Iavante English Training Programme

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Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA.
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The researchers constructed a bacterium’s “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell.
The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species “dictated” by the synthetic DNA.
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The advance, published in Science, has been hailed as a scientific landmark, but critics say there are dangers posed by synthetic organisms.
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(more…)

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BBC News, Health reporter, Friday, 23 April 2010

A team of 30 Spanish doctors say they have successfully performed the world’s first full face transplant.

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A man injured in a shooting accident received the entire facial skin and muscles - including cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth - of a donor.
The man is recovering well after the 22-hour operation, said a spokesperson from Vall d’Hebron University Hospital.

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Another 10 face transplants have been carried out around the world, but this is believed to be the most complex.

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Hospital spokesperson Bianca Bont told the BBC: “This is the first total face transplant.
“There have been 10 operations of this kind in the world - this is the first to transplant all of the face and some bones of the face.”

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The man was operated on in March, but details of the operation have only just been revealed.
He had been left unable to breathe, swallow, or talk properly after an accident five years ago.
He was considered for a full face transplant after nine previous operations failed.
A team of 30 experts carried out the operation on 20 March at the hospital in Barcelona.
The man has since seen himself in the mirror and was calm and satisfied, the leader of the medical team, Joan Pere Barret, told a news conference.

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‘Achievement’

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The first partial face transplant was carried out by doctors in Amiens, France, in 2005.
Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled by her dog, received a new nose, chin and lips.

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Since then partial face transplants have been carried out in China and the US.
British experts say the Spanish operation may be the most complex yet.
It appears to include more bone and much more of the lower part of the face.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Facial Transplantation Research Team, which has ethical permission to carry out a full face transplant, said it was “a tremendous achievement”.
“This appears to be the most complex facial transplant operation carried out so far worldwide,” he said.
“It once again shows how facial transplantation can help a small number of people who are the most severely facially injured and for whom reconstructive surgery cannot and has not worked.”

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How surgeons rebuilt patient’s face:

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1. Patient lost jaw, nose and other parts of his face in shooting accident.

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2. Donor’s facial skin, muscles, nose, cheekbones, teeth and jawbone used to rebuild patient’s face. Metal plates used to support new facial structure, which included reconstructing the roof of the mouth.

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3. Donor’s nerves, blood vessels and skin connected to patient. Patient will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.

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Source: Vall D’Hebron Hospital, Barcelona

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8639437.stm

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Monday, 26 April 2010

Smokers may in future be able to blame their genes for their addiction. Researchers have identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day. Several also appear to be associated with taking up smoking, and one affects how difficult individuals find it to stop.
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The findings, based on data from more than 140,000 individuals and published in Nature Genetics, will be incorporated into DNA tests developed by the Icelandic company deCODE, to tell people what risk they run of becoming smokers.
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A statement from deCODE, which took part in the research, said that, taken together, the variants identified a “sizeable proportion” of smokers whose health was at greater risk than average because of their habit.
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Dr Kari Stefansson, the chairman of deCODE and one of the researchers from 23 institutions in a dozen countries, said: “Smoking is bad for anyone’s health. It is even worse for some, and today’s discoveries continue to strengthen our ability to identify who those people are and give them a compelling additional reason to quit.”
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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/genes-determine-why-some-smoke-1954220.html

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BBC News, Monday, 12 April 2010

The identification of 20 genes which could help explain the causes of kidney disease could one day “revolutionise” treatment, researchers say.
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Chronic kidney disease affects about one in 10 adults and can require dialysis or even an organ transplant.
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The genes identified by the international team of researchers control kidney functions such as filtering waste from the blood.
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Experts said the Nature Genetics study was “a great breakthrough”.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition in which the kidneys progressively lose their function.
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People tend not to notice symptoms, which can include swollen ankles and hands or blood in the urine, until the condition is advanced.
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It is linked to ageing - about one in five men and one in four women aged between 65 and 74 will have some degree of CKD.
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The most common cause of CKD is damage caused by other long-term conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
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It was known there was a genetic component to the disease, but not which genes were involved.
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‘First step’
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In this study, an international team of scientists, including researchers at the University of Edinburgh, looked at the genes of nearly 70,000 people across Europe.
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They found 13 new genes that influence renal function and seven others that affect the production and secretion of creatinine - a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism and filtered through the kidneys.
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Dr Jim Wilson, a geneticist at the University of Edinburgh who worked on the study, said: “This work could revolutionise the treatment of kidney disease in the future - but this will take some time.
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“It’s a very critical first step towards a completely new understanding of the biology behind CKD. Transferring what we’ve found into clinical benefits will take some years.”
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Charles Kernahan, chief executive of the charity Kidney Research UK, said “These are still early days but it is truly a great breakthrough”.
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“No-one knows who will be affected or when kidney disease may strike next, so even more research needs to be funded to help us tackle this challenge.”
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8611312.stm

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Q&A: Advice about swine flu
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Swine flu has spread across the world since emerging in
Mexico and is now officially the first flu pandemic for 40 years. Experts fear millions of people will be infected.What is swine flu and what are the symptoms?
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Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.
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H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.
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But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.
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Although the strain may have originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease.
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It can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.
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Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.
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A fever - which is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) - is the key symptom, combined with other complaints which may include a cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and aching limbs. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea.
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As with normal flu, the severity of symptoms will depend on treatment and the individual. Many people have only suffered mildly and have begun to recover within a week.
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People are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms, but they cease to be a risk once those symptoms have disappeared. The incubation period may be as little as two days.
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Apparently healthy people are dying from the virus. Does that mean it is getting worse?
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Experts say this does not change anything, and that if anything it is surprising that it has taken this long in the UK for someone without underlying health problems to die.
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Apparently healthy people can die of any flu-related virus if it causes complications such as pneumonia so these latest deaths do not give any extra cause for concern.
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Indeed, so far, many people who have developed symptoms of infection have not needed drugs to make a full recovery, according to the WHO.
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Flu expert Professor Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, says about one in every three people who become infected will not realise they have had swine flu because they will have had no or only very few symptoms.
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Why has the UK been more affected than other countries? The UK has a comprehensive flu surveillance system. Hence more cases may be identified in the UK than in other countries with less comprehensive monitoring services.
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Also, the spread of the infection in the early stages was linked to flights out of Mexico. With Mexico being a popular tourist destination for British tourists, Britain was one of the first countries alongside America and Canada to start seeing cases.
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As the UK was affected earlier than some other countries the infection has spread to a higher number of people.
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What should I do if I think I have it? Anyone with flu-like symptoms who suspects they might have the swine flu virus are being advised to stay at home and contact the National Flu Service on 0800 1 513 100 or via the internet at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu
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The service allows sufferers to get access to anti-flu drugs without the need to consult a GP.
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However, those with underlying health conditions, the under ones and pregnant women are still being advised to contact a doctor.
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The GP route is also open to anyone who does not want to use the service.
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In the initial phase of the outbreak, lab testing was done to diagnose the flu but this is no longer happening routinely.
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How is it treated? Two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective at treating infection, reducing the length of the illness and cutting the chances that people will have serious complications.
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Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.
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However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.
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Researchers have also questioned whether the drugs are helpful in children aged between one and 12, saying the risk of side effects might outweigh any benefits.
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But the Department of Health maintains a “safety-first approach” of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward.
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It said it would keep the policy under review.
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The UK government already has a stockpile of Tamiflu, ordered as a precaution against a pandemic.
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There is also concern that if too many people start taking anti-virals as a precaution, it could raise the risk of the virus developing resistance, reducing the drugs’ effectiveness.
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There is however no evidence at present that this is happening.
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In any event there is little point taking these drugs as a precaution as each tablet only provides a day’s worth of cover. Given that the virus may be with us for many months - or indeed years - taking a regular pill is ill-advised as the long-term side effects are not known.
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The drugs can have side-effects, most commonly nausea and vomiting.
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What measures then can I take to prevent infection? As yet there is no vaccine, but manufacturers are trying to develop one. Good progress is being made and the first doses may be available in the UK by August. However the NHS says it may be next year before everyone can be immunised.
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Older people and those under 16 - as well as health workers and those with existing clinical conditions - will be given priority.
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It is hoped that even if the virus mutates in coming months, the vaccine would still confer a high degree of protection against related strains.
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In the meantime, avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and cough.
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General infection control practices and good hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza.
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This includes covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly.
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It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people, and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.
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In Mexico masks have been handed out to the general public, but experts are sceptical about how useful this is.
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Some suggest it may even be counterproductive.
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What is the advice for pregnant women? The Department of Health has clarified its advice on how expectant mothers should protect themselves following a series of apparently mixed messages.
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Concerns were heightened after a woman with swine flu died last week shortly after giving birth prematurely.
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Pregnant women are among the groups at increased risk from swine flu. It is important that they follow the advice about hand hygiene.
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They may also want to avoid very crowded places and unnecessary travel, but experts stressed people should use their own judgement and should carry on with their daily lives.
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Where can I get further advice? Further information and advice on swine flu can be found at websites of leading health and research organisations around the world. The World Health Organisation gives background information on the virus.
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The UK’s government services website is carrying regularly updated health and travel information. The Health Protection Agency advises the public about what to do if returning from an affected area. NHS Choices outlines how swine flu is different from other flu.
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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is another good source of information.
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The US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is counting the number of cases in the US.
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You can also track spread of swine flu reports using unofficial sources. Google is mapping search term data as an indicator of flu activity both across the US down to state level and in Mexico. Healthmaps maps viruses using news reports. Social media guide Mashable lists a range of ways to track the virus.
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Information and links to useful websites are being shared on Twitter, the micro-blogging service, while social networking website Facebook is tracking swine flu discussion amongst users.
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Further questions from our readers have been answered by a UK-based expert.
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And the BBC’s medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, is filing regular entries on his blog on H1N1.
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There is “widespread confusion” among doctors and women about ovarian cancer, a charity has said.
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Target Ovarian Cancer surveyed 400 GPs and found 80% wrongly thought women with early stage disease had no signs.
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And of 1,000 women polled, only 4% said they could “confidently identify” symptoms of the disease.
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A spokesman for the Royal College of GPs said it was “extraordinarily difficult” to diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage.
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Symptoms include persistent pelvic or abdominal pain, increased abdominal size and persistent bloating and difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.
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Around 6,800 women are diagnosed with the cancer each year.
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Only 30% are alive five years after diagnosis, a statistic the charity says has not improved in 30 years.
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It says breast cancer survival has increased from 50% to 80% in the same period.
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But it said that if women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer when it was at an early stage, 90% could survive.
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Currently, three-quarters of women are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread.
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On average, it takes a year from the first symptoms appearing until a woman is diagnosed.
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Lack of awareness
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The survey of GPs also found almost three-quarters of GPs were unaware of Department of Health guidelines published in February which outlined the symptoms doctors should watch for.
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When the charity asked them to pick out potential symptoms, 51% correctly identified “increased abdominal size” as the most important symptom, but less than 2% picked out “difficulty eating” or “feeling full”.
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And almost two-thirds were unaware that a strong history of ovarian cancer on her father’s side of the family could increase a woman’s risk of the disease.
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The early signs of ovarian cancer can be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Women can often be sent for gastric tests and by the time it is realised this is not the cause, the cancer is often very advanced.
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But the poll found 69% of GPs did not know ovarian cancer was more likely to cause frequent, sudden and persistent symptoms than IBS.
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GPs are aware there are problems in identifying ovarian cancer, and 93% of those questioned acknowledged that women often experienced a delay in getting a diagnosis.
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‘Change overdue’
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Of the 1,000 women surveyed, two-thirds thought ovarian cancer was unrelated to age when older women are actually more likely to have ovarian cancer, while 80% did not know childless women were more at risk.
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The charity also spoke to 132 women with the disease. Almost two-thirds felt their doctor did not take their concerns and symptoms very seriously.
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And 44% waited more than six months for a correct diagnosis.
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A third said they had to visit their GP three to five times before being referred to an appropriate specialist.
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Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “Change is long overdue and ovarian cancer needs to become a priority.”
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Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It’s extraordinarily difficult to diagnose this silent killer early.”
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“GPs are aware that persistent abdominal pain and increased abdominal circumference (bloating) can be symptoms.
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“But the more we can do to raise awareness of ovarian cancer - and remind patients and doctors that it can creep up on people - the better.”
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BBC News

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Researchers are probing an unexpected success in a study of an experimental treatment for prostate cancer.
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In three men with advanced disease, use of an immune drug called ipilimumab, shrank their tumours to such an extent surgeons were able to operate.
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The Mayo Clinic team in the US said the “startling” results in the study of 108 men had prompted them to set up a second trial using higher doses.
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One UK expert said there were currently few treatments for advanced disease.
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In men with advanced prostate cancer, which has spread outside the prostate, surgery cannot usually be done.
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Hormone therapy is usually given to try to shrink the tumour to some degree and buy some time.
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The trial was set up to see if MDX-010, a type of drug called a monoclonal antibody, would improve on hormone treatment.
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The idea is that the drug will encourage a strong immune response to attack the cancer cells.
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Half the men had normal therapy and half also received MDX-010.
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In three cases, where the experimental drug was given, the tumours shrank dramatically, enabling surgeons to operate and remove the tumour.
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There are 20 other patients who are showing improvements and who are being monitored by the surgeons.
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‘Preliminary’
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Dr Eugene Kwon, a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, said the results in those men were well beyond their expectations.
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“Our surgeons had never seen this happen before and we were really taken by surprise.”
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They are now planning a trial in 30 men to test higher doses of the drug and hope to start much larger trials across many hospitals shortly after.
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Dr Michael Blute, study leader and the surgeon involved said: “I had never seen anything like this before. I had a hard time finding the cancer.”
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“At one point the pathologist (who was working during surgery) asked if we were sending him samples from the same patient.”
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Until large scale studies are carried out it is unclear whether this response can be repeated in other patients or is an anomaly.
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But John Neate, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity said they would wait for further results with anticipation.
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“If a cancerous tumour has spread beyond the prostate gland, it would currently be regarded as inoperable and alternative types of treatment, typically hormone therapy are necessary.”
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“If these early and small scale results are replicated in larger trials, this represents a potentially very exciting development.”
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“We urgently need a wider range of treatment options for prostate cancer which has spread outside the prostate gland.”
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“It must be remembered that this is a small trial however, and the findings are preliminary.”
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BBC News

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 Dr Chan said the pandemic would be of ”moderate severity”
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting.
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 It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile.
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 WHO chief Dr Margaret Chan said the move did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.
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 The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to 74 countries.
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 Official reports say there have been nearly 30,000 cases globally and 141 deaths, with figures rising daily.
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  Hong Kong said it was closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks following 12 school cases.
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  It is the first flu pandemic in 40 years - the last in 1968 killed about one million people.
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 However, the current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people. Most cases are occurring in young working age adults and a third to a half of complications are presenting in otherwise healthy people.
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 Dr Chan said: “We have evidence to suggest we are seeing the first pandemic of the 21st Century”. “Moving to pandemic phase six does not imply we will see increased in deaths or serious cases.”
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  She added it was important to get the right balance between complacency and vigilance and that pandemic strategies would vary between countries depending on their specific situation.
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 And the WHO does not recommend closure of borders or any restrictions on the movement of people, goods or services.
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 But the picture could change very quickly.
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 “No other pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely,” Dr Chan said.
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 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for calm. “Let me stress: this is a formal statement about the geographical spread of the disease. It is not in itself a cause for alarm,” he said.
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  He warned that in the developing world the consequences of the virus could be more serious, and that the southern hemisphere was now entering the flu season.
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 One factor which has prompted the move to a level six pandemic was that in the southern hemisphere, the virus seems to be crowding out normal seasonal influenza.
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 The move was not prompted by the situation in any one country but the reports that it had spread in several parts of the world, officials said.
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 The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes, in Geneva, says that while the number of cases has made the declaration inevitable, the WHO will have to manage the global anxiety the declaration of a pandemic will generate.
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 Experts have warned that poorer nations, especially those in the southern hemisphere now heading into their winter season, face the greatest risk from the flu pandemic.
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Pandemic planning
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There have been more than 800 cases in the UK with some areas of Scotland being particularly hard hit.
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 The government has been stockpiling antivirals such as Tamiflu and has ordered vaccine, some doses of which could be available by October.
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  England’s chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the WHO declaration of a pandemic would not significantly change the way the UK was dealing with swine flu at the moment.
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 But he added there could be some minor changes to who received antivirals.
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 “The declaration of a pandemic per se doesn’t make a big difference to the way we are handling the outbreaks we have.”
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 “We are going to continue to investigate every case that occurs and treat their contacts with antivirals even though they may not be ill”
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 “The difference is that the Health Protection Agency has learnt a lot about approaching this question of antiviral prophylaxis and they are going to be treating the closer contacts of the cases, rather than the more far-flung contacts, because they feel that that is supported by what they know so far about how the disease is transmitting”
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 He added: “These flu viruses can change their pattern of attack, so when we come into the flu season in the autumn and winter in this country, when we expect a big surge of cases, we need to watch very carefully to see if the character of the virus is changing.”
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  Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said a move to level six means that countries need to be ready to implement pandemic plans immediately but the
UK was already operating at a “heightened state of readiness”.
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 But it could affect the speed at which the
UK gets pandemic vaccine supplies but that had been factored into pandemic planning. show

 Flu expert Professor John Oxford said people should not panic as the outbreak was milder than others seen in the past century.
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 “It is global and fulfilling the requirements of a pandemic but I don’t think anyone should worry because nothing drastic has happened between yesterday and today.”
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The rate of diabetes in the USA has almost doubled in the past decade. This is according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).

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A spokesperson for the centre said there was now an epidemic in America. There were 9.1 new cases per 1,000 people between 2005 and 2007. This is an increase from 4.8 per 1,000 between 1995 and 1997.

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Experts say that one of the biggest reasons for the rise in diabetes is the increasing levels of obesity. Americans are eating more fast food and getting less exercise.

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This is a recipe for disaster and the exact conditions that lead to diabetes. The American Diabetes Association said 23.6 million American children and adults have diabetes. This is about eight per cent of the population.

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Experts say the disease is becoming a silent killer. It is also causing a great strain on America’s health service. The only way for America to control the escalating levels of diabetes is through educating people about the dangers of the disease.

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Guardian Unlimited, Tuesday October 7^th 2008
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Human evolution has virtually ground to a halt, according to genetics expert Prof Steve Jones of University College London.
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Jones, from the department of genetics, evolution and environment at UCL, argues that mechanisms for evolution are dwindling and, as far as evolution is concerned, we have arrived at utopia or as close to it as we are likely to get.
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In the first of a series of lunch-hour lectures at UCL today, Jones will say that the end of evolution is partly due to a shorter age of reproduction for men.
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In the west, men are becoming fathers later and there are fewer older fathers, which means a sharp drop in the number of genetic mutations possible.
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Jones will outline three components of evolution – natural selection, mutation and random change.
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“In ancient times half our children would have died by the age of 20. Now, in the western world, 98% of them are surviving to the age of 21. Our life expectancy is now so good that eliminating all accidents and infectious diseases would only raise it by a further two years. Natural selection no longer has death as a handy tool,” he will say.
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“Mutation, too, is slowing down. Yes, there are chemicals and radioactive pollution – but one of the most important mutagens is old men. For a 29-year-old father (the mean age of reproduction in the west) there are around 300 divisions between the sperm that made him and the one he passes on – each one with an opportunity to make mistakes.
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“For a 50-year-old father, the figure is well over a thousand. A drop in the number of older fathers will thus have a major effect on the rate of mutation.
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“Perhaps surprisingly, the age of reproduction has gone down – the mean age of male reproduction means that most conceive no children after the age of 35. Fewer older fathers means that, if anything, mutation is going down.”
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Randomness as a key ingredient in evolution is also often forgotten, Jones will say. “Humans are 10,000 times more common than we should be, according to the rules of the animal kingdom, and we have agriculture to thank for that.
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“Without farming, the world population would probably have reached half a million by now – about the size of the population of Glasgow. Small populations which are isolated can change – evolve – at random as genes are accidentally lost.
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“Worldwide, all populations are becoming connected and the opportunity for random change is dwindling.”
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Jones will add that the west is becoming a melting pot of ethnicities and, almost everywhere, inbreeding is becoming less common.
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“In Britain, one marriage in 50 or so is between members of a different ethnic group, and the country is one of the most sexually open in the world. We are mixing into a global mass, and the future is brown.”
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He adds: “So, if you are worried about what utopia is going to be like, don’t; at least in the developed world, and at least for the time being, you are living in it now.”
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/07/research.highereducation