Proper nutrition is a crucial component in preventing cancer, with studies showing that dietary changes can potentially prevent up to 35% of cancer cases.
These foods are packed with essential vitamins, antioxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids and other beneficial substances that boost the immune system and help to prevent cancer.
Anti cancer foods.
Flaxseed, 2. Tomatoes, 3. Avocado, 4. Garlic, 5. Beans & Lentils, 6. Cabbage Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green leaves, 7. Berries, 8. Grapes, 9. Green Tea, 10. Soy, 11. Carrots, 12. Fatty Fish, 13. Walnuts
Category Archives: Health
Benefits of vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 has many benefits. It helps to convert food into energy, keeps the nervous system healthy, helps to maintain healthy skin, hair, and eyes, and helps to support cardiovascular health. It also helps to regulate blood sugar levels, helps to improve mood. Vitamin B1 also plays a role in the production of red blood cells, helps to maintain muscle tone, and helps to protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.
Cancer
“Every single person who has cancer has pH that is too acidic”. Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in 1931 for proving that Cancer can’t survive in an alkaline, oxygen rich environment but thrives in an acidic, low oxygen environment.
Brain-Eating Amoeba – How A Tiny Amoeba Can Eat Your Brain
There’s a dangerous single celled amoeba lurking in lakes across the country that can literally eat your brain! And this year, there’s been an unusually high number of cases of people infected. Trace explains what’s going on, and how you can protect yourself from this hidden threat.
Courtesy: Youtube
National Health Insurance Scheme to cover 100 million Pakistanis
By APP
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday approved the National Health Insurance Scheme aimed at providing health care to some 100 million people in Pakistan.
The prime minister chaired a meeting to give in principle approval to launch the Health Insurance Program. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Chairperson PM’s Youth Program Maryam Nawaz, Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarrar, and senior officers of the health and finance ministries.
Maryam Nawaz, the architect of the scheme, gave a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister in which comparative study of major health blanket models of the European Union, United States and India and options for implementing the scheme in Pakistan were discussed.
“A health insurance programme is the only way forward to provide health care protection to economically deprived people of the society. The scheme is the first of its kind to introduce a grievance redressal system as well as social security safety net for the poor people of Pakistan,” he said.
PM Sharif said the programme will not only give the vulnerable sections of the society an access to cash free health facilities but will also help to develop and revolutionise the health infrastructure across Pakistan.
The prime minister further said the scheme will also increase public-private partnership in Pakistan and will open up further avenues for investment.”
The scheme would be completely apolitical and would provide a blanket for cash free treatment to the poor people of Pakistan for major diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and complications, burns and RTA (life and limb saving treatment, implants, prosthesis), end stage renal diseases and dialysis, chronic infections (hepatitis), organ failure (hepatic, renal, cardiopulmonary) and cancer treatment.
The meeting also decided to establish the first ever public sector human organ transplant center in Islamabad.
The prime minister directed the Ministries of Finance and Health to coordinate and finalise the technical modalities and implementation strategy in minimum possible time so that an early relief could be given to the people.
News courtesy: DAWN
Read more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1110761
Prescription from Pakistan: How one hospital is a model for Asia
Pakistan’s dismal public health system is rife with mismanagement and a paucity of resources.
Amidst this shambolic system, one hospital in Karachi has been providing specialised healthcare to millions.
Free of charge.
As the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation celebrated 40 years of successful service, Dr Sanjay Nagral visited the facility and met the man who helms it, armed with the simple philosophy that ‘No person should die only because they are unable to afford medical expenses.’
Read more » Rediff News
See more » http://www.rediff.com/news/special/prescription-from-pakistan-how-one-hospital-is-a-model-for-asia/20151224.htm
‘Milestone’ prostate cancer drug
The first drug that targets precise genetic mutations in prostate cancer has been shown to be effective in a “milestone” trial by UK scientists.
Read more » BBC
Charity beyond borders: Indian NGO raises funds for Pakistani girl’s treatment
BY DAWN.COM
MUMBAI: As tensions between India and Pakistan run high and leaders from either side lock horns over a range of political differences, a rare act of kindness from across the border might have changed a Pakistani girl’s life forever.
An Indian non-governmental organisation (NGO) has raised almost Indian Rs1.3 million in funds for the treatment of a young Pakistani girl, who suffers from Wilson’s disease — a rare genetic disorder, said a reportpublished on The Time of India.
Saba Tariq Ahmed, a 15-year-old Karachi resident, returned home along with her mother Nazia, after undergoing treatment for the disorder — that results in poisonous accumulation of copper in the body — at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai.
TOI quoted Jaslok hospital CEO Dr Taran Gainchandani as saying: “Saba and her mother, Nazia, boarded an afternoon flight for Karachi. They were extremely happy about how well the treatment worked for Saba.”
According to the report, Saba’s family was assisted financially for her treatment twice between April and October, 2015.
In April-May, an NGO, Bluebells Community, raised INR 700,000 from Mumbai citizens. “But Saba did not respond too well to the regularly prescribed medicines for Wilson’s disease,” TOI quoted liver specialist Dr Aabha Nagral, who has been treating the teen, as saying.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1212816/charity-beyond-borders-indian-ngo-raises-funds-for-pakistani-girls-treatment
Travelling to work ‘is work’, European court rules
Time spent travelling to and from first and last appointments by workers without a fixed office should be regarded as working time, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
This time has not previously been considered as work by many employers.
It means firms including those employing care workers, gas fitters and sales reps may be in breach of EU working time regulations.
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said it could have a “huge effect”.
“Employers may have to organise work schedules to ensure workers’ first and last appointments are close to their homes,” he added.
‘Health and safety’
Chris Tutton, from the solicitors Irwin Mitchell, told the BBC: “Thousands of employers may now potentially be in breach of working time regulation rules in the UK.”
The court said its judgement was about protecting the “health and safety” of workers as set out in the European Union’s working time directive.
The directive is designed to protect workers from exploitation by employers, and it lays down regulations on matters such as how long employees work, how many breaks they have, and how much holiday they are entitled to.
One of its main goals is to ensure that no employee in the EU is obliged to work more than an average of 48 hours a week.
The ruling came about because of an ongoing legal case in Spain involving a company called Tyco, which installs security systems.
‘Bear the burden’
The company shut its regional offices down in 2011, resulting in employees travelling varying distances before arriving at their first appointment.
The court ruling said: “The fact that the workers begin and finish the journeys at their homes stems directly from the decision of their employer to abolish the regional offices and not from the desire of the workers themselves.
“Requiring them to bear the burden of their employer’s choice would be contrary to the objective of protecting the safety and health of workers pursued by the directive, which includes the necessity of guaranteeing workers a minimum rest period.”
Meanwhile, employment law barrister Caspar Glyn agreed the court’s decision could affect “millions of workers”.
However, Mr Glyn also said there had been much speculation that this ruling could allow workers on the national minimum wage to claim more money for the time they spend getting to work.
But he said this would not be the case.
“The national minimum wage is a UK right, it is not a European right. There’s no European right to a national minimum wage.
“The minimum wage regulations in the UK do not count as work travel from home or to any workplace,” he said.
News courtesy: BBC
Read more » http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34210002
Test shows how old your body really is
Scientists say they have developed a way of testing how well, or badly, your body is ageing.
They say it could help predict when a person will die, identify those at high-risk of dementia and could affect medicine, pensions and insurance.
The team at King’s College London say looking at “biological age” is more useful than using a date of birth.
However, the work, published in Genome Biology, provides no clues as to how to slow the ageing process.
The test looks for an “ageing signature” in your body’s cells by comparing the behaviour of 150 genes.
It was developed by initially comparing 54,000 markers of gene activity in healthy, but largely sedentary, 25 and 65-year-olds and then whittling them down to a final 150.
Prof Jamie Timmons, from King’s College London, told the BBC News website: “There’s a healthy ageing signature that’s common to all our tissues, and it appears to be prognostic for a number of things including longevity and cognitive decline.
“It looks like from the age of 40 onwards you can use this to give guidance on how well an individual is ageing.”
Read more » BBC
Learn more » http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34153135
British superbug outbreak ‘could kill 80,000’
Exclusive: A Government report warns that tens of thousands could die because of new strains of bacteria and viruses resistant to drugs
Up to 80,000 people in Britain could die in a single outbreak of an infection due to a new generation of superbugs, according to an official Government forecast.
In total, some 200,000 people could be infected if a strain of disease resistant to antibiotics took hold, according to official forecasts which reveal the potential casualty toll for the first time.
Within 20 years, outbreaks of common flu could become “serious” for patients as drugs become useless and routine surgery could be curtailed due to the risk of infection, it is warned.
Scientists are increasingly concerned about the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which makes routine antibiotics or antivirals drugs ineffective against diseases that have formerly been brought under control.
It would mean that the huge gains made since the discovery of penicillin in curbing conditions such as pneumonia and tuberculosis and rendering surgery and childbirth safe could be lost.
David Cameron has warned that such a scenario would see the world “cast back into the dark ages of medicine”.
The new figures are given in the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, a document compiled by the Cabinet Office that assesses the challenges posed by terrorism, disease, natural disasters and industrial strife.
For the first time, it contains an assessment of the dangers posed by AMR, which it describes as a “particularly serious” issue for the UK.
The document says: “Without effective antibiotics, even minor surgery and routine operations could become high-risk procedures, leading to increased duration of illness and ultimately premature mortality. Much of modern medicine, for example organ transplantation, bowel surgery and some cancer treatments may become unsafe due to the risk of infection. In addition, influenza pandemics would become more serious without effective treatments.”
It adds: “The number of infections complicated by AMR are expected to increase markedly over the next 20 years. If a widespread outbreak were to occur, we could expect around 200,000 people to be affected by a bacterial blood infection that could not be treated effectively with existing drugs, and around 80,000 of these might die.
“High numbers of deaths could also be expected from other forms of antimicrobial resistant infection.”
Already, there are no longer any effective drugs against one strain of E.coli, a bacterial infection that can prove lethal.
Analysts have also looked at the potential casualties from an increasing drug resistance in Klebsiella pneumonia, a form of bacterial pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus, a skin infection, as well as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
Read more » The Telegraph
See more » http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11517558/British-superbug-outbreak-could-kill-80000.html
TED 2015: Bill Gates warns on future disease epidemic
The world needs to prepare for the next major health crisis, Bill Gates has told delegates at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference.
While Ebola seems to be being kept under control currently, next time “we may not be so lucky” the Microsoft co-founder warned.
He said that there were plenty of technology tools that could be used to contain the spread of a virus.
And, he added, governments should learn from how nations prepare for war.
“Nato plays war games to check that people are well-trained and prepared. Now we need germ games,” he said.
He also called for a reserve “medical corps” similar to the reserve armies that civilians can join.
Technology can play a big role in helping prevent the spread of a virus, he told the Ted audience.
The proliferation of mobile phones mean that citizens can easily report where disease breaks out and satellite mapping can quickly collate where the problem areas are.
Meanwhile advances in biology have drastically cut the time it takes to develop vaccines for new viruses
During the Ebola crisis, technology firms such as IBM contributed tracking systems that allowed the authorities to create detailed maps of outbreaks based on text messages from citizens.
Continue reading TED 2015: Bill Gates warns on future disease epidemic
Home Remedies for Yeast Infection
A yeast infection, also known as Candida, is basically caused by a group of microscopic fungi or yeast called Candida albicans. It generally affects the vaginal area but can also develop around dentures, under the breasts, lower abdomen, nail beds, and beneath skin folds.
Factors that can increase the risk of getting a yeast infection are pregnancy, stress, chronic health conditions, diabetes, use of oral contraceptives, steroids and antibiotics.
Women can also get yeast infections after menopause due to declining estrogen levels, which thin the vaginal walls. Most men and women suffer from a yeast infection at least once.
Some of the signs of a yeast infection are itching, burning or swelling in and around the affected area. If it is a vaginal yeast infection, there will be pain or discomfort in the vagina during sex, a burning feeling when urinating, and odorless vaginal discharge. There are many simple home remedies that can eliminate the infection in a relatively short time.
Powerful Syrup For Melting Kidney Stones
Anyone who has had problems with kidney stones knows that it one hell of a painful condition, especially if the stone is stuck in the urinary tract, channel leading from the kidney to the bladder.
Even when it is in the bladder, the stone must first pass through the urinary tract. Since men have longer urinary channel, they have a bigger problem with this health condition.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are mineral deposits – usually some form of calcium, such as calcium oxalate – deposited in the kidneys, which form small sand-like stones inside the kidneys.
The stone may remain in the kidney for weeks, months or even years without causing any symptoms. However, if it moves, it may cause big pain in the back, hips and bloody, muddy urine.
In such a situation, it is advisable to drink huge amount of liquid to allow the stone to be kicked out by urinating and take some analgesics in order to relief the pain. But if the stone is too large, it may require surgery for its removal.
There is another option which combines plenty of fluids in order for the stone to be suppressed. We are going to explain this option in the article, below, in order to break the stone and to eject it out of the body.
Sex should be everyone’s right in Pakistan as its basic need of body: says Rights activist Farzana Bari
Video clip is in Hindi/ urdu language.
Courtesy: Roz News Tv » DailyMotion
The main cause of Pakistani men’s erectile dysfunction is lack of Sex education – says VC of PIMS
The language of the video clip is in Hindi/ urdu.
Courtesy: Roz TV » DailyMotion
Meet Dr Adib Rizvi – The man who brought free healthcare to Sindh’s poor
Pakistan’s ‘miracle’ doctor inspired by NHS
Pakistan’s shambolic public health system suffers from corruption, mismanagement and lack of resources. But one public sector hospital in Karachi provides free specialised healthcare to millions, led by a man whose dream was inspired by the UK’s National Health Service.
Dr Adib Rizvi’s most distinguishing feature is not just his grey hair. You can spot him in a crowd of people in a cramped hospital corridor by the respect he commands among patients and staff.
It doesn’t only come from being the founder and the head of one of Pakistan’s largest public health organisations.
Quite the opposite, for a man who’s spearheaded a life-long mission of providing “free public health care with dignity,” Dr Rizvi is unassuming as he walks around the hospital wards checking on his patients.
Continue reading Meet Dr Adib Rizvi – The man who brought free healthcare to Sindh’s poor
Why Ebola is so dangerous
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency as more than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and – in some cases – both internal and external bleeding.
The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.
Read more » BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26835233
The best way to help your body protect itself against Ebola
The best way to help your body protect itself against Ebola (or any virus or bacteria)
(NaturalNews) With the threat of the Ebola virus spreading, there is a need to understand what natural options are readily available to you in case you don’t want to be subjected to conventional medical treatments and infected patients in hospitals. The only proven system to help eradicate the Ebola virus is your body’s immune system, and it is of primary importance to start strengthening its response now to give yourself the best chance of successfully fighting off an infection.
Work with your body’s natural defenses
The only way to work with your body’s natural defenses is to give it what it requires in order to function at optimal performance. Conventional medical wisdom claims that man-made remedies such as vaccines are superior to those provided by nature, but it doesn’t take a scientist to understand that the toxic chemicals and preservatives injected into the body along with antigens is not a legitimate way to improve immunity.
To improve your immunity, you must improve your relationship with nature and the medicine it provides, which has been proven to keep people healthy for thousands of years. In this case, a focus on healing foods and herbs that have strong antibacterial and antiviral properties is of primary importance, along with improving immune system function and eliminating foods that suppress it.
Antibacterial foods, herbs, and solutions to begin consuming regularly
Even though Ebola is a virus, it only makes sense to start clearing out any harmful bacteria in your digestive system in order for your immune system to function properly. This will allow it to do its job more efficiently, which is a must have when dealing with more deadly infections such as Ebola.
Antibacterial foods and herbs to consider, include: Garlic, Onion, Turmeric (curcumin), Ginger, Lemon, Cayenne, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Clove, Cranberry, Calendula, Echinacea, Oregon grape root ….
Read more » Natural News
HOW BILL GATES HAS BEEN QUIETLY TRYING TO TRANSFORM GLOBAL HEALTH
BY KYLE HILL
You’re probably lucky. You probably don’t have to worry about how clean your water is, if you’ll be able to get vaccinated this year, or if you’ll ever get to see a doctor. You’re lucky, but much of the world isn’t. Many parts of the globe still lack the infrastructure and resources to get on par with modern health care. Bill Gates – Microsoft monolith turned philanthropist – wants to change that.
Ten years ago, Bill and his wife Melinda Gates launched the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. Initially bolstered by 450 million dollars from their nonprofit foundation, this initiative was set up to give a monetary incentive for scientists and researchers to pursue radical or transformative ideas in public health.
“That’s the idea behind Grand Challenges—to focus bright scientists on the problems of the poorest, take some risks, and deliver results,” Gates said in a press release.
Since 2005, the Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program has delivered 458 million dollars to researchers from 33 countries. And these grants have been focused on issues the Gates Foundation believes to be fundamental in bringing the rest of the world up to the medical standard. Of the 16 overarching challenges listed by the foundation, many focus on vaccination — one of if not the most cost effective disease prevention program we have. Grants have been awarded for projects trying to develop needless delivery systems, vaccine formulas that do not require refrigeration, and single-dose vaccines for use shortly after birth.
Read more » Nerdist
http://www.nerdist.com/2014/10/how-bill-gates-has-been-quietly-trying-to-transform-global-health/
The distinctive morality of ebola
Ebola does not really hide. It is transmitted by the obviously sick and the dead. Moreover if transmission stopped tomorrow, it would disappear completely within a couple of months. In so far as it is cryptic at all it is because of a short asymptomatic incubation period and early symptoms that can be mistaken for other diseases.
As the experts have said repeatedly, it is a disease we know how to control by contract tracing and isolation of symptomatic individuals. The fact that the recent outbreak has run out of control comes down to moral decisions and in fact its spread involves moral decisions at nearly every step. It is also in an important sense black and white. There is no accommodation possible. Ebola needs to be controlled or it will just grow and grow until it overwhelms those trying to fight it and then the rest of us.
Read more » http://paintmychromosomes.blogspot.ca/2014/10/the-distinctive-morality-of-ebola_13.html
Ebola reaches Europe for the first time: Spanish nurse tests positive for virus after treating African patient
By Jorge Sainz, Associated Press
MADRID, Spain — In what is the first reported incident of Ebola transmission outside Africa, a Spanish nurse who treated a missionary for the disease at a Madrid hospital tested positive for the disease, Spain’s health minister said Monday.
The female nurse was part of the medical team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest who died in a hospital last month after being flown back from Sierra Leone, where he was posted, Health Minister Ana Mato said.
The woman went to the Alcorcon hospital in the Madrid suburbs with a fever and was placed in isolation. Mato said the infection was confirmed by two tests and that the nurse was admitted to a hospital on Sunday.
Read more » National Post
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/06/ebola-reaches-europe-for-the-first-time-spanish-nurse-tests-virus-after-treating-africa-patient/
Anger grows as wages soar for health-care CEOs while services cut for patients.
Kathleen Wynne must clean up home-care mess: Hepburn
Workers on the front lines of health care are angry that executive salaries are soaring while vital health services are silently slashed.
By: Bob Hepburn
She sits in her car and cries after telling a war veteran suffering from Parkinson’s disease that she can’t approve visits by a nurse to his home to give him the insulin he needs.
Read more » The Star
First Ebola Case Is Diagnosed in the U.S., CDC Reports
The first case of deadly Ebola diagnosed in the U.S. has been confirmed in Dallas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today in a statement.
Read more » Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-30/first-ebola-case-is-diagnosed-in-the-u-s-cdc-reports.html
‘Brain-eating’ amoeba claims 11th life in Sindh
KARACHI: A 57-year-old man — the oldest victim so far — who had visited Pakistan after years in the United States died of infection caused by Naegleria fowleri also known as “brain-eating amoeba” increasing the year’s death toll to 11 in the province and 10th in Karachi, officials said on Sunday.
Read more » DAWN
http://www.dawn.com/news/1134952
The mentally ill population in the largest U.S. jail system is out of control
Screaming Inmates Make L.A. Rethink Jailing Mentally Ill
By James Nash
Inmates in suicide-proof gowns scream and bang on their cell doors one floor below Terri McDonald’s office in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. The bedlam is a reminder, if she needs one, that the mentally ill population in the largest U.S. jail system is out of control.
It’s a “shameful social and public-safety issue,” said McDonald, the assistant sheriff who runs Los Angeles County’s jails. “I believe we can do better. I believe at some point in the future we’ll look back and wonder, ‘What took so long?’”
Read more » Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-26/screaming-inmates-make-l-a-rethink-jailing-mentally-ill.html
Depression Kills
Via Vince Sparks
Last month, I was sitting on my sofa with my laptop when I saw the headline “Robin Williams Found Dead.”
I was shocked and deeply saddened by the news and the loss. It seemed like such a conundrum as to why someone with his persona would commit suicide.
As more information was revealed about his addictions, his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, and his dealing with severe depression, I totally understood how this unfortunate incident could occur. Of course, the naysayers had to emerge and utter incoherent ramblings about cowardice and his leftist views that made him unhappy. All of the unintelligent garbage that gets reported needs to be tossed away promptly.
Suicide is not an act of cowardice, but a result of depression or other mental illnesses.
Robin Williams’ death is a tragedy, but if it can help start a national conversation about Depression and Mental Illness than something positive can come from an untimely death. It seems that many people view mental illness through a stereotype of straight jackets and padded cells.
Mental Illness encompasses many forms and can be as blatant as someone with agitated, incoherent behavior or very subtle cue which make a person appear to have nothing wrong with them.
I understand the symptoms and the impact, because I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. It is a hard condition to understand because it affects emotions. This makes it difficult for people, not familiar with the disease, to comprehend as a real illness.
Believe me, it is just as real as diabetes, cancer, hypertension or any other disease that hides beneath the surface. It requires treatment just the same as a diabetic requires medication to keep their condition stable.
The illness is as old as recorded history.
Years ago people thought of it as melancholia. The prevailing notion would be “he just needs to pull himself up by his bootstraps.” It was an uneducated thought that if you were sad, you would just get glad again. It was a self-inflicted pity party. The more the condition was studied and as medical advances were made, clinicians realized that there are many factors and conditions involved with the illness. Depression has many causes and can stem from genetic predisposition, life events, faulty mood regulation by the brain, and medical problems.
Whatever the specific cause for depression, there are always chemicals in the brain involved. There are many drugs available for treatment, but each person can react differently due to internal chemical reactions to the medications. The complexity of the illness is daunting for practitioners. They can’t simply review similar symptoms and think that the treatment will be the same for each patient.
A new way to generate insulin-producing cells in type 1 diabetes
A new study by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) has found that a peptide called caerulein can convert existing cells in the pancreas into those cells destroyed in type 1 diabetes—insulin-producing beta cells. The study, published online July 31 in Cell Death and Disease, suggests a new approach to treating the estimated 3 million people in the U.S., and over 300 million worldwide, living with type 1 diabetes. “We have found a promising technique for type 1 diabetics to restore the body’s ability to produce insulin. By introducing caerulein to the pancreas we were able to generate new beta cells—the cells that produce insulin—potentially freeing patients from daily doses of insulin to manage their blood-sugar levels.” said Fred Levine, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford-Burnham. The study first examined how mice in which almost all beta cells were destroyed—similar to humans with type 1 diabetes—responded to injections of caerulein. In those mice, but not in normal mice, they found that caerulein caused existing alpha cells in the pancreas to differentiate into insulin-producing beta cells. Alpha cells and beta cells are both endocrine cells meaning they synthesize and secret hormones—and they exist right next to one another in the pancreas in structures called islets. However, alpha cells do not normally become beta cells. –
The Hunger Games in Pakistan
For many in the West, The Hunger Games is a box-office hit and a bestselling novel. For most Pakistanis, however, hunger games are no work of fiction. While several million Pakistanis are starving where only eight per cent of the children receive minimum acceptable diet, the government in Islamabad is finalising the budget, which if previous budgets are any indication, is unlikely to address hunger and misery that has spread to every nook and cranny in the country.
Read more » DAWN
http://www.dawn.com/news/716973/the-hunger-games-in-pakistan
Malnutrition in Pakistani children, its causes, consequences and recommendations
Madam, malnutrition is a pathological condition resulting from deficiency of one or more nutrients and has a wide range of clinical manifestations. Children are amongst the worst-affected groups. In 2001, it was noted that malnutrition caused 54% deaths in children living in developing countries.1 The World Health Organization through the Millennium Development Goal 4 has recognized that improved nutrition is crucial in reducing the under-5-years mortality,especially in the developing countries.2
Laying its special emphasis in our part of the world, the percentage of malnourished children is highest in Asia with 70% of undernourished children living in this part of the world. In South Asia, one out of two preschoolers is underweight and has stunted growth.3 In Pakistan,33.03% (CI= 27.96-38.54)of children under the age of 5 are underweight, 53.38% of the children are stunted and wasting has been reported in 11.52% of the children,4 which clearly shows that the nutritional status in this country is poor.Goiter caused by iodine deficiency is also common with the highest cases reported in Pakistan, India and parts of Indonesia.3
Marasmus, Kwashiorkor or Marasmus Kwashiorkor will probably develop in a child who is malnourished for a prolonged period of time leading to an increased mortality. Children who are undernourished are more susceptible to the effects of infectious diseases compared to children who are adequately nourished.1 Infections can in turn lead to more undernourishment as food intake is decreased during infection and this turns into a vicious cycle.
One of the possible causes of such status could be declined production of food.1 Many landscapes that were once fertile are deemed barren due to environmental pollution caused by mankind. This in turn leads to less land that is available for farming and ultimately food production per acre is insufficient to touch base with other countries. Poverty, unawareness, population growth, political instability, loss of food stock due to poor harvest and natural calamities are some of the important factors causing malnutrition amongst children. Malnutrition in Pakistani children has been directly linked to illiteracy of mothers, low family income and larger family size.5 Maternal undernourishment is also a contributing factor to babies being born with low-birth-weight.1 The increased basal metabolic rate due to acute and chronic illnesses may also precipitate the pre-existing malnutrition.
Read more » JPMA
http://jpma.org.pk/full_article_text.php?article_id=3324
Indus Asia Online Journal (Click here to go to home page) 