce-harmful-inflammation-in-stroke-patients-2094087

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Ayurvedic dengue cure: Indian scientists create first of its kind drug to treat the disease

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Indian scientists have formulated an Ayurvedic drug to cure dengue, claimed to be the first in the world, and the medicine is likely to be available in the market by next year. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR’s, regional research centre in Belgaum in Karnataka, have already conducted pilot studies which have proved the clinical safety and efficacy of the drug.

According to Professor Vaidya K S Dhiman, Director General of CCRAS, the Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, which is a medical study involving human participants and is an internationally accepted method of testing is going on in the medical colleges of Belgaum and Kolar.

This drug has been made with seven herbal ingredients which are in use in Ayurveda system of medicine since centuries, Dhiman said. Dengue is emerging as a major health problem in tropical countries and is drawing the attention of government and all health agencies due to its fatality and limitations of treatment in conventional system, Dhiman said.

As such there is no direct references and description regarding dengue in Ayurveda and Siddha literatures. “We started working on making this drug in 2015 and in the process pilot studies were conducted in Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, and in the medical colleges of Belgaum and Kolar which proved the clinical safety and efficacy of this drug in the management and treatment of dengue. We had prepared the drug by June last year,” Dhiman said.

During the pilot study 90 patients were given this drug in highly concentrated liquid form. But in the ongoing clinical trial, the drug is given in tablet form. Dengue is caused by the aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in clean water. The symptoms of dengue include high fever, joint pains, headache, nausea, vomiting, dip in blood pressure along with a characteristic skin rash.

Though the fever does not last beyond a week, in some cases there is severe drop in the level of platelets which turn fatal. At present, there is no specific drug or antibiotic to treat dengue and the treatment focuses on providing relief from the symptoms. Rest and fluid intake for adequate hydration is important.

According to WHO, dengue is the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease across the world today, causing nearly 400 million infections every year. India in 2017 has seen 15, 7220 cases of dengue and 250 deaths due to the disease (till December 24), as per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) data. In 2016, the country registered 129166 cases and 245 deaths.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/ayurvedic-dengue-cure-indian-scientists-create-first-of-its-kind-drug-to-treat-the-disease/story-7JE1Qj4u0ptwbTLg6gOh9K.html

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