SNPs Of ABC Transporter Genes Linked To Lung Cancer Risk

Individuals with particular variants of certain genes involved in metabolizing the most potent carcinogen found in cigarette smoke have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the February 1, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results may help shed light on how lung cancer develops and could have important implications for preventing smoking-related cancers.

Tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is a component of cigarette smoke that has been shown to cause lung cancer in rodents. Certain enzymes act to protect the body from this type of chemical by turning it into nontoxic forms or by transporting it from cells. For example, ATP-binding cassette transporters encoded by genes known as ABCB1 and ABCC1 are involved in eliminating carcinogens from the lungs, protecting them against inhaled toxins.

Researchers suspect that individuals with alterations in these genes might have an increased susceptibility to develop lung cancer. Recently, a team of scientists led by Dr. Daru Lu and Dr. Haijian Wang of the Fudan University in Shanghai identified common variants at the beginning and end of the ABC1 and ABCC1 genes. They then analyzed these variants in 500 patients with lung cancer and 517 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population.

The investigators found that certain variants were found much more often in individuals with lung cancer than in cancer-free controls. Patients who had the variant allele of either ABCB1 rs3842 or ABCC1 rs212090 had a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer. The former variant was particularly associated with an increased risk of cancer in women and in individuals under age 60 years. It also was linked to a major type of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma.

Dr. Wang and his colleagues previously identified other common genetic variants associated with lung cancer risk in NNK disposition pathways, such as CYP2A13, the most active P450 for the phase metabolic activation of NNK (Cancer Res 2003; 63: 8057) and the receptor (ADRB2) in its non-genotoxic pathway (Cancer Lett 2006; 240: 297). This study shed new insight into the toxicogenomics of NNK and further supported the hypothesis proclaiming genetic components in the metabolism and disposition machines of NNK as modifiers of risk of lung cancer.

"Because tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer and the cancer-prone genotypes of these genetic components are relatively prevalent in the human population, our findings have important implications for the prevention of tobacco smoking-related cancers," the authors write.

Article: "Genetic susceptibility of lung cancer associated with common variants in the 3' untranslated regions of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) and ABCC1 candidate transporter genes for carcinogen export." Haijan Wang, Guangfu Jin, Haifeng Wang, Gaifen Liu, Ji Qian, Li Jin, Qingyi Wei, Hongbing Shen, Wei Huang, and Daru Lu. CANCER; Published Online: December 22, 2008 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24042); Print Issue Date: February 1, 2009.

Source:
David Sampson http://www.cancer.org/

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Genes Determining Asymmetry Probably Arose In The First Bilaterally Symmetric Organisms

Biologists have tracked down genes that control the handedness of snail shells, and they turn out to be similar to the genes used by humans to set up the left and right sides of the body.

The finding, reported online in advance of publication in Nature by University of California, Berkeley, researchers, indicates that the same genes have been responsible for establishing the left-right asymmetry of animals for 500-650 million years, originating in the last common ancestor of all animals with bilateral body organization, creatures that include everything from worms to humans.

"Previous studies indicated that the methods for breaking left-right symmetry in animals seem to differ widely, so there was nothing suggesting that the common ancestor of humans, snails and other bilateral organisms had a common strategy for left-right asymmetry," said Nipam H. Patel, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology and of molecular and cell biology, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

"Indeed, scientists thought that one of the genes that is critical for setting up left-right asymmetry in vertebrates was only present in vertebrates and related groups and not in any other animals," said UC Berkeley post-doctoral fellow Cristina Grande. "But we found that gene in snails, which has a lot of evolutionary implications. This cellular pathway was present already in the ancestors of most animals."

The finding, the researchers say, could help to track down the ultimate cause of symmetry-breaking in snails and other organisms, and the cascade of gene activation that leads to complex shapes, such as coiled shells.

Despite humans' superficial symmetry - our left and right sides appear to be mirror images - we are anything but symmetric. Most people's hearts are towards the left side of the body, which means the left lung is slightly smaller to make room for the heart, and our intestines are arranged in an asymmetric coil. This asymmetry is unrelated to being left- or right-handed, a preference determined in the brain.

While a small percentage of people have their insides flipped, their overall internal arrangement is a mirror image of the norm. Anyone with a random arrangement of internal organs would be dead, Patel said, because his or her organs wouldn't fit together properly.

Other vertebrates are the same. In fact, scientists have identified a gene called "nodal" that - in all vertebrates checked to date - is expressed on the left side of the body and necessary to set up left-right asymmetry. If nodal doesn't work or is knocked out, internal organs are jumbled and the organism dies.

"In vertebrates, a set of genes tells the body it has to form a heart toward one side, and nodal is one of those genes," said Grande, who recently took a position at the Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" in Madrid, Spain.

"There are a lot of asymmetric molecules in the body, that is, molecules that are active on only one side of the body, but nodal is always expressed on the left side in all vertebrates, which is evidence of a conserved pathway," Patel said.

Genes similar to nodal have been found throughout the so-called deuterostomes, one of the three subgroups of bilateral animals that includes not only vertebrates, but also sea urchins and sea squirts.

But the most common lab animals, fruit flies and nematodes, apparently do not have a gene like nodal, despite their asymmetry. As a result, biologists have assumed that fruit flies and all other non-deuterostomes - snails included - use some other mechanism to establish right and left. Fruit flies and nematodes are in the clade Ecdysozoa, while snails and worms are members of the clade Lophotrochozoa.

Grande approached Patel four years ago to collaborate in a test of this assumption in snails, which have an obvious and easy-to-check handedness: Their shell either coils right, like a standard screw, or left. Patel, a biologist who focuses on the genetics and evolution of crustacean and insect development, such as the formation of segments and appendages in shrimps and crabs, invited Grande to join his lab, even though he had never before worked with snails.

Snail handedness becomes obvious very early in the embryo, Patel said. When the four-cell embryo divides to become eight cells, the new cells blossom from their predecessors in a clockwise spiral, in which case the snail ultimately forms a right-handed, or dextral, shell; or a counter-clockwise spiral, creating a left-handed, or sinistral, shell. Biologists had earlier shown that this decision is made by the mother snail, which dumps many proteins and RNA molecules into the egg to jump-start embryonic development and, in the process, imprints her offspring with specific characteristics.

"No one knows what that maternal gene is, and you can't track it down using the standard approach of looking for genetic markers because there are not yet enough markers in snails, so we looked for any molecular entry into the cause of asymmetry," Patel said.

That proved to be the genome of the marine limpet Lottia gigantea, a right-handed snail whose genome was sequenced recently by the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in Walnut Creek, Calif. Grande looked for genes in Lottia similar to nodal, and found one, as well as a gene analogous to the gene, Pitx, which is activated by nodal and also involved in setting up left-right asymmetry in vertebrates.

She used this information to look for and find similar genes in the left-handed snail Biomphalaria glabrata, the fresh-water host of the parasite that causes schistosomiasis. Experimental tests showed that nodal and Pitx were active or expressed on the right side of embryos in the right-handed snail Lottia, and on the left side in the left-handed snail Biomphalaria.

A key test of the critical nature of nodal involved treating the snails with a chemical known to inhibit the activity of nodal. While most treated snails died, some lost the asymmetric expression of Pitx and, most strikingly, developed a straight shell, Patel said.

Grande has since found analogs of nodal in the genome of the marine worm Capitella, which was sequenced by JGI, suggesting that nodal is active throughout the Lophotrochozoa.

"Everybody thought using nodal and Pitx for left-right asymmetry was an invention of this one group, the deuterostomes," Grande said. "The fact that we find them setting up asymmetry in snails and worms means that is not true; the ancestor of all bilaterians already used these genes to set up left-right asymmetry."

Because the ancestral snail was right-handed and thus, presumably, expressed nodal and Pitx on the right side of the body - similar to sea urchins, an early offshoot of the deuterostome branch leading to humans - the authors propose that the common ancestor of all bilateral animals had left-right asymmetry controlled by nodal and Pitx expressed on the right side of the body.

The discovery also could help Grande and Patel track down the maternal factors that ultimately determine handedness in snails.

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Newly Identified Gene Powerful Predictor Of Colon Cancer Metastasis - Low Gene Activity - Higher Survival Rate

Cancer Researchers at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and the Charite - Universitats Medizin Berlin (Germany) have identified a gene which enables them to predict for the first time with high probability if colon cancer is going to metastasize. Assistant Professor Dr. Ulrike Stein, Professor Peter M. Schlag, and Professor Walter Birchmeier were able to demonstrate that the gene MACC1 (Metastasis-Associated in Colon Cancer 1) not only promotes tumor growth but also the development of metastasis.When MACC1 gene activity is low, the life expectancy of patients with colon cancer is longer in comparison to patients with high MACC1 levels. (Nature Medicine, doi: 10.1038/nm.1889)*.

According to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, more than 108,000 people developed colon cancer in the US in 2008. Despite surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, only 50 percent of patients can be cured because 20 percent of the patients have already developed metastasis by the time their colon cancer is diagnosed. In addition, one-third of patients whose treatment of the original colon cancer was successful will, nevertheless, go on to develop metastasis.

The MDC and Charité researchers are convinced that the identification of the MACC1 gene will aid medical doctors in identifying those patients as early as possible who are at high risk of developing life-threatening metastasis in the liver and the lungs. As a result, more intensive treatment and follow-up care could be offered to high risk patients.

MACC1 turns on a signaling pathway which is important for tumor growth and the formation of metastasis. Researchers call this pathway HGF/Met signaling pathway. Once MACC1 has activated this HGF/Met signaling pathway, tumor cells proliferate much faster, get rid of their ties within the cellular tissue, and eventually settle down as metastasis at various sights throughout the body far from the original tumor.

High MACC1 Levels - Higher Risk for Metastasis

The researchers discovered the MACC1 gene by comparing tissue from healthy persons with tissue from 103 patients with colon cancer between 20 to 88 years of age. Sixty (60) cancer patients had no metastasis at the time they underwent surgery.

Of these 60 patients, 37 had no metastasis five years after surgery and treatment. These patients were shown to have had low levels of MACC1 when first diagnosed with colon cancer. In contrast, 23 patients had developed metastasis in the course of five years after surgery. Researchers detected high levels of MACC1 in their colon cancer tissue. Thus, patients with high MACC1 levels have a much higher risk for developing metastasis than patients with a MACC1 gene that is not very active.

The researchers are convinced that MACC1 will enable physicians to decide if a patient needs a more intense therapy or if a less aggressive treatment is sufficient. "The expression analysis of MACC1 in the original tumor tissue will probably contribute to individualize and optimize colon cancer therapy", they assume.

Now the MDC and Charite researchers and their colleagues want to find out if the MACC1 gene also allows for a more precise prediction about the outcome of lung cancer, breast cancer, and stomach cancer.

MACC1, a newly identified key regulator of HGF-Met signaling, predicts colon cancer metastasis

Ulrike Stein1,2, Wolfgang Walther1,2, Franziska Alt1,2, Holger Schwabe2, Janice Smith1, Iduna Fichtner1, Walter Birchmeier1, Peter M. Schlag 1,2

1Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert RössleStrasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany 2Department of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Robert Rössle Cancer Hospital Charité University Medicine Berlin, Lindenberger Weg 80, 13125 Berlin, Germany

Foundation under Public Law
Directors:
Prof. Walter Birchmeier, PhD., Cornelia Lanz

Member of the Hermann von Helmholtz Association of National Research Centres

Further information: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal

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Cellular Reprogramming: Science's Breakthrough Of The Year

In its annual list of the year's top ten scientific breakthroughs, the journal Science has given top honors to research that produced "made-to-order" cell lines by reprogramming cells from ill patients. These cell lines, and the techniques for producing them, offer long-sought tools for understanding -- and hopefully someday curing -- difficult-to-study diseases such as Parkinson's disease and type 1 diabetes.

Science and its publisher, AAAS, the nonprofit science society, now salute cellular reprogramming as the Breakthrough of the Year and recognize nine more of the year's most significant scientific accomplishments. The top ten list appears in a special feature in the journal's 19 December 2008 issue.

"When Science's writers and editors set out to pick this year's biggest advances, we looked for research that answers major questions about how the universe works and that paves the way for future discoveries. Our top choice, cellular reprogramming, opened a new field of biology almost overnight and holds out hope of life-saving medical advances," said deputy news editor Robert Coontz.

Two years ago, in experiments with mice, researchers showed that they could wipe out a cell's developmental "memory" by inserting just four genes. Once returned to its pristine, embryonic state, the cell could then be coaxed to become an altogether different type of cell.

This year, scientists built on this work with spectacular results. Two research teams took cells from patients suffering from a variety of diseases and reprogrammed them into stem cells. Many of these diseases are difficult or impossible to study with animal models, making the need for human cell lines to study even more acute.

The transformed cells grow and divide in the laboratory, unlike most adult cells, which don't survive in culture conditions. The cells could then be induced to assume new identities, including those cell types most affected by the diseases afflicting the patients who had donated the initial cells.

A third research team skipped the embryonic state altogether and, working with mouse cells, turned one type of mature pancreas cells, called exocrine cells, directly into another type, called beta cells.

The new cell lines will be major tools for understanding how diseases arise and develop, and they may also prove useful in screens for potential drugs. Eventually, if scientists can master cellular reprogramming so that it's more finely controlled, efficient and safe, patients may someday be treated with healthy versions of their own cells.

The other nine scientific achievements of 2008 follow. Except for the first runner-up, the direct detection of extrasolar planets, they are in no particular order.

Exoplanets - Seeing Is Believing: For the first time this year, astronomers directly observed planets orbiting other stars, using special telescope techniques to distinguish the planets' faint light from the stars' bright glare.

Expanding the Catalog of Cancer Genes: By sequencing genes from various cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, two of the deadliest cancers, researchers turned up dozens of mutations that remove the brakes on cell division and send the cell down the path to cancer.

New Mystery Materials: High-temperature superconductors are materials that carry electricity without resistance at inexplicably high temperatures. In 2008, researchers created a stir by discovering a whole second family of high-temperature superconductors, consisting of iron compounds instead of copper-and-oxygen-compounds.

Watching Proteins at Work: Biochemists encountered major surprises this year as they watched proteins bind to their targets, switch a cell's metabolic state and contribute to a tissue's properties.

Toward Renewable Energy on Demand: This year, researchers found a promising new tool for storing excess electricity generated from part-time sources like wind and solar power, on industrial scale. A cobalt-phosphorus catalyst that's relatively easy to come by can use electricity to split water to free its hydrogen, which can in turn be fed into fuel cells to produce electricity again.

The Video Embryo: In 2008, researchers observed in unprecedented detail the dance of cells in a developing embryo, recording and analyzing movies that trace the movements of the roughly 16,000 cells that make up the zebrafish embryo by the end of its first day of development.

"Good" Fat, Illuminated: In a study that may offer new approaches to treating obesity, scientists discovered that they could morph "good" brown fat, which burns "bad" white fat to generate heat for the body, into muscle and vice versa.

Calculating the Weight of the World: Physicists now have the calculations in hand to show that the standard model -- which describes most of the visible universe's particles and their interactions -- accurately predicts how much mass protons and neutrons have.

Faster, Cheaper Genome Sequencing: Researchers reported a flurry of genome sequences this year - from woolly mammoths to human cancer patients - aided by a variety of sequencing technologies that are much speedier and cheaper than the ones used to sequence the first human genome.

Areas to Watch: Science's predictions for hot science topics in 2009 include plants genomics, the elusive Higgs boson, speciation genes, ocean acidification, and neuroscience in court.

The special news features also looks at how the financial meltdown - the Breakdown of the Year - affected scientific research, and the major scientific collaborations getting off the ground in Europe.

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Congenital and conductive deafnes

I visited an old friend last Tuesday, I had a great time talking and catching up but that wasn't the one that i really can't forget, it was my friend's niece.

She was just around 2 years old. I called her but she didn't react or respond.

Then i found out that she was deaf.

My friend told me that it was Congenital deafness. And she is planning to send her to speech classes the moment the kid started schooling.

I was really concern because this is the first time i saw somebody that is deaf at a very young age.

So the moment i arrived i started my research about different type of deafness, and here's what i found.

Congenital deafness is one type of deafness that started from the moment you were born. It's like you already show hearing defects since you were young.

People don't usually react to different sounds that surround them.

You will know if a child has these kind of hearing defects if he's old enough to talk but still doesn't talk.

They should be wearing hearing aids and should undergo some speech training. Congenital deafness usually started from mothers who has German Measles.

Conductive deafness is a hearing loss that is cause by a defect of the external canal and the middle ear.

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Fate And Effects Of The Drug Tamiflu In The Environment

The research council FORMAS in Sweden has granted 574 000 euro to a new research project that will study the environmental fate and effects of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu on the development on influenza resistance.

Tamiflu is being stockpiled all over the world for use in fighting the next influenza pandemic. However, there are growing signs that influenza viruses may develop resistance to this vital pharmaceutical, because it is routinely prescribed for seasonal influenza.

- This research project is interdisciplinary and will combine studies on the environmental fate of the drug with in vivo studies of the development of Tamiflu resistant viruses say the project leader Björn Olsen at the Department of Medical Sciences Uppsala University.

This research project presents an innovative approach to studying the development of Tamiflu resistance in influenza viruses caused by environmental contamination which is a potential threat to one of our few defences against a future influenza pandemic.

Scientists from Uppsala University, Umeå University and Karolinska Institute will investigate the potential problem from an environmental chemical, virological and infectious diseases aspect.

A wide range of topics will be addressed; studies of the degradation of Tamiflu in sewage treatment plants will be combined with screening of the environmental levels in surface water in Japan. Japan is one of the world's top-per-capita consumers of Tamiflu and it has been estimated that approximately 40% of those that are infected by influenza viruses are treated with Tamiflu. This makes Japan one of the "Hot Spots" in the world and the research project has established collaboration with scientists at Kyoto University and several field sampling campaigns in Japan has been scheduled. Detected environmental levels will then be used in an in vivo Mallard infection model for detailed studies on the development of Tamiflu resistance in low pathogenic avian viruses. This will be combined with a screening study of the occurrence of resistant viruses in faecal samples from wild ducks in the vicinity of Japanese sewage treatment plants.

UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
P.O. Box 256
SE-751 05 Uppsala
http://www.uu.se

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Tamiflu In The Environment

The research council FORMAS, Sweden, has granted 5.9 million SEK to a new research project that will study the environmental fate and effects of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu on the development on influenza resistance.

Tamiflu is being stockpiled all over the world for use in fighting the next influenza pandemic. However, there are growing signs that influenza viruses may develop resistance to this vital pharmaceutical, because it is routinely prescribed for seasonal influenza.

This research project is interdisciplinary and will combine studies on the environmental fate of the drug with in vivo studies of the development of Tamiflu resistant viruses say the project leader Björn Olsen at the Department of Medical Sciences Uppsala University.

This research project presents an innovative approach to studying the development of Tamiflu resistance in influenza viruses caused by environmental contamination which is a potential threat to one of our few defences against a future influenza pandemic.

Scientists from Uppsala University, Umeå University and Karolinska Institute will investigate the potential problem from an environmental chemical, virological and infectious diseases aspect.

A wide range of topics will be addressed; studies of the degradation of Tamiflu in sewage treatment plants will be combined with screening of the environmental levels in surface water in Japan. Japan is one of the world's top-per-capita consumers of Tamiflu and it has been estimated that approximately 40% of those that are infected by influenza viruses are treated with Tamiflu. This makes Japan one of the "Hot Spots" in the world and the research project has established collaboration with scientists at Kyoto University and several field sampling campaigns in Japan has been scheduled. Detected environmental levels will then be used in an in vivo Mallard infection model for detailed studies on the development of Tamiflu resistance in low pathogenic avian viruses. This will be combined with a screening study of the occurrence of resistant viruses in faecal samples from wild ducks in the vicinity of Japanese sewage treatment plants.

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Abnormally short stature with normal body proportions

Growth hormone deficiency involves abnormally short stature with normal body proportions. It is a condition of inadequate production of growth hormone.Growth hormone deficiency can be categorized as either congenital (present at birth) or acquired.It is also known as Panhypopituitarism; Dwarfism; Pituitary dwarfism.

Causes:

Receiving brain radiation treatments for cancer,severe head injury,insufficient release of stimulatory hormone from the hypothalamus,insufficient production of growth hormone by the pituitary,decrease in IGF-1 hormones, lack of oxygen at birth,diseases in the pituitary gland, abnormalities in the hormone receptors, an autoimmune attack,mutations of specific genes,congenital malformations involving the pituitary,surgery in the area of the pituitary,auto immune inflammation (hypophysitis), severe head trauma, anatomical abnormalities,deficiencies of other hormones, including: Thyrotropins (control production of thyroid hormones) Vasopressin (controls water balance in the body) ,Gonadotropins (control production of male and female sex hormones) , adrenocorticotrophic hormone (controls the adrenal gland and its production of cortisol, DHEA, and other hormones) etc.


Symptoms:

Physical and psychological symptoms, including poor memory, social withdrawal, and even depression,loss of strength, stamina, and musculature,lowed or absent increase in height ,short stature,absent or delayed sexual development in an adolescent ,headaches ,excessive thirst with excessive urination ,reduced muscle mass and strength ,reduced bone mass and strength ,reduced physical, mental, and social energy and resilience , increased amount of fat around the waist, delayed tooth development, delayed onset of puberty , low energy , decreased strength and exercise tolerance,thin and dry skin.

Treatment:

Growth hormone deficiency is treated by growth hormone replacement. The goals of treatment are to increase growth in children and restore energy, metabolism, and body composition.Usually,somatropin (Humatrope, Genotropin, Norditropin, Nutropin, Saizen, TevTropin) is the growth hormone prescribed by doctors .Other Therapy-Radiation therapy to the pituitary gland. Synthetic growth hormone can be used for children with growth hormone deficiency.

Prevention:

Review child’s growth chart and add nutritional food in diet,


Alternative treatment:

Self-Care at home, patients should eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise, and get plenty of sleep.

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Influenza -highly contagious infection cuased by viruses

Influenza,commonly known as the flu, is an acute, highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract which commonly occurs in the winter, caused by influenza viruses.

Symptoms

Chills and Fever (usually high), severe headache ,tiredness (can be extreme),cough ,sore throat ,runny or stuffy nose ,body aches ,diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults),muscle pains,fatigue,irritated watering eyes,nasal congestion,reddened eyes,skin,mouth,throat and nose, loss of appetite,weakness,ear pain.

Causes:

viruses is a much more severe disease and is caused by a different type of virus.They are:influenza A, B and C. Type A is responsible for the deadly influenza pandemics (worldwide epidemics) that strike every 10 to 40 years, whereas type B causes smaller, more localized outbreaks. Type C is less common and causes only mild symptoms. The influenza virus is generally passed from person to person by airborne transmission (i.e., sneezing or coughing.It may also be spread by touching something that has been handled by someone infected with the virus and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes. Influenza virus is spread by inhaling droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person's secretions.

Treatment:

The most common human vaccine is the trivalent influenza vaccine that contains purified and inactivated material from three viral strains.Anti-flue medications is necessary. .Anti viral medications are neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir(Tamiflu) and Zanamivir(relenza) and M2 inhibitors(adamantanes) such as Amantadine and rimantadine are effective anti-influenza drugs .Two newer medications, Relenza and Tamiflu work on influenza subtypes A and B. Relenza is an inhaled powder, while Tamiflu is an oral medication

Prevention:

Influenza vaccination and infection control,good personal health and hygiene habits are effective in avoiding and minimizing influenza. Avoiding large crowds Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, never pick up used tissues,never share cups and eating utensils,stay home from work or school when you're sick with the flu. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Altrnative Treatment:

Drink lots of water to prevent dehydration,get plenty of sleep,Avoid alcohol,take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve fever and aches, wear layers, since the flu often makes them cold one minute and hot.

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Thyroid diseases and Psychology problem

Introduction

Thyroid problems are mainly of two types. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which your thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormone than that is necessary for human body. In hypothyroidism hormone is produced in less quantity than necessary.

Symptoms

Weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, depression, irritability, sweating, hyperactivity etc. Palpitation, softness of breath, vomiting, nausea etc are also found in some patients.

Causes

Hypothyroidism may be due to loss of thyroid tissue due to some radioactive destruction, presence of antithyroid antibodies, congenital problems, defective production of thyroid hormone by gland, due to medications including lithium etc.

Hyperthyroidism occurs due to some diseases causing stimulation of thyroid gland, toxic multinodular goiter, thyroiditis, pituitary adenoma, or due to some drugs used by patient. Usually amiodarone given for cardiac problems causes hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid disorders and psychology

Patients are also found to have developed anxiety along with depression in cases of thyroid diseases. In the studies conducted it was found that patients with biochemical hypothyroidism these symptoms are low. Most of them has mood disorders as well. Thyroid disorders are also likely to cause mental and neurological dysfunction. Anxiety due to this disease is also likely to affect the quality of life of patient. In patients with antiimmune thyroid disease psychoses are likely to develop. This is because of the neurobiologic disorganization caused by this disease. Cognitive dysfunction and other psychiatric illnesses are also likely to occur. Several problems like dysphoria, emotional lability, insomnia etc are also likely to occur due to thyroid problem. At times this may lead to delusional thoughts at times of paranoid nature.

In men this disease is associated with several sexual symptoms. Thyroid diseases leads to below normal sexual desire, delayed or premature ejaculation and erectile disfunction. These are all considered to be psychological problems related to thyroid disease.

Even mild problem with thyroid is likely to cause mood problems. This may lead to bipolar or unipolar disorder. If thyroid diseases are developed in childhood they are likely to affect behavior and Intellectual development of child. Neuropsychiatric problems are common in children with thyroid problems and in those with hyperthyroidism and leads to bipolar disorder, depression, sleep disorders and cognitive changes.

Those with thyroid problems have symptoms of mental and physical complaints like loss of energy and is difficult to understand psychiatric problems. Some of them have depression, about 62 percent patients have anxiety disorders. Panic disorders are not popular. Due to decresed attentiveness, slowing of thought and speech and poor concentration they are likely to develop depression. Patients suffer problems like fear, suspicion, delusion, anger etc. They experience auditory and visual problems, sleep disturbances as well. More symptoms are seen in those with euthyroid goiter.

Treatment

Those with depression, anxiety, should undergo medical lab test for blood count, thyroid functions, electrolysis, liver function test etc. men if having thyroid problem must consider their sexual function. At times medicines given to patients with mental illness is also likely to cause thyroid problems. This should be taken care of.


Links

http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:174868

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Disease spread by sand flie's byte

Leishmaniasis otherwise known as Kala-azar is a disease spread by sand fly. It is spread from the byte of sandfly and is parasitic in nature. It is a group of disease. Disease may be cutaneous or systemic.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis affects mucous membrane and skin and in mucous membrane ulcers might develop. Systemic or visceral leishmaniasis affects the immune system of whole body and might cause death.

Causes

Leishmaniasis is spread by sand flies which is infected by biting an infected by biting any infected animal.

Symptoms

Children affected by the disease will show symptoms like vomiting, fever, weakness, cough, night sweat, change in skin tone, hair thinning, discomfort with abdomen, weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue etc.

In adults fever might last for two weeks or two months. They will have weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite etc and along with the disease weakness increases. In those affected by cutaneous leishmaniasis there might be difficulty to breath, sores on skin, skin ulcer, nose bleeding, nose running, ulcers in mouth lips, nose etc.

Treatment

Spleen and bone marrow or skin biopsy and culture, immunofluorescent antibody test done indirectly, complete blood count, hemoglobin count, direct agultination assay, montenegro skin test, serum protein and albumin, immunoglobulins etc are done for detecting the disease.

Antimony containing compounds are the most important drugs used to treat the disease. Medicines usually given are Meglumine antimonate and Sodium stibogluconate. Amphotericin B , Pentamidine are also given. In case of visceral leishmaniasis removal of spleen might become necessary if it is drug resistant.

If disfigurement occurs in cutaneous leishmaniasis plastic surgery might become necessary. Death occurs in a time span of two years due to other complications like other infections. Pentavalent antimony is the most common treatment or pentamindine is used as an alternative.

Usually two pentavalent antimonials (Pentostam and Glucantime) are used in treatment. In case they are not effective pentamidine and amphotericine B are given to patient. Allopurinol used in gout treatment is being tried as experiment. Similarly as part of experiments ambisome and ketaconazole are also given. Drugs are chosen according to the geographic location and infecting species. Drugs like Nastibogluconate or Meglumine antimonate are also given. Deoxycholate, Ishethionate, itraconazole, topical paromomycin etc are other drugs given to patient. Supportive measures like adequate nutrition, antibiotics etc are also needed.

Prevention

Sandfly bites must be prevented through insect repellent, appropriate clothing, window screening etc. There are no preventive vaccines for this disease.

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Uterine Cervical incompetency -Symptoms, cause and treatment

Uterine Cervical incompetence is a condition in which cervix dilates with out causing pain causing delivery of premature fetus. Delivery occurs when the membranes ruptures. Thus cervical incompetence is a condition in which a cervix that is abnormally weak dilates and leads to miscarriage. Miscarriage occurs usually in a period of 16 to 24 weeks with out any prior symptoms like pain.

Symptoms

Usually there are no symptoms and at times there might be back pain, heavy vaginal discharge, little or no bleeding with or with out pain. Pain occurs with miscarriage only and not in prior stage.

Cause

Injuries caused during previous deliveries, previous D&C or scraping of tissues inside uterus, cervical surgery, uterine abnormalities etc can lead to cervical incompetence. But the cause for disease is not known. DES exposure, cervical trauma, hormonal problems, congenitally chort cervix etc are also causes.

Treatment

Usually stitch is done to make cervix firm. This is done during pregnancy. This method of stitching the cervix is known as cerclage. This is done during 14thto 16th week. It is better to do cerclage as earlier as possible for pregnancy to continue. But a ppatient with hyperirritability of cervix can not perform cerclage. If the dilation is more than four centimeters or if the baby is dead, if the water is broken cerclage can not be done.

There are mainly five methods of putting stitch. Most popular are McDonald and Shirodkar method. In all five methods spinal anesthesia is given to reduce pain. In McDonald method a 5mm permanent stitch is put on high cervix. Stitch is removed in 37 weeks. If there is any infection or preterm labor, rupture of membranes etc stitch is removed earlier. This is the most effective method.

Usually Shirodkar method is used mostly. In this method a cesarean is to be performed for delivery. A permanent stitch is put for life long in this method and that is why cesarean becomes necessary.

Another method is Hefner cerclage in which a U or mattress stitch is put which is useful to prevent minimal amount of cervix left. Method is also known as Wum procedure.

Uterosacral cardinal ligament cerclage is done after failure of McDonald or Shirodkar. It is otherwise useful when there is congenital shortened cervix or subacute cervix. It can be done abdominally as usual or vaginally. In this case also a cesarean is necessary for delivery.

Lash is done when the disease is detected before pregnancy. Usually it is done after cervical trauma that led to an anatomical defect. It might cause infertility.

But all these methods are not 100% successful. There are possibilities of premature rupture of membrane, infection to amniotic sac or Chorioamnionitis, bladder injury, uterine rupture, cervical dystocia, maternal hemorrhage, preterm labor, cervical laceration or amputation etc.

Links

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4919334?dopt=Abstract

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/incompetentcervix/a/aaincomp.htm

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Jaundice in newborns

Jaundice in new born babies is otherwise known as neonatal jaundice or Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. It is very common in new born babies and occurs Bilirubin pigment becomes excess in blood. Usually this is during first three to five days after birth and is not dangerous. Yet another type is breast milk jaundice in which a substance in breast milk increase use of bilirubin in child’s intestine. This occurs after a week of birth and might last for a month or more.

There are different types of juandice: Physiological (normal) jaundice, Jaundice of prematurity, Breast milk jaundice, Blood group incompatibility (Rh or ABO problems).

Symptoms

Discolouration is the primary symptom. Skin and whites of eye becomes yellow colour.

Causes

Bilirubin is the pigment produced by breaking of red blood cells and is eliminated through stool. Juandice occurs when body produces excess bilirubin or when it is not properly eliminated by liver. Those children with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Biliary atresia, Certain medications, Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and other congenital problems etc is likely to develop juandice.

Jaundice in new born babies is otherwise known as neonatal jaundice or Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. It is very common in new born babies and occurs Bilirubin pigment becomes excess in blood. Usually this is during first three to five days after birth and is not dangerous. Yet another type is breast milk jaundice in which a substance in breast milk increase use of bilirubin in child’s intestine. This occurs after a week of birth and might last for a month or more.

There are different types of juandice: Physiological (normal) jaundice, Jaundice of prematurity, Breast milk jaundice, Blood group incompatibility (Rh or ABO problems).

Symptoms

Discolouration is the primary symptom. Skin and whites of eye becomes yellow colour.

Causes

Bilirubin is the pigment produced by breaking of red blood cells and is eliminated through stool. Juandice occurs when body produces excess bilirubin or when it is not properly eliminated by liver. Those children with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Biliary atresia, Certain medications, Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and other congenital problems etc is likely to develop juandice.

Treatment

Breast feeding for about 8 to 12 times a day immediately after birth during first few days will help the to pass more stool and to develop more energy for the liver of baby to eliminate bilirubin. Increased level of bilirubin can damage brain cells of baby and can make it less active. There is a chance for developing seizure, and might cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or developmental delay. This can be detected early through blood test and be prevented. Physical examination itself helps to detect the disease.

Most common method is to expose the baby to sunlight and the method is called phototherapy. But eyes need to be protected with eye patches. Some times special blue lights are to be given to baby. Baby must be breast fed more frequently or fed with more fluids to prevent from skin rashes or loose bowel movements. In severe cases fluid will be given through vein. This is done upto a week and is the safest treatment. Frequent bowel movement is necessary and for this the baby is to be fed frequently.

Juandice is dangerous to those children born before 37 week’s gestation, with weight less than 2500 gram at birth, with blood group incompataible with mothers, who have infection, where forceps were used in delivery, for those whose siblings had disease wanting treatment at birth, when jaundice spreads to legs and hands and for those babies who developed jaundice with in 24 hours of birth.

Jaundice might be a symptom of some serious disease like abnormal blood cell shapes, Congenital spherocytic anemia, Elliptocytosis, blood group incompatibilities like ABO in which mother has O group blood and baby does not, Rh negative when mother is Rh negative and baby is positive, birth injuries, polycythema a condition with high level of red blood cells, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, infection, prematurity, transfusions etc. In severe cases blood transfusion is required. Treating with intravenous immunoglobulin helps to reduce bilirubin levels. Drugs may be given to stimulate liver to eliminate bilirubin.

High bilirubin levels can cause brain damage called Kernicterus, Deafness, Cerebral palsy etc.Jaundice is severe if baby has fever.


Breast feeding for about 8 to 12 times a day immediately after birth during first few days will help the to pass more stool and to develop more energy for the liver of baby to eliminate bilirubin. Increased level of bilirubin can damage brain cells of baby and can make it less active. There is a chance for developing seizure, and might cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or developmental delay. This can be detected early through blood test and be prevented. Physical examination itself helps to detect the disease.

Most common method is to expose the baby to sunlight and the method is called phototherapy. But eyes need to be protected with eye patches. Some times special blue lights are to be given to baby. Baby must be breast fed more frequently or fed with more fluids to prevent from skin rashes or loose bowel movements. In severe cases fluid will be given through vein. This is done upto a week and is the safest treatment. Frequent bowel movement is necessary and for this the baby is to be fed frequently.

Juandice is dangerous to those children born before 37 week’s gestation, with weight less than 2500 gram at birth, with blood group incompataible with mothers, who have infection, where forceps were used in delivery, for those whose siblings had disease wanting treatment at birth, when jaundice spreads to legs and hands and for those babies who developed jaundice with in 24 hours of birth.

Jaundice might be a symptom of some serious disease like abnormal blood cell shapes, Congenital spherocytic anemia, Elliptocytosis, blood group incompatibilities like ABO in which mother has O group blood and baby does not, Rh negative when mother is Rh negative and baby is positive, birth injuries, polycythema a condition with high level of red blood cells, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, infection, prematurity, transfusions etc. In severe cases blood transfusion is required. Treating with intravenous immunoglobulin helps to reduce bilirubin levels. Drugs may be given to stimulate liver to eliminate bilirubin.

High bilirubin levels can cause brain damage called Kernicterus, Deafness, Cerebral palsy etc.Jaundice is severe if baby has fever.

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Meningitis - Alternative treatment

Meningitis is caused by infection to meninges and cerebrospinal fluid. Usually children between the age of 15 and 24 are affected by this disease. Viral, bacterial or fungal infection can also cause meningitis.

Symptoms

High fever, headache, vomiting or nausea along with headache, difficulty to maintain eye contact or to concentrate in some thing, sleepiness, stiff neck, rashes on skin, seizures, leg pain etc. Symptoms may last for two or three days. Newborns might not have these types of symptoms but will cry continuously or eat poorly. Some times there might be a soft spot on head that may bulge.

Causes

Meningitis is usually caused by viral, bacterial or fungal infection. Bacterial infection is more dangerous. Bacterial infection occurs when bacteria enter blood stream and reach brain or spinal cord. Ear or sinus infection can also lead to meningitis as the bacteria will enter meninges directly. This may happen in case of skull fracture also.

Types of meningitis caused by bacteria are Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), that may cause pneumonia, ear or sinus infection, Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Haemophilus influenzae (haemophilus), Listeria monocytogenes (listeria). Viral meningitis lasts for about 10 days or less only. Chronic meningitis is caused by invading of slow growing organisms. Drug infection, inflammatory diseases and some type of cancer can cause meningitis.

Treatment

Bacterial meningitis is treated with intravenous antibiotics. Treatment might be for convulsions, brain swelling, dehydration or shock. If there is infected sinus or mastoid it will have to be drained. In case of viral meningitis bed rest along with plenty of fluids and pain medications. Anti viral medication will also be given if the virus is herpes.

Bacteria and virus usually spreads through coughing, sneezing, kissing etc. Sharing tooth brush, eating utensils or cigarette can also spread bacteria’s or viruses. Cleaning the hands are also helpful to prevent spreading of disease. Taking exercise, enough ret and a healthy diet is also important. Medications might be for increasing blood pressure. Mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen might also be given. Bacterial meningitis might cause learning or hearing disabilities, visual problem, seizures etc. It might affect kidney’s, liver, heart etc or might lead to neurological problems.

Vaccines like Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV), Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) are given to those infected by bacteria. Viral meningitis is treated with acyclovir (Zovirax®) or ribavirin (Virazole®). These might cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and headache. In case of bacterial meningitis patients are treated with a cocktile medicines like combination of Penicillin and cephalosporin (e.g., ceftriaxone [Rocephin®], cefotaxime [Claforan®]). If virus is caused by fungi Amphotericin B and fluconazole (Diflucan®) are effective. Parasitic meningitis patients are given benzimidazole derivative or other antihelminthic agent. Along with antibiotics cortico steroids, diazepam, rifampin, etc are given according to situation. Surgery is to be done if there are openings causing leak of cerebrospinal fluid.


Prevention

Routine immunization and vaccines for measles, mumps, poliomeningococcus, pneumococcus etc can prevent attack of meningitis. Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine given to children at the age of two, four and six can also prevent meningitis.Hib vaccination is also helpful. Preventive medicines like rifampin (Rifadin®), ceftriaxone (Duricef®), and ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) can be given to prevent bacterial meningitis.


Alternative therapy

Nutritional and herbal therapy is found effective in some cases. Homeopathy is also said to be effective for meningitis. Nutritional treatment involves supplementing Vitamin A and Vitamin B12. herbs like garlic is also found effective

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