health news

Poor sleep speeds cancer growth

Poor-quality sleep marked by frequent awakenings can speed cancer growth and increase tumour aggressiveness, a new study has warned.

The study is the first to demonstrate, in an animal model, the direct effects of fragmented sleep on tumour growth and invasiveness.

“Fragmented sleep changes how the immune system deals with cancer in ways that make the disease more aggressive,” said study director David Gozal, chairman of pediatrics at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital.

“Fortunately, our study also points to a potential drug target,” he said.

“Toll-like receptor 4, a biological messenger, helps control activation of the innate immune system. It appears to be a lynchpin for the cancer-promoting effects of sleep loss. The effects of fragmented sleep that we focused on were not seen in mice that lacked this protein,” Gozal said.

Gozal and colleagues from the University of Chicago and the University of Louisville devised a series of experiments to measure the effects of disrupted sleep on cancer.

They used mice, housed in small groups. During the day – when mice normally sleep – a quiet, motorised brush moved through half of the cages every two minutes, forcing those mice to wake up and then go back to sleep. The rest of the mice were not disturbed.

After seven days in this setting, both groups of mice were injected with cells from one of two tumour types (TC-1 or 3LLC). All mice developed palpable tumours within 9 to 12 days. Four weeks after inoculation the researchers evaluated the tumours.

They found that tumours from mice with fragmented sleep were twice as large, for both tumour types, than those from mice that had slept normally.

A follow-up experiment found that when tumour cells were implanted in the thigh muscle, which should help contain growth, the tumours were much more aggressive and invaded surrounding tissues in mice with disrupted sleep.

The difference appeared to be driven by cells from the immune system, called tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), which cluster at the site of tumours.

TAMs are a hallmark of the immune system’s response to cancer. Some, labelled M1, promote a strong immune response and can eliminate tumours cells. Others, known as M2, suppress the immune response and instead promote the growth of new blood vessels – which encourages tumour growth.

Well-rested mice had primarily M1-type TAMs, concentrated in the core of the tumours. Sleep-fragmented mice had primarily M2-type TAMs, researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Cancer Research.

Source: Zee news

Guinea Rushes to Curb Measles Outbreak

Health authorities in Guinea are scrambling to contain a measles outbreak that has killed one child, infected 37 others and spread to half of the country’s 33 districts.

More than 400 suspected cases, nearly all of them in children under 10 years old, have been registered. A vaccination campaign targeting over 1.6 million children is to be launched in the coming weeks.

“We have moved from three affected districts in Conakry before the end of last year to the whole city now being affected. Five more districts out of Conakry are also affected. It means that it could spread throughout the country,” said Felix Ackebo, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) deputy representative for Guinea.

“One of the causes is the nature of the disease. The other is the social/political instability. Many bilateral donors stopped support, awaiting the holding of legislative elections. The whole health system has been weakened. The government was restricted on what it could purchase, and this affected [availability of] vaccines and other important drugs. Many of the basic social services have suffered from this pause in investment,” Ackebo told IRIN. “In the past, we have been obliged to buy measles vaccines and others because the government could not.”

Only 37 percent of Guinean children are fully vaccinated, according to the 2012 Demographic Health Survey. The country’s last measles epidemic, in 2009, infected 4,755 people and killed 10.

Keita Sakoba, head of disease prevention at the Ministry of Health, said that the current stock of measles vaccine, meant for routine immunization, was insufficient for the vaccination drive. He explained that the outbreak was likely due to the accumulation of unvaccinated children.

“We will launch a vaccination campaign in the 15 affected districts and carry out targeted immunizations in districts neighbouring the affected ones,” Sakoba said.

Source: All Africa

GSK’s diabetes drug set for European approval

GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday European regulators had given the green light to its once-weekly diabetes drug albiglutide, which it is marketing as Eperzan.

Albiglutide belongs to the same class of injectable GLP-1 drugs as Victoza, from Novo Nordisk, and Byetta and Bydureon, from Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca.

A positive recommendation for a drug by the European Medicines Agency is generally followed by a marketing authorization by the European Commission. GSK said a final decision was anticipated later this quarter.

Last year regulators in the United States pushed back an approval decision on the drug until April 15.

Source: Reuters

World’s Oldest Cancer Arose in a Dog 11,000 Years Ago

One cancer outlived the dog in which it emerged by spreading its abnormal cells on to other dogs during mating. Now, researchers have named this sexually transmitted canine cancer the oldest known line of cancer cells, at 11,000 years old.

This type of contagious cancer is extremely rare. Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is one of only two known diseases in which cancerous cells from one animal infect another. The researchers compare CTVT to a millennia-old “parasitic life form.”

“The cancer cells in all the dogs around the world today are derived from the original dog,” said Elizabeth Murchison, a study researcher and cancer geneticist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge, both in the United Kingdom.

By looking at a particular type of mutation in the cancer cells from two dogs, an Aboriginal camp dog from Australia and an American cocker spaniel from Brazil, Murchison and colleagues estimated when this original dog — Patient Zero for the bleeding, ulcerated genital tumor-causing disease — lived. And since the cancer cells still contain genetic material from the original dog, the team was able to extract a few clues to its identity.

The original dog was likely medium to large in size. It showed genetic similarity to an Alaskan malamute or husky, and carried a mix of genetic variations associated with the domestication of dogs. Because one of the dog’s two sex chromosomes had disappeared in the cancerous cells, it was unclear whether this dog was male or female, and researchers have yet to determine in what part of the world it lived.

The other naturally occurring cancer spread by the transfer of cancerous cells is a facial cancer afflicting Tasmanian devils and transmitted they bite each other, and this disease puts the animals at risk for extinction. These cancers are extremely rare, because the immune system usually recognizes and attacks foreign cells.

In the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the dog cancer cells, researchers found what Murchison speculates is a clue to how this cancer established itself early on. Although the original dog lived about 11,000 years ago, its DNA showed a level of inbreeding similar to that of a modern dog breed, perhaps because it was part of an isolated population. It is possible the genetic similarity among the dogs it first encountered helped the cancer cells avoid recognition by their immune systems, allowing it to become established, Murchison said.

Likewise, the low genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils may have contributed to the emergence of the contagious facial cancer that threatens these animals, Murchison said. No similar cancer afflicts humans. However, some human cancers are associated with infection by viruses or other pathogens. For instance, human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 26,000 cases of cancer annually in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported.

Source: Yahoo news

 

First-Time Cesarean Rates Dipped in 2012: CDC

Efforts to curb cesarean birth rates in the United States might be working, with health officials reporting a 2 percent decline in the number of first-time surgical deliveries between 2009 and 2012.

Cesarean delivery rates in 19 states reporting to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention averaged 21.9 percent in 2012, the CDC said in a report released Thursday. This represented a return to the rate last recorded for those states in 2006.

Report co-author Michelle Osterman, a statistician at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, said the turnaround was significant. “The rates had been going up every year, but in 2009 they either stabilized or started to come down,” she said.

The real impact might be felt in the overall cesarean rate, Osterman said.

“Because primary cesareans are starting to decline, the overall cesarean rate will be impacted because there is only a 10 percent chance that a woman who has had a cesarean is going to have a vaginal birth afterward,” she said. The overall rate has stabilized at about 33 percent of all births in the United States, Osterman said.

One expert said the report indicates slight progress.

“At least the rate stopped going up,” said Dr. Mitchell Maiman, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. “After decades of climbing, there seems to be a hold to it. But we could do a lot better.”

The risks to the mother and baby are much higher in a cesarean birth than in a vaginal birth, Maiman said.

“Once you have the first cesarean, you’re overwhelmingly likely to have repeat cesareans,” he said, noting the odds for complications and death rise dramatically with each additional C-section. “It’s also worse for the baby as multiple studies have proven.”

Risks to the mother include infection, excessive bleeding and blood clots traveling to the legs or lungs. Risks to the baby include injury during delivery, breathing problems and the potential need for intensive care.

“Vaginal delivery is the preferred method for having a baby,” Maiman said. “Cesarean should only be resorted to when it’s absolutely necessary.”

Maiman said the cesarean rate is so high because doctors fear malpractice lawsuits.

“The pressure is on physician practices because it takes so much time and energy to stay with a patient for hours for a vaginal delivery, compared to the quickness of a cesarean,” he said. “Most of the lawsuits are for the failure to do a cesarean in a timely fashion.”

In a separate reporting region, the researchers found that in 28 states and New York City, the first-time cesarean rate dropped from 22.1 percent in 2009 to 21.5 percent in 2012.

Source: news.nom

Consumer Reports: Too many sodas contain potential carcinogen

A chemical found in many sodas may be dangerous to your health, Consumer Reports says. And no, it’s not sugar (this time).

The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI. On U.S. product labels it appears simply as “caramel coloring.”

Those who say the chemical may possibly cause cancer include the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the state of California, which now limits manufacturers to 29 micrograms of exposure for the average consumer per day.

Foods exceeding that limit have to carry a warning label that reads: “WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.”

But when Consumer Reports purchased sodas in California and had them analyzed by a lab, it found that one 12-ounce serving of Pepsi One or Malta Goya exceeded the levels permitted without a warning label.
Ten other brands tested by the group did meet the California standard, which is estimated to limit the risk of cancer from 4-MeI to one case in every 100,000 lifetimes of daily exposure.

“We are concerned about both the levels of 4-MeI we found in many of the soft drinks tested and the variations observed among brands, especially given the widespread consumption of these types of beverages,” said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, a Consumer Reports toxicologist, in a statement.

“There is no reason why consumers need to be exposed to this avoidable and unnecessary risk that can stem from coloring food and beverages brown.”
The Food and Drug Administration does not set federal limits on 4-MeI in food, and the data gathered by Consumer Reports show that in some cases consumers outside California are drinking a slightly different ingredient. For example, Pepsi One purchased by the group in December in New York contains four times as much 4-MeI as the same product bought that same month in California.

What is clean eating?
Currently the FDA has no reason to believe that 4-Mel poses a health risk to consumers at the levels found in foods with caramel coloring, agency spokeswoman Juli Putnam told CNN in an e-mail. The government agency is testing a variety of food and beverages with the chemical and reviewing safety data to determine if any regulatory action needs to be taken, she said.

Consumers interested in more information on 4-Mel can check out the FDA’s FAQ page.
In a statement to Consumer Reports, PepsiCo Inc. said data indicate that the average person consumes less than one-third a can of diet soda per day; therefore, its product meets the California standard, even if a complete serving exceeds that limit.

In addition to new federal standards, Consumer Reports is calling on the FDA to “require labeling of specific caramel colors in the ingredient lists of food where it is added, so consumers can make informed choices.”

“First and foremost, consumers can rest assured that our industry’s beverages are safe,” the American Beverage Association said in a statement. “Contrary to the conclusions of Consumer Reports, FDA has noted there is no reason at all for any health concerns, a position supported by regulatory agencies around the world.

“However, the companies that make caramel coloring for our members’ soft drinks are now producing it to contain less 4-MeI, and nationwide use of this new caramel coloring is underway.”

Source: CNN

Shopping cart danger: 66 kids hurt a day, study finds

The combination of kids and shopping carts is never easy, as any parent of a squirmy toddler knows, but a new study confirms it’s also dangerous, with an estimated 66 children a day in the U.S. hurt in falls and spills.

That’s one child injured badly enough every 22 minutes to go to the emergency room, or more than 24,000 children a year, according to research from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

And the problem hasn’t gotten better since voluntary shopping cart safety standards took effect in 2004. In fact, since then, the annual number of concussions tied to shopping carts in children younger than 15 jumped nearly 90 percent, according to a new analysis of data from 1990 to 2011 by Dr. Gary Smith, director of Nationwide’s Center for Injury Research and Policy.

“This is a setup for a major injury,” Smith said. “The major group we are concerned about are children under 5.” His study is published in the January issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

Kids ages newborn to 4 accounted for nearly 85 percent of the injuries. More than 70 percent of the harm was caused by falls out of shopping carts, followed by running into a cart or carts tipping over.

It only takes a moment for a parent to look away for a shopping cart accident to happen, Smith said. A wiggly baby in an infant seat or a toddler reaching for a bright box of cereal can easily cause a fall that results in serious injury. Children’s center of gravity is high, their heads are heavy and they don’t have enough arm strength to break a fall, Smith explained.

Just last week, a 19-year-old worker at an Alaska Home Depot caught a baby in mid-air after she fell out of a shopping cart. Christopher Strickland of Anchorage rescued the girl seconds before her head would have hit the concrete floor.

Part of the problem is that the U.S. lacks stability standards for shopping carts that have been adopted in other countries, Smith said.

Parents should opt for carts that seat kids low to the ground, like those with toy cars or fire engines, he said. Otherwise, they should avoid carts, if possible, or remain vigilant while their children are using them.

Source: nbc news

 

High-fluoride paste may prevent white spots from braces

download (1)

Adolescents may not be able to get out of wearing braces, but using a high-fluoride toothpaste for the duration could help them avoid white marks the devices often leave behind, according to a new study from Sweden.

The special paste with almost four times the usual fluoride content helped prevent about a third of the chalky-looking spots among kids between the ages of 11 and 16 years old, researchers say.

Past studies have shown that up to 85 percent of patients who wear braces may develop these so-called white spot lesions, which represent local tooth decay and tend to be permanent.

“To reduce this effect, several products are available on the market, but evidence of the effectiveness of the products is lacking,” said Mikael Sonesson, lead author of the study and an orthodontist at Malmö University.

To see whether a high-fluoride toothpaste that patients could use at home would protect against the spots, more than 400 kids at five dental practices who were scheduled to get braces were recruited starting in 2008.

They were randomly divided into two groups, with about half receiving a paste containing 5,100 parts per million fluoride to use at home and the other half receiving paste that was similar in every way, except it contained 1,450 ppm fluoride – the amount in most standard commercial brands, according to the researchers.

Before getting their braces, all the youngsters had detailed photos taken of their teeth and photos were taken again after the braces were removed. The participants wore braces for an average of 1.8 years and received toothpaste supplies for as long as they did.

Two clinicians who did not know which fluoride paste the youngsters had used evaluated all the before-and-after photos to assess the presence and severity of white spots using a four-point scale.

About 10 percent of participants dropped out of the study for various reasons, though no side effects of the toothpastes were reported, Sonesson and his colleagues note in the European Journal of Orthodontics.

When the researchers analyzed results for the remaining participants, they found that about 45 percent of patients who brushed with regular toothpaste developed white spots, whereas only 34.6 percent of those who used the high-fluoride paste developed spots. That translates to about 32 percent fewer white spots in the high-fluoride group.

The results were not surprising, given previous research on the use of fluoride for preventing cavities, according to Nisreen Takulla, a dentist in the Boston area.

“High-fluoride toothpastes are often prescribed for patients at a high risk of dental caries, to be used once a day instead of regular toothpaste, and topical fluorides have also been proven to be very effective for caries control,” said Takulla. Other ways to get higher doses of fluoride include mouth rinses and gels applied to the teeth.

To avoid white spots and cavities when wearing braces, the study’s authors recommend being extra careful with brushing and flossing and avoiding a high-carbohydrate diet, which can be one factor that promotes tooth decay.

Additional fluoride, such as high-fluoride toothpaste, could be another important measure to prevent cavities, Sonesson said.

Such toothpastes should be used once a day in place of regular toothpaste and should not be swallowed; users also should not eat or drink for 30 minutes after brushing with high-fluoride paste.

But it’s not just the toothpaste that’s important, it’s also the way one brushes, according to Takulla.

“Using the right technique to brush, and ensuring all surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, is as important (as the toothpaste used),” Takulla said.

Finally, in addition to home care, a dental exam and cleaning to identify white spots as early as possible, along with the application of a fluoride varnish, should be done every four to six months, Takulla said.

Source: reuters

Measles Outbreak Threatens Children’s Lives in Guinea

UNICEF and its partners have begun to organize a campaign to vaccinate over 1.6 million children to stop a measles outbreak in Guinea amid growing number of cases among children especially in the capital Conakry.

Since November last year, 37 cases have been confirmed in the capital-all children under 10 years old. Over the past few weeks, the number of cases of measles has been increasing sharply and led to the death of one child.

This recent spike has prompted the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Guinea to officially declare an outbreak in the Conakry municipalities of Matam, Matoto, and Ratoma. The disease has also been reported in other parts of the country -namely the prefectures of Boké, Coyah, Dubreka, Kissidougou, and Mandiana.

“We are very concerned about this outbreak. Measles is highly contagious and extremely dangerous–especially for young, malnourished children. As we’ve already seen, it can be fatal. In a densely populated city like Conakry, disease spreads quickly,” said UNICEF Representative in Guinea Dr. Mohamed Ayoya.

The Government of Guinea, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are joining forces to set up coordinated mechanisms to contain the outbreak. For the initial response, UNICEF will provide vaccines, refrigerators, needles, and other medical supplies and logistical support to the Government for the vaccination of children in the Kaloum and Dixinn neighbourhoods of Conakry as well as in the affected areas outside the capital. MSF and WHO will support vaccination efforts in the outbreak-declared areas of Conakry -namely Matam, Matoto, and Ratoma.

The vaccination phase of the national campaign will begin in the coming weeks as soon as vaccines, supplies and funding to ensure a continuous rollout are available.

Additionally, UNICEF and its partners will supply the Government with medicine to treat those who have already been infected by measles.

“There is no time to waste,” said Felix Ackebo, UNICEF Deputy Representative. “We need to move faster than the disease. Because measles takes up to 12 days to reveal its symptoms, it is possible that the disease has spread further into the country. All children who are still not immunized are at risk. Therefore, an outbreak immunization campaign is required as soon as possible.”

UNICEF and its partners are urgently seeking funding to replenish the stocks of vaccines needed to rollout the outbreak campaign across the country to vaccinate all children between nine months and 14 years. Additional medicines to treat those already infected are also required.

Source: All Africa

Twins Die in Incubator At Kinamba Health Centre

A couple in Kinamba, Laikipia West is mourning the death of one-week-old twins due to what they termed as negligence by medical practitioners.

The twin boys, who were in an incubator, died on Sunday morning at Kinamba health centre following a power blackout. The father of the twins Alfred Muchangi said they had been in the health facility for a week since they were born.

He said the boys died after medics who were on duty during the 2am incident did not remove the babies from the incubator after a power blackout.

“The boys had been with their mother at the health centre for the last week. On Sunday night, the power went off for hours and the health centre does not have a standby generator. They died,” Muchangi said.

John Githinji, the officer in charge of the facility. said upon examining them he noted that they may have died from a condition known us perspiration pneumonia.

“It is true that the facility does not have a standby generator and power loss could have contributed to the deaths,” he said. He however said the hospital is overstretched due to shortage of clinical officers and nurses.

Githinji said only one staffer was on duty on the fateful night. He said she was attending to outpatient and inpatient at the same time, thus being overwhelmed.

Source: all Africa