Category Archives: Health

Health, Japan, Medical, Research, Science

Medical treatments through simple stem-cell advances edge closer…

Intro: Until relatively recently it was thought that mammals – and humans – were distinctly different to the asexual and biological properties of plants

Novelist Arthur C Clarke was notorious for his three laws to explain the ‘science of prediction’. His third law stated that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Some may truly believe that there is an element of magic behind Japan’s announcement that its researchers have created stem cells (i.e. the basic tissue from which all others are made) simply from a process of bathing a sample of blood in a weak solution of citric acid.

In making this phenomenal breakthrough, the Japanese scientists were inspired of the biological process where plants have the ability to make copies of themselves without sexual reproduction. Taking a cutting or a piece of tissue from the apex of a growing plant stem can be used to create an entirely new shrub with all its complex parts. Any gardener will be aware of the magic involved in creating a completely new life form in this way.

Until recently, it was thought that mammals – and humans – were very different and distinct from plants in respect of asexual reproduction. Once an early embryo had moved through the biological processes of cell differentiation to become a fully formed individual, its constituent mature cells were said to be incapable of going into reverse and becoming embryonic again.

This particular principled belief was blown away following the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. She was cloned from the specialised skin cell of an adult ewe and yet somehow her genes had been reprogrammed to their earlier embryonic state. This shibboleth gave rise to the idea of creating stem cells from cloned embryos.

A separate Japanese team went one step further in 2006 and reprogrammed skin cells back to their embryonic state by the addition of a handful of genes. The scientists successfully argued and got round the ethical issues of using human embryos, but safety concerns were raised over using genetically modified cells in medicine.

Now, though, we have the stunning revelation that skin or blood cells can be reprogrammed back to their embryonic state simply by bathing them for 30 minutes in weak acid. This may sound like magic, but it appears to be scientifically true. We can only hope that it can be quickly applied in medical treatments for many insufferable conditions for which there are no practical or effective remedies.

 

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Britain, Health, Medical, Science

The effects of sunshine could cut the risk of having a heart attack…

CARDIAC HEALTH

Scientists have found that a little sunshine could be good for your heart.

Even a short, sharp blast from a tanning lamp can cause blood pressure to fall, a study has shown.

The results suggest that well-meaning advice to avoid the sun to protect against skin cancer may in fact be raising the odds of heart problems.

With high blood pressure trebling the chance of heart attacks and strokes, researchers believe the benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risks of skin cancer.

The study carried out by researchers at Edinburgh and Southampton Universities exposed the skin of 24 healthy young men to a sun lamp for 20 minutes and measured their blood pressure.

Diastolic pressure (the lower of the two figures in a blood pressure reading) dropped significantly and remained low for at least 30 minutes after the lamp was switched off. Studies into sunlight usually credit Vitamin D with any health benefits, but in this case a different compound was found to be at work.

It is thought the UVA rays emitted by the lamp triggered the release of a compound called nitric oxide from the skin. This then travelled to the blood vessels and relaxed them, causing blood pressure to fall.

The researchers first wrote in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and stated that even a small drop in blood pressure can cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The findings could be significant as they could help explain why rates of heart disease go up during the winter months and why cardiac health is worse in countries further from the equator.

Professor Martin Feelisch, from the Faculty of experimental medicine at Southampton University, said it would be important to check to establish whether the benefits are not just limited to a quick blast of UV light in a laboratory but whether they persist in the real world too.

If the sun’s rays do prove to be beneficial for the heart, health advice given on tanning is likely to be reviewed.

Despite the concern about skin cancer, heart disease is a far bigger killer. In Britain, skin cancer kills 2,800 people a year while heart disease and strokes claim more than 160,000 lives annually and every seven minutes someone in the UK dies from a heart attack.

Professor Feelisch said that fear of skin cancer has left some people scared of the sun. Others may not be getting enough sunlight because they spend their work and leisure time indoors.

He added:

… Avoiding excess sunlight exposure is critical to prevent skin cancer but not being exposed to it at all out of fear, or as a result of a certain lifestyle, could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

… We are concerned that well-meaning advice to reduce comparatively low numbers of deaths from skin cancer may inadvertently increase the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

Meanwhile, sunshine can also ease the early stages of multiple sclerosis, a separate study found.

MS is a neurological condition affecting around 100,000 people in the UK, causing problems with vision, balance and the bladder.

Research by Harvard School of Public Health found that boosting vitamin D could reduce the severity of MS.

Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard, said:

… Because low vitamin D levels are common and can be easily and safely increased, these findings may contribute to better outcomes for MS patients.

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Government, Health, Scotland

Concern over the rising incidence of hospital acquired infections in Scotland…

Clostridium Difficile

Recently released figures on the spread of C Diff in hospitals suggest that cases of this deadly infection are on the increase. Such findings will concern Health Boards given the years of advice to patients, staff and visitors to hospital wards on keeping good personal hygiene and cleanliness.

The rise, reported by Health Protection Scotland, is unexpected. For some time the incidence of Clostridium difficile has been in relative decline, as has that of another hospital acquired infection, MRSA.

The most recent quarterly period for which information is available depicts an alarming rise, with levels in the under-65 age bracket up by an alarming 35 per cent. Public health clinicians are not certain why this is, but have suggested a number of possible contributory factors, including the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics and poor infection-control management.

For the layman, however, the suspicion must remain that people have let down their guard and are not being sufficiently meticulous in their cleanliness regime, whether those people be medical personnel, hospital cleaning staff or visitors to hospital wards who find it difficult to understand the words ‘now wash your hands’.

This is problematic because the issue cannot be isolated. Out of Scotland’s 14 health boards, ten have seen cases increase. In NHS Highland the rate more than doubled.

This will be a concern for everyone connected with the health service in Scotland. Hospitals are meant to be places that make you well and fit again, not give you potentially life-threatening infections.

It is incumbent upon administrators, clinicians and government ministers to work together in formulating a plan that will ensure the current trend is not a reversal of good progress and advances made in recent years.

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