Restoring sight with gene therapy

A great breakthrough in treatment of blindness has been seen as surgeons in Oxford UK, have used gene therapy to improve the vision of six patients who would have gone blind without it. BBC World News' science correspondent Pallab Ghosh reports;

'Surgeons in Oxford have used a gene therapy technique to improve the vision of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.

The operation involved inserting a gene into the eye, a treatment that revived light-detecting cells.
The doctors involved believe that the treatment could in time be used to treat common forms of blindness.
Prof Robert MacLaren, the surgeon who led the research, said he was "absolutely delighted" at the outcome.
"We really couldn't have asked for a better result," he said.
BBC News exclusively reported on the start of the trial two years ago. The first patient was Jonathan Wyatt, who was 63 at the time.
Mr Wyatt has a genetic condition known as choroideremia, which results in the light-detecting cells at the back of the eye gradually dying.
Mr Wyatt was still just about able to see when he had the operation. His hope was that the procedure would stop further deterioration and save what little sight he had left.
He, like another patient in Professor MacLaren's trial, found that not only did the operation stabilise his vision - it improved it. The other subjects, who were at earlier stages in their vision, experienced improvements in their ability to see at night.
Mr Wyatt is now able to read three lines further down in an optician's sight chart.'
( Read on..)



P.S:

Gene therapy 'could be used to treat blindness'(January 15, 2014)

Gene therapy used in a bid to save a man's sight  (October 27, 2011)

We must bring back family mealtime chatting!

I grew up in a family where almost every meal was a sit down with the family and chat time. Although as we grew up it became less and less possible at breakfast and lunch, everyone had different schedules but dinner time stayed the same. Everyone had to show up at the dinner table at the same time, any late arrivals were expected to provide good reason.

But it wasn't just eating together, it was more talking to each other that was special. We talked about school, about issues with friends, family plans for the coming weekend or holidays, extended family updates, dad's job news, mom's social news, current affairs, and just anything and everything. We knew all the names of my mom's friends, dad's colleagues, and each others friends, enemies and frenemies too! And our parents were aware of what was happening in each of our lives. We shared, supported, discussed, advised, joked and teased throughout dinner. Basically we bonded and were constantly reminded that we were together and never alone.
Interestingly when I used to mention chatter at my house to friends, it became quite clear that this wasn't prevalent in every household. The friends who didn't get to sit down to eat and talk with family everyday expressed envy and unhappiness. That made me appreciate those family mealtimes at home even more!
That is also why it was no surprise, when today I read this piece of news 'Talking at mealtimes boosts children's confidence' on BBC World News, announcing that after studying about 35,000 UK children, they had come to the conclusion that eating meals together with family while chatting with each other was a confidence booster. I can only hope that when they do sit down to eat and talk to each other, the kids and parents leave their electronic devices in some other room! :)

P.S:
Talking at mealtimes boosts children's confidence

The rise of the drug-resistant infections

For many decades after the discovery of the first antibiotic, we have been able to root out and beat bacterial infections after bacterial infections. But when the medical professionals celebrated this invincibility with the widespread use of antibiotics, most of them forgot the fact that bacteria like any other life form know how to evolve. And thus after being victorious against even the most aggressive and deadly infections for almost a century, we are now facing a new breed of bacteria that have learned to survive even the strongest drugs in our antibiotic arsenal.

According to the CDC Antibiotic Resistant Threats 2013 Report;
Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people acquire serious infections with bacteria that are resistant to one or more of the antibiotics designed to treat those infections. At least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these antibiotic-resistant infections. Many more die from other conditions that were complicated by an antibiotic-resistant infection.
In addition, almost 250,000 people each year require hospital care for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections.In most of these infections, the use of antibiotics was a major contributing factor leading to the illness. At least 14,000 people die each year in the United States from C. difficile infections. Many of these infections could have been prevented.
The most aggressive and lethal drug resistant infections are caused by gram-negative bacteria, which are mostly seen in healthcare settings, but other forms of bacteria are also showing presence of drug-resistant strains. As to who is more likely to be at high risk, according to the report, it is often individuals with suppressed, weak or damaged immunity. But many innovative treatments require effective treatment of any infection, as a result it is becoming very difficult to offer such options to individuals with other pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.
Some of the common medical situations in which doctors are faced with this dilemma are;

1. Cancer Chemotherapy
2. Complex Surgeries (eg. Joint replacement, Cardiac Bypass)
3. Rheumatoid Arthritis
4. Dialysis for End-Stage Renal Disease
5. Organ and Bone Marrow Transplants

What makes these new infections worrisome it the fact these can happen anywhere. Data has shown that majority of these happen in the general population but the antibiotic resistance mostly develops in a healthcare setting such as a hospital or nursing home.


The CDC also classifies these drug-resistant superbugs by threat levels: 
Urgent:

These are high-consequence antibiotic-resistant threats because of significant risks identified across several criteria. These threats may not be currently widespread but have the potential to become so and require urgent public health attention to identify infections and to limit transmission.

Serious:

These are significant antibiotic-resistant threats. For varying reasons (eg.,low or declining domestic incidence or reasonable availability of therapeutic agents), they are not considered urgent, but these threats will worsen and may become urgent without ongoing public health monitoring and prevention activities.

Concerning: 

These are bacteria for which the threat of antibiotic resistance is low, and/ or there are multiple therapeutic options for resistant infections. These bacterial pathogens cause severe illness. Threats in this category require monitoring and in some cases rapid incident or outbreak response.

The report in the end points to the lack of certain measures that might help, as a result, these are some of the suggested steps, that might allow healthcare professionals everywhere, better understand and cope with this serious growing medical problem, include;

 An efficient capacity to detect and respond to urgent and emerging antibiotic resistance threats at national, state and federal levels.
-A collaborative systematic international surveillance of antibiotic resistance threats.
-Systematically collect data on antibiotic use in human healthcare and agriculture.
-More widely use programs to improve antibiotic prescribing practices in the United States.
-Promote the use of advanced technologies that can identify threats much faster then current practices.

P.S: 
CDC Antibiotic Resistant Threats 2013 Report
CDC sets threat levels for drug-resistant 'superbugs' (CNN News)

Obesity spreads to developing countries

A UK think tank The Overseas Development Institute  report concludes that number of obese and overweight adults in the developing world has  almost quadrupled to about one billion since 1980.
According to the report, there are almost as many overweight or obese adults in North Africa, Middle East and Latin America as there are in Europe. It also highlights the fact that one in three adults in the world (1.46 billion) were overweight or obese in 2008, up by 23% since 1980.
 If these figure are not enough to make us realize that obesity is no longer a rich countries' problem instead is more of a worldwide health issue, then I do not know what is going to!
A major change seen in worldwide diets is the increasing consumption of sugar and sweeteners, which has risen by over 20% per person between 1961 and 2009. One big culprit for that is the increased consumption and marketing of processed foods everywhere.
In countries with emerging economies, people are making bigger incomes and hence now can chose more varied foods and change diets. A huge majority of these individuals in developing countries live in highly congested urban settings and get very little exercise.

South Korea's Health Wellness efforts at a national level have resulted in a 300% increase in fruit and 10% increase in vegetable consumption.  Major campaigns by the government and nutrition specialists to advertise and teach the public that the traditional diet which is low fat is a healthy diet. The most common ingredients in Korean traditional cuisine are vegetables along with use of ginger, garlic, herbs, and various condiments, the health benefits of which are well-known.  The educational and campaigning efforts also focused on providing new approaches to maintaining a traditional yet contemporary Korean diet. These efforts to improve the national diet has helped South Korea keep its obesity rate at 4%. This is the lowest in the OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen) but unfortunately it too is rising gradually and is expected to increase by about 5% in ten years.

I am sure that reasons and solutions as well, are far more complex and numerous then the ones I list, but it is clear that if we do not take major steps to change these dangerous dietary and lifestyle trends for the better, we are heading for a disastrous worldwide health catastrophe.


P.S:

• Obesity quadruples to nearly one billion in the developing world(BBC World)
• Overseas Development Institute(Website)
•  The unique aspects of the nutrition transition in South Korea: the retention of healthful elements in their traditional diet (Public Health Nutrition Publication)

Reduce risk of diabetes by making small lifestyle changes...

A recent trial by researchers at University of Edinburgh specifically focusing on individuals of South Asian descent, has shown that even small changes in lifestyle can lead to weight loss and significantly reduce the risk of type 2 Diabetes. It has been seen that men of Pakistani and Indian descent are three times more likely to develop diabetes as compared to men from the general population with similar body mass indexes.

This trial titled "Culturally adapting the prevention of diabetes and obesity in South Asians (PODOSA) trial", included 171 individuals of Pakistani and Indian descent living in Scotland with impaired glycemia thus at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

As most South Asian cultural activities and traditions revolve around family and food. Participants were given detailed dietary advice by dieticians and provided culturally relevant lifestyle change plans and resources. The trials made use of professional translators and multilingual professionals for communicating instructions to participants. Also many of the manual and pamphlets were translated into participants' preferred languages, such as Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi. In contrast, the control group was given basic instructions on weight control and management, it was not culturally specific.

According to Professor Raj Bhopal of Edinburgh University's Population Health Sciences Center 'These differing approaches show us that a more family-centred strategy, with culturally tailored lifestyle advice, can produce significant benefits to people's health through weight loss.'

 Although trials in Europe and North America have not so far reported on the impact on South Asian populations separately or provided the details of their cross-cultural adaptation processes. But there might be a more positive outcome of such efforts when instructions and advice are culture specific.



P.S: Small Lifestyle changes 'lower type 2 diabetes risk' (BBC World: Health)

Welcome to MINDbank a new resource for mental health information.

On December 10th 2013, the WHO released its gigantic online database by the name of MINDbank. This database contains information on mental health, substance abuse, disability, human rights and the different policies, strategies, laws and service standards being implemented in different countries. One can also find key international documents and treaties in the MINDbank.

Because mental health is still a topic shunned and avoided in many countries all over the world, it can often be difficult to find out information on resources pertaining to mental health. The MINDbank is the only single point globally to access all comprehensive information related to to mental health, substance abuse, disability, general health, human rights and development.

WHO announcement for the media says;

Launched on Human Rights Day, the platform is part of WHO’s QualityRights initiative, aiming to end human rights violations against people with mental health conditions.

“People with mental disabilities still face discrimination, violence and abuse in all countries,” says Dr Michelle Funk, from WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. “The easy-to-use platform was established as a tool to facilitate debate, dialogue, advocacy and research on mental health, to improve care and to promote human rights across the globe.”

The care available in mental health facilities may often not only be of poor quality but can also hinder recovery. It can still be common in some countries for people to be locked away in small, prison-like cells with no human contact or to be chained to their beds, unable to move. The MiNDbank will help decision makers to address these issues, support reform efforts and ultimately improve the lives of people with mental health conditions in line with the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2013.

“If a government, for example, wishes to develop a new mental health policy in line with international human rights standards it can - on the new platform - quickly get an overview about the policies of other countries and benefit from their experiences and an array of international guidance tools and resources,“ explains Nathalie Drew, WHO Technical Officer working on mental health and human rights. So far, already more than 160 countries are sharing key mental health information through the MiNDbank and updates will be provided on a regular basis.

The MINDbank is meant to be the go-to site for everyone, from clinicians, health policy makers, legislators, academics research professionals to educationists and anyone anywhere in the world interested in finding reliable information on mental health and related topics. 

PS:  MINDbank Website
WHO launches MINDbank News

Heart Attacks, Strokes and Apples

We all heard our parents encouraging us to eat fresh fruit and vegetable, specially apples, and all of them used the old Victorian saying " An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" to further motivate us. Well, more then a century later it still holds true, especially for the above 50 population.
According to an article published in the christmas edition of the British Medical Journal, a research study led by Dr Adam Briggs of the BHF Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University came to the conclusion that about 8500 deaths from heart attacks and strokes could be averted if all adults of 50 years and above were prescribed an a apple a day. The significance of this outcome is more apparent when compared to another recent study that showed that if adults 50 and above not already on it, were prescribed statins, it could prevent about 9400 deaths from heart diseases. 
Dr. Adam Briggs says 'It just shows how effective small changes in diet can be, and that both drugs and healthier living can make a real difference in preventing heart disease and stroke.' But the researchers stress that this does not encourage individuals already on statins to stop taking them, just try adding apples to your daily diet.
Although apples appear to be exceptionally good for maintaining a healthy heart, it is clearly essential to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetable on a daily basis to stay healthy.





P.S:
An Apple A Day Keeps The Heart Doctor Away (University of Oxford)
Apple Nutrition and Composition Facts(USDA Database)