Category Archives: Research

Health, Medical, Research, Science

Blood pressure study linked to dementia

MEDICAL RESEARCH

A major study suggests that hundreds of thousands of people could be saved from dementia if blood pressure tablets were used more widely.

Researchers have shown for the first time that aggressively treating high blood pressure – particularly in middle age – could also significantly reduce the risk of dementia later on.

NHS officials are under growing pressure to lower the threshold at which people can be given the drugs, a policy that could make 14million eligible for treatment.

Patients are currently considered to have hypertension – or high blood pressure – only if they have a reading of more than 140/90 mm Hg.

But a study of 9,400 people in the US found cutting the systolic threshold – the higher reading – to 120 instead of 140 slowed cognitive decline.

An ideal blood pressure reading is between 90/60 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and 120/80. The first figure is the systolic pressure, the “surge” that occurs with each heartbeat. The second is the diastolic reading, which measures the pressure in the “rest” between heartbeats.

Using the new threshold over eight years reduced rates of dementia and mild cognitive impairment by 15 per cent, according to results presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago.

Similar trials have shown cutting the threshold for treatment would reduce the risk of heart disease by a fifth, and strokes by about a quarter.

Health watchdogs are already reviewing blood pressure guidelines with a view to cutting rates of heart disease and a decision is expected next year.

But they will now face greater pressure to change the rules after the new research, the first to look in detail at the impact of such a policy on dementia.

Study leader Professor Jeff Williamson, of the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, said: “These results support the need to maintain well-controlled blood pressure, especially for persons over 50.”

A second study of 670 patients by the University of Pennsylvania found that the lower threshold also showed shrinkage of white brain matter, strengthening the link between blood pressure and dementia.

The US has led the way on blood pressure policy, lowering the treatment threshold in November from a systolic score of 140 to 130.

If the UK followed suit, it would mean an estimated 14million people – a third of all adults – would be eligible. Currently seven million are eligible.

A policy to increase this, however, would be controversial as it would affect many people who until now have been considered healthy. A similar change that lowered the threshold for cholesterol-busting statin drugs in 2014 led to a huge backlash, fueling accusations that health professionals were “over-medicalising” the middle aged.

A spokesperson for Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This study suggests treating high blood pressure intensively . . . may help to reduce the risk of memory and thinking problems.

“There is robust evidence that what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain and maintaining good vascular health is one of the key things people can do to reduce their risk of dementia.”

But Professor Clive Ballard, of Exeter University, warned: “All anti-hypertensives come with some risk of adverse effects, most seriously for kidney function.”

 

THOSE who feel light-headed when standing up after a long time sitting may be at a greater risk of dementia and stroke, according to a US study of more than 11,000 people.

Scientists at John Hopkins University found those whose blood pressure dropped when they stood up – a problem known as orthostatic hypotension – had twice the risk of suffering a stroke in later life. Their risk of dementia was 54 per cent higher.

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Google, Government, Islamic State, Research, Society, Technology

Jihadi propaganda still active on YouTube

RESEARCH STUDY BY CEP

A study has revealed that YouTube repeatedly fails to remove jihadist videos within two hours of them being posted – because of “staggering holes” in its monitoring.

It found that the Google-owned video sharing site missed its target for taking down Islamic State films in one in four cases.

Dozens of terrorist-propaganda and recruitment videos were left for public viewing for more than three days at a time, clocking up tens of thousands of views, according to the three-month study by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).

Disturbing, too, is that six in ten of the IS supporters who posted the hate videos were not even banned from the site and their accounts remain active.

The failings come after YouTube rejected an offer of free technology to instantly block any previously identified extremist content, preferring to develop its own system that it says deletes millions of banned videos before they are seen.

At the G7 summit in October last year, YouTube joined with Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft in an accord aimed at removing extremist content from their platforms within two hours.

But in the first in-depth independent study of IS videos on YouTube, the CEP found this was not happening because of “inexcusable” holes in the service’s monitoring system. Researchers found 229 previously identified terror videos were uploaded 1,348 times and viewed on 163,000 occasions over three months from March 8 to June 8, with 24 per cent left on the site for more than two hours.

They included the film Caliphate 4 – uploaded six times during the trial period – in which a terrorist taunts former soldier Prince Harry.

Another video called Hunt Them O Monotheist was uploaded 12 times during the study and on one occasion allowed to remain for 39 hours.

Computer scientist Dr Hany Farid, from Dartmouth College in the US, who developed a system that stops child abuse films being uploaded, created a similar program that instantly identifies and removes terror videos.

YouTube, Facebook and Google were all offered the eGlyph system free by the CEP in 2016 but decided not to use it.

Dr Farid said it was “infuriating” that companies worth billions refused to implement systems that could instantly stop jihadist videos. “Spectacular failures are allowing terror groups to continue to radicalise and recruit online,” he added.

Former Conservative Party minister Mark Simmonds, now a senior adviser to CEP, said: “This study dispels any lingering myth that YouTube are doing enough to stop their site being used as an IS recruitment tool.

“The research shows that YouTube are not even meeting their own promise to delete all extremist content within two hours. For them to fail in a quarter of all cases, with much of the content still available three days or more after first being uploaded, is unacceptable.”

He added: “Even videos that stayed online for less than two hours received a total of nearly 15,000 hits – any one could become a potential terrorist.

“It is staggering and inexcusable that well over half of the IS supporters who upload this dangerous content are not even banned and their accounts remain active . . . spreading IS propaganda and grooming potential recruits.”

Google said it “rejects terrorism and has a strong track record of taking swift action against terrorist content”.

A spokesman added: “We’ve invested heavily in people and technology to ensure we keep making progress to detect and remove terror content as quickly as possible.

“We’re a founding member of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, which sees tech companies collaborate to keep terror content off the web.”

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Medical, Research, Science

Breakthrough as vaccine is made possible for Multiple Sclerosis

MEDICAL RESEARCH

SCOTTISH doctors believe they have found the cause of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), paving the way for a vaccine against the devastating condition.

A landmark paper suggests MS develops following two separate common infections, which cause the body to attack itself.

Other factors, such as genetics and lack of sunlight, may also play a role, which explains why MS is more common in certain areas such as the North of Scotland.

But doctors behind the latest discovery believe the development of a vaccine against a common virus may hold the key in future prevention of the disease. The research was published by doctors from the University of Glasgow and Harvard University in the United States.

There are 11,000 Scots with MS, making the disease more common than in most other countries.

The neurological condition is triggered when the immune system, which normally fights infection, attacks nerves, causing pain, fatigue, vision problems and spasms.

But what causes the body to begin attacking itself has never been identified, despite more than 100 years of research.

It has been suggested the disease could be caused by lack of sunlight as it is more common in northern countries.

The latest research claims two common infections – firstly threadworms followed by the Epstein-Barr virus – may be the trigger. The scientists believe MS is a “rare complication” of the body’s response to the infections.

Professor John Paul Leach, consultant neurologist at the University of Glasgow, said: “MS is a condition where the body produces antibodies against itself for reasons that have never been understood and goes against its own nervous system.

“It is odd that we have never found out why some people are more prone than others.

“There is already some evidence that exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus makes it more likely someone will develop MS, but this does not offer the full explanation of why people develop this reaction.

“MS may be the result of not one but two infections in the right order.”

The research was led by Dr Patrick Kearns of the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard, who developed his theory while studying at the University of Glasgow.

Although keen to point out their hypothesis is only a theory, they now plan further research.

In MS, the immune system attacks the layer that surrounds and protects the nerves which damages them, meaning messages become slowed or disrupted.

Threadworms affect around one sixth of the world’s population and are a parasitic infection affecting the gut, common in children.

The Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common viruses in humans and is the cause of glandular fever, although many people only suffer mild symptoms.

Dr Kearns said: “MS is a terrible condition but there is a fascinating aspect about it which is that its distribution around the world has been really well studied, so it’s easy to compare rates between regions.

“It also affects people when they are young, and rates are increasing, which means some aspect of the environment has to be changing that’s driving the disease.

“Some evidence has found high rates of MS in areas where there were military troops stationed in the Second World War, such as the Faroe Islands and Shetland.

“I believe the missing link may be threadworm infection. This is a very common condition in children and is also common in soldiers living in barracks. In areas where soldiers were billeted during the war it would have spread to local populations.

“There is already a strong and undeniable link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS. I believe that what may be causing MS is a rare, late complication of exposure to these two infections.

“It may be a good idea for public health officials to treat worms at a population level. But the real benefit would be developing better tools to target the Epstein-Barr virus with a vaccine or drugs.”

Factors such as lack of sunlight or vitamin D have previously been suggested as triggers for MS.

But Dr Kearns believes the evidence for these is “not very strong” and does not fully explain the differences in MS rates around the world. However, he said some people may be more susceptible than others due to genetic factors.

There is currently no cure for the condition, but some treatments can slow its progress.

The research was first published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Dr Sorrel Bickley, head of biomedical research at the MS Society, said: “This study puts forward an interesting idea and we look forward to seeing how this could be proven or disproven.

“MS is unpredictable and different for everyone and we urge anyone concerned about symptoms to speak to their GP.”

 

MULTIPLE Sclerosis is a neurological disease that can affect the brain and spinal cord.

The condition’s symptoms are wide-ranging and can include problems with vision, arm or leg movements, sensation or balance.

In some cases, the disease can be mild but in others it can cause serious disability.

Average life expectancy is reduced in people with MS.

The immune system attacks the layer that surrounds and protects the nerves – the myelin sheath. This then damages and scars the sheath, and potentially the underlying nerves, meaning that messages travelling along them can become slowed or disrupted.

This can cause a range of symptoms including fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, numbness or tingling in different parts of the body and muscle stiffness and spasms.

Symptoms may come and go in phases, known as relapsing remitting MS, or get steadily worse over time.

Roughly between two and three women have MS for every man with the condition. In Scotland the rate is about 209 MS patients per 100,000 population compared to 164 per 100,000 in England.

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