Genetics may play a bigger role in the body's disease-fighting ability than scientists previously thought, according to the results from a new study of twins in Queensland, Australia.The research was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology .
As part of its policy to eradicate poverty in the 12th Plan, the government will identify target groups of poor and vulnerable people and implement need based interventions to increase their ability to earn income and improve their overall standard of living. Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji said this during the deliberation on the 12th Plan in the National Assembly yesterday.
Earlier this year a draft national policy was approved which could have seen the allocation of a potential 100 crore to the research and treatment of rare diseases. Abruptly, the Centre has withdrawn the policy. Rare diseases cumulatively affect around 350 million people. The bill was initially passed on May 25 this year. However, such an elongated drafting period led to accusations that the government are dragging their feet on the matter.
Remembering to take medication is vital for managing long term health conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or multiple conditions. Latest research from the University of Cambridge suggests that using interactive voice response (IVR) technology supports patients to take their medicine as prescribed. During a pilot study, published in the journal BMJ Open, seventeen patients received daily automated telephone calls for one month. All patients had high blood pressure. The calls were tailored to patients' needs and provide them with advice and support about taking their prescribed medicines.
HIV-2 is more pathogenic than previously believed, and without treatment, most infected individuals will progress to HIV-related disease and death – although more slowly than they would with HIV-1, an international study has found. The authors say their study in The Lancet HIV, is the first to reliably estimate the time from HIV infection to AIDS or HIV-related death for HIV-2, with comparative estimates for both HIV-1-infected and HIV-negative individuals from the same population.
In the absence of resistance, ACTs are effective drugs. However, with emerging resistance to the above currently recommended ACTs, it is necessary to identify new drug combinations with equivalent efficacy. The latest findings concluded that pyronaridine?artesunate performed well in these trials compared to artemether?lumefantrine and mefloquine plus artesunate. The review recommended further efficacy and safety studies in African and Asian children to clarify whether the combination is an option for first?line treatment of uncomplicated P falciparum malaria.
Meat-free athletes–from tennis champion Venus Williams to Formula 1's Lewis Hamilton to Derrick Morgan of the NFL's Tennessee Titans–have already proven the performance-boosting power of a plant-based diet. Now, "Plant-Based Diets for Cardiovascular Safety and Performance in Endurance Sports," a new scientific review published in the journal Nutrients adds further evidence that plant-based athletes benefit from improvements in heart health, performance, and recovery.
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes among U.S. youth may be associated with increased use of potentially dangerous flavored tobacco products, a new study suggests. The proportion of students using any tobacco products declined from 17.3% in 2014 to 13.6% in 2017. But the picture looks different for flavored products.
Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered a way of preventing mosquito eggs from hatching, potentially paving the way for drugs that could serve as “birth control” within mosquito populations. Lead author Dr. Jun Isoe and colleagues hope the approach may provide a way of interrupting mosquito reproduction and reducing populations of the insects in areas of human disease transmission.
Spotless surfaces in hospitals can hide bacteria that rarely cause problems for healthy people but pose a serious threat to people with weakened immune systems. Acinetobacter baumannii causes life-threatening lung and bloodstream infections in hospitalized people. Such infections are among the most difficult to treat because these bacteria have evolved to withstand most antibiotics.
Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have figured out a key step in the transmission of antibiotic resistance from one Acinetobacter bacterium to another. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, open up a new strategy to safeguard our ability to treat bacterial infections with antibiotics.
A measles outbreak in New York has been called the largest in the state's recent history, and it's occurring at a time when there have been spikes in measles cases globally. Since the outbreak emerged in September, measles has been diagnosed in at least 112 people across Rockland and Orange counties and at least 55 in New York City, CNN reports.
“Biased” G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists preferentially activate pathways mediated by G proteins or β-arrestins. Here, double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy is used to probe the changes that ligands induce in the conformational distribution of the angiotensin II type I receptor. New research is showing precisely how the crucial cell surface receptors interact differently with various drugs, giving the researchers hope that they may be able to tailor more specific medications for heart patients.