Category Archives: Health

Britain, Health, Medical, Research, Science

New treatment options emerge for Parkinson’s disease…

RESEARCH LINKS THE DISEASE WITH A GENETIC DEFECT

… Scientists believe they are closer to treating debilitating Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by a genetic defect that produces poor ‘housekeeping cells’, but scientists now believe they are closer to treating the debilitating condition.

Scientists have linked the disease to a genetic malfunction that prevents cells from clearing out defective mitochondria, metabolic generators within the body’s cells that supply energy. Dysfunctional mitochondria are potentially very harmful.

Normally, cells dispose of them through a ‘hazardous waste’ management system known as mitophagy. This causes bean-like bodies to be digested and broken down.

But researchers have now discovered and identified a biological pathway that allows mutations in a gene – called FBxo7 – to interfere with mitophagy.

For Parkinson’s sufferers, this leads to a build-up of defective mitochondria that may result in the death of brain cells.

The study, first published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, indicates that mitophagy might be the key to new treatment options for the disease.

Dr Helene Plun-Favreau is one of the researchers based at the Institute of Neurology at the University of London. She said:

… These findings suggest that treatment strategies that target mitophagy might be developed to benefit patients with Parkinson’s disease in the future.

… What makes the study so robust is the confirmation of defective mitophagy in a number of different Parkinson’s models, including cells of patients who carry a mutation in the Fbxo7 gene.

Co-author of the study, Dr Heike Laman, from Cambridge University, said:

… This research focuses the attention of the Parkinson’s disease community on the importance of the proper maintenance of mitochondria for the health of neurons.

… We are really only at the very beginning of this work, but perhaps we can use this information to enable earlier diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease patients or design therapies aimed at supporting mitochondrial health.

Professor Hugh Perry, chair of the neurosciences and mental health board at the Medical Research Council which part-funded the study, said the work raised ‘interesting questions’ about brain cell death related to Parkinson’s. He said:

… The more we understand about the basic molecular events which contribute to the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease, the better placed we will be to develop treatments to stop it in its tracks.

Standard
Britain, Health, Medical, Research, Science

A breakthrough test to tell if you really need antibiotics…

CRP TEST

A simple three-minute blood test could tell doctor’s whether a patient needs antibiotics.

Not only could this help patients avoid suffering nasty side-effects from taking unnecessary drugs, but it could also tackle one of the greatest threats to modern health – antibiotic resistance. The test tells a doctor whether the patient is suffering from a viral or bacterial infection – that way, they will know whether or not to prescribe antibiotic medication.

Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria – they do not kill viruses. Currently, the type of infection can only be confirmed with a blood test which must be analysed in a laboratory, a process that can take two to three days.

GPs say they often give antibiotics as a full-safe measure, and that patients pressure them for the pills. According to Public Health England (formerly the Health Protection Agency), if patients ask their doctor for an antibiotic, the vast majority will get one.

Over-prescribing of antibiotics has consequences both for the patient and the population. As well as causing side-effects, over-use can lead to bacteria becoming resistant, making antibiotics less effective at fighting infections. The Government’s chief medical officer has described this as ‘one of the greatest threats to modern health.’

Over the past five years alone, the number of antibiotic prescriptions has risen by 10 per cent to 41 million prescriptions at a cost of £170 million to the NHS. A third of all Britons have taken them in the past 12-months.

A simple finger-stick test could solve this ‘catastrophic threat’. The test – which involves taking a drop of blood from the finger – can tell doctors within three minutes whether an illness is caused by a bacterial infection which requires antibiotics, or a virus, which does not.

It measures a substance called C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in the blood. The amount of this protein increases when the body is fighting a bacterial infection, but not when it is fighting a virus, which triggers a different immune response.

So a doctor would know that if the CRP level was shown to be low, antibiotics would not be required.

Studies show that providing ‘proof’ that they are unnecessary to patients who demand antibiotics can significantly reduce the number of prescriptions.

One EU-funded study, presented at the World Association of Family Doctors conference in 2010, looked at how respiratory infections which are generally caused by viruses were treated by 600 GPs in six different countries. It found that antibiotic prescriptions fell by 25 per cent when doctors used the CRP test.

British scientists say the test could be a useful tool for significantly reducing antibiotic prescriptions.

A senior clinical research fellow at Cardiff University who specialises in antibiotic resistance in primary care, said:

… Unfortunately, it is very difficult to accurately determine whether an infection is viral or bacterial.

… Markers such as CRP have evolved to help where there is lingering uncertainty after a clinical assessment or where the patient has strong beliefs that antibiotics are needed.

… (However, not everyone needs the test) … Patients who appear very unwell should be treated with antibiotics or admitted to hospital without the test because they could develop complications.

… But for those patients where there is doubt, or where the GP feels antibiotics are not needed but the patient is putting pressure on to prescribe them, the test can be helpful.

The test is currently only available in laboratories in the UK (it can be carried out privately for around £50) because the NHS does not yet fund it in GP practices. The machine to analyse the test would initially cost £1,000 and then £3 per test.

A spokesman for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says it is likely to be some time before the test is routinely available on the NHS.

… CRP testing would be a natural extension to the clinical services we offer but it will be two or three years before there is enough evidence for it to be made widely available.

Other concerns about the test are that the results are not always clear – levels of CRP also increase as a result of inflammation caused by other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis as well as infections.

The test is deemed to be a guide and does not categorically imply that a patient has a bacterial infection if the results are synonymous with having an infection. It gives the doctor a number that has to be interpreted in light of the other symptoms and the patient’s overall risk profile.

For example, a doctor is more likely to treat an elderly person with diabetes with antibiotics than a young healthy person, as the elderly person is more likely to develop complications.

Clinical experts say the best way to reduce antibiotic prescriptions is to educate doctors and patients about common complaints and when antibiotics are necessary.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society warns that to see this test as the panacea would be an extremely dangerous idea. The Society says it needs to work hard to educate patients about when it is appropriate to take antibiotics and by making sure they take them correctly as prescribed by finishing the course.

Public Health England adds:

… CRP may be useful in a small range of infections provided the test is robustly quality controlled.

… But nothing can replace taking a detailed patient history and thorough examination.

Standard
Health, Medical, Research, Science

Electronic devices in children’s bedrooms should be banned….

… Concentration and behaviour were affected when children were allowed to have TVs or computers in their bedrooms

Scientists say that TVs and computers for children should be banned from their bedrooms. Children who watch TV in the bedroom are less likely to exercise and be tired at bedtime – with researchers insisting that getting a good night’s sleep is particularly important for pre-teens.

Scientists have warned that electronic devices can disturb sleep, leading to memory problems and poorer marks in school.

Researchers from Finland asked 353 children aged 10 to 11 about their TV and computer use and their sleeping habits and quizzed them again 18 months later.

The more a child played on the computer or watched the TV, the later they went to bed. They also slept less on school nights.

Findings reported in the journal BMC Public Health says that having a TV or computer in the bedroom appeared to be particularly disruptive for boys.

The Finnish researchers, based at the University of Helsinki, said that children who play a lot on computers may exercise far less and so be less tired at bedtime.

Hormonal changes, particularly during puberty, brought on by the light of the screens could also make it more difficult to get to sleep.

Researcher Teija Nuutinen, of the University of Helsinki, said that electronic devices should be kept out of children’s bedrooms, and added:

… Children need extra sleep as they go through puberty but our study finds that TV and computer use affect the sleep of children. 

… This is especially true during the week and may be impacting their school work as well as their development. 

… Media viewing habits should be considered for children who are tired and struggling to concentrate, or who have behaviour problems caused by lack of sleep.

Standard